Shōji Kawamori
The Transformers mecha were largely designed by Shōji Kawamori, the creator of the Japanese mecha anime franchise "Macross" (which was adapted into the "Robotech" franchise in North America). Kawamori came up with the idea of transforming mechs while working on the "Diaclone" and "Macross" franchises in the early 1980s (such as the VF-1 Valkyrie in "Macross" and "Robotech"), with his "Diaclone" mechs later providing the basis for "Transformers".