Decipatron was considered the most cunning and least loyal of the Firstforged, the inventor of firearms and artillery. He is considered to be the primogenitor of the Decepticons. Many psychopatron cultists believe that certain old and powerful Decepticons, such as Megatron or Straxus, are Decipatron's spawn. Some have even suggested that Megatron is Decipatron, which he has strenuously denied, claiming that if he was, the Great War would have ended long ago. Primordialists argue as to whether he demerged from Zhenetox or Tarn. His spawnlings were known as the Decipatons [meaning "the decimators" and "the tenth part"]. His line of descent is called the Decepticons.

After the end of the war with the demons, he betrayed both Maximo and Prime Nova and sought to take over Cybertron himself. He was violently beaten by his brothers, but his final fate is uncertain. According to some legends, he fled Cybertron in fear of his life and cannot return lest his remaining brethren awaken; some legends say he was actually killed by his brothers. Yet more legends say he is asleep within one of Cybertron's moons, or that he fled to one of the moons and was attacked by the good creatures. The version mostly commonly believed amongst the Autobots is that he fled to one of Cybertron's moons, where he hid for the duration of the Silver Age. At the beginning of the Builder Invasion, he was accidentally awakened from his sleep by the Builders, whom he turned on, only to be ripped apart by their legions of drones. The Decepticons do not like this story, and claim that Decipatron survived, disguised as a normal Decepticon, and that he is still alive, asleep or disguised. 

The name Decipatron, meaning both "tenth creator" and "creator of the tenth", is a translation of the meaning of his name in Ancient Cybertronian. In Primaltongue he was called Hunzudika meaning "I hurt, I think, I begin ten". In Modern Autobot his full name is Caz'ocam meaning "lord of his army". The apostrophe represents the eliding of the word bat meaning "wretched", making his full name Cazbatocam, meaning "lord of the wretched army", an insult to both Decipatron and the Decepticons. Caz'ocam is transliterated into Murion as Hegir Kyuarm. In Modern Decepticon he is called Niyashagukrisanis, meaning "master of war, the favourite grand leader". This name is often preceded by the title naundo, meaning "lord of lords".

In High Legion he was called Umduwado, meaning "floor underfoot, pain and rage". Before the Rising of Polyhex this referred to the Legascions' uwado-fuelled hatred of Decipatron for betraying Maximo, and so the act of speaking his name was the act of stamping his face into the floor. After the Rising of Polyhex the meaning shifted to mean that the Decepticons were stamping the Legascions into the floor, driven by the supernatural uwado of Decipatron. After the Surrender of Kalis Umduwado came to refer to how the Legascions had been crushed underfoot by the uwado of the Decepticons.