Coral transplantation has been widely implemented as a restoration strategy to accelerate reef recovery and enhance associated fish communities. However, its ecological effectiveness in shaping fish functional group composition remains insufficiently understood. This study compared fish abundance and functional group distributions between transplantation (T) and non-transplantation (NT) coral reef sites to evaluate how restoration activities influence reef fish communities. Fish communities were surveyed using underwater visual census (UVC) techniques, and individuals were classified into functional groups including herbivores, grazers, scrapers, corallivores, planktivores, invertivores, and carnivores. Two-way ANOVA was applied to test for the main effects of site type and functional group, along with their interaction effect. Significant interaction effects were detected for most functional groups, indicating that the response of fish abundance varied depending on both site type and ecological role. In particular, herbivores, grazers, and planktivores were more abundant at transplantation sites, suggesting that coral restoration supports higher trophic diversity and habitat complexity. Conversely, corallivores and carnivores showed inconsistent patterns, likely reflecting differences in coral maturity and prey availability. These findings indicate that the coral transplantation program implemented by PT. Borneo Indobara since 2010 has not only contributed to increasing fish abundance but also altered the functional composition of coral reef communities, emphasizing its crucial role in supporting the recovery and enhancing the resistance of reef ecosystems.