Triggerhappy (G1)

This article is about the Decepticon Targetmaster. For the Marvel UK text story, see Trigger-Happy!.

Triggerhappy is a Decepticon Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

We cool, G? Eh? Eh? Alriiiight.

Triggerhappy is a nutball. You get them in the Decepticons from time to time. He's generally found drooling and/or giggling wildly. He's been that way ever since an incident at Decepticon boot camp, in which he was firing while surfing on his hoverboard, but fell off and hit his head. He remained firing all the while and ended up disintegrating half a dozen other Decepticons. The camp commander was impressed and graduated Triggerhappy on the spot. Nobody is sure if it's an act or if he suffered processor damage in the fall. What is known is that he pays very little attention to where he's shooting but LOVES the sound his gun makes when fired. Good idea arming him there, Megatron.

Triggerhappy is binary-bonded with Blowpipe, the conniving, envious brother-in-law of Nebulan leader Zarak.

“	Have gun, have fun!	”
—Triggerhappy's motto

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Charlie Adler (English), Ken Narita (Japanese)

How is he supposed to drool when he doesn't have a mouth?

Triggerhappy was one of several Decepticon jets serving under Scourge and Cyclonus when they attacked Autobot City as part of a division while the Decepticon Clones stole the Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. After Scourge successfully activated the chamber on Cybertron (and inadvertently sent a shuttle full of Autobots and the key halfway across the galaxy), Triggerhappy, Misfire, and Slugslinger were among the Decepticon unit sent to retrieve the key. Following the Autobots to Nebulos, Triggerhappy attacked the Autobums, welcoming them to the scrapyard that they would become should he succeed in destroying them. The Rebirth, Part 1

Though the Decepticons managed to capture several Autobots, they were soon overwhelmed by new Headmaster technology the Autobots developed with the Nebulan rebels. After making a deal with the Hive, the Decepticons underwent binary bonding as well, and Triggerhappy was given a new partner who blows hard and fast. Armed with this new skill, Triggerhappy and his Targetmaster companions successfully helped reacquire the Chamber's key. While waiting for Zarak to complete modifications to his city, Triggerhappy declared a possible gasket-blowing event was imminent should he be made to wait any longer. The Rebirth, Part 2

Triggerhappy and the other Targetmasters returned to Cybertron just in the nick of time to save Galvatron from the remainder of the Autobot forces. Galvatron was less than impressed by their new Hive partners, however, and addressed Triggerhappy directly when he berated them for letting organics inhabit their bodies, despite the fact Triggerhappy wasn't a Headmaster. The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Michihiro Ikemizu

Triggerhappy and his partners, Misfire and Slugslinger, were frequent opponents of the Autobot trio under Pointblank's command. When all of them were engaged in combat over several space-faring denizens of planet Master, a massive explosion caught everyone off-guard. Triggerhappy and his partners and foes alike were transformed into Targetmasters, somehow fused together in pairs with each of the smaller Master Transformers by the explosion. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)

The Headmasters manga

Triggerhappy and the Decepticon Targetmasters attempted to disrupt the Autobots' efforts to put out a blazing fire on Earth. The Autobots' split focus left them vulnerable, until the Battleship Maximus extinguished the entire fire in one sweep. Ricochet and Artfire then turned their full attention on Triggerhappy and his allies, driving them from the scene. The Headmasters #7

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Triggerhappy participated in a raid on an Autobot city on Cybertron, ending with its incineration. Several prisoners of war were captured by his squad, and Triggerhappy openly mocked the captives as they were marched towards their doom in the smelting pool. The procession was interrupted by an Autobot ambush led by Fortress Maximus; the Decepticons were overwhelmed, and their commander, Scorponok, ordered a retreat so that they might live to fight another day. Ring of Hate!

The Decepticons eventually managed to storm the Autobots' base, only to find it already evacuated. Though confused at first, they learned that their foes had fled to the planet Nebulos. Triggerhappy and the others made their way to the alien world, where they met with one of the locals, Lord Zarak, who enlisted them in ridding his planet of the Autobots. Broken Glass During this meeting, Triggerhappy had to exert what little self-control he had to prevent himself from reducing the fleshy Nebulans to smoldering piles of ash. Doomsday for Nebulos Learning that several of the Autobots were holed up in Koraja, Triggerhappy participated in a full-scale assault on the city. In retaliation, Fortress Maximus and four other Autobots emerged, having underwent a binary bonding process. Thanks to the newfound power this upgrade afforded them, the Autobot Headmasters sent the Decepticons into a panicked retreat. Broken Glass!

After the Autobots also developed Targetmaster technology, the Decepticons managed to reverse-engineer the process, and had five of their own members binary bond their weapons to Nebulan partners. Triggerhappy was among those selected, with Blowpipe becoming his pistol. He was put into action soon afterwards, as their Autobot prisoners managed to break free. Despite Triggerhappy's best efforts to shoot straight, the enemy soldiers escaped. Brothers in Armor!! After capturing the Autobot Targetmasters, Triggerhappy and the other Decepticons ambushed Chromedome, Hardhead, Brainstorm and Highbrow so that Scorponok could capture one of them to examine the Headmaster process more closely. However, while Scorponok busied himself studying Highbrow, the remaining Autobot Headmasters were able to free their Targetmaster comrades and turn the tables on the Decepticons. Worlds Apart!

Thanks to a bug previously planted in the Autobots' headquarters, the Decepticons learned that their enemies had manufactured a fuel convertor that would allow them travel to Earth. They put together a plan to steal it. Triggerhappy, Slugslinger, and Misfire approached Fortress Maximus under the pretense that they had a message to deliver: Scorponok wanted to challenge him to a death match, and whoever emerged victorious would be declared triumphant in the greater conflict. Maximus accepted, unaware that the duel was merely a distraction. As it raged, Slugslinger snuck into Brainstorm's lab and made off with the fuel convertor. Once this was done, the duel came to a premature end, the Decepticons made their way off-world, and the Autobots were forced to follow. The Final Conflict

The events in this UK story differ in significant ways to the Headmasters mini-series.

Shortly afterwards the Decepticons left Nebulos and pursued the Autobots aboard the Steelhaven to Earth. Brothers in Armor!!

"And you, stand up straight! You're making us all look uncivilized!"

When Highbrow managed to decapitate Scorponok and escaped with his head, Triggerhappy was among several Decepticons who pursued, catching up to him just as he neared the Autobots' spaceship. As they forcefully retrieved their leader's head, the Decepticons witnessed several Autobots materialize from the future, leading to some infighting among the Autobots' ranks. Irritated over being left out of the battle, Scorponok's Decepticons were about to join in, only for the bulk of them to be temporarily shunted off to Limbo when Soundwave's troops from the year 2009 arrived in 1989. Triggerhappy was one of the few left behind. A tenuous alliance was then brokered between the Autobots and Decepticons from both eras in order to combat the more pressing threat of the super-Decepticon Galvatron. However, when Ultra Magnus accidentally shot Scorponok while he was attacking Galvatron, Triggerhappy and the other Decepticons turned on the Autobot. While Optimus Prime dealt with the mad Galvatron, Triggerhappy and the other Decepticons carried their leader to safety. Time Wars

Scorponok was repaired, and next took his troops to meet with Ratbat's Decepticons at their Arctic base. While Scorponok and a small entourage were receiving a guided tour of said base, they learned that Ratbat was purposely withholding information about the legendary Underbase from them. Enraged by the deceit, Scorponok stormed back towards his ship, where the rest of his troops were waiting, only for his path to be barred by Ratbat's cronies. Seeing this take place, Triggerhappy and Hun-Gurrr decided to lead their shipmates in an assault and come to Scorponok's aid. Decepticon clashed against Decepticon until those on both sides of this civil war came to realize that Starscream had engineered the whole debacle to get to the Underbase himself. Cold War!

Starscream was in time defeated, and Triggerhappy continued to serve under Scorponok as he acquired leadership over all Earth-bound Decepticons. Following a distress signal issued by the Air Strike Patrol, Scorponok led his minions into battle against Optimus Prime's Autobots within the MacDill Air Force Base. Strangely, Optimus called for all his troops to return to the Ark while he remained behind. Scorponok was suspicious, but wouldn't allow himself to pass up the opportunity to vanquish his enemy. Triggerhappy and the others rushed Optimus Prime as he tried to stop Scorponok from firing on the shuttlecraft, but Prime, who was quickly becoming frustrated with the day's events, was able to overpower all of them. As Optimus pleaded to Scorponok to stop fighting and determine the mastermind who was pulling their strings, they were interrupted by a huge hint: Starscream had arrived, reborn as a Pretender. All the Familiar Faces! Triggerhappy was among the first to fall to the new arrival's might, gunned down as Starscream proclaimed he was carrying out Megatron's will. Skin Deep

Later during the war on Earth, Triggerhappy got sick of Scorponok's command, especially after he let that maniac Starscream back into the Decepticons. Triggerhappy couldn't stand working with Starscream, so he and Mindwipe left Scorponok's Decepticons, only to ironically be strong-armed by Starscream himself into joining his and Shockwave's auxiliary army, which also included Runamuck, Runabout, and Ravage. Eye of the Storm Though Mindwipe was more vocal on the subject, Triggerhappy was clearly displeased with being forced into this new group. Shockwave made it clear that, should the pair not fight at their side, they would be terminated. As such, Triggerhappy joined in on an attack on Scorponok's New Jersey base. Surrender! The base was easily collapsed on itself, though this did little to assuage Triggerhappy and Mindwipe's fears that Scorponok may yet rise up to destroy them all. Pitying their cowardice, Starscream urged the others to help him dig out whatever survivors they may find, and offer them a choice: join them or be destroyed. Unfortunately, the first to be excavated was indeed Scorponok. Shockwave ordered Triggerhappy and the others to rush Scorponok, but the latter's ultra-dense armor proved invulnerable to their laser fire. Triggerhappy was easily tackled down by his opponent, who then moved on to dueling Shockwave in the nearby river. ...All This and Civil War 2

The coup was interrupted when Primus summoned all the Transformers of Earth to Cybertron to do battle with Unicron. Out of Time! Triggerhappy and the other teleported Transformers witnessed Primus, speaking through the body of Emirate Xaaron, tell the history of their supernatural war with the Dark God. The Void!

Regeneration One

When Scorponok used the Gene Key to virtually conquer Cybertron, Triggerhappy was seen hunting for the dissident Dinobots. Natural Selection, Part Four

Transformers in 3-D

While Galvatron used his Nullification Cannon on Cybertron's energon suppliy, Triggerhappy was part of a team lead by Sixshot that carried out a diversionary attack. Triggerhappy was punched out by Optimus Prime. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3

Ladybird Books continuity

Triggerhappy was among the Decepticons who traveled to Nebulos in search of energy. When they discovered a wealth of cosmic energy at the pole, Triggerhappy reminded Slugslinger that if used it to kill all the Autobots, they wouldn't have anyone to fight. When their energy collection attempt required them to move Scorponok to the pole, the Autobots melted the ice under their base, causing it to sink. Decepticons at the Pole

Toy pack-in material

When Optimus became stranded on Cybertron's hemisphere of darkness with his memory damaged, Triggerhappy joined a small strike force of Decepticons called S.T.O.P. (Seek and Terminate Optimus Prime) to either destroy or recruit the amnesic Autobot leader. Optimus Prime Is Back

IDW Generation 1 continuity

Triggerhappy was part of the crew of the Thanatos, commanded by Razorclaw and the Predacons. He begrudgingly gave aid to Optimus Prime and the Wreckers while battling Thunderwing in order to preserve their home planet of Cybertron and show the Autobots how war was really done. Stormbringer #4

Much later, Triggerhappy appeared among the Decepticons imprisoned on Cybertron after the war with D-Void. The Autonomy Lesson Triggerhappy was part of an angry Decepticon crowd who demanded answers from the Autobots for Ratbat's death.Stick Together He joined up with Shockwave, who was trying to lead the Decepticons back into war, only to be killed by Arcee while guarding their base. The End of the Beginning of the World

United

A nano-virus that afflicted most Autobots save the Targetmasters and the Headmasters required Ricochet to lead a team to Nebulos for an anti-virus. However, the nano-virus was merely a ploy by the Decepticons to draw out the Targetmasters and Headmasters to abduct their Nebulan partners, so when the Autobots arrived on Nebulos, Triggerhappy and several other Decepticons were waiting for them! Triggerhappy and the others quickly fell into disarray, unfortunately, when their leader Straxus was singled out and defeated. The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos

TransTech

During the conflict between the Screaming Eagles and S.K.A.R. in Primax 806.30 Gamma, Triggerhappy's Targetmaster partner was the human arms-dealer Rampage, using techlogy derived from the old I.R.O.N. Army. The Decpticons and their human allies were ultimately defeated by Sgt. Savage's Screaming Eagles and the Autobots. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2016/05/01

Commercial appearances

• When the Transformers' war resumed its course on Nebulon, Triggerhappy could be seen fighting alongside his fellow Decepticon Targetmasters against their Autobot counterparts, while Fortress Maximus and Scorponok grappled in the distance. Headmaster comic book commercial
• Triggerhappy and Misfire battled Sureshot and Crosshairs in the middle of a mechanical city. Triggerhappy strafed Sureshot from above until the Autobot transformed into robot mode and began firing back. Triggerhappy mirrored Sureshot's actions, leading to Sureshot tackling Triggerhappy and both combatants losing grip on their guns. Triggerhappy and Sureshot continued to grapple while their guns transformed and did the same. Targetmasters commercial

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Triggerhappy is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.

The Transformers

Transformers Legends

Triggerhappy was caught up in a Quintesson plot to disrupt the Galactic Games. The Galactic Games

Toys

Generation 1

Got an AK-47, well, you know it makes me feel all right!

• Triggerhappy with Blowpipe (Targetmaster, 1987)
  • Japanese ID number: D-88
  • Accessories: "Blowpipe" Targetmaster gun/Compressed Air Cannon

Triggerhappy transforms into a blue Cybertronic fighter craft with large, dual off-white cannons on either side his body and four wing-mounted thrusters, making him look kinda-sorta-vaguely like an X-wing Fighter from Star Wars. His Targetmaster partner, Blowpipe, can be stored in a socket on the rear of the fighter, just in front of where his head is stored. Somewhat unusually, the entire cockpit nose is mounted on a bar that swings upward so the nose meets with the rear fuselage to form his upper torso. His large fighter cannons swing up to the sides of his arms in robot mode, but the hinges aren't strong enough to deal with their weight, so they have a tendency to flop down.

Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a rubsign.

• More information on Triggerhappy (with Blowpipe) at TFU.info

Generations

• Blowpipe & Triggerhappy (Deluxe Class, 2016)
  • Accessories: "Blowpipe" Titan Master, 2 blaster weapons.

Part of the third wave of Titans Return, Triggerhappy transforms into a Cybertronian starfighter. He includes two blasters that can combine into a larger weapon that his Titan Master partner, Blowpipe can sit in.

His robot mode face is based on his appearance in fiction rather than his original toy.

Notes

The guy on the left went on to bigger and better things

Blasthappy? Triggerblast?

• For some reason Triggerhappy's character model in the comics and cartoon differs from that of his toy and package art. He has a faceplate in his fictional appearances, and normal eyes, giving him a ninja-like face. His toy features a normal face with comic-Nightbeat-style "shades".
• The 1987 and 1988 North American catalogs featuring Triggerhappy depict him using a non-final toy - one whose head is blatantly a hand-painted copy of Blaster's!

Foreign names

• Japanese: Triggerhappy (トリガーハーピー Torigāhāpī), Triggerhappy (The Rebirth, トリガーハッピー Torigāhappī)
• French: Déclic (Canada)
• Italian: Efestus