Hot Shot (Armada)
Hot Shot is an Autobot character in the Unicron Trilogy.
Voice Actor(s): Brent Miller (US), Kousuke Okano (Japan)
Japanese Name: Hot Rod/Hot Rod S
Mini-Con: Jolt/Spark Jolt
Motto: "Well, let's go!"
Bio: Hot Shot is a young, heroic fighter who rushes into danger without regard to his own safety. He courageously charges into the middle of the fight to aid his friends in battle. He has taken charge in several battles, showing great leadership potential. But he needs the guidance of his elders before he can hope to lead the AUTOBOTS. Will he learn to be a leader who strives for good, or will his reckless nature ruin his promising future?
Cartoon
When Optimus Prime received the Mini-Con distress signal, Hot Shot was one of two soldiers he brought with him to Earth to investigate. He soon scanned the form of an Earth sports car and partnered with the Mini-Con Jolt.
When all three Mini-Cons that combine to form the Star Saber sword were collected, Optimus assigned them to Hot Shot. The Autobot was young, inexperienced, and hotheaded, so the great advantage the Star Saber granted him went straight to his ego. With the sword, he was nearly unbeatable on the battlefield until a Decepticon named Scavenger taught him the hard way that power without skill was useless against an experienced opponent. Hot Shot's naivete was his downfall. The double-agent Sideways tricked Hot Shot out of the sword, and Hot Shot was beaten nearly to death by his frustrated opponents.
Later, Hot Shot was visited by a friend from his past. Years ago, on Cybertron, he and the Autobot Wheeljack were amidst a firey battlefield blaze. Wheeljack was incapacitated, so Hot Shot left him, promising to get help. However, his Autobot comrades would not let him return to help his friend. Instead, Wheeljack was rescued by Megatron and swore vengeance against Hot Shot and the Autobots.
When Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to save Earth, Hot Shot was put in command. Hot Shot declined to take the Matrix of Leadership, which marked the beginning of a very unassertive and indecisive administration. It was also short, as Optimus Prime returned to life after not too long.
The Decepticons managed to take over Cybertron. Unicron, the Chaos Bringer, was looming over their planet, but Galvatron (previously Megatron) would not listen to Optimus Prime's pleas to unite their two factions against him. Hot Shot decided to take matters into his own hands and fought his way through the Decepticon base and countless Decepticon warriors to reach Galvatron and reason with him. If it were not for Wheeljack's intervention, he might not have survived. Under the Autobot/Decepticon alliance, Wheeljack's hatred of Hot Shot seemed to soften, and the two learned to trust each other again.
After the destruction of Unicron and the defeat of Galvatron, Optimus Prime felt he had failed as Autobot Leader, and with the end of conflict between the two factions, he exhiled himself to parts unknown. Hot Shot and Jetfire were left in charge of the Transformers.
Voice Actor(s): Brent Miller (US), Kousuke Toriumi (Japan)
Japanese Name: Hot Shot/Hot Shot F
Motto: "There is no greater teacher than experience!”
Bio: Hot Shot, once a stubborn and headstrong young fighter, is now a seasoned Autobot warrior. After fighting bravely in the Unicron Battles, he has proven to be a skilled soldier with leadership potential. Hot Shot is one of the fastest Autobots, capable of great speed in both robot and vehicle modes. He is able to powerlinx with his good friend, Inferno, and is a force to be reckoned with during the battle for Energon.
Voice Actor(s): Kirby Morrow (US), Daisuke Hirakawa (Japan)
Japanese Name: Excillion/Exigeyser
Bio: A natural leader with a lot yet to learn, HOT SHOT often races straight into danger at top speed. He takes great pride in the fact that he's the fastest AUTOBOT there is, but it isn't until he gets to the Speed Planet that he learns the true meaning of velocity. Faced by the almost unbeatable OVERRIDE, HOT SHOT needs to learn a whole new way of thinking about acceleration before he can win the Great Race.
Cartoon
When Unicron's destruction resulted in a black hole that threatened the Transformers' home planet of Cybertron, Optimus Prime ordered the planet to retreat into hiding on Earth. Hot Shot took the form of a blue Earth sports car.
This form came in handy when Optimus reassigned Hot Shot and Red Alert to search for Velocitron's Cyber Planet Key. He quickly developed a competitive bond with Override, the leader of Velocitron. Against Red Alert's warnings, Hot Shot joined the Great Race. Hot Shot pushed himself beyond his means, almost to the point of destruction, but no matter how he tried, he could never defeat Override. The constant racing took a noticeable toll on his body. Was he really doing this to win the Key or just to prove to himself he was still the fastest in the galaxy?
Hot Shot was in big trouble when Optimus arrived on Velocitron and found out what he was up to. But Optimus Prime changed his mind when he realized that winning the race was the only way to win the Key. With the Autobots' full support and Coby's help, Hot Shot won the Great Race and the Cyber Planet Key.
Later, he would be severely wounded when Megatron used his machine gun on him, Scattorshot, and Red Alert. Fortunately, the powers of the Omega Lock repaired him into Cybertron Defense Hot Shot
