Hot Shot is the quintessential young hero. He's been around long enough to earn a name for himself and a place in Optimus Prime's entourage, but he's still too young to know when he's in over his head. In other words, he's blunt, overconfident, naïve, and more than just a little annoying, yet brave, honorable, loyal to his friends, and willing to risk his life to stop the Decepticons and help the Autobots. With time and experience, Prime believes, he could make an excellent leader, and Prime has appointed him to his command structure accordingly. Hot Shot's got the goods, but he just needs to pay attention for more than five seconds. Until that day, Hot Shot's likely response to most anything is, "Yeah yeah, like, whatever."
An indeterminate number of years ago on Cybertron, Hot Shot was appointed the supervisor of a young Autobot named Wheeljack. Wheeljack strongly looked up to Hot Shot as a potential mentor and as a friend, but after a blazing battle, Wheeljack was incapacitated under some debris. Hot Shot left him behind as the flames closed in, promising to get help. However, when Hot Shot reached the other Autobots, his commander would not let him endanger his own life by returning to help his friend. Hot Shot ignored this order, running back into the battle to find Wheeljack, but he was overwhelmed by the heat and passed out. Instead, Wheeljack was rescued by Megatron. Thinking he had been abandoned by Hot Shot, Wheeljack swore vengeance against him and the Autobots.
When Optimus Prime received a distress signal from the long-lost Mini-Cons, Hot Shot was one of two soldiers he brought with him to investigate the planet it originated from: Earth. Before they went through the warp gate, Hot Shot caught a glance of another Autobot, Smokescreen, making a run for the portal behind them. When they arrived, Hot Shot was quick to block Starscream from attacking some human children who had stumbled upon the Street Action Mini-Con Team, and before long, the Decepticons warped away. Hot Shot suggested that the Decepticons' base must be within sight if they were able to use short-warp teleportation; Red Alert correctly assumed this base was on Earth's moon. Hot Shot and the other two Autobots returned when the humans and the Mini-Cons once again found themselves under attack from the Decepticons. Hot Shot and Red Alert used their bodies to shield the human kids from the Decepticons' firepower. During the battle, Hot Shot and Red Alert recovered two Mini-Con storage panels, and Jolt was one of two Mini-Cons who materialized when the panels were activated. Hot Shot partnered with this Mini-Con, and together with Red Alert and Mini-Con Longarm, their combined firepower was able to drive the Decepticons away. The Autobots then returned to their Earth base with the human children and the Mini-Cons, and the nature of their war over the Mini-Cons was explained. Hot Shot and the other Autobots also learned the Earth custom of fist-bumping to signify friendship.
Immediately thereafter, the Autobots' computer systems warned them of a detected Mini-Con, and so Hot Shot and the others made plans to travel to Big Canyon to find it. In their rush, Rad White was left behind, but Alexis and Hot Shot returned soon enough to pick him up. Alexis apologized, for Hot Shot's sleek power excited her so much that she'd forgotten about Rad. As they left for the Big Canyon once again, Hot Shot's driving was extremely rough, yet despite the children's complaints, he increased his speed - so much so that upon arrival, Hot Shot nearly drove into the canyon itself. After Hot Shot followed Laserbeak into the canyon, Cyclonus warped into the area and attacked him. Ultimately, the Autobots won, and everyone returned to base after having retrieved the Mini-Con Sparkplug.
The hotheaded Hot Shot often found himself at odds with Red Alert, including one incident when he was playing tag with the three children instead of doing work. He resented being chastised by the Autobot medic, who didn't even have a personality, as far as he was concerned. Soon after this, the Autobots, Mini-Cons, and the human children ventured to Antarctica to uncover another Mini-Con, and Hot Shot was paired with Carlos Lopez. When the two came across the Decepticons, Hot Shot continued to battle them despite having Carlos inside him. Finally, he ejected Carlos over a gorge, leaving Jolt to catch him. Hot Shot soon found himself outnumbered, and it took Red Alert's skills to rescue him from the grip of the Decepticons. Hot Shot learned some respect for Red Alert that day, even if he claimed to save Hot Shot not out of friendship, but merely because it was his job.
Hot Shot also accompanied the others on a Mini-Con rescue mission in a jungle forest, where he grew aggravated over the lack of driving space. When he got ready to cut down a few trees to make room, Rad told him off, explaining why trees were important to the Earth's environment. Though the Autobots failed to claim the Mini-Con during their clash with the Decepticons, they learned to respect the Earth's environment. Later, as the children wondered why the Mini-Con panel they'd uncovered in Antarctica hadn't opened yet, Hot Shot asked them to pass him a spanner too heavy for them to lift because he thought it would be funny. A bored Carlos and Rad then ran off with some Mini-Cons to a local carnival, where they got into trouble. Alexis, Hot Shot, and Sureshock followed Laserbeak to the carnival, and after some mischief, Hot Shot was able to avert disaster. When the Autobots followed the Decepticons into the desert in pursuit of more Mini-Cons, Hot Shot was frustrated with his tires' incompatibility with the terrain. Unfortunately, he was unable to prevent Demolishor from acquiring the Mini-Con Bonecrusher from within an ancient desert temple. He did save the children and Perceptor from being buried alive under the sandy expanse though.
When the Decepticons held the children hostage in a ghost town, Hot Shot and the other Autobots grappled with them, reluctant to hand over their Mini-Cons to get the children returned unharmed. Eventually, after some close calls, Hot Shot was able to kick Rad out of Megatron's hand, the tide was turned, and things were restored to the status quo. While working in the underground ruins of half of the crashed Mini-Con ship, Hot Shot was called by Optimus to join them in another Mini-Con search. The Mini-Con was deep within the subway system of a local city, and the Autobots' presence in vehicle mode caused some stir. Here they met up with another Autobot, Smokescreen, though they lost the Mini-Con to the Decepticons. Smokescreen joined Hot Shot and the others when they journeyed underwater to the lost city of Atlantis, where, despite their efforts, they lost yet another Mini-Con to the Decepticons. Worse still, this one could combine with two others to form the mighty Star Saber sword. Hot Shot and the Autobots detected another of the three Star Saber Mini-Cons on a volcanic island. Though he was pinned down in a stalemate with the Decepticons for most of his time there, Hot Shot was crucial to ensuring the children made it back to the Autobots' base alive; he saved them from being engulfed by lava when the volcano erupted.
Megatron and his Decepticons soon attacked the Autobot base, hoping to steal the two Mini-Cons they needed to complete the Star Saber sword. While Optimus Prime hid the Mini-Con panels, Hot Shot confronted Megatron directly. Hot Shot was defeated by Megatron's prehensile antlers, which tossed him to the ground like a doll. During another skirmish with Megatron, the Mini-Con panels activated, and Megatron was able to grasp the powerful Star Saber sword! His victory was short-lived, as Optimus was able to knock it out of his hands and into Hot Shot's. With the Star Saber sword, Hot Shot was able to ward off the Decepticons and force them to retreat.
Optimus assigned the three Star Saber Mini-Cons 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, which enraged the Decepticons. Then an enigmatic Decepticon named Scavenger appeared at a battle, mocking Hot Shot's skill. Hot Shot was angered when Scavenger told him that he was nothing without the sword, so he rushed the Decepticon, but was knocked aside. Hot Shot learned the hard way that power without skill is useless against an experienced opponent. Scavenger confronted Hot Shot again on an unfinished stretch of a highway overpass, while a mysterious motorcycle observed. After exchanging a few blows, Scavenger left Hot Shot again, promising to prove his incompetence another day. The motorcycle introduced himself as the Autobot Sideways, and Red Alert and Hot Shot wondered if they could truly trust this stranger.
During another battle with the Decepticons for a Mini-Con, Sideways and Hot Shot were accidentally warped away with Megatron to their base on Earth's Moon. With Sideways's guidance, Hot Shot was able to fight his way through an army of holographic Autobots, only to have Megatron capture Sideways and demand the Star Saber sword in return. Hot Shot reluctantly relinquished it, but once Megatron released Sideways, Hot Shot called for its Mini-Con components to return to him. At this moment, Sideways betrayed Hot Shot, knocking the Star Saber sword away from him and towards Starscream. Helpless without his powerful weapon, Hot Shot was brutally beaten by the humiliated Decepticons and dropped back at the Autobots' base.
Hot Shot was understandably in a dour mood following this fall from grace, so the kids made faces at him to cheer him up. Because this was Hot Shot, it worked. During the next battle, Hot Shot targeted the traitor, Sideways, and was once again bested by Scavenger. Hot Shot was surprised to discover later that Scavenger was actually an Autobot working undercover as a Decepticon. With Scavenger now with the Autobots again, he began personally training Hot Shot. Hot Shot wasn't entirely satisfied with his instructor though, as he napped on the job frequently. He nonetheless defended Scavenger when Smokescreen accused him of being a traitor after his disappearance during their next mission. Smokescreen lack of faith turned out to be unfounded; Scavenger was fighting smart with sneak tactics, and allowed the Autobots to acquire their first Mini-Con in a long time. Hot Shot happily continued to train under Scavenger... even if it meant exercising on his own most of the time, listening to Scavenger snore in the background. Hot Shot and Scavenger planned to stay behind at the base and train while Red Alert and Smokescreen took the kids on a camping trip. They were called into action when a flash flood put the kids' lives in danger. During the rescue, the Autobots were caught on camera by the local television news journalists, but footage of them was destroyed. When a new recruit, Blurr, joined the team, Hot Shot at first had trouble getting along with him. However, after working together to retrieve a Mini-Con, they were able to make peace.
With both the Skyboom shield and the Star Saber sword in his possession, Megatron issued a challenge to Optimus Prime and the other Autobots. When the two factions met on a stretch of rocky desert, Hot Shot was disappointed to discover that none of his firepower could penetrate Megatron's shield. His weapons useless against the Decepticon leader, Hot Shot joined Blurr in running interference during the battle between Megatron and Optimus. The tide was turned when the Skyboom shield fell into Autobot hands. While Hot Shot and the Autobots gauged the extent of the shield's power and formulated strategies around its use, they disallowed their human friends from entering the base. This unfortunately didn't keep them out of harm's way, as Fred and Rad accidentally walked into a trap set by Megatron. Hot Shot and the bulk of the Autobots followed the kids through a series of Warp Gates, which left them scattered across the world. Worse yet, they couldn't reconvene while their communication system was being scrambled. When they finally managed to get their transmissions sorted out, Hot Shot rescued Optimus with the Skyboom Shield and forced Megatron to abandon several of his Mini-Cons into Autobot custody.
While Hot Shot and the others were away, the kids traveled into a digital realm and met with an evil force. The Autobots returned to base and safely extricated the kids before said force could do them any harm though. Hot Shot grew overconfident as the Autobots' tactics led to some easy victories for their side. But an outing into a gully led the Autobots into a trap conceived by the Decepticons' new tactician, Thrust, proving the war could still swing either way. To the Decepticons' surprise, the Autobots had an incoming addition of their own, and Prime's second-in-command, Jetfire, arrived to saved Optimus from being slain by Megatron. However, Optimus Prime was badly damaged in the fight, so Jetfire took over as leader. Hot Shot didn't like this, as he thought Jetfire was nothing more than a braggart. Jetfire wound up flying into another one of Thrust's ambushes, prompting Hot Shot, Blurr, and Smokescreen to try and assist the airborne Autobot from a nearby island... only for them to wind up in a secondary ambush set up by the Decepticon tactician! Though the situation looked grim, Optimus Prime arrived, repaired, just in time to combine with Jetfire and save the day.
After Hot Shot and the other Autobots sparred with one another at their base, their morale boosted by Jetfire's arrival, Hot Shot wondered openly about the nature of Sideways, and whether he was really in either faction at all. They left for yet another battle, but this time, the Decepticons had a secret weapon: The gigantic warrior known as Tidal Wave. The Autobots barely held up against this latest arrival, though Hot Shot and Blurr managed to strike at his vulnerable underside. This only yielded a brief respite, as Tidal Wave simply transformed out of his ship mode and continued to rain down laser fire on the Autobots. Hot Shot attempted to block Tidal Wave's mighty blows with the Skyboom shield, though the Autobots were only able to stall the titan. Tidal Wave flew off to combine with Megatron so the two Decepticons could eliminate Optimus Prime, and the rest of the Autobots learned that Red Alert was warping in with Carlos, Rad, and Sky Blast: the first Mini-Con component of the mighty Requiem Blaster. Hot Shot took a blast to ensure the kids' and the Mini-Con's safety. This bought Sky Blast the time he needed to steel himself, and he called to the other two members of the Space Mini-Con Team. The trio combined, leading to an Autobot victory when the Requiem Blaster wound up in Optimus's possession.
When the kids ran off with the Mini-Cons, fearful that they would be used as objects by either faction, Hot Shot and the others had to hunt them down. To reassure the kids, Hot Shot decided that the Autobots would only work with the Mini-Cons as a team! Oh, and they wouldn't force the Mini-Cons to fight if they were opposed to it. That too.
Wheeljack returned to Hot Shot's life, seeking revenge for abandoning him on the battlefield all those years ago. Unfortunately, Hot Shot was training a new Autobot recruit, Side Swipe, when Wheeljack returned, and the young Autobot found himself caught up in Wheeljack's vendetta as well. When Wheeljack explained to Hot Shot that it was Megatron who'd rescued him and saved his life, Hot Shot couldn't believe it. Hot Shot refused to fight his former friend, yet Wheeljack Shot him, leaving him on the road. Side Swipe dragged Hot Shot's body back to base, where he was placed in intensive care, but Hot Shot's memories still haunted him. Events seemed to repeat themselves when Wheeljack confronted Hot Shot once again within an abandoned human facility. When Side Swipe showed up to help Hot Shot, the area was caught in flames, and Hot Shot was forced once again to save the young Autobot under his care. Wheeljack had chained up Side Swipe within the facility, and he told his captive not to expect rescue from Hot Shot. Regardless, Hot Shot threw himself through the fire and saved Side Swipe, despite the latter's pleas to keep away lest the place blow up with both of them inside. Wheeljack was deterred, but promised he'd be around later to revisit his ill will.
When the Autobots were informed by a mysterious source to meet the Decepticons in battle within a forest, Hot Shot wondered why they didn't bring the Requiem Blaster with them. He was told to shut up, and soon the Decepticons arrived to fight them, as promised. Megatron noticed the absence of the Requiem Blaster and realized it was back at the Autobots' base, where Smokescreen was guarding it, alone. Hot Shot and the Autobots returned to their base too late to assist Smokescreen, who nearly died valiantly trying to protect the Mini-Cons. Despite his sacrifice, Megatron took the Requiem Blaster and retreated. Hot Shot was among the Autobots who watched Red Alert begin to repair Smokescreen. Hot Shot then took Side Swipe with him to investigate the appearance of Starscream on Earth, who had left the Decepticons with the Star Saber sword after an argument with Megatron. After a fight with Tidal Wave, Starscream returned with the Autobots to their base, despite Hot Shot's objections. He didn't trust Starscream and believed this was a trick, citing the treachery of Sideways. And worse, Starscream was partly to blame for Smokescreen's condition! Outside, Hot Shot picked a fight with Starscream as their Mini-Cons watched. Their battle, which lasted until dusk, was interrupted by a strange Transformer, whom Hot Shot yelled at for interrupting the avenging of his friend. The fight was stopped when Hot Shot realized this Transformer was Smokescreen, rebuilt in a new body.
Using coordinates given by Starscream, the Autobots were able to warp themselves directly into the Decepticons' base. Hot Shot confronted Wheeljack again, telling the "creep" to get out of his way. With Starscream's help, the Autobots were able to locate where the Decepticons were keeping their captured Mini-Cons, and Hot Shot fought Megatron, giving the Mini-Cons a chance to escape. Starscream interfered, saving Hot Shot's life, and after the two teamed up against the Decepticon leader, they returned to the Autobot base with the liberated Mini-Cons. Hot Shot stayed home while Jetfire and Starscream journeyed to Mars to retrieve another Mini-Con.
The Autobots then begun work on a spaceship. During construction, Hot Shot stepped in to break up an argument between Jetfire and Starscream over the Autobots' priorities. Starscream stormed off and Hot Shot turned to Optimus and explained that the Autobots were finding it increasingly difficult to work with the ex-Decepticon. Optimus insisted they continue to try their best to understand one-another.
The ship was in the final stages of construction when Billy and Fred reported that they had seen Starscream "chase off" Thrust after the Decepticon had asked him to steal the Skyboom Shield. As it turns out, Dirt Boss, Downshift, and Mirage were nowhere to be found just then. Despite Hot Shot's attempt at defending him, accusations that Starscream had complied with Thrust's request were thrown around by the other Autobots. The conversation was cut short when the Decepticons attacked. Hot Shot drove out to meet them, coming across Rad, Alexis, Carlos, and the Race Mini-Con Team during the battle. Making a note to apologize to Starscream, Hot Shot brought the Skyboom Shield to Smokescreen, so he could in turn deliver it to Optimus. But Hot Shot's original suspicions were confirmed when Starscream had a change of heart in the midst of battle, and snatched away the Skyboom shield, bringing it and the Star Saber sword to Megatron.
Thrown in emotional turmoil over Starscream's betrayal, Hot Shot blew off some steam at the Autobots' firing range before redoubling his efforts on the Autobots' ship; he was determined to go back on the offensive against the Decepticons, and the Autobots were no longer able to access the enemy's warp gate. Then, the Decepticons launched their own vessel, armed with the Hydra Cannon. Hot Shot, Side Swipe, Optimus, and Jetfire were left staring in awe as the Decepticons used their super-weapon to destroy a comet passing near the Earth. The Decepticons then turned the Hydra Cannon's sight towards the Earth. Hot Shot blamed everything on Starscream's betrayal and angrily accused Optimus Prime for letting Starscream join their team and beginning this series of events. This had some effect on the Autobot leader, as Optimus Prime later offered the Matrix of the Commander to Hot Shot. Hot Shot refused, saying he couldn't take such an important thing from Optimus. Optimus Prime put the Matrix back in his chest, warped into space, and blocked the Hydra Cannon's Earth-shattering shot with his own body. The Autobots' leader disintegrated before their eyes.
The death of Optimus hit Hot Shot hard. After starting fights with the other Autobots, he left the team and ran out on his own, only to face Scavenger. Scavenger assaulted Hot Shot, revealing that the former Decepticon had joined Autobots because of him. As the two beat on each other, Side Swipe arrived with a small group of Mini-Cons, and they all pleaded for Hot Shot to stop fighting with everyone. Hot Shot realized he was being selfish, that he needed his teammates just as much as they needed him, and he promised to stop treating his friends as if they were enemies. The rest of the Autobots arrived, and they were pleased with Hot Shot's discovery. Jetfire nominated Hot Shot to lead the Autobots because it was what Optimus would have wanted. Scavenger went to hit Hot Shot one more time, but Hot Shot didn't flinch. Proving he was without fear, Hot Shot became leader of the Autobots. As a stipulation, Hot Shot stated that he would only be leader until they returned to Cybertron, and that they should put the Matrix of the Commander someplace safe, as he didn't feel he should carry it.
Hot Shot oversaw the completion of their starship, the Axalon, and asked the Mini-Cons if they wanted to come or not. They unanimously decided to accompany the Autobots to Cybertron. He initially forbade the kids from coming, but the Mini-Cons convinced him to change his mind. As the Axalon left Earth, Hot Shot said some final words in memory of Optimus Prime. Their starship caught up with the Decepticons', and soon there was a huge battle between the two factions. Hot Shot grappled with Megatron in space, but it was a one-sided battle. Hot Shot placed himself between Megatron's Requiem Blaster and the Axalon, hoping to spare his friends, but then a miracle occurred. The Mini-Con Sparkplug was able to resurrect Optimus Prime from within the Matrix, and the formerly-deceased Autobot Leader reappeared in a blinding flash of green light. Optimus turned the tide, and he reintroduced himself to a very grateful Hot Shot and the rest of the crew. But before anything else could happen, Hot Shot and Red Alert were pulled through a strange hole to an alien landscape. Here they met a strange dark version of Optimus Prime who battled them. It was discovered that Megatron, Starscream, and Demolishor were on this strange planet, too, and despite their combined numbers, the Prime doppelgänger overwhelmed them. Several Mini-Cons then arrived and bathed the planet in a strange light. When the larger Transformers woke up, they were completely repaired, yet in strange new colors. Ultimately, their battle caused the planet itself to disintegrate, and both factions were forced to retreat.
By the time the Autobots had repaired the Axalon and arrived over Cybertron, the Decepticons had managed to take over the planet. Hot Shot and Blurr fought through Decepticons foot soldiers on the planet's surface, while a black hole appeared in the sky. The Mini-Con continued to display their mysterious powers, and helped keep the black hole at bay. Knowing that Unicron, the Chaos Bringer, was looming over their planet, Optimus attempted to strike an armistice with the Decepticons. But Galvatron (previously Megatron) would not listen to Optimus Prime's pleas. 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 not for Wheeljack's intervention, he might not have survived. Wheeljack's hatred for Hot Shot seemed to have softened, and Hot Shot's former friend joined him in pleading to Galvatron to stop the war so that the two factions could unite against Unicron. Galvatron was unconvinced, but Thrust, a secret pawn of Unicron, panicked and ran away with the Requiem Blaster and the Skyboom shield. Hot Shot and Wheeljack took off after him.
Hot Shot continued to hunt Thrust down, while the true nature of the Mini-Cons was revealed to Carlos, Alexis and Rad; they were created by Unicron long ago to subjugate the Cybertronian race. The children passed this information along to Hot Shot and Wheeljack. Hot Shot and Wheeljack then aided Starscream against Sideways within the surprisingly organic-looking caverns of Cybertron. But when Unicron formed out of Cybertron's moon, the battle dissipated as each side readied for the final battle. Despite Hot Shot's intentions to convince Galvatron himself, the Decepticon leader did not change his mind until Starscream sacrificed himself to Unicron. After a formal alliance between Autobots and Decepticons was formed, Hot Shot was part of a unified team sent to Unicron's surface. However, once the team arrived, the Decepticons abandoned Hot Shot and the other Autobots. Later, Demolishor made up for this by begrudgingly catching Side Swipe before could fall to his doom. In return, Hot Shot had found Demolishor's Mini-Con partner, Blackout. They agreed to work together from then on. Their mission was nonetheless botched, and the scouting party had to be rescued by Jet Prime and Galvatron. Optimus Prime and Megatron traveled together to the core of Unicron, leaving both armies under the command of Hot Shot. No matter how much damage Hot Shot's teams inflicted on Unicron, Unicron could repair himself. Their massive opponent was fed by the negative energies of the battle. Ordering a cease fire, Unicron stood motionless, seemingly defeated.
Hot Shot told both armies to begin stay at the ready while he went to Unicron to find Optimus, but Jetfire demanded he go instead. Inside, after a fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron, Megatron sacrificed himself to Unicron so that their negative energies would not revive him. But Optimus Prime felt he had failed as Autobot Leader, and with the end of the conflict between the two factions, he exiled himself to parts unknown. After dropping the kids back on Earth via a space-bridge, and a heartfelt goodbye, Hot Shot and Jetfire were left in charge of Cybertron's reconstruction.
Ten years on, Hot Shot was stationed on Earth as the commander of Ocean City while Optimus Prime trained new soldiers on Cybertron. He faced administrative challenges such as surly former adversaries and teenaged angst from the resident teenaged angster, Kicker Jones. Hot Shot had proved himself up to the task of being "city commander," and was seen with fanboy-like adoration by younger Autobots such as Ironhide. Ironhide in particular wished he could advance further in rank just so he could combine with Hot Shot.
Kicker seemed to have a certain clairvoyance when it came to trouble (and Energon!), though Hot Shot would often dismiss Kicker's warnings. But one day, like most days, Kicker was right. Mysterious bestial Transformers, the Terrorcons, suddenly attacked Ocean City, forcing Hot Shot, Kicker, Ironhide, and the others to go on the defensive. When Optimus Prime arrived, Hot Shot and Inferno were granted the Spark of Combination, which allowed the two to combine into a single super robot. With everyone working together, the last of that batch of Terrorcons were defeated.
When Mars City on Mars was destroyed by more Terrorcons, Hot Shot was among those assembled to hear the news. The Terrorcons' next target was Earth's moon, so after Ocean City was raised and the Omnicons transferred refined Energon stars to his team, Hot Shot used the space bridge to warp there. But despite their efforts, the Terrorcons were able to flee with much stolen Energon. Later, Hot Shot headed up a strikeforce to Desert City to fortify it against possible Terrorcon assault. While there he talked with super-scientist Misha Miramond and filled her ear with what a dork her not-my-boyfriend (Kicker) was back at Ocean City. When Terrorcons invaded the city, Hot Shot and his troops performed a holding action at the entrance to the Energon Mine, but their position was overrun, and Hot Shot was the only survivor. Though battered, Hot Shot commended Ironhide's decision to leave him behind and rescue the humans, resulting in the other Autobot being awarded his own Combination Spark. Finally, Ironhide could combine with Hot Shot, just as he'd always wanted!
As part of Prime Squad, Hot Shot prepared to travel to Mars before the mission was canceled, and instead took part in the defense of Plains City, again tasked with securing the Energon supply. He was the first to feel the wrath of Scorponok's Megatron Sword, and later battled Cyclonus while attempting to shore up Demolishor's flagging confidence in the Autobot cause. Hot Shot also led a recon team searching for an Energon point in the mountains, the future location of Blizzard City. He ordered Ironhide and Demolishor to team up for their mutual benefit. While trying to rescue Kicker, after the boy fell in a ravine, Hot Shot was buried in an avalanche by Cyclonus. He evacuated his team before they could be crushed by the emergency deployment of a new Cybertron City via space bridge.
Hot Shot and his crew were still at Plains City when the newly resurrected Megatron attacked. He was defeated in battle by Megatron and 'dis-armed' as an object lesson to Optimus. Optimus retreated to Ocean City with the injured Hot Shot and left the Plains City Energon supply to the Decepticons. Hot Shot's injury awakened a protective streak in Optimus Prime, who briefly forbade Kicker from accompanying the Autobots on missions. At Ocean City Hot Shot underwent medical treatment, submerged in liquefied Energon while his damaged exostructure re-grew. When the base was breached, Hot Shot broke out of his medical unit to defend Inferno from Terrorcons and, armed with a clone of the Megatron Sword, he helped kick the visiting Decepticons back out.
Hot Shot organized a covert surveillance of Optimus Prime while he was targeted by a Mysterious Mercenary. Unfortunately, his large shoulder armor made it impossible to hide behind objects and Optimus discovered him. When Optimus fought Starscream on the moon, Hot Shot placed Inferno in temporary command of Ocean City so he could bring a supply of Energon Stars to Lunar City. When the Autobots encountered the Decepticon mobile fortress near Asteroid City, Hot Shot panicked, momentarily believing it was Unicron himself, and fired blindly and ineffectually into it using a hand weapon. After he regained his composure, he battled Scorponok in zero-gravity, until Megatron detonated an Energon-riddled asteroid to cover his escape. During the construction of an energon tower that would help protect their cities from attack, the Terrorcons chose the moment to strike. After Inferno combined with Hot Shot to form Powerlinx Inferno, the tower was finally activated and the Terrorcons fled.
Hot Shot wandered over when he heard Ironhide telling Kicker to 'lose the attitude', but was unable to wholly endorse Ironhide's statement that Kicker should automatically look up to his father. Instead he gently suggested that Kicker might want to seek a different hero to look up to, and told Ironhide that he'd looked up to Rodimus since he was a young Autobot. Hot Shot later supervised the project to construct the second energon tower at Jungle City. Ironhide was placed in co-command when the larger Autobot contingent arrived for the final stage, and when the city was attacked and put to siege they split duties, with Hot Shot taking Aerial defense. As the siege wore on, Hot Shot had to be the one to confront Optimus Prime and force him to admit that this battle was unwinnable. They destroyed Jungle City rather than letting it fall to the Decepticons.
While searching for trace amounts of energon on the moon, Kicker was assaulted by Terrorcons. Optimus summoned Hot Shot and the other Autobots from Ocean City to defend against the Decepticon attack that followed. They drove off the Decepticons once Lunar City was reactivated, and an energon tower sent from Cybertron expelled a shockwave that drove off the enemy. When Earth was threatened by artificial cometary impacts, he was part of the orbital team sent to intercept them as they approached Earth's atmosphere. Forced to wait as other teams tried to slow the comets, Hot Shot occupied himself by aggravating Jetfire, who eventually just told him to be quiet. He, Jetfire and Optimus Prime supercharged themselves with Energon to push against the comets, delaying their approach long enough for the energon grid to come online.
On Earth, Hot Shot was shocked when Rodimus, a transformer he idolized in his youth, broke in on a communication with Carlos and demanded a secret meeting. He traveled to Mars, where he discovered Scorponok had reactivated the destroyed Energon mines. Rodimus appeared to head off a fight between the two of them. He attempted to recruit Hot Shot as a double agent for the secret agenda that he, Scorponok and Alpha Q shared—the revival of Unicron! Hot Shot refused to betray Optimus Prime, and pulled a gun on Rodimus... but he was unable to fire on his one-time idol. Rodimus had no such compunctions, and he shot Hot Shot, but Kicker and Ironhide intervened to save him.
Hot Shot attended the launch of the Miranda II Autobot-human spacecraft. He joined the crew and was part of a space battle in the Asteroid belt to defend the Energon Ring before their journey could begin. Go for Unicron! The Miranda II's crew was next led into a misadventure on a frozen planet, where their ship wound up temporarily trapped between two glaciers. Hot Shot stayed behind to help free the vessel, while a team helmed by Kicker scouted the landscape for energon. The Autobots came under fire from both Decepticons and a new breed of Terrorcons. Though they were forced to flee, leaving behind the energon in enemy hands, all crew-members made it safely off-planet.
The Miranda II then crossed paths with Rodimus. Before Rodimus boarded their ship, Hot Shot warned Optimus that Rodimus was in cahoots with Unicron. Optimus doubted him at first, but Rodimus confirmed Hot Shot's accusation, though he elaborated that Unicron was merely a tool that could be used for good or evil. Optimus was nonetheless unwilling to allow the planet to reawaken, and his crew parted ways with Rodimus's. To uncover more about their enigmatic ally, Ironhide decided to stow away on Rodimus's ship. Hot Shot noticed Ironhide's absence, and though he recognized that he would have done the same thing at Ironhide's age, still felt it was his duty to report his discovery to Optimus. The Autobots then made their way to Unicron's body, and drove off the Decepticons' first line of defense. Hot Shot was at the weapons controls of the Miranda IIas they prepared for the first attack run on Unicron. As the ship flew through the belly of Unicron, Megatron sent ever-shifting panels and blocks to crush it from all directions. Having successfully gotten the enemy's attention, the Miranda II shot out towards a Space Bridge, luring Unicron into the vicinity of Cybertron, where a massive allotment of energon towers exploded in firepower against the Chaos-Bringer. Megatron was forced into utter retreat, and the first battle against Unicron was a victory.
Unfortunately, this also sent a clear signal to the Decepticons that the war had begun anew. Uprisings began on Cybertron, as Hot Shot and Inferno recognized the rebels were heading towards the special prison holding Shockblast, an absolutely insane and extremely powerful Decepticon who was forced into imprisonment after the war instead of gaining amnesty like so many others. Powerlinx Inferno and Optimus Prime raced to the detention block to prevent the dangerous warrior's escape. Unfortunately, Shockblast escaped right out of their grasp, using one of his guards as a living shield to make a getaway, then cutting him down the moment he was no longer useful. The fight raged outside, as Hot Shot and the others fought to defend Cybertron's energon towers against Shockblast and his new Decepticon allies. The Decepticons escaped, though the Autobots received good news in their fight's aftermath: Kicker had returned! The boy had managed to make allies with Alpha Q, and Hot Shot traveled with Optimus to Unicron's head, where they met the alien for the first time in person.
When Unicron became too starved of Energon for Alpha Q to maintain control of him, Hot Shot was assigned to protect Misha from the planet's reflexive lashing out. Once the Omnicons fed Energon Stars directly into Unicron's core, Unicron ceased his attack. Later he fought alongside the other Autobots in defense of Cybertron's energon towers in an attack led by Shockblast. Unfortunately, several towers were destroyed, weakening Cybertron's defenses enough that a swarm of Terrorcons were able to infiltrate Primus's chamber. To flush them out, Optimus rerouted Energon into the towers that still stood, causing a powerful wave of energy to emanate from them. Hot Shot was almost caught in the deadly wave himself, but was tackled to safety by Rodimus. Hot Shot came to regret the quick judgment he had displayed in his initial encounter with Rodimus, and in the Autobots' retaliatory strike against Unicron, powerlinked with the other Autobot for the first time. The Autobots blasted their way through Terrorcon troops and the remainder of the Decepticoin military in their trek to Megatron's throne room. As they neared their destination, Optimus was ambushed and dismembered by Shockblast. Optimus ordered his troops to leave him behind and Rodimus, then combined with Hot Shot, took command of the squad. Before the Autobots could surround him, Megatron used his power over Unicron to escape his throne room. Optimus, now combined with Wing Saber, then rejoined the other Autobots. Rodimus separated from Hot Shot so they could both salute him. Optimus sent Hot Shot, Landmine and Prowl out into space to ensure Alpha Q's escape while another team would continue pursuing Megatron. But Alpha Q's positively charged portion of Unicron met with Megatron's negatively charged portion, creating a tear in the fabric of space. Landmine and the Autobots attempted to avoid its pull, but the rift was too strong. Landmine was struck by debris and carried into the rift. Hot Shot and Prowl combined then went after him. The trio were trapped in the debris field near Unicron on the other side of the void until they spotted Rodimus's banner, and followed it to clear space. Hot Shot rejoined the Autobot team on Iron Planet, and helped rescue Inferno from being tortured by Megatron.
The Autobots began looking for Unicron's whereabouts in the void of space, only to be called back to Jungle Planet when the Decepticons found the Autobots' temporary base of operations there. The Autobots were kept from going down to the planet's surface by the Decepticons until the arrival of Bulkhead, Downshift, and Cliffjumper tipped the odds in their favor. Hot Shot and a crew of Autobots made their way back towards Cybertron in order to get the energon towers necessary to defend the energon-rich planets beyond the rift. They were attacked en route by a squadron of Divebombs, but Downshift and Hot Shot broke off from the others and made their way through the rift. Thanks to the power of teamwork, they were able to destroy the Terrorcons who pursued them, and transformed to speed off to Cybertron as fast as their wheels could carry them while spinning in the void of space. Uh. After securing an energon tower from Doctor Jones, they returned to Jungle Planet and activated the tower, driving off the Decepticon invaders.
Downshift and Hot Shot continued to oversee the arrival of more energon towers for Alpha Q's planets, including the replacement tower called in for Ocean Planet as the original was destroyed by Mirage. They powerlinked in order to hold off the Insecticons attacking the tower, ultimately succeeding in bringing it online. When Planet Q was rebuilt by Alpha Q outside the Autobots' energon grid, they were forced to defend it without the aid of an energon tower; they had already used the last one in their reserve. By the time Hot Shot and the others made it to Planet Q, Scorponok had already begun to ransack the world of its energon. Hot Shot and Downshift joined forces again to protect the resurrected world from Megatron's forces. When Kicker and Ironhide got in over their heads in a bout against Scorponok, Optimus sent both Hot Shot and Downshift off to aid them. But when they joined Kicker on the battlefront, he sent the two Autobots to deal with Terrorcons instead, while he assisted Ironhide on his own.
Hot Shot snuck Sally through a space bridge so she could help emcee the first ever Autobot Grand Prix. Kicker was worried over this development, but Hot Shot assured him that the Autobots were in the process of setting up another energon grid to assure everyone's safety. Hot Shot entered himself and Ironhide in the race, taking place on a planet entirely covered in roads. Hot Shot begun in the lead, though Ironhide eventually managed to catch up to him. As the both of them neared the finish line, Optimus came onto the road and declared himself to be the racers' last "obstacle..." before shooting at them! Ironhide grappled with Optimus, allowing Hot Shot to continue forward. But Hot Shot became distracted when Arcee and Misha zoomed in on the scene, enabling the ladies to take first place! Once the race was over, Kicker had Hot Shot take his sister back home safely.
After Wing Saber located Unicron's body, Hot Shot and the Autobots staged an assault on the Planet-Eater, but were unable to keep Megatron from making Unicron fully operational again. Finding themselves surrounded by the enemy, the Autobots were rescued by the timely arrival of first Omega Supreme, and then Roadblock (Inferno reborn) with fleet of energon towers in tow. The towers were sent down to impale Unicron, but had no effect on the now-mobile titan. Omega Supreme Hot Shot and the Autobots attempted to gain access to Unicron's interior to strike back from the inside. They were driven off when Unicron plowed into the planetary energon grid, though, and were unable to prevent Unicron from reclaiming his head from Alpha Q's Energon Orb. Though Unicron was now whole, he was still dormant, and Hot Shot led a party to try and attack Megatron while Optimus Supreme and Rodimus did the same through a different path. They failed to reach their objective before Unicron regained consciousness, and took control of Megatron's mind.
Hot Shot tried to stop Unicron before he unleashed his power and obliterated Blizzard Planet, to no avail. He was left badly damaged, and had to be brought the Autobots' infirmary. After being repaired, Hot Shot joined Optimus Supreme in fighting Unicron before he could reach another world, but fared little better in this venture. Circuit Planet was the next sphere to fall. Then, the power of Primus reached the Autobots, repairing Hot Shot and reformatting him in a slick new body, while growing Optimus Supreme to gargantuan proportions so he could fight Unicorn on an even playing field. Hot Shot and the others maintained strafing assaults against Unicron as Optimus Supreme grappled with him directly and Kicker assembled the energon towers for a powerful strike. With the towers, the power of Primus, and the teamwork of the Optimus Supreme combination, Unicron's body was finally destroyed. Optimus suffered serious injuries after overtaxing his capabilities in battle, and so Hot Shot and the others watched over him in stasis on Ocean Planet. When Megatron resurfaced on Cybertron, however, Hot Shot joined the Autobots on the Miranda II in returning to Cybertron. There, they battled the newly enhanced Galvatron until clouds of Autobot-killing energon gas were released into the atmosphere, driving Hot Shot and his comrades to retreat.
The Miranda II moved to the upper atmosphere, where the Autobots prepared to drop Kicker and the Omnicons (who were immune to the energon gas flooding the planet) down to the world below. While the Autobots were being briefed on their plan, Hot Shot tried to have Superion Maximus open up a bit more, but the ancient Autobot was too socially awkward to mingle. Then, Galvatron and the Decepticons attacked, and Hot Shot fought to delay them long enough for Cliffjumper to get the Miranda II into position for the drop. When Kicker and the Omnicons opened a gap in the cloud layer of the energon gas, Hot Shot descended to the planet below with Optimus Prime's team. They met up with a small band of Autobot soldiers and fled underground to avoid the full effects of the gas.
At some point, in an Autobot combat training simulation, Hot Shot and Rodimus joined forces to fight their way through a tournament of champions. They defeated Tidal Wave and Mirage in the first round, proceeded to win against Optimus Prime and Wing Saber in the second, and even beat Six Shot and Shockblast in the third despite the Decepticons' cheating. In the final round, however, Rodimus and Hot Shot faced off against another Optimus Prime, teamed with Omega Supreme. The Optimus Supreme combination was ready to obliterate the competition... until they were called on a technicality: they had stepped outside the ring during their combination sequence! Rodimus and Hot Shot won by default. As the catgirl robomaid emcees handed them their trophies, they announced a final competitor: a downsized Unicron! Rodimus and Hot Shot grappled with the teeny-tiny Planet-Eater and finally won the game.
After meeting up with some reinforcements, Optimus Prime assigned Hot Shot to work with Kicker, Omega Supreme, and Arcee in penetrating the Decepticon defenses around Central City. Their goal was to find Kicker's family, and retake control of both the command center and the energon towers. The team hitched a ride on Omega Supreme's train mode to head straight into the heart of the city. When Kicker had Hot Shot contact Optimus to see if they could rendezvous together, only for the request to be turned down, they surmised the Autobot leader was in trouble. Omega Supreme left the group to aid their commander, while Hot Shot and the others continued with their assigned mission, eventually coming upon Kicker's sister and mother. Sally and Miranda were scared, but otherwise safe and glad to be reunited with Kicker. Hot Shot carried Sally and Miranda to Primus's chamber within the safety of his vehicle mode. There, they were reunited with Dr. Jones, and managed to awaken the deity from his slumber with an energon infusion. Hot Shot remained in Primus's chamber to guard the humans while the other Autobots stopped Cybertron from slamming into Plains Planet by shutting down a crude planetary propulsion system engineered by Six Shot.
Sally managed to slip away from Hot Shot and squeezed her way into a passage too small for him to follow into. He was suitably impressed when she captured the control room the Decepticons had been using all by herself, and allowed for the Autobots to retake control of the building by disabling the security that had previously kept them out. Hot Shot later watched in horror as Galvatron grew to enormous size using Super Energon, and led Cliffjumper and Downshift onto the battlefield. He powerlinxed with Downshift to try and rescue Optimus from Galvatron, but they were engaged by Starscream and the rest of the Decepticon flunkies instead. The battle between the Optimus and Galvatron moved beyond the point where Hot Shot could impact it, as the Autobot leader channeled Unicron's essence and grew to match Galvatron's stature. Hot Shot moved out of the sidelines only after Optimus managed to counteract Unicron's essence in himself and Galvatron, shrinking down both combatants to their normal sizes. Optimus had exhausted himself doing so, and Hot Shot attended to him while Galvatron sought out the last sliver of Unicron's essence still living in the void.
Prime could not overcome Unicron on his own, and needed the Combination Sparks of all his fellow Autobots to face the final conflict. Rodimus led the Autobots in stepping forward to give up their individuality for the greater good of the team. Hot Shot's body was converted into pure energy as he became one with his spark, so that it could in turn become one with all the other Combination Sparks, revitalizing Optimus. Filled with the strength of all his men, Optimus united with Omega Supreme in the ultimate Powerlinx, grappling with Galvatron until the Decepticon leader shrugged off Unicron's influence and plunged into the sun. Hot Shot and the other Autobots then separated, and were restored to their individual forms.
When a black hole created by Unicron's demise threatened Cybertron, Optimus Prime organized an evacuation of the planet. Among his chosen soldiers to help him in this effort was Hot Shot, who jumped at the opportunity to adopt a new Earth-based alternate mode. After all, the scan Jetfire had provided of a sports car was "so him." When the Decepticons attacked to interfere with the Autobots' exodus to Earth, Hot Shot battled Starscream. He was unable to stop the Decepticons from stealing the map to the Cyber Planet Keys, artifacts the elder Cybertronian Vector Prime had assured them was necessary to save their planet. En route to Earth, Vector Prime explained to the Autobots that the black hole, if left unchecked, would not only swallow up Cybertron, but the entire universe. He then doubled back to retrieve his cosmic map from Megatron, with Optimus insisting that Hot Shot, Jetfire, and Overhaul accompany him on this dangerous task. Hot Shot's team came upon Megatron and Starscream within an asteroid belt. While Jetfire and Vector Prime dealt with Starscream, Overhaul and Hot Shot tackled Megatron. Unfortunately, the Decepticons proved to be simply too powerful, and the Autobots were unable to prevent them from escaping once more. Hot Shot rendezvoused with Optimus Prime on Earth empty-handed. There, the Autobots met the humans Coby, Bud, and Lori.
Hot Shot then assisted in building a new Autobot base. Though at first he cautioned the children from touching anything, Coby proved surprisingly knowledgeable about the Autobots' technology, prompting Hot Shot to invite him to provide more input. But before the base's stealth coating was completed, the Decepticons approached Earth once more. Hot Shot, Optimus, Vector Prime, and Jetfire held their enemies at bay long enough for the rest of the team to fully conceal their base from enemy sensors. Having seen Hot Shot prove himself in battle, Vector Prime granted him the ability to summon Cyber Planet Keys once the Decepticons were driven off. When Red Alert attempted to close the black hole, Hot Shot viewed the attempt from Earth. It unfortunately ended in failure, leaving the Autobots with tracking down the mystical keys to the Omega Lock as their only remaining option to save their planet. Hot Shot then backed up Optimus Prime in another battle against Megatron, during which the Decepticon leader revealed he was already one step ahead of his rivals, having discovered the location of first key himself.
During his downtime, Hot Shot amused himself by racing alone on a speedway. Optimus Prime interrupted his fun and gave him a lecture about their need to stay hidden on Earth. Later, when the Autobots uncovered the coordinates of Velocitron, the Speed Planet, Hot Shot was sent ahead to this new world alongside Red Alert. When they arrived, Hot Shot marveled at the open roads, only to be startled when another vehicle easily overtook him on the freeway.
Hot Shot thought the Speed Planet was his type of place, but was unable to enjoy it to its fullest, since Optimus had instructed both him and Red Alert not to interact with the locals. Even though he assured his partner he wouldn't go against orders, when Hot Shot saw two bullies terrorizing some locals, he was unable to stop himself from stepping in. Ransack and Crumplezone struck back at Hot Shot, who managed to trick the two simpletons into firing onto one another. The goons now having been sent skedaddling, Red Alert berated Hot Shot for breaking cover against Prime's orders, accidentally letting slip that they were planet-hoppers in front of Clocker. Their secret now out, the Autobots let the young Velocitronian take them on a tour of the planet. As they drove, Clocker spoke of the coveted "Planet Cup," a trophy that the Autobots correctly surmised was the artifact they sought. Upon seeing a race between Override, the Cup's current holder, and Megatron about to begin, Hot Shot joined in. He nearly won, but was taken out of the race during its last stretch thanks to Crumplezone's interference. Hot Shot nonetheless impressed Override, who invited him to try his meddle against her again once he recovered. Hot Shot trained to get into peak performance for his next race against Override. Assessing that he needed to lighten up his chassis, he removed his entire self-analysis system. With this done, Override met up with him for their rematch. Despite having been given a generous head start by his opponent however, Hot Shot still found himself unable to keep up with her. His desire for more speed during the race summoned a Cyber Key, and with it he began to close the gap... until his systems overheated and he spun off the road.
Hot Shot followed Crumplezone and Ransack in the dead of night, spying on them while they spoke with Megatron. Learning that the Decepticons planned on entering the World Cup and cheat their way to victory further motivated him in achieving greater speeds on the racetrack. Hot Shot readied himself for another race while Red Alert accused him of no longer caring for his mission. Provoked by Red Alert's claim, Hot Shot was ready to hit Red Alert until Brakedown stepped in to diffuse the situation. Insisting that all of his efforts for the greater good of the mission, Hot Shot continued to focus on achieving greater speeds. But while testing out his racing skills, he found himself going too fast and narrowly avoided another debilitating crash thanks to Clocker. Reflecting on this, he decided that he had lightened his body too much. Despite having injured himself while practicing, Hot Shot agreed to race Dirt Boss, having been tricked by Ransack into thinking the winner would race Override again one-on-one. This competition only served to injure him further, as Ransack and Crumplezone quickly got bored and attacked Hot Shot for kicks. After being rescued by Landmine, Hot Shot apologized to a newly arrived Optimus Prime for disobeying his orders and possibly failing his mission. He then collapsed. While in an unconscious state Red Alert repaired the damage he had been putting on himself, both from numerous battles, and pushing himself too far on the track. Landmine then contributed to Hot Shot's recovery by berating him, snapping Hot Shot out of the rut his mind was in. Though Hot Shot stood depressed over the turn his mission had taken, Clocker convinced him not to give up on himself. After Optimus Prime failed himself to convince Override to forfeit the Planet Key, he opted to use Hot Shot's original plan to acquire it in the World Cup. His confidence renewed, Hot Shot entered the race alongside his teammates, who agreed to run interference, while counting on Hot Shot to actually win the race itself.
At the start of the race, Hot Shot took the lead, but was again passed by Override and Dirt Boss. Though several of Crumplezone and Ransack's tricks slowed him down, he managed to stay in the race thanks to his own skills and the support of his team. The duo later cut away a bridge on the track to stop the Autobots completely, but Hot Shot jumped the gap by leapfrogging off of Optimus Prime. He was not able to win the race, but placed second place, qualifying him for the next heat. In the next heat, Hot Shot once more managed to pass Override early on the track. but was duped into going the wrong direction when Ransack switched over the course. When his allies informed him of the deception, Hot Shot shared the information with Override to beat her fair and square. Later, after an tunnel was caved in by Crumplezone, Hot Shot helped out an imperiled Override rather than press his lead over her. Once again, he came in second place due to Dirt Boss passing him while he was busy helping Override. Learning the next course would take him through a desert area, Hot Shot trained to familiarize himself with that type of terrain. With advice from Coby, he managed to attain a better understanding on how to handle sand dunes. He continued to train while Optimus Prime and Vector Prime left to respond to an emergency signal from the Jungle Planet.
During the next race, Hot Shot initially took the lead through the desert. But despite his earlier training, he still had difficulty getting any traction in the sands. To complicate matters, he wound up falling into one of the many quicksand vortexes that littered the course. Brakedown came to his aid, only for Dirt Boss to target them both with a couple of laser blasts. They were saved when Jolt jumped in the way and redirected the shots back towards the villain, betraying his and Coby's clandestine presence on Speed Planet. Resuming the race, Hot Shot faltered when he noted that Brakedown's systems were failing. Realizing that Breakdown had used a belt from his coolant system to rescue him from the earlier vortex, Hot Shot volunteered to carry the old-timer to the finish line... only for Brakedown to turn him down flat. Reminding the younger 'bot of how important his mission was, Breakdown sent Hot Shot on his way to the finish line. Afterwards, when the rest of the Autobots discovered Coby and the Mini-Cons had left Earth, Hot Shot requested that they be allowed to help him through the final race, rather than being sent back.
Though Hot Shot was chosen by the Planet Cup for the final race, he discovered that the damage he had sustained during the previous heats would severely handicap him. The Autobots decided that Coby would sit in Hot Shot's cockpit in order to continuously adjust his circuits, staving off a complete breakdown. Hot Shot started out the race with an early lead. When Ransack and Crumplezone attempted to steal the Planet Cup, he warded them off with the help of Override, before the two remaining competitors resumed their now one-on-one race. As Hot Shot's system links kept breaking down, Coby was able to rewire him in order for him to keep pace with Override. It wasn't enough, as his circuits were still having trouble holding, so he used his Cyber Key Power to win in a photo finish. Then, Megatron showed up to steal away Hot Shot's trophy before he had a chance to claim it! Working in tandem with Override once more, Hot Shot knocked over Megatron, giving Optimus Prime and Leobreaker the opportunity needed to take him down. Returning to Earth, Hot Shot was present when Override added the Cyber Planet Key to the Omega Lock.
The Lock sent out energy waves, pointing the Autobots towards coordinates near the Earth's north pole. Hot Shot was part of the team that investigated the area, but failed to yield anything of interest in their search. When a distress signal alerted him to a Decepticon attack, he and the other Autobots converged to rescue a frozen Scattorshot from Starscream and Mudflap. Having some of the damage he had sustained during his Velocitronian adventures repaired by Coby, Hot Shot followed Optimus to the Jungle Planet Primal. After the Autobots received Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key, Hot Shot heard the incoming Decepticons attempting to win it back. He was able to take cover as they strafed. After leaving the temple with a diversionary box that may have contained the key, he was knocked over by Crumplezone when he turned to fight Ransack. Later he saw a space bridge and headed toward it, joining the Autobots in surrounding Megatron.
Hot Shot readied equipment with Scattorshot back on Earth. He chose to follow Red Alert to the north pole to back up Optimus Prime's team. Surprisingly, he was the voice of caution and told Jetfire not to blast ice debris that trapped Optimus Prime. It would cause a collapse. After Jetfire freeing Optimus Prime using his engines, the Autobots were attacked by Decepticons and human drone planes. He was going to attack the drone planes, but was stopped by Optimus Prime.
When the Autobots realized the kids and Mini-Cons were missing, Hot Shot was sent out to investigate. While on his route he ran into Tim Hansen and assured him that his younger brothers would be okay. After finding the kids who escaped from Colonel Franklin, Hot Shot began retreating to Velocitron via the space bridge. Starscream attacked to steal away the Omega Lock and Hot Shot was one of the first to fall in battle.
Later, Hot Shot, Red Alert and Scattorshot faced Megatron alone when the Decepticon leader returned to Earth thirsting for revenge against the treacherous Starscream. Humiliating the Decepticon in combat, they enraged Megatron, who used his new Omega Lock-powered Death Machine Gun on the three Autobots, crippling them beyond repair. Fortunately, the powers of Primus acting through the Omega Lock bathed the trio in the creator's holy light, repairing and reformatting the young Autobot into Cybertron Defense Hot Shot. Along with his newly reformatted friends, the Cybertron Defense Team arrived on the battlefield and easily defeated the Decepticons Scourge and Megatron.
Hot Shot continued to battle Megatron and his forces. After Megatron retreated, Hot Shot followed to aid Optimus Prime at the volcanic island. He helped fight off Scourge with the rest of the Cybertron Defense Team. Later, when questioning Wing Saber's "orders," he was shot and forced to dance to avoid being blasted. After the altercation Optimus Prime sent him and the rest of Cybertron Defense Team to Cybertron in an attempt to slow down the black hole. En route to the planet, however, his team encountered a meteor shower. He began blasting his way through, but in doing so got goop all over his windshield, obscuring his vision. Coby then took over his movements via synchro-control. Later he countered Scattorshot's claim in who had the most points by blowing up the most asteroids, saying he had shot at least 2 to every one of Scattorshot's. Upon arrival at Cybertron and finding it swarming with Scrapmetal, he led the assault to cleanse the planet. They fought their way through legions of the robotic pests.
Hot Shot continued fighting off Scrapmetals until all in the vicinity were destroyed. Upon Megatron's arrival, Hot Shot immediately attacked. After Megatron's apparent defeat, Hot Shot helped give a tour of Cybertron to the kids and other offworlders. He was then present when Optimus Prime presented the Omega Lock which caused Cybertron to apparently break apart. He then drove via the space bridge to Cybertron's moon to witness the full transformation of Primus. Hot Shot was first awed by Primus, then confused when he found out that Jolt was originally from Gigantion. He attacked Starscream after the Decepticon's arrival and continued fighting Decepticons until something appeared in the sky.
Hot Shot was attacked by the newly powered up Crumplezone once he was raised from mortal wounds by Megatron. He wasn't much tougher than before and Hot Shot was able to defeat his rival. He later chased after the Decepticons attempting to steal the Omega Lock.
When the Autobots reached Gigantion, he split off into a group to explore the planet. Later, in an altercation with the Decepticons, he fired at Thunderblast. Hot Shot unloaded the ship for the Autobots to be able to use the Omega Lock. He and the rest of the Cybertron Defense team were taken out by a newly powered up Galvatron.
Hot Shot watched as Optimus battled Sideways, then joined the rest of the Cybertron Defense Force as team three when the Autobots split up. He later ran into Sideways and Soundwave while searching for the Cyber Planet Key. He listened to Soundwave's story of Planet X. He was then surrounded by Laserbeak's smoke and accidentally hit Scattorshot believing he was Sideways. When Scattorshot cleared the smoke Hot Shot powered up his Cyber Key and helped the rest of his squad blast a pillar upon Soundwave and Sideways.
Hot Shot and his team looked for a downward passage when they ran into Galvatron and Menasor. After a brief skirmish, they utilized the triangle attack to take Menasor down. Then they battled Galvatron at full strength, but were once again beaten down. Scourge He slowly got to his feet, recovered, and made his way down to the inner part of Gigantion to join the rest of the Autobots in shooting Galvatron.
Hot Shot watched as Vector Prime inserted the final Cyber Planet Key into the Omega Lock. when Galvatron arrived, Hot Shot was defeated with the rest of the Autobots. While Optimus Prime and the other flying Autobots were intercepted by Soundwave and Sideways, Hot Shot opened fire from the ground. When the new space bridge opened and the denizens from Planet X were coming through, Hot Shot began firing. Afterward, with the help of Vector Prime, he was able to leave Gigantion with the rest of the Autobots. After returning to Primus, the Decepticons attacked. Hot Shot quickly counterattacked, battling Thundercracker while the Decepticon taunted Optimus Prime.
Hot Shot ran to assist the Autobots in sending Jungle Planet back to orbit. When Galvatron entered the Autobot base, he wanted to attack the Decepticon leader until Optimus said it was his fight solely. So instead he ran out to save Jungle Planet. After helping put out fires, Hot Shot lent his strength to push the rocket to adjust the planet's trajectory. After the planet was saved, he joined the rest of the Autobots in assisting Optimus Prime. With Galvatron finally defeated, Override resigned from leadership of Velocitron in order to travel to new worlds, and Hot Shot won the race to determine who would be her successor, despite his bulky new body, thanks to its traction control allowing him to bank into sharp curves.
In the Legacy of Chris Throndyke, he is in his Cybertron Defense, along with Scattershot and Red Alert and is part of Team Athenia, led by Rodimus Prime, and has some abilities of animated Hot Shot with some elements of Armada.
And he is reprised by Brent Miller in the English dub as a tribute for Kirby Morrow, and he is reprised by Kosuke Okano in the Armada Storyline, Kosuke Toriumi in the Energon Storyline and Daisuke Hirakawa as of Cybertron in the Japanese dub.