Kicker Jones
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about the Energon human. For the Generation 1 Decepticon, see Kicker (G1). |
- Kicker is an Autobot-allied human from the Energon portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Kicker Jones is the son of Dr. Brian Jones and Miranda Jones, and Sally Jones's older brother. He's brash and headstrong, always ready to leap before he looks. During the war over energon, Kicker accompanied the Autobots on many of their missions, even fighting Decepticons and Terrorcons himself by utilizing a high-tech battlesuit developed by his father. He is a top-notch cyclist, though his real strength is in his mysterious ability to detect and harness the power of energon.
While traveling with his father as a child, traumatic experiences left Kicker a neuroses-riddled mess: agoraphobia, claustrophobia, technophobia, scotophobia, gigaentomophobia, and borderline attachment disorder are just the beginning of his problems. He's slowly learning to trust others and, with the Autobots' continued love and support, might even one day be on speaking terms with his father!
True to his name, he tends to kick things. Usually his Autobot partner.
| “ | "Ya know, Kicker... the guys I work with... I couldn't have asked for a better bunch. ... but you will always be special." | ” |
| —Ironhide, The Sun | ||
Contents |
Fiction
Cartoon continuity
Energon cartoon
- Voice actor: Brad Swaile (English), Daisuke Kishio (Japanese), Masumi Asano (Young Kicker, Japanese), Johan Svensson (Swedish), Jimmy Redler (French), Naiké Fauveau (Young Kicker, French), Bence Berkes (Hungarian, second dub), Alessio Puccio (Italian), Arttu Ala-Jokimäki (Finnish), Diana Torres (Castilian Spanish), Gonzalo Fumero (Latin-American Spanish), Péter Szokol (Hungarian, Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle)
As the Unicron Battles ended, Optimus Prime assumed command of Cybertron to lead the new Autobot-Decepticon alliance. With it came contact and diplomatic ties to Earth's governments, including Dr. Brian Jones, humanity's foremost expert on the newly discovered ore, energon. Doctor Jones traveled to Cybertron to meet with the Autobots, and he brought along his young son, Kicker. Kicker was initially very afraid of the strange, metal world and its towering robot inhabitants. While his father was busy, Kicker ran away, hiding in a long-ruined part of Cybertron. This led Optimus Prime to search for him, warning that the area was strictly off-limits. While trying to escape the Autobot leader, Kicker accidentally fell down a long shaft only to be saved by a mysterious glowing sphere - Primus, the living heart of Cybertron. Fascinated by the boy, Primus imbued him with a special gift - the ability to detect energon, which manifested itself as his hair glowing an eerie yellow. Cybertron City
Dr. Jones exploited his son's new talent, dragging the young Kicker from planet to planet, wherever they expected to find energon. At times, he would strap Kicker into a spacesuit and send him out into the void alone, with nothing but a radio and a single tether line connecting them. On one occasion, Kicker's line detached, and he floated miserably in the vacuum of space, unable to contact his father or control his movement. When he eventually landed on an asteroid and managed to recontact his father, Dr. Jones insisted that Kicker press onwards to find more energon. This experience gave Kicker an extreme fear of dark places and being alone in the vacuum. Due to this and many similar experiences, Kicker came to resent his father and the Transformers considerably. The New Cybertron City The Legend of Rodimus Nevertheless, he still cared about his family, especially his younger sister, Sally, and would fight to protect them. As he grew up, Kicker and his family came to live in Ocean City, a subaquatic mining facility that was one of many established worldwide by the Earth-Cybertron alliance to search for energon. He formed a relationship with Misha Miramond, a young scientist stationed on a research outpost in Desert City.
Some ten years later, on the day Ocean City discovered energon, Kicker was still bitter about his ordeal and status as a tool for his father's scientific research, which concerned his mother. After the Cybertron City on Mars was destroyed by Terrorcons. Kicker was the first to realize Ocean City was their next target, thanks to his innate Primus-given sensitivity. Riding outside the city with Hot Shot in tow and concerned for his family's safety inside, Kicker lured the strange beast Transformers away until he was surrounded. Fortunately, Optimus Prime's Autobot reinforcements saved him at the last moment. Angry that his father asked Optimus Prime to look after him, Kicker took off again away from the city and soon landed in trouble despite assistance from the young Autobot, Ironhide. Once again, Optimus came to Kicker's rescue by throwing him a special suit developed by Dr. Jones to protect Kicker in dangerous situations. After the dust settled, Optimus Prime explained that Dr. Jones knew Kicker would refuse to allow the Autobots to guard him, so Dr. Jones made the suit to enable Kicker to fight alongside them. Cybertron City
Kicker didn't follow orders easily, and he loudly interrupted a strategic meeting between Optimus and Alexis over what to do about the Terrorcon threat. Ocean City's human civilians, most of its staff, and the other mining colonies were evacuated out of fear of further attacks. Kicker's mother and sister left Ocean City behind, but he was very concerned about Misha, who chose to remain in Desert City with a skeleton research staff. Optimus teamed Kicker with Ironhide, a young Autobot rookie. But Kicker ditched the big galoot the first chance he got to fly into battle with Jetfire in Lunar City's defense. Optimus gave Kicker a stern warning after the battle, threatening to send the young punk home to his mother if he didn't watch his partner's back in the future. Energon Stars
Now that the Terrorcons had passed the energon mining colonies on the asteroid belt, Mars, and the Moon, Optimus was sure that one of the Earth cities was their next target. Kicker correctly predicted that Desert City, Misha's colony, was the next target, and the Autobots bridged out to Desert City to save Misha and Hot Shot, who was on the scene. Kicker and Ironhide fought their way into the mining facility past the Terrorcons. They successfully pulled Misha and the research team to safety. Scorpinok Despite his hotheadedness, Kicker slowly became comfortable following orders. When Mars City was attacked, Kicker was eager to leap into action and defend the miners, but Optimus chose to keep the team in reserve on Earth, fearing a sudden Terrorcon strike if the planet was left unguarded. Kicker reluctantly listened and, when Prime proved to be correct, he also followed orders in battle on Earth that initially kept him away from the fighting and on crowd control. In this battle, Kicker encountered the Energon Saber Mini-Cons for the first time and began his rather unorthodox use of the sword as a personal hoverboard. Megatron's Sword
Kicker experienced a vivid dream of a new source of Energon in the frozen mountains. After locating the mountain from his dream online, he led an expedition into the ice to pinpoint the energy source. During the search, however, the ground gave out underneath him and Grindor, causing them to tumble into a crevice that luckily happened to be where the Energon they were looking for was. Unluckily, the Terrorcons arrived at the location, hunting for the same Energon that Kicker was now sitting on. The other Autobots managed to hold the Terrorcons off long enough for Strongarm to pull Kicker and Grindor to safety, and they triggered a Space Bridge signal to Cybertron. Once that signal went out, Doctor Jones lowered an entire Energon-mining installation down over the Energon...and the Terrorcons. Kicker was impressed with how his dad saved the day, and, looking back, he began to realize that his father had always been looking out for him on their Energon expeditions, too. He finally accepted that his dad DID care about him as a son, not just as an Energon detector. The New Cybertron City
As the Autobots and Omnicons began to steady themselves for invasion, the various energon cities were reinforced with considerable firepower and defenses. Kicker congratulated Misha on her idea to use energon in place of regular power for the gun turrets, although she was reluctant to accept the idea that her work was being used for war. During a Terrorcon raid, Kicker shanghaied a Battle Ravage and used it to find energon in the mine FOR the Omnicons, knocking it out once it did its job. Things seemed to be going well for the Autobots...too well, as Megatron soon returned and assumed control of Alpha Q's operation. Kicker and the Autobots arrived at Plains City to find Megatron had demolished the installation and dismembered Hot Shot. Megatron Resurrected Optimus Prime benched Kicker from the next fight, out of genuine fear for what Megatron would do if he learned of Kicker's abilities. Despite this, Kicker eventually entered the battle anyway, providing Prime with a clone of Megatron's sword to counter the Decepticon leader in personal combat. Megatron Raid
At Ocean City, Kicker started to get a vague sense that something was wrong. Trusting his feelings, he eventually identified Starscream, an invisible assassin sent to Earth by Alpha Q to eliminate Optimus Prime. Despite Prime's protests, Kicker helped organize the other Autobots to keep watch over their leader and prevent him from coming to harm. Optimus soon fled to the moon, hoping to lure his assassin away from any comrades that could get hurt in the crossfire. When Prime fell in battle, Kicker worked desperately with Sky Blast to bring him back on-line, and Optimus later told Kicker how touched he was by the boy's dedication. Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary
When the Autobots discovered a mysterious signal emanating from the asteroid belt, Kicker and the team Bridged out into space to search for it. The Autobots relied on Kicker's intuition to guide them to the threat. However, he had difficulty locking onto it, partly because visions of a previous space mission with his father as a kid began plaguing Kicker, where he tumbled untethered through space for a time. Without any means of self-propulsion, Kicker felt very exposed in the vacuum, especially after Ironhide and the others left him behind to confront the enemy. Caught in a mega-blast when an enemy ship exploded, Kicker nearly lost it as he was tossed uncontrollably through the vacuum. The Autobots rescued him and brought him home to Ocean City, where he lamented about his poor showing during the mission. Misha managed to cheer him up, though, reminding Kicker that even Optimus was a young rookie once, and he just needed to push past his weaknesses and do better next time. Battle of the Asteroid Belt
Kicker had a lot of trouble adjusting to his father's return to Earth. Their relationship hadn't improved any by Kicker's time with the Autobots, and he showed no interest in trying to improve it either. He ran off to Jungle City with Misha to avoid spending time with his father and missed it when a Terrorcon attack struck Ocean City. Despite hearing cries for help over the radio, Kicker initially refused to return to Ocean City, childishly declaring that his dad would fix everything, and EVERYTHING would be fine as long as the great Doctor Jones was there. Only after his sister Sally got on the line and lied to Kicker, claiming his father was badly wounded, did he swallow his resentment and rush back to his father's aid. Energon Tower
Kicker's father assigned him to lead an energon prospecting team in the dark mines below Blizzard City, as the energon tower landing atop needed a power source. He initially lashed out at his teammates to cover his discomfort. But Kicker eventually realized that, unlike his father who lowered him into dark, scary places as a child alone, his friends were here with him and weren't going to abandon him — even if he kicked them. The Legend of Rodimus
On a visit to Jungle City, Kicker and Misha went out to their favorite place to meet as children, the steps of the long-abandoned Mayan temples overlooking the energon mining facility. As they spent the day together reminiscing, Kicker suddenly got a flash of insight that there were Terrorcons nearby, and he alerted the Autobots. Sure enough, Alpha Q had sent new stealth-capable Terrorcons to steal the energon right from under the Autobots' watchful eyes. As Misha and the civilians were evacuated for safety, she had Optimus Prime promise to do his best to preserve the Mayan ruins because of how special those memories were to her and Kicker. Unfortunately, the arrival of the Decepticons and their Terrorcons, as well as Alpha Q's, pushed the situation to its breaking point, and Kicker and the Autobots were forced to destroy Jungle City and the surrounding area to prevent their enemies from getting the energon. Back at Ocean City, Kicker and Misha regretted the day's losses when Kicker had another unique insight...there was still energon on Lunar City! Crisis in Jungle City To help search for the intermittent energon readings he was getting, Kicker had Signal Flare lasso a Battle Ravage drone salvaged from one of their battles, using its senses to guide them to the energon. Out on the moon's surface, they were met by Demolishor, who half-heartedly attempted to hide the fact that he was there to kidnap Kicker for Megatron. Kicker agreed to go with Demolishor, believing he could spy on Megatron's forces in the process. Plans changed when the energon readings' real source was revealed...Omnicon survivors from the earlier raids on Lunar City. By raising their tower base, Doctor Jones could dispatch an energon field generator from Cybertron, unleashing a wave of energon that blasted the Decepticons and Terrorcons off ol' Luna. However, as it powered up, the leashed Ravage began speaking to Kicker, in Alpha Q's voice. The Terrorcon's mysterious creator talked to Kicker, asking him how he could sense energon. Before the conversation got too in-depth, though, the Ravage was destroyed by the energon tower's shockwave, leaving Kicker with many questions about Alpha Q. Kicker Beware!
Back on Earth, the energon towers' construction was nearly complete at the various cities. It was just in time, too, as Megatron launched a set of artificial comets from Unicron at the Earth, which could potentially wipe out human civilization. Desert City's tower failed to power-up properly, so Kicker took Misha and Ironhide out to check on the problem. Inside the tower, Kicker and Ironhide found a pair of wounded Terrorcons causing the malfunction. Instead of attacking the Terrorcons, Kicker tried offering them an energon star. They accepted and then voluntarily left the tower, allowing it to come online in time to save the Earth. As the Terrorcons departed, Kicker first realized that Alpha Q and the Terrorcons might not be as big a threat as Megatron. Energon Grid
With the energon grid activated, Earth and its energon were effectively secured against any further attacks by Megatron or Alpha Q. The Autobots no longer needed to devote most of their efforts to defensive work. Optimus Prime began drafting a battle plan to return to space and seek Unicron to destroy him before someone resurrected him. Kicker was nonplussed about returning to the void of space, and Ironhide's bumbling attempts to take his mind off of it only helped a little. The duo followed Hot Shot to Mars when he left Ocean City without alerting anyone beforehand. They found him arguing with Rodimus, and when Rodimus shot Hot Shot point-blank, they tried to fend off the aggressor. But Rodimus and his highly trained allies easily beat them down and then took off. Rodimus Friend or Foe? As the Miranda II prepped for launch, Kicker was surprised to learn that Optimus recruited Misha for the away mission as well. On their way out of the solar system, the Autobots deployed a mobile warp gate to continue their travels, but a Decepticon attack damaged it before they could pass through. The Autobots and Omnicons exited to repair the gate and confront the Decepticons, but several were injured during the melee. Eventually, Kicker was the only teammate still available to fix the gate, forcing him to overcome his fear of space. Stepping out into the vacuum alone, Kicker faltered at first and nearly went into a panic attack. With Ironhide and the rest of the team cheering him on over the commlink, though, Kicker marshaled his courage and reached the gate, repairing it in time for the team to press onwards. Go for Unicron!
As they proceeded along with their search for Unicron, Kicker temporarily halted their progress when he sensed energon on a nearby planet as they passed. Optimus Prime ordered them into the planet's atmosphere for a search expedition, but the extreme sub-zero weather caught the ship in some fast-forming ice. Kicker began to blame himself and his abilities for their predicament, and his self-contempt only increased when Jetfire got injured during a Terrorcon attack and couldn't make it back to the ship. Jetfire finally snapped at him and told Kicker to quit taking responsibility for every mishap—they were soldiers, it was war, bad stuff happens. The important thing was to support your team. Together, Kicker and Ironhide helped get Jetfire back to the Miranda II, and everyone made it safely off-planet. The Return of Demolishor
When Rodimus arrived to meet with Optimus about leaving Alpha Q alone, it didn't go well. Ironhide chose to sneak onto Rodimus's ship as he departed to follow him back to Alpha Q's hiding place. Despite the danger involved, Kicker supported his partner and gave him a kick farewell. A Tale of Two Heros During the battle that followed at Unicron, however, Kicker's sensitivity warned him that Ironhide was in danger, and he broke off from the fight to go looking for his missing friend. Misha joined him, and they were soon met by Rodimus, who offered them a lift to their destination, as Alpha Q was anxious to meet Kicker in person. Battle Stations
Inside Unicron's head, Kicker and Alpha Q came face-to-face (...to-face-to-face-to...), but Kicker immediately sensed something was wrong. His intuition told him that NONE of the faces Alpha Q showed him were real, but instead, they were all "masks." He attacked Alpha Q physically and pushed the creature into revealing his past to Kicker. Kicker saw how Unicron devoured Planet Q and felt Alpha Q's suffering at the loss of his world. Nevertheless, he pulled no punches with Alpha Q and demanded that he step up and join the Autobots in opposing Megatron. Otherwise, Unicron could be resurrected for evil purposes once more. As Kicker, Misha and Ironhide prepared to depart, Alpha Q gave his answer and began to move Unicron's head through space, joining the fight at Kicker's side. Alpha Q: Identity
As Unicron's head arrived in Cybertronian space, Kicker forced Optimus and Rodimus to put aside their differences and meet peacefully with Alpha Q to discuss an alliance. Shockblast: Rampage During the negotiations, Unicron began to go wild, mindlessly reaching out for more energon to feed his hunger. Rodimus attempted to coordinate a squad to reach Unicron's core and provide energon directly into his systems, but the creature's unguided instincts kept making it block their way. Kicker reached out to Alpha Q, who was still able to exert a limited influence over Unicron's systems, to open up the passageways for them. Arcee, summoned by Primus, joined the group, and together they reached Unicron's core and completed their mission. Survival Instincts When Alpha Q shut down after the effort and refused to talk to Kicker, Misha decided to have a go at it. Kicker was too stubborn to let anyone else try to talk to Alpha Q, but Misha managed to slip past Scorponok while Kicker was kept outside Alpha Q's chamber by the guard. Miraculously, Misha's efforts to empathize with Alpha Q got him out of his shell faster than threatening to play "kick the can" with his head. Each One Fights...
With the threat of Unicron heating up, Kicker continued to demand things of Alpha Q just as he lamented that his father always demanded things of him. Alpha Q pointed out this hypocrisy to Kicker, and it gave Kicker the "kick" in the pants he needed to ask his father for help, calling upon the energon of Earth for the fight against Unicron. Unicron Unleashed Once the energon arrived from Earth, Kicker had it directed straight into Unicron's head, giving Alpha Q the jolt he needed to begin reviving his planets. Open Fire! Megatron tried to stop them, however, by releasing energon from Unicron's body. The backlash of this energon crossing with Alpha Q's supply would have been catastrophic, so Kicker insisted that Alpha Q flee the area. Alpha Q could not bring himself to leave Scorponok behind, though, and the resulting energon conflagration tore a hole through space and time. Alpha Q, Unicron, and most of the Autobots and Decepticons fell through the rift into the unknown beyond. Kicker and Misha rallied the Omnicons and their other allies to prepare to pursue Optimus and the others through the rift and rescue their friends. Ripped Up Space They traveled through the rift in the Miranda II, and eventually emerged from the other side. Team Optimus Prime
Kicker and the Miranda II located Prime inside the rift, where Alpha Q had recreated all the lost planets from Unicron as a new solar system filled with life. Kicker's unique abilities kept him in contact with Alpha Q, even though the creature was now stationary inside Unicron's head, effectively the new star for the solar system. Kicker, Arcee, Ironhide, and the others joined Optimus Prime's team on Iron Planet, where they captured the Decepticon, Shockblast. Protection Kicker and Misha brought the Miranda II to Jungle Planet at Alpha Q's direction, as one of the many new worlds Alpha Q was vitalizing through the energon sun. It had a purified, Earth-like atmosphere and was very nearly a paradise. Imprisoned Inferno When the Decepticons attacked Jungle Planet, Kicker fought alongside Ironhide and Inferno against Scorponok's Terrorcons to defend the world. Jungle Planet
As the Autobots began to secure Alpha Q's new planets, Kicker contacted his family back home so that they knew he was okay. An energon tower was sent from Cybertron to Jungle Planet as a defense against further Decepticon invasions. Bulkhead In time, the Autobots fortified Rock Planet and Blizzard Planet with towers as well, but the tower meant for Ocean Planet fell before Mirage. A Decepticon virus had infected Inferno, but he volunteered to use his affliction to lure the Decepticons away from Ocean Planet long enough for a replacement tower to be sent. Kicker went with Ironhide and several Autobots to back him up, just in case the Decepticon influence on his system became too strong. As Inferno began to succumb to Megatron's control, Kicker ordered Signal Flare to blast him with an energon star, which temporarily restored Inferno's true personality. Inferno eventually managed to purge himself entirely of the Decepticon power in the light of Alpha Q's energon sun, but his body was destroyed in the process. Farewell Inferno
Once the energon grid was established, Kicker and the Autobots had successfully protected all the developed worlds behind an impenetrable barrier. The problem was, this cut Alpha Q off from Scorponok as well, and he still harbored hopes that his companion could be redeemed. Despite Kicker's objections, Alpha Q irradiated a planet outside the grid with energon, making it a good prize for the Decepticons. Alpha Q hoped to lure Scorponok to this recreation of their homeworld and reach him, but his efforts failed. Kicker and Ironhide fought against Scorponok in Planet Q's palace's ruins until Alpha Q drove him back. Afterward, Kicker provided comfort to both Ironhide and Alpha Q, and they mourned the loss of the true Scorponok. Return! Our Scorponok
On Ocean Planet, Kicker received word from his parents and sister on Cybertron, checking on him. Even a short video message from his father was enough to push Kicker's buttons, so he was less than enthusiastic about discovering Sally had convinced Hot Shot to bring her over from Cybertron in person, too. When Hot Shot and Ironhide took off through the Space Bridge, Kicker took the opportunity to fly off after them with Jetfire and discovered the first Autobot Grand Prix being held on Circuit Planet. When he saw his partner Ironhide struggling with the race, Kicker hopped out to join him and took the wheel. Working as a team, Kicker and Ironhide rapidly closed the gap with the lead racers and pulled into second place behind Hot Shot. Ultimately, though, Misha and Arcee won the race, showing up Kicker after he ditched her on Ocean Planet to go gallivanting with Jetfire. Crash Course
Kicker operated aboard the Miranda II with Misha and Arcee during the big confrontation with Unicron. Omega Supreme When the energon grid failed to prevent Unicron from reclaiming his head from Alpha Q's Energon Orb, Kicker kept encouraging Alpha Q not to give up, even once he was in Unicron's grasp. Alpha Q sent the Miranda II to a new planet he had grown. Thinking this was part of a plan to defeat Megatron, Kicker agreed, but when he arrived on Grass Planet he found only wide empty pastures of green grass. Alpha Q explained to Kicker that he created this planet, especially for him, as it matched the images in Kicker's mind of the peaceful place he and Misha played together when they were children. It was his final gift to them before Megatron and Unicron tore through the Energon Orb. A Heroic Battle
Returning to the battleground within Unicron, Kicker took Arcee and Ironhide on a suicidal mission to recover Alpha Q's body. They recovered the lifeless form, and against all odds, escaped Unicron's body with the help of Rodimus. The Power of Unicron Kicker and Misha lay Alpha Q to rest on Grass Planet, burying him underneath a simple headstone before returning to the fight. Optimus Supreme Aboard the Miranda II, Kicker helped Arcee and Misha coordinate the Omnicons on Alpha Q's remaining worlds. They brought together the energon towers for an offensive strike against Unicron. Along with Primus's power and the teamwork of the Optimus Supreme combination, Unicron was ultimately destroyed, his essence scattered throughout space. Unicron Perishes
Optimus suffered serious injuries after overtaxing his capabilities in battle, and so Kicker and the others watched over him in stasis on Ocean Planet. When Megatron resurfaced on Cybertron, Kicker feared for his family's safety, so he joined the Autobots on the Miranda II in returning to Cybertron. Ambition They encountered Decepticon forces at the spaceport, and the Autobots were driven back when a new form of energon gas was released that was harmful to their circuitry. Despite Prime's warnings, Kicker prepared to forge ahead alone to find his family, but he was pulled to safety by the new Autobot warrior, Superion Maximus. Wishes
Realizing that only Kicker and the Omnicons were immune to the energon gas, Optimus Prime prepared to drop them to Cybertron's surface to find some way of turning the gas off. Kicker rode Arcee out of the Miranda II in a high altitude drop, careening off the side of an energon tower to slow their descent to the ground below. Galvatron! Once they landed, Kicker and Arcee coordinated with the Omnicons to examine the gas pipelines and decided to try hardening gel to cut off the flow to the towers. Kicker then took to the air with Sky Blast to bring down one tower, creating a momentary gap for Optimus, Ironhide, and the rest of the Autobots to penetrate the gas cloud and reach the planet's surface. Break Through
At some point, Kicker looked over the Autobots as they participated in a "virtual training exercise." The whole thing took the form of a video game, and Kicker marveled that the Autobots weren't as different from humans as he thought when it came to recreation. Distribution
As they met up with Wing Saber and his partially organized resistance, Kicker was astonished to learn that Ironhide had a fan club and that they did mind that he kicked the big lug all the time. Optimus Prime assigned Kicker to work with Hot Shot, Arcee, and Omega Supreme in penetrating the Decepticon defenses around Central City. Their goal was to find Kicker's family and retake control of the command center and the energon towers. The Omega Train Deep inside the planet's tunnels, Kicker finally located Sally and his mother, leaving them in the relatively safe care of Hot Shot. Decepticon Army Next, he found his father and brought him back to the Primus chamber, where the Jones family was finally reunited. Ironhide Team The Joneses and Omnicons attempted to repower Primus completely; however, Primus exhausted his energon to give Optimus Supreme enough strength to stop Cybertron from hurtling into Alpha Q's planets. Formidable
Kicker and his team decided to make their way to the Super Energon pool in hopes of claiming it from the Decepticons. However, they were slowed by a pack of Battle Ravages and were too late to prevent Galvatron from immersing himself in the pool again, growing to colossal size as a result. Galvatron Terror Kicker and the Omnicons went to work severing the strands of Super Energon that connected Galvatron to the pool. They succeeded, but it did nothing to reduce his power levels, and Galvatron fled into space. Destructive Power
As Optimus Prime managed to power up and keep Galvatron occupied on Jungle Planet, Kicker sensed the Unicron's presence out in the vacuum of space. He had Jetfire fly him for a distance, then continued the trek himself. Kicker located a small green orb floating in space, all that remained of Unicron's power. Spark Primus told Kicker he intended to use Unicron's power to revitalize Alpha Q's planets with a new sun. Kicker tried to defend Unicron's orb from Galvatron, who wanted to destroy the orb for manipulating him over time. However, he and Omega Supreme couldn't keep Galvatron from striking at the orb and inadvertently merging with Unicron once more. And yet, Galvatron remained in control of his actions, plunging into Primus's new sun to destroy Unicron's essence within him.
With the war over and Alpha Q's planets safe, Kicker and Ironhide shared a moment looking out over Ocean Planet. The Sun
Cybertron cartoon
A bemulleted Kicker was present for the launch of the four recovered colony ships Atlantis, Ogygia, Hyperborea, and Lemuria for the restart of the galaxy-spanning space bridge mission. Beginning
Energon comic
At 16 years of age, Chad "Kicker" Jones was spending his time in the Australian outback, using his unexplained energon-detection powers at Alterenergy's Exploratory Excavation/Drilling Operation. He longed for more excitement, but he complied with his father's wishes, who also worked for Alterenergy.
However, when Scorponok led a Terrorcon raid on the facility, the monotony was broken; this was possibly the first Decepticon attack on Earth in a decade, and it's unclear whether Kicker even knew about the Transformers' existence. He fled on a motorcycle but Battle Ravage gave chase. Nearby, Alexis led a protest against Alterenergy's strip-mining practices, and she saw Kicker wipe out. When Battle Ravage caught up, she shot the Terrorcon in the eye with a flare gun and joined Kicker on his bike. What Lies Beneath But that only prolonged the hunt; Battle Ravage still managed to capture them and bring them back to Scorponok. What Lies Beneath, Part Two
Just by looking at him, Scorponok could tell that Kicker had a "unique physiology;" the proximity of energon fired sensory nodes in his medulla oblongata, resonating throughout his entire nervous system and allowing the boy to sense energon. When the Autobots inevitably appeared, Scorponok mostly kept Kicker captive, but Alexis could escape with help from Rad and Carlos, who were part of an Alterenergy rescue team. Rad also destroyed one of the Terrorcons' energon siphons, which damaged their operation enough that Scorponok felt the need to retreat. What Lies Beneath, Part Three
But he didn't retreat far; they simply attacked Alterenergy's nearby Mobile Command Center. Scorponok betted that Kicker would be emotionally attached to someone there and would help the Terrorcons if they stopped the assault. He was right. Dr. Jones himself was there, and in fact, nearly killed. So Kicker led them to another energon source, but the Autobots were still in pursuit. As the battle renewed, Hot Shot rescued Kicker, who had already laid the seeds for the Terrorcons' defeat. The energon source he had found for them "wasn't, y'know, exactly... pure," which caused the siphons to explode, and Alpha Quintesson teleported all the Terrorcons back to Unicron.
During the rescue, Hot Shot had given Kicker a protective suit. Strongarm said it was something Dr. Jones and the Autobots had "cooked up together." Kicker would never be seen dressed in anything else from that point on. What Lies Beneath, Part Four
Kicker seemed quite happy helping the Autobots afterward, probably due to the newfound adventure. They took him around the world in search of energon, from the Yukon, where he helped Hot Shot track down some runaway Omnicons, Omni-Potent to the Black Sea. In the latter locale, he had Signal Flare create an energon bubble around him so he could go underwater and plant a drilling module while his Omnicon companions stayed onshore. But just as he was setting up the drill on the sea bottom, a Terrorcon squad attacked. Signal Flare's energon stream was interrupted, and the bubble collapsed. Despite his super-special suit, Kicker simply choked and then floated motionlessly. Multiplicity
Sharkticon engulfed him and may have purposefully revived him, as the mission had been to capture him alive. Multiplicity, Pt. 2 At any rate, Sharkticon surfaced and flipped on his back, then his belly burst open. Kicker levitated out from within, aglow with the energy of "energon well" below. Multiplicity, Pt. 3 He saw the Terrorcons standing over the defeated Omnicons onshore, so he sent streams of energon into his allies, reviving them. They quickly chased the Terrorcons off, and Kicker reveled in how his energon-manipulation powers were growing. Multiplicity, Pt. 4
At some point, Kicker and the Energon Saber Mini-Cons waited within Ocean City's lower levels for the arrival of Sharkticon, who was making a rather sad attempt to infiltrate the city silently. In Kicker's hands, the three Mini-Cons formed the Energon Saber and sent Sharkticon back into the briny deep. Perspective
Realizing Kicker's unique physiology could serve as a replacement for the Conduit in his plan, Alpha Quintesson sought to capture the human. Armageddon Part 4
Kicker worked with Alterenergy to develop his abilities and find why the Terrorcons wanted him, but he was tired of the organization's standards and rules. Leaving his training, he attempted to hitchhike on a truck, but it turned out to be Demolishor. Doomsday Redux! Demolishor captured Kicker for Alpha Quintesson, Armageddon Part 1 which led to a full search by the forces of Earth to find the boy. Armageddon Part 2 Thanks to information from the United Nations, Rad was able to find Kicker's location just as Demolishor was about to send Kicker over to Alpha Quintesson. Armageddon Part 3 Rad and his team were able to rescue Kicker from Demolishor's clutches Armageddon Part 4 and Kicker used his power to channel all of Earth's energon into a blast that destroyed Demolishor. After saying his goodbyes, Kicker crossed Demolishor's space bridge to join the battle against Unicron at Cybertron. Armageddon Part 5
Toy pack-in comics
Kicker rode High Wire in a battle between Autobots and Decepticons. Energon Volume 4
Kicker, with a small group of Autobots, investigated an energon site. There, they found Scourge, a dark duplicate of Optimus Prime. Kicker initially took him for a friend till he shot at the group, forcing Optimus into battle with his counterpart. Optimus Prime VS Mysterious Supreme Commander Scourge Kicker watched as the battle took its turns and twists till Scourge left the battlefield through a mysterious portal. Supreme Commander Optimus Prime VS Dark Commander Scourge
Toys
Energon
- Kicker (Microman, 2004)
- ID number: SC-14
- Release date: March 25, 2004
- Accessories: Energon Sword, chestplate, backpack, belt
- Part of the fourth wave of Takara's Super Link toyline, the first Kicker toy is based on the 2003 Microman body. It is super-posable, boasting an ab crunch, double jointed knees and elbows, ball jointed hips and ankles, and two ball joints in his neck and shoulders for extra articulation, to the point of allowing him to shrug. His parts are fully interchangeable with other Microman figures. He is armed with a small, non-transforming silver version of the Energon Saber (which is also compatible with 5 mm post-holes), plus his torso armor and belt are removable.
- This toy is incredibly breakable, to the point of some people have bought Kicker only to find him broken in-package. His knee and elbow joints in particular are made up of thin pieces of hard plastic, and his limbs can split at the joint sockets. Extreme caution is advised when handling this figure.
- SL Grand Convoy & Kicker (Multi-pack, 2004)
- ID number: SS-03
- Accessories: Energon Sword, Destron Clone Sword, chestplate, backpack, belt
- This limited-edition "Transformers × Microman Anniversary Set" (celebrating the 30th anniversary of Microman and the 20th anniversary of Transformers in Japan) contains an exclusive variant of Kicker, with an exclusive variant of the Deluxe-level SL Grand Convoy toy. This version of Kicker uses clear-black plastic rather than opaque (which makes it even more susceptible to breaking with even moderate pressure than the regular Microman Kicker, so be careful). It uses vacuum-metalized chrome on the body armor.
- He comes with a pale-gold-chromed version of the Energon Saber accessory, as well as a chromed "Destron Clone Sword" exclusive to this set.
- Kicker Energon Edition (Microman, 2004)
- Accessories: Energon Sword
- This particular clear-red version of Kicker is a Lucky Draw prize, limited to 100 pieces. He also comes with a red-chromed Energon Saber accessory (and goes very well with the Japanese mail-away "Fire" version of STD Grand Convoy).
- Contest entries were found in the Super Link soundtrack CD and the first three volumes of the Super Link DVD. The prize winners were announced in August 2004.
- Energon Kicker with High Wire (Combat Class, 2005)
- Known designers: Eric Siebenaler (Hasbro)
- Part of the seventh wave of Energon deluxe-level "Combat Class" toys (and also the only new toy of the wave), Hasbro's version of Kicker is an all-new sculpt, based around the then-current 3'3/4-inch G.I. Joe "Valor Vs. Venom" body design. He comes packed with a Joe-scaled (though slightly oversized) version of High Wire, also an all-new sculpt. Kicker has a spark crystal located on his backpack, which can be used as a mounting point for energon chips.
- While this version of Kicker is generally far sturdier than the Takara versions above, the rubberized o-ring that holds his upper and lower halves together can be susceptible to decay. This is especially problematic, as the spark crystal's location covers up the screw that binds the figure together, making repairs extremely difficult.
Kre-O
- Beast Blade Optimus Prime (2013)
- Set number: A2203
- Pieces: 251
- Kreons: Optimus Prime, Energon Kicker
- Available only with "Beast Blade Optimus Prime" kit, Kre-O Kicker uses the standard Kreon body and has no personal accessories whatsoever. You'd think they'd at least give him his sword. Maybe Optimus took it.
- This set also comes with the buildable Predacon beast Lazerback, and a Kreon Optimus based on the larger build.
- Beast Hunter Optimus Prime (2016)
- Set number: B6424
- Pieces: 251
- Kreons: Optimus Prime, Energon Kicker
- Re-packaged and re-released through budget chains like Dollar General and Family Dollar in the US, this is a seemingly-unchanged version of the "Beast Blade Optimus Prime" set, only with the packaging and instructions omitting any mention or visuals of the kit's large robot build. The set still has all the parts for the large robot build; there are just no instructions for the said build, so you get to puzzle it out yourself (or look them up online).
Notes
- In the episode "Energon Tower", Kicker's father calls him "Junior" twice (three times in Super Link). Whether this means his real name is "Brian Jones, Jr." or if his father was using "junior" as a term of endearment is left open to interpretation.
- Kicker is really cool. You're sure to like him.[1]
Foreign names
- Japanese: Kicker Jones (キッカー・ジョーンズ Kikkā Jōnzu)
- Hungarian: Vadóc ("Rogue")
References
- ↑ Aaron Archer at the Hasbro Panel at OTFCC 2003