Credulous

« Transformers: Armada ep 16 »
Hi ho Sideways!
"Credulous" 慢心 (おごり) (Ogori) "Pride: Arrogance"
Production code	TF: A-16
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	December 27, 2002 (English) 25 April 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Shōji Tonoike
Director	Shigeki Hatakeyama, Satoru Kusuda
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

During a battle over a new Mini-Con, Hot Shot and Sideways are accidentally teleported to the Decepticon moonbase. Will they be able to survive by depending on each other?

Synopsis

That looks iffy, Hot Shot.

At another battle for a precious Mini-Con, the Autobots and the Decepticons face each other, with Scavenger suspiciously absent. When Sideways and Hot Shot press forward, Starscream retreats, while Cyclonus and Demolishor also unenthusiastic about the notion of going against the Star Saber. With all the Decepticons literally running away (having apparently forgotten their alt modes), Prime and Smokescreen look for the Mini-Con.

At the battlefield, Sideways announces finding the Mini-Con, causing him to be rushed by Megatron, who sits on the bike. Megatron grasps the Mini-Con, but Sideways, in turn, holds onto Megatron. And Hot Shot uses his hyperdrive to grab on to Sideways. Together, the three are all caught in Megatron's teleportation back to the Decepticon base. Scavenger, who was passively monitoring the fight from a distance, considers the teleportation "An interesting turn of events." Prime and Smokescreen are left to look for their comrades.

On the Moon, Megatron is unable to awaken the Mini-Con; finding the panel to be a fake, he crushes it into dust. Then Sideways reveals (via a retroactive foreshadowing flashback) to Hot Shot that this was all part of his plan to get Hot Shot inside of the Decepticon base so that he might eliminate the Decepticons. Then Cyclonus and Demolishor arrive, and Megatron orders the battle to resume.

I spend a moment standing cool and mysterious on a cliff, and I come home to a mess.

Scavenger returns to the damaged Decepticon base. Sideways and Hot Shot take cover in a hallway, and the Decepticons lead the two Autobots outside, revealing that the Decepticon base is on the Moon. The duo follows the Decepticons, knowing that they might be heading into a trap. Megatron's disembodied voice taunts Hot Shot. Soon, shadowy figures surround them, and when Hot Shot tries plowing through one of them to get clear, he sees that one of the shadows is Optimus Prime. Or is it?

After attempting to converse with a suspiciously hostile Optimus, Sideways points out that Hot Shot is talking to the real Optimus at all but a clever ruse. The two take cover in a Moon hole, and the two agree to split up to defeat the holographic doppelgangers.

Megatron, meanwhile, announces that whoever can claim the Star Saber from Hot Shot is allowed to keep it. Hot Shot and Sideways finish off the holograms, and Hot Shot briefly hops on Sideways' bike mode as the Decepticons begin their attack. Then, Hot Shot leaps off Sideways, severing Cyclonus's rotor and knocking over Demolishor as he lands, ready to duel Starscream.

Figures.

Starscream gains the upper hand against the exhausted Hot Shot, but Megatron reveals that he's taken Sideways prisoner and is ransoming him for the Star Saber. Hot Shot is conflicted but concedes that he must save Sideways and gives up the sword. Megatron releases Sideways, but before Megatron can claim the Star Saber, Hot Shot verbally commands the three Mini-Cons to separate and return.

At that moment, Sideways changes sides, knocking the Star Saber away from Hot Shot to Starscream. Sideways changes his head and logo, and Hot Shot emotionally laments how easily Sideways tricked him. Cyclonus and Demolishor start kicking Hot Shot while he's down. Starscream is about to kill Hot Shot to earn the Star Saber, but Scavenger arrives and suggests that Hot Shot has had enough.

It takes talent to look nonchalant with cannons attached to your arms.

Back at the Autobot base, the Autobots and kids have been waiting anxiously. While Carlos, Billy, and Fred believe that Hot Shot would easily defeat the Decepticons, the rest of the Autobots aren't optimistic. However, they were forced into a passive position as they were unaware of the Decepticon base's location. When Hot Shot arrives in brutal shape and falls offline, Red Alert rushes to provide aid.

Starscream celebrates his new sword, boasting that he is undeniably the most powerful warrior in the universe, causing an enraged Megatron to destroy the monitor he watched Starscream upon, eliciting a laugh from Sideways.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

They don't look very worried about their friends...

"I love that 'save the universe' stuff. Uh, I mean—way cool!"

—Fred

"Meddling Matrix!"

—Megatron, as he delivers a kick to Hot Shot's face

"Come on, Star Saber, it's time to shut down this user's past-due account!"

—Lame computer metaphor courtesy of Hot Shot

"The sword's stayin' with me, pal. Now get your microprocessors out here!"
(laughs) "Want to play the hard way, do you? Well, suits me just fine. I'd love the chance to initialize your disc."

—Hot Shot and Megatron compete with bad computer metaphors.

Done in the tradition of Double Dinobot and Prime Problem...

"Hyperdrive! Coming through! Drop or be dropped, scuzzy breath! [Charges at a hologram, which turns out to be Optimus. Laughs weakly.] Uh, Optimus! Heh heh, hope you didn't take it personally..."

—Hot Shot

Comeuppance!

Demolishor: "Still reeling from the shock of it all, are you, now? Why don't I help bring you back to reality!" [begins stomping and kicking Hot Shot]
Cyclonus: "I'd be glad to lend a hand!"
Megatron: "[laughs evilly] Give the Autobot some special Decepticon attention."

—The Decepticons, after taking Hot Shot's sword away

Megatron: "...Do me a little favor: I need you to put that punk out of his misery!"
Starscream: "Yes, sir."
Scavenger: "Stop right there. There's no need to finish him off."

—Scavenger hints at his true nature.

Notes

Differences with Legends of the Microns

• When wondering where Scavenger is, Cyclonus thinks Scavenger is probably "running around with his head cut off," but Starscream doubts that's the case.
• Sideways is silent after Hot Shot calls him.
• Megatron asks if everyone is trying to undermine him in Armada, but curses his men for being useless as Sideways's laser blasts cut him off in Legends of the Microns. Sideways doesn't say anything in the next shot, and it's silent until Optimus speaks in the Japanese dub.
• Hot Shot speaks after he and Sideways surround the Decepticons, and his line continues into the next scene of Red Alert and the kids in Armada. In Legends of the Microns, Hot Shot doesn't say anything here, and the kids start cheering when the scene cuts to them with Billy now having a line before Carlos.
• Red Alert's inner monologue gets the same point across in both versions, but Legends of the Microns reduces the excessive wordiness from the Armada dub.
• Megatron asks if Hot Shot is trying to be smart when he kicks him. He then offers to teach Hot Shot some "much-needed battle etiquette" in Legends of the Microns but swears revenge for the humiliation the Autobot caused him in Armada.
• After Sideways finds the Mini-Con panel, Megatron says it belongs to him in Armada but asks, "What the heck are you all doing?" in the Japanese dub.
• Hot Shot is silent when activating his hyperdrive ability, and Demolishor and Cyclonus exclaim, "No way!". The Japanese dub lowers the sound of Hot Shot's feet as he approaches them and alters the sound slightly, removing the metallic clanking sound. The music in the scene also plays non-stop.
• Sideways screams in pain after Megatron changes his position while trying to take the Mini-Con panel from him.
• Hot Shot says Sideways's name before the warp in Legends of the Microns, but says they're going for a ride in Armada. Then the Japanese dub adds an echo effect to Hot Shot's scream.
• Alexis's opening narration is that, at the time, everyone thought Hot Shot and Sideways warping away with the Decepticons was a troubling accident. Armada turns it into Alexis comparing the warp to "an old sci-fi flick" and saying the kids and Autobots couldn't do anything about it.
• After Megatron crushes the fake Mini-Con panel, Legends of the Microns reframes his line as a question, asking if Hot Shot and Sideways dare use trickery to deceive him.
• Armada has Sideways tell Hot Shot that the latter's chance to beat the Decepticons would come. Legends of the Microns changes the wording slightly as Sideways says "our chance" instead and doesn't mention beating anyone.
• After the flashback, Hot Shot wonders if this is the chance Sideways meant in the Japanese dub while Armada has Hot Shot quip instead.
• Instead of referring to the Star Saber and quipping about Megatron's "past due account," Hot Shot says he and Sideways should "trash the slag" out of the Decepticon base.
• In Armada, Rad says Hot Shot and Sideways must've warped to the Decepticon base. The Japanese dub edits Rad's line, so he doesn't mention the place; therefore, Billy sounds less like an idiot for asking where Hot Shot and Sideways went. Billy also has one line during the scene rather than two.
• When Rad asks if all the kids and Autobots can do is sit and wait in Armada, the Japanese dub changes his question into a sentence he doesn't finish.
• Armada gives Megatron and Cyclonus each a line when exiting the base. Legends of the Microns has Cyclonus speak once, just before firing his missiles.
• The Japanese dub turns Hot Shot's following line into a question, asking if the 'Cons are desperate enough to abandon their base. Then Sideways says, "So what? They're not abandoning anything..." Hot Shot doesn't talk again until the shot of Sideways jumping down beside him, and Sideways is silent during his close-up while watching Hot Shot walk off.
• The Japanese dub replaces Megatron's quip about "initializing Hot Shot's disc" (quoted above) with Megatron saying the Moon will be Hot Shot and Sideways's grave. Then it's silent in Legends of the Microns until the shot from behind Hot Shot and Sideways after the dark figures surround them.
• Hot Shot shouts, "Outta my way!" when charging the ones behind him in Legends of the Microns but says, "Hyperdrive! Coming through!" in Armada. Then he says Optimus's name in the Japanese dub while Armada extends Hot Shot's line (as quoted above).
• Fred is confident there's no need to worry about Hot Shot and Sideways, but Billy isn't so sure in the Japanese dub. Armada portrays Fred as becoming nervous and Billy telling him to stop worrying.
• Instead of sounding nervous, Hot Shot is genuinely excited to see Optimus. It's silent until after the fake Optimus fires at Hot Shot. Then Armada adds Hot Shot's line during the shot of him running from Optimus's hologram; the English dub repeats this as Hot Shot charges toward the holograms.
• In Armada, Hot Shot enjoys facing the enemy even though they're illusions; however, Legends of the Microns shows him not enjoying slicing through his comrades although they're fake. Then Hot Shot sounds shocked when encountering his doppelganger, rather than deadpan like in Armada.
• Sideways compliments Hot Shot's hologram after destroying it, and Hot Shot thanks him but admits being emotionally confused.
• After Sideways tackles Megatron, the latter says, "Why you!" in the Japanese dub but says no one humiliates him and lives to talk about it in Armada. Then Sideways responds mockingly in Armada. Sideways stays silent during this scene in Legends of the Microns.
• After gaining the upper hand, Starscream says that Hot Shot has beaten him for the last time in Armada. Starscream says, "Didn't I tell you? You won't get lucky like you did last time!" in Legends of the Microns, and then he says that it's the end as he's about to finish off Hot Shot.
• Hot Shot states the obvious about Megatron taking Sideways prisoner in Armada. He only notes Sideways in Legends of the Microns, sounding more shocked, and Hot Shot says Sideways's name during the close-up of him and Megatron. Then Armada has Megatron ask if Hot Shot knows the implications, while he claims, "The showdown has been decided" in Legends of the Microns.
• Sideways screams in pain as Megatron holds him while demanding the Star Saber in the Japanese dub, continuing into the next shot until Hot Shot holds up the Star Saber. Armada replaces the screaming with more internal dialogue for Hot Shot.
• Megatron mockingly states that Hot Shot and Sideways's friendship is nice enough almost to move him to tears. Armada extends his line as he releases Sideways.
• Hot Shot sounds more broken and devastated by Sideways's betrayal in Legends of the Microns while he sounds disappointed and more or less speaks in complete sentences in Armada.
• Starscream boasts about now possessing the universe's most unparalleled power in Armada, but Legends of the Microns changes it to him proclaiming himself the Star Saber's new owner.
• After Hot Shot discerns the whole thing was a trap, Megatron states that Hot Shot now realizes that he's a fool. Then, calling Hot Shot a dumb moron, Demolishor asks if it's quite a shock, and Cyclonus brags about how it's too late now. The Japanese dub has Cyclonus and Demolishor talking and laughing in the background as they repeatedly stomp Hot Shot; it carries over to the subsequent shots of Megatron and Starscream and returns later when Megatron orders Starscream to finish Hot Shot.
• Optimus tells Red Alert that Hot Shot needs "tech support" when Hot Shot returns to the Autobot base injured in Armada. Optimus tells Red Alert to treat Hot Shot immediately in Legends of the Microns.
• Alexis's closing narration is fairly identical between both versions, but in the Japanese dub, she elaborates that Hot Shot later told everyone what happened with Sideways and how he lost the Star Saber. Her monologue ends just before cutting back to Starscream in Legends of the Microns.
• Starscream's last line ends as the scene fades out rather than extending into the next.
• Aside from a minor chuckle during his close-up, Sideways is silent while staring at Megatron in the final scene.

Animation and technical errors

• The animation quality at the beginning of the episode is poor but suddenly improves after the Autobot base scene.
• Cyclonus has no windows on his chest in some shots.
• Cyclonus's chest has four windows on it when he remarks that Megatron is still recovering from his last encounter with the Star Saber.
• The Decepticons are missing their symbols in some shots.
• Sideways's mouthplate changes color to match his head while Megatron wrestles him to the Mini-Con panel. It switches back to its correct color when Sideways grabs Megatron's leg.
  • It changes color again after Megatron crushes the phony Mini-Con panel.
• Hot Shot's mouth doesn't move when he says, "Hyperdrive!" the second time. He shouts Sideways's name in Legends of the Microns, but the issue remains.
• After he and Demolishor warp into the base, Cyclonus has a Decepticon symbol on his left window.
• Hot Shot's mouth doesn't move when he calls Sideways to his side of the corridor. It's not an error in Legends of the Microns since the moment is silent.
• Megatron and Cyclonus's mouths don't move during the shot of Demolishor and Megatron exiting the base. It's not an issue in the Japanese dub since Megatron doesn't speak at that point, and Cyclonus cackles instead.
• As Cyclonus fires his arm projectiles, they're red when they eject, but they appear as glowing purple energy projectiles when flying past Hot Shot and Sideways in the next shot.
• Hot Shot's teeth turn yellow for a split second when Megatron's voice surprises him and Sideways.
• Hot Shot's giant bazooka is visible after the Optimus hologram shoots at him, but then it's gone in the next shot.
• Starscream's chest is miscolored red in some scenes.
• After Cyclonus says the Star Saber will be his, Starscream speaks next, but Demolishor is in the shot with Cyclonus, not him. The Japanese dub fixes the mistake by having Demolishor talk after Cyclonus.
• Cyclonus's chest is miscolored during the split-screen between him and Hot Shot.
• At one point, Sideways is missing his handlebars. Hot Shot, who is riding him, is posed like he's holding them.
• The Star Saber's hilt is colored all blue in some shots.
• In the shot where Megatron fires a warning shot to keep Starscream from interfering with his negotiation with Hot Shot, Starscream doesn't have a right hand.
• While Megatron holds Sideways with Leader-1 in pistol mode in his other hand, Sideways's face is partially miscolored.
• The Star Saber isn't glowing when it shakes in Starscream's hands.
• In the next shot, Hot Shot says that he lost "his Star Saber" when he should've said, "the Star Saber." He doesn't use a pronoun or article in the Japanese version, so it's not an issue.
• Starscream's mouth doesn't move as he boasts while holding the Star Saber above himself.
• After Hot Shot dodges Megatron's blasts, Demolishor's mouth doesn't move when he says "Gotcha!" while putting his foot on Hot Shot. He's silent during the Japanese version of the shot.
• During the shot of Megatron letting Starscream keep the Star Saber, it seems Megatron's right horn is off-model.
• Sideways's head is off-model in the final shot.

Continuity notes

• Some time seems to have passed since the last episode, since Hot Shot and Sideways have become pretty close allies.
• Cyclonus quips about Megatron still "licking his wounds" from the last time he faced the Star Saber, which happened in "Swoop."
• The Decepticons keep calling Sideways a "virus." Boy, they don't know the half of it.
• It seems like Fred still hasn't learned anything since "Swoop" because he calls the Decepticons "Destructicons."
• While unsheathing his sword in Legends of the Microns, Starscream tells Hot Shot this fight "won't be like last time," referencing their duel in "Overmatch."
• The Star Saber falls into the Decepticons' hands, and Sideways changes sides.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • This is a rare instance where Cyclonus uses his arm cannons as missiles, a gimmick used on his toy.
  • Sideways fires lasers from his tailpipes on his forearms.
  • Hot Shot uses his "Hyperdrive" ability for the first time, where his foot chainsaws act as skates and allow him to move across the ground super-fast.
    • He uses his foot chainsaws again to stop Starscream's sword.
  • Sideways is seemingly large enough for a car-sized bot to ride.
  • This is the fourth time Starscream uses his sword; the last time was in "Overmatch."
  • Megatron uses Leader-1's pistol mode for the first time. He later has Leader-1 in this form Powerlinxed to his upper-right shoulder.
• Powerlinx forms:
  • Sideways Powerlinx with Crosswise for the first time. However, the animation makes this transition somewhat odd, as Mirror changes from one head to the other; however, the last episode specifically depicted Mirror splitting in two before placing Rook on his head. The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals that the animation for Sideways changing heads was altered as his Autobot head was supposed to glow with "transmitted light" and become his Decepticon head.
  • Starscream Powerlinx with the Star Saber for the first time.

Continuity errors

• This episode debuts Hot Shot's Hyperdrive ability and proceeds to spam it whenever possible, even when Hot Shot technically isn't using it. It's not an issue in Legends of the Microns.
• In the episode's opening, the Decepticons diss Scavenger for not being in the battle, which is odd, given that he has been at the forefront of their fights in the past two episodes.
• Shortly after, the rock Megatron is standing behind is shot by three separate lasers. Next, the camera cuts to Sideways, shooting only two lasers with no other gunners visible. Then we see the Decepticons being attacked by four different lasers. Then comes another shot of Sideways, still with two lasers, but this time both Optimus and Smokescreen can be seen, just staring.
  • Later, as the Decepticons retreat, they are shot at by four lasers. Once again, it's only Sideways.
• Alexis's description of Hot Shot and Sideways getting caught in the Decepticons' warp shouldn't be a surprise since it's hardly the first time the kids have seen the 'Cons warp. She doesn't make the sci-fi movie comparison in Legends of the Microns.
• Hot Shot is surprised when finding that the Decepticon base is on the Moon, but the Autobots already worked that out back in "Metamorphosis." However, this isn't a continuity error in Legends of the Microns since the Autobots never figured out the Decepticon base's location in that episode.
• Sideways ominously saying that Hot Shot will regret depending too much on the Star Saber somewhat undermines the surprise of his betrayal. He doesn't say this in the Japanese dub, so his betrayal comes across as a genuine shock.
• How do Hot Shot and Sideways not recognize the other Autobots by their silhouettes?
• Despite his several references to getting the Star Saber "back," Starscream has never actually held it before this episode. In Legends of the Microns, Starscream makes no such claims and declares finally getting the Star Saber near the end.
• After Hot Shot slices off Cyclonus's propeller, Cyclonus either reattaches it, grows a new one, or lucks into a continuity error.
• When Sideways, partially hidden by a cloud of dust, reveals himself to Megatron, his dialogue is quite baffling. After Megatron claims that no one gets away with humiliating him, Sideways says, "That's not what I've been hearing!" Immediately after, however, he repeats this line in a higher-pitched, silly-sounding voice, as if he was mockingly repeating the sentence (which would mean he was... mocking himself?). The line isn't present in the Japanese dub.
  • Immediately after that, Crosswise appears from off-screen and becomes his Decepticon head. Any significance this may have between Sideways and his Mini-Cons is unclear. In another scene, Sideways in vehicle mode usually speaks even though his rider is absent.
• It sounds like Megatron is crushing Sideways in his grasp but Sideways doesn't respond beyond merely shaking. The Japanese dub has Sideways screaming in pain.
• As Hot Shot yells in frustration after Sideways's betrayal, the Star Saber shakes in Starscream's hands for no apparent reason. Legends of the Microns has Hot Shot desperately trying to call the Star Saber Mini-Cons back to him, directly linking to the next shot of Starscream trying to prevent the shaking sword from separating.
• After Megatron compliments him, Starscream asks what he's looking at, and Megatron tells him to guess, which neither flows naturally nor makes any sense as Megatron isn't looking at the Star Saber in his previous shot. Legends of the Microns corrects their dialogue to have Starscream address Megatron, who then demands the Star Saber.
• Immediately after, Scavenger asks if Megatron will "let him go," presumably meaning Hot Shot, but Megatron is currently focusing on the Star Saber, not Hot Shot. Then Megatron proceeds to demand the sword from Starscream, despite previously saying that whoever acquired the Star Saber can keep it; Starscream even brings up this point before Megatron backs off. Legends of the Microns also corrects this issue as Scavenger asks if Megatron has now "stooped to stealing from thieves," in other words, reduced himself to trying to take the Star Saber from Starscream who stole it himself from Hot Shot mere moments ago. After dismissing Scavenger for talking foolishness, Megatron stands down, Starscream asks if he can keep the sword, and Megatron begrudgingly lets him.

Real-world references

• Cyclonus thinks Scavenger took off "with his tail between his legs." Regardless of whether or not Cyclonus means it metaphorically, neither Autobots nor Decepticons have tails. The Japanese dub has Cyclonus use the more appropriate real-world metaphor of claiming Scavenger is running around without a head, like a headless chicken.
• The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals that Megatron uses an inverted cross-arm lock on Sideways while holding him captive.

Trivia

No, Megatron, you ride him in the other mode.

• The kanji 慢心 would be pronounced as "manshin," while "ogori" is used for the kanji 驕り in this context.
• Amazingly, the entire scene where Megatron and Sideways fight over the fake Mini-Con panel is animated with both characters in compromising positions. Both voice actors, David Kaye, and Paul Dobson, also mostly make grunting sounds, a dream come true to both characters' and actors' fangirls.
• If all the holograms are of the Autobots at the time, why isn't there a Sideways one?
• There is a Demolishor hologram among the Autobot ones for some reason.
• Credulous is a big word for a children's show. It's good to see the English language pushed along with selling toys.
• Cyclonus uses his rotors to fly while on the Moon. HELICOPTERS DON'T WORK THAT WAY.
• During the duel with Starscream, Hot Shot is shown panting. Even if a Transformer would need to do that for some reason, still, it's THE MOON.
• The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals that Starscream's line after picking up the Star Saber in the Japanese dub was ad-libbed during rehearsal.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "La Trahison" ("The Treason")

Hungarian

• Title: "Árulás" ("Treachery")

Italian

• Title: "La trappola" ("The Trap")

• Red Alert's line: "We don't know where their base is, so pursuit is hardly an option" is voiced by Optimus's actor.

Korean

• Title: "두얼굴의 더블페이스" ("Two-faced Doubleface")

Polish

• Title: "Podstęp" ("Deceit")

Portuguese

• Title: "Crédulo" ("Credulous")

Home video releases

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 4 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2007 — Transformers: Armada — Le combat recommence... (TFou Vidéo) — French audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)