Turbocharged and livin' large, Electro defends the streets. That is, when he's not racing through them at excessive speeds that leave behind the tell-tale treadmarks of a vehicle equipped with posi-traction. This feature, combined with dual racing cams and a nitro-injected fuel supply, gives this Laser Rod the confidence he needs to never back out of a race. Electro doesn't back down from a fight either, using an armor-slashing light saber to battle his Decepticon foes.
I serve no purpose, but I have a new toy in stores now!
Electro was one of the new Decepticon Laser Rods created by Megatron using the Creation Matrix, which he had stolen from Optimus Prime. However, Electro was curiously absent from the Laser Rods and Rotor Force's first mission on Tykos to capture the rheanimum. He was not seen until sometime later on Earth, after the Decepticons had joined forces with the Autobots and engaged in total war with Jhiaxus's battalion. Total War Later, he and Hot Rod were scouting the enemy position for the alliance just as the Swarm arrived. A Rage in Heaven!
Japanese G2 minicomics and story pages[]
Sucks to be Electro right about now.
(The Japanese Generation 2 story pages and mini-manga followed the continuity of the animated series, as opposed to the Marvel US Generation 2 comics, which followed the continuity of the Marvel comic series.)
(Additionally, Electro appeared to have a much different personality in Japan than what was portrayed in his US bio. In the manga he is a well-spoken, often times overly-wordy, warrior. He is still rather brave and careless at times, however.)
During the great Generation 2 battles, Electro was teamed-up with his Laser Rod partner, Volt, and worked closely with Optimus Prime as his most trusted warriors. Going face-to-face with Megatron, Electro at one point got taken hostage and had to be rescued by Volt. Megatron later took him prisoner back to Decepticon headquarters, admiring his skills in battle. Megatron attempted to turn him to the side of the Decepticons, but Electro refused. He was quickly rescued by Jetfire.
Japanese G2 manga[]
You wanna know how powerful I am? Well, I wanna know, too
Electro was being pursued through space by Jolt, when he was forced to land on the Moon. The two Laser Rods fought vigorously until Electro impaled his opponent on the tip of his sword. The crafty Decepticon then set off his engine's afterburners in Electro's face, trying to burn the Autobot away. Electro managed to escape as Jolt exploded and died, but not before the Decepticon revealed that they were after Earth's forestonite.
Electro then traveled to Earth, confronting the Decepticon Cyberjets at an air show in Japan. He was briefly able to hold his own, but found himself preoccupied trying to keep a human boy named Junpei from getting killed. After sending Junpei to safety on a hoverboard, Electro was battered by Hooligan's missile attack and suffered severe injury and severed limbs. He was only saved by the intervention of Optimus Prime and was later helped off of the battlefield by Volt. The New Battle!!
Electro used to transform into a gold Ford pickup truck hot rod. (Yes.) Much like on his fellow Laser Rods, pressing a button on his hood would cause a red LED to light up, making his clear plastic engine glow red. In robot mode, this LED could be moved around at the end of a wire, and could plug into the bottom of either of his fists, allowing his light saber to be similarly illuminated. Also like other Laser Rods, he had a number of different hinges in his limbs and a rubber band waist similar to those of G.I. Joe figures, giving him an unusually large amount of articulation for the time.
That was Electro in 1994. Today, Electro tends to be a mutilated robot corpse amidst a pile of tiny gold plastic fragments, a dismembered pelvis (and upper legs) with a place to thread a long-ago-snapped rubber band, and a wire that may or may not still be attached to anything. All he can transform into now is a pile of broken dreams.
In the commercial for Dreadwing and Smokescreen, the Decepticon jets fight Sizzle -- even though he's supposed to be a Decepticon -- and a gold redeco of Sizzle who's presumably meant to be Electro. So that's strange.
