Hotshot (stock character)
Encyclopedia
The hotshot is a stock character
in works of fiction, known for taking more risks, action and pain than the other characters in the story. This type of character is usually present in action-driven tales. What differentiates the hotshot from an action hero
is that a hotshot works within the context of a group or team. The Hotshot is not always the main hero or protagonist of the story. He/she is also not always the leader of the team.
Frequent characteristics of the hotshot character includes some level of arrogance, abrasive manners, aggressiveness, a tendency to prefer to be alone even to the point of working alone, and sometimes an inability to work with his/her teammates. Younger hotshot characters may exhibit attitudes that construe them as jerks. What they all have in common is a tendency to have much of the action focused on them and a drive to fight longer and harder after his/her comrades have been put away. This may be because of a preference of the writer or editorial pressure or fan favoritism.
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
in works of fiction, known for taking more risks, action and pain than the other characters in the story. This type of character is usually present in action-driven tales. What differentiates the hotshot from an action hero
Action hero
An action hero is a character, usually a protagonist, in an action-adventure novel, film, television show, or game.-Further reading:*Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks. London: Routledge, 2001.*Tasker, Yvonne. Action and...
is that a hotshot works within the context of a group or team. The Hotshot is not always the main hero or protagonist of the story. He/she is also not always the leader of the team.
Frequent characteristics of the hotshot character includes some level of arrogance, abrasive manners, aggressiveness, a tendency to prefer to be alone even to the point of working alone, and sometimes an inability to work with his/her teammates. Younger hotshot characters may exhibit attitudes that construe them as jerks. What they all have in common is a tendency to have much of the action focused on them and a drive to fight longer and harder after his/her comrades have been put away. This may be because of a preference of the writer or editorial pressure or fan favoritism.
Examples
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in 24 - Priss Asagiri in Bubblegum CrisisBubblegum Crisisis a Japanese cyberpunk direct-to-video animated series. It displays strong influences from Blade Runner, also making occasional references to it.- Setting :...
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in the Star Fox video games - Lieutenant StarbuckLieutenant StarbuckLieutenant Starbuck of the Colonial Service, played by Dirk Benedict, is a fictional character in the 1978 science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. Starbuck is a Viper starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars. He is involved with Lieutenant Athena...
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in the Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
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