Ikuro Hashizawa

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“

Dress! This means war! I'm coming for you guys! And you'll see just how frightening a visitor I can be!

”

—Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 8: Cyborg Lieutenant Colonel Dordo

Ikuro Hashizawa (橋沢 育朗, Hashizawa Ikurō), also known as Baoh (バオー, Baō), is the main protagonist of Baoh the Visitor.

After being hospitalized following a car crash, Ikuro is kidnapped and transformed into the bioweapon "Baoh" by the Dress Organization. When Sumire awakens him from an asphyxiated state en route to Dress's headquarters, he is forced to call upon Baoh's power as the two attempt to escape the organization's pursuit.

Ikuro is notable for being the only non-JoJo character featured in the 2013 fighting game All-Star Battle and its 2022 remaster All-Star Battle R.

Appearance

Human Form

Ikuro is a teenage male of average height and medium build. He has thick, slightly messy dark hair with sharp, layered strands that extend outward, as well as prominent eyebrows. He wears a sleeveless V-neck vest over a long-sleeved, turtleneck shirt with buttons. The vest features a contrasting trim along the shoulders. Alongside his light-colored, fitted pants, he wears a belt with a metallic buckle and dark shoes. He also wears fingerless combat gloves.

Baoh Transformation

As Baoh, the bio-weapon, Ikuro's body undergoes a transformation. The region surrounding his eyes is cracked like a shell, revealing a dark or shadowy interior, and his eyes emit a constant glow. His hair gives way to a flowing mass of long strands of what appears to be flesh. Within his forehead is embedded a unique sensory organ called a "tactile sensor," which appears as a vertical oval emanating light surrounded by darkness.

Color Schemes

Ikuro HashizawaBaoh

The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.

OVAAll-Star Battle

Skin(Tan)

Hair(Brown)

Eyes(Blue)

Upper Outfit

(Green vest with red trimmings and yellow sleeves. White button-up shirt.)

Lower Outfit

(Khaki pants. Black belt with a golden buckle. Black shoes.)

Skin(Fair)

Hair(Brown)

Eyes(Brown)

Upper Outfit

(Light Blue vest with yellow sleeves and collar. White button-up shirt with light brown stripes. Red gloves)

Lower Outfit

(Khaki pants. Pink belt with a silver buckle. Brown shoes.)

The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.

OVAAll-Star Battle

Skin(Blue. Orange Tactile Sensor)

Eyes(Yellow)

Upper Outfit

(Green vest with red trimmings and yellow sleeves. White button-up shirt. Red gloves)

Lower Outfit

(Khaki pants. Black belt with a golden buckle. Black shoes.)

Skin(Blue. Orange Tactile Sensor.)

Eyes(Yellow)

Upper Outfit

(Light Blue vest with yellow sleeves and collar. White button-up shirt with light brown stripes. Red gloves)

Lower Outfit

(Khaki pants. Pink belt with a silver buckle. Brown shoes.)

Personality

Ikuro split between his humanity and his savage Baoh side

Ikuro is a rather friendly individual, but he is willing to do illegal things to keep himself alive, such as stealing a person's bike. He has a strong bond with Sumire due to their similar pasts and shared escape from Dress, and he is willing to risk his life to save her.

When controlled by the Baoh parasite, he is initially extremely violent and amoral. The scent Baoh most detests is the odor of murderous intent, and the parasite is willing to resort to any means necessary to eliminate it. However, as it experiences new scents brought on by Dress's assassination attempts, the parasite's will begins to synchronize with Ikuro's, to the point that Ikuro is eventually able to retain consciousness while in his transformed state.

The information below derives from a source not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.

In the OVA adaptation, Ikuro is affected by amnesia as a result of Dress's experiments, and slowly begins to remember his past over the course of the story.

Abilities

Baoh Armed Phenomenon

See also: Baoh (Parasite)

When Ikuro's body is attacked or otherwise in danger, the parasite within him transforms his body by means of the Baoh Armed Phenomenon (バオー武装現象(アームド・フェノメノン), Baō Āmudo Fenomenon), covering his body in a protective armor that grants him superhuman strength and healing. In exchange, all of his senses are nullified, forcing him to rely upon the "tactile sensor" (触覚, Shokkaku, lit. Sense of Touch) on his forehead. While in his Armed Phenomenon state, Ikuro displays other abilities in the form of Phenomena (フェノメノン, Fenomenon), unique applications of the Baoh parasite's biological enhancements.

Basic Powers

Superhuman Strength and Agility

While transformed, Ikuro demonstrates exceptional strength and agility due to an enhanced musculoskeletal system, leaping several meters straight in the air, as well as clinging to walls and throwing stones hard enough to kill on impact.

Hardened Skin

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body

Ikuro's skin is rendered superhumanly durable while transformed, able to deflect small arms fire at point-blank, and even shields Ikuro from the damage inflicted by a head-on collision with a vehicle. This hardening is reinforced by an accumulation of the waste products, generated by the Baoh Meltedin Palm Phenomenon fluid - protecting against its own corrosive effects.

Suspended Animation

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 1: Baoh, the Ultimate Weapon

When the parasite or its host ceases pulmonary respiration, such as when fully submerged in water, it undergoes a state of apparent death, and ceases aging. It can maintain this state theoretically for an indefinite amount of time, allowing it and its host to live up to hundreds of years without requiring sustenance or oxygen. Notably, Ikuro does not need to transform in order to make use of this ability.

Regeneration

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 2: The Extermination Order!

Ikuro's body is able to live even after having vital body parts amputated. It will regenerate, ejecting any foreign objects (e.g. bullets) from the body via muscular contractions, and the body parts can reattach themselves upon contact. Ikuro can use his blood to heal non-hosts as well (as shown when Ikuro heals Sumire's injuries). However, Ikuro can still die if his brain is destroyed, and if the Baoh parasite is subsequently incinerated.

Tactile Sensor(触覚 Shokkaku)

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body

Superseding ordinary senses of sight, hearing, and smell, Ikuro (while transformed) is gifted with a Tactile Sensor on their forehead, which allows them to perceive all animal emotions (e.g. "murderous intent", "sadness", etc.) as a sort of "scent". This sense may be disturbed by means of special compounds, as demonstrated by Dordo. The maximum effective range of this sensor is unknown, but is shown to faintly detect enemies several meters away from Ikuro (as in the case of Martin's Master).

Techniques

Baoh Meltedin Palm Phenomenon(バオー・メルテッディン・パルム・フェノメノン Baō Meruteddin Parumu Fenomenon)

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 2: The Extermination Order!

Allows Ikuro to secrete a special corrosive fluid (synthesized from Baoh's own bodily fluids) from his skin, dissolving anything from human flesh, glass, or even metal. This has been shown capable of melting objects together (such as a handgun with a human hand), rendering both inoperable in the process.

Baoh Reskiniharden Saber Phenomenon(バオー・リスキニハーデン・セイバー・フェノメノン Baō Risukinihāden Seibā Fenomenon)

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body

By manipulating the hardened skin tissue at both of his wrists, Ikuro is capable of producing two blades that can cleanly slice through nearly any material. Ikuro is also capable of using a ranged variation, known as Saber Off (セイバーオフ, Seibā Ofu), wherein he is able to launch the blades towards opponents at a distance.

Baoh Shooting-Bees Stinger Phenomenon(バオー・シューティングビースス・スティンガー・フェノメノン Baō Shūtingu Bīsusu Sutingā Fenomenon)

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 4: Evil Beast Martin

Through altering the chemical composition of his own hair follicles, Ikuro is capable of shooting off needle-like darts of hardened hair which spontaneously combust upon contact with another creature's body heat.

Baoh Break Dark Thunder Phenomenon(バオー・ブレイク・ダーク・サンダー・フェノメノン Baō Bureiku Dāku Sandā Fenomenon)

Debut: Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken

By linking his nerves and muscle cells together in a similar fashion to an electric eel, Ikuro is capable of producing and emitting a high-voltage electric current of 60 thousand volts from his body - enough to power a laser cannon which had been severed from its power supply.

History

Background

Ikuro Hashizawa lived an ordinary kid's life until his involvement with Dress. At the age of seven, Ikuro nearly drowned in a frozen pond. Ikuro and his parents were heavily injured during a car accident and taken to the hospital six months before the events of Baoh. Unfortunately, the doctor was linked to Dress, an evil organization of weapons developers looking for guinea pigs at the time. Dr. Kasuminome callously killed Ikuro's parents under his eyes and took him away to inject the Baoh parasite inside of him.

Baoh the Visitor

Ikuro awakens

After being injected with the Baoh parasite, Ikuro is contained in a tank and transported on a train. However, a young psychic named Sumire escapes her room and in trying to escape, opens Ikuro's tank. A guard tries to capture him but Ikuro crushes his arm and leaps out of the train. He grabs the power lines but also survives the shock. Later, Ikuro and Sumire try to bond with each other, but a knife wielding assassin named 22nd Man stabs the former, forcing the duo to steal a motorbike and flee. They attempt to refuel at a gas station but 22nd Man appears again, slicing Ikuro's throat. But, it only awakens Baoh, who dissolves 22nd Man with his touch before turning back into a human. Later, a death squad is already searching for Ikuro and Sumire, who are busy betting on horse races to acquire money. The two settle inside an abandoned building, but Ikuro senses that something inside of him is changing. The death squad attacks the duo, but Ikuro transforms again into Baoh, decimating the squad. Unbeknownst to him, he is observed by another assassin. Baoh senses the assassin, who reveals himself as a beastmaster commanding a heavily modfied giant mandrill named Martin. Due to its strength and many weapons hidden inside his body, Martin is more than a match for Baoh. Sumire, having sensed that Ikuro's humanity is still intact inside of Baoh, tries to stop the assassin from controlling Martin, only to be hurt. Enraged, Baoh finally overpowers Martin and kills both the beast and his master, healing and turning back into Ikuro.

Walking through the mountains, Ikuro and Sumire meet an old couple living in the area. They give him shelter and food. But during a moment the old man is isolated, another cyborg assassin emerges, hypnotizing the old man into waiting for midnight and shoot Ikuro in the head with his hunting rifle. At midnight, the old man wakes up and tries to shoot Ikuro, who transforms into Baoh but senses that the old man is not his true enemy. Jumping through the roof, Baoh confronts the cyborg named Dordo who disables all of his sensory organs through chemicals released by a swarm of bats. Thankfully, the old man, who has come to his senses and guided by Sumire, shoots down the bats while taking a bullet. Baoh confronts Dordo, who is heavily wounded, but reveals his heavily modified body. He kidnaps Sumire to use her as bait and escapes with a hang glider to one of the Dress headquarters near Sanriku. Ikuro is determined to free Sumire, but risks unleashing the beast inside of him for good.

Going away on a motorcycle given by the couple, Ikuro deems it necessary to learn to control his power first to have a chance to save Sumire. Meanwhile, Kasuminome chastises Dordo for his perceived failure and the danger of letting Baoh time to grow stronger. Meanwhile, Ikuro is forced to save a trapped girl from a speeding train and is pushed into managing to activate his acid touch without fully transforming. Humiliated by his hierarchy, Dordo goes out to snipe Ikuro, but his attempt is foiled thanks to Ikuro activating his super senses and strength to evade the bullets. To lure Baoh, Kasuminome purposefully tortures Sumire whose distress is detected by the weapon. Ikuro is already scaling the seaside cliff leading to a vulnerable side of the facility and, turning into Baoh, rampages through the security staff as well as survives death traps to reach Sumire's room. He is stopped by Walken, whose ability to destroy anything with a thought makes him invincible and his every attacks deadly. Nonetheless, Baoh manages to stab inside Walken's brain by launching one of his arm blades and he finally reaches Sumire.

He is welcomed by a flurry of laser beams, and the attack does not faze Baoh but wounds Sumire. Seeing that Baoh is cornered, Kasuminome prepares to blow up the facility. Meanwhile, Baoh heals the girl with his blood. Walken has woken up, still alive despite his injury, and seeks Baoh for revenge. As the headgear restricting his psychic powers was destroyed by Baoh's attack, the full strength of Walken's abilities causes an earthquake inside the facility. As Sumire awakens, Walken finds them and destroys the floor. All of them, as well as Kasuminome who tried to escape in a pod, find themselves in a cavern. Telling Sumire to flee, Baoh uses one of the lasers to kill Walken for good, unintentionally fatally wounding Kasuminome in the process. The facility then self-destructs, causing the cavern to collapse.

Sumire later senses that Ikuro is dormant but alive at the bottom of the sea, and predicts that he will return when she is seventeen and reunite with her.

Chapters / Episodes

Manga Appearances

Chapters in order of appearance

• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 1: Baoh, the Ultimate Weapon (Debut)
  First appearance
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 2: The Extermination Order!
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 4: Evil Beast Martin
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 5: Grandpa Rokusuke
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 6: Aroma Bat
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 7: Come Out, Baoh
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 8: Cyborg Lieutenant Colonel Dordo
• Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken

Anime Appearances

Episodes in order of appearance

• Baoh the Visitor (OVA)

Quotes

Quotes

Show AllEnglishJapanese

• “

  Where is this place? Dad? Mom?

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 5: Grandpa Rokusuke
• “

  Ugh... this rash keeps getting worse... I-It scares me...

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body
• “

  You fool! Don't come near me! You'll be shot!

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa to Sumire, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body
• “

  I'll erase the smell of these guys!

  ”

  —Baoh, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 3: Baoh, the Invincible Body
• “

  D-Don't be afraid...! ...I'm not a suspicious person!

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa to Rokusuke's Wife, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 5: Grandpa Rokusuke
• “

  N-No way... Is this the work of Dress?

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 6: Aroma Bat
• “

  Don't do it! If you point your killing intent towards me... it's possible that I'll kill you instead!

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa to a hypnotized Rokusuke, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 6: Aroma Bat
• “

  Wrong! This isn't that smell! This living being is not my enemy! Another place! From the outside! From above! Over there! Enemy is lurking! On the roof!

  ”

  —Baoh detecting Dordo, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 6: Aroma Bat
• “

  Strange. This guy's smell hasn't disappeared!

  ”

  —Baoh still detecting Dordo, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 6: Aroma Bat
• “

  Now that I think about it, there was no way we could always escape from them. Besides, it seems that my body has some great, mysterious power lurking inside... With my power... I'll fight... with Dress... At least, just until Sumire can be free.

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 6: Aroma Bat
• “

  There is a mysterious power lurking inside my body. A monstrous power. An evil power. That was the case until now... But I'm going to use this power to my advantage! At least until Sumire can be free!

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 7: Come Out, Baoh
• “

  All right! Power within me! Danger is coming! Aren't you going to help me?! Show yourself, you monstrous power! Get out! Are you only there just to murder people?! Come out already! Come out! Monster!

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa consciously manifesting Baoh's power, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 7: Come Out, Baoh
• “

  My ability manifested while I was still conscious... T-This is my mysterious power, huh...

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 7: Come Out, Baoh
• “

  I feel it throughout my whole body! Sumire's scent! She's close to death! Whose fault is it?! It's my fault! Sumire is dying because of me! I must save Sumire!

  ”

  —Ikuro Hashizawa, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken
• “

  Dress! I'll eliminate your stench once and for all!

  ”

  —Baoh after defeating Cain and Bloody, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken
• “

  I can't afford to die! I have to survive!

  ”

  —Baoh after seemingly defeating Walken, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken
• “

  BARU BARU BARU BARU BARU BARU! (バルバルバルバルバルバル)

  ”

  —Baoh, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken
• “

  Who did I make a vow to? I swore to myself that I would save this girl! I'm not giving up hope! I'm a creature that has the ultimate life force!

  ”

  —Baoh before healing Sumire, Baoh the Visitor Chapter 9: Demon Walken

Trivia

• The characters Dio and Neo Dio from the video game series World Heroes bear a striking resemblance to Baoh, also having similar attacks which they use in their various appearances in the World Heroes series and NeoGeo Battle Coliseum.