Ikuro Hashizawa
Ikuro Hashizawa (橋沢 育朗, Hashizawa Ikurō), also known as Baoh, is the protagonist of Baoh.
Appearance
Ikuro is a teenage male of average height and medium build. He has full-bodied hair of medium tone.
Baoh
As Baoh, the bioweapon, Ikuro's skin takes on a bluish hue. A region surrounding his left eye is cracked, as though a shell, revealing a dark or shadowy interior; while the eye based there shines, devoid of an iris or pupil.
His hair is swapped for a flowing mass of long strands of what appears to be flesh; while the height of his forehead is embedded a vertical oval emanating light, surrounded by black.
Personality
This section requires expansion.
Abilities
Baoh Armed Phenomenon
When the host body is attacked (such as during Ikuro's near death at the hands of Number 22), it transforms 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 its body in a protective armor that granting the body superhuman strength and healing, which he can also use to heal others. As a Baoh, Ikuro displays other abilities.
Attacks
- 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): Allows him to secrete corrosive enzymes from his hands, melting through metal and human flesh.
- 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): Produces two blades formed from hardened skin tissue coming out of his arms that can slice through nearly anything. Kars's blade was based on this attack. The blades can detatch from his arms and be used as projectiles by shouting Saber Off (セイバーオフ, Seibā Ofu).
- Baoh Shooting Bees-Stingers 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 Shūtingubīsusu Sutingā Fenomenon): It turns Baoh's hair into needle-like projectiles that burst into flames due to their altered chemical composition upon contact with the targets 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): Baoh's most powerful ability. Where his body producers upwards of 60 thousand volts of electrical energy with the same method as an electric eel, powerful enough to power a laser cannon.
Video Games
All-Star Battle (PS3)
Ikuro in his Baoh form appears as the final DLC character for this game accompanied by a Campaign set centered around him. He also appears in an extra battle in the Jojolion Story mode chapter.
In the overseas release of the game, he was released in the first public DLC pack on May 14th 2014 along with Lisa Lisa and Part 3 Joseph Joestar, earlier than his Japanese release date.
Ikuro's moveset revolves all around Baoh's special abilities, and also has his own Style centered around Baoh's regenerative abilities. As Ikuro is unable to speak in his Baoh form (He is only capable of repeated battle cries of "BARU!" as well as general roars), he is accompanied by the game's narrator calling out the names of his attacks along with descriptive phrases, although Ikuro will call out the game's name on the title screen in his human voice, and briefly speaks lines, also in his human voice, during his special mirror match intro.
His HHA has him wire a laser cannon to himself which he then fires at his enemy, the same way he defeated the psychic warrior Walken.
His GHA has him repeatedly assault the victim with Meltedin Palm and Reskinharden Saber Phenomenons before frying them with a super charged Break Dark Thunder Phenomenon. During the move, the narrator describes how Baoh identifies his victim's scent as that of an enemy and that he must be rid of it. At the narrator's final announcement of "Break Dark Thunder Phenomenon!", an echo effect is implemented as well for dramatic effect.
Trivia
- The characters Dio and Neo Dio from the video game series World Heroes are based on Baoh, bearing not only a striking resemblance, but also have similar attacks in which they use in their various appearances in the World Heroes series, and Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
- It was unknown at the time of the trailer he was shown in if he was going to be a hidden character or will be DLC for the game as he was shown near the very end of the 7th PV without being told if he would be unlockable or downloadable. The final campaign shows he is set to be a DLC character for the game.
- All Star Battle will be the first game that Baoh has appeared in and he will be the only character Araki created to not be from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as he comes from his own manga that predates JJBA.
- In All Star Battle, Ikuro only talks normally in his human form. As he fights mainly in his monstrous form where he cannot talk at all except for when he taunts and only says "Baru", and as he can not say the names of his attacks himself the game's narrator instead describes his attacks during the battle.