TV-Series
Description
Big the Budō is a formidable antagonist from the anime and manga series Kinnikuman, known for his imposing presence and deceptive nature. His true identity is Neptune King, an ancient and immensely powerful Perfect Chōjin. He originally studied under another Perfect Chōjin named Psychoman, who taught him the secret of Magnet Power. However, due to his overwhelming arrogance and ambition, Neptune King was expelled from the Perfect Large Numbers, the elite ranks of the Perfect Chōjin. Unwilling to accept this, he gathered his own group of one thousand followers and declared them to be the true Perfect Chōjin.
Becoming disillusioned with the world of Chōjin competition, which he felt had degraded from life-or-death struggles into a commercialized sport, Neptune King entered a state of hibernation beneath the River Thames. He remained there for millennia until he was discovered by a powerful but disillusioned Chōjin named Quarrelman. Seeing a kindred spirit, Neptune King gave Quarrelman the Neptune Mask, transforming him into the warrior known as Neptuneman. To enact their grand scheme, Neptune King shed his former identity and created a new masked persona for himself: Big the Budō.
In his guise as Big the Budō, he presents the image of a stoic and righteous warrior, adhering to the strict tenets of the Perfect Chōjin. These tenets demand that a warrior never turn their back on an opponent, never use a weapon, and commit suicide upon defeat. He initially appears subservient to his tag team partner, Neptuneman, adopting the role of a loyal right-hand man. However, this is a complete facade. In truth, Big the Budō is the mastermind of the duo, a cunning, manipulative, and deeply arrogant individual who looks down upon all other Chōjin as inferior.
His primary motivation is a fanatical desire to return Chōjin competition to its brutal, bloody origins and establish the Perfect Chōjin as the rightful rulers of Earth. To achieve this, he and Neptuneman enter the Universal Tag Team Tournament under the name Hell Missionaries. Their plan is to defeat and unmask the champion teams, then give those masks to their own henchmen, effectively placing the champions' identities under their control. In the tournament, they brutally defeat teams like the Master-Student pair of Robin Mask and Warsman, as well as the 20 Million Powers.
Big the Budō’s true nature is fully revealed during the final match against the Muscle Brothers, the team of Kinnikuman and his partner. He is a profound hypocrite who will abandon any pretense of honor to secure victory. In the final round, he creates a Sword Floor Death Match, immediately violating the Perfect Chōjin rule against using weapons by wielding swords hidden in the ring. When Neptuneman objects to this dishonorable act, the true hierarchy is exposed: Big the Budō is the real leader, having manipulated Neptuneman all along, and he openly declares that he only cares about winning, not about rules or honor.
This betrayal and his blatant hypocrisy are key to his defeat. Shocked by his partner's actions, Neptuneman turns against him, leading to their loss. Big the Budō’s character thus follows a clear arc from a seemingly honorable, powerful warrior to a revealed schemer whose own arrogance and dishonesty cause his downfall. Even after his defeat, his existence serves as a benchmark for the heroes' power, as other villains later cite his incredible strength of 50,000,000 Power as a testament to how much Kinnikuman has grown.
In terms of abilities, Big the Budō is a master of Magnet Power, a mysterious force he can manipulate for both offense and defense. He stands 290 centimeters tall and weighs 320 kilograms. His signature solo techniques include the Megaton King Drop, where he uses his Magnet Power to drive an opponent into the ground with devastating force, and the Budō Exploding Kick. In tandem with Neptuneman, their most famous tag team technique is the Cross Bomber, a magnetically charged double lariat designed to rip the masks off their opponents.
Becoming disillusioned with the world of Chōjin competition, which he felt had degraded from life-or-death struggles into a commercialized sport, Neptune King entered a state of hibernation beneath the River Thames. He remained there for millennia until he was discovered by a powerful but disillusioned Chōjin named Quarrelman. Seeing a kindred spirit, Neptune King gave Quarrelman the Neptune Mask, transforming him into the warrior known as Neptuneman. To enact their grand scheme, Neptune King shed his former identity and created a new masked persona for himself: Big the Budō.
In his guise as Big the Budō, he presents the image of a stoic and righteous warrior, adhering to the strict tenets of the Perfect Chōjin. These tenets demand that a warrior never turn their back on an opponent, never use a weapon, and commit suicide upon defeat. He initially appears subservient to his tag team partner, Neptuneman, adopting the role of a loyal right-hand man. However, this is a complete facade. In truth, Big the Budō is the mastermind of the duo, a cunning, manipulative, and deeply arrogant individual who looks down upon all other Chōjin as inferior.
His primary motivation is a fanatical desire to return Chōjin competition to its brutal, bloody origins and establish the Perfect Chōjin as the rightful rulers of Earth. To achieve this, he and Neptuneman enter the Universal Tag Team Tournament under the name Hell Missionaries. Their plan is to defeat and unmask the champion teams, then give those masks to their own henchmen, effectively placing the champions' identities under their control. In the tournament, they brutally defeat teams like the Master-Student pair of Robin Mask and Warsman, as well as the 20 Million Powers.
Big the Budō’s true nature is fully revealed during the final match against the Muscle Brothers, the team of Kinnikuman and his partner. He is a profound hypocrite who will abandon any pretense of honor to secure victory. In the final round, he creates a Sword Floor Death Match, immediately violating the Perfect Chōjin rule against using weapons by wielding swords hidden in the ring. When Neptuneman objects to this dishonorable act, the true hierarchy is exposed: Big the Budō is the real leader, having manipulated Neptuneman all along, and he openly declares that he only cares about winning, not about rules or honor.
This betrayal and his blatant hypocrisy are key to his defeat. Shocked by his partner's actions, Neptuneman turns against him, leading to their loss. Big the Budō’s character thus follows a clear arc from a seemingly honorable, powerful warrior to a revealed schemer whose own arrogance and dishonesty cause his downfall. Even after his defeat, his existence serves as a benchmark for the heroes' power, as other villains later cite his incredible strength of 50,000,000 Power as a testament to how much Kinnikuman has grown.
In terms of abilities, Big the Budō is a master of Magnet Power, a mysterious force he can manipulate for both offense and defense. He stands 290 centimeters tall and weighs 320 kilograms. His signature solo techniques include the Megaton King Drop, where he uses his Magnet Power to drive an opponent into the ground with devastating force, and the Budō Exploding Kick. In tandem with Neptuneman, their most famous tag team technique is the Cross Bomber, a magnetically charged double lariat designed to rip the masks off their opponents.