TV-Series
Description
Baku is a purple tapir who serves as Kuromi's loyal companion and henchman in the anime Onegai My Melody. His name, meaning tapir, also references a Japanese folkloric creature that feeds on dreams and nightmares. He is easily recognized by his speech pattern, as he tends to end his sentences with the unique suffix "~zona". Humans in the story often mistake him for an eggplant due to his shape and color. Baku's full name is Bakuichirou, and he was born on February 29th as the eldest of thirteen children. His large family was poor, and with his parents frequently working, Baku was responsible for raising his many younger siblings, a role that taught him great skill in handling and caring for children.
One day, after being scolded by his father, Baku ran away from home and went to the beach to cry alone. It was there that he first saw Kuromi, who was venting her frustrations at the horizon after an argument with My Melody. Though Kuromi was initially irritated by his presence, she helped cheer him up by teaching him her methods for dealing with frustration and taking him for a ride on her tricycle. Baku later stated that this was the first time anyone had ever been kind to him, and from that day on, he swore to follow Kuromi everywhere. His loyalty was proven when Kuromi was jailed for stealing bread, among other crimes. Baku attempted to defend her by revealing the truth that the bread was stolen for his own family, but Kuromi denied it to protect him. In response, Baku stole bread himself so that he could be imprisoned in the same cell as her. Eventually, the pair escaped from prison together, stealing the Melody Key and fleeing to the human world to begin the main events of the series.
Despite his intimidating or unusual appearance, Baku is generally friendly and gets along well with others. He often acts kindly toward My Melody and her friends when he is not assisting Kuromi, sometimes even apologizing to her for his role in their schemes. He is a hardworking individual, waking up at four o'clock every morning to deliver newspapers in the human world to earn money for rent, which he pays to live in Keiichi Hiiragi's mansion. At seven o'clock each morning, he wakes Kuromi up, despite the trouble she often gives him for doing so. He also enjoys spending time at a local kindergarten, playing with the children, for whom he has a soft spot because of his experience as the eldest brother in his own family. He has shown a kind heart in other ways as well, such as giving children piggyback rides, helping the elderly cross the street, and even saving someone from a shark attack.
One of Baku's most defining traits is his deep and abiding crush on Kuromi. He cares for her well-being profoundly, and this devotion persists even though he is frequently the target of her physical abuse and anger. He is drawn to her fiery personality and the hidden kind side she rarely shows. His ultimate desire is simply to be loved, and his loyalty to Kuromi is so absolute that he once tried to stop the heroes from saving the world when Dar took her life hostage. Baku also has a more envious side, as he dislikes being considered a "doggone loser" and wishes to be part of the "winning team of life" like those who are successful due to their looks. He sometimes takes pleasure in seeing such people fail and has even caused mischief himself to mock them.
In terms of his role and abilities, Baku primarily helps Kuromi with her goal of collecting Black Notes. He has a powerful sense of smell that allows him to sniff out the notes, and once Kuromi has skewered a note with her magical stick, Baku swallows it for safekeeping, storing it in his stomach. He also serves as Kuromi's primary mode of transportation, as he has the ability to fly, typically by using his ears. His ears are also flexible and can be wrapped around others to protect them. Baku is capable of reading human language, a skill he learned while delivering newspapers.
In later seasons of the anime, Baku's abilities expand. In Onegai My Melody: Kuru Kuru Shuffle!, he gains the ability to detect and absorb the "doggone loser auras" of people, gathering energy from them. He studies this power and even creates his own hero persona named Eggplant Mask or Nasubi Kamen. He develops a signature attack called the Doggone Loser Beam, which can slowly transform humans into tapirs. In the subsequent series, Onegai My Melody Sukkiri♪, Baku expels all the Black Notes he had eaten over previous seasons, which then transform into creatures called Huff-Huffs. His new ability in this season is to sniff out these Huff-Huffs so Kuromi can collect Anger Gems.
One day, after being scolded by his father, Baku ran away from home and went to the beach to cry alone. It was there that he first saw Kuromi, who was venting her frustrations at the horizon after an argument with My Melody. Though Kuromi was initially irritated by his presence, she helped cheer him up by teaching him her methods for dealing with frustration and taking him for a ride on her tricycle. Baku later stated that this was the first time anyone had ever been kind to him, and from that day on, he swore to follow Kuromi everywhere. His loyalty was proven when Kuromi was jailed for stealing bread, among other crimes. Baku attempted to defend her by revealing the truth that the bread was stolen for his own family, but Kuromi denied it to protect him. In response, Baku stole bread himself so that he could be imprisoned in the same cell as her. Eventually, the pair escaped from prison together, stealing the Melody Key and fleeing to the human world to begin the main events of the series.
Despite his intimidating or unusual appearance, Baku is generally friendly and gets along well with others. He often acts kindly toward My Melody and her friends when he is not assisting Kuromi, sometimes even apologizing to her for his role in their schemes. He is a hardworking individual, waking up at four o'clock every morning to deliver newspapers in the human world to earn money for rent, which he pays to live in Keiichi Hiiragi's mansion. At seven o'clock each morning, he wakes Kuromi up, despite the trouble she often gives him for doing so. He also enjoys spending time at a local kindergarten, playing with the children, for whom he has a soft spot because of his experience as the eldest brother in his own family. He has shown a kind heart in other ways as well, such as giving children piggyback rides, helping the elderly cross the street, and even saving someone from a shark attack.
One of Baku's most defining traits is his deep and abiding crush on Kuromi. He cares for her well-being profoundly, and this devotion persists even though he is frequently the target of her physical abuse and anger. He is drawn to her fiery personality and the hidden kind side she rarely shows. His ultimate desire is simply to be loved, and his loyalty to Kuromi is so absolute that he once tried to stop the heroes from saving the world when Dar took her life hostage. Baku also has a more envious side, as he dislikes being considered a "doggone loser" and wishes to be part of the "winning team of life" like those who are successful due to their looks. He sometimes takes pleasure in seeing such people fail and has even caused mischief himself to mock them.
In terms of his role and abilities, Baku primarily helps Kuromi with her goal of collecting Black Notes. He has a powerful sense of smell that allows him to sniff out the notes, and once Kuromi has skewered a note with her magical stick, Baku swallows it for safekeeping, storing it in his stomach. He also serves as Kuromi's primary mode of transportation, as he has the ability to fly, typically by using his ears. His ears are also flexible and can be wrapped around others to protect them. Baku is capable of reading human language, a skill he learned while delivering newspapers.
In later seasons of the anime, Baku's abilities expand. In Onegai My Melody: Kuru Kuru Shuffle!, he gains the ability to detect and absorb the "doggone loser auras" of people, gathering energy from them. He studies this power and even creates his own hero persona named Eggplant Mask or Nasubi Kamen. He develops a signature attack called the Doggone Loser Beam, which can slowly transform humans into tapirs. In the subsequent series, Onegai My Melody Sukkiri♪, Baku expels all the Black Notes he had eaten over previous seasons, which then transform into creatures called Huff-Huffs. His new ability in this season is to sniff out these Huff-Huffs so Kuromi can collect Anger Gems.