is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Hirohiko Araki
is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his long-running series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', which began publication in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1987 and has over 120 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling ...
, most famous for his manga ''
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga ...
''. Originally serialized in
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's
''shōnen'' manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from 1984 to 1985, it was later compiled into two ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes. The series was adapted into a single-episode
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
(OVA) by
Studio Pierrot
is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by former employees of both Tatsunoko Production and Mushi Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo. Pierrot is renowned for several worldwide popular anime series, such as ...
and distributed by
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...
in 1989.
''Baoh'' is Araki's first series to display his signature amount of over-the-top
gore
Gore may refer to:
Places Australia
* Gore, Queensland
* Gore Creek (New South Wales)
* Gore Island (Queensland)
Canada
* Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community
* Gore, Quebec, a township municipality
* Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...
.
Plot
17-year-old Ikuro Hashizawa is kidnapped and turned into a Baoh, a
bioweapon
A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism ...
with
superhuman strength
Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...
and other abilities, by the Doress Laboratory. He escapes with the help of Sumire, a 9-year-old psychic girl. Professor Kasuminome, head scientist at Doress, sends various assassins and monsters to try and kill Ikuro, in means of stopping the Baoh virus from spreading and infecting the world.
Characters
Main characters
;
:
:The 17-year-old Ikuro initially knows very little of his past, waking up in the clutches of Doress and accompanying and protecting Sumire. He soon discovers that he has been transformed into a Baoh (standing for Biological Armament On Help), the result of Doress's evolution experimentations to produce a parasitic worm that buries itself into its host brain, slowly transforming it into a nigh-unstoppable killing machine. He later discovers that he was the victim of a traffic accident, with his survival beneficial to Doress's experimentations.
: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 , covering its body in a protective armor that grants the body superhuman strength and healing, which he can also use to heal others. As a Baoh, Ikuro displays other abilities. allows him to secrete corrosive enzymes from his hands, melting through metal and human flesh. produces two blades coming out of his arms that can slice through nearly anything. turns Baoh's hair into needle-like projectiles that burst into flames upon contact. His most powerful ability is the , where his body produces up to 60,000 volts of electrical energy, powerful enough to power a laser cannon. The only way to kill a Baoh is to kill the worm, by removing it from the brain by force and then burning it alive. A Baoh will also die after 111 days of the worm living in its brain, after which its larvae leave and kill the host, seeking out hosts of their own. A Baoh can also be put into dormancy by submerging the host in salt water.
;
:
:A 9-year-old girl possessing psychic abilities, including
automatic writing
Automatic writing, also called psychography, is a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. Practitioners engage in automatic writing by holding a writing instrument and allowing alleged spiri ...
,
table-turning
Table-turning (also known as table-tapping, table-tipping or table-tilting) is a type of séance in which participants sit around a table, place their hands on it, and wait for rotations. The table was purportedly made to serve as a means of comm ...
, and
precognition
Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future.
There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...
. She is also a captive of Doress, as they wish to exploit her psychic abilities. She keeps another of Doress's experiments, a brand new marsupial-like lifeform she has named as a pet.
Doress
The created Baoh and seeks to kill Ikuro before the virus can spread.
;
:
:Doress's main scientist who is responsible for the creation of the Baoh parasite. Perhaps the ultimate irony, which Professor Kasuminome himself voices near the end of the OVA, is that he succeeded far too well. His intent was to create the ultimate soldier, a weapon of such power no one could possibly defeat it, but in doing so he created Baoh—a weapon no one, including Doress or Kasuminome himself, could ever possibly control or contain. Hirohiko Araki named him after the neighborhood of
Wakabayashi-ku,
Sendai
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
.
;
:
:Kasuminome's assistant. She is first seen chasing Sumire when she escapes in the first chapter.
;
:
:One of Doress's assassins sent to kill Ikuro Hashizawa and recapture Sumire. He unwittingly sparks Ikuro's Baoh Armed Phenomenon transformation and is killed.
;
:
:Doress's top assassin, said to be able to blow someone's brains out with a single sniper shot. During the fight with Ikuro, it is revealed that Dordo is actually a cyborg.
;
:
:A psychic assassin under Doress's pay, the last of a tribe of
Native Americans known as the . He is the world's most powerful psychic, capable of melting objects with his
psychokinesis
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
using the and warp the ground with the . He sees Baoh as a worthy opponent and carves a sigil into his chest, claiming that he will kill Baoh. Baoh, however, gains the upper hand by flinging his sabers off at him, removing his power dampening bandana, only for Walken to seek vengeance. Hirohiko Araki named Walken after American actor
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
.
Cast
Staff
English localization
Licensing
The manga was licensed in English and released in monthly chapters by
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
in 1990; sales were pitiful, and it was not until 1995 that they released it in graphic novel format.
The OVA was licensed for an English DVD release by
AnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to licensi ...
in 2000 and was released in 2001.
Other appearances
The series' main protagonist, Ikuro Hashizawa, was released on 14 November 2013 as a downloadable playable character in ''
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle'' in his Baoh form. In the 2022 remaster ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R'' he is included in the initial roster.
Reception
Hiroyuki Takei
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the multicultural hit, ''Shaman King''.
Career
Hiroyuki Takei started drawing manga with writer EXIAD on SD Département Store Series which they created for a fanzine. Early in his career ...
, author of the manga ''
Shaman King
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. It follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King by winning the Shaman Fight. Takei chose shamanism as the ma ...
'', said it was one of his favorite series along with ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' in his youth.
References
External links
''Baoh''at
AnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to licensi ...
*
OAV review by Anime News Network
{{Pierrot films
Action anime and manga
Biopunk anime and manga
Horror anime and manga
Pierrot (company)
Shōnen manga
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Shueisha manga
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Viz Media manga