Gasser (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo)

Infobox animanga character
name = Heppokomaru (Gasser)
series = Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo


caption = Heppokomaru by Yoshio Sawai
first = Manga Chapter 2 Episode 1
last = Manga: Shinsetsu chapter 73 Episode 76
creator = Yoshio Sawai
voiced by = Naomi Shindo Soichiro Hoshi (PS2 game) (Japanese)
Brad MacDonald (English)
nickname = He-kun/Gas-can
alias =
age = Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo: 16
Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo: 17
gender = Male
species = Human
born = February 28
death =
occupation = Rebel, Hair Hunter (Neo-Maruhage Empire)
title = Neo-A Block Leader (Neo-Maruhage Empire)
relatives = Pokomi (Sister)
aux1 = Onara Shinken (Fist of the Backwind), Kakusei Onara Shinken (Awakened Fist of the Backwind), Ankoku Onara Shinken (Dark Fist of the Backwind)
aux1 name = Fist Skill

Heppokomaru (Gasser in the English versions) is a character from the anime/manga series Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.

Background

(ヘッポコ丸, "Heppokomaru") - Gasser is the quiet but sensible teenage hero of Bobobo's group. He has short, spiky aqua hair with short bangs and Yellow - Gold eyes. Gasser is 161 centimeters tall (5 feet 3 inches) and weighs 50 and 55 kilograms (110-120 pounds). The "heppoko" in his Japanese name means "untrained", while "maru" is a common name suffix for a samurai or other type of warrior. He uses "True Fart Fist" (Onara Shinken) as his martial art style. In the English Dub he uses "The Fist of The Back Wind" and was formerly an outcast who was studying Bo-bobo's power. He briefly broke from his trail to literally save the hair of a kidnapped Beauty. Gasser followed them to C-Block Base where he once again saved Beauty, and after Wall Man's defeat joined the team, but he rarely is seen fighting. He is actually mostly seen punching someone. He is another "sane" person among the group like Beauty, though he sometimes joins Bo-bobo in his antics or acts oddly on his own. Also like Beauty, he admires Bobobo from the sidelines and refers to him as "Mr. Bobobo". Like Beauty, Gasser gets shocked if someone does something stupid. He is also a parody of Chipp Zanuff from Guilty Gear.

Though he doesn't dare tell her, he loves Beauty and though he doesn't know it, she loves him. Beauty's nickname for him is "He-kun" (へっくん, "Gas-Can" in American version). He also is hated by Don Patch.This is because in episode 9 he states that the Bobobo Show is dumb and Don Patch begins to hit him and hate him for that. He is also one of Jelly Jiggler's friends, getting worried when he is hurt, much to the delight of the jelly based fighter. He also admires Softon, referring to him as Mr. Softon.

After being convinced by Pokomi that Bo-bobo's team is evil, Gasser becomes Neo A-Block Base's commander but after being defeated, he rejoins Bo-bobo's group after undergoing a nightmarish training session. (literal torture from Serviceman, Kancho-kun, Ochazuke Alien and even his old friend Loincloth Lloyd).

History

The Farting Rebel

Little is known about Gasser's raising and background outside the stated. Born and raised in Puppuu City, he knew firsthand about the chaos in his world where Hair Hunts ran amuck and no one and nothing was safe from shaving. To defend himself, Gasser began to train in the art of "Onara Shinken" (Fist of the Backwind), where he learned to use the power of his noxious behind to fight against those who would go against him. Working with older senpai friend Loincloth Lloyd (Fundoshitaro), Gasser defended his hometown from the Hair Hunters, defending both himself and his home from wave after wave of attack.

However, as hard as Gasser worked to protect Puppuu City, the Maruhage Empire chose to get serious by sending in one of their most powerful: Baldy-Bald Big Four member Captain Battleship (Gunkan). Six months prior to the story's start, Battleship descended on Puppuu City and easily turned it into ruins, with only the farting fighter and his loincloth senpai left to fight him. With little resistance and little time left, Lloyd forced Gasser to leave his home and head out into the world in search for help. Tearfully leaving his senpai behind for an unknown fate, Gasser ran out into the world towards an unknown fate. Yet Battleship was in hot chase for Gasser, sending two monster assassins after him to take him down. Unknown of what to do or who to turn to, the farting warrior decided to pursue the one man who would help him stop Battleship and save Puppuu City: nosehair-manipulating rebel Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.

The Backwind, the Nosehair and Beauty

Hoping to find Bo-bobo, Gasser followed the rebel's trail of destruction left from defeated Hair Hunters. Yet while going after him, he found someone he didn't expect: Bo-bobo's female companion Beauty, captured by a Hair-Hunt lieutenant who's boss was fighting the nosehair master. Using his abilities, Gasser made quick work of the enemy yet left without saying a thing to Beauty. Originally merely interested in Bo-bobo, the farting warrior became similarly interested in the female as he continued his own journey.

Eventually, Gasser would catch up with Bo-bobo by the time he, Beauty and fellow companion Don Patch reached the Hair Hunt headquarters of C-Block: Aitsuhage Tower. At the very moment Bo-bobo and Don Patch seemed defeated by the windy powers of Geha the Gale, Gasser appeared before them and used his farting abilities to defeat the block leader. While hoping to use his skills to get Bo-bobo's help and gain Beauty's trust, Bo-bobo and Don Patch saw his Fist style as less help and more possibly endangering everyone in both environmental and sensory turmoil! Gasser was forced to fight though once again as one of Battleships monster assassins appeared at the tower in order to eliminate him. With some skill (and a bit of both assistance and critique from the Wiggins), the boy was able to stop the monster and join Bo-bobo's team.

Finally part of Bo-bobo's group, the nosehair warrior immediately tests Gasser to see his ability level. The trial: defeating a Hair Hunter without using his destructive Backwind abilities! After failing to do so, Bo-bobo chooses to make Gasser begin training a special schedule both to improve his abilities for combat both with and without farting. The fruits of the training began to emerge as Gasser made his way to Bo-bobo's next battleground of A-Block and defeated minions with ease while hoping to impress Beauty. Unfortunately he would be put to test against vice-leader Katsu, who showed off a dangerous ability to absorb Gasser's farting abilities and blow them right back! Yet Katsu's own obsession with collecting artifacts became his downfall, for from taking the farting master's neck belt made him unknowingly release Gasser's powerful (and unstable) baby form which made easy work of the vice-leader! (and made Gasser even more unstable to his allies)

Return to Puppuu City

After A-Block's fall, Gasser would reach a crossroads in his Hair Hunt battle as Captain Battleship reappeared into his life. After a surprise attack, the boy chose to defend Beauty, making him notice the possible emotional connection the two held. Using this to his advantage, Battleship's minion turns Beauty into a doll, forcing Gasser (and subsequently his rival Bo-bobo) to head to his Pomade Ring headquarter in Puupuu City to save her and settle old scores. Feeling guilty in getting Beauty involved in his battle, Gasser joined Bo-bobo and several others to return to Puppuu City, where Battleship and his minions awaited.

Once back home, Gasser immediately put up with his strange and powerful comrads while finding his way around in search of the Pomade Ring. After discovering the massive floating house above his city, Gasser was forced to fly upwards while avoiding various obstacles such as the bizarre guardian Serviceman. Yet once past the initial enemies, he became the first to volunteer to fight against Battleship's main guards: the Battleship Five Quartet. (of which he nearly fights all six at one point) His main opponent turned out to be his former ally Loincloth Lloyd, of which a screwup in an attack release leads to his own defeat. Outside this and helping Captain Battleship rebuild his own headquarters (after the ducktailed warrior destroys it), Gasser is forced to sit out and watch Bo-bobo face his rival instead.

The Fart Warrior in the Rebellion

Although Puppuu City was finally safe, Gasser chose to remain with Bo-bobo, both to continue his training as well as to continue to watch over Beauty. Unfortunately, he became less active in the battles as more allies were made to take part in an occasional attack or combo with the many Wiggins and warriors who assisted in the rebellion. Gasser particularly bonded well with Jelly Jiggler, of whom he had great respect for both as an edible food product and as a Wiggin ally. Occasionally the duo would work together for a powerful sliding/gas combination attack (usually accompanied by wearing shades) that would easily defeat many of those who stood in their way.

Though Gasser mostly stayed out of most of the later battles, several did surround or involve him in particular. During a raid on the castle of the evil OVER, Gasser became the only warrior left standing to fight against assassin Infinite Shoot, whom gave him great trouble until an accidental removal of his belt made his baby form overwhelm the soccer-themed warrior (and everyone else in the room). Similarly, Gasser found himself "recruited" beyond his control to fight in a Hair Kingdom 4-on-4 by Bo-bobo's sister Bububu-bu Bu-bubu. Yet in this case, Gasser never found time to battle and his Fist of the Backwind was merely used by Bo-bobo to help defeat Hair Kingdom general Fine. Yet even with those Gasser did fight, he wasn't immune to being the bargaining chip by other enemies in battle. At one point, Gasser was discovered by Fist user collector Giga, who captured him and turned him into a statue to enhance his power and art and leading Bo-bobo and his allies to take apart prison island Cyber City to save him. At another juncture, Gasser was transformed by Reverse Maruhage warrior Halon Oni into a giant, forcing the rebel team to fight in and around him against the demonic boy and even using his baby powers to deliver a huge blow to him.

Ultimately, by the time Bo-bobo and the rebels finally defeated the many Hair Hunt forces, Gasser still saw himself as needing more training and power in order to further help out in case a new threat came along...not to mention to be strong enough to protect Beauty. After the fall of their final enemy, Gasser ran off knowing that by the time he and Bo-bobo met again, he would be stronger.

From Rebel to...Hair Hunter!?

After leaving Bo-bobo, Gasser enrolled in a special academy for students training in the abilities of farting. After many hard months of preparation, Gasser finally mastered the Fist of the Backwind, transforming it into an "Awakened" form and disposing of the collar that formerly held his powers back. Yet while he wanted to use it to help Bo-bobo, the new powers of the Neo-Maruhage Empire found the right buttons to push to get him on their side. Outside his watch, new emperor Baldy-Bald the Third abducted many fresh blood to assist him in his new battle, one of whom being Gasser's own little sister Pokomi! Powerless to stop them and desperate to find out where she was, Gasser was forced to join the Hair Hunters where his training and awakened farting abilities made him quickly rise to the position of Neo-A Block Leader. Yet as a Hair Hunter, Gasser would soon find himself encountering Bo-bobo...yet this time as his enemy. After initially showing his powers off to Bo-bobo, the cries and pleas of Beauty nearly make him lose it, forcing him to retreat from battle. But his failure to stop Bo-bobo would not go well with the Neo-Maruhage management, particularly as Great King Babuu punished him and forced him to fight Bo-bobo again or face the consequences.

Before long, Bo-bobo came after Gasser himself, discovering a lead and pursuing him to Holy Spaghetti Academy where both he and Babuu were headquartered. After initially facing an assault of Wiggin attacks and pleas of the good times from his former friends, Gasser chose to prove his true power and loyalty to the Hair Hunters by partaking in his secret weapon: the Zenmetsu-gan, a special pill that amplified power while making him even more evil. Slowly falling into the dark side, he is initially defeated by Bo-bobo while finally facing even Beauty's own wrath for what he had done. Yet Gasser's desire to defeat Bo-bobo and please his superiors made him continue taking the pills, transforming him into an extremely powerful and extremely evil beast with no memory of who he was before! Unleashing his most powerful attack, Gasser forced Bo-bobo and Don Patch to fuse to stop him, transforming into Shinsetsu BoboPatch which would destroy the horns and finally nullify the evil within Gasser's heart. Defeated and humbled, Gasser finally accepted defeat and the stupidity of his former actions.

Farting Rebel Once Again

After his defeat and the subsequent apparent defeat of Babuu, Gasser began to recuperate after his ordeals as a Hair Hunter. Still feeling ashamed regarding what happened to his sister Pokomi, he instructs his friends to go after her. Meanwhile, he himself heals up before running away from the hospital to complete his training and his true Backwind abilities.

By the time Gasser returned, it was at a moment of near turmoil. Another of the Three Kings, animal mech manipulator Shiryuen Kamara, had captured Beauty and forced her on a track to being run over by a train unless Bo-bobo and his allies stopped him. Yet just as she appeared lost, Gasser reappeared and stopped all the trains at once. With Beauty safe, Gasser finally showed the true power of his awakened Fist of the Backwind, including a fully controlled baby form that stopped the King alongside Bo-bobo and the others. With the trust of the others and Beauty regained completely, Gasser retook his place alongside the rebels against the empire.

Eventually, through the effort of Bo-bobo and all the rebels including Gasser, the Neo-Maruhage Empire was finally stopped once and for all. With peace finally in their world once again, Gasser was finally able to go away with Beauty as she went on her own into the world he helped save. While looking at the sun (well, Don Patch) above, he realized he had been on a great journey and that someday, he and Bo-bobo may meet again.

Forms

Baby Gasser

The collar around his neck regulates his power. If removed, he ends up thinking he's a baby and his gas powers go out of control. He is commonly seen with a rose in his mouth during this phase. Even in this form he still has a bad temper, and punches Don Patch in the face for no particular reason. The first appearance of this form was when Gasser's collar was removed by Katsu in episode 15 of the anime. In the English anime dub, it is claimed by Narrator that Gasser's collar is from a mall in Tarzana, California. In Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Baby Gasser is still around, even with the control of the Onara Shinken, but this time he actually turns into a tiny, chibi, but powerful little baby in a diaper.Note: In Episode 15, when Beauty tells him he had turned into a baby, Gasser replies saying that turning back into a baby would be pretty cool.

Kakusei (Awakened)

In Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Heppokomaru consumes Vitamin Demon and becomes half demon, a form that seems to look similar to Yusuke Urameshi's Demon Form. In this form His hair is longer, he has two sets of horns on his head similar to Tayuya's in her second level cursed seal form ,from Naruto, sharp teeth, red eyes, a demon tattoo on his chest, claws, and a devil tail. This form is extremely evil and extremely merciless and it is actually revealed that this form is semingly unstable because of the personality between the person and the power of the pill, which this form has no memory of the user's personality or well beings at all! This form also has a side effect of spitting out blood which may be caused by the pills themselves. In the end he is defeated by Shinsetsu Bobopatch (Shinsetsu Bobopatch shot off the two sets of horns on his head) ,is turned back to normal, begins to cry for his actions, and soon after rejoins the team. He is also at one point forced into a torture like place including Kancho-Kun and Serviceman.

Fist style(s): Kakusei Onara Shinken (Awakened Fist of Farts), Ankoku Onara Shinken (Dark Fist of Farts)

Enemies Defeated

* Tarashi - H-Block Vice-Captain

* Geha The Gale - C-Block Captain

* Katsu - A-Block Assistant (As Baby Gasser)

* Infinite Shoot - Assassin Guardian of Over & Torpedo Girl

Relationship with Beauty

Gasser and Beauty have a quiet yet very romantic relationship throughout the series. During certain times, he blushes or gets quiet and embarrassed when he talks to her in some ways. This was first shown when Bobobo and Don Patch were on the Ferris Wheel in A-Block Amusment Park. He and Beauty ate ice cream and she fell asleep. As she was sleeping he got close to her but she then woke up when he was an inch away from her. He jumped to the other end of the bench like she was about to hurt him, and his face turned red and he kept mumbling nonsense in embarrassement. A second time was when he got Beauty out of Captain Battleship's attack. He and Beauty both turned completely red as well as Gasser asking her if she was alright and her thanking him. He has also saved Beauty numerous times as well as his first encounter with her when he defeated Tarashii after he kidnapped Beauty. Most things that first tell you that she has a crush on him is that in her mind she thought, 'Whoa! He's kinda hot!' and blushing as she talked to the narrator. Gasser also sacrifices his own hair and saves Beauty in the fight against Bibibi-bi Bi-bibi, with his hair being cut shorter by an attack. Even as he is evil in the first encounter in Shinsetsu, when he changes back from his evil, demonic form, Babuu attacks Beauty. With Bobobo injured, Beauty had no defense, so Gasser jumps in front to defend Beauty, though he severely injured himself protecting her. Beauty begins to cry when he hits the ground with his body bleeding from the attack. At the end of Shinsetsu, Gasser and Beauty go off on a new journey together.

Episode Appearances: 1-6, 9-40, 43, 45-59, 61-76