Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6

Cover to Sunfire and Big Hero 6 #1. Featured are Sunfire in the center, along with (clockwise) Silver Samurai, GoGo Tomago, Honey Lemon, Hiro Takachiho, and Baymax.
Art by Gus Vasquez.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Sunfire & Big Hero 6 #1 (September 1998)
Created by Steven T. Seagle
Duncan Rouleau
In-story information
Base(s) Cool World Amusement Park in Japan
Member(s) Baymax
Ebon Samurai
GoGo Tomago
Hiro Takachiho
Honey Lemon
Sunpyre
Silver Samurai
Sunfire
Wasabi-No-Ginger
Fred

Big Hero 6 is a superteam in the Marvel Comics universe. They technically first appeared in Sunfire and Big Hero 6 #1 (September, 1998), though they were created by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau in the pages of Alpha Flight, volume 2. That issue sparked interest in a mini-series which Seagle and Rouleau did not have time to create, thus Scott Lobdell and Gus Vasquez were assigned the mini-series. Scheduling issues resulted in the mini-series appearing before Alpha Flight #17, though the Alpha Flight issue was technically their first appearance in the Marvel Universe. A new 5 issue miniseries was launched by Marvel Comics in September 2008.

Contents

Background

When the Japanese government wanted a team of state-sanctioned super-heroes at their disposal, a top-secret consortium of politicians and business entities known as the Giri was formed to recruit and train potential superhuman operatives for "Big Hero 6." Despite reservations by some members of the Giri, Silver Samurai, a freelance ronin and former bodyguard of the terrorist Viper, was appointed as field commander. Secret agent Honey Lemon, inventor of the nanotechnology-based Power Purse from which she could access any object, also agreed to join the team. The tough-talking GoGo Tomago, able to transubstantiate her body into a fiery force blast by uttering her code-name, was released from prison on the condition that she serve on the team. The Machiavellian bureaucrat known only as Mr. Oshima was appointed as the Giri's spokesperson and coordinated Big Hero 6's activities.

Government scientists next identified 13-year-old boy genius Hiro Takachiho as a potential operative. Unimpressed with the Silver Samurai, Hiro declined joining the team until his mother was kidnapped by the Everwraith, the astral embodiment of all those killed in the 1945 nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Joined by Baymax, a synthetic bodyguard capable of synthforming into a dragon which was created by Hiro using the brain engrams of his dead father, Hiro reluctantly joined forces with Big Hero 6 to prevent Everwraith from slaughtering millions in downtown Tokyo. During the battle, Big Hero 6 was joined by Sunfire, Japan's premiere super hero and a mutant with the ability to super-heat matter into plasma, who was instrumental in the Everwraith's defeat.

Soon after, Big Hero 6 moved their headquarters from the Giri Office Building to Japan's Cool World Amusement Park, where they were attacked by X the Unknowable, a monster born from a child's drawings that could transform its atomic structure into any form and shape. With the help of Alpha Flight, Big Hero 6 destroyed X the Unknowable in the fires of Mount Fuji. Afterwards, Big Hero 6 continued to protect Japan from all threats, such as when the team rescued Tokyo residents from a freak blizzard caused by the Crimson Cowl and her Masters of Evil.

Eventually, Sunfire left Big Hero 6 so that he could work at Charles Xavier's X-Corporation office in Mumbai, India. His spot on the team was filled by Sunpyre, a young woman with similar solar-based powers who was pulled into this reality through the Power Purse and came to worship Honey Lemon as her own personal god. Similarly, after Silver Samurai was seemingly slain in an altercation with the assassin Elektra in Iraq, his spot on the team was filled by the enigmatic Ebon Samurai. With the two most experienced members of Big Hero 6 gone, Hiro became the team's new leader.

Sometime during their operation, they are attacked by minions of Yandroth. As part of a plan to gain power via super-hero battles, Yandroth sends a team of Living Erasers into their building. These entities are capable of transporting beings out of reality. The entire battle takes place off panel and is only mentioned in conjunction with attacks upon other superhero teams.

At a later point, the members of Big Hero 6 fell victim to a mind-control device implanted within Baymax. Traveling to Canada, the mind-controlled super heroes attacked a new incarnation of Alpha Flight at a national park. After a brief battle, the mind-control device was short-circuited and the two teams parted as friends. Big Hero 6 returned to Japan to seek out the parties responsible for their mind-control.

Members of Big Hero 6

Silver Samurai

Silver Samurai (Kenuichio Harada), the illegitimate son of Shingen Yashida, is a Japanese mutant with the power to charge almost anything, most notably his katana, with mutant energy (described as a tachyon field) which enables it to slice through any known substance excluding adamantium. He also sports a suit of traditional samurai armour. It is made of a silver metal, hence his professional name.

Harada was once the bodyguard for the international terrorist known as the Viper and was subsequently an occasional mercenary, but he became the head of Clan Yashida after his half-sister Mariko Yashida's death. He attempted to pay off his clan's debts to the Yakuza and restore its honor. Though once one of Wolverine's greatest enemies, he had apparently impressed Wolverine so greatly that Wolverine entrusted him with the care of his adopted daughter, Amiko Kobayashi. The Samurai even once helped Wolverine destroy the monster known as "Doombringer", and later helped Logan rescue Amiko and Yukio from their kidnappers. During his time as hero, the Silver Samurai became the leader of the Big Hero 6.

GoGo Tomago

GoGo Tomago (Leiko Tanaka) is known as the hothead of Big Hero 6. Tough-talking and mean-spirited, it has been alluded to that GoGo was released from prison in order to join Big Hero 6. GoGo is not very fond of anybody when it comes down to it, not even her own team mates. She feels that the beautiful Honey Lemon is always treated better than her. GoGo transforms her body into an explosive ball of energy which is able to be projected at vast speeds. To activate this power, however, she must utter her name.

Honey Lemon

Honey Lemon's (Aiko Miyazaki) name may be derived from the famous superhero-like magical girl Cutey Honey. Little is known of Honey Lemon's past, or how she obtained the purse that gives her "super-powers". At one point in her life, Honey got approached by the Japanese organization that created the country's first super-hero team known as Big Hero Six. She was offered to join the team and accepted. She became seemingly attracted to the team's newest potential recruit, Hiro Takachiho, as she kept smiling at him in a flirting way. Later, Honey helped overthrow a menace called Everwraith and saved Japan from destruction. She was only briefly seen afterward, helping Sunfire out in Canada. Sometime later, a mysterious individual used a machine to control the minds of the entire team, and Honey was no exception. They were sent to Canada once again, where they fought the newest incarnation of Alpha Flight until Sasquatch discovered the plot. Honey Lemon was, along with the rest of the team, restored to normal and they all returned to Japan to discover who took control of them. Who that person was, has until today never been revealed inside a comic. In her OHTHMU profile, it is implied that her current blonde-haired blue-eyed obviously-White appearance is the result of either a body-switch or a full-body transformation, as it is expressly stated that she previously had a black-haired brown-eyed traditional-East Asian appearance (though her original appearance has yet to be depicted on-panel).

Hiro Takachiho

Hiro Takachiho is a thirteen-year-old boy whose intelligence would astound the most brilliant minds around the world. He is an expert at creating new and unique technological wonders, including his bodyguard and fellow team member Baymax. Hiro does not want to join Big Hero 6 at first, but is forced to ally with the team when his mother is held hostage by the Everwraith. Hiro has recently constructed a flight suit that makes him more effective and versatile in battle. Hiro idolizes Sunfire and has a crush on Honey Lemon.

Baymax

Created by Hiro for a school science project, the synthetic entity known only as Baymax became much more to Hiro after the death of his father. Now the best friend, father figure, and bodyguard of young Hiro, Baymax is at Hiro's side every hour of every day. Other than acting as a father figure to Hiro, there is apparently much more to Baymax's role in the Takachiho family. It was revealed that Baymax has a "special relationship" with Hiro's mother. This probably results from the fact that Baymax's memory chips were programmed to retain the thoughts and emotions of Hiro's deceased father. Baymax is a synthformer who can morph his body into a dragon-like creature. When not directly at his creator's side, Baymax can be summoned during emergency situations via a wrist-mounted communication device worn by Hiro. Baymax's main power source is water, which can be used to instantly reactivate him.

Wasabi-No-Ginger

A trained chef who uses various swords to fight. He can also give form to his Qi-Energy, usually materializing it as throwing knives that can paralyze opponents.[1]

Fred

Nicknamed Fredzilla, he can transform himself into a Godzilla-like creature.[2] It is revealed that he is Ainu in origin and spent time growing up on a secret US military base in Japan.[3]

References

  1. ^ Big Hero Six #1 (September 2008)
  2. ^ Big Hero Six #2 (October 2008)
  3. ^ Big Hero Six #5 (January 2009)

External links