Bakunetsumaru

Bakunetsumaru, the Blazing Samurai (武者頑駄無　爆熱丸, Bakunetsu-Maru) is a character in Superior Defender Gundam Force.

Personality[]

The Blazing Samurai of Ark, Bakunetsumaru is dedicated to protecting his homeland from both the forces of Kibaomaru and the Dark Axis. After being accidentally flung to Neotopia and seeing that the war is spilling even further into other dimensions, he swears to fight to protect his new home but remains vocal about his desperation to return to Ark.

Skills and Abilities[]

Baku fights with twin katanas, with his right sword being one of Ark's Five Sacred Swords. Using these he can perform his destructive signature attack, the Bakunetsu Tenkyoken, which is a giant flaming X shaped blast.

Biography[]

Pre-Series[]

When Ark broke into civil war due to the competition for the position of Daishogun, Bakunetsumaru was serving under Britainmaru against Kibaomaru and later, the Dark Axis. At some point, he dueled and defeated Kujakumaru (this would fuel into anger, Kujakumaru's defection to Kibaomaru and his rechristening to Ashuramaru).

Arrival in Neotopia[]

At some point during one of his campaigns for Britainmaru, Bakunetsumaru and his trusty steed, Entengo, were transported from Ark to Neotopia as a result of an accident involving SDG Dr. Bellwood's Dimensional Transport Device, which was under attack at the time by Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom. Thanks to Bakunetsumaru's arrival, the Dark Axis forces were routed, but Bakunetsumaru also damaged the Dimensional Transport Device as well, resulting in its collapse, and stranding him in Neotopia, while also getting on Dr. Bellwood's bad side since he wrecked it in the first place with his finishing move.

As a result of being stranded in an unknown land, Bakunetsumaru quickly began drawing attention to himself, even mistaking the giant animatronic statue of Neotopia Mayor Margaret Gathermoon for a Dark Axis agent before Zero intervened. However, once Mayor Margaret shows her latest work of Zero and Bakunetsumaru in her art, they seem to develop some sort of friendship, despite their differences with being a Knight and Musha Gundam respectively. However, Zapper Zaku soon gained control of the statue of Mayor Margaret, forcing Bakunetsumaru to help with stopping the rampaging giantess. He succeeded, and upon noticing the Zakorello Gate portal that Zapper Zaku and his forces retreated through, knowing it could take him back to Ark, Bakunetsumaru attempts to use it to return home with Entengo, with support from Zero, but the portal closes before he can reach it. Disheartened, but not giving up, Bakunetsumaru accepts Neotopia as his new home until he can return to Ark.

As time went on, Bakunetsumaru continued to join Captain Gundam, Zero, and Shute with protecting Neotopia from various attempts to conquer it by Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom, joined by new allies from the SDG in GunEagle, the GunDivers, and Gunbike. At one point, he ends up fighting Ashuramaru again, but with the Dai-Shogun of Perfect Virtue overseeing their duel, Bakunetsumaru proves victorious, and the Dai-Shogun not only repairs Baku's broken katanas, but takes Ashuramaru's Gunsoul to ensure he will be reborn back in Ark as an honorable Musha Gundam again. However, during when the Gundam Force were doing a movie for Mayor Margaret, Zaku, Gouf, and Dom attacked the SDG Blanc Base in a Big Zam, forcing the base to be evacuated. This was merely the calm before the storm, as Neotopia soon was facing a full-scale invasion by the Dark Axis, led by the Four Doga Commanders and their Doga Bombers, before the arrival of the Magna-Musai, its transformation into the Horn of War, and the arrival of Commander Sazabi, claiming Captain's captured Soul Drive for his ultimate prize. Nevertheless, Shute, Bakunetsumaru, and Zero are able to retrieve Captain's Soul Drive and allow him to go one-on-one with Sazabi, resulting in Sazabi's demise, along with the Horn of War, and ending the Dark Axis invasion.

Journey to Lacroa[]

With the capture of Zaku, Gouf, Dom, some of their Zako Soldiers, and the Zakorello Gate, along with the remains of the Magna-Musai, the Gundam Force is now ready to leave Neotopia and head to Lacroa to fulfill Zero's request to rescue Princess Rele. After refitting the Magna-Musai into the Gundamusai, the Gundam Force set off, but thanks to interference from Zapper Zaku and the other conscripted Dark Axis troops, the Gundamusai ends up in the Dark Axis headquarters, where the Gundam Force get their first look at General Zeong, the true leader of the Dark Axis, his second-in-command/science officer Professor Gerbera, and, to Bakunetsumaru's fury, Kibaomaru, a fellow Musha Gundam who betrayed Ark to side with the Dark Axis. In the confusion that follows, the Gundamusai escapes, but ends up in the Minov Boundary Sea. In the process, a young Musha Gundam named Genkimaru is brought aboard the Gundamusai, but proves to be a major pain for the Gundam Force. Soon enough, an encounter with Tallgeese leads to the Gundamusai finally arriving in Lacroa, with the first order of business being to find and restore Princess Rele. When they find whom they think is Rele, the Gundam Force is unaware that the Rele they found was a fake made by Deathscythe to acquire the White BaguBagu. When they end up in Deathscythe's lair and find the real Rele there, still a petrified statue, the fake Rele is left with whether to follow her orders and give the White BaguBagu to Deathscythe, or due to her newfound friendship with Shute, return it to the Gundam Force. In the end, she chooses Shute, and Deathscythe punishes her with turning her back into the Princess Rose he made her from. However, the Gundam Force defeats Deathscythe and recover the real Rele, and escape in the Gundamusai back to the Minov Boundary Sea.

Onward to Ark[]

As Rele is restored to flesh and blood and learns of the events that occurred while she was petrified, the Gundamusai is attacked by Gerbera, and Captain is critically damaged, forcing him to be returned to Neotopia for emergency repairs. Without him, the Gundamusai is then attacked by Kibaomaru. Although Bakunetsumaru puts up a valiant fight against the fellow Musha Gundam, Kibaomaru manages to escape with Rele and Shute as his prisoners, but thanks to the Dai-Shogun, the Gundamusai makes it safely to Ark. However, once there, Bakunetsumaru is seen as a traitor by Britainmaru and his forces, and is imprisoned with the rest of the Gundam Force. Luckily, when he manages to dawn the Baku Shin Armor and fight off an attack from Kibaomaru's forces, Britainmaru decides to let the Gundam Force go, and agree to have his army aid them against the Dark Axis and Kibaomaru's army.

Soon after, Captain rejoins the team, fully rebuilt as Hyper Captain, and not a moment too soon. After Genkimaru manages to gain control of Daishinshou, but refuses to kill his estranged father Kibaomaru when given the chance, Gerbera, Zeong, and the Dark Axis headquarters arrive in Ark to carry out the General's endgame. Despite the Gundam Force getting additional support from Chief Haro, Juli, GunPanzer, GunEagle, and the GunChoppers, along with support from Britainmaru and Kibaomaru's armies, and Bakunetsumaru dawning the Baku Shin Armor again, Zeong soon targets Shute for how he was giving the Gundam Force the strength needed to stand up to him, and captures him within his giant Dark Soul Drive to corrupt him as he did Gerbera. However, the Gundam Force are able to fight back, give Shute the strength to break out of Zeong's attempts to corrupt him, and free Shute while destroying the General's body and Dark Soul Drive in the process. With the General's body destroyed, everyone thinks they've won, but Zeong's head survives, and attempts to carry out his endgame to destroy the universe. However, as he fires his attack, Rele holds up Chibirello, who summons his father, Paparello, the Zakorello Gate itself, to Ark, who redirects the General's attack to destroy the Dark Axis headquarters instead. His energy wasted and unable to use his attack again, Zeong retreats to attempt to recover and try again, but a joint effort by Hyper Captain, Zero Custom, Bakushinmaru, Zapper Zaku, Grappler Gouf, and Destroyer Dom sees to the end of Zeong once and for all.

The Gundam Force Disbanded[]

With General Zeong and the Dark Axis headquarters destroyed, the Gundam Force must sadly disband as they were no longer needed. Bakunetsumaru and Entengo remain in Ark to help rebuild with Genkimaru and the Dark Axis remnants now part of the Genki Energy Force, seeing off the Gundamusai as it departs to return Zero and Rele to Lacroa, then take Shute, Captain, Chief Haro, Juli, and the rest of the Neotopian SDG forces home to Neotopia.

A New Adventure[]

However, some time later, Baku is contacted by Chief Haro, as the Gundam Force is needed again, and returns to Neotopia with Zero and Rele to meet up with Shute and Captain, before the Dai-Shogun provides them the means to set off on their newest adventure.

Bakunetsumaru is last seen seeing off the viewers from the stage of the Zako Zako Hour with the rest of the cast.

Bakushinmaru (爆心丸, Bakushin-Maru)[]

Bakushinmaru is Bakunetsumaru wearing the Baku Shin Armor which gives extra techniques and abilities which are powered by the wearer's own life force, such as the Baku Kaitensho. The armor is destined to be worn by one noble heart musha per generation; the wearer does not choose it, it chooses the wearer.

Other Forms[]

In SD Gundam Force Showdown! video game, Bakunetsumaru also has five new forms, plus a secret form that can be unlock by input cheat code in Kao Lyn's lab.

Beast Form: The feral blood from within this powerful and wild lion form roars! No one can stand up to Bakunetsumaru's melee power when he goes berserk!
Benkei Form: Traditional and regal, this form has its roots originating from Ark's legendary samurai school.The large and heavy double-edge sword can split and re-form to vanquish enemies!
Kabuki Form: In this unique form consisting of kabuki makeup and an umbrella, his dramatic singing and dancing converts his surroundings into a stage to wipe out all his problems.
Shinobi Form: Wrapped in ninja apparel, this form equips two large ninja daggers to allow quick attacks without sacrificing defense. Fire ninjutsu can be unleashed with this form (Katon-no-jutsu)!
Tatsujin Form: Seeking to perfect his way of the sword, he is a strong samurai. Modeled in the image of a master warrior, he unleashes his Samidare Slash to cut through anything!
Shogun Form: The secret form.

Trivia[]

Bakunetsumaru is based on the GF13-017NJ Shining Gundam and from Mobile Fighter G Gundam as well as Musha Gundam.
Bakunetsumaru's name is often a source of comedy as those not native to Ark often forget how to say it. As a result, he is usually referred to as 'Baku' by his new friends (Mostly GunEagle).