Big Man
Big Man
| Species | Manta ray[1] |
| Habitat | |
| Height | |
| Hair color | |
| Eye color | Black |
| Age | |
| Gender | Male |
| Pronouns | |
| Relations | Big Dad (father)[2] |
| Location | Splatsville,Alterna |
| Shop | |
| HP | |
| Maximum HP | |
| Members | |
| Other forms |
| “ | Ay! (Make money! Get fish quick!) Ay! (Big Man in the house!) | ” |
— Big Man introducing himself inReturn of the Mammalians | ||
Big Man, aliasIan BGM, is a character inSplatoon 3 and one of the three members of the bandDeep Cut, alongsideShiver andFrye, with whom he co-hosts bothAnarchy Splatcast, the news show ofSplatsville, andSplatfests. He is also thefourth reachable boss ofReturn of the Mammalians. His signature colors are gray and red.
His voice actor is currently unknown.
Appearance
Big Man is a large graymanta ray, with white dotted markings along his belly and on both sides of his pectoral fins, as well as a perpetual sheen on his body. He has a tail which is white on front and gray on back, seeming to extend from the white patch along his torso. He stands upright on his pelvic fins as if they were feet, and his eyes are closer to his mouth along the bottom of his body, giving him an anthropomorphic appearance. Big Man actually has more resemblance to aneagle ray than a manta ray, as his mouth is located on the underside of his body, like the former. In addition, eagle rays have prominent pelvic fins at the back of their bodies, used by Big Man as feet, whereas manta rays' pelvic fins are smaller in comparison. He also seems to resemble several otheroceanic rays. Due to his large size, Big Man'samiibo does not fit the amiibo box, and he appears to stay curled inside and mentions bumping his head on the top of the box.
Big Man wears a white and red headpiece on his head, where a regular manta ray's eyes and cephalic fins would be. With a similar to shape to a hammerhead shark's head, it appears to be carved out of bleached driftwood, with red swirls and a stylized "M" painted on the front. On either end of the headpiece are two gold circles, and a red rope is looped around both sides before draping around Big Man's head, both front and back. On the front the rope passes between his eyes and nose as if to hold it in place. This particular fashion of hat-securing bears a strong resemblance to classical Japanese bandit characters, such as Kabuki characterNezumi Kozō, a famous thief that wears ahokkamuri headscarf tied under his nose. Thehokkamuri is also commonly worn by performers during certain Japanese festivals, such as theAwa Dance Festival. This could be referencing the fact that Big Man is both a Splatfest host and a bandit withDeep Cut.
InAlterna, he wears a beige mask, which strongly resembles anonryō mask but with fish inspiration instead of a humanoid one. Unlike his fellow idols, it only covers his eyes and rests atop the string of his hat.
During regular Splatfests, Big Man's sheen is tinted the color of his team, giving him a slight glow[3]. The tips of his fins pulse in the same color, similar to Shiver and Frye's shawls.
DuringSplatoween, Big Man wears a large ghost-like sheet sewn to his size with horizontal holes on the front that resemble the gills of aray. His headpiece is replaced with what appears to be a piece of brown driftwood.
DuringFrostyFest, Big Man wears a large black clothfloppy hat with a white coral ornament resembling a flower, and a black bow tie with white polka dots. He also wears a goldenVenetian carnival mask which covers his eyes and has a prominent nose. His body turns darker, albeit still featuring the usual white stripe in the middle and wave pattern on his back, while his fins and feet have a gold, black and white glittery marbled pattern, and his tail features white stripes.
DuringSpringFest, Big Man's body sheen has a teal-to-pink gradient. He has two red circles painted on his cheeks resembling blush marks, and his usual headpiece is replaced with a large one made of three green flowers with pink dots connected with lines painted on the insides; the rope hanging from it is also pink.
DuringSummer Nights, Big Man takes a coloration reminiscent of watermelon, with his body being green with a white stripe in the middle and his fins being red with a gradient to white towards the bottom, a magenta swirl pattern and black seed shapes. He wears a pair of magenta sunglasses on his head.
For theGrand Festival, Big Man wears white suspenders with large spikes and a black leather underside, white bandages around his tail, and a white flared headpiece reminiscent of a mohawk or a sailfish fin. He additionally has three tips of makeup under his left eye, and a tribal-style pattern on his fins.
In his school years, Big Man used to wear red headphones. He used to have three dark grey dots on each side of his cheeks as freckles. His size was way smaller than today, being only half the size of Shiver as a teen. His tail was also very short.[4]
Personality and traits
Big Man is the most laid-back member of Deep Cut. WhileShiver andFrye can get excited when it comes to things they care about, Big Man avoids getting worked up, often mediating the other two and bringing them back down to earth. In this way, he often acts as the voice of reason for Deep Cut, reminding Frye that it is a good idea to paint turf during Turf Wars instead of just splatting enemies, and pointing out that it is ridiculous that Shiver is still so hung up on a past Turf War loss. He is the most easily influenced out of the trio and does not like to resort to violence, although he is not above making his own threats. Big Man also loves fun and having a good time. He often speaks in puns and is the first to suggest all the good attributes of something.
His speech is unique, consisting of the sound "Ay!" with a translation in parentheses. In the Japanese version, Big Man is the onlyDeep Cut member to use standard Japanese instead of a regional dialect, using the standard young male pronoun 僕boku as a personal pronoun; this implies he speaks a different language from the ones Shiver and Frye speak, which is the language used in the Splatlands.
This laid-back disposition does not mean he is lazy, however. Big Man is the primary lyricist and producer of Deep Cut and is a noted hard worker, having putAnarchy Rainbow through seven separate iterations over six weeks before finalizing it, with the process exhausting him to the point where he became "dried up like an uncooked lasagna noodle", in part because he refused to let Shiver and Frye provide vocals for it, doing them himself instead.[5] He mainly contributes toDeep Cut by creating the backing tracks Shiver and Frye sing to, described as beingEDM based;[6] he occasionally also provides vocals in some songs. He also looks up to and actively tries to learn from other musicians likeFront Roe,C-Side, and "a DJ fromInkopolis".[5] Big Man's musical style appears to have some Brazilian and Latin-American inspiration.
In the second half ofSplatfests, whenDeep Cut performs on the combined floats, there is a brief moment where Big Man's dance startlesShiver andFrye, making them build up more distance. This suggests that Big Man either sometimes improvises out of enthusiasm, or that Shiver and Frye underestimate his size.
Big Man's favorite weapon class appears to besloshers, according to dialogue fromAnarchy Splatcast, hisTableturf Battle deck, and hisPalette inSide Order. However, he also mentions usingblasters andbrushes occasionally inAnarchy Splatcast.[7][8][9]
Alias
The songLiquid Sunshine credits "Squid Sisters feat. Ian BGM" as the creator, with Ian BGM actually being Big Man using an alias. Hints at Ian BGM's identity include the Twitter announcement of the song describing Ian BGM as "an enigmaticSplatlandian singer",[10] the song's official music video showing his lyrics in gray (withCallie's andMarie's in magenta and green, respectively), Ian BGM's voice in the song matching Big Man's voice (with him also saying "Ay!" at one point),[11] and the name "Ian BGM" being an anagram of "Big Man", which is the case inall other languages as well.
In theDeep Cut songBig Betrayal, released several months afterLiquid Sunshine,Shiver andFrye, having discovered Big Man's secret identity as Ian BGM, berate him for collaborating with the Squid Sisters without their involvement. In the song's official music video, Frye is seen holding a photo of the Squid Sisters alongside Big Man assuming his Ian BGM identity, showing him wearing aKing Flip Mesh andRetro BluFocals rather than his usual headgear.
History
Early life
Big Man was born into the Manta Clan,[12] well-known for representingthe Splatlands. He metShiver andFrye through their familial ties, but remained acquaintances with them. By middle school, he had taken an interest in music, becoming skilled at the piano. This skill brought Shiver and Frye knocking on his classroom door when they decided they wanted accompaniment for their singing. This led to the formation of Deep Cut as it is known today.[5] Big Man used to find Shiver and Frye intimidating, and feared that they wanted to fight him when they first approached him to ask about forming a band.[5]
After this, an older classmate asked the trio to make a cheering song for a school competition. Big Man and Frye agreed, but Shiver demanded 30,000G payment, which led to the creation ofHide and Sleek, Deep Cut's very first song. A local bowling alley commissioned a song for a commercial, to which Shiver hiked their price up to 300,000G, and what resulted was their second song,Smeared Canvas, with Big Man's lyrics being inspired by losing in the last round of bowling. The success of the commercial, and the song along with it, made Deep Cut relatively well known in the Splatlands.[13]
A few years later, Deep Cut were made the hosts of the Anarchy Splatcast.
Big Man is also the head of the Manda Ryuu, one of the oldest dance schools in the Splatlands, and is currently the head of the Manta Clan. This is shown inSunken Scroll 12, where a family tree can be seen on the left side of the scroll, indicating Big Man's lineage.[14]
Splatoon 3
By the time ofSplatoon 3, Deep Cut had become relatively well known within the Splatlands for both their music and the Anarchy Splatcast. As part of Deep Cut, Big Man announces Big Runs, reports stage rotations, and hosts Splatfest events, performing his solo song,Anarchy Poisons (Boar Mix), andAnarchy Rainbow for the entire event. They are also the ones who initially report the news of theGreat Zapfish's third disappearance.
Return of the Mammalians
Big Man and the rest of Deep Cut are initially hostile toAgent 3 and theNew Squidbeak Splatoon, declaring that all treasure inAlterna is theirs to plunder and that they will not let anyone else have it. Later, when the New Squidbeak Splatoon team agrees to give Deep Cut thetreasure (after using it to removeFuzzy Ooze), they explain that their bandit activities were to give back to the people of the Splatlands, and never meant harm to the New Squidbeak Splatoon. They decide to becomeMarie's employees and the player's allies and help them in defeatingMr. Grizz. Big Man personally gives the player a version of the Hero Headset with a transparent helmet modification, presumably to help Agent 3 survive in outer space.
Boss
- Main article:The Obscurest Chiaroscurist
Big Man is the fourth boss of the single-player campaign,Return of the Mammalians, and the thirdDeep Cut boss. His bosskettle is found at the 6th site,Happiness Research Lab. In this battle, Big Man is shown to be capable to produce a striped green and yellow ink with a pattern depicting the Deep Cut logo, in which he can swim and hide.
Songs
- See also:Deep Cut,Now or Never Seven
| In-game artist | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Origin | Title | Music by |
 | Anarchy Poisons (Boar Mix) | Toshiyuki Sudo |
| In-game artist | ||
 | ||
| Liquid Sunshine | Yumi Takahashi |
Tableturf Battle
Big Man is one of the rivals in theTableturf Battle Dojo. He becomes available after the player reaches Tableturf Battle Rank 31 and has completed the main story ofReturn of the Mammalians. His playstyle is balanced between covering turf and accumulating special points, and matches against him are played onThunder Point. Big Man's deck features all members of Deep Cut and references his boss fight through multiplesub weapons and other projectile-related elements likeweapons and enemies. Due to him preforming duringSplatfests, Big Man is unavailable during the main event period.
|  | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 17 Big Man |  17 Shiver |  17 Frye | ||
 3 Splat Bomb |  4 Torpedo |  12 Triple Inkstrike | ||
 2 Octopod |  11 Oversized Octopod |  11 Tri-Stringer | ||
 4 Ink Mine |  12 Goldie |  9 Squid Beakon | ||
 1 Burst Bomb |  5 Toxic Mist |  13 Octobomber | ||
In themanga series
Big Man, along withShiver andFrye, first appeared in Issue 17 of theCoroCoro mangaSplatoon 3: Splatlands, where his co-stars toldTeam Blue about theSplatsville Great Eight. His role in the manga is similar to his role in the game.
Palette
- Main article:List of Palettes in Side Order
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Quotes
- For Tableturf Battle quotes, seeTableturf Battle Dojo#Quotes.
- For quotes for securing the Ultra Signal, seeUltra Signal#Deep Cut Call.
Gallery
 |
| ➤View the gallery |
Trivia
- Big Man is the only male idol character in theSplatoon series, as well as the only one that is not an Inkling or Octoling.
- The boss battle with Big Man is a reference to the boss battle withPhantamanta inSuper Mario Sunshine. Besides having a similar appearance of a splitting silhouette of a manta ray, the color of Big Man's ink is also nearly identical to the electric goop Phantamanta produces. His title, "The Hype Manta Storm", is also a reference to the name of the mission in which Phantamanta is fought, "The Manta Storm".
- His titles in the Japanese, French, German, and Italian versions also reference theSuper Mario Sunshine mission. The Dutch title is translated directly from the English mission name inSuper Mario Sunshine, which does not have an official Dutch translation; likewise, the Korean and Chinese titles are translated from the Japanese title.
- The European Portuguese translation of Big Man's Nintendo Direct reveal is the only localization where Big Man speaks normally, without any translation brackets.
- Despite Big Man's lack of hands,The Art of Splatoon 3 reveals that he is in fact dexterous, mentioning his skill in weaponry and musical instruments.[15] This is demonstrated by him being a good pianist[5] and playing the keyboard,[16] and in theGear vs. Grub vs. Fun Splatfest art, he is seen using aNintendo Switch.
- However, whenever newweapons are announced inAnarchy Splatcast, Big Man asks whether or not any of the newly-added weapons are fin operated, implying he cannot use some of the weapons used by Inklings and Octolings.[17]
- As seen with his costumes during various special splatfests, Big Man is seemingly capable of changing the markings on his fins and legs.
Etymology
Big Man refers to his larger size compared to Inklings and Octolings and is also a pun on the wordmanta.
"Ian BGM" is an anagram of Big Man (Ian = Big Man and BGM =BigMan). BGM is an abbreviation for "background music", which could allude to the fact that he makes backing tracks.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese | 曼蛇 太郎喜左衛門宗清 (マンダ タロウキザエモンムネキヨ)[15] マンタロー Manda Tarō Kizaemon Munekiyo Mantarō | From マンタ manta ("manta ray") and the given male name suffix 太郎tarō |
 Dutch | Ray | From the English wordray |
 French | Raimi | Fromraie ("ray") and "mi" of the common given nameRémi |
 German | Mantaro | FromMantarochen ("manta ray") |
 Italian | Mantaleo | A pun on the given male namePantaleo, variant ofPantaleone, andmanta ("manta ray") |
 Russian | Биг Ман Big Man | Transliteration of the English name |
 Spanish | Rayan | Fromraya ("ray") orManta raya ("manta ray") and pronounced identically to the English given nameRyan |
 Chinese (Simplified) | 鬼福 Guǐfú | From 鬼蝠鲼guǐfúfèn ("giant oceanic manta ray") and 福fú ("good fortune") |
 Chinese (Traditional) | 鬼福 Guǐfú | From 鬼蝠魟guǐfúhóng ("giant oceanic manta ray") and 福fú ("good fortune") |
 Korean | 만타로 Mantaro | Transliteration of Japanese name |
 Portuguese (NOE) | Big Man | Same as English |
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | RANOMAT | Anagram of "Mantaro" |
| Dutch | YAR | "Ray" backwards |
| French | Mirai | Anagram of "Raimi", homograph of the Japanese wordmirai, meaning "future". |
| German | RANOMAT | Anagram of "Mantaro" |
| Italian | MALENTAO | Anagram of "Mantaleo" |
| Russian | БАГМИН Bagmin | Anagram of "Биг Ман" |
| Spanish | NAYAR | "Rayan" backwards |
| Chinese | RANOMAT | From Japanese name |
| Korean | RANOMAT | From Japanese name |
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | エイエイ Ei ei | エイei is the Japanese word for "ray". It is also a common call or cheer. |
| Dutch | Ay! Ay! | - |
| French | Ay! Ay! | - |
| German | Ay! Ay! | - |
| Italian | Man! Man! | Likely derived frommanta |
| Russian | Ик! Ик! Ik! Ik! | Hic! Hic! |
| Spanish | ¡Zasss! | From the onomatopoeia of manta rays jumping in waves. |
| Chinese | 鲼！ Fèn! | Chinese for"stingray" |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 魟！ Hōng/Hóng/Gōng! | From 魟魚 /hóngyú/"Stingray" |
| Korean | 만타! Manta! | -Manta! |
| Portuguese (NOE) | - | There is no Portuguese localization of the game, but theSplatoon 3 Direct from Nintendo Portugal depicts Big Man speaking regular Portuguese without parentheticals[18] |
| Language | Introduction | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | エイ！（一獲千金 千客万来！） エイ！（マンタのマンタロー！） Ei! (Ikkakusenkin senkyakubanrai!) Ei! (Manta noMantarō!)[19] | Ay! (Get rich quick, roaring business!) Ay! (Big Man the manta's here!) |
| Dutch | Ay! (We verdienen geld als water!) Ay! (MetRay vis je nooit achter het net!)[20] | Ay! (We make money like water!) Ay! (WithBig Man you'll never miss the mark!) |
| French | Ay ! (Par ici la monnaie ! Par ici les poissons !) Ay, ay ! (Raimi est dans la place !)[21] | Ay! (This way the money! This way the fish!) Ay, ay! (Big Man is in the place!) |
| German | Ay! (Reicher als reich, Dickster im Teich!) Ay! (Hier kommtMantaro, der Mantastische!)[22] | Ay! (Richer than rich, Biggest in the pond!) Ay! (Here comesBig Man, the mantastic[note 1]!) |
| Italian | Man-man! (Soldi! E pesce, alla svelta!) Man! (È arrivatoMantaleo!)[23] | Ay-ay! (Money! And fish, quick!) Ay! (Big Man has arrived!) |
| Russian | Ик! (Живу на широкую ногу! Точнее, плавник...) Ик! (Биг Ман к вашим услугам!) Ik! (Zhivu na shirokuyu nogu! Tochneye, plavnik...) Ik! (Big Man k vashim uslugam!) | Ay! (I live in grand style! More precisely, a fin...)[note 2] Ay! (Big Man at your service!) |
 Spanish (NOA) | ¡Zasss! (¡Botín y dinero siempre es lo primero!) ¡Zasss! (¡Rayan aquí presente!) | Ay! (Loot and money are always first!) Ay! (Big Man is here!) |
 Spanish (NOE) | ¡Zasss! (¡Un botín siempre es lo primero! ¡Lo que sea por el dinero!) ¡Zasss! (¡Ante vosotrosRayan!)[24] | Ay! (Loot always comes first! Anything for the money!) Ay! (Before you,Big Man!) |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鲼！（一获千金！生意兴隆！） 鲼！（我是鬼蝠鲼鬼福是也！） Fèn! (Yīhuò qiānjīn！Shēngyì xīnglóng！) Fèn! (Wǒshì guǐfúfènguǐ fú shìyě! ) | Ay! (Rake in the cash! Business is booming!) Ay! (I amBig Man the manta!) |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 魟！（一本萬利，財源滾滾！） 魟！（鬼蝠魟的鬼福是也！） Gōng! (Yīběnwànlì, cáiyuán gǔngǔn!) Gōng! (Guǐ fú hóng deguǐ fú shì yě!) | Ay! (Buy low sell high, let the profits roll in!) Ay! (I amBig Man the manta!) |
| Korean | 만타! (돈 잔뜩! 손님도 잔뜩!) 만타! (만타가오리만타로!) Manta! (Don jantteuk! Sonnimdo jantteuk!) Manta! (MantagaoriMantaro!) | Ay! (Loads of money! Loads of customers too!) Ay! (Big Man the manta's here!) |
| Portuguese (NOE) | Vamos ficar mais ricos do que nunca! O Big Man está aí! | Let's get richer than ever! The Big Man is here! |
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ふしぎせいぶつ Fushigi seibutsu | Mysterious creature |
| Dutch | De mantastorm | The Manta Storm |
| French | La tempête de Méga Raimi | The Big Man Storm |
| German | Maxi-magischer Manta | Maximum magical manta |
| Italian | La manta tempestosa | The Stormy Manta Ray |
| Russian | Атака суперманты Ataka supermanty | Supermanta's attack |
| Spanish (NOA) | Su figura raya en lo inconcebible | His ray figure in the inconceivable |
| Spanish (NOE) | Su presencia raya en lo inconcebible | His ray presence in the inconceivable |
| Chinese | 神奇生物 Shénqí shēngwù | Mysterious creature |
| Korean | 신비한 생물 Shinbihan saengmul | Mysterious creature |
Translation notes
Internal names
| Internal name | Meaning |
|---|---|
 IdolC[25] | Being the third of the three idols and representing Team Charlie during Splatfest |
References
- ↑
@SplatoonNA on Twitter - ↑Um'ami RuinsAnarchy Splatcast dialogue.
Big Man: Ay! Ay. Ay! (Yeah! I watched it recently with Big Dad. It holds up!) - ↑
Oqkto on Tumblr - ↑Promotional artwork for Shiver vs. Frye vs. Big Man
- ↑5.05.15.25.35.4
An interview with Deep Cut, the hosts ofSplatoon 3's Anarchy Splatcast! Blog formatNintendo Magazine 2022 winter Magazine format - ↑Ask the Developer Vol. 7,Splatoon 3
- ↑Eeltail Alley Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
Shiver: Isn't Eeltail Alley the perfect stringer stage? I love sniping from the bridge!
Frye: Nah. I think you want a weapon that's good in tight spaces. Splatanas for life!
Big Man: Ay? (What about sloshers? I mean, I guess splashing buckets of ink is fun anywhere...) - ↑Humpback Pump Track Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
Frye: Alright, Big Man... You're in a battle at Humpback Pump Track. What's your move?
Big Man: Ay. Ay! (Hmmm. I'd bring a blaster to flush out any enemies hiding behind the hill!) - ↑Inkblot Art Academy Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
Shiver: If you ask me, Inkblot Art Academy is the perfect stage for stringer mains.
Frye: I think you mean splatana mains.
Big Man: Ay? Ay! (Am I the only one using a brush? It's an art academy!) - ↑Liquid Sunshine announcement, via@SplatoonNA on Twitter
- ↑
Splatoon 3 —Liquid Sunshine - Nintendo Switch via Nintendo of America on Youtube - ↑Splatoon 3's Sunken Scroll 12
- ↑Splatoon 3 Album Booklet Translations by@MagicalGirlFia, with assistance from@Fleromor and@rassicas.
- ↑@SplatoonJP on Twitter
- ↑15.015.1Info about Deep Cut,Art of Splatoon 3 translated by rassicas
- ↑Drums vs. Guitar vs. Keyboard Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
Big Man:Ay. Ay. (No, I'm picking keyboard because I play keyboard. In actual life. For real.) - ↑Chill Season 2022 Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
Big Man:Ay. Ay? (Those look cool. Are any of 'em fin operated? Asking for me.) - ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (PT)
- ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (JP)
- ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (NL)
- ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (FR)
- ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (DE)
- ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (IT)
- ↑Splatoon 3 Direct (ES)
- ↑
Leanny on GitHub
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