B-Bo (B坊, B-Bō?) is a male yeti who lives in the palace of Neptune with Oyuki, whom he cherishes like an elder sister.
Biography[]
The precise origins of B-Bo are unclear and contradicted between various media. In the original manga, he is referred to as "young prince" by Oyuki's elderly female servant. In contrast, the 1981 anime has her describe him as the castle's pet, and the 2022 anime has him described as Oyuki's manservant. Whatever his origins, he has evidently been living in the palace for a long time.
B-Bo is first seen during Ataru's first visit to Neptune. In the manga and the 1981 anime, he is heard before he is seen, but in all three iterations, he first makes a formal appearance by smashing into Oyuki's bedchamber as Ataru attempts to seduce her (or is seduced by her, in the 2022 anime). He subsequently chases Ataru out of the palace and back through the dimensional tunnel to Tomobiki, where he ends up capturing Ataru and holding him hostage either from a telephone pole (manga) or Ataru's house (both anime). Oyuki somehow calms him down off-screen and takes him back to Neptune, though in the manga and the 2022 anime he is subsequently seen guarding the dimensional tunnel to Neptune in Ataru's closet to prevent Ataru from going back to Neptune. [1][2][3]
In an incident where a random dimensional tunnel deposited the Neptunian lemmings in front of Ran, who then ate the picnic that she had prepared for Rei, B-bo watched as Ran berated his beloved mistress.[4]
When Ran subsequently sent a ransom letter to Oyuki for the leader of the Neptunian lemmings, B-Bo insisted upon going with his mistress to visit Ran's spaceship, determined to protect Oyuki from the potentially dangerous and unstable alien. He succeeded, but not in the way he had envisioned; insisting on entering Ran's spaceship first, he was promptly bludgeoned unconscious by Ran, who had been laying in wait for Oyuki with a large mallet. He wouldn't regain consciousness until after Oyuki had concluded her business with Ran.[5]
Appearance[]
B-Bo is an enormous, ferocious-looking and hairy humanoid with vaguely ape-like features, including claws and fangs. He is covered in a thick layer of fur, which is white in the manga and 2022 anime, but brown in the 1981 anime. He wears a sash stretching from his right shoulder to his left hip, sporting a small, cartoony rabbit design, and similarly wears a headband with a cartoon rabbit's head on it. His facial features are somewhat different between the manga (and its more faithful 2022 animated adaptation) and the 1981 anime.
Personality[]
In the manga and the 1981 anime, B-bo has a distinctly child-like nature; he is first "encountered" in the form of loud growling and castle-shaking behavior from behind closed doors, resulting in him being gently scolded to calm down and wait for Oyuki to have the time to play with him. In the 2022 anime, where he is characterized as Oyuki's manservant, he displays a greater maturity, not being heard of until he responds to Oyuki and Ataru's loud (and lewd) voices in Oyuki's bedchamber.
In all versions, B-bo is intensely devoted to Oyuki, and is said to regard her as a sister. Because of this, he is fiercely protective of her, and when he believes Ataru is trying to force himself upon Oyuki, he comes to Oyuki's rescue - smashing through a wall and then chasing Ataru all the way back to Earth. Oyuki's reaction to this suggests that he may be overly protective of her. This protective nature is further shown in his only subsequent significant appearance, when he insists on coming to Ran's spaceship with Oyuki after Benten tricks the Neptunian princess into believing that Ran is holding one of her Neptunian lemmings hostage, as he fears that Oyuki may be in danger from Ran, even though Oyuki felt he was being overly cautious.
Media Appearances[]
Manga[] |
Anime[] |
Trivia[]
- In the original manga, B-Bo only speaks a single phrase; when he attacks Ataru in Oyuki's bedchambers. In the 1981 anime, he speaks in two other scenes - from behind a door after Oyuki asks him to quiet down, and whilst he is standing on a rooftop holding Ataru hostage at the end of episode 8, but on both of these occasions, his dialogue goes un-subtitled. In the 2022 anime, he reverts to only speaking a single line like in the manga in both the original Japanese and the English dubbed versions.
- His seiyū previously voiced Kōsuke Shirai in the original Urusei Yatsura OVA: The Obstacle Course Swim Meet, Ranma Saotome from Ranma ½, Inuyasha from Inuyasha, Bettō from The Merchant of Romance, Minoru from Middle-Aged Teen, Aisaki from Aberrant Family F and Sabato Rokudō from Kyōkai no Rinne.