List of the Big O characters
Encyclopedia
The fictional characters of The Big O
anime series were designed by series creator Keiichi Sato
, who also designed characters for the City Hunter
series. Because of union rules, most of the English voice cast for the first season were credited under pseudonyms; the only ones who used their real names were Lia Sargent
(R. Dorothy Wayneright), Wendee Lee
(Angel), Michael McConnohie
(Schwarzwald) and William Knight
(Gordon Rosewater).
. He is the . His job entails finding a resolution for the troubles of Paradigm City, the "City of Amnesia". He'd negotiate anything for anyone, but he is a professional and expects the parties to behave professionally. Despite this, he displays a certain aversion to the Paradigm Corporation, and takes the jobs he gets from them only if they happen to involve a threat to the city itself or are of personal interest to him. When memories betray the people and force them to reawaken monstrosities of the city's past, Roger's only option is to fight back with a monstrosity of his own, the black megadeus
Big O.
The character, originally envisioned as a private eye
, shows influences from Batman
, James Bond
and Giant Robo
s Daisaku Kusama.
Roger is voiced by Mitsuru Miyamoto
(Japanese) and Steven Blum
(English).
Creation and Characterization
In 1996, Keichii Sato and Kazuyoshi Katayama began work on what would become The Big O. Looking to create something distinguishable from the Gundam
franchise
, they used as a basis old super robot
series and American TV shows. Sato's original concept was a giant city-smashing robot piloted by a man in black, Roger Smith. Inspired by detective shows like Oretachi wa Tenshi da! (We Are Angels!) and Tantei Monogatari (Detective Story), Roger was to be a private eye
. However, the creators thought this to be too ordinary, and turned him into a Negotiator. With a negotiator, it would be "made sure the negotiations never work out... so, it's guaranteed the robot always trashes the place!" However, as the series progresses, most of his cases either require an investigation before actual negotiations can proceed, or they coincide with a police investigation. Thus, he ends up doing considerably more detective work than negotiating. Also, as the series progresses, the sort of stand-alone episodic casework is dropped in favor of an overarching theme (uncovering the truth of "The Event"). This ends up causing many of his issues to not involve clients at all, but to become personal investigations on his part. Contrary to other robot shows, the protagonist is not a young boy but a "cool adult". Sato's reasoning behind the decision is he wanted to give young viewers someone to look up to, and older viewers someone to identify with. In terms of personality, he starts off the series as a very arrogant, witty, sarcastic, and seemingly unconcerned individual to the point of being almost snide. In situations involving his work however, he is professional to the extreme, masking any hint of potentially emotional behavior. He values logic above almost all other qualities, and hates to feel out of control of either his emotions or whatever situation he is in. Thus, during negotiations, he maintains as best he can a calm, collected and pleasant attitude. As the series progresses however, many of these traits are ironed out of his character, and he begins to exhibit a much more compassionate and open-minded attitude, learing how to cope with emotional issues and people instead of just ignoring them. Some interesting incongruities pop up about his character as the story progresses. It is implied by Gordon Rosewater that Roger was alive before the Event and was not one of Gordon's genetically created children. Both he and Gordon refer to Roger having "lost memories" even though he appears to be in his mid twenties. Gordon specifically mentions a contract that he made with Roger prior to the Event. His flashbacks and hallucinations during the series would seem to indicate that he was a member of the military before the Event occurred, apparently holding the rank of Major, and was Big O's pilot even then. These flashbacks also seem to support Gordon's position that Roger was indeed alive prior to the Event, and a photograph taken of Roger and a younger Gordon seem also to lend credence to the theory. Though these theories are never brought to light.
Roger's Rules
The Negotiator is portrayed as very methodical and strict. He has a number of rules and policies that dictate all aspects of his everyday life; from how people must behave in his house to the way he performs his job:
Tools of the trade
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Roger considers side arm
s unbecoming a gentleman, so he avails himself of a number of gadgets to aid his job. Inspirations for the equipment include characters such as Batman
, James Bond
and Dick Tracy
; and shows like Thunderbirds
, Giant Robo
, and The Avengers
.
Roger's vehicle of choice is the , a black luxury sedan comparable to the Batmobile
and James Bond's Aston Martin
. The car comes equipped with armor for the wheels and windows, missile launchers, a communications station, Browning machine guns
behind the front indicators, electrochromatic camouflage
, and a police scanner.
The Negotiator's second most important weapon is his wristwatch, the tool for summoning the Big O. By calling the megadeus' name into the watch, Roger informs the giant it is "Showtime!" and it comes to its master's side. The watch also works as a remote control to the Griffon and includes a grappling cable, a laser cutter and a two-way communicator.
Roger's greatest weapon is the megadeus Big O. A metal behemoth that, unlike the giants of other robot anime, does not exhibit speed nor grace. But what it lacks in agility, it more than makes up for in power: The Big O is equipped with armed missiles, pile-driver powered punches, machine guns and laser cannons.
Big O is transported around Paradigm City and out into the country via underground railway tunnels aboard the massive, quad-engine carrier train called the Prairie Dog, which has a telescoping chute that can deploy and recover Big O on the surface. It apparently operates via remote, as Roger's butler Norman deploys it to different parts of the city from the mansion when his master has need of it. When not in use, it rests in an underground railway junction beneath Roger's mansion. In the manga, it is revealed that this transport also carries interchangeable arms for Big O that can be exchanged easily, something that is not shown in the anime.
In addition to these tools, Roger has exhibited extraordinary physical conditioning throughout the series, and has been shown may times to be much more physically capable than most humans. Of particular note is his strength; he has been able to carry Dorothy on several occasons, once even holding her while jumping down around 15 feet, while it has been shown that any other character in the series who has attempted to so much as move her can hardly even budge her. Also, during his brief hand to hand fight with Alan Gabriel (who has been shown to have superhuman capabilities), he was able to not only hold his own, but floor the cyborg during their initial exchange.
Dorothy stands just under 5 feet (150 cm) tall, has red hair, chalk-white skin and much more body weight than her slender appearance reveals. Her forehead houses an illuminated CD ROM drive, which is loaded from a drawer made to resemble a hair ribbon. While capable of normal human facial expression, in film-noir tradition she typically maintains a pouty contour and a mildly sarcastic personality, described by Angel as being "perpetually foul-tempered". Her dry wit is best reflected by her catchphrase "You're a louse, Roger Smith," her teasing response to Roger's sometimes unreasonable demands. She and Roger maintain playful retorts throughout the series, with Dorothy often going out of her way to irritate Roger or otherwise rattle his cage. Regardless, she has shown hints of romantic feelings towards Smith. Offsetting her straightforward attitude is her general likability; she gets along rather well with virtually everyone, even those with whom she harbors suspicion. From her conversation and behaviour, it is evident that Dorothy has the capacity for human emotions. She has shown genuine fear on a number of occasions, and reveals jealousy toward Angel's relationship with Roger and satisfaction from its failure to become romantic.
Dorothy is quite durable and much stronger than any human, able to punch down a brick wall with one blow or leap several dozen feet into the air. She has amazing balance, as seen during her moments of contemplation while standing precariously on the edge of Roger's balcony. R. Dorothy can run or bicycle at superhuman speed and does not require oxygen to operate. She shows superhuman coordination, performing effortless gymnastics and, is able to steer a car with her foot while riding on its hood. That she takes regular meals with Roger indicates she can consume food and beverages, although she admits in episode 11 "Daemonseed" not being able to taste. Dorothy also seems to have an unexplained connection to Big O itself. In Acts 20 and 21, when Dorothy is nearly destroyed by Alan Gabriel, Big O apparently senses this and shuts down in order to facilitate her rescue by Roger. In the final Act, she activates Big O's Final Stage weapon by plugging herself directly into the megadeus. She shows self-awareness and capacity for learning; throughout the series she exhibits talents at performance singing and virtuoso piano. It's suggested that the show's closing song is in fact R. Dorothy performing with a male vocalist, who may or may not be Roger.
Dorothy is voiced by Akiko Yajima
(Japanese) and Lia Sargent
(English).
Creation
The character of R. Dorothy Wayneright is a creation of the series head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka
. Until Konaka's involvement with the project in 1999, R. Dorothy was only known as "the android girl who lives with Roger." Her design was considerably changed and the characterization followed suit. Series creators Keiichi Sato and Kazuyoshi Katayama call her "edgy" but "loveable", aiming for a realistic character rather than the idealized portrayal of females that persists in anime.
Dorothy shares a similarity in behavior, appearance and speech with the android Lal
from the episode "The Offspring" from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation
. The character shares her name with Dorothy Gale of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
, a work Konaka references occasionally in his scripts, and the "R" initial is for "Robot", a naming convention used by Isaac Asimov
in his works.
. Forty years ago he, along with all of Paradigm, lost all memories, but he wouldn't think twice before going once more unto the breach for his master. Resourceful and talented, he is also caretaker
of the Big O robot. Aside from duties befitting a butler of a house, Norman is also a fine chef who makes it a point to keep hot food available for Roger no matter what time his employer's arrival home. Norman is older than Roger, and has apparently lost an eye, which he keeps covered with a patch. The butler is a fatherly influence for both Smith and Dorothy, and the first defense of the Smith mansion, capable of using a number of firearms in case of attack, ranging from small handguns to high calibur machine guns. In the opening credits of the show he's shown effectivily handling a chain gun. Norman also displays a tendency to get involved in the relationship between Roger and Dorothy, "pushing" the two together for sake of the emotional good each does the other. Where Roger drives his limo, Dorothy makes use of a bicycle occasionally, Norman's form of transportation is a motorcycle outfitted with a sidecar, ridden while the butler comically wears a "storm trooper" (Stahlhelm
) style helmet. Norman is grateful to Roger Smith for providing him a purpose and in return Roger considers Norman his most trusted and infallible aide de camp. In the Manga, he has a running gag where he will inquire Roger on paying him, but Roger always manages to avoid it.
Norman is voiced by Motomu Kiyokawa
(Japanese), Milton James
(English) in season one and Alan Oppenheimer
(English) in season two.
Dastun himself gets a burst of memory in "Winter Night Phantom", of a movie he saw as a child. In the movie, a police officer is arguing with a woman holding a balloon on a dock, ending with him shooting her. Her dying words are "Vous-êtes si gentil"("You are so kind"). In the present, Dastun began seeing a woman that looked exactly like the actress from the movie, Sybil Rowan, but not aged a day, roaming Paradigm City setting off explosions as a means of political assassination. This culminated in Dastun shooting her on a pier while she was holding a balloon, living out the scene from the movie. Towards the end of season 2, Dastun sees two children entering a theater to see the movie, the poster of which bills him as appearing, and when he follows to investigate, he finds they are child versions of himself and Sybil Rowan. Dastun's pride as a member of the military police puts him somewhat at odds with Roger after he resigns from the force, and he expresses an extreme amount of irritation every time Big O appears. At first this irritation is passed off as disliking the vigilante nature of the megadeus. However, as the series progresses, he reveals to Roger that his irritation stems from the fact that the military police do not have the ability to protect the city adequetly due to frequent megadeus attacks. This requires Big O to step in fairly often to counter these attacks, which Dastun feels robs the military police of purpose. However, he comes to accept this during season two. He is also one of the few characters who know of Roger's affiliation with Big O, and the only such character within the police department. He was revealed to have obtained this knowledge at some point before season two, but is only seen directly discussing it with Roger once.
in Season Two. Her role is that of a femme fatale
, the woman who deceptively misleads and ensnares the hero or other males in order to gain some end they would not freely help her achieve. Her interactions with Roger eventually force her into a somewhat different role. As the series progresses, she becomes more and more involved with Roger, even forsaking her duties to the union in order to feed him information, betraying them for Roger's sake. However, her relationship with Roger ultimately does not become romantic, as she believes him to be in love with Dorothy and, though he protests it, the opinion is further reinforced by Alan Gabriel's insistence that Roger "cares for [Dorothy] more than anyone". At the end of the series, she is shown to have some sort of special connection to whatever power controls their world, possibly even being that power herself (though this role is not adequately explained). She is also identified as one Gordon Rosewater's daughter, and is identified as "Angel Rosewater". One reviewer calls Angel a “Fujiko
clone” with a “body-hugging suit [that] would give Emma Peel
a run for her money.”
Angel is voiced by Emi Shinohara
(Japanese) and Wendee Lee
(English).
Alex possesses an unquenchable thirst for power, and an "ends justify the means" philosophy. Despite being more or less the absolute ruler of Paradigm City, Alex harbors dreams of even greater power and will stop at nothing to achieve them. The power that he desires is the power of the megadei, specifically the "Big" type megadei, as he believes that their pilots are "agents of the power of God". Alex sees himself as privileged as being the son of Gordon Rosewater, and at times acts as a "spoiled child", as observed by Vera Ronstadt. Although he appreciates the power of Big Fau, he treats it as his toy, even going so far as to crafting a miniature version of Big Fau to play with as seen in Act 22.
As Season 2 goes on, Alex develops a messianic complex, after reconstructing Big Fau and starting to pilot it. Initially, he is rejected by the megadeus as its pilot after using it to easily destroy a Union megadeus. After the Union megadeus was dealt with, Big Fau displayed the message "Ye Not" as it fired its dorsal beams into the already damaged cityscape. He manages to get it to work properly only after rigging it with Dorothy's memory core, so it is unknown if he is indeed its true pilot. After he enters the megadeus for the second time, his mental state seems to continually degrade much like Schwarzwald's did after coming into contact with Big Duo. During the Union bombardment of Paradigm, he declares that he will create a new world and destroy those who don't deserve to live in his world, specifically the people who live outside the domes and the Union. As his battle with Roger drags on, Big Fau inserts cables into Alex's back, apparently fusing itself with him. Though half of Big Fau is vaporized by Big O's Final Stage weapon, Alex survives and aims to finish Roger off - however, before he can do so, he is erased by Big Venus.
who takes Angel's place as Rosewater's assistant and the Union's liaison in season two. Gabriel's real agenda is somewhat nebulous, though it would appear that he is straddling the fence between the Union and Rosewater, depending on who will give him the opportunity to kill the most people. He seems to have a particularly gruesome hobby of dismantling androids while they still function, as he claims to despise androids. After attempting to kill Dorothy and sebsequently being foiled by Roger, Alan seems to make killing Roger his top priority. In the end, he is done in by the megadeus Big Duo Inferno, as it seems to reject him as its pilot while displaying the message "Ye Guilty".
and is voiced by Hochu Ohtsuka (Japanese) and Robert Buchholz (English).
his work. Eventually his search for the truth would become an obsession, and Seebach began living a double life. In time he became even more obsessed with his work and cut himself off from human contact, including his wife and children. But Seebach's obsession also resulted with an attempt on his life by Paradigm which disfigured his face.
Seebach eventually decided to journey into the underground of Paradigm City, where he encounters a megadeus Archetype, with him running off after Big O's fight with the Archetype. He reappears in Act:12, as the pilot of Big Duo.
In Act:17, thousands of copies of Schwarzwald's writings, a prophecy foretelling the coming of the Leviathan, peppered the city. By episode's end, it is revealed Schwarzwald was already dead. Schwarzwald appears to Big Duo's new pilot, Alan Gabriel, in Act:24. The apparition declares Gabriel not worthy of piloting it and, subsequently, the megadeus kills him. Schwarzwald's final act is a letter delivered to Roger Smith. The contents of the letter are unknown, but may be the monologue on the nature of "truth" delivered by Schwartzwald in voice over. Roger Smith wondered "if [Schwarzwald] was still wandering the city relentlessly in search of his own personal truth, even after his body had perished."
In the Manga, his appearance before the accident is revealed. He seemed to be a middle age man with a short beard, dressed in a trench coat and hat. It also reveals the origin to his alias, as it was part of a poem his mother taught him when he was a child.
Schwarzwald is voiced by Katsunosuke Hori
(Japanese) and Michael McConnohie
(English).
Gordon appears to be perfectly content with the uncertainties of the past, much to the dismay of those who come to him for memories, including his own son. While many look to him for answers, Gordon typically appears to be rather senile, or at least very apathetic. However, his odd speeches about his tomatoes appear to actually be a cryptic euphemism to answer the question.
Roger Smith has a recurring flashback of a man in a bloodstained surgeon's uniform standing before a group of children, and Roger believes this man to be Gordon Rosewater, implanting memories of the past into a younger generation. Gordon refuses to comment on this accusation directly, but, referring to his tomato crop, states "these tomatoes are reproduced synthetically, with only the memories of the sweet flavor from the original. If we keep repeating the process, this fruit will eventually become the real thing." He does not appear to have actually lost any of his memories however, as he has moments of apparently random lucidity throughout the series during which he reveals important clues to the Event. At the end of the series, he apparently regains both his mind and his interest in the city's past, explaining to Roger, Angel, and Vera several important truths about Paradigm and each of their various existences (Roger and Angel not being genetically engineered for example).
is introduced in Act:02 as R. Dorothy's grandfather, but turns out to be the man who commissioned its construction using his daughter Dorothy's memories. In "Negotiations with the Dead", it is revealed Wayneright's work was being funded and supported by the Union.
In Act:14, Roger sees a young Wayneright walking into the Nightingale club alongside the human Dorothy.
R. Instro reappears in Act:17, now expressing his skills as an organ player in one of Paradigm City's churches.
In the manga, he was arrested as a serial killer, due to the fact his hands match what an eye witness saw. It later turns out he was innocent and the crimes were being perpetrated by a cyborg who regained his memories.
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The name of applies to two different characters in Act:10. The first is an actress and anti-government activist expelled from the city thirty years before. She starred in Winter Night Phantom, a movie Dastun saw as a child and now remembers as a recurring dream.
The second character is the bomber featured in the episode. She identifies herself as , after Rowan's film. Her death, at the hands of Dastun, parallels that film's ending.
Sybil Rowan is voiced by Sakiko Tamagawa
(Japanese) and Mona Marshall
(English).
R.D., short for , is the titular character of the first season finale. She is R. Dorothy's "evil twin", an android of the same make and model. Red is a serial killer who targets foreigners that claim to have memories of forty years prior. Her calling card
is a message that reads "Cast in the Name of God, Ye not Guilty", the same reading on the Megadeuses screens when activated. She is destroyed after Big O mysteriously reactivates and arrives to protect Roger Smith.
Though identical to Dorothy physically, Red has a more robotic, computerized voice, and displays psychotic facial expressions as she chases Roger through the subways. The character is seen again, through flashback, during "Negotiations With The Dead". In Act:25, it is revealed she was activated by Alex Rosewater.
Her overall appears strikingly resembles Little Red Riding Hood
.
R.D. is voiced by Akiko Yajima
(Japanese) and Lia Sargent
(English).
The Big O
is a Japanese animated television series created by director Kazuyoshi Katayama and designer Keiichi Sato for Sunrise Studios. The writing staff was assembled by the series' head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka....
anime series were designed by series creator Keiichi Sato
Keiichi Sato
is a mecha and character designer born in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan in 1965.In 1996, Sato met with Kazuyoshi Katayama to begin work on The Big O. Until then, Sato's work consisted mainly of designing characters and supervising animation for anime series. The Big O is the first based on a...
, who also designed characters for the City Hunter
City Hunter
is a hardboiled manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo, published by Shueisha in the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. The manga was adapted into an animated television series by Sunrise Studios in 1987...
series. Because of union rules, most of the English voice cast for the first season were credited under pseudonyms; the only ones who used their real names were Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent is an American voice actress. She is known for extensive anime and video game voice work and has also done ADR directing and script writing for Animaze.. iNC...
(R. Dorothy Wayneright), Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
(Angel), Michael McConnohie
Michael McConnohie
Michael D. McConnohie is a voice actor and is the President of the Nevada-based Voxworks voice-acting corporation. He is known for his recognizable deep booming voice and is generally known for playing more charismatic characters...
(Schwarzwald) and William Knight
William Knight
William Knight is the name of:* Bill Knight, racing driver and speed record setter* Bill Knight , former Canadian Member of Parliament and financial executive* William Angus Knight , British writer, professor, and philosopher...
(Gordon Rosewater).
Roger Smith
is the series protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. He is the . His job entails finding a resolution for the troubles of Paradigm City, the "City of Amnesia". He'd negotiate anything for anyone, but he is a professional and expects the parties to behave professionally. Despite this, he displays a certain aversion to the Paradigm Corporation, and takes the jobs he gets from them only if they happen to involve a threat to the city itself or are of personal interest to him. When memories betray the people and force them to reawaken monstrosities of the city's past, Roger's only option is to fight back with a monstrosity of his own, the black megadeus
Megadeus
is the name given to the giant robots of The Big O anime series. Forty years prior to the events of the series, the world was turned into a vast desert wasteland and the survivors were left without memories. The megadeuses are portrayed as remnants of the previous civilization, a lost technology...
Big O.
The character, originally envisioned as a private eye
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
, shows influences from Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
and Giant Robo
Giant Robo
is an original video animation series written and directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa , and inspired by Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga series of the same name....
s Daisaku Kusama.
Roger is voiced by Mitsuru Miyamoto
Mitsuru Miyamoto
is a Japanese voice actor.-Anime:*Air Gear *Aka-chan to Boku *Baccano *The Big O *Fancy Lala *Fruits Basket...
(Japanese) and Steven Blum
Steven Blum
Steven Jay Blum is an American voice actor known primarily for his work in anime dubs and video games, using his distinctive deep voice. Among his credits include the voice of Spike Spiegel of the anime series Cowboy Bebop and Mugen of the anime series Samurai Champloo...
(English).
Creation and Characterization
In 1996, Keichii Sato and Kazuyoshi Katayama began work on what would become The Big O. Looking to create something distinguishable from the Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
, they used as a basis old super robot
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
series and American TV shows. Sato's original concept was a giant city-smashing robot piloted by a man in black, Roger Smith. Inspired by detective shows like Oretachi wa Tenshi da! (We Are Angels!) and Tantei Monogatari (Detective Story), Roger was to be a private eye
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
. However, the creators thought this to be too ordinary, and turned him into a Negotiator. With a negotiator, it would be "made sure the negotiations never work out... so, it's guaranteed the robot always trashes the place!" However, as the series progresses, most of his cases either require an investigation before actual negotiations can proceed, or they coincide with a police investigation. Thus, he ends up doing considerably more detective work than negotiating. Also, as the series progresses, the sort of stand-alone episodic casework is dropped in favor of an overarching theme (uncovering the truth of "The Event"). This ends up causing many of his issues to not involve clients at all, but to become personal investigations on his part. Contrary to other robot shows, the protagonist is not a young boy but a "cool adult". Sato's reasoning behind the decision is he wanted to give young viewers someone to look up to, and older viewers someone to identify with. In terms of personality, he starts off the series as a very arrogant, witty, sarcastic, and seemingly unconcerned individual to the point of being almost snide. In situations involving his work however, he is professional to the extreme, masking any hint of potentially emotional behavior. He values logic above almost all other qualities, and hates to feel out of control of either his emotions or whatever situation he is in. Thus, during negotiations, he maintains as best he can a calm, collected and pleasant attitude. As the series progresses however, many of these traits are ironed out of his character, and he begins to exhibit a much more compassionate and open-minded attitude, learing how to cope with emotional issues and people instead of just ignoring them. Some interesting incongruities pop up about his character as the story progresses. It is implied by Gordon Rosewater that Roger was alive before the Event and was not one of Gordon's genetically created children. Both he and Gordon refer to Roger having "lost memories" even though he appears to be in his mid twenties. Gordon specifically mentions a contract that he made with Roger prior to the Event. His flashbacks and hallucinations during the series would seem to indicate that he was a member of the military before the Event occurred, apparently holding the rank of Major, and was Big O's pilot even then. These flashbacks also seem to support Gordon's position that Roger was indeed alive prior to the Event, and a photograph taken of Roger and a younger Gordon seem also to lend credence to the theory. Though these theories are never brought to light.
Roger's Rules
The Negotiator is portrayed as very methodical and strict. He has a number of rules and policies that dictate all aspects of his everyday life; from how people must behave in his house to the way he performs his job:
- "I have a special house rule that only lovely young women can unconditionally enter this mansion." (Act:01)
- "If you stay [in my house], then you wear black." (Act:02)
- "It's not my style to carry a gun." (Act:03)
- "I value women and the elderly. It's one of my policies." (Act:05)
- "If someone lacks courtesy and sincerity, I ask them to leave." (Act:05)
- "The most important rule of all is under no circumstances must anyone touch my desk!" (Act:08)
- "The basic rule of negotiating is to consider and respect the other person's feelings." (Act:08)
- "If you want to live a happy life in this city, leave memories alone when they pop up. That's Roger Smith's Rule No. 1." (Act:11)
- "You have to use your pent-up energy to fight through the harshness of reality. That's Roger Smith's Rule No. 2." (Act:11)
- "A Negotiator only uses force as a last resort." (Act:18)
- "Something else that goes against my policies--using violence against women." (Act:25)
Tools of the trade
Side arm
A side arm is a weapon, usually a pistol but can be a dagger, as used in pre-modern times, which is worn on the body in a holster to permit immediate access and use. A side arm is typically required equipment for military personnel and sometimes carried by law enforcement personnel...
s unbecoming a gentleman, so he avails himself of a number of gadgets to aid his job. Inspirations for the equipment include characters such as Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
and Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
; and shows like Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
, Giant Robo
Giant Robo
is an original video animation series written and directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa , and inspired by Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga series of the same name....
, and The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
.
Roger's vehicle of choice is the , a black luxury sedan comparable to the Batmobile
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...
and James Bond's Aston Martin
Aston Martin DB5
The Aston Martin DB5 is a luxury grand tourer that was made by Aston Martin. Released in 1963, it was an evolution of the final series of DB4. The DB series was named honouring David Brown ....
. The car comes equipped with armor for the wheels and windows, missile launchers, a communications station, Browning machine guns
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...
behind the front indicators, electrochromatic camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, and a police scanner.
The Negotiator's second most important weapon is his wristwatch, the tool for summoning the Big O. By calling the megadeus' name into the watch, Roger informs the giant it is "Showtime!" and it comes to its master's side. The watch also works as a remote control to the Griffon and includes a grappling cable, a laser cutter and a two-way communicator.
Roger's greatest weapon is the megadeus Big O. A metal behemoth that, unlike the giants of other robot anime, does not exhibit speed nor grace. But what it lacks in agility, it more than makes up for in power: The Big O is equipped with armed missiles, pile-driver powered punches, machine guns and laser cannons.
Big O is transported around Paradigm City and out into the country via underground railway tunnels aboard the massive, quad-engine carrier train called the Prairie Dog, which has a telescoping chute that can deploy and recover Big O on the surface. It apparently operates via remote, as Roger's butler Norman deploys it to different parts of the city from the mansion when his master has need of it. When not in use, it rests in an underground railway junction beneath Roger's mansion. In the manga, it is revealed that this transport also carries interchangeable arms for Big O that can be exchanged easily, something that is not shown in the anime.
In addition to these tools, Roger has exhibited extraordinary physical conditioning throughout the series, and has been shown may times to be much more physically capable than most humans. Of particular note is his strength; he has been able to carry Dorothy on several occasons, once even holding her while jumping down around 15 feet, while it has been shown that any other character in the series who has attempted to so much as move her can hardly even budge her. Also, during his brief hand to hand fight with Alan Gabriel (who has been shown to have superhuman capabilities), he was able to not only hold his own, but floor the cyborg during their initial exchange.
R. Dorothy Wayneright
is Roger's assistant. Introduced in Act:01 as Dorothy Soldano, daughter of rich scientist Miguel Soldano, she is later revealed to be an android constructed by him. Her actual "father" would be Timothy Wayneright, the man who commissioned her construction and father of the real and presumably deceased Dorothy Wayneright. To show her gratitude, and as a form of payment for Roger's help, she decides to move in with him and help out Norman with the chores. In occasional episodes, Dorothy accompanies Roger in his work as a negotiator.Dorothy stands just under 5 feet (150 cm) tall, has red hair, chalk-white skin and much more body weight than her slender appearance reveals. Her forehead houses an illuminated CD ROM drive, which is loaded from a drawer made to resemble a hair ribbon. While capable of normal human facial expression, in film-noir tradition she typically maintains a pouty contour and a mildly sarcastic personality, described by Angel as being "perpetually foul-tempered". Her dry wit is best reflected by her catchphrase "You're a louse, Roger Smith," her teasing response to Roger's sometimes unreasonable demands. She and Roger maintain playful retorts throughout the series, with Dorothy often going out of her way to irritate Roger or otherwise rattle his cage. Regardless, she has shown hints of romantic feelings towards Smith. Offsetting her straightforward attitude is her general likability; she gets along rather well with virtually everyone, even those with whom she harbors suspicion. From her conversation and behaviour, it is evident that Dorothy has the capacity for human emotions. She has shown genuine fear on a number of occasions, and reveals jealousy toward Angel's relationship with Roger and satisfaction from its failure to become romantic.
Dorothy is quite durable and much stronger than any human, able to punch down a brick wall with one blow or leap several dozen feet into the air. She has amazing balance, as seen during her moments of contemplation while standing precariously on the edge of Roger's balcony. R. Dorothy can run or bicycle at superhuman speed and does not require oxygen to operate. She shows superhuman coordination, performing effortless gymnastics and, is able to steer a car with her foot while riding on its hood. That she takes regular meals with Roger indicates she can consume food and beverages, although she admits in episode 11 "Daemonseed" not being able to taste. Dorothy also seems to have an unexplained connection to Big O itself. In Acts 20 and 21, when Dorothy is nearly destroyed by Alan Gabriel, Big O apparently senses this and shuts down in order to facilitate her rescue by Roger. In the final Act, she activates Big O's Final Stage weapon by plugging herself directly into the megadeus. She shows self-awareness and capacity for learning; throughout the series she exhibits talents at performance singing and virtuoso piano. It's suggested that the show's closing song is in fact R. Dorothy performing with a male vocalist, who may or may not be Roger.
Dorothy is voiced by Akiko Yajima
Akiko Yajima
, born May 4, 1967, is a Japanese voice actress from Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture.-Anime:*Battle Athletes Victory *Berserk *The Big O *Blood+...
(Japanese) and Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent is an American voice actress. She is known for extensive anime and video game voice work and has also done ADR directing and script writing for Animaze.. iNC...
(English).
Creation
The character of R. Dorothy Wayneright is a creation of the series head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka
Chiaki J. Konaka
, born April 4, 1961) is a Japanese writer and scenarist best known for Serial Experiments Lain, and later for the Digimon season, Digimon Tamers....
. Until Konaka's involvement with the project in 1999, R. Dorothy was only known as "the android girl who lives with Roger." Her design was considerably changed and the characterization followed suit. Series creators Keiichi Sato and Kazuyoshi Katayama call her "edgy" but "loveable", aiming for a realistic character rather than the idealized portrayal of females that persists in anime.
Dorothy shares a similarity in behavior, appearance and speech with the android Lal
Lal
Lal is derived from the Indo-Iranian word meaning 'Red'. It is a middle name used by many Indo-Aryan clans. Lal is also used as a final element of a compound personal name, such as Amir lal , Dost Lal , Rani Lal and Padshah Lal Qamar...
from the episode "The Offspring" from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. The character shares her name with Dorothy Gale of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
, a work Konaka references occasionally in his scripts, and the "R" initial is for "Robot", a naming convention used by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
in his works.
Norman Burg
is Roger's butlerButler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
. Forty years ago he, along with all of Paradigm, lost all memories, but he wouldn't think twice before going once more unto the breach for his master. Resourceful and talented, he is also caretaker
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
of the Big O robot. Aside from duties befitting a butler of a house, Norman is also a fine chef who makes it a point to keep hot food available for Roger no matter what time his employer's arrival home. Norman is older than Roger, and has apparently lost an eye, which he keeps covered with a patch. The butler is a fatherly influence for both Smith and Dorothy, and the first defense of the Smith mansion, capable of using a number of firearms in case of attack, ranging from small handguns to high calibur machine guns. In the opening credits of the show he's shown effectivily handling a chain gun. Norman also displays a tendency to get involved in the relationship between Roger and Dorothy, "pushing" the two together for sake of the emotional good each does the other. Where Roger drives his limo, Dorothy makes use of a bicycle occasionally, Norman's form of transportation is a motorcycle outfitted with a sidecar, ridden while the butler comically wears a "storm trooper" (Stahlhelm
Stahlhelm
Stahlhelm is German for "steel helmet". The Imperial German Army began to replace the traditional boiled-leather Pickelhaube with the Stahlhelm during World War I in 1916...
) style helmet. Norman is grateful to Roger Smith for providing him a purpose and in return Roger considers Norman his most trusted and infallible aide de camp. In the Manga, he has a running gag where he will inquire Roger on paying him, but Roger always manages to avoid it.
Norman is voiced by Motomu Kiyokawa
Motomu Kiyokawa
is a Japanese actor and seiyū from Kanagawa Prefecture. He is affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society.-Voice roles:*The Big O *BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger...
(Japanese), Milton James
Milton James
Milton James is a voice actor who also uses the pseudonyms Richard Barnes, Milt Jamin, and Murray Williams.- Anime :*Lensman - Zuilk*Ghost in the Shell *The Castle of Cagliostro - Jodo...
(English) in season one and Alan Oppenheimer
Alan Oppenheimer
Alan Oppenheimer is an American character actor and voice actor. He has performed numerous roles on live-action television since the 1960s, and has had an active career doing voice work in cartoons since the 1970s.-Early life:...
(English) in season two.
Dan Dastun
is the middle-aged Chief of the Military Police, introduced in Act:01. In "Winter Night Phantom", Roger describes him as "a hard-nosed cop [...] completely devoted to the force, and he has more pride in the Military Police than anything else." He continues, "Paradigm City needs him as much as it needs [The Negotiator]." He is Roger's former commander, but they still maintain contact. Dastun resents having the force called the "watchdogs" of the Paradigm Corporation, and has expressed his disdain for its executives.Dastun himself gets a burst of memory in "Winter Night Phantom", of a movie he saw as a child. In the movie, a police officer is arguing with a woman holding a balloon on a dock, ending with him shooting her. Her dying words are "Vous-êtes si gentil"("You are so kind"). In the present, Dastun began seeing a woman that looked exactly like the actress from the movie, Sybil Rowan, but not aged a day, roaming Paradigm City setting off explosions as a means of political assassination. This culminated in Dastun shooting her on a pier while she was holding a balloon, living out the scene from the movie. Towards the end of season 2, Dastun sees two children entering a theater to see the movie, the poster of which bills him as appearing, and when he follows to investigate, he finds they are child versions of himself and Sybil Rowan. Dastun's pride as a member of the military police puts him somewhat at odds with Roger after he resigns from the force, and he expresses an extreme amount of irritation every time Big O appears. At first this irritation is passed off as disliking the vigilante nature of the megadeus. However, as the series progresses, he reveals to Roger that his irritation stems from the fact that the military police do not have the ability to protect the city adequetly due to frequent megadeus attacks. This requires Big O to step in fairly often to counter these attacks, which Dastun feels robs the military police of purpose. However, he comes to accept this during season two. He is also one of the few characters who know of Roger's affiliation with Big O, and the only such character within the police department. He was revealed to have obtained this knowledge at some point before season two, but is only seen directly discussing it with Roger once.
Angel
is the beautiful woman Roger encounters throughout the series. Introduced in Act:03 as Cassey Jenkins (according to the business card she gave to Roger), investigator for Paradigm Power Management, then again in Act:04 as Patricia Lovejoy, secretary for the publisher of Paradigm Press. In Act:07, it is revealed that she bears two long scars on her back, giving the impression that she once had wings; hence her name. Originally a recurring character, Angel was given top billingBilling (film)
Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works...
in Season Two. Her role is that of a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, the woman who deceptively misleads and ensnares the hero or other males in order to gain some end they would not freely help her achieve. Her interactions with Roger eventually force her into a somewhat different role. As the series progresses, she becomes more and more involved with Roger, even forsaking her duties to the union in order to feed him information, betraying them for Roger's sake. However, her relationship with Roger ultimately does not become romantic, as she believes him to be in love with Dorothy and, though he protests it, the opinion is further reinforced by Alan Gabriel's insistence that Roger "cares for [Dorothy] more than anyone". At the end of the series, she is shown to have some sort of special connection to whatever power controls their world, possibly even being that power herself (though this role is not adequately explained). She is also identified as one Gordon Rosewater's daughter, and is identified as "Angel Rosewater". One reviewer calls Angel a “Fujiko
Fujiko Mine
is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch, for his Lupin III series. Fujiko is a professional criminal, burglar and "confidence trickster"....
clone” with a “body-hugging suit [that] would give Emma Peel
Emma Peel
Emma Peel was a fictional spy played by Diana Rigg in the British 1960s adventure television series The Avengers. She was born Emma Knight, the daughter of an industrialist, Sir John Knight.-Casting:...
a run for her money.”
Angel is voiced by Emi Shinohara
Emi Shinohara
is a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. She was born in Fukushima Prefecture and raised in Nagano. She is married to tokusatsu actor Hiroshi Watari...
(Japanese) and Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
(English).
Alex Rosewater
is the chairman of the and the son of Paradigm City's founder. He shows great contempt for the poor of Paradigm and the foreigners living in the city; going so far as to appreciate some of the catastrophes that befall the city as they "clean up some of that abominable mess" (referring to the people outside the domes). For Alex, Paradigm's true citizens are those within the domes. Alex always wears a white suit in direct contrast to Roger Smith's black one.Alex possesses an unquenchable thirst for power, and an "ends justify the means" philosophy. Despite being more or less the absolute ruler of Paradigm City, Alex harbors dreams of even greater power and will stop at nothing to achieve them. The power that he desires is the power of the megadei, specifically the "Big" type megadei, as he believes that their pilots are "agents of the power of God". Alex sees himself as privileged as being the son of Gordon Rosewater, and at times acts as a "spoiled child", as observed by Vera Ronstadt. Although he appreciates the power of Big Fau, he treats it as his toy, even going so far as to crafting a miniature version of Big Fau to play with as seen in Act 22.
As Season 2 goes on, Alex develops a messianic complex, after reconstructing Big Fau and starting to pilot it. Initially, he is rejected by the megadeus as its pilot after using it to easily destroy a Union megadeus. After the Union megadeus was dealt with, Big Fau displayed the message "Ye Not" as it fired its dorsal beams into the already damaged cityscape. He manages to get it to work properly only after rigging it with Dorothy's memory core, so it is unknown if he is indeed its true pilot. After he enters the megadeus for the second time, his mental state seems to continually degrade much like Schwarzwald's did after coming into contact with Big Duo. During the Union bombardment of Paradigm, he declares that he will create a new world and destroy those who don't deserve to live in his world, specifically the people who live outside the domes and the Union. As his battle with Roger drags on, Big Fau inserts cables into Alex's back, apparently fusing itself with him. Though half of Big Fau is vaporized by Big O's Final Stage weapon, Alex survives and aims to finish Roger off - however, before he can do so, he is erased by Big Venus.
Alan Gabriel
is an eccentric psychopath, a cyborgCyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
who takes Angel's place as Rosewater's assistant and the Union's liaison in season two. Gabriel's real agenda is somewhat nebulous, though it would appear that he is straddling the fence between the Union and Rosewater, depending on who will give him the opportunity to kill the most people. He seems to have a particularly gruesome hobby of dismantling androids while they still function, as he claims to despise androids. After attempting to kill Dorothy and sebsequently being foiled by Roger, Alan seems to make killing Roger his top priority. In the end, he is done in by the megadeus Big Duo Inferno, as it seems to reject him as its pilot while displaying the message "Ye Guilty".
Vera Ronstadt
, introduced in Act:20, leads agents within Paradigm. Vera made a deal with Alex Rosewater in which the Union would deliver the parts to construct Big Fau for Alex, but he then reneged on the deal and hunted down all of the Union members. Towards the end of season 2 Vera claimed to be Angel's mother, although given that Angel's memories of her mother appear to have been fabricated, Vera may not have been speaking literally.Big Ear
is Roger's informant. He hangs around the Speakeasy, always reading the newspaper. During the final episode, Big Ear is revealed to be an android, with synthetic skin applied over a metallic body.Jason Beck
, sometimes referred to as Beck Gold (due to his overall appearance) is introduced as Dorothy's kidnapper in the series premiere. After "being humiliated" by Roger during the kidnapping case, Beck's further appearances on the show consist of his trying to humiliate Roger back. However, his plans continually degrade from sinister and dangerous to almost comical in nature. He also seems to have numerous memories relating to the operations and abilities of the Megadeus, including one pertaining specifically to Roger's identity as the pilot of Big O. Beck becomes Alex Rosewater's agent after Alan Gabriel threatens him with an order of execution, but is unhappy with this situation despite both a successful attack on Roger and a considerable compensation. Thus, he betrays Rosewater and ends up aiding Roger in the final Act by telling Dorothy how to activate Big O's Final Stage. Beck apparently is a satire of manga/anime character Arsene Lupin IIIArsène Lupin III
is a fictional character introduced by Monkey Punch in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. According to its creator, Lupin is the grandson of Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin....
and is voiced by Hochu Ohtsuka (Japanese) and Robert Buchholz (English).
Schwarzwald
first appears in Act:04, "Underground Terror". His real name is , a reporter for Paradigm Press. As a reporter, Seebach was obsessed with bringing the truth to the people of Paradigm City, but became frustrated as the Paradigm Corporation continually censoredCensorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
his work. Eventually his search for the truth would become an obsession, and Seebach began living a double life. In time he became even more obsessed with his work and cut himself off from human contact, including his wife and children. But Seebach's obsession also resulted with an attempt on his life by Paradigm which disfigured his face.
Seebach eventually decided to journey into the underground of Paradigm City, where he encounters a megadeus Archetype, with him running off after Big O's fight with the Archetype. He reappears in Act:12, as the pilot of Big Duo.
In Act:17, thousands of copies of Schwarzwald's writings, a prophecy foretelling the coming of the Leviathan, peppered the city. By episode's end, it is revealed Schwarzwald was already dead. Schwarzwald appears to Big Duo's new pilot, Alan Gabriel, in Act:24. The apparition declares Gabriel not worthy of piloting it and, subsequently, the megadeus kills him. Schwarzwald's final act is a letter delivered to Roger Smith. The contents of the letter are unknown, but may be the monologue on the nature of "truth" delivered by Schwartzwald in voice over. Roger Smith wondered "if [Schwarzwald] was still wandering the city relentlessly in search of his own personal truth, even after his body had perished."
In the Manga, his appearance before the accident is revealed. He seemed to be a middle age man with a short beard, dressed in a trench coat and hat. It also reveals the origin to his alias, as it was part of a poem his mother taught him when he was a child.
Schwarzwald is voiced by Katsunosuke Hori
Katsunosuke Hori
is a veteran Japanese voice actor, actor, and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is a member of 81 Produce.-Voice roles:*Astro Boy *Baldios *The Big O...
(Japanese) and Michael McConnohie
Michael McConnohie
Michael D. McConnohie is a voice actor and is the President of the Nevada-based Voxworks voice-acting corporation. He is known for his recognizable deep booming voice and is generally known for playing more charismatic characters...
(English).
Gordon Rosewater
is often credited as the man responsible for the construction of Paradigm City. Gordon's son, Alex Rosewater, took over his father's duties when he retired. Gordon spends much of his time in a private dome of his own, growing tomatoes.Gordon appears to be perfectly content with the uncertainties of the past, much to the dismay of those who come to him for memories, including his own son. While many look to him for answers, Gordon typically appears to be rather senile, or at least very apathetic. However, his odd speeches about his tomatoes appear to actually be a cryptic euphemism to answer the question.
Roger Smith has a recurring flashback of a man in a bloodstained surgeon's uniform standing before a group of children, and Roger believes this man to be Gordon Rosewater, implanting memories of the past into a younger generation. Gordon refuses to comment on this accusation directly, but, referring to his tomato crop, states "these tomatoes are reproduced synthetically, with only the memories of the sweet flavor from the original. If we keep repeating the process, this fruit will eventually become the real thing." He does not appear to have actually lost any of his memories however, as he has moments of apparently random lucidity throughout the series during which he reveals important clues to the Event. At the end of the series, he apparently regains both his mind and his interest in the city's past, explaining to Roger, Angel, and Vera several important truths about Paradigm and each of their various existences (Roger and Angel not being genetically engineered for example).
Timothy Wayneright I
In Act:14, Roger sees a young Wayneright walking into the Nightingale club alongside the human Dorothy.
R. Instro
is an android introduced in Act:06. He is a very gifted concert pianist who gives Dorothy lessons. Instro was constructed by Amadeus, a scientist whose work was bankrolled by Paradigm until he was murdered by his research partner, Gieseng.R. Instro reappears in Act:17, now expressing his skills as an organ player in one of Paradigm City's churches.
In the manga, he was arrested as a serial killer, due to the fact his hands match what an eye witness saw. It later turns out he was innocent and the crimes were being perpetrated by a cyborg who regained his memories.
Sybil Rowan
The second character is the bomber featured in the episode. She identifies herself as , after Rowan's film. Her death, at the hands of Dastun, parallels that film's ending.
Sybil Rowan is voiced by Sakiko Tamagawa
Sakiko Tamagawa
is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. She works at Sigma Seven and is married to fellow voice actor Shūichi Ikeda.-Anime:*Akihabara Dennou Gumi as Miyama Soshigaya/Death Crow*Atashinchi as Mrs...
(Japanese) and Mona Marshall
Mona Marshall
Mona M. Ianotti is an American voice actress. She is often cast in the role of young boys. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well. Mona Marshall has recently lent her voice to the talking bear Koby the Study Buddy...
(English).
R.D.
Calling card (crime)
A calling card is a particular object sometimes left behind by a criminal at a scene of a crime, often as a way of taunting police or obliquely claiming responsibility. The name is derived from the cards that people used to show they had been to visit someone's house when the resident was absent...
is a message that reads "Cast in the Name of God, Ye not Guilty", the same reading on the Megadeuses screens when activated. She is destroyed after Big O mysteriously reactivates and arrives to protect Roger Smith.
Though identical to Dorothy physically, Red has a more robotic, computerized voice, and displays psychotic facial expressions as she chases Roger through the subways. The character is seen again, through flashback, during "Negotiations With The Dead". In Act:25, it is revealed she was activated by Alex Rosewater.
Her overall appears strikingly resembles Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
.
R.D. is voiced by Akiko Yajima
Akiko Yajima
, born May 4, 1967, is a Japanese voice actress from Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture.-Anime:*Battle Athletes Victory *Berserk *The Big O *Blood+...
(Japanese) and Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent
Lia Sargent is an American voice actress. She is known for extensive anime and video game voice work and has also done ADR directing and script writing for Animaze.. iNC...
(English).
External links
- Big O - Adult SwimAdult SwimAdult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. - Character Profiles - Paradigm City.