Big Man

From Inkipedia, the Splatoon wiki

Big Man
S3 Big Man Render.png
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 in Return of the Mammalians

Big Man, alias Ian BGM, is a character in Splatoon 3 and one of the three members of the band Deep Cut, alongside Shiver and Frye, with whom he co-hosts both Anarchy Splatcast, the news show of Splatsville, and Splatfests. He is also the fourth reachable boss of Return of the Mammalians. His signature colors are gray and red.

His voice actor is currently unknown.

Appearance

Big Man is a large dark-gray manta 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 dark 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 an eagle 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 other oceanic rays. Due to his large size, Big Man's amiibo 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 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 character Nezumi Kozō, a famous thief that wears a hokkamuri headscarf tied under his nose. The hokkamuri is also commonly worn by performers during certain Japanese festivals, such as the Awa Dance Festival. This could be referencing the fact that Big Man is both a Splatfest host and bandit.

In Alterna, he wears a beige mask, which strongly resembles an onryō 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 his team's color, giving him a slight glow. [3] The edges of his fins pulse in the same color, similar to Shiver and Frye's shawls.

During the Zombie vs. Skeleton vs. Ghost Splatfest, Big Man wears a large ghost-like sheet sewn to his size with horizontal holes on the front that resemble the gills of a ray. His headpiece is replaced with what appears to be a piece of brown driftwood.

Personality and traits

Big Man is the most laid-back member of Deep Cut. While Shiver and Frye 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 parenthesis. In the Japanese version, Big Man is the only Deep 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 put Anarchy 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.[4] He mainly contributes to Deep Cut by creating the backing tracks Shiver and Frye sing to, described as being EDM based[5]; he occasionally also provides vocals in some songs. He also looks up to and actively tries to learn from older musicians like Front Roe, C-Side, and "a DJ from Inkopolis".[6] Big Man's musical style appears to have at least some Brazilian inspiration.

Ian BGM with the Squid Sisters, as seen on the photograph held up by Frye in Big Betrayal

Alias

The song Liquid 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 enigmatic Splatlandian singer",[7] the song's official music video showing his lyrics in gray (with Callie's and Marie'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),[8] and the name "Ian BGM" being an anagram of "Big Man", which is the case in all other languages as well.

In the Deep Cut song Big Betrayal, released several months after Liquid Sunshine, Shiver and Frye, 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 a King Flip Mesh and Retro BluFocals rather than his usual headgear.

History

Early life

Big Man was born into the Manta Clan,[9] well-known for representing the Splatlands. He met Shiver and Frye 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.[4] 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. [6]

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 of Hide 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.[10]

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 in Sunken Scroll 12, where a family tree can be seen on the left side of the scroll, indicating Big Man's lineage.[11]

Splatoon 3

By the time of Splatoon 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), and Anarchy Rainbow for the entire event. They are also the ones who initially report the news of the Great Zapfish's third disappearance.

Return of the Mammalians

Big Man and the rest of Deep Cut are initially hostile to Agent 3 and the New Squidbeak Splatoon, declaring that all treasure in Alterna 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 the treasure (after using it to remove Fuzzy 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 become Marie's employees and the player's allies and help them in defeating Mr. 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 third Deep Cut boss. His boss kettle is found at the Happiness Research Lab site. 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
Fictional Band Song Name Audio
S3 Band Deep Cut.png
Big Man
Anarchy Poisons (Boar Mix)
S Band Squid Sisters.jpg
Squid Sisters feat. Ian BGM
Liquid Sunshine

In the manga series

Big Man, along with Shiver and Frye, first appeared in Issue 17 of the CoroCoro manga Splatoon 3: Splatlands, where his co-stars told Team Blue about the Splatsville Great Eight. His role in the manga is similar to his role in the game.

Tableturf Battle

RotM Icon Big Man.png Big Man's Deck
Tri-Stringer

11

Tri-Stringer
Splat Bomb

3

Splat Bomb
Burst Bomb

1

Burst Bomb
Squid Beakon

9

Squid Beakon
Ink Mine

4

Ink Mine
Toxic Mist

5

Toxic Mist
Torpedo

4

Torpedo
Triple Inkstrike

12

Triple Inkstrike
Shiver

17

Shiver
Frye

17

Frye
Big Man

17

Big Man
Octobomber

13

Octobomber
Octopod

2

Octopod
Oversized Octopod

11

Oversized Octopod
Goldie

12

Goldie

Palette

SO Icon Big Man.png Big Man's Palette
S3 Weapon Main Order Slosher Replica 2D Current.png
Order Slosher
S3 Weapon Sub Suction Bomb Flat.png
Suction Bomb
S3 Weapon Special Triple Inkstrike.png
Triple Inkstrike
SO Icon Smollusk.png
I've seen how this big manta was waised
with wuv in a warm, caring household!

Life seems tough for him wight now. He's
got wesponsibiwities as head of his
cwan, fwiends who give him all sorts of
gwief, and a job that keeps him up wate
writing songs.

So why is there always such a happy
gweam in his eyes?! BWECH! It annoys
me, so he must be PUNISHED!
Most common Tone:
SO Icon color chip type Support.png Support
Second Most common Tone:
SO Icon color chip type Drone.png Drone

Quotes

For Tableturf Battle quotes, see List of Tableturf Battle rivals in Splatoon 3#Quotes.
For quotes for securing the Ultra Signal, see Ultra Signal#Deep Cut Call.

Gallery

Image linking to the gallery page
View the gallery

Trivia

S3 Sticker SQDNOV character.png
Too long!
This trivia section is too long. Information should either be consolidated, rewritten, or otherwise integrated into the main article.
  • Big Man is the first and only male news announcer in the Splatoon series.
    • He is also the only and first male member of an idol group, 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 with Phantamanta in Super 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 the Super Mario Sunshine mission. The Dutch title is translated directly from the English mission name in Super Mario Sunshine, which does not have an official Dutch translation; likewise, the Korean and Chinese titles are translated from the Japanese title.
  • In the second half of Splatfests, when Deep Cut performs on the combined floats, there is a brief moment where Big Man's dance startles Shiver and Frye, 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.
  • The European Portuguese translation of Big Man's Nintendo Direct reveal is the only localization where Big Man speaks normally, without any translation brackets.
  • Big Man is said to be a good pianist[6] despite his lack of hands. He is also seen with a Nintendo Switch in the Gear vs. Grub vs. Fun Splatfest art, which indicates that his fins are at least partially able to do the same things as hands.
    • The Art of Splatoon 3 reveals that Big Man is, in fact, dexterous, mentioning his skill in weaponry and musical instruments.[12]
      • This is further confirmed in the Drums vs. Guitar vs. Keyboard Splatfest announcement, where Big Man states he plays the keyboard.[Citation needed]
    • However, whenever new weapons are announced in Anarchy Splatcast, Big Man asks whether or not any of the newly-added weapons are fin operated, suggesting he cannot use some of the weapons used by Inklings and Octolings.[13]
  • Big Man is the only idol to not have a single preferred weapon class, with his dialogue from Anarchy Splatcast mentioning using sloshers, blasters, and brushes.[14][15][16]
    • However, his Side Order palette has a slosher, indicating his preferred weapon of choice is a slosher.

Etymology

"Big Man" refers to his larger size compared to Inklings and Octolings and is also a pun on the word "manta".

"Ian BGM" is an anagram of Big Man (Ian = Big Man and BGM = Big Man). 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
Japan 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)[12]
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
Netherlands Dutch Ray From the English word ray
CanadaFrance French Raimi From raie ("ray") and "mi" of the common given name Rémi
Germany German Mantaro From Mantarochen ("manta ray")
Italy Italian Mantaleo From manta ("manta ray") and Leo, diminutive of the male given name Leonardo
Russia Russian Биг Ман
Big Man
Transliteration of the English name
SpainMexico Spanish Rayan From raya ("ray") or Manta raya ("manta ray") and pronounced identically to the English given name Ryan
China Chinese (Simplified) 鬼福
Guǐfú
From 鬼蝠鲼 guǐfúfèn ("giant oceanic manta ray") and 福 ("good fortune")
Hong Kong Chinese (Traditional) 鬼福
Guǐfú
From 鬼蝠魟 guǐfúhóng ("giant oceanic manta ray") and 福 ("good fortune")
South Korea Korean 만타로
Mantaro
Transliteration of Japanese name
Portugal Portuguese Big Man Same as English
Translate logo.svg Internal IdolC[17] Being the third of the three idols and representing Team Charlie during Splatfest


Ian BGM
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese RANOMAT Anagram of "Mantaro"
Netherlands Dutch YAR "Ray" backwards
CanadaFrance French Mirai Anagram of "Raimi", homograph of the Japanese word mirai, meaning "future".
Germany German RANOMAT Anagram of "Mantaro"
Italy Italian MALENTAO Anagram of "Mantaleo"
Russia Russian БАГМИН
Bagmin
Anagram of "Биг Ман"
SpainMexico Spanish NAYAR "Rayan" backwards
China Chinese RANOMAT From Japanese name
South Korea Korean RANOMAT From Japanese name


Speech in other languages
Ay! Ay!
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese エイエイ
Ei ei
エイ ei is the Japanese word for "ray". It is also a common call or cheer.
Netherlands Dutch Ay! Ay! -
CanadaFrance French Ay! Ay! -
Germany German Ay! Ay! -
Italy Italian Man! Man! Likely derived from manta
Russia Russian Ик! Ик!
Ik! Ik!
Hic! Hic!
SpainMexico Spanish ¡Zasss! From the onomatopoeia of manta rays jumping in waves.
China Chinese 鲼!
Fèn!
Chinese for "stingray"
Hong Kong Chinese (Traditional) 魟!
Hōng/Hóng/Gōng!
From 魟魚 /hóngyú/ "Stingray"
South Korea Korean 만타!
Manta!
-
Portugal Portuguese (NOE) - There is no Portuguese localization of the game, but the Splatoon 3 Direct from Nintendo Portugal depicts Big Man speaking regular Portuguese without parentheticals[18]


Introduction in other languages
Language Introduction Meaning
Japan 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 no Mantarō!)[19]
Ay! (Get rich quick, roaring business!)
Ay! (Big Man the manta's here!)
Netherlands Dutch Ay! (We verdienen geld als water!)
Ay! (Met Ray vis je nooit achter het net!)[20]
Ay! (We make money like water!)
Ay! (With Big Man you'll never miss the mark!)
CanadaFrance 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!)
Germany German Ay! (Reicher als reich, Dickster im Teich!)
Ay! (Hier kommt Mantaro, der Mantastische!)[22]
Ay! (Richer than rich, Biggest in the pond!)
Ay! (Here comes Big Man, the mantastic[note 1]!)
Italy Italian Man-man! (Soldi! E pesce, alla svelta!)
Man! (È arrivato Mantaleo!)[23]
Ay! Ay! (Money! And fish, quick!)
Ay! (Big Man has arrived!)
Russia 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!)
Mexico 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!)
Spain Spanish (NOE) ¡Zasss! (¡Un botín siempre es lo primero! ¡Lo que sea por el dinero!)
¡Zasss! (¡Ante vosotros Rayan!)[24]
Ay! (Loot always comes first! Anything for the money!)
Ay! (Before you, Big Man!)
China 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 guǐfúfèn guǐ fú shìyě! )
Ay! (Rake in the cash! Business is booming!)
Ay! (I am Big Man the manta!)
Hong Kong 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 de guǐ fú shì yě!)
Ay! (Buy low sell high, let the profits roll in!)
Ay! (I am Big Man the manta!)
South Korea Korean 만타! (돈 잔뜩! 손님도 잔뜩!)
만타! (만타가오리 만타로!)

Manta! (Don jantteuk! Sonnimdo jantteuk!)
Manta! (Mantagaori Mantaro!)
Ay! (Loads of money! Loads of customers too!)
Ay! (Big Man the manta's here!)
Portugal Portuguese Vamos ficar mais ricos do que nunca!
O Big Man está aí!
Let's get richer than ever!
The Big Man is here!


The Hype Manta Storm
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese ふしぎせいぶつ
Fushigi seibutsu
Mysterious creature
Netherlands Dutch De mantastorm The Manta Storm
CanadaFrance French La tempête de Méga Raimi The Big Man Storm
Germany German Maxi-magischer Manta Maximum magical manta
Italy Italian La manta tempestosa The Stormy Manta Ray
Russia Russian Атака суперманты
Ataka supermanty
Supermanta's attack
Mexico Spanish (NOA) Su figura raya en lo inconcebible His ray figure in the inconceivable
Spain Spanish (NOE) Su presencia raya en lo inconcebible His ray presence in the inconceivable
China Chinese 神奇生物
Shénqí shēngwù
Mysterious creature
South Korea Korean 신비한 생물
Shinbihan saengmul
Mysterious creature

Translation notes

  1. Mix of the words "Manta" and "Fantastic"
  2. The phrase "Жить на широкую ногу" ("To live in a grand style") literally translates as "To live on a wide leg". In this case, Big Man corrects the word "leg" to the word "fin".

References

  1. Twitter @SplatoonNA on Twitter
  2. Um'ami Ruins Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
    Big Man: Ay! Ay. Ay! (Yeah! I watched it recently with Big Dad. It holds up!)
  3. Oqkto on Tumblr
  4. 4.0 4.1 An interview with Deep Cut, the hosts of Splatoon 3's Anarchy Splatcast!
  5. Ask the Developer Vol. 7, Splatoon 3
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Nintendo Magazine 2022 winter, page 2 of English excerpts
  7. Liquid Sunshine announcement, via Twitter @SplatoonNA on Twitter
  8. YouTube Splatoon 3 — Liquid Sunshine - Nintendo Switch via Nintendo of America on Youtube
  9. Splatoon 3's Sunken Scroll 12
  10. Splatoon 3 Album Booklet Translations by @MagicalGirlFia, with assistance from @Fleromor and @rassicas.
  11. Twitter @SplatoonJP on Twitter
  12. 12.0 12.1 Twitter Info about Deep Cut, Art of Splatoon 3 translated by rassicas
  13. Chill Season 2022 Anarchy Splatcast dialogue.
    Big Man: Ay. Ay? (Those look cool. Are any of 'em fin operated? Asking for me.)
  14. 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...)
  15. 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!)
  16. 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!)
  17. GitHub Leanny on GitHub
  18. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (PT)
  19. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (JP)
  20. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (NL)
  21. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (FR)
  22. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (DE)
  23. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (IT)
  24. YouTube Splatoon 3 Direct (ES)