History Characters / TheBigO

--> '''Schwarzwald:''' [[spoiler:Paradigm City...a grand, ostentatious stage...and above it, secretly looking down on the folly of human blunders...were not the ever-expected and comforting presence of gods, but only this abandoned equipment...! This is a '''''comedy!''''' That which I was searching for! The true memories...[[HisNameIs they were-]]]] ''(Big Duo explodes)''

* {{Expy}}: Of Bruce Wayne and James Bond.

-->'''Schwarzwald:''' You...you possess the foolishness of both man and machine. It[[note]]Big Duo[[/note]] chooses one who controls the power of God created by man, one who is able to arrive at one truth. THAT'S NOT THE CASE WITH YOU!!\\

'''Big Duo:''' YE GUILTY.

-->'''Schwarzwald:''' [...] Fear. It is something vital to us puny creatures. The instant man stops fearing is the instant the species will reach a dead end... only to sink to pitiful lows, only to sit and wait apathetically for extinction! Wake up! Don't be afraid of knowledge! Humans who lose the capacity to think become creatures whose existence has no value. ''Think!'' You humans who are split into two worlds... unless you want the gulf between humans to expand into oblivion, ''you must'' '''''think!'''''

-->'''Schwarzwald:''' [...] Fear is something vital to us puny creatures. The instant man stops fearing is the instant the species will reach a dead end...only to sink to pitiful lows, only to sit and wait apathetically for extinction! Wake up! Don't be afraid of knowledge! Humans who lose the capacity to think become creatures whose existence has no more value. ''Think!'' You humans who are split into two worlds...unless you want the gulf between humans to expand into oblivion, ''you must'' '''''think!'''''

* GlassCannon: Probably the most extreme example in the serious. It's beaten in ''two hits,'' neither of them particularly powerful given the normal amount of force the Big O puts out.[[labelnote:To extrapolate...]]It's pushed back by a sudden ''smoke cloud'' before being floored by a rather weak jab while Dorothy pilots the Big O, and then is defeated outright by a single small laser blast that manages to take out its face, which is notable given how often the lasers typically ''fail'' to do meaningful damage.[[/labelnote]] Most of the drama regarding the fight with it comes about as a result of Roger trying to make sure its ''falling corpse'' doesn't touch the Big O with its claws. This is because these claws can reduce ''anything'' to sand or slag. It's effectively the anime equivalent of RocketTagGameplay - either it defeats its foe in a single hit, or its foe beats it into the ground.

* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Averted to realistic results. Anything the Leviathan touches, it reduces to nothing, sand, or sludge, literally creating sinkholes where it fights; it's even located in a desert that's implied to have once been some carnival grounds, with sand and some rides the only objects left. It has no defense against this ability when its on, however, and is ultimately beaten during its attempt at a suicide strike on the Big O when Roger carefully maneuvers its claws so that one of them touches the Leviathan's base.

* InstantExpert: A trope analyzed across the entire series and a constant source of consternation for Roger Smith as the story goes on. Roger Smith can identify that Big O chose him as its dominus, and subsequently it means Roger Smith is ''meant'' to pilot the Big O, but ''how'' he got his skills with the mech despite clearly not being of an age where he could have lost his memories like everyone else forms his personal arc for the back half of the series, and nearly brings him to a mental breakdown twice.

* MultipleChoicePast: As he's officially 25 years old, he couldn't possibly have memories of before 40 years ago, right? No wait, before the Event he was a cop who decided to leave his job and become a vagrant possibly because a megadeus was unearthed, and he cannot be more than 40 years old. And then he became Big O's pilot, holding the rank of major, and they've known each other since before the Event. No, wait, he was a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot mass-produced megadeus pilot robot]]. Or none of this actually happened because there were no memories! This has caused him to have a HeroicBSOD or two, but overcoming this may be what allows him to [[spoiler:successfully negotiate with Angel in the GrandFinale.]] [[MindScrew Maybe.]]

* InstantExpert: Him ''subverting'' this as compared to Schwarzwald and Roger is actually a major plot point; he fumbles with using Big Fau at all until he ''makes'' the mech work for him by the end of the series, indicating he has ''not'' been chosen as a dominus. In battle, he quickly loses control in most conflicts, and doesn't have any talent for combat - his initial victory over the Big O in the final fight mostly comes down to superior technology. Once that advantage is taken from him, Roger easily turns the tide and takes out most of his weapons.

* InstantExpert: Justified and lampshaded given the occasional maxim Roger provides; 'a megadeus chooses its dominus.' In no time at all, Schwarzwald is right at home using the Big Duo, and as revealed in the climax of the penultimate fight of the series, [[spoiler:Big Duo itself seems to confirm it views Schwarzwald as its master, hence why it decides to execute Alan Gabriel when he tries to pilot it.]] Schwarzwald shows comparable skill with Big Duo as Roger does with Big O, and it's ultimately a matter of Roger outsmarting Schwarzwald in their big fight that allows Roger to come out on top.

Megadeus is the name given to the robots in the series “The Big O”. Not much is known about how they are created, why they are created, or even what their original purpose is. The name “Megadeus” is primarily used when referencing the three main megadei a.k.a. "bigs" (Big O, Big Duo, Big Fau). Those who are able to successfully pilot the megadei are typically considered to be a “dominus”.

* {{Determinator}}: Despite the massive pounding the Big O gives it during their second fight, the megadeus manages to surprise ''everyone'' by its sheer willpower, managing to crawl out of the crater it was left in before finally succumbing to the damage dealt to it. This leaves Schwarzwald ''terrified'' given the implications regarding its willpower.
* FragileSpeedster: For a given quality of 'speedster,' the Big Duo is nonetheless the most maneuverable and quickest of the megadei. Its flight capabilities afford it a massive advantage, since most other megadei don't have the proper armaments to ground it and it can get over terrain and dodge incoming attacks with ease. However, once grounded, it runs into a lot of issues regarding its overall power and sturdiness. Even with both hands being used as drills, Big Duo Inferno ends up being no match for the Big O in a straightforward dust-up, [[spoiler:and Alan only manages to gain the upper hand over Roger Smith by playing dead and getting a cheap shot in]], and it crumples about as easily as the Archetype when the Big O can get a solid hit in.
* GiantFlyer: Played realistically. Its flight advantage gives it a massive tactical benefit over most other megadei and mechs, and the ability to mostly ignore terrain means it's naturally one of the speediest robots around (only Glinda and the Archetype are shown to be faster, both at even ''greater'' costs to their resilience) but its not exactly a graceful fighter jet; the sheer size of Big Duo means it comes out looking like a ''bomber'' while in flight, and it has to make extremely wide, ponderous turns. It's fast ''comparatively'' but is still a massive hunk of steel.

* ItCanThink: Though Roger attests to the fact that 'a megadeus chooses its dominus,' the Big Duo's final act during episode 12, vainly attempting to get back up again after crawling out of a crater even ''without Schwarzwald inside to pilot it'' is one of the first big moments in the show where the characters have to start asking questions regarding just how sentient the megadei are. This leaves ''everyone'' uncomfortably shocked and forms the basis of a lot of Roger's inner turmoil in season 2.

* TokenFlyer: Though there are other mechs and megadei capable of impressive vertical leaps and aerial acrobatics, Big Duo is the only mech on the show capable of sustained flight, taking the form of a bomber aircraft when it takes to the sky. This is also by far its greatest advantage, as it otherwise struggles on the ground against other opponents.

* GlassCannon: Probably the most extreme example in the serious. It's beaten in ''two hits,'' neither of them particularly powerful given the normal amount of force the Big O puts out.[[labelnote:To extrapolate...]]It's pushed back by a sudden ''smoke cloud'' before floored by a rather weak jab while Dorothy pilots the Big O, and then is defeated outright by a single small laser blast that manages to take out its face, which is notable given how often the lasers typically ''fail'' to do meaningful damage.[[/labelnote]] Most of the drama regarding the fight with it comes about as a result of Roger trying to make sure its ''falling corpse'' doesn't touch the Big O with its claws. This is because these claws can reduce ''anything'' to sand or slag. It's effectively the anime equivalent of RocketTagGameplay - either it defeats its foe in a single hit, or its foe beats it into the ground.

* ItCanThink: Though subtle, its one of the first Megadei to exhibit this quality. It learns throughout its battle with the Big O so that each of the Big O's significant attacks against it only works once,[[labelnote:For example]]It's initially tossed aside when it first tries to grapple the Big O. Once it recognizes the Big O has the strength advantange, it uses its HandyFeet and reaction speeds to carry the Big O down with it when Roger attempts to throw the Archetype off it following another attempted grapple. Additionally, after getting hit a few times by the Big O, it utilizes hit-and-run tactics to ensure it won't take as much damage.[[labelnote]] and is ultimately defeated when Roger makes use of the Big O's missile launchers to catch it off guard when it predictably goes for another grapple, surprising it with a weapon it hadn't seen up until that moment in the fight.

* ItCanThink: Though subtle, its one of the first Megadei to exhibit this quality. It learns throughout its battle with the Big O so that each of the Big O's significant attacks against it only works once[[labelnote:For example]]It's initially tossed aside when it first tries to grapple the Big O. Once it recognizes the Big O has the strength advantange, it uses its HandyFeet and reaction speeds to carry the Big O down with it when Roger attempts to throw the Archetype off it following another attempted grapple. Additionally, after getting hit a few times by the Big O, it utilizes hit-and-run tactics to ensure it won't take as much damage.[[labelnote]] and is ultimately defeated when Roger makes use of the Big O's missile launchers to catch it off guard when it predictably goes for another grapple, surprising it with a weapon it hadn't seen up until that moment in the fight.

* AnimalMotifs: Gorillas. It's the most human-like of all Megadei, it spends half of its fight hunched over on its knuckles, it makes clever use of HandyFeet, its fairly clever and makes use of actual tactics in its fight with the Big O, and it hops around frequently.

* CombatPragmatist: What actually makes him a deadlier foe for Roger Smith than Schwarzwald when both go up against him in Big Duo. Big Duo Inferno force its fight with Roger in an area where Roger ''can't'' maintain a height advantage, but even beyond that Alan is shown to have considerable skill with Big Duo for as long as he can get the Megadeus to work for him. Though he, like many others, can't beat Roger in a fair fight, he simply [[spoiler:plays dead when Roger thinks he's scored a felling blow so he can land a decisive counter hit with Big Duo Inferno before Roger is aware he needs to keep striking the vulnerable Megadeus. It's possible Roger would have found a way to turn the tide even if Big Duo and Schwarzwald's ghost hadn't interceded, but Alan went the furthest out of any of Roger's villains in actually overcoming the Big O simply by being crafty. Only Rosewater himself ever managed to do any better, and that was ''after'' an embarassing defeat to Roger initially and through a technological advantage, not through any clever tactics.]]

* SuperPrototype: Justified. While there are people capable of creating new type of Megadeus, due to the fact a majority of the population having amnesia, most lack the knowledge on how the original ones were created, let alone all the function. Hence why some newer models, like Beck the Great [=RX3=], are usually weaker than the models that existed 40 years ago.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: How it's beaten in the second fight with the Big O; despite all odds, the Big O manages to gain a ''height advantage'' over the Big Duo by using the massive dome they're fighting in as an anchor point for one of its harpoons. By the time Schwarzwald realizes what's going down, the sheer time it takes for Big Duo to achieve lift-off again means it can't dodge in time before the Big O just leverages its brobdingnagian weight and gravity against the Big Duo, crushing the earth the Big Duo is standing on with its fall and leaving it helpless as the Big O simply pounds it into submission.