Bando
From Narutopedia
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BandoBando
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| Appears in |
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3
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| Voice actor(s) (English) |
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| Gender |
Male
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| Previous partner(s) | |||
| Occupation |
Weapons Dealer | ||
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Bando is an original character created for the American-exclusive Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2, and returned for its sequel, Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3. He is a weapons dealer, and an antagonist in the story. He is a large, hulking figure with spiky red hair.
[edit] Plot overview
During the game's story, Bando made his first appearance speaking with Kagura about how everything was going according to plan. Later on, when a rogue ninja was captured by Naruto, Gaara, and Kakashi for questioning, he was soon hit by a fire projectile from seemingly out of nowhere, presumably Bando's doing.
Bando later appeared at Kagura's side, calling her 'the boss' when Kakashi, Naruto, and Gaara infiltrated the enemy hideout to rescue a kidnapped Sakura. Bando, his identity left unknown, fought Naruto and Kakashi alongside Kagura, until Kagura's mask was knocked off, and her identity was revealed. After their 'defeat', however, the two were unfazed, with Bando saying that the plan to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village 'went on unhindered'. Bando and Kagura disappeared, despite Naruto's protests, leaving the small rescue squad wondering just what their plans were.
Shortly after this cutscene played out, Bando was seen meeting with a shadowy figure, later revealed to have been Kabuto (although most fans would likely recognize his voice and/or silhouette before his actual revelation), and the two discussed the plan to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. Bando questioned Kabuto's motives for wanting to orchestrate this plan, to which Kabuto replied that he was 'rather bored of late', and that it was 'just a whim'. Bando claimed that he didn't understand Kabuto, but swiftly decided that it didn't matter anyway, noting that victory was close enough that he could taste it.
Bando later appeared on the rooftop of the Chunin exams finals' stadium, where the Third Hokage had fought Orochimaru, guarding one of the genjutsu barriers from Jiraiya, who aimed to take the barrier down and protect the Hidden Leaf Village. After Jiraiya correctly guessed Bando's identity, based on information he'd long since heard about the weapons dealer's reputation and attitude, Bando explained how he had manipulated Kagura, and how she had 'leapt at the chance' when he showed her his plans (which were evidently, in fact, Kabuto's) to destroy Konoha. He also explained why he'd profit from Konoha's fall: if the village was destroyed, then the world would plunge into a conflict that could rival the Third Great Shinobi World War. Bando's weapons sales, and, therefore, his own profits, would go through the roof. Bando then made an offer to Jiraiya for them to 'get rich together', an offer which Jiraiya readily declined.
Bando and Jiraiya faced off on the roof, resulting in Bando's defeat. Bando pleaded that Kagura was actually the one manipulating him, and that he'd help the Leaf Village find Kagura and take her down, selling his weapons to the village for extremely low prices as a bonus. He then dropped the barrier to try and convince Jiraiya to let him go. However, Jiraiya easily saw through Bando's greed and cowardice-driven act, and claimed that both Bando and Kagura were pathetic; Bando for trying to get out of trouble with the Leaf Village in such a way, and Kagura for falling for that same sort of deceit. Shortly after, Towa arrived, and Jiraiya had the ANBU member restrain Bando and take him into custody. Bando, furious that Jiraiya had declined his offers and got him to drop the barrier, swore that he'd have his revenge on Jiraiya. His ultimate fate is left unknown, although, given that the ANBU quickly managed to find Kagura in the village soon after, it's possible that Bando was interrogated for the location of her hideout.
Despite his appearance in Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3, Bando plays no part in the story of the game, and, like several other returning characters from Revolution 2, has been included only as a bonus character. Like the other three original characters from the previous game, Bando can be unlocked from the start in Revolution 3 by having Revolution 2 save data on the Wii.
[edit] Abilities
Bando has a blunt and powerful style of attacking that places him in a category with characters like Zabuza and Kisame. His main weapons are a pair of chakra cannons that he keeps strapped across his back, which he uses in multiple ways, such as a stun blaster and a fireball. His left hand is missing for unknown reasons, and he has a metal 'nozzle' affixed to the stump. By removing the false hand that he usually keeps on the stump, Bando can attach one of his chakra cannons directly onto his arm and fire a blast of explosive chakra at an enemy.
[edit] Trivia
- Bando is the only one of the four original characters featured in Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 that does not wear a mask, and is not known to have ever been part of the ANBU, or even have had allegiance to a shinobi village.
- By far, in comparison to the other three original characters created for Revolution 2, the etymology of Bando's name is the most puzzling, as bando, unlike the names of the other characters, does not seem to translate directly from one Japanese word. The following may be possible origins of the arms dealer's name:
- Bando is the name of a type of martial arts that originated in Burma (Myanmar). While Bando's attacks don't generally seem to reference the style, it seems to be the most well-known use of the word.
- Albeit possibly pronounced differently (probably as "band-oh" as opposed to "bahn-do"), the word "bando" is English slang for a kind of late nineteenth-century rifle. As Bando uses two large chakra cannons that many fans have mistaken for actual real-world guns or rifles, this may or may not be just a coincidence.
- Bando is also known in Japan as a surname of several kabuki actors' lineages. As a performing-related name, this may or may not be meant as a possible counterpart to Kagura's references to the dance that she shares her name with.
- Ban in Japanese can mean "barbarian," possibly in reference to Bando's hulking size and style of fighting, while do means "a counter for occurences;" in other words, a scapegoat. As Kabuto evidently gave the plans to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village to Bando to avoid being caught himself, Bando is, in a way, a "barbarian scapegoat" for Kabuto, so this could be a possible origin for his name.
- Bando was also the name of a prisoner-of-war camp in the Tokushima prefecture of Japan. In 1947, it became the city of Naruto, which now famous for its whirlpools. Given Bando's military theme and the series' connection to the city of Naruto, his name may reference the camp.
