Barnaby Brooks Jr.

Barnaby Brooks Jr. (バーナビー・ブルックスJr.) is a rookie hero who does not conceal his secret identity and the newest addition to Hero TV. Partnered with and possessing the same power as Wild Tiger, he relies more on strategy than force. He is liked by many people as he is seen as cool and handsome. He is currently the top-notch hero, with the famous title, "King of Heroes."

Personality
Barnaby is logical and methodical, and won't rush into a situation without a plan. Unlike Kotetsu he is, at first, concerned largely with showmanship and earning points when it comes to being a Hero. Despite this he is not actually cold-hearted. Though often acting cool and aloof this demeanor is eventually proven to be a front through his relationship with Kotetsu. Barnaby does indeed care deeply about and acts vulnerable with a select few individuals, such as his former nanny Aunt Samantha, Albert Maverick and eventually the other heroes, but especially Kotetsu.

He holds deep love and respect for his parents. Their deaths constantly haunt him and initially his reason for living and being a hero was to avenge them. Their deaths traumatized him, creating the distant aloof personality he had throughout much of his life.

Barnaby's relationship with his partner, Kotetsu, evolves dramatically over the course of the series. The relationship between the two was initially rocky due to their differing values but Barnaby grew to appreciate Kotetsu's kindness. Kotetsu rubs off him and he grows to care for the lives of innocent people and stopping criminals. He tends to act like he can't stand Kotetsu at times, but is also the one to show the most concern for Kotetsu's wellbeing. He is sensitive to Kotetsu's feelings, feeling betrayed when Kotetsu planned on retiring as he believed Kotetsu didn't trust him enough to tell him. He was also visibly distraught when he believed Kotetsu to be dead; the writer himself stated that had Kotetsu died, Barnaby would have never recovered and would have fallen in the same depression as he did when his parents died, proving the depth of his care for his partner.

Barnaby is also very neat, as his apartment and work spaces are generally shown to be minimal and spotless. He seems to have a competitive streak which is particularly sparked in the presence of Kotetsu, and the two bicker like an old married couple often.

He acts like a gentlemen and can be a good actor, acting polite and kind in front of the cameras. He is very dignified, reserved, serious and polite but distant towards others. Though he fakes his smiles, he begins to show more genuine smiles due to his relationship with Kotetsu. He is uncomfortable with too much physical intimacy, as shown when Kotetsu hugs him too fiercely. He also doesn't seem to show much interest in women despite his popularity, possibly due to his self-isolation.

After Jake's arrest, Barnaby's demeanor relaxes somewhat and he is shown more frequently with a smile, seeming to enjoy himself more often. Though he still cares about the points, he argues less and now works very well with Kotetsu. He is even able to understand how Kotetsu thinks and finishes his sentences.

Barnaby appears to be very emotionally unstable and suffers emotional and mental breakdowns due to the death of his parents as well as the false memories that were implanted into him by Maverick. However, through the help and support of Kotetsu, he manages to slowly move beyond his past. He has also begun to use the majority of the money he earned to support orphans similar to him and often goes to visit and read to them and has a very strong bond with them.

History
Barnaby's NEXT powers manifested when he was two years old. At the age of four, he was orphaned when his parents were assassinated. He managed to catch a glimpse of the murderer after hearing a gunshot upon his return home. He spent his childhood at an orphanage and was eventually taken in by Maverick, who was an old friend of his parents'. Unbeknownst to him, at the time, Maverick was responsible for his parents' murder and his subsequent brainwashing. Barnaby later enrolled in Hero Academy to study the basics of being a hero. Since then, he has spent his free time investigating the organization Ouroboros and its connection to his parents' murder.

The First Hero Team
In the first episode, he first showed up when he saved Wild Tiger from falling due to his five-minute time limit running out, then apprehended the criminal and showed his face to the public.

He is then partnered with the veteran superhero Wild Tiger to form the first ever hero team. They don't get along at first, as their beliefs and fighting tactics are complete opposites. This results in several disastrous incidents due to their utter lack of teamwork. At first, Barnaby isn't willing to take Kotetsu as a partner due to his vendetta against his parents' killer, but eventually they learn to become a functioning team.

Jake Martinez and a City Held Hostage
While searching for information on his parents' killer in the criminal databases, Barnaby recognizes Jake Martinez as being the man from his memories. He looks up the prison where Jake is serving multiple life sentences and sets out to travel there, when powerful exosuits begin holding the city hostage. Though Kotetsu tells him he can handle it and to continue on to the prison, Barnaby turns around to go help him when he hears Mario announce on the radio that Wild Tiger is taking heavy fire to protect a civilian. Two members of Ouroboros subsequently demand Jake's release in exchange for the city's safety and, when one of them is captured after turning up at Fortress Tower to force the CEOs to make a decision, Barnaby is quick to attack him in the hopes of acquiring information.

After Origami Cyclone infiltrates Ouroboros' headquarters following Jake's release and the other heroes head in to assist, Barnaby and Kotetsu are the first to come across what seems to be Jake. Kotetsu, believing that Barnaby is going to blindly attack, intervenes to get "Jake" out of the way - only for Barnaby to reveal that he had know it was Origami Cyclone because he saw his Hero TV communicator. The incident causes a rift between them, as Barnaby then refuses to work with a partner who won't trust him.

During the hero battles against Jake, Barnaby is coincidentally chosen immediately after Wild Tiger, as Jake believes the latter won't pose a challenge. Kotetsu receives a severe beating in his match and Barnaby's doesn't fare any better. However, when things seem hopeless, Kotetsu turns up at the fight's location and explains that Jake's secret second power is super hearing. He gives Barnaby a bomb that emits ultrasonic waves which Barnaby only accepts upon noticing that there is blood on it - which makes him realize that Kotetsu is still badly injured. It ends up being a combination ultrasonic device and flash bomb and Barnaby is able to defeat Jake thanks to the surprise flash. Later, Kotetsu explains that he couldn't tell Barnaby about Jake's real second power - which enables him to hear others' thoughts - because Jake would have known their plan. He tells Barnaby he knew it would work because he trusted that Barnaby would trust him.

Mistaken Memories
Once Kriem wakes from her coma, Barnaby interrogates her about why Jake killed his parents. Unfortunately, Kriem reveals that Jake was not the true murderer, and that they were merely a small faction of Ouroboros. At first Barnaby is reluctant to believe this, but after seeing proof that Jake's right hand doesn't have the Ouroboros' tattoo on it and Jake's alibi checks out, he is shocked. Barnaby tries hard to think back, only for the murderer's face in his memory change from Jake's to those of several other people Barnaby knows. The revelation leaves him confused as he now has no leads as to who killed his parents. This leads to Barnaby subsequently having a mental breakdown.

In an attempt to help Barnaby sort things out, Kotetsu suggests they retrace the events of the day Barnaby's parents were killed. This unfortunately leads to Barnaby overhearing a phone call between Kotetsu and Kaede, and he learns of Kotetsu's plans to resign in the worst possible way. As Kotetsu won't honestly explain the circumstances behind his decision, the seeming lack of trust affects Barnaby's already-tenuous emotional state. Activating his Hundred Power, Barnaby flees and ultimately goes to the only other person he has - Maverick. During their conversation, Barnaby receives a phone call from Samantha, whose discovery of a photograph from the day of the murder reveals that Barnaby had been with her that entire day. Barnaby confronts Maverick about the contradiction and soon learns that not only had Maverick killed the Brooks, but he was also a NEXT who had altered Barnaby's own memories of the incident.

As a result of this revelation, Maverick alters Barnaby's memories yet again - first to reinstate Jake as the Brooks' killer, and then to erase any connection between Wild Tiger and Kotetsu. Then, after Maverick has Samantha killed and frames Kotetsu for her murder, Barnaby becomes determined to hunt Kotetsu down.

Even after the other heroes' memories have been restored, Barnaby still only views Kotetsu as a criminal trying to bring shame to Wild Tiger's name by posing as him. Kotetsu leads him away from the populated areas of the city, where they battle atop a bridge. Though Kotetsu keeps trying to get Barnaby to remember him, nothing works and Barnaby continues to relentlessly attack him. Ultimately, Barnaby's memory recovers as he is about to deal the finishing blow, when Kotetsu calls him "Bunny-chan". With his memories now intact, Barnaby's anger is directed toward the source of the recent events: Maverick. After Kotetsu receives a call from Maverick using Blue Rose's communicator, the pair learn that the other heroes have been defeated and both they and Kaede are being held captive at Justice Tower. They head there for a showdown with Maverick, but are instead confronted with the False Wild Tiger, who turns out to be an android developed by Rotwang named H-01. They are told that if they want to proceed and save both Kaede and the other heroes, they will have to defeat H-01 - who was made to be even stronger than Cis.

In the battle that ensues, Barnaby and Kotetsu are vastly overpowered by H-01, who at one point injures Barnaby by stabbing him through the leg. Kotetsu manages to immobilize the android by holding it from behind and shouts for Barnaby to shoot both of them with the laser gun they had knocked out of H-01's hands. After some hesitation, Barnaby shoots - believing that Kotetsu would jump out of the way at the last second or otherwise be nearly unharmed thanks to his Hundred Power. Though the blast manages to destroy H-01, it also gravely injures Kotetsu, whose powers had run out just before the blast hit. Barnaby then learns of Kotetsu's power loss, which the latter had been keeping hidden, and soon after Kotetsu appears to die in his arms as the other heroes and Kaede arrive on the scene.

Maverick reappears and Barnaby, who now intends to avenge his parents, Samantha and Kotetsu, is furious. The heroes are forced to battle an entire squad of H-01 androids, and are only saved from death by Saito's hacking skills. The heroes chase Maverick, who proclaims that he has so much influence in the city that people would be more likely to believe him than Barnaby, adding that the city wouldn't be what it was without him. These declarations ultimately become his downfall, as Agnes, in a helicopter overhead, reveals that she had long since snapped out of Maverick's memory manipulation and was now showing the current scene live to the entirety of Sternbild. Irritated, Maverick flees and the heroes chase him, only for him to take Kaede hostage. Everyone is surprised when a shadow appears behind Maverick and punches him, revealing that Kotetsu had merely passed out from pain and blood loss. Barnaby is so relieved that he almost immediately hugs Kotetsu, much to the latter's surprise. When Barnaby demands that Maverick tell them about Ouroboros, Maverick wipes his own memories, turning himself into a vegetable.

Later, back in the city proper, Saito shows Barnaby the code the Brooks had installed to shut down the androids. When Kotetsu announces that he'll be retiring from the hero business, Barnaby does the same. He decides to find himself and do what he wants to do, rather than do what Maverick had pushed him into.

The Return of Tiger and Bunny
A year later, Hero TV is still going strong and the other heroes are busy catching criminals. Barnaby visits his parents' gravestone and realizes that the code Saito had given him was in fact his parents' birthdays added together to equal his own. He is overcome with emotion upon recalling how they had said they would always protect him.

In Sternbild, Wild Tiger - now with only 1 minute's worth of power total - corners a criminal, who is well aware that Tiger's powers have reached their limit already. As Tiger steps onto the glass rooftop of a building, the window breaks and sends him hurtling toward the ground... only to be caught by the sudden reappearance of his partner, also in his hero suit.

The pair argue for a little while, but ultimately decide to both get back into the hero business.

Wild Tiger/Kotetsu T. Kaburagi
Kotetsu is Barnaby's partner. At first Barnaby disliked Kotetsu and saw him as more of a liability than a partner. He called him "old man" until Kotetsu gained his trust and now calls him by his name. He has even now accepted Kotetsu's nickname for him "Bunny" or "Bunny-chan". Their trust begins when they believe they have found Barnaby's parents killer. Barnaby starts becoming obsessive with taking him down but Kotetsu helps him realize that he needs to move beyond his revenge and that he is a hero whose purpose is to help others and that he has people by his side who will help him through his pain.

His personality and actions are the complete opposite of Kotetsu's, as Barnaby is more logical than him. Now he is able to finish Kotetsu's sentences before he can. He grows to consider Kotetsu not just his partner in fighting crime but as his actual friend. They share a strong emotional connection and would risk their lives to protect each other. This is especially apparent by the end of the second movie.

Barnaby would grow to understand Kotetsu's kind nature and desire to help others and accepts and appreciates it. Kotetsu likewise cares greatly for Barnaby, becoming concerned over his well being when he learns his memories regarding his parent's death may have been altered, and Kotetsu finds it difficult to tell Barnaby that he is quitting due to his declining power. Their partnership is further tested when Maverick kills Samantha and has Barnaby not only forget that Kotetsu is Wild Tiger, but also frames Kotetsu as the murderer. Barnaby seeks revenge but manages to remember who Kotetsu really is and the two together bring Maverick down. Barnaby and Kotetsu remain partners even after Kotetsu starts losing his powers; the two enjoy working together and believe they work best as a pair.

Various members of the Tiger&Bunny crew frequently referred to Kotetsu and Barnaby as romantic partners, but the official statement is that viewers are free to interpret their relationship as either platonic or romantic.

Emily Brooks (Mother) & Barnaby Brooks (Father)
Barnaby often thinks of his parents and talks of them, as they are the inspiration for him being a hero. He looked up to them and they treated him lovingly. He admired their work as scientists to protect the world and became a hero and revealed his identity to the public to draw out the people who killed them. He loves them and continues to miss them dearly.

Samantha Taylor
His nanny since childhood and one of the few people Barnaby cares for. She has treated him as a son and is very fond of him, making sure he eats properly and often checking up on him to make sure he is alright. Barnaby returns the feelings and thinks of her as family, often calling her "Aunt Samantha". She is one of the few people he is openly vulnerable with. He is distraught when she is murdered, and when Maverick makes him believe it was Kotetsu who killed her he attempts to murder Kotetsu (though he remembers Kotetsu's true identity at the last minute).

The Other Heroes
At first, he merely sees them as rivals and stepping stones and doesn't hesitate to upstage them. Despite this, they try to act friendly with him. Over time, he grows to see them as comrades and friends though his relationship with them is not nearly as strong as his relationship with Kotetsu.

Albert Maverick
As the man who helped convince Barnaby to be a hero, he looks up to Maverick as a father figure/mentor due to the fact he helped raise Barnaby after the death of his parents. He would often give advice to Barnaby in times of distress. He is heartbroken when he learns Maverick had manipulated his memories to erase the fact that Maverick was the one who committed their murder. While he seemed to care for Barnaby, in reality he merely saw him as a useful pawn, conniving him it was someone else who murdered his parents to convince him to be a hero. He tries to manipulate Barnaby once more by killing Samantha and making Barnaby forget Kotetsu is Wild Tiger and that Kotetsu is the murderer. Eventually, Barnaby manages to corner Maverick but Maverick silences himself and Barnaby decides to move on.

Abilities and Powers
Barnaby's Hundred Power increases his physical capabilities such as strength, speed, and jumping ability, by a hundredfold for five minutes a time. After those five minutes, he must rest for one hour before activating it again. Besides his NEXT powers, he also demonstrates keen observation skills - such as when he notices Origami Cyclone's HeroTV wristband while the latter is transformed into Jake.

He is also very physically fit (perhaps due in part to his age) and was able to withstand a battle against Jake prior to activating his Hundred Power. Barnaby's attacking forte is in kicking (contrary to Wild Tiger's forte in punching), which would indicate he has a fair amount of agility and speed. With his power activated, he is able to kick through walls and double a giant block of ice in through kicking it lengthwise. He can also jump fifty feet in the air while his powers are active and this is nicknamed the "Handsome Escape" by Fire Emblem.

Prototype Suit
This is the first hero suit Barnaby wears in the first episode, prior to being officially introduced as a superhero. Predominantly gray and black, it has no sponsor logos but instead features white barcodes on the arms and across the chest (the spots where Barnaby's usual suit has sponsor logos). The numbers and letters beneath the chest barcode read 199808J0 HS20030106 AP156984236. The two flaps in back serve as small booster packs, which provide Barnaby some maneuverability in the air even without his powers activated.

Hero Suit
Barnaby's standard hero suit is bulletproof and able to withstand fire from guns. The visor includes a timer to tell Barnaby when his powers are going to run out, and compensates for any vision problems while not wearing his glasses. The suit's systems seems able to discern information (approximate height and age of a person, makeup of machinery, etc.) simply by locking onto the item in question. It also appears to contain a fair amount of data on the other heroes, as evidenced by the output that scrolls across the screen when Barnaby looks at Dragon Kid, Sky High and Fire Emblem in the second episode.

The suit is predominantly pink, white and black and has a similar design to the prototype suit. Sponsor logos are located on the arms ("Crusade System" Card Series and Amazon.co.jp) and across the chest (Bandai). It is equipped with a "Lighting Mode" whereby certain lines light up when Barnaby's Hundred Power is active. It has a propulsion system on the back, which gives him additional mobility and seemingly flight like abilities. Additionally, it has a feature called "Good Luck Mode" which expands and enlarges one leg of the suit which really useful for stronger kicks. Though originally thought to increase Barnaby's kicking power, the feature is actually just for display.

On Barnaby's birthday, Saito "upgraded" his suit, adding a bunny symbol to the armor to match the tiger symbol on Kotetsu's.

"Bunny" Costume
A costume which appears in several short comic strips in the magazine Animage. It was made as a match for Wild Tiger's original costume, and thus looks more like a traditional superhero uniform. Like Barnaby's hero suit, its colors are predominantly pink, white and black. It has no sponsor logos, but "Jr" on the chest and cowl instead. Barnaby is stuck wearing this costume while his usual hero suit is undergoing maintenance and repairs, and it is a big hit with female fans and children that Agnes subsequently has him wear it even longer, much to Kotetsu's delight.

New Hero Suit
A darker hero suit first worn in episode 21. Like the prototype suit, it is predominantly black and gray and has no sponsor logos. The suit's eyes glow red instead of the usual hero suit's blue, and are covered entirely by a visor. This visor contains a video feed which allows Maverick to view things through the suit's eyes. Unlike Barnaby's other costumes, this suit was not developed by Saito, who suspects there might be some nasty additions to it and has it destroyed once Barnaby regained his true memory.

HeroTV Communicator
Like all the Hero TV heroes Barnaby wears a simple "communicator" wristband which Agnes can use to contact him, usually to inform him of a crime being committed. The other heroes can also use this communicator to call him. Barnaby's communicator is white with red bands around the edges.

From Episode Teasers

 * Episode 05: He always saves his favorite food for last.
 * Episode 07: He owns five pairs of the same glasses.
 * Episode 08: He's fussy about the indirect lighting in his room.
 * Episode 10: His favorite alcoholic drink is rose wine.
 * Episode 12: He uses two tissues at once.
 * Episode 14: He always drinks a glass of milk before bedtime.
 * Episode 16: He goes to a hair stylist twice a month.
 * Episode 17: He always washes his neck first.
 * Episode 19: He uses an electric toothbrush.
 * Episode 23: He has a normal body temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius (96.26 degrees Fahrenheit).

from Tiger & Bunny - The Rising - King of Works

 * His flat is in Sternbild's Gold Stage
 * His strong points are his strong sense of self-discipline and flawless social skills.
 * His weak points are that he tends to inflict his own self-discipline and strictness onto others, and he doesn't look to others for help.
 * His favorite foods are stuffed cabbage and beef stroganoff. He doesn't hate any food, but is not fond of pickles or natto.
 * He's good at sports, figuring out the culprits of mystery novels, and seasoning (in cooking).
 * His weakness/dislike is that he's unexpectedly sensitive, and it shows in his facial expressions.
 * His hobbies are cooking new foods, carefully polishing his glasses, miming conducting classical music at loud volumes, reading fanmail, and cleaning areas where water circulates (like kitchen and bathroom).
 * His future goal is currently exploring.
 * His goal for the year is to drop 1% of his body fat.
 * His motto is "No pain, no gain".

Miscellaneous

 * He has a toy robot, a memento from his parents. It resembles to the actual android that appears in Barnaby's flashback of his parents.
 * He is into aromatherapy, especially scented candles and incense. (He finds them to be very relaxing.)
 * He is extremely nearsighted. (His suit helmet fixes his vision problems when wearing it.)
 * He enjoys doing interviews, photoshoots and talking about his parents.
 * In episode 6, he mentions that he enjoys opera, something he picked up from his parents.
 * In episode 6, it is mentioned the doesn't like fires as his parents died in one after they were shot.
 * His birthday is 31 October, weighed 3,329 g. (7 lb, 5 oz.) at birth. The password for H-01's safety mode was taken from that,along with his parents birthday.(1104+728=10313329)
 * During the series, many fans have created two alternate forms for him: one known as Ouroboros Barnaby(also known as Ourobunny), who is shown with the Ouroboros symbol on his hand (during the time of confusion with his memories) and Darkness Bunny, shown in crimson and black colors (created after his new suit was made to go with that of the False Wild Tiger).
 * He prefers making memories by spending time together, rather than getting mementos.
 * Nishida’s favorite Barnaby scene is his hopeless fight with Jake; no matter how many times he is downed and what is done to him, he will rise as long as he has something to accomplish.
 * He would not have chosen to become a hero if he had grown up normally. Instead, he would have chosen to become a robotics engineer like his parents if Maverick hadn't killed them.
 * In some manners, Barnaby's character is based of Marvel's Iron Man - both use a mechanical suit during the time they fight crime, both are interested in robotics (like their parents) and both expose their secret identity to the public.
 * Coincidentally, one of Iron Man's voice actors in the Japanese version is the same voice actor for Jake, the man who was the main suspect of murdering Bunny's parents.
 * His character is also similar to Batman, who witnessed his parent's murders and decided to become a superhero. However, unlike Batman who became a hero to protect people, Barnaby did so to find his parent's killers. Interestingly both are also wealthy and have a caretaker who raised them (Alfred for Batman, Samantha for Barnaby).
 * Barnaby's origin is very similar to the character Tetsuo Kagura from the Skull Man manga (with some elements from the manga's anime adaptation) in that both of their parents were scientists dedicated to affect mankind and both having witnessed the murder of their parents at a young age. Although, some elements are inverted such as while Tetsuo's parents were mutants conducting bizarre experiments with the intention of destroying mankind; Barnaby's parents were humans conducting technological experiments with the intention of helping humanity.