BIG ONEBIG ONE
Real Name: Kenjiro Sasaki
Identity/Class: Human mutate;
Japanese citizen
Occupation: Unrevealed;
presumably currently a student
Group Membership: Formerly the Pacific Overlords (Cybertooth/Yen Hsieh, Dr. Demonicus/Douglas Birely, Irezumi/Kayama Inoue, Jawbreaker/Tung Rapongan, Morgan Kain, Kuroko/Aya Komatsu, Living Lightning/Miguel Santos, Pele/Michi Sasaki, Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida, Taifu/Toshio Sasaki)
Affiliations: The Avengers (West Coast contingent; Doctor Pym/Hank Pym, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, Tigra/Greer Nelson, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne, Wonder Man/Simon Williams)
Enemies: Formerly the Avengers (West Coast contingent; Doctor Pym/Hank Pym, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, Tigra/Greer Nelson, Wasp/Janet Van Dyne)
Known Relatives: Michi Sasaki (Pele; mother), Toshio Sasaki Taifu; father)
Aliases: "Baby Huey" (nickname from Hawkeye)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly Demonicus' base beneath the Filmland in Wax building, Los Angeles, California;
last seen on the island of Demonica
First Appearance: Avengers West Coast#70 (May, 1991)
Powers/Abilities: Kenjio is a normal young boy without any abilities, and he did not demonstrate any particular abilities/skills beyond the powers he possessed as the Big One.
As the Big One, he was massive, superhumanly strong and durable, potentially able to absorb energy from assaults, and able to project seismic force, causing tremors, buffeting about those nearby and/or shattering the ground beneath their feet. He could project the force from his hands (possibly only after absorbing energy from other sources), although Wonder Man noted that the force seemed to come from his vocal cords.
As a toddler, the Big One was easily unbalanced, and he was unable to speak clearly, although he could at least verbalize approximations of a name as complicated as "Demonicus." When distraught, he could be soothed by purring kitten, a teddy bear, and energy tendrils, at least.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 2'10"); (as Big One) unrevealed (perhaps 12')
Weight: Unrevealed; (as Big One) 2 tons
Eyes: Unrevealed (likely brown)
Hair: Black; (as Big One) white/blond forelock
History:
(Avengers
West Coast#72 (fb) - BTS / All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel
Universe A to Z#8: Pacific Overlords) - A storm in the region over Dr.
Demonicus' Hawaiian undersea base capsized the yacht of a family of
Japanese tourists Toshio and Michi Sasaki and their baby (see comments) son, Kenjiro.
(Avengers West Coast#72 (fb) - BTS) - Demonicus rescued the family but then enslaved/hypnotically programmed and transformed them via his Lifestone fragments, mutating the parents into the hurricane-wielding Taifu and the fire-controlling Pele. Their infant son he mutated into the two-ton giant seismic-wave-inducing “Big One.” The family joined his Pacific Overlords, others he had mutated into his agents.
(Avengers West Coast#70 - BTS) - Encountering the Pacific Overlords' Jawbreaker and Kuroko (and their captive, Taifu) in Newport Beach, California, Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) got the impression that the Overlords' base was not far from that location.
After Jawbreaker and Kuroko delivered Taifu and the Lifestone fragment
they had recovered to Dr. Demonicus at his base within the Filmland
in Wax building, Demonicus warned them if they did not find "she"
(Pele/Michi Sasaki), he would not want to be in their shoes when it was
time for the Big One. Both Jawbreaker and Kuroko were disturbed at the
prospect.
(Avengers West Coast#70 (fb) - BTS) - Knowing his base had been discovered, Demonicus abandoned it, taking his scientists and agents with him, and leaving behind the Big One to deal with anyone investigating.
(Avengers West Coast#70 - BTS) - Spider-Woman then sought aid from the Avengers (West Coast contingent), and once the Avengers Quinjet was over Costa Mesa, Dr. Pym's technology detected an unauthorized power source in the Filmland in Wax building.
(Avengers West Coast#70) - As the Avengers investigated the building, Pym's equipment detected that the equipment was inactive, with the owner having departed and left them behind. Just then, the Big One shot is hand out from behind a wall, crushing Pym's tracer device and squeezing his hand before the giant mutate confronted and bellowed at the group. After Iron Man and Hawkeye fired a pair of repulsor blasts and a blast arrow, respectively, into the Big One's chest, the young mutate generated a localized earthquake, shattering the ground below their feet.
While the Scarlet Witch noted that the Big One had been futilely gesturing until the being assaulted, and she and Pym suspected that he gained power from such assaults. Regardless, Spider-Woman leapt atop the Big One only to be swatted away, and additional arrows from Hawkeye only bounced off his chest. However, the Scarlet Witch, avoiding direct assaults on the Big One, then used her hex power to make the ground below the Big One's feet slippery, and he fell on his back, releasing Tigra, whom he had been been crushing in one hand. Scarlet Witch and Spider-Woman correctly suspected that the Big One's bodily proportions and his incoherent babbling indicated that he might be a toddler, and Spider-Woman webbed him to the ground to prevent him from hurting himself. The Big One's subsequent crying like a baby confirmed the women's suspicions, and after hearing the Wasp mention his likely having been the work of a mad doctor, the Big One choked out "Dokk...mon-i-kuss...", leading Iron Man to identify the culprit as Dr. Demonicus.
(Avengers West Coast#71 (fb) - BTS) - The Avengers brought the Big One back to Avengers Compound in Palos Verde and put him in a barred cell.
Dr. Pym was reluctant to use his Pym Particles to shrink the mutated toddler, likely uncertain of what the interaction might be between the particles and whatever had mutated him.
(Avengers West Coast#71) - Screaming and crying in his cell, the Big One's vocal cords apparently generated force to knock around most of the nearby Avengers.
With Iron Man
reluctant to use his repulsor rays on the distraught youth, Tigra
agreed to Spider-Woman's suggestion to enter the cage and purr, which
effectively soothed the giant toddler. As the Big One contentedly
sucked his thumb, Dr. Pym enlarged a teddy bear (formerly belonging to
the Scarlet Witch's twins), and Spider-Woman slipped it into the Big
One's arms, allowing Tigra to slip out without upsetting him again.
Hawkeye subsequently showed papers that confirmed the Filmland in Wax
to have been the property of Douglas Birely, Dr. Demonicus' true
identity, and Iron Man determined that the equipment they had found
there had been manufactured in Japan and Australia.
While the Avengers split up to investigate the two locations, Hawkeye and Spider-Woman were left behind to supervise the Big One and act as liaisons. After the Big One picked up one of the pictures Hawkeye had found at the Filmland in Wax building, Spider-Woman used her energy webbing to distract the Big One so she could claim the photo. Seeing that it was a photo of Hawaii, Hawkeye and Spider-Woman departed via Quinjet to investigate, leaving the grounds crew and some music to keep the Big One content.
(Avengers West Coast#73 - BTS) - After manipulating the hypnotized Pele and Sunfire to attack Pearl Harbor, Demonicus successfully triggered a volcano and raised his new island nation of Demonica.
(Avengers West Coast#74 (fb) - BTS) - Demonicus' agents apparently retrieved the Big One and reversed his mutation (or the mutation, which Demonicus claimed was only temporary, wore off). The now normal Kenjiro was brought to United Nations building in Manhattan.
(Avengers West Coast#74) - After an agent of Demonicus made to appear like the pre-mutation Douglas Birely convinced the United Nations to approve the newly raised island of Demonica for membership, the televised "Birely" presented the young Kenjiro as the living symbol of the aspirations of the new nation.
(Avengers West Coast#74 - BTS)
- Demonicus confirmed that Pele and Taifu could be reunited with their
now apparently normal son, while the parents could retain their powers.
Pele and Taifu departed Demonica with the Avengers (who were forced by
Demonicus to depart his sovereign nation).
Comments: Created by Roy & Dann Thomas, Steve Butler, and Danny Bulanadi.
I have notes indicating that the Big One appears on a computer screen in Avengers West Coast#73, but I can't find it. I think it is a mistaken reference to #74, which has new information/images of Kenjiro appearing as televised from the UN building.
Although described a few times as a baby, the Big One was more like a
toddler, just learning to walk, but not able to speak clearly. There is
so much variation amongst toddlers with when they walk and talk, but I
think that would generally put Kenjiro between 12-24 months of age. The
unmutated Kenjiro in AWC74 looks more like a 3-4 year old to me...maybe
that was a result of his mutation/de-mutation, or perhaps just artistic
license.
The sliding timescale is
ever-changing/distorting, but since 30 years have passed since these
1991 stories, that would be perhaps 6 years Marvel time. So, the 1-4
year old Kenjiro from the original stories might be closer to 7-10
years old now...for anyone who cares.
The Big One originally received a sub-profile under the Pacific Overlords 08/03/2005.
This profile was completed 9/17/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Big One should be distinguished from:
Appearances:
Avengers West Coast#70 (May, 1991) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), Steve Butler (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast#71 (June, 1991) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (penciler), Danny Bulanadi + Ivy & Hudson (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast#72 (July, 1991) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (penciler), Danny Bulanadi & Tim Dzon (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers West Coast#74 (September, 1991) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (penciler), Danny Bulanadi & Tim Dzon (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
All-New
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#8 (August, 2008) - Jeff
Christiansen (head writer), Sean McQuaid, Stuart Vandal, Ronald Byrd,
Michael Hoskin, Mark O'English, Chris Biggs, Eric J. Moreels, Mike
Fichera, Al Sjoerdsma, Barry Reese, Chad Anderson, Madison Carter,
Anthony Flamini & Richard Green (writers), Michael Short (assistant
editor), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
First posted: 09/22/2021
Last updated: 09/17/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!