Avatar:The Big Bad Hippo
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"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!"
— The Big Bad Hippo to Toph Beifong.[1]
The Big Bad Hippo was initially an earthbending wrestler in Earth Rumble, but later became a soldier for his nation when he, along with The Boulder, participated in the invasion of the Fire Nation.[1]
During his time as a wrestler, he was one of the most recognizable competitors in the Earth Rumble tournaments due to his extremely large size and distinctive manner of speaking. He often omitted determiners and articles when he talked, turning "Hippo mad!" into his catchphrase. Like The Boulder, The Hippo also referred to himself in the third person.[2][4]
History
Team Avatar first witnessed The Big Bad Hippo in action during the first round of the sixth edition of the Earth Rumble tournaments, where he faced The Boulder. The Hippo demonstrated his unique fighting style by catching a rock The Boulder launched at him between his teeth, chewing it up, and spitting it out before initiating his signature move, "rocking the boat". This maneuver proved highly effective, causing The Boulder to stagger backward and nearly fall out of the ring. At the last moment, however, The Boulder recovered and hurled a large slab of earth at The Hippo. Despite his immense durability, which allowed him to withstand the direct hit seemingly unharmed, The Boulder ultimately defeated him by lifting both The Hippo and the earth beneath him and throwing them out of the ring.[4]
After Aang won the tournament by easily knocking Toph out of the ring with his airbending, The Hippo and the other wrestlers assisted Xin Fu in attempting to reclaim his prize money. After the group cornered Aang and Toph, The Hippo threw a metal cage over both of them, successfully capturing them.
After Toph's parents paid the ransom to free their daughter, Sokka and Katara attempted to rescue Aang as well but were stopped by the band of wrestlers. The Hippo proceeded to lift Aang's metal cage onto his shoulder to leave the arena and deliver him to the Fire Nation for the bounty. Toph challenged The Hippo and the other fighters, promising to defeat them all again if they refused to release Aang. Taking them on simultaneously, she succeeded in defeating each of them. The Boulder, The Hippo, and the Headhunter were the last fighters standing. The Hippo defended himself by swinging a large earthen model of the Earth Kingdom's national emblem. Working together with the other two, he charged Toph, but she defeated them by shifting the ground beneath their feet.[4]
Months later, The Hippo and The Boulder were among the friends and allies recruited by Sokka to participate in the invasion of the Fire Nation. Although they had once been opponents, The Hippo hugged Toph before the battle began, expressing his happiness at being reunited with the "Blind Bandit". During the invasion, The Hippo and The Boulder proved themselves capable fighters, taking down a battlement together and another with Toph.[1] Ultimately, the invasion failed, and The Hippo, along with the other adults in the invasion force, was captured by Fire Nation forces and imprisoned.[5]
The Big Bad Hippo was eventually freed from captivity after the Hundred Year War ended and later attended Prince Zuko's coronation as the new Fire Lord, where he lifted Toph onto his shoulders.[6]
Abilities
The Big Bad Hippo's fighting style was distinctive; he would toss handfuls of rocks into his mouth, chew them up, and spit them at opponents. His signature maneuver, "rocking the boat", involved shifting his enormous weight from side to side to rock the ring and throw opponents off balance.[2] Aside from his bending, he was highly durable, easily withstanding impacts from large slabs of rock. The Big Bad Hippo also possessed immense physical strength, as shown when he lifted a metal container larger than himself and tossed it a considerable distance.[4]
Appearances
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Book Two: Earth (土)
Book Three: Fire (火)
Avatar books
Trivia
- The Big Bad Hippo's widely spaced front teeth resemble those of a hippopotamus.
- In "The Blind Bandit", one of the boys Katara defeats shares the same hairstyle as The Hippo. According to the creators on the DVD commentary, this is because he was a fan.[3]
- According to the DVD commentary, The Big Bad Hippo was inspired by professional wrestlers André the Giant and King Kong Bundy.[3]
- The Big Bad Hippo visually resembles King Hippo from Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1, Episode 310
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nick.com (archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan & Spaulding, Ethan (April 10, 2007). "The Blind Bandit" commentary. Book 2: Earth, Volume 2 DVD.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1, Episode 206
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1, Episode 311
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 1, Episode 321
de:Hippo es:El Gran Gran Hippo fr:Hippo nl:De Grote Valse Hippo pl:Hipopotam ru:Гиппо