OTOMO

Real Name: Unrevealed; surname may be Otomo (see comments)

Identity/Class: Human (Japanese) mutant (see comments)

Occupation: Adventurer, servant of Sebastian Shaw

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Big Hero Six, Machine Man, Red Ronin, Sebastian Shaw, Shinobi Shaw, Jill Spaulding, Peter Spaulding;
    formerly Japanese government

Enemies: Unidentified robots and cyborgs;
   formerly Machine Man, Jill Spaulding, Peter Spaulding

Known Relatives: Unidentified grandfather, unidentified grandmother, unidentified mother (deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Japan

First Appearance: X-51#5 (December, 1999)

Powers/Abilities: Otomo has the power to fly. He is also impervious to bullets and is super strong (class 10?). Otomo is also skilled in martial arts, and is a specialist at destroying cybernetic and robotic opponents. 

Height: 5'10" (by estimation)
Weight: 180 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: (X-51#6 (fb)) - Towards the end of World War II, a group of scientists were racing to perfect a formula similar to the Super-Soldier Serum for the Japanese powers. When the Allies stormed their hidden lab, one of the scientists drank the serum to prevent it falling into enemy hands. The serum had no immediately discernible effects, as the scientist exhibited no effects, either beneficial or detrimental. Eventually the scientist married and had a daughter. The daughter later died in childbirth and the Japanese authorities took her son, Otomo. The Japanese government made him into a hero, and he became renowned for his proficiency against cybernetic and robot opponents. However, Otomo was dying because of his powers, so Japanese scientists developed an antidote to save him, but also used it to ensure he would do their bidding no matter what the orders. Freedom from this servitude came when Shinobi Shaw synthesized a version of the drug, bringing Otomo into his service. When Shinobi Shaw was later slain, Otomo transferred his allegiance to Shinobi's father Sebastian Shaw.

(X-51#5) - Sebastian Shaw contacted Otomo in Japan and ordered that he destroy Machine Man for him. Otomo agreed, but noted that afterward, his debt would be considered paid in full.

(X-51#6) - Otomo captured Machine Man's friend Peter Spalding so that Machine Man would come to him. Jill, Peter's wife, called Machine Man, and he set off to rescue Peter. As Otomo waited for Machine Man's arrival, he narrated his origins to Spalding, and Spalding observed that Otomo was little more than a slave. Otomo, however, did not care, and was concerned only with destroying Machine Man. When Machine Man arrived, he and Otomo fought, and Otomo managed to tear Machine Man apart-- but then the robot's nanotechnology rebuilt him. Otomo had to admit that Machine Man was superior to him, but then he began to convulse, desperately needing more of Shaw's drug. Machine Man helped administer some of the synthesized drug, deciding that because of Otomo's honor he wouldn't attack him again.

(Civil War Battle Damage Report#1) - Otomo attended a press conference with the members of Big Hero Six as well as the robot Red Ronin, reaffirming their stance on protecting Japan from superhuman threats.

Otomo's costume at press conference.

Otomo's costume at time he fought Machine Man

Otomo's adult costume - note elbow spikes

Otomo's costume as a teen hero

Comments: Created by Karl Bollers, Mike Higgins, Joe Bennett and Bob Wiacek.

   Kyle Smith notes that Otomo is reminiscent of Magnus, Robot Fighter (of Gold Key/Acclaim), the martial artist-robot fighter.

   While I'd agree that the robot fighting is reminiscent of Magnus, the teenage Otomo's wavy hairstyle resembles famous manga/anime character Tetsuwan Atom, better known in the U.S.A. as Astro Boy. As for his name, and given Marvel has no less than two other characters named Otomo, I suspect he's named for Katushiro Otomo, the writer and artist of the famous manga Akira (and as such if I were to suggest a given name for this character, I might suggest either Akira or Osamu, the latter after Astro Boy's creator Osamu Tezuku).

   Though Otomo is a surname in Japan, it also translates loosely as "companion," but more specifically it refers to a servant / valet, usually to a martial arts master, which at a bit of a stretch might be how the Japanese government viewed the boy; in other words, Otomo might be his codename rather than his surname.

   Since Otomo was born with altered genes that gave him his powers, he's likely a mutant, although it's possible he's what S.H.I.E.L.D. terms a caterpillar, someone with "damaged" genes thanks to a parent being exposed to a mutagen, thus giving the child powers but not apparently an X-Gene.

   If his grandfather and mother displayed no powers, and Otomo's powers only showed as he became a boy, why did the Japanese government watch Otomo from infancy? I can see him being in government foster care if all his family were dead by that point, but I can only assume the Japanese government knew what Otomo's grandfather had done, and so just routinely kept an eye of the family as a matter of course just in case that serum finally showed its influence - which of course it did.

   I've estimated his height based on the picture of him standing next to Honey Lemon (5'7") in Civil War: Battle Damage Report. - Loki

Profile by Sammy 7D and Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Otomo should not be confused with:

• Otmu - rogue Watcher--Quasar#15
• Takashei Otomo - head of Otomocorp, rival of Mys-Tech--Hell's Angel#2
• Otomocorp - rival of Mys-Tech--Gene Dogs#1
• Otomo - First Blade of the Kingpin on Earth-65--Spider-Gwen#5
• Otomo - robot ninja who fought Robocop--Robocop 3
• Katushiro Otomo - writer and illustrator of the famous manga Akira