| “ | Seeing the Skullgirl trash my city and kill my comrades...Taking her down wasn't for revenge, but it felt good just the same. This city and me, we've been through a lot. New Meridian, its not what it used to be, but neither am I. | „ |
Summary
Ben Birdland has seen a lot in his time, including the worst of the Grand War. But nothing was worse than what he saw as a beat cop in New Meridian. When he ran afoul of his crooked unit he was given a violent early retirement, and his broken body was left to spend the rest of its days in an iron lung.
That would have been the end of Ben’s story if it hadn’t drawn the ears of the Anti-Skullgirl Labs. With little left to lose, he agreed to be rebuilt with their experimental procedures. Melded with the machinery that allows him to breathe and a powerful an array of pneumatic weaponry, he was reborn as “Big Band.”
Now a senior member of Lab 8, he’s become a father figure of sort to the younger ASG soldiers. A firm believer in their cause, he has stayed with the project through its controversies and still sees his place on the front lines against the Skullgirl. His technology may be dated, but he more than makes up for it with experience and fortissimo.
Powers and Stats
Tier: At least Low 7-C
Name: Ben "Big Band" Birdland
Origin: Skullgirls
Gender: Male
Age: 49
Classification: Mechanically Augmented Human (Cyborg), Detective, Biomechanical Anti-Skullgirl Weapon Unit
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Weapon Mastery (uses musical instruments to fight opponents with), Flight (in his Jet form), Sound Manipulation (can fire powerful sound blasts), Time Stop (can temporarily stop time with the Satchmo Solo), Shapeshifting (can transform parts of his body or the entirety of his body into different instruments for different attacks), Summoning (can summon sound cannons from the ground in one of his supers)
Attack Potency: At least Small Town level (Defeated Cerebella, Peacock, Ms. Fortune, Painwheel, Valentine, and the Skullgirl, as well as Double twice and implied to have beaten her in the past, Fought against the two previous Skullgirls, Selene Contiello and Queen Nancy Renoir, Was able to beat both Tommy Ten Tons and Andy Anvil in a fight)
Speed: At least Supersonic+ (Can keep up with Peacock and Valentine)
Lifting Strength: Class 5 (He is comparable to the main cast who can lift him. He weighs 5000 lbs)
Striking Strength: Small Town level
Durability: At least Small Town level
Stamina: Unknown
Range: Extended Melee Range with mechanically enhanced body, Several Meters to Hundreds of Meters with ranged instrumental weapons
Standard Equipment: Assorted instruments and instrument-based weaponry
Intelligence: High (Skilled in combat and a highly skilled detective, determined that Valentine was behind the attack on Lab 8 by identifying the minor difference between the scalpels used in Lab 8 and the ones used in Lab Zero)
Weaknesses: None notable
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
- Honky Tonk: Big Band pulls out a small horn and honks it twice.
- Ring-a-Ding: Pulls out a triangle and rings it five times.
- Tenor Blast: Unleashes a weak midair sound blast.
- Free Form: Big Band pulls out a trumpet and plays. Can be played after damage is dealt to perform the Satchmo Solo.
- Glissando: Big Band attacks with a pair of trombones twice.
- Baritone Blast: A stronger version of Tenor Blast.
- Air Mail Special: Big Band uses a saxophone to perform a powerful standing uppercut.
- Overblow: The lower half of Big Band's body transforms into a French horn and crushes the opponent.
- Bass Blast: A stronger version of Baritone Blast.
- Hot Socks: Big Band's foot transforms into a kick pedal.
- Sharp Note: Big Band's shin becomes a clarinet.
- Jelly Roll: Big Band's legs transform into a tambourine.
- Pneumatic Slide: Big Band's knee transforms into a trombone slide.
- Bass Drop: A combination of Tenor, Baritone, and Bass Blast simultaneously.
- Sweet Clarinet: Big Band's legs transform into a clarinet. Chains twice. Can be used to hover.
- Kick Stand: Big Band performs a powerful double side kick.
- Low Rank: Attacks with a set of organ pipes.
- 5000lb Slam: Big Band performs a powerful mid air drop kick.
- Heavy Toll: Traps the opponent in a large brass bell, stunning them afterwards.
- High Toll: Catches the opponent midair in a large brass bell before ringing it powerfully.
Specials:
- Beat Extend: Big Band's arms become two halves of a tambourine, trapping the enemy in the middle. Can be extended for extra damage.
- Giant Step: Big Band's foot becomes a giant kick pedal, shaking the ground and staggering the opponent.
- Brass Knuckles: After a brief charge period Big Band unleashes an extremely powerful sliding punch.
- Emergency Break: A quick stop mechanism for Brass Knuckles.
- Take the 'A' Train: Big Band reaches forward and grabs the opponent, trapping them within a chamber in his arm and crushing them up to three times.
- Emergency Break: A quick stop mechanism for Take the 'A' Train.
- Cymbal Clash: While in the air, Big Band crushes the opponent between a giant pair of cymbals.
- Bagpipe Blues: Big Band's taunt. Unlocks extra attacks for Blockbusters.
- Backstep: Big Band summons a giant, Extremely durable cymbal shield that blocks incoming damage.
Blockbusters:
- Super-Sonic Jazz: Big Band's entire body transforms into a French horn and he flies forward.
- TUBA TUBA!: If used after Bagpipe Blues, at the end of the initial attack Big Band unleashes a flurry of powerful punches.
- Tympany Drive: The bottom half of Big Band's body transforms into a set of drums, firing several sound blasts toward the ground and allowing him to hover for a short time.
- Death Toll: If used after Bagpipe Blues, at the end of the initial attack Big Band performs a more powerful version of High Toll.
- Strike Up the Band: Big Band stomps on the ground, summoning several trumpet sound cannons which fire multiple times.
- Satchmo Solo: Activated using Free Form, Big Band plays the first five notes of the Skullgirls opening theme, stopping time for a few seconds, but loses energy extremely quickly.
- Satchmo Death Blow: Activated after Satchmo Solo, Big Band unleashes a flurry of powerful punches, ending with a more powerful Brass Knuckle.
Notable Matchups
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
Discussions
| Discussion threads involving Big Band |