| “ | I have a system: there's a place for everything, everything in its place. | ” |
Wasabi is a major character in Disney's 2014 animated featured film Big Hero 6. He is a member of the "Big Hero 6": a superhero organization comprising of himself and his friends Hiro Hamada, Baymax, Go Go Tomago, Honey Lemon and Fred.
Personality
Cautious, neurotic and compulsive, Wasabi is the most organized member of Big Hero 6. Out of all his friends, Wasabi is the one who would abide to the rules in a lawful and orderly manner, making him arguably the most grounded. Wasabi is methodical, running by a system for everyday life: there's a place for everything, and everything is in its place. In his field of research, Wasabi applies his motto by providing careful organization and division of his tools and components. Also, Wasabi possesses sharp precision in order to keep everything organized to a shockingly accurate degree, despite his anxious personality. However, he has an intense dislike for disorder, as seen when Go Go purposely grabbed a tool from his table, which sent him into a fit.
Out of the team, Wasabi is the most realistic. Notably, he initially reacted to the idea of forming a superhero team to be an insane idea. Since he relies on safety and common sense, Wasabi is easily considered a coward, as he's easily disturbed when facing intense situations, whilst his friends generally take a more fearless, or considerably less excitable approach. As a result, Wasabi is a strictly "by-the-book" person who refuses to act on impulse before a plan is developed for effective action. With the others' tendency to be reckless at times, Wasabi's composure and planning is ultimately a valued asset for the team.
Although beneficial, Wasabi's lawful nature can annoy or even hinder the members of the team, even in times of danger. When the the team was trying to escape the supervillain Yokai in a car chase, Wasabi, despite the inevitable threat, constantly followed the rules of the road (such as traffic lights and direction); this aggravated Go Go and made them an easier target for Yokai. Also, when Professor Granville made him and Hiro work together on a project, both of them, despite being good friends, refused to do so because of their clashing attitudes. Since Hiro's working style is more unorganized and laid-back, it made Wasabi unable to work on his environment, and both always tried to find an excuse out of it. Still, in the end and even with their differences, they managed to accomplish the project, creating a Mech Suit that actually impressed Granville.
His compulsive behavior also makes him feel uneasy of certain things; he is shown to have acrophobia (fear of heights) since being on high places makes him fear for his life and try to stay away from the edges that would make him fall or cling himself to something. He is also a known germophobe as he wears sterlie gloves while working with his experiments and was the most grossed out by Fred's statements about how he rarely washed his clothes. He was also worried when the team went to Akuma Island because it was quarantined, and exaggerates in other ways about it like disliking ball pits because of how many germs they have, despite Baymax affirming that their level of germs is not harmful to humans.
When his life is put on near-death situations, he yells in terror and stays still for some moments even after the danger is gone, shown when Yokai almost crushed him with a crate but was stopped by Baymax, and when he was caged by Baron Von Steamer and laid in fetal position with his eyes closed even after Go Go told him he was safe, claiming he wasn't ready yet to calm down.
However, despite being less audacious than the others, Wasabi has his moments of bravery especially when it is for his friends. Also, despite his inclination for organization, Wasabi can think on his feet and react in time to effectively respond to a situation, making him very resourceful. He also has a sense of leadership in these cases where he instructs the others what to do when they have no plan. Wasabi claims his reactions during these scenarios is due to the adrenaline in his body suddenly flowing, and after the situation is over, he goes back to his more scaredy and organized self.
Appearance
Wasabi is a large, burly man, creating a humorous juxtaposition with his ultimately soft nature. He is tall, very muscular and well-kept, with his most notable feature being his smooth dreadlocks. He is also bearded, with brown eyes and a dark complexion; he appears to be mostly fond of the colors green and yellow when it comes to clothing attire. Wasabi can also be seen wearing all-black jikatabi shoes, which are often found in Japanese fashion.
When wearing his super suit, Wasabi dons a mostly green, almost turquoise armor, accompanied by what appears to be Japanese cropped pants with particular patterns layered over it. Wasabi's jikatabi fashion also remains intact with his armor, though given red linings to accompany the black.
Promotional material also showed him wearing a flowing, shimmering cape along with his armor, but it is never used or seen in the actual film or the show.
Powers and Abilities
Wasabi has no powers, but he possesses high intelligence and refined skill in using lasers.
- Precision: Wasabi is very accurate and meticulous, allowing him to concentrate and focus his lasers carefully and without harm. His organized nature also helps him handle the danger of using plasma.
- Professional-level athleticism: Wasabi has above-average strength, agility and athletic skill. According to his bio, Wasabi is a practitioner of Tai Chi. He also has very quick reflexes, as shown when he easily cut down all of the tennis balls aimed at him during training.
- Magnetism: In one occasion, he switched armors with Hiro and thus obtained the ability from Hiro's suit to cling himself to metallic surfaces and attract metallic objects. He was shown to be skillful with it, too.
Equipment
- Plasma blades: The gauntlets on Wasabi's suit contain a pair of retractable plasma blades that can form different shapes of blade. These blades are razor sharp and can slice through most materials with relative ease, with a few exceptions such as graphene from Momakase's knives and other villains like Mega Yama could disable the blades by using the same kind of plasma against him. As a result, Wasabi is one of the most powerful members of the team along with Baymax.
History
Wasabi is first introduced at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, where he's in the process of his latest experiment; laser induced plasma, with a little magnetic confinement for ultra precision. During the testing process, Wasabi meets Hiro, the younger brother of his good friend Tadashi. Wasabi takes the time to demonstrate his creation, as well as introducing Hiro to his method of organization and having a steady system; only to be interrupted by a reckless Go Go. Later on, when Hiro meets the eccentric Fred, Wasabi joins by their side during the meeting and mentions two facts: He received his nickname "Wasabi" from Fred after spilling the food of the same name onto his shirt on one occasion, along with the fact that Fred once asked him to build a shrink ray, only to have his hopes rejected. Later on, after some time would pass, it's revealed that Wasabi and the others have befriended Hiro, welcoming him into their circle of friends and assisting him in his science fair project, which he hopes will impress their professor, Professor Callaghan, thus allowing him enrollment into San Fransokyo Tech.On the day of the fair, Wasabi joins the others in providing Hiro support during his presentation, claiming to have several different necessities in case of an emergency due to nervousness. Despite brief apprehension, Hiro's presentation is a rousing success, and he's instantly accepted into the school, much to the delight of Wasabi and the others. In honor of the momentous occasion, Hiro and Tadashi's aunt, Cass, offers free food at her cafe, to which they accept. Unfortunately, after their departure, a fire breaks out at the school, and after hearing Professor Callaghan is still inside, Tadashi rushes in to save him, only to meet his untimely demise in doing so.
Wasabi and the others mourn the death of their friend, and spends their time comforting the Hamada family during the dark hours. Unfortunately, Hiro refuses to engage in contact, concealing himself within his room for weeks. Even so, Wasabi and the others make an attempt to send a video message, expressing their interest in having him join their side in school, as well as their circle of friends, only to face understandable rejection. However, later that night, Wasabi and the others were out on the city streets when they spot Hiro and Tadashi's robot, Baymax, snooping about the city. Wasabi follows behind in his van, and the gang soon finds themselves near the bay.Wasabi confronts Hiro on his actions, but it leads to no real explanation. That is, until a menacing figure wearing a kabuki mask arrives and attacks them; nearly killing a panicked Wasabi, though the latter is fortunately rescued by Baymax. Without further hesitation, Wasabi and the others retreat to the former's van, and a car chase ensues. A by-the-book Wasabi constantly obeys the traffic laws, however, slowing the group down and heightening of the mask figure's success in murdering them, until Go Go, out of frustration, takes the wheel. The chase ends with the team, and van, crashing into the waters of the bay, having the mask man believe them to be dead, thus taking his leave. Once emerged from the waters, Fred offers a place for recovery, which turns out to be his mansion home, much to Wasabi's surprise and utter confusion. After drying off, the friends discuss the mask man, and he's revealed to be a man who managed to steal Hiro's Microbots, and the cause of the fire that killed Tadashi. Wanting to bring him to justice, Hiro suggests they become technologically advanced superheroes to bring Yokai down, themselves. Wasabi is the first to express his apprehensions on the matter, exclaiming they're simply a bunch of nerds, and as such, don't stand a chance against the villain. Nevertheless, he goes along with it, and "upgrades" are given to each member.Wasabi is given special armor, with his primary weapons being plasma blades based off his latest school experiment. After a little training at Fred's manor, Baymax and Hiro set out to track Yokai's whereabouts, eventually discovering it to be on an abandoned island off the shores of the city. Wasabi joins the others in traveling over via flight through Baymax, and openly expresses his lack of enjoyment due to his fear of heights. Once they arrive, Wasabi is the only member to point out the lack of precaution the others are taking, after spotting a "Warning" sign on the gates that lead to a hidden facility. Nevertheless, a fearful Wasabi follows behind, and the team soon stumbles upon a giant machine in the making. After watching a surveillance recording, they learn that the machine is a transportation portal, that originally belonged to tech-geru Alistair Krei, but was destroyed after a malfunctioning during its test run, apparently killing the test pilot, Abigail. This leads the team to believe Krei is the one behind the mask.And just then, Yokai attacks. Whilst the other members immediately jump into action, Wasabi stays behind in an attempt to think of a plan, only to impulsively jump into battle. Though he puts up a decent fight, at first, Yokai soon gets the upper hand and defeats him. After a while, Hiro successfully unmasks the criminal, but it's revealed to be Professor Callaghan, who used the stolen Microbots to save himself from a fiery death. Infuriated, Hiro corrupts Baymax's programming and orders him to kill Callaghan. Knowing such action is wrong, Wasabi, Go Go, and Fred battle Baymax to stop him, allowing Callaghan to escape in the process. Fortunately, Honey Lemon restores Baymax to his normal safe, and the robot apologizes for his actions towards the team. Wasabi and Go Go confront Hiro on his behavior, only to have the boy storm off in grief, with Baymax by his side, leaving them stranded on the island, until Fred's butler arrives with the family chopper. Once they return to San Fransokyo, Wasabi and the team visit Hiro to comfort him, understanding his actions were out of overwhelming sadness at the hands of Tadashi's death. Go Go then promises they'll put a stop to Callaghan's villainy, the right way.The team then shows Hiro a piece of recording footage they found at Krei's facility, where it's revealed Abigail was the daughter of Callaghan, meaning his scheme is revolved around extracting revenge on Alistair Krei. With this knowledge, the team heads to Krei Tech, where Callaghan arrives and confronts the tech-geru. Before he's able to kill Krei, Wasabi and the team arrives, engaging in battle after Callaghan refuses to stand down. Wasabi is soon trapped between two metallic walls of Microbots, which continuously move closer from each side, as Callaghan plans to crush him to death. With the other members suffering similar catastrophes, Hiro advises them to look through a different angle to free themselves. Wasabi comes up with the idea to use his blades to get through the ground below him, thus freeing him from Callaghan's clutches. Once below, and reunited with some of the other teammates, Wasabi begins destroying the Microbots and sending them into the already activated portal, tarnishing Callaghan's source of power, and enabling the team access to apprehending him.
However, though the portal is taken down, it begins to glitch, and according to Krei, is on the verge of exploding. The team rallies together to evacuate the area, but Baymax senses life without the portal, and Hiro believes it to be Abigail. The duo journeys inside to save her, and though they do, Baymax loses his life. Wasabi is the first to notice Baymax's absence when Hiro and Abigail return, and without word, understands he sacrificed himself to save them. Nevertheless, Abigail is taken into medical care, whilst Callaghan is arrested. Meanwhile, Wasabi and his friends return to their normal lives as students at San Fransokyo Tech, with Hiro, having overcome his grief, joins by their side as one of their closest companions. One day, however, Hiro discovers Baymax's programming chip, thus enabling him the power of recreating the robot. Once Baymax returns, the Big Hero 6 team sees a resurgence, and the friends officially band together to protect the city from crime.
In the end credits, Wasabi has gotten a new van and is seen driving it with his friends inside as they drive around the city.
Etymology
- Wasabi - Wasabi is a spicy side eaten with certain Japanese foods.
Gallery
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An Image Gallery is available for Wasabi.
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Trivia
- In the original comics, he is called Wasabi No-Ginger. This last name is dropped from the film and TV show. Other forms of media still call him by his full name, however.
- Wasabi is multilingual, being fluent in English, Spanish and Klingon.[1]
- The 2013 Rotoscopers video and early information regarding the plot had Wasabi depicted as a disciplined, quiet and very strict character. Along with his dislike for Fred in general, he was a sushi chef with a razor sharp talent just like in the comics.
- Wasabi is the only Big Hero 6 member whose residence/house has never been shown, but according to the video game Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay, he lives in an apartment.
- An action figure of him was released.
- In "Fred's Bro-Tillion", Wasabi mentions his dad is an orthodontist.
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