Bayman

Bayman is a former professional assassin, currently a mercenary and Combat Sambo martial artist who debuted in the 1996 arcade version of Dead or Alive. Although he was made an unlockable character for Dead or Alive 2 in 2000, he returned as a fighter for the main line-up in 2001 for Dead or Alive 3 and continues to do so.

Once a hired killer for Victor Donovan, Bayman is now after Donovan's blood after he left him without payment and tried to kill him instead. Bayman is also the murderer of Fame Douglas, the former leader of the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee; the job Donovan hired him for.

Early life
Little is known about Bayman's early years; even his real name is still a mystery. It was known that he was born and raised in Russia and, as a child, he witnessed the deaths of his parents, which were ordered under martial order.

Bayman aspired to join the military and became one of Russia's highly-trained commandos, serving as a special agent for many years until he was discharged.

After that, Bayman slipped through the cracks and took up the life of a professional assassin, putting his skills to good use in all manner of lethal assignments. He found particular pleasure in assassinations, especially challenging or high-profile assignments.

The First Tournament
Bayman finally finds his dream assignment from Victor Donovan: the assassination of the renowned Fame Douglas, chairman of the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee. In order to do this, Bayman poses as an employee of DOATEC and works alongside Christie, another assassin hired by Donovan, until the time came for Fame's death.

Before the first Dead or Alive World Combat Championship tournament, Bayman and Christie are tasked with finding Kasumi to take her to the Freedom Survivor via helicopter, where the tournament will officially begin so the girl can find Raidou and avenge her brother Hayate. Bayman is not positive about Kasumi's abilities as a fighter due to her young age and small size, despite the fact that she is considered to be one of the top contenders but ended up challenging Kasumi in a fight after Christie playfully insults him. After being defeated, Bayman admits that Kasumi was a tough contender after all and seems surprised after Christie reveals that he had been fighting a shinobi.

During the night of the tournament's finals, Bayman finally kills Fame at long distance with a sniper rifle from on-land while Fame was on the ship. Despite his success, Bayman is left behind as Christie returns to Donovan at the headquarters and Bayman never receives payment for his work. At one point, Donovan tries to get rid of Bayman by sending a sniper after him but Bayman kills the sniper instead to silence him. Enraged by Donovan's actions, a need for revenge grows within Bayman.

The Third Tournament
During the events of the third tournament, Bayman is approached by Helena Douglas, Fame's daughter and the new leader of DOATEC so she can hire him to kill Donovan. She knows that Donovan is trying to take over DOATEC and that Donovan is trying to get Bayman killed, although she is unsure why. Seeming uninterested by the offer at first, Bayman tells Helena that it will take more than money to motivate him and challenges her to a fight so she could prove her strength to him. After Helena wins, Bayman becomes her bodyguard.

Later, Christie, who had been posing as Helena's assistant, reveals her real purpose is to kill Helena. Before she can, however, Bayman captured her, calling her one of Donovan's lapdogs and explains that this job is a personal one and that he has to protect Helena because she is "his sponsor."

Kasumi α, a creation of Donovan's, overhears the conversation and becomes enraged that they are plotting to kill her "father." Christie orders Alpha to attack Helena but she is quickly defeated. During the fight, it seems that Christie manages to escape from Bayman.

The Fourth Tournament
During the Mugen Tenshin clan's attack on the DOATEC headquarters, Bayman manages to infiltrate and enter the building and he begins his search for Donovan. He doesn't go completely unnoticed though and he is challenged by Christie. The two battle but Bayman fails and is captured by DOATEC, drugged and interrogated.

However, during the chaos that erupted due to the shinobi attack, Bayman frees himself by stabbing his own hand with a pen, using the ink to overcome the drug used on him. While his interrogators flee, getting themselves killed in the process by running into the path of a fierce explosion, Bayman sneers as the doors close him inside the interrogation room. After somehow managing to escape the interrogation room, Bayman encounters Hayate, and fights him in the burning ruins of the DOATEC headquarters. It is unknown what exactly happened to him afterwards but he somehow manages to survive the event.

The Fifth Tournament
After the events of the fourth tournament, Bayman redeemed himself and now he works as a mercenary and goes out to the Middle East on a mission with his team. Suddenly, the group is attacked by an unknown assailant dressed with a black cloak, and Bayman is the only survivor, who is left with two vicious scars. He later travels to the Freedom Survivor and meets with Helena, demanding an explanation regarding the attack. But she denies any involvement of DOATEC and herself, and Bayman leaves to find his answers.

In order to find Donovan, whom he believes is responsible for the attack, Bayman follows Kasumi, who is searching for Alpha-152. He returns to the Middle East, where his group was attacked, and runs into Hayate. Learning that he is searching for Kasumi, Bayman challenges Hayate to a fight, saying that he needs to study his ninjutsu to face Kasumi, and that only one of them can find her. However, Zack interrupts their fight, saying that Helena has something important to talk about with them. While Hayate agrees to go with Zack, Bayman refuses. He knows that Zack is a fine pilot, but declares that Zack creeps him out. Insulted, Zack challenges him to a fight, but Bayman soundly defeats him and orders him to tell Helena that he has other places to go to, which is after the false Kasumi, whom he chases to Antarctica to take revenge, not knowing that Phase 4 was the clone who attacked him and his men.

Later, Bayman infiltrates the oil rig and confronts Christie. Bayman has the opportunity to shoot Christie, but decides to hold his fire. Knowing that his suspicions about the place are correct because of her presence, Bayman fights and defeats Christie. He then runs into Hayate and Ayane, and he tells them that they won't find Donovan and Kasumi is his. But after Hayate defeats him, he helps the ninja with finding Kasumi and they kill her, with it being revealed that Kasumi was actually just an Alpha clone. Then Bayman helps them infiltrate the lab, but once they reach inside, he takes his leave, telling them that is as far as he goes and the rest is up to them. It is unknown what happens to him, but he presumably escapes the rig before it is destroyed.

Appearance

 * See also: Bayman's costumes

Bayman is a tall man with a wide, muscular build, a slightly tanned complexion, dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a square-shaped face with a strong jawline. For his original design, he was given thin, sharp facial features, a low brow, and short hair neatly slicked back.

For Dead or Alive 5, his overall design was greatly changed. Although he is still tall and muscular, his hair has been changed so he has buzzed back and sides with longer hair on top of his crown. His face also looks more aged, worn, and serious, as if he has faced a lot of combat, with a rounded chin. He now also bears a thin scar that runs over his face from above the left eyebrow to the right cheek and another much larger scar that stretches across his chest in the opposite direction. Bayman received these two scars during the beginning of the story mode in Dead or Alive 5 while he and his team were attacked in the Middle East.

For most of Bayman's costumes, he wears army uniforms and combat equipment. Recurring elements include dog-tags, camouflage pants, army boots, gloves, and berets. One recurring, slightly comical costume is his scuba gear, which includes a full-body wetsuit, oxygen tanks, goggles, an oxygen mask, and flippers.

Personality
Before Dead or Alive 5, Bayman was ruthless and cold with a quick, proficient way of carrying  out his tasks. Although he made a good living as an assassin, he has made it clear that he is not in it for the money. Instead, he seems to enjoy the kills themselves for unclear reasons. He took pride in his work and seemed to see himself as above an assassin like Christie, who he doesn't consider a professional. However, by the time of Dead or Alive 5, Bayman sought out redemption and he became a mercenary. Bayman is now an honored and determined soldier who wants to avenge the deaths of his comrades who were killed by the mysterious hooded figure, as of late, his mind filled with nothing but thoughts of revenge, which is the only thing that keeps him going.

Before a fight, Bayman often tells his opponent to prepare themselves, emphasizing his confidence and strength. He has also shown a willingness to never back down and the ability to overcome many difficult tasks, such as stabbing himself with a pen and risking his life as part of his job.

Etymology
Bayman is actually a codename, likely used to keep his true identity a secret and make him hard to track down. His real name has never been revealed.

The name Bayman can be used as a surname, possibly coming from the trade of a bayman (someone who lives and works on a bay). However, its origins are very vague and there is no conclusive meaning to it; this is fitting for Bayman as his origins and past are also very vague.

Victor Donovan
There is plenty of bad blood between Bayman and Donovan. Once united between a professional relationship, after Bayman carried out Fame's assassination under Donovan's word, he was left without payment and had a sniper sent after him to silence him. As a result, Bayman wants to kill Donovan in return, hungry for revenge. He feels nothing but hostility for him and has tried his best to take Donovan down while trying to avoid being killed in return. Most of Bayman's actions in the series have been fuelled by his sense of anger he has toward Donovan.

Christie
Bayman and Christie are both assassins, once both working for Victor Donovan. To begin with, they seemed to be able to maintain a professional relationship.

Bayman is not without mercy for Christie, though he does see her as a lesser assassin and even describes her as "one of Donovan's lap dogs," which she did not seem to take to heart. Bayman also seems to stalk Christie to some degree as he is familiar with the lines she uses to charm both Rig and Eliot, even going so far as to reference them in their casual conversation in DOA5 after he decides to put his gun away and chooses to fight her hand to hand instead. The two take jabs at each other and no one else is as familiar with Christie's hidden assassin life as Bayman.

Helena Douglas
At first, Bayman and Helena did not go well with each other, however by the time of Dead or Alive 5, he and Helena became closer, like a bodyguard and client relationship. Helena and Bayman show no hostility toward each other and both share a strong bond of loyalty. Both Helena and Bayman are enemies of Donovan, and because this that led Helena to hire Bayman to track down Donovan and bring him to justice. They managed to maintain a closer and professional relationship between themselves. However, it's unknown if Helena is aware that Bayman is the one who killed her father.

Leon
Bayman's rivalry with Leon is hinted at through banter at the beginning and end of matches between them. When they meet in Dead or Alive 3, Leon expresses disbelief that Bayman is still alive. After winning matches against Leon in Dead or Alive 2, Bayman quips that Leon has aged or tells him to "go back to the desert". They seem to share a history, but whether they are old enemies or old friends, this has never been explained.

Hayate
In Dead or Alive 5, Bayman seems to have some respect for Hayate, possibly due to him being a ninja. During the attack on M.I.S.T, Bayman helps Hayate and Ayane to break into the lab. It may be possible that both respect each other due to their martial arts skills. Bayman also pries Hayate about his fighting technique, which makes Hayate uneasy.

Phase 4
During the beginning of Dead or Alive 5, he and his men were attacked by her, leaving him as the sole survivor but with scars across his face and torso. Bayman does not know who or what Phase 4 is but seeks revenge regardless.

Gameplay

 * See also: Bayman's command lists

Bayman stands out as a powerful grappler, exceeding even Leifang in hold potential. His strikes are also powerful and he has a fair mix-up game, but like Leon is not able to create very long combos and thus is not well-suited to Arcade mode. His preferred distance in attacking, is mid to long range as to take advantage of his relatively slow "wind up" time-frame and his offensive holds.

Despite his size and strength, Bayman is a remarkably agile fighter with a highly defensive style. He is able to evasively roll in any direction (as of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate) and as part of some combos. He formerly had a huge arsenal of powerful throws, but as of Dead or Alive Dimensions many of these have been reclassified as "offensive holds", essentially throws that can be used against opponents that are attacking (and even do more damage against them). This makes up for his slow striking speed and can keep quicker foes from pressuring him. However, the danger is that he can receive punishing Hi-Counter throws from opponents whilst in the process of offensive holding, thus it is best to keep a distance and use offensive holds whilst the opponent is attacking. Such offensive holds include D.D.T, which deals a massive 115 points of base damage if performed fully and leaves him at a frame advantage should the opponent escape from it; S.T.F., that can also be performed while rolling (essentially like a side-stepping attack) or even whilst getting up, evades high strikes (or any linear attacks if done whilst rolling) and can catch opponents by surprise; and the Arm Hold that has more damaging variations if performed by a wall (Wall Press) or in the water (Choke Splash).

Along with Leifang he is one of the only characters able to perform holds with his back turned. He also has expert holds that are extremely damaging (although some will not be more damaging than his regular combo holds if the latter are performed fully) and is able to execute a multitude of ground throws (a feature wrestling characters like Bass and Tina Armstrong didn't receive until the third game).

Unlocking Bayman
Bayman is an unlockable character in Dead or Alive 2 and Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate, in which he can be used in every gameplay mode except Story Mode. To unlock him:
 * Dead or Alive 2: Complete Story Mode with all the characters.
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate: Complete Story Mode with Leon on normal difficulty.

Dead or Alive series

 * Dead or Alive (arcade) (playable, 1996)
 * Dead or Alive (Sega Saturn) (playable, 1997)
 * Dead or Alive (PlayStation) (playable, 1998)
 * Dead or Alive++ (playable, 1998)
 * Dead or Alive 2 (unlockable, 2000)
 * DOA2: Hardcore (unlockable, 2000)
 * Dead or Alive 3 (playable, 2001 - 2002)
 * Dead or Alive 1 Ultimate (playable, 2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (unlockable, 2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive 4 (playable, 2005 - 2006)
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions (playable, 2011)
 * Dead or Alive 5 (playable, 2012)
 * Dead or Alive 5+ (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (playable, 2015)

DOA: Dead or Alive
In the 2006 feature film DOA: Dead or Alive, Bayman was portrayed by Fijian-Australian actor and professional strongman Derek Boyer.

In the film, Bayman enters the tournament unbeknownst to the other competitors as a grunt for Donovan and is known to have murdered Fame Douglas. He defeats Brad Wong and loses to Ryu Hayabusa. A small running gag with Bayman is that he always gets beat by Max, despite the fact that Max isn't even a professional fighter.

Later, he has a rematch with Hayabusa, which ends with him being knocked unconscious by Max and Weatherby. He is presumably killed when the island explodes.

While he is a lot like his video game self, there is a major change for Bayman in DOA: Dead or Alive- while in the game series, after he kills Fame, Donovan betrays him, leading Bayman to hate him, in the film he continues to work for him.

Fighting quotes

 * Dead or Alive/Dead or Alive 1 Ultimate
 * Dead or Alive 2/DOA2: Hardcore
 * Dead or Alive 3
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate
 * Dead or Alive 4
 * Dead or Alive Dimensions
 * Dead or Alive 5
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round

Music themes
The following are the music themes used for Bayman throughout the series.

Gallery

 * See: Bayman gallery

Trivia

 * In Dead or Alive 5, Bayman possesses two scars: one on his face and another on his torso, which can only be seen with certain costumes.
 * While Bayman appears in DOA: Dead or Alive, his personality and alignment differs from his game/canon version, Weatherby got his role from the game, he is in love with Helena in the movie while Bayman does have a close relationship with her in the game's true canon, Bayman also protected her in the game from Christie.
 * Bayman has a strong resemblance to Boris from the anime Black Lagoon. Coincidentally, one of Bayman's halloween costumes is Frankenstein's monster, famously played by Boris Karloff, who Boris from Black Lagoon is named after. Also, all three fictional characters are have physical scars.
 * Bayman is closely associated with Leon because they have extremely similar fighting styles, movements, and body designs. They also use the Combat Sambo fighting style. However, Bayman is very different from Leon in Dead or Alive 4, making him a unique character; he is best known for his defensive skills.