- "We are THE MUSCLE!"
- —Bass in Dead or Alive 6
Bass Armstrong, also known in Dead or Alive 5 as Mr. Strong, is a retired pro wrestler from the Dead or Alive series. He made his debut in the PlayStation remake of the first Dead or Alive as a playable character.
He is portrayed as the over-protective father of Tina Armstrong. Throughout the series, Bass has consistently tried to stop Tina from dropping her title as a pro wrestler to become a Hollywood sensation.
History[]
Early life[]
Bass is an undefeated pro wrestler and undisputed world champion. Somewhere along the line in his career, he met and married Alicia and the two of them had a daughter, Tina.
When Tina was six, Alicia died of a disease, leaving Bass to care for his daughter by himself. Bass, driven by his own dream of having his child follow in his footsteps, began to push Tina through a rigorous training regimen. By the time Tina reached high school, she was an expert wrestler. She then went on to become one of the world's most feared pro wrestling competitors.
The First Tournament[]
When Tina begins to tire of her life as a wrestler, and starts to think about entering more glamorous professions, Bass convinces her to rekindle her competitive spirit and enter the Dead or Alive Tournament. Bass believes that Tina is in it for the glory of winning the tournament, but her real aim is to make herself known so she can be discovered by Hollywood.
The Second Tournament[]
Bass enters the second Dead or Alive tournament to stop his daughter's lofty ambitions once again. However, Tina succeeds in defeating Bass in the finals of the tournament and becomes a catwalk model like she planned.
The Third Tournament[]
Bass is extremely upset hearing Tina now wanted to be an actress. So, Bass enters once again to stop Tina's fame seeking only to fail once again as Tina later goes on to star in an action-war film. Later, after her filming, Bass has broken his motorcycle down and Tina drifts by him quickly in her vehicle not even noticing it is her father shouting for her help.
The Fourth Tournament[]
One morning, Bass sees Tina on TV after she has just won another wrestling tournament. He's pleased as she announced she will partake in the fourth Dead or Alive tournament, but flies into a fury when Tina mentions that after winning the tournament, she wants to become a rock star. Enraged, Bass goes on a rampage and picks a fight with Brad Wong. After losing at a casino he goes on another rampage where he is confronted by Leifang.
Before his fight with Tina it's revealed that, like his daughter, Bass also has a dream beyond pro wrestling: to race in the Hyper Battle Grand Prix, a motorbike race. Tina basically calls Bass a hypocrite and the two began to fight. He later enters the race that he wanted, but when racing around the city he sees Tina on one of the many big screens, in what he thinks is an "adult" film. In his shock, he loses control of his bike and crashes into a big screen, ironically into Tina's fist.
The Fifth Tournament[]
After the fourth tournament, Bass announces his retirement and starts working on a DOATEC offshore plant with Rig. However, he sees Tina on TV, announcing her plans on joining the fifth tournament. This prompts Bass into joining as well, disguising himself as "Mr. Strong". He earns his spot in the tournament by defeating Zack.
At the quarterfinals, Bass faces off against Tina, who sees clearly through his disguise. Bass wins the fight, but Tina convinces him to join her in a father-daughter team. When she announces her plans to run for governor, Bass is dismayed.
Bass later loses to Jann Lee in the semifinals and heads back to the oil platform, where he has a friendly chat with Helena before Christie shows up.
The Sixth Tournament[]
Sometime after DIG was destroyed, Bass drove off Hayate when the latter interrogated Rig for any connection to MIST due to previously encountering him, or rather, his sleeper identity Victor Donovan Jr. He later ended up entering a wrestling match against Tina, with aspiring DOA applicant Honoka observing the match. He then watches as Tina and Honoka have a free match. Sometime afterwards, he and Tina form their own wrestling team, the Muscle, which then entered the Dead or Alive tournament, with Helena revealing that Rig was their sponsor after a brief match with them. He also had a brief sparring match with Mila, who idolized him. Bass eventually sensed something was wrong when Rig abruptly departed (due to Christie awakening his sleeper identity).
Endings[]
Character[]
Appearance[]
- See also: Bass' costumes
Bass is a tall man with a large, wide frame. His overall appearance is based on the American wrestler Hulk Hogan, and like him Bass has blond, shoulder-length hair styled into a mullet, and a beard which covers the whole of his lower face, but is trimmed close to the skin. In the first game, the beard was blond to match the rest of the hair on his head, but it was later darkened to a brunet shade. This could mean that Bass dyes his hair blond, or that the beard just changed color with age. Bass also has lightly tanned skin and small eyes that are the same shade as Tina's.
In Dead or Alive 5, it appears that Bass has lost a substantial amount of weight.
Most of his outfits are wrestling costumes with either a biker or American theme. Recurring elements to his costumes include leather, patterns that resemble the US flag, and some form of sunglasses, which can usually be hit off in a fight. One of his recurring outfits include a tanned and brown-colored cowboy outfit, complete with hat.
Personality[]
Bass is the self proclaimed strongest fighter in the Dead or Alive series and he believes it. He also wants to prove to others his strength, and will not hesitate to show it in or out of the ring. This has also led to some instances of smashing people with chairs and hurling insults into a microphone. He is not so arrogant that he cannot accept others as equals, and will easily befriend anyone who can live up to his personal standards of strength and might. He does bear a more caring side for his daughter, Tina, and is very protective over her.
Etymology[]
While not a proper first name, Bass is both a English and Scottish surname. It is likely from the French word basse, meaning somebody who was both broad and thickset. This word itself is a development of the Latin bassus, meaning wide, as opposed to tall. It fits Bass perfectly, as he is a man who is of a wide, broad build.
His surname "Armstrong" is of Scottish origin, and meanings "strong in the arm" which is fitting for a family of pro-wrestlers.
His name is a combination of the names of two of the three astronauts of Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin and the late Neil Armstrong. The Japanese Katakana for his name are pronounced "Bāsu" like Buzz in English. Due to the phonetic transcription it became Bass in Romaji (western script). It is a common mistake for non-Japanese people to pronounce his name "Base".
Relationships[]
Tina Armstrong[]
Bass is Tina's father and is really protective towards her, still viewing her as his little girl. Like most fathers, Bass dislikes her using her sex appeal. He doesn't hesitate to meddle in her affairs, but only out of love and tries to keep an eye on her at all times. This causes friction in their relationship, as Tina sees herself as her own person and wants to make her own choices. Their disagreements often lead to real fights in the ring and Tina more or less wins every time. Although they hardly ever get along, the two can be close at times.
During the events of Dead or Alive 2, Bass guards her from men like Zack, and he disagrees with her dreams of being something big in the entertainment world, as she wanted to become a model. He believes that it isn't a good career for a young lady. During the events of Dead or Alive 3, Bass attempt to prevent his daughter from becoming a Hollywood actress in a movie. During the events of Dead or Alive 4, Tina has set her sights on a new goal; to become a rock star. Once more, her father detest the idea and sets out to stop her. In DOA3 in particular, the irritation he had upon learning she wanted to become a Hollywood actress from listening to her and Hitomi's conversation was such that he actually tore the newspaper he was reading in half.
During the events of Dead or Alive 5, Tina returns to fight in Dead or Alive tournament, much to her father's dismay. Knowing she is up to something, Bass defeats his daughter, but in her announcement, she declares that she is going to run for governor. Bass is upset, but he is forced to accept the idea in front of fans viewing worldwide rather than expose himself as an overly protective father.
Since Dead or Alive 2, they share a grand total of 5 tag grapples with several opening and winning sequences.
Zack[]
Bass had a strong dislike for Zack when he used to fancy Tina, mostly because he didn't want his daughter to be taken away from him by another man in her life, seeing him as a threat to Tina's love for him. (Although Tina has shown no interest in Zack at all.) Despite the quarrels they have, they feature three seemingly brutal tag grapples from Dead or Alive 2 onwards. It's unknown if Zack is still with Niki by the time of Dead or Alive 5, but Bass is then on more friendly terms with Zack, since Zack is now modest and reserved with Tina.
Gen Fu[]
It appears they are well acquainted. During Dead or Alive 3, Bass can be seen in a cut scene confining to Gen Fu about Tina's actions while Gen Fu patiently listens. Since Dead or Alive 2, they share one powerhouse tag grapple if paired.
Rig[]
It seems that Rig and Bass work together on the same oil platform located offshore. Although they seem to get into fights - mostly due to Rig's behaviour - they also appear to get along very well. He was also implied to be unaware of Rig's possible involvement with MIST, or that he was brainwashed, as he drove off Hayate when he found the latter interrogating Rig, and later fought Bayman when the latter implied that Rig is not to be trusted.
Since Dead or Alive 5, they feature two tag grapples if paired as well as opening and winning sequences.
Mila[]
Mila has been a huge Bass Armstrong fan ever since she was a child. Though she doesn't meet Bass during the fifth tournament, she does meet his daughter, Tina and hopes to meet him through her, which finally happens in the sixth tournament, where she wins against him. According to the trivia entry, "Fan Merchandise," Mila is such a big fan of Bass that she has training goods signed by him, including dumbbells and a chest expander.
Since Dead or Alive 5, they feature two tag grapples if paired as well as opening and winning sequences.
Gameplay[]
- See also: Bass' command lists
Bass is a power/grappler character, as is reflected by his large size and execution timeframe. His throw attacks are combo based and they can result in over 60% damage, but are easily escaped from by experienced players. However, thanks to his strength, Bass's counters can inflict massive damage (i.e. his "Manhattan Driver Combo" throw). His "Tiger Knee" is quite competent as well, with attacks such as the Rising Palm and One Hand Hammer. His normal strikes also can do shocking damage and his slower attacks tend to place him in a safe position with advantage to keep his foes on the defensive.
Bass's slow speed results in him tending to struggle up close against faster characters who can easily overwhelm him, forcing Bass to play patiently and wait for the right moment for a counter or hold. In Dead or Alive 3, his grappling prowess was increased due to the implementation of air throws ( + ) and ground "lifts" to open up offensive opportunities (i.e. "Lift Up") thanks to the advantage he gains, placing his foe in a position where they have to defend and guess correctly or risk heavy damage from a strong attack or well timed offensive hold that can catch reckless strikes easily when Bass gains the offensive.
Bass is one of the heaviest characters in the Dead or Alive series; even heavier than Bayman and Leon. Because of this, he is among the hardest characters to perform juggles on, giving him some defense against characters who are very reliant on juggles to achieve damage. Overall, he can be considered a strong grapple based character who can easily demolish foes with his lethal throw and strike damage.
Stats[]
The following are Bass' official stats as listed in the games.
Game | Strike | Throw | Hold | Power | Speed | Moves |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dead or Alive 5 (5+) | 1/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Dead or Alive 5 Last Round |
2/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
Appearances[]
Dead or Alive series[]
- Dead or Alive (PlayStation) (playable, 1998)
- Dead or Alive++ (playable, 1998)
- Dead or Alive 2 games (playable, 1999-2000)
- DOA2: Hardcore games (playable, 2000)
- Dead or Alive 3 (playable, 2001-02)
- Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (playable, 2004-05)
- Dead or Alive 4 (playable, 2005-06)
- Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (mentioned, 2006)
- Dead or Alive Paradise (mentioned, 2010)
- Dead or Alive Dimensions (playable, 2011)
- Dead or Alive 5 (5+) (playable, 2012-13)
- Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (playable, 2013)
- Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade (playable, 2013)
- Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (playable, 2015)
- Dead or Alive 6 (playable, 2019)
[]
DOA: Dead or Alive[]
Bass appears in the 2006 feature film DOA: Dead or Alive, played by real-life wrestler Kevin Nash. In the movie, Bass is much less overbearing, simply wanting Tina to stay as a pro-wrestler. Bass enters the tournament and loses his first fight against Tina. After his loss, he is shown cheering for his daughter throughout.
A running gag with Bass in the film was him thinking that Tina is a lesbian: he first storms into Tina's room for their fight and finds her sharing her bed with Christie (since Christie's room was trashed by the round between Kasumi and Leon, Tina offered her a place to sleep for the night). Bass automatically thinks the girls are in a relationship, much to Tina's annoyance, and Christie plays along with Bass's mistake. Later, when Kasumi is giving Tina beneficial acupuncture, Bass finds them and asks if Christie knows about the two of them, believing that Tina is in a relationship with Kasumi too.
Fighting quotes[]
- Dead or Alive
- 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
- Dead or Alive 6
Music themes[]
The following are the music themes used for Bass throughout the series.
Note that both the Dead or Alive++ and Dimensions themes have no official names.
Theme | Game appearances |
---|---|
"Superstar" | Dead or Alive (PlayStation, 1998; Tournament Mode) Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (optional theme) |
"Bass' theme" | Dead or Alive++ |
"YES or YES" | Dead or Alive 2 and DOA2: Hardcore games Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate Dead or Alive Online Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (optional theme) Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (optional theme) |
"Power Shovel" | Dead or Alive 3 Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (optional theme) Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (optional theme) |
"Bass (or YES or YES) Remix" | Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (Ray House; as "Bass Remix") Dead or Alive 4 (Crash Club; as "YES or YES Remix") |
"Steel Horse Rider" | Dead or Alive 4 Dead or Alive 5+ Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (default theme) Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (default theme) |
"Bass' theme" | Dead or Alive Dimensions |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Bass, Hayate and Lisa are three characters in Dead or Alive 5 that have "alternate egos", being Mr. Strong, Ein and La Mariposa respectively.
- It's heavily implied that Bass is from the southern states of America - most likely Texas - due to his cowboy-themed costumes and recognizably southern accent in the DOA2: Hardcore games.
- Bass is heavily influenced by the wrestler Hulk Hogan, both in his look and moves. In one of his win poses in Dead or Alive 2, Bass holds his hand up to his ear, just like Hogan does. In another win pose, Bass slaps his rear end like Hogan has in the past. Also, Bass has a masked persona named "Mr. Strong" while Hulk Hogan had a masked persona named "Mr. America" from 2002-2005.
- Bass and Jann Lee are the two characters in the Dead or Alive series that are inspired by real life fighters, they are inspired by Hulk Hogan and Bruce Lee respectively.
- Bass is portrayed by Hogan's fellow nWo founder, Kevin Nash in the live-action version of DOA: Dead or Alive.
- In a Dengeki interview with Sakuta, the producer of Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation, regarding Tina's inclusion in the game, he implied that Bass was involved in some capacity with the management of the Venus Islands.[1]
- While he does not appear in person in Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation, he was alluded to in Tina's episodes where it was revealed that she and Bass got into a huge argument (with it later being revealed to have to do with their Muscle wrestling team from both DOA5 and DOA6) prior to her arrival at the Venus Islands. One of her episodes even had Bass calling her shortly after she filmed a "virtual date" with the Owner, leading to another severe argument. Tina also did a last-minute edit to the video when realizing her father might be watching to specifically take him into account.
[]
v · e · d |
---|
Characters |
Main characters |
Supporting characters Ayane • Ryu Hayabusa • Max • Victor Donovan •
Weatherby • Zack • Bass Armstrong • Hayate • Bayman • Leon |
Minor characters Brad Wong • Eliot • Fame Douglas • Gen Fu • Hitomi • Jann Lee • Leifang • Pirates |
Terms |
Acupuncture • Central Intelligence Agency • Dead or Alive World Combat Championship • DOATEC • Donovan's Glasses ID Bracelet • Katana • Nanobots • Needle • Ninja • Nunchaku • Runaway Shinobi • Shuriken • Volleyball |
Other terms Character Relationships |
Locations |
Ishikari Mountains • South China Sea • Hong Kong • DOA Island • Buddha • Waterwheel • Bamboo Forest • Forbidden Square • Gray Steps • Lab Complex • DOA Compound • Tina's Yacht • Ninja Clan |
Music |
DOA: Dead or Alive Original Soundtrack |
Archives |
Promotional Artwork |