Basho

Basho (バショウ, Bashō) is a Hunter from Jappon and one of the bodyguards working to protect Neon Nostrade.

Appearance
Basho normally appears bare-chested, and he is very muscular with prominent abdominal muscles. He sports a pompadour, and his mustache and sideburns are joined, similar to a Franz Josef style. As a Royal Bodyguard, he dresses in a black suit and tie like the other bodyguards.

Personality
Basho has a casual attitude, and is rather outgoing and talkative. He also has some sense of humor, laughing off Kurapika's brutal request to never speak to him again. Although he is confident in himself, he can understand when he has no way of winning a confrontation. He believes that life should be lived to the fullest; however, he does not criticize Kurapika's willingness to forfeit his life for his cause, even if he does not agree with it. He has a habit of whistling when he is impressed.

Yorknew City arc


Basho, along with five other applicants for the bodyguard position, wait in a room in the Nostrade's Mansion. The Butler in the room plays a video introducing the supposed boss who details the requirements of the position. The applicants are given a data card with specific items listed on it and are instructed to retrieve one of the items on the list to get the bodyguard position. Basho notices Kurapika becoming pale after looking at the list, so he tries to initiate a conversation with him, going as far as to detail one of his previous employer's sickest requests, but Kurapika stops him and requests that he not talk to him. Basho then tries to open the door out of the room, but to no avail. The boss appears again on screen informing the applicants that a minimal requirement for the job is to be tough and to make it out of there alive. 11 hooded assailants wielding guns and swords charge through the door and start attacking the applicants.



When the armed assailants fire at the group, Basho and Squala are left in disbelief witnessing Kurapika stop the bullets with his chain. During the confrontation, Basho is confronted by two assailants wielding swords. He punches one of them directly in the face and realizes what they really are. After Kurapika scopes the area from above a chandelier, he leaps down and restrains the applicant Tocino, threatening him with a pin shaped knife to stop the assailants. Tocino complies with Kurapika's demand, and the assailants deflate into the ground. Basho claims he figured out the assailants were made of Nen after hitting them, but never guessed they were under the control of Tocino. After being told how Kurapika figured out it was him, Tocino introduces himself and hints at another plant in the room. So Kurapika uses his dowsing chain to figure out who is the plant and it leads to the applicant Squala. Squala defensively denies he's a plant, but the applicant Melody confirms he is by the sound of his heart.



Basho states that since 2 out of the 5 applicants say Squala's a plant, he believes it has to be true. Squala continues to deny he's a plant, so Basho showcases his Hatsu ability Great Haiku, to interrogate everyone to figure out who the plant is, and Squala finally admits he's a plant as well. However, before Squala divulges any more crucial information, the final applicant Baise uses her Hatsu on Squala, forcing him to reveal everything, making Kurapika and Basho fearful of her ability. Basho along with Melody, Baise, and Kurapika return to the mansion each with a body part from the data card. Basho chose to get the "Mummy's Right Hand of an Egyptian Tomb" and brought it to Dalzollene, who officially hires the four as bodyguards. Dalzollene then instructs the group about their first job escorting their boss to the Hotel Beitacle located in Yorknew City. After instructing the group, Dalzollene leads them to their actual boss, a young girl.



On August 31st Neon is picked up from the Lingon Airport and is driven in a car by Basho to Yorknew City with Kurapika beside him and with Neon and superior Dalzollene in back. While driving, Basho and Kurapika talk about how Neon's father used her Hatsu to rise to power within the Mafia community, and why they were hired to be her bodyguards is because her father is paranoid of losing her to jealous enemies he's made. On the night of the Underground Auction in the Hotel Beitacle, Dalzollene instructs the bodyguards what items they'll have to buy no matter what the cost and what each of their respective jobs will be during said auction. Basho was assigned to guard the back of the Auction house with Linssen. After items and attendees in the Underground Auction go missing and the blame is put up on the Phantom Troupe, the Nostrade Family locate and arrive at the location where the Phantom Troupe were detained by a large number of the Mafia community, but the member Uvogin massacres them all.

Witnessing Uvogin's brute strength, Basho believed they had no chance in winning against him. It's at that moment four Shadow Beasts appear before the group and confront Uvogin, but are annihilated him. This makes Kurapika want to confront them himself, making the bodyguards go into a panic as they try and stop him, so Melody uses her Hatsu A Field In Spring to alleviate their anxiety. Although Kurapika regained his composure, he still insisted and managed to capture Uvogin with his Chain Jail Hatsu. With Uvogin captured, Basho drives back to Yorknew City with Linssen who notices a car is following them. However, Linssen loses sight of the car after the remaining Shadow Beasts confront the car, so Basho continues to drive back to Yorknew City and participated in interrogating Uvogin about where the auction items and attendees were, but to no avail.

With Dalzollene presumed dead, after Uvogin was rescued by his Phantom Troupe allies, Basho along with the other Nostrade Bodyguards all agree that Kurapika should become the new head bodyguard, so he can contact and inform their real boss Light Nostrade of the situation at hand. When Light arrives in Yorknew and is brought up to date with the situation at hand, he thanks the bodyguards for their work and after he has his daughter out of the picture, he divulges important information to the group about the Underground Auction, Shadow Beasts, and how the Ten Dons plan to deal with the Phantom Troupe. That evening, Basho and Melody accompany Neon with her attendants on a small shopping trip at the Lingon Airport. As Neon goes to use the restroom, Melody and Basho talk about Kurapika and Basho's dream. After Basho notes Neon has been in the restroom for a long period of time, her attendant Eliza checks up on her and comes to realize she's gone missing.

Melody then contacts Kurapika to inform him that her and Basho have lost sight of Neon. After the rescheduled Underground Auction was held and Neon wakes up from her unconsciousness in a local hospital in Yorknew City, also now the proud owner a of a pair of Scarlet Eyes. Light thanks the bodyguards for all of their hard work and orders Melody and Basho to take her shopping the next day as well, much to their dismay. However both Basho and Melody appear worried for the well being of Kurapika as he leaves the group. The next day Basho sits next to Squala, overseeing Neon admiring her new pair of Scarlet Eyes. Basho later goes on another shopping trip with Melody, Neon, and her attendants and is increasingly aggravated by Neon's shopping spree.

13th Hunter Chairman Election arc


Basho appears again at the Hunter Association's headquarters to vote in the First Election for the 13th Hunter Chairman. During the Eighth Election for the 13th Hunter Chairman Basho, seated next to Linssen in the Hunter Association auditorium, watched as the remaining candidates gave their opinions to the audience on who they should vote for and held a debate with one another after their speeches.

Succession Contest arc


Basho is recruited by Kurapika to be hired by one of the Kakin Empire Princes, as a bodyguard. He and Hanzo decide that Prince Tserriednich is not among the princes hiring, as only naive princes would use money as a reward. He is employed by Prince Luzurus. After Kurapika makes the emergency announcement, Basho and another bodyguard reveals to Luzurus what Nen and his Guardian Spirit Beast, though Luzurus has no interest in learning Nen as to it takes too long to master. Basho and Luzurus both smoke a "Clean Leaf" recipe. Basho claims that one of his friends who smoked the substance became healthier after using it. Luzurus then thought of using the recipe to help rehabilitate drug addicts, but the First Prince Benjamin forbids it as drug problems should be handled by the military, even though he lost a friend due to a fatal drug overdose. Luzurus then inquires if it's possible to release the recipe to the public and Basho claims it's alright, but becoming king would be the fastest way possible, but Luzurus doesn't think it's that simple.

Abilities & Powers
Basho has all the benefits granted by his status as a Hunter. He has considerable prowess as proven by the fact that he successfully retrieved an item as part of a test required in order to be hired as Nostrade's bodyguard. He is agile and endowed with quick reactions. He can also acquit himself well in a melee fight. He claims he has no need of Nen to defeat even armed men, as he proved against Shachmomo's puppets.

Nen
Basho is a Conjurer. He is skilled enough in Nen to recognize a Nen puppet upon hitting it.

Trivia

 * Basho is likely named after Matsuo Bashō, the famous Japanese poet recognized as the greatest master of haiku.
 * Basho's Hatsu ability could actually be to conjure fire, as showed when he used his power as a demonstration setting fire to a chair and then suggested as a threat of "trial by fire"; when he accompanied Neon in a mall, a little hint may have been given, he wore a jacket with flame symbols. Although this could just be Basho's personal preference or bias for a motif/theme.
 * Basho's 1999 Japanese voice actor Hidenobu Kiuchi also plays Majtani in the 1999 anime adaption, and Franklin & Leech in the 2011 anime adaption.

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