Bob (Tekken)

Bob (ボブ) (Full name: Robert Richards (ロバート・リチャーズ)) is a fictional character from the Tekken fighting game series released by Namco Bandai Games. Bob was introduced in Tekken 6 and he has returned for all other subsequent games. Bob is a renowned martial arts prodigy from the USA. An alternate version of himself named Slim Bob is playable in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, as the name suggests, is a skinny version of Bob which made an appearance in his Tekken 6 ending.

In video games
A once charming and slim fighter, Bob participated in numerous tournaments, and was not only beloved by the fans, but also by the spotlight. With immeasurable speed, Bob's only flaw was his lack of power, causing him to suffer greatly when fighting against opponents heavier and larger than himself. Determined to triumph, Bob increased his body mass by fattening himself, but also making sure that he would not lose his speed in the process. Successfully reforming, Bob made a surprise reappearance in a recent martial arts tournament, dubbing himself as "The perfect combination of speed and weight". The crowd, however, did not see eye to eye with Bob, and simply thought of his current appearance as someone who was a shadow of himself. Not to be affected by such rumors, Bob immediately entered The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 to return to the spotlight, and prove that his combination would be supreme.

Bob also appears in Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tekken Revolution. Bob appears in Capcom-made crossover fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken, with Julia Chang as his official tag partner. His Swap Costume is modeled after Ryu. It gives him Ryu's bandana, gloves, white belt and karate gi where the upper part is white and the lower is black. According to the download blurb, Bob was impressed by Ryu's never-ending dedication to the fight. He decided to pay the original world warrior his respects with a special outfit.

Slim Bob
Slim Bob (スリムボブ) is an alternate version of Bob, playable in Tekken Tag Tournament 2. As the name suggests, he is a skinny version of Bob who first made an appearance in his Tekken 6 ending. Slim Bob made his playable debut as one of the DLC characters for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, released on October 9, 2012. Bob became famous after winning The King of the Iron Fist Tournament 6. He was seemingly showered with never-ending popularity, with interviews that came day or night. Without noticing, he becomes slimmer. The Slim Bob is shown in a weight-room measuring his weight. Only reaching around 70 kg (154 lbs), he becomes frustrated. Unsatisfied with the results, he steps back on. The scale has the same results. Even more infuriated, he starts to beat his head against the wall, then becomes exhausted and lies down. Slim Bob has a similar fighting style with his obese counterpart with an almost identical move-list and slightly different range, and some of his moves that require a relatively large weight have changed. Often, he complains that he does not have enough weight. He is depicted as a skinny version of Bob, wears red nylon hooded jacket and red pants with blue gloves and blue sneakers.

In other media
Bob appears in Tekken Online Comics (2009). A dossier on Bob is briefly seen in the CGI film Tekken: Blood Vengeance when Anna Williams opens a file containing dossiers on various persons of interest.

Character design
Bob is depicted as a tall, fat man with blonde hair in his late 20s. He usually wears red a t-shirt with brown suspenders, blue jeans and black gloves and shoes. His Player 2 costume consists of black jacket, white shirt with roses, blue jeans and brown gloves and shoes. Bob is possibly inspired by Haru who was portrayed by the deceased actor Chris Farley in the 1997 movie Beverly Hills Ninja.

Gameplay and fighting style
Bob was described as "a freestyle karate practitioner from the U.S." by Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. His fighting style can also possibly be derived from Martial art-based acrobatic sports such as Tricking. Exceptionally strong, fast and hard-hitting, with good range and devastating combos, Bob is a well-rounded fighter. His offence is very damaging, but most of his good launchers and low hits are punishable. Also, he's a big target for longer juggles. Overall, Bob is generally played as an offensive character.

Reception
In 2008, GameDaily ranked Bob as the "10th ugliest game character", commenting "If the bright red shirt covering the gigantic frame isn't insulting enough, he also has a bleach blonde mop on his head". In 2010, GamesRadar written a fight between Bob and Rufus as one of the ones players wanted to see in Street Fighter X Tekken, adding "How two totally different companies decided they both needed speedy fat asses in their games at exactly the same time is something of a mystery, though to be fair, we feel there’s room for both of them." That same year, Now Gamer listed Bob and Rufus as one of the rivalries they want to see in Street Fighter X Tekken, commenting "We’re still amazed at how fast and flexible both of these lard-lads are." FHM listed Bob and Hugo as one of the "10 Awesome Fantasy Fights in Street Fighter X Tekken", adding "Count on it that they won’t take each other lightly.". In 2011, Complex ranked Bob as the "14 most badass fat guy in games", adding "All of those fourth meals didn't slow him down, clearly, as he was one of the fastest martial artists as well, pulling off amazing moves with Bruce Lee zest." In 2012, Game Informer named Bob as one of the most "ridiculous" Tekken characters, adding "Unless he's figured out a way to make diabetes a contagious disease, I don't think he's a threat to Tekken's actual fighters." In 2013, Complex also ranked Bob as the "10th best Tekken character", commenting "He's quickly become a new favorite in the Tekken community, with a huge offensive game (pun intended) and few weaknesses to speak of." 4thletter placed Bob's and Slim Bob's Tekken Tag Tournament 2 endings at 20th place in heir list "The Top 200 Fighting Game Endings".