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Burnov (ブルノフ Burunofu?) is a recurring boss enemy in the Double Dragon series. He is a former wrestler and recurring inmate who has been hired by the Black Warriors. He is a tall and obese thuggish powerhouse who wears a metal mask and has slight magical capabilities.

He debuted in the arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge and has since appeared in all remakes of the first game, generally appearing as the second boss.

Appearances[]

Double Dragon II: The Revenge[]

Arcade[]

Burnov is a masked wrestler who serves as the end boss of Mission 1. His favorite method of punishing his victims is grabbing them by the head with one hand and using the other to viciously punch them in the stomach, finishing with a heavy blow to the face. Unlike other enemies, which simply lie on the floor after being defeated, Burnov will stand up and growl before vanishing into thin air, leaving behind his garments and mask. He reappears in pairs near the end of Mission 3, before reaching the entrance of the enemy's hideout, and again in Mission 4 just before the final hall. The second Burnov who gets defeated in both of these encounters will always revive himself once after his initial defeat, and after being defeated a second time he'll vanish for good.

Like the other enemies in the game, Burnov's palette changes for each stage. The initial Burnov in Mission 1 has red hair and blue pants, while the pair that appear in Mission 3 have blue hair and wear red pants, sharing the same palette as Linda in those stages. The twin Burnovs in Mission 4 wear white pants and have purple skin.

NES[]

A large-sized boss who can revive himself after dying once.
~ Translated description from the Japanese manual

Burnov only appears twice in the NES version, first as the boss at the end of Mission 1 and later on in the first room with the disappearing bridge in Mission 7. He always revives himself once after losing his first battle, but can be immediately defeated if he's thrown off a building or into a spiked pit.

PC Engine CD[]

Burnov appears three times in the PC Engine CD remaster of the NES version. He appears in the same locations as the NES version, but also appears at the end of Mission 4 as the boss. He has the same moves as his arcade counterpart.

Like most other recurring enemies, Burnov has three palettes: blue pants/red hair, green pants/brown hair, and black pants/blond hair. Each palette is more powerful than the last and in harder difficulties Burnov's later palettes appear earlier; for example, the end boss of Mission 1 is a blue pants Burnov on Easy, but is a green pants Burnov on Normal.

Double Dragon (Neo Geo)[]

Proud of his invincible strength, he was once a professional wrestler feared as "the human bomb". He was the super heavyweight champion, but learning of Koga Shuko's existence, he retired immediately. At present, he is in charge of a whole district within the organization. He is usually quiet, but when excited, he becomes a killing machine.
~ Description from the manual

His ending shows him as an obese guitarist of a metal band who handles three electric guitars in a sling.

In gameplay, Burnov relies on using his powerful brute strength to tackle his opponent like a flaming boulder, and can also spit fireballs from his mouth.

Personality[]

Burnov is a weird fat guy who solely relies on his brute strength. He negatively criticizes all of his opponents for being weak and crybabies. He tells both Amon and Cheng-Fu to run to their mamas to beat him, stating that he loves to beat up women. Most other playable characters negatively criticize Burnov for being overweight (Billy calls him a "blubber boy", Jimmy calls him a "tub of lard", Marian body shames him for being chubby, Abobo calls him a "porker", and both Rebecca and Eddie remark that he needs to be retrained and practice if he loses weight).

Personal data
  • Voice: Daisuke Gōri
  • Birthplace: Detroit
  • Height: 6′ 3″
  • Weight: 495 lbs.
  • Fighting style: Wrestling
  • Hobbies: Guitar, cooking

Double Dragon Advance[]

A former heavyweight-class wrestler who achieved fame in the underworld circuit. Due to the immense strength he has shown during his professional career, he was barred from competing in betting matches, so he was scouted by the Shadow Warriors after his retirement. He now roams the streets of the underworld as a member of a criminal organization. Usually wears an armored helmet mask to conceal his plain face.
~ Translated description from the Japanese manual

Interestingly enough, Burnov appears and even plays a minor role in this remake of Double Dragon, even though he mainly belongs to most versions of Double Dragon II, its remakes and sequels. He acts as the boss of Mission 2; in fact, he reprises this role as the second boss in all three remakes of the first game (the other two being the Zeebo and mobile versions), when the rights to the Double Dragon franchise were owned by Million.

In this game, he is faster than his previous incarnations and uses a forward charging attack. After being defeated, he advises the Lee brothers to investigate a nearby martial arts gym owned by Willy in Chinatown. He reappears as a semi-regular enemy in subsequent missions, sporting all sorts of bizarre color schemes. Unlike most of his other appearances, he can now be grabbed and punished like the rest of the lesser enemies.

His profile in the Japanese manual states that Burnov was a wrestler before the apocalypse and that he was barred from betting matches due to his skill. His profile states his idols are Bruiser Brody and André the Giant, while his hobby is dating men.

Double Dragon (Zeebo)[]

In this remake of the first game, Burnov is also given a somewhat prominent role, as he's actually the one who knocks out and carries Marian away when she's kidnapped (instead of Williams like in the original versions). He appears as the boss of Mission 2, and twin versions with pink skin, red armor and green pants appear in the final chamber, prior to the battle with Willy.

Burnov's special moves consist of his classic grapple, the shoulder charge from Advance, and a new move consisting of him charging, then unleashing a barrage of open-handed strikes. He is a playable character in the game's Extra mode.

Double Dragon (mobile)[]

Leads his fellow prisoners through his fearsome charisma. He's the master of prison breaks. Abobo's buddy, a fervent trainer, and wielder of the Baby's Breath.
~ Official description

Burnov is the boss of Mission 2. He is an inmate who is best buddies with Abobo and plays drums in a band with him on the axe and Cindy on vocals.[2] He is a master of prison breaks.

This mobile remake of the first game takes an all-out new approach with his personality, now appearing as some sort of BDSM slave who takes an instant liking to the Lee brothers. He's dropped on the playfield inside a cage, wrapped in a straitjacket and wearing a metal mask. He breaks out of his confinement and after teasing them a little, the match begins.

After being subdued by the brothers, he tells them that Willy's gang has made an old school building their home base and that their leader should know where to find him; and so, without wasting any more time, the brothers head on their way there.

Burnov has a wider variety of powerful attacks. His most powerful move, the "Burnov Bomb", consists of him jumping high into the air and pounding on the ground, causing damage to all foes within the vicinity, even those lying on the ground. He can be unlocked as a playable character in extra mode and is considered one of the most powerful playable characters due to this move.

Personal data
  • Age: 32
  • Height: 198 cm
  • Weight: 237 kg
  • Hobbies: Playing drums

Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons[]

He is one of the new members, who Willy requested to join with pledging revenge against the brothers after Marian's kidnapping. He is strong like Hercules, wears an iron mask and is always mumbling.

While he is treated as a boss, he is mainly put in charge of physical works to use his power, because of his foolishness. He guards the parking ramp for helicopters which transport drugs.

He is a giant with a deeply impressive mask. He often grabs the heroes and beats their bellies. Sometimes, he resurrects with loud laughter (AHEHEHEHEHEHE).[3]

Rather than the obese thug generally associated with his persona from previous games, in Wander of the Dragons, Burnov appears as a tall strongman clad in power armor. While still having a large stomach, surgery scars on his sides suggest that something could have been artificially inserted into his body (his stomach also has an abnormal patch of fur growing on its front, probably as a result of such operation).

He makes his introduction by jumping down from a nearby warehouse roof and knocking down a wall of drums containing hazardous materials. His armor features a big core on its chest area which presumably powers the device. After the battle, the player can pick up this object and use it as a powerful explosive that can be thrown at enemies in a future encounter.

Once Burnov has been defeated, he'll remain on the ground, unable to stand back up and begging the brothers for mercy. As the player finishes him off, a necklace will fly off from his possession, which Billy then recognizes in a flashback to have been a gift he gave to Marian some time ago, immediately realizing that she was wearing it at the moment of her murder and which the perpetrators took from her body, further fueling his thirst for revenge.

Profile
  • Body type: Boss AB type (giant)
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: Middle 30s
  • Personality: Dull and foolish.
  • Features: Random attacks using his large body and strong physical power.

Double Dragon IV[]

While on a trip to San Francisco, Burnov and his crew attack the Lee brothers. These beat up the attackers, including Burnov, who tells them he was hired by Jake of the "Renegades".

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons[]

Many know Burnov as the Human Bomb, a name he earned becoming a wrestling super heavyweight champion.
He was eventually barred from wrestling for repeatedly ignoring the rules. Now he fights on the streets to make a name for himself instead.
~ Official description

Other appearances[]

Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer[]

Burnov makes a small cameo in this SNK superhero-themed fighting game produced by Technōs Japan (the same creators of the Double Dragon series), appearing briefly on Captain Atlantis's ending.

River City Girls[]

Burnov makes a guest appearance in this game. He is found in Ocean Heights, acting as the bouncer to Noize's yacht concert. He behaves in a rather indifferent (and demeaning) way toward Misako and Kyōko, labeling them as degenerates, which starts getting on Misako's nerves while Kyōko tries to calm things down. He tells them only those who have VIP passes may get through. The girls manage to get the tickets, and even then, Burnov shows himself unamused by their presence, although nonetheless, he lets them pass.

He was voiced by Greg Chun in the English dub as remain uncredited in the Japanese version.

River City Girls 2[]

Burnov makes another guest appearance in this game. He is once again found in Ocean Heights, reprising his role as a bouncer, but now of Primo's restaurant. The protagonists attempt to fool him by disguising as Blaire and Tsuiko, but Burnov passes their appearances off and instead asks them for their emblems to let them through.

He was once again voiced by Greg Chun.

Gallery[]

Artworks and portraits[]

Sprites[]

Trivia[]

  • According to Koji Ogata, graphic designer who worked in several Double Dragon titles, including the arcade version of Double Dragon II, Burnov is just a modified sprite of "Abdullah the Butcher", a real-world professional wrestler who was planned to appear in WWF Superstars, another Technōs game. Apparently, this was made in order to speed up the production of the game.[4]
    • Abdullah didn't actually appear in the final release of WWF Superstars, he was created during early development of the game, before the WWF license was acquired, and remained just as an unused asset until his sprite was repurposed for Double Dragon II, where Burnov was given an outfit that was presumably based on Lord Humungus from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.
    • Ogata also stated that Burnov's mask was actually based on RoboCop's iconic helmet, who has body armor made from titanium laminated with Kevlar.[5]
  • Burnov's profile in the Neo Geo game, stating about him being normally quiet but a killing machine when excited, seems to be a reference to Mr. Heart from the classic manga/anime series, Fist of the North Star. Mr. Heart is normally a polite gentleman, but when excited he becomes a homicidal maniac.
    • The Double Dragon Advance manual states that Burnov has a preference for romantic relationships with the same gender; Mr. Heart is also implied to be attracted to other men.
    • Like Burnov, Mr. Heart also takes inspiration from Abdullah the Butcher.
  • Kang Jae-Mo, a character appearing in the Double Dragon homage fighting game Rage of the Dragons, is loosely based on Burnov.

See also[]

References[]

  1. Burnov's former wrestling name mentioned in his profile from Double Dragon (Neo Geo).
  2. 2.0 2.1 "She put a band together and sings its vocals. Abobo wields the axe, Burnov on drums." – Cindy's in-game description.
  3. An Introduction to Characters | Black Warriors at The Legend of Fighting Action Game: Double Dragon II.
  4. @food2han at Twitter (January 22, 2019) - Tweet by Koji Ogata explaining the origin of Abore and Burnov.
  5. @food2han at Twitter (March 16, 2020).

External links[]

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