Mr. Big (Mr. ビッグ) is an original boss character from the Art of Fighting series, who was later added to the regular roster of the The King of Fighters series.
Excessively self-confident, cocky, and unrelentingly ambitious, Mr. Big is a man who stops at nothing to achieve his goals. While not overtly narcissistic, his confidence borders on supremacy—he believes in results, not morality. Whether through intimidation, manipulation, or personal execution, Mr. Big eliminates all who stand in his way without hesitation. He thrives on domination and control, relishing in the fear and power he commands, and detests being ordered around—authority, to him, is something to be owned, not obeyed.
Known for his ostentatious presence, Mr. Big often surrounds himself with luxury and leisure, frequently seen with a woman on each arm, reinforcing his image as a man who gets what he wants—whenever and however he wants it.
However, the death of Geese Howard, his longtime rival and sometime ally, seems to have left a mark on the hardened crime lord. In an uncharacteristic move, Mr. Big agreed to guarantee the safety of Marie Heinlein, despite her close connection to Geese. Whether this act stemmed from respect, guilt, or a shifting sense of honor is unclear, but it hints at a deeper complexity beneath the polished veneer of his criminal empire.
Powers
Mr. Big relies primarily on his mastery of Arnis and electrokinesis to take on his foes.
Electrokinesis: Through his specialized Arnis sticks, Mr. Big can both project energy and electricity.
Electric Stick: Mr. Big can release an electric ray from his sticks, either straight forward, or creating a wave along the floor.
Burst of Flight: Mr. Big can fly forward completely horizontal for a short duration to attack a foe.
Projectile Defense: While spinning rapidly with his sticks outward, Mr. Big can defend against (or even deflect back) other character's energy or physical projectile attacks without taking damage.
Heightened Reflexes: As a practitioner of Eskrima/Arnis, Mr. Big has been trained to move, react and strike faster than normal, especially seen in his DMs and SDMs.
Skills
Management: As a crime boss, he has the skills to operate his own schemes, from planning to implementation, whether through his underlings or by himself. He can be a bit obnoxious about his leadership, due to being "bossy", which has led to friction between him and Geese in the AOF series.
Drums: Mr. Big plays the drums as his pastime.
Fighting Style
Big fights using traditional Eskrima, a Filipino martial art under the Arnis system, and shows great mastery of the art (maybe this is due to his military background years prior) despite being a gangster rather than a professional fighter or teacher — though he is consistently portrayed as no match for the Sakazaki family's Kyokugenryu Karate, at least in his source franchise (Art of Fighting series).
His weapon set (commonly dark-brown or black) can also rapidly extend/retract and combine/separate for several of his techniques, as well as being capable of spawning energy projectiles and even electricity. It is made of rattan, a Southeast-Asian vine commonly used in Arnis sticks, and is well-known for durability in combat.
Music
Blue Moon Factory - Art of Fighting
Blue Moon Factory - Oh Oh Big Mix - - Art of Fighting 2
Dust Man - The King of Fighters '96. '98 Ultimate Match
The King of Fighters XIV - mentioned in the South Town Team ending as James; also mentioned by Hein as Mr. Big in his intro against King and in Geese's winquote against King
Mr. Big's real name is never fully revealed, though John Crawley's bio in the manual for the first Art of Fighting makes reference to his combat buddy "James", who saved him after being shot.[1] The manual for the Super NES version confirms that it was indeed Mr. Big who rescued John Crawley and that his first name starts with a J.[2]
During his original appearance in the first Art of Fighting, Mr. Big was incapable of jumping or crouching; he had a special technique (a rolling stick thrust which is very similar to Street Fighter character Vega's Rolling Crystal Flash) whose command has never been found by players. The only way Mr. Big could avoid a ground projectile would be to launch his Cross Diving special technique carefully and precisely timed, he is forced to block regular projectiles. He has gained the ability to jump since then.
His uppercut arc special attack, California Romance, is highly reminiscent of a technique used by Samurai Shodown character Jubei Yagyu, covering horizontal ground before going into anti-air motion. Meanwhile his aerial spinning motion dive, Cross Diving, looks nearly identical to Street Fighter character M. Bison's iconic Psycho Crusher, sans the energy projection.
Prior to his appearance in the KOF series, he is voiced wholly in English by a non-Japanese, and he does not say any lines in Japanese.
As Art of Fighting is a prequel series to Fatal Fury series within a shared timeline, Mr. Big is the second Art of Fighting to be playable in a Fatal Fury, the second being Ryo Sakazaki and his Mr. Karate persona.