Teddy

Teddy (テディ), also known as the B.B.'s Boss (BBだんのボス, Boss of the BB Gang in Mother), is a boss and an optional playable character in EarthBound Beginnings.
He is the fourth character to join Ninten, replacing Lloyd when he joins. Despite not having PSI, Teddy has high stats and equips an assortment of swords and knives, including his strongest weapon, the Katana.
As a boss, he shares his battle theme with the Hippie.
== Appearance ==
Teddy is a young man whose age is implied to be in the early twenties or late teens. He has fair skin, a large, crooked nose, jet-black hair, short sideburns, an angular face with a prominent chin, and a disproportionate body; with a muscular torso and arms and skinny legs. His hair is styled into a pompadour.
Teddy wears a red sleeveless shirt, bright yellow pants supported by a black belt with a silver buckle, and a pair of red shoes with white laces and soles. He is never seen without his red sunglasses.
== Personality ==
According to Encyclopedia MOTHER, Teddy's favorite things include his sunglasses, guitar, personal pack of cigarettes, pet iguana, and an autobiography written in Japanese by the famous rock n' roll star E. Yazawa.
As a gang leader, Teddy is brutal and had no qualms attacking young kids such as Ninten and his party or using violence to get what he wants. Encyclopedia MOTHER states that Teddy got his sunglasses by punching the owner of an eyeglasses store and forcing the man to sell Teddy a pair to appease him. His original Famicom boss sprite carried a knife, which indicated his violent personality. He is the reason why the Bla-Bla Gang was feared in Ellay.
His fellow Bla-Bla Gang members are friendly to him, as having Teddy in the party will only make B.B. Gang enemies greet Teddy; however, it is implied in Encyclopedia MOTHER that he secretly dislikes hanging around them and never wears the membership jackets his gang provides. In MOTHER 1+2, Teddy decides to leave the gang for good and shape himself up, getting himself a career as a singer who performs at the Live House.
Despite his ruthlessness, Teddy was said to be much nicer when he was younger. He loved his parents very much; in Encyclopedia MOTHER, shortly after his parents died in Mt. Itoi, Teddy was so despondent that he drank himself silly and started a bar fight to distract himself. Their deaths are what fueled his revenge that led to him joining Ninten in the first place. Though his defeat and subsequent injury at the hands of R-7038 prevented him from fulfilling his quest, he gave Ninten his oath that they would overcome Mt. Itoi and defeat Giegue.
== History ==
His page in the Encyclopedia MOTHER says that he was born in Ellay. His parents owned a repair shop named "TEDDY", and that he was named after it. From the age of 3, he showed an interest in Elvis Presley's music and tried imitating adult behavior by buying chocolate cigarettes.
At age 5, he became a troublemaker when he discovered a love for fighting. He grew past 170 cm and started smoking real cigarettes at age 10, was brought home in a patrol car for the first time at age 11, then got a graveyard shift at the Live House at age 12 by lying he was twice his age.
At age 14, Teddy joined and led the fearsome Bla-Bla Gang, which was also around the same time his parents were killed by monsters living in Mt. Itoi. With Teddy's help, the Bla-Bla Gang took over and dominated Ellay.
In the game, Teddy confronts Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd after their performance in the Live House, accusing them of attacking his gang, and challenges Ninten to a fight. After three turns, he decides to join Ninten's group to avenge his parents, booting Lloyd from the team. Later in the game, Ninten, Ana, and Teddy can rest at a cottage near the lake on Mt. Itoi. While he preoccupies himself in the living room, Ninten shares a dance with Ana in the bedroom. Once the both of them are done dancing, Teddy comes in and begins to talk about an ominous encroaching noise when they are suddenly attacked by R-7038. The party is saved by Lloyd, but Teddy is injured, forcing Lloyd to rejoin the group.
In EarthBound Beginnings and MOTHER 1+2's endings, it's revealed that he later makes a full recovery and leaves the Bla-Bla gang to pursue a music career, performing at the Live House every day.
== Keeping Teddy in the Party ==
It is possible to complete the game with Teddy in the party instead of Lloyd. In order to do so, the player must avoid triggering the karaoke performance event in the Live House until the seventh Melody has been acquired from EVE. In order to accomplish this, the player must ascend Mt. Itoi with Lloyd still in the party and have him repair the motorboat needed to access the underwater laboratory and recruit EVE. Once EVE is in the party, either proceed as normal until R-7038XX attacks the party near the mountain's peak, or attempt to backtrack in order to trigger the battle on the way back down. With EVE's melody acquired, the player can safely return to Ellay, activate the karaoke event, and recruit Teddy into the party. While visiting the healer's house on Mt. Itoi will still trigger the event that removes Teddy from the party, visiting the house is no longer necessary to complete the game.
One of the few prices to pay in preforming this technique is that if you keep Teddy, Lloyd's gadgets and weapons, such as the Super Bomb, will be rendered unusable unless the player decides to recruit Lloyd back into the party.
In the original Famicom version, another way to avoid losing Teddy is to use the Flea Bag on R-7038, and after 255 turns the battle will automatically end in a draw. If this happens, the party will be invisible, and Lloyd will never arrive to take Teddy's place, making the game unwinnable if the seventh melody is not yet acquired.
== In Super Smash Bros ==
=== Super Smash Bros. Brawl ===
Teddy appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker. Attaching this sticker to the bottom of any character's trophy in The Subspace Emissary increases their resistance to battering attacks by 10.
=== Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ===
Teddy appears as a primary Advanced Class spirit in the new Spirits mode. His spirit battle is against Little Mac on Onett, and Little Mac starts the battle with a Killing Edge, a reference to his Katana from EarthBound Beginnings.
== Trivia ==
* Teddy's equivalent in the sequel, EarthBound, is said to be Frank Fly. Both are misguided leaders of delinquent gangs who eventually see the error of their ways and support the protagonists; however, unlike Teddy, Frank is not a playable character. Also, both have the Hippie's theme play when they are fought. Another equivalent to Teddy in EarthBound is said to be Poo, although the only commonality between the two of them is their shared preference for bladed weapons in combat.
* If Ninten denies Teddy's request to join the party three times, Ninten's Father will call and instruct Ninten and his companions to allow Teddy to join without further delay. If Ninten refuses again, the party will be teleported back to Ninten's House, regardless of whether Ninten or Ana have learned PSI Teleport.
* Perhaps because of the game's nonlinear nature, the Family Computer version of Mother does not state whether Teddy recovers from his injuries, leaving his fate unknown. However, in EarthBound Beginnings and Mother 1 + 2, he fully recovers and sings daily at The Live Show, even if he didn't join the party.
* Jack was his early fan-name among English fans because the shop in Youngtown was named 'Jack', and Teddy happened to resemble the boy running the shop. When his real name was discovered, the nickname was phased out.
* Both EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound also contain a sprite used for NPCs that somewhat resembles Teddy, although the NPC sprite in EarthBound Beginnings appears considerably less muscular.
* During the boss battle against Teddy, he originally carried a knife, but it was removed during localization. The changes also included an alteration to his left elbow for unknown reasons.
* The Rock Lobster from Mother 3 has sunglasses similar to Teddy.
* In the companion guide (as an enemy), he is called "BB Gang Boss" in Mother, "B.B.'s Boss" in EarthBound Beginnings, and "BB Gang Boss" in Mother 1 + 2.
** His description reads, "Valentine's Live House is a favorite hangout of his. Ever since his parents were killed by some unknown being, he's spent each day brawling. When it's a one-on-one brawl, he'll bring a barehanded fight to the finish, without knives. Apparently, deep down, he's not a bad guy.".
BB boss.png|Picture of Teddy (with his knife) as seen in Mother, and without his knife in EarthBound Beginnings.
it:Teddy
Category:EarthBound Beginnings
Category:EarthBound Beginnings Characters
Category:EarthBound Beginnings Bosses
Category:Playable Party Members in EarthBound Beginnings
Category:Temporary party members in EarthBound Beginnings
Category:Temporary party members
Category:Male Characters
Category:Characters
Category:Bosses
Category:Spirits in Super Smash Bros Ultimate