The Taboo

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The first of The Taboo's forms, it takes on a fish-like form that fires dark meteors, holding back its full power. -Taboo-Oh's bestiary entry.

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The second of The Taboo's forms, it takes on a insectoid-like form that fires giant orbs and possesses monstrous tendrils on its back. - Taboo-Me's bestiary entry.

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The last of The Taboo's forms, it takes on a humanoid-like form using its full power. It is the consciousness of the Taboo, spreading their malicious influence wherever they go. - Taboo Ga's bestiary entry.

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**The Taboo** are the consciousness of the Taboo race and serve as a collective antagonist. Fought over multiple boss fights and many different forms, they are parasites who form (mostly) unwanted symbiotic relationships with the strongest beings they can find, granting them their power and feeding off of the power of the aforementioned strongest beings.

## Appearance

Their forms are ever changing, designed to suit their environment:

#### Gun:

* **Taboo-Oh** take the form of a dark plum coloured fish monster with spikes and a singular red eye.
* **Taboo-Me** is a humanoid evolution of Taboo-Oh whose arms and legs are a pink colour and are made up of energy and end in two scythe-like appendages.
* **Taboo-Ga** is a white humanoid creature that resembles a muscular human male with 6 demonic wings, half of them pastel pink and the other half baby blue. It's head resembles the Taboo Pins left behind when they're defeated and it has a red eye in it's chest.

## Personality

The Taboo -embodiments of malevolence that they are- are devoid of any redeeming qualities and are malicious in nature. They threaten to kill those they meet (which become more verbose in their advanced forms) and when put into a bad situation, will try to possess their enemy to stay alive. They cannot possess machines for their power is eldritch enough to destroy them; this is why they only grant the Superweapon (locked away in Mechanto Isles) their power and why they succeed in killing Gunnoid-0 if the player agrees to let The Taboo possess them to unlock Ending 05.

Those who do wind up possessed by The Taboo end up becoming monsters fuelled by malice, destroying and killing all who stand in their way. Eventually their final fate is to join the Taboo unless they are killed.

## Story

### Gun

When Gunnoid-0 ventures to the Taboo Zone (either through player input or in the post-game) by making it into either the Training Sector's water corridor, the Deep Sector's water corridor, the Deeper Sector's water corridor, or the areas linking the Hub Sectors he winds up in an alien realm that is home to a malicious race and unlike anything he's seen. After wondering through the chaotic realm, he eventually encounter Taboo-Oh in Taboo Zone 1. Destroying them yields a Taboo Pin (Pink) which begins a chain of events leading up to a climactic battle later on. As Gunnoid-0 also talks with Sur -an individual with unknown intent-, he begins to learn more about The Taboo and a mysterious Superweapon with devastating power.

Gunnoid-0 goes deeper in, making it to Taboo Zone 2 and eventually encounters Taboo-Me, an evolved version of the fallen creature he met earlier. After a tough fight, Gunnoid-0 obtains a Taboo Pin (Purple) and can either ask Sur to warp him out or go even deeper. Gunnoid-0 is now at the deepest point which is blue in contrast to the pink of the first two areas. After making through the deep dark chaos of Taboo Zone 3, Gunnoid-0 winds up in the deepest, darkest void with Taboo-Ga, the Taboo's strongest form. After a gruelling battle of powers unrelenting, the malicious creature tries to trick Gunnoid-0 into allowing them to possess them. Agree and you get Ending 05. Disagree and The Taboo are defeated, with the Taboo Pin (Lilac) being yours for the taking.

Gunnoid-0 escapes from the Taboo Zone with all 3 Taboo Pins. As it turns out, they unlock a gate designed to seal away a powerful Superweapon, which will become a part of The Taboo's last-ditch revenge against Gunnoid-0 - now reborn as a powerful leader- for destroying them earlier.

## Quotes

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"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A fool who dares to defy our malevolence. We are Taboo-Oh. You stand no chance against us..." - Taboo-Oh's pre-battle dialogue.

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"W-We stand corrected. Could it be...the one... Never mind. This form is no longer needed. You cannot defeat us...- Taboo-Oh after being defeated."

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"Well, well, well. You returned to us, still devoid of malevolence. Compared to the superweapon sealed away here by the Surfacians, you are weak.We, Taboo-Me shall obliterate your atoms here in this realm." - Taboo-Me's pre-battle dialogue.

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"Mmrgh... it seems that you've grown stronger. This form is no longer needed. Your death is inevitable..."- Taboo-Me after being defeated.

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"For one to come this deep, devoid of malevolence. Such foolishness will only end in obliteration. We, Taboo-Ga, shall return you to nothingness."- Taboo-Ga's pre-battle dialogue.

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"...Impossible. Our strongest form defeated... Perhaps... Perhaps, we could grant you our power?..." - Taboo-Ga trying to trick the player after being defeated.

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"Ha ha ha! Hahahahahahaha! You fool. Surely, you were granted knowledge that we Taboo can grant power to machines but not possess them directly? We no longer have use for a failed husk like you." - Taboo-Ga if the player falls for the ruse and gets Ending 05: The Taboo's Victory.

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"We will make you regret that. This form is no longer needed. Soon enough, we will inflict our vengeance upon you..." - Taboo-Ga if you see through his lies and reject his last-ditch offer.

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## Music

Caption
 Deepest Waters of Taboo (Sampled)

## Trivia

* The Taboo's battle theme All Consuming Malevolence took several tries to create. The final result uses both Hyper Zone themes [Kirby's Dreamland 3], The Master Tape [Doctor Who], Calling that Detestable Name [Etrian Odyssey] and Giygas is Wounded [Earthbound].
* Originally Taboo-oh was the only secret boss in Gun. It would be located under the Hub area after defeating War Machine, would use the Undead Core's sprites with Ironhead's A.I. This was dropped due the differences in sprite sizes and the idea being expanded into the Taboo Zone.
* The fight with Taboo-Ga is supposed to be a homage to the fight with Zero in Kirby's Dreamland 3, right down to Taboo-Ga's colour scheme and the background. Taboo-Ga's wings are inspired by Lilith and may've influenced the boss's design.
* The Taboo's overall designs as a whole have a theme of "evolution". This is shown by Taboo-Oh's fish like design, then Taboo-Me's insect-like form which is then concluded by Taboo-Ga's winged humanoid form.