Bisco Akaboshi

* Light Novel
* Anime

**Bisco Akaboshi** (赤星 ビスコ) is one of the two protagonists in the *Sabikui Bisco* series. Bisco, nicknamed the Man-eating Redcap, is a Mushroom Keeper who is branded an outlaw by the Japanese government with a bounty on his head for Mushroom Terrorism. When his mentor and father-figure Jabi began to show severe effects from the Rust he set out on a journey across the country to seek for the mythical Rust-Eater Mushroom to cure Jabi.

## Appearance

Bisco is characterized by his spiky crimson hair, emerald eyes and the pair of cracked goggles he keeps on at all times. He also has a red tattoo under his right eye and described to have prominent canines. He wears utilitarian survival clothing and a white cloak which acts as a guard against the Rust Wind on his journeys.

## Background

Bisco tries to pass Gunma border disguised as a monk. While he waits for his papers to be processed, he speaks with officer Inoshige. Eventually Inoshige notices Bisco's bow and knowing that monks are not allowed to kill with ranged weapons, and asks Bisco to tell him a sutra. Bisco then reveals himself and runs with Jabi on Actagawa alongside the wall and uses a king trumpet mushroom to launch themselves and jump over the wall.

Near Imihama, they stop for the night. As Jabi's Rust disease spreads, he wishes to tell Bisco something, but Bisco refuses to listen. They are attacked by an Escargot fighter piloted by Tirol and Jabi uses his body to protect Bisco. After taking the Escargot down, Bisco rushes into Imihama to look for a doctor. Asking around, he ends up finding Milo and gives him a mushroom asking him to synthesize it into medicine. As they are chased by Imihama's Watch and Kurokawa's elite forces, Bisco heads out to distract them, while Milo threats Jabi. Bisco defeats the elite forces, but then faces Pawoo. He attempts to explain that mushrooms aren't bad and consume rust, but Pawoo doesn't believe him. He figures she knows Milo and distracts her, giving him a chance to knock her out.

He takes Pawoo back to Jabi and Milo, but is surprised that Jabi is already able to move. Milo explains that Pawoo is his sister. Jabi tells Bisco that he won't be able to travel with him due to his injuries and points out that he can take Milo to help him synthesize medicine. Initially refusing, Bisco agrees as he sees that Milo is ready to risk everything to cure his sister's rusting disease. While Jabi distracts the Watch, Bisco and Milo managed to escape Imihama.

Bisco and Milo travel while looking for Actagawa. When they find him, they head towards the Ashio Bonecoal Mountain mines. On their way, Bisco tries to explains to Milo on how to ride Actagawa, who keeps on throwing Milo off him. At night, they stop at Nikko War Memorial, where they see Tirol, who had a balloonworm in her stomach, but Milo manages to pull it out and save her. After selling them some food, they go to sleep, but wake up during the night to find out that the memorial is a giant coal-eating mantis shrimp. As Bisco is on it and can't do anything due to Tirol also clinging to him, he instructs Milo on to where to have Actagawa attack the shrimp. After they do so, Bisco shoots an arrow and grows mushroom, killing the animal and saving them. However, as they were close to the mines, one of the shrimps cannons shoots and destroys the mine, causing them to look for another path.

The group heads out towards Calvero Shellsand Sea. Bisco sees a watermelon and rushes to get it, but a child gets it before him. As he struggles to get it from the child, other armed children appear. The children think they are kidnappers working for Kurokawa and doesn't believe Bisco that they are heading north. Having no choice, Bisco reveals his wanted poster and states they can get large reward if they hand him alive to Imihama. The children then capture Bisco and Milo and lead them to their city. They imprison Bisco, who sees a great harpoon. The children leader, Nuts, explains it belonged to his father, but he was killed after going against Imihama. Kousuke is left to watch over Bisco and Bisco sees he has a train route map. Kousuke explains that his father told him, Kousuke was saved by a Mushroom Keeper when he was very young, but wasn't able to repay the Mushroom Keeper. As thanks, Kousuke gives Bisco the map and leaves to pee. Bisco then easily frees himself as the chains and bars were rusted. Flying blowfish attack the town and the children are unable to fight back. Bisco then kills one with the harpoon and saves Kousuke. He tells Kousuke that the map is defective as it doesn't have furigana, causing Kousuke to realize Bisco can't read kanji. Bisco then offers to shoot an arrow for each station Kousuke names on the map and as Kousuke does, Bisco defeats all the fish. Before they leave town, Nuts gives Bisco his father's harpoon.

Bisco and Milo reach Shimobuki, where they find Tirol frozen. After saving her and explaining they are heading towards Shirakaba Line, she decides to join them and show them the way. They meet some traders and Tirol manages to get them a good deal, including a book as a bonus. They reach the subway and find a train, but it requires old coins to work. Tirol explains she used to be a mechanic and looks into a way to bypass the fare. When she is done, Milo and Tirol check the book they got, but find drawings of animals. Bisco explains its a Mushroom Keeper book and that it should contain various mushroom information and from which animal they come. Milo confirms that and finds a page about Rust Eater, which is found from Pipe Snake. As they prepare to leave with the train, Tirol decides to stay and they thank her for her help. On the train, they got attacked by large group of oilsquids and with team efforts, they manage to defeat it. They reach Weeping Child Ravine, where Bisco explains that 15 years ago the Mushroom Keepers collected a Rust Eater. Suddenly, they see a giant Pipe Snake eating a giant bird and Bisco decides to capture it, but Pawoo shows up. She faces Bisco, not believing him that Milo followed on his own, but then the Pipe Snake captures her. Milo saves her, but ends up in danger and Bisco and Pawoo team up to save him. As they save Milo, Milo and Bisco end up eaten by the snake, but using mushrooms, they kill it from the inside.

They discovered Rust Eater growing on its body, and Bisco tries one, but states its feels like ordinary matsutake. He wishes to continue searching, but Milo attempts to stop him as he is injured. Bisco ends up pushing Milo back, who falls and touches the Rust Eater while his hand is covered in blood from Bisco and it starts to glow. Milo then figures out that the Mushroom Keepers have special blood that can activate the Rust Eater. Kurokawa then attacks them and takes the snake, and shoots Bisco with a Rust Bullet. The next day, Pawoo heads out to Imihama to bring the medicine to Jabi. She gives her doze to Bisco, telling him to protect Milo and reminds him how she called her a beauty, and that she now thinks he is cute too, causing him to blush.

Milo and Bisco stay for Bisco to heal, but Bisco heads out to look after Actagawa. As he returns, he finds Milo acting strange and realizes he put sleepshroom poison in the food. He figures its related to Pawoo and decides to go look for her, but Milo wishes to stop him. They end up in a fight and Milo manages to drug Bisco and put him to sleep, while saying he will risk his body and soul to protect Bisco.

Bisco comes Shimabuki Base and manages to save Milo from Kurokawa moment before he kills him. Kurokawa reveals that he is the one who spread the superstition that the Mushroom Keepers spread rust and that he sold out them to earn money and live good. He attempts to shoot Bisco, but Bisco blows his prosthetic arm. Kurokawa then controls Milo to make him shoot Rust arrows at Bisco. In order to save Bisco, Milo reveals the secret is Mushroom Keepers blood, but Kurokawa explains that he can't let them live as they will hunt him down. He forces Milo to shoot Bisco, but Bisco manages to catch the arrow and throws it back at Kurokawa, injuring his eye. Jabi then comes and uses a mushroom to knock out Kurokawa. As Bisco and the rest escape the base, Kurokawa sends his pawns to chase them. Jabi stays to fight them, while Milo and Bisco escape, but ends up being captured. Kurokawa's pawns catch up to Milo and Bisco and shoot multiple Rust arrows at Milo's back, but Actagawa comes and defeats them. Barely consciousness and heavily injured, Milo tells Bisco to live.

Milo awakens to see his wounds have been treated by Bisco, who then wants to give him medicine for the Rust. Milo tells him to inject himself first, but Bisco lies to him, stating he already did. After wondering about Jabi and Pawoo, Milo suggests that Bisco takes Pawoo on a date, but nervously Bisco tries to refuse. As Milo is about to fall asleep, he asks Bisco if he will be there when he wakes up and Bisco confirms, stating they are partners and will forever be together.

Bisco infiltrates Kurokawa's Miyagi base and pretends to be one of his henchmen. He listens to Kurokawa's plan to create artificial Rust Wind and create more demand for his medicine in order to earn more money. Kurokawa wants Jabi to join him and give him young Mushroom Keepers for their blood, but Jabi refuses. Kurokawa gives a knife unknowingly to Bisco, telling him to cut Jabi's fingers, so that he can't use a bow, but Bisco frees Jabi and attacks Kurokawa, throwing him a floor below him. Bisco tells Jabi to destroy the Ganesha Cannon, while he takes care of Kurokawa. Bisco then heads down to fight Kurokawa. As they fight, Bisco defeats some of his human experiments, but his fingers shatter due to the rust, making him unable to use a bow. Kurokawa manages to shoot Bisco, but he still comes at him and breaks his arm while punching Kurokawa. Thinking he would win, Kurokawa prepares to shoot Bisco, but Milo who got healed from the Rust, comes in time and shoots an arrow, ripping Kurakawa's artificial arm. Bisco then pushes Kurakawa down a boiling Rust, where Kurakawa dies. As Bisco starts to burn too, Milo states he promised that they would be together and Bisco tells him that his soul will find him and if he always smiles like Bisco, he will always be by his side when he smiles. Bisco then asks Milo to kill him, so that he doesn't die from the Rust and Milo accepts, promising that one day their souls would find each other.

Kurokawa gets revived as a Tetsujin, and Milo fights him multiple times, but he still reaches Imihama. There Milo manages to get on the Tetsujin back and starts stabbing it, only to find Bisco's goggles. The Tetsujin then throws Milo on the Imihama wall. However, from the stab wounds, Bisco comes out, healed and with regrown arm. He joins Milo, taking his goggles back and stating he heard him from the next world and came back. Bisco fights the Tetsujin, but each of his arrows create Rust Eaters and manage to split the Tetsujin. He wonders what is going on with him and feels power welling up inside of him. Milo guesses that he is half-human, half-Rust Eater and its due to being drenched in the pipe snake's poison, which cause mushroom spores to enter his body and mix with his blood. They see the Tetsujin bulging up and Tirol reveals it will self-destruct if they attack it, repeating the incident from the past, and that they need to kill the pilot to prevent that. Pawoo states she can break his helm without causing shockwaves, but wants some word of thanks from Bisco, who ends up promising he will give her anything if she returns alive. Pawoo then kisses him, stating she will be taking him, and attacks the Tetsujin managing to split his helm and reveal Kurokawa behind it. Bisco and Milo fight it, but just as Bisco was about to shoot his arrow, Kurokawa throws his arm and covers Bisco's eyes with blood. Helping him aim, Milo states he will be his eyes and to believe. Bisco then shoots an arrow and kills Kurokawa and the Tetsujin, growing large amount of Rust Eater. Later, due to the effects of the Rust Eater, Bisco is immortal and forever young. Not wanting that, he and Milo embark on a new journey to find a way to cure Bisco.

## Etymology

* Bisco's surname **Akaboshi** means "red" (赤) (**aka**) and "star" (星) (**hoshi**/**boshi**).
	+ Bisco's surname may be derived from akaboshibyō (赤星病) Gymnosporangium rust or a plant infection caused by a fungus of the Gymnosporangium rust.