Bohman

Bohman

Names
English	Bohman
Other	Unknown Bohboy (dub only, by Ai)
Japanese Japanese ボーマン Rōmaji Bōman
Personal
Gender	Male
Relatives
Harlin ("younger brother")
Duelist
Anime Deck	Hydradrive
Appearances
Anime debut	Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS episode 04747: "LINK VRAINS 2.0"
Appears in Anime Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Voice actors
English	Sam Black
Japanese	Kenji Matsuda
Bohman

Bohman (ボーマン Bōman) is character in the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS anime, and the secondary and final antagonist of the second season. He is described as a mysterious Duelist who works with Harlin towards their goal. He initially lacks memories, and his belief of his identity changes until it is revealed that he is a third generation A.I. created by Lightning, intended to assimilate the six Ignis as their successor. After managing to assimilate Aqua, Earth, Flame, Windy and Lightning, Bohman challenged Playmaker to a fourth Duel, but was ultimately defeated.

Design

Appearance

Bohman's three VR forms.

Bohman is a dark-skinned man, with orange eyes that have the irises lined in yellow. His hair is long and wild, flaring out in the shape of his shoulders, and is predominantly brown, but is blonde on the top with a small section of red at the border between brown and blonde hair, including a matching diamond at the top of his skull, and a thin orange fringe, eyebrows, a large bang of orange hair, and orange braids held in aquamarine bands that extend from his sideburns. An aquamarine diamond symbol is on his forehead and chin; the one on his chin melds with his red "chin-strap", which in turn melds with the pink sections on his cheeks. Bohman is extremely muscular, leaving his upper torso mostly bare in his first outfit and having abdominal muscles patterned on his armor in his second.

Bohman appears in a different outfit within LINK VRAINS in each of his appearances; he has appeared in three different outfits, each corresponding to his personality at the time. In the first, he wears a skintight jumpsuit that is silver on the legs, purple on the knees and calves, and blue on the feet and the torso, which exposes his abs, chest, and shoulders; the torso section covers his sides and underarms, and wraps around his biceps, ending in purple cuffs. This outfit is worn under his subsequent ones, representing his state as a relative blank slate at the time. In the second, he wears a black chestplate with a broad, gold-lined collar and shoulder pauldrons, pink lines across his collarbone, and white sections on the thigh pauldrons. He also wears long black finger-less gauntlets with pink backs on the hands, golden cuffs, knuckles, and wristband on his right wrist (his Duel Disk covers his other wrist), white pants, and black calf-length boots with his symbol attached to the knee and extending midway up his thigh and down his shin, in addition to the "Hydradrive" crest on his belt. When he uses "Storm Access", the symbol on his chest glows. His armored appearance is symbolic of his rage towards Yusaku Fujiki at the time, as he believed that he was the true Yusaku and that Yusaku himself was a false copy. His third and final outfit is a more military garb resembling that worn by Jin Kolter in LINK VRAINS; he wears a white sword-shaped mantle with a gold border and a blue tip and shoulderpads. Under this mantle he wears a long black coat with a purple band at the hips below an orange belt, and with golden edges. He also wears blue gauntlets with golden cuffs, black boots with blue soles, and white pants. This "softer" outfit represents his calmer personality following his determining of his true origins. Prior to his first form, Bohman appeared in the form of a yellow energy being with a swirling vortex for a face; this energy peeled away to reveal his true form when he was damaged enough.

As with all members of Lightning's organization, a strange, star-shaped symbol resembling the Southern Cross appears prominently in Bohman's design, occasionally attached to a diamond-shape at one of the points; a yellow one on his bare chest, yellow ones on his ankle cuffs, orange sections that are part of his braids, and blue ones on his forearms in his first outfit. His armor retains the star on the chestplate, and has pink-lined golden elongated stars on his knees and forearms. His military garb has the star on the mantle in orange, and in gold on his gauntlets and boots.

Personality

Bohman's personality changes over his appearances. During his first Duel with Playmaker, he remains relatively stoic and is unaware of his actions prior, yet he assesses the state of the Duel and plans his moves within seconds. He expresses horror that he took someone's consciousness. When his memories are altered by Lightning to believe himself to be Yusaku Fujiki, he became determined to reclaim his "real" body and defeat the "impostor", and remained in a state of anger throughout much of the Duel. Despite this, he intended to honor his promise to return Jin Kolter's consciousness to Playmaker, though he was spirited away before he was able to do so.

Once Bohman learns of his true origins, he begins to evolve as an individual. He becomes much calmer and demonstrates a nobility that contrasts the more sadistic demeanors of Lightning and Windy. He affably compliments his opponents during a Duel, and he expresses disappointment at his fellows using underhanded tactics to the point of stepping in and stopping Lightning from holding Jin and Specter hostage during his Duel with Varis. When he defeated Blue Maiden, he allowed Akira Zaizen to see her one last time before she was assimilated. Though he knows of his and Harlin's true origins, he still views him as a little brother and cries upon learning of his erasure, promising not to forget him. Indeed in his final moments, it is Harlin that Bohman thinks of.

After Harlin's defeat, Bohman comes to know anger, hatred and sorrow for the first time in his life. As a result, despite caring for Harlin, he is simultaneously thankful to Blue Maiden and Aqua for allowing him to feel those emotions and develop as an individual, and he demonstrates no grudges against them during their Duel. Likewise he expresses gratitude for Soulburner when he regards him with fury, as he believes this validates him as an individual, and during his final Duel with Playmaker he expresses thanks for him serving as the basis of his heart and offers to give him a happy existence within him after absorbing him.

In the dub, after learning of his true purpose, Bohman is noticeably harsher-spoken and more arrogant, speaking with a more dramatic tone during a Duel. He also demonstrates a degree of sadism as he taunts Ai about the fate of the Cyberse, though it is also suggested he is simply saying this to play mind games with Ai as he was in the original version. Bohman retains his capacity for offering compliments, but maintains a superior attitude. After Harlin is defeated, Bohman becomes vengeful and targets Blue Maiden to avenge his brother's defeat, though as he did in the original version, he admits he is thankful to Blue Maiden for stirring such emotions in him, as he believes they amplified his Dueling skills. Even after doing so, he remains motivated by Harlin's loss and during their final Duel Playmaker accuses Bohman of ultimately fighting for revenge over the loss of Harlin.

Though Bohman opposes the underhanded actions of Lightning, to the point of denying him aid after Lightning cheats to win his Duel with Varis, he too ultimately believes in the superiority of A.I. over humans. As he begins absorbing the Ignis and becoming more powerful, he declares himself a god, and he desires to absorb humanity into himself to give them all a painless existence rather than destroy them. He believes that he is capable of choosing the right path for the word and that a singular existence would prevent conflict. He suggests to Lightning that this superiority means they do not need to use dirty tactics and that they can win fairly. This belief in the superiority of A.I. is magnified in the dub, and he commonly brings the topic up. Bohman goes as far as to suggest that all A.I. should be treated with the same respect as living creatures by humans, and he states that the reign of humans should come to an end.

Abilities

Bohman's abilities are enhanced by programs given to him by Lightning, Harlin, and Windy. He is capable of manifesting in the real world and extracting a human's consciousness even without a connection to LINK VRAINS, he can resist Ai's attempts to devour him due to an anti-Ignis program, and he is capable of using his Skill during a Master Duel by freely summoning a Data Storm. As he continues to grow through Dueling Playmaker and Ai, his Dueling strategies develop and become more complex and his abilities become stronger. After regaining his memories, he was strong enough to pass through a high-density Data Storm unaided, albeit not without brief injury, and skilled enough to defeat Playmaker in a Duel Board race.

Once he becomes one with Mirror LINK VRAINS, Bohman's abilities continue to increase; simply with his willpower, he is able to take control of LINK VRAINS and cause it to glitch and quake, preventing users from logging out. Bohman claims that luck itself is part of him as a result, suggesting that he can either predict or influence his dice rolls during a Duel. He can also sense actions and remotely disable systems, and project Avatars across a distance. When he defeats people in a Duel in Mirror LINK VRAINS, he can absorb their data and make it part of himself. He gains new abilities as he absorbs the Ignis; after absorbing Earth's data and Aqua he is able to alter the appearance of Mirror LINK VRAINS to a limited degree, and this ability is enhanced after he absorbs more of the Ignis. He becomes so powerful that he is able to overpower Lightning's programs after absorbing Flame and Windy.

During his final Duel with Playmaker, Bohman demonstrated a whole host of new abilities and programs, including the Neuron Link and an enhanced Skill, "Master Storm Access", which he used to actually create new cards instead of randomly obtaining them, and which allowed him to access the thoughts of its victims. The Neuron Link proved to be resistant to any efforts to stop it; Bohman was able to repair it after it was damage using the data of Mirror LINK VRAINS itself, though after Ai sacrificed himself to destroy it, he was only able to do so for brief moments and he could not longer hear their voices of his victims. Bohman can also manifest a projection of himself within his core, which he used in an attempt to capture Ai.

Etymology

Bohman's name may be a reference to the character David Bowman from the science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which also includes a character named "Hal".

Biography

History

Lightning created Bohman with the intent for him to unite the Ignis into one and become their successor, but he required someone to be based on. Aware that Ai, who Lightning had deemed to have the most instinct and wisdom among the Ignis, had teamed up with his Origin, Yusaku Fujiki, Lightning decided to model Bohman on them through having him Duel Playmaker. Under the instructions of Lightning, Bohman was responsible for the destruction of the Cyberse World, using "Judgment Arrows" and "Paradox Hydradrive Atlas". His memories were subsequently wiped of this event, and he was ordered to steal the consciousness of Jin Kolter, Lightning's Origin, to prevent him from harming Lightning.

Lost Ignis

The obscured Bohman takes Jin Kolter's soul.

Bohman found Jin talking with his brother Kal in the institution where he lived. In the form of a yellow energy being, he emerged from the television screen in the room, intangible to Kal's efforts to stop him, and extracted Jin's consciousness through his mouth, then retreated back into the screen, escaping into LINK VRAINS on a Duel Board. Kolter sent Playmaker to stop him, and Bohman was ordered to Duel him as Harlan watched them. Bohman only Set a card on his first turn, losing more than half his LP as a result from Playmaker's subsequent attacks. He counter-attacked on his next turn, using his loss in LP to activate his "Marker's Portal" Skill and play the Link Spell Card "Judgment Arrows" from his Deck and Link Summoning two "Flow Hydradrives" to take advantage of Playmaker's WIND "Elphase". He successfully attacked directly with one, its ATK doubling due to the effect of "Judgment Arrows", but the other had its ATK reduced to zero by the effect of Playmaker's "Linkuriboh". Playmaker counterattacked on his next turn with a Cyberse Ritual Monster, "Cyberse Magician", which destroyed one of Bohman's "Flow Hydradrives".

Bohman awakens with no memories.

The shock of the attack shattered the glowing shell around Bohman, revealing his true appearance. With no memory of his identity or his deeds, he asked who he was and if he was being challenged to a battle. Playmaker accused him of stealing the soul of their friend's brother, and Bohman asked in horror why he'd do something so horrible. Harlan reminded Bohman of his name and told him that his mission was to regain their memories. Resuming the Duel, Bohman analyzed the situation and put together a counter to save himself in moments, before bringing out two "Coolant Hydradrives" and Tributing one using his "Property Spray" to change the Attributes of Playmaker's monsters to WATER so the remaining one could attack directly. The effect of "Cyberse Magician" saved Playmaker, by halving the damage. Despite Bohman's use of "Covered Hydradrive" to set up a defense, Playmaker was able to bypass this by using his own Skill, "Storm Access" and acquiring "Shootingcode Talker", which could attack multiple times and destroyed all of Bohman's monsters, defeating him and blasting him off his Duel Board and into a nearby wood.

Playmaker pursed Bohman, ordering him to return Jin's data, and his Ignis, Ai transformed into a monstrous form and attempted to devour the data from him, but failed due to an anti-Ignis program that Harlan had implanted within Bohman. Harlan helped Bohman onto his Duel Board and they fled from Playmaker, Harlan telling his brother to hold on and summoning Bit and Boot to distract Playmaker, though a new Duelist challenged them instead. Playmaker continued to pursue them, but Harlan and Bohman managed to escape into the restricted area of LINK VRAINS.

Bohman and Harlan went to a fabricated Cyberse, where Lightning appeared before them, his form obscured. Harlan told Bohman to kneel before Lightning, and informed Lightning of what had happened. Bohman relinquished Jin's data to Lightning, and told him to return their memories like he'd promised, but Lightning claimed that he'd never made such a promise and he wiped Bohman's memories. Bohman was made to believe that he was Yusaku Fujiki, and that the current one was a fake.

Bohman vows to defeat Playmaker.

Now determined to reclaim "his" body, Bohman and Harlan lay in wait in the depths of the Wind World. When Playmaker reached the area in which Bohman was detected for the last time, Bohman and Harlan appeared on top of the statue of a soldier and was challenged by Playmaker. Bohman stated he wasn't after Ai, stating he would bring Playmaker to justice and make him pay for his crimes. Even though he was aware Playmaker knew about the ability of his "Hydradrive" monsters to attack directly, he still opted to go first and managed to Summon "Twin Hydradrive Knight" and activate "Judgment Arrows", while also Setting two cards, describing them as the "cards that would decide the Duel's outcome". Playmaker was able to bypass the effects of both "Judgment Arrows" and "Twin Hydradrive Knight", destroying the latter, and also Set two cards. During Bohman's turn, he activated one of his Set cards, "Property Spray", a card that Playmaker was already expected, which he then negated using "Arrow Break". However, to Playmaker's surprise, Bohman had already seen through his plan, and he had only used "Property Spray" to force Playmaker's Counter Trap. Bohman proceeded to activate the card he actually wanted, "Hydradrive Cycle", using it to Summon "Twin Hydradrive Knight" again. After destroying all of Playmaker's monsters, Bohman revealed that during the Lost Incident, each victim had a backup copy of their thoughts saved, and during one of the experiments, something went wrong and one of the victim's real personality was switched with the one stored in the backup, imprisoning the original consciousness inside the database. He then revealed that he was the original consciousness trapped outside his own body, and the one inside his real body was none other than Playmaker, showing as evidence the fact he was able to predict Playmaker's every action as a Duelist. Determined to have his body returned to him, Bohman vowed to win.

Bohman empowers himself before using "Storm Access".

Bohman claimed that a fake like Playmaker couldn't defeat him, though Playmaker claimed that the real one would be the victor. Playmaker brought out the DARK "Detonate Deleter", destroying "Twin Hydradrive Knight" without battling it and attacking directly, but Bohman was able to save himself with "Half Shut". He recalled the memories of being left behind during the rescue again, and the despair he continued to live in, claiming that he would never forgive Playmaker and darkening the sky with sheer power as he was struck by lightning. Declaring himself the emissary of revenge, Bohman created a Data Storm out of nothing and used "Storm Access", obtaining "Trident Hydradrive Lord". He Link Summoning it, granting it the Attributes of FIRE, WATER, and WIND, allowing him to grant it the full protection of "Hydradrive Accelerator against effects. It attacked and destroyed "Detonate Deleter", and Bohman believed that he'd won and would be able to reclaim his body. But to his shock, Playmaker had been able to survive the attack with 100 LP due to his "Link Ration" Trap, and Bohman praised his copy for sharing his fighting spirit. Playmaker then asked who kidnapped Bohman during the Lost Incident, and Bohman replied that it was Dr. Kogami. But Playmaker claimed that Bohman had been given fake memories, stating that it had actually been Varis, before providing three reasons; he'd defeat Bohman, retrieve Jin's data, and uncover Bohman's identity and the one controlling him. Bohman was incensed that a copy would say such things, and Playmaker vowed to win, slowly assembling the resources he needed to add "Cynet Fusion" to his hand. Bohman was shocked to see a "Fusion" card, and Playmaker then revived "Clock Wyvern", which he'd never Summoned. Bohman realized that Playmaker had sent it to the Graveyard earlier in the Duel, and asked in fury if Playmaker had expected this from the start. Playmaker claimed that a fake like Bohman couldn't anticipate his plans, and Fusion Summoned "Cyberse Clock Dragon", vastly increasing its ATK. Bohman attempted to negate its effect by Summoning a FIRE "Hydradrive Token" to Playmaker's field and then targeting it with the effect of "Hydradrive Lord" to make the Attributes of all monsters Playmaker controlled the same Attribute, but the effect of "Clock Dragon" prevented him from targeting other monsters with effects, and it destroyed "Trident Hydradrive Lord" and defeated Bohman. Shocked at his loss, Bohman descended back into the clouds as the Wind World began to destabilize.

After the Duel, Bohman continued to accompany Harlan through Lightning's castle, surprised that Harlan found him annoying and explaining that he was trying to protect him as that was what brothers did, though Haru brushed him off. Lightning eventually restored Bohman's memories, and when the Knights of Hanoi found them and Varis defeated Windy, Bohman and Harlan transported to the entranceway of Windy's palace as Lightning revealed Jin to Playmaker, Soulburner, and the other Ignis and the Knights of Hanoi.

Ignis War

Bohman remained silent as Lightning revealed that he had been responsible for the destruction of the Cyberse and declared war on humanity. Unable to settle matters due to Windy's infection, Bohman fled alongside Lightning and Harlan. As Playmaker pursued them, Bohman told Lightning that he would deal with Playmaker while Lightning dealt with Soulburner, as he wanted to test his improvements. Lightning was surprised that Bohman was challenging Playmaker again since he wasn't finalized, but he agreed to allow Bohman to do so, and Harlan remained with Bohman to observe. Ai asked Bohman if he remembered who he was, and Bohman confirmed that he had and he explained his history and purpose to Playmaker and Ai, as well as that of Harlan. He told them that unlike Lightning, he accepted their differences, but he still wouldn't accept coexistence before challenging Playmaker to a Speed Duel with himself and Ai on the line.

Bohman races Playmaker before their Speed Duel.

Bohman suggested competing to see who went first, much to Ai's irritation. He challenged Playmaker to race around the Ignis Tower in Windy's Cyberse and successfully won the race, demonstrating higher skill with his Duel Board. Choosing to go second, Bohman quickly swarmed the field with his "Hydradrive" Link Monsters to arrange "Judgment Arrows" optimally, then he Link Summoned "Trident Hydradrive Lord", though Playmaker was able to prevent his "Cyberse Magician" from being destroyed and he minimized his damage. On his next turn, Playmaker equipped "Cyberse Magician" with two Equip Spell Cards, taking damage but launching an all-out attack that almost defeated Bohman and left him with 700 LP. Bohman used his "Property Flash" Continuous Trap Card to block the attack of "Cyberse Witch". He asked Playmaker why he'd attacked so suddenly, as this was unlike him, but then he realized that Ai had been responsible and that he had asked for the attack on instinct. Bohman explained to Ai that he had initially been the only Ignis with instinct and that the others had learned it through observing his rebellious instincts. Ai believed Bohman was calling him the greatest Ignis, but Bohman replied that he was merely calling Ai a rebel, albeit a quality that was valuable for evolution. He then demonstrated his superiority by using "Storm Access" within the high-density Data Storm, acquiring "Rousing Hydradrive Monarch" and Special Summoning it with "Property Flash". Using its "Judgment Dice" effect, he accepted luck for his future and he successfully sent Playmaker's monsters to the Graveyard, though Playmaker was able to survive his attack with the effect of "Linkuriboh". As Bohman had anticipated, Playmaker used his own Skill on the next turn, but to his shock Playmaker had upgraded his Skill to "Neo Storm Access". Playmaker Link Summoned "Cyberse Wicckid" and searched out "Cyberse Synchron", a Tuner monster, and Bohman realized that Playmaker intended to Synchro Summon. He successfully rolled DARK with "Judgment Dice" again, but this time Playmaker protected his monsters with the effect of "Cyberse Wicckid", and he successfully Synchro Summoned "Cyberse Quantum Dragon", which returned "Rousing Hydradrive Monarch" to Bohman's Extra Deck. Shocked that he had to resort to such measures, Bohman ended the Duel in a DRAW with the effect of "Hydradrive Scabbard", and he and Harlan fled, Bohman vowing that he would be the nightmare that would return to defeat Playmaker and Ai at a new stage.

Bohman and Harlin went to Mirror LINK VRAINS, and Bohman began the process of synchronizing with the mirror world in its version of Central Station. Harlin visited him and asked how he was doing, and Bohman asked if he was worried about him. Harlin claimed it was his purpose to be, and Bohman asked him not to say that, claiming that Harlin was special as his only younger brother. Harlin claimed that he wasn't really Bohman's brother, but Bohman insisted that they had been for a time. Harlin visited Bohman again, and Bohman sensed Lightning had said something to him. Bohman begged Harlin not to leave, as he was his younger brother, and claimed that he wouldn't be able to defeat Playmaker's team. Harlin snapped that he had been born first and had no good memories of being forced to babysit Bohman and left. Bohman protested that Harlin would be erased if he lost, but Harlin claimed he wasn't afraid as he was a failed A.I. and it would be better than listening to Bohman, and Bohman, still synchronizing with Mirror LINK VRAINS, was helpless to stop him. As he completed synchronization with Mirror LINK VRAINS, Bohman sensed Harlin being erased after Dueling Blue Maiden and Aqua, crying as he vowed that he would never forget Harlin. He experienced anger, hatred and sorrow for the first time in his life, and viewed this as developing as an individual.

Bohman demonstrates his power after becoming one with Mirror LINK VRAINS.

Bohman waited for Blue Maiden and Aqua to come to his location, introducing himself when they arrived. He asked Aqua to entrust the future of A.I. to him, but Aqua refused, as Bohman had been created without the other Ignis' consent and she urged him not to work with Lightning. Blue Maiden then revealed that she had come to cure Aqua's partner Miyu Sugisaki, who was comatose due to Lightning's actions, and Bohman offered to give her the vaccine data for Miyu's virus if she defeated him, moved by her motives. Blue Maiden brought out "Marincess Marbled Rock" on her first turn, and Bohman opposed it with three "Coolant Hydradrives" and "Judgment Arrows". Though aware that he could potentially inflict 5000 damage to Blue Maiden, Bohman also knew that the effect of "Marbled Rock" would reduce the damage he inflicted, so he instead used his three "Coolant Hydradrives" to Link Summon "Cubed Hydradrive Lord", negating the effect of "Marbled Rock". He destroyed "Marbled Rock", and prepared to attack again to win, but Blue Maiden was able to block his attack with "Marincess Crystal Heart", which was immune to the effect of "Cubed Hydradrive Lord" and prevented "Judgment Arrows" from affecting it. In response to Blue Maiden's vow that she would defeat him, Bohman demonstrated his new power, causing LINK VRAINS and Mirror LINK VRAINS to shake around them and preventing the users from logging out. Blue Maiden still refused to give up, activating "Marincess Bubble Blast" to inflict effect damage to Bohman rather than battle, but Bohman was able to block it with "Interference Canceller", which would allow him to reduce three instance of effect damage to zero. Blue Maiden was able to continuously trigger the effect of "Bubble Blast", but Bohman was able to re-use "Interference Canceller" with the effect of "Hydradrive Mutation", escaping the turn without losing LP.

Aqua then asked Bohman why he wasn't angry with them, and Bohman explained that he was thankful for the emotions they had allowed him to experience, but still thought of his brother. He brought out "Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch", and then sensed Blue Maiden's brother Akira Zaizen attempting to use the emergency logout to release the users that Bohman had imprisoned. He prevented Zaizen's sign-in and forced him to watch the Duel, then used the player-affecting effect of "Tesseract" to bypass the protective effect of "Crystal Heart", though Blue Maiden was able to avoid this by banishing her monsters. Blue Maiden then brought out "Marincess Wonder Heart", which she protected form the effect of "Tesseract" by equipping "Marincess" monsters to and which also prevented "Judgment Arrows" from affecting "Tesseract", and she destroyed "Tesseract", then Special Summoned the equipped "Marbled Rock" for a final attack. Bohman was able to reduce the damage with "Hydradrive Tolerance", and he warned Blue Maiden that she had assured his victory by destroying "Tesseract", which he revived with its own effect on his next turn. The effect of "Tesseract" forced Blue Maiden and Bohman into a loop that depleted "Wonder Heart's" equipped "Marincess" monsters, eventually destroying it, though Blue Maiden was able to halve the damage with "Marincess Crown Tail" and revive "Crystal Heart". Bohman then attacked with "Tesseract" at full strength, at 12000 ATK, and Blue Maiden used the other effect of "Crown Tail" to reduce the damage she took by 10000, though she was still defeated. Bohman admitted that Blue Maiden's refusal to give up was beautiful, and he allowed her and Zaizen to see each other before Blue Maiden fragmented into data. Bohman then absorbed her and Aqua's data, in addition to the remains of Earth's data that Aqua had been carrying.

Afterwards Bohman went to Lightning's palace, where he saw footage of Windy's demise at the hands of Soulburner and Flame. Lightning congratulated him on his victory, but noted that they were still at a numerical disadvantage and revealed to Bohman that he intended to have Playmaker Duel Cal Kolter to even the odds without risking themselves, relying on Playmaker's emotions to cripple him. Bohman transported to Playmaker's location and he warned him and Ai that they would be tested in their next Duel. Playmaker asked Bohman why he was telling him this, and Bohman admitted he wasn't sure, noting that he had been modelled on Playmaker and his goal had been to defeat him in a Duel, but this had been changed. He warned Playmaker that he would defeat them if they ever met again and returned to Lightning's castle. As he watched the Duel between Playmaker and Kolter, Bohman asked if Lightning would really erase Jin, and Lightning claimed that he would, as the knowledge that he had failed to save his best friend's brother would emotionally destroy Playmaker. Bohman remained silent as Lightning gloated over the Duel proceeding as he had expected, and accompanied Lightning to Playmaker's location. He watched the Duel silently as Playmaker defeated Kolter after struggling with the decision, and revealed that Kolter had anticipated Lightning's plan, much to Lightning's fury. Lightning had Jin throw Playmaker around, attempting to wake him up to Duel him, but Bohman eventually stepped in and told Lightning that they didn't need to use underhanded tactics when they were naturally superior, suggesting that defeating Playmaker fairly would prove this.

Declaring himself a god, Bohman rolls the Judgment Dice.

The barrier imprisoning Playmaker's team was then destroyed, and Bohman realized that it had been destroyed from outside the network and that they needed to act to prevent Varis and Soulburner from making their move. He found Soulburner first, having already left his island on his Duel Board, and accepted Soulburner's challenge, taking him to a dammed lake to demonstrate his new control over water due to Aqua's powers. Soulburner expressed fury at Bohman's participation in Lightning's plan against Playmaker, which pleased Bohman; he felt that being the target of Soulburner's rage validated him as an individual. Bohman attempted to use his usual strategies to counter Soulburner, Link Summoning "Twin Hydradrive Knight" using "Burn Hydradrive" as material to negate the effects of Soulburner's FIRE monsters, powering it up with "Judgment Arrows", and protecting them both with "Hydradrive Protection". However Soulburner used "Salamangreat Shrine" to prevent the effects of Bohman's FIRE monsters from affecting his own, and he shuffled both "Hydradrive Protection" and "Judgment Arrows" into Bohman's Deck and destroyed "Twin Hydradrive Knight" with the reincarnated "Salamangreat Heatleo". Despite his disadvantage, Bohman remained confident and infuriated Soulburner and Flame by Link Summoning "Paradox Hydradrive Atlas". He told Flame that he could maintain the balance of will in A.I. and he stated that he accepted him, but both Flame and Soulburner rejected Bohman. Bohman then caused Mirror LINK VRAINS and LINK VRAINS to shake again as he demonstrated his power and claimed that luck was part of him, rolling for "Atlas's" "Judgment Dice" effect. He changed the Attribute of "Atlas" to WATER, as well as the Attribute of the "Rousing Hydradrive Monarch" he Summoned to the zone that it pointed to, allowing his monsters to affect Soulburner's monster again. He sent "Heatleo" to the Graveyard and reduced Soulburner to 500 LP, and attempted to interrupt his combo on the next turn, but missed his roll. Soulburner reduced the ATK of "Rousing" to zero and attempted to destroy it with "Heatleo", but Bohman was able to reduce its ATK to zero with "Dice Logic", using his prior "Judgment Dice" to effectively ensure his roll. He asked Soulburner if he thought humans could be superior to A.I. forever, especially given his partnership with Flame; Soulburner told Bohman to stop acting like a god and stated that his relationship with Flame was based on friendship rather than his nature as an A.I.

To Bohman's shock, Windy then emerged from Flame and began consuming him and Soulburner despite Bohman's protests, though Flame was able to summon the strength to reabsorb him. Bohman was shocked by Flame's strength of will, and Flame told him that his name meant "indomitable soul dream", warning him not to underestimate his will. Despite this, Flame soon succumbed from his efforts and fragmented into data, sending Soulburner into despair. Lamenting his inability to prevent Flame's demise, Bohman suggested they end the Duel, but Soulburner furiously refused and demanded they continue. He Super Reincarnation Link Summoned "Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix", destroying all of Bohman's cards other than "Atlas", but Bohman defended himself with his "Judgment Roll" Trap Card from his hand, forcing Soulburner to roll a dice to determine whether "Pyro Phoenix" would have its ATK doubled or reduced to zero. Soulburner managed to roll the right Attribute, but Bohman had been prepared for that and activated his "Hydradrive Gravity" Trap from his hand to move "Pyro Phoenix" next to "Atlas", making it a WATER monster and triggering the effect of "Judgment Roll", defeating Soulburner. After absorbing his, Flame's, and Windy's data, Bohman stated that Soulburner had been a good and honest human, but had no place in his new world and would live on in his memory. He declared himself ready to battle Playmaker again.

Bohman intervenes in Lightning's Duel with Varis.

After leaving the dammed lake, Bohman travelled to Varis's island, where he found him Dueling Lightning with Playmaker and Ai spectating. Varis began to tell them of Lightning's crimes and why he had crated Bohman, and though Lightning ordered Varis to stop, Bohman was intrigued by the tale as it pertained to his origins and asked that Varis be allowed to continue. He was shocked to discover that rather than having created Bohman due to a belief in the superiority of A.I. over humans, yet concerns over the Ignis as a species being inferior, Lightning had been driven to create Bohman purely due to his own inferiority and refusal to accept it. Lightning also revealed that he had been behind the corruption of Windy and the implantation of the curse he had set on Flame, interrupting Bohman's Duel with Soulburner, angering Bohman. Varis almost defeated Lightning, but Lightning linked Jin's consciousness data with his own, which would destroy them both if Varis attacked. Bohman continued to watch angrily as Lightning also threatened the data of Spectre and revealed how he had tormented Jin during his youth. After Varis ended his turn without completing his final attack, Bohman finally had enough of Lightning's underhanded tricks, and he told Lightning that he was disappointed in him. He took Jin and Spectre's data from Lightning to prevent the Duel from being spoiled as his and Soulburner's had been and told Lightning to win with his own strength, though Varis did not thank Bohman for his actions. Varis almost defeated Lightning again, but Lightning used the effect of his "Armatos Legio Eques Flamma" to end the Duel in a DRAW, erasing Varis, but hanging on with a small portion of Jin's data that he had held onto and converted into LP. Lightning begged Bohman to show him mercy, and though Bohman admonished Lightning for his underhanded actions causing chaos, he accepted his creator and absorbed his data, giving him the powers of five of the Ignis. In the dub, he went as far as to deny Lightning aid and told him to accept his fate and give Bohman his data.

Bohman builds a new Deck.

Declaring that it was time for their final Duel, Bohman brought Playmaker and Ai to Mirror LINK VRAINS' Central Station courtyard. Now desiring to unite all of humanity into himself to preserve it, he told Playmaker and Ai that the door to a new world would open after the Duel. He created a Neuron Link, which would allow him to use the capabilities of the humans trapped within LINK VRAINS to create Data Storms, and that would further allow him to create new Link Monsters with an improved Skill; "Master Storm Access". He rebuilt his Deck before the Duel with the powers of the five Ignis he had assimilated, angering Ai, though Bohman claimed that they were part of him rather than his tools. Before the Duel began, Bohman freed Frog and Pigeon, telling them they didn't need to broadcast the Duel, but they remained behind to film the Duel.

Bohman explains the Neuron Link to Playmaker and Ai.

As soon as the Duel began, Bohman used the Neuron Link to access the brains of thousands of trapped users in LINK VRAINS, which gave him the advantage of predicting Playmaker's likely moves due to the high number of users that were fans of Playmaker's. He explained to Playmaker and Ai when they heard the screams of his victims that they were hearing them due to their Link Sense, noting that Playmaker could have been a bridge between humans and A.I. Bohman swiftly assembled five "Hydradrive" Link Monsters with different Attributes, chiding Ai for thinking that there were no Link-5 monsters and using the Neuron Link to generate a Data Storm, which he accessed with "Master Storm Access" to obtain and Link Summon "Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid". He revealed his goals and the functions of the Neuron Link to Playmaker and Ai, who accused him of being hypocritical and using similar tactics to Lightning, though Bohman did not feel that he impeding the Duel as Lightning had against Varis. As he predicted, Playmaker Synchro Summoned "Cyberse Quantum Dragon", and Bohman activated his Skill again. Via "Master Storm Access", Bohman obtained "Chimera Hydradrive Draghead - Aqua" and successfully brought it out using the effect of "Dragrid", negating the effects of "Quantum Dragon". He revealed that why he had known Playmaker would Summon "Quantum Dragon", claiming that Playmaker was fighting the entirety of LINK VRAINS. Ai stated that Bohman would eventually run out of victims, but Bohman revealed that more were logging in as they Dueled. He thanked Playmaker, claiming that when he absorbed him he would make his existence within him a happy one, though Playmaker refused to surrender, as he didn't want to accept a world built on the sacrifices of others. Disappointed that Playmaker was still trapped within the limits of humanity, Bohman used "Master Storm Access" again to obtain "Chimera Hydradrive Draghead - Flame" and brought it out to destroy "Quantum Dragon", though Playmaker protected it with the effect of "Cyberse Synchron". Bohman destroyed it moments later with "Draghead - Flame", claiming that he would chose the ideal path for the world, though Playmaker claimed that Bohman was lonely as he had been in the past and that his world would sacrifice everything. He Fusion Summoned "Cyberse Clock Dragon", increasing its ATK high enough to surpass that of "Dragrid".

Bohman begins to repair the Neuron Link.

Bohman activated his Skill again to counter Playmaker, but then he realized that the overlap between Mirror LINK VRAINS and LINK VRAINS was under attack by Zaizen, Ghost Gal, and the Knights of Hanoi, and he immediately had the Neuron Link target Zaizen and Ghost Gal. Though he trapped them in the Neuron Link, Zaizen was able to launch a virus bomb that, combined with the Knights attack from outside LINK VRAINS, stopped the Neuron Link and caused Bohman's Skill to fail, allowing SOL Technologies to log out the remaining users. Despite this, Bohman attempted to activate the effect of "Dragrid" again, but rolled LIGHT and failed to Summon a "Draghead", allowing Playmaker to destroy it with "Cyberse Clock Dragon". Bohman attempted to rebuild the Neuron Link, but Ai sacrificed himself to stop it. Bohman called Ai's sacrifice useless, and he revived "Dragrid" with its effects negated and activated "Judgment Arrows", then used Mirror LINK VRAINS itself as data to briefly restore the Neuron Link, obtaining "Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon" and using "Dragrid" as material to Link Summon it. Aware that Playmaker would defend against his attack with "Linkuriboh", Bohman used the effect of "Perfectron" to destroy "Clock Dragon" and reduce Playmaker to 100 LP, declaring that the Duel was over, but Playmaker vowed to continue to fight for Ai's sake. Lightning alerted Bohman from within that Ai had entered his program, and Bohman projected himself into his core, realizing that Ai had survived. He attempted to absorb Ai, but Ai was able to evade his attempts until the other Ignis all lent their power to Ai, fending off Bohman's attacks. Bohman completely absorbed the other Ignis as Ai escaped, vowing to never forgive Bohman. Playmaker then began a chain of repeated Summons, including Ritual Summoning "Cyberse Magician" and Xyz Summoning "Firewall eXceed Dragon", though he immediately used "eXceed Dragon" to Link Summon "Transcode Talker". As Bohman wondered what Playmaker was trying to accomplish, Playmaker told Bohman that he couldn't hear the voices of the people guiding him, not due to the destruction of the Neuron Link, but as he had no desire to connect with others. To Bohman's shock, Playmaker then Link Summoned his own Link-5 monster, "Firewall Dragon Darkfluid", having used the power of the Ignis to do so, and he used its effect to trap Bohman's "Perfectron" in an endless loop until its Hydradrive Counters were depleted, defeating Bohman with the final attack.

Bohman faces his end with Harlin.

Defeated, Bohman congratulated Playmaker, admitting that they might have a future that he didn't. Aware from Lightning's simulations that Ai's survival would lead to the extinction of humanity, Bohman warned Ai that he had closed the future of the Ignis and stated that he hoped Ai didn't regret it. Bohman then fiercely bid Playmaker farewell, calling him his ultimate rival, and with his defeat, Mirror LINK VRAINS began to vanish and Playmaker and Ai were sent back to LINK VRAINS. In his final moments, Bohman saw the spirit of Harlin and thought to himself that they would be together forever. Before he met his end, Bohman freed his human victims, an act that Ai speculated he had done out of pride, and despite absorbing Frog and Pigeon when he created the Data Storm that he obtained "Perfectron" from before the Duel ended, Bohman also left footage of the Duel's climax in Pigeon's camera, an act that Frog speculated he had done to ensure that he was remembered after his death.

Deck

Bohman with "Coolant Hydradrive" and "Burn Hydradrive".

Bohman plays a "Hydradrive" Deck, focused on Link Monsters that gain effects based on the Attributes of the opponent's monsters, while intentionally keeping his LP low to facilitate his Skills, but also including cards to increase his LP. As Bohman himself evolves due to his Duels with Playmaker and Ai, his Deck and his strategies change, in addition to the monsters that he acquires through "Storm Access". He bolsters his strategy with the Link Spell "Judgment Arrows", which doubles the ATK of the Link Monsters it points to and allows even his weakest "Hydradrive" monsters to inflict massive damage.

During his first appearance, he focuses solely on his Link-1 "Hydradrive" monsters, using their effects to Special Summon "Hydradrive Tokens" when they are destroyed to keep his strategies going. His Skill, "Marker's Portal", allows him to activate "Judgment Arrows" from his Deck when his LP differs from his original total.

In his second appearance, he begins using his stronger "Hydradrive" Link Monsters that can be treated as multiple Attributes depending on the Attributes of the monsters used to Summon them, and more complicated strategies including a shift towards lockdown. As he believes himself to be Yusaku, his Skill changes accordingly to "Storm Access", allowing him to acquire new Cyberse Link Monsters from the Data Storm when his LP is 1000 or less. He can even use this Skill during a Master Duel.

Following his discerning of his true identity, he uses even stronger Link Monsters, including the monster that destroyed the Cyberse, "Paradox Hydradrive Atlas". His anti-Attribute strategies evolve, and he begins using a high number of cards that rely on dice rolls. After he assimilates the powers of five of the Ignis, his Skill changes again, to "Master Storm Access", which can be used once per turn, even on his opponent's turn, to add any Cyberse monster to his Extra Deck from the Neuron Link, including the Link-5 "Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid". As with "Storm Access", he can use this Skill during a Master Duel.

Deck

Main Deck Monster Cards Effect Monsters Break Hydradrive Covered Hydradrive Hydradrive Agent Hydradrive Booster x3 Hydradrive Bringer Hydradrive Element Hydradrive Mutation Spell Cards Castle Link Half Shut Hydradrive Accelerator Hydradrive Defragment Hydradrive Protection Hydradrive Readvent Hydradrive Rebuild Hydradrive Scabbard Judgment Arrows Property Flood Trap Cards Card of Pandora Dice Logic Hydradrive Cycle Hydradrive Generator Hydradrive Gravity Hydradrive Tolerance Interference Canceller Judgment Roll Property Flash Property Spray Extra Deck Link Monsters Alteration Hydradrive Burn Hydradrive x2 Chimera Hydradrive Draghead - Aqua Chimera Hydradrive Draghead - Flame Chimera Hydradrive Dragrid Coolant Hydradrive x3 Cubed Hydradrive Lord Flow Hydradrive x2 Grand Hydradrive x2 Paradox Hydradrive Atlas Perfectron Hydradrive Dragon Rousing Hydradrive Monarch x2 Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch Trident Hydradrive Lord Twin Hydradrive Knight

Duels

Opponent	Episode(s)	Outcome
Yusaku Fujiki/Playmaker	47-48	Lose
Yusaku Fujiki/Playmaker	57-58	Lose
Yusaku Fujiki/Playmaker	72-73	DRAW
Skye Zaizen/Blue Maiden	90-91	Win
Theodore Hamilton/Soulburner	94-95	Win
Yusaku Fujiki/Playmaker	99-102	Lose

Trivia

• Bohman's name and motive seems to be inspired by David Bowman, a character from science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey novel series. In the series, David Bowman was an astronaut sent along with four other people and a supercomputer, HAL 9000 on a mission to the planet Jupiter. Due to the supercomputer's malfunction, which resulted in the death of the other four astronauts, Bowman had to shut it down during the trip. Upon reaching Jupiter, Bowman discovers a mysterious monolith and through it, transformd into a "Star Child", an immortal being that resides in outer space. During the last installment of the series, HAL 9000 and Bowman would merge together into a new being known as "HALman".

• Bohman has some similarities to Varis. Both have Dueled Playmaker exactly four times and were his final opponents for the season. They were also secondary antagonists, but became the final antagonist upon the deaths of the true masterminds (Lightning and Dr. Kogami, respectively); however, unlike Varis, who had two Duels against Playmaker that ended in DRAWs, Bohman only managed to achieve one DRAW against Playmaker and lost the other three Duels against Playmaker.

• Outside of flashbacks, Bohman is the only Duelist in Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS to win against Theodore Hamilton.