A figurine the real-life Rich made of his character. It's him in his Transmetal 2 armour.
Rich "Katto" Kassidy is a member of the Mechanical Maniacs as Kenta Eigen and Sheriff Magnetman. He was also a member of the Sinister Six as Bombman and had previously made his own Sinister Six based fanfiction where he inserted himself into the fiction as General Cutman. He also started Alpha Movement as Boomer Kwanger.
Rich has made enormous contributions to the community. His Sinister Six AU stories helped usher in a wave of prose fan fiction in the community for years. He has provided hosting for the Sinister Six and Mechanical Maniacs. Rich has designed the Transmetal 2 and 3 armours for the Mechs. Finally, started in Series 6, Rich would define character relationships between the Mechs providing a base work on which the entire series was based on. Rich has provided extensive notes on everything he had a hand in giving the epilogues a solid base to work from (as opposed to the very loose base it has previously).
This article is about the fictional character of "Rich Kassidy." This character is the estranged brother of Kenta and later went on to join a group of anti-Robot Master fighters. He faced the Mechanical Maniacs after they were framed for the destruction of Los Angeles wherein he fought, and lost to, Kenta. In the Sinister Six series his "real name" is referred to as "Richard Katto."
Basic Information
Affiliation: Sinister Six; Pale Riders
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 205 Lbs
Personality[]
Rich as Deal Breaker. By Raijin.
Known as a voracious drunk who frequented Hardman's Bar, Rich was the last guy to hold the Bombman position on the S6. He was quick to temper and actually pretty listless. In a last ditch effort to make his life mean something, Rich eventually relented his Bombman persona and became the leader of a government-sponsored team of counter-robot mercenaries known as the Pale Riders, disappearing from Monsteropolis in the process. He eventually re-emerged to face the Mechanical Maniacs- his former friends- only to commit suicide by allowing his estranged half-brother, Magnetman Eigen, to shoot him. Eigen destroyed his brain to ensure his death would be absolute, finally putting an end to their rivalry.
Abilities[]
Rich’s version of Bombman utilizes a different method of building a better bomb, using mostly chemicals instead of straight nano - technology. Surprisingly resourceful, Rich also rigged parts of his armour to explode when in a pinch. He was also capable of consuming inhuman amounts of alcohol.
Bombman’s arms are fitted with a pop - out apparatus that springs forth from where a human wrist would be, on the under - side. This provides a hole that secretes a black semi - liquid, which is actually an advanced, soft version of C4, which is blown up like a balloon. The gas that fills it is part two of the active ingredient in the explosive, and also contains a rapid hardener, causing the bomb to harden as soon as it stops growing. As it is grown, a timer, about the width of an American half dollar and half an inch thick, is released along with the bomb as it rolls into Bombman’s hand.
This liquid bomb technology allows Bombman to create bombs anywhere from as small as two inches in diameter to a full two - feet. The timers are mentally linked to Bombman from their activation, which occurs as soon as they are released from his wrist. By default, they are timed to go off after 5 seconds, though Rich can manually control as many as a dozen bombs mentally.
Bombman’s armour is made of rubber silicone sand wedged between two layers of a Kevlar mesh weave. The rubber absorbs explosive force with great efficiency, allowing Bombman to be at the epicentre of many of his own explosions. However, the armour is not terribly precision attack - resistant, meaning sharp pointed weapons or strong enough punches and kicks can break through the mesh and rubber and cause damage, and also reduce its explosive - absorbing ability.
Bombman’s old weakness to fire is also still apparent. If timed correctly, a fire - based attack aimed at his bomb while its being formed will more than likely detonate it prematurely, damaging Bombman, and perhaps damaging his internal bomb - making mechanics.
Fighting Style - Rich doesn’t use any particular fighting style per say. He mostly brawls, with a few technical takedown maneuvers thrown in for good measure, which he then uses to beat his enemy into submission. He is rather adept at guerrilla warfare and leading his enemies into his surprisingly well - planned attacks, usually constructed during the fight.
Long Distance Attacks
Mad Bomber - The simple act of creating a Hyper Bomb of varying size and throwing it at his foe with the intention of causing massive damage.
Enter the Minefield - Throughout a fight, Bombman usually plants several bombs around the battlefield for later use, be it a surprise toss or a remote detonation.
Heaven and Hell - Tossing one bomb high and one low, Bombman intends to distract a foe with a pair of shrapnel - type bombs, usually as a set up for his Minefield strategy later on.
The Greater Good - When desperate enough, Bombman starts sacrificing parts of his armour, and sometimes body parts, rigged with explosives. Usually, he tosses his bomb - filled helmet at an unsuspecting enemy, and gets more extreme as the battle ensues.
Melee Attacks
- Explosive Results - Taking advantage of his super thick, bomb - resistant armour, Bombman propels himself forward by tossing a Hyper Bomb just behind him. This usually concludes with a heavy tackle or lariat.
- Desperado Destroyer - Breaking his usual MO, Bombman displays uncanny speed by rushing forward, performing a jumping, rolling kick to the gut, immediately followed by a quick spin and kick to the back of the head.
- Gettin’ Nasty - When things get really down and dirty in a long fight, Bombman gets mean. He produces an unstable explosive jelly, which he slathers onto his hands. Then it’s down to business with simple brawling and boxing techniques with a explosive twist. Extremely damaging to both Bombman and his foe.
- Nuclear Power bomb - An old technique, Bombman lifts his enemy over his head by the gut and smashes them back down, back first, onto a waiting bomb. Very nasty result.
Death Move
Earth Splitter - Bombman’s most suicidal, and most effective move, in which he traps his enemy in any number of painful submission techniques, along with a bomb set to get off within seconds. With nowhere to go for either the foe or Bombman, both are likely to be defeated, or worse.
As Deal Breaker
As Deal Breaker of the Pale Riders, Rich traded in his Bombman body for a human guise with access to a multitude of weaponry. His main weapon as Deal Breaker was an high velocity electromagnetic rifle capable of punching a hole straight through Hardman. His other weapons were unknown, but some of which were designed for use against specific mechanical assassinations.
Series Information[]
Rich was originally a "Gary ripoff" when I originally started with the S6. This could be seen in only one epilogue ("Big Trouble in Little Kinkos"), where he was a skinny man who looked a lot like The Dude from The Big Lebowski. Gary and Ben featured him as a wacky person, who (much to my chagrin) was a toy-maker who actually made a "General Cutman" figurine.Rich didn't do much as Bombman until the Sinister Six finale. Appropriately enough he used a kamikaze attack to finish off General Cutman, holding him down to make sure the General was close enough to an oversized bomb to be done in once and for all. Rich would later be rebuild as would the General himself (although not in the Six's own series).
It wasn't until the S6 had disbanded until I took a real interest in the character, remaining him as a hapless drunk as a reflection of my darker days. His appearance in "Kin and Tonic" represented a turning point in his character, almost retconning his earlier appearances for the S6 while delving into his past. He was revealed to be a rather horrible person- selfish and careless of others' well being. He become something of a tragic hero.
After Kin and Tonic Rich became Deal Breaker. Deal Breaker is the self - appointed leader of a small, highly specialized squadron of anti - RM agents. He is quiet, at least in front of the Mechs, and seems to desire this mission to be over as quickly as possible with no frills. He eventually manages to single out Kenta and isolate him from the rest of the Maniacs, where he reveals himself to be Rich Kassidy, now in league with the government. Kassidy did not choose this mission; rather, he was hand - picked by the Horsemen, with the actual mission of finding a single survivor believed to still be hiding in the ruins of LA. He fights Kenta, mainly as atonement for abandoning him many years ago.
Rich officially died in Wanted. There are no plans to bring him back currently, and he will most likely stay dead. If he is used again, which will likely be via flashbacks, it depends on what era it'll fall under. If it's Bombman Kassidy, he is a useless drunk of a man with few morals and a slurring speech pattern not unlike Hard's, though with more of a Southern drawl. He is quick to violence, and usually picks on low-level thugs. He is also fairly creative with his abilities.
As Deal Breaker, Rich is sober, but no less of a moral-less bastard. He essentially sold out his old friends, and his only noble act in his written history was allowing Kenta the final victory in their barely-touched rivalry. He had shown a sentimental side by researching his family's bloodline.
Either version of Rich should be depicted as somewhat cold and detached from the rest of humanity. He is fairly good at observing his surroundings and the situation at hand, though not as sharp when drunk, obviously.