Dr. Bofoi (ボフォイ博士, Bofoi Hakase), also known by his hero alias Metal Knight (メタルナイト, Metarunaito), is the S-Class Rank 6 hero of the Hero Association. He offers many services for the Hero Association such as weapons sponsorships and facility construction.
Expand to see original webcomic information. Beware of spoiler content.
He's also one of the few people aware of Saitama's strength and has started to spy on him, since he considers Saitama as a potential future threat to his rank.
Bofoi has white hair and a large nose. He is also seen wearing a lab coat over his blue shirt. Bofoi acts mainly through the use of his robots controlled from a safe distance. Two of his robots have been displayed. The first is a large unit capable of flight with a high level of firepower attached. The second was much smaller, roughly human-sized and with no visible weaponry, and possibly used for reconnaissance.
He appears to have an avid interest in any form of high technology, as shown when he sent one of his robots to collect remnants or look for anything that might be useful in the wreckage of the Dark Matter Thieves' ship. Despite being a hero, he has little compassion for others if it won't benefit him. Even when a meteor is about to strike Z-City, his only concern is the reliability of his new missiles. Because of Drive Knight's warning to Genos, anything about Bofoi remains a mystery.
He is also aware of the corruption inside the administration of the Hero Association, but isn't at all above using their pettiness to his own gain.
When dealing with monsters, he is very cautious and pragmatic since he can see through the provocation of the Monster Association as a trap to destroy the majority of heroes in the Hero Association. However, at the same time, his pragmatism also makes him extremely ruthless, since he suggests planting bombs at the weak points of the Monster Association hideout to kill them while disregarding the life of the hostage child of one the main sponsors of the Hero Association. As a result, the Hero Association rejects his plan, and even Child Emperor feels disgusted about this.
While he comes off as cold, practical and calculating in demeanor, Bofoi's actions and decisions stem from what appears to be fear of an unknown evil that is lurking in the shadows. Bofoi himself even stated it wasn't the Monster Association so much that he was afraid of, but something else.
The moments where Bofoi shows care for others are rare. During his attack on Elder Centipede, he stopped to warn two heroes to get out of his field test. However, this was mostly for his own interest rather than acting heroic. His reasoning to bomb the Monster Association can stem from his desire to keep his fellow heroes alive in order to further protect humanity.
So far, the only person Bofoi shows some level of care towards is Child Emperor. Bofoi was willing to reveal his personal fears to Child Emperor and went out of his way to warn him about the dangers lurking in the shadows, going so far as to even give him some personal advice on how to stay alive and telling him to take care.
His justice involves sacrificing a few to save the many instead.[2]
Expand to see original webcomic information. Beware of spoiler content.
After Saitama destroys all of his robots, he begins to gain interest in the Caped Baldy and begins to spy on Saitama intensively, since he considered the latter to be a potential threat to his ranking in the future.
He harbors some resentment towards Saitama due to being reprimanded by the Hero Association staff for his unreliable defense against monsters which Saitama destroyed and blamed on its malfunction.
Abilities and Powers
Being an S-Class hero, it can be assumed that Bofoi is very powerful, though he got to that position due to his brainpower and the strength of his weapons, as opposed to his own physical strength. According to Gyoro Gyoro, he is one of the four heroes that could beat Elder Centipede.[3] Despite this, he was unable to damage the monster when he fought it with his drone. However, it is noted by Phoenix Man that the full extent of Bofoi's military might and weaponry is unknown, even to the Hero Association, which is why they fear his potential betrayal, as he would pose a huge threat.
Fighting Style
Bofoi firing the missiles of his Battle Robot
Mech Pilot: Bofoi is said to have a reputation of using powerful weaponry to pulverize his opponents and everything else in the vicinity.[4] He uses various remotely controlled robots for his missions and experiments that are equipped for the occasion. He also appears to have great skill in piloting his favored battle robot. With this form of combat, Bofoi has the advantage of not putting his own life at stake, as he controls his robots from a safe distance.
Miscellaneous Abilities
Genius Intellect: Bofoi possesses a genius-level intellect, which enables him to create highly advanced machines and weapons.
Master Scientist and Inventor: He created various defense systems for the Hero Association, such as a nearly indestructible shelter and various powerful weaponry.
Master Architect: He was also able to rebuild the Hero Association's HQ in A-City in a few days, proving great architectural knowledge.
Equipment
Robots: (ロボット, Robotto) Given his preferred form of combat, Bofoi has a vast amount of remotely controlled robots with built-in weapons, which he also uses for experimentation, scouting, and rebuilding. He is confirmed to have at least a hundred fighting robots.
Battle Robot:(Unofficial Name by HA) (戦闘ロボット, Sentō Robotto) According to Drive Knight, this is Bofoi's favorite machine,[5] which he uses in combat. It is a large silver-colored robot with multiple cannons attached to its back. It has a distinct set of three circular marks on its "face." Bofoi is capable of communicating through this robot, and linking his other robots to it in order to gather data and improve battle efficiency.[6] It is first shown when Bofoi was testing its weapons against a colossal meteorite.[1]*
Missiles: The robot is armed with powerful missiles. Genos noted that the missiles possess great destructive power.
Suction Pads: The robot has retractable suction pads. Bofoi first used them to cling to Elder Centipede as it retreated underground.
Durability: The strengths and limits of the Battle Robot's defensiveness and durability have so far not been shown. However, when Bofoi was explaining his encounter with the Monster King, he placed an emphasis on the fact the Monster King was able to penetrate through the robot's hands and body in a single strike. This can suggest that the Battle Robot has considerably strong durability.
Bofoi's Reconnaissance Robot
Reconnaissance Robot:(Unofficial Name by HA) (偵察用ロボット, Teisatsu-yō Robotto) A smaller, roughly human-sized robot with no visible weaponry or armor. Like the favored battle robot of Bofoi, it has a distinct set of three circular marks on its "face." Bofoi, like with his other robots, is capable of communicating through this robot. It was first shown after the battle against the Dark Matter Thieves, coming out from a pod.[1]
Construction Robot:(Unofficial Name by HA) (エ事用ロボット, E koto-yō Robotto) A colossal four-legged robot with a vast amount of drones stored inside and a large cannon mounted on its front. Bofoi, like with his other robots, is capable of communicating through this robot. It was used by Bofoi to rebuild the Hero Association's HQ after the battle against the Dark Matter Thieves. The robot was seemingly unhampered by Tanktop Master's attempt to halt its movement, and later flung the S-Class hero far away with little effort.[1] This robot was briefly considered a mysterious being by the Hero Association, as a result of it's abrupt and unexplained appearance.
Small Recovery Robots: (回収用小型ロボット, Kaishū-yō Kogata Robotto) The construction robot has multiple small recovery robots in it, which it can send out to recover materials. The recovery robots are ball-shaped and have propellers, which enables them to fly. They are also able to extend arms to collect debris.
Unmanned Bombers: A fleet of drone aircraft that each carry a large amount of ordnance, used for carpet bombing. These were mentioned by Drive Knight.[7]
Missiles: An armada of long-ranged missiles, possibly nuclear. Bofoi keeps their launch codes secret, though they may be stored in his control robots. These were mentioned by Drive Knight.[8]
Tank-Walker Robots: A number of large four-legged robots with massive cannons. They substantially dwarf cars and trucks in size.
What he likes is collecting tokusatsu retro toys. He is confirmed to have at least 100 fighting robots.[1]
He is rumored to have an immense arsenal of weapons and a robotic army, to the point where the Hero Associaton fears the idea of him going rogue; Gyoro Gyoro says that he is one of the few heroes capable of defeating Elder Centipede because of this. Drive Knight later confirms this fact.[9]
The four-legged Construction Robot used to rebuild Hero Association HQ resembles the AT-AT from Star Wars.
His unmanned bombers are a "flying wing" design and highly resemble real-world aircraft such as the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk and Northrop B-2 Spirit, the latter of which is a strategic stealth bomber.
Bofoi is confirmed to have taken possession of Boros' ship's wrecks and he has moved them to a secret location. He is now trying to develop new technology.[1]
According to Drive Knight, he intends to achieve world domination with his robot army and in order to do that he has to find a way to weaken the Hero Association.
His hero name is rather ironic as when looked at from a medieval standpoint, a Knight is supposed to be the paragon of chivalry and virtue, while Bofoi has been shown to be highly pragmatic and cold, the very antithesis of what his hero name means.
Expand to see original webcomic information. Beware of spoiler content.
