Big Hero 6: Yokai / Characters

Yokai

Appearances: Big Hero 6

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A mysterious individual with control over a massive swarm of microbots, who serves as the Big Bad of the movie. For some reason, Yokai is trying to murder the titular heroes, and Fred believes that it is simply a case of them having seen too much.

His defeat at the hands of Big Hero 6 sparks the appearances of more villains in the series.

ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED!

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A - E

Achilles' Heel: "His" microbots serve as both a powerful weapon and a deadly crutch. Yokai is completely reliant on his microbots to fight. Strip him of them and he's utterly helpless. Hiro and the gang manage to defeat him by sending his microbots into the transporter, depriving him of his only weapon.
Alas, Poor Villain: He tries to get revenge on Krei because of what happened to his daughter. When Hiro retrieves his daughter, he realizes his actions were futile and he is going to jail just for meaningless destruction of property.
All for Nothing: At the end, his daughter is revealed to still be alive, and his actions resulted in the death of Tadashi, the loss of his reputation and status, a prison sentence, and Abigail and the rest of the world will know what he did.
All There in the Script: His name being Yokai is only given in promotional materials associated with the film. In the actual film, he doesn't have one, only being referred to as "Mr. Kabuki" after his mask. Megan and Chief Cruz finally call him "Yokai" in the series episode "Hiro the Villain".
Anti-Villain: His actions are horrible and menacing, but he's also a grieving Papa Wolf who clearly shows remorse at the end.
The Atoner: In the series, "Mini-Max" shows that Callaghan is up for a redemption arc. He cooperates with Hiro by giving important information about Granville and what caused her to resign, and deeply regrets all the actions he caused in the movie; he states that he never meant to hurt anyone and sincerely apologizes to Hiro about what happened to Tadashi, even if he knows that won't bring him back. He later repeats this to Chief Cruz as his reason for enduring his punishment.
Ax-Crazy: Has clearly undergone a Sanity Slippage, as he has no qualms destroying everything and everyone that stand in his way, including his former students, one being a 14-year-old boy, to get to his goals.
Badass Bookworm: Robert Callaghan is a brilliant roboticist, and he's a ruthless No-Nonsense Nemesis.
Badass Longcoat: This guy can control microbots with his mind and styles himself with a sinister-looking longcoat.
Be Careful What You Wish For: All he wanted was his daughter back. She turns out to be alive but by then he has caused much emotional and physical damage to a number of people. And his daughter is deeply ashamed of his actions.
Big Bad: He is using microbots to recreate the teleporter that killed his daughter in a plot to get revenge on Alistair Krei. He causes Tadashi's death and tries to kill the heroes for getting in his way.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: As Callaghan, he has the appearance of a kind-hearted teacher earlier in the film. However, when his identity as Yokai is revealed, it's shown as nothing more than a façade to mask his heartless Jerkass nature and how much of a hateful and vengeful wreck he actually is.
Broken Ace: Callaghan is a brilliant and gifted scientist and teacher, but he's so consumed by his grief and desire for revenge that he just doesn't care about any of that.
Canon Character All Along: Inverted. His character design (primarily the kabuki mask) is loosely based off the Marvel Comics villain, Lord Deathstrike, but his true identity is the Canon Foreigner, Callaghan.
Classic Villain: Because Yokai is completely silent, his motivations remain a mystery for a good portion of the film, leaving Genre Savvy Fred to interpret his actions and appearance using this trope as a guide. Ultimately, it's Subverted, because Fred, while correct about the genre, was wrong in his assumptions. When Yokai is revealed as Professor Callaghan, we learn that he is not inherently evil and intending to be a perennial villain but that he's seeking revenge on one person and so consumed by his grief that he doesn't care about bystanders that might be hurt in the process.
Coat, Hat, Mask: His costume includes a coat, a black balaclava, and his kabuki mask.
Collapsible Helmet: The mask acts like this in a limited fashion near the end. It slides up over Yokai's face with no indication how when he needs to speak face to face, and then slams back down when it's time to fight.
Combat Pragmatist: Yokai is a No-Nonsense Nemesis, using any objects in his immediate area as weapons to be thrown by his microbots at his opponents. As The Voiceless, he doesn't stop to banter or gloat, and instead operates with cool efficiency.
Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: He's never referred to as Yokai in the film.
Cool Mask: A Kabuki mask. He uses it to control the microbots. The heroes remove it from him, stripping him of his powers.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: His plan is to get revenge on Alistair Krei, who he believes caused the death of his daughter, Abigail.
Yokai: I. Want. My daughter. Back!
Evil Counterpart:
- To Hiro. Both are genius inventors who lost a loved one, but unlike Hiro, who sees the error of his actions and learns to accept his loss, Yokai is too mad with grief to change, and it's this that fuels his actions. He seems to feel guilt at the end of it all. Also, unlike Hiro, who has friends and other loved ones to help him with his loss, Callaghan seems to have kept his pain private.
- To Tadashi. He occupied a similar role as an inspirational mentor to Hiro and his friends. But whereas Tadashi sacrificed his life for those he cared about, Callaghan doesn't care whom he hurts in his quest for revenge.
Evil Old Folks: Callaghan appears to be in his fifties or sixties, and while he is incredibly intelligent due to his decades of experience as a roboticist, his mind has become clouded by thoughts of revenge against Alastair Krei.
Evil Wears Black: He wears a black longcoat, his microbots resemble a Living Shadow when attacking, and he is the Big Bad. It's lampshaded by Fred: "That mask, the black suit... We're under attack from a super villain, people!"

F - N

Fallen Hero: He was once an inventor and teacher who wished to shape the future, but he became blinded by his own grief.
Faux Affably Evil: He can still put on the act of a scholarly inventor when needed, but he's internally raging over his daughter's disappearance and at anyone who stands in his way.
Freak Out: After Abigail is seemingly killed after the portal gets destroyed, he angrily tries to attack Krei and automatically blames him for Abigail's demise. It gets worse from there.
From Camouflage to Criminal: According to character designer Shiyoon Kim, Callaghan has a military background.
Grand Theft Prototype: He stole Hiro's microbots and set the fire that killed Tadashi as cover.
He Who Fights Monsters: Callaghan blames Krei for cutting corners, then steals Hiro's invention and uses it to get his revenge, not minding the damage he causes in the process. Krei is indirectly responsible for the (apparent) death of his daughter, and on his Roaring Rampage of Revenge, Callaghan indirectly causes Tadashi's death.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Hiro and the gang manage to defeat Yokai by sending his microbots into the very transporter he is using to exact his revenge on Krei, stripping him of his only weapon.
Hypocrite: Given that the motivation for his vengeance and his villainous actions is that his daughter apparently perished due to someone else's actions, he is surprisingly unsympathetic towards Hiro for the death of Tadashi, which he caused through his actions as Professor Callaghan. He has no qualms about trying to straight-up murder his own students, numerous times, when they inconvenience his plans, or putting the city at risk to get to Krei during the climax. Despite his rage at Krei, Callaghan himself is an extremely callous, insane, and self-involved man.
Imagination-Based Superpower: The microbots are essentially this. Hiro, when exhibiting them, even states that the only limit for what they can do is your imagination.
Irony: Yokai uses the lone functioning portal as the instrument to avenge his daughter's death. Which turns out to reveal that she's still alive and all the destruction caused by his vengeance was unnecessary and pointless.
Irrational Hatred: While Krei was in charge of the project and did dismiss an irregularity as being Within Parameters, he did not murder Abigail deliberately. Yet, Callaghan acts like he did, making this a case of misplaced and overinflated blame.
It's All About Me: "It's all about my revenge", to be precise. He will get back on Krei, whom he deems responsible for Abigail's death, and if someone stands in his way or gets caught in the crossfire, it's their own mistake.
Jerkass: When a distraught Hiro confronts Callaghan over the death of his brother, he coldly and rudely dismisses it as being Tadashi's fault for trying to save him, mostly out of impatience, as he was demanding Hiro give him back his mask, while Hiro was questioning his survival. To say nothing of all the times he tries to murder Hiro and his friends before and after this scene for getting in his way.
Knight of Cerebus: When Yokai appears, the mood significantly darkens.
Knight Templar: Callaghan as Yokai makes his own justice by punishing Krei for his daughter Abigail's apparent death.
Lightning Bruiser: When riding his microbots, Yokai is incredibly swift, and the microbots themselves have immense strength and give him plenty of destructive power.
Long-Range Fighter: Due to not having any powers of his own, Yokai relies heavily on his microbots to fight. He keeps well out of grabbing range.
Love Makes You Evil: He becomes a villain because he is consumed with grief about the apparent death of his daughter, and he wants to avenge her, no matter the cost.
Malevolent Masked Man: The main villain is a man in a trench coat and Kabuki mask with an army of microbots he controls with telepathy. His design◊ is the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a hardcore action game, not a Disney film.
Meaningful Name: "Yokai" in Japanese can literally mean for "ghost", "apparition", or "phantom". Fitting for a mysterious villain who hides his identity, doesn't speak, and shows up out of nowhere. It becomes even more fitting when it's revealed that he's actually Callaghan, who at the time of Yokai's first appearance was presumed to be dead.
- However, when going further into what most youkai actually are does Callaghan truly fit the name beyond being a mere spectre. Most of them are former humans corrupted, mutated, and warped from their sheer negativity, usually feelings of vengeance, despair, and such, and as a result, they cause anything from mischief to widespread destruction, as well as corruption of other humans. All of these fit the mindlessly vengeful Callaghan, warped by his desire for vengeance against Krei, and willing to cause mass destruction and kill his former students, along with countless people, in the process, is callous about Tadashi being collateral damage, even nearly corrupting Hiro into becoming equally as murderously vengeful, and by proxy, Baymax.
The Mentally Disturbed: According to Baymax's scans, he suffers from acute stress disorder as well as emotional instability.
Mind over Matter: Thanks to Hiro's neurotransmitter, he can use the microbots as he wishes with his mind.
Moral Myopia: Callaghan's motivation for revenge is heartbreak and rage towards Krei for seemingly getting his daughter killed out of carelessness. With that much having been said, he has no problem trying to straight-up murder his own young students many, many times when they get in his way, or risk destroying a city with thousands of people in it to try to get to Krei, displaying a sociopathic lack of empathy towards anyone other than himself. However, he grows out of this after learning that Abigail is still alive; even giving out a sincere apology for causing Tadashi's death while in prison.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Youkai are creatures, spirits, monsters, and demons from Japanese Mythology. Fitting for a creepy villain with powers that seem supernatural.
Nanomachines: His microbots are his weapons. However, unlike most examples, these aren't self-replicating and he only has a finite supply. Hiro and the gang exploit this by sending them into the transporter, depriving Yokai of his only weapon.
Never My Fault: He coldly declares that Tadashi was responsible for his own death, rather than admit that it was his actions that directly lead to Tadashi's death. He's also impatient and revenge-driven when he says this, so at least from his point of view, he doesn't have time to think about it right now. Eventually subverted: After he is defeated and his daughter turns out to be alive, he comes to regret his actions.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Yokai is a Combat Pragmatist, using any objects in his immediate area as weapons to be thrown at his opponents. As The Voiceless, he doesn't stop to banter or gloat, and instead operates with cool efficiency.
No Sympathy: He blames Tadashi's death on Tadashi himself. Though he has a point in that Tadashi didn't have to run after him and wasn't the smartest move to begin with, he coldly dismisses any responsibility for Tadashi's demise after his actions in front of Hiro while he, of all people, should know what losing a relative feels like. In the Series though, Callaghan realizes the consequences of his actions and apologizes to Hiro for what happened to Tadashi.

O - Z

Obviously Evil: Wears black, has a creepy white and red mask, and doesn't utter a single word as he attacks.
Oh, Crap!: Gets one of these moments when he cruelly dismisses Tadashi's death as his own mistake. In a grieving rage (not at all dissimilar to Callaghan's own) Hiro orders Baymax to kill Callaghan then and there, which takes the previously-No-Nonsense Nemesis completely off-guard and forces him to run, panicking, for his life. It's an odd moment of genuine mortal vulnerability for a Disney villain (before the climax, at least).
Outliving One's Offspring: Subverted. He thought that his daughter died in an experimental portal, but she turns out to be alive.
Papa Wolf: Deconstructed. His daughter's apparent death is what drives his desire for revenge against Krei, whom he holds responsible. But this drive to avenge his daughter results in more suffering, and caused the death of Tadashi, leaving Hiro without his brother and forced to undergo the same pain as him.
Yokai: Setback?! Was my daughter a setback!?
Prepare to Die: "You're going to watch everything you've built disappear. Then, it's your turn."
Put on a Prison Bus: Yokai gets arrested after his defeat at the end of the movie. He is seen in a couple of episodes of the spin-off series, still in prison and remorseful of his actions.
Redemption Rejection: Yokai ignores Hiro's pleas for him to stop, having been pushed too far into revenge. Alistair Krei interjecting with a panicked attempt to buy his way out of trouble at the worst possible moment doesn't help. His expression at the end, however, reveals this may not be the case anymore.
Red Is Violent: His mask has red highlights, and he's a dangerous individual.
Revenge: His primary motive. Alistair Krei, while experimenting with a massive teleportation machine, seemingly killed his daughter, wracking Callaghan with immense grief and leading him to don the Yokai alias to exact revenge.
Revenge Before Reason: Yokai's desire for revenge against Alistair Krei for his daughter's apparent death pushes him beyond the realm of any reason or sense. He ignores Hiro's plea for redemption and instead opts to swallow up an entire building area with his portal solely to get his revenge.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After the apparent death of his daughter by the ends of a failed experiment at Krei Tech, Callaghan blames Krei for what happened to his daughter. So he steals Hiro's microbots, becomes the supervillain Yokai, and plans to use Krei's failed portal project to destroy everything that is precious to Krei, then kill him the same way Abigail was killed... or so he thinks.
Shadow Archetype:
- To Hiro. Both are genius inventors who lost loved ones. But whereas Hiro managed to see the error of his ways and moved on from his grief with the help of his friends, Yokai had no one to turn to and couldn't let go of his pain. He's a dark reflection of how Hiro could have ended up. Hiro comes dangerously close to crossing that line when he orders Baymax to terminate an unarmed Callaghan in revenge for Tadashi's death.
- To the rest of the Big Hero 6. Like their suits, the technology he uses is stuff that he developed and laid the groundwork for, but which required Hiro's miniaturization skills to be effective in combat. Unlike the Big Hero 6, he stole it from Hiro and uses it for destructive purposes rather than heroics.
Shaping Your Attacks: Yokai's microbots can form themselves into whatever shape he desires, such as spears to impale opponents, barriers to protect himself or trap enemies, or a large tidal wave to smother them.
Silent Antagonist: He never speaks until his identity is revealed.
Silent Snarker: His body language in his first proper fight with Big Hero 6 is, in general, fairly annoyed and impatient, but particularly when he traps Wasabi; he points his left hand to his right, with Wasabi being thrown afterward.
Starter Villain: He's more powerful than standard examples of the trope, but he's the first supervillain the team faces before they go on to become crimefighters in the series, where bigger, more nefarious villains start showing up.
Super Weapon, Average Joe: While very intelligent, his age and possession of a very potent weapon system ventures into this and Squishy Wizard territory.
There Is No Kill Like Over Kill:
- Yokai tries to kill the team by throwing a giant chunk of concrete on them.
- His use of the portal to destroy the new Krei Tech campus threatens the entire city, all for the sake of killing the one man he holds responsible for his daughter's loss.
Tragic Villain: A once kind and caring father turned grieving villain on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge due to the seeming death of his daughter.
Tranquil Fury: His default mood after he thinks his daughter's dead.
Two Aliases, One Character: Professor Robert Callaghan and Yokai are one and the same.
The Unfettered: He will avenge his daughter's death no matter who or what has to be destroyed to do so. Woe to any who stand in his way.
Ungrateful Bastard:
- When it's pointed out that Tadashi died trying to save him, he responds that it was his mistake for doing so.
- During the "Baymax destroy" scene, the team makes many attempts to subdue Baymax and even rescues Yokai at one point. Yokai doesn't return the favour and runs off instead.
The Unreveal: Did he cause the fire? You be the judge.
Unskilled, but Strong: His fighting style suggests this. While the microbots can form any shape he desires and give him plenty of destructive power, Yokai is far less flashy than most users of the Shaping Your Attacks trope and his fighting style mainly boils down to either impaling enemies, trapping them in barriers, or burying them alive in his microbots. That said, given how strong the microbots are, how his supply of them is seemingly endless, and how much of a No-Nonsense Nemesis he is, he doesn't need anything else.
Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Yokai is surprisingly dark and menacing for a film that's otherwise rather lighthearted and adventurous, commanding an army of little robots that can construct anything, and he isn't afraid to use them to cause all manner of destruction and family-unfriendly scenarios.
Villain Has a Point:
- He coldly tells Hiro that Tadashi's death was his own fault. It's a major Kick the Dog moment, but he still makes a pretty good point; Tadashi ran into a building fully engulfed in flames with no protection or equipment in a futile attempt to try to find Callaghan, when he had no idea where he was. Noble as it may have been, it was a monumentally stupid thing to do, and Tadashi made the decision on his own accord.
- In the movie, Callaghan's words about Krei cutting corners end up as a case of Unreliable Expositor, but in The Series, Krei is shown to be a greedy Mean Boss who overlooks potential risks and rushes products out before they've been properly tested.

The Voiceless: During the first encounters with Yokai, he is menacing and silent, which is probably justified since he is facing his former students who could recognize his voice. He only starts talking after being exposed as Callaghan.
Walking Spoiler: You can't mention his goal or motive or even his real name without spoiling half of the movie.
White Mask of Doom: He wears a kabuki mask that's mostly white with markings, highlighting his eerie appearance.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: He is driven entirely by a desire for revenge on Krei for apparently causing his daughter's death.
Would Hurt a Child: He nearly kills Hiro (a 14-year-old) twice. Callaghan doesn't apologize for it when Hiro and the others unmask him.
Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: He's a scheming evil genius whose mask has gold-colored lenses.
You Killed My Father: A daughter variant. Yokai is actually Callaghan, and the reason he became "Yokai" is to take revenge on Krei who apparently caused his daughter's death. His daughter turns out to be alive and well.

Characters / Big Hero 6: Yokai

Yokai

Appearances: Big Hero 6

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