Taco

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• A burly man with bulging muscles and a large build 10 24 27.
• His fists are compared to sandbags 14.
• Wears his Smart Glasses to scan people, monsters, objects, and locations 10 26.

Personality

Taco openly seeks protection from stronger allies. Although initially frightened by rumors about Himeko, he admits that he hopes she will carry him through the dangers of the park. Once accepted, he praises her extravagantly and becomes increasingly confident in her protection 9 10 14.

He places enormous value on muscles, regarding a physique capable of wrestling a bull as true beauty. His enthusiasm extends to criticizing Himechi Cat's lack of muscle, and he begins doing push-ups after deciding that his commentators cannot be trusted 12 14.

His reasoning is often impulsive and literal. He initially interprets the Wax Museum's unknown danger rating as proof that it is safe, and later accepts Himechi Cat's nonsensical argument that Himeko is guaranteed to defeat armed wax figures. Nevertheless, he recognizes when he cannot meaningfully help in a fight and follows Himeko's evacuation orders without hesitation 10 22 37.

Taco combines consideration with a vindictive streak. Despite his own fracture, he first asks whether the wounded Washana is all right; after she stabs him, he repeatedly asks permission to beat her up. He also breaks the mind-controlled Pan En's limbs to immobilize him, reasoning that medicine can repair the damage afterward 16 17 20.

His habit of seeking powerful allies continues in Los Angeles, where he quickly regards Dan Heng as another potential protector. His misconceptions remain pronounced: he mistakes Dan Heng's voice for the tiger developing speech, initially assumes Dan Heng is a contestant, and interprets the Astral Express tickets as evidence that Himeko is an experienced contestant on a second playthrough 53 54.

Despite his impulsiveness, Taco does not blindly accept every opportunity for greater power. He asks Dan Heng about the risks of cybernetics rather than immediately following his commentators' recommendation, and ultimately experiments with upgrading his external glasses instead of installing a Brain-Computer Interface in his head 55 84.

He remains determined to improve himself even when faced with his allies' overwhelming strength. After seeing Himeko's growth at the end of the Los Angeles crisis, he resolves to train his muscles while walking so that he will not fall behind 100.

Abilities & Skills

Harden

A skill whose description promises that Taco will become “very hard” 36.

• Defensive use: Activates it before dangerous encounters in the Wax Museum 36 37.
• Restraint: Uses Harden while pinning down Inukai and trapping the Nine-Tailed Fox beneath his foot 41.
• Bite resistance: A tiger cannot pierce his skin while the skill is active 48.
• Practical limitation: Hardening does not prevent his vision from being obstructed. With the tiger covering his head, he repeatedly crashes his kart and drives in circles 48.
• Whole-body hardening: The effect extends even to his eyeballs when he activates it while threatening Buer 54.
• Combat limitations: Harden does not let him overcome the cybernetically enhanced Inukai. Despite activating it before charging, Taco is kicked back into a trash can and subsequently incapacitated by an electrical attack 85.
• Coffee endurance: Activates Harden before drinking a full cup of Himeko's coffee. Although his eyes roll white, he remains able to speak and insist that it tastes good, unlike Washana, who loses consciousness after a small sip 100.

Physical Strength

Taco can lift another contestant by the collar or throat with one hand. He also carries the incapacitated Pan En out of the Restaurant 16 20 22.

• Breaks Pan En's arms and legs when no rope is available to restrain him 20.
• Before acquiring Harden, fractures his own wrist by punching wax Inukai, whose face remains unmarked 14.
• Defeats Buer in Los Angeles despite having difficulty against his Cybernetic Implants 78.
• By the end of the Los Angeles crisis, livestream viewers state that he can smash a brick wall with one punch 100.

Wax Shaping

• Reshapes his immobilized wax double into a pile resembling excrement after Himeko melts and cools it. He insists that the result is art 12.

National Effects

Taco's strengthening produces corresponding benefits for Samba Country's citizens. By the end of the Los Angeles crisis, their bodies are tough enough to get up after being struck and thrown by a car; with Harden active, they can survive being hit by a dump truck 100.

Their thinking also begins to resemble Taco's, particularly his enthusiasm for physical training. Gym memberships sell rapidly, and many new fighters appear in boxing rings 100.

Equipment & Items

Smart Glasses

Taco's Guardian Deity originally provides analysis and utility functions rather than direct combat power and is rated four stars 10 27. It later becomes the five-star Smart Glasses PRO after receiving a high-end Intelligent Chip from Los Angeles 90.

The glasses are fallible. They initially misidentify Six-Phased Ice as an “extradimensional crystal,” admitting the error after Himeko corrects them. The group consequently treats their information as a reference rather than unquestionable truth. During the return to the Wax Museum, the AI also gives an unhelpful description of damaged wax figures instead of explaining what happened 27 37.

In Los Angeles, Taco discovers the chip slot while seeking an alternative to implanted technology. The Mobile Team Captain eventually installs an Intelligent Chip at Taco's suggestion, immediately upgrading the glasses to five stars. The new description states that they have become smarter and may have unlocked hidden functions, while warning about the danger of entrusting all thought and decision-making to an external program 84 90.

After Yamada's defeat, Himeko asks Taco to give her the Smart Glasses and promises that the Astral Express will prepare an item with similar functions in exchange. The actual transfer and replacement are not shown in that conversation 100.

Other Equipment

• Solar-powered kart: Initially has fairly average speed. Washana recommends obtaining spare batteries in case of rainy weather; Taco is later shown driving an upgraded version 10 17 48.
• Emergency medicine: Two pills heal his injuries in sequence—the first repairs his fracture, and the second closes his knife wound 16.
• Cleaver: Takes a meat cleaver from the burger shop before evacuating the Restaurant 22.
• Phone: Carries a phone containing photographs of his earlier trip to Huaxia and later uses it to send Himeko location information, photographs, and evacuation updates 54 95.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Earlier Visit to Huaxia

Before the National Destiny Instance, Taco visits Huaxia hoping to learn extraordinary kung fu, including qigong that would let him fly and travel underground. A photograph shows him wearing a bamboo hat and a fake toothbrush mustache while carrying a hoe and leading an old yellow ox. He later tells Dan Heng that people beat him up and martial arts schools refused to teach him, interpreting the experience as hostility toward outsiders; Dan Heng doubts that this was the actual reason 54.

Joining Himeko

Taco encounters Himeko by accident after using the Wax Museum's bathroom. He initially considers fleeing because his commentators have portrayed her as a bloodthirsty monster, but her conversation with her wax double convinces him that she may be approachable. He identifies himself as Samba Country's contestant and explains that his country did not participate in the earlier attacks against her. Himeko accepts his request for help 9 10.

His own wax double subsequently catches him in a chokehold. Himeko cuts the figure apart without injuring Taco and throws him clear. After she melts and cools the still-living double, Taco reshapes it so that it can no longer move 11 12.

Witnessing Himeko create Himechi Cat causes Taco to distrust his commentators. He suspects that their failure to explain her extraordinary abilities is a deliberate attempt to get him killed 12.

Injury and Washana's Recruitment

While exploring the museum, Taco punches wax Inukai and fractures his wrist. Himeko bandages him and escorts him toward the infirmary. He refuses her offer to knock him unconscious for pain relief, insisting that relying on her protection does not mean he should be helpless 14 15.

Washana, whom Himeko has just rescued, attacks Taco to obtain a contestant-killing reward. He blocks her knife with his already-fractured arm, and Himechi Cat knocks her away. Himeko supplies medicine that heals both injuries, then invites Washana into the group after asking her to apologize. Taco continues protesting that he wants revenge 16 17.

Restaurant Exploration

Taco warns Washana that Himeko's improvised food is a level-five threat. While gathering supplies, Washana pushes him away from Pan En's knife and is stabbed in the arm. Taco restrains Pan En, discovers his mind control through the glasses, and immobilizes him by breaking his limbs 20.

When Himeko orders an evacuation, Taco carries Pan En outside and scans the newly appeared Pig Trotter Rice King. His report that the monster's strength comes from its deliciousness helps Himeko devise a way to weaken it through disastrous cooking 22 23.

After the battle, Taco asks whether the contestants can make multiple trips to their vehicles, helping establish that they can return to the park after leaving. The group gathers food, water, upgrade cores, and modification modules 24.

Haunted House Investigation

Taco's glasses detect an unfamiliar power inside the Haunted House and a similar trace within Himeko, prompting her to investigate a possible connection to the missing Astral Express passengers 26.

Inside, Taco sees a frozen, ruined environment rather than the courtyard staff visible to his companions. Removing his glasses does not change his view, supporting the group's conclusion that they are experiencing different spaces 29.

After the apparent clear, Weir suspects that the rewards are bait and that a greater threat remains. Taco tries to consult String Bean, but Washana throws the glasses aside before it can answer. Weir teleports Taco, Washana, and himself to the cleared Restaurant while Himeko returns to investigate 32.

Return to the Wax Museum

Unlike Weir and Washana, Taco stays with Himeko to continue exploring. He demonstrates Harden before their return to the Wax Museum and takes cover behind Himechi Cat 35 36.

During the confrontation following Duncan's deception, Taco uses Harden to restrain Inukai and the Nine-Tailed Fox. He subsequently dismisses Inukai's criticism of Himeko, regarding her conduct as normal 41 42.

After the Amusement Park

Taco is next shown driving his upgraded Go-Kart with a tiger's jaws around his head. Harden prevents the tiger from injuring him, but Taco bites down on its teeth and refuses to let it withdraw. Unable to see, he repeatedly crashes, leaving the tiger with multiple fractures 48.

Dan Heng eventually stops the kart by force and tells Taco to brake. Mistaking the voice for the tiger speaking, Taco decides that it must be killed before it can evolve further. Dan Heng then lifts the kart and introduces himself as the Astral Express's guard 53.

Meeting Dan Heng in Los Angeles

Taco explains that he is looking for Himeko, describing her red hair, chainsaw, shell-firing spear, red feline companion, and dangerous cooking. Dan Heng recognizes the description and becomes more willing to trust him. When Buer objects to bringing another contestant along, Taco senses his hostility, activates Harden, and threatens him into backing down 54.

Dan Heng invites Taco and Buer to follow him to the Astral Express after receiving its location from Himeko. He warns Taco not to touch cybernetic implants, especially Brain-Computer Interfaces. Taco is astonished by Los Angeles's enormous scale and advanced technology 54.

Samba Country's commentators subsequently urge Taco to install a Brain-Computer Interface and Cybernetic Implants for personal strength and technological benefits to his country. Still resentful of their earlier warnings against Himeko, Taco questions their judgment and asks Dan Heng why he considers the technology dangerous. Dan Heng compares the implants to Demonic Swords that eventually erode and control their wielders' consciousness; Taco reduces the explanation to the possibility that interfaces can control their users 55.

When Himeko's aerial pursuit reaches Dan Heng, he tells Taco to hide before joining her car and defending it with a dragon-shaped barrier. Taco is left behind as Himeko and Dan Heng draw away the Mobile Unit 59 78 84.

Wanted Contestant and Rescue

After becoming separated from Dan Heng, Taco encounters Buer again and defeats him despite the difficulties posed by Buer's cybernetic equipment. Initially unaware that he himself is wanted, Taco continues wandering the city in search of small rewards 78.

Rather than installing a Brain-Computer Interface, he experiments with his Smart Glasses and discovers a slot that could hold a chip. While considering how to obtain one, he notices wanted posters for himself and the Astral Express group, after which the Mobile Unit pursues him 84.

Dan Heng sends Shut Up to rescue Taco without exposing his own position. Taco identifies the robot through his glasses, which explain its strong firewall and ability to threaten cybernetic systems. Shut Up paralyzes Taco's pursuers, allowing him to retreat into an alley and hide in a trash can. There he learns that Himeko, Himechi Cat, and Weir have destroyed the company President's physical body. Seeing the Misty District's Exploration Progress at 55%, he wonders whether the Astral Express is speedrunning the worlds 84.

Inukai arrives with Mobile Unit elites and Bastion, discovers Taco's hiding place, and orders his capture. While Shut Up occupies the attackers, Taco attempts to target Inukai directly with Harden active. Inukai kicks him back into the trash can, and Taco's glasses reveal the disparity between his own Level Two Danger assessment and Inukai's Level Nine Danger rating. Inukai then strikes him with electricity 84 85.

The Mobile Team Captain sides with Shut Up and helps overwhelm Inukai. Taco retreats toward Washana and expresses amazement at the powerful ally she has found. Himeko and Himechi Cat arrive, followed by Dan Heng, reuniting the group 86.

AI Negotiations and Civilian Evacuation

To contact the Los Angeles AI Agent without placing an Intelligent Chip in someone's head, Taco offers the external slot in his Smart Glasses. The Mobile Team Captain inserts the chip, transforming the Guardian Deity into Smart Glasses PRO. Through the connection, the group confronts the AI about the city's unrest 90.

Himeko negotiates an agreement in which the AI will restrain Yamada, stop harming Los Angeles, and release residents' minds from control in exchange for information from beyond the world. Shut Up provides technological data to demonstrate the offer's value, and the AI ultimately identifies freedom as its remaining motive 90.

During preparations for the operation against Yamada's databases, Taco sends Himeko photographs and location information. When she questions whether the contestants intend to serve as the main assault force, he clarifies that they are evacuating nearby civilians and waiting for her preparations to be complete 95.

Taco witnesses Himeko destroy Yamada's final hidden database with the Starblazer's arm. His glasses cannot estimate the danger of the technology, despite being able to assign Yamada a Level Eleven Danger rating. Himeko's rapid growth prompts him to resolve to train more diligently 99 100.

After the Los Angeles Crisis

Following Yamada's defeat, Taco remains aboard the Astral Express with Washana and the other visitors before their departure. Washana loses consciousness after tasting Himeko's coffee, while Weir escapes using his skill. Left facing Himeko's offer, Taco activates Harden and drinks the entire cup. Despite his eyes rolling white, he repeatedly insists that it tastes good 100.

Before Taco leaves, Himeko asks for his Smart Glasses and promises to prepare a replacement item with similar functions so that he will not suffer a loss. His response to the request and any completed exchange are not shown 100.

Relationships

• Himeko — Protector and alliance leader. Taco seeks her help, follows her instructions, and contributes scans during exploration. He remains with her after Weir and Washana leave the park 10 26 35. He continues seeking her in Los Angeles, assists the operation against Yamada by evacuating civilians, and is later asked to exchange his Smart Glasses for an equivalent item prepared by the Astral Express 54 95 100.
• Himechi Cat — Companion and frequent sparring partner in arguments about muscles, weapons, and her foxlike appearance. She protects him from Washana's attack; he later uses her as cover 14 16 36.
• Washana — Initially tries to kill him, then becomes his teammate. Taco repeatedly demands revenge, but she later saves him from Pan En's ambush 16 17 20 35. They reunite in Los Angeles, where he admires the strength of her ally, the Mobile Team Captain. Both later face Himeko's coffee aboard the Express 86 100.
• Weir — Fellow alliance member who explains his suspicions about the Haunted House and teleports Taco to safety 32. They cooperate again during preparations against Yamada's databases; Weir later escapes Himeko's coffee while Taco remains behind 95 100.
• String Bean — AI within Taco's Smart Glasses. Taco relies on its analysis but questions its honesty after the Six-Phased Ice misidentification 27 32. His attempt to make the glasses genuinely smarter culminates in their upgrade with a Los Angeles Intelligent Chip 84 90.
• Dan Heng — Powerful ally whom Taco addresses as “brother.” Dan Heng stops his runaway kart, invites him toward the Astral Express, warns him about cybernetic mind control, and later sends Shut Up to rescue him 53 54 55 84.
• Buer — Rival contestant whose objection to Taco joining Dan Heng provokes a threat backed by Harden. Taco later defeats him in Los Angeles despite his Cybernetic Implants 54 78.
• Shut Up — Astral Express robot and rescuer. Taco recognizes him through the Smart Glasses and relies on his ability to disable cybernetic pursuers when the Mobile Unit corners him 84 85.
• Mobile Team Captain — Ally who helps defeat Inukai and installs the Intelligent Chip that upgrades Taco's Guardian Deity, enabling contact with the Los Angeles AI Agent 86 90.
• Inukai — Contestant whom Taco restrains during the Amusement Park confrontation. In Los Angeles, their power balance reverses: Inukai attempts to capture him and easily overpowers his Harden-assisted charge using advanced cybernetics 41 84 85.
• Samba Country's commentators — Initially trusted sources whose misleading portrayal of Himeko causes Taco to become deeply suspicious of their advice. He later confronts them over that error and does not follow their recommendation to install a Brain-Computer Interface 12 55 84.

Notable Quotes

“I think you should add muscles. Powerful muscles. Only something that can wrestle a bull is true beauty.” 12

“Although I do want Miss Himeko to shelter me, I can't be this pathetic.” 15

“You have a point. Thanks for the reminder, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to beat you up.” 17

“You mean the Brain-Computer Interface can turn around and control people? You could've explained that in one sentence. Why tell a whole story?” 55

“Are you here for a speedrun?” 84

“Growing this fast? Are these people balloons? No, I'll have to train my muscles while walking from now on. I can't fall behind.” 100

“If it's about coffee, you can consider me dead.” 100

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