Techno Baron

The Techno Baron is an overall minor antagonist in Wayforward's Shantae series and the hidden secondary antagonist of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

Techno Baron is a short reptilian like creature who has and prides himself on his mechanical genius and (supposedly) large intellect. Ever since forging an alliance with the Ammo Baron, Techno Baron has worked as his head engineer and has presumably made all of his numerous tanks, airships, canons and other weapons.

Despite their alliance, during the last half of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, it is revealed that Techno Baron secretly planned to overthrow Ammo Baron and was only using him to gain money and power before building his own empire, making him the true secondary antagonist of the game.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Techno Baron first appears halfway through Shantae's search for the final Den of Evil on Frostbite Island, engaged in an argument with Ammo Baron.

Ammo Baron orders Techno Baron to hurry up and finish the Targeting Device for his giant cannon, however, Techno Baron states that his "art" cannot be rushed before Ammo Baron storms off. Techno Baron then spots Shantae, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, and orders her to find his new assistant in his flying Propeller Town and get him to finish the Targeting Device, stating that she can even rough him up a little if she likes. It is later revealed that Techno Baron's new assistant is none other that Shantae's dimwitted friend Bolo, whom he hired because he seemed smart (due to the glasses he was wearing).

After Shantae gives the cannon's final piece to Ammo Baron, who then attempts to fire the cannon at Sequin Land Palace, the game cuts to Techno Baron on Frostbite Island. Techno Baron, now that he is alone, begins to speak a villainous monologue in which it is revealed that he was simply using Ammo Baron as a means to an end, as his real plot was to use the large amount of money he had earned working for him to fund the construction of his own evil empire, one supposedly even larger than Ammo Baron's. However, due to Bolo's faulty design, the Targeting Device completely malfunctions and sends a huge cannon ball down on Frostbite Island, supposedly killing Techno Baron and opening up the final Den of Evil. After his weapon's failure, Ammo Baron orders his men to find Techno Baron and Twitch and Vinegar decide not to tell him of what they had done.

Half Genie Hero
In Half Genie Hero, it is shown that Techno Baron somehow survived being crushed by Ammo Baron's cannon and presumably stopped allying with him because of that incident.

After Shantae finds out that multiple young, beautiful maidens had been kidnapped from their village in Mermaid Falls, she assumes that the Mermaids are responsible, but later finds out that the maidens were being made to look like Mermaids and placed into barrels in a factory. After Shantae leaves the factory, she finds Techno Baron outside the factory and realizes that he was behind the kidnappings. After running off, Techno Baron reveals that he had captured and mind-controlled the Mermaids' queen and uses her to attack Shantae. After the Mermaid Queen is released from his control, Techno Baron admits to kidnapping the young maidens in order to disguise them as Mermaids and sell them as canned monster food as a substitute for regular Mermaids because "prices were high and stocks were low". Techno Baron is then beaten by Shantae and later arrested for his crimes.

Towards the end of the game, Techno Baron (along with Ammo Baron, Hypno Baron and Squid Baron) reappears in Scuttle Town. When talked to, Techno Baron says that he had been sentenced to one billion hours of community service for his crimes and that his factory is being taken down, however, he says that he wants the Data Chip hidden inside the factory and requires Shantae to retrieve it for him. If the player decides to help him and gets the chip, he rewards them by giving them one of the clues the player needs in order to receive the game's good ending.

Trivia

 * Since the game's Mermaid enemies only act hostile because of the capture of their queen and later disappear from the game entirely after she is rescued, it is possible that Techno Baron had been responsible for them being enemies in the previous games as well.
 * Techno Baron is the only character in the series who's species is completely unknown, although he seems to have a reptilian appearance and employs multiple anthropomorphic alligators as his main henchmen in Half Genie Hero.