| 1 | %%After an Image Pickin' discussion, it was agreed that characters' flags are no longer permitted to be placed as separate images within character bios. Following this, a Short Terms Projects thread was launched, where it was agreed that character flags can be incorporated into existing main images and considered image upgrades, though transparent images should always still be used in cases where these exist. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[center:[[WMG:''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' [[Characters/SamuraiShodown Characters Index]]\ |
| 4 | [-'''[[Characters/SamuraiShodown2DFightingGames 2D Games]]:''' '''''Samurai Shodown''''' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodownII'' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodownIII'' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodownV'' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodownVI'' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodown2019'' \ |
| 5 | '''[[Characters/SamuraiShodown3DFightingGames 3D Games]]''': ''Characters/SamuraiShodown64'' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodownWarriorsRage'' | ''Characters/SamuraiShodownEdgeOfDestiny''\ |
| 6 | [[Characters/SamuraiShodownOther Others]]-]]]]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Characters introduced in the first ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown''. |
| 9 | ---- |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[folder:Haohmaru]] |
| 14 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haohmaru_43.png]] |
| 15 | ->''My strength is second to none. Think about that as you take your dying breath!'' |
| 16 | |
| 17 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Jōkamachi, Musashi Province, Japan]] [[note]]The Rising Sun symbol shown here is unchanged since the late 1700's, when the game is set. It has been an Imperial badge and symbol of national unity since the 12th century, if not earlier.[[/note]]'' |
| 18 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[KatanasAreJustBetter Meitō Fugudoku]]'' [[note]](''"Legendary sword [[AnimalThemeNaming Fugu Poison]]"'')[[/note]], [[KatanasAreJustBetter a katana]] |
| 19 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Masaki Usui (main games), Creator/DaikiNakamura (64 games, DistantFinale, VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium, [=SamSho=] 2019, VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI Season 2 DLC, [[VideoGame/TheKingofFightersXV KOF XV]] DLC), Creator/BinShimada (Drama [=CDs=]), Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (''Samurai Shodown Oni'' pachislot game), Creator/HiroshiFujioka ([[https://youtu.be/UjrBvShWoBE?t=24 advertisement for King of Fighters All Star]]), Edward Bosco (VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI Season 2 DLC; English)[[/note]] |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ->Our main hero who's out there mainly so [[BloodKnight he can get a kick out of fighting strong opponents]]. As a young man, he once lost a duel against Jubei, which encouraged him to hone his skills. After said loss, he studied at Nicotine’s dojo alongside Genjuro and ends up being chosen as the school's successor, much to Genjuro's dismay. The two remain bitter rivals ever since. |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | * AccidentalHero: Due to him being a BoisterousBruiser who's only in it for a good fight, he's not at all concerned with SavingTheWorld. He views the main bad guys in the series simply as an increased challenge (or they target him in the first place), and he always wins, accidentally saving the world in the process. |
| 24 | * AntiHero: He’s mainly concerned with a good fight and prefers to travel instead of staying in one place to the detriment of those he cares about. However, he does recognize evil and has enough of a moral compass to slay it. |
| 25 | * TheAlcoholic: You never see him in a game without a jug of sake. From ''II'' onwards, one of his specials involves whacking you with it too! [[ImprobableWeaponUser This also works when he's unarmed]] as seen in ''2019''. "Alcoholic" is even the title of his ''SSIII'' theme. |
| 26 | * AnimeHair: His hair is impossibly poofed out and styled in a ponytail reaching his lower back. It seems to get '''bigger''' in every game. |
| 27 | * BattleIntro: In ''The King of Fighters XV'': |
| 28 | -->'''Announcer''': ''The Way of the Samurai is to know death. The legend himself, Haohmaru.''\ |
| 29 | '''Haohmaru''': ''I could get used to this. Have at it!'' |
| 30 | * BigBrotherInstinct: Usually evidenced in the backstories and endings of other characters, for example, Shizumaru and Takechiyo, where he takes both lads under his wing. |
| 31 | * BloodKnight: Haohmaru is fueled by the thrill of a good fight. |
| 32 | * BoisterousBruiser: A more idealistic version, as well as a rare ''main'' character who follows the trope. |
| 33 | * BlowYouAway: His traditional [[KiManipulation projectile]], ''Senpuu Retsu Zan'' (Whirlwind Rending Slash), sends out a compact spinning tornado that throws opponents high into the air on contact. |
| 34 | * CharacterTitle: The second game in the series is subtitled "Haohmaru's Hell Incident". |
| 35 | * DeathFromAbove: His ''Resshin Zan'' (Violent Quake Slash). |
| 36 | * GoneToTheFuture: Ends up traveling to the future along with Darli Dagger to assist Nakoruru in her mission to protect nature's balance by participating in ''King of Fighters''. |
| 37 | * GuestFighter: Appears in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI''[='s=] second season of DLC and as an alternate skin for UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi in ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings'' (to which Haohmaru ends up DualWielding, something he never did in his home series). {{Downplayed}} with ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV'', as he makes a few cameos in ''XIII'' before his official playable debut as the leader of Team Samurai in ''XV''. |
| 38 | * HotBlooded: Haohmaru is very loud and passionate about a good fight. |
| 39 | * {{Hunk}}: Has broad shoulders as well as a nice muscular build, and a manly-man persona. |
| 40 | * InconsistentSpelling: "Haohmal". Some arcade stickers include the romanization "Haōmaru" (or "Haoumaru"). |
| 41 | * JackOfAllStats: Haohmaru can dish out extremely high damage under the right circumstances compared to most other characters, but he's fairly well-rounded otherwise, and he isn't as specialized as other characters generally give him problems when pitted against them. |
| 42 | * LovedINotHonorMore: He's dedicated entirely to fighting, as Oshizu (his lover) and later Charlotte come to learn. He acknowledges this in his ending in ''II'' where he apologizes to Oshizu for their romance taking a backseat over his love of fighting. |
| 43 | * MeaningfulName: Haoh translates as "[[MasterSwordsman supreme ruler]]". The suffix "-maru" was common for Japanese samurai boys, and in fact ''three'' males from the series are named as such -- ''Haohmaru'', ''Shizumaru'' and ''Yashamaru''. |
| 44 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on legendary samurai, UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi. |
| 45 | * OnlyOneName: Orphaned at a young age, he was named "Haohmaru" by an elderly neighbor, who encouraged him to explore the world, with his new name symbolizing him leaving his hometown of Jōkamachi. In contrast, almost all of his fellow Japanese characters are ascribed a surname, along with their given name -- even the inhuman Gen-an (Shiranui)! However, he has always been simply "[[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Haohmaru]]", and his surname remains a mystery. |
| 46 | * TheProtagonist: Akin to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], he's involved purely for the thrill of fighting strong opponents, while naturally getting drawn in by the conflict surrounding him. |
| 47 | * RedOniBlueOni: He is the Red, while Ukyo is the Blue in the debut game; Haohmaru is the spirited and fight-happy one, while Ukyo is calm and hyperfocused. |
| 48 | * SeriesMascot: Along with Nakoruru, he appears in almost all the games (except the Nakoruru ADV game). |
| 49 | * SetSwordsToStun: He notably loses his signature ability to [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe bisect]] his opponent into pieces whenever he appears outside his home game. His appearance in ''The King of Fighters XV'' lampshades this a bit, with him stating that he held back; if he's actually serious, his opponent wouldn't even live to tell the tale of being cut with his sword. |
| 50 | * {{Shoryuken}}: His ''Kogetsuzan'' (Arc Moon Slash). It even has a DashAttack variation of it called ''Shippuu Kogetsuzan'' (Hurricane Arc Moon Slash). |
| 51 | * {{Shotoclone}}: He's got a projectile and a [[{{Shoryuken}} dragon punch-type]] anti-air, but they don't function as you'd expect. Nonetheless, he serves this role in the series for the most part, being a simple-to-understand JackOfAllStats. |
| 52 | * ShoutOut: He resembles Hyakkimaru from ''Manga/{{Dororo}}'', another wandering swordmaster. |
| 53 | * SignatureMove: A somewhat unusual example in fighting game history, as it's a normal attack; his far Heavy Slash is iconic for the obscene damage and hit-stop it incurs on hit, especially as a counter-hit. |
| 54 | * SpiritedCompetitor: Haohmaru enjoys fighting and will occasionally give friendly compliments to his opponents. |
| 55 | * UnorthodoxSheathing: Upon winning, he [[RuleOfCool stylishly]] throws his sword in the air, turns around as he spins the scabbard, then catches the blade in its sheath. He occasionally uses said skill as a StreetPerformer to supplement his income. |
| 56 | [[/folder]] |
| 57 | |
| 58 | [[folder:Ukyo Tachibana]] |
| 59 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ukyo_62.png]] |
| 60 | ->''Drops of blood stain the blackened earth red. The body is shrouded in conflict, yet the heart remains vain.'' |
| 61 | |
| 62 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Umasugi Village, Kōka District, Ōmi Province, Japan]]'' |
| 63 | -> '''Weapon:''' [[NoNameGiven a nameless,]] self-made [[QuickDraw shirasaya]] |
| 64 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Eiji Yano (I-V Special), Kazuki Ishii (VI), Creator/ShowHayami (Drama [=CDs=]), Shinjiro Sakurai ([=SamSho=] 2019)[[/note]] |
| 65 | |
| 66 | ->The series' pretty boy, master of Iaijutsu, and formerly the main rival of Haohmaru until Genjuro debuted. Ukyo is a complete ChickMagnet who attracts ladies wherever he goes. He suffers from [[IncurableCoughOfDeath tubercolosis]] and has a crush on a certain girl named [[YamatoNadeshiko Kei Odagiri]], though he avoids developing further feelings for her due to his limited lifespan. He fights purely for Kei’s happiness, questing for rare flowers he hopes she’ll like. |
| 67 | ---- |
| 68 | * AgentPeacock: A downplayed aspect after the first game, though he’s still relatively vain, somewhat pretentious, definitely a chick magnet, and very much a pretty-boy in all his appearances. |
| 69 | * AnimeHair: He sports long, silky ''blue'' hair. |
| 70 | * AttackReflector: Ukyo's ''Tsubame Gaeshi'' is capable of reflecting projectiles to make up for a lack of one. |
| 71 | * BadassBack: He usually faces backward when fighting, but if you ever see his face forward... let's just say you're dead. |
| 72 | * BladeSpam: One of his special moves, ''Concealed Sabre Snowfall Slash'', has him toss an apple in the air shortly before rapidly slashing at his opponent, whilst also cutting the apple to pieces. |
| 73 | * BloodFromTheMouth: Just so you know that [[YourDaysAreNumbered he doesn't have long to live.]] |
| 74 | * BreakoutCharacter: Despite losing his rival status after a single game, Ukyo has remained one of the most popular and iconic characters in the entire franchise. He's made guest appearances in games like ''VideoGame/AFKArena'' and ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings'', and continues to have lots of merchandise produced to this very day. |
| 75 | * ChickMagnet: In almost all games, Ukyo excuses himself to his opponent and escapes off the screen when [[GroupieBrigade a posse of screaming girls]] [[EveryoneChasingYou chase after him]]. |
| 76 | * CrissCrossAttack: Ukyo has had a hyper move since ''IV'' in which he moves at lightning speed towards the opponent, passing through and behind him or her before sheathing his sword. A split second later, the opponent is sliced by various slashes and collapses to the ground. |
| 77 | * DeathByAThousandCuts: His Bust/Rasetsu Desperation Move from ''III'' and ''IV''. |
| 78 | * DelicateAndSickly: He is ostensibly presented as suffering from tuberculosis, a deadly, incurable disease at the time the series is set, which is characterized by his pallid skin, pained expression, stooped stance, somewhat lank hair and of course, his [[IncurableCoughofDeath hacking cough]]. |
| 79 | * DemotedToExtra: Somewhat. In the first game, he was Haohmaru's true rival but when Genjuro arrived in the second game, he was never very relevant to the plot again. |
| 80 | * DiagonalCut: His fatality, which is also ludicrously fast. |
| 81 | * GuestFighter: He's a full blown hero in ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings'', and his moveset would later be inherited by rugged naginata user, Ryoma, in ''VideoGame/ArenaOfValor''. |
| 82 | * HandicappedBadass: He fights despite suffering from tuberculosis. |
| 83 | * IaijutsuPractitioner: His fighting style, which complements his BadassBack stance. Ukyo is relatively defensive, relying on his lightning-quick sword strikes to punish his opponents' mistakes. |
| 84 | * IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: His purpose for fighting -- he quests purely to discover rare flowers for [[CourtlyLove Kei Odagiri]], his lover. |
| 85 | * IncurableCoughOfDeath: A symptom of his tuberculosis -- if left idle, or accessed on the character select screen, he collapses into hacking coughs. He even ''wretches'' a little. Notably, unlike most characters, he doesn't actively kill himself when you use his Seppuku - he just coughs and collapses, his tuberculosis having finally finished the job. |
| 86 | * LongHairedPrettyBoy: His long, blue hair is waist-length. |
| 87 | * MeaningfulName: A ''tachibana'' is a native Japanese orange variety. "Ukyo" means "right side of the capital", and is a common name. |
| 88 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: If Haohmaru is Miyamoto Musashi, Ukyo is UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro. He's even got Kojiro's ''Tsubame Gaeshi'' as a move. |
| 89 | * TheRival: To Haohmaru... until Genjuro debuted in the second game. |
| 90 | * PlayingWithFire: When using ''Tsubame Gaeshi'', his sword's blade bursts into flames. |
| 91 | * ShoutOut: Takes inspiration from Tanosuke of ''Manga/{{Dororo}}'' and ''Franchise/LupinIII''[='=]s Ishikawa Goemon XIII. |
| 92 | * SpeedEchoes: As seen in his special move, ''Concealed Sabre Phantom Strike'', where he does a series of swift, running slashes almost too fast to see. |
| 93 | * StarCrossedLovers: He and Kei are a mix of this and CourtlyLove. With this couple, [[LoveHurts love definitely hurts]], as he’s always unwilling to fully commit to her due to his incurable illness. |
| 94 | * TheStoic: If there's one character who presents VisibleSilence perfectly, it's him. |
| 95 | * StrictlyFormula: In each iteration of the series, his story follows a well-trodden path, which is emphasized in the ''2019'' game: Ukyo finally obtains a rare flower and presents it to Kei. Their happiness lasts only fleetingly because the flower withers and dies and [[HereWeGoAgain so Ukyo sets out on yet another journey for another rare flower.]] |
| 96 | * SwordBeam: The ground-based projectile used by his Bust/Rasetsu incarnations. |
| 97 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Apples, as seen since the first game. One of his special moves involves him tossing out an apple before slicing it (and the opponent) to pieces. He even gets a feint version where he'll just toss the apple without following it up. |
| 98 | * TragicHero: Ukyo is an honorable, poetic man who is condemned by a (then) incurable disease and knows that his lover Kei Odagiri will outlive him. Without ever committing to a relationship, since he knows it'll end tragically due to his short lifespan, Ukyo instead fights for Kei’s happiness, usually by presenting her with a rare flower -- its fleeting bloom a symbol of their relationship. |
| 99 | * VictoryIsBoring: "The moment I drew my sword, the fight was over. Ho-hum" |
| 100 | * WarriorPoet: The only two languages Ukyo speaks are VisibleSilence and ''Haiku''. |
| 101 | [[/folder]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[folder:Nakoruru]] |
| 104 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nakoruru_7.png]] |
| 105 | ->''This is Nature's punishment!'' |
| 106 | |
| 107 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[WildWilderness Kamuikotan, the Ainu Lands, Ezo]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the Ainu people, of whom Nakoruru is a member. At the time the series is set, the northern island of Ezo (literally "foreigner", known nowadays as Hokkaido) was a land apart, ungoverned by the Shogunate, and not officially part of what constituted Japan. Only in 1868 did Ezo become incorporated, but prior to that it represented a distinct culture and ethnic group separate from the mainland Japanese. Kamuikotan (literally "the dwelling place of the Gods") is a scenic area located in the valley of the Ishikari River.[[/note]]'' |
| 108 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana Houtou Chichi-ushi]]'' [[note]] (''"Treasured sword [[AnimalThemeNaming Father Bull]]"'')[[/note]], [[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana a kodachi]] |
| 109 | -> '''Helpers:''' ''[[NobleBirdOfPrey Mamahaha]]'' (Normal / Shura) / ''[[NobleWolf Shikuru]]'' (Rasetsu) |
| 110 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/HarumiIkoma, Reiko Chiba (first OVA; [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nakoruru_452.jpg also as live actor]] in some advertisements), Creator/MikakoTakahashi (''Tenkaichi Kenkyakuden''), Creator/MarikoKouda (Drama [=CDs=]), Creator/MaiNakahara (''Oni'', ''Kengou'', ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIV'', [=SamSho=] 2019, ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV KOF XV]]'' DLC)[[/note]] |
| 111 | |
| 112 | ->The heroine of the series, most of the time concerning herself with defeating the BigBad (compared to Haohmaru, who's in just for the fight itself). She is a priestess of the Ainu tribe who fights to protect Mother Nature herself. Usually, she abhors fighting, but will absolutely not shy away from combat in defense of the natural world and is very much nature’s champion. She's usually accompanied by her pet hawk, Mamahaha, and has a little sister named Rimururu. |
| 113 | ---- |
| 114 | * AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: After overthrowing Mizuki at the end of ''II'', she sacrifices herself to restore the natural balance and becomes one with the spirit of Nature. This allows her to appear in times of great crisis to dispel any force that would cause calamity upon the natural world. She can also appear outside of her own time, as shown in ''Characters/TheKingOfFightersXIV''. |
| 115 | * BadassAdorable: A top contender in video game history. Nakoruru's petite stature and sweet personality don't deter from the fact that she can kick copious amounts of ass, wielding her kodachi with deadly skill. |
| 116 | * BadassNative: Nakoruru is a member of Hokkaido’s indigenous [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_people Ainu people]] and very much ''not'' a typical Yamato Japanese like the majority of the cast. The Ainu are analogous to Native Americans and are similarly portrayed in cultural references as being InHarmonyWithNature. |
| 117 | * BarrierMaiden: After her HeroicSacrifice at the end of ''II'', she becomes even more integral to the prevention of demonic forces from entering the natural world. |
| 118 | * BattleIntro: In ''The King of Fighters XV'': |
| 119 | -->'''Announcer''': ''That falcon looks dangerous! Mother Nature's guardian is here to dish out punishment! Nakoruru!''\ |
| 120 | '''Nakoruru''': ''Let us do battle. No regrets.'' |
| 121 | * TheBeastMaster: Mamahaha, a hawk, and Shikuru, a wolf, both of which she can command to attack her opponent. Mamahaha can even pick her up in his claws, allowing her to float out of harm’s way — or unleash a deadly diving attack. |
| 122 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: A charming, sweet-natured young woman whose gentle character and appearance belies her deadly fighting prowess. In defense of the natural world, she'll go toe-to-toe with samurai, ''giant'' westerners, and even the odd {{Youkai}}. |
| 123 | * BigGood: She's often the primary character taking on the various villains in the series. When dealing with the evil beings haunting the land, Nakoruru will often insist on dealing with them on her own, much to the dismay of her allies, only collaborating if the threat is very great. |
| 124 | * BreakoutCharacter: Appropriately as ''Samurai Shodown''[='s=] mascot character, she has made the most appearances of anyone outside her home series, starting with the Game Boy version of ''The King of Fighters '95''. |
| 125 | * TheCameo: Nakoruru makes an appearance as a Striker in ''KOF 2002''. She also acts as the tutorial instructor in ''KOF-i 2012''. |
| 126 | * CatchPhrase: "Daishizen no oshioki desu!" ("This is Nature’s punishment!") This phrase has accompanied Nakoruru in all her appearances. It seems to be her creed, and she can deliver it in cheerful or somber tones. |
| 127 | * CelibateHero: |
| 128 | ** She's very aware of Galford's crush but is adamant she will never get into a relationship with him since her mission is her priority. She even tells him to not be hung up on her and live his own life before her HeroicSacrifice. |
| 129 | ** The ''VisualNovel/NakoruruAnoHitoKaraNoOkurimono'' game has her explaining that her priestess' duties don't allow her to think of or desire her own happiness, as it would be a distraction from her duty. |
| 130 | * ClothingDamage: Defeating Nakoruru with a strong attack will cause her clothes to be cut or torn off her body. |
| 131 | * DangerousForbiddenTechnique: ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV'' details that her ability to hop between dimensions takes a heavy toll on the bodies of those who do so, and even though Nakoruru's status as a spirit mostly protects her and those she hangs around with, she still cannot stay away from her home dimension for too long. This leads to her sending both Mui Mui and Love Heart away for their own safety. |
| 132 | * DimensionTraveller: Travels to the ''King of Fighters'' dimension to investigate the crack in space-time caused by the events of ''XIII'', picking up Mui Mui and Love Heart from their home dimensions along the way to accompany her. Continues this role in ''XV'', deciding to bring her acquaintances from her era, Haohamaru and Darli Dagger instead. |
| 133 | * FishOutOfTemporalWater: Nakoruru appears in ''Characters/TheKingOfFightersXIV'' as a member of the "Another World" team along with two characters from a pair of SNK Playmore pachislots. This contrivance is due to the BigBad creating a crack in space and time that affected her realm and, being a protector of Nature, she makes it her mission to assist by time-traveling to the future. |
| 134 | * FragileSpeedster: Nakoruru is fast with her attacks and movement in general, but has a very low tolerance for damage and can be killed very easily -- if you can catch her that is, as, in a game featuring actual ninjas, she's even faster than all of them. |
| 135 | * FriendToAllLivingThings: Comes with the territory for an Ainu priestess of nature like her, and she can tame and befriend animals to fight for her. Her stages are usually filled with animals, and her endings in ''I'' and ''2019'' involve various forest creatures surrounding her affectionately. |
| 136 | * GuestFighter: |
| 137 | ** Prior to her canonical participation in ''The King of Fighters XIV'', Nakoruru appeared in the Game Boy version of ''The King of Fighters '95''. |
| 138 | ** She's also one of the ''Samurai Shodown'' characters that became a full blown hero in ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings''. In ''VideoGame/ArenaOfValor'', her moveset is repurposed for the terrifying giant abyssal beetle Kriknak. |
| 139 | * IJustWantToBeNormal: A recurring theme for her -- she does exhibit a normal, age-appropriate desire to have fun like any other young girl, but her dedication to nature trumps that every time. |
| 140 | * IncorruptiblePurePureness: Nakoruru absolutely cannot be swayed from her mission to protect nature. Not even her own desires to be a normal young girl deviate her. |
| 141 | * KillTheCutie: Despite being a sweet, beautiful girl, she is shown no mercy. Losing at the hands of the other warriors will result in Nakoruru being killed in extremely brutal ways, though in some installments, she's immune. Canonically, this happened in ''II'' via her HeroicSacrifice. |
| 142 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Her theme song is one of the few recurring tracks in the series. |
| 143 | * LethalChef: In the [[SelfParody Neo Geo DJ Station drama CD]], Nakoruru stews together horrendously mismatched ingredients whilst going on about how they're all-natural, therefore ''bound'' to taste delicious together. |
| 144 | * {{Mascot}}: Alongside [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]], she is SNK's other mascot. |
| 145 | * NatureHero: All of her fights are dedicated to the protection of Mother Nature. This extends out-of-universe as well as SNK has used her and Terry as the faces of their nature conservation programs for children. |
| 146 | * NatureSpirit: She ended up as one after ''II'', following her HeroicSacrifice, which excuses why she appears as youthful as ever long after her death — including a guest appearance in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''. |
| 147 | * NiceGirl: Of all the characters, she's amongst the most kindhearted and gentle. |
| 148 | * OneeSama: She's is one for Rimururu and Mikato. |
| 149 | * OurFairiesAreDifferent: She takes the physical form of a fairy after her death in the DistantFinale and at the end of ''Nakoruru ADV'' in order to aid the other characters in their battle with the BigBad. |
| 150 | * PromotedToPlayable: Not her, obviously, but her animal companions Shikuru and Mamahaha are playable in ''VI'' as a team. |
| 151 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Since she's a NatureSpirit in ''King of Fighters XIV'', she still looks like a petite, cute teenage girl even if she was born at 1771. She has to point this out (without mentioning her actual age) to Chin, who mistook her for a normal young lady. |
| 152 | * ReluctantWarrior: If it were possible, she'd rather not fight, but protecting the natural world demands that she must. |
| 153 | * ReverseGrip: This is the way she holds her knife. |
| 154 | * SavingTheWorld: Of all the characters, she exhibits the strongest sense of duty, and takes this duty seriously in her role as the protector of Nature. |
| 155 | * ShipTease: Despite her dedication to Nature, there is a lot of teasing about her and [[DoggedNiceGuy Galford]]. She is, however, a ChasteHero, so she ends up having to let him down gently for the sake of her duty. Thankfully, Galford understands this and they usually remain good friends. Also seen in ''Nakoruru ADV'' with Yantamu. |
| 156 | * {{Shotoclone}}: She's got a projectile move (Amube Yatoro, with Mamahaha), a {{Shoryuken}} (Rera Mutsube) and a [[DashAttack rush-forward move]] (Annu Mutsube). |
| 157 | * ShoutOut: To the Ainu women (Oyaruru and Chiomapp) of ''[[Anime/TheDaggerOfKamui The Dagger of Kamui]]''. |
| 158 | * SilkHidingSteel: Despite her demure, priestly appearance, Nakoruru's fighting style is fast, frantic and relies on constant momentum to keep the pressure on. |
| 159 | * SleepModeSize: In ''Warrior's Rage'', the only [=SamSho=] that moves the timeline decades forward, Nakoruru isn't playable but is seen in one of old man Haohmaru's artworks, where years after truly becoming a spirit of nature, she takes the form of a little sprite common in Ainu folklore. It remains her most unique appearance, as SNK never presented her in sprite-form again — possibly due how badly received ''Warrior's Rage'' was. |
| 160 | * TookALevelInCheerfulness: In her ''King of Fighters'' guest appearance. In her home series, Nakoruru is super serious and dedicated to her mission as Nature’s protector, rarely having time to smile or laugh (except if she's amongst nature and 'playing' with the animals). In KOF, she's still dedicated to her mission and is at times serious, but overall she's lighter in tone and can afford to smile and laugh befitting a girl of her age, as shown in her interactions with Mui Mui. Her team's endings in both ''XIV'' and ''XV'' also show her talking rather seriously at first, before suddenly cheerfully discussing vacations. |
| 161 | * WallJump: Capable of doing this, even though she's not a {{Ninja}}. |
| 162 | * WildWilderness: Her homeland. At the time the series is set, the northern island of Ezo (literally "foreigner", known nowadays as Hokkaido) was a land apart, ungoverned by the Shogunate, and not officially part of what constituted Japan. Only in 1868 did it become incorporated and prior to that, it was viewed as a wild, inhospitable wilderness by the ''Yamato'' Japanese in the south. |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[folder:Galford D. Weller]] |
| 166 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/galford_6.png]] |
| 167 | ->''I don't give up! Never, no matter what! My burning heart will lead me to victory!'' |
| 168 | |
| 169 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/{{California}} San Francisco, California, New Spain]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of New Spain (formally known as the '''Viceroyalty of New Spain'''). At the time the series is set, California was a territory of New Spain and was not yet part of the '''UsefulNotes/UnitedStates''', and wouldn't be so until 1850.[[/note]]'' |
| 170 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[ForGreatJustice Justice Blade]]'', [[StockNinjaWeaponry a ninjatō]] |
| 171 | -> '''Helper:''' ''[[HeroicDog Poppy]]'' (Normal / Shura) |
| 172 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka (I-III, VI [re-dub]), Mantaro Koichi (IV, V, V Special), Creator/ToshihikoSeki (in the Dengeki drama CD series), Creator/WataruTakagi (in {{the movie}}), Creator/WataruKomada ([=SamSho=] 2019).[[/note]] |
| 173 | |
| 174 | ->American sailor-turned-McNinja, fighting [[JusticeWillPrevail for justice]]. He trained under the same master as Earthquake and completed his training to become a fully-fledged ninja. He is mostly accompanied by his pet dog Poppy, and is very much in love with Nakoruru, though [[UnrequitedLove she is way too focused on her mission protecting nature to focus on that]]. He can utilize plasma energy in the form of electric attacks that enhance his already impressive ninja skills. |
| 175 | ---- |
| 176 | * TheBeastMaster: Some of his specials allows him to sic his huskie Poppy on opponents. |
| 177 | * BigNo: He usually lets it out when he's beaten. |
| 178 | * BoisterousBruiser: An American who's big into justice and has a rambunctious enthusiasm for combat. |
| 179 | * CanineCompanion: His dog, Poppy, who can be used in some of his attacks. |
| 180 | * CutlassBetweenTheTeeth: Galford's super has him perform a combination attack before throwing his sword into the air — Poppy then leaps up, grabs the sword in her mouth and spins into the opponent, before Galford ends the attack with a huge thunderbolt. |
| 181 | * DoggedNiceGuy: Towards Nakoruru. During his ending in ''II'', when Nakoruru's spirit apologizes to him and begs him to not grieve for her, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he gallantly complies]]. |
| 182 | * {{Eagleland}}: Mixed type. He's a boisterous American with a penchant for GratuitousEnglish, but he's also a positive character dedicated to his quest for justice and slaying evil. |
| 183 | * FunPersonified: It’s rare to see him not smiling and he’s consistently upbeat and peppy. |
| 184 | * GenerationXerox: Aside from the ninja paraphernalia, he is a justice lover just like his sheriff father before him. |
| 185 | * GenreMotif: Galford's character themes are upbeat, melodic rock tracks to emphasize his status as an American ninja. |
| 186 | * GratuitousEnglish: He’s voiced in his native tongue, but this being a mid-90s SNK game, it’s pure {{Engrish}}. In ''2019'', Galford's English improves a lot, even if he sometimes still mixes in English phrases within Japanese sentences. |
| 187 | * HighlyVisibleNinja: Whilst Galford does know some ninja confusion techniques, like conjuring mirror-images of himself and the famous NinjaLog, he's still a LargeHam that fights alongside his equally boisterous dog and dresses in a bright blue ninja gi without a mask (with bright blond hair!), thus he stands out a mile, which fully differentiates him from Hanzo. |
| 188 | * JusticeWillPrevail: His maxim and entire reason for fighting. |
| 189 | * LargeHam: "LET'S GO POPPY!" |
| 190 | * LeadYouCanRelateTo: He represents the almost prerequisite American character in the series, amongst a cast mostly comprised of Japanese characters, though his native California was a territory of the Spanish Empire at the time the series is set. |
| 191 | * {{Leitmotif}}: His theme song, the bizarrely named "Tuna", is one of the few recurring tracks in the series. Interestingly his theme is basically Hanzo's theme but sped up and with added instrumentation, sounding more energetic and fun, befitting Galford himself. |
| 192 | * LightningBruiser: Galford hits quite hard thanks to the nature of the game being focused on powerful single strikes, but as a ninja, he's quite agile as well (though somehow slightly slower than Nakoruru or her sister). For bonus points, he's also literally using [[ShockAndAwe lightning.]] |
| 193 | * McNinja: He's dressed in what is almost an exact palette-swap of Hanzo, but in personality, he's as American as apple pie. |
| 194 | * MeaningfulName: "Galford" is a town in Devon, England and is quite appropriately the site of an ancient Anglo-Saxon battle. "Weller" is also Anglo-Saxon, and refers to someone who lived near, or tended to a well or spring. |
| 195 | * MysteriousMiddleInitial: Full name: Galford ''D.'' Weller — no clues thus far on what the “D” stands for. |
| 196 | * NiceGuy: Galford is a friendly, outgoing young man who simply wants to spread justice and happiness wherever he goes. |
| 197 | * PrettyBoy: His youthful looks and blond hair definitely qualify him. |
| 198 | * PromotedToPlayable: Poppy is playable in ''V'' and ''VI''. |
| 199 | * TheRunaway: He ran away from home, leaving his mother and his four older sisters. His father was killed by Draco. |
| 200 | * ScarfOfAsskicking: His most prized possession, a gift from his sensei Ayame. |
| 201 | * ShockAndAwe: He uses electricity to augment his already impressive ninja skills -- ''"Plasma Blade!"'' |
| 202 | * ShoutOut: Poppy is one to the comedy manga ''Doubutsu no Oishasan''. |
| 203 | * SpinningPiledriver: He uses the ''Izuna Drop'' variant as a command throw -- he is a ninja, after all. In some games, even Poppy has the ability to use it! |
| 204 | * UnrequitedLove: He's head over heels for Nakoruru, but due to her being a celibate priestess, she could never reciprocate. However, they understand their shared duties and decide to remain JustFriends. |
| 205 | * WhatTheHellPlayer: Defeat Galford with a technique that kills him? Have fun watching Poppy howl mournfully over her master's death. Jerk. |
| 206 | * YouKilledMyFather: Draco was the culprit, as we finally learn in ''Sen''. |
| 207 | [[/folder]] |
| 208 | |
| 209 | [[folder:Hanzo Hattori]] |
| 210 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hanzo_22.png]] |
| 211 | ->''A ninja wanders from death to death. From shadow into darkness, and from darkness into the underworld.'' |
| 212 | |
| 213 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Dewa Sanzan, Dewa Province, Japan]] [[note]] It's noted as being "estimated" but his birthplace, the Three Mountains of Dewa ('''出羽三山''' Dewa Sanzan), refers to the three sacred mountains of Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan, and Mount Yudono, which are clustered together in the ancient province of Dewa (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture) [[/note]]'' |
| 214 | -> '''Weapon:''' [[NoNameGiven a nameless]] [[StockNinjaWeaponry ninjatō]] |
| 215 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Masaki Usui (I, VI [re-dub], ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersMaximumImpact2'' and ''Regulation A''), Toshimitsu Arai (II-V Special), Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi (in the DistantFinale), Tadahisa Saizen ([=SamSho=] 2019)[[/note]] |
| 216 | |
| 217 | ->The legendary {{Ninja}} in the courtesy of the Tokugawa shogunate and the enemy of anyone who opposes them. His manner is that of the classic ice-cold, super-serious ninja, though he is still good friends with Jubei and Yoshitora. Behind the scenes, he's very much a family man and his wife and sons become entangled in many of the series' events. |
| 218 | ---- |
| 219 | * AlliterativeName: '''Ha'''nzo '''Ha'''ttori. |
| 220 | * ArrogantKungFuGuy: Downplayed in that he can definitely show humility (especially when it comes to his boss Yoshitora), but he can be surprisingly cocky when it comes to his ninjutsu skills, especially in the first game. |
| 221 | * BadassArmFold: Most of his artwork poses, including the ''2019'' render seen here, shows Hanzo folding his arms this way. |
| 222 | * CastingAShadow: Hanzo uses ninja magic to create a shadow ‘puddle’ from which he appears elsewhere on the stage to strike his opponent. |
| 223 | * CoolMask: Wears his signature ninja mask that comes with classic ninja headgear. |
| 224 | * CreepyCrows: Seen on his stage in the first two games. |
| 225 | * DarkIsNotEvil: He looks like a sinister, sly ninja but he's actually one of the good guys. |
| 226 | * DramaticUnmask: In ''II'' and ''2019'', Hanzo's match-winning animation has him unmask himself, fully revealing his face. |
| 227 | * FriendlyRivalry: He occasionally spars with his friend Yagyu Jubei. |
| 228 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: The few times he's been seen without his mask, we can see a BIG scar across one of his eyes. |
| 229 | * HandSeals: Hanzo does the classic ninja hand seal for his round-winning animation and certain moves. |
| 230 | * HitmanWithAHeart Well, he is a ninja but he's also one of the good guys. |
| 231 | * InterruptedSuicide: Was ''this'' close to committing {{Seppuku}} in his first ending, after he failed to save Shinzo from Amakusa. Luckily, Kanzo and his friends step in and tell him to become their mentor, which gives Hanzo a reason to carry on. |
| 232 | * {{Invisibility}}: One of his moves allows him to turn invisible. |
| 233 | * LegacyCharacter: |
| 234 | ** In the DistantFinale, one of his sons (widely believed to be Shinzo) takes over the name of Hattori Hanzo and becomes head of the clan. Might run in the whole family and apply to him too. |
| 235 | ** A couple of characters in ''Videogame/TheKingOfFighters'' series (Nagase in ''Maximum Impact 2'' and Bandeiras in ''XIV'') inherit his ninjitsu fighting style and moves in the modern era. |
| 236 | * LightningBruiser: Considering he and Galford used to be MovesetClone, Hanzo retains his speed and striking power: Both are above average. |
| 237 | * MeaningfulName: ''Hanzo'' appropriately means "half-hidden". ''Hattori'' is a venerable Japanese family name originally associated with silk-worm growers. |
| 238 | * MovesetClone: Galford was this to Hanzo at first, but quickly got DivergentCharacterEvolution in later games. The Iga Ninjas from ''Warriors Rage'' are straight examples though. |
| 239 | * MyMasterRightOrWrong: Hanzo serves the Tokugawa Bakufu, performing the duties presented to him and protecting the Bakufu at all costs. This puts him at odds with Yashamaru, who views the Bakufu as utterly corrupted. |
| 240 | * {{Ninja}}: The series' most clear-cut example, his design is that of a classic ninja, without any particularly [[HighlyVisibleNinja unrealistic flourishes]]. |
| 241 | * NinjaLog: He was probably amongst the very first (if not the first) fighting game characters to deploy this technique (known as ''kawarimi'') in-game, where it's used as a fake-out when he gets hit (if the command is pressed in time, that is). |
| 242 | * NinjaRun: In ''2019'', Hanzo's running animation has him running low to the ground with his arms behind his body, almost in an AirplaneArms style. |
| 243 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: He's based on the original UsefulNotes/HattoriHanzo, an almost mythical samurai of the Sengoku era, credited with saving the life of UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. At the time the series is set, Ieyasu is already dead and his descendants are running the place, but then there's the LegacyCharacter trope at work, so he could be one of the Hattori Hanzos that [[GenerationXerox came after the Ieyasu-era Hanzo]] (e.g. Hattori Masanari). |
| 244 | * PapaWolf: To Shinzo, and by extension to his pupil, Kanzo. |
| 245 | * PlayingWithFire: Though not his main repertoire, Hanzo possesses the ability to punch the ground to create flaming coils and fiery explosions, as shown in one of his moves, ''Bakuen Ryu''. |
| 246 | * ScarfOfAsskicking: Sports a long, red muffler. |
| 247 | * SmokeOut: Hanzo disappears in a puff of smoke and can teleport to various points around the stage (depending on the button input) and follow up with a sword strike. |
| 248 | * StockNinjaWeaponry: Apart from his ninjato, Hanzo also uses shurikens and bombs in some of his appearances. |
| 249 | * TheStoic: He doesn't speak much, but if he does, his voice is grim and his speech minimal. |
| 250 | * ThrowDownTheBomblet: Hanzo's super move in ''2019'' begins with him performing an [[SpinningPiledriver Izuna Drop]] before throwing down multiple bombs at his opponent and leaping out of the blast radius, [[UnflinchingWalk whilst all of his bombs explode behind him]]. |
| 251 | [[/folder]] |
| 252 | |
| 253 | [[folder:Jubei Yagyu]] |
| 254 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jubei_1.png]] |
| 255 | ->''Focus your mind. If you falter, my blade will seal your fate.'' |
| 256 | |
| 257 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Yagyū no Sato, Tosa Province, Japan]] [[note]]literally "The Yagyū Estate" -- his ancestral lands -- although the real Jubei Yagyu's lands were in Nara, not Tosa.[[/note]]'' |
| 258 | -> '''Weapons:''' ''[[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana Yamato no Kami]]: [[DualWielding Kotetsu & Sukehiro]]'' [[note]](''"[[MyCountryRightOrWrong Protectors of Yamato]]: [[PantheraAwesome Iron Tiger]] [[DualWielding & Assistant]]"'') [[/note]], [[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana a daisho]] [[DualWielding pair]] |
| 259 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Takayuki Sakai (I), Creator/KiyoshiKobayashi (II-V Special), Creator/ToruOkawa (VI), Hiroshi Naka ([=SamSho=] 2019)[[/note]] |
| 260 | |
| 261 | ->Another legendary {{Samurai}} (mostly based on Mitsuyoshi), he is a hardened and experienced warrior who is utterly loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate. He also likes to see potential in younger warriors and encourages them to one day overcome him. Unlike his comrade in arms, Hanzo, Jubei is a more care-free man when off-duty and enjoys times of peace with a hearty laugh. |
| 262 | ---- |
| 263 | * AlternateRealityEpisode: Jubei is also the protagonist in ''[[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Yagyu_Life_Theatre Yagyu Kachou]]'', an official side story set in an alternate reality where ''Samurai Shodown'' characters are placed in the modern world. In this story, he is a struggling "salaryman" (standard Japanese businessman) who has fallen on hard times. He's often picked on by various characters from the series, though Hanzo and Tam Tam are his closest friends. |
| 264 | * AmbiguouslyRelated: With ''64's'' Yagyu Hanma. |
| 265 | * BladeSpam: Jubei has a signature move where he uses both of his swords to thrust in rapid succession. |
| 266 | * BlindObedience: Jubei is loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate, even as a ronin -- though some say his ronin status is a cover in order to execute missions given by the Shogunate. |
| 267 | * CoolOldGuy: Outside of battle, Jubei is a very easygoing and friendly older man. |
| 268 | * CounterAttack: Jubei has a counter-attack that can block from low, medium, or high attacks and follow up with an attack for each direction. |
| 269 | * DualWielding: With his daisho pair -- an ''uchigatana''[[note]]curved katana[[/note]] and ''wakizashi''. |
| 270 | * EyepatchOfPower: Legend has it that Yagyū Jūbei had the use of only one eye and most legends state that he lost it in a sword sparring session when his father, Yagyū Munenori, struck him accidentally. Whilst portraits from Jubei's time portray him as having both eyes, and several authors present him as such, his classical "eyepatch" look remains the standard. |
| 271 | * HandicappedBadass: Blind in one eye, but no less of a deadly warrior. |
| 272 | * JackOfAllStats: It's not just his character design that's grounded and robustly solid -- he also has one of the most balanced, effective move-sets in the series, with a good balance between stamina, maneuverability, and range. |
| 273 | * KatanasAreJustBetter: Especially when [[DualWielding there's two of them]]. |
| 274 | * MeaningfulName: His given name, ''Jubei'', means "10th protector". |
| 275 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Based on UsefulNotes/YagyuJubei, in particular the most famous one: Mitsuyoshi. In his bio, his idol is noted to be his father, Munenori, another real-life, legendary samurai. |
| 276 | * OldMaster: As Haohmaru's mentor and the sword instructor for Yoshitora. |
| 277 | * {{Samurai}}: Seems obvious, but along with Haohmaru, Ukyo, Genjuro, and Yashamaru, he's the most clear-cut example in the series. |
| 278 | * SamuraiPonytail: Sports a fairly normal top-knot in a game where AnimeHair runs riot. |
| 279 | * ShoutOut: A blatant one to Yagyu Jubei of the 1981 ''Makai Tenshô'' film adaptation. |
| 280 | * SignatureLaugh: Jubei's winning round animation has him cross his arms and do his signature big proud laugh. |
| 281 | * SwordBeam: Jubei can create a ground wave from his swords as his projectile moves and creates a bigger one for both of his super moves. |
| 282 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: He is shown to enjoy ''dango'', Japanese sweet dumplings. |
| 283 | [[/folder]] |
| 284 | |
| 285 | [[folder:Earthquake]] |
| 286 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/earthquake_2.png]] |
| 287 | ->''Geheheh! Thanks for giving me another opportunity to prove my strength!'' |
| 288 | |
| 289 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas, New Spain]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of New Spain (AKA the Viceroyalty of New Spain). At the time the series is set, the state of Texas was a territory of New Spain and not yet part of the United States, and wouldn't be so until 1821.[[/note]]'' |
| 290 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji FUJIYAMA]]'', [[StockNinjaWeaponry a kusarigama]] |
| 291 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Masaki Usui (I, II, VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos), Masashi Sugawara (RPG), Takumi Satō (VI), Shigezō Sasaoka (The Motion Picture), Creator/HisaoEgawa (Drama [=CDs=]), Kentaro Tone ([=SamSho=] 2019)[[/note]] |
| 292 | |
| 293 | ->Overly obese Texan McNinja. Earthquake used to learn under Galford's sensei Ayame, but quit early due to his greed. He later becomes a bandit, leading his gang to cause mischief here and there. He's always working for the bad guys, but later enters Makai, lured by the treasures there and vanishes, never to be heard of again. |
| 294 | ---- |
| 295 | * AdaptedOut: Earthquake is the only character who was cut from the Platform/SegaGenesis port of the first game due to the fact that his sprite was too big for the Genesis Platform/{{cartridge}}'s MediaNotes/{{R|eadOnlyMemory}}OM to handle. This also extends to the enhanced Sega CD port of the first game as well, even though the Sega CD itself should've easily been able to hold both Earthquake and his stage via the much larger ROM capacity. |
| 296 | * AssKicksYou: Or more like, 'Ass ''Stomps'' You'. |
| 297 | * {{Acrofatic}}: Look at this guy, would you ever guess that he's a ninja? |
| 298 | * BaldOfEvil: A bald, evil, notorious bandit. |
| 299 | * BellyFlopCrushing: Has several moves that involve landing on his opponent belly-first. Given his enormous size, they're unsurprisingly devastating. |
| 300 | * BenevolentBoss: Astoundingly. His ending in ''2019'' shows him treating his gang extremely well, throwing a huge feast for them after his victory, and making it clear that he regards all the wealth they've stolen as belonging to all of them equally. |
| 301 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: He's big, fat, not very bright and very clearly meant to be a humorous character. But don't let that fool you, he's a dangerous bandit and very skilled ninja. |
| 302 | * BigEater: Obviously. Even seen in one of his win-poses where he pulls out a giant turkey leg to munch on. |
| 303 | * BreathWeapon: One of his super moves is a fire-breath attack. |
| 304 | * TheCameo: Earthquake also appears in all ''SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighter Clash'' series and as one of the monsters in [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Akari Ichijo]]'s super in ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''. |
| 305 | * DeceptiveDisciple: He was a disciple of {{Kunoichi}} Ayame like Galford, but quit early due to his bad ties with the latter. |
| 306 | * DenOfIniquity: His sadly canceled stage in ''2019'' was set in a ruined Texan saloon, with the spoils of his looting strewn all over the place. |
| 307 | * DumbMuscle: Earthquake is evil, driven by money, and certainly not smart. Best seen in his ''II'' ending where he goes to Makai (the demon world) lured by the offer of money, only to get trapped there (seemingly) forever. |
| 308 | * {{Eagleland}}: Type B, though toned down. He’s obese, loud, brash and vulgar, but doesn't flaunt his American status enough -- at the time, of course, Texas was part of New Spain, but still. |
| 309 | * EpicFlail: He wields a giant ''kusarigama'' as his weapon of choice -- essentially a length of chain with a weight at one end and a viciously sharp sickle at the other. |
| 310 | * EvilDuo: With Gen-An, often paired by fans as the [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Chang and Choi]] of the series (seen together in Genjuro's ''IV'' and Gaira's ''V'' endings.) |
| 311 | * EvilLaugh: Earthquake is fond of a villainous cackle. |
| 312 | * EverythingIsBigInTexas: Himself included -- he hails from what was then Spanish Texas, and is positively enormous, dwarfing all other characters in the series through sheer height and girth. |
| 313 | * FacialMarkings: Earthquake has [[TattooedCrook tattoos]] or [[BodyPaint face paint]] in the shape of blue flames around his eyes. |
| 314 | * {{Fartillery}}: His ''horrific'' kick grab in the first two games, where he plants the opponent's face between his butt-cheeks and emits a noxious cloud of ''brown'' gas that sends them flying. Downplayed in his later appearances, although his Super Special Move in the 2019 game does have him produce a large flame behind him that could be read as a fart. |
| 315 | * FatBastard: Enormous, grossly overweight, and unambiguously one of the bad guys. |
| 316 | * {{Foil}}: To Galford. Both are American McNinja types of anachronistic origin, one from California and one from Texas. However, while Galford is motivated by his father's death to bring justice to those in need, Earthquake is an opportunistic bandit who seeks only to line his own pockets. Also, while both are accompanied by guitar driven rock songs, Galford's have more heroic melodies while Earthquake's are closer to heavy metal. |
| 317 | * GenreMotif: Just like his rival Galford, Earthquake's character themes are rock songs. However, while Galford's are upbeat and triumphant sounding, Earthquake's are much heavier and darker. |
| 318 | * TheGiant: His bio pegs him at 9’4” -- making him amongst the tallest (human) characters in the fighting game genre (if not the tallest). |
| 319 | * GoldfishPoopGang: Earthquake and his goons are certainly very competent, but compared to the real villains they aren't especially malignant or dangerous. |
| 320 | * {{Gonk}}: He’s a hideous giant toad of a man and his appearance has given him a complex, with him worrying that “(my) face looks like an old woman's". |
| 321 | * HighlyVisibleNinja: Apart from his ''HUGE'' size, his red/neon-pink clothes don't help him blend in. At all. |
| 322 | * JigglePhysics: In ''2019'', he has an absurdly large stomach that wobbles about as he moves around. |
| 323 | * LongRangeFighter: You'd think a big chunky guy like him would be a grappler or a powerhouse, but his playstyle is much closer to [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Dhalsim.]] |
| 324 | * McNinja: Like Galford, he's from America, in this case, Texas. Starting from ''II'', he also uses ninja tricks like mirror-images or the NinjaLog technique. |
| 325 | * MightyGlacier: The slow-but-strong character from the first two games, as well as the biggest character sprite by ''far'' -- he’s so large that he can't be thrown by an opponent. |
| 326 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: |
| 327 | ** Earthquake is likely an homage to [[Wrestling/{{FMW}} Mr. Pogo]], a wrestler mostly prominent in TheNineties. Mr. Pogo was overweight and noted for his cruelty, carrying a kusarigama into the ring and breathing fire at his opponents. In addition, Mr. Pogo wore jagged blue face-paint patterns, was considered a greedy mercantile wrestler who was only interested in money and got his claim to fame wrestling as a villainous ninja in Texas wrestling shows. |
| 328 | ** He's also, most likely, a reference to [[Wrestling/JohnTenta Earthquake,]] his namesake, who was also most notable for being a very, very large man at just over 2 metres tall. |
| 329 | * OnlyInItForTheMoney: Earthquake's main reason for everything he does is money, including being recruited by Mizuki. |
| 330 | * PlayingWithFire: Aside from his trademark fire breath, Earthqake shows an ability to control flames in several of his other special moves. |
| 331 | * PostStressOvereating: His weight ballooned to a gargantuan ''1380 pounds'' due to over-eating after he had his heartbroken, aged 19. |
| 332 | * RecoilBoost: His ''Earth Crisis'' super-special move involves him using his fire breath to launch himself into the air like a rocket before doing a spinning belly flop onto his opponent. |
| 333 | * TheRival: Galford. There’s even a ContinuityNod upon his return in ''VI'' when he claims to have forgotten about him. And in ''2019'', Galford chastises Earthquake for using their master's techniques for evil purposes. |
| 334 | * RottenRockAndRoll: Earthquake is almost always accompanied by a heavy rock track that emphasizes his size, power and attitude. |
| 335 | * ShoutOut: Resembles the common giant mooks of ''[[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Hokuto no Ken]]'', especially Mr. Heart. |
| 336 | * SpinAttack: Earthquake's signature move in which he spins with his kusarigama, debuting as a straight move and later having variants like being accessible in the air, after a teleport, and even grabbing an enemy to spin them. |
| 337 | * StartMyOwn: Earthquake formed his own bandit gang, with henchmen who loyally follow him everywhere (including to Makai). |
| 338 | * StoutStrength: His ''gigantic'' size does come with great strength, and characters like Nakoruru must chip away at his health before bringing him down. |
| 339 | [[/folder]] |
| 340 | |
| 341 | [[folder:Charlotte Christine de Colde]] |
| 342 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charlotte_90.png]] |
| 343 | ->'' On the honor of the de Colde family crest... I shall not be defeated!'' |
| 344 | |
| 345 | -> '''Origin:''' ''UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} Kingdom]] [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi of]] [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchColonialEmpire France]] [[note]] The flag shown here is '''Royal Standard of the Kingdom of France''', raised in the presence of the King and used as a state flag by the Kingdom under the absolute monarchy. It was used from around 1638 to 1790.[[/note]] '' |
| 346 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[RoyalRapier La Roche]]'' [[note]](''"The rock"'')[[/note]], [[RoyalRapier an épée]] |
| 347 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/HarumiIkoma (I-V Special), Mayumi Shindou (VI), Creator/SakikoTamagawa (in the movie), Yumi Nakatani (Drama [=CDs=]), Yumi Tōma (Drama CD 3), Afumi Hashi ([=SamSho=] 2019)[[/note]] |
| 348 | |
| 349 | ->A French fencer who caught word of a "''[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt series of calamities]]''" with no natural pretenses. She leaves her Paris home to investigate and ends up traveling to Japan in order to do battle with Amakusa, who she finds to be the source of the evil plaguing her home country. Afterward, she returns home to take part in the French Revolution but always returns to Japan any time the forces of evil reappear. |
| 350 | ---- |
| 351 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: Her crush on Haohmaru -- he only has eyes for Oshizu. |
| 352 | * BattleBallgown: She's quite modestly dressed for a fighting-game female, and sports a long, tunic-like skirt with her armor plate. |
| 353 | * BigFancyHouse: Charlotte's stages are all set in the palatial salon of her family seat in Paris, complete with chequerboard flooring, elegant candelabras, and huge allegorical paintings. A [[RegionalRiff twinkling pianoforte theme]] accompanies the battle. |
| 354 | * BlueBlood: She's stated to be a minor noble, so her full title could well be ''Chevaleresse de Colde'' ("Lady de Colde"), though she prefers the company of commoners. |
| 355 | * CombatStilettos: Mostly in evidence in her ''2019'' outfit, where her boots’ heels are easily 6 inches. |
| 356 | * EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench: She was designed so as to be the 'sexy', mature {{Foil}} to the cuter Nakoruru, although most of her sexiness was covered with her BattleBallgown. |
| 357 | * FanservicePack: Her updated design for ''2019'' is this in spades. Unlike the original games, where she had a more masculine design to invoke the ''Rose of Versailles'' reference, in the reboot she is much more open about her femininity, sporting more form-fitting, high-class attire and tying her long hair into a ponytail. |
| 358 | * GuestFighter: She's the last ''Samurai Shodown'' character to become a full blown hero in ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings''. |
| 359 | * GorgeousGaijin: The series’ original western woman -- her theme in the first game is even titled "Foreign Woman" -- and she exhibits the almost prerequisite long blonde hair and statuesque height. |
| 360 | * GratuitousFrench: Has gone from ear-grating to amusing to just short of decent. |
| 361 | ** One foppish looking NPC in her ''V'' intro takes it a couple of dozen steps further, to the utter hilarity of many a French fan. |
| 362 | ---> ''Juéé t'êêêêêm Madeumwazzêêêll'' (“I love you, Miss”) |
| 363 | ** For ''2019'', her trailer was first released in French (to the delight of French fans) and she now bids her opponent a cheerily smug “adieu” after skewering them with her super. |
| 364 | * HaughtyHmph: In keeping with her slightly disdainful personality, she does this when interacting with most opponents. |
| 365 | * ImportantHaircut: When she sees that Haohmaru ''does'' love Oshizu, despite his dedication to fighting, she decides to get over it and starts by cutting her long hair with her rapier. |
| 366 | * InstantMessengerPigeon: Her method of staying in contact with France while she's on her travels is via Pierre, a messenger pigeon named after her FirstLove. |
| 367 | * IronLady: She's a proud woman, utterly no-nonsense in manner, and dedicated entirely to protecting her countrymen. |
| 368 | * LadyOfWar: A sophisticated, classically beautiful woman who elegantly wields an ''épée'' in combat. Her pre-fight quote in ''Samurai Shodown (1993)'' says it all. |
| 369 | -->'' Not all warriors are called "Sir", twit.'' |
| 370 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Her name is a direct reference (albeit in a [[JapaneseRanguage mis-romanised]] manner) to UsefulNotes/CharlotteCorday, who was an activist during the French Revolution and sent to the guillotine. |
| 371 | * NoblewomansLaugh: She breaks into a haughty, mocking laugh when she wins a round. |
| 372 | * PatrioticFervor: Following the events of the first game, she returns to France to participate in the French Revolution, despite her noble status. |
| 373 | * RoyalRapier: She wields an ''épée'' in combat, which compliments her elegant, French character. |
| 374 | * {{Shotoclone}}: She has a projectile, a "dragon punch" style rising slash, and an attack that carries her forward -- essentially the full shoto trio. She's also one of the easiest characters to pick up, play, and do well with. |
| 375 | * ShoutOut: Her look is very much inspired by Oscar de Jarjayes from ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' (without the cross-dressing tendencies.) |
| 376 | * SignatureSoundEffect: In ''2019'', Charlotte's weapon has its own distinct sound effect to convey the "piercing" attack of a rapier, versus the universal shredding/slicing sounds accompanying the attacks of all other blade-carrying fighters. |
| 377 | * SomethingAboutARose: Like many European characters in the fighting game genre, she has a penchant for roses and the flower is featured in the design of her armor and her stage’s propping, as well as her win-pose, where she serenely holds a rose to her face. |
| 378 | * StatuesqueStunner: She stands at an amazonian height of 6' -- ''huge'' for a woman of her time. |
| 379 | [[/folder]] |
| 380 | |
| 381 | [[folder:Tam Tam]] |
| 382 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tamtam.png]] |
| 383 | ->''My soul is the blazing sun! Your soul is all shriveled up.'' |
| 384 | |
| 385 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations Green Hell Village, Maya Territory, Mesoamerica]] [[note]]Tam Tam's origin is slightly muddled. In the debut game, he's labeled as an Inca and his village is shown to be located in South America, but in the 2019 game there appears to have been a corrective retcon and his village is now shown to be in Mesoamerica on the world map, where the land is also labeled "Maya". The Maya flag is therefore presented here.[[/note]]'' |
| 386 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[SinisterScimitar Henge Hanze Zange]]'' [[note]] (''"[[ConLang The blade that cuts through darkness]]"'')[[/note]], [[MacheteMayhem a machete]] |
| 387 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Kay Inage (I), Toshikazu Nishimura (IV, V, V Special, VI (re-dub)), Kazuki Ishii (VI), Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (The Motion Picture), Hideo Ishikawa (Drama [=CDs=]) Ryosuke Morita ([=SamSho=] 2019)[[/note]] |
| 388 | |
| 389 | ->Hero of the Green Hell tribe and protector of the Tanjil and Palenke Stones, both of which prevent Ambrosia entering the world. He was actually slain by Gaoh in the past, but one of his fellow tribesmen discovered his mask and was resurrected as a new Tam Tam. Later gets turned into a chimp after his little sister Cham Cham loses the Tanjil Stone. |
| 390 | ---- |
| 391 | * AmbiguouslyBrown: He sports a bronzed skin-tone, which is relatively suitable as he’s a native Mesoamerican. |
| 392 | * AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: “Tam Tam” is not a name encountered in Maya, Inca or Aztec cultures and was probably chosen primarily because it sounds “jungly” and primitive. |
| 393 | * TheBigGuy: Tam Tam towers over everyone in the game, but either his fighting style or him being possessed by the mask causes him to walk and fight in an awkward "crab-like" crouching pose. |
| 394 | * BreathWeapon: He can leap up and breathe fire in great exploding globules. |
| 395 | * ConfusionFu: Tam Tam's stance keeps him low to the ground, he throws skulls, fireballs, and totem poles from unusual angles and performs low-hitting pseudo-Hurricane Kicks ''by spinning on his fingertips''. |
| 396 | * ForcedTransformation: His ending in ''IV'' reveals that he has been cursed and now lives as his sister’s chimp, Paku-Paku -- a punishment meted out over ''her'' losing the sacred Tanjil Stone. |
| 397 | * HotBlooded: One of his win quotes speaks for itself: "My boiling blood bubbles for battle!" |
| 398 | * HumanSacrifice: His super in ''2019'' evokes this, and features the opponent being thrust skyward and shredded by a towering tribal totem whilst a group of his fellow masked tribesman leap around it manically. |
| 399 | * HulkSpeak: In ''2019'', his dialogue is heavily accented and he speaks slowly and deliberately, which lends him a primitive quality, unlike his fellow cast members. |
| 400 | * LegacyCharacter: After he’s killed by Gaoh in ''V'' (chronologically the first game), a fellow Green Hell villager discovers his mask and takes up the mantle of a new “Tam Tam”. |
| 401 | * LostTribe: At the time the series is set (1786+), the Spanish conquest had stripped away most of the defining features of Maya civilization. However, many Maya villages (like Green Hell) remained remote from Spanish colonial authority, and for the most part, continued to manage their own affairs. |
| 402 | * MacheteMayhem: He wields a giant-sized ''machete''. |
| 403 | * ManBitesMan: Since ''IV'', he has had a horrific command-throw called the "Gaburu Gaburu" (which sounds uncomfortably similar to "gobble gobble"). He grabs the opponent, then [[GoryDiscretionShot thankfully]] turns his back to the camera and proceeds to bite chunks out of them. He then cackles as blood runs down his hands. |
| 404 | * MaskPower: His mask is in some way magical, as its innate power is enough to reincarnate him when worn by another villager. |
| 405 | * {{Mayincatec}}: Zigzagged - |
| 406 | ** Originally, he's presented as an Inca hailing from South America, as seen on the first game’s map screen, where his village of “Green Hell” is located in the upper region of the continent, and also via the original [[https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/petwolfgaming.com/2019/03/23/final-round-samurai-shodown/amp/ arcade flyers]] released for the series’ debut, which unambiguously presented him as an “Incan Warrior”. |
| 407 | ** In ''2019'' there has been a retcon, as the world-map now pinpoints his village of Green Hell as being in Mesoamerica, labeling the land “Maya” — so it appears he’s a Maya warrior after all. |
| 408 | * ProudWarriorRaceGuy: He's the greatest warrior and hero of his village, Green Hell. Hearing from the village elders that their sacred artifact is missing, he takes the responsibility of retrieving the stolen treasure, the mysterious jewel known as the "Palenke Stone". |
| 409 | * VocalDissonance: For such a ''huge'' guy, his voice is screechy and high-pitched. Even in ''2019'', where his voice is deeper, he is still able to belt out his signature high-pitched victory screech. |
| 410 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: Sports only a collar and jewelry on his upper half. |
| 411 | * WildMan: He’s the series’ attempt to add a little diversity to the roster in his capacity as a tribal Mesoamerican warrior in a game dominated by Japanese characters. |
| 412 | [[/folder]] |
| 413 | |
| 414 | [[folder:Kyoshiro Senryo]] |
| 415 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyoshiro.png]] |
| 416 | ->''What a lovely scene... Everyone is enraptured by my dance.'' |
| 417 | |
| 418 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Edo, Musashi Province, Japan]]'' |
| 419 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[StockCharacters Sewa Nyōbō]]'' [[note]] (''"[[YamatoNadeshiko Caring Wife]]"'')[[/note]], a naginata |
| 420 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Kazuhiro Inage (''I''), Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka (''II''-''Sen'', ''2019''), Tarō Masuoka (''VI''), Creator/YujiMitsuya (''The Motion Picture''), Aaron Krohn (''The Motion Picture'', English dub), Hiroshi Isobe (Drama [=CDs=])[[/note]] |
| 421 | |
| 422 | ->A Kabuki actor who thinks Kabuki dancing is a SeriousBusiness. The evil presence encountered throughout the series kept disturbing his performances, so he usually fights to preserve his dancing stage. |
| 423 | ---- |
| 424 | * AnimeHair: His huge, bouffant mane is based on traditional Kabuki wigs. |
| 425 | * AwesomeButImpractical: He hops on one foot whilst in his idle pose, which must be quite tiring after a while, though it doesn't affect his fighting prowess -- it's more of an aesthetic tick in line with his overall theatricality. |
| 426 | * BreathWeapon: In a nod to his highly theatrical, performance-based fighting style, one of his moves involves him breathing ''fire'' at his opponents. |
| 427 | * ComicallyCrossEyed: He does this in ''2019'' as part of his Kabuki poses. |
| 428 | * DanceBattler: He's an accomplished Kabuki actor, and uses his theatrical movement skills in battle. |
| 429 | * FightingClown: Even with his new design from ''III'' onward, Kyoshiro not only evokes the traditional appearance of a clown but is also very comedic and jovial in combat, from his strange poses to the fact that he can summon mini tidal waves and giant frogs. |
| 430 | * FrogNinja: He's able to summon a giant frog that comes up through the stage floor to savage the opponent, and although he isn't a ninja, this suits his overall weirdness and sense of theatre. |
| 431 | * KabukiSounds: As expected from one who specializes in the art of Kabuki -- ''Yoo~ooh!'' |
| 432 | * LargeHam: This is ''Kabuki'' after all, where expressions, gestures, and speech-patterns are all highly stylized. It's self-acknowledged too, as seen when he defeats his palette-swapped counterpart, he calls him a "ham". |
| 433 | * MakingASplash: Kyoshiro has the ability to manifest small waves of water with a swipe of his naginata, which surge along the ground to hit low. |
| 434 | * MeaningfulName: "Senryō" denotes a high salary referring to star actors. "Kyōshi" is translated as "a death marked by madness". Also, the name of his weapon, "Caring Wife", is a stock Kabuki role. |
| 435 | * OverlyLongTongue: In ''2019'', his prologue art shows him sticking out his long tongue, which fits with his overall bizarre nature. |
| 436 | * PaperFanOfDoom: In some games, Kyoshiro's projectiles are paper fans inducted with fire. |
| 437 | * PlayingWithFire: Apart from the aforementioned paper fans, a variety of his moves burn the opponent — in some games, he even has a BreathWeapon. He can also do a flaming kick in which he uses his naginata to sling-shot himself at the opponent. |
| 438 | * RaceFetish: He's got a penchant for busty white women, as seen in his bio where under the "ideal mate" section, he lists: "''[[GorgeousGaijin Western women with measurements Japanese couldn't begin to fathom]]''." Strangely, he's never interacted flirtatiously with Charlotte, despite her fitting the bill. |
| 439 | * SeriousBusiness: His win-quote sums up how seriously he takes his art-form of choice; "(Kabuki is) a method of acting that is a matter of life or death." |
| 440 | * SpinAttack: Certain moves and one of Kyoshiro's super moves involves him spinning really fast with his naginata outstretched in a tornado-like fashion. |
| 441 | * TookALevelInBadass: In the first game and ''II'', his sprite suggests something of a [[FightingClown comedic, faintly ridiculous character]]. But come ''III'', he sports a ''far'' stronger look via a powerful, almost animalistic stance, wild leonine hair, and a sleeker costume. |
| 442 | [[/folder]] |
| 443 | |
| 444 | [[folder:Wan Fu]] |
| 445 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wanfu_8.png]] |
| 446 | ->''Some call me the Warrior King, while others say the God of War! Now you know why!'' |
| 447 | |
| 448 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[ImperialChina Xi'an, Qing Empire]] [[note]]The flag shown here is that of the historic Qing Dynasty, who ruled China from 1644 to 1912.[[/note]]'' |
| 449 | -> '''Weapon (I / Sen):''' ''[[SinisterScimitar Zanniku Daibocho]]'' [[note]](''"Flesh-cutting Large Sword"'')[[/note]], [[SinisterScimitar a dao]] |
| 450 | -> '''Weapon (II / 2019):''' ''[[ImprobableWeaponUser Bokuniku Daisekichu]]'' [[note]](''"Flesh-Pounding Large Stone Pillar"'')[[/note]], [[ImprobableWeaponUser a stone pillar]] |
| 451 | -> '''Weapon (VI):''' ''[[BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon Bakuniku Daitekkyu]]'' [[note]](''"Flesh-Bursting Large Iron Ball"'')[[/note]], [[BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon a chuí]] |
| 452 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Takayuki Sakai (''I''), Toshikazu Nishimura - (''II'', RPG (battle voice), ''Sen'', ''VI'' (re-dub)), Masaru Naka (RPG (cutscenes)), Masahiro Okazaki (''VI''), Kouzou Douzaka (2019), Tessho Genda (The Motion Picture), Creator/DaisukeGori (Drama [=CDs=])[[/note]] |
| 453 | |
| 454 | ->A Chinese Warlord out to unify his nation. Despite this seemingly dictatorial idea, he is merely a good guy trying to make best of the situation, and protect his land, which leads him to fight off the evil forces threatening the Qing Empire. \ |
| 455 | \ |
| 456 | In ''2019'' which takes place before the first game, he hears of a strong warrior from a distant land and heads to Japan in order to potentially recruit them for his army. |
| 457 | ---- |
| 458 | * AssKicksYou: As seen during one of his standing kicks, one jumping kick, and one of his grabs. |
| 459 | * {{BFS}}: His weapon in the first game. |
| 460 | * BigNo: In his ending in ''2019'', he lets out one when his weapon breaks in half. |
| 461 | * BlueBlood: He's a general of the Qing Dynasty and his bio notes that he descends from the Han Imperial Family, the ancient Dynasty which ruled China from 206 BC to 220 AD. |
| 462 | * BoisterousBruiser: Probably even more than Haohmaru. |
| 463 | * {{Bowdlerise}}: His original bio in ''I'' noted that he "is wandering around the world searching for a "true Han" to defeat the "foreign race" empire (the Qing Empire) and restore the ethnic Han Empire" -- a less altruistic mission than that which is noted in both later, and international materials (which simply mention him ''unifying'' China). |
| 464 | * CallForward: In his ''2019'' ending, his stone pillar finally gives out from all the battles he's fought thus far, and it breaks in half — which is why he uses a dao in the first game. |
| 465 | * ChinesePeople: The series' sole Chinese rep until ''V''. However, he actually represents something of an interesting anomaly in the fighting game genre, where the Chinese characters are almost always represented by either the acrobatic, UsefulNotes/{{Qipao}}-clad AnimeChineseGirl, the straight-up BruceLeeClone, or the OldMaster (at least 50 years old +) sporting a long beard. As a portly, boisterous warlord, he represents a refreshingly different approach. |
| 466 | * DownloadableContent: He returns to the series in ''2019'' as part of the first season of DLC characters, and wields an updated version of his stone pillar from ''II''. |
| 467 | * HotBlooded: At least in the first game, his Rage gauge fills up faster than anyone else's, and stays maxed out for the longest as well. |
| 468 | * ItWasAGift: The stone pillar he wields was given to him by the Emperor himself. |
| 469 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He usually acts like a {{jerkass}} and sometimes a CasanovaWannabe, but he has a good heart and fights for his people. |
| 470 | * LightningBruiser: For a big guy, he can cover the screen faster than some of the more slightly built characters. |
| 471 | * MeaningfulName: Translates as "[[PantheraAwesome Tiger]] [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership King]]". |
| 472 | * NoFourthWall: He is one of the few characters in the series to have a "joke" ending that breaks the fourth wall. Comically, he admits to the player that "there is [[NoEnding no ending]] to [his] story". |
| 473 | * ProgressivelyPrettier: Zigzagged. In the first game, his physique can be described as flabby. In the second game, he sported an impressive six-pack. Come SSVI, his belly is more prominent than ever, and in ''2019'', he's back to his ripped (though still heavy-set) look from the second game. |
| 474 | * StoutStrength: In the first game and ''VI'', he sports a noticeable gut (though not to the same extent as Earthquake) and is still strong enough to ''use a temple pillar as a makeshift weapon'' (albeit not in the same game). |
| 475 | * TakeOverTheWorld: ''Take Over China'' in his case, though for fairly gallant reasons. |
| 476 | * UseYourHead: In ''II'', he gains a move which involves repeatedly slamming his head into his stone pillar to fill his rage gauge [[CastFromHP at the cost of some of his Health]]. |
| 477 | * WalkingShirtlessScene: His primary costume is a simple loincloth. |
| 478 | [[/folder]] |
| 479 | |
| 480 | [[folder:Gen-an Shiranui]] |
| 481 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/genan.png]] |
| 482 | ->''No one calls me "freak" and lives! No one but my wife, that is.'' |
| 483 | |
| 484 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Onigami Island, Japan]]'' |
| 485 | ->'''Weapon:''' ''[[ICallItVera Azami]]'' [[note]] ("thistle", a suitably spiky plant, and named after his wife)[[/note]], [[WolverineClaws a clawed]] [[PowerFist gauntlet]] |
| 486 | ->'''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Eiji Yano (''I-II''), Masahiro Okazaki (''VI''), Kōichi Kitamura (''The Motion Picture''), Neal Ford (''The Motion Picture'', English dub), Isamu Tanonaka (Drama [=CDs=])[[/note]] |
| 487 | |
| 488 | ->An..uh... goblin-like monster who claims to be 'The King of Demons' and does his best to do evil here and there, despite being quite inept at it. He has a human-seeming wife named Azami, who bore him a brood of kids...WHO LOOK LIKE HIM. Eventually, due to Azami’s wishes, Gen-An stops fighting and settles down to the role of a family man/goblin. |
| 489 | ---- |
| 490 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: As he’s a "goblin", his skin is light green. |
| 491 | * AmbiguouslyRelated: With [[Characters/FatalFury2 Mai Shiranui]]. Since SNK never stated whether they are actually related or not, it is unclear if Gen-An is an ancestor of Mai's or it's simply a coincidence between their surnames. |
| 492 | * AntiVillain: For all his boasts of being a Demon King, in the end, Gen-An is just a family man concerned with the wellbeing of his wife and goblin brood. |
| 493 | * TheArtifact: According to the series' creator, Yasushi Adachi, the concept was originally to create an action game featuring various monsters. Ultimately it was felt that a fighting game with ninjas and samurai, which represented distinctly Japanese characters, would do better commercially than just monsters, so the concept changed accordingly and the only “survivor” of those original monsters was Gen-an. |
| 494 | * BackFromTheDead: Killed by [[{{Kunoichi}} Ayame]] after the first game, Gen-An was revived by Mizuki in the second to serve Ambrosia. |
| 495 | * BaldOfEvil: Supports his 'evil goblin' persona. |
| 496 | * BladeBelowTheShoulder: His blade-gauntlet. |
| 497 | * BreathWeapon: His poison breath, which in the first games makes the opponent dizzy, though they instantly fall down, so he can't continue with another attack. |
| 498 | * TheCameo: Gen-An also appears as part of character endings in ''IV'' and ''V'' (Genjuro and Gaira, respectively), as part of a background in ''Samurai Shodown!'' (first of Platform/NeoGeoPocket SS games and port of ''IV'') and as one of the monsters in [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Akari Ichijou]]'s super move in ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''. |
| 499 | * CartoonCreature: In a series that debuted with a cast of ''fairly'' realistic human characters (some even based on real-life, historical figures), he stands out as a completely fantasy-based, goblinoid creature. |
| 500 | * CulturalCrossReference: His whole design is based on Western depictions of goblins, as in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. |
| 501 | * DragonWithAnAgenda: Even after being revived and recruited by Ambrosia, Gen-An's plans to be the "Evil King" are intact. |
| 502 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Although he’s evil, Gen-An has a lovely wife who loves him, evil or not, and children who love him too — and he loves them all back as well, being a good husband and father. |
| 503 | * EvilDuo: With Earthquake in a few characters' endings, and they're often paired by fans as the [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Choi and Chang]] of the series. |
| 504 | * EvilLaugh: An unsettling cackle, to be specific. |
| 505 | * FamilyMan: Despite being an evil minion, Gen-An is loyal to his own family (his wife and children.) |
| 506 | * {{Gonk}}: One of the series' ugliest character by far, it’s not even clear just ''what'' this guy actually is. He held the 'ugliest' title for a long time until Kusaregedo was introduced and took his crown. |
| 507 | * GrapplingHookPistol: His claw is attached to a hidden chain, so he can shoot it out then pull opponents towards him. He was one of the first fighting game characters able to do this, along with [[Characters/MortalKombat1992 Scorpion]]. |
| 508 | * GreenAndMean: He's a goblinoid demi-human, and has bright slime-green skin to boot. |
| 509 | * HumanoidAbomination: Is he a goblin? A tengu? A demon? A hideous human?...he’s been tentatively labeled all four, but it’s always left ambiguous. |
| 510 | * ImAHumanitarian: A pot of what appears to be dead people simmers away in the background of his stage. |
| 511 | * InconsistentSpelling: Is it Genan, Gen An, Gen-an or Gen-An? |
| 512 | * IneffectualSympatheticVillain: A self-proclaimed "Demon King" with a squeaky voice and in the end too much of a FamilyMan to be taken truly seriously as a force of evil. |
| 513 | * InterspeciesRomance: He's AmbiguouslyHuman, but his wife Azami is much more typically human-looking, although she does sport large, pointed ears as he does. |
| 514 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 515 | ** "Gen-an" translates as "phantom hermit", and a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiranui_(optical_phenomenon) shiranui]]'' is an atmospheric ghost light. |
| 516 | ** His family all have sightly creepy names too. His wife Azami's name means "thistle" (a spiky plant) and his children's names are all lowly, underground-themed; Zakuro ("pomegranate" -- a fruit associated with the underworld), Mukuro ("mole" -- a burrowing animal) and Hedora (literally "gutter", the poor kid!). |
| 517 | * OutOfFocus: Of the original thirteen characters from ''1993'', Gen-an is the only one that wasn't included in ''2019''. Initially, Wan Fu and Amakusa were also in the same boat as him, but they were eventually included later on as DLC characters. |
| 518 | * PoisonousPerson: His breath weapon, which stuns the opponent momentarily. |
| 519 | * ShoutOut: |
| 520 | ** His clawed-glove weapon is directly inspired by [[Film/EdwardScissorhands Edward]] [[https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/10/15223966/the-making-of-samurai-shodown Scissorhands]]. |
| 521 | ** His stage in ''II'' features a [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]] being cooked inside a giant metal cauldron by other "goblins". |
| 522 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He is constantly proclaiming himself 'The Demon King'. |
| 523 | * SmugSnake: He's the supremely confident yet blundering fool of the series. Despite declaring himself a 'king', he's really a just minion amongst the masses and a show of force will cause him to swiftly back off. |
| 524 | * SpinAttack: One of his moves and his eventual super involves spinning. |
| 525 | * ThisIsADrill: In ''I'', Gen-An's punch throw has him use his claw-like a drill. In ''II'' this becomes his Desperation Move. |
| 526 | * UglyGuyHotWife: Gen-an's wife Azami is an attractive humanoid. It's even jokingly suggested he might be an ancestor of [[VideoGame/FatalFury Mai Shiranui]], though they really have no relation beyond their shared surname. |
| 527 | * WolverineClaws: He wields a horrific-looking clawed glove, which he dramatically snaps closed as his idle animation cycles. |
| 528 | [[/folder]] |
| 529 | |
| 530 | [[folder:Shiro Tokisada Amakusa]] |
| 531 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amakusa_8.png]] |
| 532 | ->''Pain is the word of the divine; death, forgiveness... I pity you.'' |
| 533 | |
| 534 | -> '''Origin:''' ''[[FeudalJapan Ōyano Village, Amakusa District, Higo Province, Japan]]'' |
| 535 | -> '''Weapon:''' ''[[MacGuffin Gadamā no Hōju]]'' [[note]](''"Gadama Gem"'' -- The Palenke Stone from the storyline)[[/note]], [[CrystalBall a magic orb]] |
| 536 | -> '''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Eiji Yano (I, III, IV, ''Nakoruru ADV'', VI (Anthology Redub)), Yū Daiki (The Motion Picture), Kaneto Shiozawa (Drama [=CDs=]), Misuaki Madono (RPG), Takashi Ōhara (V Special), Junji Majima (VI), Creator/ShowHayami (''Oni''), Shusaku Shirakawa (''2019'')[[/note]] |
| 537 | |
| 538 | ->Based on [[UsefulNotes/AmakusaShiro the Christian rebel of the same name]], he crossed the DespairEventHorizon when he was sentenced to death, and made a pact with Ambrosia as he was executed. Amakusa is then resurrected by Ambrosia using the body of Shinzo Hattori (one of Hanzo's sons). Amakusa's main plot involves him stealing the Palenke stone, which he intended to use to bring Ambrosia to the mortal world. Upon his resurrection in ''IV'', his spirit splits into two halves: one good and one evil -- Amakusa seeks his other half in order to regain his full power. His appearance in ''2019'' sheds light on what happened immediately after he was first resurrected, and how exactly he became the BigBad of the first game. |
| 539 | ---- |
| 540 | * AffablyEvil: For his win quotes against certain opponents in ''2019'', he surprisingly seems to empathize with them and claims that he will save them through salvation or even recruit them into his services. Whether he means his words or not is up for debate, but he's fairly confident that his opponents will inhabitat in a world under his rule. As for anyone associated with the Tokugawa Shogunate, he shows no mercy, as they were responsible for his execution. |
| 541 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Aku Amakusa is sometimes depicted with violet colored skin. |
| 542 | * ArtificialStupidity: [=SS1=] Amakusa is extremely vulnerable to throws. All you have to do is walk up to him and throw him over and over again. |
| 543 | * TheAtoner: His good side, as explained in the intro above. |
| 544 | * BackFromTheDead: It's kind of his specialty at this point. |
| 545 | * BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: In real life, Amakusa Shiro was captured and executed at 17 years old and that was the end of it. In Samurai Shodown, he's resurrected as an undead sorcerer to do the bidding of the dark god Ambrosia, and subsequently has his consciousness torn into two halves, a good one and an evil one. |
| 546 | * TheBusCameBack: After 16 years since his last playable appearance, Amakusa makes his return as part of the 3rd Season Pass of ''2019''. |
| 547 | * CampyCombat: True to his mannerisms, Amakusa's fighting style could be considered this. Many of his techniques have very flamboyant poses, and he'll even slap his opponents rather than punch them. |
| 548 | * CreepyHighPitchedVoice: A staple of all his appearances, even coupled with VoiceOfTheLegion as Aku Amakusa. |
| 549 | * DownloadableContent: |
| 550 | * DudeLooksLikeALady: Does he EVER! So much that many who first encountered him thought he was a woman at first, due to his feminine features, talon-like fingernails, lipstick, and elaborate kimono. He's so infamous for this trope that the English dub of the anime chose to cut out the middleman and simply rewrite him to be female. |
| 551 | * EnemyWithout: Aku Amakusa |
| 552 | * EnergyBall: His iconic orb. He wields an energy weapon named ''Gadamā no Hōju''. He represents the first fighting game character to wield an orb-like weapon in combat -- characters like [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Viola]] and [[VideoGame/StreetFighterV Menat]] debuted at least eighteen years after he did. |
| 553 | * EvilIsHammy: In games where he is a villain, he chews the scenery like no tomorrow and sounds like he's constantly on the verge of breaking out into maniacal laughter at any given moment. By contrast, when not under Ambrosia's influence, he's a ColdHam. |
| 554 | * FemmeFatalons: For his 'Evil Hornet Gouger' special, he grabs the opponent and uses his very long, razor-sharp fingernails to tear into them multiple times. |
| 555 | * FragileSpeedster: When playable, he’s got some decent tools, but you need to be on your toes when using him as he can easily become overwhelmed by high-pressure characters like Yoshitora and Rera. |
| 556 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Since ''IV'' split Amakusa into two entities ("good" Amakusa / Aku Amakusa), the previous games' identities have been retconned: ''I'' has the two personalities in one body, but split at the end. Aku Amakusa is the playable version in ''III'', and ''IV'' has both of them, his Slash variant being the good one and the Bust variant being Aku Amakusa. After Aku Amakusa is defeated by the Kazama brothers and killed by Zankuro, in ''II'' the identity is the good one. The rest of his appearances (''V Special'' / ''VI'') are in dream match games, but the ''VI'' version is stated to be Aku Amakusa. As revealed in ''V Perfect'', that means the ''V Special'' version is also Aku Amakusa. Since ''2019'' takes place before ''I'', the two are merged once more. |
| 557 | * HeelFaceTurn: Is a bad guy in the first game but since then there has been a SplitPersonality issue where Aku Amakusa wants to continue his evil ways, but his default self wants to atone for his sins. |
| 558 | * HistoricalVillainUpgrade: A rather complicated example. The real life Amakusa Shiro was a Christian minister who lived in Japan and was executed at only 17 years old for his attempts to start a rebellion against the shogunate. As Christianity was a rather foreign concept to the Japanese, both his followers and detractors thought him to have supernatural powers. Therefore SNK's portrayal of Amakusa as a morally ambiguous sorcerer is not too dissimilar from how he would have been seen by the public in real life. Somewhat downplayed and justified in that this Amakusa is not exactly evil, just being manipulated from beyond the grave by a demonic force. |
| 559 | * HypocriticalHumor: "My religion says all are equal. Peasant." |
| 560 | * ImpracticallyFancyOutfit: Sports a voluminous, encumbering kimono that would make a light jog difficult, let along leaping about as he does. ''2019'' is even more extreme, and he even sports chainmail underneath his kimono. |
| 561 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: In a series where most characters wield real-life, historic weaponry, his energy-ball weapon stands out as being ''completely'' fantasy-based. |
| 562 | * KilledOffForReal: Both halves of Amakusa's full spirit meet their own respective ends, with Aku Amakusa being slain at the end of ''IV'' while the "good" Amakusa is struck down and killed by Mizuki near the end of ''II''. |
| 563 | * TheManBehindTheMan: Amakusa was heavily implied before his eventual release to be involved in the summoning and possession of Shizuka Gozen in ''2019'', as the post-credits scene shows his orb glowing red. Turns out it's somewhat of a subversion: he is not the one behind her, but he is a separate agent of the one who is -- Ambrosia. Following Shizuka's defeat, Amakusa takes the portion of Ambrosia that was within her and kickstarts the plot of the first game. |
| 564 | * NoblewomansLaugh: No wonder his gender still causes confusion; his laugh is high-pitched and haughty. His mocking laughter after you hit his counter still haunts players to this day. He gives a particularly impressive one when activating rage explosion in ''V''. |
| 565 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: He's based on the historical UsefulNotes/AmakusaShiro. |
| 566 | * OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous: He's a magic-using, magically-revived entity and his look is utterly feminine, sporting voluminous hair and clothing, as well as lipstick and eyeshadow. |
| 567 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: In the ''2019'' game, it's revealed that he was revived by Ambrosia as a vengeful spirit. His ending shows him possessing Shinzo Hattori, his mortal vessel in the later games, in order to fully return to life. |
| 568 | * PlayingWithFire: Amakusa's orb is capable of emitting flames, allowing him to launch fireballs or leap into the air and drop a flaming orb onto his opponent like a meteor. |
| 569 | * ReligiousBruiser: He's based on the real-life Christian minister of the same name. |
| 570 | * RoaringRampageOfRevenge: His first reason for coming back from the dead, and the basis of his evil self. |
| 571 | * ShesAManInJapan: The English dub of the anime adaptation flat out rewrites Amakusa to be a woman. |
| 572 | * ShoutOut: Though his portrayal bears similarities with the Amakusa in ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makai_Tensho Makai Tensho]]'', a tale in which Mori Sōiken resurrects other dead historical figures to overthrow the Shogunate, developers haven't confirmed if he was particularly based on him. |
| 573 | * SissyVillain: His main hobby is "make-up" and he acts in a camp, haughty manner but he's absolutely not to be underestimated and will readily disembowel you with the magical orb he carries around. One of his trademark special moves is his take on [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Ryo Sakazaki's zanretsuken]] but with effeminate slaps rather than martial arts punches. It doesn't hurt any less. |
| 574 | * SNKBoss: He's less noticeable than other SNK bosses since [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the AI is broken]] in [=SS1=] (effectively making ''every'' character a boss fight), and there was a bug which allowed the player to win the first round against him easily. Still, he remains a very cheap enemy, as his special moves have zero recovery time, can shatter your combos, and dizzy you quite easily. |
| 575 | * TakeOverTheWorld: His ultimate goal is to lead the entire world under his rule by destroying those who betrayed him first, starting with the Tokugawa Shogunate. |
| 576 | * TeleportSpam: One of his signature moves, allowing him to stay just out of the opponent's reach. |
| 577 | * ThePowerOfHate: In the ''2019'' game, his hatred for the Tokugawa Shogunate and those who betrayed him are what fuels his undead body after Ambrosia resurrects him. |
| 578 | * TheUndead: In the ''2019'' game, he's a ''yurei'' like Basara, powered by Ambrosia's evil. |
| 579 | * UndeathlyPallor: Unlike past games, Amakusa's skin is completely pale in the ''2019'' game, signifying that he's undead. |
| 580 | * VoiceOfTheLegion: As Aku Amakusa. |
| 581 | * WeaponizedBall: His orb weapon is infused with demonic energy, but as it's a solid gemstone, it also delivers considerable blunt damage. |
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