Line #60 VideoGame/WorldHeroes


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/03bad304e040ab7ded3bd0e131507072.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:TimeTravel at its finest.]]
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4	A series of fighting games developed for the Platform/NeoGeo by Creator/{{ADK}} and also co-created with Creator/{{SNK}}. Imagine Hattori Hanzou, Kotaro Fuuma, Rasputin, Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, Bruce Lee, Hulk Hogan, and a Nazi super-cyborg coming together and battling each other for the right to fight an alien shapeshifter bent on taking over the world. That's ''World Heroes'' in a nutshell; a one-on-one fighter built around NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed versions of famous people beating the snot out of each other.
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6	While initially largely derivative of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', which explains its complete lack of longevity, it developed some interesting gimmicks later on by ''Jet'' and ''Perfect''. There was also a slew of RuleOfCool involved in the character selection; the sequels added even more thinly-veiled historical personages, including characters based on Captain Kidd, Erik The Red, Joe Montana, [[Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms Lu Bu]] and Jack The Ripper, as well as generic witch-doctor Mudman for some reason.
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8	Unfortunately, cool characters and gimmicks weren't enough to make the series stand out, and it languished into obscurity, during only between 1992 and 1995. The only appearance it made ever since was in ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum'', where Hanzou, Fuuma, and Mudman were playable characters and ''2''[=/=]''Perfect'' BigBad Dio was one of the bosses (in his form from ''Perfect'', Neo Dio.) This is because after its bankruptcy ADK was bought by SNK Playmore and the series actually become part of the SNK's ExpandedUniverse. Janne (now spelled "Jeanne") also shows up in the 2018 all-girls fighting game ''VideoGame/SNKHeroinesTagTeamFrenzy'' as a DownloadableContent character, marking the first time a ''World Heroes'' character has appeared since ''Battle Coliseum''.
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10	The ''World Heroes'' series in general is possibly the most known series from ADK, being ported to various other consoles than Platform/NeoGeo, like [[Platform/SuperNintendo SNES]], Platform/GameBoy, Platform/PCEngine, Platform/MegaDrive and recently Platform/VirtualConsole. As the years passed by, it's actually become a CultClassic of sorts and was compiled by [[Creator/{{SNK}} SNK Playmore]] by the name of ''World Heroes Anthology[=/=]Gorgeous'' for Platform/PlayStation2 in 2007 as part of their [[CompilationReRelease Greatest Hits Compilations]].
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12	Also see the SpinOff ''VideoGame/AggressorsOfDarkKombat'', an OriginalGeneration FightingGame with a touch of BeatEmUp elements where Fuuma appears as a GuestFighter.
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14	Not to be confused with ''Anime/SDGundamWorldHeroes'', the second entry in the ''Franchise/SDGundam World'' series, or ''Roleplay/AWorldOfHeroes'', a PlayByPost roleplay hosted on Website/TVTropes.
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18	!!Games:
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20	* ''World Heroes'' (1992)
21	* ''World Heroes 2'' (1993)
22	* ''World Heroes 2 Jet'' (1994)[[note]]Also has a SuperDeformed port for Platform/GameBoy in 1995[[/note]]
23	* ''World Heroes Perfect'' (1995)
24	* ''World Heroes Anthology''[[note]]called as ''World Heroes Gorgeous'' in Japan[[/note]] (2007); Platform/PlayStation2 compilation of the 4 games made by [[Creator/{{SNK}} SNK Playmore]].
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26	----
27
28	!!This game series provides examples of:
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30	* AllAmazonsWantHercules:
31	** Janne laments how she can't find a suitor who's stronger than she is.
32	** And then she meets J. Carn and falls for him in his World Heroes 1 ending, of course.
33	** And then there's Ryoko fawning over Hanzou.
34	* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Hanzou and Fuuma were clearly modeled after ''[[Franchise/StreetFighter Street Fighter's]]'' Ryu and Ken, from [[ShotoClone their basic moveset]] to [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience their respective colors.]]
35	* BaitAndSwitchBoss: In ''Perfect'' you battle Zeus (the boss from ''[=WH2=] Jet'') for one round then Neo Dio (the boss from ''[=WH2=]'') breaks up the fight and you take him on in a full match as the FinalBoss.
36	* {{BFS}}: Janne's weapon of choice is a snake sword.
37	* BadassLongcoat: Captain Kidd wears a long coat, fitting for his pirate image.
38	* BestHerToBedHer: Janne seems to be of this type, as her endings usually have her lamenting her victories as a still-single woman.
39	* BreakoutVillain: Dio appears in a handful of crossover cameo appearances, even showing up as a full-fledged character in ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum'' as Neo Dio.
40	* BruceLeeClone: Kim Dragon was one of gaming's first takes on the man of legend.
41	* CampGay: Rasputin, complete with MarilynManeuver.
42	* CaptainErsatz:
43	** ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' was a heavy influence on the games: J. Carn is based on the prison warden Uighur (even sharing a shoulder tackle attack), Captain Kidd has mannerisms based on Ein, and Zeus has a heavy resemblance to Raoh (with some frighteningly similar attacks) and some traits from Souther.
44	** Fuuma is based on Fūma Kotarō's depiction in the manga ''Hana no Keiji'' (done by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson, of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' fame).
45	** Similarly, while Brocken appears to be a riff on [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]], he's actually based on Brocken, Jr. and Brockenman from the anime ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'', the characters Bison was also partially inspired by, along with a liberal sprinkling of Stroheim from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. Because of his extendible arms and legs, he also bears some resemblance to [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Dhalsim from]] ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''.
46	** Interestingly, the most obvious ersatz (Janne for Charlotte of the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series) [[OlderThanTheyThink predated the character]] she appears to be ripping off.
47	** Geegus is essentially the [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay T-1000]] if he was in liquid metal form every time.
48	** And of course, Dr. Brown, [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture no relation]].
49	** Ryoko is a blatant reference to real-life judoka Ryoko Tani, and Yawara Inokuma from ''Manga/YawaraAFashionableJudoGirl''. Both became famous roughly at the same time.
50	** A somewhat obscure one (owing to the source manga [[NoExportForYou not having]] an English translation), Mudman is named after and inspired by the manga ''Mud Men: Mask of Ongoro'' by Daijiro Morohoshi.
51	** While he does bear a strong resemblance to Marvel comics villain Blackheart, Neo-Dio is actually an [[CaptainErsatz Ersatz]] of the eponymous {{Manga/Baoh}}, an early work of Creator/HirohikoAraki, with a few traits of [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Dio Brando and Kars]] thrown in for good measure.
52	** Son Goku, aside from being an homage to his [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest source material]], shares traits from some of its adaptions, like Jan Kugo's hairdo from ''Starzinger'' or early Son Goku's playfulness or his Kaio-like symbol from ''Manga/DragonBall''.
53	* CallingYourAttacks: Not as often as you'd think, but you still get things like Rasputin's "ICEU BALL!" and Captain Kidd's "PIRATE SHIP!"
54	* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: The AI reads your controller inputs and moves far faster than you can.
55	* CuteBruiser: Ryoko Izumo, much like the real life Ryoko Tamura, is a cute, petite girl who can throw down men twice her size.
56	* DamnYouMuscleMemory: In the first three games, you gently press the punch or kick button for a weak attack. By pressing and holding either button, you'll execute a harder attack. The fourth game has ''two'' punch buttons and ''two'' kick buttons, plus the ability to execute stronger basic attacks by pressing both punch or kick buttons a la early ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' games, effectively making it a six button fighter on the four-button Neo Geo hardware.
57	* DeathCourse: One play mode in (at least) the first two games replaces the standard character-specific stages with an arena full of traps, such as landmines and electrified ring ropes.
58	* DesperationAttack: The Crazy Death Blow from ''Perfect'', which can be performed once a character's LifeMeter falls below half and begins flashing. Using the Crazy Death Blow when the character's [[ManaMeter Hero Gauge]] is maxed enhances the move further. Every character has one Crazy Death Blow while Janne and Fuuma each have two.
59	* DittoFighter: Geegus, final boss in the first game can transform into any of the eight original fighters. In ''World Heroes 2'', he goes by [[PunnyName Neo Geegus]] and can transform into any of the six new fighters as well.
60	* DramaticHighPerching: The player's character is first shown atop a skyscraper at the start of Jet's tournament mode.
61	* FightingAcrossTimeAndSpace: This is the main premise of series, where a scientist and time-traveler calls out famous {{Historical Domain Character}}s from different eras to fight against a big menace in different times, being reflected in their stages, when they can fight in diverse time periods, including Prehistory, Ice Age, the French Revolution and so on.
62	* FinishingMove: World Heroes Jet has a literal variation--at the end of each of the first four rounds, the deciding move of each individual fight is noted, like after a Japanese wrestling match. Non-character-specific normal moves are dubbed 'Standing Blow of Ba-Boom', 'Standing Kick of Chaos', 'Killer Crouch Kick' and the like.
63	* FlawlessVictory: Your character's VictoryPose changes if you score one. The last game is called "Perfect" for a reason.
64	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Shura's stage in ''2'' has two Buddish monks doing silly things and jumping whenever a character falls to the ground. Additionally, a Siamese cat is trying to climb on a column and will fall to the floor alongside any character that lands there.
65	* HeroWorshipper: Ryoko admires Janne for being strong and pretty and also has a ''huge'' crush on Hanzo.
66	-->'''Ryoko''': "Janne! When I grow up, I want to be just as beautiful as you. And even stronger!"
67	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Everyone except Brocken, Mudman, and the bosses. Although Brocken was originally conceptualized as a cyborg Hitler. Yeah.
68	* HistoricalDomainSuperperson: The series is about historical characters (as well some contemporary ones like [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed judoka Ryoko Tani and football player Johnny Maximum]]) fighting against a great menace invoked by a time machine traveler, having all these famous characters their own powers, some of them being [[ElementalPowers elemental]]. The only non-famous characters are a cyborg created by the Nazis and the scientist who created the time machine and [[HeelFaceTurn reprogramed the cyborg to help him in his mission]].
69	* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Perfect'', following the first round of the final boss fight, Neo-Dio murders Zeus and attacks you.]]
70	* HoaxHogan: Muscle Power is a blatant rip-off of Hulk Hogan, having not just the look but the personality and even the intro of ripping off his t-shirt before a fight. Even when the developers said he wasn't a Hogan expy and changed some of their attirbutes (like shaving his moustache since ''2'') to avoid copyright issues, he's still considered his expy, and one of the most famous of them. Furthermore, there's a VideoGame/{{MUGEN}} recreation of Hulk Hogan where the creator used Muscle Power as a base.
71	* IKnowMaddenKombat: Johnny Maximum is based on Joe Montana (check out his default uniform colors!), and fights using his American football skills accordingly.
72	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Captain Kidd ''throws sharks and ghost ships'' as projectiles. These appear to be [[MakingASplash made of water]].
73	* {{Kiai}}: From multiple people:
74	** Fuuma: "ORA!"
75	** Kim Dragon: "WHOOO!"
76	** Mudman: "WHOOOO-HOO!"
77	** Neo-Dio: "CHOUUUU!" and, in a literal ShoutOut to [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure the other Dio]], "WRYYYYYYY!"
78	* LadyOfWar: Janne, as well as what Ryoko aspires to be.
79	* LightningBruiser: Muscle Power: Fast. Strong. Dominating... but he has no way around projectiles.
80	* LoveFreak: Rasputin... in a [[DepravedBisexual decidedly R-rated]] way.
81	* MightyGlacier: J. Carn and Ryofu are the biggest player characters in the game, balanced by their lack of speed.
82	* MultiformBalance: Any character in ''Jet'' can be a JackOfAllStats, GlassCannon, StoneWall, or FragileSpeedster, via handicap in two-player games.
83	* MultipleEndings: ''World Heroes 2 Jet'' employs an unusual variation of this, the ending is determined by how much health you have left after beating the final boss.
84	* {{Ninja}}: Hanzou and Fuuma were from competing clans - the Iga and Fuuma Ninja.
85	* NoblewomansLaugh: Janne's beauty flaw is her ear-grating laughter.
86	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Ryoko Izumo is based on famous japanese judoka Ryoko Tani, Muscle Power is based on Wrestling/HulkHogan (though the resemblance was toned down in later appearances) and Johnny Maximum is based on Joe Montana.
87	* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed:
88	** All the characters except Hanzo, Fuma, Captain Kidd and Rasputin have their names changed. Jack is arguable, since he's based on Jack the Ripper, but that wasn't the guy's ''real'' name... far as we know. Mudman and Brocken, as noted above, are the only characters who aren't based on any specific figures from history.
89	** Early concepts for the game featured Brocken as a cyborg [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Adolf Hitler using Zyklon-B gas]]; this was dropped early in development for obvious reasons (World '''Heroes''', indeed!), though he retains his toxic gas attack and "Heil, Brocken!" win quote in the Japanese versions of [=WH2J/WHP=] (text only, likely a reference to Brocken Jr.'s theme song in the ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'' anime). Brocken also stars in 19YY, one of the minigames in {{ADK World}}, where it is implied that he is a flying cyborg soldier, fighting ''literal'' airships for a Reich-esque Germany in the DieselPunk world of an AlternateTimeline. But since this game takes place inside a movie, it's probably not canon.
90	** Many characters also got their background heavily altered. For example; Janne is the guardian of a traveling circus she grew up in, J. Carn is one of the top officers and personal bodyguard of the actual Genghis Khan and Erick is a friendly family man who himself decided to become an explorer, while the real Erik the Red was exiled for murder. Brocken, having his initial background concept dropped, does not have much of a background at all.
91	* {{Pirate}}: Captain Kidd, of course. He does not have a rivalry with [[CoolVersusAwesome Fuuma or Hanzo]], unfortunately.
92	* PirateParrot: Captain Kidd's pet bird seems to be more of a ''condor'', but it really just represents a more badass version of a parrot. During Kidd's FinishingMove, it pecks at the hanged opponent...
93	* PunchKickLayout: The series ''evolved'' with this as it concluded, see DamnYouMuscleMemory above.
94	* RecycledSoundtrack: Geegus' theme in the first game is the stage 1 music of ''VideoGame/MagicianLord'', another Neo Geo game by ADK. This is not the case for the rearranged Neo Geo CD soundtrack, which gives him an original composition.
95	* RedOniBlueOni: Fuuma and Hanzou. They're even color-coded!
96	* RuleOfFunny: The last entry in particular leans towards funny.
97	* ShotoClone: Hanzou and Fuuma were the ninja equivalent of RyuAndKen respectively and even wore the same colors as their Creator/{{Capcom}} counterparts.
98	* ShoutOut:
99	** The inventor of the time machine is a certain [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Dr. Brown...]] Also, Neo-'''Dio''' is an Ultimate Life Form fond of phrases such as "Useless, useless, useless!" and [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure "WRYYYYYYY!"]] and uses sabers coming out of his arms just like Baoh and Kars.
100	** The Death Match mode was almost certainly inspired by [[Wrestling/{{FMW}} Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]], a Japanese promotion popular at the time due to its outrageous hardcore matches (barbed wire ropes, electrified ropes, explosions, etc.). Much more pronounced in the first game where all the matches take place in wrestling rings.
101	** Brocken's speech pattern in text was modeled after [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Stroheim]]. Like the extra Dio lines snuck into Neo-Dio's win quotes, these were [[LostInTranslation lost in translation]].
102	** Brocken and (Neo) Geegus were adapted from ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' movies, being [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger T-800]] and [[Creator/RobertPatrick T-1000]] respectively.
103	** It seems that the manga ''Shura no Mon'' (the predecessor of ''Manga/ShuraNoToki'') was a strong influence on ''World Heroes 2'': Shura was highly influenced by its main character Tsukumo Mutsu, Ryoko's technique "Bosatsusho" ([[ShockwaveClap a head clap]] that makes the victim's cranium vibrate, giving punch-drunk syndrome symptoms) is taken straight out of the manga, and Muscle Power and Mudman have Japanese win quotes that reference the manga's HoaxHogan Ralph Dolman and the ReligiousBruiser boxer Jersey Roman (based on George Foreman). Those references were heavily downplayed in the sequels.
104	** Mudman's NPC allies contain silly name references: his god Fahfar is based on the brand [=FaFa=] (the Japanese brand name of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snuggle Snuggle]]), and the muscled spirits that help him are named Adon and Samson (Sabu and Rosu in the ''Battle Coliseum'' super move), named after the iconic characters from ''VideoGame/ChoAniki''.
105	** Erick's "Longhorn Train" is named after a technique from ''{{Manga/Kinnikuman}}''
106	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Janne is the only female in the original game. Even after the arrival of Ryoko in ''2'' they are the only female characters in the entire series.
107	* SNKBoss:
108	** Zeus in ''World Heroes 2 Jet'' is very strong, but he returns as a OptionalBoss in ''World Heroes Perfect'' that you aren't required to beat. In ''Perfect'', his moves have absolute priority and no startup, as well as being extremely overpowered. One of his super moves is a ordinary-looking punch that hits five times for 20% damage each hit. If it connects perfectly, it [=KOs=] the player regardless of how much health they have.
109	** Neo-Dio, the final boss of ''Perfect'', may not do as much damage as Zeus, but he makes up for it with his unmatched speed, his spin attack, and a sweep with a lot of reach.
110	* StoutStrength: Erik is probably pound-for-pound the most physically powerful character. He also has an extremely pronounced gut.
111	* StupidJetpackHitler: Brocken the German cyborg's profile in the first game mentions that he "[[BloodKnight has no emotions except that he loves to destroy]]", though this aspect of his character is [[LighterAndSofter heavily toned down]] later in the series.
112	* SuperDeformed: The Platform/GameBoy port of ''World Heroes 2 Jet'' uses this style.
113	* TerminatorImpersonator: This series has not one but two despictions of Terminators: Brocken and Geegus, which are game versions of T-800 and T-1000 respectively. Brocken is a cyborg dressed as a military man who was supposed to be made as a walking weapon but was reprogrammed by [[BigGood Dr. Brown]] to be one of his champions. Geegus instead, is an alien lifeform with the shape of a muscled human and can take [[DittoFighter shape of any opponent]], later to be revealed as he's TheDragon of [[BigBad Dio]].
114	* TimeTravel: Why everyone's here. Dr. Brown invents a time machine and... [[MisappliedPhlebotinum uses it to set up a fighting tournament.]]
115	* TraumaticHaircut: One of the Death Course fights takes place in a fully normal arena. However, the character portrait of the loser will be shown with all of their hair shaved.
116	* {{Unicorn}}: Ryofu summons one in his desperation attack, though it's probably meant to be a {{Kirin}}.
117	* UpdatedRerelease:
118	** Subverted with ''World Heroes 2 Jet''. While it sounds like a revamped version of ''World Heroes 2'', ''Jet'' is actually modified enough to be an installment entirely unto its own. It retains the character roster from ''2'' but most of them received new and modified moves and fighting statistics. ''Jet'' also introduces two new playable characters to the roster, Jack and Ryofu, alongside with a new FinalBoss named Zeus. Additionally the game features a unique arcade mode that is structured more like a global tournament than your standard "ThreeRoundDeathmatch then move onto the next opponent" (though this typical structure eventually shows up further into the arcade mode; you can also play regular ThreeRoundDeathmatch fights by selecting the alternate single player mode). The word "Jet" in the title not only refers to faster movement, but also the ability to perform forward and backward dashing. Another new addition is when two attacks hit each other, they'll rebound. Lastly, the word itself, "Jet" was simply [[TakeThat a jab]] at Creator/{{Capcom}} with its numerous ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' derivatives (specifically ''Street Fighter II′ Turbo'').
119	** There is also ''World Heroes Anthology[=/=]Gorgeous'', a CompilationRerelease which has UnlockableContent and the option to fight online with any of the games, ''2 Jet'' included.
120	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Kim Dragon and Captain Kidd wear outfits that show off their muscles. Mudman also qualifies, though he's usually covered by his large mask.
121	* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: Muscle Power's Franchise/WonderWoman and/or Wrestling/LexLuger style starry speedo.
122	* WhipSword: Janne's sword can extend into a whip, as seen in her ABC special move in Perfect.
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Context VideoGame / WorldHeroes