Power Instinct / Characters

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Debuting in Power Instinct

Reiji Oyama

A serious, straight-laced martial artist dedicated to his training. His entire gimmick is that he's a run of the mill karate guy in a game full of oddballs.

Tropes associated with Reiji:

Affectionate Parody: Of shotoclones, particularly of Ryu, who has the same motivation and goals, like being the World's Best Warrior and Walking the Earth to achieve it.

The Cameo: Appears in Rudolph's ending in Groove on Fight.
The Comically Serious: A serious karateka man in a world full of oddballs.
Decoy Protagonist: The games often showcase him first among all characters, and in the character selection screen the Player 1 cursor starts on him. However, he's just one of the many members of the family and the true main characters are Oume and Otane.

Hot Men at Work: Reiji works as a construction worker when he's not training or fighting, as seen in his profile.

Lightning/Fire Juxtaposition: Reiji in the games prior to Matrimelee combines an Energy Ball made of lightning with a flamming dragon punch. After the mentioned game, all his moves became from fire instead.
New Powers as the Plot Demands: Reiji's Gekishouhadouha (his Energy Ball) was originally a ball of lightning. Since Matrimelee and onwards it became a fireball.
Playing with Fire: Mostly his Shoryuken has fire and burns the opponent. Since Matrimelee also his Energy Ball becomes of fire instead lightning.
Rapidfire Fisticuffs: He has a kick variation, which looks like a Shout-Out of Chun-li's Hyakuretsukyaku.

Shotoclone: Not just being an Affectionate Parody of them, also has an Energy Ball (Gekishouhadouha), a Shoryuken (Ryuenshou) and a forward kick attack (Shouenbu, a Diving Kick).
Technicolor Fire: Reiji produced blue flames with his Ryuenshou (a Ken Masters-esque Shoryuken) in the first games. Since Matrimelee he gets normal fire with this move.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He doesn't wear any shirt when fighting in all games he appears in.

Keith Wayne

A cocky young American man from the streets, he enters the tournaments for fun and to meet beautiful women. The tournament would introduce him to Annie, his eventual fiance.

Tropes associated with Keith:

Calling Your Attacks: All of them in Gratuitous English: DASTU BOWMBAH! SPIRAR KEEECK!
The Casanova: His first intention to enter the first tournament is to meet girls.
Delinquent: Keith was part of a gang were he was one of the leaders, but before the first tournament he was reformed by advice of his father. Also he fits into Greaser Delinquents.
Dueling Scar: Keith has a scar on his forehead which he hides with a blue headband. Since Matrimelee he doesn't hide it anymore and shows his scar to everyone.

Leitmotif: His classic theme song was remade for the fifth game.
Lightning/Fire Juxtaposition: Like Reiji, his Energy Ball is a ball of lightning he throws through the ground and some of his moves involved fire, like his Final Crash Bomber a super version of his Knuckle Bomber move. Later in Matrimelee was added a pillar of fire as his new super move.
Shotoclone: Like Reiji, he has an Energy Ball move (Lightining Flash), an upper attack (Rolling Cannon, made with his feet) and a Spin Attack (Spiral Kick).
Signature Headgear: Had a distinctive blue headband in the classic games previous to Matrimelee, which more than decorative was used to hide his Dueling Scar in the forehead (unveiled since Matrimelee accompanied by a change of look).
You Don't Look Like You: From white t-shirt, blue jeans, sneakers and blue headband of 1, 2 and Legends to black overall, black t-shirt, black shoes and no headband since Matrimelee. Also, his hair changed from brown to blond.

Annie Hamilton

A young woman from a rich family. Her look was heavily changed since Matrimelee. She loves animals, and eventually meets and marries Keith.

Tropes associated with Annie:

Everything's Better with Rainbows: A couple of her attacks have rainbows.
Friend to All Living Things: Even her Red Baron in first games is the "Animal lover girl." In the Super-Deformed artworks from the first game show her about to hug a penguin.

Space Zone: Her super throw takes her opponent there where they fall continuously in wraparound effect. In the Power Instinct 2 arcade version, the background is instead a warping version of the stage they fight in whenever the super throw is successfully performed. In the PlayStation version, the background becomes a seizure pattern of different colors instead.
Spell My Name With An S: Is it Annie or Anny?

You Don't Look Like You: From white t-shirt and green pants of first games to a ninja-esque attire since Matrimelee. She got her classic outfit back for CR Goketsuji Ichizoku (a pachinko game).

Saizo Hattori

A dark, brooding individual who speaks a language only understood by dogs. He's a satire of the countless ninjas from fighting games.

Tropes associated with Saizo:

Cool Helmet: He wears a traditional Japanese style helmet in the first few games. He took it off from Matrimelee onwards.
Dramatic Unmask: Since Matrimelee, where for first time in the series he doesn't wear his Cool Helmet^note. But not completely since he still uses a mask to hide his mouth.

Intelligible Unintelligible: Poochy is the only one who can understand his "Popepepa" code language.
Named After Somebody Famous: He's named after two famous ninjas: Saizo Kirigakure and Hanzou Hattori.
Ninja: He's a ninja representative of the series and the first one. He's followed by Hizumi (Groove on Fight) and Takumi (Matsuri Senzo Kuyou), both influenced by Saizo.
No Social Skills: The reason why he wears his mask and helmet? He's sociophobic.
Throw Down the Bomblet: One of Saizo's specials is to throw a bomb at the enemy, going up to eleven in his super since Power Instinct 2 in which Saizo fills the screen with bombs.
You Don't Look Like You: Basically because of the Cool Helmet get off since Matrimelee. But he got his helmet back for CR Goketsuji Ichizoku (a pachinko game).

Angela Belti

A strong, muscular woman who is surprisingly sweet and gentle. She's a satire of power characters such as Zangief from Street Fighter.

Tropes associated with Angela:

Amazonian Beauty: She's one of the largest and most muscular characters in the series. Doesn't stop Sahad from hooking up with her.
Animal Lover: Angela is also an animal lover and has a dog and two lions named Pochi and Spike. In her Bonnou no Kaihou ending she requests to get a white tiger that she calls Minino as a reward.

Beast and Beauty: Inverted with the big muscular Angela and pretty boy Sahad.
The Bus Came Back: She was absent in Matrimelee, but she came back for Bonnou no Kaihou and Matsuri Senzo Kuyou.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Allegedly, she once chased the man she fell in love with all the way to Japan. Said man is currently missing.
Girl Group: Angela has her own female Punk band called "Dirty Rouge", singing her song in Power Instinct 2 and Legends and also appearing in her stage in those games.

ManEater: Just like Keith and Sahad, one of the reasons Angela joins the tournament is to flirt with handsome men.
Progressively Prettier: After the second game in the series. Prior to that, she was intentionally manly looking, even being voiced by a male.
Shock and Awe: One of her attacks have her strike the opponent with lightning.
Shout-Out: Angelawas based on The '80s female wrestler Reggie Bennet (whose Japandering appearance inspired Angela's creation). Also, some wrestling fans compared her with Chyna, who also cleaned up nicely with the years as Angela.

Tomboy: A very butch-looking woman who contrasts girly-girl Annie as well as cleaning herself up real good in her Gogetsuji Legends ending.
Weapon Specialization: Some of her moves include a whip that uses to attack the enemy.

Thin Nen/Chinnen

A sleazy, corrupt monk, he only practiced the sacred arts to obtain mystic powers. A greedy man addicted to women and money, he does whatever necessary to get what he wants. He's a clear satire of pure, wise monks who have purged their desires.

Tropes associated with Chinnen:

All Monks Know Kung-Fu: Invoked with Chinnen, where his main motivation to be a monk is precisely to learn Kung Fu and get mystical powers.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Being a corrupted monk that is opportunist and greedy, certainly Chinnen is an arrogant person.
Bad Habits: A monk that will do everything he can to get what he wants, whether it be women, food or money. He’s afraid of nothing and is opportunistic and greedy.
Big Eater: When he's not fighting, Chinnen is usually seen eating. Lampshaded in one of his winquotes in Matrimelee:
Chinnen: I’ll take a payment of 200 burgers for what I’ve taught you.
Interface Screw: One of his Energy Balls inverts the player's controls for a few time, confusing the opponent.
Leitmotif: Let's Go, Onmyuoji! Overlaps with Image Song.

Nun Too Holy: In Name Only. He eats meats, gets drunk off of booze, hang around with women and the only reason why he's a monk is just to learn Shaolin Kung-Fu, and that's it.

Spell My Name With An S: Is it Chinnen or Thin Nen?

White Buffalo

A strong native American man who does not speak much and appreciates the little things in life. White also seems to have a habit of taking things to add to his "collection", which can get him in trouble sometimes, particularly with his relatives. This behavior of his has become one of his usual reasons for entering the tournaments.

Tropes associated with White:

Animal Motifs: As his name says, he's associated with buffalos, even having a big Energy Ball in the form of a buffalo as part of his moveset.
Child Hater: Implied. He does not get along well with Kinta and Sissy. In his Matrimelee ending, White prefers Sissy's assistant rather than Sissy herself, taking her against her will.
Energy Ball: White Buffalo has one with the form of an arrow. He also has a big buffalo-shaped one.
I Have Many Names: Since Matrimelee, he's called just as "White". Also, in the first game, in SNES port, he's just called "Buffalo".
Injun Country: Every one of his stages in the series depict a Native American settlement in the background.
It Must Be Mine!: White has the habit of taking things for himself, which can get him in troubles, like Sissy's assistant in his Matrimelee ending.
Legendary Weapon: In Power Instinct 2 and Legends he summons a big tomahawk axe as his super move. In Matrimelee and onwards he summons an uprising fire totem.

Walking Shirtless Scene: Never shown wearing any shirt.

Oume and Otane Goketsuji

The titular sisters, they don't get along very well, to say the least. Allegedly while they were in the womb, Otane kicked Oume out, and since then the two have had a very bitter, very constant rivalry.

Tropes associated with the Goketsuji sisters:

Big Bad Duumvirate: Oume is one of the two big bads of Power Instinct 2, along with Oshima when they usurped Otane's reign as the clan leader and reopened the clan tournament early. Otane came back at the last second to serve as the Final Boss, though.
Cain and Abel: Otane is the Abel to Oume's Cain. In their youths, Otane is sweet and gentle, which got her bullied by Oume who believes in strength. This results in Otane leaving the Goketsuji house for years, until she came back in the first game.
Demon Head: The sisters' Ikaku Gan (Intimidating Face) attack is a technique where they manifest a ball of energy shaped like their face. Their super move in 2 is making a bunch of these faces rise from the ground.
Divergent Character Evolution: Matrimelee differentiated the sisters, with Otane being more close-range combat oriented, while Oume has more projectiles and long range attacks.
Dual Age Modes: Both of them can switch between their old forms and their teenage forms by stealing a bit of energy from their opponents.
Enemy Mine: In Groove on Fight, they acknowledge their old ages have made them weaker, and decided to work together to win the tournament and share the leadership spot afterwards. They do this by tying themselves to each other's backs so they can be considered a single fighter.
False Teeth Tomfoolery: One of their attacks is spitting their dentures to the enemy, which somehow keeps on clacking.
Feeling Their Age: After you beat Oume in 1, she blames her old age for her defeat. It's also the reason why the sisters team up in Groove on Fight, as they feel their old ages (they're about 100 years old in that game) have made them weaker to compete alone.
Final Boss: Oume is the final boss of the first game as the current head of the Goketsuji family as well as the strongest fighter. In the second game, after you beat Oshima and is about to be crowned the leader of the clan, Otane (who went missing) barges in and challenge you for the last fight.
Heart Beat-Down: In their young forms, their projectile is a burning heart symbol.
Improbable Weapon User: Both of them use dentures as projectiles.
I Was Quite a Looker: They're elderly crones by the time the games take place, but their younger teenage forms are quite attractive girls.
Kiss of Death: One of their attacks is smooching their enemies to suck out their energy, allowing the sisters to transform into their younger forms.
Magic Mirror: Since 2 they employ a magic mirror in some of their magic attacks.
- In 2 they can use a mirror to shoot their spirits at the enemies, which then beats up everything in its path. The same move appears in Legends, although it's now exclusive to Otane.
- Both of their level 2 supers in Matrimelee onwards use the mirror, although in different ways. Oume uses the mirror to shoot her spirits, which proceeds to...smooch the hell of the opponent, while Otane uses it to summon a massive demonic hand that grabs and crushes the enemy.
Mascot Villain: Oume and Otane are the faces of this game series since the debut and the most recognizable characters of the franchise. They're also the only characters who have appeared in all games in the series.
Moveset Clone: Their movesets are identical in the first few games. This is justified since only Otane is playable in the first game and only Oume is playable in the second. In later games where they're both playable, their moves are differentiated.
Never Mess with Granny: The sisters are 78 years old by the first game. Oume has reigned as the clan leader (and its strongest member) for years, and Otane is the canonical winner of the first game after beating her sister.
Older Alter Ego: Inverted, they transform into their teenager forms.
Tag Team Twins: They're both a single playable character in Groove On Fight. How? They tied themselves to each others' backs with rope.
The Unfavorite: Otane was ignored by their mother Oshima in their youth, and in 2 Oshima willingly supports Oume's plan to get rid of Otane.
Tragic Hero: Otane. Constantly berated and bullied by her twin sister in her childhood, left the house to train for years to prove herself a worthy member of the clan, finally won the clan leadership but it only lasted one year thanks to Oume's machinations. Future games don't imply she ever got her leadership back. Even her nickname in the series is "Tragic Heroine."
Villain Protagonist: Oume is this in Power Instinct 2 if you choose to play as her in the story mode. She's the one who got rid of the rightful leader Otane to open the tournament again.

Kuroko

A personal assistant designed for Goketsuji family to all fighters in the Goketsuji Tournament. Kuroko is a recurring character in the series. He has appeared in almost all entries to date, though usually as a character in the background observing the fighters, much like the Kurokos who appear in Samurai Shodown.

Tropes associated with Kuroko:

Ascended Extra: From being part of the background cheering the fighters, Kuroko became a playable character in Legends, only as the partner (Final Boss Chuck has Kuroko as his partner).
Continuity Nod: Kuroko has been part fo all the series since first game to Matsuri Senzo Kuyou and also appeared in CR Goketsuji Ichizoku pachinko game.
Dub Name Change: Kuroko is called for American versions as "Ninja Boy" in Legends and "Enabler" in Matrimelee onwards.
Human Shield: In Matrimelee the fighters can take their Kurokos from backstage and use them to block the other character's attacks, as well can be launched at the opponent to inflict some damage.
Kid-Appeal Character: Various of Kurokos in the series are kids and thus appeal mostly to children playing the game.
Living Prop: In Matrimelee he not just can used as Human Shield, he also can be thrown to the opponent to make more damage.

Shout-Out: This Kuroko seems to be a parody of Kuroko from Samurai Shodown series, but being more as a supporter for the character instead of a referee as in that game series.

Debuting in Power Instinct 2/Legends

Kanji Kokuin

A strong, muscular old man who transforms into a feeble, scrawny version of himself. Kanji also has a rivalry with the Goketsuji sisters, even winning one of the tournaments.

Tropes associated with Kanji:

Alliterative Name: Kanji Kokuin.

Cool Shades: His sunglasses he used for his strong form.

Fartillery: One of his moves is a fart used to knock off his opponents that works differently in various games. In 2 and Legends is part of a mini combo that ends with a fart that changes him into his weak form. In Matrimelee instead, he has it as his projectile, called as "Gas Bazooka."
Improbable Weapon User: Walking canes, loincloths, towels... all of these can be a weapon for him.
The Rival: Of Goketsuji sisters, especially to Oume, stealing the title of the family at the end of Power Instinct 2 (the Canon champion) and later making his own tournament in Legends.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He doesn't wear the top half of his robe when fighting.

Kinta Kokuin

Kanji's obnoxious and hyperactive great nephew, Kinta fights alongside his animal friends.

Tropes associated with Kinta:

Alliterative Name: Kinta Kokuin (just like his grandpa).
Animal-Themed Fighting Style: As Poochy, Kinta's moves are based on dog mannerisms and movements such as digging at the ground and jumping onto the enemy.
Animal Themed Super Being: By calling on the power of his dead dog, Kinta can transform into the dog-themed superhero Poochy.
The Bus Came Back: He was absent in Matrimelee, but he appeared again in Bonnou no Kaihou and Matsuri Senzo Kuyou.

Full-Frontal Assault: In his first few appearance, several of his sprites actually had his genitals visible.
Friend to All Living Things: Friend to all animals. He doesn't get along so well with people.

The Rival: Kinta has a rivalry with the other kid character in the first games: Clara Hananokoji, as seen in their henshin intro in Legends.

Clara Hananokoji

A young girl who obtained magic powers after befriending a wizard. Also she can transform into an adult Fanservice version of herself called "Super Clara" for a short time, which is a separate character only in Legends and Matsuri Senzo Kuyou.

Tropes associated with Clara:

Animorphism: One of Clara's attacks is using magic to transform the enemy into a duck or a pig for a short time.
Breakout Character: Appeared as a Guest Fighter in the console version of Heaven's Gate, another Atlus fighting game.

French Maid Outfit: Super Clara's new outfit in Matsuri Senzo Kuyou changes the classic rollergirl look for a French Maid/Meido look with white hair.
Gaiden Game: Clara was so famous that Atlus made her own title: Purikura Daisakusen, a Three-Quarters View shooter platform released for Arcades and Sega Saturn in 1996. In this game, she's called as Kurara Apricot and lives in a magical kingdom as a princess.

Magic Wand: She wields a wand as the source of her powers. It can transform into a hammer and shoot out magical sparkles, among other things. She also uses it as a good old beating stick.

Rollerblade Good: As Super Clara she wears a pair of rollerblades. This gives her better movement speed compared to her base forms.
Sailor Senshi Send-Up: The series has Clara, a Magical Girl that received magical powers from a wand given to her by a wizard, and with that she participates in the Gouketsuji tournament. Apart of the traits based on Sailor Moon, her voice was made noneless by Usagi Tsukino herself.

Spell My Name With An S: Clara or Kurara?

Oshima Goketsuji

Otane and Oume's mother, who supports Oume in her evil plans, including hurting her own child Otane if necessary.

Tropes associated with Oshima:

Big Bad Duumvirate: With Oume in 2. Both of them devised a plan to get rid of Otane so they can start the next tournament early and let Oume win the tournament.
Bus Crash: She died during the Time Skip of whatever the last tournament was and Groove on Fight. Justified, she's already extremely old. One of of Oume & Otane's special attack is summoning a giant Oshima from the heavens.
Evil Matriarch: To Otane. Oshima favors Oume over Otane due to sharing the same beliefs, and she never did anything to Oume's bullying. In 2, she supports Oume's plan to get rid of Otane.
Never Mess with Granny: She's 100 years old when she first appeared in the second game. She's the second to last boss in that game.
Parental Favoritism: She believes in strength, and thus she favors the stronger Oume than the gentle Otane.

Put on a Bus: She never appeared in the series again after Legends, in-universe due to her irregular heartbeat and lower back pain.
Sub-Boss: In Power Instinct 2, where Oshima gets a different palette from the normal version. Despite being the Big Bad, she's only the second to last character you fight, as Otane made a comeback as the final boss.

Sahad Asran Ryuto

As a member of a very important family, Sahad Asran Ryuto has been instructed in many artistic and sportive disciplines, but one difference between Ryuto and other high-class boys is that his mother hails from a lineage of magicians and for that reason he was also trained in the use of magic since he was a little boy. He is noble and tender and is very popular among girls, although there are times where he turns angry and violent for no reason. He tends to believe that certain events and fortunes are determined by the stars.

Tropes associated with Sahad:

Animorphism: He transforms into a parrot in one of his specials from Legends.

The Bus Came Back: The only game he came back apart of 2 and Legends is in CR Goketsuji Ichizoku (a pachinko game) as an Event Character.
The Casanova: Probably more than Keith, and as this character, the main reason to enter the tournament is to meet girls.
Demoted to Extra: He appears in the fifth game... as an NPC.
Literal Genie: Sahad has a Genie in a Bottle who summons for one of his moves and also uses to transform into a parrot.
Put on a Bus: Like Oshima, he has not been playable since Legends. Of course, it does make some sense that he wouldn't be in Matrimelee, since he already had a love interest in Angela (not that pre-existing romantic ties stopped Keith, Annie, or, in the home version, Angela herself). In official Matrimelee story, Sahad was going to enter since he wanted the main prize of that tournament (Princess Sissy), but he came late to the flight to Certain Country and also forgot his lamp at home.
Playing with Fire: Most of his attacks are based on fire, even having a flamethrower move.
Spell My Name With An S: He's called as "Sahado" in Legends.
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: The bread and butter of his projectile attacks is throwing a short sword.

Poochy

Kinta Kokuin can transform into a dog-like "superhero" thanks to his deceased dog Poochy. He died in January before the tournament in Power Instinct 2, but Poochy's loyalty to Kinta is so strong that even after his death he still protects Kinta, giving him all of his strength to fight. For this reason, Poochy is unique in that he is more of an individual character than the other transformations, who are more like alternate personas. He speaks with growls, whimpers, barks and howls. He is also the only character who can understand Saizo's "Popepepa" code language.

If he's a transformation of Kinta, for Legends he was separated from Kinta as an individual persona because of the crash of Clara's own transformation into Super Clara, which also means Super Clara became a persona apart of Clara. Also, he reappears in Matrimelee as a separate character.

Tropes associated with Poochy:

Guardian Entity: Was loyal to Kinta before his death, and his spirit still lingers around him giving him strength when needed.

I Have Many Names: Also he's known as Pooch and Pochi.
Intelligible Unintelligible: He's the only one who can understand Saizo's "Popepepa" code language.

Chuck

Kanji's bodyguard who's the final boss of Power Instinct Legends, a cocky karateka who's very confident of his skills.

Tropes associated with Chuck:

Secret Character: Chuck isn't normally eligible, but can be played with a cheat code in the Character Selection screen.

Debuting in Power Instinct 3: Groove On Fight

Chris Wayne

Son of Keith and Annie, he is a rebellious youth who leads a gang. Unlike his dad, he is by no means a good-natured individual.

Tropes associated with Chris:

Expy: Chris is clearly based on his father Keith, having a similar background and a Moveset Clone with similar moves as well being an electricity user.

Jerkass: A violent young man with a sadistic streak, he just likes to hurt people and cause trouble.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: His hair is long enough to get until his shoulders and also he's a Bishōnen In-Universe.
Precision F-Strike: Drops the f-bomb before fighting Rudolph.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Inverted. Chris is the Blue to Larry's Red, but he's more Hair-Trigger Temper than his mentor.
Shock and Awe: As his father, Chris uses electric attacks.
Shotoclone: Just as his father, he has an Energy Ball, a Shoryuken-like attack (also made with his legs) and a forward Spin Attack.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Chris only wears his cowboy hat and a necklace and nothing else.

Larry Light

A young, idealistic man and Chris's tag team partner. He believes that he can help Chris and once saved him from arrest.

Tropes associated with Larry:

Alliterative Name: Larry Light.

Badass Teacher: Larry is a schoolteacher who can kick ass anytime.
Cool Big Bro: Chris considers him as this, even when he's just his teacher and mentor.

Goggles Do Nothing: Although he uses it for motorbike riding, he didn't wear off as his jacket and he puts on his head instead.
Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Larry is a schoolteacher biker martial artist adventurer archeologist.
Playing with Fire: All the moves he has in the game involved fire, especially his Energy Ball and his Megaton Punch. Also he becomes Magma Man as part of his super move, which includes a giant ball of fire that becomes a fire pillar when it touches the ground.

Red Oni, Blue Oni: Inverted. Larry is the Red to Chris' Blue, but he's more center-focused than his pupil despise of being a fire user.
Second Place Is for Losers: In his first tournament when he was 19, Larry went to the finals, getting beaten by Oume. Now with 24, he's back for the first place and finally defeat Oume.

Walking Shirtless Scene: He starts the battle without wearing his jacket.

Falco

An charismatic old gambler defeated Oume in a very one sided game of poker. After completely and effortlessly dodging her attacks, he was invited to the Goketsuji tournament.

Tropes associated with Falco:

The Alliance: Since the Goketsuji sisters are too weak to fight alone in this tournament version (the reason why they're tied together), they made an alliance with Falco to win the tournament, being the Mid-Boss of the game along with Goketsuji sisters.
Death Dealer: All his attacks involved poker cards and even mahjong pieces.

The Gambler: He's known for being one In-Universe. Even his Red Baron is "Mr. Gamble," being also known as the King of Games.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clearly based on Sean Connery (by way of fellow gambler Joseph Joestar).
Only One Name: One of the few characters which surname is unknown.

Oume and Otane

See entry in first game for more info.

Hizumi Yukinoue

During a certain night at a summer festival that was held near his neighborhood, Hizumi Yukinoue witnesses all the activities carried out by the master of ceremonies. Feeling admiration for the job of that man, Hizumi waited till the festival was over to talk to him. The man introduced himself as Sujiroku Tenjinbashi, "Japan's master of ceremonies, number one". After a while of talking, both men recognized each other as lovers of the Japanese traditions. Suddenly, Hizumi had an idea and told Tenjinbashi about a tournament that was going to be celebrated soon, and that if they signed in for it they would be able to propagate the beauty of the Japanese culture outside of Japan. Delighted by the Idea, Tenjinbashi accepted the team up with Hizumi for the Goketsuji tournament.

Tropes associated with Hizumi:

Anime Hair: Invoked. Hizumi uses his long hair with an anti-gravitatory haircut. But's it's not natural, turns out he uses a hairdryer to achieve the effect. Also overlaps with Delinquent Hair.
I Know Mortal Kombat: In fact, all of Hizumi's fighting techniques are based on characters from various anime series, and he based his hair style on a character from a manga.
In the Blood: His love for the ninjas was influenced by his father, who is also a ninja-maniac. So much so, that during his childhood, he was attempting to walk on the walls and used medical bandages as bandannas.
Ninja Brat: Considering he's not from a Ninja family, but having a father who's also ninja-maniac, this is certainly played straight.
Otaku: Hizumi is a young man obsessed with ninjas, and he is fan of manga and anime. Aside from his otaku hobbies, he likes video games and collects rare soda cans. As Sujiroku, he's a fan of Japanese culture, the main reason why they both became friends and formed a team in Groove on Fight.

Sujiroku Tenjinbashi

Sujiroku is the eldest son of the leader of the Tenjinbashi family, but when his father died, he had to assume the role of leader at a very young age. Tenjinbashi enjoys the celebration festivals and has participated in many important cultural events all around Japan. He usually travels with a mask and a pair of drumsticks that has been in his family for many years; his father had told him that 8,000,000 spirits of their ancestors reside in them, so for Tenjinbashi they are very special to him.

A certain night after his participation in a festival, Tenjinbashi saw a young man that seemed to have been waiting for him. The man introduced himself as Yukinoue Hizumi, and told him how much he liked his work and also told him that he was a ninja and showed some of his techniques.

After a while of talking, Hizumi proposed to him to participate in a martial arts tournament and in that way promote the Japanese traditions. Tenjinbashi did not refuse.

Tropes associated with Sujiroku:

Cool Mask: He wears a lion mask.
Dual Wielding: Sujiroku uses a couple of drumsticks as weapons.
Gentle Giant: He's a big, but benevolent, chivalrous, and straightforward man. He tends to irritate his family and friends with his obsession with having a muscled body.
Musical Assassin: Considering he fights with his drumsticks, this certainly appllies to him.

Shock and Awe: Some of his attacks involves electricity.
Spin Attack: Various of his attacks use spinning, mostly just for effect.

Popura Hananokoji

Popura Hananokoji is the daughter of Kurara Hananokoji, sharing many of her traits. Popura has learned from her mother all of her magic tricks and fighting techniques.

Tropes associated with Popura:

Companion Cube: Popura always takes with her a very special Teddy bear (her father sent her that Teddy bear some years ago). If she doesn't meet her dad, she will earn the money to buy new friends for her teddy bear.
Cosplay: Popura changes her outfit durng the fight as part of her attacks.
Disappeared Dad: Her father has been traveling since she was a baby. Her dream is to see her father, so she decided to travel around the world with the hope to find him. Popura remembered that sometimes she heard her father was a martial artist. She hopes that by participating in the tournament, her father will recognize her on her journey.
Identical Grandson: Popura is Kurara's daughter, but only shares her magic powers and a similar outfit. Her powers are totally different of her mother, not like Chris Wayne from the same game, who shared powers with his father. One time, Clara told Remi and Popura about her youth and the times when she participated in a tournament where the prize for the winner was a huge fortune. Thrilled with the story of her mother, Popura investigated about that very tournament and found that the date for the next one was very close and that the rules said the tournament is for teams of two people. She immediately thought of Remi and asked her to participate with her. Remi refused, but Popura was eventually able to convince her.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: She's Light to Remi's Dark. Popura and Remi study at the same school, and are very popular among the all students due to their magic abilities. However, they didn't know each other much at first, so some of their classmates introduced them to one another. Since then, they have been very good friends.

Remi Otogiri

Remi is the only daughter of a high class family, and her family is descendant of an evil witch that lived in Japan several years ago (a secret kept by all the family members). Remi's father is a famous musician and her mother is a prestigious fashion designer. She is calm and classy and her motivation to fight is show the world the power of music.

The living note that follows Remi is a demon that was created by her mother to be her bodyguard, named Kuroma.

Tropes associated with Remi:

Dark Is Not Evil: She's against violence, but Popura found Remi's weakness and told her that if they became the winners of the tournament she will have the money to create concerts around the world and in that way she could help the poor people. With that as her dream, Remi finally accepted Popura's proposal.

Meaningful Name: Remi's first name is the union of the Solfege music notes Re (D) and Mi (E).
Moveset Clone: Remi plays like a female version of Guile, having Charged Attacks that perform similar to him.

Shapeshifter Weapon: Her mon Kuroma can shapeshift as Remi's wish to attack the enemy.
The Sponsor: Her family sponsors Sujiroku Tenjinbashi in many festivals.
Sweet Tooth: Her favorite food is a Cake set from her family restaurant.

Solis R8000

Solis is a young police woman from the year 2115. She was assigned to investigate the activities of a powerful organization of which is suspected of changing some events in the past for its convenience; in her investigation she discovered that this organization was responsible for the disappearance of some important families and financial groups 100 years ago; among these the Goketsuji Clan.

Tropes associated with Solis:

Fair Cop: She's a policewoman from the future, but has a underboobs window as part of her uniform.
Kid from the Future: Not a kid, but she certainly comes from the future, being the first Time Traveller from the series.

Rollerblade Good: Solis wears a pair of black rollerblades as part of her attire.

Shock and Awe: Most of her attacks involve electricity.

M.A.D. (Max Ax Dax)

Renowned for being brilliant, M.A.D is a lonely and mysterious man for whom the only thing of importance is science. The only known thing about M.A.D is that he works for the Gartheimer family. Any other details about him are unknown.

Tropes associated with M.A.D.:

Meaningful Name: The acronym M.A.D. speaks by itself.
My Master, Right or Wrong: M.A.D. is loyal to Gartheimer family, no matter if they're wrong.

Walking Armory: His jacket is basically a Super Armor for him.

Rudolph Garthheimer

Rudolph is an aggressive man who is feared by all who know him. The only person who has seen his tender side is his young servant, Damian.

Originally his family was part of the Goketsuji clan. But after certain events in the past they were considered a disgrace for the family and were exiled by Oume. The Gartheimer family lost it all.

As time went by, his family gradually became an influential and rich family again, but Rudolph still has a great resentment and hatred for the Goketsuji and especially for Oume. He knew about the changes in the rules of the tournament and entered with the objective of getting control of the family fortune. His plan is to use the bad relationships between the twins to destroy the Goketsuji clan.

Tropes associated with Rudolph:

The Cameo: Interestingly enough, Gartheimer appears in Hizumi's ending, though it also shows him unmasked.
Combat Sadomasochist: A BDSM black latex mask is used as part of his attire.

Red Baron: "Body of steel, heart of iron."
Revenge: Against Oume and the entire Goketsuji family. Originally his family was part of the Goketsuji clan. But after certain events in the past they were considered a disgrace for the family and were exiled by Oume. The Gartheimer family lost it all.
Sub-Boss: The last fighter you have to struggle before going to Bristol Weller.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Rudolph is an aggressive man who is feared by all who know him. The only person who has seen his tender side is his young servant, Damian.

Damian Shade

Damian is an orphan who was adopted by the Gartheimer family. With time, he became a very special person to his master, Rudolph. Damian is a pacifist and dislikes violence, but his personality totally changes if somebody tries to hurt his master. He has a special power that allows him to heal a living being just by touching them.

Tropes associated with Damian:

In the Back: Bristol shoots him in the back before he enters the battle.
Previous Player-Character Cameo: Subverted on Damian. In the arcade version he appears as a cameo, but in the Sega Saturn port is a playable character.

Bristol Weller/Bristol-D

Born in a prominent family, Bristol is a very intelligent, yet hypocritical man. He achieved a good social status at a young age and has received several awards for his charity activities, but he use this to hide his true personality. He is really a heartless, ambitious man that is able to do anything to get what he wants.

In recent years, he got a high rank inside the Gartheimer's company. Even with the success in his life, Bristol's ambition was to go beyond that; he made a pact with demons, so in exchange of supernatural power he must bring destruction and pain into the world.

After defeating Bristol Weller, his true identity is revealed and is known as Bristol-D, a dark summoner. Most of his techniques involve summoning demons to attack his enemies. He also has the ability to control other people's minds and his main goal is to bring chaos to the world.

Tropes associated with Bristol/Bristol-D:

Emergency Weapon: For Bristol. When all your attacks fails, a gun always works.
Expy: He was designed by Kazuma Kaneko to be a homage to the Devil Summoners from the Shin Megami Tensei series and as such takes some very obvious design cues from Nishi.

Hair Color Dissonance: In the artworks as well in-game, it's unsure if Bristol is blonde or has white hair.
Hair Color Spoiler: When Bristol converts into Bristol-D, his hair color changes to black.
Intercontinuity Crossover: Kazuma Kaneko, who is one of the main character and monster designers for the Shin Megami Tensei series, was assigned to create a character for Groove on Fight with the idea of making a connection between both series, so it was decided that the Final Boss would be a demon summoner.

Meaningful Name: The D of Bristol-D is clearly for "Demon" or "Devil."
More Hypnotizable Than He Thinks: After transforming into Bristol-D, he hypnotizes your partner to fight against you.
Summon Magic: Bristol-D summons demons to attack the opponent.

Debuting in Power Instinct Matrimelee/Bonnou no Kaihou

Buntaro Kuno

Buntaro is a conflictual schoolboy who has his own gang, who cheers him on in his fights. He also is the older brother of Shintaro and in contrast to his style, fights mainly with kicks and various dive attacks. Although Buntaro likes to pretend to be a tough guy, he is really a very emotional boy and tends to cry every time he feels moved, especially when he is watching a sad scene in any anime.

Tropes associated with Buntaro:

Covers Always Lie: Buntaro appears with sunglasses in the artwork, but in-game and in endings, he appears without glasses and with a white headband.

Delinquent Hair: Buntaro uses a pompadour with a blonde Dye Hard.
Extremity Extremist: Buntaro only uses kicks.

Hero-Worshipper: Reiji Oyama, the main reason to join Matrimelee tournament is to meet him instead fighting for Sissy's hand.

Otaku: In Bonnou no Kaihou, the prize he wants is a DVD collection of the most moving and popular anime series ever.

Secret Character: In Matsuri Senzo Kuyou, like all Matrimelee characters, he can only be accessed by inputting secret codes in the character select screen. He also appears in CR Goketsuji Ichizoku as an Event Character.

Shintaro Kuno

The younger brother of Buntaro Kuno. Due to the influence of his older brother, Shintaro feels a great respect and admiration for Reiji Oyama. He is also competitive, and at times conceited. In contrast to his older brother's style, many of Shintaro's attacks involve the use of his fists. He also has a fondness for motorcycles.

Tropes associated with Shintaro:

Cool Bike: As a motivation of Bonnou no Kaihou tournament, he joins to win the motorcycle of his dreams.

Japanese Delinquent: In a less demostrative way than his older brother, he fit better as bosozoku because of his love for motorcycles.

The Rival: His own brother Buntaro. The main reason to join Matrimelee tournament is to defeat him and demostrate he's better (apart of meet and impress Riji Oyama, of course).
Secret Character: In Matsuri Senzo Kuyou, like all Matrimelee characters, he can only be accessed by inputting secret codes in the character select screen.

Hikaru Jomon

Hikaru is a thirteen years old middle school student. A tomboy who fights with a cane and goes to the same school than Kuno brothers, ST. Lawrence Academy. Hikaru just entered to the Matrimelee tournament to prove she's the best out there and not for Sissy. Also appears in Bonnou no Kaihou and in Matsuri Senzo Kuyou (as secret character).

Tropes associated with Hikaru:

Cane Fu: Her canes, named as "Trinode". In Bonnou no Kaihou Hikaru wants a better cane as the reward for winning the tournament.
The Points Mean Nothing: Hikaru just entered to Matrimelee tournament to prove everyone she's the best in town, showing no interest on marrying Sissy (or in Sissy herself).
Sarashi: Revealed when Hikaru gets finished with a Special KO in ''Matsuri Senzo Kuyou''.
Secret Character: In Matsuri Senzo Kuyou, like all Matrimelee characters, she can only be accessed by inputting secret codes in the character select screen.

Shout-Out: Hikaru is based on Akira Touya from Hikaru no Go.

Tomboyish Name: Hikaru is also a name used for boys in Japan.
The Smurfette Principle: Of her clan. She's a tomboyish One of the Boys variant of the trope.
Wholesome Crossdresser: Even the other characters mistaken Hikaru as a boy for his clothes.

Olof Linderoth

Olof is the bodyguard of Princess Sissy. He is asked to enter the tournament for her pleasure, to test himself. Even though one of his arms is wounded and bandaged, he is powerful enough to defeat opponents with only his legs. He is calm and reserved, and makes it a rule to be chivalrous towards women.

Tropes associated with Olof:

Bodyguarding a Badass: Olof is Sissy's bodyguard, even though she is clearly stronger than he is.
Dented Iron: As seen in his pre-fight animation, at least one of his arms was broken or injured before the tournament. Thus, he fights with his arms behind his back and relies on kicking techniques. Most of the time, those are more than sufficient. However, his "Extreme Case" Ippatsu Ougi (Level 2 super) is an unblockable Megaton Punch that does hefty damage, but -- understandably -- also hurts himself.

Expy: It is possible he may have a connection to Groove On Fight character Bristol Weller, as Olof has a few moves that are strikingly similar to his, along with sporting some similarities in his design and fighting style.
Extremity Extremist: As mentioned above, he uses kicks almost exclusively due to having broken his arm(s).
Secret Character: In Matsuri Senzo Kuyou, like all Matrimelee characters, he can only be accessed by inputting secret codes in the character select screen.

Theme Naming: The names of his moves are related to warfare and politics: "Battle", "Sanctions", "Surprise Attack", "Blockade", "Extreme Case"/"Emergency" and... "Squared"/"In Squares." Oddly, the names are in (correct and decently pronounced) Russian, even though "Olof Linderoth" is a (perfectly normal) Swedish name.

Princess Sissy

Due to her older brother not being the ideal image of a King, Sissy's father, the King of Certain Country, decided to train her to be the successor of the throne. But as a Queen needs a King, Sissy's father decided to organize a martial arts tournament to find a strong warrior to continue the lineage of the royal family. Princess Sissy later became sad as the tournament was a failure. She just couldn't forget the excitement of the Matrimelee tournament. The King, worried about the emotional state of his daughter (who is usually joyful and vigorous) invited the world's strongest fighters to his country to convince them to enter to a new tournament, the "Bonnou Kaihou" tournament.

This time the prize is anything that the winner could wish for (except the throne succession). When the King told Sissy about the Bonnou Kaihou tournament, her characteristic smile returned to her face, finally she will once again have that feeling that is present only in battle.

Tropes associated with Sissy:

And Now You Must Marry Me: Sissy's the main prize of the tournament in Matrimelee... if you even can defeat her.
Bag of Holding: her primary weapon is a small treasure box which can manifest a lot of things clearly bigger than it is. Including a boxing glove, a sword, anthropomorphic frogs, and even genies.
Blood Knight: She gained some interest in battle during Matrimele. This interest in what caused her father to hold the Bonnou Kaihou tournament, so she can experience it again.
Final Boss: She's the final character you must fight in Matrimelee.

Secret Character: In Matsuri Senzo Kuyou, like all Matrimelee characters, he can only be accessed by inputting secret codes in the character select screen.
Shout-Out: Her genie looks a lot like Abubo from Rage of the Dragons. This is because Noise reuses some of Abubo sprites.

Bobby Strong

Bobby is a skillful fighter whom was hired by the King of Certain Country to participate in the Bonnou no Kaihou tournament. He fights using strange but powerful techniques. Princess Sissy's new bodyguard and final boss of Bonnou no Kaihou, mostly like Chuck in Legends. The character is portrayed by the Nigerian MMA fighter and comedian Bobby Ologun

, who lives and works in Japan as well he's the sponsor of this game.

Tropes associated with Bobby:

The Cameo: The real Bobby Ologun appears on the screen above the stage during the boss fight.
Captain Ersatz: Directly modeled after and voiced by Bobby Ologun, to the point the original game just calls him "Bobby". The "Strong" surname was added in later updates.
Final Boss: He takes over the role from Princess Sissy in Bonnou no Kaihou. Princess Sissy in turn is Demoted to Extra.
Hand Blast: Bobby's "Bo-Beam" Ippatsu Ougi has him charge up an energy blast in his hands before firing it at the opponent.

Scary Black Man: Subverted; he's a comedian whose various traits are Played for Laughs.

The Sponsor: Bobby Ologun became this for Bonnou no Kaihou game, probably the main reason why Strong appears in the game.
Super-Deformed: In various of his moves and poses, Bobby's head goes bigger than normal.

Debuting in Power Instinct 5: Goketsuji Ichizoku

Elizabeth and Sandra Belti

The grandmother and great aunt of Angela Belti and rivals of Goketsuji sisters, first mentioned in various official sources from the first Power Instinct game. They are playable for first time in Matsuri Senzo Kuyou. The designs of Sandra and Elizabeth resembles to the twins Zeniba and Yubaba from Spirited Away, who also are also witches and even in some of their animations, specially when the Belti twins perform their Ottimo Sentimento special attack.

Tropes associated with Elizabeth and Sandra:

Forced Transformation: One of their super attacks have them transform the opponent into a small flea.
The Ghost: Both Belti sisters are mentioned in the first game's backstory but only Angela represented Belti family until Matsuri Senzo Kuyou when the sisters make their first physical appearance.
Gratuitous Italian: All the moves of both sisters are written in Italian.
Never Mess with Granny: Just like the Goketsuji sisters, the Belti sisters are old women who can nevertheless kick the asses of the younger fighters.
Parasol of Pain: One of their attacks is thrusting a parasol.
Prehensile Hair: They can use their hair to grab enemies.
Shout-Out: Of the twins Zeniba and Yubaba from Spirited Away.
Witch Classic: Both sisters are witches. They can summon crows and they can use magic spells to transform their enemies.

Prince

The elder brother of Princess Sissy mentioned since Matrimelee, but it's in this game where appears for first time as a playable character. Along with Belti sisters, he's one of the new characters who can transform into a stronger form for a few time.

Tropes associated with Prince:

Abhorrent Admirer:
- In Matrimelee. If you won against Sissy and you're a woman/girl, the main prize is the hand of Prince. Ugh.
- Subverted when one of Goketsuji sisters won the tournament, in that case Prince is the one who's running away.
Big Eater: One of his super attacks is having a large dinner and crushing the enemy with the table.
The Ghost: Prince appears as part of history since Matrimelee as a NPC, but his first appearance as playable character is in Matsuri Senzo Kuyou.
Gonk: Probably the ugliest character of the series and his design is different.

Takumi Hattori

This little boy is the cousin of Saizo Hattori. He is a military enthusiast and has combined his ninja skills with knowledge gleaned from military magazines, developing an affinity for trap construction. However, he is very shy much like his cousin. His mother, worried that his personality will become too much like Saizo's, submits his entry for the tournament to try to help him to erradicate his sociophobia.

Tropes associated with Takumi:

Costume Copycat: Of Saizo, in the form of military clothes.

No Social Skills: As his uncle, Takumi suffers of sociophobia and his mother makes him enter to the tournament as a way to help him.
Otaku: Takumi likes manga and anime, even one of his moves is called Omae no Ude Wa Mou Shindeiru (Your arm is already dead), referred to the original Omae wa mou shindeiru.
Throw Down the Bomblet: Just like his uncle, Takumi also can throw bombs to the opponent.

Rin Oyama

Rin is the cousin sister of Reiji Oyama and a passionate high school girl whose aim in life is to be a strong karate woman. She has a calm and polite personality. She has been training with her uncle and Reiji since she was 4 years old. In order to become stronger, she has added the techniques of Okinawan Karate to those she has learned from them. After further years of training, she has gained enough confidence to participate for the first time in a Goketsuji Tournament, and begins to follow the way of the karate maiden.

Rin tends to refers Reiji as "Oji-San" which is the Japanese word for uncle, but is also an adjective used to affectionately call any older men.

Tropes associated with Rin:

Hair Color Dissonance: In the artworks Rin is blonde, but in-game she has white hair. In other artworks she even has light brown hair.
Lightning/Fire Juxtaposition: Just like Reiji before Matrimelee, the Energy Ball Rin releases change between fire and lightning depending of the fighting mode.
Moveset Clone: Various of her moves comes from Reiji.
Sexy Whatever Outfit: Of a karateka. Rin inverts the look of his older cousin Reiji, who has a Walking Shirtless Scene with white pants, Rin instead wears a purple top with a karate gi upper part and no pants with a white "karate-like" loincloth and purple panties.
Shout-Out: Her losing portrait during results screens after a battle in Matsuri Senzo Kuyou is a reference to Doraemon.

Shinjuro Goketsuji

Tropes associated with Shinjuro:

Final Boss: He is the final opponent you must fight in Matsuri Senzo Kuyou.
The Ghost: As Belti sisters, Shinjuro had been mentioned in the first game's backstory but Matsuri Senzo Kuyou is his first appearance in the series.

The Reveal: In the Final Battle, it's revealed that Shinjuro is the Physical God of the Goketsuji clan, being the first one of the Goketsuji who created the surname.
Samurai: His background shows him he became a famous samurai and even being the son of a famous one.
SNK Boss: He's a hulking giant demon. He has large range with his melee attacks and his projectiles cover half the screen and lasts a very long time to disappear. Not to mention one of his super where he pelts you with lightning balls while he himself is invulnerable. Worth mentioning he's the only Final Boss character in the series who is unplayable.

Characters / Power Instinct

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