Web Animation / Natraps X

Natraps X is a series of Japanese Web Animations by Bash parodying the Famicom game Spartan X (known in the West as Kung Fu). While most of the series follows the game's protagonist Thomas, the core of the experience is a mash-up of dozens of different video games, as well as a handful of non-video game properties. After the first 15 seconds, Koopa Troopas and Castlevania zombies are crawling towards Thomas and he takes out a Mook with a Shoryuken. The off-the-wall action just escalates from there and doesn't let up, even when Thomas finds his captured girlfriend Sylvia, who is subsequently challenged by Rockman.

This is the core "trilogy" of entries following the Spartan X gameplay format:

1. Natraps X (2007) - The original
2. Super Natraps X' Turbo (2007) - An Omake episode following other characters.
3. Natraps X Final (2009) - The continuation of Natraps X

While not part of the "series", Bash's Strange Collection 9 (2008) advances the story of Thomas in two of its segments, set between X and X Final: Sylvia ga Taosenai and Strange Collection 9's Ending.

The story was then expanded on more properly with two prequels:

1. Natraps XYZ (2011) - Chronologically first
2. Natraps Zero (2013) - Set after XYZ

And then, two more sequels:

1. Romantic X (2015) - A humorous video showing Thomas and X doing a choreography to the tune of "Romantic Love" from Parappa The Rapper
2. Natraps X Revenge (2019) - Celebrating the 10th anniversary of "Final"

The series can be seen as a Spiritual Successor of sorts to Michael Quest.

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Natraps X includes the following tropes:

• Abnormal Ammo: Rockman has E. Honda equipped as a projectile weapon. Unfortunately, it's not very effective against Bowser or Sylvia.
• All Men Are Perverts: Partway through the first "Natraps X", Thomas is offered a wish by Shenron. He wishes for a pair of women's underwear.
• Almost Dead Guy: A heroic example in "Zero". Sylvia appears to die in Thomas and X's hands, but she returns long enough to rescue them by sealing away Mr. Z, before she dies for real.
• Always a Bigger Fish: In "XYZ" Thomas takes a decisive victory over Mr. X, only for Mr. Y and Mr. Z to appear and easily trash him.
• Attack Drone: The series features the Gradius Options a couple times:
  • In the first video, Rockman enters the Konami Code and powers-up a wave of popcorn enemies (including giving them Options and Shields) which annihilate him.
  • In "Final", Thomas defeats a wave of enemies and gains an Option that mimics his punches and kicks, then immediately loses it to a poorly-timed roulette.
• Beam-O-War: Any of the more dramatic fights features at least one of these.
• Beam Spam: Fighters occasionally resort to a barrage of ki blasts instead of one big Kamehame Hadoken.
• Big Bad:
  • Sylvia, the not-so helpless Damsel in Distress from the original, takes a turn into an evil super-powerful martial artists here. "Zero" reveals she's not actually Sylvia, but Mr. Z who forcibly changed bodies with her, and the real Sylvia died after sealing him to the chair.
  • "Revenge" introduces a new threat to the entire Earth: Princess Peach.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Rockman really tries to, but he invariably ends up blowing up for his efforts. The times he does this in "Final" and "Revenge", however, ends up giving Thomas and Mr. X a chance to retreat from certain defeat.
  • In "Revenge", an entire fleet of Famicom spaceships and Space Invaders come to the rescue near the end. They only hold the big bad off for a short moment before they get obliterated entirely, but it gives Thomax enough time to get back up and finish the battle.
• Big Eater: Pac-Man (acting like a large shark in the original videos) and Kirby, as usual. In "Revenge", the latter's ability to eat everyone ends up being vital in the plan to put an end to Princess Peach.
• Boss in Mook Clothing: In "X' Turbo", Mr. X starts the level and a Gripper approaches him. The instant Mr. X tries to attack, the Gripper destroys him with a rapid-fire combo of punches, kicks, and special moves.
• Canon Name: "Romantic X" reveals "Thomax" is the name of the Thomas/X fusion form.
• Capcom Sequel Stagnation: Parodied with the title "Super Natraps X' Turbo".
• The Chew Toy:
  • Rockman keeps getting blown up with one hit.
  • Spelunker keeps dying by falling too far when entering the screen.
• Cerebus Syndrome: "Zero", while still being plenty humorous and referential (specially in its first half), is by far the most serious entry: it's the only video in the series with actual dialogue, battles play out almost entirely as dead-serious Dragon Ball Z matches and it explains pretty much the whole plot of the original trilogy, mainly why Sylvia is an evil super-martial artist and the reason she was "captured" at the Devil's Tower.
• Crossover: Almost all of the series — with everything else being an homage.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Rockman's rivalry with Sylvia is utterly one-sided, to the point that he never lands any hits on her. At one point in "Sylvia ga Taosenai", he goes through Doraemon's Anywhere Door and blasts her in the back, but she reappears behind him and says he merely hit her afterimage, then Flash Kicks him.
• Damsel out of Distress: Sylvia is more than capable of holding her own — even while tied to a chair.
• Death Montage: The last third of the first video and all of "Sylvia ga Taosenai" is a sequence of Rockman dying repeatedly in various video games and confrontations with Sylvia.
• Diagonal Cut:
  • Thomas uses a battle-ax to bisect Kenshiro from the Famicom Fist of the North Star game.
  • In the intro to "Sylvia ga Taosenai", Sylvia dives past Rockman, slicing through him and the building he's clinging onto.
• Disposing of a Body: In "XYZ", Mooks carry out the bodies of Thomas and Mr. X and throw them off the cliff from Karateka.
• The Dragon: Sylvia doesn't really have a "right-hand man", but the hyper-powerful Princess Peach seems to serve this role anyway.
• Dragon Ascendant: In "Revenge", Princess Peach turns out to have survived her battle with Green Giant E. Honda, and returns to Earth to wreak havoc.
• Enemy Mine: Thomas and Mr. X team up more than once to take out a mutual threat. Sylvia also helps them in one case, even though she seems to be on her own side most of the time.
• Fearful Symmetry: A common sight in climactic battles throughout the series, beginning with Thomas and Mr. X's fight in the first video, as well as the ending of "Final".
• Fire-Forged Friends: Thomas and Mr. X start out as bitter rivals, but by the end of "Final" they become friendly towards each other. They're still sparring buddies 10 years later in "Revenge". "Romantic X" shows Mr. X has apparently developed feelings way beyond just being friends, though.
• Fusion Dance:
  • Thomas and Mr. X perform one of the composite variety, seeing as it's an obvious Dragon Ball Z reference.
  • Master Onion gives Thomas and Mr. X the solution to stop the enemy in "Revenge": they need to fuse with everyone, and so they ask Kirby to literally devour the entire Famicom catalogue of heroes to create a Super-Saiyan Blue version of Thomax.
• Giant Foot of Stomping:
  • Attempted several times by Green Giant E. Honda, with varying degrees of success. Always accompanied by the "Green Giant" jingle.
  • The first Death Montage has Rockman's last life crushed under a giant Sylvia heel.
• Golden Super Mode:
  • Thomas and Sylvia go Super Saiyan simultaneously in "Final".
  • In the prequel "Zero", Thomas and Mr. X simultaneously achieve Super Saiyan in response to a crisis event: Sylvia's apparent death.
• Grand Theft Me: Mr. Z has the power to use Ginyu's Body Change. In "Zero", he swaps bodies with Sylvia since she's a stronger fighter whose power he desired. This makes him the antagonist of the original trilogy, not Sylvia.
• Groin Attack: Sylvia kicks Mr. X in the crotch, including a "Critical Hit!" message.
• Here We Go Again!: The two rivals Thomas and Mr. X have defeated their opponent and start to part ways... then immediately come at each other with symmetrical kicks, followed by a sepia-tone freeze-frame and "The End?" in the corner.
• Humongous Mecha: "Revenge" reveals the nigh-unstoppable Princess Peach is actually a giant Peach robot piloted by the real Peach.
• Hurl It into the Sun: How Green Giant E. Honda kills Princess Peach — and himself.
• Infinite 1-Ups: The first Death Montage has Spelunker using the "Koopa shell stair bounce" trick before Rockman interrupts it and gets himself killed by the runaway shell. The second has Rockman, reduced to one life, getting his revenge and some of his lives back by bouncing on Spelunker in the same way.
• Item Get!: Thomas triumphantly holds up panties after Shenron grants his wish for them.
• Kamehame Hadoken: Thomas and other characters commonly use the Hadoken. Sylvia uses the more powerful red Shakunetsu Hadoken.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: "XYZ" has Thomas gratuitously stomping on Mr. X's head after defeating him.
• Let's You and Him Fight: The epilogue of "Zero" explains the events of the original movie: Mr X fights Thomas because Mr. Z (trapped in Sylvia's body) convinces Mr. X that Mr. Z has learned the error of his ways, but Thomas doesn't buy it. This gives Mr. Z enough time to break the seal on the chair, setting himself free.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: In "Zero", Thomas and Mr. X need someone to nurse them back to health and train them to take on Mr. Z again. The task falls to Sylvia, but she loses her body to Mr. Z and then dies after sealing him to the chair.
• Mobile Shrubbery: Rockman tries to use the old cardboard box trick to sneak up on Sylvia. She sees through it before he can ambush her.
• No-Sell: Princess Peach's reaction to anything thrown at her, except for the rare case where she just jumps out of the way. "Revenge" reveals why she's so unstoppable: It's a robot in Peach's shape!
• One-Hit-Point Wonder: Rockman explodes at the slightest touch from any attack or hazard. A line in "Sylvia ga Taosenai" even points out that E-Tanks are pointless since he dies in one hit.
• Palette Swap: Mr. Y and Mr. Z are recolors of Mr. X.
• Power-Up Letdown:
  • In "Final", Arthur from Ghosts 'n Goblins attacks and Thomas tosses him a torch weapon, reducing Arthur's range so he's no longer a threat.
  • In "X' Turbo", Gombe from Ikki is virtually unstoppable with his throwing sickles, but when he picks up the bamboo spear which only attacks straight up, he's utterly unable to defend himself against a gang of Grippers.
• The Rival: Thomas and Mr. X, as in the original series. They started out as quite violent against each other (as shown in "XYZ"), but over the course of "Zero" and by the end of the trilogy they became friendly rivals, and "Revenge" shows they are still sparring buddies 10 years later.
• Rock Beats Laser: In the first video, Gombe from Ikki defeats a Gradius Big Core with his bamboo spear.
• Schrödinger's Gun: The Lance of Longinus is first used by Rockman during "Sylvia ga Taosenai" as part of a gag. It ends up being the decisive weapon capable of defeating not only Mr. Z!Sylvia in "Final", but also Princess Peach in "Revenge".
• Sdrawkcab Name: The title is based on Spartan X, the game that inspired the series.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: "Zero" shows the reason Sylvia was chair-bound in the original video: she's not actually Sylvia, but Mr. Z in Sylvia's body. The real Sylvia bound him to the chair, but the seal lasted only for one year.
• Shout-Out:
  • The concept is a reference to an Urban Legend of Zelda claiming that Thomas could fight Sylvia in the original game by finishing all of the stages enough times in a row.
  • Countless references to the Dragon Ball series, including Shenron, the Fusion Dance, and the Mafuuba.
  • Natraps X has Rockman fighting Bowser, who protects himself from Rockman's shots with an AT Field. Rockman eventually pulls out the Lance of Longinius to finish the job.
• Something Person: "Rockmad" has a parody of the Robot Master selection screen, including, among others, "Bomber Man" (not Bomb Man from Mega Man), "Business Man" (the player character of Takeshi's Challenge) and "Okusen Man" (¥110,000,000).
• Spanner in the Works: Despite his ineffectuality, Rockman ends up being helpful to the heroes. Because he got frustrated enough to throw away an E-Tank that was then eaten by Pac-Man, Thomas had the opportunity to recover from his first defeat, escape Pac-Man, and challenge Sylvia again. Later (chronologically) in "Final", Rockman attacks Sylvia after her Curb-Stomp Battle with Thomas. Although he goes down in one hit as usual, this act distracts her just long enough for Mr. X to bring Thomas to safety and fuse with him.
• Sudden Downer Ending: At the end of "Revenge", the sun crashes into the Earth and destroys it.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: "X' Turbo" has Sylvia utterly dominate everyone in her way while tied to the chair... but when she reaches the stairs, she's stuck, because being tied to a chair means she can't climb them. She tries anyway and tumbles backwards.
• Taking You with Me: Seeing how invincible Princess Peach is, Green Giant E. Honda decides to take her down with him by hurling both of them together into the Sun. "Revenge" shows even that wasn't enough to end Peach.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: In XYZ, Thomas is fighting Link with a sword and shield. After blocking a flurry of attacks, he rolls back, throws his sword into the air, then pushes Link back with his shield, before the sword lands directly on Link's head.
• Training Montage: The first half of "Zero" is used to show Sylvia taking care of the injured Thomas and X and helping them not only heal, but getting stronger in battle. Also serves as a Good-Times Montage before Mr. Y and Z show up.
• Unexpected Gameplay Change: In "Final", Thomas fights the Vaus from Arkanoid in a Pong-style deathmatch. Immediately after, he ends up in a Tetris Death Trap fending off Falling Blocks.
• Visible Silence: Thomas and Sylvia both say "..." upon encountering each other in "Final".
• Walking the Earth: Thomas takes this route in the epilogue of "Zero" to train and become stronger. It appears this is why he knows so many varied video game moves, and is also how he met Green Giant E. Honda.
• The Worf Barrage: Mr. Z in "Zero" is defeated (temporarily) by the use of the Mafuuba from Dragon Ball. The next time it is used in "Revenge" it is completely ineffective.
• With My Hands Tied: One sequence in "X' Turbo" has Sylvia fighting through hordes of enemies while still tied to a chair. Then she trips trying to climb the stairs at the end and winds up stuck on her back.
• Xtreme Kool Letterz: In "XYZ", Mr. X has counterparts in Mr. Y and Mr. Z.

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