History VideoGame / GenpeiToumaDen

* ''Genpei Tōma Den'' (1986), which got a North American release (as "The Genji and the Heike Clans") when it was included in Namco Museum Vol.4. It was also re-released in October of 2021 as a part of Hamster's ''Arcade Archives'' series for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.

Nowadays, the series is mainly known for contributing Taira no Kagekiyo to ''Videogame/NamcoXCapcom'', where he joined many other obscure Namco characters.

The elements of these games were borrowed into the Japanese live-action series ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger''. The motifs were also used for ''Series/KamenRiderGhost''.

* AnimalMotifs: Kiso no Yoshinaka is associated with bulls, while Onihime seems to be made of butterflies.

* {{Kitsune}}: Nine-tailed foxes appear as normal enemies.

* ''Genpei Tōma Den'' (1986), which got a North American release (as "The Genji and the Heike Clans") when it was included in Namco Museum Vol.4.

* EvilLaugh: Minamoto no Yoshitsune laughs and screams a lot. There's also the creepy laugh of the witch who guides Taira no Kagekiyo.

* DemBones: As usual for the genre, there are enemy skeletons. One skeleton with a greatsword appears as a boss in ''Kan no Ki.''

* ''Genpei Tōma Den: Kan no Ki'' (源平討魔伝 巻ノ弐) (1992) - The same story, except as a standalone ExpansionPack focusing on the side-scrolling "big" mode, and with more boss fights. It was released in North America as "Samurai Ghost".

* AdaptationalHeroism: Taira no Kagekiyo in ''Kan no Ki'' is not only given a chance to get revenge, but is tasked by the heavens to slay Minamoto no Yoritomo to halt his reign of evil. He still must go through hell to test his might before going through to the mortal realm, however.
* AdvancingWallOfDoom: One of these appears in ''Kan no Ki'', in the form of a wall of lava that is being spewed out by a volcano in the background.

** Onihime was originally a common enemy in the top-down-view levels. She was promoted to a boss in ''Kan no Ki''.
** The HumongousMecha was originally an uncommon enemy in the side-view "small" mode levels, but was also promoted to boss in ''Kan no Ki''.

* BonusStage: All games have bonus stages that allow players to collect items that come in handy for the upcoming levels. In ''Kan no Ki'', the Buddha himself is FlyingOnACloud to drop items for Kagekiyo to use.
* BossRush: ''Kan no Ki'' has one, leading to the final boss.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The ''title screen'' shows Taira no Kagekiyo with a katana, whereas in the side-view "big" mode he clearly uses a straight sword. The reason for this is probably to make Kagekiyo's sword swinging animations more visible on screen, so they had to make it into a larger straight sword. However, the promo videos and the ending in ''Kan no Ki'' do portray Kagekiyo fighting with a katana.

** ''Kan no Ki'' was renamed ''Samurai Ghost'' in North America.

* SceneryPorn & SceneryGorn: The first and third games pushed their systems to their limits with regard to scenery, and presented the game with a ''maki-e'' art style interface that would predate even ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. ''Kan no Ki'' in particular has scenes such as ethereal realms full of floating candles, gigantic mountains with some mystical symbol on them, etc.
* SealedEvilInACan: The path to the final boss in ''Kan no Ki'' requires breaking the ropes that seal the bosses you have already defeated earlier, thus causing the BossRush afterwards.
* ShockAndAwe: Raijin and Fuujin, the gods of lightning and thunder, appear as bosses in ''Kan no Ki''.

* SpecialAttack: In ''Kan no Ki'', there are three treasures that Kagekiyo can collect and these treasures give him three unique special attacks consisting of a SwordBeam, SpinAttack, and WeaponTwirling. Some of the bosses also have some of their own special attacks like Minamoto Yoshitsune having his own Spin Attack and Benkei with his Weapon Twirling.

* TheUnfought: The magical biwa player is not killable in the original, although he becomes a boss in ''Kan no Ki''.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The ''title screen'' shows Taira no Kagekiyo with a katana, whereas in the side-view "big" mode he clearly uses a straight sword. The reason for this is probably to make Kagekiyo's sword swinging animations more visible on screen, so they hade to make it into a larger straight sword. However, the promo videos do portray Kagekiyo fighting with a katana.

* Samurai: Taira no Kagekiyo, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and Kiso no Yoshinaka were samurai warriors in their human incarnations and continue to done their samurai armor and weapons in their current appearances.

* SpecialAttack: In ''Kan no Ki'', there are three treasures that Kagekiyo can collect and these treasures give him three unique special attacks consisting of a SwordBeam, SpinAttack, and WeaponTwirling.

* SceneryPorn & SceneryGorn: The first and third games pushed their systems to their limits with regard to scenery, and presented the game with a ''maki-e'' art style interface that would predate even ''VideoGame/Okami''. ''Kan no Ki'' in particular has scenes such as ethereal realms full of floating candles, gigantic mountains with some mystical symbol on them, etc.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The ''title screen'' shows Taira no Kagekiyo with a katana, whereas in the side-view "big" mode he clearly uses a straight sword.

* SuperMove: In ''Kan no Ki'', there are three treasures that Kagekiyo can collect and these treasures give him three unique special attacks consisting of a SwordBeam, SpinAttack, and WeaponTwirling.

The elements of these games were borrowed into the Japanese live-action series ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'', as well as its North American footage adaptation ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai''. The motifs were also used for ''Series/KamenRiderGhost''.

* SceneryPorn & SceneryGorn: The first and third games pushed their systems to their limits with regard to scenery, and presented the game with a ''maki-e'' art style interface that would predate even ''Videogame/Okami''. ''Kan no Ki'' in particular has scenes such as ethereal realms full of floating candles, gigantic mountains with some mystical symbol on them, etc.

* DragonVersusTiger: Both of them appear as enemies; dragons in the small side scrolling mode, while tigers in the big side scrolling mode.

* DragonAndTiger: Both of them appear as enemies; dragons in the small side scrolling mode, while tigers in the big side scrolling mode.

''Genpei Tōma Den'' (源平討魔伝) is a Japanese game series taking place after the [[JidaiGeki Genpei War]]. One of the samurai killed in the war, Taira no Kagekiyo,[[note]]Although, in actuality, he was captured, refused all food and drink, and eventually starved to death.[[/note]] is brought back from the dead as a wraith in order to get his vengeance. He slashes his way through the living, dead, and undead to finally defeat Minamoto no Yoritomo.

* SceneryPorn & SceneryGorn: The first and third games pushed their systems to their limits with regard to scenery. ''Kan no Ki'' in particular has scenes such as ethereal realms full of floating candles, gigantic mountains with some mystical symbol on them, etc.

* MarketBasedTitle: ''Kan no Ki'' was renamed ''Samurai Ghost'' in North America.

Nowadays, the series is mainly known for contributing Taira no Kagekiyo to Videogame/NamcoXCapcom, where he joined many other obscure Namco characters.

The elements of these games were borrowed into the Japanese live-action series ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'', as well as its North American footage adapttion ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai''. The motifs were also used for ''Series/KamenRiderGhost''.