Characters introduced in Samurai Shodown VI
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Iroha
I vowed to keep my master safe. No matter who my opponent is, I can't afford to lose.
Origin: Urushiyama, Ōshū Province, Japan note
Voiced by: note
A crane who is able to transform herself into a Japanese maid. She serves her master and sees her duty to him/her as the most important aspect of her life. She often bows and speaks to the player directly before and after her fights and the game's producers have confirmed her master is indeed the player him/herself. Iroha is an obedient and cheerful maiden. She deeply cares for her master, trying her hardest to stay in her human form whilst in front of him/her. Despite debuting only in VI, Iroha went on to star in many Meido based spinoff games. She finally makes her canon debut as part of the 2nd DLC character pass of 2019.
- Addressing the Player: Her "Master" she so often speaks of is actually the player, which is why she waves to the camera during her Victory Pose.
- Ambidextrous Sprite: Canonically, Iroha's left leg is the one with the bandage on it. In practice, it's whichever one is further away from the player at the time. It still happens in 2019 despite using 3D models.
- Animal Jingoism: Her combat stance involves her keeping one leg elevated and bent at all times, just like how a crane stands in the water.
- Ascended Extra: Before 2019, Iroha had only appeared in one mainline game in the series, but it was a dream match. However, she quickly became one of the series' most popular characters due to her fanservice-heavy design and demure personality. Although left out of the initial roster for developmental reasons, she was eventually brought in as a DLC character.
- Ass Kicks You: Her stance-break in 2019.
- Animorphism: Seamlessly shifts at will between crane and human forms.
- Battle Strip: Her super move
"Dance of the Japanese Crane" (which happens in shadow) involves her stripping off her clothes, resulting in her silhouette appearing nude, then beating the crap out of her opponent with her bare hands before morphing into her crane form momentarily to cause some more damage, then morphing back to her human form, still nude, to lay the final blow. It returns in 2019 as her Super Special Move, unchanged. - Buxom Beauty Standard: She's very well endowed, which is emphasized by the cleavage in her outfit. Even more notable with her Sexy Silhouette during her Battle Strip super.
- Dating Sim: Her Spin-Off games by SNK is usually this, having two game series for mobile (Maid by Iroha and Koi by Iroha), as well as appearing in various Days of Memories games.
- Distracted by the Sexy: During her "Dance of the Japanese Crane" super move, her opponent is just standing there letting her beat the crap out of him/her, supposedly too distracted by her nudity to fight back.
- Doesn't Like Guns: She's not fond of firearms or ranged weapons, as seen in her interactions with Andrew and Mina. It's implied she was injured in her crane form by a hunter (per the original folktale), which would explain her distaste for such things.
- Downloadable Content: She returns to the series in 2019 as part of the second wave of DLC characters.
- Dual Wielding: She fights with a pair of butterfly swords.
- Environmental Symbolism: All four of the new characters in VI came with an applicable stage. Iroha's stage is set in her snow-covered home of Urushiyama, and features a watermill and a riverbank where multiple black and white cranes flock together. Her accompanying Leitmotif, a melancholic Enka (Japanese ballad), is unusual in that it features full lyrics. These motifs carry over into 2019, though instead of her home stage which is not featured in the game, she shares Rimururu's stage: a winter version of Kamuikotan which features several wild animals and lots of snow.
- Flung Clothing: The Battle Strip in "Dance of the Japanese Crane" has her removing her entire outfit and throwing it into the air in a single swipe. When she finishes the super, her clothes fall back to her just in time.
- Freakiness Shame: In what is a clear reference to the fable she is based on, during the super where she transforms into her crane form (albeit screened by a shoji), she begs the player not to look...no matter what.
- Handicapped Badass: The bandage around Iroha's leg isn't just for show; the crane in the original Crane Wife folktale was injured by a hunter, and Iroha seems to have suffered a similar injury. She hops around on one foot in her idle and walk animations, and one of her victory animations has her wince and clutch at her bad ankle. Despite this, she can leap and spin around the battlefield without any problems, and in the hands of a skilled player, she can kick just as much ass as any other fighter in the game.
- Hot in Human Form: Her real form is a crane, but she can shift into the form of an incredibly beautiful human woman.
- Impossible Hourglass Figure: Iroha has a curvaceous figure complemented by very large breasts and fairly wide hips measuring at B91 W59 H85.
- Homage: Iroha's entire character is based on an old story called The Grateful Crane Wife, which is linked to the Chinzo Temple in Urushiyama, her hometown. During one of her special attacks, she hides behind a shoji while saying "Please don't look, no matter what", referencing a scene from the story.
- Meaningful Name: Her namesake are the first syllables from the Heian poem of the same name, which is a pangram used until the Meiji era for learning the hiragana syllabary — a cultural translation would be "ABC".
- Meido: At first, she was designed to be a mostly nude character, though eventually, her image changed to a "graceful crane" and "Asian wife" motif — hence her skills at housework.
- Morphic Resonance: Her maid's apron is designed so as to resemble a crane's wings.
- Ms. Fanservice: Her default costume, definitely. She even breaks the fourth wall to serve you at the end!
- No Fourth Wall: Her "master" is YOU, and she speaks to the player as such. In 2019, she quests to take down Shizuka in defence of her master’s happiness, and her story is presented as if the player is personally accompanying her.
- Ninja Maid: Probably the most literal example ever. Her clothes look like a cross between a kunoichi's clothing (or lack thereof) and a stereotypical French Maid Outfit.
- Sexy Silhouette: Her "Dance of the Japanese Crane" super has her doing a Full-Frontal Assault, but this is keep modest by the fact she brings down a shoji door in front of the camera before she strips, so when she does only her nude silhouette is visible.
- Shapeshifting Lover: She tries her best to maintain her human form for her master when in front of him/her.
- Shotoclone: She's one of the more basic and easier to use characters, and has special moves that mirror those of Ryu/Ken via her own equivalents of Hadouken, Dragon Uppercut, and Hurricane Kick.
- Spin Attack: She has two:
- "Pinwheel" where she can twirl herself toward her opponent, slicing them with her swords.
- "Flying Wind Drop" which is a rolling attack that can also send her spinning upwards to counter aerial attacks.
- Stripperiffic: Skimpy kunoichi-inspired French maid wardrobe that reveals her cleavage and even some side-boob? Check. Wide hips on show? Check. Toeless thigh-highs? Double check. She was literally maid for Fanservice.
- Suplex Finisher: If she is rendered weaponless while performing her Crane Dance moves on her opponent, she'll instead finish her full-frontal assault by seductively approaching her victim only to sucker them into an unexpectedly brutal suplex.
- Undying Loyalty: She's utterly loyal and devoted to her "Master" and everything she does is for their sake.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: She has full control over her transformation between human and crane.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Kind, domestic, submissive but not exactly weak, obedient to her master, feminine yet very capable of holding her own in battle. Her true form as that of crane helps too. Pretty much the only non-characteristic trait she has is her revealing wardrobe.
- Youkai: Yes, the beautiful Iroha counts as such. Whilst she presents as human, and is undoubtedly a pure, true-hearted character, she's absolutely not human but rather an entity known as a Tsuru Nyōbō ("Crane Wife"), which are the subject of many Japanese folktales, including The Grateful Crane Wife detailed above.
Andrew
Do not look down. Go forward looking up.
Origin: Virginia, Thirteen Colonies note
Weapon: White Lily, a musket with a bayonet
Voiced by: note
He is portrayed as an American soldier who goes to Japan to stop a new menace to his relatively young country. In his ending, he befriends Yoshitora. He is a serious and dedicated individual, always thinking about his duty to his country above all else.
- Bayonet Ya: Using blade of his bayonet, he can slash his opponents from afar and keep them at a distance with his projectile attacks.
- Birds of a Feather: He and Yoshitora hit it off due to their desires to rule.
- Bling of War: Sports bright red military dress complete with epaulets, a black sash, and white gloves.
- Eagleland: A mix of 1 and 2 — while well mannered and a proper sportsman, he ultimately has aspirations to Take Over the World, and in his ending, he succeeds at just that.
- Mix-and-Match Weapon: A mundane variant. He uses a musket with a bayonet attached, which offers him both mid and long-range reach.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Based on Andrew Jackson, an American soldier and statesman who served as the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, Jackson gained fame as a general in the United States Army and served in both houses of Congress.
- Patriotic Fervor: Takes part in the events of VI to protect the fledgling United States from demonic powers. In his ending, this goes so far that he conquers the planet.
- The Pioneer: Source materials note he is the son of an ambitious English merchant who sought a new life in the colonies.
- Ship Tease: Fans tend to pair him with Iroha, the new female character in the 6th game.
- Stereotype Flip: In dramatic contrast to the loud, brash, energetic manner in which Americans are typically presented in this series (and most fighting games in general), Andrew is presented as a quiet, stoic, bookish young man who enjoys taking tea and whose complex is his lack of success in talking to women. The stereotype is further turned on its head via his in-series buddy and Japanese counterpart, Yoshitora, who is depicted as a louche, cocky, womanizing layabout, which is in complete contrast to the usually stoic, humble Japanese archetype — they've essentially switched roles.
- Stoic Spectacles: He's reserved and his glasses help show that off, he's also smart enough to take them off before a fight.
- Take Over the World: He hints at his desire for world domination while fighting Galford, then out and out states it in his ending. He and Yoshitora conquer the western and eastern worlds respectively, and create a coalition controlled by the United States.
- The Glasses Come Off: Takes his glasses off before a match starts.
- White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: His father is English (so he's almost a proto-WASP given he's first-generation American), and he exhibits the typically reserved, stoic personality.
- The White House: His stage is set at the White House during its construction, which (sort of) fits into the series' overall timescale, as the build started in 1792.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: One of his pre-battle lines has Andrew feeling reluctant about fighting a female opponent.
Sugoroku Matsuribayashi
I win! I've had a harder time playing carnival games!
Voiced by: note
A plump, jolly man who really enjoys festivals (matsuri) and having fun. He joins the fight to spread some cheer and help the foreigners who've come to Japan to fight enjoy themselves in a traditional festival. His character design and mannerisms are based on the Naked Festival that occurs annually in Japan. He was designed to follow a festival motif after the game designers decided on creating a "lame but cool" character.
that occurs annually in Japan. He was designed to follow a festival motif after the game designers decided on creating a "lame but cool" character.- Action Dad: Kicks butt and is father to a daughter named Koma.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He may look goofy, but he isn't regarded as the best fireworks technician in the world for nothing!
- BFG: Wields a huge cannon used for shooting fireworks.
- Big Beautiful Man: Muscular, shapely, nice fat ass, and wears nothing but a fundoshi to cover his modesty.
- Big Fun: He's extremely cheery.
- The Cutie: The guy's a genuine sweet, lovable Nice Guy who fights so that everyone will be happy and have fun. Then there's that smile of his...
- Earn Your Happy Ending: His arcade run in a nutshell — thinking that the game's foreigners would like to participate in a traditional festival, he decides to enter the brawl. He's also hoping to have a good time while he's at it!
- Family Man: Has a wife and child back home. His wife accompanies him before the fight starts, and his daughter (alongside the wife and dog) will pose with him if he's victorious. His family even assists him during battles!
- Fun Personified: Definitely. This is a man who always carries a smile on his face, goes to every festival he can and wants everybody in the world to have fun!
- Happily Married: To his beloved Karuta.
- Homage: The entirety of his character is inspired by the attendees of the Hadaka Matsuri, an event in Japan held at least once every year. Participants, usually male, wear virtually no clothing (normally just a thong fundoshi but occasionally nothing at all) while celebrating the harmony of a fruitful harvest and fertility.
- Improbable Weapon User: In a series with some pretty out-there weapons, his fireworks cannon might take the cake. As a large, heavy object, he can smash the opponent with it, spin it like a top for a multi-hit, mount it to jet-propel himself into the opponent and, of course, blast the enemy away (fireworks may be involved). His super involves him calling on a group of shrine-carrying festival-goers to trample the opponent — hilariously weird.
- Lethal Joke Character: His design was intended to be this way, according to the developers. Developers even claims he's supposed to be a "Lame, but cool character."
- Life of the Party: In his capacity as a festival aficionado.
- Meaningful Name: A "Matsuri bayashi" is the musical accompaniment to the Japanese festivals. A ''sugoroku is a typical Japanese board game.
- Mr. Fanservice: His default costume leaves very little to the imagination. His design and mannerisms also have a strong Bara Genre vibe (despite having a wife).
- Stout Strength: He's a plump little cherub of a man, but has good stamina in-game.
- Theme Naming: His whole family is named after things related to the new year's celebration: his wife Karuta note , his daughter Koma note , his father Kadomatsu note , his mother Kine note , his grandfather Hatsuyume note and his grandmother Hagoita note . His dog Pochi is the one who doesn't clearly fit with the motif.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: His wife is taller than he is, as he's only 5'1".
- Unskilled, but Strong: He's a fighting fireworks technician!
- Unusual Weapon Mounting: Carrying an active fireworks cannon at all, let alone carrying one into combat, is unadvisable for obvious reasons.
Ocha-Maro Karakuri
For the world, for the people, I will finish my duty.
Origin: North of Tsuchimikado Street, east of Nishinotouin Street, Heian-kyō, Yamashiro Province, Japan note
Weapons: Kirigane Okina, Uragane Onna note & Kurogane Chuuzou Hagane Yakiire Hakugin no Haguruma note , two steel fans and a cogwheel.
Voiced by: note
During the Heian period, a famous onmyōji learned about the existence of the demon world and foresaw the dangers. He created an army of wooden karakuri puppets to combat said dangers after his death. A century before the events depicted in the game, his fellow puppets are all destroyed by Mizuki when they attempt to seal her. He is the only survivor, and when he reawakens, he departs to fulfill his duty as a warrior who fights demons.
- The Cameo: Apart from VI, Ocha-Maro also appears as a Counter Card for SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS and in the Maid by Iroha games.
- Creepy Doll: Despite being one of the good guys, Ocha-Maro is more than a little unsettling, especially for players completely unfamiliar with the concept and appearance of karakuri.
- Dance Battler: Fights using the ritual Shinto Kagura dance.
- Deadly Disc: The giant cogwheel concealed within his under-carriage can be spun rapidly at opponents to deliver considerable damage.
- He Who Fights Monsters: His sole purpose is to battle demonic forces, and he never hesitates to complete his pre-programmed mission to do so.
- Lethal Joke Character: Once developers decided that they wanted to add an odd-ball character to the cast, the concept of an endlessly powered karakuri emerged, making Ocha-Maro one of the weirdest if not the weirdest fighting game characters in existence. Despite this, in the right hands, he's a deadly opponent for the very reason that his style is so strange and unpredictable.
- Meaningful Name: Translates as "Karakuri tea boy", a reference to the typical Japanese tea-serving clockwork robot.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Due to Ocha-Maro's age, a handful of Japanese fans believe that he was created by Abe no Seimei.
- Onmyōdō: Ocha-Maro was built by a famous onmyōji, and he's the only person it shows respect to.
- Puppet Shows: Karakuri puppets (karakuri ningyō) are traditional Japanese mechanized puppets or automata. The dolls' gestures provide a form of entertainment and the word karakuri means "mechanisms" or "trick". Ocha-Maro is based on a zashiki karakuri — a puppet designed to serve tea, which is referenced in his name, literally "tea-boy". His unique stage in VI is set in the Tenkaku-za puppet theatre, and features multiple singing puppets who look like smaller versions of him — eerie.
- Ridiculously Human Robot : Karakuri puppets were one of the first automata in history, and the predecessors of modern robots.
