Darth Wiki / Battle In The Bronx

Do you have what it takes to be the best? Can you outlast each of your opponent? Only the winner gets the glory. Welcome to the Battle in the Bronx!

— Tagline of Battle in the Bronx

Get ready people, because it's back! More excitement, more tension, more passion! This is the second coming! Only the best may face victory! It is the second Battle in the Bronx!

— Tagline for the Second Battle in the Bronx

Rumble one! Go... FIGHT!

— The Announcer

Battle in the Bronx is a series of Fighting Games, with two entries under its belt. Both games are traditional one-on-one 2D fighter. It has the typical stuff like vitality bars and supers (here labeled as Moxie). It has four attack buttons (weak, medium, strong, super-strong) but covers plenty of moves, with super-strong versions of specials using up a fourth of the super bar (called the Moxie Meter). The engine is moderately fast-paced that allows combos, cancellation of attacks, and souped up versions of special moves and Moxies.

What sets this game apart is the setting and theme. The series is set in a fictional town called Bronx (unrelated to Big Applesauce), where everyone are in fact anthropomorphic animals. All of the characters are in fact various kemono. Another thing is that the Battle in the Bronx tournaments are rather benign in nature, with no malevolent Take Over the World plot usually seen in Street Fighter or The King of Fighters (relatively speaking anyway - the first game involves Demonic Possession but mostly for selfish reasons). There is a rather casual, optimistic tone in the setting where even the character who takes training seriously is seen taking a break with friends.

The first game, aptly titled Battle in the Bronx, focuses on Claude Clerkson, CEO of a company in Bronx called Immersion Industries, hosting a tournament that takes place throughout the city. The winner of the tournament gets to take home a huge prize money. The real deal however is that Claude is possessed by a demon named Malevol and he is looking for a proper, stronger host to possess. The winner takes the demon down and with Claude thankful, hands the money anyway.

It introduced 12 fighters and 1 boss character that is selectable with his real, balanced stats.

• Geki Strong - Geki is a young adult bearded dragon who studies the Aura Wake style under Master Toshin. He practices with a quarterstaff, making his style differentiate with his fellow student Joe. While he is talented and has potential, he is lazy and a bit reckless. Upon hearing the tournament, he eagerly participates in it while dragging Joe along. His rival fight is Joe.
  In the sequel, Geki gets tasked into getting a student to teach Aura Wake as a way to teach him as well. While he enjoys it, he prefers to do his own thing and so he uses the tournament as a way to escape from mentoring Maya even just for a bit. He didn't expect his disciple to join the tournament. His rival fight is Maya.
• Joe Sakuraba - Joe is a black panther who is slightly older than Geki and is similarly a student of the Aura Wake style under Master Toshin. He prefers releasing aura with his body through his fists and feet thus he is usually seen meditating with very little clothing in a secluded cave. Compared to his fellow student, he is calm and collected, though he is easy to be a target of pranks. He ends up joining the tournament due to the beardie. His rival fight is Geki.
  In the sequel, Joe is also tasked to teach a student but he disagrees, saying that Geki fits it more. He then notices someone from out of town who is asking around for a certain person - this person seems to radiate a strange aura. As this person joins the tournament, he joins up with hopes of getting more information. His rival fight is Takamaru.
• Dark-Dark - preferring to be called D.D., Dark-Dark is a small, mischievous demon resembling a cat. She escaped the demon world to enact her cause: perform pranks on mortals. Upon hearing a tournament, she notices that the CEO who started the whole thing is a little "off", so she joins in to see what it is, all while having free reign on pulling "above-than-average" pranks. Her rival fight is Thomas.
  At the end of the first tournament, Magela, the high priestess who sealed Malevol, allowed her to stay in the human world. Dark-Dark eventually settles in an orphanage that has taken a liking for her. She joins the tournament to help this place, but she did not expect Magela's daughter to participate (who was unaware that she has Magela's blessing). Her rival fight is Mayumi.
• Captain Hurricane - real name Armstrong Shears, Captain Hurricane is a muscular bald eagle and a local wrestling star who always plays face with a "justice and freedom" theme going for him. However, he feels like his real talents are underused, that he can be an actual fighter for love and peace. So he joins the tournament. His rival fight is Patrice.
  In the sequel, he balances his job as both a wrestler and a masked vigilante. Upon hearing the tournament, he joins knowing full well about what happened last time. He also figures that this is a nice time to recruit for a sidekick. His rival fight is Tyrone.
• Patrice Caine - Patrice is a female furret who is an inventor and has a personal laboratory inside her garage. She wants to "revolutionize" robotics by showing off Auto-Moto, a small robot she made, with the purpose of being an "all-utility" robot. Seeing the tournament gives her an idea to advertise her invention - all while adjusting it a bit to make it more fighter-friendly. Her rival fight is Captain Hurricane.
  She failed to advertise her robot properly, part of which that Auto-Moto was adjusted far from her original vision. However, she receives a note from a mysterious group called "Ride", telling her to participate in the tournament with her current Auto-Moto. Her rival fight is Kiba.
• Mrs. Mami Oaks - Mami takes care of a family of a grandmother and two children. This cow owns a restaurant where her family relies for a living. While she isn't troubled financially, she feels her restaurant need support, and the tournament may give her a chance. Carrying only a wok and a spatula, she joins the tournament. Her rival fight is Carter.
  In Battle of the Bronx canon, she is the official winner of the first tournament. She managed to make her restaurant big and famous, while having a small franchise for delicious buns scattered all over the city. Satisfied, she doesn't join the second tournament, though playing as her makes her "dream" as though she is fighting in the tournament. Her daydreaming gets temporarily stopped by a contestant who asks her for advice. Her rival fight is Thomas.
• Andy Jones - Andy and his friends are construction workers building a fast food restaurant. Andy, a wolf, jokes about entering the tournament. Soon enough however, his friends Hogan (a hawk) and Sonnie (a gator) eventually persuade him to join. Even while fighting, he keeps wondering how he ended up in the tournament in the first place, but his friends keep on supporting him from the back. Surprisingly enough, he is very "lucky" when fighting. His rival fight is Atasha.
  In the sequel, he regrets that his mysterious luck couldn't take him to win the tournament. However, he does admit that fighting in the tournament makes him feel exhilarated. For some odd reason he is compelled to join again, all while for some odd reason looking at his opponents. [[spoiler]]He and his friends are actually a reincarnation of old gods, and his in particular is the God of Judgment[[/spoiler]]. His rival fight is Atasha once more.
• Sampson Steel - Sampson is a lion cop and one of the better known officers in the city. He is very suspicious at the existence of the tournament and so he joins in without the pretense of an undercover. Upon reaching the climax of the tournament though, his expectations are "challenged" to say the least. His rival fight is Sabrina.
  In the sequel, he joins the tournament again especially after from what happened last time. The tournament being backed by the mayor didn't feel so clean to him. And he so asks certain fellow competitors to work with him while competing. His rival fight is Lang.
• Sabrina Brown - Sabrina is a for-hire mercenary specializing in covert operations. This lizard is hired to join in the tournament to look up Immersion Industries, with being a participant in the tournament as a cover. She then realizes that the one who sent her is the CEO's son and that it was because he wanted to check up what was happening in the company while he was away. Her rival fight is Sampson.
  In the sequel, she is asked by Sampson to join the tournament to help him uncover the behind-the-scenes of this event. While reluctant at first, she eventually joins upon hearing a participant's name. Her rival fight is Clint.
• Thomas Philip Shaw - Thomas is a weasel who enjoys reading occult stories so much, not realizing that he is actually drawing out spirits and demons close to him. For some cosmic reason, he accidentally sends his excuse slip for the books he borrowed into the tournament. While he plans to back out, he will get punished for late books unless he makes this real. And so he joins while carrying a tablet to read stuff. His rival fight is Dark-Dark.
  The first tournament revealed to him that he couldn't see the paranormal... except for demons who intentionally made themselves visible. And so he decides to follow Magela to study in paranormal sensing. Upon hearing that her daughter joins the tournament by herself, he decides to follow her. His rival fight is a mental image of Malevol, as he is still sealed in the second game's timeline.
• Atasha Li - Atasha is the oldest of a trio of cat sisters. They are acrobat performers who want to live a luxurious life, and the tournament is a nice opportunity for them. However, they feel like only one should enter among them, and so they draw lots, with Atasha being the (un)lucky one. Her rival fight is Andy.
  While she didn't win the tournament, her popularity, and by extension her sisters, grew big as renowned "battle performers". They enjoy their time until they receive a challenge from a school that practices the Lunar Dance style, that they should fight in the second tournament. Feeling that not answering this challenge will ruin their image more than losing, they decide to join up... once more Atasha losing the straw-drawing. Her rival fight is Andy once again.
• Carter Cole - Carter is a shark and owner of a local coastal dojo. However, no one seems to enroll in his dojo, nor is anyone interested in learning the Tidal Wave style. Hearing about the tournament gives him an idea - by joining the tournament, he can show off his fighting style and at the same time promote his dojo! His rival fight is Mami.
  Despite not winning, people still saw his style and so they flocked in his dojo. However he realized that many of the registrants lack discipline or skill to be even able to use the basics of the style, as it seemed like joining his dojo was a fad. He ended up back to zero again. However, Carter still has hope and upon the second tournament's announcement, he joins again. His rival fight is Holly.
• Malevol - the boss of the first game, Malevol is a possessing demon who escaped the demonic seal placed upon him by Magela. He immediately took over the CEO of Immersion Industries as he was the nearest he could find. Realizing that this person is rich and powerful, he hosts a tournament with the intention of possessing the winner. This plan turned itself around though, and he is quickly sealed by Magela.
  He is still sealed during the events of the second game, but he is able watch the whole thing. That's why when playing as him, he "imagines" himself to be participating, right down to fighting the previous tournament's winner. His rival match is Mami.

The second game is simply called 2nd Battle in the Bronx. A year has passed since Immersion Industries' hosting. The Battle of the Bronx actually drew in visitors and boosted the city's tourism rating. The mayor decides to have another tournament, this time with the government hosting it. The winner may get to earn the prize money... the keyword is may. As the whole thing is funded by the military, and so the winner gets to be the testing partner for its latest weapon.

The game added 8 new characters and 2 boss characters (1 secret pre-boss fighter and 1 boss) that are selectable with balanced stats, and has fixes and tweaks to the returning cast.

• Maya Kazuki is a female goat and an underclassman of the school Geki attends to. She reluctantly refuses the bearded dragon's offer to be a pupil, but wanting to prefer "club duties" over P.E., she decides to join anyway (apparently convincing the school staff with a letter from Master Toshin). At first she sees it as an excuse to skip class, but upon realizing that she has latent aura abilities, she decides to further her skill much to the dismay of Geki. She enters the tournament upon hearing it. Her rival fight is Geki.

• Mayumi Love is the daughter of the famed priestess Magela and was responsible for accidentally releasing Malevol. A young flying fox, she gets shocked to hear about the tournament starting again, thinking that a demon has appeared once more. She did hear something about a demon from an orphanage. Her rival fight is Dark-Dark.

• Lang Wu is Interpol's "hot-headed super cop" who is sent to Bronx for some investigating. He immediately gets fond of local officer Sampson, who he then acts as his "buddy" much to the irritation of the lion. This wolf is tasked to check up on the tournament after what happened in the previous tournament. Sampson agrees but before he could plan, Lang has already enlisted them as fighters. His rival fight is Sampson.

• Kiba Mifune is a mysterious wolf wearing a full-body biker outfit and rides a motorbike. As it turns out, he is wearing a special suit that gives him increased physical abilities. He works for a group called Ride and is tasked to test out the suit's capabilities while searching out for a certain scientist. His rival fight is Patrice.

• Clint Clerkson doesn't seem imposing as he just looks like the son of the rich CEO of Immersion Industries. But this cougar actually spent his two years of out-of-country trip training. He was in fact disappointed upon finding out that his dad sponsored a tournament with him being uninvited, although he forgave him after realizing what happened. So now he is free to join to show off his training, albeit he is expecting someone to fight him due to what happened a few years ago. His rival fight is Sabrina.

• Tyrone Rocks was a bodybuilder but has then stopped participated and now runs a family-owned mechanic/car repair shop. A tyrannosaurus rex, he loves his daughter deeply. Her daughter, who is an avid fan of the first tournament as she visits Mami's restaurant frequently, sees that an opening for the second tournament just got announced. With his daughter asking him to join and wanting nothing more than to make her happy, he participates. His rival fight is Captain Hurricane.

• Takamaru Kamitori is a lone hawk from distant lands. A foreigner, he travels to Bronx to look for someone, specifically the one in the picture he is carrying. Sadly he is quite unlucky as no one knows who the guy is, and he is quite prone to street brawls. Hearing about the tournament however gives him an idea, as the person he is looking for is a known martial artist, so he joins. He practices the art of aura control by channeling it all over the body in large bursts as a way to increase strength. His rival fight is Joe.

• Holly Astral is one of the maidens of the Moon Wishers, a small school dedicated on celebrating the seasonal moon festivals while at the same time practicing the style of Lunar Dance. When her mistress, Lady Ivy, tasks her on showing off her skills by joining in the tournament, this rabbit misinterprets the intention as though they are looking for new members and that participating in the tournament may advertise their school. Her rival is Carter.

• Master Toshin, otherwise known as the legendary Metal Crushing Crane, is the master of Geki and Joe and is the supreme authority of the Aura Wake style in Bronx. He is quite notable for the rice hat he is wearing that covers most of his face and his simple outfit consisting merely of a gi. He has no stake in the tournament, but boredom made him participate this one time. He acts as this game's secret pre-boss fight, overwriting the rival fight the character normally faces if they did the proper requirements (have 3 matches with no round loss), with slightly better stats than his selectable version. When playing as him, he has no rival fight and instead fights himself as a form of "mental training" regardless of requirements (until after the Ticket to Coast Mare update).

• Victory Zero is the name of the soldier operating the prototype Victory suit. His real name is Bolt Bunker, an approachable orange lizard who is quite friends with Tyrone. As one of the top pilots in the military, he is asked to test this Victory suit, labeling him as Victory Zero. He is surprised however that he will be facing whoever is the winner of the tournament. He is the final boss of the game, although as a boss he has increased stats and unique cancel frames. When playing as him, he has no rival fight and instead fights Master Toshin regardless of requirements (until after the Ticket to Coast Mare update).

Later on, a DLC was release titled Might of the Marble Mask along with a balance update. The DLC unlocks three characters, and these characters are tied to Andy and his friends. The characters will appear as usual challengers in Arcade Mode, but only one of the three will appear. While they are treated as canon characters, they are canonically only met by Andy. All of their rival fights are Andy.

• Nupa, the Arbiter of Spirits, is a jackal-like deity who harnesses what is called the life force and aura itself. His domain is to judge the souls of the living and weigh their sins against their guilt.

• Besko, the Czar of Soils, is a crocodile-like deity who manipulates the earth and controls vegetation. He represents the land and its fertility, commanding growth and famine.

• Shuro, the Lord of Cyclones, is a falcon-like deity who commands the winds and the skies. He is said to be responsible for the calmness and harshness of the weather.

Another update came out to go with an upcoming DLC. This update introduces new modes (Survival Mode and Team Trial Mode), various character balance, and a new character.

• G.G.G. is shortened for Geki Gets Going. This is a non-canonical character - a what-if scenario where Geki actually trained hard and focused in his training. This is Geki who is muscular, shirtless, serious, and has training pants and a metallic bo staff. He appears as a secret boss replacing both the character rival and Master Toshin if requirements are met (5 matches won without round loss). His rival fight is Master Toshin and will always face him regardless of requirements.

The second DLC is called the Ticket to Coast Mare which came along with an update that added G.G.G. This DLC unlocks three new characters, all of which are from Coast Mare, a neighboring coastal city. They appear normally in Arcade Mode. Like the previous DLC, these characters are canon but don't actually participate in the tournament.

• Canard L'Arancia is a duck and a practitioner of Tidal Wave. His version however is creating bubbles out of various parts of his body and release them as explosives. He wears a sailor suit, but he isn't a sailor. He has a rather grumpy demeanor and can come off as an irritable guy. He meets up with Carter towards the end. His rival fight is Carter.

• Gratia Genevra hails from a rather well-off family but is studying abroad. This lynx fights with two sticks, reminiscent of eskrima. She wants to show off that despite being wealthy and posh, she can still hold herself in a fight. She eventually moves to Bronx after seeing a certain bearded dragon. Her rival fight is Geki.

• Rosso is a peacock serial killer psychopath who was put to jail by Lang a few years ago. He manages to escape, and his first goal is to kill the super cop that got him in jail in the first place. He can lacerate his victims with his feathers, which are tipped with crimson stains. When he thinks he has Lang down, Sampson comes in to the rescue and locks him up. His rival fight is Lang.

A final update is given to the game that includes character balance, color editor, and a new character. This character is canon and actually participates in the tournament.

• Jackie Chamo is a chameleon private investigator and is close friends with Kiba. He joins in the tournament after realizing who the sponsor of this contest is, especially after discovering a secret project the military is having. Somehow having the feeling that this will only lead to harm than good, he ventures forth to stop this secret. He hopes that Kiba will to help him out as well. His rival fight is Kiba.

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Provides Examples Of:

• Action Girl: Sabrina and Atasha in the first game. They are joined by Maya and Holly in the second game.
• The Apprentice: Geki and Joe are training under Master Toshin. Maya becomes one (inadvertently) to Geki.
• Battle Aura: The unknown rival school to Aura Wake teaches its students to gather aura inside of their bodies and release it all at once to empower themselves at a duration, resulting in a powered up state. Takamaru's Moxie is pretty much this.
• Battle Discretion Shot: G.G.G.'s Sky Dragon Rampage involves him performing a jumping attack that sets up the move. If it connects (as it should, it is unblockable and has a notoriously wide hitbox), both him and the enemy are off-screen but up above, and you'll hear repeated hit noises and even a dragon growl. Smoke puffs and lightning even drop off from the ceiling. The move ends with the enemy getting kicked away as G.G.G. drops.
• Black Screen of Death: Master Toshin's Humming Feather Dance. When it connects, the screen darkens while many strikes are heard, with the screen occasionally showing what he is doing. The move ends with the enemy falling in a spinning motion, with the background still dark. The foe then lands on the master's upward fist, leading to a Sickening "Crunch!" and an electric line popping out before the foe is dropped. At that moment we see the red eyes of Master Toshin.
• Break Meter: The Guard Meter puts the character in a short stunned animation if gets broken from blocking too much.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: If only Geki would take his master's teachings so seriously... G.G.G. is his true potential.
• Culture Chop Suey / Americasia: Bronx has this feel, with typical Western areas superimposed with Asian elements.

• Elemental Powers:
  • The Marble Mask deities personify a certain aspect.
    • Blow You Away: Shuro.
    • Dishing Out Dirt: Kesbo.
    • Soul Power: Nupa.
  • Some of the characters exhibit similar control, usually by channeling aura.
    • Light 'em Up / Lunacy: Lunar Dance style users like Holly can manipulate their aura on specific body parts to produce light as they move.
    • Making a Splash: Tidal Wave style users rely on this, specifically Carter and Canard. Do note that they combine water and martial arts.
• Exact Words: In 2nd, whenever a character reaches the actual final match (the character assumes the rival or Master Toshin's challenge is the final match), they get confused as to where the prize money is when the mayor congratulates them. Turns out the event did say "...the winner may claim the prize". They then must fight and win the latest military invention - Victory Zero. Though to be fair even if they lose they'd still win a prize, just not as big as the actual prize money.
  • Subverted by a few characters, like Mifune, who did take note of the strange wording.
• Extremity Extremist: Joe almost never kicks and all of his attacks involve punching.
  • Jackie never uses his fists for normal attacks (in fact, he uses his pipe of all things for a weak attack). However, when performing specials and Moxies, he strictly uses his arms.
• Frying Pan of Doom: Ms. Mami carries a huge wok on her back while holding a spatula as a weapon. She uses it when guarding, doing heavy attacks, or when performing her Moxie named Toss.
• Fun with Acronyms: G.G.G. stands for Geki Gets Going.
• Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Jackie has a pipe, and he uses it for his weak attacks.
• Do-Anything Robot: Patrice's Auto-Moto, when not fighting, can cook, clean dishes, and even act as a phone charger.
• Hermit Guru: Master Toshin.
• Hollywood Chameleon: Somewhat subverted by Jackie. His coat is actually tailored to mimic his color change, making him look like he could teleport (he is actually moving fast while camouflaged), but this is actually "unnatural" to him and he can only do it at short intervals. His "natural" color changing can be seen when he taunts, as he makes various expressions that his body color reflects.
• I Know Madden Kombat: Carter's Tidal Wave Style involves using various swimming techniques into combat, though that's only half of it. The other half is manipulating aura to create a tidal wave to go with the very odd fighting style.
• I Let You Win: When you defeat Master Toshin, he will stand up from his downed position and sit while nodding. If you win with a guard break animation or a weak attack, he will rub his hands from the attack rather than slowly crumple and faint like the other characters. It is clear that he is not using his full potential.
• Improbable Weapon User: Carter carries a surf board and uses it in some attacks.
  • See also Frying Pan of Doom
• Invisible to Normals: Despite involving spirits in his attacks, Thomas couldn't actually see them even though other people could see them clearly. All he does is reading stuff from his tablet.
• Ki Manipulation: Characters who trained under The School of Aura Wake (Geki, Joe, Sabrina, and Master Toshin) are capable of performing moves that release aura.
  • Carter's Tidal Wave style meanwhile involves releasing aura around you and treating it like water, enabling you to "swim" on solid surfaces.
  • Holly's Lunar Dance style meanwhile involves channeling aura through her ears and using them as extensions, acting like whips or ribbons.
  • Essentially in 2nd, many characters got introduced with the ability to do this. Generally speaking, "aura" exists in all people and it requires training to control it.
  • See Battle Aura for another similar technique.
• Limit Break: The Moxie Meter. Performing MAX versions of special moves consumes 1/4 of it, performing Moxies (supers) consumes 1/2 of it, and performing MAX Moxies (MAX versions of Moxies) consumes the full bar.
• Moveset Clone: Played with. Master Toshin taught (and is still occasionally teaching) the Aura Wake style to Geki and Joe, and Geki is teaching said style to Maya, so there is a reason for them having the same concept of moves. With that said, they all share similar principles of the fighting style and have the same names for specific specials, but they deliver them differently. For instance, all of them have Air Grasp but the move looks and functions differently from each of them. Also note that while they practice the same fighting style, Geki is a mid-ranged fighter whereas Joe is a pure close-up fighter.
  • G.G.G. is Geki who has trained seriously, so it's no surprise their moves are quite similar. With that said G.G.G.'s special moves are usually Geki's Moxies.
• Mr. Fanservice: Lots of muscles here.
• Moon Rabbit: Holly's motif.
• Mysterious Past: Jackie doesn't really tell much other than being a private investigator who wants to see the truth about this tournament.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: However, tidbits of information can be pieced together to show that he has a rather painful past. His motivation stems from the fact that he knew military projects end up being harmful. Him being friends with Kiba, the Kamen Rider Shout-Out, could be connected that he was rescued by him. And then there is the case of his powerful punches and his mysterious camouflaging ability.
• Old Master: Master Toshin is in his mid fifties, though he gives a late forties look.
• Power Armor: Bolt Bunker dons the Victory Zero prototype armor.
• Private Detective: Jackie Chamo, complete with the long coat and pipe.
• Recurring Extra: Andy has two friends - a crocodile named Soren and a falcon named Howie. They always appear at the background whenever Andy is fighting, and are reacting to whatever Andy is doing (like cheering when he wins). Even a Mirror Match would have both players having their own Soren and Howie.
  • However, when Andy fights Nupa, Besko and Shuro, they don't appear.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: We never see his eyes under his rice hat, but when we do see a glimpse of Master Toshin's eyes, they're demonic red.
• Remote Body: Despite being named Auto-Moto, Patrice needs to control it via a remote controller.
• Secret Art: Master Toshin is a unique case where he has a secret third MAX Moxie move. When playing as him, he receives "aura concentration" charges whenever he pulls off certain moves. They can be consumed to make attacks powerful, but they can also be saved with up to three charges. With a full Moxie Meter and three concentration charges, he can perform the secret MAX Moxie Humming Feather Dance. This move is the same regardless of his stance.
  • G.G.G. also gains access to a third secret MAX Moxie called Sky Dragon Rampage. The requirements are different - both of his Moxies should be performed within the round first. It doesn't matter if it's a regular or a MAX version. As long as both are performed within the round, he is allowed to use his secret MAX Moxie.
• Significant Anagram:
  • Nupa is Anpu^* Anpu is an alternative name for Anubis.
  • Kesbo is Sobek.
  • Shuro is Horus.
• Shout-Out:
  • Master Toshin is a homage to Crane from Kung Fu Panda.
  • Similarly, Rosso is based from Lord Shen from its sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2.
  • Kiba is a huge Kamen Rider reference. Even his attacks are staple Kamen Rider moves.
  • Canard is based on the combination of two Jojos Bizarre Adventure characters - Caesar Zeppeli and Josuke Higashikata (Part 7), both characters who use bubbles for fighting. There's also a hint of Donald Duck.
    • Nupa, Kesbo and Shuro, as well as the whole Marble Mask fiasco, are references to the Pillar Men of Part 2: Battle Tendency.
  • Victory Zero is a twofer. He's a barely-armored lizard, with an armor that covers his chest, shins, feet, head, and forearms, much like WarGreymon. His attacks (using energy boomerangs, mini-shooters on his helmet, etc.) all reference mecha shows like Mazinger Z, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Voltes V.
  • Takamaru meanwhile is pretty much Domon Kashuu as a bird, complete with moves that reference the mecha itself, G Gundam.
• Shrine Maiden: Mayumi's family are all priests who are able to ward off malevolent spirits and summon helpful ones.
• Sickening "Crunch!": The last hit of Master Toshin's Humming Feather Dance.
• Stance System: Master Toshin fights either unarmed or with his fishing rod. The former is fast but relies on him being close, while the latter is slower but has good reach for attacks. Guess where Geki and Joe got their training regimen from.
• Stealth Pun: Canard full name (Canard L'Arancia) is "duck l'orange".
• Stripperific: Joe only wears bandages to cover his hands, feet, and waist... though he does say he is wearing underwear beneath that! Subverted in that he actually has clothes but when training (or fighting) he prefers not to be "impeded" by clothing.
• Super Cop: Lang's character is based on one.
• What If?: G.G.G. is a non-canonical character and exists solely to answer the question - what if Geki actually takes his training seriously?
• Willfully Weak: Master Toshin never fights to his full strength.