Nintendo's First Samurai: Takamaru for SSB4 (Final Request: Ask the US HW devs to add Takamaru)

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Music
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Castle Town (Douchuumen)
Inside The Castle
Invincible/Bonus Theme
Murasame Castle
Before The Last Boss​

Takamaru's Ninja Castle: Castle Town (Douchuumen)
Takamaru's Ninja Castle: Combat
Takamaru's Ninja Castle: Boss Theme
Murasame Mode Stage Select (Douchuumen)
Douchuumen (Rock Arrangement)
Nazo no Murasame-Jo Medley (Traditional Japanese Arrangement)​

Welcome to the support thread for Nintendo’s oldest samurai and one of its oldest protagonists! We hope that your curiosity leads to you learning something fun about one of Nintendo’s “Most Known Unknowns”. You've caught us at a pretty cool time where we’re anticipating his inclusion in Smash 4 and as such have begun doing some renovations for the thread. We’re about to begin taking questions, starting with yours:
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“Who is Takamaru?”​

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Takamaru is the protagonist of the Japanese Family Computer or “Famicom” (NES equivalent) title “The Mysterious Murasame Castle” (lit. Nazo no Murasame Jō). As an apprentice samurai, Takamaru is given the duty of preventing a strange otherworldly deity from conquering Edo Japan after its initial descent and consequent possession of the lords of four neighboring castle towns. Armed with little more than a reliable katana and his own wit initially, he sets off on the journey that would have him visit these four castles freeing the inhabitants of the castle from this being’s influence before reaching his final destination, the titular Murasame Castle, wherein he would confront the strange deity for the sake of all involved.​

For all that can be said of this story however, the character is a bit of a blank slate in terms of what can be done with his personality. While defined by the noble and honor first way of the samurai, Takamaru has also seen interesting characterization from his appearance in another game. Captain Rainbow’s interpretation of the character retains the same duty bound, humble and personable attitude while also introducing the “quirk” that the young samurai has a hard time around women.​

“What is this “Mysterious Murasame Castle” game like? Is it a Puzzle game? Action-Adventure? Platformer?"
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In some senses, The Mysterious Murasame Castle is both an action-adventure title and one of the earliest progenitors of the modern day “stylish action” or “twitch action” game genres. Even in its now basic gameplay design, Takamaru is a character that is nimble, responsive and, through the acquisition of varied offensive and support power ups, given a number of ways to deal with the challenges that arose in the game’s “screen by screen” design. Players encounter nimble enemies ranging from ninja foot soldiers to possessed lords with large AoE weaponry to various supernatural phenomena darting all about and generating mass pandemonium. The game demanded the absolute best of your ability to navigate its grid based design while making your way from one zone to the next avoiding or engaging the obstacles it would put in your way. As combat is a big component to the game, Takamaru (as the player character) was given a mixed moveset consisting of long ranged projectile items such as enchanted “will-o-wisp” flames, throwing knives and stars, support items such as a magic cloak that would turn the character completely invisible and thus impossible to damage, and a short range katana drawn from the sheath should you find an opponent stumbling into your strike zone.
“So you roam about a map beating foes while collecting crazy items? Oh, but that just sounds like a Zelda game!”


“So you roam about a map beating foes while collecting crazy items? Oh, but that just sounds like a Zelda game!”

Not quite. Zelda is focused more on exploration, puzzles and discovery while The Mysterious Murasame Castle is skewed more towards combat, navigation and survival. You have brought up a pretty interesting observation however…​

“When was this game created? What significance do Takamaru and Mysterious Murasame Castle have to Nintendo’s history?”
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The Mysterious Murasame Castle was created and released in 1986. Avid video game historians and enthusiasts will be quick to tell you that this was also the “birth year” of three other notable Nintendo franchises that currently enjoy a strong popularity in the Nintendo-verse. These franchises are The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Kid Icarus. People in the know will also be quick to inform you that Metroid and Kid Icarus share a bond by being created by the same team. Instead of opting to design a wholly new franchise with new technologies or approaches after Metroid, the team decided to play with the engine and initial design of the game, eschewing the labyrinthine side scrolling nature for a faster paced experimental platformer/shooter hybrid. With the creation of a few new assets, a new story and a new protagonist in the form of Pit, the birth of the first Kid Icarus title was complete. But you knew that already, right?

Now what if I told you that The Legend of Zelda and The Mysterious Murasame Castle share a similar relationship with one another? After the breakout success of the first Zelda title, developers within Nintendo opted to play with the basic design and attributes of the first Zelda in the desire of making a faster paced action oriented title. The result was The Mysterious Murasame Castle. Sadly, due to the timing of the game’s release versus Zelda and Metroid, the game didn’t reach the same stratosphere of sales as those two franchises and due to the intrinsically Japanese flavor of the game, it was also passed over for a chance to find an audience in the West as at the time, Nintendo of America believed the game to be too niche and region centric versus the universal entities of the other big Nintendo games. This left the game caught between a rock and a hard place. The game and Takamaru have continued to persist through the ages however both by being remembered fondly by Japanese gamers who enjoyed its gameplay and being frequently referenced, especially in more modern Nintendo made or published titles. (See next question)

Takamaru's inclusion in the roster creates a very interesting “family (Famicom?) reunion” of franchises and characters that were all born in the same early era of Nintendo each of which has a strong history of circumstance and relation to one another. It also gives a character that was once bottlenecked by circumstance a second chance to find a real audience among the Nintendo All-Stars.
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“Where does his support come from? More specifically, how has he managed to remain visible for such a long time?”

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The character and game have always seen a stable and somewhat loud bit of support from Japanese players enamored with the game. At times it has been described as the East’s “Punch-Out!!” referencing how the series is revered in one hemisphere but registers a complete blank in another due to either never seeing a release there or coming out to a (sadly) muted response from the opposite hemisphere’s gaming audience. Contrary to a large majority of Nintendo franchises that have come and gone into the back of the Nintendo Vault™ over the years, Takamaru and The Mysterious Murasame Castle have continued to receive small nods of recognition in a few Nintendo games released since. Pikmin 2 is the earliest modern reference with one of its objectives involving retrieving a copy of the Famicom game disk. Other homages and references include the inclusion of Douchuumen or the Castle Town theme and main musical theme of the journey heard from the start of the game in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the inclusion of an entire mode retelling the events of Mysterious Murasame Castle with a more realistic slant within the release of Samurai Warriors 3 for the Wii, his inclusion alongside other notable but “lost in time” Nintendo characters aiming for the spotlight again in Captain Rainbow, and a particularly surprising game mode themed after his franchise in 2012’s NintendoLand release.

While it is hard to pinpoint when exactly Takamaru became a figure in Western want lists and well wishes, the combination of allure for another character to break out while bringing a fresh side of Nintendo to the mainstream in a manner similar to the inclusion of the Fire Emblem duo Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the heightened awareness of him and his game thanks to cameos made in the previously mentioned titles, and the desire for a wildly different take on swordsmanship is enough to get anyone moderately intrigued.

There is also the issue of one Hideki Kamiya of Twitter Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 2, Okami and The Wonderful 101 fame stepping in and mentioning that of the Nintendo franchises he'd love to have a hand in reviving or developing for, The Mysterious Murasame Castle sits at the top of the batch next to a Star Fox revival...​

“Why is he such a great candidate for the roster? What does he bring in terms of aesthetic versus the other all-stars already present?”​

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Takamaru and the Mysterious Murasame Castle bring Japanese visual design and culture to the forefront through the combination of character and setting potential. Takamaru is not only one of those Japan only characters akin to Marth or Lucas before Smash propelled them to superstar level, but he is also literally a character from a stylized version of Japan’s Edo era. This means that a bit of Japanese culture will take influence on the character and the setting.

Now you might be saying "Why would Japanese culture be a big deal?" Well aesthetically, Japanese related content tends to have a notable style that expresses emotion by mixing environments and movements to make almost a poetic expression. For example:

Murasame Castle could be a beautiful place with sakura blowing in the wind, some chimes gently ringing, and a small river flowing underneath a bridge. A very soothing feeling at first, but then the sky could turn a blood red with all of the sakura wilting away and the river drying up, with mysterious figures stalking in the background and the mysterious alien deity that took over Murasame Castle watching anonymously around the castle itself. It would cycle between the peace and the chaos, like a never ending battle of good vs. evil.

Classic Japanese architecture will also lead to very interesting stages as players could either participate on stages made from the building’s exterior or play on stages with very ornate landscapes in the distance framing the action. (Footage taken from the anime Katanagatari and the game Muramasa: The Demon Blade for Wii)

The use of sumi-e styled background elements and filters (a la Okami) is yet another way to diversify from the cast and highlight the strengths of Japanese visual design.​

How would Takamaru play optimally? Do you have move set examples?​

“Pause. I just realized he uses a sword. We don’t need any more sword people.”

“Won’t he just be another blue haired swordsman?”

“Sakurai said X wouldn’t be a good inclusion for being ‘just another swordsman‘… What exempts Takamaru from this criticism?”

First things first, Taka’s black haired. First art is canon.

Now then, walk with me for a little bit. Just as there are a limitless number of ways to fight with fists and feet, use magic, generate energy, etc, while also being visually distinct, so too are there ways of using a sword. Before we talk about Takamaru any further though, let’s take a brief look at the current reality of swordsmen in Smash:

Knights (Sword & Shield style): Link, Young Link & Toon Link

Right off the bat, you should notice something strange with this. The series has gone through three entries with the fourth one rapidly approaching and this archetype is only made up of variants of the same character. Sure this is mitigated in play style by giving different properties to similar looking attacks, but with so little else being done in how this style is implemented, it comes across as being excessively same-y.

Fencers (fighting style based off of the European style of Fencing): Marth, Roy, and the newcomer Lucina

Yet again, we see another situation where in three games (soon to be four), there is only one style being represented between multiple characters with little in the way of variance besides move property changes.

Heavy Swordsperson: Ike

Ike represents the first true divergence from either of the two styles mentioned above. By supplementing his raw power with the impressive reach of Ragnell, he was able to have a mixed style wherein scrappy physicality and powerful swings melded together to make something true to the character and truly divergent from the previously established swordsman mold. It took us until Brawl, the third game in the franchise 9 years after it started for one extra “swordsman” mold to be created. To put this in further context, it took the Smash franchise three games to officially have a third sword fighting style represented out of a cast of 39 characters as per Brawl. That’s not so good…

Hybrids (characters that use a bladed weapon but do not specialize or identify by this specifically): Pit and newcomer Robin

Pit’s redesigned weapon, Palutena’s Bow, was first displayed as a set of knives that joined together to create a pseudo bladed staff/bow hybrid. While I include him here for the sake of objectivity, I hesitate to consider him a “swordsperson” specifically because of his “jack of all trades” focus. Even so, if we count this, Pit makes for the fourth variance in swordsman/bladed combat styles over a three game and near decade long period of time in the franchise. Robin is another such character that falls into this mold. While the character possesses a sword, the sword runs completely secondary to the character’s mastery over magic. Even in the limited footage we have, there is a noticeable lack of finesse with the sword that the other swordsmen characters possess whereas his abilities with the tomes are varied and impressive. In that case, we can say that the sword is a supplement to Robin’s more magic oriented play style.

Hyper Offensive/High Octane/”Death by a million Cartoony Cuts”: Metaknight, potentially newcomer Mii Swordfighter

Metaknight was silly. While not adhering to any specific style of swordsmanship, his transcendental attacking speed and “whirling death” style is unique in its own right and deserves a mention. As such this is the fifth variance in swordsmen included as playable characters in every Smash roster from the first through Brawl. Mii Swordfighter ramps things up by bringing a broadsword to the battle but also bringing a distinctly chaotic nature to it as well.

Putting this all into perspective, this means that:

- In Smash 64, there was only one swordsman of one fighting style niche in Link

- In Melee, there were only four swordsmen out of a twenty six character roster. Out of those four, only two fighting styles were represented, fencers (Marth & Roy) and knights (Link & Young Link).

- In Brawl, there were six swordsmen and four styles represented (Marth, Ike, Pit, Metaknight, Link & Toon Link) out of a cast of 39.

- Speaking on characters confirmed as of this post, Smash 4 has fencers (Marth, Lucina), heavy swordsmen (Ike), Hybrids (Pit, Robin), and High Octane (Mii Swordfighters) covered.

So the issue isn’t that there are too many swords people. It’s that there are too many swords people riding the coattails of another established swordsman with not enough variety being shown in between to warrant a casual player’s interest.

Coming back to Takamaru now, we don’t have to look far to see how he can offer a satisfying and distinct new take on the surprisingly underserved swordsman flavor in the Smash rosters to date. The “draw and sheathe” style of sword fighting (via either Iaido or Battoujutsu) is a niche that has yet to be capitalized on within the playable Smash cast. With Lyn continuing to resume her role as an Assist Trophy character, Takamaru is the best, if not only, character in Nintendo's stable that is able to take this style and run with it by virtue of being Nintendo's oldest samurai protagonist and a character with some decent Nintendo history behind himself.

In this style of sword combat, the sword remains sheathed at all times until an attack is launched wherein the opponent draws their sword in a lightning fast manner simultaneously attacking them out of this draw before once again sheathing their blade. Even in the 1986 title, one could see that Takamaru was a character who only ever used his blade in close quarters lending more credibility to the idea that he could be a practitioner of iaido. The idea behind the style is in displaying a cool composition of the mind as well as swiftness of the body so as to be aware of openings and make quick lethal strikes once the practitioner was in a certain range.

What's more, Takamaru also brings with him numerous other toys in the form of Will-O-Wisp fireballs that explode on contact, the ability to call down screen clearing lightning, the ability to turn intangible/invisible, varied throwing knives/stars, projectile deflection with his sword, and of course his agility and twitch based gameplay. Lastly, there are a few special Shogi Pieces (Rook, Biship, and King) which allows him to throw his projectiles in manners like all around four-way, arced three-way, or all at once forward depending on which one that is used (which could serve the purpose of being a unique method that not a single character had done before). All of these aren't even stretches of what he was capable of doing, each of these abilities and subtleties were born with the character in the 1986 Famicom game. In developing a style that highlights both his close and long range attributes, it is possible to make a swordsman character unlike any other present in the roster and one who would be satisfying to use. Below are some examples from regulars in the thread:​

Takamaru's Movesets​

Spoiler: Moveset by Xenoblaze

Shuriken
Throws out a shuriken at a high velocity straight forward. It has a fast fire rate, but notably low power that is influenced further by the range. It's a unique projectile in that it can also stick to walls and floors, which can cause additional damage if touched. The angle of the shot can slightly manipulated by the angle of the control stick.

Up

Windmill Sword

Blows with a large sword shaped like a fan. It has two different functions depending on the air or ground. In the air it acts like a standard recovery, where Takamaru jumps into to the air while spinning the blade at an intense speed. But on the ground, it instead acts like a deflecting move that causes projectiles to be deflected in varies directions and also causes wind that pushes away the opponent. The move will be implemented as long as you hold the B button.

Side

Falcon Strike

Takamaru briefly stops and grasps the hilt of his katana, with a quick spark in front of him. If anyone is within the range of the spark, Takamaru with unsheathe the katana and strike at blinding speeds. It's a tricky attack to execute due to the small range and exposure. But it is notably Takamaru's strongest attack, and can instantly destroy shields.

Down

Invisibility Cloak

Briefly turns invisible in a puff of smoke for about 10 seconds, or until Takamaru makes an attack. Attacks will have a 20% boost in power. After usage, the move will have a roughly 10 second cool down period.

Final Smash

Inazuma Lightning

Takamaru's katana glows brightly as he points it towards the sky, which summons a lightning storm that rains down lightning bolts. As the move finishes, the lightning gets more intense and it finishes with a large strike from above that does considerable damage.

Standard
Neutral

Swipes horizontally twice, then slams down vertically. If the second imput is held down, instead he will rapidly slice forward in quick succession. It is a fast attack that can be used in a vein to a jab.

Dash

Dashes forward with a quick swipe of his sword. It has a very specific hit box roughly around execution that causes considerable damage. If preformed right, both Takamaru and the opponent will freeze for a brief second. If used anywhere else, it will do pathetic damage.

Up

Swipes upwards. Good move for juggling.

Side

Swipes forward up to two times consecutively. Good spacing option.

Down

Swipes across the ground. If preformed at the tip, it causes tripping. Moderately fast move, slightly pushes the user forward.

Up Smash

Jumps upwards and attacks the opponent with a barrage of relentless slashes. On the first frame (the jump) it knocks the opponent upwards, then the actually attack inflicts small amounts of damage in quick succession. It can be used to implement a DACUS technique.

Forward Smash

Swipes up three times in quick succession. Only the first hit is automatically executed, with additional hits requiring the user to press the A button. The first two hits have low knockback but can be cancelled for approach.

Down Smash

Spins around in a circle with his katana strutted out. It has similar properties to Link's Spin Attack from Melee.

Aerial
Neutral

Slashes while spinning in a circle. The attack has no knockback but hits the opponent multiple times.

Up

Slices upwards in a very quick motion. Very good juggling move for aerial combat.

Forward

Thrusts the katana forward. Properties are similar to Captain Falcon's knee, with a sour spot and a sweet spot with varying amounts of power.

Back

Preforms a somewhat slow yet powerful back kick. Decent KO option.

Down

Briefly stops for a second, then dives down with the katana forward at a roughly 150 degree angle while surrounded in wind. If it hits an opponent, Takamaru will bounce back and the opponent will be knocked back in the same trajectory. But along with stall-then-fall moves of it's ilk, it's risky to use it over a pit.

Grab
Grab
Grabs the opponent with his left hand open wide. It's a quick grab, but with limited range.

Pummel
Slices the opponent with a shuriken.

Up
Preforms the legendary "Turning Swallow Cut" technique, by quickly striking from above the striking from below.

Forward

Knocks the opponent forward with a forceful kick.

Back

Throws the opponent backwards, then throws a barrage of shurikens at the opponent.

Down

Slams the opponent downwards and quickly stabs them roughly across the stomach. Can be used to chain grab large enemies like Bowser or Donkey Kong, but ineffective for anything roughly smaller.

Ledge Attack
>100%
Kicks downwards with a quick sweep.

<100%
Stabs the ground as he's climbing back up.

Floor Attack
Front
Stabs the ground, which causes a small shock wave.

Back
Preforms a 360 down swipe with his feet.

Trip
Slashes on both sides.

Other

Wall Jump: Yes
Wall Cling: Yes
Crawl: No
Tether: No
Glide: No

Shield: Hold out his katana in front of his face.
Roll Dodge: Ether slides forward or backwards with an afterimage effect.
Side Step: Vanishes for a second.
Air Dodge: Preforms a somersault backwards.

Entrance: Jumps off from the talons of a large falcon.

Taunt 1: Brushes off his bang as if ether hot or admiring himself.
Taunt 2: Sticks out his katana in front of him with a gust of wind blowing in front, while yelling "戦士の魂を目撃! (Witness the soul of a warrior!)"
Taunt 3: Faces towards the screen, then clenches his hands together and bows, while saying "立派な努力. (A commendable effort.)".

Victory Pose 1: Jumps into the air off screen, throws down shurikens, then slams onto the ground with his katana.
Victory Pose 2: Drinks green tea out of a tea bowl while mumbling "このような無意味な戦い... (Such a pointless battle...)".
Victory Pose 3: Slashes with his katana in a flurry of cuts, then stops and raises the katana next to his head while yelling "私の戦い精神は決して滅びる ！(My fighting spirit will never perish!)"
Defeat Pose: Kneels on the ground seiza styled, looking down with his katana embedded into the ground next to him.

Spoiler: Moveset by Azure J/bksbestbwoy

Takamaru's style of samurai is more about evasion, space control, and awareness. In his game, The Mysterious Murasame Castle, players are challenged by hoards of nimble enemies ranging from ninja foot soldiers to possessed lords with large AoE weaponry to various supernatural phenomena darting all about and generating mass pandemonium. The game demanded the absolute best of your ability to navigate its grid based design while making your way from one zone to the next avoiding or engaging the obstacles it would put in your way. You were given a mixed move set consisting of long ranged projectile items, support items and a short range katana drawn from the sheath should you find an opponent stumbling into your strike zone. As such, my design for Takamaru embodies the "zoning speedster" archetype. He has balanced power and utilizes excellent movement with long range offense before finishing with decently powerful sword draws. His sword's range is somewhat shorter than the range on other swordsmen in the roster currently, but his moves set up juggles and he isn't without decent KO moves..Baiken, from the Guilty Gear fighting game series, and Kenshin Himura of the Rurouni Kenshin anime series served as the greatest inspirations for my ideas for Takamaru.

Running speed: Between Marth and PM Pit
Wall Jump: Yes
Wall Cling: Yes
Tether: No
Fall Speed: Fast
Weight Class: Lightweight (Between Marth and Pit)
Jump heights: Average (think Fox)

Jab: Takamaru swings his sheathed sword once from left to right. Pressing jab again has him do it again from right to left. The third jab has Takamaru draw his sword, thrusting it by the hilt forward at an opponent's midsection before deftly sheathing it again.
F-Tilt: Takamaru turns his back on an opponent before thrusting his sword forward at them. Think of Baiken's S guard cancel attack from Guilty Gear. This attack can also be angled.
D-Tilt: Takamaru sweeps his sheathed blade forward along the ground to hit his opponent's ankle with the lowest part of the scabbard. Can be rapid fired.
U-Tilt: Takamaru flicks/draws his sword hilt out and upward near himself hitting an opponent with the butt of the blade. This launches opponents for juggles. "...I wasn't finished speaking."
F-Smash: Takamaru does a two step Battoujutsu styled draw similar in style to Himura Kenshin's final attack in the Rurouni Kenshin series. The second swing is generated with a second press of the A button.
D-Smash: Takamaru unsheathes his sword and stabs the ground. A geyser of electricity runs through the ground on both sides of himself launching opponents upward.
U-Smash: Takamaru does an acrobatic low height maneuver before drawing his sword upward to the sky with great force. (Alternatively, Takamaru does a short hop and unsheathes his sword in a solid arc two hit attack -- once drawing the sword and once sheathing it -- above himself similar to Meta Knight's Up Smash.)
N-Air: Takamaru performs a single hit spinning draw slash from left to right with great force. (Think of Dante's jumping heavy attack in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or Roy's N-Air performed by Takamaru unsheathing his sword with the momentum from the draw spinning him around once before he re-sheathes the sword.)
F-Air: Takamaru slashes a straight horizontal arc in front of himself before quickly sheathing his sword. (Note: Moves referenced in links are not an indication of how I perceive their actual distances.) Can be used for carry combos but does not have a lot of active frames.
B-Air: Takamaru performs a somersault in the air slashing from under to behind himself in a manner similar to Baiken's H guard cancel attack from Guilty Gear.
U-Air: Takamaru sweeps his katana above his head after a draw. This is similar in nature to Baiken's Youzansen.
D-Air: (Ryu Tsui Sen) Takamaru draws his sword straight downward in a power streaking movement then re-sheathes it. The attack has a very small range and active time but is a true spike.

Neutral B: Fireballs: Takamaru can launch will-o-wisp style fireballs that travel straight forward with this move. Holding B generates a larger wisp made of multiple fireballs that moves forward in a coil motion before exploding or scattering in different directions. You cannot store this charge however.

Forward B: Windmill Shuriken: Throws a shuriken projectile forward that generates a wall of wind before dissipating completely. Holding the B charges this move allowing it to go farther and generate even greater winds. These winds push people out while dealing damage. (Think of Link's vBrawl Gale Boomerang except it does damage as it pushes and doesn't come back to Takamaru)

Down B: Empty Dash: Takamaru turns invisible as sakura petals "poof" about his previous location. He then moves forward a set distance before reappearing with this command dash. Holding the B button allows you to choose where you wish to end up horizontally (think of Zelda's Din's Fire). There is a moderate cool down animation on this maneuver so be careful when using it!

Upward B: Whirling Draw: Takamaru rises in a somersault while drawing his blade. The initial draw on the ground launches opponent upward into a series of smaller slashes as he spins and slashes a set height above the ground in a manner similar to Samus' screw attack.

Final Smash: Inazuma Lightning: Takamaru stabs his katana into the air where it is struck by lightning. After this, he then directs the lightning bolts to strike near him on screen before the storm passes.

Spoiler: Moveset by Sobreviviente

Takamaru
"To annihilate at one blow" - IKKEN HISSATSU

Takamaru sword style could be interpreted as a variation of the "iaijutsu" style, which pretty much consist in remove the sword and cut in the same motion, quickly saving it back and reseting the stance again.

Martial Arts started as a form of defense from muliple foes at time, and i try to represent this principle by giving takamaru all the range i could dont worry, ending lag is terrible.

In the game your basic move is a knife (projectile) and your secondary weapon a sword (close range).
You spend most of the time upgrading your knife and killing at a distance, so i call it "normal moves".
Sword acts both as defensive and offensive and demands you to make a hole on enemys defense to win, so i call it "special moves" (see what i did there?).

In refference of his "walking water" abbilities he is a bit floaty like TL.
Now lets see what we have.

Jab and F-tilt
A series of tiny knifes thrown in horizontal at low speed; they dont travel too far but can actually combo at a distance, you can only have 3 on screen (just like the scrolls). F-tilt makes them go faster, same distance.

Up tilt
In the game you found an item that lets you throw 3 knifes in three different directions (front and diagonals).
Here you can throw three above you, and because gravity is a thing (;D) they fall like a rain around you.

Down tilt
This shogi piece allows you to attack the four standard directions at time, so there are 4 knifes four you (the one below cant go through the ground but plattaforms of course).

Dash
And at last the "three at the same direction" attack. Kinda like ness's dash but with a bigger range.

Smash Moves
Fire is one of two upgrades for the knife you can collect. Here plays the role of the smash moves, every previous tilt is busted and the longer you hold the bigger and slower flame you get (my favorite is up smash ;D ).

About the windmill is reserved for aerial moves. It works pretty much like quickman's boomerangs, except the nair which is a leaf shield move, so, there you go

Neutral B: Hasso no Kamae
"The left foot is forward, and the sword is held pointing upright with the hilt in front of the right shoulder", this is takamaru basic stance in the boxart (you read it here).
Acting like DDD's down B, takamaru draws his sword into this stance and charges a powerfull move (remember, he has the sword on his steath all the time). Think in math's melee neutral B because the range of the move is huge.

Side B: Battoujutsu
A quick and clean blow, if conect you can make another one and knock the enemy away in function of the direction you are tilting (kinda like marth but only two hits).

Up B: Shuriken
Spin like the screw attack, bigger range but less distance.

Down B: Shadow
The iconic invisibility, the more you use it the less time you can stay in this state; press B again to deactivate it.
Get hit and you will back to normal, you dont get damage but get paralized for one entire second.

FS: Inazuma (of course)
A lighting impacts everyone on screen making them tiny. Red clouds appears on the background and... yeah.

I only have one more question… How do I support this character? I’m very intrigued now.​

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This part is easy. Simply ask to be added to our growing list of supporters and we’ll handle the rest. If you would like, you can also add one of the following icons to your signature:​

They will link back to the thread’s first post so others might get a look at what Takamaru’s all about. Once that’s done, just kick back and have a blast with us as we get our samurai on. :D​

Supporters​

Spoiler

1. Habanero
2. Opossum
3. BluePikmin11
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18. Sailor Waddle Dee
19. King Orfut
20. Spazzy_D
21. Wonks
22. Sigran101
23. KimmotMan
24. TORNADO BUS DRIVER
25. Oracle_Summon
26. smashkirby
27. Soupeschleg
28. True Blue Warrior
29. Marakatu
30. Staarih
31. egaddmario
32. Sobreviviente
33. Arcadenik
34. DustyPumpkin
35. CrophMaruMariolu2W0vol41PEeeeeek
36. Lizardon
37. Dj.D
38. TeenGirlSquad
39. Diddy Kong
40. Speculator
41. Chauzu
42. bksbestbwoy
43. Reila
44. Fatmanonice
45. ThatShadowLink
46. RhymesWithEmpty
47. AncientTobacco
48. Louie G.
49. Bingoshi
50. Shinhed-echi
51. Mario_and_Sonic_guy
52. PsychoIncarnate
53. Kikwi-kiwi
54. Shinpichu
55. MasterMushroom
56. ---
57. Smashchu
58. 鉄腕アトム
59. Oasis_S
60. Onyx Oblivian
61. fogbadge
62. SmashShadow
63. Metal Overlord
64. dezeray112
65. DragonSniperNintendo
66. TheCreator
67. MaskO'Gears
68. legendofrob1
69. 1983parrothead
70. BridgesWithTurtles
71. Ninka_kiwi
72. APC99
73. Ascended
74. XStarWarriorX
75. SchAlternate
76. Superyoshiom
77. Sehnsucht
78. MorbidAlruism
79. BillyTheKidd
80. andimidna
81. LaniusShrike
82. AquaDork1
83. UltimateWario
84. Chaosmaster8753
85. HugoBoss
86. mini paincakes
87. Leafeon523
88. Dinoman86
89. IntelliHeath1
90. Turokman5896
91. Zhadgon
92. WeirdChillFever
93. Itty Bit
94. HeavyLobster
95. Bunny8093
96. DuwangAnon
97. 4cast
98. SS-bros14
99. Ridley-DX
100. Strider_Bond00J
101. First Blade

​

 

[tirkaro]

Was wondering when this would get up.

Takamaru seems be getting around an awful lot lately, which I have no objections with, as I've been a fan of NnMJ for a long while.
Though most of all, the inclusion of a NnMJ game in Nintendo's desperate yet inevitably doomed attempt to recreate the monetary magic of Wii Sports plus Sakurai's willingness to bring back retro characters is a dead giveaway for Takamaru being a triple A candidate.

 

[---]

Even before Nintendo Land, Takamaru was the best bet for a retro rep. His game is an underappreciated classic. As Metroid is to Kid Icarus, Zelda is to Nazo no Murasamejou.

And for the many people who have not played his game, here's what he can do: http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Nazo_no_Murasame-Jou/How_to_play

 

[DakotaBonez]

Possible character? No.
I'm pretty sure He's DEFINITELY gonna be in SSB4. Including music from his game in Brawl and the sudden resurge of his game Via Nintendoland, plus being a nintendo original? He meets all specifications.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Looks like you are my rival for Japanese only retro characters, me supporting Sukapon and all.

 

[Oasis_S]

One of Takamaru's taunts should be having a nosebleed. Best thing to come out of Captain Rainbow.

 

[Fandangox]

This one actually seems pretty likely and I'd love to see him in.

I think I recall a quote of someone by Nintendo (really can't remember who) saying that they'd love to bring back the character.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

The fact the game was made with the Legend of Zelda engine, and turned out like it did kind of disappoints me. I have played the game, and while the theme is catchy, the game itself really could have been something wonderful.

Though I would want him to smash if it would mean a revival of his series. Assuming they can make it good.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

One of Takamaru's taunts should be having a nosebleed. Best thing to come out of Captain Rainbow.

Naah, why not let him do that in one of the victory screens instead. Tracy from Link's Awakening would come congratulate him and tries to seduce him, resulting in nosebleeds.

[COLLAPSE="XDD"]

[/COLLAPSE]

 

[Deleted member]

The new Adventure Mode should totally have him interact with Zero Suit Samus just for that.

 

[Arcadenik]

Naah, why not let him do that in one of the victory screens instead. Tracy from Link's Awakening would come congratulate him and tries to seduce him, resulting in nosebleeds.

That's brilliant! It would be humorous to see Takamaru getting nosebleeds whenever he is interacting with Peach, Zelda, Zero Suit Samus, and Palutena in the Adventure Mode cutscenes.

 

[DakotaBonez]

The real question is, will they use his Samurai Warriors Look

Or The Captain Rainbow Look?

 

[Deleted member]

Most likely Samurai Warriors, as its more well known, more recent, and more resembles his classic appearance.

 

[shinhed-echi]

I support this character!

Loved Nazo no Murasame. It was like Zelda, but on steroids in terms of difficulty.

So many special abilities, and so many paths to reach the goal made this game very replay friendly.
I'd love to play as a samurai in Smash, and this guy would dominate.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Hyes! I have been support this guy for far too long (since Brawl's announcement). I'd love to see him go face to face with Link (his onee-chan) for an epic battle. He is Nintendo's own Kenshin Himura; goofy, sincere, powerful, and noble. He could work out like a mild mixture between Link and Vergil (UMvC3).

 

[Deleted member]

Wait, just saw where her hand was in the image. Isn't that a little inappropriate to post?

 

[Curious Villager]

Takamaru looks interesting. I didn't know he even existed until recently..... =_= But I'm all for him getting a playable spot.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Here's a fantastic moveset for Takamaru in case you're interested.
http://vagrant-inventor.deviantart.com/art/SSB4-Moveset-Takamaru-203312380

 

[lordvaati]

dude, I would not be surprised if he is the default retro newcomer, ala Pit and Ice Climbers.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

One thing I wonder is what voice he would have. Should he have regional differences or speak Japanese interationally like Marth? :/

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Being a European based swordsman, the fact Marth speaks Japanese internationally doesn't make much sense anymore. It did as a little joke that he was Japanese only, but the series has been international for a while now.

Takamaru would do good to speak Japanese only, though if he's added and it revives his series, I'd hope it gets international release

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

It needs to if Nintendo wants him to get more popular and earn more fundings for new games.

 

[DMurr]

Takamaru is the perfect newcomer to follow Pit from Brawl. If they made a kick-*** design for him, showed him off in the first trailer for Smash 4.. Nintendo is already including his series in Nintendo Land! Perhaps Kid Icarus won't be the only series to get a revival.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

I heard that he was a low tier character in Samurai Warriors 3. If he were to join the fray, he needs to be at least medium tier.

 

[Deleted member]

Silly R.O.B., TR4Q!

 

[lordvaati]

Takamaru is the perfect newcomer to follow Pit from Brawl. If they made a kick-*** design for him, showed him off in the first trailer for Smash 4.. Nintendo is already including his series in Nintendo Land! Perhaps Kid Icarus won't be the only series to get a revival.

I sure hope so. i mean in just 1 gen we got the return of Punch-Out!!, Kid icarus, Pilotwings, and Donkey Kong Country. here's hoping they keep up this trend.

 

[SmashChu]

I sure hope so. i mean in just 1 gen we got the return of Punch-Out!!, Kid icarus, Pilotwings, and Donkey Kong Country. here's hoping they keep up this trend.

Hopefully. Not like much Nintendo has been making very many new things.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Hopefully. Not like much Nintendo has been making very many new things.

This. They need to pep up their game and make/revive newer franchises, even Miyamoto complained about the issue.

 

[SmashChu]

This. They need to pep up their game and make/revive newer franchises, even Miyamoto complained about the issue.

Really? When did this happen?

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Really? When did this happen?

A while ago Miyamoto said that there haven been any new characters/IPs since Pikmin. This is in regards to him planning a new IP in the future, most likely for the Wii U. This IP was said to have a brand new character that he want introduce to everyone.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I'm all game for Takamaru. Maybe he'd be a nimble character with a lot of combo potential.

 

[Robert of Normandy]

Takamaru is the perfect newcomer to follow Pit from Brawl. If they made a kick-*** design for him, showed him off in the first trailer for Smash 4.. Nintendo is already including his series in Nintendo Land! Perhaps Kid Icarus won't be the only series to get a revival.

Hate to be a killjoy, but as much as I'd love to see Takamaru make a playable appearance, I don't think that he would make sense as a follow-up to Pit.

See, Pit was in Brawl's 1st trailer because a lot of people, particularly in the west, had been begging for a return for a while. Takamaru just doesn't have the same recognition, and if you tried to treat his reveal as something big, you'd probably get a lot of people looking confused and saying "who the f*** is this guy?"

 

[FlareHabanero]

People being confused about a character wouldn't be the first time. Let's face it, none of use ever heard of the Ice Climber or Marth until Super Smash Bros. Melee. In fact showing off characters that are generally unknown to the public is actually a good method of gaining supportive fans.

It worked for Kid Icarus and Fire Emblem, so why not Murasame Castle?

 

[Robert of Normandy]

I never said that he couldn't be playable, or that he couldn't become more popular as a result of his appearance. I'm just saying that making a big deal about him being playable might result in backlash from people expecting a more well-known character.

In addition to the differences form Kid Icarus I mentioned, a Fire Emblem comparison isn't 100% valid, as Fire Emblem is/was a long running series in Japan. Takamaru has only starred in one game(fewer than even Pit!). And I don't recall seeing a massive surge in popularity for the Ice Climbers after Melee. In fact, I know a few people who hated/didn't care for the Ice Climbers.

Having said all that, there IS a good chance he'll be playable/make an appearance. Most of Nintendo's A-list characters/franchises are well represented, so I think that the B-listers will shine this time around.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

People being confused about a character wouldn't be the first time. Let's face it, none of use ever heard of the Ice Climber or Marth until Super Smash Bros. Melee. In fact showing off characters that are generally unknown to the public is actually a good method of gaining supportive fans.

It worked for Kid Icarus and Fire Emblem, so why not Murasame Castle?

I said the samething every single time to many Smash fas on Facebook and You Tube.

 

[Oasis_S]

The comparison between Pit and Takamaru, I think, is legitimate. While many of us would be confused about him here in the West, in Japan he's still rather popular as far as I know. So just switch the regions and the comparison works.

NOW, whether Sakurai would actually reboot the series after Smash is another question.

 

[FlareHabanero]

NOW, whether Sakurai would actually reboot the series after Smash is another question.

Well Sakurai seems reluctant to make a sequel for Kid Icarus: Uprising, and making another Super Smash Bros. installment right after making the 4th game would be redundant. So a new game for the series seems plausible.

That is IF Takamaru is in Super Smash Bros. The chances are high at the moment, but at the same time there are no guarantees.

 

[Oasis_S]

Well he mentioned that if there was a series he wanted to reboot, he'd put that character in Smash. That doesn't necessarily mean that if Takamaru is in then he was the character in question. Takamaru has other reasons to be in. I figure Mach Rider would be more up Sakurai's alley.

 

[Robert of Normandy]

Most of you have probably already seen this poll, but anyway, here it is.

Takamaru's in this one, and he's not doin' so well. If things continue as they are, he'll be dropped in the next round of voting. C'mon, show your support!

 

[MasterMushroom]

Most of you have probably already seen this poll, but anyway, here it is.

Takamaru's in this one, and he's not doin' so well. If things continue as they are, he'll be dropped in the next round of voting. C'mon, show your support!

We don't feel the need to vote in that poll. Mainly because like them, many other gaming sites held their own poll as if theirs was the end-all be all of a smash bros poll in the west. So what they interviewed sakurai?

Many other gaming sites have and this will not change anything, not one bit. Only poll that matters is the official poll by sakurai that is launched every time with the official Japanese site. It's funny to see people have false hopes in something that is entirely poppycock

Nice try though, I appreciate your efforts