Takamaru is the protagonist of Nazo no Murasamejō, a Nintendo game released in 1986 for the Famicom Disk System exclusively in Japan. The game takes place in the Edo period of Japan, ruled by the shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna. The game begins when a golden meteorite crashes and an alien from within possesses the stone statue Murasame. The apprentice samurai, Takamaru, must infilitrate four castles and claim their evil spheres of power before taking on the alien. The game was originally intended to be released along with the release of the Famicom Disk System, but setbacks forced the game to be released far after, and the game was never very popular. As such, Takamaru is an option for an SSB4 retro representative.
※ Statistics ※
Power ᔓ 2
Takamaru doesn't focus on high power on single attacks, instead pressuring the opponent with quick and weak strikes. KOing is a severe problem for Takamaru, but he can deal damage well.
Defense ᔓ 5
Dodges are decidedly average. Takamaru's fall speed, size and weight make him an ideal target for comboes, and he has few defensive options.
Attack Speed ᔓ 8
Takamaru is a speed demon, landing multiple attacks in quite short periods.
Range ᔓ 6
Takamaru's katana, while a disjointed hitbox, isn't particuarly long, but it does grant above average melee range. He has three decent projectiles, but they aren't the focus of his game.
Priority ᔓ 4
He uses his body more than one might expect in attacks with atrocious priority, but his disjointed katana has decent enough priority.
Movement Speed ᔓ 7
Takamaru is quite quick on his feet once he gets into a dash, although his walk and run are slow.
Traction ᔓ 4
Clumsy apprentice that he is, Takamaru can stumble forwards and slide after long dashes, and he trips quite a bit.
Fall Speed ᔓ 8
Takamaru falls like a rock, making it difficult to use aerials effectively.
Recovery ᔓ 4
If you manage to use it right, Takamaru's Up Special covers a good distance, but it's easy to mess up and an opponent familiar with Takamaru can easily gimp it. His fall speed doesn't help either.
Size ᔓ 8
Takamaru matches the height of Ganondorf. His robes make him look wider, but they are not actually hitboxes.
Weight ᔓ 3
Unfortunately, Takamaru's weight doesn't match that of Ganondorf. Large size, low weight and high fall speed can make Takamaru an easy target for combos.
Wall Jump: Yes
Wall Cling: Yes
Crawl: Yes
Glide: No
Float: No
※ Animations ※
Symbol
A tall Japanese flag covered in random characters.
Wiimote Noise
The arrangement played from 0:14 to 0:17 of
this video. Turn the volume up, it's quite faint.
Entrance
Three pixelated stair steps suddenly appear with no warning one after the other, and Takamaru walks down them.
Crowd Cheer
The noise of Japanese voices calling out "Takamaru!"
Basic Stance
Takamaru stands with his katana at his side in a rigid pose.
Idle Stance
Takamaru takes his katana as a glimmer passes down it with a sound effect, similar to Ganondorf's sword taunt.
Walk
Takamaru walks forward respectfully, still straight up, at a quite slow pace.
Run
Takamaru jogs, his legs stepping forward and spreading out and his chest tilted forward.
Dash
Takamaru all-out dashes, his legs bouncing off of the ground and his body leaning forward. This looks similar to Sheik's dash.
First Jump
Takamaru jumps up by spinning on the ground, hopping up and spinning more in the air, covering an above average vertical distance and a better one horizontally. Like Princess Peach's second jump, but less sucky.
Midair Jump
Takamaru sticks a leg down, making the classic air-ripple appear. This covers a below average distance vertically, but the horizontal distance is as good as the first jump.
Crouch
Takamaru lies down on a mat, his knees on the ground and his head to the sky as he meditates.
Stereotypes ftw
Crawl
Takamaru holds his katana in his mouth as he army-crawls forward. Reasonably quick and lowers Takamaru a good distance.
Shield
Takamaru holds his arm up so that hand is as high as his head and his katana points down at a small angle away as he pulls up a bubble shield.
Rolldodge
Takamaru rapidly strikes his katana to the selected direction, still pointing down. This only covers one side and Takamaru does not move, but the katana is stunningly quick and blocks all attacks to the side instantly when their hitboxes come in contact. Unfortunately, the katana does not stay out to block for a large amount of frames.
Spotdodge
Takamaru sidesteps into the background agily, his katana hanging in the foreground from his hand as he does so. Interestingly, the katana stops all attacks instantly, but this isn't too helpful as Takamaru is obviously unhittable.
Airdodge
Takamaru sticks his foot down in an animation quite similar to his midair jump, but examination reveals that Takamaru has stepped into the background. Valuable for mindgames.
Dizzy
Takamaru stumbles around, as his katana makes random motions dangerously. That could hurt someone!
Asleep
Takamaru lies down on a mat, using his hand as a pillow.
※ Special Attacks ※
Special ᔓ Shuriken
Takamaru tosses a small shuriken (also known as a ninja star), slightly smaller than a Pokeball, with some lag directly in front of him, moving at the speed of Zero Suit Samus's dash. It takes about .5 seconds to shoot a shuriken, with most of this being small ending lag. Shuriken dissapear upon reaching the end of the screen. Only two shuriken can be out at once.
Should a shuriken hit an opponent, it deals
1% and no flinching upfront, but then imbeds itself into the opponent for seven seconds. The shuriken will deal
1% per second without flinching while embedded into the opponent before falling off, so this deals a total of
8%. Shuriken can be removed in the same way as a Pikmin: by using close-ranged attacks which can hit the shuriken. Each shuriken has only 5 stamina, making them easy to destroy. Up to five shuriken can be imbedded into the opponent, but the damage does not stack: the shuriken will just do damage for its remaining time once previous shuriken are gone, meaning that multiple shuriken will not have a great effect. The non-flinching shurikens are easy enough to get rid of or dodge anyway, seeing the no-flinching aspect.
Shuriken are not to be used as a traditional projectile. Should they be used at maximum range, they just do miniscule damage and can be quickly eliminated with a jab or tilt, making them useless. Shurikens can only cause a full effect when Takamaru can manage to occupy the opponent with attacks while they run their full course. Shurikens should be thrown out in approaches, and if you have the time to use them at close range then you should always do so for weak but safe damage dealing.
Side Special ᔓ Fire Katana
This is a chargeable move, but not one that functions like any other. The first time this move is used by Takamaru, he hoists his katana to the sky in a dramatic pose for a second and a half or so, as flames begin to lick around the katana. This can be interrupted at any point by an attack. If the animation is completed, Takamaru's katana will begin to flash a firey red every second or so, indicating the charge. The flashing will get faster and faster over time should the move not be released, capping at about six times per second after thirty seconds. The flashing ends and all of the charging is lost after thirty seconds. The charge is also lost if Takamaru loses a stock. Once this move is imputted again, Takamaru slashes his katana ahead of himself with low lag to make a fireball emenate out of it. The strength of the fireball depends on the charge.
- With a 0-5 second charge, a tiny fireball, almost unnoticable, is shot at the speed of Ganondorf's walk, dealing 2% without knockback or flinching and disappearing after moving the distance of a Battlefield platform. Not worth it at all.
- With a 5-10 second charge, a fireball the size of The Kid is shot at the speed of Ganondorf's dash, dealing 5% and minor flinching on contact and disappearing after moving the distance of 1.5 Battlefield platforms. Better, but still not worth it.
- With a 10-15 second charge, the fireball is almost the size of a Party Ball and moves at almost the speed of Mario's dash, and deals 7% with below average knockback, disappearing after going the distance of two Battlefield platforms. A nice edgeguarder if you have the good fortune to have this charge level when your opponent is recovering, but not too useful otherwise.
- With a 15-20 second charge, the Party Ball-sized fireball will drag opponents with it with a Piplup effect the distance of a Battlefield platform, doing multiple hits for a maximum of 15% and below average knockback on the final hit. Good as a damage dealer.
- With a 20-25 second charge, the fireball is the size of Kirby and will home in on the nearest opponent, with the speed and range of Lucas's PK Thunder, doing 16% and average knockback on contact. This is good at many things, but it shines as an edgeguarder.
- With a full 25-30 second charge, the fireball is the size of 1.5 Kirbys. Due to its size it only moves at the speed of Bowser's dash, but it does 21% with good knockback on contact with infinite range, though it's very easy to dodge from a distance. Powerful, and one of Takamaru's very rare KO moves.
Each of the fireballs need to be used in a different way. The way a player can tell which fireball is ready is only be keeping track of time. Using this move is a thinking man's game, as you may get the wrong fireball for the wrong occasion and waste the charge. This takes exceptional practice to use right, but it can truly be useful once mastered.
Up Special ᔓ Stealth Cloak
Takamaru pulls out a translucent cloak and... vanishes. His silhouette can be noticed with examination, but not effectively on the fly. Takamaru is now free to move in any direction with the Control Stick for five seconds before reappearing not in helpless but unable to use the move until touching terra firma, moving at around the speed of Mario's dash. This allows Takamaru to cover a great distance, close to that of Wings of Icarus without the gimpability...
...or so you might think. The whole point of this move is stealth, and if Takamaru is ever detected during the move, he goes into helpless. Takamaru can be detected by either being touched by an opponent, being "seen" by them in an area ahead of characters around the size of Bowser or being hit by an attack. While any noobs may be unable to tell where Takamaru has gone, any experienced player in tournaments can predict where Takamaru is going and easily gimp with a jump down and back. This means that Takamaru should play coservatively with this move, looping in unexpected directions and avoiding opponents. This is a very difficult to handle Up Special, and it's quite unfortunate that Takamaru only has his Forward Aerial to recover with other then this, and that's still difficult and covers a bad distance.
Down Special ᔓ Lightning Explosive
This move requires a twenty second automatic charge, like ROB's Robo Laser or Wario's Wario Waft. After charging is complete, Takamaru's katana will flash yellow. This does not charge while Fire Katana is charging, instead holding the charge and returning after Fire Katana is used. This loses charge after Takamaru is KOd, just like in Fire Katana. Upon activation of this move, a glowing yellow field of electricity begins to crackle around Takamaru, remaining for five seconds or until it loses all of its 15 stamina. This is around an area of Bowser around Takamaru.
Contact with the field will deal
6% and low set knockback, but it has very poor priority- basic jabs and tilts can be used to damage it. The field also reflects projectiles, though the projectile will deal damage to the field in the process. Due to the ease of cancelling out the field, it isn't as effective for safety as it could be. The best use for this move is to stop opponents from pressuring Takamaru, since he does horribly under pressure.
※ Standard Attacks ※
Neutral Attack ᔓ Katana Stab
Takamaru stabs his katana out in a basic, speedy and weak attack. Contact with the katana will deal
5% with very low knockback. The speed is quite stunning, and the katana stays out for a short period of time (about 10 frames), making it somewhat hard to hit with but not punishable when missed. This is well-ranged for a Neutral Attack, but only moderately so, as the katana isn't very long. The katana has bad priority, but since it's disjointed this isn't an issue. Since the katana stays out for such a short period of time, this move can't be effectively used as an approach or to shatter approaches. The instantaneous nature of it makes it best to give Takamaru some space, or to get a quick hit in from a close distance.
Dash Attack ᔓ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Takamaru stays in place crouching as long as the A button is held. Once it is released, Takamaru will lunge forward, his body becoming a low-priority hitbox dealing
7% with below average knockback. In all, Takamaru lunges the distance of a Battlefield platform. This move has bad startup lag when used with a simple button imput, but this is alleviated if you hold it in past the startup lag. In any case, there is some bad ending lag as Takamaru stumbles around to get up. This move is not suited to be used for the typical close-ranged fighting, as it has startup lag used directly; rather, this is used to keep Takamaru safe from a distance. Using this can shatter an approach, and its existence will make opponents not so sure at attacking Takamaru. This is one of Takamaru's only moves to be used from a range, making it more valuable.
※ Tilt Attacks ※
Side Tilt ᔓ Parry
Takamaru lifts his hand to be level to his head, and points his katana down at a slight angle away. This looks similar to his "rolldodge", but it is quite different in function. Should Takamaru's katana interrupt the hitbox of any attack, Takamaru will instantly roll behind the opponent to point blank range. The ending lag of the move is doubled after it is parried, making them an easy target for a Neutral Attack or a Side Smash if you have parried a end-laggy attack. Opponents can button mash so that the ending lag is reduced to 1.5X as much. If Takamaru does not manage to parry an attack during the short window where the katana slashes, he keeps it out for about a second more, putting him in position for punishment.
Parrying a laggy attack, like Lucas's Up Smash or Jigglypuff's rest, will double already ridiculous ending lag, putting them in prime position for a Side Smash or combo. However, your opponents aren't stupid, and they will probably be frugal with their ending-laggy attacks as long as this move exists. This is mainly used to turn the tables on pressure, and make opponents wary of using laggy attacks.
Up Tilt ᔓ Pipe
Takamaru pulls out a pipe filled with some sort of tobacco and puffs a small ring, the size of a Pokeball out of it. The ring puffs upwards at the speed of Jigglypuff jumping, and disappears after traveling the distance of a Stage Builder Block, dealing
4% and slight flinching on contact. Seeing that the projectile is surprisingly slow, this move is useless at a glance. However, after puffing up a ring, the pipe will remain in Takamaru's hands until he uses another moves, and this is no aesthetic effect. For each time Takamaru uses this attack consecutively, without using another attack to remove the pipe, the smoke ring gets a bit bigger, a bit faster and does
4% more damage. After using the attack four more times after the first puff, this becomes a projectile moving at the speed of Captain Falcon's dash upwards with no startup lag and
20%, as well as a bonus of
5% healing because of the tasty tobacco, however, this can only happen once per stock. Nice!
However, you lose all of your smoking bonuses and go back to square one after using the final puff. It's best to subtly build up your puffs when you have spare time, and then use the maximum puff ASAP. Try not to be balls-out with this attack, however, as it can become very predictable.
Down Tilt ᔓ Nunchaku
Takamaru pulls out nunchaku, a classic samurai/ninja weapons, and holds them out until you press the A button. The nunchaku have low lag to take out, but annoying ending lag when put away. Tilting the Control Stick in any direction will make Takamaru lash out with the nunchaku with low lag and range, doing
6% and below average knockback. The B button makes Takamaru spin the nunchaku around, with worse range,
5% and a bit less knockback, but covering both sides. All of the strikes have low priority, but like with the Neutral A, they're disjointed so it doesn't matter. This can have a nice effect when used correctly, granting a new, quicker moveset, but this sacrifices mobility, and there are enough moves which outrange it for punishment. Don't throw this move out awkwardly: use it occasionally to stop approaches and for a sudden, unexpected attack at close range.
※ Smash Attacks ※
Side Smash ᔓ Slash Flurry
As this move is charged, Takamaru holds his arms back is his robe appears to flutter with the wind. Don't be fooled by his peaceful stance: this is a quite vital part of the move. The game will record, for every fifth of a second that this move is charged, which way the Control Stick is tilted in: left, right, up or down, recorded as left or right when no direction is pressed (which depends on which direction Takamaru is facing.) This Smash has small startup lag, but it isn't very bad.
Once the charge is released, Takamaru will unleash a flurry of rapid katana strikes. There are up to ten katana strikes depending on charge time. Here is where the directions the Control Stick is tilted in becomes significant: Takamaru will do his slashes in the exact order of the directions recorded during charge time. For example, tilting right, left, up, down will result in a rightwards, leftwards, upwards and downwards slash in order. Each individual slash does not increase in power with charge time: there are simply more slashes with more charge. Slashes to the left and right deal
3% with below average knockback. Upwards slashes deal
2% with upwards knockback similar to Mario's Up Tilt. Downwards slashes result in a close-ranged, low-to-the-ground hammering slash, with poor range and only
1% but with a vacuum effect towards Takamaru.
You will want as many of the horizontal slashes as you can, them dealing the most damage, but you cannot limit yourself to them. Their higher knockback than the other slashes mean that a chain of them will usually push the opponent out of the way of the rest of the slashes. A max charged one of these will take a full two seconds to perform, meaning that this is a real danger. Used correctly this Smash Attack can build up a great amount of damage without danger of the opponent escaping, but whiff this or use too many horizontal slashes in a row and this will be easily punishable. This should be handled with care.
Up Smash ᔓ Fire Eater
As Takamaru charges this Smash Attack, he holds a match with a glittering flame the size of a Pokeball on it over his open mouth, dangerously. During the charge the flame deals
4% with slight upwards knockback: nothing useful, but something to be aware of. Once the Smash is released, Takamaru crouches down and drops the match into his mouth. This causes a tounge of flame to leap out of his mouth, the width of Takamaru's thin body and the height of Kirby. Contact with the flame during the half-second period when the fire is out deals
8% to
20%, with average to strong, KOable knockback. This has very low startup and ending lag.
But I thought that Takamaru was bad at KOing! Well, he still is. This Smash literally has zero priority, being overpowered by moves like Egg Roll and Falcon Punch. If this is out-prioritized during charge or release, Takamaru will choke on the flame. This gives Takamaru HORRIBLE end lag, with the exact duration as the charge time of the move. Whiff this fully charged, and your opponent can land a fully charged Smash Attack! This is still a useful KO move anti-air move against characters without stall-then-fall Down Aerials, but you will not want to use this much. If it becomes predictable it could be a horrible mistake.
Down Smash ᔓ Metalwork
Takamaru clashes a large iron plate onto the ground, with his katana on it, as a small fire rises up from the ground. After a certain amount of follow-through (the same as the charge time, specifically) Takamaru pulls his katana off of the plate. For the next five to fifteen seconds depending on charge time, his katana glows red with heat. During this period, it will do 1.1 to 1.5 times the damage and knockback, but the katana's heat will eventually die out. A twenty-second automatic charge is required before this works again (lulz a charge needed for a Smash Attack). The follow-through on this Smash Attack means that you need up to four seconds free before this will work, and Takamaru has no real means to keep his opponents occupied. You will probably only use this successfully after obtaining a KO.
If this move is fully charged, Takamaru will pull no hot katanas out of the grill- he pulls out two katanas. The second katana will disappear in time, but while it is out Takamaru will perform his katana-using attacks twice- once normally, but doing it again with the second 30 frames later. This makes Takamaru's attacks slightly more punishable, but it makes them twice as powerful. They aren't very powerful to begin with, but this can still be a very welcome buff.
※ Aerial Attacks ※
Neutral Aerial ᔓ Katana Rush
Takamaru gracefully twirls around and plants his katana in the air. The process takes a bit less than a second, seeing as Takamaru places it as flamboyantly as possible. The katana will stay in place for exactly five seconds, no more, no less. During this period, Takamaru cannot use any of his katana-based attacks, which is the vast majority of them. Once the five seconds passes, the katana will rush towards Takamaru at the most direct path possible at the speed of Takamaru's 8/10 dash, moving directly through all platforms and stage obstacles.
Contact with the rushing katana deals
8% and average upwards knockback. Takamaru cannot move during this period. The katana has a fair bit of priority, but if it is outprioritized, it disappears, leaving Takamaru without use of katana attacks until he fully charges his Down Smash, Metalwork. Used properly this creates a rushing, infinitely ranged projectile and a difficult-to-dodge damage dealer, but it would be wise not to spam this. While the katana has good priority, it isn't hard to find a move which can outprioritize it, and Takamaru will have a horrible time trying to find time to fully charge a Down Smash, leaving him vulnerable until he gains a new one when respawning for his next stock.
Forward Aerial ᔓ Escape Artist
Takamaru disappears in a cloud of smoke and reappears a distance away, dealing
8% with fire-based average upwards knockback as he disappears and reappears, then going into a helpless state.
Sounds like Sheik's Up Special? Well, in fact this move is a clone of that move, but without the startup lag and more power, plus the ability to become a hitbox upon reappearing. However, Takamaru cannot use the Control Stick to influence where he reappears. What changes where Takamaru will reappear is momentum: essentially, where Takamaru would be the same time period later if he hadn't used this move. If this move is shorthopped, Takamaru barely has moved when he disappeared. If Takamaru was at a full- out dash before shorthopping, he can appear up to 2/3 of Battlefield away! However, this move is very difficult to control, and you'll probably want to use an Up Special for recovery instead... this is near useless as a direct attack, but it is an integral part of the usage of Takamaru's Up Aerial.
Backward Aerial ᔓ Katana Tracer
Takamaru, with minimal lag, thrusts his arm backwards as his katana is shot about a character distance away. Takamaru is now given super armor, and remains in place floating until the move ends. By moving the control stick, the katana can be moved at a fast speed, close to that of Takamaru's dash, in any direction. Contact with the katana will deal
6% and below average horizontal knockback.
This can be a very useful edgeguarder, but it has one property holding it back... it can only move a maximum of five Stage Builder Blocks, and if it is outprioritized (difficult but possible) it loses a Stage Builder Block of movement. What happens if it goes more than the maximum distance you say? The katana will in such a case crack, not to return to Takamaru until a Down Smash is fully charged or Takamaru begins another stock. If the katana is out for five seconds it also will crack. Note that the real maximum range is 2.5 Stage Builder Blocks, as you need time to bring the katana back to Takamaru to truly end the move. This can form one of the best edgeguards in the game when used correctly, but you don't want to ever spam it due to the risk. If an opponent catches on to your plan, they shouldn't have trouble finding a nmove to outprioritize it, leaving Takamaru horribly vulnerable. Similar to his Neutral Aerial, this can potentially be VERY useful... as long as it is not spammed.
Up Aerial ᔓ Sword Swallower
Takamaru places his katana over his mouth, as he tilts his head upward and opens his mouth. After staying like this for 20 frames or so, Takamaru proceeds to drop the katana. The katana will proceed to fall to the ground at the speed of a fastfalling Fox. Contact with it at any point will deal
12% with powerful, very KOable upwards knockback. Seeing that this is an infinitely ranged projectile with KOing ability, not to mention great priority, it's broken, right? Well, no, for two reasons.
First, Takamaru must pick up his sword off of the ground, or opponents can throw it off with the approximate throwing speed and distance as an average battering item. Second, and more importantly, the katana will begin to fall directly over Takamaru, so he will always be hurt by the move with equal strength. This cannot be avoided... without use of a Forward Aerial. By rushing up to an opponent, jumping over them and using this move, Takamaru can KO. However, this becomes very predictable in time, and if predicted opponents can easily throw Takamaru's katana off of the stage, making this a high risk high reward move.
Down Aerial ᔓ Lightning Rod
Takamaru hoists a long metal pole above his head and swings its base in a 180 degree arc below himself. This has close to zero startup lag, but the ending lag is worse than Lucas's Up Smash when whiffed. If this move connects, the lightning rod will be affixed above the opponent's head. This makes them 1 Battlefield platform taller, but this is purely aesthetic- the rod isn't a hitbox. The lightning rod falls off, useless, after 15 seconds. What's the point of this? If Takamaru connects with his Down Special, Lightning Explosive, during this period, it deals
16% and a stunning effect three times as long as Falco's laser. This causes the rod to fall off early, and it only works once per stock on any opponent... still, this is a good move, if only for making your opponents look dorky.
※ Grabbing Attacks ※
Grab ᔓ L33t Ninja Powers
Takamaru sticks an arm in front of himself in an averagely speeded grab. However, this does not have average range... Takamaru only extends his arm out a short distance, but due to Takamaru's l33t ninja skills characters from around the range of Lucas's rope snake are grabbed. However, this comes at the cost of not being able to grab characters at a close range (about that of Mario's grab). A strange grab.
Pummel ᔓ Incision
Takamaru takes his katana and traces a long scar across the face of the opponent. This only deals
1% up front, and it is almost as laggy as Bowser's pummel, but it makes the grabbed character take hits of
1% for every half-second they remain grabbed. This isn't very useful what with the lag and lack of reliability outside from buffing Takamaru's Forward Throw.
Forward Throw ᔓ Bloodletting
Takamaru takes the opponent and vigorously shakes them in an animation similar to ROB's Down Throw. If the opponent has not recieved any scars from Takamaru's pummel, this only deals
1% with very low knockback, and a bit of ending lag to prevent chaingrabbing. However, for each scar the opponent has from Takamaru's pummel, they will take
4% (without the original
1% being added) maxing out at a massive
16%, the same amount as Dedede's infamous Back Throw. However, keep in mind that this never has any knockback, and the fact is that you will only get enough pummels in at high percentages where damage-dealing isn't really worth it, meaning that this is most useful around the 80s when Takamaru can't really KO yet but tthe opponent has trouble escaping from a grab.
Backward Throw ᔓ Ring of Fire
Takamaru plunges his katana into the body of the opponent, dealing
4%. After this a ring of flame rises up from the ground right around the opponent, remaining for a second. The ring goes around the opponent, meaning that this does nothing if the opponent refuses to move, but if they do, they take
4% and decent knockback that is likely to bounce them back and forth inside of the ring, building up about
12% more! However, this only works if the opponent moves. If they don't they will merely take
4%, and since Takamaru can't pass his own rings they get safety as well. This is really only useful if you use it on a n00b or if your opponent is mashing buttons and they could accidentally hit the flames.
Up Throw ᔓ Electroshock
Takamaru hoists the opponent over his head and places them between the fingers of his hands. He then begins to course electricity through them, dealing
4% in multiple hits and no knockback. This also has a bit of ending lag, preventing chaingrabbing. Is this move useful at all? Well, yes. Should Takamaru have his Down Special fully charged when this throw is used, he will course a far greater amount of electricity, dealing
14%! This is an excellent damage dealer this way, and an alternate use for Takamaru's electric charge. However, keep in mind that the conventional use can be quite vital to Takamaru: put thought into your decision and don't use this recklessly!
Down Throw ᔓ Wasabi
Takamaru feeds his opponent a small blob of edible material... you can't tell by looking, but it is in fact wasabi, a Japanese spice. This causes the opponent to take set knockback away and trip, taking no damage. However, once they get up, they are given the effect of a Superspicy Curry! This isn't as strong as the regular Superspicy Curry effect, merely doing
2% with 9 individual fireballs for a maximum of
18%... but still, why would you want to use this? Every fireball that misses will home right back in on the opponent, charring them for the same damage and knockback: this could potentially do
18% to the opponent! However, keep in mind that this is a gamble and it could backfire horribly.
※ Situational Attacks ※
Ledge Attack (Under 100%) ᔓ Chopping Block
Takamaru swings himself over the ledge, holding his katana in his hands as he does so. This move has two hitboxes: Takamaru and the katana. Opponents close to the ledge will be hit by Takamaru's body, which will deal
4% and weak knockback. However, opponents at a slight distance will be hit by the katana, which deals
8% and stronger (but still somewhat weak) knockback. Very situational for a ledge attack but it can have a nice effect if it connects.
Ledge Attack (Over 100%) ᔓ Stumbling Flail
Takamaru climbs up the ledge slowly, looking exhausted, in about a second-long process. As he does this, he flails his arms on the ledge. Opponents who are hit by the weakly ranged hitbox take
5%, and set knockback of around Ness's PK Fire as well as tripping. Good for clearing out an area for Takamaru to get onto the ledge, although it lacks a truly powerful effect.
Tripped Attack ᔓ Robe Flick
Takamaru flips back up from his tripped position, flicking up the sides of his robe as he does so. The robe makes a small hitbox covering both sides of Takamaru, dealing
3% with weak knockback. The robe has low priority but it does make a nice shield around Takamaru. The robe takes around a second to fall back down, giving Takamaru an opportunity to escape. An unconventional but useful tripped attack.
Downed Attack ᔓ Frog Jump
From his downed position, Takamaru leaps up like a frog in a powerful jump. This jump covers twice the distance of Falco's first jump, and has 1.5X the horizontal potential. Not really an attack since Takamaru does not become a hitbox, but ideal for escaping.
Flipped Attack ᔓ Handstand
Takamaru does a handstand from his flipped position and agily leaps up and goes directly back downwards in a stall-then-fall. Contact with Takamaru's body deals
5% and weak horizontal knockback. While this has delay before the hitbox comes out, and the range is quite narrow, the fact that Takamaru leaps up for it makes it safe and good for dodging attacks that might interrupt its weak priority.
※ Final Smash - Fine Japanese Cooking ※
Once a Final Smash is initiated, Takamaru will pull out a large, elaborate cooking station, holding a large knife. Takamaru is completely invincible in this state, and play will go on while it is activated. The Final Smash ends after ten seconds pass.
During this period, a thought bubble appears over Takamaru's head, of nine cooking ingredients stacked 3 by 3 in small boxes. With the Control Stick, a cursor can be moved around in the thought bubble. Once an ingredient is selected, it appears on the cooking station immediately, and Takamaru bends over to the item. By mashing the A button, Takamaru will begin to "work" on the ingredient, indicated by slicing a vegetable or shaking spices over some meat. Twenty presses of the A button are needed before a item is fully prepared and is tossed into a pot.
Each item of food tossed into a pot will go into making a stew that Takamaru eats at the end of the final smash, and each item will give a unique, useful effect to the item.
- The loaf of bread will greatly buff Takamaru's weight, bringing him up to the level of Samus's weight.
- The mushroom will grant Takamaru 1.5X damage and knockback on his attacks.
- The tomato will shrink Takamaru with the strength of a poison mushroom, making him a much smaller target. His hitboxes do not shrink, because his katana will not shrink and will be jabbed out further to compensate for the loss of size.
- The eggplant will double the length of Takamaru's katana, giving him a range advantage.
- The fish will grant much greater priority to Takamaru's attacks, making them all jump to the level of Dedede's Back Aerial.
- The sushi will heal Takamaru of 40%.
- The hot pepper will give Takamaru the effect of a Superspicy Curry.
- The chunk of indeterminate meat gives Takamaru a shield that does not shrink at all, making him invincible under a shield.
- The jar of spices will give all of Takamaru's attacks an additional flower effect for 6% more damage.
Once Takamaru slurps up his bowl of soup in a quick animation at the end of ten seconds, he gains all of the bonuses of the ingredients he used. This wears off after twenty seconds, and watch out: Takamaru is vunerable during the twenty second period after he slurps up the stew and gets bonuses. This is a customizable Final Smash, meaning that it can be given a unique and powerful attack. Have fun with it!
※ Playstyle - Ninjas > Pirates ※
Takamaru has one of the least intuitive playstyles in the game. All of his playstyle is based on pressuring the opponent, but he falls easily to pressure himself! Not only can Takamaru have follow-through on his most useful attacks, most notably his Side Smash, Takamaru has a large size and little weight. Once knocked off the stage it's easy to keep him there, him having ridiculously fast fall speed and a recovery that can easily be gimped by an alert opponent, not to mention a lack of direct attacks in his aerials.
Then there's Takamaru's range. His katana gives him decent range, but it isn't very long, so not excessively so. While he has two projectiles (three counting his Down Special), he has no means of pressuring the foe from a range with them. His Neutral Special is best used as a close-ranged attack, as from a range opponents can easily remove the star with a jab or tilt or similar quick and weak move, and since the effect doesn't stack too well you'd better be doing something else to the opponent while the star takes its full effect. His Side Special is a little better for this, but it's often easy to dodge, making it effective as an approach (something which Takamaru lacks) more than anything, not to mention the long charge. The pseudo-projectile Down Special is more defensive than anything.
So what is Takamaru to do? Having only the ability to dish out the pressure and not take it, Takamaru inherits a strangely defensive pressure playstyle. Takamaru has three main means of defense: his "rolldodge", Side Tilt and Down Special. Takamaru's quite quirky "rolldodge" is an excellent defensive move but it fails if used like a traditional rolldodge. Used properly, Takamaru's "rolldodge" shatters attacks, being great against projectile spam, and can turn the tables on pressure. The Side Tilt looks much like the "rolldodge" but has a quite different effect, with the bonus of countering attacks and the loss of punishability. To use this properly it has to be used with ON THE DOT precision but it can have a great effect when landed. Takamaru's Down Special is most efficient as a last-minute move to get opponents away, lacking a dramatic effect for a move requiring a long charge. The three of these seem average in effect, and they are, but being Takamaru's sole defensive measures they should see a lot of use.
And after the three defensive moves we have a plethora of great pressure moves. His Neutral Attack is hard to land but it has a nice effect if it does, and is stunningly safe. Up Tilt can build great damage if you are able to get enough puffs in. His Side Smash in particular is great for all purposes, with its only con being punishability (which is admittedly pretty bad). Using a Metalwork Down Smash can make Takamaru even better at pressure when pulled off, and never forget the potentially infinite range of the Neutral Aerial. All of Takamaru's moves other than the aforementioned three can pull off pressure, but these can do it the best.
But with lots of ability to pressure and damage deal, comes substandard KO ability... Takamaru has only a couple of good KO moves, and all can backfire. The ones to focus on are Up Smash and Up Aerial. Up Smash is one of the most powerful KO moves in the game, but the zero priority and how the effect can hit Takamaru gives it insane risk. His Up Aerial is also quite powerful, but it needs to be used in combination with a Forward Aerial to work, and by rushing in to make that work makes it predictable. Once predicted Takamaru's katana can be thrown off of the stage, putting him at a great disadvantage until he fully charges his Down Smash (which, let's face it, is impossible without a KO, and now he only has his Up Smash for the purpose). Both of these moves WILL KO with a good hit, but it's hard to get one and if predicted they can be punished. Use these moves as unpredictably as you can.
But get past all of this and you can see that Takamaru can be a very effective character. His speed means that he can cross blades with Meta Knight in a not terrible matchup, and by weaving in and out of characters, he can safely attack slow heaviweights like King Dedede. What Takamaru is going to need to watch out for is speedy characters with range, a surprisingly common combination. Characters like Squirtle and Toon Link can overpower Takamaru with ease, leaving him in the dust.
※ Playing Against - Pirates > Ninjas ※
The first thing you need to know about fighting Takamaru is how wild his matchups are. Takamaru is an insane counterpick against quite a few characters without excessive speed, but he fails much with characters who have speed and range. Toon Link is a very difficult matchup for Takamaru, and even Samus can give him some troubles. Choosing a good character to fight against Takamaru can make all the difference.
At the start of a match you're going to want to rush in and pressure Takamaru. But isn't Takamaru a pressure god? Well, yes, but only if he uses his projectiles before pressure. By rushing to Takamaru at the start of a match, he has little to do, allowing some easy damage up until he breaks out with a defensive move. He's going to want to plant some projectiles on you now, and you would do well to use some of your own. Throw out every projectile and well-ranged move you have to prevent escape. A well-placed Boomerang or Super Missle can make life difficult for Takamaru.
So you have Takamaru to an acceptable KO percentage? You'll probably be safe to use it earlier than that. Takamaru's surprisingly low weight makes him easy to launch off the stage, and he doesn't have a great recovery to counteract it. Throw out a well-charged Smash at an early percent or a weaker move at a usual one to get Takamaru off, than try and gimp him if you can't get an actual KO in. This is easy once you get the hang of it. Look for Takamaru's silhouette and work around it. Even by being close to the silhouette you can make Takamaru move away, seeing his need for safety and by being close you can gimp him.
In conclusion, to counter Takamaru is to pick a fast ranged character and to pressure him before he has the capacity to do so. Takamaru can pressure you back, so pressure all you can. Any match with Takamaru will have a whole lot of pressure involved.
※ Taunts ※
Up Taunt ᔓ Pinwheel
Takamaru tosses his katana up into the air, as it stays in place for a second and twirls to make a pinwheel. A fun and flashy taunt.
Side Taunt ᔓ Duel
Takamaru sticks out an extended arm, using his katana to beckon his opponent to a duel as he speaks something incomprehensible in Japanese.
Down Taunt ᔓ Figure 8
Takamaru holds his arm holding the katana to the screen, and rapidly moves it around in a figure 8 pattern.
※ Victory Screen Poses ※
Up Victory Pose ᔓ Flamin' Hot
Takamaru does a series of compicated motions and patterns with his sword. Eventually his sword overheats from the pressure, making Takamaru drop it and look at it with a comically stupid expression.
Side Victory Pose ᔓ Fireworks
The screen first shows a night sky with fireworks dotting the air. The camera then moves down to Takamaru and his opponents, showing Takamaru lighting dragon-shaped fireworks with a triumphant expression on his face.
Down Victory Pose ᔓ Katana Swallower
Takamaru is shown balancing his katana on his tongue. Occasionally the katana dangerously begins to tip over, causing Takamaru to step to the side to balance it again.
Loss Pose ᔓ Respect
Takamaru solemnly claps for the foe, occasionally using a overblown, long bow to show his respect.
Victory Theme ᔓ Nazo no Murasamejō Theme
The opening riff of
this song.
※ Kirby Hat ※
Kirby gains Takamaru's fancy topknot as well as a cute robe of his own. He also gains the ability to use Takamaru's Neutral Special, Shuriken, for the same effect. This gives Kirby an effective projectile as well as another damage-dealer, which he has plenty of.
※ Codec Conversation ※
-PUSH SELECT-
SNAKE|Mei Ling, what's this ninja doing here?
MEI LING|Snake, that's Takamaru. He's a samurai apprentice.
SNAKE|Same difference...
MEI LING|He was only the apprentice of a samurai until a meteor crashed into Japan, containing an alien within it. Takamaru had to collect four mystical orbs in four castles before taking on the villian.
SNAKE|I shouldn't have too much trouble. After all, ninjas are inferior to pirates.
MEI LING|He's an apprentice samurai, and what do pirates have to do with ninjas?
SNAKE|Mei Ling, you need to improve your knowledge of basic internet memes.
-END TRANSMISSION-