FlareHabanero
Banned via Warnings
Bumping this thread with several comments regarding Takamaru.
Takamaru I feel has potential from a different prospective outside of gameplay. What I mean is visual style, with The Mysterious Murasame Castle giving something fresh to the table in the form of Japanese culture. You see, Takamaru is not only one of those japan only characters akin to Marth or Lucas, but also literally a character from Japan (specifically the Edo era of Japan). 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, Japan 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.
The music would also be remixed to reflect the culture, like using Japanese instruments like the Taiko (drum), Shakuhachi (flute), and Shamisen (string instrument) to name a few. For comparison sake, compare the original overworld song with a hypothetical remix.
Finally, there is Takamaru. The character takes influence from samurais, which are famous in culture for having a strong sense of honor. Samurais in real life have a strong sense of chivalry and loyalty, and will never carelessly kill commoners. Meditation is actually a strong influence with the samurai culture as it allows them to calm their mind of any violent intentions. Takamaru could be influenced by some of these points in a hypothetical story mode, like being a pacifist by heart but will retaliate if ever necessary. Like a character that doesn't start fights, but will finish them one way or another. This would also be influenced in varies taunts and victory poses too.
Of course there is also what kind of moves that will be used too. As you may know, Takamaru is mainly associated with the katana and the shurikens in the varies appearances. But what about several more options in his arsenal to again reflect his status as a samurai? Like the Tessen (Japanese war fan) which he can use for a down smash and for shielding, the Kaginawa (hooked rope) as a grab akin to Link's Hookshot or Samus's Grapple Beam, and possibly smoke bombs as a down special. Takamaru also has some magic capabilities like the ability to shoot fireballs and wipe out enemies with a large lightning bolt. The latter could be refined and used as a final smash, and the former might be referenced by the shurikens being explosive.
Takamaru I feel has potential from a different prospective outside of gameplay. What I mean is visual style, with The Mysterious Murasame Castle giving something fresh to the table in the form of Japanese culture. You see, Takamaru is not only one of those japan only characters akin to Marth or Lucas, but also literally a character from Japan (specifically the Edo era of Japan). 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, Japan 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.
The music would also be remixed to reflect the culture, like using Japanese instruments like the Taiko (drum), Shakuhachi (flute), and Shamisen (string instrument) to name a few. For comparison sake, compare the original overworld song with a hypothetical remix.
Finally, there is Takamaru. The character takes influence from samurais, which are famous in culture for having a strong sense of honor. Samurais in real life have a strong sense of chivalry and loyalty, and will never carelessly kill commoners. Meditation is actually a strong influence with the samurai culture as it allows them to calm their mind of any violent intentions. Takamaru could be influenced by some of these points in a hypothetical story mode, like being a pacifist by heart but will retaliate if ever necessary. Like a character that doesn't start fights, but will finish them one way or another. This would also be influenced in varies taunts and victory poses too.
Of course there is also what kind of moves that will be used too. As you may know, Takamaru is mainly associated with the katana and the shurikens in the varies appearances. But what about several more options in his arsenal to again reflect his status as a samurai? Like the Tessen (Japanese war fan) which he can use for a down smash and for shielding, the Kaginawa (hooked rope) as a grab akin to Link's Hookshot or Samus's Grapple Beam, and possibly smoke bombs as a down special. Takamaru also has some magic capabilities like the ability to shoot fireballs and wipe out enemies with a large lightning bolt. The latter could be refined and used as a final smash, and the former might be referenced by the shurikens being explosive.
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