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

[LF2K]

With Greninja, Takamaru has to be in. Smash needs the clash of ninja vs. samurai!

 

[DustyPumpkin]

Holy Balls, Murasame Castle is hard, I like it.
Com ooooon Takamaru!

 

[LF2K]

Wish I could play it. One day soon, hopefully.

 

[Reila]

Wish I could play it. One day soon, hopefully.

Me too! It will be the first virtual console game I will ever buy, as soon as a buy a new 3DS.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Holy Balls, Murasame Castle is hard, I like it.
Com ooooon Takamaru!

That's what I said years ago, believe it or not. It may not have the puzzles of The Legend of Zelda or the bottomless pits from Kid Icarus/Metroid, it sure as hell proved a bigger challenge than both games.

 

[shinhed-echi]

Sounds like hype to me, especially the first part with East vs West duo (Taka aand Mike).

Same here.
One reveal trailer should come immediately after the other, for the ultimate bliss.

It would be really sweet due to both games being so similar (to Zelda).
Then we need a PotD with Link, Toon Link, Takamaru, and Mike. :D

That would be my dreamed reveal.

 

[DustyPumpkin]

Takamaru-san-chan-sama, I believe.................................



IN YOU!!

 

[Chauzu]

One week to E3 and the hype is real... Except for this thread, which has been dead for two days now. C'mon, let's fire it up for that Takamaru reveal!

To help out I've made my own suggestion for a moveset for Takamaru. My main focus in making it has been to make Takamaru as unique as possible - because all new characters in Smash 4 so far has been incredibly unique. Considering we most likely have 2 new swordsmen joining - Chrom and Shulk - having Takamaru as well would put big pressure on him being as unique as possible, and I think I've succeeded with that.

This moveset is hardly perfect and I'm sure I am unclear at some points but hopefully it shows what potential Takamaru has in Smash. Also, I might have taken something from another moveset but that hasn't been on purpose, I made this by myself.

Character Description

Takamaru, the Shogunat's strongest samurai. When drawing his swords his attacks deal more damage and have greater knockback on the first strike. However, while the sword is drawn Takamaru can't use any moves except for his sword. To put the sword back Takamaru needs to not be moving sideways - this will result in an animation of Takamaru putting his sword back startes, which lasts for around 1-2 seconds. The sword will also still returned if falling from the air, though. Takamaru can still move, jump and attack in this state but attacks made while in the process of returning the sword will be less powerful and more sloppy initially.

Without his sword Takamaru can use his wide array of projectile attacks shuriken, the windmill sword and fire balls, making him able to utilize great stage control. Added to this are samurai techniques like invisibility, air jumping and lightning. Takamaru's changing abilities depending on if he is holding his sword or not is what makes him unique in the cast, but as you will see in the moveset, it is not the last unique thing about him.

Takamaru walks the slowest in the game, basically holding a defensive pose while moving a small step at a time. His running speed is decent, kind of like Link's speed. Takamaru's weight is like Marth's. His jumps are the highest in the game though, with one full jump being able to jump to the top of the upper Battlefield platform. (This will later be combined with his Up Special for challenging recovery.

Takamaru Moveset

Ground Attacks

Neutral A - Sword Combo

By pressing A twice a horizontal slice is followed by a vertical one with knockback.

Up A - Upward Slice

Takamaru wields his sword above him, from in front of him to the back, covering any aerial approach.

Forward A - Forward Slice (with sword), Fire Ball (without sword)

Like the upward slice, the forward slice covers the area in front of Takamaru by slizing horizontally from up to down.

Without the sword Takamaru fires a fire ball from his hand. You can fire a new fire ball every second (unless you use another move in between) and you can aim it forward-up and forward-down as well. It flies in the air for two seconds and works as Mario's fire ball if hit, except it can be combined with Takamaru's shuriken (I will come back to this later).

Down A - Feet Slice

A quick slice at the opponents feet that temporarily makes them paralyzed, opening up for a smash attack or combo.

Air Attacks

Netrual A - Sword Spin

Takamaru makes a 360 turn while in the air and hits both in front and behind of him.

Up A - Upward Slice

Works the same as on the ground.

Forward A - Horizontal Slice

Takamaru swings his blade from left to right in front of him with a quick moves that knocks back the opponent.

Back A - Backward Stab

Takamaru holds the blade in both of his hands and stab behind him with a slow move that has great horizontal reach.

Down A - Downward Slice

Like the upward slice, except this one covers the lower area.

Smash Attack

Up Smash - Upward Stab

Takamaru takes his sword in both his hands and goes to his knees, charging up a mighty upward blow that sends opponents flying upwards.

Forward Smash - Tipper

Basically Marth's foward smash with lower reach (because katana).

Backward Smash - Backward Stab

As the first character in the Smash series Takamaru has a backward smash! This smash works like the back air with Takamaru holding both his hands on the sword and stabbing backwards without turning around. This move is incredibly fast and has great horizontal reach.

Down Smash - Sword Spin

Takamaru crouches on the air and does a 360 turn while slizing his sword, sending the opponents away - kinda works like the neutral air.

Special Attacks

Neutral Special - Shuriken (no sword only)

Shuriken's are basically small knifes that Takamaru throw and these will basically work like Fox's Neutral Special except for moving at around half the speed and each shuriken dealing 1% damage. However, if a shuriken hits a fire ball, the shuriken will cause a great explosion and deal around as big damage and knockback as Snake's grenades.

Upward Special - Air Jump
Upward Special aimed horizontally followed by A - Air Strike

The upward special is another technique making Takamaru all the more unique. Using straight vertically, it works exactly as a normal jump and they can't be distinguished from one another. If aligned horizontally at all, though, Takamaru makes a huge leap in the air, ready to strike with his sword to deal massive damage and knockback. After using the upward special Takamaru can still use his 2nd jump, allowing for mixed recoveries.

All is not well though, as Takamaru is only able to use the Air Jump once before touching the ground (or holding the ledge ? - not sure) again. This makes the move a huge risk-reward option where it is important to mix up the recovery and use the Air Strike, as a punish here might lead to getting knocked off the stage again without the ability to use the Air Jump again.

Forward Special - Windmill Sword Variations : Bishop, Castle, King (no sword)

Windmill Sword moves slower than the shuriken but are more powerful and has longer reach. Takamaru fires 3-4 projectiles at once, depending which variation is used at the moment. The three options are Bishop, Castle and King with Bishop being the default. After Bishop is used, the next time you use the Foward Special it will be Castle and so on. However, Takamaru can change his next Windmill Sword variation by continuing pressing the special button after his attack to toggle through all of the three attacks. So if you press the special button three times after using Bishop you use Bishop again next time. This opens up for mind games and the ability to read the game and figuring out which variation you likely will need to use next time.

Bishop fires three projectiles ahead of Takamaru. One forward, and the other two diagonally up and down. This opens up for Bishop to be used as an utility move, letting you cover all areas ahead of you, both on ground and in air, making it harder for enemies to approach and easier for Takamaru, as well as putting pressure on characters trying to get back on stage as well as making it easier for you to make it back on.

Castle fires four projectiles - above Takamaru and to both sides of him as well as below him if airborn. This opens up for Bishop to be a good defensive move in that it covers all four broad angles, making it easier to get back on stage or just general spacing.

King fires three projectiles right in front of Takamaru, close to each other. This lets King put good offensive pressure on the opponent, and maybe straining their shields quite a bit.

Downward Special - Invisibility Cloak

We have our fair share of invisibility in Smash, but Takamaru's take on it is unique. It can only be used when grounded (followed by a minute or so cool-off) which turns Takamaru "invisible" (you can still see his shadow) and for 3-7 seconds (not decided) he can attack without the opponent being able to do anything about it. This is followed by a second or two of cool-off which creates another sense of risk-reward.

Final Smash - Lightning

I don't really care for final smashes so... Basically an awesome cutscene with thunderbolts appearing is played and all opponents on the stage are hit and are knocked out. Or something. Very OP.

Feel free to discuss! This is by no means my final moveset, see it more as an initial draft.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

One week to E3 and the hype is real... Except for this thread, which has been dead for two days now. C'mon, let's fire it up for that Takamaru reveal!

To help out I've made my own suggestion for a moveset for Takamaru. My main focus in making it has been to make Takamaru as unique as possible - because all new characters in Smash 4 so far has been incredibly unique. Considering we most likely have 2 new swordsmen joining - Chrom and Shulk - having Takamaru as well would put big pressure on him being as unique as possible, and I think I've succeeded with that.

This moveset is hardly perfect and I'm sure I am unclear at some points but hopefully it shows what potential Takamaru has in Smash. Also, I might have taken something from another moveset but that hasn't been on purpose, I made this by myself.

Character Description

Takamaru, the Shogunat's strongest samurai. When drawing his swords his attacks deal more damage and have greater knockback on the first strike. However, while the sword is drawn Takamaru can't use any moves except for his sword. To put the sword back Takamaru needs to not be moving sideways - this will result in an animation of Takamaru putting his sword back startes, which lasts for around 1-2 seconds. The sword will also still returned if falling from the air, though. Takamaru can still move, jump and attack in this state but attacks made while in the process of returning the sword will be less powerful and more sloppy initially.

Without his sword Takamaru can use his wide array of projectile attacks shuriken, the windmill sword and fire balls, making him able to utilize great stage control. Added to this are samurai techniques like invisibility, air jumping and lightning. Takamaru's changing abilities depending on if he is holding his sword or not is what makes him unique in the cast, but as you will see in the moveset, it is not the last unique thing about him.

Takamaru walks the slowest in the game, basically holding a defensive pose while moving a small step at a time. His running speed is decent, kind of like Link's speed. Takamaru's weight is like Marth's. His jumps are the highest in the game though, with one full jump being able to jump to the top of the upper Battlefield platform. (This will later be combined with his Up Special for challenging recovery.

Takamaru Moveset

Ground Attacks

Neutral A - Sword Combo

By pressing A twice a horizontal slice is followed by a vertical one with knockback.

Up A - Upward Slice

Takamaru wields his sword above him, from in front of him to the back, covering any aerial approach.

Forward A - Forward Slice (with sword), Fire Ball (without sword)

Like the upward slice, the forward slice covers the area in front of Takamaru by slizing horizontally from up to down.

Without the sword Takamaru fires a fire ball from his hand. You can fire a new fire ball every second (unless you use another move in between) and you can aim it forward-up and forward-down as well. It flies in the air for two seconds and works as Mario's fire ball if hit, except it can be combined with Takamaru's shuriken (I will come back to this later).

Down A - Feet Slice

A quick slice at the opponents feet that temporarily makes them paralyzed, opening up for a smash attack or combo.

Air Attacks

Netrual A - Sword Spin

Takamaru makes a 360 turn while in the air and hits both in front and behind of him.

Up A - Upward Slice

Works the same as on the ground.

Forward A - Horizontal Slice

Takamaru swings his blade from left to right in front of him with a quick moves that knocks back the opponent.

Back A - Backward Stab

Takamaru holds the blade in both of his hands and stab behind him with a slow move that has great horizontal reach.

Down A - Downward Slice

Like the upward slice, except this one covers the lower area.

Smash Attack

Up Smash - Upward Stab

Takamaru takes his sword in both his hands and goes to his knees, charging up a mighty upward blow that sends opponents flying upwards.

Forward Smash - Tipper

Basically Marth's foward smash with lower reach (because katana).

Backward Smash - Backward Stab

As the first character in the Smash series Takamaru has a backward smash! This smash works like the back air with Takamaru holding both his hands on the sword and stabbing backwards without turning around. This move is incredibly fast and has great horizontal reach.

Down Smash - Sword Spin

Takamaru crouches on the air and does a 360 turn while slizing his sword, sending the opponents away - kinda works like the neutral air.

Special Attacks

Neutral Special - Shuriken (no sword only)

Shuriken's are basically small knifes that Takamaru throw and these will basically work like Fox's Neutral Special except for moving at around half the speed and each shuriken dealing 1% damage. However, if a shuriken hits a fire ball, the shuriken will cause a great explosion and deal around as big damage and knockback as Snake's grenades.

Upward Special - Air Jump
Upward Special aimed horizontally followed by A - Air Strike

The upward special is another technique making Takamaru all the more unique. Using straight vertically, it works exactly as a normal jump and they can't be distinguished from one another. If aligned horizontally at all, though, Takamaru makes a huge leap in the air, ready to strike with his sword to deal massive damage and knockback. After using the upward special Takamaru can still use his 2nd jump, allowing for mixed recoveries.

All is not well though, as Takamaru is only able to use the Air Jump once before touching the ground (or holding the ledge ? - not sure) again. This makes the move a huge risk-reward option where it is important to mix up the recovery and use the Air Strike, as a punish here might lead to getting knocked off the stage again without the ability to use the Air Jump again.

Forward Special - Windmill Sword Variations : Bishop, Castle, King (no sword)

Windmill Sword moves slower than the shuriken but are more powerful and has longer reach. Takamaru fires 3-4 projectiles at once, depending which variation is used at the moment. The three options are Bishop, Castle and King with Bishop being the default. After Bishop is used, the next time you use the Foward Special it will be Castle and so on. However, Takamaru can change his next Windmill Sword variation by continuing pressing the special button after his attack to toggle through all of the three attacks. So if you press the special button three times after using Bishop you use Bishop again next time. This opens up for mind games and the ability to read the game and figuring out which variation you likely will need to use next time.

Bishop fires three projectiles ahead of Takamaru. One forward, and the other two diagonally up and down. This opens up for Bishop to be used as an utility move, letting you cover all areas ahead of you, both on ground and in air, making it harder for enemies to approach and easier for Takamaru, as well as putting pressure on characters trying to get back on stage as well as making it easier for you to make it back on.

Castle fires four projectiles - above Takamaru and to both sides of him as well as below him if airborn. This opens up for Bishop to be a good defensive move in that it covers all four broad angles, making it easier to get back on stage or just general spacing.

King fires three projectiles right in front of Takamaru, close to each other. This lets King put good offensive pressure on the opponent, and maybe straining their shields quite a bit.

Downward Special - Invisibility Cloak

We have our fair share of invisibility in Smash, but Takamaru's take on it is unique. It can only be used when grounded (followed by a minute or so cool-off) which turns Takamaru "invisible" (you can still see his shadow) and for 3-7 seconds (not decided) he can attack without the opponent being able to do anything about it. This is followed by a second or two of cool-off which creates another sense of risk-reward.

Final Smash - Lightning

I don't really care for final smashes so... Basically an awesome cutscene with thunderbolts appearing is played and all opponents on the stage are hit and are knocked out. Or something. Very OP.

Feel free to discuss! This is by no means my final moveset, see it more as an initial draft.

Basically the best type of playstyle that anyone had ever thought for Takamaru (Sorry @FeliciaFan444). Though, I think you've messed up the description for the Neutral Special's description since kunai are knives, not shirukens. Other than that, I love this moveset and hope that Sakurai incorporates something similar to this.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

I really hope that Takamaru gets revealed at E3. Pretty much, I just want the Sal Leak + mah boi Takamaru and K. Rool and I'll be happy. Dixie would be cool but not at the expense of Krool.

Plus the rest of the veterans besides Snake, Squirtle. and Ivysaur that is.

 

[Chauzu]

Basically the best type of playstyle that anyone had ever thought for Takamaru (Sorry @FeliciaFan444). Though, I think you've messed up the description for the Neutral Special's description since kunai are knives, not shirukens. Other than that, I love this moveset and hope that Sakurai incorporates something similar to this.

I might have, weapons and such aren't my thing really. I'll update it later, going to rest a bit now, haha.

But happy that someone liked the theorycraft I spent a boring 4-hour seminar on doing.

I really hope that Takamaru gets revealed at E3. Pretty much, I just want the Sal Leak + mah boi Takamaru and K. Rool and I'll be happy. Dixie would be cool but not at the expense of Krool.

Plus the rest of the veterans besides Snake, Squirtle. and Ivysaur that is.

That's basically my view except for me only really caring about Takamaru at this point atm. I believe the Sal leak but it lacks a retro character imo and I hope Takamaru takes that spot.

 

[shinhed-echi]

I would change that Down+B's function.

The opponent not being able to do anything about it, is pretty OP. I mean, if people think Little Mac's invincibility frames / super armor / whatever is OP, then this is like 3 times worse. XD

The opponent CAN hit Takamaru. But Takamaru is completely invisible, perhaps except for a cloud of distorted air.
The advantage would be that Takamaru is hard to see, and more importantly, hard to READ.

Now... visibility factor has always been a sketchy issue in SSB, but I think it could work, if it's for a limited use. Not only because this allows the move to not be OP, but also to help the player not stray too far and accidentally SD due to not knowing where he's at.


Next best thing: Make it a MK Down+B clone move, and give MK something else.

 

[Pacack]

One week to E3 and the hype is real... Except for this thread, which has been dead for two days now. C'mon, let's fire it up for that Takamaru reveal!

To help out I've made my own suggestion for a moveset for Takamaru. My main focus in making it has been to make Takamaru as unique as possible - because all new characters in Smash 4 so far has been incredibly unique. Considering we most likely have 2 new swordsmen joining - Chrom and Shulk - having Takamaru as well would put big pressure on him being as unique as possible, and I think I've succeeded with that.

This moveset is hardly perfect and I'm sure I am unclear at some points but hopefully it shows what potential Takamaru has in Smash. Also, I might have taken something from another moveset but that hasn't been on purpose, I made this by myself.

Character Description

Takamaru, the Shogunat's strongest samurai. When drawing his swords his attacks deal more damage and have greater knockback on the first strike. However, while the sword is drawn Takamaru can't use any moves except for his sword. To put the sword back Takamaru needs to not be moving sideways - this will result in an animation of Takamaru putting his sword back startes, which lasts for around 1-2 seconds. The sword will also still returned if falling from the air, though. Takamaru can still move, jump and attack in this state but attacks made while in the process of returning the sword will be less powerful and more sloppy initially.

Without his sword Takamaru can use his wide array of projectile attacks shuriken, the windmill sword and fire balls, making him able to utilize great stage control. Added to this are samurai techniques like invisibility, air jumping and lightning. Takamaru's changing abilities depending on if he is holding his sword or not is what makes him unique in the cast, but as you will see in the moveset, it is not the last unique thing about him.

Takamaru walks the slowest in the game, basically holding a defensive pose while moving a small step at a time. His running speed is decent, kind of like Link's speed. Takamaru's weight is like Marth's. His jumps are the highest in the game though, with one full jump being able to jump to the top of the upper Battlefield platform. (This will later be combined with his Up Special for challenging recovery.

Takamaru Moveset

Ground Attacks

Neutral A - Sword Combo

By pressing A twice a horizontal slice is followed by a vertical one with knockback.

Up A - Upward Slice

Takamaru wields his sword above him, from in front of him to the back, covering any aerial approach.

Forward A - Forward Slice (with sword), Fire Ball (without sword)

Like the upward slice, the forward slice covers the area in front of Takamaru by slizing horizontally from up to down.

Without the sword Takamaru fires a fire ball from his hand. You can fire a new fire ball every second (unless you use another move in between) and you can aim it forward-up and forward-down as well. It flies in the air for two seconds and works as Mario's fire ball if hit, except it can be combined with Takamaru's shuriken (I will come back to this later).

Down A - Feet Slice

A quick slice at the opponents feet that temporarily makes them paralyzed, opening up for a smash attack or combo.

Air Attacks

Netrual A - Sword Spin

Takamaru makes a 360 turn while in the air and hits both in front and behind of him.

Up A - Upward Slice

Works the same as on the ground.

Forward A - Horizontal Slice

Takamaru swings his blade from left to right in front of him with a quick moves that knocks back the opponent.

Back A - Backward Stab

Takamaru holds the blade in both of his hands and stab behind him with a slow move that has great horizontal reach.

Down A - Downward Slice

Like the upward slice, except this one covers the lower area.

Smash Attack

Up Smash - Upward Stab

Takamaru takes his sword in both his hands and goes to his knees, charging up a mighty upward blow that sends opponents flying upwards.

Forward Smash - Tipper

Basically Marth's foward smash with lower reach (because katana).

Backward Smash - Backward Stab

As the first character in the Smash series Takamaru has a backward smash! This smash works like the back air with Takamaru holding both his hands on the sword and stabbing backwards without turning around. This move is incredibly fast and has great horizontal reach.

Down Smash - Sword Spin

Takamaru crouches on the air and does a 360 turn while slizing his sword, sending the opponents away - kinda works like the neutral air.

Special Attacks

Neutral Special - Shuriken (no sword only)

Shuriken's are basically small knifes that Takamaru throw and these will basically work like Fox's Neutral Special except for moving at around half the speed and each shuriken dealing 1% damage. However, if a shuriken hits a fire ball, the shuriken will cause a great explosion and deal around as big damage and knockback as Snake's grenades.

Upward Special - Air Jump
Upward Special aimed horizontally followed by A - Air Strike

The upward special is another technique making Takamaru all the more unique. Using straight vertically, it works exactly as a normal jump and they can't be distinguished from one another. If aligned horizontally at all, though, Takamaru makes a huge leap in the air, ready to strike with his sword to deal massive damage and knockback. After using the upward special Takamaru can still use his 2nd jump, allowing for mixed recoveries.

All is not well though, as Takamaru is only able to use the Air Jump once before touching the ground (or holding the ledge ? - not sure) again. This makes the move a huge risk-reward option where it is important to mix up the recovery and use the Air Strike, as a punish here might lead to getting knocked off the stage again without the ability to use the Air Jump again.

Forward Special - Windmill Sword Variations : Bishop, Castle, King (no sword)

Windmill Sword moves slower than the shuriken but are more powerful and has longer reach. Takamaru fires 3-4 projectiles at once, depending which variation is used at the moment. The three options are Bishop, Castle and King with Bishop being the default. After Bishop is used, the next time you use the Foward Special it will be Castle and so on. However, Takamaru can change his next Windmill Sword variation by continuing pressing the special button after his attack to toggle through all of the three attacks. So if you press the special button three times after using Bishop you use Bishop again next time. This opens up for mind games and the ability to read the game and figuring out which variation you likely will need to use next time.

Bishop fires three projectiles ahead of Takamaru. One forward, and the other two diagonally up and down. This opens up for Bishop to be used as an utility move, letting you cover all areas ahead of you, both on ground and in air, making it harder for enemies to approach and easier for Takamaru, as well as putting pressure on characters trying to get back on stage as well as making it easier for you to make it back on.

Castle fires four projectiles - above Takamaru and to both sides of him as well as below him if airborn. This opens up for Bishop to be a good defensive move in that it covers all four broad angles, making it easier to get back on stage or just general spacing.

King fires three projectiles right in front of Takamaru, close to each other. This lets King put good offensive pressure on the opponent, and maybe straining their shields quite a bit.

Downward Special - Invisibility Cloak

We have our fair share of invisibility in Smash, but Takamaru's take on it is unique. It can only be used when grounded (followed by a minute or so cool-off) which turns Takamaru "invisible" (you can still see his shadow) and for 3-7 seconds (not decided) he can attack without the opponent being able to do anything about it. This is followed by a second or two of cool-off which creates another sense of risk-reward.

Final Smash - Lightning

I don't really care for final smashes so... Basically an awesome cutscene with thunderbolts appearing is played and all opponents on the stage are hit and are knocked out. Or something. Very OP.

Feel free to discuss! This is by no means my final moveset, see it more as an initial draft.

It's very good. Did you give him such a good recovery because of his title of "hawk samurai"?

 

[Chauzu]

I would change that Down+B's function.

The opponent not being able to do anything about it, is pretty OP. I mean, if people think Little Mac's invincibility frames / super armor / whatever is OP, then this is like 3 times worse. XD

The opponent CAN hit Takamaru. But Takamaru is completely invisible, perhaps except for a cloud of distorted air.
The advantage would be that Takamaru is hard to see, and more importantly, hard to READ.

Now... visibility factor has always been a sketchy issue in SSB, but I think it could work, if it's for a limited use. Not only because this allows the move to not be OP, but also to help the player not stray too far and accidentally SD due to not knowing where he's at.


Next best thing: Make it a MK Down+B clone move, and give MK something else.

Yeah, I didn't feel very confident about the Down Special. My take was based on how it works in Nazo no Murasame Jou, where invisibility leaves you undamageable for 3 seconds or so with only a dark shadow visible. I tried to nerf it with the cool-down period that I expect would be like Ganondorf's after the neutral special, but I am fine with nerfing it even more. Both your suggestions would be fine with me.

It's very good. Did you give him such a good recovery because of his title of "hawk samurai"?

It was a coincidence actually! I wanted to give him a unique form of recovery - thus not using the sword - as well as trying to let it contribute to his samurai feeling, and I think that my Up Special idea is my favourite. I'm not sure it's good, or rather, if it would be that good in a competetive environment - Up Special only being a one time use before hitting the ground balances it well on paper at least imo. It also feels quite "samurai" to me, and I can imagine it would look really cool if implemented.

It's fun how much you can come up with even with a character from a 25+ year with not that moves to work it and absolutely no form of jumping moves at all beforehand. Must be fun to be Sakurai.

 

[RhymesWithEmpty]

In the interest of helping to build some Takamaru hype, I'll repost my dream trailer I wrote up in the E3 speculation thread yesterday... please note that Takamaru doesn't show up 'til the end, so don't go thinking it's completely irrelevant if you haven't read through the whole thing!

It's kind of funny that I've been seeing speculation about a villain trailer around here lately, since I've been trying to concoct a good one for a while, and the latest leaks seem to line up perfectly with what I had in mind. So, with that said... here it is!

Link, Pit and Samus are hanging out, reminiscing about the good ol' days in 8-bit memories, when suddenly, the skies darken - Link's eyes narrow, cut to a close up on someone else's sword slowly being drawn from its sheath and pointed at him, zoom out to reveal the King of Darkness, Ganondorf! He leaps forward to attack, cut to game play footage showing off(hopefully) a new moveset, then back to him and Link locking swords as Samus and Pit watch on. The ground starts breaking up around them and Pit leaps up into the air to fly in on them from the side, but is cut short by a shadowy figure shooting out from one of the cracks in the earth. It slowly turns around, shedding its shadowy cloak to reveal the Lord of the Underworld himself, Hades! Cut to game play footage of Hades, yadda yadda yadda. Return to the trailer, Pit and Link are tied up fighting Ganondorf and Hades while Samus speeds along the crumbling landscape before stopping to charge up an energy shot. Then we hear a loud reptilian shriek/roar, followed by the reflection of something flying by in Samus's visor. She whips her head around and starts firing into the sky, where we cut to everybody's favorite giant purple space dragon, Ridley, dodging the energy blasts as he speeds towards the ground in a dive-bomb attack. Cut to game play footage of Ridley.

Now, this would all have me on the edge of my seat on its own, but here's the perfect twist ending that would send me leaping for joy:

Cut back to the battle, all 3 heroes are struggling against their respective villains, and we get a group shot of the villains being their bad selves. Something paramount, such as Ganondorf getting the smash ball, happens, and the Warlock approaches our heroes with a wicked grin on his face, when suddenly, we hear the sound of footsteps quickly running towards the battle... the flash of a blade, Ganondorf is knocked back, the smash ball loosed from him, and in between him and our heroes, blade still outstretched behind him from his attack... The Famicon Four reunited, Takamaru joins the battle! Bam, Takamaru game play footage, then finish the trailer with a group shot of Link, Pit, Samus and Takamaru charging into battle together!

Oh man, I would pee my pants.

Unfortunately, I don't really put much stock into the Hades leak, so I kind of doubt his inclusion. I was trying to figure out a way to throw Palutena in there instead, but it just doesn't work as well D: Also, the villain I really want is K. Rool, but he doesn't really fit in with this group, either, so a different villains' trailer might need to be constructed around him

I also really like the trailer idea for Takamaru that somebody posted a few pages back, though... so hard to settle on a single idea!

I really hope that Takamaru gets revealed at E3. Pretty much, I just want the Sal Leak + mah boi Takamaru and K. Rool and I'll be happy. Dixie would be cool but not at the expense of Krool.

Plus the rest of the veterans besides Snake, Squirtle. and Ivysaur that is.

This is pretty much exactly how I feel... besides replacing Miis with, say, Isaac XD I wouldn't mind if Snake stayed, but I can see him getting cut, and wouldn't be too crushed by it, either. But if we got both Takamaru and K. Rool, I would be set - they're my two big holdouts.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Finally back on SmashBoards and I'd like to say that this E3 is gonna be QUITE interesting (for characters anyway) let's take a look at a list I made to decide if ol' Takamaru will be there. (Most likely to least likely)

Pac-Man- I'm sure you saw this one coming he's almost definitely in and well this is the only time to announce him
Shulk- if he's in the game they'll undoubtedly show a trailer of him along side the next X trailer
Takamaru- with the news of his game being localized so close to E3 it's safe to say they have something planned for him my guess is Smash character
Snake- let's face if he is not shown here he's not in case closed
K. Rool- he is undoubtedly a well known character and it could hype up old school Nintendo fans but is he E3 material? That's up to Sakurai
Palutena- the leak may have gotten enough attention to make her an obvious choice so i think they'll surprise us and make her a secret character
Isaac- this is a total shot in the dark but if a new golden Golden Sun is announced they'll definitely want to hype it up and what better way than Smash Bros.
Mewtwo/Ridley/Roy- I put these in the same group as I don't see them being shown with the trolling Sakurai it seems they'll be Secret

What do you guys think about my list?
I didn't put Mii in because I personally think they're not gonna make it in.
(If I missed anyone in particular just copy and edit my post)

 

[RhymesWithEmpty]

I could see them not revealing Snake and saving him as a sort of last minute "Surprise!" just to keep the hype levels up right until launch.

But I definitely expect Pac-Man, and, if he's in it, Shulk. I have my doubts about Shulk and the whole Gematsu leak, but I still have to admit it's hard to argue against, so there's a good chance we'll see Shulk.

Speaking of leaks and Takamaru, there's a new leak going around in the E3 leaks thread that has "revealed" Hades, Ridley, Mike Jones, Chibi Robo, the Avatar character from Fire Emblem, and, finally, Takamaru. Some of those are really long shots, and it's most likely just some guy making it up, but it's still nice whenever Takamaru gets some attention, imo

 

[shinhed-echi]

I could see them not revealing Snake and saving him as a sort of last minute "Surprise!" just to keep the hype levels up right until launch.

But I definitely expect Pac-Man, and, if he's in it, Shulk. I have my doubts about Shulk and the whole Gematsu leak, but I still have to admit it's hard to argue against, so there's a good chance we'll see Shulk.

Speaking of leaks and Takamaru, there's a new leak going around in the E3 leaks thread that has "revealed" Hades, Ridley, Mike Jones, Chibi Robo, the Avatar character from Fire Emblem, and, finally, Takamaru. Some of those are really long shots, and it's most likely just some guy making it up, but it's still nice whenever Takamaru gets some attention, imo

I'm off to check it out NOW.

 

[RhymesWithEmpty]

Yeah, according to this "leaker," both Takamaru and Mike Jones' games are getting rebooted. I'd love for this to be an actual leak... but I'm not holding my breath. It's almost like they were reading this thread and saw the discussion of how Takamaru and Mike Jones are two very comparable retros who could be used to represent east vs west. Feels a lot like a fan theory to me, as cool as it would be.

 

[shinhed-echi]

Yeah, according to this "leaker," both Takamaru and Mike Jones' games are getting rebooted. I'd love for this to be an actual leak... but I'm not holding my breath. It's almost like they were reading this thread and saw the discussion of how Takamaru and Mike Jones are two very comparable retros who could be used to represent east vs west. Feels a lot like a fan theory to me, as cool as it would be.

You know what's funny, I was just fantasizing about this today. Except oddly enough both were remade and released in the same disc, like a 2-in-1 deal.

But man... if this is true... I'd be speechless! It'd be too awesome for me to process it.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

I know that this isn't the place for it but does anyone know why StarTropics wasn't released in Japan?
Just curious seems kind of odd.

 

[NintenRob]

Its possible he might be revealed at E3, what better time to reveal a retro character then at a big event with other big names.

 

[shinhed-echi]

I know that this isn't the place for it but does anyone know why StarTropics wasn't released in Japan?
Just curious seems kind of odd.

Well, StarTropics was created for a western audience in mind. References, jokes, and some sentences were only meant to be understood by mainly US audiences.

Just to name one of them, at one point you are asked a question, and if you answer that you already know, the guy asks if your name is Nester. (As in, the kid from Nintendo Power back then who gave you tips for playing, and had his own comic).
So, stuff like that are completely alien to Japan. I'm sure they could have worked around some if not most of them.

I think a similar situation happened with the Mother games except the other way around. (And ultimately, we did get Mother 2, and almost got Mother).

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Well, StarTropics was created for a western audience in mind. References, jokes, and some sentences were only meant to be understood by mainly US audiences.

Just to name one of them, at one point you are asked a question, and if you answer that you already know, the guy asks if your name is Nester. (As in, the kid from Nintendo Power back then who gave you tips for playing, and had his own comic).
So, stuff like that are completely alien to Japan. I'm sure they could have worked around some if not most of them.

I think a similar situation happened with the Mother games except the other way around. (And ultimately, we did get Mother 2, and almost got Mother).

Well guess it's time to hit his thread and voice my support then.
His game and music is just downright amazing.

 

[RhymesWithEmpty]

So beautiful to see two retro character fans coexisting and supporting each other's characters in such peaceful harmony ;w;

...Now if only Isaac and Shulk fans could get along like this!

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

So beautiful to see two retro character fans coexisting and supporting each other's characters in such peaceful harmony ;w;

...Now if only Isaac and Shulk fans could get along like this!

I'm supporting both if that makes you feel any better.

 

[shinhed-echi]

Well guess it's time to hit his thread and voice my support then.
His game and music is just downright amazing.

Yeash! More support!
And yeah, music's great! Then again, can't think of a 1st party title that doesn't have great music. :D (Not saying 2nd party don't, they usually also have excellent masterpieces as well)

So beautiful to see two retro character fans coexisting and supporting each other's characters in such peaceful harmony ;w;

...Now if only Isaac and Shulk fans could get along like this!

Heh, you're right. I don't know why, but I never saw Takamaru as a direct "threat". I mean, sure they're both retro, but they have other thingS that make them special. Takamaru's case was that he was Japan exclusive, but he has luckily a lot more going for him nowdays.. Where as Mike has western exclusive + retro + very obscure (which don't necessarily improve his odds, just his uniqueness I guess).

Shulk and Isaac have some similarities, but Sakurai could make them extremely different if he really wanted to. Isaac's wepon is almost for show, if you ask me. I don't see why we can't have both. Their special abilities (and possibly gimmicks) are completely different, and that's mostly what matters. :D

 

[Speculator]

there's a new leak going around in the E3 leaks thread that has "revealed" Hades, Ridley, Mike Jones

Sounds like he's not even trying.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Sounds like he's not even trying.

Hades was a red red flag for me since I'd doubt he would be revealed before Palutena and the later being an unlockable. Chibi Robo and Mike also made me raise a brow due to how unexpected they were, though it's nowhere near as odd as the Chorus Men on Sal's leak. I'd wait until Sal leaks some more information during the E3 event beforehand at this time.

On the subject of Takamaru, I'd expect an explosion of fanart when he's revealed just like what happened with Greninja and Rosalina.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

On the subject of Takamaru, I'd expect an explosion of fanart when he's revealed just like what happened with Greninja and Rosalina.

It is the Smash Bros. community after all I wouldn't expect any less.
I mean the community even made some killer art for the Wii Fit Trainer.
Can't wait too see what people draw up.

 

[egaddmario]

It is the Smash Bros. community after all I wouldn't expect any less.
I mean the community even made some killer art for the Wii Fit Trainer.
Can't wait too see what people draw up.

And some, uh, "interesting" art for Wii Fit Trainer...

 

[Capybara Gaming]

And some, uh, "interesting" art for Wii Fit Trainer...

BOW CHICKA WOMP WOMP

Yeah, Pac-Man and Mii are what I expect at E3, really. Plus a slew of veterans. Wario, Meta Knight, maybe Ganondorf, Falco, and maybe Mewtwo (here's hoping)

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

And some, uh, "interesting" art for Wii Fit Trainer...

Rule 34 happens to all fictional media and characters, no exceptions. High chances for females and low chance for males depending on the Hoy Yay or how attractive he is.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

Rule 34 happens to all fictional; media and characters, no exceptions. High chances for females and low chance for males depending on the Hoy Yay or how attractive he is.

And he means all... I can't even describe the horrors of the clopper sect of the MLP fanbase.

WFT just creeps me out though. Never thought Villager was creepy, I thought WFT was.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Yeah, Pac-Man and Mii are what I expect at E3, really. Plus a slew of veterans. Wario, Meta Knight, maybe Ganondorf, Falco, and maybe Mewtwo (here's hoping)

I think I could see Snake in there somewhere maybe even Captain Falcon.
But I at least expect 3 Newcomers hopefully being Shulk, Takamaru, and Pac-man.
The Mii would kind of just dissapoint me though seeing him at that special time of the year would ruin it for me.
I'm not against Mii but I hope they don't reveal him there.

 

[egaddmario]

I think I could see Snake in there somewhere maybe even Captain Falcon.
But I at least expect 3 Newcomers hopefully being Shulk, Takamaru, and Pac-man.
The Mii would kind of just dissapoint me though seeing him at that special time of the year would ruin it for me.
I'm not against Mii but I hope they don't reveal him there.

Agreed- Mii is too casual. E3 is for the hardcore. Hit us up with them hardcore titles and characters, saaaaaaaahn.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

I think I could see Snake in there somewhere maybe even Captain Falcon.
But I at least expect 3 Newcomers hopefully being Shulk, Takamaru, and Pac-man.
The Mii would kind of just dissapoint me though seeing him at that special time of the year would ruin it for me.
I'm not against Mii but I hope they don't reveal him there.

Snake I'm pretty confident is not coming back. Pac-Man is the thing now, he'll be the last third party if we get another. Not to mention the Platinum Games Scare where everypony and there mother in law thinks that he didn't just go to get those Wonderful 101 trophies, they think he's there for Bayonetta (rolls eyes)

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Snake I'm pretty confident is not coming back. Pac-Man is the thing now, he'll be the last third party if we get another. Not to mention the Platinum Games Scare where everypony and there mother in law thinks that he didn't just go to get those Wonderful 101 trophies, they think he's there for Bayonetta (rolls eyes)

I'm not sure that Snake is cut however unlikely it is I just want him back.
However Beyonetta unlike Snake is known for her guns and hair clothes.
I also don't see SEGA getting another rep since Beyonetta is owned by SEGA.
Unless the rumor about Nintendo buying that IP is true then we'd definitely see her.
That's really off topic though.

 

[BluePikmin11]

This is the Takamaru thread, just so you know.
Also a trailer:

 

[egaddmario]

Snake I'm pretty confident is not coming back. Pac-Man is the thing now, he'll be the last third party if we get another. Not to mention the Platinum Games Scare where everypony and there mother in law thinks that he didn't just go to get those Wonderful 101 trophies, they think he's there for Bayonetta (rolls eyes)

I think Sakurai went to get the Takamaru model from Kamiya, since he expressed interest in making a new Nazo no Murasamejo game. JUST SAYING. plz.