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

[Swamp Sensei]

Maybe one day Sakurai will make you regret that statement once you like the unique fighting style of Ghirahim. (An example of what could happen)

?

You're not making sense.

And I never said I was against uniqueness.

Lol. Ghirahim.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

How would Geno not be unique?

 

[Robert of Normandy]

How would Geno not be unique?

Who said he couldn't?

 

[FlareHabanero]

Get this Geno crap out of this topic. This topic is regarding to Takamaru from Mysterious Murasame Castle, so take any of these discussions to somewhere else more appropriate.

Also regarding to Diddy Kong's question a few posts back, I'll elaborate on all moveset issues. Just be patient since due to my scheduling problems it's going to be a hassle.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Are there any alt colors of Takamaru yet? Is there anything to base them off of?

Yeah, Splat made them in VenusoftheBloom's Alternate Color topic somewhere in the SSB4 Character section.

 

[TheCreator]

I see Takamaru as a quick slash type of character. Kind of like fox with a blade.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I see him more like a mix between Toon Link, Marth, Meta Knight and Pit, somewhat. If that makes sence. Mostly Toon Link and Pit though.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I see him more like a mix between Toon Link, Marth, Meta Knight and Pit, somewhat. If that makes sence. Mostly Toon Link and Pit though.

Fast attacks and somewhat versatile?

 

[TheCreator]

So a quick *** power house?

 

[8-peacock-8]

A version of Takamaru's theme from a rare (NOT THE COMPANY DAMN IT!) record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTobSuXqiVQ

Probably been heard before because lolinternet.

 

[Banjodorf]

Yep, I've heard it, and yep, it's amazing. I honestly think its a shame MMC in some form never made it to the states. Seriously, Americans LOVE Samurai. (Although the MMC fanbase has got nothing on Mother 3, but still)

Edit: I mean that in the "We've got nothing to complain about" sense! Don't shoot!

 

[TheCreator]

God damn it. I just cant help thinking about how MMC could have ended up like Present day LOZ.

 

[Deleted member]

Whatever happened to the 3D Classics download of Murasame Castle for 3DS like what Kid Icarus got?
You know, the one confirmed at E3 2010?

 

[8-peacock-8]

Development hell?

 

[TheCreator]

Development hell?

No, that was Devil World.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Whatever happened to the 3D Classics download of Murasame Castle for 3DS like what Kid Icarus got?
You know, the one confirmed at E3 2010?

I wondered that too, hence why I posted a tweet on Nintendo of America's twitter regarding to a port of Mysterious Murasame Castle of any kind. Specifically I asked "Is there any plans to port Mysterious Murasame Castle onto the Wii U or 3DS virtual console in North America?".

I didn't get any messages, but I'm not giving up on this. I might go for Nintendo of Japan next if I have to.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Development hell?

I'm afraid so if the most recent 3D Classics were games like Kid Icarus and Punch Out (Only in Japan).

 

[Banjodorf]

God damn it. I just cant help thinking about how MMC could have ended up like Present day LOZ.

I feel that, dude! But that's all the more reason for them to bring it back. KI got a fantastic revival with Uprising, and MMC, or at least Takamaru would be no less appealing, if not more appealing to Western audiences in a well-done adventure game with Japanese elements.

The Persona games that prove games with extremely Japanese themes can work with Western audiences, so why not a MMC game?

 

[Croph]

Dude, take a look at Okami. If that doesn't have extreme Japanese themes, I don't know what does. But that's why I loved it. And I'll probably say the same thing if we ever get a MMC game.

And that's one of the reasons why I'd love to see Takamaru. He'll bring a lot of personality, and might even bring in some Japanese culture. I support this handsome samurai. c:

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

I can see Takamaru being the "new Link" to the fangirls and would eventually be involved in an all out "cutest Smash Bros. boy" war.

 

[N3ON]

I can see Takamaru being the "new Link" to the fangirls and would eventually be involved in an all out "cutest Smash Bros. boy" war.

Pfft, Marth is clearly the cutest.

[COLLAPSE="Adorabu!"]

[/COLLAPSE]

 

[FlareHabanero]

Prepare for a lot of people mistaking Takamaru for a women and drawing him as such. The traditional samurai ponytail is not going to help that's for sure...

 

[Banjodorf]

That's pretty true, although in the art people typically use, he has a very "manly" face. It's both the way its built and the expression, I think that might help aleviate the inevitable ponytail mess.

For reference:

[COLLAPSE="SHOW"]

[/COLLAPSE]

That face is nothing but manly!

Unless of course, they go for Captain Rainbow's Takamaru. I think that's unlikely, though, if they're going for "Samurai Badass", which they'd better do...

 

[Croph]

I can see Takamaru being the "new Link" to the fangirls and would eventually be involved in an all out "cutest Smash Bros. boy" war.

Not gonna lie, I'm probably going to be involved in that war.

Prepare for a lot of people mistaking Takamaru for a women and drawing him as such. The traditional samurai ponytail is not going to help that's for sure...

Oh those poor, poor uneducated souls. How I will pity them.

 

[Oasis_S]

I need to draw Takamaru getting his hair done up in a ponytail by Link. While Link is doing that, Takamaru would probably be painting his own toenails. Samus and Pit would be there too. Doing... I dunno. Talking about boys or something.

It's a Sister Series Slumber party.

 

[N3ON]

I need to draw Takamaru getting his hair done up in a ponytail by Link. While Link is doing that, Takamaru would probably be painting his own toenails. Samus and Pit would be there too. Doing... I dunno. Talking about boys or something.

It's a Sister Series Slumber party.

If Marth isn't invited to the slumber party there's going to be some serious hair-pulling and face-scratching.

C'mon. You know he has the best fashion tips with all his outfit changes. Even girls want to dress like him.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Marth is not invited because he is not a "sister". Even though yes, he would be an expert at fashion and hair. After all, that guy is so fabulous it's illegal in 17 countries.

Also I presume that Takamaru is painting his toenails with Scarlet nail polish.

 

[N3ON]

Invite Andy then if you have to, he could use some fashion advice anyway.

 

[Ninka_kiwi]

Might as well add Saki to that list as none of my friends thought he was a dude when I was playing Sin and Punishment cuz of his hips, short shorts, and hair. >.>

 

[Watashi]

Here's something interesting.

Sakurai mentions that if there was ever another Nazo no Murasame-jou game, its protagonist, Takamaru, would probably get into Smash. This was said about eight or nine years ago and the closest thing was the GBA port of the game, so it didn’t work out.

(note: NnM is a Zelda-ish, Japan-only NES game (in fact, it runs on Zelda’s engine like how Kid Icarus runs off of Metroid’s). The series never got any kind of continuation and as I understand it, Japanese fans see it and its samurai protagonist in a similar light to Kid Icarus and Pit)

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostReturn025.html

http://forum.starmen.net/forum/Stor...comprehensive-list-of-unused-characters/first

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

We've known this for a while, but thanks. Hopefully he changes his mind considering the promotion Takamaru has been getting lately.

 

[TheCreator]

He probably will. He just has to decide is he wants to add on to that popularity.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Mysterious Murasame Castle seemed to be one of those series that never exactly took off, despite there being plans to do so. For example, there was a drama on Fuji Television loosely based on the game and the game itself was going to a launch title for the Famicom Disk System. But due to a scheduling snafu, piracy of the Famicom Disk System being rampant, and the game never being released outside of Japan, it failed and fell into obscurity. The irony is that if it was actually released in the west, it probably wouldn't suffered as much and would of at least got some more cameos and media for a little while in a vein to Kid Icarus. It kind of deserves a second chance honestly in this day and age with the different morals and technology in play this time around.

Also the comparisons to The Legend of Zelda actually go beyond simple gameplay similarities. Minoru Maeda (director of Mysterious Murasame Castle), contributed to the development of The Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time, producer Keizo Kato contributed to the development of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure, and Koji Kondo has developed music for both Mysterious Murasame Castle and The Legend of Zelda.

 

[Watashi]

Speeking of Kondo. I personally prefer Murasame's score to the original LoZ's score.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Mysterious Murasame Castle seemed to be one of those series that never exactly took off, despite there being plans to do so. For example, there was a drama on Fuji Television loosely based on the game and the game itself was going to a launch title for the Famicom Disk System. But due to a scheduling snafu, piracy of the Famicom Disk System being rampant, and the game never being released outside of Japan, it failed and fell into obscurity. The irony is that if it was actually released in the west, it probably wouldn't suffered as much and would of at least got some more cameos and media for a little while in a vein to Kid Icarus. It kind of deserves a second chance honestly in this day and age with the different morals and technology in play this time around.

Also the comparisons to The Legend of Zelda actually go beyond simple gameplay similarities. Minoru Maeda (director of Mysterious Murasame Castle), contributed to the development of The Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time, producer Keizo Kato contributed to the development of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure, and Koji Kondo has developed music for both Mysterious Murasame Castle and The Legend of Zelda.

Interesting. Murasame Castle was actually the most TV Drama worthy of all Nintendo franchises. I wonder if anyone shared it on sites like Dailymotion and YouTube.

 

[FlareHabanero]

Gonna post this little move set I've made. For this, I wanted to create a character that is ruthless in action but honorable in mannerism. Also an emphasis on being more agile then other characters of his ilk. Also references to typical Japanese culture, and even some references to Samurai Warriors 3.

[COLLAPSE="Takamaru"]Long ago in the land of rising sun, a samurai of much praise once lived among the people. He was clamored in the back allies as a valiant and wise warrior, who's sword could slice faster then the eye could blink and very pin point accuracy matched by nobody. His name was Takamaru, a warrior with the vigor of an assassin but with the heart of a monk.

He was tasked many a year by the shogun to infiltrate Murasame Castle and it's nearby castles to inspect the rumors of an evil force plunging the land into chaos. Though alone in this journey, Takamaru knew he had to stop whatever force is driving the land towards darkness. It was a very violent endeavor filled will all sorts of assassins and monsters, but eventually he entered Murasame Castle and slayed the evil alien causing the chaos. The day was then saved and the land returned to peace once again.

Takamaru is is indeed very fast, notably very light on his feet and in the air. This speed makes approaches very simple compared to other characters, but because of the fast falling speed it's more tricky to recover. As such it's ideal to use Takamaru for punishing the opponent with very fast speeds first and foremost. Aside from that, it's difficult to camp Takamaru due to his play style having a notably resilience to stall. His attacks do abnormally high amounts of shield damage in particular, despite the attacks themselves being relatively weak otherwise. But as stated, his attacks are not powerful, as such being resilient with combos should be a priority over making kills. When using Takamaru, always remember to not be reckless, for like the samurai you need to stay focused in combat at all times. Being reckless will only lead to demise for both the player and Takamaru.

Special

:bbutton:
Shuriken
Throws out a shuriken at a high velocity straight forward. It has a fast fire rate, but notably low power that is influenced further by the range. It's a unique projectile in that it can also stick to walls and floors, which can cause additional damage if touched. The angle of the shot can slightly manipulated by the angle of the control stick.
:bbutton::stick8:

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

:bbutton::stick6:
Falcon Strike
Takamaru briefly stops and grasps the hilt of his katana, with a quick spark in front of him. If anyone is within the range of the spark, Takamaru with unsheathe the katana and strike at blinding speeds. It's a tricky attack to execute due to the small range and exposure. But it is notably Takamaru's strongest attack, and can instantly destroy shields.

:bbutton::stick2:
Invisibility Cloak
Briefly turns invisible in a puff of smoke for about 10 seconds, or until Takamaru makes an attack. Attacks will have a 20% boost in power. After usage, the move will have a roughly 10 second cool down period.

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

Standard

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

:stick6::abutton:

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

:abutton::stick8:

Swipes upwards. Good move for juggling.

:abutton::stick6:
Swipes forward up to two times consecutively. Good spacing option.

:abutton::stick2:

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

stick8:

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

stick6:

Charges the sword with energy, then swings forward with a trail of intense fire. It's one of Takamaru's few killing moves with above normal range and power, but unreliable lag.

stick2:

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

Aerial

:abutton:

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

:abutton::stick8:

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

:abutton::stick6:

Preforms 5 kicks simultaneously in quick succession. The first 4 kicks don't have knockback, but the fifth knocks the opponent forward.

:abutton::stick4:

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

:abutton::stick2:

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

Grab

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

:abutton:
Slices the opponent with a shuriken.

:abutton::stick8:
Preforms the legendary "Turning Swallow Cut" technique, by quickly striking from above the striking from below.

:abutton::stick6:

Knocks the opponent forward with a forceful kick.

:abutton::stick4:

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

:abutton::stick2:

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

Ledge Attack
:abutton: (>100%)
Kicks downwards with a quick sweep.

:abutton: (<100%)
Stabs the ground as he's climbing back up.

Floor Attack
:abutton: (front)
Stabs the ground, which causes a small shock wave.

:abutton: (back)
Preforms a 360 down swipe with his feet.

:abutton: (trip)
Slashes on both sides.

Other

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

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

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

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

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

 

[8-peacock-8]

Awesome.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

To quote the SSBB announcer...

"Wow! Incredible!"

 

[FalKoopa]

Love the moveset.
His FS seems like marth's critical hit crossed with ness's PK starstorm.

 

[FlareHabanero]

His FS seems like marth's critical hit crossed with ness's PK starstorm.

No, it only takes some inspiration from the latter. The move itself is based on the technique of the same name, Inazuma Lightning. The technique is a screen nuke that instantly wipes out all enemies on the screen with a strike of lightning and can be used up to three times.