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The Hawk Samurai, Takamaru Ventures For Smash Switch (Operation #TakamaruForSamSho. See Page 26 for Details)

AwesomeAussie27

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So yeah... here's New Tendo City Takamaru for those who aren't part of the Discord servers run by the Smashboards crew...
Especially @smashkirby and lady_sky skipper lady_sky skipper who were quite the fans for the series! ;)


Though I may had said this already, great job with the design Afro.

This is quite great for a very modern interpretation of the character. You could tell he means business as a dojo owner.
 

Thatkidwiththeafro

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Though I may had said this already, great job with the design Afro.

This is quite great for a very modern interpretation of the character. You could tell he means business as a dojo owner.
Thank you once more. Keep in mind that Takamaru's design was based off of that of a Japanese Hipster in Tokyo, and that many, many other characters will have a mix of both hipster and classic bits of design. ;)
 

Thatkidwiththeafro

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That's a nice looking modern day Takamaru. What's his backstory?
Takamaru Tachibana ~ Ayumi Tachibana's overprotective older cousin, and a master at Japanese style swordfighting. Owns a dojo for these lessons, and loves his cousin Ayumi with all of his heart. He intends to keep her safe through any means possible. Major Green Tea addict, and also very gentleman-like towards women. Often arguing with Ayumi about her fashion choices, what she can do under his roof, and his open dislike of Mike Jones.
 

lady_sky skipper

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Takamaru Tachibana ~ Ayumi Tachibana's overprotective older cousin, and a master at Japanese style swordfighting. Owns a dojo for these lessons, and loves his cousin Ayumi with all of his heart. He intends to keep her safe through any means possible. Major Green Tea addict, and also very gentleman-like towards women. Often arguing with Ayumi about her fashion choices, what she can do under his roof, and his open dislike of Mike Jones.
You made him related to Ayumi from Famicom Detective Club? Neat! Even I wouldn't have thought of that;)
 

MrReyes96

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Was rooting for Takamaru in smash 4 and was surprised he wasn’t included as an obscure retro pick, hopefully this is a little Mac assist trophy in brawl situation and he’s included in this next game
 

ThatShadowLink

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Did a follow-up to my old palette swaps. Decided to see what classic Taka would look like with the SW3 palette + gold trim.
 
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sman3579

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I’d be fine with his inclusion but if he made it I would also want Mike Jones from Star Tropics. Only because Takamaru’s game was Japanese exclusive for the longest until they released it on VC for 3DS. So if they included him along with Lucas probably returning as well who was also in a Japanese exclusives game, I think it’s only fair Mike Jones from Star Tropics made it since it was an America/Europe exclusive game. Just to provide balance. But yeah I’m cool with him being in the game.
 

bksbestbwoy

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I’d be fine with his inclusion but if he made it I would also want Mike Jones from Star Tropics. Only because Takamaru’s game was Japanese exclusive for the longest until they released it on VC for 3DS. So if they included him along with Lucas probably returning as well who was also in a Japanese exclusives game, I think it’s only fair Mike Jones from Star Tropics made it since it was an America/Europe exclusive game. Just to provide balance. But yeah I’m cool with him being in the game.
This was genuinely the idea I wanted them to run with for so long now. It'd be neat if Takamaru gets promoted to playable and we get a Mike Jones AT (or anything really) which would force Japan to go "literally who" followed by a release of the two StarTropics games over there and building awareness to an invitation to Smash in the future. It'd be a nice parallel to the current story line Takamaru's on.

As it stands right now, Mike is in a weird predicament that can only really be fixed with the games coming out over there.
 

EmceeEspio

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Moveset incoming.

Design Pitch: Takamaru is built around the idea of Iaijutsu, which is a Japanese swordplay technique using the quick draw. His stance is sheathed and each of his sword moves emphasizes the motion of removing the blade swiftly. His original game was like the original Zelda in design, but with a focus on the combat, with emphasis on evading the enemies and quickly taking them out. In keeping with this design, Takamaru is meant to be a skillful character with quick, snappy dodges and an emphasis on keeping your opponent on their guard.

Jab: Stops in place, leans his body and swipes his katana up from the sheath. Follow up inputs result in two more katana slashes, carefully executed by moving only his arm until it is quickly resheathed.

Forward Tilt: Stomps his foot down onto the ground and leans forward into a focused, abrupt strike.

Up Tilt: Throws three kunai above his head in an arc, which travel a short distance and disappear.

Down Tilt: An extremely snappy katana slash along the ground.

Dash Attack: Slides forward, swinging his katana out of the sheath and swiping it in a wide arc. Slightly slower than most of his non-Smash moves, but with slightly more ferocity as well. (Note: While Takamaru is dashing, his sandals become the Red Sandals).

Forward Smash: Charges his blade with the Fireball Scroll spell and performs a swift barrage of strikes.

Up Smash: Adjusts his stance, twisting his torso and swiping his katana out of his sheath and above his head in an arc.

Down Smash: Casts the Fireball Scroll spell on both sides toward the ground, creating a burst of flame on both sides at the ground.

Neutral Aerial: A quick slashing motion on all sides of Takamaru.

Forward Aerial: Takamaru throws a few kunai in an arc in front of him, which disappear after travelling a short distance.

Back Aerial: A backwards slice behind Takamaru with his katana.

Up Aerial: Throws kunai in an arc above his head, similar to his up tilt.

Down Aerial: Raises his arms a bit to shift his weight and jabs one foot down below.

Grab: Standard one-handed grab with the arm not closest to his sheath

Pummel: Grabs his katana hilt and slides it up a bit out of the sheath, bashing the enemy with it

Forward Throw: Unsheathes his katana and stabs it into the opponent.

Back Throw: Tosses them behind him and send them flying with a toss of a few kunai.

Up Throw: Throws the opponent above his head and shoots them up with the Fireball.

Down Throw: Stomps on the opponent and stabs his sword down into them

Ledge Attack: Flips up onto the stage on his knee, swiping his sword in a circular motion around him.

NEUTRAL B: FLURRY DEFLECT
A quick barrage of katana slashes which reflects projectiles if they come into contact with it. The rush of swings can be subtly angled, changing the direction projectiles go when reflected. Deals decent enough chip damage if used as an attack, but deals hardly any knockback at all and can be easily shielded.

SIDE B: PINWHEEL KNIFE
Throws a pinwheel knife which spins into enemies and deals several small hits of chip damage as it buzzsaws into them. Can be easily angled in a wide arc of potential shots, but not straight up or down. Similar to Mega Man’s Metal Blade, although it does not pass through enemies and disappears upon making contact with the stage.

UP B: RISING HAWK
The Hawk Samurai dons the Blue Sandals and lunges up in the air, coming back down spinning in a forwards diagonal arc with his sword drawn and landing by stabbing it into the ground. A risky recovery move like Aether or the Dedede Jump, where missing the ledge leaves you plummeting into the depths below.

DOWN B: INVISIBILITY SCROLL
Takamaru disappears in a puff of smoke and sakura petals, leaving an invisibility scroll behind. While this move is active, he becomes, well, invisible. He cannot jump or attack while the move is active, and releasing the special button will cause the attack to end. He can however, walk and run normally. Below where he is, a black shadow will appear marking his position on the floor. When the button is released, he appears in another puff of smoke and sakura petals, and attacks with his katana.

FINAL SMASH: INAZUMA LIGHTNING
Takamaru dons the Helmet from Murasame Castle, making him invincible to attack. He then calls down the destructive power of Inazuma Lightning, powerful and flashy bolts which rain down on the stage randomly in very quick succession, launching any poor fool that they come in contact with.

Stage Entrance: Decloaks from his Invisibility Scroll, with sakura petals appearing around him in a puff.

Idle Pose 1: Pulls some of the sword out from its sheath and inspects the blade before putting it back.
Idle Pose 2: Flicks his sword up a bit out from its sheath a few times, somewhat impatiently.

Up Taunt: Unsheathes his sword, swiping it in a steady manner and saying “You fight with honor”.
Side Taunt: Unsheathes his sword and strikes a pose heavily reminiscent of his classic artwork, remarking "I take your leave!"
Down Taunt: Silently brandishes a few kunai, faces the camera with a nod, and stashes them back away.


Victory Pose 1: Sheaths his sword and gives a confident look to the camera, saying "Justice will always emerge victorious in the end!"
Victory Pose 2: Takes a bow respectfully, saying "Perhaps we may meet again in battle, some other time and place."
Victory Pose 3: Spins his sword around in a collected, yet stylish fashion, slowing it down and holding it steady in place as he says "Another enemy falls to my blade!"
 

AwesomeAussie27

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Moveset incoming.

Design Pitch: Takamaru is built around the idea of Iaijutsu, which is a Japanese swordplay technique using the quick draw. His stance is sheathed and each of his sword moves emphasizes the motion of removing the blade swiftly. His original game was like the original Zelda in design, but with a focus on the combat, with emphasis on evading the enemies and quickly taking them out. In keeping with this design, Takamaru is meant to be a skillful character with quick, snappy dodges and an emphasis on keeping your opponent on their guard.

Jab: Stops in place, leans his body and swipes his katana up from the sheath. Follow up inputs result in two more katana slashes, carefully executed by moving only his arm until it is quickly resheathed.

Forward Tilt: Stomps his foot down onto the ground and leans forward into a focused, abrupt strike.

Up Tilt: Throws three kunai above his head in an arc, which travel a short distance and disappear.

Down Tilt: An extremely snappy katana slash along the ground.

Dash Attack: Slides forward, swinging his katana out of the sheath and swiping it in a wide arc. Slightly slower than most of his non-Smash moves, but with slightly more ferocity as well. (Note: While Takamaru is dashing, his sandals become the Red Sandals).

Forward Smash: Charges his blade with the Fireball Scroll spell and performs a swift barrage of strikes.

Up Smash: Adjusts his stance, twisting his torso and swiping his katana out of his sheath and above his head in an arc.

Down Smash: Casts the Fireball Scroll spell on both sides toward the ground, creating a burst of flame on both sides at the ground.

Neutral Aerial: A quick slashing motion on all sides of Takamaru.

Forward Aerial: Takamaru throws a few kunai in an arc in front of him, which disappear after travelling a short distance.

Back Aerial: A backwards slice behind Takamaru with his katana.

Up Aerial: Throws kunai in an arc above his head, similar to his up tilt.

Down Aerial: Raises his arms a bit to shift his weight and jabs one foot down below.

Grab: Standard one-handed grab with the arm not closest to his sheath

Pummel: Grabs his katana hilt and slides it up a bit out of the sheath, bashing the enemy with it

Forward Throw: Unsheathes his katana and stabs it into the opponent.

Back Throw: Tosses them behind him and send them flying with a toss of a few kunai.

Up Throw: Throws the opponent above his head and shoots them up with the Fireball.

Down Throw: Stomps on the opponent and stabs his sword down into them

Ledge Attack: Flips up onto the stage on his knee, swiping his sword in a circular motion around him.

NEUTRAL B: FLURRY DEFLECT
A quick barrage of katana slashes which reflects projectiles if they come into contact with it. The rush of swings can be subtly angled, changing the direction projectiles go when reflected. Deals decent enough chip damage if used as an attack, but deals hardly any knockback at all and can be easily shielded.

SIDE B: PINWHEEL KNIFE
Throws a pinwheel knife which spins into enemies and deals several small hits of chip damage as it buzzsaws into them. Can be easily angled in a wide arc of potential shots, but not straight up or down. Similar to Mega Man’s Metal Blade, although it does not pass through enemies and disappears upon making contact with the stage.

UP B: RISING HAWK
The Hawk Samurai dons the Blue Sandals and lunges up in the air, coming back down spinning in a forwards diagonal arc with his sword drawn and landing by stabbing it into the ground. A risky recovery move like Aether or the Dedede Jump, where missing the ledge leaves you plummeting into the depths below.

DOWN B: INVISIBILITY SCROLL
Takamaru disappears in a puff of smoke and sakura petals, leaving an invisibility scroll behind. While this move is active, he becomes, well, invisible. He cannot jump or attack while the move is active, and releasing the special button will cause the attack to end. He can however, walk and run normally. Below where he is, a black shadow will appear marking his position on the floor. When the button is released, he appears in another puff of smoke and sakura petals, and attacks with his katana.

FINAL SMASH: INAZUMA LIGHTNING
Takamaru dons the Helmet from Murasame Castle, making him invincible to attack. He then calls down the destructive power of Inazuma Lightning, powerful and flashy bolts which rain down on the stage randomly in very quick succession, launching any poor fool that they come in contact with.

Stage Entrance: Decloaks from his Invisibility Scroll, with sakura petals appearing around him in a puff.

Idle Pose 1: Pulls some of the sword out from its sheath and inspects the blade before putting it back.
Idle Pose 2: Flicks his sword up a bit out from its sheath a few times, somewhat impatiently.

Up Taunt: Unsheathes his sword, swiping it in a steady manner and saying “You fight with honor”.
Side Taunt: Unsheathes his sword and strikes a pose heavily reminiscent of his classic artwork, remarking "I take your leave!"
Down Taunt: Silently brandishes a few kunai, faces the camera with a nod, and stashes them back away.


Victory Pose 1: Sheaths his sword and gives a confident look to the camera, saying "Justice will always emerge victorious in the end!"
Victory Pose 2: Takes a bow respectfully, saying "Perhaps we may meet again in battle, some other time and place."
Victory Pose 3: Spins his sword around in a collected, yet stylish fashion, slowing it down and holding it steady in place as he says "Another enemy falls to my blade!"
This is a nice moveset, there are many things I like about this.

This is worth posting on the Op whenever Azure returns.
 

bksbestbwoy

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I went back and fixed a bunch of dead YouTube links in this version of the move set I usually left here for folks in the Smash 4 hype cycle days. I also kinda swapped Invisibility and a up special recovery idea that I lifted from Takamaru's SW move set. Here you guys go. I made sure to include as many visual references for things as I could.

Takamaru, the Lost Hero




As Takamaru could be considered one of the earliest ancestors of the modern day “stylish action” genre, his combat design should consist of picking your spots, moment to moment awareness, tactical usage of long range weaponry to navigate through crowds or pressure targets from afar and potent sword play to make quick work of the closest opposing force. In his origin game, The Mysterious Murasame Castle, players are challenged by hordes of nimble enemies ranging from ninja foot soldiers to possessed lords with large AoE weaponry to various supernatural phenomena darting all about and generating mass pandemonium. The game demanded the absolute best of your ability to navigate its grid based design while making your way from one zone to the next avoiding or engaging the obstacles it would put in your way. You were given a mixed move set consisting of long ranged projectile items, support items and a short range katana drawn from the sheath should you find an opponent stumbling into your immediate strike zone.


With all this said, the character is envisioned as a strongly balanced “jack of all trade" in a vein similar to Link while skewing more towards offense than the defensive style of the hero of Hyrule. While his blade has noticeably less range than other sword fighters (Katanas are by nature shorter than the European broadswords and rapiers which inspire the swords used by Link and Marth), this is made up for by the speed of his attacks as well as his projectiles. Taking inspiration from Japanese iaijutsu sword play, Takamaru's combat design is based on his historic inspiration, the Edo period samurai, to create a unique swordsman based around the concept of fast lethal blows "drawn from the hip". With this move set, the goal is to offer a choice of tactics players can juggle between to remain potent in any number of match ups.

A number of inspirations from different media have informed this interpretation of the character. If you are not familiar with a reference being made, I have included links to either an image or video for you to get an idea of the animations I have in mind.


Basic Information


Running speed: Between Marth and Pit (Closer to Marth)

Wall Jump: Yes

Wall Cling: No

Tether: No

Reflector: Yes (Forward Smash)

Fall Speed: Fast

Weight Class: Lightweight

Jump heights: Average (think Fox)


Normals


Jab: Takamaru jabs the butt of the sword from left to right. Pressing jab again has him do it again from right to left. The third jab has Takamaru draw his sword, thrusting it by the butt of the hilt forward at an opponent's midsection before deftly sheathing it again.

Jab Combo: Takamaru unleashes a flurry of precise strikes immediately in front of himself with minimal knockback. Think of a hybrid of his current assist trophy's sword strikes and this scene from Rurouni Kenshin.

Jab Combo Finisher: Takamaru seemingly dashes through an opponent, sheathes his sword and the character is launched into the air.

F-Tilt: Takamaru draws his sword from sheathe and performs a crescent arc slash attack immediately in front of himself. This attack can also be angled.

D-Tilt: Takamaru crouches on one knee and sweeps his sheathed blade forward along the ground to hit his opponent's ankle. Can be rapid fired.

U-Tilt: Takamaru flicks/draws his sword hilt out and upward near himself hitting an opponent with the butt of the blade. This launches opponents for juggles. "...I wasn't finished speaking."

F-Smash: Takamaru assumes a drawing stance before unleashing a powerful blurring strike then re-sheathes his blade. This attack, much like in the classic Mysterious Murasame Castle, also has reflective properties when used against projectiles.

D-Smash: In one quick motion, Takamaru crouches, unsheathes his sword and performs a sweeping slash in a complete circle around himself. Using the remaining momentum from this maneuver, he takes a moment to re-sheathe the blade once the attack is complete. (Think of it as a single hitting version of Shulk’s down smash attack.)

U-Smash: Takamaru does a short hop knee kick that launches upward before drawing his sword in a solid attack arc above himself then sheathing his sword before landing. This attack arc is similar to Meta Knight's Up Smash.


N-Air: Takamaru performs a single hit spinning draw slash from left to right with great force. The momentum of this draw spins Takamaru around allowing the attack to create a ring around himself. (Think of Dante's jumping heavy attack in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or Roy's Project M N-Air performed by Takamaru unsheathing his sword with the momentum from the draw spinning him around once before he re-sheathes the sword.)

F-Air: Takamaru draws his sword and slashes a straight horizontal arc in front of himself before quickly sheathing his sword. (Note: Moves referenced in links are not an indication of how I perceive their actual distances.)

B-Air: Takamaru performs a somersault in the air slashing from under to behind himself in a manner similar to Baiken's H guard cancel attack from Guilty Gear.

U-Air: Takamaru sweeps his katana above his head after a draw. This is similar in nature to Baiken's Youzansen.

D-Air: (Ryu Tsui Sen) Takamaru does a midair flip looking down for a second before drawing his sword straight downward in a power streaking movement and re-sheathing. The attack has a very small range and active time but is a true spike.

Dash Attack: Takamaru draws his sword, swings a half circle slash in front of himself, and sheathes it in a complete spin. (Think of Zero's Shippuga from Mega Man X4.)


Specials

Neutral Special: Will-o-Wisps - Takamaru can launch will-o-wisp style fireballs that travel straight forward with this move. Their range is limited but they do good stun. Holding B generates a larger wisp made of multiple fireballs that moves forward in a coil motion. Pressing B again makes them detonate and travel as a line of three forward. This is in reference to the King Shogi piece power up found in his games which allowed players to throw three projectiles in a single direction. You cannot store this charge (think of Samus' Charge Shot) however.


Forward Special: Windmill Swords - Takamaru pulls out one of his trademark projectiles, a whirling circular shuriken-chakram hybrid, and tosses it forward. The strength of the directional input determines the distance the weapon goes forward. (Think of the Chakram special for Mii Swordfighters.) Holding the special button as the blades are tossed has Takamaru stealthily throw multiple blades forward as one which can then be triggered to expand in a cross formation (think of the assist trophy) with a second press of the special button.


Downward B: Invisibility Scroll - Takamaru can temporarily render himself intangible (save for a small comical "circle shadow" on the ground to show where he currently stands) with this special. While invisible, Takamaru is unable to jump.


Upward B: Hurricane Blur - Takamaru, inspired by the tengu wind demons he regularly dispatches, leaps into the air within a whirling cyclone. Opponents caught in the cyclone are then launched upward as Takamaru draws his blade and swiftly slashes them with three strikes similar to a Zandatsu finish with the last strike having strong knockback. If no one is caught in the cyclone, Takamaru simply leaps with the force of the cyclone launching him skyward.


Grabs & Throws

Grab: Takamaru reaches out for the opponent with one hand outstretched.

Pummel: Takamaru jabs the butt end of his katana at the character's midsection.

Forward Throw: Takamaru does a turn around back kick hitting the opponent square in their jaw launching them forward.

Back Throw: Takamaru "disappears" and reappears behind the opponent, sheathing his sword. When the sword is sheathed, the opponent is launched. (This is a classic trope!)

Up Throw: Takamaru throws an clay bomb explosive downward that launches the opponent into the air.

Down Throw: Takamaru jumps on top, stomps once (think Kirby's down throw with a single kick down) and jumps off landing on the other side of the now downed opponent.


Final Smash: Inazuma Lightning: After donning the Kabuto Helmet power up (thus appearing in a state of visible intangibility), Takamaru stabs his katana into the air where it is struck by lightning. This burst of lightning is large (think Pikachu's Volt Tackle burst) and can be used three times in total while moving about in this state. During this Final Smash, the Invincibility Theme from Mysterious Murasame Castle plays in the background.


Other Animations


Spot Dodge: Takamaru leans to the side with his hand on his blade's hilt while looking attentively at whatever just passed him by.

Air Dodge: Takamaru is wrapped into his invisibility scroll as Sakura petals show where he is headed before the cloak is cast off.

Knockdown: Takamaru lands face in ground. His feet twitch every now and again similar to his damage animation from the Famicom title.

Broken Shield: Takamaru teeters in place alternating one foot with the other

Crouch: Takamaru sits seiza style with his dominant hand in drawing range of his sword.

Up Taunt: Takamaru draws his blade and swings it twice in a lightning fast manner before posing in the Famicom box art pose

Side Taunt: A small circle shadow appears in front of Takamaru, prompting him to inspect it. A tanooki appears (with the SMB3 sound effect) before him and the two give each other a nod in approval before the tanooki vanishes again.

Down Taunt: Takamaru seats himself on the ground in seiza style and meditates calmly.
 

AwesomeAussie27

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I went back and fixed a bunch of dead YouTube links in this version of the move set I usually left here for folks in the Smash 4 hype cycle days. I also kinda swapped Invisibility and a up special recovery idea that I lifted from Takamaru's SW move set. Here you guys go. I made sure to include as many visual references for things as I could.
Nice nice.

Now this is a great Takamaru moveset that's improved from your old one.

We have a lot of good stuff to add to the OP. If only the OP owner can be back to his old self.
 

bksbestbwoy

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So I stumbled across another "history of Mysterious Murasame Castle" video, this time from SourceGaming and it went over a lot of stuff I knew about before or was informed of while searching through the game's development. The thing that stood out to me most however was that apparently one of the key animators of the Dragonball anime/Toei Animation at the time was the guy behind his design and the game as a whole?!

I knew that an animation studio did in fact create Takamaru's character design, but to see it sourced to someone responsible for early Dragonball/Z's adaptation makes so much sense now.
 

AwesomeAussie27

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So I stumbled across another "history of Mysterious Murasame Castle" video, this time from SourceGaming and it went over a lot of stuff I knew about before or was informed of while searching through the game's development. The thing that stood out to me most however was that apparently one of the key animators of the Dragonball anime/Toei Animation at the time was the guy behind his design and the game as a whole?!

I knew that an animation studio did in fact create Takamaru's character design, but to see it sourced to someone responsible for early Dragonball/Z's adaptation makes so much sense now.
So, Toei anime adaptation confirmed for Murasame Castele? :troll:

Still that's an excellent discovery. Knowing that someone who worked for Toei Animation helped designed Takamaru.
 
Last edited:

Capybara Gaming

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I went back and fixed a bunch of dead YouTube links in this version of the move set I usually left here for folks in the Smash 4 hype cycle days. I also kinda swapped Invisibility and a up special recovery idea that I lifted from Takamaru's SW move set. Here you guys go. I made sure to include as many visual references for things as I could.
I need to read this when I have more time.
 

Yomi's Biggest Fan

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Welcome to the clan MrReyes96 MrReyes96 and sman3579 sman3579 . Had a little hiatus and I am back to manage the thread. The OP is updated with ThatShadowLink ThatShadowLink 's Samurai Warriors 3 color and the new movesets made by bksbestbwoy bksbestbwoy and EmceeEspio EmceeEspio

That means we are above 50 supporters now. This is a milestone.


So I stumbled across another "history of Mysterious Murasame Castle" video, this time from SourceGaming and it went over a lot of stuff I knew about before or was informed of while searching through the game's development. The thing that stood out to me most however was that apparently one of the key animators of the Dragonball anime/Toei Animation at the time was the guy behind his design and the game as a whole?!

I knew that an animation studio did in fact create Takamaru's character design, but to see it sourced to someone responsible for early Dragonball/Z's adaptation makes so much sense now.
Nice.

I never knew that a Toei animator was responsible for Takamaru's originals design. Looking at it now, the Toei influence is pretty clear.

Interesting video.
 

Calane

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You know, I've been doing some thinking. If Takamaru were to be announced for the new Smash, do you think we'd actually get a big reveal trailer for him? For some reason, I get the feeling that he'd be revealed in a general trailer for the game with little to no fanfare (similar to how Pit was revealed back in Brawl). I'd be pleasantly surprised if they actually dedicated an entire trailer to his reveal, but I'm not sure how likely that would be. What do you guys think?
 
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bksbestbwoy

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You know, I've been doing some thinking. If Takamaru were to be announced for the new Smash, do you think we'd actually get a big reveal trailer for him? For some reason, I get the feeling that he'd be revealed in a general trailer for the game with little to no fanfare (similar to how Pit was revealed back in Brawl). I'd be pleasantly surprised if they actually dedicated an entire trailer to his reveal, but I'm not sure how likely that would be. What do you guys think?
I think it depends on the E3 footage. If we get a big ol' "all the characters" trailer or gameplay then yeah I can see him there. Otherwise, I think Sakurai will give him a character specific one to play up both the fact that "hey, MODERN version of a 30+ year old franchise + character" and/or finally complete the Famicom Four.

Personally, I think it'd be rad to get a stylized trailer like the old Little Mac one. Just a more dynamic and action version of a typical Murasame level with Takamaru running through ninja and then suddenly, there's just a random Shiek and Greninja and we get into the main segment of the trailer.
 

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I think it depends on the E3 footage. If we get a big ol' "all the characters" trailer or gameplay then yeah I can see him there. Otherwise, I think Sakurai will give him a character specific one to play up both the fact that "hey, MODERN version of a 30+ year old franchise + character" and/or finally complete the Famicom Four.

Personally, I think it'd be rad to get a stylized trailer like the old Little Mac one. Just a more dynamic and action version of a typical Murasame level with Takamaru running through ninja and then suddenly, there's just a random Shiek and Greninja and we get into the main segment of the trailer.
These are my thoughts on the matter too.

If he gets in an E3 trailer, he may not get much focus. But if he's confirmed later, it can be very fanservicey for his game of origins.

I would prefer the latter if it comes to making him pop out as a fighter.
 

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If Takamaru gets his own trailer I'd love it to be stylized like this:
 
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SorrowOfAcheron

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I'd like to become a ronin.
Takamaru's style of fighting is something we should definitely have in Smash, I think.
 

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I'd like to become a ronin.
Takamaru's style of fighting is something we should definitely have in Smash, I think.
Damn right it would. What’s cooler than a samurai? A samurai that can throw more projectiles than Link and Ryu combined.

You can join the clan, apprentice ronin.
 

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I think it's Takamaru's time to shine,he's been built up to the point of finally being included
 

bksbestbwoy

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All this activity/enthusiasm on this page... :')

We've really come a long way from pre-Brawl where people literally looked at you funny like "literally who" when bringing up this character.
 

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Damn right it would. What’s cooler than a samurai? A samurai that can throw more projectiles than Link and Ryu combined.

You can join the clan, apprentice ronin.
Wait, Takamaru is known for throwing a lot of different projectiles? If that is true, it changes everything because I only really enjoy playing zoner characters, I always figured he was just going to be another swordsman.
 

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Wait, Takamaru is known for throwing a lot of different projectiles? If that is true, it changes everything because I only really enjoy playing zoner characters, I always figured he was just going to be another swordsman.
The main gameplay of The Mysterious Murasame Castle revolves round him constantly throwing projectiles to avoid being touched by ninjas and other enemies.

The only time he uses his sword is to attack up close (which is risky) or defect projectiles from ninjas. Hell, even the boss fights encourage you to spam away to avoid being killed by their bombs.

Samurai Warriors 3 however makes it more straightforward with him depending on swordsmanship.
 

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The main gameplay of The Mysterious Murasame Castle revolves round him constantly throwing projectiles to avoid being touched by ninjas and other enemies.

The only time he uses his sword is to attack up close (which is risky) or defect projectiles from ninjas. Hell, even the boss fights encourage you to spam away to avoid being killed by their bombs.

Samurai Warriors 3 however makes it more straightforward with him depending on swordsmanship.
Ah, thanks for the insight, I can only hope that translates into his actual play-style, maybe he just uses the sword for a couple of normals and smash attacks, other than that, I definitely want to spam away.

If only he used archery, I could pretend that he was Hanzo from Overwatch, ha ha. I saw earlier you were talking about his hipster design. Another plus!
 

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I think it's Takamaru's time to shine,he's been built up to the point of finally being included
Welcome back Dusy. Long time, no see.

Like you I feel that this could be his time. Unless that dreaded Assist Trophy still holds him captive.

All this activity/enthusiasm on this page... :')

We've really come a long way from pre-Brawl where people literally looked at you funny like "literally who" when bringing up this character.
Yep. More than enough people known him, mostly due to the Assist Trophy.

Times indeed have changed.
 

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Ah, thanks for the insight, I can only hope that translates into his actual play-style, maybe he just uses the sword for a couple of normals and smash attacks, other than that, I definitely want to spam away.

If only he used archery, I could pretend that he was Hanzo from Overwatch, ha ha. I saw earlier you were talking about his hipster design. Another plus!
Well about that, there is the Bow & Arrow item in the game. Except it speeds up the projectiles he shoots than him literally wielding it. Though like you, I hope that Takamaru is a healthy mix of swordsmanship and projectile usage so he is true to his game and be a fun fighter.

Yup Hipster Takamaru was all Afro's idea since his Newtendo City Stories is shaping up to be an interesting project.


 

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Welcome back Dusy. Long time, no see.

Like you I feel that this could be his time. Unless that dreaded Assist Trophy still holds him captive.



Yep. More than enough people known him, mostly due to the Assist Trophy.

Times indeed have changed.
It is crazy to think that before, I did not even want him and now, he instantly skyrocketed to one of my most anticipated characters. That is the inherent problem, when people do not know the character, they could not possibly want it, you need to break the ice. Hopefully that obstacle is no longer there and Sakurai can TRULY introduce us to Takamaru.
 

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It is crazy to think that before, I did not even want him and now, he instantly skyrocketed to one of my most anticipated characters. That is the inherent problem, when people do not know the character, they could not possibly want it, you need to break the ice. Hopefully that obstacle is no longer there and Sakurai can TRULY introduce us to Takamaru.
We shall see. It's all a matter of if Sakurai feels that he deserves a second chance and enough people knew him after his introducing as in Assist Trophy.

In the pre-Smash 4 days, he was seen as either a boring swordsman or Japan only Nintendo fodder or overrated compared to the more deserving retros (I can say that Duck Hunt earned his rightful spot for being an iconic troll that sold NES's). Though that changed since the Assist Trophy happened. The cruel irony is that everyone thought he would be more likely for Smash the week before since San Diego Comic Con made a big deal about his game being localized to the West for the first time ever (Though Australia had it months beforehand).

Though it would be victorious to see Sakurai truly introduce him as the coolest Nintendo newcomer with a great reveal trailer. It would skyrocket my hype for Smash Switch personally.
 

bksbestbwoy

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Wait, Takamaru is known for throwing a lot of different projectiles? If that is true, it changes everything because I only really enjoy playing zoner characters, I always figured he was just going to be another swordsman.
In The Mysterious Murasame Castle, Takamaru basically plays a powerful ranged game versus other enemies in the game, using windmill blades (the things he tosses in the Assist Trophy pattern) and will-o-wisp fireballs as he makes his way through places littered with enemies. The sword is a close range context sensitive OHKO finisher for things that get in its range.

It's why I wonder why people always got so worked up because "swordsman" when in reality he's MVC3 Dante, a mixed approach zoner that happens to also use a sword.

I know the real reason is because swords people have picked up this absolutely annoying level of flak leveraged against them because lords with swords was pushed to its absolute limit last game and people are mad their favorite "unique" character got "passed up" for it or because Nintendo = childish/cartoony designs only and everything else is wrong but that's neither here nor there.

We shall see. It's all a matter of if Sakurai feels that he deserves a second chance and enough people knew him after his introducing as in Assist Trophy.

In the pre-Smash 4 days, he was seen as either a boring swordsman or Japan only Nintendo fodder or overrated compared to the more deserving retros (I can say that Duck Hunt earned his rightful spot for being an iconic troll that sold NES's). Though that changed since the Assist Trophy happened. The cruel irony is that everyone thought he would be more likely for Smash the week before since San Diego Comic Con made a big deal about his game being localized to the West for the first time ever (Though Australia had it months beforehand).

Though it would be victorious to see Sakurai truly introduce him as the coolest Nintendo newcomer with a great reveal trailer. It would skyrocket my hype for Smash Switch personally.


I'm just really and truly of the belief that Takamaru is a character that really should have existed in Smash from way earlier on it its lifetime. When I found out about this whole "Famicom Four" thing, it really felt like one of those cool bits of Nintendo history and Takamaru/Mysterious Murasame Castle felt like things that would have enjoyed a much bigger place at the table if circumstances were different. It also really helps that he has a very very distinct design (I really just love the color choices and the character design as depicted on the 1986 box art, its simple but stylish) and could immediately tell you what he's about (samurai dude doing samurai things) among the rest of the cast. I really want to see Sakurai introduce us to this time capsule of a franchise and in the way he's most well known for.

 
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