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

[BluePikmin11]

That new SG video brought some pretty interesting points. Do you think Sakurai would have known about plans for an international 3DS Virtual Console release of Murasame Castle when the Smash 4 base roster was decided way back in 2012? Or would have those plans never come to place until 2013 with the JP release of Nazo no Murasame Jō?

 

[bksbestbwoy]

I think Takamaru's moderate resurgence was something Sakurai wasn't aware of initially but he took advantage of along the designing phases of Smash 4. It'd explain things like Takamaru's AT model being of varying quality (team heard about it along the way and implemented something mid development just to take advantage of the momentum) and it'd also play into the story line of this being a subtle push to "relaunch" the character with the Mii costume meant to keep momentum going in an era where he "wasn't" designing a new Smash Bros.

Something just feels really *up* with this character in particular.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

That new SG video brought some pretty interesting points. Do you think Sakurai would have known about plans for an international 3DS Virtual Console release of Murasame Castle when the Smash 4 base roster was decided way back in 2012? Or would have those plans never come to place until 2013 with the JP release of Nazo no Murasame Jō?

It's like I've said in the past, I doubt Sakurai would had been aware of the international VC release at all. We all got to cocky before the Assist trophy was revealed because we take into account that while Sakurai can look into the development of future console games, he can't look into Virtual Console releases since that's more the Nintendo company's thing than an actual development team. If Sakurai said that he lacked Western familiarity, then he would rather add an old character that has some visibility in the West than just Japan (since enough people know of him there for years).

I was hoping for them to address that point in the video and it's a very important one before someone spread misinformation about "The Virtual Console release isn't good enough for him to make him playable during development" when it is a KEY factor to make him in a better position than Japan only characters like Ayumi Tachibana.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

That argument doesn't even hold water when it's on paper that Pit's reason for inclusion in Brawl was due to the strong word of mouth sustaining him and the figures gleaned when the GBA NES classics version of Kid Icarus was released. They used the numbers from a port back then of the NES game to finally judge whether or not Pit should be included in Smash and it worked out!

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

That argument doesn't even hold water when it's on paper that Pit's reason for inclusion in Brawl was due to the strong word of mouth sustaining him and the figures gleaned when the GBA NES classics version of Kid Icarus was released. They used the numbers from a port back then of the NES game to finally judge whether or not Pit should be included in Smash and it worked out!

There's a big difference here.

The GBA NES classics were released as full games and sold well. These are Virtual Console games and no one knows how the releases of them goes other than Nintendo themselves. Like would Sakurai know about what VC games we are getting on the Switch before the console was conceived? And it would had been far too late to add Takamaru if he did see the Western release. His shot would had been as DLC, but do you think anyone would by a retro character as DLC other than die hard Nintendo fans?

EDIT: Sorry if I misread your statement, He could get sales records of VC, but not even know if they exists during development of a Smash game. Like maybe see how well Murasame Castle 3DS fared in the West.

 

[ThatShadowLink]

I've been toiling over this for a while, but here is my Takamaru moveset! Thanks to bksbestbwoy for help with part of the moveset.

Spoiler: Takamaru Moveset

Spoiler: Takamaru Design

TAKAMARU - MYSTERIOUS MURASAME CASTLE

Takamaru is a fun character and despite the fact that he has only a few games to pull from, his archetype- the samurai- and his origin- the sister series to Zelda- gives plenty to work with in terms of playstyle.

I envision Takamaru as a sort of middle-ground between Link and Mega Man. Mega Man is mostly projectile focused, and Link is mostly sword focused. Takamaru would strike an even balance between using projectile and swordplay. This would not only reflect on his source: an extremely difficult and punishing game where maintaining distance and picking off foes from far away is your preferred method of strike, and Takamaru's katana is saved for up close.

For the sake of incompassing more Japanese sword techniques, I would have Takamaru receive a slight update, with a wakizashi - a smaller, secondary blade, which would be mounted opposite to his katana.

MOVESET -

STANDARDS -
Neutral Attack - Projectile Throw
Takamaru will throw whatever projectile is active at the time. It will default to throwing knives.
Dash Attack - Iaijutsu (Quick Draw)
Takamaru will slide, drawing and sheathing his katana at incredible speed.

TILT ATTACKS -
Forward Tilt - Iaijutsu (Quick Draw)
Takamaru quickly draws his katana, slashes in a 45 degree arc, and sheaths.
Up Tilt - Nitojutsu (Dual Wield)
Takamaru will briefly dual wield. He will draw both his katana and wakizashi and slice upwards with each blade.
Down Tilt - Wakizashi Iaijutsu
Takamaru with quickly draw his wakizashi and make a small slash in an arc downward.

SMASH ATTACKS -
Forward Smash - Iaijutsu
The truest form of the ancient Japanese sword art - the quick draw of the blade. Takamaru will grasp his blade and quickly draw and slash with it.
Up Smash - Nitojutsu
The truest form of the ancient Japanese sword art - the pairing of a katana and a wakizashi. Takamaru will briefly dual wield. Takamaru will grasp both blades and rapidly draw them, attacking above him with quick slashes of his swords.
Down Smash - Iaijutsu Spin
Takamaru will draw his katana with both hands, exerting so much force that he will spin in a circle.

AERIAL ATTACKS -
Neutral Aerial - Aerial Wakizashi Iaijutsu
Takamaru quickly draws and attacks with his wakizashi.
Forward Aerial - Forward Projectile Throw
Takamaru throws a short reaching projectile in front of him, which will cancel any action an enemy trying to intercept him is trying to use.
Back Aerial - Backwards Iaijustu
Takamaru exerts himself to draw his katana and spin around, attacking behind him.
Up Aerial - Upward Projectile Throw
Takamaru launching a projectile upward.
Down Aerial - Nitojutsu Drop
Takamaru draws and plunges both of his swords below him, into the ground or his opponent if he lands. This is a Meteor Smash.

THROWS -
Grab - Up Close and Personal
Takamaru will grab his competitor with both of his hands.
Pummel - Samurai's Knee
Takamaru will knee his opponent in the ribs.
Forward Throw - Samurai Pitch
Takamaru throws his combatant in a straight line, launching projectiles their way.
Back Throw - Samurai Underhand
Takamaru will launch his foe behind him, him facing opposite the direction he is currently facing. He will blindly throw projectiles behind him which will hit his opponent.
Up Throw - Samurai Overhand
Takamaru throws his adversary upwards and follows up with projectiles.
Down Throw - Samurai DUNK
Takamaru dunks his enemy downward and they collide with the ground.

GET-UP ATTACKS -
Floor Attack - Samurai's SWEET MOVES
Takamaru will get up off the ground by spinning in a circle, akin to a break dance.
Edge Attack - Samurai's Sweep
Takamaru climbs up the edge and does a sweeping kick.


SPECIALS -
Neutral Special - 'Invisibility Gambit'
Similar to his Samurai Warriors incarnation, Takamaru will become shrouded in a bright white haze for a limited time. Like his original game, projectiles will pass through him for the duration of this attack. Any smash or strong attack Takamaru performs out of this technique will have its power multipled by 1.5 and instantly end the invisibility. Takamaru will also take 1.5 times damage from all attacks that hit him during this technique.
Side Special - 'Windmill Sword'
Takamaru will switch to windmill swords for all his projectile-based attacks for a limited time period. For this special Takamaru will also launch a slowmoving windmill sword which will hit anything it collides with. Similar to Link's side special.
Up Special - 'Vanishing Act'
Takamaru will vanish and reappear a certain space away. Similar to Sheik's recovery.
Down Special - 'Fireball Bomb'
Takamaru will switch to fireballs for all his projectile-linked attacks for a limited time period. For this special Takamaru will also underhand throw a fireball that will explode on impact and hurt everything within a radius. Similar to Link's down special.

Please tell me what you think.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

I've been toiling over this for a while, but here is my Takamaru moveset! Thanks to bksbestbwoy for help with part of the moveset.

Spoiler: Takamaru Moveset

Spoiler: Takamaru Design

TAKAMARU - MYSTERIOUS MURASAME CASTLE

Takamaru is a fun character and despite the fact that he has only a few games to pull from, his archetype- the samurai- and his origin- the sister series to Zelda- gives plenty to work with in terms of playstyle.

I envision Takamaru as a sort of middle-ground between Link and Mega Man. Mega Man is mostly projectile focused, and Link is mostly sword focused. Takamaru would strike an even balance between using projectile and swordplay. This would not only reflect on his source: an extremely difficult and punishing game where maintaining distance and picking off foes from far away is your preferred method of strike, and Takamaru's katana is saved for up close.

For the sake of incompassing more Japanese sword techniques, I would have Takamaru receive a slight update, with a wakizashi - a smaller, secondary blade, which would be mounted opposite to his katana.

MOVESET -

STANDARDS -
Neutral Attack - Projectile Throw
Takamaru will throw whatever projectile is active at the time. It will default to throwing knives.
Dash Attack - Iaijutsu (Quick Draw)
Takamaru will slide, drawing and sheathing his katana at incredible speed.

TILT ATTACKS -
Forward Tilt - Iaijutsu (Quick Draw)
Takamaru quickly draws his katana, slashes in a 45 degree arc, and sheaths.
Up Tilt - Nitojutsu (Dual Wield)
Takamaru will briefly dual wield. He will draw both his katana and wakizashi and slice upwards with each blade.
Down Tilt - Wakizashi Iaijutsu
Takamaru with quickly draw his wakizashi and make a small slash in an arc downward.

SMASH ATTACKS -
Forward Smash - Iaijutsu
The truest form of the ancient Japanese sword art - the quick draw of the blade. Takamaru will grasp his blade and quickly draw and slash with it.
Up Smash - Nitojutsu
The truest form of the ancient Japanese sword art - the pairing of a katana and a wakizashi. Takamaru will briefly dual wield. Takamaru will grasp both blades and rapidly draw them, attacking above him with quick slashes of his swords.
Down Smash - Iaijutsu Spin
Takamaru will draw his katana with both hands, exerting so much force that he will spin in a circle.

AERIAL ATTACKS -
Neutral Aerial - Aerial Wakizashi Iaijutsu
Takamaru quickly draws and attacks with his wakizashi.
Forward Aerial - Forward Projectile Throw
Takamaru throws a short reaching projectile in front of him, which will cancel any action an enemy trying to intercept him is trying to use.
Back Aerial - Backwards Iaijustu
Takamaru exerts himself to draw his katana and spin around, attacking behind him.
Up Aerial - Upward Projectile Throw
Takamaru launching a projectile upward.
Down Aerial - Nitojutsu Drop
Takamaru draws and plunges both of his swords below him, into the ground or his opponent if he lands. This is a Meteor Smash.

THROWS -
Grab - Up Close and Personal
Takamaru will grab his competitor with both of his hands.
Pummel - Samurai's Knee
Takamaru will knee his opponent in the ribs.
Forward Throw - Samurai Pitch
Takamaru throws his combatant in a straight line, launching projectiles their way.
Back Throw - Samurai Underhand
Takamaru will launch his foe behind him, him facing opposite the direction he is currently facing. He will blindly throw projectiles behind him which will hit his opponent.
Up Throw - Samurai Overhand
Takamaru throws his adversary upwards and follows up with projectiles.
Down Throw - Samurai DUNK
Takamaru dunks his enemy downward and they collide with the ground.

GET-UP ATTACKS -
Floor Attack - Samurai's SWEET MOVES
Takamaru will get up off the ground by spinning in a circle, akin to a break dance.
Edge Attack - Samurai's Sweep
Takamaru climbs up the edge and does a sweeping kick.


SPECIALS -
Neutral Special - 'Invisibility Gambit'
Similar to his Samurai Warriors incarnation, Takamaru will become shrouded in a bright white haze for a limited time. Like his original game, projectiles will pass through him for the duration of this attack. Any smash or strong attack Takamaru performs out of this technique will have its power multipled by 1.5 and instantly end the invisibility. Takamaru will also take 1.5 times damage from all attacks that hit him during this technique.
Side Special - 'Windmill Sword'
Takamaru will switch to windmill swords for all his projectile-based attacks for a limited time period. For this special Takamaru will also launch a slowmoving windmill sword which will hit anything it collides with. Similar to Link's side special.
Up Special - 'Vanishing Act'
Takamaru will vanish and reappear a certain space away. Similar to Sheik's recovery.
Down Special - 'Fireball Bomb'
Takamaru will switch to fireballs for all his projectile-linked attacks for a limited time period. For this special Takamaru will also underhand throw a fireball that will explode on impact and hurt everything within a radius. Similar to Link's down special.

Please tell me what you think.

Excellent moveset concept. I quite like this one alot compared to your old moveset.

You really nailed the happy medium between swordsmanship and projectiles, and you gave him the option to shuffle between the projectiles he throws too.

Bonus points on giving him a secondary smaller sword like a higher ranking soldier would have in Japan. Probably one of my favorite movesets for Takamaru by far.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

I've been toiling over this for a while, but here is my Takamaru moveset! Thanks to bksbestbwoy for help with part of the moveset.

Spoiler: Takamaru Moveset

Spoiler: Takamaru Design

TAKAMARU - MYSTERIOUS MURASAME CASTLE

Takamaru is a fun character and despite the fact that he has only a few games to pull from, his archetype- the samurai- and his origin- the sister series to Zelda- gives plenty to work with in terms of playstyle.

I envision Takamaru as a sort of middle-ground between Link and Mega Man. Mega Man is mostly projectile focused, and Link is mostly sword focused. Takamaru would strike an even balance between using projectile and swordplay. This would not only reflect on his source: an extremely difficult and punishing game where maintaining distance and picking off foes from far away is your preferred method of strike, and Takamaru's katana is saved for up close.

For the sake of incompassing more Japanese sword techniques, I would have Takamaru receive a slight update, with a wakizashi - a smaller, secondary blade, which would be mounted opposite to his katana.

MOVESET -

STANDARDS -
Neutral Attack - Projectile Throw
Takamaru will throw whatever projectile is active at the time. It will default to throwing knives.
Dash Attack - Iaijutsu (Quick Draw)
Takamaru will slide, drawing and sheathing his katana at incredible speed.

TILT ATTACKS -
Forward Tilt - Iaijutsu (Quick Draw)
Takamaru quickly draws his katana, slashes in a 45 degree arc, and sheaths.
Up Tilt - Nitojutsu (Dual Wield)
Takamaru will briefly dual wield. He will draw both his katana and wakizashi and slice upwards with each blade.
Down Tilt - Wakizashi Iaijutsu
Takamaru with quickly draw his wakizashi and make a small slash in an arc downward.

SMASH ATTACKS -
Forward Smash - Iaijutsu
The truest form of the ancient Japanese sword art - the quick draw of the blade. Takamaru will grasp his blade and quickly draw and slash with it.
Up Smash - Nitojutsu
The truest form of the ancient Japanese sword art - the pairing of a katana and a wakizashi. Takamaru will briefly dual wield. Takamaru will grasp both blades and rapidly draw them, attacking above him with quick slashes of his swords.
Down Smash - Iaijutsu Spin
Takamaru will draw his katana with both hands, exerting so much force that he will spin in a circle.

AERIAL ATTACKS -
Neutral Aerial - Aerial Wakizashi Iaijutsu
Takamaru quickly draws and attacks with his wakizashi.
Forward Aerial - Forward Projectile Throw
Takamaru throws a short reaching projectile in front of him, which will cancel any action an enemy trying to intercept him is trying to use.
Back Aerial - Backwards Iaijustu
Takamaru exerts himself to draw his katana and spin around, attacking behind him.
Up Aerial - Upward Projectile Throw
Takamaru launching a projectile upward.
Down Aerial - Nitojutsu Drop
Takamaru draws and plunges both of his swords below him, into the ground or his opponent if he lands. This is a Meteor Smash.

THROWS -
Grab - Up Close and Personal
Takamaru will grab his competitor with both of his hands.
Pummel - Samurai's Knee
Takamaru will knee his opponent in the ribs.
Forward Throw - Samurai Pitch
Takamaru throws his combatant in a straight line, launching projectiles their way.
Back Throw - Samurai Underhand
Takamaru will launch his foe behind him, him facing opposite the direction he is currently facing. He will blindly throw projectiles behind him which will hit his opponent.
Up Throw - Samurai Overhand
Takamaru throws his adversary upwards and follows up with projectiles.
Down Throw - Samurai DUNK
Takamaru dunks his enemy downward and they collide with the ground.

GET-UP ATTACKS -
Floor Attack - Samurai's SWEET MOVES
Takamaru will get up off the ground by spinning in a circle, akin to a break dance.
Edge Attack - Samurai's Sweep
Takamaru climbs up the edge and does a sweeping kick.


SPECIALS -
Neutral Special - 'Invisibility Gambit'
Similar to his Samurai Warriors incarnation, Takamaru will become shrouded in a bright white haze for a limited time. Like his original game, projectiles will pass through him for the duration of this attack. Any smash or strong attack Takamaru performs out of this technique will have its power multipled by 1.5 and instantly end the invisibility. Takamaru will also take 1.5 times damage from all attacks that hit him during this technique.
Side Special - 'Windmill Sword'
Takamaru will switch to windmill swords for all his projectile-based attacks for a limited time period. For this special Takamaru will also launch a slowmoving windmill sword which will hit anything it collides with. Similar to Link's side special.
Up Special - 'Vanishing Act'
Takamaru will vanish and reappear a certain space away. Similar to Sheik's recovery.
Down Special - 'Fireball Bomb'
Takamaru will switch to fireballs for all his projectile-linked attacks for a limited time period. For this special Takamaru will also underhand throw a fireball that will explode on impact and hurt everything within a radius. Similar to Link's down special.

Please tell me what you think.

If you made that design yourself, then major props to you.

As for the moveset, it's very in character with his game portrayal in more ways than one. Awesome.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

I still kinda want to tweak my move set a bit because I think the Up Special I came up with doesn't have any basis in the playable variants of Takamaru that have existed until now. Also, I think the clay bombs/grenades from his NintendoLand game appearance would also be pretty cool.

 

[FlareHabanero]

I remember being the original thread owner of the Takamaru thread when people were speculating Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. I wanted to try and push for people to talk about the character a lot more, beyond simply just expecting him. In in the end I was partially right about Takamaru, being at least considered. Which is something not a lot of characters can boast.

Anyway, I still support the character, the only change I guess you could say is that I want an opposite playstyle from what I suggested, as a reference the the art of Iaido.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

I remember being the original thread owner of the Takamaru thread when people were speculating Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. I wanted to try and push for people to talk about the character a lot more, beyond simply just expecting him. In in the end I was partially right about Takamaru, being at least considered. Which is something not a lot of characters can boast.

Anyway, I still support the character, the only change I guess you could say is that I want an opposite playstyle from what I suggested, as a reference the the art of Iaido.

Good to have you back Habanero.

Yeah, things were different back thing. There could had been things we could had done, but couldn't due to circumstances.

Like the server I made is one of my bigger attempts to push him. Just have to start sharing it in other places. That's a start.

 

[ThatShadowLink]

I still kinda want to tweak my move set a bit because I think the Up Special I came up with doesn't have any basis in the playable variants of Takamaru that have existed until now. Also, I think the clay bombs/grenades from his NintendoLand game appearance would also be pretty cool.

Yeah I found it immensely difficult to come up with a recovery move for Takamaru that would be both readable and not too obscure so I settled on just using Sheik's.
I enjoy how I incorporated Takamaru's invisibility skill from Samurai Warriors and altered it in a way that would be interesting for Smash Bros though. I think it's a fun idea. Honestly I don't know the state of Brawl modding but if it's not too difficult I'd like to give a stab at making my moveset a reality one day.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

It's funny because that's the exact same reason why I'm doing my redo. Didn't really like the other Up Special so I'm going back to my tried and true. I also went and made a blurb about Takamaru's "unique skill" to make it more apparent what he does differently versus other "Sword people". (His aggressive zoning potential + Shogi piece skills)

I'll put it all up here in a bit.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

So both of you aren't satisfied with the movesets?

What big changes will happen other than the Up Special?

 

[FlareHabanero]

How about a up special move that references the legendary Turning Swallow Cut technique?

It's a two hit move, with each hit caused by pressing the special button. The first hit involves a downward slash at blinding speeds, which doesn't cause knockback but briefly stuns the opponent. The second hit is an uppercut slash that ascends Takamaru upwards, which also doubles as a KO move.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

So both of you aren't satisfied with the movesets?

What big changes will happen other than the Up Special?

Changing some specials and adding a bit about what Takamaru's unique skill is (think how there was emphasis on the character specific gimmicks each newcomer brought into Smash 4).

That said, thanks for reminding me, here it is!

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.)


Unique Mechanic

Takamaru, while adept with a blade, is most known for his aggressive zoning options. He has the ability to alter the number of projectiles thrown forward and the configuration or pattern of their flight through the air using Shogi piece power ups. Pressing the special button a second time during the flight of a projectile on screen will change the number of projectiles thrown as well as the formation they take when tossed.

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. Pressing the special again during the startup of this attack has Takamaru toss three more fireballs in a line behind the first as a King Shogi Piece flashes above his head. This is a reference to the King Shogi piece power up found in his games which allowed players to throw three of the same projectile in a single direction in front of him.

Forward Special: Windmill Blades - 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.) Pressing the special button as the blades are tossed has the Rook shogi piece appear over Takamaru’s head as he throws multiple blades forward as one which then expand in a “X” or plus sign formation (think of the assist trophy) depending on the strength of the throw.

Downward Special: Clay Bombs – Similar to the NintendoLand power up, Takamaru will toss a single bomb in an arc forward. These bombs detonate instantly upon contact with any surface or opponent. Pressing the special button when Takamaru would hurl the bomb in the air will make the symbol for the Bishop shogi piece Takamaru pitch two more concealed bombs alongside the first in a paper-fan like formation. This a reference to the Bishop shogi piece’s power up.

Upward Special: Invisibility Scroll – Takamaru slams his hand down on a scroll that unfurls itself on the ground before him and the sound effect for the scroll is played. While in this state, a comical “circle shadow” appears under himself showing where he is. Tilting the control stick will have Takamaru move through the air in the same direction. Upon becoming tangible again, the scroll furls back up and vanishes in a puff of smoke.

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]

I see, nice job. It's an improvement to the original.

Looks like you have work to do Yomi's Biggest Fan

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Got it.

I will give my thoughts on the moveset after shuffling the OP.

 

[ThatShadowLink]

So both of you aren't satisfied with the movesets?

Oh no, I'm satisfied with mine. I feel like the liberty I took was fine enough.

Good job on the new set though bksbestbwoy !

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Changing some specials and adding a bit about what Takamaru's unique skill is (think how there was emphasis on the character specific gimmicks each newcomer brought into Smash 4).

That said, thanks for reminding me, here it is!

Though looking at your moveset makes me ask one thing.

What was the broken image under the main on supposed to be? Well what's supposed to be under the Takamaru and Mii Fighter one.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

The broken image was actually the Takamaru & Mii Fighter image there. I copy/pasted it from a Word doc I saved it to when I made it pre-Smash 4 but needed to rehost the image.

As you say this to me though, I wonder if this isn't a good time to use a better image for the character overall. Let me fix that.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

The broken image was actually the Takamaru & Mii Fighter image there. I copy/pasted it from a Word doc I saved it to when I made it pre-Smash 4 but needed to rehost the image.

As you say this to me though, I wonder if this isn't a good time to use a better image for the character overall. Let me fix that.

I see, I agree the trophy makes for a far better image.

If Azure can edit that.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

There, replaced the images in the moveset.

I too agree that it looks far much better.

Hopefully that's a wrap.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

Yep, that's it! Curious about what everyone thinks of it.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Yep, that's it! Curious about what everyone thinks of it.

Sorry if this is late, had trouble in a server of mines.

Very detailed explanation as to who Takamaru is and how his playstyle would work.

I like how each special is a better reference to each shogi piece without having to even use them to change the way you throw. Love the smashes and throws as well.

A massive improvement from the last one.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

Yeah, I finally came up with the move set I think best covers all the bases. It was definitely helped along by the idea that I already knew what kind of normals (jabs/tilts/smashes) I'd love to see from a character like this but the specials and the way they reference Mysterious Murasame Castle the game were basically helped along by finally playing the game over the last 4 years and thinking to myself about which variant of each weapon I liked using most. (Notice that the King Shogi Fireball is the highest DPS in the game and also conveniently the variation I chose for the fireballs... lol)

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Yeah, I finally came up with the move set I think best covers all the bases. It was definitely helped along by the idea that I already knew what kind of normals (jabs/tilts/smashes) I'd love to see from a character like this but the specials and the way they reference Mysterious Murasame Castle the game were basically helped along by finally playing the game over the last 4 years and thinking to myself about which variant of each weapon I liked using most. (Notice that the King Shogi Fireball is the highest DPS in the game and also conveniently the variation I chose for the fireballs... lol)

I noticed that one, it is a neat touch and I am also guilty of using that combination in my playthroughs.

And I for one have no problem with the Nintendo Land references in the moveset since at least it fits his character, well the bombs anyway.

Having that amount of experience with Murasame Castle can do wonders on finding the right way he should play in Smash.

 

[Strider_Bond00J]

Looking back in the records, I managed to find an old Takamaru Moveset I posted a long time ago - probably 2-3 years ago (Yikes... I've been here for that long...)

Looking back on it, it's a pretty decent read with quite a bit of interesting flair and unique aspects to it, but it's probably a 3:2 ratio (been a while since I did maths, even Discrete Maths 2 years ago when I started Uni so don't come to me asking for derivatives lol) of sword to projectile attacks.

Still, here it is - I might go back and update it with a few things if needs be, but I don't feel any sort of 'Old Shame' when making this hypothetical Takamaru moveset.

And here's that 2-3 year old moveset:

....

And now - I present my moveset for Takamaru!

Spoiler: Takamaru Slice and Dices!!

TAKAMARU SLICE AND DICES!!

Hailing from the era of the Samurai, the young samurai known as Takamaru takes up his katana in a quest to vanquish the alien spirit haunting the Murasame Castle. To train up for this day, Takamaru seeks to fight alongside the heroes of Nintendo in the rumble that is “Super Smash Bros!”

Playstyle: Biding Samurai

Unlike the sword wielders from series such as Fire Emblem, Takamaru relies on the art of swordsmanship as born in Japan - Kenjutsu. However, he only needs his katana when he needs to use it, and carries an assortment of tools such as shurikens and windmill swords to keep him out of trouble. A key element to Takamaru is his ability to use his katana as a means of bouncing back projectiles, such as Link’s arrows or Fox’s Blaster. This is active whenever Takamaru is using his sword, such as his jabs, tilts and Smash Attacks. Takamaru also has attacks that combo into each other like Bayonetta, such as his jabs, tilts and aerial attacks. Takamaru’s weakness is being fairly lightweight and has a bit of lag on his atttacks, leaving him open every now and then.

Jumps: Equivalent to Fox’s height.
Weight: Same as Palutena’s.
Walk Speed: A little faster than Link’s
Running Speed: Faster than Bowser

Stage: Murasame Castle

The Murasame Castle from the original NES ‘The Mysterious Murasame Castle,’ both given it’s 8-Bit form from the opening of the NES game and a brand new HD look in the midst of a dark rainstorm, transitioning from dark rain into a bright ukiyo-e landscape when the clouds clear as time passes. The stage transitions in two forms - the main platform which has the Castle in the distance, and the second form set in the castle’s chambers. The initial layout is a top a castle’s roof as a solid platform on the left hand side of the stage and a set of platforms on the right hand side, making it a mirror image to Suzaku Castle. When the stage transitions to the interior of Murasame Castle, the main platform is now in the center of the stage, and in the distance is a gigantic sword wielding statue, and towering columns that provide extra platforms. Every now and then, the statue lurks into life and attacks with it’s sword, as well as ninja strikes from the pillars, making this part more hazardous. Eventually the stage will return back to the original layout, by which time the weather would have changed, and with it the background.


Songs:
The Mysterious Murasame Castle Medley (Remix)
Takamaru’s Ninja Castle (Remix)
The Mysterious Murasame Castle Main Theme

Standard Attacks:
Jab: Takamaru takes out his Katana and performs a rising slash. This attack can block incoming projectiles, and deals melee damage too. If the first attack connects, then Takamaru continues into a combo by slashing the katana across their body, then a series of rapid slashes at fast speeds and finishing with a dashing swipe to knock foes into the air.

Forward Tilt: Takamaru performs a horizontal slash, then sheathes the katana.

Up Tilt: Takamaru performs an overhead slice with the katana.

Down Tilt: Takamaru throws a small kunai knife into the ground.

Dash Attack: Takamaru unsheathes his sword and slices by an opponent before stopping and putting the katana away.

Neutral Air: Takamaru performs a cutting slash in front of him, which can lead into combo, where he continues to follow up with a rising slash and finishing with a downwards strike.

Forward Air: Takamaru takes out his katana and performs an aerial version of his neutral jab.

Up Air: Takamaru throws a set of shurikens above him.

Back Air: Takamaru throws out a set of shurikens behind him.

Down Air: Takamaru pauses and quickly slashes the foe downwards. This attack has a meteor smash effect along the blade in the initial frames of the attack

Smash Attacks:

Side: Horizon Slash: Takamaru adopts a stance with his hand on his sheathed katana, and when the attack is unleashed, Takamaru rushes forward, slashing by anyone in a horizontal line in a similar fashion to classic samurai showdowns. The attack comes out very quickly, but a bit of lag as Takamaru sheathes his katana.

Up: Sun’s Ascent: Takamaru adopts a defensive stance, and when the attack is unleashed, performs a jumping slash upwards.

Down Smash: Blast Zone: Takamaru prepares his sword, and when unleashing it slashes his sword at his opponents’ feet to trip them up. This then combos like Link’s forward smash, and the second hit has Takamaru throw exploding shurikens into his opponent that launch them into the air.

Specials:
Neutral Special: Shuriken and Kunai.
Takamaru takes out a set of shurikens and throws them in front of him. This can be charged up and eventually becomes a kunai knife. At full charge, the kunai explodes on contact.

Side Special: Windmill Sword - Rook and Knight.
Takamaru takes out a set of windmill swords like the ones he uses in Smash 4 as an Assist Trophy. Rooks fly in two directions, forward and above, while Knights are thrown at a diagonal angle upwards or into the ground.

Up Special: Lightning Hawk:
Takamaru’s katana gets charged with electricity and Takamaru leaps up in a diagonal trajectory, slashing any foes that get in his path. The recovery is a blend of horizontal recovery and vertical height, and can be altered by tilting the control stick upwards for better ascent, or forwards for a greater area covered.
*When used, a hawk screeches, fitting Takamaru’s first character meaning ‘hawk’

Down Special: Iaijutsu Rush:
Takamaru takes his sword by the scabbard and holds it in front of him. Should he get hit, Takamaru rushes past at blinding speed - making this move operate like a counter attack. Should he block a projectile, Takamaru uses his blade to bounce the attack backwards, and after a chargeable delay rushes forward.

Final Smash: Slice and Dice:
Takamaru psyches himself and says “いくぞ！” (“Here I go!”) and throws away his katana’s sheath. Similar to Bayonetta’s Infernal Climax, Takamaru has to attack his foes in this space of time, and once enough damage has been accumulated, Takamaru unleashes the attack. The opponents are transported to a wasteland, and in the distance is Takamaru. Takamaru slashes by the opponent at blinding speeds, sending them into the air. Takamaru takes out a bunch of exploding shurikens to deal more damage and finishes the opponents with a powerful version of Lightning Hawk - silhouetted against Murasame Castle.

Taunts:
Up-Taunt: Takes out a bottle and claims ‘さけじゃない！’ (“This isn’t sake!”) before drinking it.
Side-Taunt: Draws his katana and adopts a stance:　’かっかってこい！’ (“Come on!”)
Down-Taunt: Takamaru takes out a hanafuda card and slices it. This is actually an attack, and has an overhead hitbox, and deals a reasonable amount of damage.

Victory Animations:
1: Flourishes the katana before sheathing it.
2: Takamaru takes out a set of hanafuda cards and slices them to ribbons.

Alternate Costumes:
1st: Default
2nd: Takamaru wears a white and black samurai gear and black hair, a homage to Haohmaru from SNK’s ‘Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits’ series
3rd: Clothes turn red, based on the red ninja enemies in ‘The Mysterious Murasame Castle’
4th: Gear turns green with brown pants and light blonde hair, in reference to Link.
5th: Blue clothes based on the blue ninja enemies in ‘The Mysterious Murasame Castle’
6th: Hakama turns dark green and gains a few pieces of gold lining on his shirt, in reference to his appearance in Captain Rainbow.
7th: Clothes turn yellow, based on the yellow ninjas in ‘The Mysterious Murasame Castle’
8th: Takamaru’s shirt gains a reddish-purple tint with gold lining - reminiscent of his appearance in Samurai Warriors 3.

Some things are missing, but this is what I've got so far. Thoughts?

I'd say it stands up pretty well, but I think making a 2.0 of this wouldn't hurt, plus it'd add a few more things to this list that I missed first time when making it, like the on-screen appearance and maybe some more character attributes like wall-jumps and explaining some attacks in a bit more detail.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Looking back in the records, I managed to find an old Takamaru Moveset I posted a long time ago - probably 2-3 years ago (Yikes... I've been here for that long...)

Looking back on it, it's a pretty decent read with quite a bit of interesting flair and unique aspects to it, but it's probably a 3:2 ratio (been a while since I did maths, even Discrete Maths 2 years ago when I started Uni so don't come to me asking for derivatives lol) of sword to projectile attacks.

Still, here it is - I might go back and update it with a few things if needs be, but I don't feel any sort of 'Old Shame' when making this hypothetical Takamaru moveset.

And here's that 2-3 year old moveset:


I'd say it stands up pretty well, but I think making a 2.0 of this wouldn't hurt, plus it'd add a few more things to this list that I missed first time when making it, like the on-screen appearance and maybe some more character attributes like wall-jumps and explaining some attacks in a bit more detail.

There is definitely still more room for improvement.

I say go for it if you feel you can make it better.

 

[DuwangAnon]

Guys, we're all wrong. Takamaru is a Captain Falcon clone. He only pulls out his sword for his taunt.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Guys, we're all wrong. Takamaru is a Captain Falcon clone. He only pulls out his sword for his taunt.

10/10

Nice meme. This is what we all needed.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Guys, we're all wrong. Takamaru is a Captain Falcon clone. He only pulls out his sword for his taunt.

Nah, Takamaru will be in as a Wii Fit Trainer clone than anything.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

Ya'll aren't looking at the big picture. Takamaru will be an Inkling clone!

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Ya'll aren't looking at the big picture. Takamaru will be an Inkling clone!

And he would use the same wasabi beats as DJ Octavio.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

Been meaning to talk about this for a while but then I found a video that kind of talks about this at a good length (it's 5 minutes in if this doesn't work):

This is kinda why I feel like a stoic Takamaru loses out to a goofy/somewhat humorous Takamaru. I do like the idea someone mentioned before where he's super stoic doing silly things with full conviction though.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Very interesting video on him.

He does present some good ideas like is personably and the moveset.

Still not sold on him being anything other than a iaido swordsman.

 

[bksbestbwoy]

I was doing the rounds elsewhere and got something pointed out to me (again) that I totally forgot about:

In 2010, The Mysterious Murasame Castle was featured on Nintendo's E3 alongside other games as a tech demo called Classic Games.

Link to article on it.

It really does seem like Nintendo was trying to get this out to more people from way sooner than 2014. They love Takamaru/Murasame Castle a lot.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

I was doing the rounds elsewhere and got something pointed out to me (again) that I totally forgot about:

Link to article on it.

It really does seem like Nintendo was trying to get this out to more people from way sooner than 2014. They love Takamaru/Murasame Castle a lot.

This is interesting.

I remember this and I was wondering what ever happened to the 3D Classic of Murasame Castle. But at least we got the Virtual Console in 2014 and that was good enough.

Still though, you could tell Nintendo wanted to try pushing Murasame Castle in the past.

 

[DuwangAnon]

It's be an ideal situation if Takamaru's inclusion in the next Smash caused his series to be revived.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

It's be an ideal situation if Takamaru's inclusion in the next Smash caused his series to be revived.

Depends on what studio or developed would be interested in it.

For example, no one made a new game for the Ice Climbers after years of them being in Smash. Pit was the case of Sakurai having more ideas for Pit later in the future.

With Takamaru, he does have a design that lend itself for a good action game. And one can hope they do it right.