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''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a
fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
series by
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat.


Plot

The stories in the series take place in 18th-century Japan, during the
Sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...
or seclusion period of Japan (the first four games run across 1788 and 1789) with great artistic license so that foreign-born characters (including some from places that did not exist as such in 1788) and fictional monsters can also be part of the story. The plot of each game is quite different, but they circle a central group of characters and a region in Japan. ''Samurai Shodown'' consequently portrays snippets of the
Japanese culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ance ...
and language internationally with little edits. For instance, unlike most fighting games made in Japan, the characters in the series (including the announcer) generally speak only in Japanese, with dialects ranging from archaic formalities and theatricalism to modern-day slang, something that has been preserved for overseas releases. Win quotes and other cut scenes provide subtitles in several languages, including but not limited to English, Portuguese, and German. Much of the music includes traditional
Japanese instruments Traditional Japanese musical instruments, known as in Japanese, are musical instruments used in the Traditional Japanese music, traditional folk music of Japan. They comprise a range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Percussion instrum ...
(predominantly the
shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .
,
shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...
,
koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...
and
taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...
) and later ''
enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...
''. Several characters are loosely based on real figures from Japanese history.


Development

There are two main artists responsible for the character designs and illustrations. For the early games (Part 1 to 4), the characters are created and illustrated by Eiji Shiroi. His illustrations featured a distinctive, traditional Japanese calligraphy style. While he continues to design for a few of the later games, they are illustrated by another artist named Senri Kita until the fifth title. The ''Samurai Shodown'' games are most famous for their "Rage" (怒) gauge, a meter that only increases as a player receives damage, and which when fully activated has numerous effects depending on game. Earlier games also have a referee in the background, officiating the match.


Games


Characters

Over the course of years since the first game, the ''Samurai Shodown'' games (excluding spin-offs) have come to feature over 80 playable warriors. The most famous among them include
Haohmaru is the titular protagonist of the ''Samurai Shodown'' series of video games, as well as one of its most known characters alongside Nakoruru. He was introduced in the original ''Samurai Shodown'' in 1993 and has since appeared in every title in the ...
and
Nakoruru is a fictional character in the ''Samurai Shodown'' (''Samurai Spirits'' in Japan) series of fighting games by SNK. She is one of the series' best known and most popular characters alongside its main protagonist Haohmaru, and has been introduced ...
, who are both considered the series' flagship characters. Characters directly inspired from historical figures and keeping their names, like
Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subjec ...
and Yagyū Jūbei, are present as well.


Adaptations

A television special (later dubbed a ''motion picture'' for international release) loosely based on the first game aired in Japan in 1994. An English adaptation was produced by ADV Films, on VHS in 1995 and on DVD in 2005. The plot means to reenact the events of
Samurai Shodown (1993 video game) ''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a competitive fighting game developed and published by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. Released in 1993, it is the first installment in the ''Samurai Shodown'' series. In contrast to o ...
, but the characters’ roles highly deviated from their original source. One of such bizarre changes made was switching Amakusa's gender from male to female. Another questionable change was the inclusion of the “Seven Holy Warriors”, skilled warriors who were resurrected to specifically fight Ambrosia, which is an idea never mentioned in any other continuity. Several manga adaptations of ''Samurai Spirits'' were produced in Japan. One of them, titled , written by Kyoichi Nanatsuki and illustrated by Yuki Miyoshi, was serialized in the ''Weekly Shonen Sunday'' in 1994. It was later adapted into English under the simplified titled ''Samurai Shodown'' by
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
in 1996, where it was serialized in the short-lived ''Game On! USA'' magazine and concluded in ''
Animerica ''Animerica'' was a monthly magazine published by Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ ...
''. The story is meant to be a prequel to ''
Samurai Shodown II ''Samurai Shodown II'', known in Japan as is a 1994 fighting game released as the second entry in SNK's ''Samurai Shodown'' series. Like the original ''Samurai Shodown'', the sequel was initially released for the Neo Geo arcade and home system. ...
'', establishing an original character, Yui Minbunosuke Shosetsu, as the main antagonist. Game characters Haohmaru, Nakoruru, Hanzo, Charlotte, and Genan remain the focal characters to the plot. They often interacted with several original characters in the story; the most prominent perhaps is the Koga kunoichi, Nagiri, who believed Haohmaru had killed her father during his travels and sought to avenge him. The first
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
, the two-part ''Spirits 2: Asura Zanmaeden'', serves as a preface to the events of '' Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage''. Character designs were done by
Aoi Nanase is a Japanese Mangaka, manga artist. Works Anime *''Seraphim Call'' *''Samurai Spirits 2: Asura Zanmaeden'' Printed Works *Artbooks **''Angel Flavor'' **''Seven Colors of Wind'' *Manga ** **Nguyen, Dominic. "Angel/Dust neo". (January 2007) ''N ...
, a longtime fan of SNK. Unlike most game-based anime, the voices were supplied by the same actors as in the game. It is relatively obscure, never having been released in the U.S., and the prospect of licensing is dim at best, as it offers no introduction to any of the characters, assuming (not unreasonably) that anyone watching it is likely to be familiar with the series and its cast already. The story mainly revolves on Nakoruru and her humanistic ideals: she believes that anyone with a heart has the right to live peacefully. Shiki, though apparently free from Yuga's influence, is recognized as a threat for the sorcerer's return and it was through Nakoruru's reasonings that previously saved her life from Haohmaru. Nakoruru finds her and then struggles to peacefully defend her from her pursuers, which include Haohmaru, Galford, and Asura. Though torn because of her morals and pacifistic nature, Nakoruru eventually agrees to draw her blade and fight for those who need protecting. Despite being wounded in his final skirmish with Nakoruru, Asura stabs Shiki and they both sink into a portal to the underworld. Making peace with her blood-thirsty alter ego, the Ainu priestess leaves Kamui Kotan, hoping to find news of Shiki's safety. The second 30-minute OVA, ''
Nakoruru ~Ano hito kara no okurimono~ (OVA) is an unfinished Japanese anime OVA series based on the video game of the same name which itself a spin-off from the ''Samurai Shodown'' series, released for DVD on May 25, 2002. The OVA is directed by Katsuma Kanazawa with character designs ...
'', centers around the ''Nakoruru ADV'' game, again using Nakoruru as the main heroine. Character designs were done by Yasuomi Umetsu, who is best known for his work in ''
Mezzo Forte is a 2000 original video animation (OVA) directed by Yasuomi Umetsu, but in the United States these OVAs are edited into an anime movie and released it on DVD on the same year. The OVA, which concerns a young woman, Mikura Suzuki, and her m ...
'' and ''
Kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...
''. The events of the story are meant to take place during the time of peace between the first and second games of the series. The story introduces her childhood friends, Yamtamu and Manari, along with her younger sister, Rimururu, and the relentless enigma, Rera. Nakoruru, though glad that there is serenity, experiences several premonitions of devastation and is haunted by the thought of further bloodshed. The climax of the episode has Nakoruru protecting a deer from a rock slide, implied to be caused by evil entities. For undisclosed reasons, the OVA never released another episode and the story remains unfinished. In 2006,
Sabertooth Games BL Publishing was a division of Games Workshop, and was split into three sections: * The Black Library publishes novels, art books, background books and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy (setting), Warhammer Fantasy world and the Warham ...
released a ''Samurai Shodown V''
collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
set along with ''
The King of Fighters 2006 ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (KOFMI2)'', released in North America as ''The King of Fighters 2006 (KOF 2006, or KOF '06)'', is a 3D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It was also released for the arcade u ...
'' for its ''
Universal Fighting System The ''Universal Fighting System'' (''UFS'') is a collectible card game designed by Jasco Games. Games of ''UFS'' represent a fight between two characters in hand-to-hand combat. Characters are drawn from original properties as well as a number of ...
'' (''UFS'') collectible card game. Featured character starter decks were also released for Haohmaru and Ukyo Tachibana. STG staff favorites from the ''Samurai Shodown'' side tend to favor towards characters Nakoruru and Hanzo Hattori.


See also

*''
The Last Blade ''The Last Blade'' is a fighting game developed and released by SNK for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo system in 1997. It was also ported to several home systems. A sequel, ''The Last Blade 2'', was released in 1998. The game takes place during t ...
'' *''
Neo Geo Battle Coliseum , abbreviated ''NGBC'' or ''NBC'', is a 2-on-2 tag team fighting game designed for the Atomiswave arcade board developed and released by SNK in 2005. The game features characters from several SNK and ADK titles. Subsequently, a PlayStation 2 vers ...
'' *''
SNK vs. Capcom ''SNK vs. Capcom'', or alternately ''Capcom vs. SNK'', is a series of crossover video games by either Capcom or SNK featuring characters that appear in games created by either company. Most of these are fighting game, and take on a similar for ...
''


Notes


References

*


External links


''Samurai Shodown'' official website''Samurai Spirits 1-4''
at NBC Museum of SNK Playmore {{Neo Geo ADV Films Video games about ninja Fighting games Fighting video games by series SNK franchises SNK games SNK Playmore games Video games about samurai Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1993