Showing posts with label takuma sakazaki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label takuma sakazaki. Show all posts
Monday, May 18, 2026
Bookmark This Page; Discovering SNK character design
I may be known for my Street Fighter deep dives, but did you know that some of my first blogs were about Fatal Fury, and the Art of Fighting? If you want to learn the differences between Capcom and SNK's approach to design then Bookmark This Page.
Friday, October 2, 2015
How fight culture became fighting game history, part 41
When Gouki debuted in 1994's Super Street Fighter II Turbo he set the standard for boss characters and villains in fighting games. The other studios took notice and tried to create legends of their own. SNK was a long time rival to Capcom. They had a masked fighter named "Mr. Karate" that predated Gouki by a few years. Takuma Sakazaki was the masked villain and final boss in the Art of Fighting. He was also the father of the heroes of the game Ryo and Yuri Sakazaki. The 1992 title did not originally feature the character as a pseudo demon but instead had him wearing a Tengu or devil mask. As the series went on the character of Mr. Karate grew more and more powerful until he took on a number of the same traits that Gouki had. His attacks became more powerful and he seemed to be a completely different person behind the mask. Most fans would consider the characters to be evenly-matched villains.
Not many fighting game aficionados however would remember that SNK had introduced a character that was eerily closer to Gouki in form and presentation than Mr. Karate. The 1999 arcade release Buriki One was one of SNK's first attempts at moving their IP into three-dimensions. The game had a cast of mostly new faces with the exception of Ryo Sakazaki, who had entered the tournament under the name of Mr. Karate II. Players fought masters of various styles and could beat the game by winning the tournament. The secret character in the game had an entrance that was reminiscent of the first appearance of Gouki. Players would go through their usual opening animation; where the selected character walked from backstage to the tournament platform. When the rival was announced the screen switched to the locker room. The opponent would be thrown through the double doors and crash into the caged-off platform. The true boss character would then appear. He was a muscular German named Silber. The character had a terrible gash over one eye and was covered in grizzly scars. The white-haired fighter looked nightmarish. He would rush the stage and take a superhuman leap over the barrier.
Silber had a very unorthodox stance and fighting style. The story behind the character was very interesting. The German had spend the last 30 years traveling the globe, fighting the best masters of other fighting arts and leaving few witnesses in his wake. He had developed his own form of karate which was unlike the traditional Japanese schools but just as lethal if not more so. When he learned there was a tournament to find out which was the best fighting style he decided to enter without an invitation. Silber was the first non-Japanese karate villain in a fighting game. The fact that SNK made him the boss character was even more impressive. It was as if the Japanese developers had suddenly come to realize that people from other nations could not only master foreign fighting arts, but they could also create their own contributions to the form. To help Silber stand out from Mr. Karate or the other bosses from SNK history the studio took a page from Capcom's school of design. They made the German look like a supernatural character. The patchwork of scars that covered his body made him appear like Frankenstein's monster. It was more than coincidence that his look was pulled from classic literary traditions.
Gouki had elements from Eastern mythology and Silber's design observed many Western ones. Centuries ago the Black Forest in Germany had been romanticized in fairy tales. The Brothers Grimm brought imps, dwarfs, witches and shapeshifters from classic folklore into popular culture. Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty were just some of the old stories that the brothers had adapted not only to entertain but to also put the fear of the unknown into children. In fact, some of the stories were not called fairy tales but instead "warning tales." The Black Forest, like many other forests in Germany, was once very dangerous. It hosted wild boars, bears and wolves that killed many a settler. Many of those creatures were hunted to extinction but the legends of dangerous predators remained in the stories. The designers at SNK thought to develop a new fable out of a creature that came out of the woods to hunt down man as well. Silber would take on the appearance of the animal-turned-human in the Buriki One tournament. The artists did not look at a lion for inspiration this time. The bright white hair and sideburns stuck out like the mane of a timber wolf. The look was enhanced by the fur-lined gi that he wore in competition. The character was certainly an alpha-predator. It was assumed that he had killed an animal and skinned it to line his uniform. The cold German winters would have made outdoor training unbearable without some protection. His clothing had dark black stripes that looked like claw marks to perpetuate the myth of the animal-like survivalist. The character art and profile featured in the game was unmistakable. This was a major villain, a nightmare from classic storytelling traditions.
SNK wanted to make the character very mysterious. They gave him no dialogue or lines in the game. If a player managed to defeat Silber an ending animation would play before the credits. He survived the fight, stood up and took another superhuman leap to escape from the ring. If gamers managed to beat Silber with all of the regular characters then he too would become a playable character. This meant that Silber had his own stats, alternate costume and even ending cinema. Each character held a press conference at the end of the game where they talked about the fighting style that took them to the top. The credits would roll during the press conference and players could get filled into the plot.
Players that wanted to learn a bit more about Silber were disappointed with his ending. Nothing was revealed during his interview. He looked at the room full of reporters with disdain in his eyes. Instead of answering their questions he simply jumped off the screen. This bit of mystery would follow the character in all his future appearances. He was the boss character that would never stay down for long no matter how badly the player had beaten him. He would leap out of each game just as quickly as he arrived. It helped add an air of mystery to him and kept fans of the SNK universe guessing when he would turn up again. For older fans of animé the spectacular leaps that Silber made were a nod to the classic series Karate Baka Ichidai. The show was a serialized retelling of the life of Mas Oyama featuring his encounters against various fighting styles. This hinted that Silber was like a modern Oyama, only without scruples or compassion for other fighters.
There was something outside of the gruesome appearances that made Gouki and Silber similar. The two were not solely boss characters but also villains. They were not villains in the traditional sense of the word. They did not kidnap princesses or take Gotham City hostage. They were villains in the sense that they were both very evil men. They were both obsessed with power and were willing to achieve that power at any price. For professional and underground fighters this meant that they had to be the best that ever lived. In order to achieve that the duo had focused on nothing else except for training and fighting. They had no friends, no family and no sense of loyalty. Silber was rumored to have mentored the pro boxer and criminal Rob Python, also from the Buriki One universe. Gouki had a run in with his brother Gouken at several points during the training of Ken and Ryu. The wisdom and warnings from Gouki did not fall on deaf ears then. Despite these limited interactions with younger fighters the two had almost no contact with anyone else in canon or the games. There was something that made the characters truly evil though. The next blog will talk about the elements of evil design and how it inspired minority villains. As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!
Not many fighting game aficionados however would remember that SNK had introduced a character that was eerily closer to Gouki in form and presentation than Mr. Karate. The 1999 arcade release Buriki One was one of SNK's first attempts at moving their IP into three-dimensions. The game had a cast of mostly new faces with the exception of Ryo Sakazaki, who had entered the tournament under the name of Mr. Karate II. Players fought masters of various styles and could beat the game by winning the tournament. The secret character in the game had an entrance that was reminiscent of the first appearance of Gouki. Players would go through their usual opening animation; where the selected character walked from backstage to the tournament platform. When the rival was announced the screen switched to the locker room. The opponent would be thrown through the double doors and crash into the caged-off platform. The true boss character would then appear. He was a muscular German named Silber. The character had a terrible gash over one eye and was covered in grizzly scars. The white-haired fighter looked nightmarish. He would rush the stage and take a superhuman leap over the barrier.
Silber had a very unorthodox stance and fighting style. The story behind the character was very interesting. The German had spend the last 30 years traveling the globe, fighting the best masters of other fighting arts and leaving few witnesses in his wake. He had developed his own form of karate which was unlike the traditional Japanese schools but just as lethal if not more so. When he learned there was a tournament to find out which was the best fighting style he decided to enter without an invitation. Silber was the first non-Japanese karate villain in a fighting game. The fact that SNK made him the boss character was even more impressive. It was as if the Japanese developers had suddenly come to realize that people from other nations could not only master foreign fighting arts, but they could also create their own contributions to the form. To help Silber stand out from Mr. Karate or the other bosses from SNK history the studio took a page from Capcom's school of design. They made the German look like a supernatural character. The patchwork of scars that covered his body made him appear like Frankenstein's monster. It was more than coincidence that his look was pulled from classic literary traditions.
Gouki had elements from Eastern mythology and Silber's design observed many Western ones. Centuries ago the Black Forest in Germany had been romanticized in fairy tales. The Brothers Grimm brought imps, dwarfs, witches and shapeshifters from classic folklore into popular culture. Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty were just some of the old stories that the brothers had adapted not only to entertain but to also put the fear of the unknown into children. In fact, some of the stories were not called fairy tales but instead "warning tales." The Black Forest, like many other forests in Germany, was once very dangerous. It hosted wild boars, bears and wolves that killed many a settler. Many of those creatures were hunted to extinction but the legends of dangerous predators remained in the stories. The designers at SNK thought to develop a new fable out of a creature that came out of the woods to hunt down man as well. Silber would take on the appearance of the animal-turned-human in the Buriki One tournament. The artists did not look at a lion for inspiration this time. The bright white hair and sideburns stuck out like the mane of a timber wolf. The look was enhanced by the fur-lined gi that he wore in competition. The character was certainly an alpha-predator. It was assumed that he had killed an animal and skinned it to line his uniform. The cold German winters would have made outdoor training unbearable without some protection. His clothing had dark black stripes that looked like claw marks to perpetuate the myth of the animal-like survivalist. The character art and profile featured in the game was unmistakable. This was a major villain, a nightmare from classic storytelling traditions.
SNK wanted to make the character very mysterious. They gave him no dialogue or lines in the game. If a player managed to defeat Silber an ending animation would play before the credits. He survived the fight, stood up and took another superhuman leap to escape from the ring. If gamers managed to beat Silber with all of the regular characters then he too would become a playable character. This meant that Silber had his own stats, alternate costume and even ending cinema. Each character held a press conference at the end of the game where they talked about the fighting style that took them to the top. The credits would roll during the press conference and players could get filled into the plot.
Players that wanted to learn a bit more about Silber were disappointed with his ending. Nothing was revealed during his interview. He looked at the room full of reporters with disdain in his eyes. Instead of answering their questions he simply jumped off the screen. This bit of mystery would follow the character in all his future appearances. He was the boss character that would never stay down for long no matter how badly the player had beaten him. He would leap out of each game just as quickly as he arrived. It helped add an air of mystery to him and kept fans of the SNK universe guessing when he would turn up again. For older fans of animé the spectacular leaps that Silber made were a nod to the classic series Karate Baka Ichidai. The show was a serialized retelling of the life of Mas Oyama featuring his encounters against various fighting styles. This hinted that Silber was like a modern Oyama, only without scruples or compassion for other fighters.
There was something outside of the gruesome appearances that made Gouki and Silber similar. The two were not solely boss characters but also villains. They were not villains in the traditional sense of the word. They did not kidnap princesses or take Gotham City hostage. They were villains in the sense that they were both very evil men. They were both obsessed with power and were willing to achieve that power at any price. For professional and underground fighters this meant that they had to be the best that ever lived. In order to achieve that the duo had focused on nothing else except for training and fighting. They had no friends, no family and no sense of loyalty. Silber was rumored to have mentored the pro boxer and criminal Rob Python, also from the Buriki One universe. Gouki had a run in with his brother Gouken at several points during the training of Ken and Ryu. The wisdom and warnings from Gouki did not fall on deaf ears then. Despite these limited interactions with younger fighters the two had almost no contact with anyone else in canon or the games. There was something that made the characters truly evil though. The next blog will talk about the elements of evil design and how it inspired minority villains. As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
How fight culture became fighting game history, part 7
No character is truly original, none are pulled out from thin air, at least not the memorable ones. Gouki and Mr. Karate, the greatest "boss" characters from Capcom and SNK respectively, were inspired by mystical icons. To be specific the spiritual influences of Asian religions. These fighting game characters, their appearance, colors and even poses were based on the Nio. The Nio were the guardians of Buddha. They deterred evil man and demon from the gates of the afterlife and met the honorable ones as a friend when their spirit was ready to transcend this dimension. These figures could be found in temples as intricately detailed wooden carvings, some were life-sized and some were gigantic. They were also referred to as the the Benevolent Kings in other writings. The two most recognizable, the ones highlighted in manga and anime, being Agyo and Ungyo; the beginning and end, or "alpha" and "omega." The guardians were physically imposing figures, whose exaggerated muscles and proportions were meant to instill fear into those that would desecrate a temple. Although empty-handed in most representations they were nonetheless meant to be seen as fearsome warriors and masters of the martial arts.
Upon studying the statues, their origins and aesthetics we can see how the Nio could be incorporated into a fighting game. One of the most popular incarnations being Gouki / Akuma from Capcom's revolutionary Street Fighter series. Years later many of the fearsome elements from the Nio and earlier Vedic Traditions were pulled by Capcom once more to create the heroes and villains featured in Asura's Wrath. Given their importance in Buddhism and symbolically strong gestures they could not have been meant for anything less than "boss" status in their respective titles. The scowls, wide-eyes, raw power and menacing poses were universally understood even if their divine origin was not. All it took was for some artists to come along and update their designs, bring them into a contemporary setting.
The Nio are sometimes mistaken for another figure from Buddhism. Fudo Myo-o AKA Acala is known as the "Immovable One." The fearsome-looking demon is actually a protector as well. He burns away all impediments and defilement so that living beings can reach enlightenment. The blue skin is supposed to recall elements of the supernatural. Gods and demons are often presented with blue or red skin. Many Hindu deities were presented with blue skin as well and possibly influenced the creation of the Chinese and Japanese spirits.
While Gouki was based on the Nio, a latter version of the character introduced in Super Street Fighter IV was known as Oni (the Japanese word for demon). The supercharged, blue-skinned version of Gouki was undoubtedly rooted in the design of Fudo Myo-o.
Mr. Karate from the SNK King of Fighters universe combined the Nio influence with a Tengu mask. Masks were very powerful symbols of culture, every culture had a mask tradition and were recognized for their symbolic properties. When used carefully by a game designer they could make an ordinary character extraordinary. In Japan, and in some regions, masks had an important ceremonial position. Originally carved from wood and later turned into a paper-maché craft, Iwami Kagura masks, which were similar to the Tengu masks were used in a historical and folk context. They were most commonly used for Noh plays as great storytelling devices. Even those without an understanding of Japanese culture could still find time to appreciate the colors, design and craftsmanship that goes into these amazing masks.
The use of masks as a storytelling device is also something featured in theSichuan Chinese opera. Stories based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West often feature performers in full face paint, if not ornately designed silk masks. Some performers were able to switch masks in a fraction of a second as a magic trick. This centuries-old practice was fiercely guarded by the Chinese and the techniques of the masked performers were often handed down to members of the immediate family only through a rigorous apprenticeship. In similar ways certain forms of kung-fu were also only trusted to immediate family members. While the Shaolin were willing to train other monks in the art of self defense many kung-fu practitioners were much more secretive. Many forms died out and it took a long time for certain lineages to be taught to foreigners, if at all. The fighting game character Lee Pai Long was a masked performer and master martial artist. His father was a legend and trusted his only son with his arcane knowledge of medicine as well as the martial arts. In SNK canon Lee Pai Long was a minor character but his design influences were notable. His mask had the pattern of the Monkey King on it. He came from a tradition that predated the Tengu mask.
The word Tengu translated to Heavenly Dog, a Shinto god. Sometimes the tengu mask had a beak and made the wearer appear like a bird. The more common version has red skin and a long nose with certain phallic qualities. Yes, there were some tengu masks with long flaccid noses as well! The term tengu and the characters used to write it in Japanese were borrowed from the name of a fierce demon from Chinese folklore called tiāngoǔ. The tengu were mythical characters, spirits, animals, goblins and such that existed before Buddhism reached Japan. As was the case in other locations the Buddhists pulled mythology of the region and incorporated it into their stories. The tengu stopped being representatives of ancient animistic Shinto figures and were written as opponents of Buddhism but also sometimes protectors of it. This dual nature worked in the favor of the characters designed for fighting games. The character of Mr. Karate was the alias for Takuma Sakazaki. As Takuma the character was heroic, noble and very honorable. Mr. Karate by comparison was a brutal fighter that held nothing back and showed no mercy to his opponents. Takuma was based greatly on the Japanese karate master Mas Oyama. However as soon as he put on the mask he developed a completely new personality. The father of Lee Pai Long was Lee Gakusuo, he was the martial artist that left an enormous scar across the chest of a young and arrogant Takuma. Gakusuo was what Mr. Chen was to the legend of Mas Oyama.
As a design choice it was a bold move from the people working at Capcom and SNK to feature martial artists disguised as divine beings. Imagine what a spectacle a real fighter would have created if they chose to protect their identity, or create a new personae with a mask? What would have happened if Mas Oyama or Huo Yuanjia had returned from their self-imposed exile to fight foreign champions while wearing a mask? What if they shunned the fame and had shown up at fighting tournaments unannounced and disappeared as soon as they beat their opponent? Imagine what the reaction would have been if Bruce Lee had lived and caught anonymously instead of promoted himself and his philosophies on movie screens. The stories and conspiracy theories surrounding their lives would be even stronger today.
The most unique designs in the King of Fighters and Street Fighter revolved around a distinct Japanese aesthetic. The Nio figures, the tengu masks and classic theater all had a part in shaping the legacy of fighting games. To ignore the origins of these characters was to deny the reason why audiences were so attracted to them. Western fans of the titles that lacked an understanding behind the Eastern religions, customs and traditions still appreciated these unique characters. I would argue that Gouki, Mr. Karate and other characters like them inspired Westerners to study more about Asian cultures and religions. There was no doubt that they found some influences with their favorite characters as they progressed deeper into history. The foundation for the King of Fighters and Street Fighter series was planted at the start of the 20th century not in the middle of the century. Mas Oyama was a central influence to both games but there were Japanese legends that existed before he did. When the designers at Capcom and SNK studied these men they were able to work them into the canon of each series. The next blog will get to the roots of the Japanese masters. As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!
Upon studying the statues, their origins and aesthetics we can see how the Nio could be incorporated into a fighting game. One of the most popular incarnations being Gouki / Akuma from Capcom's revolutionary Street Fighter series. Years later many of the fearsome elements from the Nio and earlier Vedic Traditions were pulled by Capcom once more to create the heroes and villains featured in Asura's Wrath. Given their importance in Buddhism and symbolically strong gestures they could not have been meant for anything less than "boss" status in their respective titles. The scowls, wide-eyes, raw power and menacing poses were universally understood even if their divine origin was not. All it took was for some artists to come along and update their designs, bring them into a contemporary setting.
The Nio are sometimes mistaken for another figure from Buddhism. Fudo Myo-o AKA Acala is known as the "Immovable One." The fearsome-looking demon is actually a protector as well. He burns away all impediments and defilement so that living beings can reach enlightenment. The blue skin is supposed to recall elements of the supernatural. Gods and demons are often presented with blue or red skin. Many Hindu deities were presented with blue skin as well and possibly influenced the creation of the Chinese and Japanese spirits.
While Gouki was based on the Nio, a latter version of the character introduced in Super Street Fighter IV was known as Oni (the Japanese word for demon). The supercharged, blue-skinned version of Gouki was undoubtedly rooted in the design of Fudo Myo-o.
Mr. Karate from the SNK King of Fighters universe combined the Nio influence with a Tengu mask. Masks were very powerful symbols of culture, every culture had a mask tradition and were recognized for their symbolic properties. When used carefully by a game designer they could make an ordinary character extraordinary. In Japan, and in some regions, masks had an important ceremonial position. Originally carved from wood and later turned into a paper-maché craft, Iwami Kagura masks, which were similar to the Tengu masks were used in a historical and folk context. They were most commonly used for Noh plays as great storytelling devices. Even those without an understanding of Japanese culture could still find time to appreciate the colors, design and craftsmanship that goes into these amazing masks.
The use of masks as a storytelling device is also something featured in theSichuan Chinese opera. Stories based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West often feature performers in full face paint, if not ornately designed silk masks. Some performers were able to switch masks in a fraction of a second as a magic trick. This centuries-old practice was fiercely guarded by the Chinese and the techniques of the masked performers were often handed down to members of the immediate family only through a rigorous apprenticeship. In similar ways certain forms of kung-fu were also only trusted to immediate family members. While the Shaolin were willing to train other monks in the art of self defense many kung-fu practitioners were much more secretive. Many forms died out and it took a long time for certain lineages to be taught to foreigners, if at all. The fighting game character Lee Pai Long was a masked performer and master martial artist. His father was a legend and trusted his only son with his arcane knowledge of medicine as well as the martial arts. In SNK canon Lee Pai Long was a minor character but his design influences were notable. His mask had the pattern of the Monkey King on it. He came from a tradition that predated the Tengu mask.
The word Tengu translated to Heavenly Dog, a Shinto god. Sometimes the tengu mask had a beak and made the wearer appear like a bird. The more common version has red skin and a long nose with certain phallic qualities. Yes, there were some tengu masks with long flaccid noses as well! The term tengu and the characters used to write it in Japanese were borrowed from the name of a fierce demon from Chinese folklore called tiāngoǔ. The tengu were mythical characters, spirits, animals, goblins and such that existed before Buddhism reached Japan. As was the case in other locations the Buddhists pulled mythology of the region and incorporated it into their stories. The tengu stopped being representatives of ancient animistic Shinto figures and were written as opponents of Buddhism but also sometimes protectors of it. This dual nature worked in the favor of the characters designed for fighting games. The character of Mr. Karate was the alias for Takuma Sakazaki. As Takuma the character was heroic, noble and very honorable. Mr. Karate by comparison was a brutal fighter that held nothing back and showed no mercy to his opponents. Takuma was based greatly on the Japanese karate master Mas Oyama. However as soon as he put on the mask he developed a completely new personality. The father of Lee Pai Long was Lee Gakusuo, he was the martial artist that left an enormous scar across the chest of a young and arrogant Takuma. Gakusuo was what Mr. Chen was to the legend of Mas Oyama.
As a design choice it was a bold move from the people working at Capcom and SNK to feature martial artists disguised as divine beings. Imagine what a spectacle a real fighter would have created if they chose to protect their identity, or create a new personae with a mask? What would have happened if Mas Oyama or Huo Yuanjia had returned from their self-imposed exile to fight foreign champions while wearing a mask? What if they shunned the fame and had shown up at fighting tournaments unannounced and disappeared as soon as they beat their opponent? Imagine what the reaction would have been if Bruce Lee had lived and caught anonymously instead of promoted himself and his philosophies on movie screens. The stories and conspiracy theories surrounding their lives would be even stronger today.
The most unique designs in the King of Fighters and Street Fighter revolved around a distinct Japanese aesthetic. The Nio figures, the tengu masks and classic theater all had a part in shaping the legacy of fighting games. To ignore the origins of these characters was to deny the reason why audiences were so attracted to them. Western fans of the titles that lacked an understanding behind the Eastern religions, customs and traditions still appreciated these unique characters. I would argue that Gouki, Mr. Karate and other characters like them inspired Westerners to study more about Asian cultures and religions. There was no doubt that they found some influences with their favorite characters as they progressed deeper into history. The foundation for the King of Fighters and Street Fighter series was planted at the start of the 20th century not in the middle of the century. Mas Oyama was a central influence to both games but there were Japanese legends that existed before he did. When the designers at Capcom and SNK studied these men they were able to work them into the canon of each series. The next blog will get to the roots of the Japanese masters. As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The Legend of Kyokugen Karate, Marco Rodriguez
Mr. Karate represented the unbreakable will of Takuma Sakazaki. The man himself was flawed, aging and losing presence within the SNK universe. It was his alter ego that was the true boss that all of the other fighters feared. Mr. Karate never seemed to age, never seemed to get hurt and was an all powerful martial artist without equal. Takuma by comparison had lost his friends and wife in the rough city of Southtown. His children and students helped keep him together but there was always something bubbling under the surface. Many gamers could tell that even without the mask on there was a good portion of Mr. Karate living inside of Takuma. It was obvious by looking at the massive scar over his chest but not that many had seen the marks on his back. This was a person that had survived knife fights, sword fights and gun battles using his bare hands. This was also a person, like Mas Oyama, that had tested himself against wild animals.
The legend of Mr. Karate was what drew practitioners into Southtown, none of them was more important as a student and a character than Marco Rodriguez. This character was absent from my Coloring Perception series. I could not find a proper place to mention him with regards to black character designs in fighting games. Marco had one foot in the absurd design typical of many fighting game developers, yet he was not a clown. He had as many abilities and attacks as Takuma, Ryo, Robert or Yuri. It was his zest for the Kyokugen style that made him a standout. Rodriguez was not only the star pupil but also its biggest supporter. While the Sakazaki's were competing in the KOF tournaments, Buriki One tournament or chasing bad guys around in the Art of Fighting titles it had been Marco that kept the school alive, paid the bills, promoted the system. His eyes would well up with pride whenever he thought about Ryo and how much the school meant to him.
Marco had first appeared as a background character in Takuma's Art of Fighting (AoF) 2 stage. The designers never forgot him so when they redrew the stage for the King of Fighters XII they made sure to include his updated look with a pompadour and sideburns instead of braids. He was also sitting in the dojo laughing at the fighters, it said about the personality and the abilities of Rodriguez. Marco had first appeared as a playable character in Garou: Mark of the Wolves. It was notable because Marco was trained by Ryo and was the first Kyokugen fighter to appear in the Fatal Fury (FF) series. Released in 1999 Mark of the Wolves was the final game in the Fatal Fury series. Most fans of the SNK titles had wondered which star was the best fighter in the universe. Was it Ryo from the Art of Fighting or Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury? SNK would only tease gamers by saying that both universes were connected and even set within the same city and timeline. The boss character from Fatal Fury appeared as a boss in the Art of Fighting 2 yet none of the heroes ever crossed over until the original King of Fighters was released in 1994. However to fans it was a bit of a cop-out. The KOF series had mixed in a lot of other characters and changed the gameplay so that it was neither Fatal Fury nor the Art of Fighting. Both of the earlier games had a unique design aesthetic and control scheme. The sprites featured in the FF series were smaller with the gameplay being focused on allowed characters to jump between to or three different planes so that they could go around opponents. It was a precursor to the first 3D games. By comparison the AoF featured very large, highly detailed sprites and tried to capture a more realistic feel for the fighters. The characters could bruise and their clothes could even tear depending on how much damage the players sustained. Yet neither development team would allow for the stars from one title to appear on the other game.
Garou: Mark of the Wolves was the closest that the two universes would come together outside of the KOF. An older, stronger Terry Bogard was the star of the game yet there was one Kyokugen master in the game as well only it wasn't Ryo Sakazaki or Robert Garcia. Marco Rodriguez was a student of Ryo's and had committed himself completely to the art form. He was so dedicated in fact that he was living like a hermit in the nearby Sarah Forest, training in complete isolation in the same ways of the founder of Kyokugen. Marco had the same moves of the main AoF stars but the control and presentation was decidedly FF. It was a way to finally get both universes in one title without upsetting the rival fans.
Marco was an absolute zealot of the Kyokugen way. He even carried around a large wooden sign of the dojo whenever he fought. He was inspired by Willie Williams, a black US fighter that dedicated himself to the Kyokushin style back in '70s. He believed in the system with tremendous fervor and even moved to Japan to follow in the footsteps of Mas Oyama and train in many of the same places. In 1979 during second ever Kyokushin World Tournament, held in Tokyo Japan, Williams representing the USA competed and came in third. At the time it was the highest ranking for a non-Japanese and the record remained until 1987 when the Swiss-born Andy Hug came in second. In 1980 Williams fought Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki in a highly publicized bout. Inoki had fought Muhammad Ali a few years prior to a draw in the pro wrestling vs boxing contest. This time he wanted to take on the massive American and see if karate was stronger than pro wrestling. The two battled for just over 5 minutes, the first half of which was mostly both men posturing and putting on a show but the last few were rough. This match also ended in a draw but Inoki would suffer from a broken rib and Williams from a broken arm. Williams would be kicked out of the organizing body of Kyokushin for participation in the fight.
Williams, like many people in the '60s and '70s, had become obsessed with Oyama's total karate system. The martial arts had exploded in popularity thanks to the kung-fu films of the Shaw Bros. and Bruce Lee. Westerners were eager to master these exotic arts and signed up for kung-fu, karate, judo and jujitsu classes. Those that stuck with the arts became some of the early masters outside of Japan. Marco was a caricature of Williams. The character not only trained like Takuma but he even lived like a hermit out in the woods in order to focus on just his training. At the start of his stage players actually got to see Rodriguez sparring with a bear dressed in a karate gi. It was a funny visual however players that were familiar with the legend of Mas Oyama remember that he had fought a bear during his many adventures. This encounter was retold in the Karate Baka Ichidai manga and animé series. The fight made the man a legend, yet to Willie Williams he saw it as a testament to Kyokushin. Williams was actually filmed sparring with a bear for the documentary "The Strongest Karate" which was a thinly veiled Kyokushin propaganda piece. Williams was tall and strong but even the 6' 7" man seemed hopelessly ill prepared to fight the bear. Most witnesses said that the bear seemed drugged and confused. Even in such a state the bear managed to throw aside Williams with ease and handily absorbed the punches and kicks from the karateka.
In the videogame however Marco was something else entirely. Just as Takuma Sakazaki was a super powerful version of Mas Oyama so too was Rodriguez when compared to Williams. There was a reason that Rodriguez was smirking and laughing at the characters in the KOF stage. He felt superior to them thanks to his hard training in Kyokugen. After all real men sparred with bears and lived off the land. His stage painted a clear picture as to his level of power. The man made a dumbbell out of boulders and used a wrecking ball as a punching bag. He even chopped down trees with his bare hands and feet. These weren't little trees either but giant hardwood trees that were wider than most cars. It was assumed that he had developed the level of power of Takuma, Ryo and Robert. This made him a perfect ambassador for Kyokugen in the Fatal Fury game and a fitting rival to Terry Bogard.
Marco was extremely passionate about the fighting art and vehemently defended it in the game. He was the ad campaign that the Sakazaki's needed to keep their gym alive. As much as he idolized Ryo he was probably not aware of the dark secret that Takuma was hiding. This complexity made Takuma and his fighting system very unique. His alter ego would be elevated to the status of major villain. With the mask on the character was ruthless in battle. He did not tire, did not suffer injuries and never seemed to age. Mr. Karate was the superior character in every regard. It was as if the mask had relieved Takuma of his responsibilities. He could put everything on the line because his children were safe. The person he fought knew nothing of the man behind the mask or his legacy. It was the same reason why superheroes wore a mask in Western comics, except instead of protecting innocent lives Mr. Karate was seeking out worthy opponents to destroy. While Takuma had an interesting life story he was the reason why I could not rank him higher in my list of greatest fighting game bosses. The character kept Mr. Karate grounded. Truly great villains had no family and held no allegiance. In fighting games this meant that the last man standing was the greatest fighter.
I would always consider Gouki to be the perfect fighting game boss because nothing held him back. Gouki had even made sure of that by killing his master and his brother. Zumbi had ditched Cobra and sold his soul to Macumba in order to become Zumbi Azul. Silber actively pursued the masters of fighting styles like a predator in nature stalking its prey. None of my top three had any regard for their opponents on themselves. Mr. Karate might be considered the greatest boss that ever appeared in an SNK game but he also had a weakness. Mr. Karate had an unbreakable will but Takuma Sakazaki's could still be bent by threatening the lives of his children. Silber did not have that going against him and that was why I ranked him higher.
What do you guys and girls think? Who would you consider the greatest fighting game bosses ever designed? I'd like to hear about it in the comments section. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!
The legend of Mr. Karate was what drew practitioners into Southtown, none of them was more important as a student and a character than Marco Rodriguez. This character was absent from my Coloring Perception series. I could not find a proper place to mention him with regards to black character designs in fighting games. Marco had one foot in the absurd design typical of many fighting game developers, yet he was not a clown. He had as many abilities and attacks as Takuma, Ryo, Robert or Yuri. It was his zest for the Kyokugen style that made him a standout. Rodriguez was not only the star pupil but also its biggest supporter. While the Sakazaki's were competing in the KOF tournaments, Buriki One tournament or chasing bad guys around in the Art of Fighting titles it had been Marco that kept the school alive, paid the bills, promoted the system. His eyes would well up with pride whenever he thought about Ryo and how much the school meant to him.
Marco had first appeared as a background character in Takuma's Art of Fighting (AoF) 2 stage. The designers never forgot him so when they redrew the stage for the King of Fighters XII they made sure to include his updated look with a pompadour and sideburns instead of braids. He was also sitting in the dojo laughing at the fighters, it said about the personality and the abilities of Rodriguez. Marco had first appeared as a playable character in Garou: Mark of the Wolves. It was notable because Marco was trained by Ryo and was the first Kyokugen fighter to appear in the Fatal Fury (FF) series. Released in 1999 Mark of the Wolves was the final game in the Fatal Fury series. Most fans of the SNK titles had wondered which star was the best fighter in the universe. Was it Ryo from the Art of Fighting or Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury? SNK would only tease gamers by saying that both universes were connected and even set within the same city and timeline. The boss character from Fatal Fury appeared as a boss in the Art of Fighting 2 yet none of the heroes ever crossed over until the original King of Fighters was released in 1994. However to fans it was a bit of a cop-out. The KOF series had mixed in a lot of other characters and changed the gameplay so that it was neither Fatal Fury nor the Art of Fighting. Both of the earlier games had a unique design aesthetic and control scheme. The sprites featured in the FF series were smaller with the gameplay being focused on allowed characters to jump between to or three different planes so that they could go around opponents. It was a precursor to the first 3D games. By comparison the AoF featured very large, highly detailed sprites and tried to capture a more realistic feel for the fighters. The characters could bruise and their clothes could even tear depending on how much damage the players sustained. Yet neither development team would allow for the stars from one title to appear on the other game.
Garou: Mark of the Wolves was the closest that the two universes would come together outside of the KOF. An older, stronger Terry Bogard was the star of the game yet there was one Kyokugen master in the game as well only it wasn't Ryo Sakazaki or Robert Garcia. Marco Rodriguez was a student of Ryo's and had committed himself completely to the art form. He was so dedicated in fact that he was living like a hermit in the nearby Sarah Forest, training in complete isolation in the same ways of the founder of Kyokugen. Marco had the same moves of the main AoF stars but the control and presentation was decidedly FF. It was a way to finally get both universes in one title without upsetting the rival fans.
Marco was an absolute zealot of the Kyokugen way. He even carried around a large wooden sign of the dojo whenever he fought. He was inspired by Willie Williams, a black US fighter that dedicated himself to the Kyokushin style back in '70s. He believed in the system with tremendous fervor and even moved to Japan to follow in the footsteps of Mas Oyama and train in many of the same places. In 1979 during second ever Kyokushin World Tournament, held in Tokyo Japan, Williams representing the USA competed and came in third. At the time it was the highest ranking for a non-Japanese and the record remained until 1987 when the Swiss-born Andy Hug came in second. In 1980 Williams fought Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki in a highly publicized bout. Inoki had fought Muhammad Ali a few years prior to a draw in the pro wrestling vs boxing contest. This time he wanted to take on the massive American and see if karate was stronger than pro wrestling. The two battled for just over 5 minutes, the first half of which was mostly both men posturing and putting on a show but the last few were rough. This match also ended in a draw but Inoki would suffer from a broken rib and Williams from a broken arm. Williams would be kicked out of the organizing body of Kyokushin for participation in the fight.
Williams, like many people in the '60s and '70s, had become obsessed with Oyama's total karate system. The martial arts had exploded in popularity thanks to the kung-fu films of the Shaw Bros. and Bruce Lee. Westerners were eager to master these exotic arts and signed up for kung-fu, karate, judo and jujitsu classes. Those that stuck with the arts became some of the early masters outside of Japan. Marco was a caricature of Williams. The character not only trained like Takuma but he even lived like a hermit out in the woods in order to focus on just his training. At the start of his stage players actually got to see Rodriguez sparring with a bear dressed in a karate gi. It was a funny visual however players that were familiar with the legend of Mas Oyama remember that he had fought a bear during his many adventures. This encounter was retold in the Karate Baka Ichidai manga and animé series. The fight made the man a legend, yet to Willie Williams he saw it as a testament to Kyokushin. Williams was actually filmed sparring with a bear for the documentary "The Strongest Karate" which was a thinly veiled Kyokushin propaganda piece. Williams was tall and strong but even the 6' 7" man seemed hopelessly ill prepared to fight the bear. Most witnesses said that the bear seemed drugged and confused. Even in such a state the bear managed to throw aside Williams with ease and handily absorbed the punches and kicks from the karateka.
In the videogame however Marco was something else entirely. Just as Takuma Sakazaki was a super powerful version of Mas Oyama so too was Rodriguez when compared to Williams. There was a reason that Rodriguez was smirking and laughing at the characters in the KOF stage. He felt superior to them thanks to his hard training in Kyokugen. After all real men sparred with bears and lived off the land. His stage painted a clear picture as to his level of power. The man made a dumbbell out of boulders and used a wrecking ball as a punching bag. He even chopped down trees with his bare hands and feet. These weren't little trees either but giant hardwood trees that were wider than most cars. It was assumed that he had developed the level of power of Takuma, Ryo and Robert. This made him a perfect ambassador for Kyokugen in the Fatal Fury game and a fitting rival to Terry Bogard.
Marco was extremely passionate about the fighting art and vehemently defended it in the game. He was the ad campaign that the Sakazaki's needed to keep their gym alive. As much as he idolized Ryo he was probably not aware of the dark secret that Takuma was hiding. This complexity made Takuma and his fighting system very unique. His alter ego would be elevated to the status of major villain. With the mask on the character was ruthless in battle. He did not tire, did not suffer injuries and never seemed to age. Mr. Karate was the superior character in every regard. It was as if the mask had relieved Takuma of his responsibilities. He could put everything on the line because his children were safe. The person he fought knew nothing of the man behind the mask or his legacy. It was the same reason why superheroes wore a mask in Western comics, except instead of protecting innocent lives Mr. Karate was seeking out worthy opponents to destroy. While Takuma had an interesting life story he was the reason why I could not rank him higher in my list of greatest fighting game bosses. The character kept Mr. Karate grounded. Truly great villains had no family and held no allegiance. In fighting games this meant that the last man standing was the greatest fighter.
I would always consider Gouki to be the perfect fighting game boss because nothing held him back. Gouki had even made sure of that by killing his master and his brother. Zumbi had ditched Cobra and sold his soul to Macumba in order to become Zumbi Azul. Silber actively pursued the masters of fighting styles like a predator in nature stalking its prey. None of my top three had any regard for their opponents on themselves. Mr. Karate might be considered the greatest boss that ever appeared in an SNK game but he also had a weakness. Mr. Karate had an unbreakable will but Takuma Sakazaki's could still be bent by threatening the lives of his children. Silber did not have that going against him and that was why I ranked him higher.
What do you guys and girls think? Who would you consider the greatest fighting game bosses ever designed? I'd like to hear about it in the comments section. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!
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