This latest installment of Tatsunoko VS Capcom Ultimate All-Stars character profiles pits the quintessential animated Japanese supergenius against the hands-down winner of the "Most Obscure Capcom Character To Appear in a New Capcom Game" award. Read on to learn more about wacky henshin hero Yatterman No. 1, and your new favorite gun-totin' girlfriend, Saki.
Bio: Gan-Chan is a teenage slacker genius who prefers playing with the toys and robots in his father's toy shop to actually building them. However, after his father dies, Gan finally gets off his tuckus to complete his dad's final masterpiece. Said masterpiece? Yatter-Wan, a gigantic sentient wheeled robot dog designed as an all-terrain rescue machine, complete with sirens, jets, a firehose and mini helper robots that shoot out if its mouth. Really. Gan and his girlfriend, Ai, then embark upon an excitingly wacky series of henshin adventures as costumed heroes Yatterman No. 1 and Yatterman No. 2, battling the skankily evil Doronjo and her two knucklehead henchmen, Boyacky and Tonzra.
In the anime, Doronjo and crew are usually dreaming up some sort of nefarious scheme that requires the efforts of Yatterman and his girl to foil, complete with explosions, battling robots and good old fashioned hand-to-hand combat. True to his toy roots, Yatterman No. 1 prefers to use a kendama in battle, which is a traditional Japanese toy that falls somewhere between cup-and-ball and yo-yo. Yatterman uses the kendama in much the same way Indiana Jones uses his whip, such as tying up baddies and grappling over obstacles.
Gan and Ai both use the same henshin cry of "Yatter" to transform into their superheroic state. Of interest to Street Fighters (especially Chun-Li players) is that the Yatterman name is literally "Yatta!" man. "Yatta" is a Japanese expression of excitement, like "hooray!," that more or less means "I did it!" It's a phrase we were yelling a lot around the Capcom offices as Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5 were shipping this year.
Where you know him from: The original Yatterman show ran for 108 episodes from '77 to '79, and a newer, slightly modernized show has been back on the air in Japan since January of 2008. Famed weirdo director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer) directed a live-action movie that became a box office hit when released in March of 2009.
Both the original 70s anime and the 2008 series are brightly colored, goofy shows, more funny than serious, but still technically part of the henshin oevre (ooo, big word). Gan usually needs to be persudaded by Ai to take part in stomping on the baddies, but once he's motivated, he is more than happy to ride Yatter-Wan into battle. Most hilariously, the Doronbo gang usually manage to blow themselves up in just about every episode.
The humor can be slightly risque as well, as we'll dive into when we look at Doronjo. In both series, there's an overarching plot thread regarding a Skull Stone that, when assembled, will reveal the location of the world's biggest stash of gold, but that's little more than the MacGuffin that goads Yatterman and Doronjo into knee-slapping conflict.
Signature moves:
Yatter Shock: Yatterman kicks, then flicks his kendama. If the kendama hits, it will zap his opponent, laying them flat out and leaving them vulnerable for a follow-up attack.
Yatter-Wan Fire: Here comes the heat! Yatterman leaps off screen and reappears moments later riding on the side of Yatter-Wan, which then proceeds to breathe fire, which can be controlled by the player.
Bio: Chances are good that you know as much or more about Polymar than you do about Saki. She was one of the lovely ladies of Capcom's Quiz Nanairo Dreams, a CPS-2 powered arcade game that never saw the light of day in the United States (was also released on Saturn and PS1 in Japan). Quiz Nanairo Dreams is a cross between a dating game and a quiz show, where players had to answer questions correctly in order to get further with the seven chicks. Eventually, the player collects crystals from each of the girls to use aginst the Devil King. Why does she have a giant laser gun in TvC? I honestly have no idea.
Where you know her from: You don't know Saki from anywhere, actually. She pops up as a helper character in the first Marvel VS Capcom game and in the even-more-obscure SNK VS Capcom: Card Fighters Clash for the Neo Geo Pocket Color (please tell me you don't actually own a Neo Geo Pocket Color). Saki is technically a "Wii exclusive" character, as she was not part of the roster in the Japanese arcade game.
Signature moves:
Reload: Obviously, her big damn gun is going to be the heart of Saki's moves and she doesn't disappoint. Players can actually pick the ammo that they want loaded up by using the Reload move. Pressing the Light attack button will give you Buckshot for short-range shotgun blasts. Medium is the Plasma Sphere, which will stick enemies and allow you to hit 'em cheap and hard. Finally, pressing the Hard attack button selects the Power Ammo which will rock your opponent into the sky.
Positron Storm: Saki slaps on her goggles (they do nothing!) and fires a vertiable stream of fire up at an angle. Great for raking across gigantic enemies like Gold Lightan or for making people regret launching an aerial attack.
First appearance:Quiz Nanairo Dreams (1996)
Last seen in:Marvel VS Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998)
Tatsunoko VS Capcom Ultimate All-Stars producer Ryota Niitsuma-san came to the US for the first time during Comic-con and we immediately put him to work! First, he spoke with G4 in the clip above, diving in to some of the challenges that we faced in clearing all the licenses involved with the game. Then he met with Siliconera, where he teased hints about new characters and online play being added to All-Stars, topics that are near and dear to all y'all TvC fans. Read the Siliconera interview here for confirmation that Hakushon the Genie will not be in All-Stars, amongst other choice tidbits.
Grant and intrepid still-not-a-real-boy intern Gerald are currently knee-deep in Naruto fans at the LA Convention Center, as Anime Expo 2009 is officially on and crazytime. As you can see, the boys are making friends at the Capcom booth, showing off Tatsunoko VA Capcom Ultimate All-Stars and snapping photos of Capcom-flavored cosplayers. Are you going to the con this weekend? Will you be wearingCapcom regalia? If so, stop by so we can snap an image of your soul and paste it on Capcom Unity for all to see, just like these here folks. Watch this space, as I'll update it with more pictures from the show as they come in.
Grant is already prepping for Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center (which is not actually in Anaheim, as we accidentally lied to you yesterday), getting set to spend his 4th of July weekend with dudes in orange ninja suits, cardboard samurai armor and way, way too much spandex. As proof that Grant's actually doing some work for a change, he's magically beamed over shots of crates arriving at our show space (437/439). In a few hours, these meager boxes will be transformed into Capcom's ungodly "portable" game kiosks, where we'll be showing off Tatsunoko VS Capcom Ultimate All-Stars to the crowd at Anime Expo all weekend long. If you're gettin' your hentai on this weekend, stop by and challenge us to a few rounds of TvC -- if you dare!
UPDATE:Grant tells us that 44,000 anime fans are expected to pour through the doors this weekend. To put this in perspective, that's about as many people as attended E3 this year. Grant's also continuing to send photos of the contruction process, which we'll add on as they come in.
Tatsunoko VS Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars has been the hot internet buzz since we announced that the game is actually coming to North America. Unlike Marvel VS Capcom 2, however, the game features some rather unusual (perhaps, obscure) characters from both companies -- I mean, Batsu, really? In order to bring you up to speed on this great fighting game, we've decided to shine a light on the entire line-up over the next few months. We're pleased to present Episode 1: Dragon Versus Eagle, with a look at two of the biggest fighters in the game. This feature is looooong, but is packed with radtastic Capcom art, some choice video clips and lots and lots of info. Stay tuned to Unity in the coming weeks for more!
Bio: Suck it, Power Rangers, true henshinsuper-sentai heroics started in 1972 with the man in the bird suit to the left. As part of the five-person Gatchaman team, Ken is the showman -- the super spy, martial artist and ninja. He's quick and charismatic, and don't let those big blue eyes fool you -- he's a hell-raiser who constantly takes foolish risks. He pilots a transforming jetplane, tosses a bird-shaped boomerang that slashes open armies of baddies and has a watch that turns him into a flying eagle-powered ninja. Bonus: when times are tough, his spaceship can burst into flames, potentially killing the entire crew. Whee! With a focus on speed and maneuverability, Ken is as much of a badass in TvC as he was in the original anime series. His moveset and abilities are reminiscent of Jon Talbain from Darkstalkers or Spider-Man from Marvel VS Capcom 2. Part ninja, part superhero, Ken is the ideal frontman for this game.
From Wikipedia: Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, is a 5-member superhero team which comprises the main characters in several Japanese anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions, later adapted into several English-language versions, Battle of the Planets (or alternately G-Force, not to be confused with the subsequent 1980s English adaptation of Gatchaman, known as G-Force: Guardians of Space). Gatchaman is the show that introduced the concept of a five person team distinguished by different colored costumes, which would become a dominant feature in the Sentai Tokusatsu (which is what they call Power Rangers in Japan) series which followed. Gatchaman has an upcoming CGImovie based on the original animeseries of the same name which is scheduled to be completed in 2010 by Imagi Animation Studios.
The team used various signature weapons and vehicles which each had a more mundane looking disguised form. To change modes, each member is equipped with a special wrist device that, aside from being a communicator and tracking device, enabled the change when the proper gesture and voice command, "Bird Go!", is given. Their vehicles are docked in the team's main vehicle, the GodPhoenix, a supersonic plane capable of underwater travel and minor space flight as necessary.
Where you know him from: If you grew up in the late 70s/early 80s, chances are good that you were transfixed by Battle of the Planets (aka G-Force), the US version of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. For many kids at the time, Battle of the Planets was their first exposure to the wonders of Japanese anime – back before the dawn of the internet and the rise of DVD, learning about or seeing anime was a scattershot affair, more luck than anything else. Battle of the Planets took some liberties with Gatchaman, shortening the series overall (105 original episodes shaved down to 85 in the US), changing up character names (which is why you may think of this character as “Mark”), erasing the most egregious of violence, disguising the weirdo she/he nature of the main bad guy to keep kids from asking their parents uncomfortable questions and adding that damn robot and his damn robot dog.
Signature moves:
Birdrang: Ken tosses his razor-sharp, bird-shaped boomerang either low, medium or high, depending on the button pressed. The birdrang hits twice, once going out and again on the return flight.
Kagaku Ninpou Hinotori: This Level 3 Super will toss an opponenet into the air, where they are summarily torched by the fiery form of the God Phoenix, the gigantic spaceship that the Gatchaman team use both for travel and to fight giant enemy monsters.
First appearance: Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972) aka Battle of the Planets (1978)
Bio: Trained by Gouken. Betrayed by Akuma. Friend of Ken Masters. Rival of Sagat and the nemesis of M. Bison, Ryu is the barefoot warrior and master of Shotokan-style karate, the definition of the lone-wolf street fighter. His stern determination to become a master of his fighting style has inspired many fellow martial artists. His training is his life and he will do whatever it takes to perfect his technique.
Where you know him from: If you're on Capcom Unity, you know who this dude is. Perhaps the most recognizable of the Street Fighters, Ryu has been a consistent force to be reckoned with since he showed up as the playable character in the original Street Fighter back in 1987. Nary a SF game has gone by in the intervening years without his mug plastered on the front of the box and/or side of the arcade cabinet. Ryu can be found outside the game world in cartoon, anime, manga, action figure, clothing and comic book form, as well as in the original Street Fighter movie starring JCVD.
Signature moves:
Shoryuken: It wouldn’t be a Capcom game without the “dragon punch,” one of the moves that defines Street Fighter as a game. In a game like Tatsunoko VS Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Ryu's Shin-Shoryuken anti-air attack is more amazing and important than ever.
Shinku Hadouken: As you’d expect from a VS game, Ryu’s juiced fireball blasts out of his hand in a stream of fire and destruction that positively rocks anyone foolish enough to miss their block.
In the anime, Doronjo and crew are usually dreaming up some sort of nefarious scheme that requires the efforts of Yatterman and his girl to foil, complete with explosions, battling robots and good old fashioned hand-to-hand combat. True to his toy roots, Yatterman No. 1 prefers to use a kendama in battle, which is a traditional Japanese toy that falls somewhere between cup-and-ball and yo-yo. Yatterman uses the kendama in much the same way Indiana Jones uses his whip, such as tying up baddies and grappling over obstacles.
Both the original 70s anime and the 2008 series are brightly colored, goofy shows, more funny than serious, but still technically part of the henshin oevre (ooo, big word). Gan usually needs to be persudaded by Ai to take part in stomping on the baddies, but once he's motivated, he is more than happy to ride Yatter-Wan into battle. Most hilariously, the Doronbo gang usually manage to blow themselves up in just about every episode.
The humor can be slightly risque as well, as we'll dive into when we look at Doronjo. In both series, there's an overarching plot thread regarding a Skull Stone that, when assembled, will reveal the location of the world's biggest stash of gold, but that's little more than the MacGuffin that goads Yatterman and Doronjo into knee-slapping conflict.
Where you know her from: You don't know Saki from anywhere, actually. She pops up as a helper character in the first Marvel VS Capcom game and in the even-more-obscure SNK VS Capcom: Card Fighters Clash for the Neo Geo Pocket Color (please tell me you don't actually own a Neo Geo Pocket Color). Saki is technically a "Wii exclusive" character, as she was not part of the roster in the Japanese arcade game.
First appearance: Quiz Nanairo Dreams (1996)
