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In this Japanese name, the family name is "Amakusa". "Shiro" is his given name, and "Tokisada" is his imina, a posthumous personal name.

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa (天草あまくさ 四郎しろう 時貞ときさだ), sometimes called Shirou Amakusa or simply Amakusa (天草あまくさ), is a recurring boss and playable character in the Samurai Shodown series and the first known agent of the series' major villain, Ambrosia.

Development[]

Amakusa is an alternate portrayal of the historical figure of the same name. The historical Amakusa led a Christian rebellion in the Shimabara region of Japan where the bakufu army crushed his revolt and executed him.

He is portrayed as an evil sorcerer wielding the Palenke Stone. The portrayal shows hints and views of what the Japanese at the time period perceive Christianity as: an unnatural force of evil and a tool for conquest from outside forces.

Though this series' portrayal of him bears similarities with the Amakusa in Makai Tensho, the developers haven't confirmed if he was particularly based on him. According to Gamest Mook, he was a possible candidate for the Samurai Shodown 64 lineup but was taken out due to time constraints. The developers of Samurai Shodown (2019) are aware that fans want Amakusa in the game, but due to the new installment taking place before Samurai Shodown his inclusion isn't chronologically possible.[2] However, fan demand may have prevailed and he is now a part of the game's roster as a DLC character.

Personality[]

Betrayed by his own men and killed by the bafuku, Amakusa is a mad and vengeful spirit, resurrected by Ambrosia as a being of destruction to put up a new world order. Once he is relieved of the dark god's possession, he reverts to his living persona as a kind and merciful soul of righteous constitution. He is a narcissist by nature, which is what originally lured him to Ambrosia's temptations.

True to the historical Christian Amakusa, he speaks of sin, mercy and salvation, especially in later appearances. However it seems he is still hateful towards the Tokugawas and their allies and finds it difficult, if not impossible, to forgive them.

Powers[]

  • Levitation - Amakusa has the power to levitate his weapon and other characters off the ground.
  • Teleport - Amakusa can teleport himself.
  • Multiple Attacks - Amakusa can deliver several slaps at once.
  • Fire Projectile - Amakusa has the ability to project a fiery image of a demon.
  • Bunshin - A possible carry-over from Shinzo. If Amakusa is hit during a particular pose, his body disappears and his clothes droop down to the floor, while he reappears from far away, taunting the enemy. This is only seen in the first Samurai Shodown game and has not been used by Amakusa ever since.

Skills[]

  • Cosmetics - Amakusa is particularly knowledgeable in makeup.

Fighting Style[]

Amakusa fights his opponents by attacking them with a levitating gem. He can direct the gem with an impressive range, able to smash his enemies from the air and ground level from nearly any distance easily.

At times, his gem may not compensate for opponents close to him so he also has hand attacks that often involve a multi-hitting slap attack. To confuse his adversaries, he may also teleport and hover above them before diving upon them with a damaging attack. He also projects fiery projectiles in the image of demons or electric balls to his foes, making him a formidable long-distance fighter.

He has slow jumping speed and can be laggy in the air, but possesses powerful basic attacks in exchange. Also, he can triangle jump.

Being up-close to your opponent can be a problem when playing as Amakusa, as his gem can be too slow for pokes and confirms, and his hand slaps and swipes are too weak to be a threat, so he tends to play a mostly keep-away game, and relying on reflexes to attack or counterattack.

Music[]

Song Title Game Appearances Track
Samurai Shodown series
Ankoku (Darkness)
  • Samurai Shodown
Kyoutai (Madhouse)
  • Samurai Shodown III
Agitated Calm (Dounaru Sei; Lit. "Moving Still")
  • Samurai Shodown IV
Crazy Behavior 1, 2, 3
  • Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
Agitated Calm ~SAMURAI SHODOWN ver.~
  • Samurai Shodown (2019)

Voice Actors[]

  • Eiji Yano - Samurai Shodown ~ Samurai Shodown IV, Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono, Samurai Shodown VI (Anthology Redub), The King of Fighters: All Star
  • Yū Daiki - Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture
  • Marcy Rae - Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture (English voice)
  • Kaneto Shiozawa - Samurai Shodown Dengeki drama CD series
  • Mitsuaki Madono - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
  • Takashi Ōhara - Samurai Shodown V Special
  • Junji Majima - Samurai Shodown VI
  • Shusaku Shirakawa - Samurai Shodown (2019)
  • Show Hayami - Samurai Spirits Oni
  • Ryōtarō Okiayu - Ninja Resurrection
  • Yasunori Matsumoto - Sins of the Sisters

Appearances[]

Games[]

Mobile[]

Cameos[]

Anime[]

Trivia[]

  • The pattern of his normal attacks are never the same for any given game and is totally different in every game in he has appeared so far. This trend thankfully ceased by the time of Samurai Shodown (2019), where he adapts his attack patterns from his previous appearance in Samurai Shodown V (and by extension, VI, V Special and V Perfect).
  • His Polish lover was a tomboyish childhood friend who picked on him when they were younger. She grew up to be a fair yet strong lady. Apparently, he is beginning to forget what her expressions were like.
  • When asked "The path of the sword is?", Amakusa's response is "Finding ways to atone for his sins." [1]
  • Due to his largely effeminate looks, he was once mistaken for a female, evident in the English dub of the Samurai Shodown anime. His voice in Samurai Shodown VI seems to poke fun at this with a matching effeminate voice that borders actual femininity.
    • This was averted in Samurai Spirits Oni where he takes on a more masculine look.
  • He bears a deep grudge against the Tokugawa bloodline, the one responsible for his original death, as seen in one of the cinematics of Samurai Shodown. This is a callback to his historical inspiration where the Tokugawa-led Bafuku executed him. It is for this reason he is extremely hostile to the current Tokugawa in the series, Yoshitora Tokugawa, seeking a slow and painful death to the Tokugawa successor and kin. Because of Jubei's loyalty to the Bafuku, he is a target of Amakusa's wrath too.
  • If he is victimized by Kusaregedo's overkill move, the youkai will spit out Amakusa's head after devouring, referencing the fate of his historical inspiration, who was beheaded, with his head put on a pike as a warning against further insurrection against the Shogunate.
  • While Amakusa is rarely used as a family name in modern times, several fictional characters with this family name (and unrelated to this character or its source) have emerged from different games over the years.
  • Amakusa and Gaoh are the only bosses of the series (sub or final) with two or more versions of their persona. However, unlike Gaoh, the two versions of Amakusa can coexist in a same game.

Similar Characters[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Official character profile from Samurai Shodown anniversary website.
  2. Samurai Shodown (2019) interview (Japanese) from Dengeki Online.
Samurai Shodown characters
SamSho I Logo Sprite HaohmaruNakoruruMamahahaUkyo TachibanaWan-FuTam TamCharlotte Christine de ColdeGalford D. WellerPoppyKyoshiro SenryoEarthquakeHanzo HattoriJubei YagyuGenan ShiranuiShiro Tokisada AmakusaPurple NakoruruKurokoHikyaku
SamSho II Logo Sprite Genjuro KibagamiCham ChamPaku PakuNeinhalt SiegerNicotine CaffeineMizuki Rashojin
SamSho III Logo Sprite Shizumaru HisameRimururuBasaraGaira CaffeineKim Ung CheZankuro MinazukiShikuru
SamSho IV Logo Sprite Kazuki KazamaSogetsu KazamaAku Amakusa
SamSho 64 Logo ShikiHanma YagyuGandaraDeku & DekuinaYuga the Destroyer
SamSho 64-2 Logo AsuraShadow AsuraHalf-Shaded Shiki‎‎Taizan MorozumiKarakuri HanmaEnja KazukiSuija Sogetsu
SamSho Warriors Rage Seishiro KukiJin-Emon HanafusaJushiro SakakiRinka YoshinoSayaHaito KanakuraYaci IzanagiGaryo the WhirlwindRan PoMikotoTohma KukiTashon MaoDarumaMintoMugenjiYudaSamuraiHanzo HattoriIga NinjaBruteOboro's AmazonsKunou SeishiroOboro
Nakoruru ADV Logo MikatoHokuteYantamuManariOutadaHibabaUbabaMibabaRera
SamSho V Logo Sprite Yoshitora TokugawaMina MajikinaChampleRasetsumaruEnjaSuijaLiu YunfeiYoukai KusaregedoTam TamPoppySankuro YorozuYumeji KurokouchiGaoh
SamSho VI Logo AndrewIrohaSugoroku MatsuribayashiOcha-Maro KarakuriDemon Gaoh
SamSho EOD Logo SuzuhimeAngelicaTakechiyoGarrosJ.Kim Hae-RyeongWalterJinbei SugamataBlack HawkKirianClaudeDracoGolba
SamSho 2019 Logo Yashamaru KuramaDarli DaggerWu-RuixiangShizuka GozenHibiki TakaneWardenGongsun LiBaiken
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