Samurai Shodown

n/a

Samurai Shodown

System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, Sega Game Gear

Publisher:

Sega

Takara

JVC Musical Industries

Developer:

Saurus

System Vision

Funcom

Santos

Licensor: SNK

Original system(s): Neo Geo

Developer(s) of original games: SNK

Sound driver:

SMPS 68000

Peripherals supported:

Six Button Control Pad

Genre: Action^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Number of players:

1-2,

1

Official in-game languages:

English

日本語

English

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP	1994-11-19^[2]	¥8,8008,800	G-4127
US	1994-12^[5]		T-103066
EU	1995-02^[6]		1184-50
PT	199x
UK	1995-02^[6]	£49.9949.99^[7]^[6]	1184-50
AU	1995-04^[8]	$99.9599.95^[8]	FSAM01SMC
JP	1994-12-09^[4]	¥4,8004,800	T-146027
US	1994		T-103018
US	1995-02^[9]		T-60175
EU	1995-06^[10]^[11]		T-60175-50
PT	1995
UK	1995-08-16^[12]	£34.9934.99^[13]	T-60175-50
AU	199x		FSAM01SMR
BR	1996-06	R$69.9969.99	063696

Non-Sega versions
3DO Arcade FM Towns Neo Geo Neo Geo CD Neo Geo Pocket Super NES

Samurai Shodown, known as Samurai Spirits (サムライスピリッツ) in Japan, is a versus fighting game by SNK, originally released for the Neo Geo in 1993 and subsequently ported to a variety of platforms, including the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, and Sega Game Gear.

It is the first game in the Samurai Shodown series. It is one of the first fighting games with a focus on weapons rather than solely hand-to-hand combat.

Story

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, slain in Japan in the 17th century by the forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate for his part in the Shimabara Rebellion, is resurrected over a hundred years later by the dark god Ambrosia. Driven by his hatred for the Shogunate, he unleashes his dark powers to rain destruction upon the world. A group of warriors converge upon the source of the chaos, each driven by their own motivations. The game takes artistic license to include foreign-born characters (including some from places that did not exist as such at the time), historical figures, and fictional monsters.

Gameplay

Mega Drive and Mega-CD versions

Character select

The game is a versus fighting game set in Japan in the late 18th century. All of the characters wield weapons. Compared to other fighting games, its gameplay is focused more on quick, powerful strikes than on combos. The goal is to win the best of three duels against an opponent. Each duel is timed. The winner is the player who depletes the other character's life meter or has the most life remaining when time runs out. In the Mega Drive version, a referee named Kuroko appears during the match and holds flags representing each player. The referee raises a flag whenever a player lands a successful hit.

Characters move with or . They backstep or dash with or . They jump upward with and jump behind and ahead with or . They crouch with . Using a Six Button Control Pad, characters can slash (or punch if disarmed) with (weak), (normal), or (strong) and kick with (weak), (normal), or (strong). Powerful strikes are accompanied by a slow-motion effect to intensify the hit.

Using a standard control pad on the Mega Drive version, characters slash or punch with (weak), (normal), or (strong) and kick with + (weak), + (normal), or + (strong). On the Mega-CD version, characters slash or punch with (weak), (normal), or + (strong) and kick with (weak), + (normal), or + (strong).

When characters slash each other at the same time, they lock swords. Players must press the slash buttons rapidly to break the lock, with the player who loses the hold (by not pressing the buttons as fast as the opposing player) having the character knocked back and disarmed. A character can equip his or her weapon again by pressing a slash button while standing next to it. Weapons are weakened each time they hit each other; it is possible for a weapon to break, in which case it is unavailable for the rest of the duel. In addition to their standard attacks, characters can perform special moves using specific button combinations (though many special moves cannot be performed if the character is disarmed).

Guarding is done by holding the D-Pad away from the opponent. Guarding can be done while standing or crouching. Most attacks can be blocked while standing or crouching, but some attacks must specifically be blocked high or low. Characters can become dizzy and stunned momentarily after taking repeated damage; they can recover more quickly by moving the D-Pad and pressing buttons rapidly. Characters can throw an opponent by holding or while pressing the medium or strong slash or kick button in close range. Throws cannot be blocked. Each character has a POW meter (also called a "Rage gauge") that fills as the player is hit by enemy attacks or guards against an attack. When the meter is full, the character turns red and attacks with increased strength for a duration.

Modes

Bonus stage

In the single-player mode, the player faces every character in a randomized order, ending in a fight against the boss Amakusa. The game ends if the player loses a match. The Mega Drive version has unlimited continues, but the Mega-CD version only allows the player to continue up to three times. A bonus stage appears after every three matches where the character destroys straw dummies that pop up in three randomized positions for extra points. A second player can join the game as an opponent by pressing START at any time. The Mega Drive version has eight difficulty levels (but the ending for the character is only shown if playing on 4 or above). The Mega-CD version has four difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard, and a "Vs Mode" difficulty that is between Normal and Hard and equivalent to the arcade version).

The Mega Drive version has a dedicated two-player mode where players can choose a handicap and a stage. The Mega-CD version only allows two-player matches in the standard arcade mode (with players able to choose different characters at the end of every match without returning to the character select screen, to mitigate load times). The Mega Drive version has an additional two-player "Showdown" mode where each player chooses five characters to fight in five consecutive matches.

Items

Courier

In the Mega Drive version, a courier named Hikyaku sometimes runs by in the background to throw items into the stage. There is an option to disable items or change the frequency that they appear. In the Mega-CD version, there is no courier, but items sometimes fall from the top of the screen instead.

	Meat
	Restores partial vitality for a character when walked over.
	Coins
	Awards bonus points when walked over.
	Bomb
	Explodes and damages either fighter if nearby. This item is not present in the Mega-CD version.

Characters

Note: Move lists assume that the character is facing right. When facing left, and should be reversed.

S	Any slash button
LS	Light slash
MS	Medium slash
HS	Hard slash

K	Any kick button
LK	Light kick
MK	Medium kick
HK	Hard kick

Playable

All of the characters from the Neo Geo game are present except for Earthquake.

Charlotte

Birthplace:

France

Age:

27

Weapon:

Laroche

Charlotte is a French noblewoman and master fencer.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Splash Fount	SSSSS (requires weapon)	Charlotte charges forward while thrusting her sword rapidly.
Power Gradation	S (requires weapon)	Charlotte flies into the air while slashing her sword. The height of the maneuver depends on the strength of the button used.

Galford

Birthplace:

San Francisco, U.S.A.

Age:

39

Weapon:

Blade of Justice

Galford is an American who traveled to Japan to become a ninja. He is aided by his pet dog, Poppy.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Triangle Jump	D-Pad in the opposite direction when jumping onto the edge of the screen	Galford can jump off the edges of the screen.
Plasma Blade	S	Galford throws two large plasma kunai across the screen. The speed of the projectiles depends on the strength of the button used.
Rush Dog	S	Galford sends his dog Poppy to rush over and charge his opponent. The speed and distance traveled by the dog depends on the strength of the button used.
Machine Gun Dog	LK	Galford sends his dog Poppy to rush over and maul his opponent, which knocks the opponent over.
Diving Dog	MK	Galford sends his dog Poppy to rush over and knock his opponent over.
Ninja Shadow Replicates	S or K	Galford splits into four duplicate images, which hover in the air. The images are invulnerable. When the images land, Galford takes the position of one of them: from LS (leftmost) to MS to LK to MK (rightmost). The images land automatically after a duration, or the player can land them more quickly by pressing any button.
Rear Replica Attack	LK	Galford disappears, then reappears in the air above his opponent, landing with a sword slash.
Head Replica Attack	Hold LK while being attacked	Galford disappears, then reappears in the air above his opponent, landing with a sword slash.
Head Strike	K (close)	Galford grabs his opponent and flies into the air, then drives his opponent head-first into the ground. The height of the maneuver depends on the strength of the button used.

Gen-An

Birthplace:

Oninakijima, Japan

Age:

26

Weapon:

Azami (named after his wife)

Gen-An is a monstrous creature with clawed hands. He is a member of the enigmatic Shiranui clan (a reference to Mai Shiranui from the Fatal Fury games).

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Crawl	or	Gen-An can move while crouched.
Poison Cloud Puff	S	Gen-An blows a cloud of poisonous gas that knocks his opponent over on impact. The speed and distance traveled by the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Slasher Spin	S	Gen-An rolls along the ground while spinning with his claws. The starts spinning upward after hitting his opponent or the edge of the screen. The speed of travel depends on the strength of the button used.

Hanzo

Birthplace:

Dewasanchu, Japan

Age:

34

Weapon:

Unnamed (ninja-style sword)

Hanzo is an Iga ninja who fights to save his son from Amakusa's control. He is based on the historical figure Hittori Hanzou, like the character of the same name from the World Heroes games.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Triangle Jump	D-Pad in the opposite direction when jumping onto the edge of the screen	Hanzo can jump off the edges of the screen.
Flying Spikeball	S	Hanzo throws a shuriken across the screen. The speed of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Ninja Exploding Dragon	Hold for 2 seconds, then +S	Hanzo summons a fire dragon, which moves across the ground like a wave and knocks over his opponent on impact. The speed of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Ninja Shadow Replicates	S or K	Hanzo splits into four duplicate images, which hover in the air. The images are invulnerable. When the images land, Hanzo takes the position of one of them: from LS (leftmost) to MS to LK to MK (rightmost). The images land automatically after a duration, or the player can land them more quickly by pressing any button.
Ninja Teleportation Jig	LK	Hanzo disappears, then reappears in the air above his opponent, landing with a sword slash.
Ninpo Ussemi Chizan	Hold LK while being attacked	Hanzo disappears, then reappears in the air above his opponent, landing with a sword slash.
Strike Dash	K (close)	Hanzo grabs his opponent and flies into the air, then drives his opponent head-first into the ground. The height of the maneuver depends on the strength of the button used.

Haohmaru

Birthplace:

Musashinokuni, Japan

Age:

25

Weapon:

The Fugu Blade

Haohmaru is a wandering samurai who is searching for strong opponents to hone his skills.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Cyclone Slash	S (requires weapon)	Haohmaru swings his katana, summoning a cyclone that rolls across the ground and knocks over his opponent on impact. The speed of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Crescent Moon Slash	S (requires weapon)	Haohmaru swings his katana in a circle around him, then twirls into the air while slashing his katana.

Jubei

Birthplace:

Tosa, Japan

Age:

39

Weapon:

The Tokugawa Defender and the Iron Tiger Saber

Jubei is a ronin who strives to protect Japan from its enemies.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Saber Thrash	SSSSS (requires weapon)	Jubei waves his sabers rapidly in front of him.
Gesyer Thrust	S (requires weapon)	Jubei slashes his saber and causes a ripple of fire to roll across the ground. The speed of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Tsunami Saber	S (requires weapon)	Jubei charges at this opponent with his shoulder, then jumps into the air while swiping a saber.

Kyoshiro

Birthplace:

Edo (Old Tokyo)

Age:

30

Weapon:

Kabuki Slasher

Kyoshiro is a kabuki performer who uses his art to entertain and perfect his own fighting skills.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Crawl	or	Kyoshiro can move while crouched.
Whirlwind Fan	S	Kyoshiro throws a flaming fan across the screen. The speed of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Twirling Fan	S	Kyoshiro breathes fire in front of him, using his hand fan to fan the flame.
Jumping Lion	K (requires weapon)	Kyoshiro vaults onto his naginata and kicks forward while radiating with fire, which knocks over his opponent on impact.
Kabuki Crunch Dance	S (requires weapon)	Kyoshiro spins high into the air while slashing his naginata around him. The distance traveled depends on the strength of the button used.
Wheel of Smoke	+ HS at peak of jump (requires weapon)	Kyoshiro spins down while slashing his naginata around him.

Nakoruru

Birthplace:

Ainumoshiri Kamuikotan, Japan

Age:

17

Weapon:

Nature's Wrath

Nakoruru is a young girl who strives to protect nature. She is aided by her pet hawk, Mamahaha.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Triangle Jump	D-Pad in the opposite direction when jumping onto the edge of the screen	Nakoruru can jump off the edges of the screen.
Annu Mutsube	S (requires weapon)	Nakoruru flies along the ground while holding her kodachi in front of her. The distance traveled depends on the strength of the button used.
Lela Mutsube	S (requires weapon)	Nakoruru flies into the air while holding her kodachi in front of her. The distance traveled depends on the strength of the button used.
Amube Yatoro	S	Nakoruru calls her hawk Mamahaha to strike her opponent from above.
Mamahaha Flight	LK	Nakoruru leaps into the air to be carried by her hawk Mamahaha for a limited duration. While in flight, Nakoruru can move in any direction using the D-Pad or she can perform a dive attack with her kodachi by pressing any attack button. The distance of the dive depends on the strength of the button used (with any K being equivalent to LS ), or she can dive directly downward by holding with any button.

Tam Tam

Birthplace:

Greenvale, Ixlpalotal

Age:

19

Weapon:

Hengei-Hangei-Zangei

Tam Tam is an Incan warrior who is charged with retrieving the stolen Palenke Stone back from Amakusa.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Moora Gaboora	S	Tam Tam throws a skull across the screen. The speed of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.
Paguna Dios	K	Tam Tam splits his legs and moves across the ground while rotating. The distance traveled depends on the strength of the button used.
Paguna Paguna	Hold for 2 seconds, then +S (requires weapon)	Tam Tam twirls his scimitar in front of him. He can move with or while doing this move.
Ahow Gaboori	S	Tam Tam takes a deep breath, jumps into the air, and blows a fireball diagonally downward. The fireball creates an explosion on the ground that flies up into the air. The height of the jump and distance of the projectile depends on the strength of the button used.

Ukyo

Birthplace:

Kogagunmasugimura, Omi, Japan

Age:

24

Weapon:

Unnamed (made by Tachibana himself)

Ukyo is an ailing samurai warrior who is fighting to gain a flower for his beloved.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Swallow Swipe	S in midair (requires weapon)	Ukyo slashes his katana in the air, sending a flaming bird flying across the screen. The bird travels in an arc, with the arc being more severe with LS and more flat with HS .
Snowfall Slash	S (requires weapon)	Ukyo tosses an apple into the air, then slashes his katana rapidly in front of him, slicing the apple (and the opponent, if in range).

Wan-Fu

Birthplace:

China (descendant of a royal line)

Age:

35

Weapon:

Sword of the Emperor

Wan-Fu is a Chinese warrior who serves the Qing Emperor. He searches Japan for worthy fighters to help him unify his homeland.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Crawl	or	Wan-Fu can move while crouched.
Confucius Thunder Bomb	S (requires weapon)	Wan-Fu jumps high into the air, then throws his flaming sword downward. He jumps backwards and throws the sword forwards with LS , jumps forwards and throws the sword forwards with MS , and jumps far forwards and throws the sword backwards with HS . He must retrieve the sword after he throws it.
Confucius Whirlwind	S (requires weapon)	Wan-Fu stabs his sword in front of him, then jumps into the air while holding his sword up.

Bosses

In the Mega Drive version, Amakusa is playable in the two-player modes. In the Mega-CD version, he is not playable.

Amakusa

Amakusa is a powerful sorcerer, resurrected by the dark god Ambrosia. He carries a mystical artifact known as the Palenke Stone. He is based on the historical figure Amakusa Shirou. He is the final boss of the game. He is playable in two-player matches in the Mega Drive version.

Move list
Name	Command	Description
Triangle Jump	D-Pad in the opposite direction when jumping onto the edge of the screen	Amakusa can jump off the edges of the screen.
Spectre Sphere	S during Triangle Jump (requires weapon)	Amakusa falls back to the ground while burning like a meteor.
Forward Warp	S	Amakusa teleports forwards. The distance traveled depends on the strength of the button used.
Backward Warp	K	Amakusa teleports backwards. The distance traveled depends on the strength of the button used.
Dark Thunder	Hold LK for 2 seconds, then release (requires weapon)	Amakusa shoots a sphere of destructive energy from his magical orb. The sphere travels most of the width of the screen before returning to the other side (unless it is dissipated by striking the opponent).
Underworld Apparition Attack	S (requires weapon)	Amakusa shoots an underworld apparition from his magical orb.

Stages

Main article: Samurai Shodown/Comparisons.

Each character has his or her own stage where battles are hosted.

Versailles

Charlotte's stage.

San Francisco

Galford's stage.

Onigami Isle

Gen-An's stage.

Yamagata

Hanzo's stage.

Gairyu Isle

Haohmaru's stage.

Kochi

Jubei's stage.

Tokyo

Kyoshiro's stage.

Hokkaido

Nakoruru's stage.

Green Hell

Tam Tam's stage.

Gairyu Isle

Ukyo's stage.

Seian

Wan-Fu's stage.

Nagasaki

Amakusa's stage.

Game Gear version

Character select

The game is a fighting game. Compared to the other versions of the game, it has simplified controls and omits some of the characters and special moves. There is a single-player mode where the player chooses a character and fights every other character in random order, ending with the final boss Amakusa. There is no two-player mode.

Characters move with or . They backstep or dash with or . They jump upward with and jump behind and ahead with or . They crouch with . Characters can slash (or punch if disarmed) with and kick with . Slashes and kicks only have one strength, but characters can perform a "power slash" with +, which is a slower but stronger attack.

Characters lock swords when they slash each other at the same time. The player must press rapidly to break the hold. If the player presses the button fast enough, the opponent is thrown back and disarmed; otherwise, the player's character is. Weapons are re-equipped by standing over them and pressing . Characters can perform special moves using specific button combinations (though some moves require a weapon to perform).

Guarding is done by holding the D-Pad away from the opponent. Guarding can be done while standing or crouching. Most attacks can be blocked while standing or crouching, but some attacks must specifically be blocked high or low. Characters can become dizzy and stunned momentarily after taking repeated damage; they can recover more quickly by moving the D-Pad and pressing buttons rapidly. Characters can throw an opponent by holding or while pressing the slash or kick button in close range. Throws cannot be blocked. Each character has a POW meter (also called a "Rage gauge") that fills as the player is hit by enemy attacks or guards against an attack. When the meter is full, the character turns red and attacks with increased strength for a duration.