FAQ/Movelist - Guide for Kabuki Warriors

Kabuki Warriors FAQ/Movelist V 1.1, January 25th, 2002.
By [email protected]

This FAQ covers the fighting engine of Kabuki Warriors, considered by many to be 
a shallow engine with few moves, but this is a game that actually reveals a 
unique system to those who spend time with it. Kabuki Warriors has only one basic 
attack button, but each character possesses many different moves controlled by 
the D-pad.

Contents
1. MOVES
2. CHARACTERS
3. PLAY MODES
--Tour Mode
--Time Attack
4. FAQ's
5. QUICK NOTE ON THE GAME

***1. MOVES: The basic controls are as such, I will abbreviate Up as U, Down as 
D, Back as BK and Forward as F. Combined Up and Forward is UF, Up and Back is 
UBK, etc.

D-pad or Analog: Move character.
Y: Roll (to avoid attacks or pass an opponent) and reverse facing position.
X: Block.
A: Mid-level atack.
B: Jump.
White: Tap once for taunt pose, hold for taunt dance. Taunting increases your 
popularity meter, which allows you special attacks and earns you money.
Black: Special attack.
U+A: Overhead attack/attack fallen character with downward slash. (U+A 
U+to
attack downward character does not work when using Goro. See CHARACTERS.)
D+A: Underhand attack.
F+A: Thrust or dash attack.
BK+A: Retreating attack.
UF+A: Dashing overhead attack/attack fallen character with downward 
UF+slash.
When used by a Kendo character (Haiko, Shuroku and Kuroku) this move is a dashing 
mid-level kick, but not an overhead move.
UBK+A: Retreating overhead attack/attack fallen character with downward
slash. When used by a Kendo character (Haiko, Shiroko and Kuroko) this is 
actually a different dashing mid-level kick. When used by Sukeroku, it is a 
retreating mid-level kick.
DF+A: Launcher (used to begin juggle combo and/or knock character to 
DF+ground
to perform a downward slash), charging underhand attack.
DBK+A: Retreating underhand attack. When used by Danjo, Sakon/Ukon, 
DBK+Kagekiyo
and Sukeroku, this attack is also used as a second launcher.
X+A: Throw attack.
B+A: Jumping attack.
Double Tap F: Run.
Double Tap F+A: Slide attack.


Those are the basic moves. Actually pretty complex for a game that's accused of 
only having one attack. Most people missed the freedom of sword movement with the 
analog or D-pad. NOTE ON EARNING MONEY: Besides doing the taunt pose and taunt 
dance, landing combos, special moves and throws will earn you money. Be sure to 
throw in a taunt pose after you defeat an opponent, you will still earn the money 
for it even though the match has ended.

***2. CHARACTERS:
(Note: To select a characters alternate costume during time attack, hold the left 
or right trigger while selecting)

Shiroko, Haiko and Kuroko
Weapon: Shinai (Kendo stick or Takemitsu)
Special attack: NONE
I call these guys "The twins", because they all have the same face. Shiroko is 
the character you always start tour mode with, and he wears a white outfit and 
a "beekeeper" mask. (A kendo practice outfit from the time period of the
game.) Haiko wears a gray outfit and Kuroko wears a black outfit. They fight 
exactly the same, making these three the generic characters you face often. The 
fighting style of the Kendo characters is not bad, but they possess no special 
attack. DEFAULT COSTUME: Mask on. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Mask off.

Sukeroku
Weapon: Parasol
Special attack: LIGHTNING
Sukeroku is the only character in the game who fights with a parasol. His moves 
are unique, combining kicks like the Kendo characters with the power of his odd 
weapon, and his lightning special attack is one of the easiest to hit with. He 
has two launcher attacks. DEFAULT COSTUME: Blue outfit. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Purple 
outfit.

Danjo
Weapon: Sword
Special attack: WIND
Danjo is a slow but powerful swordsman. He has good reach and 2 launcher attacks. 
His special attack is a powerful gust of wind, but it must be used right next to 
your target or it will miss. Try working it in after a flurry of slices, or on a 
launched character right about to land. Danjo also has two launcher attacks. 
DEFAULT COSTUME: Green outfit, no hat. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Hat on, orange outfit.

Gonroku
Weapon: Sword
Special attack: SLICE
Gonroku is a fighter or average speed and power. His special attack, though, is 
very devastating as it is easy to work into a combo and the crowd approval will 
fill your meter up enough to perform it again. DEFAULT COSTUME: Orange outfit, no 
hat. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Hat on, green outfit.

Tadanobu
Weapon: Sword
Special attack: SLICE
Tadanobu fights very closely to Gonroku's style. His special attack, too, is easy 
to work into a combo and causes a good amount of damage. One of the top 3 
fighters in the game in speed/power balance. DEFAULT COSTUME: Blue outfit. 
ALTERNATE COSTUME: White outfit.

Goro
Weapon: Sword
Special attack: FIRE
The sumo-sized, painted warrior is actually much faster than he looks. A powerful 
fighter with a special move that is unfortunately too easy to avoid. If you can 
get it to hit, it does a large amount of damage, but you literally need someone 
to come charging right into it. NOTE: There is a glitch in Goro's control. if you 
try to attack a fallen foe with U+A when using Goro, he will only do his overhead 
attack. Instead, use UF or UB+A. DEFAULT COSTUME: Red paint. ALTERNATE COSTUME: 
Blue paint.

Kikunosuke
Weapon: Sword
Special attack: BOMBS
The cross dressing Kikunosuke is actually a man....keep in mind women weren't 
allowed in Kabuki theatre. His bomb attack, like Goro's special attack, is 
unfortunately too easy to avoid. Average speed as well. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Red 
dress. ALTERNATE OUTFIT: Blue dress.

Sakon/Ukon
Weapon: Sword
Special attack: INVISIBILTY
Sakon and Ukon are the same character, Ukon is the default, Sakon is selected 
with the left trigger. Both have the same moves. Very good reach and speed, and 
the invisibilty special attack will restore life while Sakon/Ukon is invisible. 
One of the strongest characters in the game. Has two launchers. DEFAULT OUTFIT: 
Ukon, white hair and cream colored outfit. ALTERNATE OUTFIT: Sakon, red hair and 
blue outfit.

Sadakuro:
Weapon: Sword
Special Attack: WIND
The fastest character in the game, Sadakuro is a thin and gaunt character when 
compared to most of the others (even Kikunosuke!) but he packs a powerful punch. 
Has excellent attack speed and recovery time, although his tornado special attack 
is a little easy to avoid. Has two launcher attacks. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Hat off. 
ALERNATE OUTFIT: Hat on.

Kagekiyo:
Weapon: Sword
Special Attack: FIRE
The big, bad boss character of the game. You can only use him in time attack, 
since he is the in the last team of characters you face in tour mode. He has 
excellent speed and power, and his fire attack special move is the only special 
move that can be used in the air. Has two launchers. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Brown shirt. 
ALTERNATE OUTFIT: Green shirt.

***3. PLAY MODES:
--Tour Mode: Tour mode is the main game in Kabuki Warriors. You start out with 
Shiroko in all 3 places on your roster. You travel along 53 locations on the map 
as you try to reach Kyoto from Edo. At each new city you will meet a troupe of 3 
actors along the way. Sometimes it may be 3 generic Kendo characters, but in 
certain locations you will face a unique character with different skills.

Matches are won best 2 out of 3, each time you defeat an opposing troupe you are 
given the option to trade fighters. Usually, you want to lose one of your generic 
guys for a swordsman like Sadakuro or the parasol wielding Sukeroku. When you are 
defeated, the computer will take a character from you. (And probably give you 
back someone generic.)

The interesting thing about this mode is that you can actually play it with up to 
4 players, taking turns, and if you end up in the same location as another human 
opponent, you can face off (and trade characters) with them. Sometimes this works 
to both players advantage.

You don't have to travel to every individual location on the map. You can skip 
ahead as many locations as are currently highlighted on the map, and/or as long 
as your money holds out. In 2-4 player, you also race to beat the other human 
players to the finish.

--Time Attack: Time attack is the basic 2 player version of the game where you 
get to choose any one character and fight your way through 12 characters. The 
most noticeable difference in this mode is the extremely detailed backgrounds, a 
different one each fight, a contrast to the bland, recyclying type in tour mode.

***4. FAQ's:

Q: Are there any hidden characters? The back of the box says 24 characters.
A: As far as I know, this is counting the default 12 characters and alternate 
outfits. I haven't heard of any hidden characters in the game. If I find out any 
different, I'll be sure to edit this question.

Q: I thought this game only had one attack button?
A: Well, yes, unless you count the special attack button, but using the d-pad 
with the one attack button gives you 9 different attacks of varying power. So 
it's kind of like moving the sword in all directions.

Q: What about the graphics, I thought they were bad?
A: Some of the early screenshots of the game looked so-so, but the in-game 
graphics of the finished game are excellent. Look at the close up of Danjo when 
he wins. Except for the little bits of clipping here and there (his sword handles 
going through his sleeves), his character model is excellently textured, even 
better looking than those found in Soul Calibur, and yes, more humanly realistic 
than even Dead Or Alive III's models. (Who look more like 3-d anime characters 
with realistic flesh tones.)

Q: Why do all the backgrounds look the same?
A: In story mode, all the stage backdrops look alike except for the stage 
painting. If you play time attack, every stage looks different, they are actual 
sets. They are much more impressive than those found in the story mode.

Q: Is the game easy?
A: I can't lie. It's not hard to beat at all.

Q: What is the music like?
A: Two types: Butt rock (Japanese metal), and traditional, with string 
instruments and flutes.

Q: But it's really not as horrible as everyone says?
A: Not at all. I'm convinced half the reviewers didn't even play it for more than 
a few minutes. The game certainly looks very good, I find that point hard to 
argue. The music is good, the sound is okay, but the control that everyone likes 
to argue against has so much more to offer than it seems at first glance.

***5. QUICK NOTE ON THE GAME:
You may notice that the blood in the game is extremely excessive and fake 
looking. Well, I'm pretty sure the fighting in the game is supposed to be 
fake...the actors are supposed to be putting on a show. You'll notice that the 
actors you are "killing" will likely appear at the next show, or even end up on 
your team. So my guess is that the fights in the game are supposed to be fake.


Authorized download sites for this FAQ: 
http://geocities.com/area51/cavern/4988/castlevania.html
http://cheatcc.com
http://cheatcodes.com
http://neoseeker.com


This FAQ written January 20th, 2002, John Baxter.  Revised once, Jaunary 25th, 
2002. ([email protected]) Kabuki Warriors and it's characters copyright Crave 
Entertainment, 2001.