Lost In Translation/Samurai Shodown

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This page is a stub for arcade games that are part of the Lost In Translation series using information based on MAME (version 0.113u2).
For an example of preferred content and layout please refer to Out Run or The Ninja Warriors.


Samurai Shodown
Neo-Geo marquee.
No screen shot.
Neo-Geo control panel.
Manufacturer SNK
Released 1993
Control
Method
8-way Joystick
4 Button(s)
Main CPU Neo-Geo
68000 (@ 12.000 MHz)
Z80 (@ 4.000 MHz)
Sound CPU Stereo
YM2610 (@ 8.000 MHz)
Video
Details
Raster (Horizontal)
320 x 224 pixels
59.19 Hz
4,096 Palette colours
Screens 1
ROM Info 24 ROMs
16,842,752 bytes (16.06 MiB)
MAME ID samsho

About The Game

Samurai Shodown is a one-on-one fighting, weapon-based arcade video game that put the Neo-Geo on the map! Featuring 12 characters, bonus rounds and one end boss.

Additional Technical Information

Players : 2

Control : 8-way joystick

Buttons : 4

=> With weapon : [A] Light attack, [B] Medium attack

=> Without weapon : [A] Light punch, [B] Medium punch, [C] Light kick, [D] Medium kick

Trivia

Released in July 1993.

The game is known in Japan as "Samurai Spirits (SNK)".

Samurai Shodown is the first game that introduced weapon fighting into the fighting game genre. The game used an upgraded version of the scaling graphics engine that was originally featured in "Art of Fighting".

Samurai Shodown also started SNK's reputation for their unique style of Engrish, known as SNKgrish in their games.

Unlike "Mortal Kombat", the usage of blood in this game is generally accepted, and the decision to replace blood with 'white blood' remains a sore point among fans of this series.

Samurai Shodown is considered by some to portray Japanese culture and language effectively. Unlike most American versions of Japanese video games, the characters in this game (including the announcer) generally speak fluent Japanese with subtitles, and traditional Japanese music is often heard during game-play. Samurai Shodown takes most of its characters from either historical sources or characters from the Ninja Scroll anime. In fact, a few designers that worked on Samurai Shodown also worked on the Ninja Scroll anime...

Haohmaru is based on the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), whose fighting philosophy heavily influenced that of the Haohmaru character.

Ukyo Tachibana is based on Sasaki Kojiro Genryu (1572-1612), Musashi's skilled rival.

Jubei Yagyu is based on the historical Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi (1606-1644), who was a sword instructor to the Tokugawa shogunate. The Yagyu clan was a famous clan of samurai.

Hattori Hanzō Masashige (1541-1596) was the most famous of the Iga Ninja clan. He was a genius at leading night raids on forts and fiefs and became a feared assassin. Under his leadership, Iga Ninja became so notorious that Nobunaga felt it necessary to obliterate the Iga Ninja clan.

Wan-Fu seems to be a combination of two famous Chinese warriors. The first is a famous Chinese swordsman who was a rebel during the Ch'ing Dynasty. His name was Wang Ts-bin Wu, but he became known as Da Dao Wang Wu ('Big Scimitar Wang Wu'). The second lead bases Wan Fu upon the ancient, almost legendary, founder of the Chou Dynasty, King Wu Wang.

Kyoshiro Senryo is based on Nemuri Kyoshirō, a fictional character created by Shibata Tosaburo. 'Kyoshiro' translates to something like 'deranged fellow'. Tosaburo's Kyoshiro had nothing to do with kabuki theatre as does Samurai Shodown Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro's weapon is called a naginata.

Charlotte is based on a character in the manga 'The Rose of Versailles' by Riyoko Ikeda (1972).

Gen-an Shiranui looks much like Mushizo, the hunchback demon of Ninja Scroll. Gen-an's weapon is modelled after the weapon wielded by Shijima, the shadow demon, from Ninja Scroll. Although they share a surname, Gen-an is not a relative of Mai Shiranui of the Fatal Fury/King of Fighters series.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada (1622-1638) led a Christian uprising against the Tokugawa shogunate in the Shimabara region of Japan.

Nakoruru is a homage to Sailor Moon.

A 'Kuroko' is a traditional Kabuki theatre stage-hand. They are traditionally dressed in black and took care of scenery and other behind-the-scenes needs during a Kabuki performance, just like modern theatre stage-hands. In the case of Samurai Shodown, Kuroko is the referee for each match in Samurai Shodown I and II. The black strip of fabric hanging over a Kuroko's face is to signify that they are not part of the Kabuki performance, just helping with the props. The red and white flags that Kuroko has are used in traditional martial arts matches, where each successful hit gets the corresponding fighter's flag raised.

Mai Shiranui (of Fatal Fury) appears in Haohmaru's and Gen-An's endings.

Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Samurai Spirits - PCCB-00135) on 17/09/1993.

Tips and tricks

Alternate Costume Colours

Highlight a fighter at the character selection screen and press D.

Sleeping Mamahaha

This is just hilarious! To see this while playing as Nakoruru simply stand still, after a 8 seconds or so Mamahaha will land on Nakoruru's shoulder, start yawning and then it will fall asleep!

Poppy's Puppies

To see a truly cool & funny secret pose with Galford, Get a PERFECT against an opponent while unarmed. You must finish the battle with anything except a throw though!

Tam Tam's Broken Ending

If you use continues while beating the game with Tam Tam, you will miss a part of the whole ending (You can't see his real face). Beat the game with one credit in order to see his face.

Wan-fu's Sword Explosion Bug

While playing as Wan-fu trap an enemy against the edge of the screen then perform the Explosive Sword Drop with the B button (HCB + B) to throw the sword and land next to the opponent. Since most players as well as the CPU are likely to block the move, crouch and hit them with the C button (a short kick). This will make the move unblock-able and causes tons of damage!

Cut-proof Characters?

Sometimes a finishing slash will cut most opponents in half, however some characters (these being Kyoshiro & Amakusa) cannot be cut in half!

Series

  1. Samurai Shodown (1993)
  2. Samurai Shodown II (1994)
  3. Samurai Shodown III (1995)
  4. Samurai Shodown IV - Amakusa's Revenge (1996)
  5. Samurai Shodown 64 (1997)
  6. Samurai Shodown 64 - Warrior's Rage (1998)
  7. Samurai Shodown V (2003)
  8. Samurai Shodown V Special (2004)
  9. Samurai Shodown - Tenkaichi Kenkakuden (2005)
  10. Samurai Shodown - Edge of Destiny (2008)

Staff

Executive Producer
Eikichi Kawasaki
Main Producer
Rocket Queen
Producers
Bonehead Ken
Satoppe-
Tomi Yan
Fukui Tomoaki
Front Designers
Violetche Nakamoto
Miki
Masami Tanaka
K.Shintani-F91
Go-Go (Dave Bros)
Kazu
The.Fool
Ryu! (Dave Bros)
Erina.Makino
Back Designers
Fukui Tomoaki
AAA
Keisen (as Oshioki-Keisen)
Yasupuu
N. Azumi (as N. Azumichan)
Okap-
Mayu K.
Erina.Makino
Programmers
Nishidon
K2
Zombi Abe
Cyber Kondo
Z'N
Music
Tate Norio
Masahiko Hataya (Papaya)
Submissions
Ryu! (Dave Bros)
AAA
Miki
Okap-
The.Fool
Mayu K.
Erina.Makino

Character designers

Jubei Yagyu
Masami Tanaka
Miki
Kuma.Bee
Kazu
Earthquake
Go-Go (Dave Bros)
K.Shintani-F91
Kazu
Hanzo Hattori
Violetche Nakamoto
Keisen (as Oshioki.Keisen)
K.Shintani-F91
N. Azumi (as N. Azumichan)
The.Fool
Erina.Makino
Ukyo Tachibana
Kazu
The.Fool
Wan-fu
Go-Go (Dave Bros)
K.Shintani-F91
The.Fool
Ryu! (Dave Bross)
Gen-an Shiranui
K.Shintani-F91
Keisen (as Oshioki-Keisen)
N. Azumi (as N. Azumichan)
Ryu! (Dave Bross)
The.Fool
Galford
Violetche Nakamoto
Keisen (as Oshioki-Keisen)
K.Shintani-F91
N. Azumi (as N. Azumichan)
The.Fool
Erina.Makino
Kyoshiro Senryo
Kazu
Erina.Makino
Tam Tam
Miki
Masami Tanaka
Go-Go (Dave Bros)
Haohmaru
K.Shintani-F91
Erina.Makino
Nakoruru
Violetche Nakamoto
Keisen (as Oshioki-Keisen)
The.Fool
Shirou Tokisada
Miki
Charlotte & Poppy
Kuwa.Bee
Mamahaha
Erina.Makino

Voice Actors

Haomaru, Hanzo Hattori, Galford & Earthquake
Masaki Usui
Jubei Yagyu & Wan-Fu
Takayuki Sakai
Ukyo Tachibana, Gen-an Shiranui & Shiro Tokisada Amakusa
Eiji Yano
Kyoshiro Senryo & Tam Tam
Kazuhiro Inage
Nakoruru & Charlotte
Harumi Ikoma

Cabinet and Artwork

Ports

Consoles
Sega Mega CD (1993)
Nintendo Super Famicom (1994)
Nintendo Game Boy (1994)
Sega Mega Drive (1994)
Sega Game Gear (1994)
SNK Neo-Geo CD (1994)
REAL 3DO (1995)
Sony PlayStation (1998, "Samurai Spirits - Kenkaku Yubinan Pack")
FM Town Marty
Others
Mobile Phones (2004)

Soundtrack Releases

Album Name Catalogue No. Released Publisher Comments
Samurai Spirits Image Album PCCB-00147[1] 1994-02-18 Pony Canyon, Inc. CD version.
Samurai Spirits PCCB-00135[2] 1993-09-17 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
Samurai Spirits Symphonic Sound Trax PCCB-00198[3] 1995-11-17 Pony Canyon CD version.
NEO SELECTION - NEO-GEO Fighting Tournament Best / SNK.ADK PCCB-00141[4] 1993-12-17 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
Neo•Geo Super Live! 1994 PCCB-00161[5] 1994-10-05 Pony Canyon CD version.
Samurai Remix PCCB-00174[6] 1995-03-01 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
NEO-GEO DJ Station PCCB-00244[7] 1997-01-18 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
SNK Character Sounds Collection Volume 2 ~ Nakoruru PCCB-00269[8] 1997-07-18 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
Samurai Spirits Drama CD PCCB-00300[9] 1998-03-04 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
Scitron 10th Anniversary Special: Samurai Spirits THE BEST -Selected by Characters- PCCB-00326[10] 1998-09-18 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
SNK Character Sounds Collection Volume 9 - Rimururu PCCB-00348[11] 1998-12-02 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
NEO-GEO DJ Station 2 ~ B.O.F. Returns PCCB-00361[12] 1999-03-03 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
NEO-GEO DJ Station Live '99, SNK Presents PCCB-00374[13] 1999-05-19 Pony Canyon/Scitron 2 CD version.
NEO GEO DJ Station in Gemudora night ! SCDC-00029[14] 2000-07-19 Scitron CD version.
Super Famicom Magazine Volume 15 - Starting with Famous Music!! Final Fantasy VI & New Game Sound Museum TIM-SFC15[15] 1994-03-01 Tokuma Shoten Publishing CD version.
Scitron 10th Anniversary Special CD Sampler DMCZ-300098[16] 1998-01-01 Scitron Label 2 CD version.
Dengeki CD Bunko Best Game Selection 9 - Samurai Spirits ~Hihou Ruten Shimaki~ MWCG-0011[17] 1994-06-25 Media Works CD version.
Dengeki CD Bunko Best Game Selection 8 - Samurai Spirits ~Jashin Hukkatsu Shimaki~ MWCG-0008[18] 1994-01-25 Media Works CD version.
Dengeki CD Bunko Best Game Selection 16 - Samurai Spirits ~Kenma Taisen Shimaki~ MWCG-0013[19] 1994-10-25 Media Works CD version.
SAMURAI SPIRITS NEOGEO's SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION BOX DECX-0011~5[20] 2004-07-12 DEX Entertainment 5 CD version.
Gaesen Oh - Scitron Game Music Mega Mix Vol.1 KGCD-0001[21] 1994-01-01 Pony Canyon/Scitron CD version.
Super Famicom Magazine Volume 22 - New Game Sound Museum TIM-SFC22[22] 1994-09-01 Tokuma Shoten Publishing CD version.
NEO-GEO DJ Station Live '99, SNK Presents PCLP-00703[23] 1999-06-02 Pony Canyon, Scitron Label
NEO-GEO DJ Station Live '99, SNK Presents PCVP-12619[24] 1999-06-02 Pony Canyon, Scitron Label Released on VHS.

References

  1. Samurai Spirits Image Album (CD) at the VGMdb
  2. Samurai Spirits (CD) at the VGMdb
  3. Samurai Spirits Symphonic Sound Trax (CD) at the VGMdb
  4. NEO SELECTION - NEO-GEO Fighting Tournament Best / SNK.ADK (CD) at the VGMdb
  5. Neo•Geo Super Live! 1994 (CD) at the VGMdb
  6. Samurai Remix (CD) at the VGMdb
  7. NEO-GEO DJ Station (CD) at the VGMdb
  8. SNK Character Sounds Collection Volume 2 ~ Nakoruru (CD) at the VGMdb
  9. Samurai Spirits Drama CD (CD) at the VGMdb
  10. Scitron 10th Anniversary Special: Samurai Spirits THE BEST -Selected by Characters- (CD) at the VGMdb
  11. SNK Character Sounds Collection Volume 9 - Rimururu (CD) at the VGMdb
  12. NEO-GEO DJ Station 2 ~ B.O.F. Returns (CD) at the VGMdb
  13. NEO-GEO DJ Station Live '99, SNK Presents (CD) at the VGMdb
  14. NEO GEO DJ Station in Gemudora night ! (CD) at the VGMdb
  15. Super Famicom Magazine Volume 15 - Starting with Famous Music!! Final Fantasy VI & New Game Sound Museum (CD) at the VGMdb
  16. Scitron 10th Anniversary Special CD Sampler (CD) at the VGMdb
  17. Dengeki CD Bunko Best Game Selection 9 - Samurai Spirits ~Hihou Ruten Shimaki~ (CD) at the VGMdb
  18. Dengeki CD Bunko Best Game Selection 8 - Samurai Spirits ~Jashin Hukkatsu Shimaki~ (CD) at the VGMdb
  19. Dengeki CD Bunko Best Game Selection 16 - Samurai Spirits ~Kenma Taisen Shimaki~ (CD) at the VGMdb
  20. SAMURAI SPIRITS NEOGEO's SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION BOX (CD) at the VGMdb
  21. Gaesen Oh - Scitron Game Music Mega Mix Vol.1 (CD) at the VGMdb
  22. Super Famicom Magazine Volume 22 - New Game Sound Museum (CD) at the VGMdb
  23. NEO-GEO DJ Station Live '99, SNK Presents at the VGMdb
  24. NEO-GEO DJ Station Live '99, SNK Presents (VHS) at the VGMdb

The contents of this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
The sources used include MAME (version 0.113u2) and history.dat (revision 1.28 - 2008-10-18).
Please see http://www.arcade-history.com for credits.