Karate Man
Karate Man is a recurring minigame in the Rhythm Heaven Series, first appearing in the japan-only GBA game, Rhythm Tengoku. In all three games, it has two versions, and the goal it's the same: make Karate Joe, the main character, to punch or destroy all the stuff that are thrown to him. It is also known that in all three games, this minigame had its own theme song.
In Rhythm Tengoku
Karate Man was the very first minigame that appeared in Tengoku. In it, Joe had to punch the stuff that was thrown to him. But it had a trick: he had to punch stuff so he could gain more "power" to hit more heavy stuff, like rocks or soccer balls. Later on, after completing Remix 6, it appears again as the very first second version (with a 2 at the end of its name) minigame. In this case, the music slows down or speeds up during the entire test.
Controls:
A Button: Punch.
Tips:
- When Joe hits an object with the right rhythm, the "Nori" bar will go up by one. When the "Nori" bar has red or yellow hearts, Joe is able to hit heavier objects.
- Missing an object depletes the "Nori" bar.
- Hitting an object with the wrong timing decreases the "Nori" bar by one heart.
- From time to time, the player will have to hit more than one object at a row. To recognize the moment, a "Hit 3!" or "Hit 4!" message will appear. Then, the player will have to keep the beat punching all the objects.
- Sometimes, a !! sign will appear, meaning that the next object will be tossed in another tempo.
- The backgrounds are different for both versions, being yellow for the first and purple for the second.
In Rhythm Heaven
He appears once again in the sequel game, but not inmediately. Karate Man is part of the 6th game set and Karate Man 2 was just like it, part of the 9th set. The goal keeps being the same: to hit stuff. However, and as a mayor, kept change, the "Nori" bar is gone. Also, an official song is used for both minigames, with slight alterations in-between. Also, this is the first time barrels are introduced.
Controls:
The game is played with the use of the Touch Screen.
- Tap: Punch.
- Hold and flick: Kick bombs.
Tips:
- There's a signal to when the player must kick bombs: before a barrel is tossed, a lighting bulb will be launched.
- The background again is different for both versions, being blue for the first and red for the second.
- As it happened in the previous game, there will be times when the player will have to hit more that one object at a time. In these cases, the "Hit 3!" or "Hit 4!" messages will appear on-screen. Also, a surprise !! signal may appear from time to time, meaning that the next object will fly in a different tempo.
- The song is called "Struck by the rain" (Rainy～雨に打たれて～ in the japanese version).
In Rhythm Heaven Fever
Once again, Joe makes his appearance in the Wii version of the series. It appears first in the 7th set as the 34th minigame, and then again, in the 10th set as the 49th minigame. A two-players version of this game is also available in the 2-Players Corner. And as in the older versions, the goal is still the same: punch stuff. Due to the commands, this time Joe can't kick, but now he can do a combo and also an uppercut.
Controls:
The A and B buttons of the Wii Remote are used.
- A Button: Punch.
- A + B Buttons (hold): Start combo.
- A+B Buttons (release): Uppercut.
Tips:
- As it happened in the previous game, a lighting bulb will be tossed before to warn the player that a combo comes right after the bulb. Following the rhythm, the player must hold the A and B buttons to do the combo, and release both buttons to hit the barrel at the end with an uppercut.
- Whenever Joe breaks succesfully a barrel, he will blush. If he blushes and also smiles, it means that the barrel was broken down with the perfect rhythm.
- As it happened in the previous two games, more that one object will be tossed at a time sometimes. The "Hit 3!" or "Hit 4!" will appear on screen when it happens. Same formula applies with the !! signal.
- The song for this game is called "Lonely Storm" and is sung by Tsunku♂.
- To keep the tradition, the background also changes between versions, being blue for the first, orange for the second, and red for the 2P version.
Trivia
- Karate Man is the only minigame that's been kept for every game. It not only keeps the name, but also the intro music is unique for the minigame.
- In Fever's Remix 7, there is a moment where Joe can be seen watching TV. What's on by that time is a video of the original Karate Man from Rhythm Tengoku.
- Joe is seen facing left only in two chances: on Rhythm Heaven, and as player 1 on the 2P Karate Man.