Sarge and Squadmates

Sarge (隊長^?, Taichō) and the Squadmates^[1] (隊員たち^?, Taiin-tachi) are members of the special unit "Marcher" who appear in Marching Orders in Rhythm Tengoku and Rhythm Heaven Megamix.

The squadmates are seen wearing green military outfits and green boots. Their suits cut off short, leaving a lot of their legs visible. They have black eyes, pink cheeks, and always have a smile despite the harsh training from the Sarge. The helmets they wear makes it obvious if one's not marching in sync thanks to the bright colors.^[1]

Story

The squadmates belong to the special unit called the "Marcher". Sarge is characterised by his stern attitude as he gives out orders. The squadmates are still inexperienced, which angers him. Since following orders as a unit is important in their line of work, even when marching they give it their all. If the rhythm is off by even a little, Sarge will be furious. That said, he is also a mischievous character^[2], as he also gives orders to the Alien Bunnies while dressed in a bunny costume himself, and he secretly joins a team with three other Sarges on a secret mission, although the details are left unspecified^[3].

The playable squadmate, also referred to as the rookie, keeps an Activity Log.

On April 16, they enlisted in the "Marcher" group, vowing to do their best to help everyone.

On April 20, they marched out of line with the others, and the Sarge got angry.

On April 28, the squadmates cleaned up the front of the station. An old lady came up to the rookie and thanked her for making things clean and gave her candy.

On May 4, the rookie is worried about getting kicked out, because she is feeling listless.

On May 7, Sarge tells her that he played with rabbits in space. The rookie questions his health. They make a note of it the day later.

On May 16, the rookie notes they've been seeing people who look like the Sarge, wondering if she's imagining things.

On May 22, she notes that she saw the Sarge doing something, but the log entry ends before revealing what it is.

The game Marching Orders itself may take place several times between April 16 and May 7, as each epilogue seems to line up with certain events. The epilogues provide these follow-up events:

Try Again: In Rhythm Tengoku, (presumably) other members of the "Marcher" leave the squadmates behind while going to complete their mission. In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the squadmates are instead shown walking in the rain back to basic training.

OK: In Rhythm Tengoku, the squadmates are shown on cleanup duty at the station, like the event on April 28. In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the squadmates are shown preparing for their mission.

Superb: In Rhythm Tengoku and Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the squadmates are shown rescuing an alien who had crashlanded in the ocean. It is possible this mission is how Sarge got asscociated with the Alien Bunnies.

It is unknown when Marcher , where the squadmates are training for a lost dog rescue mission, takes place in relation to these events. It is also unclear if the squadmates featured there are the same ones as in Marching Orders.

Apperances

Gallery

Artwork for Marcher from Rhythm Tengoku
Artwork for Marcher 2 from Rhythm Tengoku
Artwork for Remix 7 and Remix 8 from Rhythm Tengoku'
Solo artwork of Sarge facing right in a bunny suit from Rhythm Tengoku'
Male cadets.PNG

As seen in Staff from Rhythm Tengoku
Artwork for Marcher from Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade)
The Shoot-'Em-Up Radio Lady dressed like a squadmate from Shoot-'Em-Up 2 in Rhythm Heaven
Cadet in 3DS.png

Artwork from Rhythm Heaven Megamix
Sprite from Rhythm Heaven Megamix
Marching Cadet.png

Sprite from Rhythm Heaven Megamix
As seen in the OK" epilogue from Rhythm Heaven Megamix
Chibi Cadet.png

Artwork from Nintendo Badge Arcade
The mentioned artwork by Ryo Hirao

Trivia

The relationshiop between the Sarge and the Squadmates is similar to that of The Blue Birds and Captain Blue Bird from Blue Birds and Captain Tuck and the Flippers from Flipper-Flop. They are also similar in that the games are military themed, Captain Tuck's face resembles that of the Sarge, and the playable Squadmate is shown keeping an Activity Log, similar to the Blue Bird Diary and Expedition Journal, down to the same dates.
In Rhythm Tengoku and Marcher , the sprite of the squadmate's head when facing forward is separated into the helmet and the head. The head in the former has red hair identical to what is seen in the credits of the game, while the latter has nondescript orange hair. The rotated head sprites for the turns and all the sprites in Rhythm Heaven Megamix are a single sprite, however.
Although the squadmates are clearly female in Rhythm Heaven Megamix, their voices and sprites in Rhythm Tengoku imply they are intended to be male. The Marcher version however features typically feminine traits, such as a high pitched voice, pink clothes, and a flower on the helmet.
- In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, however, they are shown to have long hair. The reason for this change is unknown, although a piece of Rhythm Tengoku fanart published in 2008 by Ryo Hirao features interpretations of the Squadmates with similar hairstyles^[4].
In Rhythm Heaven, the Shoot-'Em-Up Radio Lady is dressed like a squadmate during Shoot-'Em-Up 2.

In Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	<span class="tooltip" title="Taichō to Taiin-tachi Chīmu" style="text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted">隊長と隊員たちチーム	Captain and the Members Team
English^NOA	Sarge Squadmates^[1] Rookie^[1]
English^NOE	Sarge Squadmates^[1] Rookie^[1]
French	Du sergent La troupe^[5]	The sergeant The troop
Spanish	El sargento Cadete^[6] Pelotón	The sergeant Cadet Platoon
Italian	Il capitano Squadra Plotone Novellino^[7]	The captain Team Newbie Platoon
Korean	<span class="tooltip" title="Daejang Tim-eul" style="text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted">대장 팀을	Captain Team

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 "The colors on this helmet make it super obvious if you're not marching in sync with your squadmates. So you better toe the line, rookie!" ~ Marching Helmet, Rhythm Heaven Megamix
↑ キャラクターアルバムステージ１ (Character Album Stage 1)
↑ キャラクターアルバム　もろもろ (Character Album Various)
↑ Rhythm Tengoku / リズム天国キャラクターズ / May 25th, 2008 - pixiv
↑ "Ce casque a la particularité de camoufler un régiment parfaitement coordonné. Mais attention ! Une seule erreur de pas et vous trahissez la présence de toute la troupe ! Alors... soyez solidaire !" ~ Casque, Rhythm Paradise Megamix
↑ "Los colores de este casco son tan llamativos que, si te confundes al marchar, todo el mundo se dará cuenta. Así que... ¡no te despistes, cadete!" ~ Casco, Rhythm Paradise Megamix
↑ "I colori di questo elmetto rendono la vita difficile a chiunque non riesca a marciare in sincrono con il resto della squadra. Meglio stare in campana, novellino!" ~ Elmetto da marcia, Rhythm Paradise Megamix

[item-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 "The colors on this helmet make it super obvious if you're not marching in sync with your squadmates. So you better toe the line, rookie!" ~ Marching Helmet, Rhythm Heaven Megamix

[2] キャラクターアルバムステージ１ (Character Album Stage 1)

[3] キャラクターアルバム　もろもろ (Character Album Various)

[4] Rhythm Tengoku / リズム天国キャラクターズ / May 25th, 2008 - pixiv

[5] "Ce casque a la particularité de camoufler un régiment parfaitement coordonné. Mais attention ! Une seule erreur de pas et vous trahissez la présence de toute la troupe ! Alors... soyez solidaire !" ~ Casque, Rhythm Paradise Megamix

[6] "Los colores de este casco son tan llamativos que, si te confundes al marchar, todo el mundo se dará cuenta. Así que... ¡no te despistes, cadete!" ~ Casco, Rhythm Paradise Megamix

[7] "I colori di questo elmetto rendono la vita difficile a chiunque non riesca a marciare in sincrono con il resto della squadra. Meglio stare in campana, novellino!" ~ Elmetto da marcia, Rhythm Paradise Megamix

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