Karate Joe

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Karate Joe
Image
File:Karate Joe 3DS.png
Artwork from Rhythm Heaven Megamix
Appears in
Rhythm Tengoku
Rhythm Heaven
Rhythm Heaven Fever
Rhythm Heaven Megamix

Karate Joe (カラテ家?, Karateka) is the first character to appear in the Rhythm Heaven Series in a Rhythm Game, appearing primarily in the Karate Man games, and one of the few characters to appear in every game since Rhythm Tengoku. He is successing his father in karate.

Characteristics

Karate Joe is characterized by his pale white skin, big nose, and balding head. He wears a karate suit that matches the color of his skin. He wears no shoes. He is often described as very expressive and fearless. He is also shown eating a lot of food between training sessions, a trait he seems to share with his father.

Backstory

Karate Joe is a lonely martial artist who struggles with his training. He seems to be developing his own unique karate style which incorporates rhythm. He has a very emotional personality, which can be seen in his many facial expressions. At the martial arts competitions, the opponent reads all his tricks, and he can't get results. Sometimes he goes to his master for advice, whose usual response is "You needed to focus on the basics."[1]

Karate Joe has dreamed of being a soccer player even since he was a child, but his Father wanted him to master karate instead, and told him that he can't leave his house until he masters it. Even at 55[2], Karate Joe still lives in the basement[3]. His Father also stole the ball that Joe had bought and used it as a punching bag[4]. Father is a master at karate, but not cooking. Occasionally he makes dinner anyway, such as one day when Karate Joe's mother was out of the house[5], and asks his son if he likes it. Joe has to lie and say that he likes it to make him feel good[6]. Father got his son bombs to make him face his fears. At first, Joe thought they were fake, but then one exploded. He still vividly remembers his Father's face as he said "Are you surprised?"[7] Karate Joe has no idea where his father got them from[8]. Father keeps a bunch of barrels around, but Joe has no idea why. He asked multiple times, but was told that he can only know when he is stronger than his father[9]. Karate Joe envies his Father's incredible vision that allows him to quickly tell the color of a light bulb and counter it[10]. Joe also sees this as an explanation for how his Father can easily counter his attacks.[11]

Other Appearances

In Rhythm Tengoku, he appears in the first Rhythm Game, Karateka. It involves the Flow gauge, which determines if he can punch hard objects such as rocks and bombs, which depends on how well the player is doing in the game. In Karateka 2, he also has to contend with the ever changing tempo. In Remix 8, the Flow gauge disappears, and Karate Joe is enveloped in shadow. He can now punch rocks no matter what. At the end, he returns to normal, making a weird face. Karate Joe reappears in the arcade version of the game, with the same appearances, in addition to Karateka TempoUpExtra1.png, which is a sped up version of the original. Here, he is wearing boxing gloves and black boxing shorts, and is training for a boxing match. In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the Flow gauge mechanic was completely removed, the "Hit 2!", the light bulbs and bomb were replaced with other objects to conform to how the future games work.

Karate Joe reappears in Rhythm Heaven, in the last Rhythm Game before the Credits, Karate Man. In Remix 6, he can be seen with hair and kicking soccer balls in place of bombs. He later makes a cameo in Blue Birds 2, where he is seen in one of the memories, training while the birds spy on him from a bush. In Karate Man 2, he takes on another day of hard training. This time he's very pleased with himself, though he tries to hide it. He makes the weird face again when kicking away bombs. In the epilogues, one of The Dazzles is shown to admire him, calling him "hot stuff" and offering him a towel. In Battle of the Bands, he can be seen in the audience, watching the Rockers perform on stage.

In Rhythm Heaven Fever, he is once again in the last Rhythm Game before the Credits, Karate Man. In Remix 7, he wears black shades while punching stuff in space. At one point he lies down and watches TV, which coincidentally shows Karateka from Rhythm Tengoku itself. In Remix 9 he is accompanied by a cat[12]. In Karate Man 2, he reaches "the height of mastery" in karate, after which he is seemingly able to control fire as seen in the Superb epilogue. In the Two Player version, he wears a headband, and is accompanied by another Karate Joe in purple clothes.

In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, he appears in Honeybee Remix, where he wears a bee hat and a stinger. In the middle of the remix, several bees fly past him. At the end, the hat and stinger fly away, and he starts thinking about pancakes. He also watches in awe at his Father's mastery in Karate Man Senior. He gives commentary on his Father's performance, the same way the Master does on Joe's training. Additionally, Karate Man Returns!, Karate Man Kicks! and Karate Man Combos! all reappear, along with a short version of Karate Man.

He appears in the Rhythm Tengoku Gold Comic, where he is seen training even on Christmas Eve. Humorously, despite the lack of snow in the general area, there's a snowstorm blowing solely on Karate Joe. He also appears in Rhythm Tengoku The Best Plus Comic, where he is the first at the reunion.

It is unknown when these events occur in relation to the general story.

Appearances

Gallery

In Super Smash Bros.

Karate Joe appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as a trophy in the "Other" category, and as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

His spirit battle takes place on the Suzaku Castle Ω stage playing the Rhythm Boxing track, where he is represented by Ryu. The battle has the following conditions:

  • The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power
  • The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power
  • The enemy favors smash attacks
Flag of the United States.svg
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg
KarateJoeTrophy3DS.png
Has there ever been a cry more manly than the "Uh!" that appears at the start of every Karate Joe stage? It's like he digs deep down inside himself, reveals his spirit with that "Uh!" of power...and then directs that energy into smashing flowerpots, bulbs, and exploding barrels. Karate Joe knows no fear!
Has there ever been a cry more manly than the "Uh!" that appears at the start of every Karate Man stage? Doesn't it sound like it comes from the very bottom of his soul? Or is that just us? ...Anyway! Karate Joe is a pretty cool guy. He punches flowerpots, bulbs, even exploding barrels without the slightest hesitation. Truly, he fears nothing.


No.
Image
Name
Type
Class
Slots
Ability
1,192
Karate Joe Spirit.png
 Karate Joe
Attack
 ★★★ 2 Fist Attack ↑

Trivia

  • Karate Joe has appeared as a playable character in every game in the Rhythm Heaven Series.
  • Karate Joe has always "bookended" the games he appears in:
  • Some details in the Rhythm Items are omitted in some regions, like the detail about Karate Joe still living in his basement is omitted in the original Japanese and Korean versions, while the French version adds the detail that he is 55 years old and still living in the basement. Other details include Karate Joe mentioning his mother, who was out one day and so his father tried cooking, and that Karate Joe tried to steal the alcohol stored in the barrels, but was caught by his Father and told he can drink it only when he becomes stronger than him.[13]
  • The location of Karate Joe's training in not clear. Usually it is depicted as a featureless monochrome void during gameplay, while certain epilogues show specific locations, such as:
  • Karate Joe makes a cameo during a Young Cricket and Master Mantis preview for WarioWare Gold.

In Other Languages

Language Name Meaning
Flag of Japan.svg Japanese カラテ家 Karateka
Flag of the United States.svg EnglishNOA Karate Joe
Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg EnglishNOE Karate Joe
Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1974, 2020–present).svg French Le karatéka The Karateka
Flag of Spain.svg Spanish Kárate Killo Karate Killo
Flag of Italy.svg Italian Karate Ka Karate Ka
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dutch Karate Joe[14]
Flag of Portugal.svg Portuguese Karate Joe[15]
Flag of Russia.svg Russian Каратист[14] Karatist
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg ChineseSI Karate Joe[14]
Flag of South Korea.svg Korean 격투가 The Fighter

References

  1. ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/brij/chara/stage01.html
  2. ↑ "Résultat : à 55 ans, je vis toujours au sous-sol..." (The result: At 55, I still live in the basement...) ~ Rhythm Item description for Karatéka, Rhythm Paradise Megamix
  3. ↑ "As a child, I dreamed of being a soccer player. My father wouldn't hear of it. "You must master karate before you leave my house!" I still live in the basement." ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man, Rhythm Heaven Megamix
  4. ↑ "せっかく買ったボールは、取り上げられて、今やサンドバッグ代わりになっている。" (The ball I bought was stolen, and is now being used as a punching bag.) ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man, Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus
  5. ↑ "母さんが外出した日に、一度だけ食べた父さんのナベ。" (Father's curry, which I only ate once on the day my mother went out.) ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Returns!, Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus
  6. ↑ "My father is a master of karate, but not of cooking. Occasionally he makes dinner anyway, and he keeps asking if I like it. I always lie and tell him it's good." ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Returns!, Rhythm Heaven Megamix
  7. ↑ "「おどろいただろ？」という父さんの顔、今でもおぼえてる。" ("Are you surprised?" I still remember my father's face.) ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Kicks!, Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus
  8. ↑ "My father got these bombs to help me face my fears. I thought he was joking at first, but then one exploded! Where did he even get these?" ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Kicks!, Rhythm Heaven Megamix
  9. ↑ "My father keeps a bunch of these little barrels around, but I've never understood why. When I've asked, he says I can know when I am stronger than he is." ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Combos!, Rhythm Heaven Megamix
  10. ↑ "My father's most amazing trait is probably his vision. He can tell the color of a training light bulb in an instant and counter it. Will I ever be so quick?" ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Senior, Rhythm Heaven Megamix
  11. ↑ "だから、オレのこうげきだって、カンタンにふせぐのさ。" (That's why it's so easy for him to counter my attacks, too.) ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Senior, Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus
  12. ↑ "cat" ~ texture filename
  13. ↑ "こないだ、こっそり父さんのお酒を飲もうとしたところ、父さんに見つかってしまった。「お前には早い。もしもオレより、強くなる時が来たら、ウマイ酒を飲ませてやる」だって。けっきょく、父さんとお酒を飲んだことは、まだない。" (The other day, I secretly tried drinking my father's alcohol, but he found out. "You're not ready for it," he said, "but if you ever get stronger than me, I'll give you a drink." I've never had a drink with my dad before, actually.) ~ Rhythm Item description for Karate Man Combos!, Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  15. ↑ Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
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