Karate Man Returns!
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Karate Man Returns! |
| More karate training! We've got an all-new song and all-new stuff to throw at you!  |
 Rhythm Heaven Megamix
|
Karate Man Returns! (かえってきた カラテ家?, Kaettekita Karateka), also known as Karateka (カラテ家?, Karateka) in Rhythm Tengoku, is the 1st Rhythm Game of Stage 1 (1st overall) in Rhythm Tengoku and the 1st of Honeybee Tower (33rd overall) in Rhythm Heaven Megamix.
The short version, Karate Man, appears in Honeybee Land in Rhythm Heaven Megamix.
The arrange version, Karate Man 2 (GBA), appears in Technician in Rhythm Tengoku.
Gameplay
This game features Karate Joe, who practices karate by punching objects that fly from off-screen. Usually the objects come out one at a time, though occasionally the player may need to "Hit 2!" (２つ！?, Futatsu!) or "Hit 3!!" (３つ！！?, Mittsu!!), punching multiple objects consecutively. The following objects appear and needed to be punched off-screen:
- Pot
- Rock
- Soccer Ball
- Light Bulb (
only) - Bomb ( only)
- Cooking Pot ( only)
A gauge, reading Nori (ノリ?, Flow), is located on the left in Rhythm Tengoku and it responds to the player's success. Unless the gauge is at three hearts or more, Karate Joe cannot punch rocks or bombs; attempting to do so results in Karate Joe hurting his hand, as he does not have enough power to punch them. The background is a featureless yellow plain, which adds darker stripes when the gauge is high enough.
In Rhythm Heaven Megamix, the game is altered for consistency with later versions, most notably the removal of the gauge entirely. The background as a result simply changes to the stripes and back at pre-determined points in the song. The "Hit 3!" indication is given a voice clip in additional to the visual cue, and the one "Hit 2!" present in the game was given an extra pot in front of it making it a "Hit 3!", presumably due to a lack of voice clips. The Light Bulbs and Bombs were replaced with other objects due to later versions repurposing them. This version introduces the Cooking Pot as a new object. Outside of the Japanese version, the 来る！ (Kuru!?, Incoming!) indication at the end is replaced with the pre-existing Grr! (ム！?, Mu!) indication due to later versions repurposing it as the "Combo!" indication.
Controls
- Ⓐ/Tap: Punch
Timing Display
- Perfect!/Ace!?: Karate Joe punches the object off-screen. In Rhythm Tengoku, the gauge goes up by one. If the player punches a rock or bomb when the gauge is too low, he will hurt his fist, counting as a miss instead.
- Early!/Late!?: Karate Joe mistimes the punch, causing him to wince as the object lands on the ground just in front of him. In Rhythm Tengoku, the gauge goes down by one.
- Miss...?: Karate Joe gasps as the object flies past him. In Rhythm Tengoku, the gauge is emptied completely.
Lyrics
The song used in the game has its lyrics provided in the Rhythm Poem Collection, where it is named "Karate Rhythm".
This beat is non stop.
Hey! Baby! Listen to my phrase.
I can give you
the sense of rhythm.
Oh, Yeah.
Hey! Baby! How's it going?
This beat is non stop.
Hey! Baby! Listen to my phrase.
I can give you
the sense of rhythm.
Awake, baby! Trust me!
New groove in your soul.
Oh, Yeah!
This beat!
You are growing up well.
Hey, Baby!
Hold on to your ambition.
Hey! Oh, Yeah!
Results
 |
師匠のおことば | (Master's words) |
|---|---|---|
 |
きほんが できてない。 つづけざまは ニガテみたいだね。 |
(Focus on the basics.) (You're bad at sequential punches.) |
 |
う～ん．．． まぁまぁ、 かな。 とりあえず．．． よしと します。 |
(Hmm...) (Well, I wonder.) (For now...) (All right.) |
 |
れんぞくパンチに キレがある！ さいご キマってた！ |
(Your sequential punches are great!) (You nailed the last part!) |
 |
Mutterings from the Master |
|---|---|
 |
Your punches lack pizzazz. You can't spell "triple punch" without "trip." |
 |
Eh. Passable. |
 |
Your punches have some punch. Three cheers for your triple punches! |
Epilogue
|
| ||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 明日が あるさ。 | とりあえず、ごはん 食べとこう！ | こんなに ブッとばしちゃった！！ |
| (There's always tomorrow.) | (For now, let's have lunch!) | (You sent all of this flying!!) |
 | ||
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| 明日が あるさ。 | とりあえず、ごはん 食べとこう！ | こんなに ブッとばしちゃった！！ |
| (There's always tomorrow.) | (For now, let's have lunch!) | (You sent all of this flying!!) |
|
| ||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Maybe this would go better if I practiced on that mountain... |
Focus... Focus... | I am ALL ABOUT this karate thing! |
Rhythm Item
| Cooking Pot | Karate Memory #2 |
|---|---|
  |
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. |
Skill Star
The Skill Star appears on the rock at the very end.
Challenge Land
Karate Man Returns! appears in the following Challenge Train courses:
Appearances
Karateka 
|
|
|---|
49
Karateka (カラテ家 ?, Karateka ) is the 1st Rhythm Game of Extra (49th overall) of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).
The gameplay is the same, but the tempo is sped up, with a new arrangement of the song. Here, Karate Joe wears boxing gloves and black pants.
Epilogue
|
| ||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 大合当日はイマイチでした。 | 大会当日、わリといいカソヅでした！ | あの大会で優勝しちゃった！！ |
| (At the tournament, it didn't go well.) | (At the tournament, I did well!) | (I won the tournament!!) |
Karateka 2P
|
|
|---|
Karateka 2P (カラテ家 2P?, Karateka 2P) is the 1st Rhythm Game of Stage 1 (1st overall) in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).
The arrange version, Karateka 2 2P, appears in Stage 4 in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).
The game has a split screen display to accommodate the second player. However, the gauge remains off screen, unable to be seen by either player.
Karateka 2P
|
|
|---|
Karateka 2P (カラテ家 2P ?, Karateka 2P ) is the 1st Rhythm Game of Extra (21st overall) in the 2P mode of Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade).
It has a split screen display to accommodate the second player. However, the gauge remains off screen, unable to be seen by either player.
Video
Trivia
- Karate Man has become rather well-known for being the first ever Rhythm Game in the Rhythm Heaven Series. This has allowed it to make it into the next three games in the series, with new mechanics.
- This game also has the most variations across the entire series.
- This is the first game in the Rhythm Heaven Series to include vocals. Interestingly, the game's lyrics are given as part of the Rhythm Poem Collection rather than its own lyrics card. Its name is given as "Karate Rhythm".
- The lyrics are exclusively in English as well. The first proper song to have English lyrics in all regions would appear later, being I'm a lady now.
Development History
- Main article: Karate Man Returns!/Development
In Other Languages
Rhythm Tengoku
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
カラテ家 | Karateka |
Rhythm Heaven Megamix
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese |
帰ってきた カラテ家 | Return of Karateka |
 EnglishNOA |
Karate Man Returns! | |
 EnglishNOE |
Karate Man Returns! | |
 French |
Super karatéka | Super Karateka |
 Spanish |
El regreso de Kárate Killo | The return of Karate Killo |
 German |
Karateka! 2 | Karateka! 2 |
 Italian |
Il ritorno di Karate Ka | The Return of Karate Ka |
 Korean |
돌아온 격투가 | Return of the Fighter |
|
