The Wandering Samurai: Difference between revisions

{{Nihongo|'''The Wandering Samurai'''|<ruby>虎伝<rt>こでん</rt></ruby> <ruby>立國<rt>りっこく</rt></ruby>|Koden Rikkoku}}, also known as '''Samurai Steve''' in [[Rhythm Heaven Fever|Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise]], is a recurring character in the franchise, and appears in all four games in the series, much like [[Karate Joe]], [[Hair Vegetables]], and the [[Widget|Widgets]]. He is well known for his quick slice technique.<ref name="chara">https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/brij/chara/stage02.html</ref>

The Wandering Samurai is devoted to the samurai code of Bushido and has a generally poor sense of direction.<ref>"I am called the Wandering Samurai, due to my devotion to the samurai code of Bushido and my generally poor sense of direction." ~ [[Reading Material (Rhythm Heaven Fever)#Picky Eaters' Song|Picky Eaters' Song]]</ref> His tale has been passed down through the ages. With no clear record left, no one is sure what his real name actually was.

[[File:Demon Tengu .png|thumb|left|92x92px]]Back then, [[Yokai]] would often invade the village. They say they didn't actually attack people, but when people stumble upon them at night they get a big fright, so they were reasonably scared. Out of concern for those people, The Wandering Samurai went to slice all of those pesky monsters.<ref name="chara" />

[[File:Pinwheel Girl.png|thumb|142x142px]]The samurai wanders further, and as the sun dips below the horizon, the Wandering Samurai rests his weary body under a tree on the grounds of an old temple. He proceeds to sing the Picky Eaters' Song as he sleeps, and wakes up to two children, [[Pinwheel Girl|one]] holding a pinwheel, and the other holding a rice ball. Their mother asked them to offer the rice ball to the samurai, who graciously accepts it, and finds the taste similar to how his own mother used to make them. Later, he stumbles upon the kids in distress, as their pinwheel was stolen by [[Demons]]. In the name of justice, the samurai follows the demons to a cliff, where he proceeds to slice them all until getting the pinwheel back. The samurai wanders further into a city, where he helps a businessman recover a bunny toy which he bought for his daughter, that was stolen by the marauding spirits.

[[File:8-bit village girl.png|thumb|left|64px]]Sometime after that, the samurai travels the lands of old to complete his training,<ref>"I am a samurai traveling the lands of old to complete my training." ~ Dialogue in [[Super Samurai Slice]], ''Rhythm Heaven Megamix''</ref> and at that moment, the demons kidnap a lady walking through the streets. He proceeds to slice every demon in his path to rescue her. The villagers are left confused by the black debris on the ground, as the samurai did not stay for the recognition.<ref>"After every full moon, there are piles of this stuff lying all over the village. No one knows that the samurai is saving them, but he doesn't do it for the recognition." ~ Rhythm Item description for [[Super Samurai Slice]], ''Rhythm Heaven Megamix''</ref> At some point, the demons strike again and kidnap four ladies at once, with the samurai once again slicing many demons along the way to save them. This time he even gets a ride from [[Mister Eagle]] and uses a lightning bolt technique. The village scientists eventually figure out the debris comes from the monsters, and are mystified as the blue pieces are cool to the touch,<ref>"After much research, the village scientists figured out the black debris is from monsters. They're mystified by these blue pieces that are so cool to the touch, though." ~ Rhythm Item description for [[Super Samurai Slice 2]], ''Rhythm Heaven Megamix''</ref> but they are apparently more difficult to clean up.<ref>"黒いヤツは、オバケのカケラだと分かったけど、この青いヤツは、いまだナゾのまま。さわるとヒンヤリしてて、キモチイイ。この青いカケラ、黒いのにくらべて、そうじがタイヘンなもんだから、そうじ係のおきぬ、おこってたよ。" (We found out that the black one is a piece of a monster, but this blue one is still a mystery. When you touch it, it feels nice and tingly. This blue piece is much more difficult to clean than the black one, so the cleaning staff was very upset.) ~ Rhythm Item description for [[Super Samurai Slice 2]], ''Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus''</ref>

In all of the [[Remix|Remixes]] the samurai has appeared in, he is seen protecting the village he wandered into for a little while longer before continuing on his journey. In [[Remix 4 (Wii)|Remix 4]] from ''[[Rhythm Heaven Fever]]'' specifically, he is seen protecting a castle from the [[Demons]], while a [[Ringside|Wrestler interview]] and [[Packing Pests|sorting job]] seem to be occurring inside. The Wandering Samurai also makes an appearance in ''[[mariowiki:Game & Wario|Game &amp; Wario]]'', where he takes on a [[mariowiki:Samurai Slice|part-time job at a fish factory]]. It is unclear where these events take place in relation to the general story.

*The Wandering Samurai has appeared as a playable character in 16 different games through the series, while [[Karate Joe]] appears in 23 games (excluding cameos).