Karate Joe: Difference between revisions

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 as an adult, Karate Joe still lives in the basement<ref>"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 (3DS)|Karate Man]], ''Rhythm Heaven Megamix''</ref>. His [[Father]] also stole the ball that Joe had bought and used it as a punching bag<ref>"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 (3DS)|Karate Man]], ''Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus''</ref>. [[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<ref>"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''</ref>, and asks his son if he likes it. Joe has to lie and say that he likes it to make him feel good<ref>"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''</ref>. [[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?"<ref>"「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''</ref> Karate Joe has no idea where his father got them from<ref>"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''</ref>. [[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<ref>"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''</ref>. Karate Joe envies his Father's incredible vision that allows him to quickly tell the color of a light bulb and counter it<ref>"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''</ref>. Joe also sees this as an explanation for how his Father can easily counter his attacks.<ref>"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''</ref>

===Other Appearances===

In ''[[Rhythm Tengoku]]'', he appears in the first [[Rhythm Game]], [[Karate Man Returns!|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 (GBA)|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 [[Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade)|arcade]] version of the game, with the same appearances, in addition to [[Karateka Tempo Up!|Karateka]] [[File:TempoUpExtra1.png|72px]], 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.

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

==Appearances==

*[[File:Karate Man Story icon.png|24px]] [[Karate Man (3DS)|Karate Man]]

*[[File:Karate Man 3DS icon.png|24px]] [[Karate Man Returns!]]

== Gallery==

<gallery widths="185">

Karate Joe GBA artwork.png|Artwork from ''[[Rhythm Tengoku]]''

Karate Joe.png|Sprite from ''[[Rhythm Heaven]]''

File:Karate Joe Credits.png|Karate Joe in Rhythm Tengoku Credits

Images (1).png|Karate Joe in Rhythm Heaven Fever Credits

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''==

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

His spirit battle takes place on the [https://www.ssbwiki.com/Suzaku_Castle Suzaku Castle] [https://www.ssbwiki.com/%CE%A9_form Ω] stage playing the [https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_SSBU_Music_(Wii_Fit_series)#Rhythm_Boxing Rhythm Boxing] track, where he is represented by [https://www.ssbwiki.com/Ryu_(SSBU) Ryu]. The battle has the "Item Tidal Wave" rule applied and 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

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== 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: