Jo Bushido Blade - Blog Posts
Mikado Fan Art
I don't feel comfortable posting other people's fan art, especially without their permission, and most of it is obviously from Japan. So, I'm linking to the other sites. If any of the artists want me to remove these, I will.
This second link is actually three pictures of increasing realism. The artist also has a few Bushido Blade comics, including the next link.
This artist's blog includes a cute chibi Mikado (in which she is identified by another role her voice actress performed "Currypanman"): http://okirakustudio2.web.fc2.com/analogue/a_022.htm
The also did a cute valentine's picture of the four ladies: http://okirakujuraku.blog97.fc2.com/blog-entry-2353.html
FROGS
Chihiro is troublesome little boy. He likes to throw frogs at people.
POV: The enemy leader is afraid of your pet frog.
Mikado, Red Shadow (also known as Hotarubi), Jo, and Hongou all react to this frog in this over-dramatic way. This behavior is tied to their movelist, so any character can be made to react this way.
POV: A grown woman, who is also a samurai assassin (and might be able to hear the dead), is afraid of your pet frog.
POV: You found the only ninja that doesn't like frogs.
POV: That one girl in class thinks she's so cool.
POV: You found the guy that's bullying your brother.
POV: That girl came back! She's friends with the bully!
In their defense, it's a big frog. It also continues to move around the stage and can jump off ledges. It is a pain to pick back up in first person mode.
Further, nothing is stopping any character from picking the frog up and throwing back into Chihiro's face.
Making Characters Act
Since the cutscenes of Bushido Blade 2 are handled in-engine, it's super easy to put different actors on different stages with repurposed animations.
For example, this is Mikado and Jo reenacting part of Kannuki's ending in the Shainto Group Battle Stage. Jo is even using a different weapon from Mikado, unlike how Tatsumi wields the same as Kannuki.
The way Tatsumi falls in Kannuki's ending is so stiff; it's a very low-budget fall.
By contrast, "Tatsumi's" attack is a complete whiff in Mikado's ending, but the fall is more dramatic.
There's a few hiccups to the process of making this, but I can mostly make anyone in this game do anything someone else can do.
Character Select Face
On the right here, is the game's Story mode icon, which itself is a frame from the game's intro movie. Left to right: Gengoro, Jo, Kaun, Tatsumi, Mikado, Kannuki. Below are the Vs sprites for those five.
Due to a few characters' asymmetrical designs, they get two different vs screen sprites.
Game Manual 1.5
The game manual post had some technical difficulty, so I split it. If the prior post is hidden, it's because tumblr is labeling "mature" likely by auto error.
The Japanese manual, for reference.
Game Manual
Here are some some details and pictures from the games' official manuals.
Mikado and her Shainto counterpart Kaun face off.
The manual pairs her with Jo as speed-type. The stats the ladies have are similar with the four swords, but the polearms are a different story. The Shainto spear is Jo's worst weapon, but the Narukagami naginata is Mikado's best. Mikado and Kaun have the maximum speed and power with the big pointy sticks!
Mikado's stats with each weapon, if you're curious are:
Weapon-----Power----Speed
Naginata----22/22----15/15 Same as Kaun with Yari (Jo is 15 and 12)
Broadsword-15/22-----12/15 Same as Jo
Katana-------12/22-----14/15 Slower than Jo
Nodachi-----15/22-----13/15 Much weaker than Jo (18)
Longsword--10/22----14/15 Slower than Jo (Tied for the weakest Char/Weapon combo in the game.)
Notes: The lowest normal power is 10 and speed is 12. NPCs and the secret duo are above the limit. Mikado is weaker and slower than Kaun with all swords except being as fast with the katana.
In the original game, Mikado and Black Lotus (aka Kokuren, aka James, aka Highwayman) are the medium characters. Sadly, I haven't found the character stats in BB1 yet.
Also, that codename: Gate of the God's Descent. That's even cooler than my nickname for her: the Empress.
Mikado and Tatsumi face off, back when she was balance and he was speed.
These scans came from Archive.org, so that's why the text is scrunched like that.