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==Appearance== |
==Appearance== |
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| − | [[File:Benikage_pic2.0.png|thumb|left|200px|Benikage, unmasked!]]Benikage is a beautiful woman who appears to be in her mid-to-late twenties. She is clearly of Japanese origins, but with no known birthplace. |
+ | [[File:Benikage_pic2.0.png|thumb|left|200px|Benikage, unmasked!]]Benikage is a beautiful woman who appears to be in her mid-to-late twenties. She is clearly of Japanese origins, but with no known birthplace (in her interview she speaks mysteriously of the 'ninja village'). |
| − | She has long dark brown/black hair that comes mid-way down her back (with bangs in the front and long |
+ | She has long dark brown/black hair that comes mid-way down her back (with bangs in the front and long forelocks), and brown eyes. She has a well toned but surprisingly voluptuous figure. She is also one of the most fair-skinned characters in the games, perhaps due to spending much of her time concealed in darkness and shadows.. |
| − | She wears a black headband with a white shuriken emblem on it. The lower half of her face is concealed under a protective mempo-style half-facemask.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menpo</ref>The mask |
+ | She wears a black headband with a white shuriken emblem on it. The lower half of her face is concealed under a protective mempo-style half-facemask.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menpo</ref>The mask shows the jaws of a snarling dog-like creature. She also wears a long red scarf around her neck with the ends hanging down her back. She wears a swimsuit-style mesh garment- with red and black segments underneath (similar to how a bikini would be worn). Benikage has a tattoo of a red rose in bloom, located between her navel and right hip. |
She wears Samura-style kote<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Return_of_the_Samurai_38.JPG</ref> armguards that cover her hands and forearms. The guards on her hands have the the same white shuriken emblem on them as her headband. She also wears similar matal plated leg sote leg-guards that cover her knees and lower legs. She wears black tabi socks and straw sandals with Kôgake armor<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%B4gake_armored_tabi.JPG</ref> covering them. The metal plates that cover her knees have the Kanji for "nin" (''hidden''), the first half of Nin-ja (''hidden person'').<ref>http://www.theartofcalligraphy.com/ninja-kanji.html</ref> |
She wears Samura-style kote<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Return_of_the_Samurai_38.JPG</ref> armguards that cover her hands and forearms. The guards on her hands have the the same white shuriken emblem on them as her headband. She also wears similar matal plated leg sote leg-guards that cover her knees and lower legs. She wears black tabi socks and straw sandals with Kôgake armor<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%B4gake_armored_tabi.JPG</ref> covering them. The metal plates that cover her knees have the Kanji for "nin" (''hidden''), the first half of Nin-ja (''hidden person'').<ref>http://www.theartofcalligraphy.com/ninja-kanji.html</ref> |
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Benikage wears an ornate blue helmet/mask (similar to a traditional Samurai's "Hachi gane"<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hachi_gane</ref>) that covers most of her face and the front of her head. She also wears a steel-mesh veil over the lower half of her face and a fancy silver crest above her eyes. She wears a black and silver Yodare-kake<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Yodare-kake</ref> style guard down around her neck- with the same curved Shuriken emblems on the segments. She wears a full mesh bodysuit (with illustrative body paint covering ''certain places'') that covers her entire body from head to toe- with no visible joins of opening anywhere. |
Benikage wears an ornate blue helmet/mask (similar to a traditional Samurai's "Hachi gane"<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hachi_gane</ref>) that covers most of her face and the front of her head. She also wears a steel-mesh veil over the lower half of her face and a fancy silver crest above her eyes. She wears a black and silver Yodare-kake<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Yodare-kake</ref> style guard down around her neck- with the same curved Shuriken emblems on the segments. She wears a full mesh bodysuit (with illustrative body paint covering ''certain places'') that covers her entire body from head to toe- with no visible joins of opening anywhere. |
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| − | Her shoulders are covered by cobalt-blue segmented metal armor (with red tassels hanging from the edges), similar to the Samurai armor pieces called sode<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sode.JPG</ref>. She wears matching blue plate metal arm and leg kote guards with red lace and tassels. The armor on her hands sports the same curved Shurikens. She wears traditional Japanese straw sandals (and tabi socks), covered with matching blue Kôgake armor (also |
+ | Her shoulders are covered by cobalt-blue segmented metal armor (with red tassels hanging from the edges), similar to the Samurai armor pieces called sode<ref>http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sode.JPG</ref>. She wears matching blue plate metal arm and leg kote guards with red lace and tassels. The armor on her hands sports the same curved Shurikens. She wears traditional Japanese straw sandals (and tabi socks), covered with matching blue Kôgake armor (also tied with red lace). |
| − | + | [[File:Benikage_swim550.jpg|thumb|left|Benikage in shades and swimsuit]]When she takes part in Queen's Matches, she wears a fairly revealing bikini in rose, light grey, green or black, along with sandals and a pair of sunglasses. Strangely she has no tattoos or body paint on her while in this costume. |
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==Fighting Style== |
==Fighting Style== |
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Revision as of 16:27, 6 August 2011
| Benikage (“Bloody Shadow”) | |
|---|---|
 "Kunoichi" | |
|
Alignment |
Heel |
|
Place of Birth |
Unknown |
|
Age |
Unknown |
|
Height |
5'6” (167 cm) |
|
Weight |
Unknown* |
|
Measurements (Bust, waist, hips) |
Unknown |
|
Specialties |
Hades Drop, 6 Realms |
|
Allies |
Anesthesia (Hostile Tag-Partner) |
|
Family |
Unknown |
|
Note |
Her listed wt (103 lbs) isn't possible with her height & build[1] |
Benikage (previously called “Bloody Shadow”[2]) is a playable character in both the original Rumble Roses in 2004 and sequel Rumble Roses XX in 2006. She fights under the subtitle of "Kunoichi" (a female ninja). Her Japanese voice actress is Aki Sasaki. She was dubbed by Lenne Hardt in the first game, with Jessica Gee voicing her in the sequel.[3][4]
Background
A mysterious woman with no name or past... Benikage (aka "Bloody Shadow") is an agent of the "Otugumi", a modern day Ninja Unit that trained her in the arts of Ninjitsu.
She was sent by the Japanese Government to investigate the activities of the Rumble Roses Organization (while posing as a competitor in the Rose Tournament). Her ultimate goal is to uncover what is real going on behind the scenes...[5]
As she learns more about what is going on, she finds that Anesthesia is at the heart of the all the turmoil being caused around her. She repeatedly crosses paths with the Nurse, and at each encounter grows increasingly outraged by her inhumane and unethical work. Once she becomes aware of the extent of Anesthesia's machinations (such as expirimenting on Fujiko Hinomoto to turn her into Evil Rose), Benikage concludes that she is totally evil![6]
She goes so far as to declare that Anesthesia is The Devil and dedicates herself to defeating her and ending her plans once and for all...
Personality
Benikage seems to be an extremely serious woman and takes a simple, no-nonsense approach to virtually everything she does, including when she's fighting an opponent in the ring. Her primary motivation is always the furtherance of her 'mission' to uncover the secret of Rumble Roses. Because of this dedication to the Ninja path., she shows little interest (or understanding) in anything or anyone that isn't critical to the success of her mission, preferring to avoid unnecessary interactions where possible. In the first game, when interviewed, she evades most of the questions by replying with cryptic remarks. She never speaks during her introductions, even going so far as to silently 'kill' the enemy ninjas during her Tag Match intro. She also shows almost no emotion when fighting or even winning.
As a result of this, she often appears cold and aloof. There are some signs that she may wish for company, but is constrained by her training. When Noble Rose asks to ally with her against Anesthesia, she seems tempted, but eventually rejects the offer, saying, 'I work alone'. (Her alter ego, Yasha seems to develop a better relationship with Noble in Rumble Roses XX where their tag entrance, though not exactly special, is superior to the normal entrances).
Benikage vs Anesthesia!
In sharp contrast to this, she reacts with blatant anger and contempt when dealing with Anesthesia. Benikage is clearly offended by the twisted woman's very presence and will fly into a rage at the sight of her. Normally a woman of few words, she openly threatens Anesthesia/Dr Cutter regardless. (Yasha will behave in exactly the same towards them, showing that, though her alter ego, she has the same desire to fight evil).
In Rumble Roses XX, Benikage actually forms an antagonistic tag team with Anesthesia. This is presumably connected with her being 'sold' to Anesthesia by her former colleagues in the first game, resulting in her becoming a shinobi or renegade ninja. Anesthesia in turn has nothing but contempt for Benikage, often taunting her with references to her dog-like mask.
Amusingly, the only other notable instance where Benikage can be seen to break character and express a real degree of emotion is when she's competing in the Queen's matches. While approaching the ring via going down the wooden boardwalk during her introduction, Benikage noticably blushes and shies away from the camera. She likely feels exposed when she realizes that she's being recorded, and may also be shy about displaying her skimpy swimsuit to the crowd.
Appearance
Benikage, unmasked!
Benikage is a beautiful woman who appears to be in her mid-to-late twenties. She is clearly of Japanese origins, but with no known birthplace (in her interview she speaks mysteriously of the 'ninja village').
She has long dark brown/black hair that comes mid-way down her back (with bangs in the front and long forelocks), and brown eyes. She has a well toned but surprisingly voluptuous figure. She is also one of the most fair-skinned characters in the games, perhaps due to spending much of her time concealed in darkness and shadows..
She wears a black headband with a white shuriken emblem on it. The lower half of her face is concealed under a protective mempo-style half-facemask.[7]The mask shows the jaws of a snarling dog-like creature. She also wears a long red scarf around her neck with the ends hanging down her back. She wears a swimsuit-style mesh garment- with red and black segments underneath (similar to how a bikini would be worn). Benikage has a tattoo of a red rose in bloom, located between her navel and right hip.
She wears Samura-style kote[8] armguards that cover her hands and forearms. The guards on her hands have the the same white shuriken emblem on them as her headband. She also wears similar matal plated leg sote leg-guards that cover her knees and lower legs. She wears black tabi socks and straw sandals with Kôgake armor[9] covering them. The metal plates that cover her knees have the Kanji for "nin" (hidden), the first half of Nin-ja (hidden person).[10]
Benikage in Super Star Mode
When Benikage wins enough matches (80+ popularity), she achieves Super Star mode. Her wring attire becomes even flashier and more exotic. Her dark hair is high up and tied into a long ponytail. She's also wears dark mascara and purple eyeliner.
Benikage wears an ornate blue helmet/mask (similar to a traditional Samurai's "Hachi gane"[11]) that covers most of her face and the front of her head. She also wears a steel-mesh veil over the lower half of her face and a fancy silver crest above her eyes. She wears a black and silver Yodare-kake[12] style guard down around her neck- with the same curved Shuriken emblems on the segments. She wears a full mesh bodysuit (with illustrative body paint covering certain places) that covers her entire body from head to toe- with no visible joins of opening anywhere.
Her shoulders are covered by cobalt-blue segmented metal armor (with red tassels hanging from the edges), similar to the Samurai armor pieces called sode[13]. She wears matching blue plate metal arm and leg kote guards with red lace and tassels. The armor on her hands sports the same curved Shurikens. She wears traditional Japanese straw sandals (and tabi socks), covered with matching blue Kôgake armor (also tied with red lace).
Benikage in shades and swimsuit
When she takes part in Queen's Matches, she wears a fairly revealing bikini in rose, light grey, green or black, along with sandals and a pair of sunglasses. Strangely she has no tattoos or body paint on her while in this costume.
Fighting Style
As a ninja, she relies on speed and agility- allowing her to evade her opponent and retaliate with fast puches and kicks. She's also extremely good at reversing attacks and will instanly attacks them from their blind spot (usually striking them in the back after moving out of the way of their attack.)
As a master of stealth and speed, she's very good for building up an opponent's Humiliation level. Benikage blends ninja illusion techniques in her fighting- such as disappearing in puffs of smoke only to appear behind her attacker. She can perform a special revers technique where she creates a large cloud of smoke around herself (right before her charging foe can reach her), leaving her enemy to tackle a wooden 'substitue' block. It's best to employ an evasive style to fighting, using reverses and and reverse-attacks.
There are some dissadvantages to Benikage's ninjutsu- especially when fighting a larger, stronger oppenent. While she strikes quickly, she doesn't do a lot a damage, so it takes her longer to wear down her oppenent. Additionally, her lighter build makes her weaker to strikes and holds, so she can easily loose in a war of attrition.
Trivia
- In the first game's interview feature, when asked about her favorite food, she replies "As a ninja, I entertain no notions of desire, except for jello." [14]
- Benikage's original theme "The Shadow Appears" was composed, arranged, and performed (in-house) by Konami composer Takayashi Ishikawa. He was credited as dj TAKA. An intrumental version of the song, renamed "Crimson Shadow", was recorded (presumably in-house by Konami) for the sequal in 2006.[15][16]
- In the first game, she is called Bloody Shadow. For the sequel, her name was changed to Benikage- which transleted to Crimson Shadow in Japanese (beni = crimson, kage = shadow).
- The association of toads to Benikage is likely linked to the folklore and mythology of the historical ninjas. They had hideouts in the mountains, and the Toads that lived there were believed to mountain spirits . Llinks were drawn between the toads and ninjas and transferred into popular culture (such as in Naruto).
- During her various intros, she's seen wielding a short Ninjatō[17] sword, which she uses to fight off the scantily clad female ninjas that attack her on the way to the wring.
References
- ↑ www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/ideal_bw_women.htm
- ↑ Rumble Roses Manual. Konami, 2004.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435341/
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0952679
- ↑ Rumble Roses Manual. Konami, 2004.
- ↑ http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/929261-rumble-roses-xx/faqs/48903
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menpo
- ↑ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Return_of_the_Samurai_38.JPG
- ↑ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%B4gake_armored_tabi.JPG
- ↑ http://www.theartofcalligraphy.com/ninja-kanji.html
- ↑ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hachi_gane
- ↑ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Yodare-kake
- ↑ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sode.JPG
- ↑ http://faqs.ign.com/articles/845/845509p1.html
- ↑ Rumble Roses Manuel. Konami, 2004.
- ↑ http://vjarmy.com/wiki/index.php/Dj_Taka
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninjat%C5%8D