XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ___ _ _ ____ / _ \_ _ _ __ ___| |__ /\/\ __ _ _ __ (_) __ _ |___ \ / /_)/ | | | '_ \ / __| '_ \ / \ / _` | '_ \| |/ _` | __) | / ___/| |_| | | | | (__| | | / /\/\ \ (_| | | | | | (_| | / __/ \/ \__,_|_| |_|\___|_| |_\/ \/\__,_|_| |_|_|\__,_| |_____| Punch Mania 2: Hokuto No Ken II SECTIONS (1) Intro (1-A) About the Game (1-B) Changes (2) How to Play (2-B) Basic (2-C) Ohgi (Techniques) (3) Course List (3-A) Old Courses (3-B) New Courses (3-C) Free Select Mode (4) Credits ******************************************************************************* (1) Intro ******************************************************************************* (1-A) About the Game ==================== "Punch Mania 2" is an arcade game published by Konami Entertainment based on the Japanese manga comic and animated series "Hokuto No Ken", know outside Japan as "Fist of the North Star". As the game title implies, the player is required to physically punch in order to defeat increasingly difficult opponents, which are taken directly from the series itself. While the original game, "Punch Mania", was translated and released outside Japan, I am unaware of any translated versions of "Punch Mania 2". At the time of this writing, it is fairly easy to find in most large arcades in Japan. Whether the game will be released overseas remains to be seen, since the second half of the original anime and comic series were never officially translated. However, the entire box set in DVD was released last year (2003) in Japan, which has apparently sparked a bit more interest in the Hokuto No Ken series. Only time will tell. (1-B) Changes from "Punch Mania" =================================== First of, the machine has not changed whatsoever compared to the first game. Still six pads, two gloves, and a monitor right in the middle. Thankfully, the game itself has only been improved upon, with absolutely nothing removed. The first major addition(s) are a total of FIVE new courses, based on the second half of the Hokuto No Ken series (often called "Hokuto No Ken 2"). One of these courses includes another alternate character, Ein, although it's a rather easy course. Fitting, since Ein wasn't exactly a powerhouse of a fighter himself. The second, equally important addition is a brand-new Free Select course! This course allows you to play survival mode (partial life-refill based on performance) against up to four different foes. Each stage gives you a handful of increasingly difficult opponents to choose from. ******************************************************************************* (2) How to Play ******************************************************************************* (2-A) Basic =========== PUNCH! Alright, I suppose I should give a little more details than that. Each match you face will unfold in the same pattern. On all courses except Free Select, you will see some exposition about the particular courses story at first, followed by your first opponent. All opponents also have their own personal exposition spot, usually three screens of quick text go by as they're read aloud by the narrator and/or the character you're playing as. This story section is also left out of Free Select mode. This time is a good time to put back on the black fighting gloves, if you use them. Once the match begins, you're taunted by your opponent for a few seconds, followed by "READY?". From this point, you begin your fight. The red pads on the sides of the machine will begin swivelling toward you. Once a pad reaches a full right-angle from its resting spot, the red light on the pad will flash. THIS is the time you punch the pad. Punching the pad either before or after the light flashes will cause a miss. Based on your timing, you will see a rating behind each hit showing whether you hit or not. - "Good" is the best rating, meaning a perfect hit. - You'll get an "OK" if you just barely made it. This still counts as a successful hit, but while you don't lose much energy, it's not very helpful. - "Bad" and "Poor" mean that you punched the pad too early or too late. This equates to the opponent scoring a hit on you, bringing you closer to losing. - "Miss" means what it says: you completely missed the pad. This hurts your chances of winning worse than any other result. The pads will appear in different orders based on your opponent, some of whom are fairly predictable. See the Opponent Guide for more info. At the top of the screen, you'll see portraits in the corners of both your character and your opponent, on the left and right respectively. Under each portrait is are the energy meters and ohgi ("technique") meters. - If your energy meter is gone, you lose. Your energy meter doesn't refill until the next round. Two exceptions for this are the Free Select course and the Rei course. During the Free Select course, you recieve some extra energy after every course based on your performance, but never a full refill. Rei's course gives no refill whatsoever, making it a true Ironman course. - The ohgi meter increases differently for you and your opponent. Your meter increases very slowly, a bit for each successful attack. Your opponent's meter, however, increases rapidly over time, even more rapidly when he scores a hit (ie, you miss, etc). - Whenever your opponent's ohgi meter is full, he will use his ohgi on you, meaning faster, more damaging attacks for a short time. Some opponents' ohgi have definite patterns to them, so it's best to study up. - When your ohgi meter is full, it's the end of the fight. You will have the chance to perform a special technique (determined for each opponent). Finishing the technique successfully means a win. Botching the ohgi means either death or near-death, the later case meaning you lose a lot of energy and are thrown back into the normal fight cycle again. This is usually a no-win situation, but it IS possible to make a comeback, so try your best! (2-B) Ohgi (Techniques) ======================= A) Rapid Punches ---------------- Just what it says: you must punch rapidly for a given number of times during a short period. Once the ohgi starts, all the pads light up and stay light. Once a pad is punched, it returns to be hit again. On harder difficulty settings, the pads will not all move at the same speed, meaning your punching order is somewhat restricted. To complete this ohgi successfully, there are several existing techniques. Some of them include using both arms in unison to punch two pads at once, or even employing a friend to punch one side while you punch the other. For more ideas on this, see some of the other guides on this site for Punch Mania 1. < New technique! > I have recently found a very useful method for clearing a high-count ohgi. First, it's done bare-handed, and not with a fist, but open hands. As soon as the lights go on, push the top two rows with each hand, then the bottom row with each hand in even rythym. Each pass nets you all six pads, or 12ATA towards your onscreen total, but this method is much more maintanable than the "all-six-with-forearms" method mentioned elsewhere. This means even for a 100ATA fight, you only need to do 10 rotations to clear. This is the only way I have managed to clear Kaioh's massive 150ATA ohgi, and it has yet to fail me once, even on the big boys. < New technique! > When this ohgi is used, the number of punches will appear on the screen at first, typically followed by Kenshiro's "WAAAAA!", meaning the pads are ready to punch. The number can be decieving, since it may show as many as 150 punches needed to clear the ohgi. In actuality, every pad hit counts as two hits, meaning the maximum number of actual hits goes up to 75. Don't underestimate this, though, since you're given about a maximum of 10 seconds to do this in, and punching 5 times per second is not exactly easy. B) Punch the lit pads only -------------------------- This technique is used only a twice in the game, but it is unique. - The first time it's employed is with Colonel. It is actually the defense against Colonel's attack, but since it is at the end of the fight, it's best described as Kenshiro's ohgi. Several pads will appear simultaneously, only one of which will light up. Missing the lit pad, or accidentally hitting an unlit pad, will cause a miss and will eventually botch the ohgi. - The second time it's employed is against Souther. In this case, it represents Kenshiro's defensive ohgi, "Tenha no Kamae" (Heaven Breaking Stance). In some ways, it's more difficult than Colonel's version. The pads will appear one at a time, either lighting or not lighting. Again, punching an unlit pad, or missing a lit one, will cause a miss. This time, the ohgi is a bit tougher since missing more than one pad will cause a botch, throwing you back into the fight after being hit with Souther's ohgi, meaning you'll probably lose. C) Punch the pads in order -------------------------- This ohgi is rather simple. The pads will appear in a determined order, and missing too many of them will cause a botch. There is a particularly strict version of this used as an ohgi on Devil Rebirth called "Hokuto Shichi Shisei Ten" (North Star Seven Star Points of Death). Missing even only one causes a botch. However, most of these ohgi are a little more forgiving. D) Punch the pads in a circle ----------------------------- Although the ohgi used on Heart's stage is technically one of the type above, the description in game is different, and it's sort of unique. The pads will appear in a clockwise circle, starting at the bottom left corner. The pads will appear faster and faster until you finish the ohgi. There is a meter on the bottom of the screen that shows Heart's belly being pushed around, but it's not very important. This ohgi is followed by the special technique listed below... E) Finish him with one punch! ----------------------------- This is an addition to the ohgi used on two opponents, Heart and Raoh. After the main ohgi (circle and 100 punches, respectively), you must decide the match with one final punch, always done on the middle right pad. Missing this pad causes the ohgi itself to botch, so be careful. ******************************************************************************* (3) Course List ******************************************************************************* ================= (3-A) Old Courses ================= NOTE: The old courses' opponents now have numeric ratings, thanks to the Free Select course, so they are listed next to each opponent. The ratings give a number of fists, the more fists meaning tougher opponents. 0 - Practice * - Easy ** - Easy *** - Easy **** - Normal ***** - Normal ****** - Hard ******* - Hard ******** - Very Hard ********* - Very Hard ********** - Ultimate ----------------------------- | "Practice Level" (PRACTICE) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ----------------------------- 1. Ryuken O - 0 Fists 2. Zeed * - 1 Fist ------------------------- | "Southern Cross" (EASY) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ------------------------- 1. Zeed * - 1 Fist 2. Heart ** - 2 Fists 3. Shin *** - 3 Fists ---------------------------- | "Nanto Roku Seiken" (EASY) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ---------------------------- 1. King of Kiba ** - 2 Fists 2. Rei *** - 3 Fists 3. Shuh **** - 3 Fists 4. Souther ***** - 5 Fists ------------------------------------------- | "Ken-Oh, Conqueror of the Century" (HARD) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ------------------------------------------- 1. Colonel *** - 3 Fists 2. Devil Rebirth **** - 4 Fists 3. Uigur ***** - 5 Fists 4. Ken-Oh ****** - 6 Fists --------------------------------------------- | "Messiah of the Century Legend" (VERY HARD) | | Character: KENSHIRO | --------------------------------------------- 1. Jagi ******* - 7 Fists 2. Amiba ******* - 7 Fists 3. Toki ******** - 8 Fists 4. Ryuga ********* - 9 Fists 5. Raoh ********* - 9 Fists ------------------------------------------- | Nanto Roku Seiken, Star of Justice (HARD) | | Character: REI | ------------------------------------------- 1. Ken-Oh (- Rei Version -) ***** - 5 Fists 2. King of Kiba (- Rei Version -) **** - 4 Fists 3. Amiba (- Rei Version -) ***** - 5 Fists 4. Yuda ****** - 6 Fists -------------------------------------------- | "Conqueror of the Century Legend" (MANIAC) | | Character: RAOH | -------------------------------------------- 1. Toki (- Raoh Version -) ******* - 7 Fists 2. Jyuza ******** - 8 Fists 3. Fudoh ********* - 9 Fists 3. Kenshiro ********** - 10 Fists ===================================================== (3-B) New Courses - The Land of Shura (Shura No Kuni) ===================================================== NOTE: The new courses do not have character difficulty ratings because they are not available in the Free Select course. ------------------------------------- | "NEW Hokuto Shin Ken Legend" (EASY) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ------------------------------------- Stage One: Barona and Bask -------------------------- -- Description -- These guys are the first two opponents Kenshiro faces in the Hokuto No Ken 2, it's fitting that they're his first opponents in the new courses. Also, as in the series, they're pushovers. Real easy warm-up. -- Rating -- Almost too easy except for the surprise technique Barona pulls on you. No real threatening sections. Almost all singles all the way. -- Enemy Technique 1 (no name) -- Before Barona drops, he will suddenly throw doubles and diagonals at you, which will most definitely catch most newcomers off-guard. He even taunts you after this technique, saying "Were you surprised?". After this, he will come straight at you, while an ohgi message flashes at the bottom of the screen. Throw the one punch on the right and knock out Barona. At this point, Bask will step in. -- Enemy Technique 2 (Kazan Gokuaku Sou) -- Bask will not have much time to throw a mid-fight technique or ohgi at you. He will only launch an ohgi, his spinning technique, at you right before your ohgi. Fittingly, the ohgi is a clock-wise rotation of pads from the bottom- right. -- Final Ohgi: 30 Rapid Punches -- After you stop Bask's ohgi, Kenshiro will launch into his ohgi. Clear it and Bask goes down. Stage Two: Gayler ----------------- -- Description -- Gayler is a big fat man who can't move around by himself. He was a rich man who put bounties on people, one of them, of course, being Kenshiro. Gayler uses hypnotism, along with some strange gas he can emit from his mouth, to get people to do his way. Overall, a piece of cake. -- Rating -- Even easier than Barona and Bask. No real surprises. Mostly singles at a fairly slow pace. -- Enemy Technique (no name) -- Gayler will begin spinning his pendulums and saying "You can only here the sound of my voice", or something to that effect. Again, clock-wise rotating patterns starting from the bottom right. -- Final Ohgi: 40 Rapid Punches -- Gayler will open his mouth and start to breathe out noxious fumes. He will then come at you. Do a left-and-right center punch to stop him in his tracks, then let loose with the 40-punch ohgi. Gayler will be down in no time. Stage Three: Ein ---------------- -- Description -- This is the same Ein that you play as during the Brawling Legend course. He is a bounty hunter looking to save up enough money for a plane of some sorts in order to take his daughter, Asuka, to a better place. -- Rating -- Pretty easy, along the lines of Shin from the easy course in the first game. Just be careful at the end with the ohgi. Basically a stream of mostly singles at a decent clip. -- Opening -- Ein: "So... you got a woman?" Ken: "... No." Ein: "Great... now I can beat you to a pulp with a free conscious!" -- Enemy Technique (no name) -- Exactly the same as the ohgi you use in Ein's course. Just a bit faster stream of singles. -- Final Ohgi: 50 Rapid Punches + "Finish him with one punch!" -- As usually, Kenshiro will launch into his rapid punch ohgi. Once you've cleared it, Ein will be staggered. At this point, you will do a final punch on the center right pad. Kenshiro will launch into a killing punch. THEN, you will have to hit the center LEFT pad. This causes Kenshiro's arm to swerve, sparing Ein the fatal blow. "You shouldn't die yet... you've got a woman, am I right?" Good ol' Kenshiro! -------------------------------- | "Brawling Style Legend" (EASY) | | Character: EIN | -------------------------------- Stage One: Buzori ----------------- -- Description -- Buzori is a giant who Ein defeats in the animated series. He isn't given much of a back story. -- Rating -- He is very easy, even compared to the previous courses first stage (Barona and Bask). He throws nearly all singles and, on top of that, has no special! A pushover in all aspects. -- Enemy Technique (no name) -- NONE! -- Final Ohgi: 40 Rapid Punches -- You will simply be presented with a "Punch 40 times!" message. Do so, and Buzori goes down. Stage Two: Bat -------------- -- Description -- Unlike the last second-string opponent, Bat is actually a major player in the Hokuto Shin Ken world. He began following Kenshiro in the very beginning of the series, and together with Lin, formed the Hokuto Army after coming of age. (NOTE: I don't remember exactly why Ein fights him; I'll have to do this course again to catch the intro, since they don't really fight in the series) -- Rating -- A step up from the past opponents, maybe on par with Ein himself in the last course. He throws some pretty steady streams and a few doubles here and there. -- Enemy Technique (no name) -- Bat throws knives while flying around the screen. Basically a bit faster and more mixed up than his normal fight. -- Final Ohgi: 50 Rapid Punches -- As you pattern-seekers might have guessed, this time you're required to punch 50 times in succession. Bat sort of falls down, accepting defeat. Stage Three: Jakkou (- Ein Version -) ------------------------------------- -- Description -- Jakkou is the self-proclaimed Emperor of this area. He hates darkness and requires to be surrounded by blinding light to feel secure. He has also captured Lin's twin, Rui, who is to be the true Empress. -- Rating -- A decent fit for this stages boss. Rather tough for an easy course, but a tad short. You don't actually fight Jakkou, but rather his henchmen. -- Enemy Technique (no name) -- Jakkou's actual technique involves some of his henchmen launching ballista- like missiles at you. As to be expected, they're just a little faster than normal. -- Final Ohgi: 60 Rapid Punches -- In an interesting twist, Ein approaches Jakkou to fight him, but Jakkou drops Ein into a deep pit. (This is paraphrasing the original story, when Kenshiro and the other characters drop, too). Once in the pit, you're shown the Punch 60 times message, and Ein starts punching a water main of sorts. If successful, the pipe bursts and Ein rockets from the pit, delivering a nice punch to Jakkou, apparently killing him. You're then given the ending scene where Kenshiro puts some admiration for Ein. --------------------------------------------- | "Assault on Imperial Capital Legend" (EASY) | | Character: KENSHIRO | --------------------------------------------- Stage One: Solia ---------------- -- Description -- He practices Gento Ko Ken, or "Origin Dipper Emperor Fist", which as the name hints at, was created to protect the Emperor. Solia is one of the generals tasked with the destruction of Hokuto and Nanto under the orders of Jakkou. -- Rating -- Solia is on par for an easy course, obviously a bit tougher than par for the first easy course. He uses almost all singles with a few two-handers. -- Enemy Technique "Gento Ryuurin Kouzan" (Gento Light Ring Kill) -- Again, faster than normal with some doubles thrown in. No big deal. -- Final Ohgi: 50 Rapid Punches -- Do 50 punches. Solia drops. You know the drill. Stage Two: Harn Brothers ------------------------ -- Description -- They are the twin successors of Nanto Souyou Ken (South Star Paired Hawk Fist), a Nanto style which requires two fighters. In the story, they are held captive for past crimes, and when the are released, they attempt to kill Falco by detonating some sort of bomb manually (with a sledgehammer). They die in the attempt. -- Rating -- As easy, if not easier, than Solia. Follows a really simple pattern usually. For example: a left double, two successive rights... a right double, two successive lefts, etc. You'll never get a left and right double, so make sure to practice hitting with both hands on one side. -- Enemy Technique "Sou U Raku Sou Ha" (Paired Feather Drop Claw Rip) -- This technique is several streams down either the left or right side. Not to hard to defend against. -- Final Ohgi: 60 Rapid Punches -- Before the final ohgi, the Harn Brothers will attempt their ohgi one more time. This will end with two mid-level punches, stopping one of the brothers with Ken's Hokuto Juuji Zan (North Star Cross Slash). Not sure why, since that should kill them, but after you clear that, you'll do Ken's ohgi of 60 punches to finish them off. Stage Three: Jakkou ------------------- -- Description -- Jakkou is the self-proclaimed Emperor of this area. He hates darkness and requires to be surrounded by blinding light to feel secure. He has also captured Lin's twin, Rui, who is to be the true Empress. -- Rating -- Unlike when playing as Ein, Kenshiro actually fights Jakkou. This isn't to say that it's all that much tougher, although the ohgi is a bit more complicated. Just like the first time, however, Jakkou's ohgi is just his henchmen shooting ballistas. -- Enemy Technique (No Name) -- As mentioned above, just ballistas shooting at Kenshiro. As easy as the previous encounter, as well. -- Final Ohgi: Only Lit Pad + 50 Rapid Punches -- When your ohgi meter is full, the lights will start to dim. You will then have to punch only the lit pads. They will pop up in three groups of two, i.e. one lit pad and one unlit. Clear this, and you will get the rapid punch message. Let him have it. (Goes to show you how much of a weakling Jakkou is, since his rapid punch count is actually LESS than the previous enemy!) Stage Four: Falco ----------------- -- Description -- Falco is the leader of the Gento practicioners and serves under the false Emperor Jakkou. He was even asked by Raoh to kill Jakkou before, but Falco's mother raised Jakkou so he was unable to kill him. Finally, the true Empress Rui is rescued by Ken and Ein, allowing Falco to put an end to Jakkou. Falco is later killed in Shura no Kuni. -- Rating -- This is a fairly tough, albeit short, boss fight for Kenshiro. Ken's ohgi is fairly tough compared to the previous ones, and Falco's mid-fight ohgi is rather tough as well. Clear this guy and you're on your way to Shura no Kuni. -- Enemy Technique "Shou no Rin" (Rings of Opposition) -- Falco shoots large rings from his palms, and lets loose with a fairly mixed stream of punches. No definite pattern, just fast streams. -- Final Ohgi: 80 Rapid Punches -- Very straightforward: 80 rapid punches. Pretty high jump for this course, especially from the previous wuss, Jakkou. Beginners will definitely have trouble clearing this opponent without some practice first. ------------------------------- | "Land of Shura Legend" (HARD) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ------------------------------- Stage One: Aka Shachi --------------------- -- Description -- Aka Shachi is a pirate captain who travels the seas around Shura no Kuni. He is the father of Hokuto Ryuu Ken fighter Shachi, who was lost as a boy. Aka Shachi brings Ken to Shura no Kuni hoping to find his son. -- Rating -- A very solid opponent, Aka Shachi will throw lots of doubles, especially vertical doubles. A good taste of things to come for the Hard course. -- Enemy Technique (No Name) -- Aka Shachi shoots several chains with hooks which fly criss-cross all over the screen. This results in a bit more cross-ups than his normal pattern. -- Final Ohgi: 60 Rapid Punches -- Hit Aka Shachi with 60 rapid punches and he'll go flying overboard. In the anime, Ken doesn't really fight Aka Shachi, so Ken can't exactly kill him. Stage Two: Shura ---------------- -- Description -- Shura means "Demon" in Japanese, and as such, this character is usually dubbed so in English translations. In fact, he's simply a random warrior of Shura no Kuni who crossed paths with Falco, whom he killed. -- Rating -- A notch tougher than Aka Shachi, his misses seem to be less forgiving, or in other words, he's supposed to be stronger. -- Opening -- Ken: "You bastard... you're the one who killed Falco..." Shura: "That's right." Ken: "Prepare to die!" -- Enemy Technique "Ninkon Youha Jin" -- -- (Ninja Pole Bewitching Destructive Position) -- Shura dives at you with two poles, hitting both sides of the screen pretty equally. The red flashing on the screen makes this technique a bit confusing. -- Final Ohgi: 70 Rapid Punches -- You know the drill. 70 punches in about 10 seconds, and Falco's death is sort of revenged. Stage Three: Alf ---------------- -- Description -- Yes, yes... the same name as "that" Alf, so to be more specific, this is "Alf of the Hourglass". He tried to capture Lin for himself, so Ken killed him. Makes sense, right? -- Rating -- Once you reach Alf, things will get pretty strict as far as misses. The rounds go quickly, but you will have to keep on your toes. Alf throws a lot of complicated patterns, so be careful. -- Opening -- Alf: "Two minutes... I've beat every opponent that face me in under two minutes!" -- Enemy Technique "Yuutou Sekien Bu" (Temptation Combat Red Circle Dance) -- A pretty non-descript technique, just faster streams. -- Final Ohgi: 80 Rapid Punches -- Punch 80 times, and Alf dies. Yay. Stage Four: Han --------------- -- Description -- Okay, now we're getting to some big names. Han is the third Hokuto Ryuu Ken Master, and gives Ken a run for his money in the series. -- Rating -- Han's the boss, so don't expect him to pull any punches. His technique comes rather quickly, though. Make sure you're warmed up for this fight, because after this, all that's left is the Maniac course. -- Enemy Technique (NOTE: NEED TO RECHECK NAME, SORRY) -- Sorry, I can't remember which technique Han uses in the game, but rest assured that it's pretty solid. -- Final Ohgi: 100 Rapid Punches + Finish it with one punch!-- All right, here's your chance to prove yourself... punch 100 times to clear this ohgi. The timer is the same as all the previous ohgi, so you'll need to brush up on your technique. See the ohgi section for pointers. Once Han is defeated, you'll need to punch one final time for both the left- and right-center pads to finish the match. Han will curse you as he falls off a cliff into lava below. In the series, the death of Han was the signal that the saviour Raoh had returned to free Shura no Kuni from the tyranny of Kaioh and the other Hokuto Ryuu Ken Masters. They even believe that Ken was Raoh at first until he explained himself, which surprised them more that he was the man who had defeated Raoh. ---------------------------------------------- | "NEW Messiah of the Century Legend" (MANIAC) | | Character: KENSHIRO | ---------------------------------------------- "Shura no Kuni, this is my homeland!" =Kenshiro, after learning this startling truth, sets on a new mission to save this land. =Standing in the way is the style that is equal to that of Hokuto Shin Ken, the Fist of the Demon's World, Hokuto Ryuu Ken! =Kenshiro! You must topple this dreadful evil fist style and realize the destiny of Hokuto Shin Ken! Stage One: Shie --------------- -- Description - Translated -- =The secret lies in the land where Hokuto Shin Ken originated. =As Kenshiro hurries forth, he is attacked by the Monster of Shura, Shie! =Brush aside the bizarre attacks he sends forth, and drive into him with your fatal blow! ="It seems a monster lives here..." -- Rating -- The opening match in the Maniac course, he's a pushover when compared to the later opponents, but a handfull-and-a-half compared to most of your previous opponents (yes, Maniac is THAT tough). He has a pretty set pattern, and if you're on the ball, you won't have to eat his technique more than once. -- Opening -- Shie: "So you're Kenshiro, eh?" ----- "Onore ga Kenshiro kani?" ----- If you know any Japanese, this is a play on words, since the "kani" literally means "crab", but it sounds like "ka ne?", which more or less means the "eh?" in English. Shie uses this pun later in the fight as well. He dies with "Itai kani!!!", meaning "It hurts, yeah?", or something. Yes, this guy's pretty much a laughing stock. -- Enemy Technique "Kouga Dansui" (Crab Fighting) -- Shie shouts "You're finished!" and proceeds to attack you with large crab claws. This is between four and six simultaneous pads, so try for nailing two at once with one hand, and do quick jabs for the others. Unless you're going for a flawless match, expect to eat a couple hits from this, but you should be OK. -- Final Ohgi: 70 Rapid Punches -- Kenshiro says some little remark. I _believe_ it sounds like "I've got just the technique for this," but it's quick and low, so I can't be sure. In any case, throw 70 punches and Shie goes flying. Stage Two: Shachi ----------------- -- Description - Translated -- =Hunter of Shura, a feared man and one of the successors of Hokuto Ryuu Ken, Shachi! =What exactly stirs up the limitless ambition of this man who continues this solitary fight? =Kenshiro and Shachi... In Shura no Kuni, these two swirling hurricanes will soon clash! ="The fist that feels of Hokuto, it seems that is what has drawn me here..." -- Rating -- Shachi is another notch up from Shie, but can be dropped quickly if you do well. He has a lot of double-up crosses, and is pretty tough. -- Opening -- Shachi: "So you're Kenshiro?" ------- "Kisama wa Kenshiro ka?" ------- No puns here... just wanted to point out that, altough the English is about the same as Shie, the tone and lack of pun for Shachi makes him different. -- Enemy Technique "Hama Tokushi" -- (Tear Grind Single Finger) Ironically, this supposedly single-finger attack animation throws up all six pads at once, with only one or two lagging slightly to give you at least a chance at hitting them all with only your own two hands. If you manage to land all the hits perfect through Shachi's first ohgi and a bit more, you won't have to defend against it again. -- Final Ohgi: 80 Rapid Punches -- Ken: "You're pretty tough, aren't you.. but this is as far as you go..." Throw 80 punches to down Shachi. Shachi: "So this is how a Hokuto Shin Ken master fights... he hid his true strength until now... how? Maybe he can defeat Kaioh..." Stage Three: Hyoh ----------------- -- Description -- =His memories sealed by Kaioh, he who swings the evil fist is the Second Master of Hokuto Ryuu Ken... =This man was the true older brother of Kenshiro... Hyoh! =Kenshiro! By your own fists, remove the seal on your brother's mournful memories and bring him back to reality! ="Even if my opponent is my true brother, I must defeat him..." -- Rating -- Hyoh knocks you around right from the start. His ohgi is actually a little easier than his normal fighting pattern, so be very careful. He opens with two triplets (1L+2R, 1R+2L), and doesn't let up. After his first ohgi, he throws out all six pads with only a slight ripple pattern, so be quick! -- Opening - Translated -- Hyoh: "This land is Kaioh's land... those who refuse to bow to Kaioh's will shall suffer my wrath!" -- Enemy Technique "Anryu Tenha" (Dark Lapis Heaven Shred) -- A technique that supposedly hits every single pressure point at once. In game it is actually several alternating rotations, switching between clockwise and counter-clockwise. If you've practiced on good old Heart, you'll be fine. Just be careful after the ohgi, as mentioned above. -- Final Ohgi: 90 Rapid Punches -- Nail this 90-punch ohgi and all you have left in your way is the biggun: Kaioh. After landing this ohgi, Hyoh's memory returns. Ken: "Hyoh... your memory... it's..." Hyoh: "Kenshiro... with your own hands... defeat Kaioh..." Stage Four: Kaioh ----------------- -- Description - Translated -- =The origin of Hokuto Shin Ken's power is anger. Also, at other times its power comes from sadness. =With all of Shura no Kuni in his grasp, believing in evil as be-all and end- all is the final Hokuto Ryuu Ken Master, Kaioh! =Just what is the origin of power of this ultimate evil? ="Before you are tainted in the name of 'Evil King', by this hand you will fall!" -- Rating -- This is the big one, folks... no turning back now. Without a doubt, the hardest opponent in the game. He has not one, but TWO ohgi to clear, the second being the ULTIMATE OHGI! Good luck, I've yet to clear it myself! -- Enemy Technique "Anryu Hiha" (need to check name) -- This is a big energy wave-blast... he uses this throughout the fight, and it's usually a wave of all six pads two or three times. -- Opening - Translated -- Kaioh: "Kaioh, of Hokuto Ryuu Ken, shall be the name of the new conqueror!" -- Final Ohgi: 100 Rapid Punches -- Kaioh: "Hokuto Ryuu Ken's ultimate ohgi is evil! .... " : (still checking second line) Ken: "Then Hokuto Shin Ken's true power lies in love! This is the way of a Hokuto Shin Ken warrior!" Clear 100 punches in the normal time limit and Ken will break Kaioh's helmet. However, he's not done yet! Kaioh: "Impossible! To break my evil aura... is..." *GASPS* -- Opening 2-- Kaioh: "The man who threw away his soul and the man who perfected his soul." : "Whose fist is stronger? You shall find the answer in Hell!" Once Kaioh finishes taunting, the screen will flash white. At this moment, he will start throwing punches. This is round two, folks! Hope you've got some reserves left, because you're in for a doozie... fight him for another round, complete with mid-fight ohgi, and if you do well... -- FINAL Final Ohgi: 150 Rapid Punches + Finish it with one punch!-- Yes, you read that right... ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY PUNCHES! Even if you half this for the number of physical punches, that's still 75 punches! Only masters need apply here, ladies and gentlemen. One plus is that you're given about 15 seconds instead of the normal 10, so the rate of punches should be the same as the previous 100-hit ohgi, but stretched out another 50%. NOTICE! I have personally cleared this ohgi! Twice, no doubt! In other words, it can be done, folks! Read the updated section on Rapid Punch techniques for pointers if you need help. As updated above, you WILL need to do a final punch... it's pretty delayed from the end of the ohgi, and you won't see anything registering the final below. (like a punch mark or "Good", etc) After the final hit, Ken socks Kaioh good, and delivers a line I can barely hear. He does move his mouth, though, which is rare indeed! You're then treated to a very nice pose of Ken against a pretty background with the Hokuto constellation, before you're given your score, and finally the credits which includes a scene of him riding Koku-Oh (the black horse) away from Bat and Rin. Congratulations! ====================== (3-C) Free Select Mode ====================== The Free Select course allows you to choose up to four opponents in succession, one from each following list. Like all other courses, the game's over if you die, and in this course, you recieve only a partial life refill based on your performance. Perfect matches will typically refill you 30% of your life, meaning missing a couple hits, especially on easier opponents, are forgivable since you'll make up more than they hit for. Overall, treat it like an Ironman course like Rei's course, since you can't count on all that much refill. Plus, it's more challenging that way. The diagram belows shows the stages in columns. You can choose any number from any stage. For example, choose #2 (Heart) from Stage One, then #9 from Stage Two (Yuda), then #1 (Ken-Oh) from Stage Three, and #5 (Ryuga) from Stage Four. As long as you survive, you pick the next match from the next stage list. Personally, I like to use the first two stages as warmups (Heart and Devil Rebirth, for example, are pushovers), then go full on with toughies on the third and fourth stages. You can even play all bosses (Shin, Souther, Yuda, and Raoh, for example). Great fun and lots of replay value here! |==================|==================|==================|==================| | Stage One | Stage Two | Stage Three | Stage Four | |==================|==================|==================|==================| /| Zeed | Devil Rebirth | Ken-Oh | Amiba | / | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 1| Ken | Ken | Ken | Ken | \ | | | | | \| * (1)| **** (4)| ****** (6)| ******* (7)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| Heart | Shuh | Yuda | Toki | / | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 2| Ken | Ken | Rei | Raoh | \ | | | | | \| ** (2)| **** (4)| ****** (6)| ******* (7)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| King of Kiba | King of Kiba | Jagi | Toki | / | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 3| Ken | Rei | Ken | Ken | \ | | | | | \| ** (2)| **** (4)| ******* (7)| ******** (8)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| Shin | Uighur | Amiba | Jyuza | / | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 4| Ken | Ken | Ken | Raoh | \ | | | | | \| *** (3)| ***** (5)| ******* (7)| ******** (8)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| Colonel | Souther | Toki | Ryuga | / | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 5| Ken | Ken | Raoh | Ken | \ | | | | | \| *** (3)| ***** (5)| ******* (7)| ********* (9)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| Rei | Amiba | Toki | Raoh | / | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 6| Ken | Rei | Ken | Ken | \ | | | | | \| *** (3)| ***** (5)| ******** (8)| ********* (9)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| | Ken-Oh | Jyuza | Fudoh | / | | (VS) | (VS) | (VS) | 7| | Rei | Raoh | Raoh | \ | | | | | \| | ***** (0)| ******** (8)| ********* (9)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| | Ken-Oh | | Kenshiro | / | | (VS) | | (VS) | 8| | Ken | | Raoh | \ | | | | | \| | ****** (6)| | ********** (10)| |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| /| | Yuda | | | / | | (VS) | | | 9| | Rei | | | \ | | | | | \| | ****** (6)| | | |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| ******************************************************************************* (4) Credits ******************************************************************************* All writing in this FAQ is by me, Mezzanine. The bulk of play info comes from my personal play experience in Japan with this game. Some technique names and translations come from the "Hokuto Renkitouza", which can be found at - http://www.geocities.com/denshousha/ -. NOTE: While I did defeat Kaioh by myself, I did recieve news of his defeat from another GameFAQs member, whose post has since been deleted by the author. If you are the one who posted this, let me know! REVISION HISTORY: 04/11/10 - UPDATE ------------------ FAQ VERSION 1.0 = Translations for the opening and intros for the new Maniac Course = News beating Kaioh (WOOT!), with ending info = A new technique for clearing Rapid Punch ohgi = Cool new ASCII logo! (thanks http://www.network-science.de/ascii) 04/10/03 - FIRST REVISION COMPLETED, FAQ VERSION 0.9 NOTE: THE MATERIAL IN THIS TEXT DOCUMENT CONTAIN MATERIAL BASED ON THE MANGA SERIES "HOKUTO NO KEN", KNOWN IN ENGLISH AS "FIST OF THE NORTH STAR", WRITTEN BY TETSUO HARA. THIS TEXT DOCUMENT DETAILS THE ARCARD GAME "PUNCHMANIA 2", WHICH IS OWNED BY KONAMI. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT FOR PROFIT OR ANY OTHER MONETARY BENEFIT OF THE AUTHOR. THE AUTHOR MAY BE CONTACTED AT THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESS: mezzanine(@)tortoise-and-hare.com PLEASE REMOVE THE PARENTHESES () AROUND THE @ SIGN (ADDED FOR SPAM PROTECTION) FAQ (C)2004 by Alex Kelly (Mezzanine), all rights reserved.