Yoshimitsu (character)

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Yoshimitsu (Tekken)
Yoshimitsu in Tekken 5
Age:	Unknown
Birthplace:	Unknown, Japan
Height:	5’10”
Weight:	139 lbs
Birth Date:	Unknown
Blood Type:	O
Weapon:	Katana
T1~5 Weapon:	Yoshimitsu
Discipline:	Advanced Manji-Style Ninjutsu
Family:	Relatives: Unknown Clan: Manji
Yoshimitsu (Soul Calibur)
Yoshimitsu in Soul Calibur II
Age:	Unknown
Birthplace:	Mount Fuji, Japan
Height:	5'7"
Weight:	126 lbs
Birth Date:	Unknown
Blood Type:	O
Weapons:	Tachi and Flag
SC1~2 Weapon:	Yoshimitsu
Discipline:	Manji Ninjutsu
Family:	Relatives: Unknown Clan: Murdered by Oda Nobunaga

Yoshimitsu (nickname Yoshi) is a fictional character originally created for the Tekken Series of fighting games, designed by Namco. Yoshimitsu made his first appearance in Tekken and has returned for all subsequent sequels to that game since his inception. Additionally, a nearly identical character bearing the same name, weapon, clan and basic information, was also carried over into Namco’s Soul Series of fighting games as a secret character, making his debut in Soul Calibur and returning for Soul Calibur II. Considering his frequent reappearances and his staple Namco status, it is reasonable to assume that he will likewise appear in all future sequels as well.

Western Voice Actor: Phil Sheridan. Eastern Voice Actor: Nobuyuki Hiyama.

History

In both franchises, Yoshimitsu exists as a samurai-ninja, fighting with a sword bearing his own name. He is well-known in both franchises for his unorthodox fighting style and abilities, most notably his teleportation and self healing capabilities. His most devastating and risky attack is an unblockable Suicide maneuver in which he turns around and thrusts his sword through his own abdomen in the form of seppuku, ideally hitting the opponent as well with greater damage than inflicted on himself. Another of his signature moves is called Stone Fists, which has him spinning like a top. In Tekken, its power lies primarily in its speed and use in combos and juggles. In Soul Calibur, it is used for its mix-ups, tech-crouching and tracking ability.

Because Tekken takes place in contemporary times and Soul Calibur takes place in the late sixteenth century, it is commonly assumed that the former Yoshimitsu is a descendant of the latter, as both are members of the same clan. In Tekken, he takes his name from his sword, also called Yoshimitsu--meaning “Lucky Light”--passed down by the leaders of the Manji Clan. In Soul Calibur, however, Yoshimitsu names the sword after himself; implying that each sword could possibly be the exact same weapon passed down for four centuries.

Biographies

Tekken

The leader of the mysterious Manji Clan is the latest Yoshimitsu in a long line of ninjas dedicated to exposing corruption and giving money, food, medical assistance and shelter, to the poor and the political refugees around the world. Yoshimitsu initially entered the first tournament as a decoy, so that Kunimitsu and the other members of the clan would be able to steal the tournament’s funds unobserved. But eventually, he heard of a powerful sumo wrestler, called Ganryu, engaging in fraud and other corrupt activity, who had likewise entered the tournament. This base disrespect for the sumo code infuriated Yoshimitsu, and he confronted the dishonest sumo wrestler in a tournament battle, eventually forcing him to confess his criminality. Although Yoshimitsu did not win the tournament, he and his fellow Manji members disgraced Ganryu’s name, stole his fortune and distributed it among the poor. But this exposure to the Mishima Zaibatsu’s dealings incited Yoshimitsu’s suspicions regarding the corporation; and he found it even stranger that Kunimitsu would adamantly argue that the Manji Clan should ally itself with the corporation to become a world power. Angered by her insistence and by her attempt to steal the clan’s sacred katana, he expelled her from the clan; and she strangely went to Kazuya Mishima for aid. Suspicious of what she might have been plotting, Yoshimitsu and the clan broke into the Mishima Headquarters, and Yoshimitsu’s arm was lost during the raid. While there, he came across Doctor Boskonovitch relaying to Kazuya’s foster brother, Lee Chaolan, news about a group of artificial fighters that he had been creating. Doctor Boskonovitch saw the injured Manji ninja and helped him escape, later replacing his lost arm with a bio-mechanical prosthetic.

A short while later, Yoshimitsu learned that Doctor Boskonovitch had been kidnapped by the Mishima Zaibatsu, and he entered the second tournament so that he could free the doctor from the evil corporation’s grasp. Little did he know that Kunimitsu was also entered into the tournament and that she was looking to steal the clan’s katana and assume the role of leader of the Manji ninjas once and for all. In a fierce battle, Yoshimitsu eventually claimed victory and killed her. Shortly thereafter, news from the clan reached him that Doctor Boskonovitch was going to be flown by helicopter to a secret island observatory. He quickly dropped out of the tournament to make it to the vehicle before it could take off. He smashed through the vehicle’s window as it was taking off and grabbed the doctor. Then, using his sword as a propeller, he jumped out of the helicopter and made it to ground safely as the vehicle crashed in the distance. Soon afterwards, Doctor Boskonovitch’s daughter passed away very unexpectedly; and to preserve her, the doctor began experimenting with cryogenics to preserve her body. While bringing him stolen money to fund his studies, Yoshimitsu discovered that the doctor had contracted an unknown pathological organism, which had likely been a result of the doctor’s exposure to his own experiments. Doctor Boskonovitch told Yoshmitsu that if he were able to retrieve a sample of the god of fighting’s blood, he may be able to discover the secret of immortality. And to get this sample, Yoshimitsu would have to enter the third tournament. But he dropped out of the final stage, allowing his would-be opponent Jin Kazama the opportunity to take on the True Ogre in his place. Jin Kazama eventually did defeat the True Ogre, and Yoshimitsu was able to collect the blood from the remains without putting himself in any danger; and he brought it back to Doctor Boskonovitch’s lab.

Yoshimitsu continued as the leader of the Manji Clan, but they eventually fell on hard times, losing funding and members for various reasons. Worried about the future of his clan, he began to reconsider the union between them and the Mishima Zaibatsu. So when he heard of a fourth tournament, he immediately joined, hoping to defeat Heihachi Mishima and become leader of the union he now desired. But he eventually lost during one of the stages, and decided to raid the corporation’s vault instead. During the infiltration, he found the cyborg Bryan Fury fallen, and decided to take him to Doctor Boskonovitch’s lab. After this, he proposed the merger to Heihachi Mishima, but the old man laughed in his face and refused, only to find out soon afterwards that the Manji Clan had just stolen his safe as he was turning them down. Shortly thereafter, Yoshimitsu returned to Doctor Boskonovitch’s to find it completely trashed and the doctor, as well as many of his clan members, dying. Yoshimitsu was determined to get his revenge in the fifth tournament, and was ready to confront the culprit, Bryan Fury.

Soul Calibur

Yoshimitsu is the sole surviving ninja of the Manji clan, massacred in an attack by the army of samurai lord Oda Nobunaga. Yoshimitsu attempted a battle against the lord, but he was no match for the army or the lord and lost his arm, which he replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. Yoshimitsu set out across the sea in search of the "Ultimate Weapon," Soul Edge, so that he could take his revenge against Lord Nobunaga. But during his journey, he came across many horrible scenes left behind by the azure knight, Nightmare. He sensed the hatred and despair of the victims and reflected on their current plight. In his meditation, he concluded that although vengeance is his greatest desire, if he were to give in to his hatred, he would be no better than either Oda Nobunaga or Nightmare. But even with that realization in his mind, he continued to pursue the Soul Edge nevertheless. When Yoshimitsu finally reached Ostrheinsburg Castle, it was devoid of any signs of life. Unknown to him, he had arrived too late to witness the fateful battle between the wielder of the Soul Edge, Nightmare, and the wielder of the Soul Calibur, Chai Xianghua. Upon leaving the castle, he sensed that the evil energy of the castle had somehow transferred a similar energy into his tachi. So he left on a journey to rid his blade of that corrupted energy. Unfortunately, he became careless one day and passed out, worn from trying to quell the corruption; and during his sleep, the tachi had been stolen by a thief--Voldo, who had mistaken it for the Soul Edge. Yoshimitsu did not want the evil energy to fall into the wrong hands, so he set out to retrieve it, and acted as a Japanese Robin Hood along the way. Yoshimitsu infiltrated the legendary Money Pit of "the Merchant of Death," Vercci--without ever meeting the rumored guardian, Voldo--in an attempt to steal the treasures of the pit for the poor's sake. But completely by chance, he had found his tachi alongside a fragment of the Soul Edge, both emanating similar evil energies. Yoshimitsu decided that if there was another object in the world with the same evil as his tachi, which he had now named "Yoshimitsu" it mustn't be allowed to exist, and so he set off on yet another journey, without a doubt in his mind about destroying the cursed Soul Edge.

Character Analyses

Tekken

There is no information on strategy for Tekken's Yoshimitsu at this time.

Soul Calibur

In Soul Calibur II, Yoshimitsu is regarded as a top tier character. He blends a devastating combination of speed and damage potential, shining primarily at close range, but well-suited for medium-range fighting as well. And at long range, he possesses the tools to close in to where he can play more comfortably. A number of his moves are derivations of his Tekken moves but he has a variety of Soul specific moves as well.

A large factor in Yoshimitsu's strong close-range game is his aforementioned Stone Fists, which leads immediately into his potent fully-crouched game. From crouching, he has a variety of mix-ups, including the ability to transfer directly into his powerful throw game. In a fighting game that operates at sixty frames per second where most close-range characters--such as Taki and Talim--have throws that come out a couple of frames slower to balance out their advantages, Yoshimitsu instead possesses the ability to throw one frame faster. Added to that is the fact that his throws inflict good damage and generally give him excellent wake-up position.

To fully harness Yoshimitsu’s potential means a mastery of his "tricks" as well. These include, but are not limited to, his just-frames--or moves that require inputs within one or two frames--his Flash move, and his Pogo and Meditation stances, as well as their subsequent follow-ups. Additionally, in an homage to his original Tekken status, Yoshimitsu features a life-stealing throw that, upon connecting, unlocks the ability to perform three randomly-selected Tekken attacks by pressing the Kick and Guard button simultaneously--an ability that can also be available in the level two stage of a Soul Charge.

Misplaced Pages

History

Biographies

Tekken

Soul Calibur

Character Analyses

Tekken

Soul Calibur

Profile Galleries

Tekken

Soul Calibur

Costume Galleries

Tekken

Soul Calibur

Weapon Gallery

Soul Calibur

Concept Art Galleries

Tekken

Soul Calibur

Series' Appearances

Tekken

Soul Calibur

See Also

Tekken

Soul Calibur

External Links