The Travels to the West
Story- In a mystical version of the world derived from far Eastern elements, magic, martial arts, humans, and kingdoms are in harmony. However, a treason for power has caused the Kingdom of the Blue Dragon to betray the other kingdoms. The mikado, Ao Shin Hamura, has been slain and his second-in-command has taken the throne. The prince, Liu Sheng Hamura, has fled, knowing the truth of it all. The king’s corrupt disciple, Kamaru, searches for the power of the gods.
He has the power of a Kikoyu Jewel, which gives him access to forbidden magic. It can absorb the evil from a slain opponent to give the user more power, in exchange for his humanity. Kamaru seeks even more power by pulling the Shenglong Dragon Sword from the Temple of the Enlightened, so, he can gain otherworldly powers.
Meanwhile, a martial artist named Genjiro Maniwa, who practices a special martial art derived from Hakkyouken, Kung Fu, and Karate, called the All-Knowing Fist. It believes that through discipline, all styles can be learned and that through learning one style, a person learns a style more quickly. Genjiro is a powerful warrior and is pure of heart, knowing only love towards others, especially to women. He just completed his training by defeating his master in a final round. Therefore, he is about to leave to craft his own life. However, before he leaves, his master has a story to tell.
Genjiro’s master, Jun Park Lee, was a servant of the Blue Dragon Kingdom, knowing of every secret the kindgom hid. After overhearing a plot between General Usui and Kamaru, who plotted to kill the king and seize power, Jun accused them of treason. However, the king threw Jun out for gross incompetence. Jun found Genjiro, who lived in a village overtaken by Senkoku, a shogun leader that wanted rule over all the villages, so, he could build an army to fight the bigger kingdoms. Jun fought a group of samurai that killed the father of Genjiro and mutilated his body, and saw Genjiro, who was afraid and confused.
Jun saw the aura of a true warrior. That’s why Jun taught Genjiro- to kill Usui and Kamaru, so the plot wouldn’t unfold. It happened, however, and so, Genjiro must become the next warrior that Jun sees in him. And so, the saga begins to defeat Kamaru. Genjiro gains a few allies, along the way, but will they be enough to defeat the evil Kamaru?
Features-
-A Dead or Alive 4-style fighting engine with multi-tiered arenas
-Create a character mode
-The Warrior Way Mode explains intertwining stories and has action and fighting game fights mixed together, along with amazing storytelling elements
-Special PAR sequences in Warrior Way Mode determine how the story ends
-Good English voice acting
-Incredible visuals and graphics
-Multi-tiered arenas with interactive stage weapons
Characters-
Genjiro Maniwa- The 19-year-old hero of the story, he is a master of All Knowing Fist and is out to destroy Senkoku, the man that killed his father and imprisoned his mother. He is also out fo kill Kamaru, the new, evil king of the Blue Dragon Kingdom. Genjiro, however, learns that Senkoku was employed by Kamaru to defeat his enemies.
Prince Liu Sheng Hamura- Liu Sheng is a 15-year-old prince of the Blue Dragon Kingdom, who is in exile, because he saw his father slain by Kamaru. He now seeks to gain his kingdom, seeing Genjiro as a master of fighting. When Liu was attacked by Senkoku, Genjiro saved Liu from the warrior and eventually escaped. Now, Liu hopes to become a great fighter, knowing some All-Knowing Fist from Genjiro Maniwa, his new master, and Blue Dragon Fist from his father.
Buddah- Buddah is a 16-year-old martial artist that is known as ‘the Enlightened One’, a monk warrior that appears once a generation. After each generation one dies, he reincarnates. Buddah is that being and is considered the ultimate warrior, in the eyes of his fellow monks, the Order of Illuminus. Buddah considers Genjiro a great friend and Buddah simply wants to play and have fun.
Sengoku- Sengoku is a powerful god in human form, having the ability to levitate on clouds, use an iron fighting staff that extends to ninety feet long, has great ki power, and can transform into a giant ape. Sengoku was sent to maintain the harmony between the gods, the magical creatures, and humans, long after the Deity Wars. Sengoku has to protect Buddah, because Buddah’s power is dangerously strong.
Aya- Aya is an 18-year-old female samurai that has martial arts skills that are just a few notches below Genjiro’s. Aya was searching for a worthy master, after hers died in a battle with Akira Oshizu, a kuniochi in service to the Lu Sung Clan. While Aya was battling a group of General Usui’s samurai, she wowed Genjiro with amazing skills, however, she saw Genjiro battling Usagi Miyoto, a samurai that serves Usui with great dignity. Aya was amazed, when he defeated the evil warrior. Aya thought of Genjiro as a ‘cute guy’ and asked if she could follow him on his quest, along with Liu. Aya and Genjiro are in love, and it grows each day.
Shenglong- Shenglong is a powerful dragon warrior that leads the Sky Kingdom of the Dragon Summit. He has ruled it for a millenium with his power and is indeed a powerful being. He senses a great power in Genjiro and sees his determination to defeat all evil. He also knows how to open a portal in the heavens.
Usui- A general in Kamaru’s army, he seeks power over all he can find, having a powerful discipline of fighting that can defeat any warrior he sees. He is a practitioner of the Rubber Skin Style, a fighting style that stresses defense by using the skin to make attacks slide away. However, he cannot stop ki attacks.
Jay Long- Jay Long is a Bruce Lee homage character and is one of Genjiro’s allies, through the course of the story. He is skilled in the Fist of the Little Dragon, a powerful martial art that has much to do with perfect, growing balance in martial arts attributes. Jay is very honorable to his friends and would die for them. Jay is one of Buddah’s best friends and is assigned to protect him from any other warriors that want his power. Jay and Buddah make a powerful team together and can break the strongest army.
Musashi- Musashi is a mysterious samurai warrior that uses samurai style for fighting. He sees great potential in Genjiro and sees that he needs a mentor to teach him more, so, Musashi teaches Genjiro and Aya together. In this time, Genjiro becomes very powerful, along with Aya, though, Genjiro can defeat Aya very easily.
Zheng Lee- Zheng is an emperor of his kingdom and is believed to be a divine warrior by most, having unrivaled sword and fighting prowess. He is hoping to find the great Dragon Summit and ask for the dragons to aid him, for he knows that Kamaru is hoping to destroy the world… Zheng and Buddah are both compatible together and make great allies, being able to defeat all warriors.
Kamaru- The evil king of the Blue Dragon Kingdom, he holds swordsmanship and martial arts almost unrivalled, except by Genjiro, Buddah, Musashi, and Shenglong. He, however, doesn’t know when to quit. He wants to conquer the world and hopes to do that by disrupting the balance of spirit and human worlds. To do this, he needs to travel to the Shrine of the Enlightened, where Buddah draws power from. Without it, he would surely fall into eternal sleep. Kamaru also seeks to find the Kusanagi Sword, which belonged to Susanowo of the Storm and was crafted by Ray Denver(Homage to Rayden), the Dragon of the Thunder. With this sword, he could topple nations.
Ray Denver- The Thunder Spirit, he crafted the Kusanagi for Susanowo, the Spirit of Storm. He is an homage to Raiden without using the same name. He controls thunder and uses powerful attacks. He appears to be very laid back, but isn’t, when fighting.
Susanowo- The perverted Spirit of Storm, he has a penchant for chasing hot girls around, except Aya, who he knows is taken. Susanowo and Buddah are best friends, but Susanowo is less shy, when it comes to girls. He holds the Kusanagi and knows its power. He refuses to give it to anyone. However, he knows he must pass it on to Genjiro for the good of others.
Senkoku- The shogun general of Kamaru’s army, he is a powerful warrior who hides his true face beneath the decapitated head of a wolf, which gives him incredible powers; Musashi has faced Senkoku before, as the battle resulted in a draw.
Jun Lee Park- The master of Genjiro Maniwa, he is the last of his generation of All-Knowing Fist practitioners. He has incredible skills, but is dying of old age. He seeks to find the Shrine of the Enlightened, that he may sleep within it and gain his youth and health back.