Bloody Roar
Bloody Roar is an arcade-style fighting game, where the player takes control of one of several Zoanthropes, mutant humans with the ability to assume the form of a super-powerful half-animal half-human creature. The basic plotline of the series is that humans have recently discovered the existence of the Zoanthropes and persecute them due to fear. The player takes control of one Zoanthrope and then fights a series of battles against the other Zoanthropes to complete the game. Though the Zoanthropes want (generally speaking) nothing more than to be left alone, humans insist on causing them to fight. In Bloody Roar: Primal Fury (ported to the Xbox with minor additional features as Bloody Roar Extreme), the Zoanthropes have established their own kingdom, but the rulers are secretly experimenting on their subjects, with plans to deal with the threat posed by the humans once and for all.
| Title | Year | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Bloody Roar | 1998 | PlayStation |
| Bloody Roar 2: The New Breed | 1999 | PlayStation |
| Bloody Roar 3 | 2001 | PlayStation 2 |
| Bloody Roar: Primal Fury | 2002 | GameCube |
| Bloody Roar Extreme | 2003 | Xbox |
| Bloody Roar 4 | 2003 | PS2 |
Games in the series
- Bloody Roar: the very first, this details the emergence of the Zoanthropes as a race.
- Bloody Roar 2: more characters are introduced, the political relationship between the two races is outlined.
- Bloody Roar 3: the discover of the XGC (X Genome Code), which allows Zoanthropes to access a Super Saiyan style transformation (Hyper Beast Mode, or Super-Beastorization).
- Bloody Roar Extreme/Primal Fury: the founding of the Zoanthrope kingdom, 80% of the population of this independent territory are Zoanthropes.
- Bloody Roar 4
Characters in the series
Yugo
Japanese Wolf Zoanthrope. The main character and one of the most well-balanced characters. A brash young man, who is labelled by the fandom as an idiot because of his behavior. Yugo is the adoptive elder brother and legal guardian of Bakuryu, who he discovered directly after the events in the first Bloody Roar game. He is a great boxer and motorcyclist. It is also believed that he is in a relationship with Alice. In the first Bloody Roar game, he searches for his long lost father, whose name is rumoured to be Yuji. First introduced in Bloody Roar.
Alice
Rabbit Zoanthrope, daughter of a Japanese father and an American mother of German descent. Kidnapped at a young age by Tylon after her family was killed, Alice eventually escaped, saved Uriko and was adopted by her parents. She is believed to be in a relationship with Yugo. In the earlier games, she had blue hair and sported pigtails, but she currently is a brunette. First introduced in Bloody Roar.
Stun (Steven Goldberg)
Insect (a Beetle, possibly a Stag beetle) Zoanthrope, American in nationality. Originally a scientist at Tylon, Stun was injected with an experimental compound devised by his colleague Busuzima when he discovered the company's plans. The formula mutated him into an artificial Zoanthrope but also damaged his cells because no mammal DNA, let alone human, should or would be able to combine successfully with an insect's DNA. Without a special stabilizer, Stun's body slowly disintegrates. As such, Stun is in near-constant pain, and has lost much of his sanity due to both the agony and the fact he must kill human beings and drink their blood. He made the most out of his blood-drinking condition by only attacking the criminal element. Stun eventually perished, but cells from his body were recovered and a clone was created. This clone lacks the cellular imbalance that killed the first Stun, and due to the presence of a structure jokingly referred to as "the black box" retains much of the original's memories. First appeared in Bloody Roar 2.
In Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, Stun attacks Jenny and is driven off by Gado in Jenny's movie upon winning the arcade mode with her. The in-game movie suggests that Gado either died from Stun's attack or was badly wounded, but judging from Jenny's reactions and Gado's presence in the newer games, this makes the second explanation far more likely.
Upon winning Bloody Roar: Primal Fury with Stun, the movie suggests that the government of the Zoanthrope Kingdom is intent on destroying or capturing Stun, either to cover-up their experiments or continue them. However, Stun wipes out the commando team sent to destroy/subdue him.
Despite Stun's actions his ending in Bloody Roar 4 shows he isn't truly bad.
Uriko
Japanese Half-Cat Zoanthrope. Kidnapped by Tylon, Uriko's DNA was modified to make her into the "Werechimera", the most powerful Zoanthrope to ever live. Alice rescued her but the modifications caused her transformation genes to break down, leaving her unable to assume a true beast form. Thus when attempting to beastorize, Uriko transforms only halfway into a cat. However, Uriko may also have the ability to transform into her Werechimera human form when needed (as demonstrated by her ending cinematic in Bloody Roar: Primal Fury). One of the fastest and toughest characters (a legacy of her time as the Werechimera), Uriko is a lot more dangerous than she looks, and Tylon refers to her as the most destructive being on the planet. Some fans of the series place her in a romantic relationship with Bakuryu, although there is little evidence supporting that they would be involved at all, seeing as how they seemed to drift away after the second installment of the series. Alice is her adopted older sister, and Mitsuko is her mother. Both were first introduced in Bloody Roar.
Xion
Xion's first appearance in the game was in Bloody Roar 3. His nationality in game is Swedish. His in-game story is very confusing. His beast form is a being referred to as an Unborn, a demonic, insect-like creature similar to a Cockroach or a Mantis, although no actual match was found on Earth. He had an older sister who is dead. Some fans suggest that this deceased 'sister' of his may actually be URANUS, but not only is this still being debated, but impossible as when his sister is shown beneath him in the opening movie, she has a mammal-like form, when Uranus is a Chimera. His sister was brown, had a snout, and wore blue suspenders. Sounds a lot like Mitsuko in bloody roar[the first one]
To properly understand Xion, one must play through the story modes in Bloody Roar 3 a few times. In the game it is mentioned that Xion had an older sister, and that he may or may not have killed her. He also attempted to harness the power of the Tabula, which caused strange marks called 'The Mark of the Beast' to appear on the zoanthrope's bodies. This mark caused a surge of power in the zoanthrope's bodies, but soon killed them after it appeared. The game does not specify whether or not it is Xion who caused this to happen, though it seems most plausible that it is his doing because in the opening scenes of his story mode, he is standing over a fallen canine zoanthrope. He also seemed very concerned with finding a powerful zoanthrope to fight.
The Tabula also seemed to be a character, rather than a simple object. In Long's story mode ending, negative energy seeped out of it in great quantities and Long took this energy into his own body to seal it. In Stun's story mode ending, the Tabula calls out to him. The Tabula recognized that he was just as twisted as they were. In his ending Stun frees the spirits/demons/unborn from the Tabula, and becomes one of them.
So it is widely theorized that the Tabula is a portal or an object that has sealed the 'unborn' away. The Unborn are defined as creatures that didn't get a chance to be born onto the planet, and are likely a race of creatues either from another dimension, or were unable to evolve on the planet. They seem to have a grudge against zoanthropes, but are not above possessing their bodies. They prefer to possess people with weakened mental states.
This subject also leads to debates on why Xion tried to get the Tabula, and why he has an Unborn beast form, and how this connects with his dead sister. One of the more popular theories is that he was possessed by the Unborn within the Tabula shortly after his sister died (when his mental state was less than perfect). Another popular theory is that Xion became possessed, then killed his sister.
Shina (Marvel in Japan)
French Leopard Zoanthrope. The adopted daughter of Gado (she will at times use the name Jane Gado), Shina was raised as a mercenary and fights simply because she neither knows nor can she envision any other type of life. Some fans of the series place her in a romantic relationship with Long, however, events in Bloody Roar: Primal Fury suggested that Shina and the Zoanthrope Prince Chronos had a thing for each other. Shina was first introduced in Bloody Roar II.
Busuzima
Japanese Chameleon Zoanthrope. A demented, misunderstood scientist, Busuzima originally joined Tylon to continue his experiments in creating an immortal creature. Minor dialogue seemingly indicates that he killed an insect as a young boy, and then killed his grandmother in much the same manner. Crazy, strange and just plain weird, Busuzima believes himself to be an extremely skilled fighter (in the hands of a skilled player, Busuzima actually is rather powerful, due mainly to his extendable limbs and Invisibility special move). First appeared in Bloody Roar 2.
Jenny
Bat Zoanthrope, nationality unknown. Though most people know her as a model, Jenny is actually a free-lance special operations spy. Jenny does not age, one rumour is this is due to a special bio-engineering experiment she underwent (this may have been what turned her into a Zoanthrope) while another claims she is actually a genuine Hungarian vampire. She is considered to be friends with Gado, and some fans place her in a romantic relationship with him (Beauty and the Beast anyone?) First introduced in Bloody Roar II.
Gado
French Lion Zoanthrope. The adoptive father of Shina, Gado is a noble soul who longs for peace between humans and zoanthropes. He has had several business dealings with and working with Jenny, he is rumoured to be in a relationship with her. He also was close friends with Yugo's father, who is rumoured to be named Yuji. First introduced in Bloody Roar.
Shenlong
Shenlong, who first appeared in Bloody Roar 2: The New Breed, was the White Tiger Zoanthrope, with no nationality. Shenlong is Long's somewhat unstable clone. An enigmatic character, Shenlong's sole driving force seems to be his madness.
In Bloody Roar II Busuzima cloned Shenlong from Long to be the leader of the Zoanthrope Liberation Front/Force (ZLF). After some time, Shenlong soon realized that another man looked exactly like him and soon confronted Busuzima about it. Busuzima told him that he (Shenlong) was a clone of Long, and that he was created to be a puppet-leader of the ZLF, with Busuzima being the real leader behind the scenes. This caused Shenlong to go completely mad. After attempting to kill a few people and generally causing havoc, he finally found Long and challenged him to a fight to the death. After winning (if the player is playing in Shenlong's story mode) he decides that he'd rather not live as a clone and attempts to commit suicide by ripping out his own heart in front of Long.
Apparently the developers of the game decided that he was worthy of saving, and he continued to appear in the following games as more of a bar-hopping rogue rather than the evil, insane man he was in Bloody Roar II. Though he seems to have an obsession with fighting Long, it is more 'friendly' than in Bloody Roar II, much like sparring. Some fans of the game have suggested that Shenlong and Long have developed a more 'brotherly' relationship.
Since Shenlong was cloned from Long, they both share similar fighting styles. Shenlong uses the snake style of Kenpo and his rage move is Ferocious Tiger Laceration.
Bakuryu
Japanese Mole Zoanthrope. Bakuryu (real name Kenji Ogami) was raised to be a successor to Kohryu. Brainwashed by Tylon to become an assassin and rescued by Yugo, Bakuryu is now Yugo's brother. Bakuryu is a lethal fighter, being fast and agile with several ninjitsu inspired special attacks, such as smoke bombs. The idea of a Uriko/Bakuryu relationship is considered Fanon. Originally, Bakuryu was the name of the character now called Kohryu. Because of this, fans refer to this character by his real name, and use Bakuryu to refer to both his predecessor and to his brainwashed self. First introduced in Bloody Roar.
Long
Chinese Tiger Zoanthrope. Long is a master of Kenpo and is Uriko's mentor. Long was a powerful zoanthrope and used to be an assassin for Tylon, before changing his ways and becoming a hermit after aiding Uriko and her mother. Shenlong was cloned from Long, therefore they both share similar fighting styles. Long uses the dragon/hawk style of Kenpo and his rage move is Ferocious Tiger Laceration. Some fans of the series consider him to have a romantic relationship with Shina (Jane Gado). First introduced in Bloody Roar.
Ganesha
Elephant Zoanthrope, nationality is officially the Kingdom of Zoanthropes, but probably originated in India. Ganesha is a hefty fighter, belonging to the fighting game stereotype of "Big Guy"- a large, slow and clumsy fighter who nevertheless packs an extreme punch. Ganesha's rage attacks are very powerful, with only Chronos and Uranus' attacks surpassing his. Ganesha is Chronos' right-hand man, and thus very high up in the Kingdom. First introduced in Bloody Roar Extreme/Primal Fury.
Chronos
Penguin or Phoenix Zoanthrope, prince of the Kingdom of Zoanthropes. Chronos is the son of Uranus and King Orion, but because of Uranus' unstable dna, he can't totally control his beast form. Some argue that Chronos and Gado's daughter Shina have the hots for each other. Chronos does not support the expirements conducted on Zoanthropes by King Orion, but the belief that they will lead to peace with humans pushes him on. Chronos is a deadly fighter- he uses what appears to be some kind of ballet inspired martial arts, with lots of agile flips and twirling attacks, and powerful kicks. He is sometimes labeled as cheap, as his main claim to fame is that, in beast form, he is so short a lot of attacks go over his head, however it is argued that in his regular beast form (the penguin) he is somewhat difficult to control; not to mention he also has the power to literally steal away an opponent's beast energy and transfer it to himself. As a Penguin, he has some ice attacks, but as a Phoenix, they become fire instead. In Phoenix form he is extremely fast and his attacks become much more powerful, he even has a full screen beast drive that burns the opponent, taking nearly all their life energy. The true beast form of Chronos is the Phoenix. First introduced in Bloody Roar Extreme/Primal Fury.
Sidenote: Interestingly, one can see a resemblance between Chronos and Tidus of FFX fame, they certainly have rather similar hairstyles and facial features. Also, even more eerily, in Kakuto Chojin for Xbox, there is a female character named Roxy, who looks EXACTLY like a female version of Chronos.
Kohryu
Iron Mole Zoanthrope (Robotic version of Bakuryu). Kohryu was Bakuryu's teacher, but the numerous treatments he took to enhance his physical prowess led to him disintegrating into a puddle of liquified tissue. Agents of Tylon recovered this tissue, and used it as an essential component in forming the neural software of this prototype mechanical Zoanthrope, which Tylon apparently wanted to use as a new assassin. In addition to Bakuryu's attacks, Kohryu has a few additional ones such as rocket fists, heat-seeking missiles, and an explosive drill (as well as a ridicously similar-to-Bruce Lee voice heard when Kohryu executes kicking combos). First introduced in Bloody Roar 3 (as a secret character), but was also Bukuryu in Bloody Roar 1, before this title was passed to Kenjii.
Uranus
Werechimera or Chimera Zoanthrope. Uranus was a clone of Uriko created from memory (and hence shares the human form the Uriko had when she appeared as a boss in the first Bloody Roar 1). Silly internet rumours claim that Uranus is Uriko from the future, but these are all nonsense. She is the mother of Chronos. Rumours say that she may be Xion's love interest, or Xion's sister but this seems unlikely. Regardless of what it is, Uranus is ridiculously powerful, with special moves and combos that can decimate an opponent. She also has the power of generating electrical attacks and even levitating herself. Most people would ban her in vs mode, unless they like cheap matches. First introduced in Bloody Roar 3 (as a secret character)'.
Other characters
- Nagi the Spurious (a demonic, insectile creature not that unlike Xion)was turned into a zoanthrope by Xion (He fatally stabbed her causing her body to transform her into a spurious).
- Reiji the Crow
- Ryoho the Dragon
- Mana the Ninetails
- Fang the Wolf (an alternate costume of Yugo exclusive to Bloody Roar Extreme)
- Mitsuko the Boar (Alice and Uriko's mother)
- Fox the Fox
- Greg the Gorilla
The last 3 were characters in the first Bloody Roar but were remove from the later games. Mitsuko was replaced by Stun (her fighting style is very similar), Fox was deemed broken, and Greg was deemed a useless characther that no one liked (being both slow and weak)