Joe Musashi
Encyclopedia
is a player character
and main hero in Sega
's Shinobi series of video games, first introduced in 1987.
as "thoroughly traditional", whereas Sega would coordinate later characters with a post-modern aesthetic; the outfit was black at first, but it later became mostly white.
His primary weapons in most games are shuriken
or kunai
-like throwing knives and he also has a sword named that he can charge for a powerful special attack.
(1987-89), The Revenge of Shinobi
(1989), The G.G. Shinobi (1991), Shinobi II: The Silent Fury (1992), and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
(1993). Return of the Ninja Master introduced his girlfriend Naoko, who was the daughter of Musashi's master.
In addition, the heroes of Shadow Dancer (1989), Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
(1990) and The Cyber Shinobi
(1990) are his descendants - the son Hayate and the grandson also named Joe, while the protagonist of Shinobi 3D (2011) is his own father Jiro; the original Joe Musashi himself is starring in the English version of the Shadow Dancer games.
He is also an unlockable secret character
in the 2002 Shinobi
, the 2011 Shinobi, and the 2003's Nightshade (also known as Kunoichi).
, in the Shinobi-series strips "The Dark Circle", "Fear Pavilion", "The Art of War", "Way of the Warrior" and "Power of the Elements". The 2009 BGM
compilation for the Shinobi series was released as Shinobi Music Collection - Legend of Joe Musashi.
and second by PC World
in 2010, and as fifth by machinima.com
in 2011. Including him on their top ten list, Virgin Media
called him "the quintessential video game ninja" of the early days of gaming; while according to the yet another top ten list by CraveOnline
, "Joe Musashi is like the Jack Bauer
of ninjas". He was also featured on by PLAYs 2011 list of top ten ninja characters for the PlayStation
consoles, with a comment regretting his replacement for the 2002's Shinobi by "some berk called Hotsuma".
In 2000, GameSpot
's news editor Shahed Ahmed named Joe Musashi as his "unquestionably" favorite all-time video game character of any kind, adding that it was Musashi's "complex mix of subtle style and violent fury that was so appealing". In 2004, 1UP.com
ranked Musashi as the number one video game ninja ever, adding: "Hotsuma who?". In 2008, GameDaily
ranked him as the second top Sega character, behind only Sega's flagship character Sonic the Hedgehog
. In 2009, GameDaily also listed "the badass ninja" as the fifth best of 25 video game archetypes, citing Musashi as its epitome.
His popularity, however, appears to be fading as the time passes since his last title, especially among the new generations of gamers. In 2008, when readers of IGN voted on which of the two ninja would win in a Hero Showdown contest, Joe Musashi or Ryu Hayabusa
of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden
and Dead or Alive series, Hayabusa won easily with 82% of the votes. As of November 2011, IGN has his profile page user-rated at only 6.2 with just 5 votes, as compared to Ryu's score of 9.6 with 168 votes. In 2010, GameSpot featured Musashi in the article discussing forgotten gaming mascot
s, but nevertheless calling him "one of the greatest video game ninjas of all time."
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
and main hero in Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Shinobi series of video games, first introduced in 1987.
Character design
When debuting in the Shinobi series, Musashi was designed with an outfit that would be described by IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
as "thoroughly traditional", whereas Sega would coordinate later characters with a post-modern aesthetic; the outfit was black at first, but it later became mostly white.
His primary weapons in most games are shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
or kunai
Kunai
A is a Japanese tool possibly derived from the masonry trowel. Two variations are the and the . It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon...
-like throwing knives and he also has a sword named that he can charge for a powerful special attack.
In video games
Joe Musashi is the protagonist of ShinobiShinobi (arcade game)
is a side-scrolling action game produced by Sega originally released for the arcades in . In Shinobi, the player controls a modern day ninja named Joe Musashi who goes on a mission to rescue his kidnapped students from a group of terrorists...
(1987-89), The Revenge of Shinobi
The Revenge of Shinobi
The Revenge of Shinobi, published in Japan as is a video game developed and published by Sega in 1989. It was the first Shinobi game developed for the Sega Mega Drive, and was later released on the coin-operated version of that console, the Mega-Tech....
(1989), The G.G. Shinobi (1991), Shinobi II: The Silent Fury (1992), and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, released in Japan as , is an action game developed and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis console that was released in 1993.It is the direct sequel of the 1989 game The Revenge of Shinobi...
(1993). Return of the Ninja Master introduced his girlfriend Naoko, who was the daughter of Musashi's master.
In addition, the heroes of Shadow Dancer (1989), Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
is a side-scrolling action game produced by Sega that was originally released for the Mega Drive/Genesis in . It has been re-released via downloading services such as the Wii's Virtual Console and Steam, and included in the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.It...
(1990) and The Cyber Shinobi
The Cyber Shinobi
The Cyber Shinobi is a side-scrolling action game produced by Sega that was released for the Master System in . It was the third Shinobi game for the console and served as a futuristic-themed sequel to the original Shinobi...
(1990) are his descendants - the son Hayate and the grandson also named Joe, while the protagonist of Shinobi 3D (2011) is his own father Jiro; the original Joe Musashi himself is starring in the English version of the Shadow Dancer games.
He is also an unlockable secret character
Secret character
A secret character can be a player character or a non-player character in a video game that must be unlocked by completing a goal within the game...
in the 2002 Shinobi
Shinobi (2002 video game)
Shinobi is a 3D action-adventure video game developed by Overworks and published by Sega as part of the Shinobi series. It was released for the PlayStation 2 console on November 10, 2002 in North America; December 5 in Japan; and May 15, 2003 in Europe. The game stars the ninja Hotsuma, who wields...
, the 2011 Shinobi, and the 2003's Nightshade (also known as Kunoichi).
In other media
Joe Musashi appeared in Sonic the ComicSonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK children's comic published fortnightly by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002...
, in the Shinobi-series strips "The Dark Circle", "Fear Pavilion", "The Art of War", "Way of the Warrior" and "Power of the Elements". The 2009 BGM
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
compilation for the Shinobi series was released as Shinobi Music Collection - Legend of Joe Musashi.
Reception
The character was received and remembered so well that he continued to be often featured in retrospective top lists even many years after he has last starred in any title. As such, he was included in several lists of the best video games ninja characters, including being ranked as second by CrunchGear in 2008, as fifth by Unreality in 2009, as eight by ScrewAttackScrewAttack
ScrewAttack . is a video game-related website that showcases original entertainment for an audience of video game enthusiasts. Its content is also shown on GameTrailers and IGN...
and second by PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
in 2010, and as fifth by machinima.com
Machinima.com
Machinima.com is a gaming and media streaming website, that aims to be a hub for machinima, the art of creating animated videos in real-time virtual 3-D environments. The site features machinima-related articles, and news. Machinima productions can be submitted for possible redistribution after...
in 2011. Including him on their top ten list, Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
called him "the quintessential video game ninja" of the early days of gaming; while according to the yet another top ten list by CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
, "Joe Musashi is like the Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
of ninjas". He was also featured on by PLAYs 2011 list of top ten ninja characters for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
consoles, with a comment regretting his replacement for the 2002's Shinobi by "some berk called Hotsuma".
In 2000, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's news editor Shahed Ahmed named Joe Musashi as his "unquestionably" favorite all-time video game character of any kind, adding that it was Musashi's "complex mix of subtle style and violent fury that was so appealing". In 2004, 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
ranked Musashi as the number one video game ninja ever, adding: "Hotsuma who?". In 2008, GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
ranked him as the second top Sega character, behind only Sega's flagship character Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
. In 2009, GameDaily also listed "the badass ninja" as the fifth best of 25 video game archetypes, citing Musashi as its epitome.
His popularity, however, appears to be fading as the time passes since his last title, especially among the new generations of gamers. In 2008, when readers of IGN voted on which of the two ninja would win in a Hero Showdown contest, Joe Musashi or Ryu Hayabusa
Ryu Hayabusa
is the protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden video game series as well as a player character in the Dead or Alive series, both published by Tecmo. According to the game canon, Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja and the leader of the that has spiritual, physical and magical ties to ancient dragons...
of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden
is a series of video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side-story" in Japanese, even though the Ninja Gaiden series is not a spinoff of a previous series...
and Dead or Alive series, Hayabusa won easily with 82% of the votes. As of November 2011, IGN has his profile page user-rated at only 6.2 with just 5 votes, as compared to Ryu's score of 9.6 with 168 votes. In 2010, GameSpot featured Musashi in the article discussing forgotten gaming mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
s, but nevertheless calling him "one of the greatest video game ninjas of all time."
See also
- Shinobi characters
External links
- Joe Musashi (video game character) at GiantBomb