#*hanpeita takechi

[refinedstorage]

I miss him I miss him so much -- a WIP

[chpockpupok]

for one project

[skwc]

noodling around with lineart and screentones :-)

[am-euno]

head is spinning thinking about boys but like, fgo men kinda... 

main: https://twitter.com/am_euno

[talesofedo]

Teacher and student.

[tarokro]

Character Introductions (Right-Left, Top-Bottom)

Yoshida Toyo Takechi Hanpeita Nakaoka Shintaro Okada Izo

From the Yakuza Ishin guidebook, 龍が如く 維新！完全攻略極ノ書

[fuckyeahbakumatsu]

[chessere]

Four Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu.

In order, Kawakami Gensai, Kirino Toshiaki, Tanaka Shinbei, and Okada Izou.

I'm a shinsengumi account! I'm usually a shinsengumi artist! But whoops my hands slipped and as you can see I've been getting pretty damn creative lately jfjdjfjjs

[velvetbyrne]

Part of me really wants Takechi Hanpeita to have 'Heavenly Judgment' as his Noble Phantasm, partly because it would be interesting for him to have something similar to Rounds of Lionheart but with the four Hitokiri.

Anyway, I'm just hoping for more Bakumatsu folks to be in the Fate series . . .

[nochangeintheplan]

Drawing challenge for myself to complete the list of characters here in a month:

List is all Yakuza 0-4 + Ishin on Mudae Bot, I'm pinning it here just so i can keep track of who I've done.

Bacchus

Bob Utsunomiya

Daisaku Kuze

Habu

Hiroki Awano

Hiroya Egashira

Homare Nishitani

Jun Oda

Keiji Shibusawa

Makoto Makimura

Miracle Johnson

Nugget

Pocket Circuit Fighter

Tetsu Tachibana

Tsukasa Sagawa

Wen Hai Lee

Yuki

Akira Nishikiyama

Futoshi Shimano

Gary Buster Holmes

Goro Majima

Haruka Sawamura

Hiroshi Hayashi

Jo Amon

Kazuki (Yakuza)

Kazuma Kiryu

Kyohei Jingu

Makoto Date

Masaru Sera

Osamu Kashiwagi

Reina

Shinji Tanaka

Shintaro Kazama

Sohei Dojima

Sotaro Komaki

The Florist of Sai

Yayoi Dojima

Yumi Sawamura

Yuya

Daigo Dojima

Jiro Kawara

Karou Sayama

Koyuki

Nishida

Ryuji Goda

Andre Richardson

Goh Hamazaki

Rikiya Shimabukuro

Taichi

Yoshitaka Mine

Hana

Hiroaki Arai

Masayoshi Tanimura

Nair

Seishiro Munakata

Shun Akiyama

Taiga Saejima

Takeshi Kido

Haruka (Ishin)

Hijikata Toshizo

Kondo Isami

Oryo

Okita Souji

Saigo Kichinosuke

Sakamoto Ryoma

Takechi Hanpeita

i had to break it up because there was a limit on blocks on tumblr

[itsmarjudgelove]

Sato Takeru plays Okada Izō in Ryomaden (2010 TV)

Okada Izō (岡田 以蔵, February 14, 1838 – June 3, 1865) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, feared as one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. He was born in Tosa to the gōshi Okada Gihei, who had been a peasant but had bought the gōshi rank. Izō and Tanaka Shinbei were active in Kyoto as assassins under the leadership of Takechi Hanpeita.

[yakuzadumpingground]

(Like a Dragon Ishin spoilers)

So in chapter 13 Takechi Hanpeita looks like this:

And in the finale he looks like this:

[kyndaris]

Tosa Calling

Although I know it's been a year since Like a Dragon: Ishin! released, it wasn't until I came back from my trip to Japan that I managed to find some time to sink into the hefty title. I know, I know. It's shameful! But in my defence, last year I was swamped with games. And lengthy ones to boot!

I mean, given the evidence, I think, dear readers, it would not be wrong for me to ask that y'all give a gal a break. Especially because playing video games and writing up my impressions of them is a hobby. And having a full-time job does not make playing games, reading books and writing stories any easier. Throw in the FOMO from watching whatever is popular on streaming and also socialising with real-life people, I think the fact I manage to get through games at such a steady clip is a commendable exercise.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Or, at controller, if you'll pardon the terrible attempt at wordplay.

Unlike the Yakuza games that came before it, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a game set in the mid-1800s as Japan grappled with foreign diplomatic and military pressure to change. And instead of stepping into the shoes of Kiryu Kazuma, players are thrust into the shoes of one Sakamoto Ryoma - a real-life historical figure who advocated for democracy, return of power to the Imperial Court, abolition of feudalism and the modernisation of Japan during the Bakumatsu period.

Of course, Like a Dragon: Ishin! does take a more fanciful approach to their interpretation of history as they have Ryoma playing double-duty with another real-life historical figure: Saito Hajime - Captain of the Shinsengumi's 3rd Division.

But, hey, what's a bit of artistic licence to give us some excellent blockbuster action scenes and build up a conspiracy about the Tosa loyalist party and the best interests of the budding nation of Japan? Why not even throw in a fight with Scottish merchant Thomas Glover too (which was passingly strange for me to deal with considering I visited Glover Garden while I was in Nagasaki while in Japan and failed to find nary a mention of how the man duked it out with Ryoma with a set of twin pistols)?

As always, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio keeps the main story dramatic and relatively grounded with Ryoma on a quest for revenge when his adoptive father Yoshida Toyo is assassinated. The majority of the game then takes place in Kyo (the modern day equivalent being Kyoto) as Ryoma tries to hunt down the man responsible. He does so by deducing the style of swordplay and looking for dojos who teach Tennen Rishin.

It isn't long before he is informed that the Tennen-Rishi is practiced by the Shinsengumi. Ryoma soon joins the organisation, hoping to whittle down who among the captains was the killer.

Along the way, he must deal with a second 'Sakamoto Ryoma' who is trading with guns and other weapons to the Satsuma Domain and hatch a civil war in Japan in order to take out the Shogunate that had reined for nigh on 300 years. It later turns out that this second 'Sakamoto Ryoma' is his brother and leader of the Tosa Loyalist Party: Takechi Hanpeita (another real-life historical figure).

While the game does incorporate actual historical events such as the Ikedaya incident and the assassination of Sakamoto Ryoma at Omiya Inn, it does certainly take quite a few liberties of the actual events. Like how the person assassinated at Omiya Inn was just a stand-in and both the actual Ryoma and his brother Takechi survived for a final battle back in Tosa as they engage in battle due to competing ideologies.

From a gameplay perspective, Ishin! only really incorporates one of the fighting styles from the Yakuza games. This, being of course, the brawler style. As Ryoma is a samurai, he also had a swordsman style (my default one that I used for most of the game) and mixed it up with the occasional use of a revolver. While these all had a variety of different abilities, I found myself focusing on swordsman and wild dance throughout most of my playthrough as they easily ripped through the fodder you faced on the streets and were mighty effective against bosses as well.

Unlike the other games, Ishin! also introduced the concept of troopers. This boosted Ryoma's health and granted him additional abilities that could be triggered in the midst of battle, such as triggering additional damage or conjuring a gravity well to draw all the enemies to one part of the battle arena.

This helped mix-up the combat, especially after hours of using the same moves and combos throughout the game.

Boss battles, too, forced me to vary my strategy. Rather than brute forcing my way through most enemies, I'd often have to play more defensively - seeking to use my stronger attacks only when necessary and throwing in the occasional heat action to give Ryoma some breathing space.

But while the story and the combat are worthy of praise, it was the side content in Ishin! that stole my heart. I loved all the wacky stories Ryoma somehow got suckered into. As is RGG tradition, there are also numerous minigames such as singing and buyo dancing. True, it didn't have a crane minigame but it DID allow me to play rock, paper, scissors with a geisha.

And my gosh, I have never been so glad my mother doesn't often see what I'm playing when I first went through the song: Truehearted Samurai. Initially, I was confused there were live-action actors. Then, I was bewildered when they started acting flirtatious even as I was trying to nail most of the notes for the very fast-paced song.

To be fair, the Sensual Healing portion of the geisha interactions also earned a raised eyebrow from me.

As for buyo dancing, it was probably the most tame of the mini-games (at least when it came to salacious material), but it was difficult to master. I'm no slouch when it comes to rhythm games and I very much enjoyed the dancing mini-games in Yakuza 5 and Lost Judgment but Ishin! was a different beast entirely with how it implemented its controls.

Overall though, Ishin! is a must-play for Yakuza fans. Though its replaced the shady crime drama with an historical period plot, it still retains the heart and soul of the Yakuza games. Especially because many of the character models have been reused, like Kiryu Kazuma acting as both Sakamoto Ryoma and Saito Hajime. Then there's Goro Majima as Okita Soji and Taiga Saejima as Nagakura Shinpachi.

Oft times, I had to ask myself if I wasn't just playing another Yakuza game with just a historical skin on top.

True, maybe I should have instead dived into Rise of the Ronin (I will play this game eventually as I've actually bought it), but Ishin! took precedence. Besides, it's not every day that one gets to play as THE Sakamoto Ryoma.

For anyone who might say otherwise, I'll shall simply retort with: ee ja nai ka.

[maddogofshimano]

Izo Boss Rush: The Revenge of Izo

Ishin Spoilers

This was the other raffle winner for @majimemegoro​ ! Sorry it ended up taking longer than expected, hopefully I won’t have to rush back and correct some things once ishin drops in a little over a week!

I skipped all the ishin events when they first happened because I was on the cusp of being able to play it and didn’t want to spoil myself (or flounder horrifically!) so I’m glad I can go back to them now (and only flounder somewhat)

Summary:

After Ryoma and Izo’s opening confrontation, Ryoma has some time to kill. Izo, on the other hand, has some people to kill.

In order to carry out a reformation of the Tosa caste system, Sakamoto Ryoma is named Party Representative, head of the Tosa Loyalist Party.

However, he is ambushed by members of the Loyalist Party, including the second in command, Okada Izo.

Ryoma was able to fend off Izo’s attack with his own sword.

He has planned to meet with Yoshida Toyo that night at Kochi Castle, however some time remains before then.

Hanpeita: ...So will you be going to Kochi Castle once it gets a bit darker, Ryoma?

Ryoma: I'm...

<flashback, as evidenced by the sepia>

Yoshida: ...Well then, Ryoma. Since you've returned to Tosa, have you had bonito tataki? Ryoma：…No. Yoshida: "Yoiyoi" has some good bonito. I'm not able to go, but you should go try it. (Tl note: yoiyoi is 酔い酔い, a restaurant in ishin. the name is literally like "drunken drunken" and I don't think I've seen how it'll be localized, so you just get the name spelled out as is)

Ryoma: ....I plan on wandering around a bit more. I think I'll go try the bonito that Pops recommended to me. <he leaves>

Shop Keeper: Thank you! Please come again. Ryoma: Haa~, that was delicious. Naturally there's no better bonito than in Tosa... hmm? ???: Ahhhh! Help me! Ryoma: I'm pretty sure those are the men who pretended to be in the Tosa Loyalist Party... And on the other side... Okada Izo.  Fake Tosa Loyalist Party Member: F-Forgive me! We'll never impersonate the Tosa Loyalist Party again!

Izo: ...Not good enough. Die. Fake Loyalist: A-Ahhhh! <Ryoma steps in>

Ryoma: .....We should drop this. Izo: You're... Sakamoto Ryoma. Making an entrance here, huh.... Ryoma: I've already told you this. If you joined the Loyalist Party because you want to kill people, you should leave.

Ryoma: You all should get out of here. ....I'll hold this guy off. Fake Loyalist: Y-Yes sir...!

<the fake loyalist group leaves>

<Izo takes a swing at Ryoma>

Ryoma: !? Izo: I may have lost earlier, but that was merely a single bout. ....I'll kill you this time.  Izo: If I win, I'm going to kill you and then I'll kill them. Ryoma: ...And if I win, you'll let those men go. Izo: ...Fine. Izo: We'll go to the old battleground beside the river. There won't be any people there.  Ryoma: ...Okay. Let's go.

<they go, and the boss rush event happens>

Izo: Guh... Ryoma: That's the end of that...

<he sheathes his sword>

Izo: Wait... why don't you strike me down? Ryoma: ...I didn't join the Loyalist Party so that I could kill people. You and I are different. <Ryoma walks off>

Izo: ....Heh. The style that would be expected of the "Party Representative". Splendidly done.

Izo: ....I will make sure you regret that. The one who will support Takechi-sensei... is me.

<he leaves, and someone else steps in>

Hanpeita: ...As expected, Ryoma won. Hanpeita: Letting even those who attempt to kill you live, that kindness... no, it's softness. Hanpeita: ...Yes. That's the kind of man you are. 

Hanpeita: Then I suppose we have no choice but to follow our own paths... kyoudai.

<END> Bonus time:

This one was pretty short but boy howdy does translating ishin kick my ass with all these character and place names I’m not used to. I do think it’s really funny that they just tacked another loss onto Izo’s record like this. Just for fun. 

Hanpeita is Shibusawa in ishin kiwami which will....... make some things very interesting, I think. 

Thank you to this youtube channel for once again supplying me with events, I owe everyone who recorded them my life

[tokenlad]

For my Top 5 favorite bosses for Yakuza

5. Yoshitaka Mine

The entire fight was freaking peak despite 3's combat problems. I really loved Mine's character and especially his both theme Fly. Plus his fight had the first dynamic intro in the series.

4. Ryuji Goda

Ryuji is one of my favorite main villains in the series, as he was one I really couldn't bring myself to hate just because of how awesome his character was, plus A Scattered Moment was a really great theme.

3. Masato Aizawa

Despite Aizawa's writing with the story, his fight was amazing with all the stage transitions it had, plus the amount of health bars he had. Battle for the Dream was also a great boss theme.

2. Mitsuru Kuriowa

Probably the most intense final boss for me in series, and that's saying something about how terrifying Kuroiwa was. His boss theme Penumbra was so menacing and his damage output as well. Even then the fight against was peak and really fun

Kosei Shishido

I had a smile on my face throughout the entirety of this fight, from the Dynamic Intro to Shishido's theme Deadly Struggle, which was the heaviest track I heard in the series, along with Fleeting Dream. Shishido for me was a culmination of every final boss Kiryu had faced throughout the series, and I'm even going to include Takechi Hanpeita from Ishin because of the Katana's Shishido used. Plus his fight had 3 stage transitions and 4 phases, probably the most ones in the series for all the bosses. This was basically Aizawa done right., plus Shishido's motivation for everything was understandable, considering he was fighting for the only life he known, him not wanting to lose it, but it was a fight he could lose no matter what.

Yeah, with the exception of Ishin (which i didnt care for all that much) and dead souls (because come on) all the final bosses are great. Its like choosing my favorite cakes. All cake is great, its cake.

[talesofedo]

... in which a somewhat drunk, young Okada Izo winds up in Takechi Hanpeita's bed after staying late at the dojo because it was pouring rain outside and the teacher invited him to stay over.