バトルアリーナ闘神伝

Cory Roberts

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Shinkansen Retrogamer

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14 min read

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Jan 4, 2024

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I’m Cory Roberts and today we’re discussing the Battle Arena Toshinden series. Japanese character designer Tsukasa Kotobuki handled the illustrations for the series. Tamsoft, the game series’ developer, handled the development for the series. The now-closed Takara is the publisher of the games.

Battle Arena Toshinden

• Known as Battle Arena Toshinden Remix (Toshinden S / 闘神伝Ｓ in Japan) on the Sega Saturn
• Released in 1995 and 1996 for the PlayStation and Saturn. Yasuhiro Nakano and Fumio Tanabe are the game’s composers (Makoto Mukai for the PlayStation version; the two would reprise their roles as composers in the second and third games with other two composers: Luna Umegaki and Akihi Motoyama).

The first order of business is Battle Arena Toshinden. I had the Sega Saturn version. The game was announced as a PlayStation exclusive, with Sony initially promoting it as a “Saturn killer” (against Sega’s Virtua Fighter), but ironically a Saturn port published by Sega with additional features was released less than a year later. A drastically different port for the Game Boy was released by Takara in Japan and Nintendo internationally in 1996, making it the only game to have been published by all of the largest console manufacturers of its time.

After fighting games like Tekken started emerging, Battle Arena Toshinden declined in popularity but still spawned a series of sequels, starting with Battle Arena Toshinden 2. Battle Arena Toshinden was the first 3D weapons fighter and was succeeded in spirit by Soul Edge (Soul Blade outside of Japan, later renamed Soulcalibur) and other games of the genre. Here is the soundtrack for this game.

Gameplay

Each character has his or her own unique set of basic moves, special attacks, and a desperation attack that can only be used when the player has low energy (around 10% or less). The player can move in 3D around the 3D arenas using the L/R shoulder buttons, which can be used to dodge projectile attacks or get away from a dangerous spot. Players move using the directional pad. Holding the backward directional button allows the player to block basic attacks and reduces most of the damage from opponents’ special moves. Players can also run by quickly tapping the forward directional button.

As with other games of the genre, the player wins by depleting the opposing player’s health, having more health than their opponent if the time runs out, or knocking their opponent out of the non-walled arena. Unlike many fighting games of the time, it was possible for a player character to accidentally fall off the arena with a miss-timed run or special move, resulting in some unique tactics.

Characters in this video game

• Eiji Shinjo (v.b. Masaaki Ōkura; Martin Galipolar in the first game, including Remix): The main protagonist of the series. A young Japanese traveling swordsman/adventurer who seeks to find his long-lost older brother, Sho. Eiji is the “Ryu” of Toshinden. In the fourth game, his hair is white.
• Kayin Amoh (v.b. Ryōtarō Okiayu; Steve “Bang” Pang in the PSX version of the first and second games, Sean Owens in Remix): A Scottish (later retconned as English) swordsman/bounty hunter who happens to be a friend and rival of Eiji. He seeks to avenge the death of his foster father, who was killed by the previous tournament’s champion from last year. In the first game, his theme is Las Vegas-esque.
• Sofia (v.b. Yōko Teppōzuka → Yumi Tōma; Beth Kaufman in Remix): A whip-wielding blonde Russian woman who works as a private detective. She seeks to find and recover her long-lost memories.
• Rungo Iron (v.b. Yukimasa Kishino; J.S. Gilbert in Remix): A strong yet kind-hearted American miner who seeks to rescue his wife Lila and his son Christopher from the Secret Society. He is a mix of Street Fighter’s Guile and Zangief.
• Fo Fai (v.b. Masaaki Ōkura; Les Hedger in Remix): An elderly Chinese magician who is secretly a cold-hearted serial killer. Fo Fai enters the tournament to satisfy his bloodlust. He is a mix of Street Fighter’s Gen and Vega (Balrog in Japan). Fo Fai died after the events of the second game.
• Mondo (v.b. Yukimasa Kishino; Tony Chapin in Remix): An emotionless Japanese ninja warrior who infiltrates the tournament under the orders from a rival group of the Secret Society.
• Duke B. Rambert (v.b. Kaneto Shiozawa; Doug Boyd in Remix): An arrogant French knight who seeks to find and defeat Eiji to avenge a past loss to him. Kaneto Shiozawa, the character’s voice actor, died on May 10, 2000, following a cerebral concussion.
• Ellis (v.b. Yōko Teppōzuka; Beth Kaufman in Remix): A cheerful and kind-hearted orphaned Japanese/Turkish dancer of a traveling theater troupe who seeks to discover whether or not her long-lost missing father is still alive.
• Gaia (v.b. Daisuke Gōri aka “Yoshio Nagahori”; J.S. Gilbert in Remix): The sponsor of the tournament and boss of the game. His reasons for holding the tournament in the first place are shrouded in mystery. He is later revealed to be the father of Ellis. Daisuke Gōri, the character’s voice actor, died on January 17, 2010.
• Sho Shinjo (v.b. Masaaki Ōkura → Ryōtarō Okiayu → Masaya Onosaka; Martin Galipolar in the first game, including Remix): The secret final boss of the game, reached by clearing the game without continuing. The champion from last year’s previous tournament and Eiji’s older brother, he is a merciless swordsman who holds nothing back from within the fights that he participates in. His soundtrack is a variation of Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. Sho is “the Akuma” of Toshinden. Masaya Onosaka, the character’s voice actor, is known for Trigun’s original Vash the Stampede.
• Cupido (v.b. Kyoko “Megumi” Terase; Jana Gorelitz in Remix): A mysterious woman who speaks with cryptic riddles and messages. Her past is shrouded in mystery, and not much is known about her. She is the “true” final boss in the Sega Saturn version.

Battle Arena Toshinden 2

• Known as Battle Arena Toshinden URA (full title Ultimate Revenge Attack) for the Sega Saturn (Toshinden 2 and Toshinden URA / 闘神伝2 and 闘神伝URA in Japan)
• Released in 1995 for the Japanese arcades and PlayStation (fall 1996 in the Western releases; early 1997 in Europe for the Sega Saturn).

The sequel to the first game was initially released for the Arcades before releasing it to the home consoles. The game was less enthusiastically received than the original Battle Arena Toshinden, with critics saying that both the gameplay and graphics made too little advancement over its predecessor, failing to keep pace with competing fighting games. The Sega Saturn-specific sequel, Battle Arena Toshinden URA (full title Ultimate Revenge Attack), is derived from Battle Arena Toshinden 2 but includes new characters, a new story, and other exclusive content and tweaks. In contrast to the middling response to the PlayStation and arcade versions, it met with uniformly negative reviews citing lack of depth, poor design, and unattractive graphics. Another modified version of the game, Battle Arena Toshinden 2 Plus, was released on the PlayStation in Japan only. Here are the soundtracks for this game (original version, URA version).

New characters in this video game include:

• Tracy (v.b. Megumi Ogata): An American policewoman who fights with a pair of tonfas. She was suspended for her excessive use of force but believes that she will be reinstated if she can unravel the Replicant mystery. She is also a huge fan of Aerosmith, but she dislikes The Rolling Stones.
• Chaos (v.b. Keiichi Nanba): An executive of the Himitsu Kessha who seems to have lost his memories and gone psychotically insane. (Exclusive to the PlayStation port)
• Uranus (v.b. Michie Tomizawa in Toshinden 2, Kikuko Inoue in Toshinden Subaru): The second-in-command of the Himitsu Kessha. Uranus was the one behind the car crash accident that killed Gaia’s wife and son so that she could ascend to her new position in the organization. She has no remorse over her past actions and is determined to gain even more power for her personal ambition. (Exclusive to the PlayStation port)
• Master (v.b. Mariko Onodera): The mysterious leader of the Himitsu Kessha. Not much is known about Master and her history. (Exclusive to the PlayStation port)
• Ripper (v.b. Hikaru Midorikawa): A mysterious figure who is looking for his sister (believed to be Cupido), who has disappeared. He believes Sho is responsible and wounds Sho’s brother Eiji in combat in order to lure him out. He fights with a pair of katars. (Exclusive to the Sega Saturn port)
• Ronron (v.b. Miyako Endo): A Chinese scientist and the leader of the Toshinhei Project, which intended to create a robotic warrior to fight terrorism and enforce a peaceful world order. However, the Replicant was stolen before it could be finished and used for evil purposes, and Ronron intends to discover the perpetrator and stop the Replicant. (Exclusive to the Sega Saturn port)
• Welt “Wolf” Rottweiler (v.b. Hisao Egawa) Ronron’s superior, who supervised the Toshinhei project. He wants to rule the world and stole the Replicant prototype in order to use it to dispose of talented martial artists who might stand in his way. He is the final boss of the game. He fights with a wooden sword. (Exclusive to the Sega Saturn port)
• Vermilion (v.b. Keiichi Nanba): A gunfighter of unknown origin. He appears as a secret boss, unlocked if the player defeats Wolf without using a continue on any difficulty setting higher than the default. He fights using two firearms, so his slash attacks are ranged.

Battle Arena Toshinden 3

• Known in Japan as Toshinden 3 (闘神伝3)
• Released in late 1996 in Japan and early 1997 in the Western markets. PlayStation only.

Battle Arena Toshinden 3 is the first of the main series not to be ported to other platforms. It is also the only game in the series that has gameplay differences between the Japanese version and subsequent U.S. and European releases. The U.S. and European releases of Toshinden 3 feature several gameplay differences from the original Japanese release including:

• Blocking high or low is automatic; pressing back blocks both block high and low attacks. In the Japanese version, one had to press back and down to block low attacks.
• When hit by a reversal attack, all characters fly the full length of the arena. In the Japanese version, A.I. opponents fly the full length of the arena, but how far the player character flies is determined by his or her weight.
• Practice and Survival modes were added.
• A bug regarding the direction a character flies when hit by attacks that send them flying across the arena when they were facing away from their attacker, was fixed.
• The forward distance a character moves while being hurt by Vermillion’s overdrive was decreased to match the backward distance, to prevent them from slowly moving toward Vermillion during the move.

Here’s the soundtrack for this game, including the character selection screen and the name entry. New characters in this video game include:

• Nagisa Iwashiro: A Japanese police detective who works with Tracy in their investigation of the Soshiki. His weapons are the nightstick and handgun.
• David: A young English boy who finds himself being targeted by Abel and the Soshiki. His weapons are the chainsaw and handgun.
• Shizuka Fuji: A Japanese geisha-like gambler who aids David in his fight against the Soshiki. Shizuku’s weapon is a kiseru, a type of Japanese smoking pipe.
• Bayhou: A humanoid-like monkey who lives in the deep mountains of China.
• Cuiling: A young Hong Kong Chinese girl who was raised from early childhood by a triad family to be an assassin for them.
• Leon: An American modern-day pirate who seeks revenge against Eiji for a past loss against him.
• Ten Count: An English aristocratic assassin who kills his victims through the use of his “Ten Count” method. His appearance is based on the late Michael Jackson. His weapon is the rapier.
• Zola: An Austrian Catwoman-inspired opera singer who doubles as an assassin for the Soshiki.
• Adam: A cold and dangerous robot who serves under Abel and the Soshiki in the hopes of gaining a human body.
• Toujin (v.b. the late Takeshi Aono): A retired Japanese assassin who is determined to save his terminally ill wife.
• Balga: A Norweigan knight who seeks to destroy Duke and the Rambert bloodline.
• Atahua: A Peruvian tribal boy who seeks to gain the inheritance of a long-forgotten ancient empire. His weapons are the twin blowguns.
• Tau: A Brazilian tribesman who works with his adoptive son Atahua in his respectable goal.
• Rachael: An American mercenary who seeks to make her twin sister Tracy pay via a personal vendetta. Her weapons are the double-sided twin tonfa.
• Schultz: A German assassin and master ritualist who serves under Abel and the Soshiki.
• Judgement: A mysterious English Jason Voorhees-inspired mute killer who was once David’s friend in childhood.
• Miss Til: A Malaysian fortune teller who serves under Abel and the Soshiki. She wields a flute with a staff-like fighting style.
• Abel: The megalomaniacal leader of the Soshiki. Abel seeks to bring a destructive fighting god named Agon Teos into the world and will destroy anyone who tries to get in the way of his plan.
• Veil: A mysterious yet malevolent shadowy and shrouded man. Veil was once the leader of the Organization, but when he failed to summon the ancient fighting god Agon Teos in a past ceremony, he was imprisoned by Abel, who had served under him at the time. He managed to break free during the third Toshinden tournament, however, and seeks to get his revenge against Abel.
• Naru Amoh (v.b. Yūko Sumitomo → Chisato Nakajima in Toshinden 4): Kayin’s foster daughter who seeks to find him after he had disappeared from within the time between Toshinden 3 and Toshinden 4. Joining up with Subaru and Rook, she hopes that winning the new fourth Toshindaibukai will enable her to gain the information she needs about the whereabouts of her missing foster father.

Toshinden 4

• Known in Japan as Toshinden Subaru (闘神伝 昴).
• Released in Japan in 1999, then in Europe in 2000. Not released in North America.

Toshinden 4 (Toshinden Subaru in Japan or Battle Arena Toshinden 4) is the fourth and final installment of the fighting game series Battle Arena Toshinden. Unlike previous installments, it only saw release in Japan and the PAL region. It was released a total of three times in Europe; it originally came out on June 30, 2000, and was re-released on the Virgin Interactive white label range on April 12, 2001, and was re-released again by budget label Play It, on November 20, 2003. The PAL release of Toshinden 4 made a couple of graphical changes to the original Japanese release, aside from the renaming of the game; the plain string linking Rook’s nunchucks was replaced with an electricity-inspired effect.

Toshinden 4 faced poor sales and negative critical reception in those markets, and thus it was decided by Takara that it would be better to cut their losses by not having the North American release. Bang Boo and Eos’ warm-up animations also had the ends cut resulting in a sudden jump in their animations. Here is the soundtrack for this game.

New characters in this video game include:

• Subaru Shinjo (v.b. Hikaru Midorikawa): A young Japanese swordsman/traveler who happens to be the son of Sho Shinjo and Cupido. Subaru is determined to find his missing uncle Eiji and participates in a new fourth Toshindaibukai tournament with his friends Naru and Rook.
• Rook Castle (v.b. Yoshiyuki Kono): A young American photographer who happens to be an expert in the use of the nunchaku. Rook joins up with Subaru and Naru from within the fourth Toshindaibukai in the hopes of not only meeting up with his fighting idol, Eiji Shinjo, but also finding and meeting up with a mysterious ninja girl, on whom he had developed a crush after facing her in combat from within the past.
• Lancelot Lakeknight (v.b. Aya Hisakawa): A young English boy who was trained by Duke to be a strong and noble fencer so that he could get over his cowardly personality. Upon meeting up and being defeated by Naru from within a past duel, Lancelot desired to see Naru again and joined up with his friends Puella and Fen from within the fourth Toshindaibukai in the hopes of making his wish come true.
• Puella Marionette (v.b. Fushigi Yamada): A young Swiss girl who has a kind and polite personality. Upon being given a golden bow by a blonde-haired angel from within her church orphanage while praying one day, Puella realizes that she has a special power within herself and decides to use it and the golden bow to protect the world’s peace, participating from within the fourth Toshindaibukai alongside her friends Lancelot and Fen in the hopes of stopping an unknown evil from within the competition.
• Fen Barefoot (v.b. Daisuke Sakaguchi): A young Brazilian boy/fisherman who had spent most of his peaceful days with his grandfather and his pet piglet, Wolfie. After helping out an injured man (Mondo) one day, Fen’s grandfather was killed by another person (Genma) who had sought out the injured man, and Fen was determined to make Genma pay for his grandfather’s death, thus he joined up with Puella and Lancelot from within the fourth Toshindaibukai in the hopes of finally getting his revenge. His name is a reference to Barefoot Gen.
• Genma (v.b. Hidekatsu Shibata): A mysterious Chinese sorcerer who is rumored to have come from the same assassination clan as Fo Fai. Genma is a cold and cruel man who has no remorse or regrets for his barbaric and inhuman past actions and is determined to gain the Four Sacred Arms from within the fourth Toshindaibukai, being aided by his partners Miyabi and Bang-Boo.
• Miyabi (v.b. Momoko Tsuji): A young Japanese kunoichi who was kidnapped by Genma and had all of her past memories rewritten so that she could be brainwashed into becoming Genma’s loyal servant. Alongside with Bang-Boo, Miyabi assists Genma in having to gather the Four Sacred Arms from within the fourth Toshindaibukai.
• Bang-Boo (v.b. Yukimasa Kishino): A Cuban cyborg who was once a pilot for his country’s military. Bang-Boo’s new order is to assist Genma and Miyabi in gathering the Four Sacred Arms from within the fourth Toshindaibukai, but he also has one more specific order as well.
• Eos (v.b. Mariko Suzuki): An Italian angel-like android who was sealed away by the Himitsu Kessha for being too powerful. Upon being released by Eiji, Eos pledged her utmost loyalty to him, and alongside Zero, she assisted Eiji as an executive from within the fourth Toshindaibukai.
• Zero (v.b. Kenichi Morozumi): An artificial android who revels in chaos and destruction. Much like Eos, Zero was also sealed away by the Himitsu Kessha for being too powerful, but was eventually released by Eiji and works alongside him and Eos as an executive from within the fourth Toshindaibukai.

D-Xhird

• Pronounced as “dee third”; Japanese notation: ディ・サード
• Released in mid-1997. Not released outside of Japan.
• Kōji Hayama is the game’s composer.

D-Xhird is a 3D weapons-based fighting game developed by the now-closed Nex Entertainment (then known as Nextech) and published by Takara, the same companies that created the Battle Arena Toshinden series, which the game is inspired from. The endings for the characters teased a sequel, but it never happened. Boy, the game’s protagonist, looks similar to Code Geass’ Lelouch Lamperouge, even though this game predates that character.

This is the longest article I’ve written on Shinkansen Retrogamer since I had to include the characters for each game rather than adding screenshots (except for the YouTube links that have OSTs).