Overview
Just a run down on a tiny Easter Egg in the game and the big possibility of characters that could lead to future titles set in the city of Mega Tokyo.
———————–Overview———————–
So I picked up Akane a few weeks ago and played it ALOT…almost too much. I completed the game today. 100%’d. Trading cards too. I’m not proud. But I’m satisfied ^_^.
But even after the “Final Scene” reveal I found myself wanting more. That couldn’t be it, could it? I mean the gameplay is just a twist on the classic arcade game, but the world was still so vibrant and alive for such a small game. Beautiful. Alas, it was true, it was over, so after the game I decided to collect all the trading cards, which brought me to a puzzling discovery…
———————–SAIGO: Mystery Trading Card———————–
So while I was rummaging through the trading cards over and over again to gain badges, I kept coming across the characters of Akane.
But something kept coming across my mind about an unfamilar card…
Who was this “Saigo” character. Could it be that in my 13 hours of gameplay I had missed this one character…unlikely.
I began to rationalize “Maybe its a Cyber Ninja concept art.” No, that would’nt make sense. All the other trading card characters were key to the story. Akane, Katsuro, Ishikawa, Akane Kid. All characters that we had interacted with at some point. No…
This was it. More lore for me to dwell into. I was missing something, and would do whatever to find it. So that’s what I did.
———————–Who Is SAIGO———————–
I had found a discussion
Originally posted by -Nachtmahr-:Or is it an arena and highscore brawler like Ubermosh?
board that discussed the existence of “Saigo.” Feel free to check the post for yourself. But to sum it up, they figured that Saigo was a tribute to the Pre-Aplha game which used him as the protagonist. It was great to know that someone was interested in the character as well as me, but that answer wasn’t good enough for me. There had to be something more.
Saigo wore a long duster coat and a ronin style hat. Could be irrelevant but his demeanor is what was throwing me off. Hand in his pocket, showing no sign of aggression. Long strides, as if he wanted to get somewhere quickly. And holding his hat down, almost as if he was trying to hold it over his face. It led me to one conclusion. Saigo was hiding, and trying to be incognito.
And apparently I wasn’t the only one looking for someone.
———————–Where Is SAIGO———————–
I jumped back in the game with the intent to start searching for some clues. But its kinda difficult when 30+ Yakuza are wanting to cut off your head at all times.
So I dwindled the competition down to one Yakuza guy and started to look. That’s when I came across something that had to be more than a coincidence. Take a look.
It was him, it had to be him, that was Saigo the wanted fugitive being displayed on huge monitors suspended over you battle ground. Or at least it looked like him right.
Two visors with the black mask. Even without color it still resembled the mystery man on the trading card.
———————–The Reveal———————–
So that was it for me I had found Saigo, my journey was over and the mystery was solved. But I would need more proof before I could post my discovery in the forums. So I continued to look and that is when I found the nail to close the coffin.
Even for a small arcade game Akane still had such a vibrant world that managed to come alive through the pixels. From the flashing lights, the robots whizzing over head and the crowd passing by outside of the gate watching the final moments of Akane. And while I was people watching the people people watching me, that’s when I seen him.
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There he was a dual green visor, black mask wearing fugitive. But this time he was wearing a disguise which should look familiar.
——————-Conclusion, But Still More Questions———————–
Mystery solved!! Saigo has been found. The fact that he is the only character in the crowd that doesn’t have duplicates while on screen, and the fact that he is on the wanted signs while Akane is having her fatal last fight means that his story is seperate from Akane’s. So what is Saigo’s story??
Maybe that can be answered in his separate game (I hope so), or maybe its simply a nod to the Pre-Alpha protagonist (I hope not). But for the mean time the question has been answered. “Who is Saigo”
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But…there are still more question to answer, more characters that could possibly expand the stories that lie inside the city of Mega Tokyo. Questions like…
- Could the Old Man with the pigeon have saved Akane in her final fight?
- Does this guy’s TV not work, so his entertainment is an all out Yakuza slaughter?
- Will this homeless guy get his life together at some point?
So hopefully we’ll get answer to some of these questions and more stories told of this world. Later!