Compati Hero Series

Compati Hero Series
Genres	Sports, Action, Platform, Role-Playing, Strategy, Racing, Pachinko, Pinball
Developers	Banpresto
Publishers	JP Banpresto
Platforms	Family Computer, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, PlayStation, GameCube, Dreamcast, Sega Pico
Platform of origin	Family Computer
First release	SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho April 20th, 1990
Latest release	Charinko Hero July 17th, 2003

The Compati Hero Series (コンパチヒーローシリーズ, Konpachi Hīrō Shirīzu^?)^[1] is a video game series published exclusively in Japan by Banpresto and Namco Bandai Games (formerly Bandai) that began in 1990, that serves as crossover between Ultraman, Kamen Rider (also known as Masked Rider) and Gundam.^[2]

It was the first video game series to involve a crossover between animated giant robots and live action tokusatsu heroes from different established franchises.^[3] The series makes this possible by using caricaturized versions of the characters (officially referred as "SD" or "Super Deformed" characters), which allowed the different heroes and villains to co-exist and interact with each other without the need to reconcile their contrasting styles and settings. The first game in the series, SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho for the Family Computer, which mixed franchises that were originally licensed to Popy, was developed as a congratulatory present to Yukimasa Sugiura when he was promoted to president of Banpresto at the time^[3], which was soon followed by series of spin-offs and related games featuring the same cast of characters that developed into the Compati Hero Series.

The series was successful with children thanks to the SD Gundam craze, but after the release of Charinko Hero for the GameCube, there were no new games afterward for nearly eight years. Namco Bandai is currently developing a new game in the series titled Lost Heroes, scheduled for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012.

List of video games

The Great Battle

Early games

• SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho (Family Computer - April 20, 1990)
• SD Hero Soukessen: Taose! Aku no Gundan (Family Computer - July 7, 1990)
• Great Battle Cyber (Family Computer - December 25, 1992)

Main series

• SD The Great Battle (Super Famicom - December 29, 1990)
• The Great Battle II: Last Fighter Twin (Super Famicom - March 27, 1992)
• The Great Battle III (Super Famicom - March 26, 1993)
• The Great Battle IV (Super Famicom - December 17, 1994)
• The Great Battle V (Super Famicom - December 22, 1995)
• The Great Battle VI (PlayStation - April 11, 1997)
• The Great Battle Pocket (Game Boy Color - December 3, 1999) (developed by Alpha Unit)

Gaiden series

• Tekkyu Fight! The Great Battle Gaiden (Game Boy - July 30, 1993)
• The Great Battle Gaiden 2: Matsuri da Wasshoi (Super Famicom - January 28, 1994)

Derivative games

• Super Tekkyu Fight! (Super Famicom - September 15, 1995)
• Battle Crusher (Game Boy - January 27, 1995)
• Battle Pinball (Super Famicom - February 24, 1995)
• Ganbare! Compati Heroes Bokurano (Sega Pico)

Compati Sports Series

Individual games

• Battle Baseball (Family Computer - February 19, 1993)
• Versus Hero: Road to the King Fight (Game Boy - August 7, 1992)
• Battle Racers (Super Famicom - March 17, 1995)
• Charinko Hero (GameCube - July 17, 2003)

Battle Dodgeball series

• Battle Dodge Ball (Super Famicom - July 20, 1991)
• Battle Dodge Ball (Game Boy - October 16, 1992)
• Battle Dodge Ball II (Super Famicom - July 23, 1993)

Battle Soccer series

• Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha (Super Famicom - December 11, 1992)
• Battle Soccer 2 (Super Famicom - November 25, 1994)

Super Pachinko Taisen series

• Super Pachinko Taisen (Super Famicom - April 28, 1995)
• Super Pachinko Taisen (Game Boy - June 30, 1995)

RPG

Due to the story-based nature of the RPG genre, the following games have numerous plot details adapted from the original source materials, while retaining the style of the Compati Hero Series.

• Hero Senki: Project Olympus (Super Famicom - November 20, 1992) (developed by WinkySoft)
• Gaia Saver (Super Famicom - January 28, 1994)
• Super Hero Operations (PlayStation - January 28, 1999)
• Super Hero Operations: Diedal's Ambition (PlayStation - November 22, 2000)

Robot-related

The following games only feature characters from mecha anime and do not include tokusatsu heroes.

• Super Robot Wars (Game Boy - April 20, 1991)
  • See Super Robot Wars for further information.
• Battle Commander: Hachibushu Shura no Heihou (Super Famicom - December 29, 1991)
• Shuffle Fight (Family Computer - October 9, 1992)

Other

• Battle Formation (PlayStation - November 13, 1997)
• Tokusatsu Bouken Katsugeki Super Hero Retsuden (DreamCast - July 27, 2000) (developed by ALU)
• The Great Battle III (manga)

Original characters

Heroes

Concept artwork of Fighter Roar for The Great Battle II: Last Twin Fighter, who was designed to a hero representing Banpresto.

Fighter Roar (戦士ロア, Faitā Roa^?)

A "Banpresto Original" character who was created to serve as a fourth hero who fights alongside Ultraman, Kamen Rider and Gundam. He first appears as a supporting character in SD The Great Battle, and then as a playable character in The Great Battle II. His character design was provided illustrator M. Ganzy. Since he was created to be a hero representative of Banpresto, the borders surrounding his eyes resembles the logo of Banpresto.

Originally a cyborg created by Dark Brain, Roar fights in order to prevent other beings from suffering the same fate he endures. At first, he did not bear the word "Fighter" on his name and originally he wore a hood that covered his whole in SD The Great Battle. From The Great Battle II and most subsequent appearances, he wears a red armor and has visible blue hair. Although the portion that covers his mouth in the latter design were originally said to be cybernetic implants, it was later established in The Great Battle IV that it's actually a mouse cover that he wears. Although he bears other different designs, such as when he appears as a referee in Battle Dodge Ball or when he becomes an evil warrior in Battle Commander, those designs are established to different equipment wore by the character. In Battle Racers, his secondary color scheme consists of green hair and blue armor.

Roar's special moves include the "Fire Dragon" and the "Tamaya Bomber" attacks. His personality differs between games, in the original Great Battle, as well as in IV and V, he talks politely and always uses honorifics, while in II and III he has a sharper tongue and is more straightforward.

A musical band called "Roar & Emi" appears in the OG (Original Generation) series of Super Robot Wars games. In Super Robot Wars: Original Generations a redesigned version of Roar appears alongside the Compati Kaiser (called the "Compatible Kaiser") from The Great Battle IV, where he is a superhero identity assumed by a character named Kohta Azuma. In Suparobo Gakuen for the DS, Roar challenges the player with the Compati Kaiser.

Emi (エミィ^?)

Fighter Roar's younger sister. She made her debut earlier than her brother in SD Hero Sōkessen for the Famicom as an engineer of a Gachapon Machine and it wasn't until Battle Commander where she was established to be Roar's sister. Her character design differs depending on the game: in SD Hero Sōkessen, she wears a helmet that covers her right eye; while in Great Battle III, she has visible hair that still covers her right eye. Both designs are used in Battle Racers.

Although she usually appears as an ally who aids the heroes such as in the Great Battle series, Battle Racers or Battle Pinball, in SD Hero Sōkessen she is taken captive and transforms into the final boss after Dark Brain is defeated before regaining her senses. Similarly, in Battle Dodge Ball II she is a member of the final rival team called the "God Factory", and in Battle Crusher, she becomes "Dark Emi" after being possessed by Dark Brain and challenges the player as the final opponent in the championship tournament. In Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden, she has a hostile relation with Roar (where she also assumes the form of Dark Emi). Emi manifests itself inside a human, who is Kouta's sister, Shoko Azuma.

While her powers are not as great as Roar's, she has several healing skills in various games, wield the Hindbreaker sword passed down by the "shadow people" in Battle Commander and has the ability to reduce an opponent's special move points in Battle Dodge Ball II, among other abilities.

Guiliam Jaeger (ギリアム・イェーガー^?)

First appears in Project Olympus, where he is a federation soldier who pilots a powered suit called Gespenst (ゲシュペンスト^?). Because of events that occur in Project Olympus, Guiliam is burdened with the destiny of having to wander into alternate universes. The Guiliam who appears in the Super Robot Wars series, which has a completely different setting from the Compati Hero Series, is the same Guiliam from Project Olympius, having retained his memories from that game. He also appears in Battle Dodge Ball II.

Banprekid (バンプレキッド^?)

A short middle-aged superhero who first appears SD Battle Ōzumō as a representative of Banpresto, he has a peculiar hairstyle and wears a Superman-like outfit with a rocket booster on his back. In subsequent games, he appears as a supporting character who assist the heroes by serving the role of a referee or a shopkeeper. In Battle Commander he appears with a completely different design than in the other games, as a robot equipped with bow & arrows and a musket gun who appears in advertisement. In Super Robot Wars OGs, he and Great Kaminori are mentioned be mascots in the amusement park where Princess Shine performs.

Great Kaminarimon (グレート雷門^?)

Another character who debuted in SD Battle Ōzumō as a representative of Banpresto, he is a horned red-skinned thunder-god who wears a yellow t-shirt with a Banpresto logo, carries a pair of drums on his back, and resembles the Terminator. He is named after the Kaminarimon gate at the Sensō-ji Temple^[4], he has a technique called the Tamine Thunder (田峰サンダー^?, a play on "terminator" and "thunder") in which he radiates electricity from his body. He reappears in Great Battle II and III as a non-playable ally who helps out Roar and the other heroes by combining his attacks with theirs to defeat enemies. While in II he has the same appearance as in SD Battle Ōzumō, in III he wears a pair of shade and is shirtless aside from a pair of suspenders sustaining his trousers.

Despite his heroic role in the Great Battle series, he appears as a teammate of the villainous Neo Dark Brain in Battle Dodge Ball, where he has light blue hair, lighter skin, and protective gear on his chest and shoulders. Like Banprekid, he appears in an ad in Battle Commander, where he now carries a pair of power turbines on his back and now has two horns instead of one growing out of his head.

Aside for being mentioned by name in Super Robot Wars OGs, a giant mech modeled after him appears in Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden called the G-Thundergate, piloted by Emi ("Thundergate" being the English translation of "Kaminarimon"). Moreover, in the final episode of Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Inspector, a mecha modeled after the Battle Commander version of Kaminarimon called the "Noi GK" as an enemy spacecraft brought to life by Beowulf.

Dr. Kisaburoh (キサブロー博士^?)

The engineer who creates the Compatible Kaiser in The Great Battle IV. He appears in Super Robot Wars: Original Generations alongside Fighter Roar, where he is given the full name of Kisaburoh Azuma. In The Great Battle III, an elderly magician with the same name, although his relation to the later Dr. Kisaburoh is never mentioned.

Villains

Dark Brain (ダークブレイン^?)

A recurring boss character in the Great Battle series. First appears as the final boss in SD Hero Sōkessen, where he is depicted as a brain planted into a machine, a form he also has in the later Famicom game Great Battle Cyber. In the first Great Battle for the Super Famicom, he appears disguised in a humanoid robot body covered in a mantle with a one-eyed device. In Great Battle II, he becomes Hyper Dark Brain, an upgraded form that resembles his appearance in the Famicom games, but with removed armor, longer arms and legs, and he speaks with an exaggerated Kansai dialect. In Great Battle III the original form of Dark Brain is shown, in which he dresses a clown and calls himself the Devil King (魔王, Maō^?). However, after being defeated his body is destroyed, leaving only his exposed brain.

In Battle Dodge Ball, his form in the original Great Battle is given the name of Neo Dark Brain, while in Battle Dodge Ball II he assumes a form similar to Hyper Dark Brain when he is used as an outer court player. In Tekkyū Fight!, Dark Brain merges with the Iron Devil King Dark Iron to become one form. He appears in Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden in a redesigned version of his form in the original Great Battle.

Bone Fighter (ボーンファイター^?)

One of three underlings of Dark Brain. He resembles a human skeleton equipped with knight armor. He was one of the new boss characters who debuted in the original Great Battle alongside Crystal Dragon and Debudabide. In Battle Dodge Ball he appears as a member of Dark Brain's team.

Crystal Dragon (クリスタルドラゴン^?)

The second of Dark Brain's three underlings. He is a one-eyed dragon whose body is covered in crystal and has a second human-like face on his abdomen. After defeating his first form, he turns into a serpent-shaped form composed of spherical crystals.

Debudedabide (デブデダビデ^?)

The third and last of Dark Brain's underlings. A giant man whose form changes in every installment.

Skull Knight (スカルナイト^?)

Replaces the Bone Fighter in Great Battle II. Although he is an armor-wearing skeleton just like the Bone Fighter, the lower half of his body is that of a horse (like a centaur) or a chariot depending on the game. In Battle Commander, he is one of the four minions of Dagubool

Crystal Dragoon (クリスタルドラグーン^?)

Replaces the Crystal Dragon in Great Battle II. His design varies between one of two forms: a dragon who is entirely covered in crystal, or a regular flesh dragon who is equipped with crystals on certain parts of his body. In Great Battle II and III he has a human face on his abdomen like the Crystal Dragon. In Battle Commander, he is also one of the four minions of Dagubool

Zan-el (ザンエル, Zan'eru^?)

The final boss in The Great Battle II. A being who has conquered many planets, he sets his sight on the SD Nation and manages to divide the nation by destroying the Environmental Management Device while the heroes were fighting Dark Brain, allowing him to conquer the SD Nation without much of an effort. Has an upgraded form with improved combat efficiency. In Great Battle III, he appears as a magician who resurrects Dark Brain after he is defeated and has a much smaller size than in the previous game.

Gundam Killer (ガンダムキラー^?)

A new character created to be Gundam's rival. He resembles a red and white Gundam with a part on his head similar to ZZ Gundam's High Mega Cannon. However, he lacks the golden "V"-shaped antenna on his forehead and instead has two antennas on the left and right sides of the vulcan hole on top of his head. Both of his shoulders are also equipped with movable beam shields. In official illustrations, he is equipped with a funnel like one equipped by the Sazabi model. In Battle Dodge Ball 2, he is a member of the Mobile Suit Killers team. In Gaia Saver, he is a mobile suit piloted by a brainwashed Amuro Ray.

Rider Killer (ライダーキラー^?)

A new character created to be Kamen Rider's rival. He is a mutant modeled after a mantis or a long-horned beetle. His design differs depending on the game, such as in Gaia Saver, where one of his arms resembles the petal of a carnivorous plant. Moreover, his body is colored green in the games, but is depicted as blue in official illustrations. In Battle Dodge Ball 2, he appears as a member of the Shocker Eagles team. In Gaia Saver, he is actually a brainwashed remodified version of Kamen Rider 2.

Ultra Killer (ウルトラキラー^?)

A new character created to be Ultraman's rival. Resembles Ultraman with a blue body and a golden mask. He is also equipped with a golden gauntlet on his right arm with extended fingertips. In Battle Dodge Ball 2, he appears as a member of the Monster Powers team. In Gaia Saver, he is actually a brainwashed Zoffy.

See also

• Super Robot Wars

Notes and references

1. ^ "Compati" is short for "Compatible"
2. ^ Characters from other franchises have also been featured in some of the initial games, as well as in the Compati Sports Series, such as Metal Hero, Super Sentai, Mazinger Z, Getter Robot, Devilman and Godzilla.
3. ^ ^{a b} Hamamura, Hirokazu (in Japanese). 『浜村通信 ゲーム業界を読み解く』 (Hanamura Tsūshin: Gēmu Gyōkai o Yomitoku, "Hanamura Journal: Deciphering the Video Game Industry"). Enterbrain. p. 203-206. 
4. ^ At the time SD Battle Ōzumō was released, Banpresto's office was located in the Asakusa district.

External links

• Official web portal (Japanese)