Shiro Tokisada Amakusa

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa (天草 四郎 時貞, Amakusa Shirō Tokisada) is a recurring boss and playable character in the Samurai Showdown series. He is based on the historical Amakusa Shirō, who led a Christian rebellion in the Shimabara region of Japan where the bakufu army crushed his revolt and executed him. According to Gamest Mook, he was a possible candidate for the Samurai Shodown 64 lineup but was taken out due to time constraints.

Story
Prior to to the events of Samurai Shodown, Amakusa is resurrected by the dark god Ambrosia; he uses the body of Shinzo Hattori (one of Hanzo's sons). His main plot involves him stealing the Palenke stone, with which he intended to bring Ambrosia to the mortal world. The player prevents this from happening by defeating him. Upon his resurrection in Samurai Shodown IV, his spirit splits into two halves: one good and one evil. His evil counterpart is slain by Zankuro in the same game but his good side lives on thanks to Shinzo. During the events in Samurai Shodown II, he saves certain characters from Mizuki's wrath but is defeated, leaving only Shinzo's body for Hanzo to claim.

Personality
He's a mad and vengeful spirit, resurrected by Ambrosia as a being of destruction. Once he is relieved of the dark god's possession, he reverts to his living persona as a kind and merciful soul. He is a narcissist by nature, which is what originally lured him to Ambrosia's temptations.

Powers

 * Levitation - Amakusa has the power to levitate his weapon and other characters off the ground.
 * Teleport - Amakusa can teleport himself.
 * Multiple Attacks: Amakusa can deliver several slaps at once.
 * Fire Projectile: Amakusa has the ability to project a fiery image of a demon.

Fighting Style
Amakusa fights his opponents by attacking them with a levitating gem. He can direct the gem with an impressive range, able to smash his enemies from the air and ground level from nearly any distance easily. At times, his gem may not compensate for opponents close to him so he also has a multi-hitting slap attack when he is close. To confuse his adversaries, he may also teleport and hover above them before diving upon them with a damaging attack. He also projects fiery projectiles in the image of demons to his foes, making him a formidable long-distance fighter.

Music

 * Ankoku (Darkness) - Samurai Shodown
 * Kyoutai (Madhouse) - Samurai Shodown III
 * Movement to Tranquility - Samurai Shodown IV
 * Crazy Behavior 1, 2, 3 - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown
 * Samurai Shodown II - during cutscenes
 * Samurai Shodown III
 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden - as one of the main villains
 * Samurai Shodown IV
 * Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuden

Anime Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture
 * Samurai Spirits 2: Asura-Zanmaden (OVA)

Similar Characters

 * Aku Amakusa