Earthquake

Earthquake (アースクェイク, Āsukweiku) is a character in the Samurai Shodown series. He was introduced in Samurai Shodown and was dropped from the character lineup after Samurai Shodown II. He continues to make cameo appearances in characters endings. In one fan's response to the Neo Geo Battle Coliseum Q&A section, developers admit that they were thinking of implementing Earthquake into the game to balance out all of the "pretty boy" characters. However, they also told them to keep playing as another character in the game to replace the gap. A mix of his design and Genan's later led to the creation of Youkai Kusaregedo.

Story
He is a Texan who had trained under the same master as the ex-sailor Galford, Ayame, but quit early due to his bad ties with Galford. Thanks to some of this training, however, despite his enormous body – huge in both height and girth – Earthquake became deceptively fast and tricky. His ninjutsu combined with his size makes him a formidable warrior. He uses this to his advantage and becomes a bandit, somehow being the leader to his own bandit gang. When Amakusa starts creating havoc, he decides to steal all the world's treasure. A year later, Mizuki telepathically hires him, telling him that if he killed those she told him to, she would reward him with gold. After the defeat of Mizuki, Earthquake and his henchmen go to the Makai, enchanted by the promise of greater treasure. After they enter, the entrance is sealed and they are never heard of again.

Personality
Earthquake respects no one except for himself and his minions. He uses his greed to drive him, wanting to bask in material wealth and riches that he feels he deserves. Like most bandits, he's rude and shameless to others. He was also portrayed as a lovable fool in the RPG, as he'll insult the heroes after his defeat yet humorously get lost while escaping in the following area. His immense weight was gained partially due to his disappointment with his courting skills as he's rejected by many ladies.

He is not on good terms with Galford and he is equally antagonistic in return (even when he claims to have forgotten about him).

Powers
Aside from these powers, he also has all the skills perceived to be had by ninja (stealth, swimming, climbing, ect.) His massive bulk also gives him superhuman strength and durability, easily allowing him to overpower his opponents.


 * Fire Breathing - Earthquake can shoot fire from his mouth.
 * Poisonous Gas - Earthquake can emit venomous gases from his burps or farts.
 * Teleport - Earthquake can teleport short distances above his opponent.

Fighting Style
One of Earthquake's earliest advantages over several fighters was the incredible reach of his kusarigama, reaching fighters from nearly the other side of the field without too much trouble. His main move was to spin rapidly and travel across the screen. His attacks are powerful but slow and his height makes him an easy target if he missed. His moves were also limited, making it sometimes difficult to catch quick characters. In Samurai Shodown II, he gained more ninjutsu techniques to better compensate for his weaknesses such as teleporting, fire breathing, and illusions. He also cannot be tossed into the air like other characters; if the throw command is used against him, a unique attack animation is substituted instead. If needed, he can also fight opponents with his farts and burps.

Music

 * The Solid Earth - Samurai Shodown
 * Malice - Samurai Shodown II
 * Way of the Crook - Samurai Shodown (2019)
 * Malice - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
 * Contradiction - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden

Voice Actors

 * Masaki Usui - Samurai Shodown ~ Samurai Shodown II, SNK vs Capcom
 * Masashi Sugawara - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
 * Takumi Satō - Samurai Shodown VI
 * Kentarou Tone - Samurai Shodown (2019)
 * Shigezō Sasaoka - Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture
 * Matt Greenfield - Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture (English voice)
 * Hisao Egawa - Samurai Shodown Dengeki drama CD series

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown - removed in the Sega Genesis/CD versions due to size and memory limitations
 * Samurai Shodown II
 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden - as a minor villain
 * Samurai Shodown VI
 * SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos
 * Quiz King of Fighters
 * Samurai Shodown (2019)

Mobile Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown Tenkadaiichi Kenkakuden

Cameo Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown IV - in Genjuro's ending
 * Samurai Shodown! - cameo in the background of the Sakura Garden arena, together with his minions
 * Samurai Shodown V - in Gaira's ending
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum - during Akari's super
 * Days of Memories (third title) - in-text cameo
 * Samurai Spirits Gaiden: Cham Cham
 * Samurai Spirits Oni
 * King of Fighters XIV - In Nakoruru's winquote

Anime Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture

Trivia

 * His laugh, "Geheheh", is usually transcribed as "GFFFF" in Japanese.
 * His posse's names are Kantaro Sakamoto, Tonyoshi Hosono, Chinhira Takahashi, Sanji, and Konhachi.
 * Earthquake may possibly be a reference to Mr. Pogo, a wrestler mostly prominent in the '90s. Mr. Pogo was overweight and noted for his cruelty, carrying a kusarigama into the ring and breathing fire on his opponents. In addition, Mr. Pogo wore a jagged blue facepaint pattern, was considered a greedy mercantile wrestler who would only follow the money, and first got his claim to fame wrestling as a villainous ninja in Texas wrestling shows.

Sprites