Gaoh

Rebellous land of Hinowa protector, Gaoh (兇國 日輪守 我旺, Kyōgoku Hinowa no kami Gaō), better known just as Gaoh, is the final boss in Samurai Shodown V. Gaoh was fashioned as a character to concisely reflect the times of the era that the game takes place, speaking in the same dialect and dressing himself in similar fashion. He was designed by Nobuhiro Watsuki, a mangaka best known for creating the manga series Ruroni Kenshin.

Story
He was once a loyal general to the Tokugawa clan and lord to the land of Hinowa. He is one of the previous mentors to the clan's heir, Yoshitora. However, Yoshitora and his father became indifferent to the land during the Tenmei famine and the country was thrown into more chaos as a result. Concerned about the well being of his countrymen, he decides to rebel against his lord with an army of powerful warriors until he is defeated by Yoshitora. He begs for his pupil to become shogun for the sake of the people, which Yoshitora finally accepts as his responsibility.

Personality
Gaoh is the common example of villainous daimyo found in fiction. He is imposing and unchangeable, rigid in his beliefs and no one else's.

Powers

 * Projectiles Reflector - Gaoh can smash opponent's fireball away by own fist, covered in energy.
 * Column of Light - Gaoh can raise his fist and scream, surrounding himself with a column of shining light that blows any enemy away
 * Dark Emperor Posession - Gaoh can let demon Dark Emperor to posess him completely, Dark Emperor materializes in form of cursed samurai armor that envelopes Gaoh, together with his characteristic green flame

Fighting Style
His transformation, a posession by Dark Emperor (a demon that once possessed another character, Yunfei ) was triggered in Samurai Shodown V when he became RAGEd, taking the place of his Weapon Flipper technique. Storyline-wise this form is killed by Gaoh with the assistance of Yunfei. In Samurai Shodown V Special, when Gaoh was leveled from a boss to normal character, he retained this transformation for his Near-Death Ougi only, and he abandons it completely in Samurai Shodown VI. Aside from transformation properties, his jumonji spear gives him one of the longest reaches in the games - both on ground and in the air, he can deal big damage with it as well, and also he is one of better chipping damage dealers. But overall he is considered pretty straightforward character whose gameplay isnt very deep.

Music

 * Gaoh Enters - Samurai Shodown V
 * Hero - Samurai Shodown V
 * Gaoh's Last Moments - Samurai Shodown V

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown V
 * Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuden

Similar Characters

 * Shin Gaoh