YUGO RANT LIKE WOAH

HELLO. AND WELCOME TO SHIKI'S BLOODY ROAR CHARACTER RANT.

Never mind that this is the first (and looking at my track record, possibly the last) fan-rant that has been put on Microsoft Word paper. I wanted a title, and this will have to do for now.

Today I've decided to take a long, hard jab at the series' most recognizable character: Yugo Ohgami; AKA, the protagonist throughout each installment of Bloody Roar. Natch.

The wolf Zoanthrope is introduced in the very first game, having already been orphaned by the age of 17 with his father's death at the hands of Tylon. He is portrayed as (according to the BR Wiki) "very aggressive, impulsive and short tempered…  somewhat childish and very upbeat… having some heroic tendencies… Also, in Nagi's ending, Yugo says that he's not particularly good at talking."

On a shallow observation, Hudson had done a good job of reflecting all of his personality in the games, giving him a boxer's move-set, a lupine counter-part, making the most of street-clothes themed outfits for Yugo. Hell, they even slapped on a motor-bike as his mode of transportation in Primal Fury. And as the story unfolds for the various characters brought together by their Zoanthropy, Yugo develops a relationship (friendly or otherwise) with just about all of the cast; even coming out as a leader of a non-government organization that hopes to bring peace between humans and Zoanthropes alike.

However, this wouldn't be called a rant if it didn't point out the negative aspects of the boxer's development and back-story.

Already Yugo holds the record of the oldest orphaned character in Bloody Roar _{with his adoptive brother being the youngest} and arguably (due to a lack of information) had the most interaction with his parent before Yuji Ohgami had to kick the bucket to become a simple part of the plot. Though there is much to be desired in Yuji's up bringing of his son. Mainly, never dealing with Yugo's obliviousness to everything.

I will personally admit to never having played Beastorizer or Bloody Roar 2, and the last time I touched 3, 4, or Primal Fury was quite a while ago. However, of the few Youtube videos that there are of Bloody Roar cut scenes, this one is quite possibly the best example of how slow Hudson is willing to make their protagonist; Yugo is trying to track down his younger brother after the main villain has abducted him.  After battling through Jenny's snark and female!Gado Shina, Yugo's "somewhat childish" tendencies shine through in 2 when he asks Shina what the word "Alpha" means, and is promptly explained its definition. Now. Let's digest that for a moment: A wolf Zoanthrope. Who doesn't know what the word "Alpha" means. No wait. Not even that. A 22-year-old wolf Zoanthrope who doesn't know what the word "Alpha" means. Somewhere a biologist is crying, and it becomes apparent that Yugo might have taken a few too many blows to the head during his boxing career. Though it is not uncommon for main characters to be lacking in the intelligence department, it would be a safe bet to make that many a fan either face-palmed or lol'd hard when those words came scrolling across their TV screens. I'm so glad Kenji made it to be his right-hand man in the W.O.C. And that Alice has enough patience to deal with the boxer's impulsiveness.

I don't think he would have made it this far without them. No. I'm serious. I really believe that with all my little heart.

With that aside, let's move onto the other pressing matter that irked this writer; the evolution of Yugo's clothes. The first, second, and third default outfits I have no problem with. Mostly because they were released during the late 90's-early 21st century, and I found them to be matching or acceptable to Yugo's age/muscle mass/slight maturity build-up with each installment. But God help the person who designed his Primal Fury outfit, and shoot the person who approved of keeping it for 4.

An explanation is in order. Here's a shorthand version of my face whenever I look at his designs:

BR1- "Alright. Red shirt, shorts, vest, tennis-shoe things, fingerless gloves. All loose for comfort and fighting. Yeah. This is ok for a 17-year old."

BR2- "Ooh. I see fanserivce was kinda their aim here. Like everything last time but with no shirt and red pants instead of shorts. Scars and muscles are definitely a plus for a fighter game. Kinda young-ish for a 22-year old."

BR3- "Huh. Now he looks more like a biker and less like a leader of a peaceful organization. Still pretty kick-ass, though."

BR4/PF- "Graphic white t-shirt and flames on the sleeves of a black undershirt and grey shorts with boots . . . Wat. Is Yugo going through a mid-life crisis? D: He's not even 25! AND WHY DOES HE HAVE A MOTOR-SCOOTER THING. REALLY. WHO THOUGHT A 24 YEAR OLD MAN DRESSING LIKE A SKATER BOY WAS APPROPRIATE."

And on a final note: What the hell happened to Yugo's dialect in 4 It was as if every cut scene was meant to pull out all the possible lame comebacks Yugo could make like woah. _{OLD MAN.} Granted, the scriptwriters took a lot of liberties with putting in werewolf references in his quotes with previous installments. But at least they were mildly amusing.

It leads me to believe that much like SCXCR had already stated in his rant-videos on everything in later Bloody Roar games (especially 4), Hudson just got lazy. And it's an unfortunate happening for a series that, in my opinion, had so much potential. Especially for the characters and the loose ends that were never tied. Sadly, this rant only covered the shortcomings this particular fan saw in the main character, in her honest opinion.