Dan Games! (Well, sort of...)Thanks to the might of davemonkeyboy, you can now generate amazingly accurate results from any potential Dan vs. Showdown! Ever wondered how Dan would fare against Mike Tyson? Stone Cold Steve Austin? Felix the Cat? Then you'll be wanting to click the Fight Generator link! Our master is never at a loss for a good taunt, and with this handy tool, you will never be either! Another superb innovation from honourary Saikyo black belt, davemonkeyboy, you can now produce taunts for just about any occasion! Yahooooo!
Dan's Early CareerDan Hibiki has remained remarkably tight lipped about his early life and career in karate. We know that he was training in Karate before the untimely death of his father, Go, at the hands of Sagat, but records of his career are almost impossible to find. However, through a great deal of effort, I have managed to acquire some extremely rare and valuable pictures of Dan Hibiki's early karate training - pictures I can now exclusively share with you, kind readers!
This is currently our earliest image of Dan. The location of the dojo is unclear, and the figures in the background are unknown to us. However, the figure of Dan Hibiki is unmistakable. Observe and note the Salmon pink gi - innovative to the point of art nouveau in the era that this picture was taken, and a sure sign of the potential within the young master. Also notice the opponent lying crumpled in agony to the right of Dan - clear indication of the tremendous skills of the future Saikyo master. Finally, the wildly cheering and clapping crowd show us that Dan commanded just as much respect and loyalty then as he did now. This picture offers us a fascinating snapshot into the early life of a legend.
This picture has caused considerable controversy amongst Saikyo historians. Some have suggested that the figure heading to the championships is not in fact Dan Hibiki but instead the ponytailed villain from Karate Kid 3. However, closer examination of the photo shows us that the figure has tied his ponytail back with a salmon pink band. Additionally, the gravity defying quiff picks this man out. There is no doubt in my mind that this shows us the Saikyo master heading to his biggest tournament yet - alas, we do not know how much success he would achieve here, although it is far to assume that he would have stood on the winners podium by the end.
This is our most controversial picture yet. I recently unearthed this photo while browsing a second hand issue of Black Belt magazine, where it was being used as a bookmark. This picture shows a young Dan Hibiki facing off against....*gasp* a young Ken Masters. Notice Dan's unique look of salmon pink sleeveless gi and black finger gloves, and compare it to Ken's very traditional red gi. It seems quite clear that Ken (and by association, Ryu, Akuma and Sean) would all copy this look as pioneered by Dan Hibiki. Given Ken's copying of the style, it seems sensible to imagine that Ken must have been defeated by Dan - inspiring him to try and emulate his opponent.
What of this image, found by well known Saikyo Grand Master Ramon Schuttinga? At first glance it appears to be a karate school photograph, unremarkable at best. But look deeper. Who is that on the back row? Who would dare sport a quiff that large? Do not be decieved by the lack of Salmon Pink and the presence of sleeves. Using my Edu-tronic-magnifying glass, I have been able to discern the distinct likeness of a certain Dan Hibiki! This potentially huge find has set historians abuzz with excitement - does this picture of Dan in white predate the picture above? Where is the class? Who was Dan's teacher and what became of the other students? UPDATE Dr. Goushuu-Jin has recently published controversial research. He claims that this picture is not Dan Hibiki at all, but is instead long time Dan imitator, Robert, made famous(?) in Art of Fighting and subsequently in King of Fighters. He claims this is a picture of Takuma's class, and that Dan has not association with it all. Can this be true? Goushuu-Jin research seems solid. The debate continues.
Dr. Goushuu-Jin is known for his controversial findings, yet he often turns up unexpected gems while searching through the archives. Take this photograph for example. It clearly shows Dan Hibiki and a certain Ms. Sakura Kasugano, yet interestingly Sakura is unamed. Does this photograph pre-date Sakura's appearance in the Street Fighting circuit? It seems fair to assume that it does. This of course raises the interesting issue that Sakura had trained under Dan before she ever began to idolise Ryu. Is Sakura's current style a true 2nd-Generation Saikyo-ryu style, rather than a Shotokan pastiche? More research must be done. As you can see, studying Dan's early career is a difficult, yet rewarding process. If any of you have anything to add to our valuable study, please contact Dr. Spence at the usual e-mail address. NB: Don't take this "origins" section too seriously. It's in the "Tomfoolery" section for a reason, y'know! ^_~
Dan's Appearance in WCW?Just recently, a package arrived at my office. No postcode revealed where it had come from. I opened it with trepidation. A collection of worn photos fell out, along with a scribbled set of hand written notes. A study of them revealed them to be from roving Private Eye Fat Dave. Dave claimed to have participated in a match with the Saikyo legend himself in the now defunct WCW, and he had the pictures to prove it. I examined the photos - it seemed Dave was speaking the truth. Take a look at Fat Dave's findings and decide yourself on the validity of the footage...Dave's hand written match report is also included in this document. Here's what I managed to salvage from the messed up footage what was nearly destroyed by WCW executives: The story is that I was on holiday in America and I decided it would be nice to see some wrestling, as in Berwick, we only get the odd fake WWF show, but all what was in town was OAP Wrestling feat. the Mid Card Gang, AKA WCW. I went to the arena to see if I could get some tickets, but when I got there, I see a furious man in a pink gi demanding to have a match, he was so infuriated at this that he throw in his top in rage, who was it? It was the Saikyo Master himself, Dan Hibiki!!! I had to go over and ask for an autograph, so I did and Dan asked me since I was obviously very intelligent, you know, being a fan and all, if I could be his tag partner for tonight, as Sakura wasn't allowed to leave the country with having class. I accepted, and he said all we had to do, was sneak past the 90 year old guards without giving them a heart attack. We got in after some arguments with a few mid carders. We headed for the ring:
In this picture, here is where Dan arrived at the WCW arena along with my good self at Nitro and called out Hogan and Flair, who of course, always claimed to be the greatest, take note of the pink mic.
Flair and Hogan made their way to the ring, a referee soon followed and a match got underway. After a while, Hogan and Flair realised that Dan was just too powerful for them, I mean we'd been going the whole match and Dan never needed a tag, but then they realised that Dan was simply too strong, so they started to go over and try to hit myself while keeping away from Dan, of course, I was angered by this and run into the ring, but the referee come and stopped me from entering, while the referee was distracted, the 2 evil ones come in at the same time and attack the Saikyo Master 2 on 1, at one point, Flair tried to stab Dan in the eye with a fork, lucky Dan was able to move, although still getting stabbed and now bleeding, our Hero battled on bravely.
As order was restored, Flair was in the ring, acting cocky as Dan was worn down slightly, but what he wasn't prepared for was this...
A thunderous Gadouken by Dan!!! Quickly followed up with a...
A Dankuu Kyaku! Dan tagged myself in as I beat up Flair for a little bit more, until he managed to get the Orange Man back in, after some trouble, I taken him off his feet and beat him down for a bit, then I tagged Dan back in to finish him off, and he did it in style!
Is there anything this man can't do? I mean he's a Saikyo Master, a master of disguise, he can sign an autograph from 50 yards, but not only that, he hits a gruesome looking Burning Hammer, a reverse variant of the Death Valley Driver which was invented by Kenta Kobashi, no doubt Dan taught him this move, as it was executed perfectly, this allowed for Dan to...
Lock in a Reverse Indian Deathlock making the old orange squeal and tap like never before seen, after the match, we were unfortunately removed from the arena by about 12 mid carders and Scott Hall who were ordered by Eric Bischoff to get us out of there. Unfortunately the our match never made it to TV, as the tape was burned and they quickly made a make shift main event to replace the match, as the WCW didn't want to be shown up that their best wrestlers were taken down so easy by a man who isn't a professional wrestler, and a young English guy. Dan was deported back to Japan, and I was sent back on the first plane back to Heathrow, and I just stumble across this tape in the Newcastle market on Saturday, not much of it remained, but my memories are quite clear of that day. Truth........or fiction? Only you, the dedicated Saikyo students can decide for sure......
Miscellaneous TomfooleryWondering where to put that hard earned cash? Pondering whether it's worth taking out a loan to build that Dojo you've always dreamed of? Dutch Master Ramon has found the ideal solution - Saikyo Bank! (NB: This is a real bank in Japan!) We've all had the same problem. You're on holiday abroad, and need to get somewhere in a hurry. The train seems like a good idea (unless you're in Britain). But which line to take? Well, if you're ever wondering this in Japan, then wonder no more. the Saikyo Line offers the ideal solution. Many thanks to Ramon for discovering this and the following peices of VITAL info. UPDATE: The Saikyo Line is having some problems but don't let that disaude you. After all, it's the frickin' Saikyo line!
Odd things about Dan in the SF Alpha seriesNAME: Dan Hibiki
Dan bends his legs at the knees alot. A hell of alot. In fact, he bends his knees more than any other character - just watch when he's stood still - and admire the way in which his knees bend! Of Dan's 18 basic attacks in the Alpha games, 7 are Shotokan moves (including all his low kicks), and the remaining 11 are moves of Dan's own devising. Dan presumably knows at least 3 martial arts. When you finish the game with Dan on Alpha 2, Dan goes on to open a Saikyo-Ryu karate dojo. However, on the window of the dojo it lists not only karate but also Kung Fu and Judo as being taught in the dojo.... surely making Dan a legend in mixed martial arts! In that same end sequence, Dan's dojo has 6 trophies on display (actually, it might be 5, sort of hard to tell ^____^) but in any case, it's a testament to just how good the place is! Street Fighter Alpha 2 in game things....Poses!Start Pose: Dan does his rolling taunt, saying "Roshaa!"(At least thats what I think he says) as he taunts. Win Poses! (You can determine which winning pose you want; just hold Select and press the following buttons:) LP: Dan does his Taunting pose, arm outstretched, and says "Ha!" MP: Dan tears his gi and t-shirt half-off, revealing his muscular shoulder and does his Taunting pose, his arm shaking! HP: Dan does his Taunting pose while in tears, shouting "Yatta ze! Oyajii!"(I did it! Daddy!) This pose occurs automatically when you defeat Sagat. LK: Dan turns towards the screen and gives a thumbs-up while saying "Yoyushi!!" This pose occurs automatically if you get a Perfect victory. Use of other kicks seems to default back to the same effect as MP/LP Dan's OutfitsAs benefits the Saikyo master, Dan has a fantastic wardrobe. To choose Dan's gi, highlight him and press the following buttons
Underneath all of these, Dan always has his black t-shirt Dan's QuotesAs far as I know, there is no way to select Dan's victory quotes.
Dan's BossesOn Street Fighter Alpha 2, Dan's final boss is Sagat. Upon meeting him, the following verbal exchange takes place: DAN:Nice eye Sagat! Would you like the other one to match? SAGAT:The fool who took my eye paid with his life. DAN:That was my father, you murderer! SAGAT: Tsk! So young to be without a father. Perhaps you should join him. Dan's midboss is Guy, who share this slightly odd conversation. GUY: You have some cute moves. DAN: Whatever! GUY: I'm wandering the earth to become stronger. DAN: Well Grasshoper, you asked me for it! Quite why Guy is Dan's mid-boss is something of a mystery. But anyway! Dan's StageDan's stage in Alpha 2 is a Hong Kong street market, with a load of stalls and a guy waving a stick during the fight. At the far right of the stage though, you can see Fei Long leaning against a stall. Obviously he has come to see Dan fight to learn some techniques...^_^
Dan in Street Fighter vs. Marvel Super HeroesDan's appearance in SF vs. Marvel isn't one of his better known ones, but it does have possibly the greatest in game line ever. ^_^ Dan's Win Quotes"Can you withstand the power of my super taunt?" "Hah, you're weak! Just like me!" "I'm not as tough as you, just better than you!" "I'm sorry. No, you are!" "It's more fun to mock you than to defeat you!" "Me copy you? Well, I think of new moves too." "The only master I need is myself!" "You can fight, but you can't show off like me!" Dan also shares a magnificent conversation with the game's 1st boss, Apocalypse. It goes like this: Dan: I will put the Big Hurt on you!
SF vs. Marvel also features the one and only appearance of Cyber Dan. Appearing in Akuma's end game sequence, this mecha Dan explains he's been enhanced by Apocalypse. Akuma isn't impressed and beats him up! Dan also has an interesting end game sequence. For more details on that see the Backstory section and the Endings Gallery! |
