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154-524: The following is a list of characters from the Dead or Alive video game series, created by Tecmo and Team Ninja . Portrayed by: Kevin Nash Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Joe J. Thomas ( Dimensions ), Patrick Seitz ( DOA5 –present) Voiced by (Japanese): Daisuke Gōri ( DOA – DOA4 ), Kenta Miyake ( Dimensions –present) Bass Armstrong ( バース・アームストロング , Bāsu Āmusutorongu )

308-417: A Danger Zone will take extra damage, giving the attacker a slight advantage. These environmental hazards can be anything from Falls to Explosives to Breakable Structures. If a fighter has low health, being trapped in a Danger Zone is more likely to knock them out than a normal attack, although in certain titles, elements such as falls cannot do this, and instead just leave the fighter with very low health. In

462-473: A French soprano named Maria. Seemingly distant from her father, Helena was hardly affected by his assassination after the first Dead or Alive, and instead followed in her mother's footsteps by becoming a successful opera singer in her own right. While performing at the Great Opera House, she was targeted in an attempted hit by an unknown assassin (later revealed to be Christie) using a sniper rifle. Maria

616-667: A Kasumi clone, then take them to MIST secret hideout within the offshore, and departs. He later return to the sixth tournament, where he is presumably the one who rescued Lisa Hamilton off-screen, and one of the few people who found out Rig's situation as MIST's brainwashed pawn. Knowing that Rig was also Bass' best friend, he reveals Rig's current situation to Bass, but Bass does not believe him. Portrayed by: Fang Hue Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Paul Nakauchi ( Dimensions ), uncredited actor ( DOA5 ) Voiced by (Japanese): Takeshi Aono ( DOA – DOA4 ), Chikao Ōtsuka ( Dimensions – DOA5 ) Gen Fu ( ゲン・フー , Gen Fū )

770-593: A brainwashing that causes him to attack his own son, a spell that Ryu manages to break. However, Ken is killed by Malth's superior, an evil sorcerer called the Jaquio, whom Ryu then kills. Ryu enters into a relationship with CIA agent Irene Lew, who had refused beforehand to carry out an order to kill him. In Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (1990), Ryu foils the Jaquio's demonic master Ashtar's attempt at world domination. In retaliation, Ashtar kidnaps Irene in order to lure Ryu to his home dimension. Ryu defeats Ashtar

924-474: A cinematic quick time event called Cliffhanger. The game's new Critical System features Critical Stuns, Critical Combos, and Critical Bursts. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate further added the vertical Power Launcher and an extensive Tutorial mode. Dead or Alive 5 Plus for the PlayStation Vita features optional touchscreen-based controls from first-person perspective. Dead or Alive 6 introduces both

1078-529: A close. In Ninja Gaiden (2004), Hayabusa Village is annihilated in Ryu's absence and the "Dark Dragon Blade" sword is stolen by the evil Doku, whom Ryu vainly tries to stop before he is killed in his attempt. He is resurrected by his clan's animal spirit, the falcon, and he searches for the stolen sword while hoping to avenge his clan. He defeats Doku and then his overlord, the Holy Emperor Vigoor, and recovers

1232-486: A counter hold at the right timing can help players avoid being hit by them. Jumping over non-moving Obstacles and performing flying attacks while jumping over them was also introduced. Dead or Alive: Dimensions utilizes the Nintendo 3DS bottom touchscreen in addition to the normal control system, offering optional touchscreen-based controls by tapping a move set to execute Blow combos, Throws, and Holds. Since Dimensions ,

1386-477: A critical and commercial success, having been well-praised for its impressive fighting system, beautiful graphics, and interactive environments. The franchise has received numerous awards and accolades. Its sequels such as Dead or Alive 2 and Dead or Alive 3 received universal acclaim and are considered milestone titles in the fighting genre and gaming. Several characters of the series have made appearances and are referenced in other games while several games of

1540-592: A division in the company named Team Ninja . The first Dead or Alive game was a success in helping Tecmo overcome their financial problems, and in turn, helped Dead or Alive become a franchise. Itagaki's inspiration for the series derived from the Virtua Fighter series in Japan as the management asked Itagaki to create a game similar to Virtua Fighter . Inspiration also derived from the Fatal Fury series in Japan, and

1694-552: A fan poll conducted by Koei Tecmo in 2014, but while she was one of the characters voted by fans to qualify for Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 , she finished last (ninth) with the fewest percentage of votes. Engadget ' s Ludwig Kietzmann questioned "the practices of Helena Douglas, a supposedly French CEO who dresses for sultry cabaret and literally beats up her employees". Helena was named one of the top seven "hottest girls" in video game film adaptations by Spanish magazine Marca Player in 2009. Her fight scene with Christie placed eleventh in

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1848-557: A fight to break out between them. Helena returns for Dead or Alive 3 (2001), and is captured by antagonist Victor Donovan and imprisoned. Although Helena insists that she has no ties to DOATEC, Donovan declares that her freedom and the revelation of the truth behind DOATEC—her father having been the head of the organization prior to his death—hinges on her winning the third tournament. In the meantime, Donovan assigns Christie to keep an eye on her, with orders to kill her if necessary. However, when confronted by Helena, Christie admits that she

2002-461: A fight. Hayate calls him out for being a traitor and using his abilities for evil purposes. With their combined efforts, the trio destroyed Raidou for good, leaving no trace of him behind. In the live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive , Hayate is captured by DOATEC after winning that year's DOA competition rather than being captured by DOATEC in his home village. He is meant to test Donovan's newest invention rather than being tested on Project Epsilon and

2156-597: A fighting game difficult to master. Link Cable Gaming .com ranked the franchise in 10th place in their Top 10: Fighting Game Franchises. Gaming.net placed it in 7th place in their 7 Best Fighting Game Franchises of All Time. Play Legit .net included the franchise in their Best Fighting Game Franchises and Stuff.tv included it in 10 of the best fighting games ever. By July 2013, the DOA series has shipped over 8.6 million units worldwide. with that number, as of 2016, increasing to over 9.7 million units worldwide. As of April 2019,

2310-489: A hunted fugitive. Dead or Alive 2 is set less than a year later, as Tengu escapes from his world and threatens the human world. Fame Douglas , the founder and CEO of DOATEC was assassinated shortly after the first tournament, causing DOATEC to fall under a new leadership . Kasumi was kidnapped by DOATEC and was used as a subject in DOATEC's bio-weapon experiment, Alpha . Kasumi's brother Hayate, previously injured by Raidou,

2464-629: A noncanonical love interest in Donovan's technical assistant, Weatherby. Helena has received mostly positive critical and public reception. Hilary Goldstein of IGN enthused in 2004, "We love Helena because she's the default ass-kicker. Plus, her home arena, the burning Opera House, is among the coolest in DOA Ultimate . Helena is also the only girl [in the series] that has classic beauty to her. The others play on that Asian school girl vibe men love, but Helena has more class (and bosom, sure) going for her ...

2618-492: A number of characters from the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts RPG franchises. The web series feature numerous battle royale-style brawls as the two sides fight against each other in a number of different environments. As well as the multiple references to the namesake series, there are also salutes to other games, films, and media of the fighting genre, plus some examples of fan-made weaponry and costumes. Dead Fantasy

2772-543: A powerful clone of Kasumi with the Alpha Project. The various fighters discover the true nature of DOATEC and set out to stop it. Helena takes over DOATEC as its new president and CEO, determined to fight against the corruption within the organization and change DOATEC for the better. Helena wins the fourth tournament and decides to give the title to Zack. The game introduces four new fighters, Alpha-152, Eliot , Kokoro , and La Mariposa . The fifth game, Dead or Alive 5 ,

2926-462: A renewal interest in Tecmo's classic (but at that time long dormant) Ninja Gaiden series. After Ninja Gaiden was revived in 2004 by Itagaki and Team Ninja, they began linking it back with Dead or Alive , setting the franchises within the same universe with overlapping characters and events. As it was a complete reboot of the series and did not continue the canon of any previous Ninja Gaiden titles,

3080-521: A second time, but before he can rescue Irene, she is then captured by the Jaquio, who now bears the Dark Sword, the antithesis to Ryu's signature "Dragon Sword" weapon. Having then been killed by Ryu once again, the Jaquio is revived by his blood flowing into his sword, with which he stabs Irene. Her own blood further empowers his sword and conjures a creature known as the Demon; Ryu kills it and Jaquio's Dark Sword

3234-425: A subject for his transformation into Omega. A third tournament is later held to test Genra's Omega abilities. In the end, Kasumi's half-sister Ayane kills her former master and wins the third tournament. The game introduces five more fighters, the first playable appearance of Hayate, and the brand new fighters Brad Wong , Christie , Hitomi , and Omega. Dead or Alive 4 again explores DOATEC's attempts to create

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3388-449: A televised competitive esport scene. Other developers and critics have expressed opinions on the series. Sega developer Katagiri, gave praise to the series, stating that "the uniqueness of the defense and offense mechanics and the original elements of things like the danger zone were enjoyable and gave me an overall image that it was 'a series that has evolved in its own way". Namco on the other hand, ran radio commercial ads insulting

3542-811: A temporary cure), so he joins again in DOA3 . His task fulfilled at the end, he no longer joins the DOA tournaments, though he still remains a playable character in later games. In DOA4 , he is revealed to be Eliot's teacher, and is the final boss for the latter's story mode. He is only seen at the end of Eliot's chapter in DOA5's story mode, and he is ready to teach Eliot a more advanced kung-fu prior to DOA6 . Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Darren Criss ( Dimensions ), Kaiji Tang ( DOA5 –present) Voiced by (Japanese): Toshio Furukawa ( DOA – DOA4 ), Nobutoshi Canna ( Dimensions –present) Jann Lee ( ジャン・リー , Jan Rī )

3696-404: A tractor beam to raise Zack Island (now called "New Zack Island") from the ocean floor, allowing Zack and Niki to once again restore it into an island paradise for the ladies of Dead or Alive to come play in. After proposing to Niki, Zack appear to be engulfed in a fiery explosion after a series of flaming meteorites once again destroys the island. However, it is later revealed that he was saved by

3850-486: A vendetta against Donovan. Bayman fights Christie to settle a score of the enmity that aroused between the two of them. At the end of the tournament, Bayman is held in captivity within the DOATEC Tritower and is being interrogated and drugged. During the chaos that erupts due to Ayane and Hayate's intervention, he frees himself from the drug by stabbing his own hand with a pen, while his interrogators flee and are killed in

4004-450: A video game that would garner a fan base. Tomonobu Itagaki stated how he was dissatisfied with the way modern fighting games at the time were presented; he missed the old arcade-style of play and had another vision for the fighting game genre. Following the initial working titles of "Ninja Fighter" and "Poligon Fighter", he named the series "Dead or Alive" to demonstrate both the company and game's fail or succeed status, and proceeded to form

4158-580: A worldwide competition named the "Dead or Alive World Combat Championship", or simply "the Dead or Alive tournament". DOATEC (Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee), a massive corporation with unknown motives, holds the fighting competition in arenas ranging from the North Pole to the Amazon rain forest. Dead or Alive , the first game in the series, introduced the initial characters and their reasons for entering

4312-597: Is Ayane and Honoka's biological father, Kasumi and Hayate's uncle, Shiden's older brother, Burai's eldest son, Ayame's brother-in-law, and the main antagonist of the first and sixth Dead or Alive games. A power-hungry shinobi, Raidou sought to master all of the Mugen Tenshin clan's techniques. During his youth, his father trained him and Shiden in the most advanced skills of the Tenjinmon of Mugen Tenshin ninjutsu. As he grew older, his anger and rage became more unstable as Shiden

4466-593: Is a Russian and a former Spetsnaz who specializes in the sambo fighting style. He first joins the DOA tournament to assassinate Fame Douglas, and later joins the DOA3 tournament to retaliate against Donovan for the attempt on his life by a sniper. Bayman was born and raised as an orphan in the Soviet Union. He aspired to join the military and became one of the Soviet Army's highly trained commandos. But before he saw any action,

4620-466: Is a humble book store owner and an old martial arts master who specializes in the xinyi liuhe quan fighting style, a powerful and dangerous martial art involving the use of the hands and upper body. The xinyi liuhe quan master became well known for possessing the iron fist, a legendary attack known for its awesome destructive power. He lived out his days in solitude and peaceful tranquility, looking after his young granddaughter, Mei Lin. At some point during

4774-463: Is a semi-retired professional wrestling champion and Tina's overprotective father. He is also the widower of Alicia Armstrong, who died of a disease when Tina was only six years old, forcing Bass to take care of her by himself. He disapproves of Tina's aspirations of being a model ( DOA2 ), a Hollywood actress ( DOA3 ) and a rock star ( DOA4 ). Consequently, Bass enters the DOA tournaments to put an end to her fame-seeking, only to fail at each attempt. In

Characters of the Dead or Alive series - Misplaced Pages Continue

4928-824: Is a traitor who joined Victor Donovan ’s DOATEC involvement in kidnapping and cloning Kasumi for their Alpha clone project and implanting Hayate with Epsilon. Ryu's role in Dead or Alive 3 (2001) is minor, as he faces off against Hayate, the newest leader of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, and aids Hayate and Ayane in their fight against the Omega-empowered Genra. In Dead or Alive 4 (2005), Ryu joins them along with Kasumi and other Mugen Tenshin clansmen in stopping DOATEC's corruption by detonating their headquarters. Dead or Alive 5 (2012), set two years after DOA 4 and Ninja Gaiden 3 , Ryu helps Hayate and Ayane in their battle against Donovan's new organization, MIST, who plans to sell modified soldiers to various militia around

5082-542: Is a young martial arts expert who joins the Tournaments to show his superior Jeet Kune Do fighting abilities. Jann Lee has never seen the faces of his parents; they died when he was very young and left him an orphan, alone to fend for himself. He lived in poverty, having to wander the streets for food, and faced many hardships. In order to protect himself, Jann Lee learned Jeet Kune Do by watching various martial arts films; especially from Bruce Lee. At first he fought to replace

5236-426: Is also kidnapped and was used as a subject in DOATEC's bio-weapon experiment, Epsilon. New fighters include Ein , Helena Douglas , Kasumi Alpha, Leon , and Tengu. Eventually, Ryu Hayabusa kills Tengu and wins the second tournament. Dead or Alive 3 , takes place after the defeat of Tengu. The game's plot concerns a secret goal of DOATEC's mad scientist Victor Donovan to produce the ultimate human weapon, called

5390-600: Is an assassin sent to terminate her, but the attempt fails. Helena takes over as new chairperson of DOATEC in 2005's Dead or Alive 4 , in which she is the main protagonist. She hires the assassin Bayman to take out Donovan, a job he declines. When the DOATEC Tritower comes under attack by the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, Helena meets La Mariposa, who admits she tricked the clan into attacking in order to stop Donovan. She later discovers that she and Kokoro are blood-related, as her mother Miyako had been one of Fame Douglas' mistresses. Helena

5544-428: Is an eccentric DJ who specializes in the muay thai boxing style. After hearing about the tournament, Zack enters to increase his popularity and make a name for himself, and apparently succeeds in that endeavor to an extent. Zack enters the next tournament to please his fans and gain more money, in which he once again succeeds and then returns to his life of leisure. After exhausting all his financial reserves, Zack enters

5698-428: Is designed so controls correspond to the game character's actions; if the character moves forward with a punch, the controls most likely would include the punch input and pressing forward on the directional pad. In comparison to others in the fighting game genre, such as Virtua Fighter , the series places emphasis on striking characters quickly and efficiently. There is an emphasis on quick combos and air-juggles since

5852-429: Is destroyed in the process, but Irene dies from her wounds. She is then brought back to life by ancestral powers flowing through Ryu's Dragon Sword. Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (1991) sees Ryu accused of murdering Irene, but she actually survives the attack, while the culprit is revealed to be a superhuman clone of Ryu called a "Bio-Noid", created by a corrupt CIA director named Foster. After Ryu defeats

6006-414: Is directly inspired by Bruce Lee's birth name Lee Jun-Fan ( 李振藩 ) ). GamesRadar featured him on their article "Kickass Bruce Lee Clones," citing his similarities with Bruce Lee and with one of his shouts featured in famous quotes. Voiced by (English): Michael McConnohie ( Dimensions ) Voiced by (Japanese): Kōji Yada ( DOA – DOAU ) Tetsu Inada ( Dimensions – DOA6 ) Raidou ( 雷道 , Raidō )

6160-407: Is eventually bested by Ryu in the tournament, while also recovering his memories through a combat against Kasumi per Ryu's request. However, he and Ryu learn that Ayane's foster father and ninja master, Genra betrays Mugen Tenshin and align with a company who cloned Kasumi, DOATEC. Soon after discovering Kasumi became a nukenin, Hayate and Ayane returned to his home village. In Dead or Alive 3 , Hayate

6314-425: Is ignored and she is given an upbeat personality that contrasts to her aloof in-game disposition; she appears in one scene wearing roller skates, and a line of dialogue has her commenting about wanting to visit Paris. Throughout the movie, Helena is treated as a necessary annoyance by tournament organizer Donovan ( Eric Roberts ), who has gained control of DOATEC after the death of Helena's father. She additionally gains

Characters of the Dead or Alive series - Misplaced Pages Continue

6468-415: Is later approached by Kasumi who tells her to stop the war between DOATEC and the Mugen Tenshin. Helena refuses, stating that they'll stop at nothing until DOATEC is destroyed, and she is willing do anything to stop Donovan and Alpha-152. Helena attempts to kill Kasumi with a pistol but she is saved by Hayabusa. Helena learns the truth about Christie’s involvement of Maria’s death and they meet in battle again,

6622-455: Is later returned in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (canonically in Dead or Alive 6 ) as an undead cyber ninja, becoming MIST's secret agent after Donovan retrieved his corpse and orders MIST's newly recruited scientist NICO to remove some of his memories, except his insatiable lust for power, death and revenge. His resurrection requires the powers from his two illegitimate daughters, Ayane and Honoka; this

6776-416: Is now an amnesiac calling himself " Ein ", who was also unwillingly used as a test subject in the committee's Epsilon project, and his defeat by Ryu restores parts of his memory. Ryu then destroys Tengu to save the world from his would-be plot, winning the second tournament. He gets Hayate to fight his own sister Kasumi in order to complete his memory restoration, then discovers that Ayane’s foster father Genra

6930-501: Is playable in the spinoff games Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (2003), Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (2006) and Dead or Alive Paradise (2010), still pursuing Christie. She returned as one of nine player characters in the 2016 release Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 after being voted onto the roster in a Japanese fan poll. Helena is a main character in the 2006 live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive , played by Sarah Carter . Helena's role of tournament hostess remains intact, but her backstory

7084-575: Is set two years later. DOATEC is newly reformed with Helena still in control and Zack appearing to be an employee. Donovan forms a new organization called MIST to continue the Alpha Project. Jann Lee beats Hitomi in the last round of the fifth tournament, thus winning. However, Jann Lee still felt that there is one person whom Jann Lee wants to defeat in order for him to be a true winner, Rig , who at first has an amnesia, but presumably ruse, and calling Donovan, "dad". Meanwhile, Kasumi, Ryu, and Ayane, with

7238-522: Is slain in his final attempt despite Elizébet having transformed him into one of the game's sub-bosses, the Four Greater Fiends. Before he dies, Genshin gives Ryu a sword called the "Blade of the Archfiend", which Ryu needs to complete his mission. Following the demise of the three other Greater Fiends, Ryu kills Elizébet and Vazdah with both the blade and his own Dragon Sword. At the conclusion, he uses

7392-449: Is still weakened, Ayane teams up with Kasumi and Hayate to kill the revived Raidou once and for all, leaving no trace of him behind. Helena, who arrived at one of MIST's hidden laboratory to secure the place, approaches a young scientist who act as Lisa's replacement and is responsible for Raidou' resurrection, NiCO . Although NiCO attempts to revive Helena's mother, Maria, Helena rejects her plan, causing NiCO to escape from her. The series

7546-479: Is the French opera singer who practices piguaquan martial arts by seeking to avenge her mother's murder. Due to her blood relation to Fame Douglas, the original head of the antagonistic organization behind the Dead or Alive fighting tournaments, she has become a key character in the franchise, including serving as the protagonist of Dead or Alive 4 . She is an illegitimate daughter of Fame Douglas and his mistress ,

7700-452: Is the oldest child and only son of Shiden and Ayame, the leaders of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, and was born to be the next leader of the clan. When Genra requested to Shiden for Ayane, the village's "cursed child"-, to help him in his duties, Hayate treated the girl with kindness, which most of the clan did not give her. The two formed a strong bond, although Hayate did not know that Ayane was actually his half-sister, conceived when his uncle,

7854-500: Is the reason for Kasumi's entrance in the tournament, much like the first game. Donovan states that Hayate is stronger than Kasumi and that he has a "perfect blend of skill, timing and strength." Hayate and Ayane are also shown as lovers rather than half-siblings. The fighting style he used was eagle claw . While have yet physically appearing in a modern-era Ninja Gaiden game, he is mentioned in Ninja Gaiden 3 . Overhearing Hayabusa

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8008-514: Is the son of renowned ninja Jō Hayabusa, and the wielder of the legendary Dragon Sword. Although he appears as a normal human, he is actually a demon-human hybrid whose ancestors drew their blood from the same evil deities such as the Holy Vigoor Emperor, the first game's main antagonist. In the Dead or Alive series, Ryu has befriended fellow ninja Hayate , and joins forces with him along with Kasumi and Ayane , with whom he works to take down

8162-547: The Mortal Kombat series in America, with DOA' s sexual appeal drawn from the former series, and the ability to knock opponents off landscapes from the latter. When asked how he wished the series would contribute to the fighting genre, Itagaki replied: "I want people to remember DOA as a game that was very aggressive and combative. As to [...] how it contributed to the fighting genre – I look at it as something similar to how sushi

8316-695: The Evolution Championship Series (Evo), World Cyber Games (WCS), and Championship Gaming Series (CGS) esport leagues, have credited Dead or Alive for launching their careers in the gaming industry. Paul Nakauchi Paul Nakauchi is an American actor known for voicing Hanzo Shimada in Overwatch (2016) and Shadowsan in Carmen Sandiego . In the 1990s, Nakauchi guest starred in Knots Landing , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (in

8470-499: The Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises would remain in production and that some projects were already underway. Soon after, Tecmo would merge with fellow video game publisher, Koei , to form Tecmo Koei Games, now known as Koei Tecmo . The role of Team Ninja leader and series producer was taken over by Dead or Alive planner and tester, Yosuke Hayashi, while game designer and planner, Yohei Shimbori, takes over as director of

8624-477: The Xbox 360 and both the standard and collector's PlayStation 3 editions of Ninja Gaiden 3 . Ryu was played by Japanese-American actor Kane Kosugi in the 2006 feature film DOA: Dead or Alive . He serves as Kasumi's love interest who informs her of Hayate's supposed death. His fight scenes consist of him defeating a fighter during the tournament and later stopping Victor Donovan's hired assassin Bayman from stealing

8778-400: The 1996 original game in which he participates in while searching for fellow ninja Kasumi, after she broke shinobi code and ran away from her village to get revenge on Raidou , who had crippled her brother Hayate . After she defeats Raidou, she is kidnapped, leaving Ryu and Ayane to search for her. Ryu is the primary protagonist in the 1999 sequel Dead or Alive 2 where he canonically wins

8932-414: The 2002 film Run Ronnie Run , the character, Jerry Trellis, is shown playing Dead or Alive 2 as Kasumi in two different scenes and as Gen Fu in one scene. Jerry uses some of Kasumi's moves in a real fight. Dead or Alive 2 is also seen briefly in the 2002 film One Hour Photo , where the son, Jake Yorkin, is playing the game in his bedroom. Dead or Alive 3 appears in the television series Buffy

9086-463: The 2009 merger of Koei and Tecmo , Ryu, Ayane and Momiji were unplayable guest characters in Koei's Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce released that year. In the company's hack and slash title Warriors Orochi 3 (2011), Ryu, Ayane, Rachel, Momiji and Kasumi appear in another dimension and assist the game's playable characters. His Ninja Gaiden costume parts were available as exclusive downloads as part of

9240-489: The 2012 "best cinematic girl-on-girl fights" online poll conducted by JoBlo.com. In 2019, Watchmojo ranked her 9th "Best Dead or Alive character" calling her "elegant, graceful, and a whole lot of class". Portrayed by: Silvio Simac Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Richard Epcar ( Dimensions – DOA5 ) Voiced by (Japanese): Koji Totani ( DOA2 – DOA4 ), Jōji Nakata ( Dimensions – DOA5 ) Dead or Alive (franchise) The series revolves around

9394-550: The Archfiend's sword to mark Genshin's gravesite in a cemetery located at the summit of Mount Fuji . Ryu is summoned by the JSDF in Ninja Gaiden 3 (2012) to assist with the suppression of a terrorist group called the Lords of Alchemy. He pursues the terrorists and their mysterious leader around the world, but realizes he cannot complete his mission without the Dragon Sword. While stalking

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9548-519: The DOA World Combat Championship. Not satisfied, Jann Lee enters later DOA tournaments to prove his fighting skills and looking to test himself against worthy opponents. Although he loses to Leifang in the fourth tournament, he manages to defeat her in the next one. He later claims the title of winner of the fifth DOA tournament after defeating Hitomi. Although he wins, he is still unsatisfied, and he sets his sights on his new rival: Rig. On

9702-440: The Dead or Alive (DOA) World Combat Championship, and enters the tournament to discover the truth. Although never explained in the series, Helena appears to have learned or known information pertaining to the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee (DOATEC), especially after encountering an amnesiac contestant named Ein. Helena implicates Ayane as her mother's assassin, an accusation Ayane neither confirms nor denies, which causes

9856-465: The Gauge System and costume customization. The Gauge System consists of the "Break Gauge", which allows numerous special moves to be performed depending on how full the gauge is, such as Fatal Rushes, Side Attacks, Break Holds, and Break Blows. The game also features an enhanced Bounce Combo system that allows players to bound their opponent on the ground for a finisher, with different inputs depending on

10010-720: The Greater Fiends, whose queen, Elizébet, attempts to steal an artifact called the Demon Statue, which is hidden in the Hayabusa ninja village and what she desires in order to resurrect the Archfiend Vazdah, the game's final boss. After his village is razed once again and the statue is stolen, Ryu infiltrates a castle where the object is held. Joe is critically wounded in his battle against Black Spider clan leader Genshin, who then attempts multiple times to kill Ryu thereafter but fails and

10164-554: The Omega Project. Through the Epsilon and Alpha stages, it was initially believed that DOATEC captures and wipes the Mugen Tenshin's Hajin Mon ninja Genra 's memory. In reality, as revealed in a retold-based game Dead or Alive: Dimensions , Genra betrayed Mugen Tenshin to align himself with DOATEC, having revealed himself to be responsible for Tengu's invasion on Earth, then voluntarily becomes

10318-495: The Soviet Union collapsed. Realizing the new regime would have no use for him, Bayman slipped through the cracks of the reformation and took up the life of a mercenary, putting his skills to good use in all manner of lethal assignments. He found particular pleasure in assassinations, especially challenging or high-profile assignments. His dream assignment came to him when he entered into the first Dead or Alive World Tournament under orders from Victor Donovan to assassinate its organizer,

10472-463: The Torn Sky Blast to fight Raidou who stole it from him. As both of their attacks collided, the resulting explosion threw Hayate into a tree, cracking his spine and sending him into a coma. During the first Dead or Alive Tournament, Hayate was captured by DOATEC and was made to undergo various experiments as part of "Project Epsilon". After Project Epsilon was deemed a failure, Hayate was abandoned and

10626-509: The Tritower. He appears as the final boss in Hitomi's story mode (as Ein), where he offers to help the latter rebuild her father's dojo if she could beat him in a fight. In the fifth tournament, he and Ayane are asked by Zack to follow Kasumi and assist Helena in her attempt to investigate the newly formed MIST. He encounters a Kasumi clone and kill her. After being freed by Lisa from Rig's trap, he helps

10780-518: The Vampire Slayer . In the 11th episode of the 6th season entitled "Gone" from 2002, two of the Trio members, Andrew Wells and Jonathan Levinson, play Dead or Alive 3 at the arcade. On December 24, 2005, Dead or Alive 4 was briefly referenced in one of the comic strips for The Boondocks , as an Xbox 360 game that the character, Riley, was supposed to get for Christmas, but his threats to Santa, who

10934-459: The ability to sidestep into the foreground or background. Since Dead or Alive 2 , the series has implemented its Tag team fighting system, allowing characters to switch back and forth instantly for combo attacks and even attack simultaneously when timed correctly. The Tag Mode also included special throws unique to certain pairs of characters called "Tag Throws", and the mode allows for the participation of four players, something not very common in

11088-413: The ambiguous alien abduction ray in a Deus Ex Machina fashion. Before the fifth tournament, Zack joins Helena as her assistant in the newly reformed DOATEC. He made the official international announcement for the next tournaments and had a new arenas built for them. He personally invited Hitomi, Tina, and Jann Lee to participate in the tournament, although he understands the situations of Diego's mother as

11242-404: The blade. Ryu and his newest accomplice, a fiend-hunter named Rachel , then encounter the mysterious "Dark Disciple" who is Ryu's traitorous uncle. After Murai's death, Ryu destroys the sword. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (2006) begins with Momiji abducted by the rival Black Spider ninja clan. Ryu's objective therein is to find seven Dark Dragonstones, but Doku's former servant, Ishtaros, steals

11396-427: The character. The spin-off Xtreme series is mostly based around two-on-two matches of beach volleyball and casino gambling. After the original Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball , the available activities have expanded to include the likes of watercraft racing and beach photography, while emphasizing the series' breast physics . The Dead or Alive series depicts a collection of skilled martial artists in

11550-451: The conception and birth of Honoka. When he returned to the village while Shiden was away, Raidou raped Ayame (Hayate and Kasumi's mother), who became pregnant with Ayane. As a result, Raidou was banished from his village. Years later, he returned to gain the clan's signature technique, the Torn Sky Blast, and confronts Hayate after easily defeating Ayane. Hayate uses the Torn Sky Blast to attack Raidou, but Raidou counters with his own version of

11704-471: The corrupt tournament organizer Victor Donovan . Ryu debuted in the original Ninja Gaiden arcade game (1988). He searches for his missing father, Ken Hayabusa, who had disappeared to partake in a life-or-death fight, and who had instructed Ryu beforehand to travel to the United States to find his friend Dr. Walter Smith, but Ryu encounters Bloody Malth, who had defeated Ken in battle and subjected him to

11858-526: The course of the series with the latest games adopting a 4-point Hold system, and some games offering the option to change the input type. This countering system further sets Dead or Alive apart as skilled players can identify combo patterns on defense and counter accordingly, which in turn encourages the opponent to adjust their offense on the fly to be less predictable and avoid being countered. The series uses interactive features that appear in certain fighting arenas, called "Danger Zones". Fighters caught in

12012-537: The day when the said young fighter was disqualified in the fifth tournament’s Asian qualifier match. As Hayate met Rig shortly at the night after the fifth tournament ended in the same time Helena set self-destruct DiG where MIST been hiding, but not in another way it seems, Helena realize something tragically happened to Rig, not even Rig aware what happened after his “home” was destroyed and begin to live at Bass Armstrong’s apartment in New York. Although Lisa manage to survive

12166-476: The developers were free to do with the universe and its characters as it saw fit, and so the game was implemented into the DOA universe, setting up Ninja Gaiden I , Dragon Sword and Ninja Gaiden II as prequels to the first DOA . In addition, Ninja Gaiden protagonist Ryu Hayabusa , who had already been on the roster of every DOA fighting game since the beginning, plays a major role in that series' overarching storyline, which has been fleshed out during

12320-455: The development of the subsequent Ninja Gaiden titles. Having featured Ryu in most of Dead or Alive games during development of the Ninja Gaiden reboot, Team Ninja then included the characters Ayane and Kasumi in most of the Ninja Gaiden games. Conversely, several characters from DOA have roles in the rebooted Ninja Gaiden series, initially only appearing during story sequences but becoming fully playable characters in special modes in

12474-419: The double, Foster is killed by H.P. Clancy, who had instructed Ryu to locate a ruin called the "Castle Rock Fortress", which was the base of Foster's Bio-Noid experimentation and has also secretly housed an interdimensional warship that Clancy intends to use for global dominance. Ryu kills Clancy in battle and the ship is destroyed as Ryu escapes with Irene, bringing the first-generation Ninja Gaiden storyline to

12628-440: The episode " The Homecoming "), Batman: The Animated Series , and ER . He lent his voice to the video games Diablo III: Reaper of Souls , Call of Duty: World at War , Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain , Tomb Raider: Legend , World of Warcraft , Lost Planet 2 , and Dead or Alive: Dimensions (as Gen Fu ). His most productive role to date is in Overwatch as Hanzo Shimada . Nakauchi played Sgt. Shigeno in

12782-426: The events of the Dead or Alive World Combat Championship, an international martial arts tournament in which fighters from across the globe participate for the title of world champion and large cash prizes. The tournaments are held by the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee (DOATEC). The conflict between the ninja competitors and DOATEC's personnel serves as the main focus of the series. Dead or Alive has been

12936-430: The explosion at MIST’s first hideout on DiG, Helena tried to object Lisa from keeping herself take a risk to end Donovan’s terror, but realize the latter has a point on not wasting time to let a madman like Donovan get away from his crimes. When Kokoro found out her connection with their late-biological father Fame, Helena got into an argument with her half-sister over their illegitimate family, until Zack manage to calm down

13090-432: The feelings of loss from when his parents died, but eventually Jann Lee fought purely for the sake of fighting. Eventually, he got skilled enough to get a job as a bouncer at a high-class club. He is met at the first tournament by Leifang , a girl he had saved some six years prior from a gang's attack. In the time since she had become an accomplished martial artist, vowing to prove herself not helpless by defeating Jann Lee in

13244-461: The fighting game genre. Dead or Alive 3 introduced the "Attack Change" feature in the Tag mechanics where the fighting character can switch places with a partner, in which the character jumping in can then unleash an attack while jumping in. Since Dead or Alive 3 , Tag matches can be selected in the other game modes. Dead or Alive 3 improved upon the gameplay and graphics in superior detail compared to

13398-423: The fighting game series have been released. At the end of a presentation by Koei Tecmo at G-Star 2022, it was hinted that the franchise might be rebooted again in the near future. The rumors were subsequently disconfirmed by Team Ninja creative director, Tom Lee. In a February 2024 interview with Team Ninja department manager, Masakazu Hirayama, he stated that they are is considering the possibility of returning to

13552-525: The fighting genre, hoping to help to bring back the fighting games' golden era of the 1990s. On March 31, 2021, director Shimbori announced his departure from Team Ninja to pursue other opportunities, while his position of director was taken over by Hayashi. In 2022, Hayashi would step down as Team Ninja head to become the Koei Tecmo entertainment division's general manager, with Fumihiko Yasuda serving as Team Ninja's current head. Since 2019, no new games in

13706-525: The first Dead or Alive , stages were simply fighting ring arenas and the Danger Zones were just explosive outer edges of the arena floors. In Dead or Alive 2 , stage environments became larger and multi-tiered and the original Danger Zone was replaced with more fully interactive ones such as Falls off the Edge, Walls, Electrically Charged Walls, Explosive Walls, Breakable Walls and Windows. Players are also offered

13860-535: The first-anniversary promotion campaign for Dynasty Warriors Online . Ryu additionally appeared with Ayane in the Japan-only release Dynasty Warriors 3DS (2012). Portrayed by: Brian J. White Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Dennis Rodman ( DOAX ), Khary Payton ( DOAX2 – Dimensions ), Keith Silverstein ( DOA5 –present) Voiced by (Japanese): Bin Shimada Zack ( ザック , Zakku )

14014-456: The flames of the wreckage before Zack arrives in a helicopter to rescue her. In Dead or Alive 5 (2012), Helena eventually hires Zack while proclaim him to the winner of fourth tournament. With Zack's help, she becomes the leader of the newly reformed DOATEC and announces the revival of the Dead or Alive tournaments, then enlists Hayate and Ayane to help Kasumi on the latter's mission of destroying an army of evil clones of herself, though Helena

14168-517: The fourth tournament, it is revealed that he intends to win so he would have enough money to enter the "Hyper Battle Grand Prix", which he then loses after seeing Tina's picture on a billboard and crashes into it after losing control of his bike. Like Tina in the English versions of the game, he, too, speaks with a Southern accent. In DOA5 , two years after the fourth tournament, Bass is a worker at an oil rig, DiG, and has befriended Rig. He decides to reenter

14322-401: The game's countering system and fast recovery times prevent slow, technical sets of moves in most instances. The series controls also make the instances of speed and simplicity more congruent with the focus of timing and combos in mind, as the commands for basic attacks are widely considered more straightforward than most video games. There is only one button for punch, kick, throw and guard, with

14476-399: The game's protagonist, Yaiba Kamikaze, in his quest for revenge after having been wounded by Ryu's Dragon Sword. The Japan-exclusive OVA film Ninja Ryūkenden (1991) involves a doctor who has supposedly discovered a cure for cancer. He in turn is investigated by a reporter named Sarah, who soon discovers that he is conducting biotechnological experiments on live humans allegedly involving

14630-404: The group, he also must save a young girl whom he had promised to protect, named Canna. After he succeeds in terminating the group, he destroys another final boss character bent on global destruction and returns the child safely to her mother before disappearing into the shadows. Ryu's story continues in the 2013 release Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z , in which he is not playable; instead, he is pursued by

14784-404: The hell out of the ending. Gavok called the ending "awesome" and stated "One of the best cinematics I can remember. Everything about this ending is top-of-the-line". In 2014, Brazilian site GameHall's "Portal PlayGame" ranked Helena as the eleventh-most sexy female video character, deeming her the "most beautiful" overall in the series. Helena was voted the DOA series' tenth-most popular character in

14938-468: The help from Helena, fight to destroy the Alpha project and stop Donovan. Continuing to Dead or Alive 6 , DOATEC and Mugen Tenshin discover that MIST is after the fifth tournament qualifier participant Honoka, due to her having a similar power signature as Raidou, causing them to keep an eye on her in different ways. Even worse, by the time the sixth tournament begins, Rig is found out to be indeed amnesiac; he

15092-448: The lack of slut outfits makes her the best dressed". IGN also included her in their "Videogame Babe of the Day" series. Official Dreamcast Magazine commented that Helena proved the stereotype of the "fat opera chick" to be "wildly inaccurate". In 2013, Gavok of 4thletter.net ranked Helena's story mode ending in Dead or Alive 4 as the 5th "Best Fighting Game Ending", commenting on how he dig

15246-464: The later games. Rachel and Momiji , characters originating from the Ninja Gaiden series, appear in updated versions of Dead or Alive 5 . Before his departure from Team Ninja, Itagaki stated in 2006 that he had a new DOA game planned, but in a 2008 interview he said about the series: "This is another area that my closest colleagues and I all agree that we were able to achieve the definitive fighting game with DOA4 . So we're not looking to extend

15400-523: The lowest except its Plus version for the Vita. Dead or Alive is considered one of the greatest fighting game franchises of all time. The franchise has received numerous awards and many nominations. Several games in the series have been considered as some of the best fighting games of all time and some of the best video games of all time. The gameplay of the series was well praised for being fast-paced, fluid, aggressive, brutal, and strategic. Its Triangle system

15554-598: The main reason why Diego unable to join in at first. When Kokoro felt conflicted upon learning her connection to her half-sister Helena, Zack helped her out and managed to get her to reconcile with Helena. In the film DOA: Dead or Alive , Zack is portrayed by Brian J. White, retaining his natural personality. He fights Tina and is defeated by her. Portrayed by: Collin Chou Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Yuri Lowenthal ( Dimensions –present) Voiced by (Japanese): Hikaru Midorikawa Hayate ( ハヤテ )

15708-737: The mercenary Bayman, are trying to come after Rig, Bass becomes worried about his best friend's situation and sudden disappearance, unaware that MIST brainwashed Rig into serving them. In the live-action adaptation, Bass is played by professional wrestler Kevin Nash . In the movie, he tries to persuade Tina to return to wrestling. Bass' character is far more lighthearted in the movie, even applauding Tina when she beats him. Portrayed by: Derek Boyer Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Zach Hanks ( Dimensions ), Matthew Mercer ( DOA5 –present) Voiced by (Japanese): Hisao Egawa ( DOA ), Banjō Ginga ( DOA2 -present) Bayman ( バイマン , Baiman )

15862-733: The motion picture, The Great Raid . Nakauchi has also appeared in the Broadway musicals Chu Chem (1989) and The King and I (from 1996 to 1998). He starred in the Broadway Asia production of The King and I as King Phra Meha Mongkut. Nakauchi voiced the character "Hutch" in the animated comedy drama film , Alpha and Omega . He portrayed the Kralahome in Lincoln Center Theater 's Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein 's The King and I , directed by Bartlett Sher . He played

16016-445: The original Dead or Alive , players could tap the guard button and a direction corresponding with the anticipated attack, which would do a powerful counterattack known as Counter Hold. Counter Holds must be timed correctly and match the direction of the attack being countered. If the attack targets the torso, the player must also take into account whether the attack is a punch or a kick. The input for Holds has changed several times over

16170-473: The player rarely having to combine more than two different input schemes together at a time. One of the series' most innovative additions to the genre is its countering system, officially known as the "Triangle System". The basic gameplay of the series is based on the Triangle System with three basic actions: Blows, Throws, and Holds; Blows beat Throws, Throws beat Holds, and Holds beat Blows. Beginning with

16324-556: The power of the Evil Gods whom Ryu (voiced by Keiichi Nanba ) had defeated in the past. This is compounded by the abduction of Irene, in turn forcing Ryu to become the Dragon Ninja once again and defeat this new enemy and save her. Ryu is additionally playable in the Dead or Alive games that take place chronologically after the Ninja Gaiden series. He is written into the events of the series' titular fighting tournaments, starting with

16478-575: The previous games offered, it was notable for being one of the titles that were quintessential in helping build the Xbox brand, it was the first fighting game for the said platform , the first fighting game to receive an award from the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) during its year of inception, and the first fighting game to be included in the Xbox Championship tournaments. With Dead or Alive Ultimate , Dead or Alive

16632-407: The previous games. The game offered unrestricted 3D-axis movements with better sidestepping, giving players the ability to dodge most attacks with a sidestep. The game added a new feature in its Sparring Mode called "Exercise" also known as "Command Training", an automatic command tutorial that teaches players how to perform attacks. The game expanded on the concept of multi-tiered environments, pushing

16786-482: The prize money. The 2007 Xbox 360 game Halo 3 features an unlockable "Hayabusa" armor set, while players are awarded an in-game unusable replica of Ryu's Dragon Sword upon reaching a specific gamerscore objective. "Hayabusa Ninja" is an alternative costume for the character Max in 2007's Super Swing Golf: Season 2 . An 8-bit version of Ryu was included in the first version of the 2010 fan-made Flash game Super Mario Bros. Crossover . In commemoration of

16940-414: The process with Ayane's spell effects. In the fifth tournament, it is revealed that Bayman has survived the incident. He is no longer an assassin, but again works as a mercenary. After his men appears to be massacred at the hands of a Kasumi clone called Phase 4, but was spared, Bayman goes to Helena for answers, and decides to look into this on his own. He helps Hayate and Ayane find their target, first being

17094-424: The range of the stage sizes larger than that of its predecessors. Dead or Alive 4 introduced the "Bounce Combo" system where players can perform further attacks to opponents who are bouncing off the floor or ground, and can also performed attacks on opponents while they are down. Moving Obstacles were introduced in certain stages as a type of Danger Zone that causes damage to fighters who are hit by them and using

17248-439: The real Kasumi, Hayabusa and Ayane defeat the remaining clones. In the sixth tournament, Hayate is given by Lisa a prototype anti-Epsilon bracelet to prevent the effect from freezing his body, before going to rescue both Honoka and Ayane from being used by MIST to resurrect their father, Raidou. Hayate along with Kasumi and Ayane would later track down the resurrected Raidou who again calls him out for having women accompanying him in

17402-431: The renowned Fame Douglas, founder and chairman of DOATEC. With his task completed, Bayman fled, now branded an outlaw. After surviving a failed attack on his life by an unknown sniper who was sent by Donovan, Bayman decides to retaliate against his former client Donovan and shows up at the third tournament in vengeance. Bayman later enters the fourth tournament, still seeking revenge on Donovan. He meets Hayate who also shares

17556-419: The result of which is unknown, save for the fact that they both survive. Helena elects to go down with DOATEC by activating the building's self-destruct mechanism. Once the self-destruct is activated, she reflects on her childhood and the deaths of both Maria and another of her father's past lovers, Anna. As Ayane, Hayate, and Ryu Hayabusa are detonating the DOATEC headquarters, Helena elects to give up her life in

17710-413: The ring after the next tournament is announced, mainly after hearing that Tina will participate. He enters under the alias "Mr. Strong" so that his daughter would not recognize her; unfortunately for him, she does anyway. After defeating Tina in the quarterfinals, he is eliminated by Jann Lee in the semifinals. Some time after the fifth tournament, DiG was somehow destroyed and Rig was homeless because DiG

17864-480: The rogue ninja Raidou, raped Ayame when Hayate was only seven years old. Years later, Raidou attacked the Mugen Tenshin Village in an attempt to steal the clan's ninja technique, the Torn Sky Blast. Ayane attacked Raidou to defend Hayate and out of revenge for her birth, but was defeated. Hayate ran to her side, but when Raidou called him a "weakling" for hiding behind a woman, Hayate attacked him in rage, using

18018-406: The second championship upon learning beforehand that an interdimensional creature named Gohyakumine Bankotsubo joined the tournament to wreak chaos on the human world. Ryu with the help from Irene, rescues Kasumi from the tournament executive committee's Germany facility, where she was being used as a test subject for the organization's Super Human Development project. Ryu then encounters Hayate, who

18172-519: The series and its interactive environments, smashing opponents into environmental hazards for extra damage. Screen Rant included it on their 10 Toughest Fighting Games To Master and Dunia Games ranked it 4th toughest fighting game in their 10 Toughest Fighting Game Franchises of All Time, as both stated how its simple fighting system with a few amount of buttons makes it easy to get into the gameplay, but its additional features such as fast combos, efficient attacks and counter system makes Dead or Alive

18326-432: The series at this point." In a released statement on June 3, 2008, Itagaki announced his resignation from Tecmo (July 1, 2008) due to business troubles with then president of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda. Itagaki stated that this would unfortunately lead to the end of production for the game and its series. However, Tecmo replied with the announcement that Team Ninja would not be dissolved upon Itagaki's departure, stating that both

18480-580: The series has shipped over 10.05 million units, with Dead or Alive 3 as the best selling title with over 2 million units sold worldwide. As of December 2019, the series sales and free-to-play downloads combined totaled over 24.05 million units. The Dead or Alive fanbase consist of several community sites and online groups. Between 2015 and 2019, Team Ninja held annual Dead or Alive Festival events where fans could compete in fighting game tournaments, along with cosplay , photo and illustration contests, and could either win or purchase merchandise of

18634-531: The series have also been featured and referenced in other media. Dead or Alive ' s success sparked a renewal interest in Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series. As of 2019, the franchise has sold over 10.05 million units worldwide. The franchise sales and free-to-play downloads combined totaled over 24.05 million units. The Dead or Alive series focuses on fast-paced gameplay in a three-dimensional playing field. Like other modern fighting games that attempt to emulate real life martial arts, DOA' s input system

18788-400: The series supports in-game frame data that can be displayed during Training Mode. Dead or Alive 5 uses a revamped control system and features a more cinematic experience, especially with regards to Danger Zone effects. "Power Blow" is a triggered powerful attack that can enable the player that is low on health to knock the opponent character away in a selected direction, possibly initiating

18942-403: The series, prompting creator Tomonobu Itagaki to place Namco's Tekken on his dislike list. WatchMojo included the franchise in their Top 10 Tournament Fighting Game Franchises, ranking it 8th, calling the series special for its focus on striking characters efficiently and quickly, and performing gravity defying air juggles and combos. Chance Asue of Gaming Illustrated expressed love for

19096-698: The series, saying that Dead or Alive is an important IP to them. When asked about introducing a guest character from Dead or Alive to Tekken 8 , producer Katsuhiro Harada cited this content drought as the main reason he doesn't see a collaboration happening. At the Tokyo Game Show 2024, Koei Tecmo announced Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme , a new entry in the Dead or Alive Xtreme spin-off series, set for release in early 2025. and A feature film titled DOA: Dead or Alive , directed by Corey Yuen and starring Holly Valance , Devon Aoki , Jaime Pressly , Sarah Carter , and Natassia Malthe ,

19250-440: The series, stating, "This game, more than any other fighter, feels fun and exciting without having to invest my entire life into analysing it". Asue called Dead or Alive a perfect balance between accessibility and depth, and called the fighting system a beautiful system that you won't find in another game. GameRevolution included it in their Top 10 Fighting Game Franchises of All Time. Jeb Haught of GameRevolution always loved

19404-412: The series. Dead or Alive Paradise was the first DOA console game not developed by the original Team Ninja. Dead or Alive 5 was created in partnership with Sega AM2 of Virtua Fighter fame, featuring several guest characters from that series. Free-to-play versions of the games Dead or Alive 5 and Dead or Alive 6 were released to attract new fans to the series and to introduce more people to

19558-424: The series. Team Ninja would also hold costume design contests where various fan-made costume illustrations for specific characters were submitted to the producers and the winners would have their costume designs featured in the games. Several fans and players of the series, Emmanuel Rodriguez (MASTER), Kat Gunn (Mystik), Vanessa Arteaga (Vanessa), and Adande Thorne (sWooZie), most of whom have competed in

19712-597: The situation, much to Helena’s relieve. As Marie, Bayman and the ninjas finally found MIST’s second hideout in the same time after Honoka and Ayane’s biological evil father Raidou was revived as an undead cyber nukenin, Helena confronts the young scientist who led a resurrection project behind Raidou’s revival, NiCO, who also revived Helena’s late-mother Maria off-screen. Upon realizing what NiCO’s plan is, Helena disapproves of bringing their lost parents back to life, citing that one needs to move on and vowing that NiCO will someday learn to move on from her pain as Helena has. Helena

19866-503: The sixth tournament before his final match against Diego starts, Jann Lee finds and defeats Rig; however, he realizes that Rig was not himself, unaware that the latter being brainwashed by MIST. Though Jann Lee was almost bored of being the long-standing champion of DOA, he finally considered Diego, who defeated Jann Lee in an unofficial Round 2, as a worthy rival. His name, as well as his overall appearance and mannerisms, pays homage to legendary martial artist Bruce Lee (the name "Jann Lee"

20020-511: The sky. Unfortunately, the tower catches on fire (as a result of the Mugen Tenshin attack) as Zack is climbing it, but he manages to escape the flames, saving Helena's life in the process. He is then made the winner of the fourth tournament due to his bravery (Helena was the original winner). After finding the treasure of an undead Egyptian pharaoh in DOA4 , Zack and Niki use their newfound wealth to form an unexplained contract with extraterrestrials who use

20174-453: The stones and defeats Ryu in battle. However, when Momiji's sister Kureha fuses with an object called the Dragon Eye, the stones transform into the Dragon Sword. Ryu defeats Ishtaros and her sister, frees Momiji and returns her home where they begin training together. In Ninja Gaiden II (2008), set six months after the events of Dragon Sword , a CIA agent named Sonia warns Ryu of a plot of

20328-461: The technique (despite only seeing it once) and defeats Hayate after a brief struggle, knocking him into a coma. Raidou was killed by Kasumi in the first DOA tournament out of revenge for what he did to Hayate, thus deeming her the tournament's winner. He is playable in all console versions of the original Dead or Alive once unlocked. He also appears in DOA Dimensions as an unlockable character. He

20482-467: The third tournament to earn more money so that he can enjoy a Las Vegas vacation. However, it is revealed he did not actually win the tournament, but Ayane, who defeated Omega (Genra). Due to Ayane's departure after the tournament, Zack claims the title by default. Shortly afterwards, Zack goes to Las Vegas and using his earnings, bets it all in various casinos. He wins enough money to buy Zack Island , an extravagant private beach resort. He then invites all

20636-509: The tournament. For example, Zack enters for profit, while Kasumi , a runaway female ninja of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan and the series' main protagonist, enters the tournament to seek revenge against Raidou who crippled her brother Hayate . Kasumi wins the first DOA tournament and kills Raidou, however, due to her status as a runaway, the strict laws of ninja society prevent Kasumi from returning to her village, and she becomes

20790-473: The women of DOA under the false pretense of another tournament, who take the bait and arrive on the island where Zack, accompanied by his girlfriend Niki, convinces them to stay for a brief two-week vacation. Unfortunately, the Zack Island has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. In the fourth tournament, Zack's sights are already set on his next conquest: the DOATEC Tritower, three enormous pillars stretching up to

20944-466: The world. When Hayate is captured, Ryu sends his falcon to summon Kasumi to battle, and after she frees Hayate, the group destroys the MIST laboratory. In Dead or Alive 6 (2019), Ryu senses MIST's plan to resurrect Raidou as an undead cyber ninja by kidnapping his illegitimate daughters Ayana and Honoka. A demo version of DOA5 with a playable Ryu and Hitomi was added as a downloadable bonus to pre-orders of

21098-400: The years, he took on Eliot as an apprentice; why he chose Eliot is a mystery, even to the boy himself. He fights in the DOA tournaments to obtain money to cure his sick granddaughter. In the second tournament, he wants to defeat Gohyakumine Bankotsubo because the nose of a tengu can cure any disease. However, after the events of DOA2 , he still needed money for the operation (the nose was only

21252-466: Was a personal affair. Despite a minor setback when both Christie and Genra set up a trap to lure Ryu into after the former when she kidnapped Irene, Ryu is able to arrive on time to aid Hayate to weaken Genra, allowing Ayane to kill her traitorous foster father. He later returns in Dead or Alive 4 with Hayabusa and Ayane to defeat DOATEC and its latest creation, Alpha-152. He crosses paths with La Mariposa, who reveals that she manipulated them into attacking

21406-577: Was actually Riley's grandpa, resulted in his grandpa getting the game instead. Dead or Alive has been featured numerous times in the Guinness World Records . In October 2007, a fan-made web series of CG action movies called Dead Fantasy was created by late web-based animator and writer, Monty Oum . Dead Fantasy featured Dead or Alive characters, Kasumi, Ryu Hayabusa, Ayane , Helena Douglas , Hayate , Hitomi , along with Ninja Gaiden characters, Rachel and Momiji , competing against

21560-788: Was actually his plan from the beginning of his death all along. Even after being resurrected, he is destroyed by a combined effort of Kasumi, Hayate and Ayane, leaving no trace of him left behind. Cheat Code Central ranked him as the fifth-worst "video game dad" in 2012, calling him "a blight on virtual humanity" and adding that "we can all agree the DOA universe is better off without this power-hungry monster". Portrayed by: Kane Kosugi Voiced by (English): unknown actor ( DOA2: Hardcore ); Justin Gross (2004); Josh Keaton (2008); Troy Baker (2011–2014); Dave B. Mitchell (2019–present) Voiced by (Japanese): Hideyuki Hori (games); Keiichi Nanba (1991 anime) Ryu Hayabusa ( リュウ・ハヤブサ/隼 龍 , Hayabusa Ryū )

21714-532: Was among the first fighting game series and the first Japanese fighting game series to offer online multiplayer , and was the fighting game series to be included in the World Cyber Games (WCG). Dead or Alive 4 was the only fighting game to be included in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS), and its inclusion in the esport league in 2007 made Dead or Alive 4 the first fighting game to have

21868-412: Was assigned as the new leader of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, becoming the 18th leader, succeeding his father. He joins the third tournament to help Ayane and Ryu defeat Omega-empowered Genra. Although he feels it was his duty to defeat Omega Genra as leader of the clan, Hayate is bested by Ayane, who then proceeds to the final round and prepare settle score with her foster father on her own, citing that it

22022-437: Was constantly getting stronger than him, physically, mentally, and spiritually. He also had a lustful eye for Ayame but she was in love with Shiden, which infuriated Raidou further. When Burai refused to let him lead the clan, Raidou became insane with rage and left the village, determined to become the most powerful ninja in history. At some point after his departure, he was involved with an unknown woman in some way, which lead to

22176-401: Was created by its original director and producer Tomonobu Itagaki after he became a programmer for Tecmo in 1992. During the mid-1990s, Tecmo was in financial trouble and was in need of a hit to boost sagging game sales. In this vein, Itagaki made a wager with the management of company, including the vice president later turned president of the company, Junji Nakamura, assuring he would create

22330-661: Was cursed by the Regent of the Mask (a brainwashed Theodore Higgins) into having sword merge with his right arm and slowly hurt him, Hayate sent Ayane to lend his signature sword, Jinrai-Maru to be used by their friend throughout the third entry of modern-era Ninja Gaiden game's chapters. Portrayed by: Sarah Carter Voiced by (English): unknown actress ( DOA2: Hardcore ), Karen Strassman ( DOAX2 – DOA Paradise , DOA5 –present), Julianne Buescher ( Dimensions ) Voiced by (Japanese): Yuka Koyama Helena Douglas ( エレナ・ダグラス , Erena Dagurasu )

22484-469: Was later found in the Black Forest of Germany by Hitomi, whose family took him in. Suffering from amnesia , he was named Ein ( アイン , Ain , German for "One") and studied karate under Hitomi's father, later mastering it and became an instructor. He later joins the second Dead or Alive tournament to seek out his forgotten past, encountering many who knew him, including Ayane, Kasumi, Ryu, and Helena; he

22638-413: Was like a home to him; Bass offers to stay with him. As DOA6 tournament is about to start, he and Tina return to their wrestling career, with Rig hired to sponsor them. Bass is then introduced by his daughter's new MMA friend and their biggest fan, Mila, who eventually becomes his opponent and defeats him at the round of 16. When several groups and individuals such as the Mugen Tenshin, Hayabusa Ninjas, and

22792-425: Was notable for being innovative and unique to the fighting game genre , and it was the first video game series and first fighting game series with a multi-point counter system. Dead or Alive 2 was a turning point for the series, since it offered many new features and was notable for improving and popularizing the concept of multi-tiered environments. Dead or Alive 3 was notable for improving and expanding on what

22946-427: Was present with her, spotting the rifle at the last second and intentionally taking the fatal bullet intended for her daughter, killing her instantly. The assassin fled, leaving Helena alone by seeking vengeance and covered in her mother's blood. She officially debuts in Dead or Alive 2 (1999), where, while searching for the killer, she discovers that her parents' deaths and the attempt on her own life are connected to

23100-537: Was released in the United States on June 15, 2007. In the film, four female fighters are invited to a martial arts contest; they begin as rivals, but work together to uncover the secret that Donovan, the organizer of the tournament, is trying to hide. Not screened in advance for the press, the film received negative reviews and was a flop at the box office. Several Dead or Alive characters have made appearances and are referenced in other games. Several games have made appearances and have been mentioned in other media. In

23254-459: Was released in this country and became mainstream. You know, like, some people like graphics, some people like animation, some like flashy character design and so forth. Through DOA , we want to reach out to those people and become somewhat of a mainstream game." The sequels, Dead or Alive 2 , Dead or Alive 3 , and Dead or Alive 4 brought much success to the franchise, both critically and commercially. The success of Dead or Alive sparked

23408-539: Was unaware that the Kasumi she saw was actually a clone, until the real Kasumi joins the fray in the final battle. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate introduced Helena's loyal maid servant Marie Rose, whom Helena send her to keep an eye on a young scholar fighter who was introduced in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round named Honoka in Dead or Alive 6 , realizing that MIST will kidnap her upon witnessing a familiar phenomenal power within Honoka in

23562-537: Was unknowingly being implanted with a hypnotic suggestion by MIST that will brainwash him to serve them under the alias "Victor Donovan Jr.", causing Bass and Jann Lee to worry and become suspicious of Rig's current situation. For the final tournament match, Jann Lee is once again officially a winner, but he was unofficially defeated by a newcomer, Diego. Ayane and Honoka are soon kidnapped by MIST and coerced into unwillingly reviving Raidou, their biological father, as an undead cyber ninja demon. As her older-half-sister Honoka

23716-415: Was well-received by fans of all four game series, and gained success on and off the internet, with trailers, previews and the instalments themselves being featured at several gaming conventions. The Dead or Alive games have been mostly well received. The fighting series have received positive reviews, with Dead or Alive 2 having the highest ratings out of the numbered games, and Dead or Alive 5 having

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