| “ | Born to fight for justice, Goemon helps the weak and fights the strong, his trademark pipe in hand! | „ |
| ~ Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (GB) instruction booklet |
Goemon (ゴエモン?) is the star protagonist of the Ganbare Goemon series. A hot-blooded man from Edo, he has a strong sense of justice and will right whatever wrong there is in front of him. He is loosely based on Ishikawa Goemon, an outlaw hero from medieval Japan who stole from the rich to give to the poor.
Renamed "Kid Ying" in the North American release of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, in the North American releases of Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon and Goemon's Great Adventure his name is correctly translated to "Goemon". He primarily uses a variety of kiseru (smoking pipes) as his weapon of choice. In the future, his descendant is referred to by the same name.
Personality
"Hot-blooded man from Edo Japan" Although in the anime he is given a more sweet caring outlook, he is very hot-blooded in the games. Always itching for a fight. He is known for his strong sense of justice, being the noble thief that he is. In early games, such as Mr. Goemon, he is portrayed as being more chivalrous and does not smile very often compared to later games. Beginning with The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, he is portrayed as more of a hero, defeating evil threats to Edo instead of stealing from the rich. Although he originally had many samurai and ninjas chasing him (due to a large bounty on his head), now his enemies are more often the main villain's henchmen. The Lord and Princess Yuki now see him in a more positive way, shown by their apology in Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Dōchū. In the Nintendo 64 games, many people that resemble his former enemies act in a friendly way to him. This change can be seen in Bōken Jidai Katsugeki Goemon, where he is not a thief at all.
Quotes
- "...First Oedo castle then the Wise Old Man's house, how senseless can you be! You...you WEIRDO!!!" — Talking to Baron in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon.
- "Shut up! Your evil plans end as of now! AND MY NAME IS NOT FERNANDEZ! IT'S GOEMON! GO GET HIM IMPACT!" — To Dancin' and Lily when he shoots the Impact Beam at D'Etoile in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon.
Ishikawa Goemon
- Main article: Ishikawa Goemon
The thief that Goemon is based on. He has been the star of many kabuki plays and puppet theaters, like Sanmon Gosan no Kiri.
Other appearances
Goemon, along with Ebisumaru, Yae and Sasuke, have cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. This character's card is "Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja", but why "Goemon" was changed to "Goe Goe" is unknown.
Goemon most commonly appears in Konami's Wai Wai crossover series of games, including Konami Wai Wai World, Wai Wai World 2, Wai Wai Jockey, Wai Wai Poker, Wai Wai Racing (released in English-speaking countries as Konami Krazy Racers), Wai Wai Bingo, Wai Wai Sokoban, and Krazy Kart Racing.
Other media
Gallery
- See: Goemon/Gallery