| “ | A mechanical ninja created by an Iga Wiseman. A tough cookie with a trusting soul, Sasuke loves hot baths and Japanese green tea. | „ |
| ~ Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon instruction booklet |
Sasuke (サスケ Sasuke?) is a character and one of the main protagonists in the Ganbare Goemon series. He is a skilled ninja warrior robot created by the Wise Old Man, whom he cares for as if he was his own father.
Sasuke is good friends with Goemon, Ebisumaru and Yae, and together they usually join forces to bring peace and justice to the world whenever it's needed.
History[]
A powerful "Clockwork Ninja" created by the Wise Old Man. Sasuke is a highly adaptive combat robot who originally provided the Wiseman protection as the Jounin (Head Ninja) of a band of clockwork ninjas. He made his first appearance when Goemon and Ebisumaru "invaded" the Wiseman's home. It wasn't until after a climatic battle that they learned the whole incident was a misunderstanding. Since then, he has frequently been sent out to help Goemon during times of calamity.
Sasuke is a very straight arrow and honest character, a true boy scout/soldier type. True to his personality, he is also fairly naive, incapable of doubting the meaning of even the most sarcastic of statements. Because of this, he is often puzzled and confused with Goemon and Ebisumaru, as they are more relaxed and lax individuals. Overall, Sasuke has learned that he can trust in Goemon's leadership and judgement when things get serious.
Known to few, Sasuke is built with a purposeless and highly dangerous internal switch that changes him from his normal altruistic personality to a savage villain. An explanation has yet to be given by the Wise Old Man for why this switch exists. Sasuke is also built with the miraculous ability to actually eat and drink food for energy. Among his favorite pastimes, surprisingly enough, are baths and drinking hot tea.
Sasuke Sarutobi[]
Sasuke can be understood to have a faint link to the legend of Sarutobi Sasuke (猿飛佐助 Sarutobi Sasuke?), a heroic ninja figure from Japanese folktales. The tales of Sarutobi were the first to paint ninjas in a more positive light, as opposed to the usual dark role of assassin. As the legend goes, Sarutobi got his start in ninjutsu at the young age of 10, with the chance of meeting a mysterious old man while in the forest. This old man would soon become Sarutobi's teacher of the art of ninjutsu. The legend's links to Ganbare Goemon's Sasuke are basically limited to having an old man as a master, ninjutsu, and in the legend's beginning, being a child. The kunai that Sasuke wield are among the most basic of ninja gear. A kunai is a ninja's multi purpose survival knife, so it is only fitting that Sasuke would wield this weapon. As the third playable character in an action Ganbare Goemon game, Sasuke needed a secondary weapon that had different attributes from both Goemon and Ebisumaru, as both had lateral tossing sub-weapons, it seemed natural to give Sasuke a uniquely arching bomb.
Sarutobi Sasuke was a famous ninja featured in many Japanese children's stories from 1911 to 1925. The character was immortalized in contemporary Japanese culture by the 1962 Sampei Shirato comic of the same name. Thereafter, the name "Sasuke" became something of a default ninja moniker. He is generally believed to be a fictional creation of the Meiji era based on the historical ninja Kozuki Sasuke, although some argue for his actual existence. He is commonly listed as one of the Sanada "Ten Braves", a legendary group of ten ninja that supposedly assisted Sanada Yukimura at the battles of Osaka Castle during the Sengoku period, and he is one of the best known among the Ten Braves. It is also said that he supposedly died in the Summer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka.
Sarutobi Sasuke is generally said to be a Kōga ninja, whereas Kirigakure Saizō, his fellow Ten Braves, is an Iga ninja. As such, when Sarutobi Sasuke and Kirigakure Saizō appear together, they are almost always depicted as arch-rivals; and later, after being recruited to the Sanada cause, best friends. This rivalry parallels the Iga-Kōga rivalry and the Hattori-Fūma rivalries in ninja fiction.
Sarutobi, meaning 'monkey jump', is written with two kanji; saru (猿) is the character for 'monkey', and tobi (飛) is the character for 'jump'. He was known for his monkey-like agility and quickness, especially in trees. Many depictions of him in Japanese pop culture portray him as having been orphaned and raised by a band of monkeys, therefore giving rise to the monkey-like abilities. When appearing with Kirigakure Saizō, he is often thus contrasted with his best friend/arch-rival, who is usually has an elegant, or at least clean-cut, appearance and magic-like ability.
Appearances[]
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja[]
First appearance of Sasuke in the Ganbare Goemon series, although –unlike his following heroic appearances fighting alongside Goemon and his friends– he actually plays the role of boss of Warlock Zone V: Ninja Castle. Created by the Wise Old Man from the town of Iga, Sasuke is a highly adaptive combat robot who acts as his master's Jounin (Head Ninja), and who is in charge of commanding a group of highly skilled clockwork ninjas to protect both his master and his castle.
Following advice from a kunoichi named Yae, who, guessing they were looking for something, suggests Goemon and Ebisumaru to seek help from the Old Wise Man, the heroes enter the Wiseman's castle in Iga. However, they are soon attacked by a group of clockwork ninjas and also have to make their way through many traps. When they finally reach the rooftop of the castle, they are attacked by the head commander of the ninja troops - the clockwork ninja Sasuke.
Sasuke and his men make their dramatic appearance riding on a giant kite. His ninjas start attacking the heroes in pairs, but are defeated one after another. Out of troops, Sasuke challenges the heroes himself; Goemon and Ebisumaru thus climb onto the giant kite and this goes soaring through the sky with them fighting on it. The agile Sasuke starts to swiftly run along the logs that make the structure of the kite while throwing several kunai in all directions every once in a while. However, despite his speed and skill, the heroes manage to defeat him and they finally get to meet the Wise Old Man afterward, who realizes all had been a misunderstanding and offers to help them reach the distant land of Izumo using his "Miracle Transport Machine".
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon[]
You can help out the Ganbare Goemon Wiki by inserting content here.
Other appearances[]
- Pixel Puzzle Collection: Appears as a nonogram picture.
- Professional Baseball Spirits A: Appears as a supportive character.
- Yu-Gi-Oh!: Sasuke, along with Ebisumaru, Goemon and Yae, have cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game with similar appearances. For Sasuke, there are two of them: "Sasuke Samurai" and "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke". There are also counterparts of the "Sasuke Samurai" card: "Sasuke Samurai #2", "Sasuke Samurai #3", and "Sasuke Samurai #4", and the character is featured on the artwork of the magic card "Hand Destruction" and the trap card "Common Sacrifice".
Gallery[]
- See: Sasuke/Gallery