#886 Soul Blade (PS1) Unplayable Characters (5/8): Teppou Hei gameplay.

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AdmiralMcFish - Bosses and Hidden Characters

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Published on May 2, 2018 8:32:25 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_fgflLxtTQ

Game:

Soul Edge (1995)

Duration: 7:34

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A playthrough of the unplayable character Teppou Hei/Tanegashima in the PS1 port of Namco’s Soul Blade/Edge.

Ah, finally someone a little more interesting. Teppou Hei here is seen in Mitsurugi’s rather infamous ending. In a bizarre bonus battle, the player suddenly takes control of Mitsurugi in first-person against a rifleman called Tanegashima. The player has to dodge the man’s shots before rushing forward and killing him with one strike. It’s a bizarre little encounter, but definitely one of the most memorable parts of the game, in part for its unique fight and the unique stage it takes place on.

So, Teppou Hei itself simply means “gunner soldier”, while Tanegashima itself refers to the rifle this guy uses. As a result, he doesn’t really have a name. Tanegashima was the first place European Traders (that is to say, the Dutch and the Portuguese) traded rifles to the Japanese, during the 16th century. As a result, the island came to be associated with both rifles and trade with the west, leading European rifles of the time to be associated with it and even named after it, even eventually being manufactured there when the Portuguese brought over Portuguese gunsmiths.

Mitsurugi’s ending is a very Kurosawa-esque battle; the honourable samurai faces down the decadent, deceitful gun-user, who uses cheap tactics to win his battles, and yet the samurai still comes out in top. It’s one of those things which makes a lot more sense in hindsight, but goddamn does it seem dumb otherwise. I mean, who would have a gun-user in a close-quarters, weapons-based fighting game? Oh wait, Samurai Shodown Sen already answered that question.

Unfortunately, Teppou Hei’s gun mechanics can’t be used, and instead he gets stuck with Mitsurugi’s moveset by default. He still wields his gun when fighting, which is pretty neat, and even effectively uses it like a club, which is not exactly historically inaccurate. As a result, Teppou Hei is one of those NPCs I really did want to play as, and there’s definitely a sense of closure in being able to finally do so. Whether his rifle is simply a scripted event or not I don’t know, but here’s hoping someone figure out how to make it playable at some point.

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