Bunshin (分身, lit. Alter Ego or Doppelganger) is an ability Hiryu uses in the first Strider after picking up the "Invincibility" power-up.
Overview
Hiryu's Bunshin in action
A special ability Hiryu performs thanks to his superhuman speed, creating copies of himself in his wake. This ability is activated once Hiryu comes into contact with the "Invincibiliy" item pick-up, which takes the form of a silhouetted Hiryu in a dashing pose.
Once in this state, Hiryu's body is wrapped in light and two afterimages or shadow copies of himself appear behind him[1]. Both "shadows" trail behind him and imitate every action he makes, jumping and attacking shortly after the original does so. For the duration of this move, Hiryu also becomes invincible, being unaffected by any attack from enemies.
Hiryu is said to be able to hold this state for 30 seconds[1], although in-game it actually lasts for exactly 15 seconds (at 60 frames per second for a total of 900 frames).
Other appearances
- Hiryu displays this ability during the 5th chapter of the manga, where he dodges automatic machinegun fire from 3 soldiers carrying Shadowtag Bullets, leaving a trail of afterimages as he moves both sideways and forward, approaching and eventually killing his assailants. Hiryu is so fast that he also appears to be practically intangible (mirroring the game's invulnerability), since he's not touched by the bullet storm from three Shadowtag Bullets (which can automatically track high-speed targets) and moves at such speed the radar used by the weapons can't actually track his movement[2], all the while inside a small room.
- This ability probably inspired two moves from the Marvel vs. Capcom series: "Vajra" and the "Ragnarok" Hyper Combo. In both instances Hiryu moves at high speed, creating four afterimages as he attacks his enemy.
- Hiryu also splits into three copies in his Dramatic Finish from the cancelled Capcom Fighting All-Stars, although in this move he's seen summoning his copies by striking a pose typical of ninja in popular culture.
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Capcom (October 24, 2006, PlayStation). Capcom Gamebook: Strider Hiryu (Japanese). Pg. 12. ISBN 4-86233-076-2.
- ↑ Wada, Tatsumi (November 10, 1989). Strider Hiryû. Chapter 5, Pg. 176. Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN 4-04-713009-5.