By “most important” I really mean “it randomly popped into my head just now and I couldn’t find a satisfying answer via Google.”
Why on earth is the spider boss in Metroid Fusion called Yakuza? Does it secretly have a giant dragon tattoo across its back or something? Seriously, I need an answer to this.
I’d been a while since I’ve played Metroid Fusion, but judging by that picture I’d say it’s because it’s missing two legs.
His name is “Gedu” according to the official soundtrack. As best I can figure, “Yakuza” is something American fans simply made up in a time when such resources were less than accessible.
Definitely “Gedu” in all Japanese sources.
It was some time around 1994 when the young Samus Aran had publicly announced her retirement from the industry. She had just finished, what many call her opus, Super Metroid and felt compelled to end her career on a high note.
After a few bad years of one traumatic experience after another, (death of her cousin, bad experience at a restaurant, one leg longer than the other) she finally hit rock bottom: it was time for a sequel.
Unfortunately the only financier willing to do the job was her former non-cyborg lover Beat Takeshi. Samus knew that Takeshi was still riding high from his international blockbuster Johnny Mnemonic and would easily green light just about anything… for a price.
Ok I don’t want to finish this. Let’s just say the price was for her to name the spider Yakuza and to make a host of crappy games. Ok great.
It’s the 893rd one, obviously.
Wow, the window of opportunity to reply to these posts is really, REALLY short. I hold off on most of my net browsing for one day, and miss yesterday’s.
…in which I just wanted to concur completely on the Mario thing. 8-Bits 4 Life!
Anyway, so that this isn’t totally off-topic: I have no idea. Americans tend to misappropriate Japanese names and terms (and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that).
Sort of like how some people think sushi means “raw fish,” or “kamikaze” is a blanket term for suicide attacks.
So, maybe this is somehow a case of that?
Then again, those examples at least have some basis. I have no idea what would lead anyone to apply “Yakuza” to “big, ugly alien spider-like creature.”
Because the Japanese name things in a weird fashion.
Maybe he looks different in motion, I don’t know, but his eyes look like a stereotypical yakuza’s eyes to me. His right eye with it’s.. jelly orbs? Chitaneous scab? Whatever, his right eye looks like an eye patch, and his left eye looks like it has a perpendicular scar over it.
Because he is an employee of Sega of America.
Man, I want another 2D Metroid game… (sigh)
Didn’t Metroid Dread establish that the space pirates originally derived from the yakuza?
nevermind
Dunno, but the game is awesome. Between the three Castlevania games and two Metroid titles), the GBA was a great device. Pure 2-D is the way to go with a handheld.