Get to know the cast of the Snowboard Kids series and their associated tropes. Characters are filed under the game of their debut.
Snowboard Kids
Slash Kamei
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella (1/2) | Japanese - Chiaki Morita (1/Plus/2)
Energetic Slash has been known to be a troublemaker. He's extremely competitive, leading to him constantly butting heads with his peers. He enjoys any ride with a lot of speed (like minibikes in the warmer months), and considers himself to be the best boarder in town.
- Jack of All Stats: All of Slash's stats are identical and perfectly balanced.
- Keet
- Mouthy Kid
- Shonen Hair: His trademark feature.
Nancy Neil
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella (1), Julie Noble (2) | Japanese - Rio Natsuki (1/2), Shizuka Ishikawa (Plus)
Nancy would be seen as the voice of reason in the group, if the others ever bothered to listen. Nevertheless, she is a motherly sort of girl who is well-liked by her peers. Many say that she's the best when it comes to tricks, but Nancy remains modest.
- Beware the Nice Ones: When Nancy tells you to give Tommy his burger, you'd better do it.
- Fragile Speedster: The best at turning, jumping, and doing tricks, but her low weight means she won't be going fast.
- Inner Monologue: Nancy does this more than anyone, even providing the Opening Narration in Plus.
- Only Sane Girl
Jam Kuehnemund
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella (1), Mike Muratre (2) | Japanese - Jun'ichi Suwabe (1/Plus/2)
Jam is a fun-loving kid who's an avid follower of the New York rap scene. He's smarter than his playful demeanor lets on, but has a tendency to show off. Jam calls himself the "Trick Master," and shares a friendly rivalry with Nancy.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: Calls himself the Trick Master, but actually, he's an All-Around Type.
- In the first game, he was slightly more trick-oriented than Slash, but less than Nancy, just like how Linda is in-between Slash and Tommy for speed. He's more of an All-Around type in 2, with Wendy taking his old spot as the semi-trick character.
- Jive Turkey
Linda Maltinie
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella (1), Julie Noble (2) | Japanese - Rio Natsuki (1/Plus/2)
Linda is the spoiled daughter of the Maltinie Foundation's owner. She first visited Snow Town at the age of seven to recover from an illness, but grew to like the place so much that she decided to live there with her butler.
- Close-Call Haircut: Nicole's first surprise arrow takes a bit off of one of her pigtails, leaving Linda gibbering in shock.
- Fiery Redhead: 2 makes her hair more brown, but there's still a reddish tint present in some of the official artwork.
- Girlish Pigtails
- Lonely Rich Kid: She's commonly depicted as one in fanfiction.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch
- Noblewoman's Laugh: A frequent user.
- Stripperific: Aside from the bikini top she wears in 1 and Plus, one of her unlockable outfits is a lacy white slip.
Tommy Parsy
Voice Actors: English - Ari Ross (2) | Japanese - Koichi Tochika (1/Plus/2)
Tommy is a gentle boy with a fondness for hamburgers. Because of his quiet nature, it's hard to tell what's on his mind. Slash has been his friend since childhood, but Tommy is wrongfully accused of mischief when he's really just being dragged around.
- Big Eater: His life primarily revolves around his precious fast food burgers.
- Butt-Monkey
- Mighty Glacier: The fastest of the default racers in the original series, in exchange for abysmal stats everywhere else.
- Non-Dubbed Grunts: In the first game, but he's nigh-unintelligible anyways.
- The Quiet One
- Simpleton Voice
- Trademark Favorite Food: Hamburgers.
Shinobin
Voice Actor: Japanese - Jun'ichi Suwabe (1/Plus)
Everything about this skilled ninja is a mystery, but he is so feared that no one has ever dared to ask him. Shinobin has the capability of getting his point across without saying a word, then vanishing without a trace.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: When confronting him in Ninja Land, there's a very good chance that if he goes through a blue it box, he's picked up an invisibility item. It happens far too regularly to not be cheating.
- Final Boss: The last opponent of the first game for every racer, and Kaede's in Plus.
- Jack of All Stats: Just like Slash, but with half a star more in each stat.
- Master of All: He has 2 and a half stars in every stat, completely overshadowing Slash, Jam, and Linda's stats (and Nicole's in Plus). His only weakness is he's restricted to his own set of boards, which are all locked at Level 1.
- Ninja: He's even able to use invisibility at will, when controlled by the AI.
- Non-Dubbed Grunts
- Smug Snake: His laugh when he does a trick or hits a player oozes with condescension.
- Spell My Name With An S: Is it Shinobin or Sinobin? Either works, depending on what romanization system you use.
- Vague Age: Is he a really a kid? Who knows!
- Weaksauce Weakness: His frequent use of invisibility will frustrate you to no end, but as with any other character using it, he's still susceptible to ghosts. It's not uncommon to pass him in Ninja Land while two or three ghosts are encircling him.
Mr. Dog
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella (1), Ari Ross (2) | Japanese - Koichi Tochika (1/Plus/2)
Mr. Dog is a kindly old fellow well-known for his role as the owner of the local store. He rides a hot air balloon to the starting lineup, firing his gun to signal the beginning of every race. It's said that he used to be a very fast boarder.
- Cool Old Guy
- Funny Animal
- Mighty Glacier: To an even greater example than Tommy.
- Vocal Dissonance: In the English dub of 1, he's rather jarringly voiced by a woman.
Snowboard Kids Plus
Nicole Couch
Voice Actor: Japanese - Konami Yoshida
Nicole is the daughter of the Couch Company's founder who attends a school in a neighboring town. Her rivalry with Linda began when she was called "Upstart Girl," and the fact that their respective companies are feuding doesn't help matters any. In spite of this, Nicole has good relations with the others.
- Dynamic Entry: When she first arrives, she bursts in through the classroom door and passes out invitations to her tournament - by way of attaching them to arrows and firing them at their intended recipients.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch
- Spell My Name With An S: Her name gets romanized as Nicole and Nicol.
- Stripperific: One of her unlockable outfits almost resembles a Hooters uniform.
Pamela Rasteri
Voice Actor: Japanese - Hiroko Taguchi
Perky, pink-haired Pamela is a popular child actress in Hollywood, rarely seen because of her busy schedule. Many girls at school are only interested in her celebrity status, but Pamela remains cheerfully oblivious to this fact. She and Nicole seem to share a close friendship.
- Nonchalant Dodge: She's the only one to remain uneffected by Nicole's rain of invitation arrows
- Spell My Name With An S: Her name gets romanized as Pamela and Pamelah.
- Stripperific: One of unlockable outfits is simply a blue two-piece swimsuit.
Ruby Green
Voice Actor: Japanese - Koichi Tochika
Ruby is the narcissistic muscular kid who refers to himself as a "Nice Guy." Much to his chagrin, he's actually mistaken a chaperone when he's out in public with the others. Ruby is purely in it for the money, so his flamboyant antics are mostly ignored.
- Cool Shades: Which he never takes off.
- The Dandy: Exemplified in his ending, when he blows all of his prize money on sparkly, gaudy clothes.
- Gratuitous English: He's fond of doing this, possibly even more so than Jam.
- Mighty Glacier: Has identical stats to Tommy, except for his Trick which is half a star higher.
- Stripperific: A rare male example. Let's not talk about the green speedo...
Kaede
Voice Actor: Japanese - Rio Natsuki
A kunoichi associate of Shinobin's with all of his mysterious qualities and snowboarding skill, but none of his maturity and discipline. Her hyperactivity leaves most people in a state of confusion after she bounds away to parts unknown.
- Final Boss: She is this to the entire default cast in Plus.
- Genki Girl: So genki that even Slash can't keep up with her.
- Jack of All Stats: Shares Shinobin's 2½ star-per-stat spread.
- Master of All: Again, like Shinobin.
- Vague Age: Not as ambiguous as Shinobin, though.
Snowboard Kids 2
Wendy Lane
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella | Japanese - Shizuka Ishikawa
Wendy is a short-statured, bespectacled whiz kid who recently moved to Snow Town from New York. A genius when it comes to inventing, her various gadgets are a source of wonder for her new friends. Wendy becomes giddy at the prospect of putting her expertise to work.
- Blush Sticker
- Child Prodigy
- Fragile Speedster: Shares Nancy's stats.
- Gadgeteer Genius
- Nerd Glasses: Even leads to a Beautiful All Along moment in the "Whirlwind" Yonkoma.
- Shorter Means Smarter
- What Beautiful Eyes!: In one of the Yonkoma, but they're actually visible on her character model if you look at her from the side. It just takes some doing.
Damien
Voice Actors: English - Lani Minella | Japanese - Chiaki Morita
Damien is a demon who arrived from the underworld to conquer Snow Town. When his grand entrance goes unnoticed by the Snowboard Kids, he forsakes his mission to avenge his wounded pride. Damien's nasty plots often backfire on him, but he's too stubborn to give up.
- Butt-Monkey: For most of the cutscenes in 2 he's the victim of the Amusing Injuries. In modes where he's playable he's standing behind the "Select Character" sign!
- Cute Little Fangs
- Darker and Edgier: There's a tendency for fans to depict him in art and fiction as being more threatening than he really is.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Subverted. While he initially looks like he's going to make peace with the kids after they finally trounce him, his "peace present" to them is... a bomb. Here We Go Again!!
- Dub Name Change: From Black Kozō, hence the letters "BK" appearing in places associated with him (such as the back of his shirt).
- Evil Laugh
- Final Boss: For Snowboard Kids 2. He first races the player on snowboards- followed by fighting them on a mech.
- The Imp
- Lightning Bruiser: Rated 4/5 in all his stats except Trick, enabling him to both speed down slopes and turn quickly.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Once he's finally had enough of being The Chew Toy, he becomes one HELL of a final boss.
- Token Evil Teammate
- Vague Age: He has the appearance of a child, but his official age is a mystery.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Did Nancy actually speak to him? ...No, just Wendy and Jam. Sorry, Damien.
Coach
Voice Actors: English - Mike Muratre | Japanese - Koichi Tochika
Described as a hot-blooded and strict teacher, Coach the penguin could be presumed to be the one who taught the Snowboard Kids how to ride the slopes. He communicates solely in unintelligible squawks, but everyone seems to understand him perfectly.
- Fragile Speedster: To an even greater extent than Nancy.
- The Unintelligible
SBK: Snowboard Kids
Slash Kamei
Voice Actors: English - Uncredited | Japanese - Yuko Sato
Slash possesses natural athletic ability, and he joined a previous snowboarding tournament to show off his skill. He reached the finals with ease, but his overconfidence caused him to lose to Brad. Determined to redeem himself, Slash went in pursuit of his new rival.
- Shock and Awe: His Lightning Bolt shot.
- Shonen Hair
Brad Maltinie
Voice Actors: English - Uncredited | Japanese - Yu Urata
Brad's family is one of the wealthiest in the United States, but he didn't pay to learn how to snowboard - he practiced on the mountains in his backyard. He was introduced to Nancy through his parents, and took it upon himself bring her out of her shell with a helping of humble pie.
- Playing with Fire: His Fireball shot.
Nancy Neil
Voice Actors: English - Uncredited | Japanese - Rika Wakusawa
Nancy is from a distinguished background, and she never passes up a chance to let everyone else know that. Luckily for her, she has the talent to back up those claims of superiority. Nancy wants to make her parents proud, and it's implied that she may not be as cold as she seems.
- An Ice Person: Her Ice Needle shot.
- British Stuffiness
- Composite Character: She's basically Nancy with a personality more akin to Linda.
- Hotter and Sexier: In the English version, with suggestive lines such as "You like to watch, don't you?"
- Tsundere: Type A all the way!
Jam Kuehnemund
Voice Actors: English - Uncredited | Japanese - Mayumi Yamaguchi
Jam is a national rap battle champion who is in constant search of the latest trends for the purpose of bolstering his ego. No matter what he is doing at the time, he goes all out to impress others. He's so wrapped up in himself that he pays little attention to the others.
- Musical Assassin: His Shock Wave shot.
Tommy Parsy
Voice Actors: English - Uncredited | Japanese - Mitsuaki Hoshi
Tommy met Nancy at his parents' company picnic and became smitten with her at first sight. Since then he has attempted to win her over, resulting only in failure. In spite of his lack of snowboarding experience, he'll use every dirty trick he can to finish first and prove his worth to "his girl."
- Bowdlerise: English releases made him sillier and less intimidating, thus making him more sympathetic.
- The Bully: Though not explicitly referred to as such (in the English version anyways), he still has the general personality and mannerisms.
- Mad Love
Koyuki Tanaka
Voice Actor: Eriko Nakayama
After witnessing a snowboarding competition in Japan, Koyuki took interest and began training deep in the mountains. Seeing her potential, her ninja superiors gave her to the opportunity to put her skills to the test. Koyuki is shown to be friendlier and more humble than her fellow competitors.
- Extreme Sports Plot: The English manual states that Koyuki was sent on a mission to destroy a weather-altering surface satellite, but it's mentioned nowhere in the game itself, merely that she wishes to test her skills.
- Fuuma Shuriken: Her Shuriken shot.
- Non-Dubbed Grunts: Her voice is left in Japanese for all English releases of the game for some unexplained reason.
Jack Frost/Black Frost
Voice Actors: English - Uncredited | Japanese - Eriko Nakayama
Jack Frost is an iconic demon from the Shin Megami Tensei series, and the mascot of Atlus. He's adorably childish, but won't hesitate to freeze his enemies solid. Black Frost is his more powerful but mean-spirited counterpart.
- Ditto Fighter: His Snowball will mimic any of the other characters' shots at random.
- Verbal Tic: Hee ho!
