Video Game / Battle K-Road

An authentic martial arts experience. At least until you'd get challenged by a bear.

Battle K-Road is a 1994 2D Fighting Game made for the arcades by Psikyo, a company usually known for specializing Shoot 'Em Up. Allegedly based on the real life K-Road tournament that pitted fighters of various styles together,^note It's very likely it was based in the K-1, a kickboxing promotion popular at the time in Japan. the game aims to provide a more grounded, authentic martial arts experience with fighting styles being recreated out of ones existing in the real world, the lack of projectiles and other outlandish techniques, and the knockdowns causing a position reset like they do in real matches. The game does throw a few wrenches in it's commitment to realism in the form of involvement of Terminator-inspired Cyborgs that do Mixed Martial Arts, to say nothing of that Final Boss.

Psikyo would later take another knack at the Fighting Game genre with Daraku Tenshi: The Fallen Angels.

See also Buriki One, SNK's realistic fighting game that happens to have a similar premise.^note Just replace fighting Bears with fighting not-Akuma instead.

Disciplines represented in Battle K-Road:

• Karate: Anthony Hawk and Masamichi Ohyama
• Boxing: Rick Simpson and Jeff Howard
• Muay Thai: Shinsaku Maekawa and John Anderson
• Combat Sambo: Wolf and Dan
• Mixed Martial Arts: Cyborgs D9-F and T-8P
• Sumo Wrestling: Mitsuji Tanimachi and Harimaoh
• Ju-Jitsu: Tyssa Willing and Yuki Fujiwara
• Shotoclone: Mr. Bear

---

This game provides examples of:

• The Ahnold: Cyborg T-8P certainly has the look.
• Badass Normal: This game is basically Badass Normal: The Fighting Game, with most of the characters being adept at their disciplines with no need for projectile attacks. Only the Cyborgs (not much more durable than the rest of the cast) and the bear Final Boss are less fitting for this trope.
• Bears Are Bad News: Especially when one of such happens to be the Final Boss. And if that isn't enough, the crowd in his stage is populated by all bears and there are bear heads that decorate his ring.
• Cyborg: Despite the game's realistic slant, the cast features a pair of Terminators that practice Mixed Martial Arts. They even make mechanical noises during their victory poses.
• A Dog Named "Dog": The bear Final Boss is called Mr. Bear.
• Extremity Extremist: As common with similar characters in the genre, the boxers (Rick and Jeff) only punch even when the kick buttons are pressed.
• Final Boss: Mr. Bear. And on the second loop you'd be facing a golden Mr. Bear.
• Gainax Ending: The game has a few endings that are.... surreal, further aided by the cartoonish artstyle. Highlights include Masamichi's^spoiler Seemingly going to hell populated by dinosaurs., Rick's^spoiler Becoming a Hollywood star.... and failing in his new career.,Shinsaku's^spoiler Getting challenged by his own mother,John's^spoiler Which reveals his father was inside the Bear costume.,Wolf's^spoiler Establishing Combat Sambo dojos everywhere he could, including the Antarctic and the moon.,D-9F's^spoiler His upper body flying off the earth and Yuki's^spoiler All Just a Dream.... from the perspective of an alien..
• Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: So, you go through a grounded and reasonably authentic multi martial arts tournament with the most outlandish contestant up to this point being a Cyborg that does semi-realistic shootfighting. And then all of sudden you face Mr. Bear.
• I Know Karate: Anthony and Masamichi certainly do.
• Moveset Clone: Each of the playable fighting styles are represented by a pair of Head Swap characters as the game does not allow Mirror Matches.
• New Game Plus: Befitting the developer's Shoot 'Em Up roots, the game has a "Return Match" loop after you'd get to beat Mr. Bear the first time.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Most of the characters are based on real fighters:
  • Karateka Anthony Hawk is based on Andy Hug, while his rival Masamichi is based on Masaaki Satake.
  • Boxer Rick Simpson is based on Tommy Morrison, while his rival Jeff Howard is based on George Foreman.
  • Muay Thai practicioner Shinsaku Maekawa is inspired by Kensaku Maeda.
  • Sambo representative Wolf is Volk Han, while Dan might be based on Dan Moroboshi, wearing sunglasses that resemble the latter's Ultra Eye, and a mohawk that invokes Seven's head fin.
  • Cyborg D-9F is inspired by Dick Vrij, with a little bit of Robert Patrick thrown in, while T-8P is obviously the T-800.
  • Sumo wrestler Mitsuji is based on Takanohana Koji, while Harimaoh is based on Chiyonofuji Mitsugu.
• Punch-Kick Layout: The game pretty much adopts the Capcom layout with three punch and three kick buttons. Holding and releasing the strongest of punch/kick buttons are also how special moves are performed, with direction held also influencing the choice of the move.
• SNK Boss: Mr. Bear is a realy tough cookie, able to potentially empty your lifebar in few hits, and he even comes with his Shoryuken and the Hurricane Kick.
• Stout Strength: As expected, the sumo have this in check.
• Shotoclone: Amusingly enough, the Final Boss happens to be one, as he has the Hurricane Kick and a Shoryuken in it's movelist. (No Hadouken, as the game has no projectile attacks anyway).
• The Smurfette Principle: Ju-jitsu is the only fighting style to be represented by women, Tyssa and Yuki.
• Video Game Dashing: Unusually, performed by the quarter circle forward motion, usually associated with Ryu's Hadouken.^note And in case you are wondering, the special moves are performed by holding and releasing a hard punch/kick button, with the direction held also affecting the choice for the special move.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: The Muai Thai combatants, sumo wrestlers and the cyborgs are all topless. And technically also Mr. Bear, who doesn't even wear any accessories.

---