Samurai Goroh

Samurai Goroh (サムライ ゴロー Samurai Gorō?) is an F-Zero pilot first introduced in F-Zero. He is co-created by Takaya Imamura and Shigeru Miyamoto. The character's first appearance took place in the instruction manual of 1990 video game F-Zero, not until a later release has the character actually appeared in-game and his model conveyed by a computer-generated image. The character Samurai Goroh has been featured in the Smash Bros. video games from Nintendo which are the first times he has appeared outside the F-Zero series. The character has been seen outside the main series in F-Zero: GP Legend, F-Zero Climax, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an Assist Trophy.
Samurai Goroh wields a katana very well and is the father of Dai Goroh in the main series and the husband of Lisa Brilliant in the spin-off series. Samurai Goroh's reason for joining F-Zero is because of his rivalry with Captain Falcon. Ironically, Goroh and Falcon were once cops in the Internova Police Force. Goroh races in an F-Zero machine called the Fire Stingray. While it was recorded to be the fastest machine out of the four original pilots, it is rumored that the Fire Stingray is actually stolen property.
== Main Series ==
Before his career as an F-Zero pilot, Samurai Goroh was rumored to have been in the Internova Police at the same time as Captain Falcon, a possible reason for their rivalry. Although his homeworld is unknown, it's been said that he is a Japanese American and his main base of operations is Red Canyon. Despite his large frame, he is extremely athletic and can perform multiple backflips. Despite his skills in racing and fighting, Captain Falcon always manages to show him up.
Besides Captain Falcon, Goroh has made his own share of foes in the past. During Goroh's many illegal ventures, he left behind Antonio Guster, his former right-hand man, to be captured by the Space Allies. He also has a son, Dai Goroh, who is an expert swordsman and admires his father. Despite this, Goroh has little luck controlling his son.
Samurai Goroh competed in the first F-Zero race in 2560, competing against Pico, Dr. Stewart, and Captain Falcon; though Falcon was the one to win the tournament.
Goroh presumably returned to his criminal activities when the F-Zero races were closed, but returned to the race track when the F-Zero races began again as the F-Zero X tournament. His goal continues to be to thwart Captain Falcon, whether in the tournament or ambushing the Captain in rocky canyons.
== Characteristics ==
As described in the first F-Zero game which was released for the SNES, Samurai Goroh is the boss of a renegade group of bandits known to hide out in Red Canyon. Even though his homeworld is unknown, F-Zero stated that Goroh is believed to be a Japanese American. In the first F-Zero game, he was "believed to be in his early 40s", then was 44 in F-Zero X and 45 in F-Zero GX. A tattered and huge warrior, Samurai Goroh is a massive man with the muscles to back up his boastfulness and his notorious profession. He is also an amazing athlete, able to perform such feats as multiple backflips in succession despite his gigantic, hulking frame. He wears a T-shirt missing its sleeves along with a leather vest. He carries a hip pouch and wears dark blue pants with a belt made of a long strand of red fabric.
Samurai Goroh and his friend and partner Antonio Guster spent years hunting down criminals and fine-tuning their vehicles for faster speeds and better performance when they were once employed in the Internova Police Force. They were eventually removed from the force and separated since they went to extreme measures to capture some suspects. Goroh blamed Antonio Guster for the incident, now the two share a bitter relationship. After the exoneration from being a cop, Samurai Goroh became a bounty hunter, but his life isn't much different. Other than the fact his pay improved, he still continues to track down criminals. Racing in the F-Zero championship opened up the opportunity for him to constantly modify his Fire Stingray as well, as keeping it highly tuned.
== Appearances ==
=== Video games ===
By F-Zero X, Goroh and Captain Falcon have expressed their considerable differences in the past and are still bitter rivals. They are kept separated throughout the season by the officials until the Death Race, where every racer competes in a giant tournament of mayhem. Fans rejoice at seeing these two put together under such conditions.
In F-Zero GX Samurai Goroh is the leader of a group of space thieves and a bounty hunter - Goroh claims to be renowned and talented like Captain Falcon and intends to establish himself as one. However, Falcon always beats him to the newest and most profitable projects, leaving Samurai Goroh jealous and bitter. Goroh enters every Grand Prix in hopes to defeat his rival, Captain Falcon and will never stop trying to defeat him. In F-Zero GX's story mode, he catches Falcon and forces him to race where the winner gets to keep the loser's machine. Naturally, Falcon wins the race and drives away while Goroh threatens that he will be at the next Grand Prix. In F-Zero GP Legend (game), after you defeat Falcon with the stingray, Falcon reveals that while he may have 10 wins against him, he has 135 losses.
=== Anime ===
The F-Zero: GP Legend TV series Samurai Goroh, voiced by Yasunobu Iwata in the Japanese version, was featured in this fifty-one episode anime, which originally aired on Japan's TV Tokyo from 2003 - 2004. Fifteen English-language episodes were produced before the show's cancellation in America.
The series presented Samurai Goroh's persona basically the same way done in the video games. His motto in the show is "steal, but never kill".
In Lap 25, it is said that Goroh pilots a ship known as the Fire Needle. There's a huge blade in front of it and it houses many hidden devices. Plus, his favorite color was green, hence it's why Lisa painted the Panzer Emerald. And his own machine has Lisa's lucky pink color.
In the anime itself, he debuted in Lap 4, when Rick Wheeler heard of an incident as rare medicine was stolen from a space transport and it was heading for terminally ill kids; one of them was Alias, a young fan of Rick's, and he must save him within three days. Even though Planet Cryton/Red Canyon was prohibited as one of the most deadliest venues, Rick took the warp gate, then a mysterious man wearing a red-white bandana, shades, and wielding a longsword guided him to "Samurai Goroh," but it was to the treacherous thieves run by his bitter rival, Vidion. As they got trapped in his stronghold, the female ninja, Sasuke, unveiled that Rick's guide WAS Samurai Goroh; the criminal that stole the medicine! As Rick was looking for it, he had him at sword point and destroyed Vidion and his turf, then as his Fire Stingray left, the binds were free, and the medicine was on the Dragon Bird's fuselage. It turned out that Goroh may had a change of heart, or perhaps it was Vidion who stole the medicine and Goroh stole it back, but was guilty by association.
Nevertheless, Rick seemed to have a soft spot for Goroh, as he steals but never kills. A prime example was that there was an explosive incident as Zoda's transport was blown up by Goroh; however, Rick never thought it was him since he claimed, "it's not his style." In Lap 11, Blowout, He went to Planet Cryton to reason with Goroh, but he got nowhere, only he said that things don't always go the way they're planned. It turned out that Goroh and Antonio Guster were at the same assignment, and "Dynamite Guster" wanted to blow the transport to make it more exciting instead of making it dull, as Goroh stuck with his motto. Rick eventually put 2 and 2 together that it was Guster who blew up the transport, and again Goroh was guilty by association. During a fatal race, Goroh was warring with Guster, but he held back as the track was being demolished by his rival's deadly explosives, resulting the race to be suspended. Goroh then confronted the bandit but he backed down instead; he let Guster get away, but just before Rick apprehended him, Goroh escaped thanks to Lisa's Excellent Queen.
Goroh was later seen in the anime as Rick visited him again at Cryton. During the 150-year duel, Lap 49, Goroh took his side over Zoda, as hid away Haruka Misaki after her capsule was taken in; she finally regained her senses, then Black Shadow and Hyper Zoda found out, so she was sent as a comatose vagabond. Sasuke alerted Rick at his flat, then the Fire Needle was shot down by Dark Million's thugs. Goroh was an easy match over Baba and The Skull, but Hyper Zoda left him wounded. Rick came to his aide and defeated him, only to have Haruka be captured by Black Shadow!
It was also seen Rick meditates somewhere in his turf wearing a white robe under a waterfall; probably utilizing his fiery inner strength since he used the Reactor Mights and was bestowed as the savior of the galaxy. In the end, during the final battle at Dark Star, Goroh and his bandits were seen fighting alongside the Galaxy Runner using the Fire Needle and Excellent Queen against Dark Million's gun forces. He has survived the ordeal, unlike his rival, Capt. Falcon.
He has a band of thieves consisting of Sasuke, Hakuun, Tsukikage, and Genzai.
Theme song
As Sharp as a Samurai's Blade
==Ikran's F-Zero timeline==
Goroh was first seen during the original F-Zero Grand Prix, the same one Tinsel first raced in. He has been one of her most lethal rivals, even trying to knock her into a guardrail or off course. Although, she never saw him again after the incident in White Land where she couldn't reach over the gap. He was seen again 12 years later, in Falcon's Followers, when Tinsel, Yugi, and Joey stopped by as they were chasing after Falcon. In Red Canyon, the elitist was ambushed by him and his band of thieves. He made sure he'll pay for stealing the prize money in the X races, and he challenged Falcon to a death race to a checkpoint in his discretion, knowing he won't back down from a challenge, and if he loses the race he needs to forfeit his machine. Falcon won, leaving an angered Goroh behind, threatening he'll have his way in the Grand Prix before the Stingray was obliterated.
Somehow, he was able to have it repaired in time for the GX competition, though he lost to Falcon, Tinsel, Blood, and Black.
Over a year later, Rick was desperate on finding the cure stolen by a thief named Samurai Goroh; while the real one was assisting him, Tinsel knew from the get-go on who he was. He led Rick to a secret fortress owned by a lethal thief named Vidion, who has accused Goroh and used his name making the real warrior guilty by association. Luckily, as Rick and Goroh were trapped, the latter used his fatal blade to cut apart the bars, then he and Sasuke destroyed him and the fortress. Before Tinsel pleaded Rick to escape, he was cornered by Goroh's blade, then tied up. Enraged, Tinsel chased after the duo and kept smashing the Stingray demanding the medication he kept. She was unsuccessful, as Goroh seamlessly went over a large ravine! But...the medication was atop of the Dragon Bird; Burt assumed he had a change of heart since he too has a kid, Dai Goroh, while Tinsel wondered it was just guilt by association.
He was seen again as he stole the two Mighty Machines (Hurricane and Typhoon) and brought them in to Red Canyon! Tinsel, Draq, Roger, Leon, Beastman, and Gomar & Shioh pursued their location after Clank hacked into them. Goroh and his thieves abducted the group and challenged them to a death race; if they don't win, their lives and property'll be surrendered. Falcon came to their aide, and accepted. He, Tinsel and Leon won over him, Lisa and Dai Goroh, even when the elitist proved the receipts and signatures were fake claiming the machines, since the original pilots disappeared thanks to Deathborn after the Horrific Accident.
After that, Rick visited Planet Cryton again, this time asking for his assistance in the Death Wind semifinals, in order to have a leg up against Pico and John Tanaka. Goroh was a nice distraction, though he was temporarily interfered by the triple Booster Fire by Tinsel, Falcon and Rick. The elitist carried him out of the wreckage, before he escaped to Earth, urging Rick to meet him there. Soon there was the Lightning Championship, and Goroh was involved in a scrimmage with Guster; they were at each other's throats, and it was possible only Goroh survived the ordeal.
Finally, he soon became Rick's new sensei, as he trained him vigorously since he received the mantle as Young Capt. Falcon. Even honing his new electrifying skills, similar to his rival's techniques. Rick also tends to meditate with him a lot, even embrace their Japanese culture. Goroh was also offered to be invited to Rick and Tinsel's wedding, under the condition he and his family shall bring their machines thru the Warp Gate to Mute City, rather than their gunships. He was also nice enough to offer Rick a Taiko, albeit stolen, with a golden gong attached, as well as shugi-bokuro to him and Tinsel as wedding gifts; they were cashed in from stolen jewels from Princia's Desert Kingdom, before the meteor shower struck. He also taught Rick and Tinsel the sake-sipping ceremony, which was a Japanese custom used on their wedding symbolizing bitter trials. Tinsel even had a pep talk with him, afraid if Rick should lose his way; Goroh was thrilled to have Tinsel with him, and the rings and the ceremony shall prove he shall never go astray, even when there's someone living and dead looking out for him.
== Trivia ==
* The symbol on Samurai's hat is the flag of the Imperial Japanese Army that existed from 1884-1945.
* Goroh, or rather Goro, means fifth son, enlightened son.
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