Overkill

The ***Overkill*** (sometimes simply called "fatality") is a finisher technique in the Samurai Shodown series introduced and exclusively found in *Samurai Shodown V Special* (and also the update *Perfect*).

Best known for the Japanese name ***Zetsumei Ōgi*** (絶命奥義 roughly translated as *Fatal Secret Art* or literal meaning *Occult Art to End Life*), the Overkill is a movement that replaces the No Contest technique previously seen in *Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge* and it works in the same manner for assassinate the opponent’s character in a gore, bloody way, presenting a violence level even higher than *Samurai Shodown IV*. Today and thanks to the Overkill technique, *Samurai Shodown V Special* is recognized as the one of the most violent game in the series (alongside *Samurai Shodown Sen*) and cause of controversy and censorship.

In *Samurai Shodown V Perfect* some of the Overkill animations and sprites were altered or removed due to storage limitations of the MVS/AES cartridges, this would free-up space required for the new storyline elements of the arcade mode. Also, Kuroko provides advice to the players in how to perform this technique, required for the final CPU matches of the game (alongside Fatal Flash). This is because developers felt that very few players performed Overkills.

## How to perform

Unlike No Contest, the Overkill must be executed during battle and under the next conditions:

* Have at least 1 round won during the match.
* Player’s character must have his/her weapon.
* Opponent’s Life Gauge must be turned blue.
* Player's character must have the Rage Explosion active.
* After meeting these conditions, the player can do the next command (character facing right):  +

## Description

When the input is performed correctly the player's character makes a rush toward the opponent (the distance covered by this rush can be considered short/medium); if the opponent is touched successfully unguarded the Overkill animation starts. On the other hand, this technique fails when the opponent is able to block or jump above. Special attacks like projectiles that hit the character during the Overkill's rush animation are able to cancel this finisher. Regardless if the technique was successful or not, after executing the Overkill the player loses the Rage Gauge for the rest of the match.

Each character has its own routine to obliterate rivals like explosions, vertical and horizontal dissections, blood eruptions, etc. This technique decreases all opponent’s Life Gauge no matter how much is, concluding the round and match.

*Nakoruru stabbing Rasetsumaru right in the chest**Haohmaru performing the Judgement Destroy Flash Slash*
## List of Characters' Overkill

### Samurai Shodown, Haohmaru's Journey to Hell, Blades of Blood

Killing another fighter in the first few games was as easy as striking them hard enough when their life meters were empty. A powerful strike would cut them apart, causing them to scream and die.

* Finishing off a standing opponent would cut open their throat or chest causing blood to start gushing out, drenching you. They would gasp their last words before falling to their knees, then falling face-down, dead.
* Finishing off a standing opponent would cause the attack to cut clean through their body. The attack would kill them, causing them to split in half.
	+ **Haohmaru:** Cut diagonally from his right shoulder to left hip.
	+ **Nakoruru:** Cut diagonally from right armpit to left side of her neck.
	+ **Ukyo:** Cut diagonally from right shoulder to left hip.
	+ **Genjuro:** Cut horizontally across chest.
	+ **Hanzo:** Cut diagonally from right shoulder to left side of chest.
	+ **Galford:** Cut diagonally from right side of neck to left hip
	+ **Earthquake:** Cut horizontally through stomach. Falls backwards as legs spread apart.
	+ **Kyoshiro:** Cut horizontally.
* Killing an enemy mid-air slices them in half, cause the pieces of their body to scatter across the battlefield. In the first two games, they drop personal possessions worth bonus points.
	+ **Haohmaru:** drops gold coins
	+ **Nakoruru:** drops sakura flowers
	+ **Ukyo:** drops extra pairs of tabi socks
	+ **Genjuro:** drops a deck of hanafuda cards
	+ **Hanzo:** drops shurikens
	+ **Galford:** drops american flip flops
	+ **Earthquake:** drops a gold bars
	+ **Wan-Fu:** drops chinese coins
	+ **Nicotine:** drops prayer beads
	+ **Cham-Cham:** drops bananas
	+ **Sieger:** drops bullets
	+ **Charlotte:** drops roses
	+ **Gen-an:** drops human bones
	+ **Kyoshiro:** drops tessen fans
	+ **Jubei:** drops dango
	+ **Kuroko:** drops human hearts(?)
	+ **Mizuki:** drops severed heads of defeated opponents

### Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge

There are two kinds of fatalities. First are simple finishing blows that will kill an opponent:

* Killing an opponent in mid-air will cut them in half. They will go flying slowly before their body rips in half, spraying blood everywhere. Both halves will bounce along the ground briefly, splashing more blood.
* A piercing blow will slit their throat. A geyser of blood will shoot out, and the weakened opponent will scream as they collapse to the ground, dead.
* A crushing blow will shatter their bones, causing the opponent to vomit up blood before dying and collapsing face first in a pool of their own gore.
* An upward slashing attack will cause the opponent to freeze, scream, and bleed profusely. After standing still for a second, having been cut in half at the waist, their torso will slide off of their legs, which will then drop to it's knees and fall to the ground.
* A powerful downward slice will cause a horrific explosion of gore, as the opponent seizes up, moments before ripping in half from head to groin. Both halves of their corpse will hit the ground as your samurai is completely drenched in blood.

Secondly, each character can execute the enemy if they finish the opponent within 20 seconds in the final round:

* **Haohmaru:** slashes upwards, jumping above the enemy, spinning around in mid-air, bringing his sword crashing down through the enemy, violently killing them, as they are cut in half.
* **Nakoruru:** Jumps at the opponent, impaling them on her sword. She aims for the heart, and kicks them to the ground, watching as they bleed to death.
* **Kazuki:** Launches a fireball at the opponent. It explodes, killing them and burning their remains.
* **Galford:** Strikes the opponent with an electrically charged katana, tearing them in half vertically.
* **Basara:** Strangles his opponent as he drags them into the shadows. Blood and gore erupt from the darkness, and the opponents remains vanish...
* **Genjuro:** Charges through the enemy, ripping them in half vertically with brute strength.
* **Sogetsu:** Slices up the enemy and phases through them as a wave of water, washing away all the blood from his attack. The opponent is bloodlessly split in half.
* **Ukyo:** Unleashes secret Iaido techniques in a flurry of swordstrikes before resheathing his sword. He recites a haiku as the opponent drops to their knees and is cut in half.
* **Hanzo:** Tackles the enemy, stuffing explosives into their clothes. The enemy explodes into several pieces as Hanzo escapes.
* **Jubei:** An expertly aimed swing of his sword cuts the opponent in two before they can react
* **Amakusa:** Pulverizes the opponent with an orb of energy that eventually explodes in their face killing them.
* **Charlotte:** Repeatedly stabs the enemy, then their corpse drops to the floor in a bloody heap.
* **Rimururu:** Drops a huge pile of ice onto the foe, smashing them into a bloody pulp.
* **Shizumaru:** Slashes upward with his umbrella, popping it open to shield himself from the blood and organs that burst from his opponent when they split in half.
* **Kyoshiro:** Spins violently in circles with his naginata, then collides with the opponent, liquefying them.
* **Gaira:** Exorcises the evil from his opponent with his prayer beads and meditates causing the opponent to explode.
* **Tam-Tam:** Twirls his saber like a pinwheel and mows through the opponent's upper body.
* **Zankuro:** Unleashes his incredible power, and cleaves the enemy in half, vertically.

### Samurai Shodown V Special

Samurai Shodown 5 is the first game in the Samurai Shodown series in which fatalities can be inflicted on the female characters. Before 5, the girls were immune to fatalities, and being defeated with fatal attacks simply caused them to be knocked out. However, from Samurai Shodown 5 onward, all the female characters are now vulnerable to fatalities and can be killed, and have been given all their own death screams and animations.

In addition to generic killing blows, this title introduced Zetsumei-Ougi, or Near-Death Secrets, which, when executed, allow a samurai to instantly and violently kill their opponent, ending the duel immediately.

* **Haohmaru:** Charges up his sword, then cuts through the enemy, cutting them in half from shoulder to waist. Both halves of the enemy's corpse are sent flying off-screen.
* **Nakoruru:** Throws the opponent and brings them down to the ground remaining on top of them, then stabs them in the heart.
* **Hanzo:** Breaks his opponent's arms, legs, ribs, then breaks open their skull.
* **Galford**: He sics poppy on the foe, who proceeds to tear through them, ripping them in half from head to groin.
* **Ukyo:** Dashes into the enemy, and runs circles around them striking them with iaijutsu kata. He retreats and recites a haiku as the opponent bleeds out and their upper body slides off the still-standing corpse.
* **Kyoshiro**: He and Kuroko perform an Odori fan dance which culminates with the enemy being killed by an explosion backstage.
* **Jubei:** Does a series of quick sword strikes, ending with a double horizontal cut and a Tsunami Sabre. The opponent is split in four pieces with the lower body remaining split on the ground.
* **Charlotte:** Does a series of quick strikes, a fully charged Tri-Slash and ending with a Power Gradiation that splits the opponent vertically.
* **Tam-Tam:** Summons his god and sacrifices his foe to it. After the opponent is carried off, a personal possession will fall from the sky. Cham Cham will also appear and celebrate with him.
* **Genjuro:** He plays several hands of Hanafuda, each resulting in the enemy being cut apart, with his final hand cutting them in half diagonally.
* **Shizumaru:** An image of Zankuro will appear as Shizumaru whiffs an attack and faceplants. The illusion will then come down with a powerful slash, splitting the enemy vertically. After the illusion disappears, Shizumaru will rise and be shocked at what just happened.
* **Rimururu:** Freezes the enemy then manifests a giant ice mallet that she uses to attack. This Zetsumei Ougi actually doesn't result in a graphic death but a regular KO.
* **Basara:** Drags the foe into the shadows. Geysers of blood spray out before their severed head rolls back onto the battlefield.
* **Gaira:** Turns the enemy to stone and shatters their remains.
* **Kazuki:** Uses a kamikaze attack to destroy the enemy in a horrible explosion.
* **Sogetsu:** Clones himself, then slices the opponent in half at the waist before teleporting away.
* **Yoshitora:** Performs a series of quick attacks with all of his swords before finishing with one final attack with his largest sword. This Zetsumei Ougi actually doesn't result in a graphic death but a regular KO.
* **Mina:** Fires hundreds of arrows at the opponent and fires three more that cause an explosion, blowing off the upper half of the opponent's body.
* **Yunfei:** Tears out the enemy's soul, and cuts it in half.
* **Kusaregedo:** Impales the enemy on his arm then devours them alive. He'll vomit up bloodied clothing afterward. If his opponent was Mina, he will spit out her bra and panties after devouring her.
* **Rasetsumaru:** Punches a hole in the opponent's chest, tears out their beating heart and crushes it, causing the opponent to fall. He will also lick the blood off his face.
* **Rera:** A series of attacks between herself and Shikuru that ends with them slashing through the enemy, cutting them diagonally in mid air.
* **Enja:** Incinerates the opponent.
* **Suija:** The opponent is lifted into the air. Screaming, ripping and tearing is heard, then their blood rains down as Suija leans back and bathes in it.
* **Amakusa:** Throws his orb at the enemy, puncturing large holes in their body, then destroys any remains.
* **Zankuro:** Unleashes a huge energy blast that burns up the foe, leaving only their feet or sandals behind.
* **Gaoh:** Transforms and impales the opponent on his helmet, a large lightning bolt strikes causing an explosion that sends the opponent's limbs flying.
* **Mizuki:** After levitating the opponent and using a series of attacks controlled by her finger, she swings her energized Gohei, waving it over the opponent causing their head to explode.

## Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny

Edge of Destiny allows for rival samurai to be butchered in 3D, however, personalized executions are dropped in favor of generic butchering and random dismemberment.

* If an opponent is beheaded, the head will roll off their shoulders while the body stumbles forward or backward and slowly collapses.
* If an opponents arm is cut off, they will roll around in agony, clutching the stump while they bleed out. If the attack was strong enough, the opponents arm may be attached to the weapon when it lands
* When cut in half, the opponents torso will flop onto the ground while the legs stumble forward and crash to the ground.
* If impaled on a weapon, they will clutch at it, spewing blood, before falling backwards.
* If their stomach is cut open, they will lurch forward and vomit blood before falling into it face first.
* If they're sliced open diagonally, they'll reach out in futility before suddenly collapsing.

## Censorship

This game hit the arcade salons during April 2004 in Japan for the MVS with all of its content untouched. Unfortunately, an incident occurred that became trending in the entire country, so all forms of entertainment (movies, series, games) were under strict scrutiny by the media and society. Before the release of the Advance Entertainment System version for the home market SNK Playmore made several last minute changes, removing blood, body cuts, and heavily editing Overkill techniques, to the point that Overkill animation seems like a second, less spectacular Final Flash. Major bugs and glitches also popped up, messing up the players' experience. After a few months of complaints, Japanese gamers were able to take their AES cartridges to the SNK Playmore factories to make the appropriate fixes and return the content to its original state. All of the modern hardware versions (PS4, Vita, Switch, XB One, Windows) are based on the original uncensored version, and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave the game a Mature rating, the second letter M since *Samurai Shodown Sen*.