Invictus Maneo/James Hetfield

**“**YEAH-YEAH!!!**”**
— Invictus Maneo selection quip
**James Hetfield** is the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist for the famous heavy metal band Metallica, frequently seen as its frontman and primary personality alongside drummer Lars Ulrich. He is best known both for his thrash metal chops and harsh vocal delivery in the band's glory days, for which he has been critically acclaimed, although his later work with Metallica from their 1991 record onward has been subjected to much criticism and fury from fans and critics alike. Nevertheless, for the most part he is a respected figure in the metal community.

James Hetfield originates from the 1981-formed heavy metal band Metallica, and his home stage is Heavy Metal Live.

## Fighter Info

### Basics

James Hetfield is a middleweight mix-up character who's designed to mow down anybody in his path with his flexible moves and complicated Specials, tearing down anybody in his way with not only his guitar but also his assortment of moves that not only heavily reference his history with Metallica but deal loads of damage.

James Hetfield uses his guitar as a physical weapon for much of his attacks, firing beams from it in his light forward tilt as well as in his forward and back airs. He can also pull the middle finger in his up tilt and up air to juggle his foes, hurl a table over in his down tilt, skate through his foes in his dash attack (hold down to accelerate), scream into the mic in his neutral air to push foes far away, and summon the Metallica tour bus to run over his foes in his down throw attack. He can also pull his fist back and hurl it forward at an exaggerated size in his heavy forward tilt, representing the band's notorious St. Anger LP. Interestingly, James Hetfield has a unique guard mechanic where he holds his guitar straight up before him, which completely rebounds and reflects fire attacks that come his way.

James Hetfield isn't without his weaknesses, though. Many of James Hetfield's attacks are pretty short ranged given his limited human capabilities and there's a delay on all of his Special moves since they need to be triggered a la *Guitar Hero* note highways.

### Specials

* **Special A: Electric Shredder**
The player must "strum" five buttons with correct timing, which in turn will cause James Hetfield to fire five long lasers from his guitar's headstock that trap foes and deal an extraordinary amount of damage. This move can be pulled off quickly, but the player must react quickly as the incoming notes come in real fast.
* **Special B: Paralysis Riff**
The player must "strum" three buttons with correct timing, causing James Hetfield to play a random riff from any of the band's main studio albums that paralyzes foes next to him, allowing him to punish them the way the player desires. The notes come in a bit slower than with Electric Shredder, but ultimately there's less.
* **Special C: Ride the Lightning**
The player must "strum" four buttons with correct timing, which come in a simple rhythm. If successful, James Hetfield will transform into a bolt of electricity and head in the trajectory the player aims in, with any foes in his way taking extraordinary damage and knockback on contact. Very dangerous if used well!
* **Special D: Yeah-Yeah-Yeah**
The player must "strum" six buttons with correct timing, which come slowly initially before ramping up. If the player hits every note, James Hetfield will sing out "YEAH!" three times, generating a huge hitbox every time that can only be avoided by parrying each move or staying out of range. It is extremely powerful.
* **Showstopper: The Overload**
James Hetfield will try to slam his foe into a coffin. If successful, they will fall through a void where they get attacked by hammers, lightning, zombified soldiers, swords of justice, countless Sandmen, blood and milk, huge red fists, death scythes, and scary distorted faces, before taking blasted out by the call of Cthulhu.