Tetsuo

### How to Unlock

Place 1st in all races in the Medium League, then defeat Tetsuo in Tetsuo's Challenge

**Tetsuo** (Japanese: **テツオ**) is an unlockable character in *Speed Freaks*.

## Appearance

### Finalized game

Tetsuo wears a red cap with large goggles on it, and a headset with two antennae with red tips bent forwards, along with an eyepiece that has a red lens. He also wears a black racing suit with yellow accents, and black shoes with yellow straps. In the opening sequence of the game, the lens of the eyepiece is shown to have a crosshair reticle, giving it the effect of a targeting system.

### Early versions

In the earlier builds of the game, Tetsuo retains the cap and headset, except that he also wore a yellow shirt with a green exclamation mark (!) on it, with red jeans and a brown leather belt, and a backpack that is dark brown with gold accents. He also wears red shoes with yellow straps. During gameplay, the accents on Tetsuo's backpack, as well as the frame of the goggles, have the same moving sheen effect as Tempest's exhaust pipes or BEEMER's head.

## Kart

When Tempest stole Tetsuo's original kart, he took off in another nearby kart. This new kart has medium-sized wheels, and the hubcap design consists of a red circle against a white background, possibly representing the Japanese national flag. Considering that Tetsuo is Japanese himself, that really wouldn't be that surprising.

## Description

It was mentioned in Tempest's manual description that Tetsuo is a "man of honor", but as can be seen in the game, he seems to be just about as manic, hot-tempered, and aggressive as the former, and is prone to fits of laughter. This Japanese boy is also an exchange student at the same, prison-like school that Tempest attends (and drops out of). He is also a sore loser, seen in his 4th place/worse podium animation, where he pops the antennae off of his headset and stomps on them in frustration.

He was first seen in the opening sequence doing maintenance on his kart at Go-Go Karts when Tempest came by and hi-jacked it, forcing Tetsuo to drive off in pursuit with another nearby kart. Tetsuo also practices martial arts, and is physically adept. He also only speaks in his native language of Japanese. In addition to that, he also practices yoga to the point of being able to levitate in a meditative position, as seen in his 2nd/3rd place podium animation.

## Strategy

### Playing as him

Tetsuo has similar capabilities to Tempest, although his four-star acceleration rating makes him a bit slower than the latter in top speed. But, he's still formidable in the right hands, especially with the Gold Wheels active. He still has the issue of bad collision recovery, due to his heavy weight.

### Tetsuo's Challenge

To play this challenge, you must finish 1st place in each race in the Medium League. You will go up against Tetsuo in a three-lap duel at Silver City. In the first lap, he'll go through the track like normal, but in the second and third laps, he will use the shortcut (third lap for the European version). Knowing where to find the shortcut in Silver City is the key to gaining an advantage against Tetsuo. A heavy character is recommended, as the high top speed would allow you to gain some extra momentum from the boosts on the ground, for a better chance of overtaking him and staying ahead. Again, knowledge of the shortcut is important for maintaining 1st place.

## Trivia

* He is the first character to appear on the character select screen in the Alpha version.
* One of his phrases, "Ikuzo!" is Japanese for "Let's go!".
* Tetsuo means "clear (as in thinking) man" or "iron man".
* He shares the first two letters in his name with Tempest.

## Gallery

### Finalized game

Tetsuo working on his kart moments before......Tempest hi-jacks it!Tetsuo in his 4th place/worse podium animationTetsuo performing a boosted start @ Drift ArenaTetsuo in Moonlight Cove.Tetsuo wins the race in Silver City.
### Alpha version

Tetsuo on the character select screen in the Aplha version.Tetsuo in Shipwreck Shore.