Meet the villains of Aozora's Adventure Gaiden

A few days ago I revealed to the public a new sub-chapter in the series, "Aozora's Adventure Gaiden", which takes place in north-eastern Africa. The overall design of the environment will be nods to adventure/fantasy anime/manga, most preferably Fairy Tail and One Piece.

As I also revealed, I'd be accepting concept donations for four of the seven conformed antagonists for this story, which'd boil down to the following:


♀*Talisha, a lazy woman whom boasts about her ability to manipulate water. Originally considered her to be obese with a wide head, but considering how I don't have many sexy girls in my series compared to others... I'm currently thinking something alike Reika Aoki's Cure Beauty form from Smile Pretty Cure!, and Juvia Lockser from Fairy Tail.
♀*Ptolema (Wiki page here), a blonde warrior angel (complete with wings) who fights with white daggers, wind-based attacks, and other speedy/flying techniques. Think of it as like a different interpretation and design of Elysium from Soul Calibur V and Angewomon from Digimon.
♂*Gratien, a psychopath with many amounts of body damage, razor-sharp teeth, and a chainsaw embedded into his right arm. I designed the concept with Grell Sutcliff from Black Butler in mind, but cruder and more mysterious with lots of clothing damage.
♂*Erebos (Wiki page here), the leader of the others shown here; a male shirtless overlord with long spiky hair, large muscles and incredible power. Intended to sport illusions to Idaten from Cho Aniki, but of course with a bit of a darker and edgier tone considering how mine is a villain. The role he plays is overall similar to Terra from Mega Man V. Erebos' primary color scheme would be navy blue, with minor use of pinks, and purples.

The other three I'm currently unsure if I'll get to designing myself:

♂*Nirave, a black-haired goth with smooth, spiky hair (including sporting a very long piece of hair that extends out from the left of his forehead and covers his right eye.), battling his opponents with a metallic doppelgänger hologram of himself and teleporting skills. He is one large parody of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (especially taking after DIO), though his appearance is heavily based on Duplex Man from the canceled Mega Man 3 ROM Hack ''Mega Man Odyssey''. (Design made by CHAOS-CHAOS-CHAOS)
♂*Rodrigo, a hyper-energetic and crude latino with black/red hair that shoots upwards, his primary attacks involving both pyrokinesis and stone-based abilities. He is modeled off of Rufio from the film Hook with some themes from Natsu from Fairy Tail. (design made by ColorMyMemory)
♂*Bojun, a massive, muscular character with extreme strength and bull-like characteristics. Similar in appearance and structure to Uranus from Mega Man V and Zavok from Sonic Lost World with a bit of Potemkin from Guilty Gear Xrd.

Character donations are not required, and thus entirely optional.

3D-Zora: Aozora in a new dimension!

A recent RL friend of mine, who goes by the name buriedinadream on deviantART, did this quite impressive model of Aozora in 3D (which is still in progress). He doesn't have the jacket on (yet), and the pilot's cap was exchanged for a helmet with blue visors, but it's quite close enough.

Hopefully the model will be fully completed someday. When it is, I'll make sure to get a post out about it.

Matthias Sketch Ref

I'm certain this sketch is now two and a half years old, but considering how I never bothered to do an improved sketch of Matthias, I just took my existing sketch, fixed up a few things, and listed off his color scheme.

If you're wondering what's up with the "Skin" color, the small wedge represents the color of the various markings around Matthias' neck.

Meet Fayato

For the record, yes, Fujimoto form Ponyo was this man's main inspiration.

A Sharkane bust... for reference purposes.

Yes yes I'm certain I've done some "weird" stuff with my creations lately, preferably the men. Though I don't want to disgust my viewers (of very little that actually view this blog, I felt like showing off a very cut version of NSFW art (for the best of reasons) of Sharkane, probably the most masculine of any other character in Aozora's Adventure.

Why I'm posting this is implied by the title, for reference since I've never done any form of colored art of Sharkane (his Buddypoke avatar doesn't count). By now I should really find something to do with my lady characters, so maybe I can gush out some well-needed fan service.

Meet Masayoshi

Still in the WIP stage.

The Items of Aozora's Adventure

Remember how I mentioned that the Aozora's Adventure side scrollers would use Mario power ups? Here's the complete list of the ones set to be represented in the second game:

Explaining: Aozora's Adventure and Aozora's Adventure II

I'm certain everyone has seen me bragging on and on about that the two main titles in the Aozora's Adventure series being platformers that play too similarly to the Super Mario games. Well, allow me to spare some details on the concepts.

*Each game has thirteen worlds, eleven standard, and two that are unlocked after the game's main story is finished. Each world has roughly between 10 to 30 main levels (with the 30 limit never being reached), five to twenty secret levels, and three bosses. The extreme number of levels can only be traced back to Mushroom Kingdom Fusion, which Aozora's Adventure draws major inspiration from.

*Melee attacks (punches, kicks, etc.) can be pulled off by the main characters in the second game.

*The first game features single player and two player co-op, either locally or online, while the second game has the above, but expands the number to four locally or six online. Certain enemies and bosses are given attack and/or speed boosts the more players active. Unlike NSMBWii and NSMBU, it is possible for players to be scrolled off without getting killed.

*With the online co-op's "Join" system, it is possible for players to end up in levels they haven't unlocked in the main story by joining another player that has already progressed through most of the game. If the player assists in beating the level, they will not have to replay the level when said player unlocks it in the main game, and they can just skip it, but the level will have to be replayed locally or during a "Host" session to have it count towards his/her game completion percentage.

Two additional modes: Time Attack and Score Attack, are also available, and each come with their own respective leaderboards, with local scores, recent plays, regional best, and worldwide best. The main game also features a highscore feature, but it's only for players that finish the game after getting every Star Coin in the game, calculated based on time taken, number of deaths and continues consumed. Also, each user can register only once per board, excluding on local boards, where the player may input a name of up to thirteen characters, and can wipe individual local highscores or all scores at will without deleting the player's save file(s).
*In Score Attack, Enemy spawners are disabled, and shell-based enemies stay in their spots if scrolled offscreen rather than respawning in their original locations. Dead enemies remain dead even after going into and exiting a bonus room.

*Player characters are given a lifebar represented in percents, which is by default 100%, but can be increased by picking up Heart Containers, with an additional 10% per Heart Container. Mushrooms, Super Mushrooms, and Ultra Mushrooms, as well as Max Hearts, are used to replenish lost energy. Damage taken varies based on the strength of the enemy, attack, or projectile.

 *Health a player sports is carried over from level to level.
 *When a Heart Container is collected for the first time in an specific spot, it becomes a Max Heart on repeated playthroughs.

*1UP Mushrooms are present, but are the rarest types item in the games, as each world has a very scarce amount of 1UPs, and they are either well-hidden or placed in an area that would take great skill to survive and claim the Mushroom. Unlike the Mario games, 1UPs do not respawn when replaying a level after death or completion, being replaced by a single Coin until the player spends time in other levels. The method that determines when a 1UP mushroom will be replenished in a level is based around a 10-barrel Russian Roulette system.

 *In contrast, killing enemies with a large combo or collecting 100 coins no longer awards lives. The former just awards 10,000 in place of 1UPs, while in the case of the latter, plays can stock up to 999,999,999 coins.

*Game Houses and Shops, the former replacing Toad Houses, appear on world maps. In the first game, both are ran by Shelbies (Enemies that behave much like Koopa Troopas), while in the second, in the form of playful cameos, DJ Varcanno of Fuzion Frenzy fame and hardcore shopkeeper Anizawa Meito (made popular by Lucky Star) take on their respective roles. Shops are done in the same vein as Mushroom Kingdom Fusion, but with standard coins as opposed to a second type of currency (Rupees in MKF's case).
 *As the player advances through the game, the number of items sold in shops increases gradually.
 *1UP Mushrooms are the only items that change in price as more are bought at once, increasing in value by 200 coins per 1UP bought. In a similar way to 1UP respawning in main levels, the system that determines when the 1UP mushroom's price drops by 200 is based on a five-barrel Russian Roulette.

*The worlds in each game are based on the following themes:
 *Aozora's Aventure:

1. Park City Zone- A mostly grass-themed world that takes place around and inside a small city. Boss is Ciber.
2. Blue Metropolis Zone- A large city with some futuristic aspects thrown in, and a large suspended highway. Boss is Moriya.
3. Palm Beach Zone- A futuristic beach that later on evolves into a magical world built with gemstones. Boss is Kokoro.
4. Woody Jungle Zone- A series of islands with beaches and tropical rainforests spread throughout. Boss is Beta.
5. Cloud Beanstalk Zone- A fantasy world in the sky, with many futuristic buildings and grassland areas. Boss is Redd.
6. Casino Palace Zone- A large city set at nightime, with many gambling themes. Boss is Higure.
7. Sky Battleship Zone- Another sky-themed world, this time on a large heavily-armored battleship flying high above the clouds, and even in them. Specific levels take place inside the battleship, with mechanical themes present throughout. Boss is Britly.
8. Frozen Factory Zone- A world that first begins as a snow-themed world, before progressing to a fire/lava themed world once inside it's factory, then going back to snow. Boss is Zidra.
9. Ruined Badlands Zone- Begins out in the desert, then enters a post-apocalyptic city. Boss is Simon.
10. Cosmic Chase Zone- An outer-space world that features some galactic cities and machinery encased in domes, as the player chases Joker's castle.
11. Joker's Castle- A castle in deep space that serves as the top-secret base of the professional assassins, the A.C.E.S.

 *Aozora's Advneture II:

1. White City Zone- A world that begins with a park and then a beach level, and from there on combines grass, urban, and snow themes, with night approaching quickly the further the player goes. Boss is Masayoshi.
2. Buccaneer Grotto Zone- A pirate-themed world with many wooden structures and a good number of cave and underwater levels. Boss is Chinatsu.
3. Metal Desert Zone- A desert world that brings forth many themes of ancient architecture, before throwing players into a gem mine/digging site. Boss is Girou.
4. Lantern Carnival Zone- A Japanese-esque world at nighttime, during a major festival, with some forest areas, and a large pagoda. Boss is Saniko.
5. Wave Cruiser Zone- Begins with a beach area at sunset, before progressing into a large cruise ship in daytime; combining both aquatic and mechanical themes. Boss is Fayato.
6. Canyon Highway Zone- Mixes themes of canyons and mines, eventually leading into a near-apocalyptic city. Boss is Kazuhiko.
7. Onyx Skyscraper Zone- Another large futuristic city at night, even more advanced than any seen before it, complete with a huge skyscraper. Boss is Bachi.
8. Blood Mountain Zone- A fire/lava themed world taking around and inside an active volcano with construction occurring on the volcano's surface and a large factory built inside. For the conclusion of the world, the player boards an airborne battleship for the third and final time. Boss is Sharkane with Grip and Gnear.
9. Crystal Clockwork Zone- A snow/ice-themed world with a few towns present, concludes inside a large factory that sports a giant clock at the peak. Boss is Mignoette.
10. Rocket Galaxy Zone- Takes place in outer space, but now on the surface of small planets and futuristic buildings.
11. Joker's Castle 2- Successor to the first Joker's Castle, with even more deadly traps.

 *In the case of both games, World 12 is a secret world with exactly eleven levels, each level becomes playable if all the Star Coins of the corresponding numbered world are completed, with an extra twelfth level becoming accessible once all 11 worlds are cleared of Star Coins. Completing World 12 with every Star Coin from said world allows the player to visit the "Master World", a thirteenth world that in the first game is opened similarly to Thirdspace from the well-known Super Mario World ROM hack The Second Reality Project Reloaded, while in the second it's opened automatically upon inspecting a gate in World 9 unseen previously.

*Powerups in Aozora's Adventure use pseudo-custom graphics from the Mario games or any other source, (keep in mind I'm not selling my game ideas) and the number of powerups represented continuously get bigger with each game. See for yourself.

The powerups themselves are not only based on Mario, but also the first Wario Land, the Kirby series, Rayman 3, and One Piece. Oh, and a bunch of retooled custom Mario powerups from Fantendo.

*The three bosses in each world, two mini bosses, and a main world boss, are fought alike a boss from the Mega Man games, complete with the screen-long hallway to the boss enclosed with one-way doors. None of them sport weaknesses, but some power ups may allow the player(s) to inflict damage faster than others. Boss levels would first begin with a short prelude level in vain to the third acts from the Sonic games on the Game Gear, usually with a few coins or a power up during the short run before the hallway. The end of World 11 features a boss rush with the main world bosses from the first nine worlds, again done in Mega Man style with the teleporters and extra health following each boss. At least no boss dies in three stomps (oh yeah you can stomp bosses too, but they're quite quick and may knock you aside if you stomp too often at once).

I'm sure some of you could link this to the term "Design by committee", but if the guys at FusionFangaming could pull something like this off with hundreds of levels and abilities, why shouldn't I? :/

The full glossary of Rock Aozora's Weapons.

Felt like sharing so people can see the weaponary I've come up with.

Aozora Buster (P)

Damage: 1, 1.5, 3

Alludes to: Mega Buster (Mega Man series), Rifle (Contra series), M-Ball (Vectorman series)

Cost: Infinite

The starting weapon, Aozora Buster is the weakest weapon in the game, and the only one to not be backed up by an energy gauge. It can be fired in seven directions while standing/running, and eight when the player is on any clingable surface. The Buster has three power levels, initially the smallest is fired for every press of the Fire button, while holding down said button for at least one half of a second after the charge cues in will power up the Buster shot by one stage, then once more after an additional second. Regardless of the power levels of Buster shots fired, only three may be present on screen at a time.

Ooze Grappler (GR)

Damage (Grappler): OHKO (Small Enemy), 6 (Anything Else)

Damage (Thrown Enemy): 9

Alludes to: Scorpion Spear (Fegaman vs. the World) Wire Adaptor (Rockman 4 Minus Infinity)

Cost: 3

The Ooze Grappler is a weapon that shoots out a hand made of slime that can reach to the edge of the screen, which has two alternative uses based on the directions it's aimed. If shot to the left or right, downwards or diagonally downwards, it will phase through all walls, and can be used to capture items and enemies (ignoring enemy defenses). Items collected with the Ooze Grappler are automatically "swallowed" by the hand and are sent to Aozora, where he collects the item(s) the hand obtains. If an enemy is caught by the Ooze Grappeler, the hand encloses the enemy inside a green bubble and brings it back to Aozora, where he holds onto it. The trapped enemy can then be tossed in any of eight directions to deal a great amount of damage, and can also go through walls and strike multiple enemies at once. Larger enemies and mini bosses cannot be grabbed by the Ooze Grappler, but still take damage upon contact with the Ooze Grappler.

The second function: if the Ooze Grappler is shot upwards or diagonally up, it can be stopped by, and latch upon walls and ceilings. If it does hit a wall or celling, rather then retracting back, it pulls Aozora to the location of the Grappler's hand, alike a grappling hook, upon a second tap of the fire button, which allows it to dub as a pseudo-transport item.

Sandstorm Ripple (FK)

Damage: 3, Pierces enemy defenses

Alludes to: Swirlwinds (Donkey Kong Land), Cold Wall (Mega Man & Bass)

Cost: 2

Sandstorm Ripple will generate two tornados made with sand and launch them in opposite directions. Each tornado will bounce when they hit a wall and will continue moving in the opposite direction until it hits another wall and comes back, repeated until a total of five bounces where afterwards they break apart. Small mobile enemies hit by a tornado are launched up into the air and have their speed reduced when they return to the ground; however if the enemy is KO'd by the tornado, it blows up normally when it lands, alike if killed by any other weapon. It's possible for a launched enemy to inflict damage on another enemy (such as a flying one) after being shot up by the tornado.

Rocker's Beam (MH)

Damage: 1 (One Halo) 3 (All Halos and on Bosses)

Alludes to: Flash Light (Doraemon FC), Noise Crush (Mega Man 7)

Cost: 1/2

Rocker's Beam is launched from a cyan-colored electronic guitar, firing three halos that expand out and get larger as they travel across the screen (but go through a cycle of changing size slightly when they reach a certain size). Each ring fired by one round of the Rocker's Beam can inflict damage separately- using it can strike a single enemy thrice.

Hunter Needle (SB)

Damage: 5, Pierces enemy defenses if shot properly.

Alludes to: Gemini Lazer (Mega Man 3), Rebound Gun (Thing Thing Arena 3), Super Shot (Vectorman 2)

Cost: 4

Hunter Needle sprays out four needles in a shotgun-like fashion, which can ricochet off walls. When a needle does bounce off a wall, it auto-targets the nearest enemy to strike, bouncing off adjacent walls if necessary to succeed in hitting it's target. Each needle will usually go for a separate target if many are present on the screen, however some needles may attempt to impale the same target(s) should there be only a few on the screen.

Sunset Blade (TY)

Damage: 14

Alludes to: Flame Sword (Mega Man 8), Grollschwert (Rosenkreuzstilette)

Cost: 1

Being a close-range weapon, Sunset Blade is the most powerful of any of the weapons in the game, with the ability to pierce defenses. Pressing the attack button will cause Aozora to swing the blade instantly, charging the attack beforehand will release a small blast of fire from the ground where the sword strikes, which allows the attack to reach much farther distances.

Toxin Sludge (OC)

Damage: 4 Pierces enemy defenses

Cost: 2

Toxin Sludge throws forwards three sticky bombs, which detonate two seconds after thrown. They can stick onto any surface, including enemies, and are able to damage an enemy multiple times with one bomb, as the explosion each Toxin Sludge sets off lasts for a second before disappearing.

Warfare Sniper (KT)

Damage: 1, 10

Alludes to: Metal Buster (Fegaman vs. the World), Sniper Rifle (Halo series)

Cost: 1/10 (Normal) 4 (Charged)

Warfare Sniper has two different firing modes. The first, by repeatedly tapping the fire button, is a machine gun that is the same strength of an uncharged Aozora Buster, however the extreme amount of weapon energy- one unit for every 10 shots, and the rapid pace, and speed at which each bullet is shot make the weapon effective. Charging up the Warfare sniper allows one to convert four Machine Gun shots into a single Sniper shot, the game's most powerful projectile power up, which flies across the screen in an instant, making it very effective for firing at far range.

Gambler's Cards (KU)

Damage: 2 (uncharged), 2-7 (Charged, calculated based on number of cards left)

Alludes to: Leaf Shield (Mega Man 2), Magic Card (Mega Man & Bass)

Cost: 3

Gambler's Cards generates two overlaying shields of playing cards that revolve around Aozora in opposite directions, which can be fired at a very fast speed each, inflicting twice the damage of the Aozora Buster uncharged. The cards, when orbiting the user, are also capable of absorbing small enemies and (almost) any type of weak projectile before disintegrating, and as the number of cards declines, the speeds at which the cards revolve increase, to ensure protection of the user. Charging while the shield is activated will allow Aozora to fling the entirety of the shield in any of the eight directions, causing considerable damage.

Rock-Aozora Weapon Icons

Thanks to Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel, "Mega-Fever" has sprung inside me, and I created icons for just about all the weapons Rock-Aozora would have utilized should it exist.

As I said previously on my main blog, this Mega Man clone would feature many unique features that other clones tend to overlook, such as the ability to fire in any eight directions (five when on the ground) like Contra and Vectorman, and the crouch, which even a few Mega Man clones (Magical Doropie and Darkwing Duck, the later was an actual Capcom title) included to dodge attacks and fire at targets closer to the ground. It'd have item sacks suspended from poles and ceilings, revealing a random item plus gold sacks that give out upgrades if you open fire on enough times, and diamonds as a form of currency. Alike Mega Man 7, (also 9 and 10) there will be a shop, sometimes ran by Toshi, though there is a chance Sakaki will take the shopkeeper's seat.

As I said before, these are only ideas as to what could come. I'm not making the games just yet, and they're not really "take thats" against other clones, just to show one done from my perspective.