Riki Samejima (鮫島 力) is a major character in the River City Girls dulogy made by WayForward.
Profile[]
- Hair Color: Blue
- Eye Color: Blue
- Height: 183 cm (6'" ft)
- Weight: 80 kg (176 lbs)
- Blood Type: O (Unknown in Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu)
- Status: Alive
- Affiliation: Hanazono High School (Cross Town High School in River City Ransom), Team Thornley (Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge)
- Year: Senior (held back one year)
- Alternate Names: Jack (Renegade, Super Dodge Ball), Ryan (River City Ransom games), Crusher (Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge)
About[]
Riki is a 3rd year student and the banchou (delinquent leader) of Hanazono High School. He is Kunio's rival and best friend, and like him he takes the role of helper in various sport clubs at his school, which grants him praise from his peers and juniors at the school. He is known as "Mach Punch Riki", and just like Kunio, is a righteous delinquent who fights for justice. However, when his anger reaches the boiling point, he snaps and goes berserk.
His first appearance in the franchise is in Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun as the first stage boss. In Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, Riki and Kunio join forces for the first time and become best friends. In his subsequent appearances in the franchise he would face Kunio in different sport competitions (Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai and Bikkuri Nekketsu Shin Kiroku! Harukanaru Kin Medal) or become his ally (Shodai Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun and Shin Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio-tachi no Banka).
Before becoming the banchou of Hanazono High School, Riki was the ace of his school's soccer club. The biker gang Mushamonzen attacked members of the club, and Riki built his legend as "Mach Punch Riki" by destroying the biker gang in revenge and taking the position of banchou from Sakata. However, this came at the cost that he was not only removed from his school's soccer club, but he was forced to repeat his senior year. Soon after, he had his first encounter with Kunio and was defeated.
In the Downtown Nekketsu series his full name is Samejima Riki (鮫島力, さめじま りき Samejima Riki).
Appearance[]
River City Girls takes place in River City, but uses characters from the Kunio-kun franchise. The game is a spin-off and is not part of the continuity that started with Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun Special.
Kunio's rival, closest friend and Kyouko's boyfriend. Much calmer and stoic than Kunio, he lets his legendary stone fists do the talking. Kaiji Tang voices him in the game. In the game's opening intro and in the first cutscene once players begin the game, it is revealed that Riki has been kidnapped along with Kunio. His girlfriend Kyouko and her best friend Misako, Kunio's girlfriend, run around River City beating up local thugs and searching for clues to rescue them.
Misako and Kyouko eventually reach Sanwakai Tower and defeat Sabuko, kicking her out the window of the tower's top floor. Misako and Kyouko crash into the bath house and lose track of Sabuko. While trying to find her, they stumble on Kunio and Riki taking a bath in the sauna. Upon being discovered and scolded, Kunio and Riki proceed to ignore Misako and Kyouko, with Kunio referring to them as "those crazy girls" and Riki not even knowing what their names are. Riki just wants to get out of there, while Kunio wonders what Hasebe and Mami are doing for the night. This leads Misako and Kyouko to uppercut them through the broken roof of the sauna into the stratosphere.
Unlocking the newer 1.1 secret ending via the appropriate tasks instead allows Kyouko and Misako to defeat Hasebe and Mami and upon crashing into the bath house, encounter the boys once more. This time, Riki and Kunio have no apparent feelings towards Hasebe and Mami and instead offer to take Kyouko and Misako out on a burger date. Both are still offended at the idea of having been kidnapped.
Once the game is completed once, Kunio and Riki are unlocked for use in the save file where the game was completed. Both start at level 1 and need to learn all of their moves, just like Misako and Kyouko. The game, however, does not change story-wise and acts as if they are not present in the fighting.
In this game, Riki has a calm and stoic personality, similar to the one he displays in the Ore wa Otoko Da! Kunio Kun manga, where he was cool and collected to contrast the immature and childish Kunio.
| Move Name | Input | Special Meter? | Learned From | Level Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal Steps | Heavy Attack in midair | No | Leveling Up | 3 | Midair knee attack, knocks enemies down. |
| Bird Kick | Heavy Attack while running | No | Leveling Up | 4 | Riki throws three kicks in the air while running, the third kick will knock down enemies. |
| Combing Hair | Block and Heavy Attack simultaneously | No | Leveling Up | 5 | Riki combs his air, striking the enemy with the comb at the same time. His back attack. |
| One Inch Punch | Directional Pad Left/Right + Heavy Attack | No | Leveling Up | 7 | One of Bruce Lee's trademark techniques, knocks enemies forward. Enemies will bounce from a wall if they collide with it after being hit with this move. |
| Shadow Combo | Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 0 | Riki throws his comb forward, then he dashes forward. His shadow trail hits enemies multiple times. |
| Harder Punch | Light Attack | No | Dojo | 0 | An extension of Riki's Light Attack combo. Functions as his third attack. |
| Stone Launcher | Directional Pad Up + Heavy Attack | No | Dojo | 0 | Riki effortlessly delivers an uppercut, his hand surrounded in stone. Combo ending attack. |
| Cheap Shot | Directional Pad Down + Heavy Attack | No | Dojo | 0 | Riki's launcher, he kicks upward after turning around. |
| Acro Dragon | Directional Pad Up + Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 5 | A variant of the Tornado Kick, Riki performs a spin kick, rising upwards. |
| Acro Flip | Special Attack while running | Yes | Dojo | 5 | Riki performs a quick Acro Circus. |
| Sweep Kick | Light Attack | No | Dojo | 5 | Becomes Riki's fourth Light Combo attack. |
| Half Moon Kick | Directional Pad Left/Right + Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 8 | Riki makes a short hop, then throws a kick downwards, knocking enemies down. Can be performed in midair by pressing the Special Attack button. |
| Acorn Breaker | Heavy Attack after grabbing stunned enemy from behind | No | Dojo | 8 | The Massage Special, Riki kicks the enemy multiple times in the crotch. |
| Table Flip | Special Attack after grabbing stunned enemy from the front | Yes | Dojo | 8 | Riki launches the enemy away from him. |
| Stone Hands | Directional Pad Down + Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 12 | Riki punches the ground with both hands, knocking down surrounding enemies. |
| Piledriver | Heavy Attack + Special Attack near enemy in midair | Yes | Dojo | 12 | The all time classic, Riki also spins while doing it. |
River City Girls 2[]
Trivia[]
- His nickname is "Mach Punch Riki". The inspiration for the Mach Punch comes from the Speed Racer manga (which was known as Mach GoGoGo in Japan). Animating the Mach Punch in the original arcade game (when Riki grabs Kunio and punches him) reminded Kishimoto of the Mach GoGoGo anime.
- According to Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Riki's name originates from a notorious yakuza in his youth.
- Riki has had at least two confirmed girlfriends in the games: Mami in Downtown Nekketsu series, and Kyoko in Kunio-tachi no Banka.
- The character Kazuma Kuwabara from the anime Yu Yu Hakusho bears a close resemblance to him due to his Pompadour hairstyle and his uniform color.
- In Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun, Riki's surname was Hibari. Samejima was introduced as his surname in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari. However, according to Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Riki is simply named Riki, just like the rest of the characters that debuted in Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (Wataru is one exception). It is unknown if Riki is his surname or given name.
- Kunio's catchphrase, "Namen'nayo!" (なめんなよ!, roughly translates to "Don't mess with me!"), originated from Riki in the original arcade game as well as in the Famicom version. He originally said "Namen'nayo kono yarou!" (なめんなよ この やろう!, roughly translates to "Don't mess with me, punk!").
- Riki shares many traits with Kunio, such as his roughed up appearance and his deep sense of honor. Unlike his rival, however, he has a more serious, quiet and down-to-business personality, as noticed in Shin Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio-tachi no Banka where he's the character that speaks the least.
References[]