Post by Chad Olson on Jul 16, 2020 13:53:40 GMT -5
I don't recall if we discussed Akuma's bio at GCON, so here it is...
"Akuma the Ninja was a feared and mysterious warrior in feudal Japan. During his adventures, he was exploring an ancient temple of a vanquished enemy. He found destroyed an artifact within the temple, which hurled him into the future, circa 2090. Thantos found him in a lair of rogues and mercenaries (think the Tatooine cantina in Star Wars) and hired him to be his bodyguard. Akuma thrived in this situation, often ambushing opponents after a match or on the way to the ring, and serving as a gatekeeper to Thantos."
Akuma the Ninja was created by Steve Minskoff and was given away at the first GalactiCon. To my knowledge, he was the first professionally printed bootleg in Champions of the Galaxy history. Many promoters had created bootlegs, including Dave Szymanak and Mark Ashby, but they usually lacked artwork and were typed or handwritten on full sheets of paper.
Akuma's original artwork was drawn by Steve's secretary. The stats were not quite "COTG street legal", with an "out of the ring" designation on Level 2 Offense. The following year, Steve released a revised version of Akuma with professional artwork (artist unknown) and updated stats. At GalactiCon 1992, Steve released a manager (Master Shogun) and tag team partner (Tsuyoi the Decimator) for Akuma, and high quality bootlegging was off to the races. A few years later, dealer's tables with promoter created bootlegs filled the sunroom at the Sheldon House.
Akuma's NINJA AMBUSH finisher is a moonsault.
"Akuma the Ninja was a feared and mysterious warrior in feudal Japan. During his adventures, he was exploring an ancient temple of a vanquished enemy. He found destroyed an artifact within the temple, which hurled him into the future, circa 2090. Thantos found him in a lair of rogues and mercenaries (think the Tatooine cantina in Star Wars) and hired him to be his bodyguard. Akuma thrived in this situation, often ambushing opponents after a match or on the way to the ring, and serving as a gatekeeper to Thantos."
Akuma the Ninja was created by Steve Minskoff and was given away at the first GalactiCon. To my knowledge, he was the first professionally printed bootleg in Champions of the Galaxy history. Many promoters had created bootlegs, including Dave Szymanak and Mark Ashby, but they usually lacked artwork and were typed or handwritten on full sheets of paper.
Akuma's original artwork was drawn by Steve's secretary. The stats were not quite "COTG street legal", with an "out of the ring" designation on Level 2 Offense. The following year, Steve released a revised version of Akuma with professional artwork (artist unknown) and updated stats. At GalactiCon 1992, Steve released a manager (Master Shogun) and tag team partner (Tsuyoi the Decimator) for Akuma, and high quality bootlegging was off to the races. A few years later, dealer's tables with promoter created bootlegs filled the sunroom at the Sheldon House.
Akuma's NINJA AMBUSH finisher is a moonsault.
