================================================ FIRE PROWRESTLING Z CHARACTER GUIDE: KEIJI MUTOH ================================================ for Sony PlayStation 2 (Japan) Version 1.0 by Bill Wood (billwood661@comcast.net) Last modified: 7/31/03 Fire ProWrestling Z (c) 2003 Spike NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface. =================== ==VERSION HISTORY== =================== 1.0 - Initial release of the guide. ===================== ==TABLE OF CONTENTS== ===================== SECTION 1: HISTORY OF KEIJI MUTOH SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS SECTION 3: MOVELIST SECTION 4: STRATEGY SECTION 5: CLOSING ===================================== ==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF KEIJI MUTOH== ===================================== The tale of the wrestling career of Keiji Mutoh is really the tale of two wrestlers; Keiji Mutoh, the brilliant technician, and the Great Muta, his masked alter-ego. Mutoh is as respected as they come in Japan, earning a spot in the top 25 of the PWI 500 for the majority of his career. He has won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship 3 times, the NWA Heavyweight Championship the AJPW and IWGP Tag Team Championships along with other international titles along the way. As Muta (who is a separate wrestler in Fire Pro D under the "WWC" promotion), he was NWA Television Champion in the U.S. in 1989, beating Sting for the title. The Great Muta eventually joined Masahiro Chono's nWo Japan stable and later became WCW Tag Team Champion with Vampiro. With the dawn of the new millenium, Mutoh found himself at a crossroads in his career. The Great Muta gimmick was retired (but resurrected later in AJPW), and the nWo stable had run its course. And so, like so many other wrestlers have done in the past, Mutoh reinvented himself, changing his look and wrestling style. He shaved off his long hair and grew a goatee, becoming the "Cross Wizard" Keiji Mutoh. The new gimmick exploded, and Mutoh became more popular than ever. He also created a new finisher, the "Shining Wizard", a move that took the puroresu world by storm. The move is now a staple of many Japanese wrestling matches and is used by many performers from Taiyo Kea to Jun Akiyama, and even the hilarious Stalker Ishikawa (with equally hilarious results). Even WWE wrestler The Hurricane has copied it (although he doesn't perform the move the same as Mutoh). In 2001, Keiji Mutoh won All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown with an intense victory over Genichiro Tenryu, a match hailed by puroresu fans as one of the best of the year. Because Mutoh was working for New Japan Pro Wrestling at the time, this was seen as a major coup. Yet it would not be the only coup. With Mutoh's popularity at perhaps an all-time high, All Japan would lure Mutoh away from rival New Japan just months later, making him a permanent part of their roster. Ironically enough, in the year 2003, the future of All Japan Pro Wrestling may rest squarely on the shoulders of Keiji Mutoh. Only time will tell if he can rise to the challenge. ======================================== ==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS== ======================================== SKILL ----- Real Name....................Keiji Mutoh FPZ Name......................Ken Shundo Promotion........All Japan Pro Wrestling FPZ Promotion................Olive Japan Size..............................Medium Class..............................Heavy Height............................188 cm Weight............................110 kg Country............................Japan Birthdate.....................12.23.1962 Stance.........................Technical Offensive Skill...............Technician Return Skill..................All Around Critical Type...................Finisher Special Skill....................Stardom Recovery..........................Medium Recovery (when bleeding)..........Medium Respiratory.......................Medium Respiratory (when bleeding).......Medium Awareness.........................Medium Awareness (when bleeding).........Medium Neck Strength.....................Medium Arm Strength......................Medium Waist Strength......................High Foot Strength........................Low Movement Speed...............Medium Fast Ascend Speed........................Fast Ascend Skill........................Jump PARAMETER - OFFENSE PARAMETER - DEFENSE ------------------- ------------------- Punch.............5 Punch.............7 Kick..............5 Kick..............7 Suplex............7 Suplex............8 Submission........7 Submission........8 Stretch...........7 Stretch...........7 Power.............6 Flying............8 Instant-P.........9 Crush.............7 Arm Power.........6 Vs Lariat.........6 Technical.........8 Technical.........9 Rough.............7 Rough.............8 Ground............4 Ground............5 TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-300): 200 SKILL CHANGES FROM FIRE PRO D TO FIRE PRO Z: * Offensive Kick stat increased from 4 to 5. * Offensive Power stat increased from 5 to 6. * Offensive Arm Power stat increased from 5 to 6. * Offensive Rough stat increased from 2 to 7. ======================= ==SECTION 3: MOVELIST== ======================= NOTE: This movelist is my direct translation of the Japanese Fire Pro Z Player's Guide, there may be some minor errors. If I was unable to translate, I looked up the move in Edit Mode. Specialty moves are marked with [S]. Finisher is marked with [F]. KEY: ([]) = Square button (X) = X button (O) = Circle button STRIKES ------- Standing ([])...............................Thigh Kick Standing (X).................................Elbow Pat Standing (O) + d-pad.....................Rolling Sobat Standing (O).........................One Spin Dropkick Standing ([]) + (X).......................Low Dropkick Running ([])..............................Face Crusher Running (X)..........................One Spin Dropkick Running Counter ([])......................Low Dropkick Running Counter (X).....................FRANKENSTEINER [S] Running to corner.....................Handspring Elbow GRAPPLES -------- Grapple ([])...............................Elbow Smash Grapple ([]) + Up....................Leg Grab and Trip Grapple ([]) + Left/Right..................Flying Mare Grapple ([]) + Down................Elbow Stamp to Knee Grapple (X)...............................Low Dropkick Grapple (X) + Up...........................Brainbuster Grapple (X) + Left/Right...........Schmidt Backbreaker Grapple (X) + Down...............HI SPEED DRAGON SCREW [S] Grapple (O)................................Cobra Twist Grapple (O) + Up.................Spinning Inferno Kick Grapple (O) + Left/Right..............Jumping Backdrop Grapple (O) + Down...........Gotch (Cradle) Piledriver Grapple ([]) + (X)......................SHINING WIZARD [F] Back Grapple ([])...........................Neck Smash Back Grapple (X)..........................Face Crusher Back Grapple (O)..........................Sleeper Hold Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down...........Crucifix Arm Lock Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right............German Suplex Back Grapple ([]) + (X)..................Dragon Suplex Back Grapple Counter ([])....................Elbow Pat Back Grapple Counter (X)..................Kick to Head OPPONENT DOWN MOVES ------------------- Opponent Face Up at Head (X)........Two Hand Press Pin Opponent Face Up at Head (O)..................Key Lock Opponent Face Up at Feet (X).......FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK [S] Opponent Face Up at Feet (O)........Achilles Heel Hold Opponent Face Down at Head (X).......Crucifix Arm Lock Opponent Face Down at Head (O).........Stomping (back) Opponent Face Down at Feet (X)...Rev. Indian Deathlock Opponent Face Down at Feet (O)..........Stomping (leg) Running at Downed Opponent (O)..........Flashing Elbow MOUNT MOVES ----------- Mount Position ([])................Mount Knuckle Arrow Mount Position (X)...................Crucifix Arm Lock Mount Position (O).................Figure Four Leglock Mount Position Counter...............Crucifix Arm Lock Front Facelock Attack ([]).........Striking Knee Lifts Front Facelock Attack (X)..............Front Neck Lock Front Facelock Attack (O)..................Back Switch Front Facelock Attack Counter...............Hammerlock Back Mount Position ([])......Back Mount Knuckle Arrow Back Mount Position (X)...............Back Mount Elbow Back Mount Position (O)..............Crucifix Arm Lock Back Mount Position Counter........Escape through legs POST AND APRON MOVES -------------------- Post ([]).............................Diving Knee Drop Post (X)...........................ROUNDING BODY PRESS [S] Post (O)..................................Missile Kick Post ([]) + (X).....................Twist Missile Kick Run-Up Post vs Standing ([])......................none Run-Up Post vs Downed (X).........................none Corner Grapple (O) + Up...........Aval. Frankensteiner Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right...........Low Dropkick Corner Grapple (O) + Down...........Aval. Dragon Screw Front Avalanche Counter.....................Elbow Butt Back Avalanche Counter......................Body Press Apron Grapple from inside........Dragon Screw to floor Apron Grapple from outside........Brainbuster reversal Running to out of bounds..................Tope Suicida Slingshot to outside...................Plancha Suicida Slingshot to inside.............Swan Dive Missile Kick DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES ---------------------------- Two Platon Front Grapple....................W.Dropkick Two Platon Back Grapple.....................W.Backdrop Two Platon Corner...........................Double DDT Three Platon Front Grapple.............Triple Beatdown Three Platon Back Grapple..............Triple Beatdown Three Platon Corner......................Triple Impact PERFORMANCE ----------- Analog Stick Left........................"Wizard" pose Analog Stick Right......crosses forearms, extends arms Analog Stick Up............turns to crowd, raises fist Analog Stick Down.............raises fist, pumps elbow MOVELIST CHANGES FROM FIRE PRO D TO FIRE PRO Z: * Well, for starters, Spike reanimated the Shining Wizard, creating a version that is much more accurate (i.e. sloppier looking) than the previous FPD add-on move. It's also his finisher of course (it was the Rounding Body Press in FPD). * They also animated his "cross wizard" taunt, which is immensely popular in Japan, and copied nearly as much as the Shining Wizard. * Apart from these additions, nearly Mutoh's entire moveset has been modified and updated. Refer to my FPD Mutoh guide for his previous moveset. ======================= ==SECTION 4: STRATEGY== ======================= GENERAL STRATEGY In between the time from Fire Pro D to Z, Keiji Mutoh has risen to prominence from an influential and skilled Japanese wrestler to one of Japan's most important wrestling figures both in and behind the scenes. As such, he's been updated to make him one of the more dominant wrestlers on the FPZ roster. From his dramatic appearance change to his moveset update to his offensive stat boost which puts him in the elusive FPZ 200 Club, Keiji Mutoh is not the same wrestler he was in FPD. Which is a good thing, as he was so outdated in FPD he was pretty much a mandatory re-edit for anyone who owned that game. And if you're new to Fire Pro, let me just say that Mutoh's pretty much a powerhouse. His strikes are average, but his grapples are where it's at. In the stat department, he has 7's and 8's where it counts when it comes to grappling. Amazingly enough, Mutoh still has a 9 offensive Flying rating, proof positive that Spike refuses to downgrade any wrestler's attributes. Hey Spike, it's 2003, not 1993! Defensively, Mutoh's stats are incredibly high. He only takes a backseat to icons like Jumbo Tsuruta and Antonio Inoki in the defense department. This means you can take a beating with Mutoh and still mount a comeback. Since Mutoh's special skill is "Stardom", don't forget to taunt (Cross Wizard preferred) if you're getting worn down in a close match. This will help Mutoh to increase his offensive potency. In a nutshell, your primary focus should be on grappling. Win your grapples and work on submissions from the ground. Although they're no longer a sure thing like they were in FPD (due to the introduction of ground counters in FPZ), the new-era Mutoh is definitely more grounded than he was in the early days, and likes to work those long submission holds. So knock your opponent to the mat and use some "psychology" on their limbs! STRIKES Bleh, I don't like Mutoh's strikes at all, but at least they're better than they were in FPD. I particularly despise dropkicks in any Fire Pro game, and Mutoh has two of them in FPZ. But if you want to work a realistic Mutoh-style match, no match is complete without at least a dozen low dropkicks. It's your call. If I had to choose any strike of Mutoh's to use on a consistent basis, it would be the Elbow Pat. The new animation just looks great and it's easy to connect with. GRAPPLES As bland as Mutoh's strikes are, his grapples are just the opposite. If used correctly, Mutoh can be an exciting and very effective wrestler in FPZ. Your bread and butter as far as Mutoh grapples are concerned should be the Low Dropkick, the High Speed Dragon Screw, and of course, the Shining Wizard. Again, just about any grapple should chain into a submission from the ground. The Figure Four and the Reverse Indian Deathlock should be used repeatedly to wear down your opponent's legs. ====================== ==SECTION 5: CLOSING== ====================== In closing, I would like to thank: * www.puroresu.com and www.puroresufan.com for historical reference. * CJayC and GameFAQs for hosting this guide. Fire ProWrestling Z Character Guide: Keiji Mutoh (c)2003 Bill Wood