Kenka Bancho

A series of free-roaming beat-em-up games for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, where you play a delinquent Japanese high school student looking to become a bancho, or "ringleader". To that end, you run around beating people up, learn new fighting techniques, and try to impress girls.

The third game in the series, for the PSP, is being released in English by Atlus under the title Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble.


 * Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Just try and do any of the shabai things mentioned on the website. You will regret it if you ever get to Shabazo or Shabazo King "rankings".
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Defeating other banchos forces them to become your peon. It's forced, but they're still very quick to praise you for defeating them.
 * Delinquents: Of course!
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Under no circumstances would a bancho outright attack policemen.
 * If You Taunt Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Except not. You lose badassitude if you back down from smash talking and gain a bit after successful your smash talk sessions.
 * I Shall Taunt You: During Smash Talk. Only makes the enemy angry if you say something non-sensical or stupid. Especially if you choose something that they have a specific response to. Example messup: "Shake it like a man!" Response: "Shake this, jerk!"
 * Karma Meter: Shabai vs Shibui, with Shabai being gained for being a petty thug and Shibui gained for honorable fights. Later installations lets you be more merciful or merciless.
 * New Game+: There literally is too much to see and do in the third game in one play through. However, this lets you carry over your stats, items, and powerups. The only real loss is going back to the middle of badassitude, not having everyone's cell phone numbers, and a few unskippable cutscene-started fights.
 * Police Are Useless: Played straight and subverted. If for some reason you are being tailed by the 5-0, then go into any place that changes screens (another part of the town, a shop, a transportation service, etc.) and the order will have be called off. If you're getting horribly beat down by other yankiis (read: shabazos), run toward the police or wait for them to come by and every one of them will run off, leaving you safe as long as you aren't fighting back. In addition, police don't show up PERIOD during boss fights and Night Out mode.
 * Rated "M" for Manly: YOUR FATHER'S AMAZING LECTURE ON MANLINESS IS NOW OVER.
 * Rule of Cool: The premise of the game and many in-game elements revolve around this.
 * Rule of Funny: Oh so many instances. Easily deserves its own folder.
 * Shout-Out: Plenty, especially during the Smash Talks. What You're Supposed To Say: "Go to Hell!" The Messup: "Heaven to Hell!" The response as your enemy nails your head in? "Let's Rock!" Some of the "hidden smashes" have shout outs as well, including lines like "Don't stop! This is bat country!" and even "Suck my missile punch!"
 * Look!! A Three-Headed Monkey!!
 * Virtual Paper Doll: Your Bancho starts out with a pre-set look. However, once you go to the barber and tailor, you can purchase various options to customize him with varying consequences (certain clothes have less pockets than others).
 * Wide Open Sandbox: Nearly every day on the trip, your class heads off to "some boring shrine or another". The game very rarely forces you to do anything, outside of two unskippable cutscene-started fights. You can just roam around town, picking fights, finding UFOs, or pretty much whatever you want. "Or just stay in your room all week; see if I care."
 * There's an award from going straight to your room from the very beginning and fast-forwarding all the way to the end of the week, emerging only for mandatory story events.