Design Shop: ZEKU - Profound Radness
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ม.ค. 2025
- LET'S PARTY! A.B.I. cuts across worlds with Zeku, the Grandmaster of Bushinryu and the First Strider!
BGM1: Zeku's Theme (Street Fighter 5)
BGM2: Strider Hiryu's Theme (Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3)
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I like how his young version is all serious, formal and strict meanwhile his old self is more relaxed, easy going person. Like he is done with being serious and rather would enjoy remained years of his life he got left.
Yeah it’s a really nice character detail. Makes you wonder what caused such a huge shift in personality. It also helps informs Guy’s more serious personality given who taught him.
Oh, and ALL HIS WIN QUOTES ARE HAIKUS
So wait, he's Strider, Guy, AND Slayer and Answer from Guilty Gear? If SFV didn't run like shit on my computer I'd be playing the hell out of this character right now
Would you look at that?
The dude speaks in poetry!
Best ninja ever!
Forgetting the most important detail smh
His fighting style is also like that of Valkenhayn R. Hellsing from the BlazBlue series with the ability to change his fighting style by changing form.
For real? Best character ever!
It makes sense Zeku's color schemes are clashing a little bit.
He's an old man who wants to look cool, he's a master, he has a bit of an exuberant personality and is just a bit over the top.
He's the Steve Buscemi with a Skateboard of ninjas?
@@jonathansalvador5037 how you doin' fellow shinobis? Believe it, amirite?
@@returnedtomonkey8886 that's why he chose orange gloves huh
Sugarpunch, as a martial arts instructor, zeku is automatically my favorite as he reminds me of my sensei. His Katas and pinions are flawless after his attacks, shows he means business and takes pride on his martial art. But I must tell you, the bandages on his one arm serves a purpose
When fighting or training certain martial arts styles, students or instructors wrap thick gauze around their arms and legs to avoid scrapes, cuts and bruises. It also holds the muscles in place so your limbs stay rested and they can stay in their normal shape.
If bandages are wrapped around one specific limb, it usually means the student or instructor has a limb that is not as strong or doesn't work as good as the others. If its wrapped around on one arm, it means the one that isnt wrapped is the dominant arm, and the one that is wrapped could have an ailment, doesn't work as good as the other, or it just isn't as strong as the other arm (in case zekus right arm, due to his age he could have arthritis or it wore down over the years). So the bandages are not for show. They help the student/instructor a lot during training or fighting.
Magnus Malo Really damn cool insight, there. Kinda makes me wish Zeku was the central-ish protagonist instead of Rashid.
thatss cool, it could be a sign of a old wound that didn´t heal properly
Magnus Malo also the bandage is tied around the exact arm where Strider holds his sword, meaning that it also could be a nod to Strider’s eventual reliance on weapons!
valcliff b me too
Magnus Malo wow that’s awesome insight
And then you got Guilty Gear over here where the Old Guy is actually a robotic suit piloted by a teenage girl
Art Thief What...
I love that character. It’s too bad that I’m terrible at Guilty Gear.
Look up Kum Haehyun its the most ridiculous shit, I love it.
In Xrd. GG's actual iconic old guy is Kliff.
A better example would be how Blazblue's Old Guy is a cat.
Soarel And a werewolf butler
Man, seeing all of these obscure characters becoming fully realized fighters is truly amazing.
All mater if who would be next
You could say zeku is striding on to the future
Pajamapants Jack Get out!
Dude, don't call it an anime mullet. That's just stupid.
It's obviously an animullet.
Amulet
Amaizing
Fun fact, Capcom revealed that the artwork on the back of Zeku's Taichi was a callback to some of his earlier concept designs. It's actually meant to be a reference to a War God from an old Capcom arcade game called Forgotten Worlds.
His earlier concept art also shows that he was going to wear the fucking pelt of some giant dragon/weasel creature based off a creature from Monster Hunter(!!!), because one of the many badass things Zeku does in his spare time now is hunt demons that try to cross over into the earth realm!!!
God, I love Zeku. He's one of my fave characters in SFV next to Alex, Cody and Sagat. And the Buddhist connection in his name and mantra that you pointed out just makes him even more perfect. Thanks for making the video.
Captain Commando takes place in Metro City in the far future, to add to the universe cannon.
You should also know that ninja commando has the same martial art that guy and zeku use
@@rahmanmoncatar9675 Ninja Commando, or Ginzu/Sho Takegami, is actually confirmed to be the 40th Bushinryu Grandmaster. He's canonically Guy's disciple.
Straizo awesome!
@@straizo7985 Guy is also invited to be a Ninja Commando in Namco x Capcom
The Capcomverse is huge
Asura's Wrath, Saturday Night Slam Masters, Final Fight, Rival Schools, Captain Commando, Strider. All of these things are canon to SF. And I love it.
AlriikRidesAgain We need more Slam Masters in Street Fighter.
One of these is not like the others
Asura's Wrath only has that Chun-Li cameo without even mentioning her name, so I wouldn't say it shares the same universe as SF.
NinjaWorldWarrior16 Yes. Just that and nothing else. There is literally no other connection between Asura's Wrath and Street Fighter besides that
Better add Darkstalkers to the list. Cammy makes direct references to Cannon Spike if you wear that costume.
Zeku's Story Mode costume absolutely murders me everytime I see it, I love it so fucking much
Story mode costume with the black shirt old firm white jacket young form. Just makes me happy to play it
*Looks at Jinpachi*
*STARES AT JINPACHI*
Zeku... best original character capcom made in forever. At 2:29 - They are all not the same. That One in the middle is a GOD!!! SSS Tier in his game. Faster than the youngest character and Hits like most Bigs.
Zeku is outstanding. His theme alone is worth all the praise.
One thing I like about Zeku's inclusion specifically in how SFV fits in the story (after SF2/4, before 3) is that Ibuki doesn't have her slashing kicks in SFV that she does in 3S...which takes place after she met Zeku. I don't know if it's an intentional thing, but it's a very easy headcanon for me at the least.
Also, a green ninja character voiced by Bang Shishigami's voice actor? Too good.
Overhaul she has them in SF4 though. And 4 takes place 2 years or so before 5.
I always take the inclusion of her and Makoto as like "Yeah they're here just to be here", b/c they're the same age as their 3S selves and, like, Gen is there :v
Like, Oni and E. Ryu are also in SF4
Overhaul there’s nothing that says there the same age. In fact there is character progression for Ibuki between 4 and 3 (without even including 5). In 4 she’s looking for a boyfriend and then in 3 she has a boyfriend.
Zeku has one of the coolest designs in Street Fighter, and definitely the best animations in any SF game.
The "Old Man Kung Fu" style you mentioned (deadest giveaway being Gen Fu's gameplay) is called Xinyi Liu He Quan. It's a martial art that's often marked by an emphasis on linear movements and explosive power that's most often applied at a short range (similar to Baji Quan). Other notable practitioners of Xinyi include Wang Jinrei and the Changs from Tekken, as well as Elliot (Gen Fu's protege).
his profound radness keeps his enemies in profound madness. and if he has a child. then he must have profound dadness.
phantasy star also takes place in the same continuity as street fighter because the big bad of the series is the profound darkness
If he were to crossover with DC, he'd annihilate CADMUS!
i like the colour contrasts of old zeku. Its a very nice colour combination and imo much better than just making everything green
"the cyber ninja robot future!" that's we're all leading towards. Zeku it's just ahead of the curve! LET'S GO!
With the blue suit, I was thinking more of actual ninja, as they didn't wear black. Back during the time of the samurai, which, of course, was long before electricity being used, ninjas actually wore dark blue and not black because the night sky is a dark blue, and black would actually clash a bit and ruin the whole stealth idea. Granted, it's likely that that's why Strider wears blue and thus Zeku.
Daniel Coffman too bad it doesn't help when you're in the open, murdering everything that comes at you. also did you watch gaijin goombah's video ?
Yeah. I've always been a big fan of his.
Daniel Coffman well, I'm a fan too. so I get you
Black is bad for stealth, it actually makes your outline stand out at night, so if ninjas were to wear some kind of stealth clothing it would be either dark blue or gray.
What I'm trying to say is that nes ninja gaiden is more realistic than xbox ninja gaiden
Zeku best old man character? Maybe. Maaaybe.
So we are getting more design shop right? I really enjoy these.
There are two brand new characters in the newest season of SF5, one has yet to be released
Does Cervantes count?
Somewhat I suppose
He's dope, but not even close to coolest geezer, even in fighting games
Heihachi is firmly in the top spot for old man characters tbh
So glad I found your channel a few months ago man.
You make me look at characters and design choices at a whole different angle and perspective, and showed me how important it is for the design to "harmonize" with who the character is, his motivations, personality, etc etc. Thank you so much!
This was great. Zeku is one of my favourite new additions to the SFV roster, and you did him superb justice in this video. Really intelligent and well presented, as well as making me (sensible) chuckle on cue. Bravo!
Bang Shishigami's uncle.
novriltataki but does he have a cool theme song that chants his name!?
P.S. great job on the video regarding 2d and 3d fighting games. Looking forward to the next one on stagnation.
Do what to who's uncle?!
THIS IS AN UKEMI
NOW *THIS* IS AN OKI!
Wait. So Blazblue is tied to SF now? It all makes sense.
So glad you covered Zeku. He's easily one of the best designs in Street Fighter history, with some of the most impressive animations to date.
Zeku is like the ideal reboot. Maintain what works from the past, while also building something new and innovative. Considering that innovation eventually leads to Strider Hiryu, I’d say Zeku made the right choice. 😎👍🏾
Can you do some videos on Arc System Works games? Their animations are amazing and I'd like to hear some analysis on what makes it so beautiful. Like a reverse 'Mortal Kombat X Sucks' kinda thing.
Magistone oh man a analysis on why GGXRD is the best looking fighting game would be the best
Sidney Arendt
Eh, I personally think BlazBlue looks a lot better. Easier on the eyes colours, smaller stunframes making each fight look and feel more dynamic and a great display of what 2D animation has to offer.
Or UNIST. That game is so smooth and beautiful it's criminally underrated.
Easier on the eyes? The stages themselves fight for attention and make my eyes bleed, don't get me wrong, I like 2d sprites but not Blazblue, it's a mess in terms of difficulty in following the action
Vazazell....what the shit are you talking about....Guilty Gear ALONE beat the crap of SF, KOF and Tekken, when it comes to animations, Arc Sys is one of the best animating fighting games....and I AM A CAPCOM fan and even I don't dare to say the shit you are saying.
PerfectKamui ™
Yes, because the colours are not nearly as bright or sharp in BB as they are in GG. Not only the stages fight for your attention but also the cel-shading of the character models, specials that try to pop up in a background that already pops up and even the mechanics like Roman Cancels that completely change the stages' colour scheme for a few seconds just to pronounce the mechanic. Couple that with the limited animation, the GG stunframes, Xrd's love to display 3D camera angles in things like Dusts and Supers and the fact Xrd's music is mostly comprised of hard guitar riffs (audible exhaustion also affects your sight, after all) and you can very easily lose yourself in the action.
Compared to BB, even if there are stages utilising very sharp colours they are offset by milder and more desaturated 2D sprites and even then, they don't even take up a half of the stages. There are no cinematics outside of Astrals, rapids literally just bring your character to the idle and the score enjoys giving attention to orchestral instruments and I'd say I have no trouble with getting into the game the same way I do when playing Xrd.
Zeku left as the 38th Bushin Ryu master, but returned as the first Strider.
Honestly? He’s my favourite Street Fighter of all time! I even used his design as inspiration for when I was redesigning a character of mine which turned out great!
Honestly SFV season 2 have some of my favourite characters in fighting games. If a game had every character with this consistency of style and quality i would really love every second of it.
Zeku was my immediate favourite character from Season 2. I unlocked Menat last among the S2 charactes and only realized just how awesome her character was to my regret after I tried using her. Zeku on the other hand, was the only character from Season 2 where just seeing him made me think 'I gotta have this guy!'
And indeed, I found him really fun to use, even if I'm mostly bad with him. He's really fun to practice and discover combos and options with, and that speaks volumes about his moves design. As someone who was grinding Fight Money to unlock characters for free before we got Arcade Edition, Zeku really did feel like two characters for the price of one, and just seemed like the best buy of the bunch.
"A true master is an eternal student"
2 Things: 1) "Shiki Soku Zeku" immediately made me think of Yoshimitsu from SC
2) Tying your mentioning of Zeku looking forward and to the future when his win pose is him quite literally looking ahead is pretty gnarly
Love yer stuff!!
Wow, this character could use a game of his own. He's so interesting and charismatic!
So great. An old man that looks to the future.
it's so nice to hear ABI being happy about a design. So much of his videos is him getting angry at awful animations, so it's nice to hear some positivity
I had strider in my steam libary for a few years. This motivated me to give it a shot.
One thing to note about Zeku is that the animations he does after the Gram specials are post-recovery, meaning they are just flourishes that can be cancelled at anytime as opposed to actual recovery animations that cannot be cancelled out of.
All of the pre-Zeku characters really need this kind of animation to be added.
Fun fact about belts and such wrapped around limbs. They're bindings, they help strengthen musculature, protect from harm, and keep good posture if fashioned right. You'll see them alot in Yakuza fiction around the stomachs of members, meant to help protect from punches and provide a first level of defense against stab wounds. you'll see more limb bindings in martial arts training.
Haha, profound radness. I love Zeku. He's my favorite new SFV character along with Menat.
That arm-belt thing is usually used for injuries which in my opinion adds a little for the character cuz I think it helps to realize he's old and not in his best shape even though he is a master ninja
When I saw Zeku on the SF5 roster, my immediate reaction was "This guy is the coolest ever and I want him now." - in my mind.
Your videos are teaching me to look critically at design. Really appreciate it!
ZEKU!
Z.zen
E.energy
K.ki
U.unity
So yeah He's da MAN :D
and his theme is awesome
appreciate all the work and effort you put into this videos. Really makes you appreciate and understand characters more!!
Sick video, my dude. This actually makes me wanna buy SFV just for Zeku tbh
I really enjoy your content really help me in character design,story and animation, cant wait for more, kinda shock yourselft said you not pro animator or artist relatable to this stuff XD, you amazing!
Neatherrelm should fly in some animators from DIMPS to show their animators how to do it ,this is how a damn Ninja should move when he fights.
2:24 While I'm not entirely sure, the way that his hands are readied, it makes me think of Tai Chi. I only took it as a class during a single semester of college, but the pushing motion seems really familiar, as well as the flowing movements.
I think a good design for Zeku would be to, as you said, make his blue suit green, but also give him something like a blue tie ( to literally tie him to young Zeku and to show his business side). Maybe you could also give young Zeku's blue suit some kind of drawing, like a symbol, and then put it in the tie too.
I think that Zeku's Critical art is a fusion of Both Strider and Guy's Super Attacks.
I hecking love Strider so this character makes me happy
I love your videos, I hope you never stop. I wonder if you noticed that all of young zeku's costumes are slight variations of old zeku's. For the base costume, young zeku takes the overcoat off and drapes it around his waist. The "belted arm" is the same as old zeku's arm just without the overcoat.
Loved your review of the character and appreciate the time and effort you took to research aspects of the character. Zeku is easily my favorite character in Streetfighter V. Everything about him all the way down to his theme song rocks.
Zeku looks completely like Strider Hiyru
because Zeku is the Founder of the Striders
Dude! That mantra. Thanks for bringing that up. I have learned a thing and the thing is cool.
Hold up. Is the dystopian cyber future of Strider connected in any way to Street Fighter 2010: the final fight ?
Pie Foot No that one is not canon in any way
Pie Foot We don’t talk about that game.
Captain Commando and Stride are canon but 2010 isn't. The one series with SF in the title isn't canon and has no connection, lul.
I dont wanna say yes but YES
SF2010 is a game that happened in an alternate timeline in which Capcom failed. This thing doesn't exist.
Would really love to hear your opinions on some of the Guilty Gear and/or Blazblue designs
I second that
The character I want to see him cover most out of GG is weirdly enough, Testament. idk why but it feels like there's something interesting going on with him animation wise. As for BB, Arakune. That guy's animations are so weird and complex
Testament's one of my favorite characters in GG. I'd probably main him if he fit my playstyle more. I'm going to scream the day he returns.
Gg for lifr bb second life.
Worth noting, it's been confirmed that Tekken and Street Fighter don't exist in the same universe. It's just that Kazumi summoned Akuma somehow. While Akuma's now Tekken canon, that doesn't translate to the rest of the characters nor the SF universe.
It's simply an alternate version of Akuma.
Its also interesting that SFxT on the street fighter website is considered a street fighter game and not a crossover game
Ima: What SF website?
NinjaWorldWarrior16 the street fighter website
Ima
If anything, CFN is the only SF website that comes from Capcom Japan, and it says nothing about SFxT. SF com doesn't either.
damn that forest green looked so much better
i could watch design shop for literal hours. i cant wait for more and for more games!!
Now thats what i call a quality content, keep'em comin please !
One thing Is noted, Actual Ninjas wear blue. So really, Zeku shows he’s a true Ninja no matter what form he’s in
I just feel like I have to say this. Good job. Keep up with everything you do on this channel.
I love the Old Guy design in fighting games.
The times I created an "old guy" custom character in Soul Calibur III and IV with varying fiighting styles...
In Soul Calibur IV, I was particulary fond of a custom "old guy" character with the fighting style of Mitsurugi.
C'mon dude, Shun Di uses Drunken Boxing.
How can you even compare him with Gen Fu or Wang Jinrei
Pretty sure the Old Man Kung Fu here refers to Xing Yi Quan, an internal martial arts. (tbf any internal martial arts should qualify). for more info on internal styles, wiki neijia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neijia
Can't wait to hear you talk about Cody
Oh man this video is going straight to favorites, Zeku is currently my main and I think he's the coolest ninja ever. Great insight video I didn't knew most of this, more reasons to keep grinding even tho he's not that good...
Heihachi and zeku are the best old guys in fighting games
After the patch 3.5 he became the best thing in Street Fighter V.
6:42 Yoshimitsu from tekken says something similar to that (if it isn't that) & i could practically hear him say it in my head
Oh wow that Menat recovery animation looks super cool and fluid. Almost like a dance.
Damn. I didnt know you will bring Sayuri (Asuka's Grandmother) on that "Old Ninja" list with Zeku and Sarutobi. She's a great character though, so i take it.
And she also has Zeku "magic ninja" ability to change between old and young form.
Street Fighter also has ties to Saturday Night Slam Masters, and Star Gladiator. In the manual to Star Gladiator it is mentioned that Hayato is descended from a a Street fighter.
Best character from season 2 hands down!!!!
I can't wait to see the design shop videos on the Season 3 characters (The ones who were redesigned and Falke anyways)
Wow I really enjoyed that. I love strider hiryu but I had no idea how deep it went. The mantra is very cool and very true. I like how you broke down the character so thoroughly reminiscent of digi valentine another TH-camr check him out if you haven’t already. Great job i look forward to more
I've been waiting for this!
Awesome video!
More Design Shop plz)
I barely play Street Fighter V but Zeku is already my favorite Fighting Game Old Guy.
Zeku:the posing, dancing ninja of Bushin!
2:08 BROOOOOOOO!!! HE CALLED IT! Roshi Gang
that "old guy" style is usually a mix of kung fu and tai chi. im irl, this is usually a style mixed with controlled breathing and hard strikes (usually using their knuckles and the back of the hand to the wrist). its a style a lot of older kung fu masters. idk if this is true, but i think this is a slight characters like yun with his tai chi push and his spinning cressent kick
I'll use examples to try to explain why I love Zeku:
- Bambi got through a lot to grow up and replace The Great Prince of Forest as the woods leader
- Ryo Sakazaki became Mr Karate II and the owner of Kyokugen dojo in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Some of us, me included, asked ourselves "What happened to Bambi's father and Takuma afterwards?". And we never knew that...like if they just aged and died. "That's it. THE END".
Capcom did the opposite with Zeku, by placing him in a new journey of reinventing himself and also solved the issue of the aftermath for a replaced old leader.
However, after watching this video, I can only love him more and more. He is definitely so different from other old fighters, that I feel like I'm playing with a young one. He breaks the stereotype by being a graphic designer, dressing like an asian model, and you can see he's trying to update himself by spelling english words (well... you knew that if you turned his voice japanese)
Conclusion: Zeku is like that upbeat old person that never ages mentally and you wish he was your grandpa.
We can add EVERY Capcom game, and they will exist in the same universe, canonically in SF.
And Marvel
+Because Ryu was in SSB, Pokemon, Mario, Sonic, Metroid, Splatoon, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and etc are canon to SF.
I agree on the colors. I feel like they should have desaturated the green and made the jinbaori beat up, like it's been used for a long time and faded. A bit frayed in places, not because of a battle, but because of years of practice.
Wow, never heard of Zeku. I don't like Street Fighter all that much. But the lore you explained is so cool it makes me want to pick it up just for him.
zeku was done well because they used the awesomeness of strider doesnt explain anti aging powers but whatever he looks cool
Loved this vid! Really looking forward to Season 3!
Young Zeku actually has the Bushinryu Kanji similar to what Guy has on his shirt and notable in Nostalgia costume as well
Please do more!
BUSHIN RYU STYLE hell yes, I also love Zeku animations he is so full of charisma and personality and now seeing this editorial I known why, I also like a lot that Zeku is always trying to modernize his style is really unique seeing an OLD character innovating his style, he actually does it better than Guy himself....in a minor different opinion, I think the color pallette of Old Zeku is fine, the Green in the center balance all his other colors and Green, Blue and Orange contrast very well, also I LOVE the straps in his arm, I agree don't make any practical reason, but they just look COOL AS ICE XD.....bad pun.
“Shiki Soku Ze Ku” and “Ku Soku Ze Shiki” are also lines said by Yoshimitsu in Soul Calibur and you can faintly hear it in his Tekken 7 successor.
I feel like the green jin baori does a really good job of letting the player know which Zeku they are fighting as/against
You should do these on guilty gear characters
chompy101 why limit himself BB, SG, and many more games
He's really into arcsys games so idk why he doesn't do them
I do wanna bring up 1 point/agruement you said about "zeku's color pallet is bringing too much attention. " In the SF story *at least what we got of him* he's trying to get attention to start his own style and teachings onto ninja's. So it would kinda make sense for him to stand out in design if he's trying to attract others. But who knows i can be wrong.