Updated Chi You Men Leaders Photo

tomboz said:
Id always assumed that the Dragon in the prophecy was Lan Di (the azure dragon), but thinking about it, it’s possible that the prophecy is actually talking about Tentei (the yellow dragon). I might be reading a little too much into it, but the element associated with the yellow dragon is earth (a dragon shall rise from the earth) whilst the element associated with the Azure Dragon is Wood. Plus in Chinese mythology, the yellow Emporer (who the yellow dragon is said to be the zoomorphic incarnation of) is the person who ordered the beheading of Chiyou
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Lan Di is without a doubt the dragon. All of the bad endings for Shenmue allude to this. I think the question is Ryo the phoenix or Shenhua? I think the morning star alludes to something else entirely not a character but I'm not sure.
Rydeen said:
That would be so amazing. Sadly, it does look like they’re girls. The kids all have their hair done up in buns, though, and all three of those characters have long(-ish) hair, so—.
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they're definitely girls. I think too much is being read into this line of thinking. They may have been attendants of Zhu or something. I think what was originally supposed to happen was that you rescue Zhu in Suzhou from Lan DI. Essentially the ending of S3 but Suzhou instead of Niaowu and Zhu instead of Yuan
 
Demon's Triangle said:
I don't think there is a 'true story', like 20 years ago, putting so many chapters in Shenmue 2 which felt like Suzuki was compressing chapters.

Also the newer details

The mirror was a 'legendary monster', then it's a treasure map, but there's a map in the bell tower anyway.

The mirrors were ancient, then suddenly they're about 100 years old. Shenhua sees the north star, suggesting Yuan died but they bring him in it anyway.

Flying sword disappears from the cave scene, like the magical tone is being changed to something more subdued.

Not trying to shit on it though, I just rather see them try and prioritize a good story, rather than worrying about purism or a true one
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Technically speaking the story isn't broken (yet). It could very well be misdirection to have different possibilities for the mirrors. Not saying Shenmue is without some plot holes but there could be a way to bring most of this together satisfactorily. I don't think all hope is lost.
 
I've gotten to this thread kind of late (been super busy at work) i have to say this has been a good discussion. I do wish the rest of the cards would be revealed in HD too.

One thing to say though, there seems to be a common thread that every possible character in concept art is a CYM leader. Guys, sometimes it's just a shaolin monk, master, or a side character.

That being said, does anyone remember the source of this image? I'm curious to know if it's legit.
latest
 
Revan said:
If we're worried about new characters being introduced too late into the story, I wonder if reintroducing Master Baihu from Shenmue 2 as one of the Four, specifically the White Tiger boss, might be a good idea (unless that's the actual plan here). There is already some history there between him and Ryo given their encounter in Shenmue 2. The story also foreshadows that we may meet him again at a later point ("Hazuki...I shall remember that name). Its also a bit coincidental that he just so happened to practice the same Tiger Swallow Style that Lan Di uses, resembles a tiger in his visual design what with his orange-white colour scheme, and that his name means "White Tiger" in Chinese.

The only thing that might throw this theory into question is that we beat one of the Four Big Bosses as early as Shenmue 2 when Ryo has barely begun his martial arts journey and is still grappling with petty thugs. But, perhaps Baihu is almost the Kylo Ren of the Chi You Men: a proud young man who thinks he's all-powerful but who also struggles at letting his pride cloud his judgement which results in him getting beaten by a teenager with limited Kung Fu. After Shenmue 2, Bailu likely went away to complete his training, furious that he was beaten by a mere teenager. He likely was scolded by Tentei/Niao Sun/Lan Di for being a complete joke, and he perhaps struggles at being the competent fighter he is expected to be as one of the Four. He'll train harder to not let Ryo humiliate him again, but his quest will ultimately be that of Sisyphus in Greek mythology: a character who rolls a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down for eternity. He'll attack Ryo in Shenmue 4, perceiving himself to finally be a more powerful rival, and Ryo will swiftly humiliate him once again. Maybe this could even progress into a redemptive arc where Baihu considers that maybe he is just not cut out for being one of the Chi You Men and Ryo assists with his redemption. Just a thought.
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I know it sounds funny but I wouldn't actually mind it if master Baihu did turn out to be one of the four leaders of the Chi You Men. His name is literally perfect for the role and his appearance is so ornate and unusual plus his use of the Tiger Swallow style. Some might be disappointed that we already know the identity of one of the big four if this turned out to be the case and that we have actually defeated him but it was a pretty epic and unique moment in Shenmue II, especially if you've unlocked machine gun fist. Either way, new or returning character, I would love to see it in Shenmue IV and/or beyond.

Great post, thanks!
 
jcjimher said:
That picture is so big because it's in the uncompressed BMP format. I've converted it to JPG and uploaded it to this forum with no hassle:

View attachment 8713
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Thank you. I need to make some edits to it now that Shenmue III is out...such as obviously knowing who Yuan is. Plus I have some other theories as to who plugs in where.
 
Yes, it was an official section on Shenmue.com, and the staff would always post little snippets, then they would feature community fan art, questions, etc. The posting of this picture is 100% legit. Kenji Miyawaki, for example, was known as "Wacky", and I know Noguchi - san, who was featured in many marketing interviews and events for the Shenmue I & II rerelease, took part a lot, and also cosplayed as Dou Niu quite a bit. :)
 
Rydeen said:
kind of like the kid in the first human period of Terranigma.
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Apologies, this is off-topic. I didn’t think anyone remembered that game other than me! Although I started it back in the day, I only just played right the way through it within the last 12 months, good game and an interesting story.
 
MJC The Great said:
Apologies, this is off-topic. I didn’t think anyone remembered that game other than me! Although I started it back in the day, I only just played right the way through it within the last 12 months, good game and an interesting story.
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I played it for the first time a few years ago. I love that game. It's the best thing on the SNES, for me.
 
Rydeen said:
I played it for the first time a few years ago. I love that game. It's the best thing on the SNES, for me.
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Very interesting. It felt quite a special experience when I played it and to be honest, I was kind of moved by the ending. Thanks for sharing!
 
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