Daily Sketch 134: Billy Banzai!

Shadow Ignition character #3.

Also known as the Lone Wolf, Billy Banzai! (the exclamation point is part of his name) is a bounty hunter and self-proclaimed "defender of justice" who travels the world seeking to develop the ultimate swordfighting style. He wields a katana scabbard as a weapon, because he can't afford to buy an actual sword.

Billy's a loudmouth and a bit of an idiot, but he has a good heart and always tries to do the right thing. He can't stand gunfighters, viewing them as cowards, and is searching for the most powerful gunfighter in the world in order to defeat him and prove that the blade is the superior weapon.

One day, he overhears a rumor of an invincible gunfighter called "The Shadow of Death," whom he incorrectly assumes is male. So, Billy resolves to make "him" his next target!

Gameplay-wise, Billy has a weird mechanic. He starts each round locked out of all his special moves, but each time he successfully taunts, his Manly Spirit Level increases, which unlocks new special moves and powers up the ones that have already been unlocked. If you can get his level maxed out, Billy's one of the most versatile and dangerous characters in the game.

He would be the Ken to Cecily's Ryu... except that it's a running joke that Cecily can never remember who he is.

He's inspired in equal parts by Galford and Rising Zan: Samurai Gunman, a stupid-but-fun PSX game that maybe three people ever played. His last name comes from the film Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, and his first name is because it's just not a proper Western without at least one character named Billy.

First time drawing him, and I wasn't really sure where to go with him other than to give him a "shonen protagonist" look. He wound up looking a bit like Kamina, which I think works.