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FIRE PRO WRESTLING RETURNS CHARACTER GUIDE: KEIJI MUTOH
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for Sony PlayStation 2 (U.S.)
Version 1.1
by Bill Wood ([email protected])
Last modified: 12/27/07

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (c) 2005 Spike (c) 2007 Agetec

NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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==VERSION HISTORY==
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1.1 - Minor corrections.

1.0 - Initial release of the guide.

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==TABLE OF CONTENTS==
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SECTION 1: HISTORY OF KEIJI MUTOH
SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS
SECTION 3: MOVELIST
SECTION 4: STRATEGY
SECTION 5: CLOSING

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==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF KEIJI MUTOH==
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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 completely separate wrestler in Fire Pro Returns under
the Olive Japan 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 millennium, Mutoh found himself at a crossroads
in his career. The Great Muta gimmick was retired (but resurrected later
in AJPW), and the nWo Japan 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
started using an all-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 comedic wrestlers such as Ebessan and Stalker Ishikawa
(with equally comedic results). WWE wrestler Gregory Helms also adopted
his own version of the move.

In 2001, Keiji Mutoh won All Japan Pro Wrestling's prestigious Triple
Crown Championship 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 longtime rival New Japan Pro Wrestling at the time, this was
seen as a major coup.

Yet it would not be the only shocking development. With Mutoh's popularity
at perhaps an all-time high, All Japan would lure Mutoh away from New
Japan just months later, making him a permanent part of their roster. Not
only did he become a full-time All Japan wrestler, but he also began to
play an increasingly important role in booking and managing the promotion.

Recommended Mutoh match: 2001 Triple Crown match vs. Genichiro Tenryu

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==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS==
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SKILL
-----
Real Name....................Keiji Mutoh
FPR Name......................Ken Shundo
Organization.....All Japan Pro Wrestling
FPR Organization.............Olive Japan
FPR Group....................Olive Japan
Size..............................Medium
Class..............................Heavy
Height............................188 cm
Weight............................110 kg
Gender..............................Male
Birthdate.....................10/13/1962
Country............................Japan
Rank...................................A
Charisma...............................A
Stance.........................Technical
Fight Style...................Technician
Return........................All Around
Critical........................Finisher
Special..........................Stardom
Recovery..........................Medium
Recovery (when bleeding)..........Medium
Breathing.........................Medium
Breathing (when bleeding).........Medium
Spirit............................Medium
Spirit (when bleeding)............Medium
Neck Endurance....................Normal
Arm Endurance.....................Normal
Back Endurance......................High
Leg Endurance........................Low
Movement Speed...............Medium Fast
Up and Down Speed.................Medium
Ascent Style.........................Run
Favorite Weapon.....................none

PARAMETER - OFFENSE     PARAMETER - DEFENSE
-------------------     -------------------
Punch.............5     Punch.............7
Kick..............5     Kick..............7
Throw.............7     Throw.............8
Joint.............7     Joint.............8
Stretch...........7     Stretch...........7
Power.............6     Flying............8
Agility...........9     Body..............7
Arm...............6     Lariat............6
Technical.........8     Technical.........9
Rough.............7     Rough.............8
MMA Overall.......4     MMA Overall.......5
Entertain.........2     Entertain.........8
-------------------     -------------------
OFF. SUB-TOTAL...73     DEF. SUB-TOTAL...88

TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-380): 206

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==SECTION 3: MOVELIST==
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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 Bunt
Standing (O) + d-pad..................Rolling Solebutt
Standing (O).........................Spinning Dropkick
Standing ([]) + (X).......................Low Dropkick
Running ([])..............................Face Crusher
Running (X)..........................Spinning Dropkick
Running (O)..........................Jumping Knee Kick
Running Counter ([])......................Low Dropkick
Running Counter (X).....................Back Body Drop
Running Counter (O).....................Frankensteiner
Running to corner..................Space Rolling Elbow 
Co-op Irish whip to corner.........Space Rolling Elbow
Corner-to-center attack.................SHINING WIZARD [S]

GRAPPLES
--------
Grapple ([])...............................Elbow Smash
Grapple ([]) + Up....................Leg Grab and Trip
Grapple ([]) + Left/Right..................Flying Mare
Grapple ([]) + Down.................Elbow Stamp to Leg
Grapple (X)...............................Low Dropkick
Grapple (X) + Up...........................Brainbuster 
Grapple (X) + Left/Right...........Schmidt Backbreaker
Grapple (X) + Down....................Jumping Backdrop
Grapple (O)................................Cobra Twist
Grapple (O) + Up..................Rolling Inferno Kick
Grapple (O) + Left/Right............RAPID DRAGON SCREW [S]
Grapple (O) + Down......................SHINING WIZARD [F]
Grapple ([]) + (X)....................Gotch Piledriver
Back Grapple ([])...........................Neck Smash
Back Grapple (X)..........................Face Crusher
Back Grapple (O)..........................Sleeper Hold
Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down..........Victory X Arm Hold
Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right............German Suplex
Back Grapple ([]) + (X)..................Dragon Suplex
Back Grapple Counter ([])...................Elbow Bunt
Back Grapple Counter (X).................Overhead Kick

OPPONENT DOWN MOVES
-------------------
Opponent Face Up at Head (X)......Both Hands 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 Hold
Opponent Face Down at Head (X)....Both Hands Press Pin
Opponent Face Down at Head (O)..............X Arm Hold
Opponent Face Down at Feet (X)...Rev. Indian Deathlock
Opponent Face Down at Feet (O)..........Stomping (leg)
Running at Downed Opponent (O)..........Flashing Elbow

MMA MOVES
---------
Guard Attack ([])........................Knuckle Arrow
Guard Attack (X)............................X Arm Hold
Guard Attack (O)...................Figure Four Leglock
Guard Counter...............................X Arm Hold
Mount/Facelock Attack ([])..............Face Knee Lift
Mount/Facelock Attack (X)..............Front Neck Lock
Mount/Facelock Attack (O)..................Back Switch
Mount/Facelock Counter......................Hammerlock
Back Mount Attack ([])...................Knuckle Arrow
Back Mount Attack (X)............................Elbow
Back Mount Attack (O).......................X Arm Hold
Back Mount Counter..............................Escape

POST AND APRON MOVES
--------------------
Post ([]).............................Diving Knee Drop
Post (X)...........................ROUNDING BODY PRESS [S]
Post (O)..................................Missile Kick
Post ([]) + (X).......................Low Missile Kick
Running Post Dive ([])............................none
Running Post Dive (X).............................none
Corner Grapple (O) + Up...........Top Rope Huracanrana
Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right....Corner Low Dropkick
Corner Grapple (O) + Down........Top Rope Dragon Screw
Corner (Top Rope) Counter [F]...............Elbow Bunt
Corner (Top Rope) Counter [B]................Fall Back
Inside Apron Grapple..............Inferno Dragon Screw
Outside Apron Grapple..............Landing Brainbuster
Run to outside............................Suicide Dive
Dive out ring..........................Plancha Suicida
Dive in ring........................Swan Dive Dropkick
Cage Dive.........................................none

DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES
----------------------------
Front Double Team......................Double Dropkick
Back Double Team.......................Double Backdrop
Corner Double Team......................Shining Impact
Front Triple Team...................Triple Hammer Blow
Back Triple Team....................Triple Hammer Blow
Corner Triple Team..................Triple Hammer Blow

PERFORMANCE
-----------
Entry Performance.......................Hands Gut Pose
Analog Stick Left........................Magician Pose
Analog Stick Right.........................Hands Cross
Analog Stick Up.....................Fist and Arm Raise
Analog Stick Down.............................Gut Pose

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==SECTION 4: STRATEGY==
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GENERAL STRATEGY
If you're new to Fire Pro (as well as the world of Japanese wrestling),
you should know that Mutoh is pretty much a powerhouse. His strikes are
rather average, but his grapples are really where it's at. In the
offensive stat department, he has 7's and 8's in every major category,
plus his 9 Agility rating gives him some serious ammo when it comes to
moves in that particular category.

Defensively, Mutoh's stats are well stacked, and he only takes a backseat
to icons like Jumbo Tsuruta and Antonio Inoki. As a result, you can take a
pretty serious beating with Mutoh and still manage to mount a comeback. 
And since Mutoh's Special Skill is "Stardom", don't forget to taunt
("Magician Pose" preferred!) if you're getting beat down in a close match.
This may actually make the difference between winning and losing!

In a nutshell, your primary focus should always be on grappling. Win your
grapples, then immediately go to work on submissions from the ground. The
new-era Mutoh is definitely more grounded than he was in his early days,
and really likes to lock on those long submission holds. So knock your
opponent to the mat and use some "psychology" on those limbs!

STRIKES
Unfortunately Mutoh's strikes are pretty lackluster in FPR. Dropkicks can
be particularly dreadful in any Fire Pro game, and Mutoh has two of them
in his striking set. If you want to work a realistic Mutoh-style match, no
match is complete without several low dropkicks, but if your focus is
solely on winning the match, a more practical striking option would be the
Elbow Bunt, it looks great and is dead easy to connect with.

And although it's not technically classified as a strike, the "running at
downed opponent" Flashing Elbow is a must at least once in every Keiji
Mutoh match.

GRAPPLES
As bland as Mutoh's strikes are, his grapples are just the opposite. If
used correctly, Mutoh can be a very exciting and effective wrestler to use
in FPR. Your primary source of offense 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.

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==SECTION 5: CLOSING==
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In closing, I would like to thank Jason Blackhart for statistical
information, and Michael "maikeru" Leal for movelist information.

Fire ProWrestling Returns Character Guide: Keiji Mutoh
(c)2007 Bill Wood