=================================================
FIRE PRO WRESTLING RETURNS CHARACTER GUIDE: VADER
=================================================
for Sony PlayStation 2 (U.S.)
Version 1.0
by Bill Wood ([email protected])
Last modified: 1/9/08

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

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

===================
==VERSION HISTORY==
===================

1.0 - Initial release of the guide.

=====================
==TABLE OF CONTENTS==
=====================

SECTION 1: HISTORY OF VADER
SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS
SECTION 3: MOVELIST
SECTION 4: STRATEGY
SECTION 5: CLOSING

===============================
==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF VADER==
===============================

Vader. The very mention of his name send shivers down the spines of Fire
Pro players everywhere. He's become the yardstick for raw power in the
Fire Pro series -- if you really want to prove yourself, you beat Vader on
Level 10 with a junior and brag about it to everyone. And while he is
considered to be the consummate super-heavyweight beast in Fire Pro, the
real-life Vader is no less of a beast to wrestling fans everywhere.

Leon White wrestled briefly for the American Wrestling Association before
moving over to New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he was given the name Big
Van Vader by Antonio Inoki. Vader was immediately booked as a "gaijin
monster heel", and an early victory over Inoki actually started a riot,
which led to New Japan being banned from Sumo Hall for several years. From
there, Vader went on to feud with future Japanese legends such as Tatsumi
Fujinami and Riki Chosyu, eventually winning the IWGP Heavyweight
Championship.

Vader travelled to Germany and Mexico -- winning more titles along the way
-- before joining up with World Championship Wrestling, where he feuded
with then-WCW champion Sting. By this time Vader had become a worldwide
sensation, winning titles on separate continents multiple times over. And
as famous as he'd become, he was also equally infamous for his stiff style
of wrestling, which left quite a few opponents legitimately injured.

Vader was eventually released from WCW, but soon after found employment
in the World Wrestling Federation, where he waged battle with top stars
such as Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. After a lengthy and somewhat
successful run, he went back overseas to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling,
where his stiff wrestling style was appreciated by the fans who were
accustomed to seeing the equally stiff styles of Misawa and Stan Hansen.
There Vader managed to win All Japan's Triple Crown, becoming the first
wrestler ever to have held both the Triple Crown and New Japan's IWGP
Heavyweight Championship.

After his glory days in All Japan, Vader had some less notable stints in
NOAH, TNA, and a particularly embarrassing showing in WWE. But none of
this diminishes his impact on wrestling as the greatest super-heavyweight
ever to compete in the squared circle.

========================================
==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS==
========================================

SKILL
-----
Real Name..........................Vader
                            (Leon White)
FPR Name...........................Saber
Organization............Freelance/Legend
FPR Organization.....................AWG
FPR Group...........................Free
Size...............................Large
Class..............................Heavy
Height............................190 cm
Weight............................171 kg
Gender..............................Male
Birthdate......................3/13/1956
Country..............................USA
Rank...................................A
Charisma...............................A
Stance.............................Power
Fight Style........................Power
Return.............................Power
Critical...........................Power
Special...................... Start Dash
Recovery...................Medium (Good)
Recovery (when bleeding)..........Medium
Breathing.........................Medium
Breathing (when bleeding)...........Poor
Spirit............................Medium
Spirit (when bleeding)..............Weak
Neck Endurance......................High
Arm Endurance.......................High
Back Endurance....................Medium
Leg Endurance........................Low
Movement Speed...............Medium Slow
Up and Down Speed...................Slow
Ascent Style......................Enable
Favorite Weapon....................Chair

PARAMETER - OFFENSE     PARAMETER - DEFENSE
-------------------     -------------------
Punch.............9     Punch.............8
Kick..............4     Kick..............8
Throw.............6     Throw.............4
Joint.............3     Joint.............3
Stretch...........6     Stretch...........7
Power............10     Flying............8
Agility...........3     Body..............6
Arm..............10     Lariat...........10
Technical.........2     Technical.........3
Rough.............7     Rough.............8
MMA Overall.......7     MMA Overall.......5
Entertain.........1     Entertain.........9
-------------------     -------------------
OFF. SUB-TOTAL...68     DEF. SUB-TOTAL...79

TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-380): 205

=======================
==SECTION 3: MOVELIST==
=======================

Specialty moves are marked with [S]. Finisher is marked with [F].
Moves marked with a [C} can cause a "Critical!".

KEY:

([]) = Square button
(X)  = X button
(O)  = Circle button

STRIKES
-------
Standing ([])....................................Punch
Standing (X)......................................Kick
Standing (O) + d-pad.....................Lariat Attack
Standing (O)......................SABER (VADER) HAMMER [S]
Standing ([]) + (X)....................Football Tackle
Running ([])...........................Shoulder Tackle
Running (X).......................Saber (Vader) Attack
Running (O)............................Striking Lariat
Running Counter ([])............................Lariat
Running Counter (X)..........................Powerslam
Running Counter (O)......................Nodowa Otoshi [C]
Running to corner.................Saber (Vader) Attack
Co-op Irish whip to corner........Saber (Vader) Attack
Corner-to-center attack...........................none

GRAPPLES
--------
Grapple ([])...............................Wrist Punch
Grapple ([]) + Up.................High Angle Body Slam
Grapple ([]) + Left/Right...................Body Punch
Grapple ([]) + Down........................Hammer Blow
Grapple (X)...................................Headbutt
Grapple (X) + Up..................Striking Liftup Slam 
Grapple (X) + Left/Right............Short Range Lariat
Grapple (X) + Down....................Backbreaker Slam
Grapple (O)..............................Side Arm Hold
Grapple (O) + Up....................One-Hand Chokeslam [C]
Grapple (O) + Left/Right...............Avalanche Press
Grapple (O) + Down...........................Wild Bomb
Grapple ([]) + (X)......................WILD BOMB WHIP [S][C]
Back Grapple ([])......................Back Liver Blow
Back Grapple (X)..........................Enzui Lariat
Back Grapple (O)......................Scissors Sleeper
Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down.........V Leg Lift Backdrop
Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right......Throw German Suplex
Back Grapple ([]) + (X)..............Reverse Powerbomb [C]
Back Grapple Counter ([])...................Elbow Bunt
Back Grapple Counter (X)........................Rumble

OPPONENT DOWN MOVES
-------------------
Opponent Face Up at Head (X)............Dragon Sleeper
Opponent Face Up at Head (O)................Elbow Drop
Opponent Face Up at Feet (X)........Hooked-Leg Pinfall
Opponent Face Up at Feet (O)........Stomping (Stomach)
Opponent Face Down at Head (X)....Both Hands-Press Pin
Opponent Face Down at Head (O)..............Elbow Drop
Opponent Face Down at Feet (X)........Half Boston Crab
Opponent Face Down at Feet (O).........Stomping (Back)
Running at Downed Opponent (O).......MUSCLE BOMB PRESS [S]

MMA MOVES
---------
Guard Attack ([]).............................Headbutt
Guard Attack (X).........................Knuckle Arrow
Guard Attack (O).........................Lift Up Press
Guard Counter.....................................Bash
Mount/Facelock Attack ([])..................Face Punch
Mount/Facelock Attack (X)...............Front Necklock
Mount/Facelock Attack (O)...............Powerbomb Whip [C]
Mount/Facelock Counter.................Waterwheel Drop [C]
Back Mount Attack ([])........................Headbutt
Back Mount Attack (X)....................Knuckle Arrow
Back Mount Attack (O)................Reverse Powerbomb [C]
Back Mount Counter..........................Back Press

POST AND APRON MOVES
--------------------
Post ([])............................Diving Elbow Drop
Post (X)............................Super Diving Press
Post (O)........................Diving Shoulder Attack
Post ([]) + (X)........................Moonsault Press
Running Post Dive ([])............................none
Running Post Dive (X).............................none
Corner Grapple (O) + Up.............SKY HIGH CHOKESLAM [F][C]
Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right...."Saber" Hammer Rush
Corner Grapple (O) + Down...............REVERSE SPLASH [S]
Corner (Top Rope) Counter [F].................Headbutt
Corner (Top Rope) Counter [B]...........Backhand Elbow
Inside Apron Grapple.................Chest Hammer Blow
Outside Apron Grapple.........................Headbutt
Run to outside..............................Feint Jump
Dive out ring.................................Headbutt
Dive in ring............................Backhand Elbow
Cage Dive.........................................none

DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES
----------------------------
Front Double Team......................Powerbomb Combo
Back Double Team.....................Ganseki Chokeslam
Corner Double Team.................Highjack Piledriver [C]
Front Triple Team...................Triple Hammer Blow
Back Triple Team....................Triple Hammer Blow
Corner Triple Team..................Triple Hammer Blow

PERFORMANCE
-----------
Entry Performance....................Hands Provocation
Analog Stick Left....................Hands Provocation
Analog Stick Right.........................Hands Raise
Analog Stick Up..............................Chest Out
Analog Stick Down.....................Arms Provocation

=======================
==SECTION 4: STRATEGY==
=======================

GENERAL STRATEGY
Stance = Power. Fight and Return Skills = Power. "Critical!" style =
Power. Offensive Power rating = 10. Sensing a trend here? If you guessed
"Power", give yourself a pat on the back! And if you choose Vader to
participate in a Fire Pro contest, you can rest assured you've chosen one
of the more lethal participants the game has to offer.

Fact: Power "Critical!"s are scary, and Vader's got 'em to spare. Take a
glance at the above movelist and check out all those moves marked with a
[C]. That mark denotes that that move can end a match... instantly. No
chance for the fluke victory, no chance for the dramatic comeback, 99
times out of 100 a "Critical!" equals "Game Over", and a likely trip to
the emergency ward for Vader's unlucky opponent!

Vader's "Start Dash" skill gives him a one point offensive boost at the
start of a match, which means... (thanks JB and Geese) ...that Vader can
actually go to 11, just like Spinal Tap! Because his Power and Arm Power
stats are already at 10, the one point boost brings his stats in those
categories over the peak of what is humanly possible! Vader goes to 11 in
Fire Pro!!! GO VADER!!! Ahem... yeah.

So, does this terrfiying monster of the Fire Pro universe have any
particular weaknesses to exploit? You bet he does! His leg endurance is
weak, meaning Vader can be worn down with repeated attacks to those limbs,
especially if those attacks are in the Joint or Technical categories.
Also, Vader is just about as slow as they come, meaning that most other
wrestlers can dictate the pace of the match, frustrating the big man with
distancing strikes and avoiding a grappling showdown that may not work in
their favor. If you're playing as Vader, you need to keep both of these
issues in mind to avoid the upset loss.

STRIKES
Vader's strikes are all about roughhousing and brute strength, and no move
exemplifies these traits like the dreaded Vader Hammer. It's a very easy
strike to connect with and does great damage, and if your opponent has any
wits about him, he'll think twice about recklessly walking into proximity.

GRAPPLES
There is more general roughhousing to be found in Vader's grapple set,
along with an ample dose of power. Indeed, Vader is probably the second
scariest wrestler in the game (next to Jumbo Tsuruta) when it comes to
tossing the opponent around the ring, and the scariest wrestler when it
comes to throwing his own weight around the ring.

Vader has two moves in his Strong Grapple set that are capable of causing
a "Critical!", the One-Hand Chokeslam and the Wild Bomb Whip. For this
reason alone you'll want to make sure you're working your way up to his
Strong Grapple set quickly in the match.

Another area where Vader is dangerous is working from a corner grapple,
where he has a Special and his Finisher. One great setup is an Irish whip
into the turnbuckle, followed by a running Vader Attack in the corner,
then a head ram into the turnbuckle followed by either the Sky High
Chokeslam or Reverse Splash corner grapple.

======================
==SECTION 5: CLOSING==
======================
In closing, I would like to thank Jason Blackhart for statistical
information and Dave Fairbairn for moveset clarification.

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns Character Guide: Vader
(c)2008 Bill Wood