Mami (真美, まみ ), full name Mami Shimada (島田真美, しまだ まみ ), is a second year student at Hanazono High School and is a recurring character in the Downtown Nekketsu series that was first featured in Downtown Nekketsu Story. She is the girlfriend of Riki in Downtown Nekketsu Story and any of it's remakes. Mami is described as being a kind and innocent individual who was able to see through Riki's rough side, which allowed her to find a kinder personality within him. The two began dating for this reason. Mami would attend the same middle school as Kazumi Hasebe and Kunio.
She frequently serves as her school's manager or cheerleader in various sporting events.
Appearances[]
Downtown Nekketsu Story[]
Mami appears as Riki's girlfriend and serves as the damsel in distress of the game, which she is kidnapped by Ryūichi and Ryūji Hattori. Players are able to save her on the top floor of Reihō Academy after defeating the Dragon Twins.
In the game, Mami uses the same face as the school girls that walk around the malls. Unused graphics remain in the Famicom version of Mami's face, a walk cycle, a sitting sprite, and a set of sprites for when she was rescued.[1]
Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day![]
Mami appears as the cheerleader for Hanazono High School.
Downtown Special Kunio-kun's Historical Period Drama![]
Mami plays the role of Omitsu.
Omitsu appears as the shopkeeper for all restaurants, pharmacies, and inns.
Surprise! Nekketsu New Records! The Distant Gold Medal[]
Mami appears as the manager for Hanazono High School's team and is seen announcing the start of events and the rewards for each team after they conclude.
In the localization Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge, Mami was left unnamed and now manages Washington High School's team.
Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen'in Shūgō!![]
Mami appears in the item shop.
Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari: Yakyū de Shōbu da! Kunio-kun[]
Mami appears as the manager of Hanazono High School's team. The role of cheerleader was instead given to Tamae Nishino.
Kunio no Oden[]
Mami makes a cameo appearance in the background of the versus screen.
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari EX[]
Mami appears in the same role as she did in the original versions of the game.
Nekketsu Kōkō Online: Yamada no Fukushū[]
River City: Knights of Justice[]
Mami plays the role of Princess Mami, the daughter of Todd, the King of Neidard.
Princess Mami is first mentioned by Todd as he informs Cooney Valford that his daughter has gone missing. She is later indirectly mentioned by Kojirō when he asked Cooney if he had seen a raven-haired maiden of rare beauty. Later in Inzad, Kojirō can be talked to and will inform Cooney that Mami is currently being held at Jubela Lake and that she is currently under a spell. At the lake, Mami is able to be freed if Cooney arrives with a Red Jewel equipped. After being rescued, she immediately recognizes Cooney after looking into his eyes and being reminded of Ricky Break. She thanks Cooney for rescuing her and returns to Todd safely with Kojirō.
If Mami is rescued, she will also be seen during the ending of the game.
River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~[]
Mami appears as the cheerleader for Hanazono High School's team and as the cheerleader for Nekketsu Magical Story's team in the role of Princess Mami. Mami would later appear as a teammate for the Cheering Girls team that is able to be played outside of the story mode. Mami is able to use the Dash Aura Punch, the Tornado Punch, and the Burst Kick.
Mami is addressed by her surname due to a different character on Yurigaoka Girls High School's team also being named Mami, though her Magical Story counterpart refers to her given name regardless.
Downtown Nekketsu Jidaigeki[]
River City: Rival Showdown[]
River City: Rival Showdown is a remake of Downtown Nekketsu Story. The game takes place before River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~.
In the main story, Mami is rumored to be missing with Riki having gone out to look for her, though she is later seen during the first night with him at the Starpark Café. On the third day, Mami is kidnapped by Kiyofumi Taira and brought to Masao Kobayashi's abandoned factory, where Kobayashi tells her to wait for a while longer, saying that everything will be over by the end of the day. Kunio rescues Mami from Taira and she then proceeds to leave the factory. Mami is later recaptured by Ryūichi and Ryūji at the request of Taiki Yamada as a way to get Riki out of the picture. On the final day, Riki sets off to Reihō Academy and successfully rescues Mami after fighting his way through the school with Kunio. While Mami was held inside the school, Hasebe kept watch of her to make sure the Dragon Twins didn't harm her.
In Riki's story, Mami is seen during the ending walking onto Reihō Academy's roof with Hasebe after she decided to rescue her in Riki's place due to his incompetence. With Riki and Kunio being struct by lightning as a result of the former's antics, Mami realizes Riki was one of the people hit and runs up to him confused on how he ended up getting burnt to a crisp working so hard to find her. Riki asks if she's safe now, to which Mami mentions that she was captured by Ryūichi and Ryūji until she was rescued by Hasebe. Mami then leaves the school alongside Riki.
River City Melee: Battle Royal Special[]
Mami returns as a member of the Cheering Girls team and is involved in the story mode. Mami is able to use the Aura Punch, the Tornado Punch, and the Explosion Kick.
River City Girls[]
In this continuity, Mami and Hasebe are re-imagined as snobby, diva-esque 'popular girls', with there being hints that the two have a long-running unfriendly rivalry with Kyōko and Misako.
Mami and Hasebe are repeatedly seen throughout different parts of town and will belittle the protagonists while suggesting that Riki and Kunio are in love with in them instead. While in Uptown, Mami rudely informs Misako that they'll specifically need a fancy gold offering in order to meet with Hibari. A flashback is later seen where it's shown that Mami and Hasebe knew the protagonists since they were young, where they'd frequently bully Kyōko until Misako stepped in to kick Hasebe in the head.
Mami and Hasebe replace Sabuko as a secret final boss if the player equips both of their charms, which are obtained by clearing the story once and destroying all of the Sabu statues respectively. In this fight, Mami mirrors parts of Kyōko's moveset. After losing the fight against Misako and Kyōko, the two admit defeat and begrudgingly accept the protagonists being Kunio and Riki's girlfriends.
River City Melee Mach!![]
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms[]
Mami plays the role of Lu Su, a civilian officer in Sun Quan (Riki)'s army.
In the story mode, Lu Su appears during the final chapter and is uneasy about Zhuge Liang (Misako)'s proposition to ally with Sun Quan's army to help take down Cao Cao (Yamada). When Sun Quan agrees to help, Lu Su defends Zhuge Liang's character stating that she's a good person at heart and remains hopeful that everyone is able to get along with her. Lu Su will give a sidequest to Guan Yu (Kunio) and Zhang Fei (Godai) to purchase some oil with the treasure they've earned from bandits, which need to be used for fire-setting.
River City Girls 2[]
Mami and Hasebe make a brief cameo in the game's ending looking for a rematch against Misako and Kyōko, though are too late as the protagonists have already finished their adventure.
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next[]
Mami retains her role as Lu Su.
Other video games[]
CODE SHIFTER[]
Mami and Hasebe's River City Girls counterparts appears as an assist character. In this game, the color of their outfit is incorrectly swapped.
Other media appearances[]
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (4Koma Manga Kingdom)[]
Kunio-kun! Nekketsu Battle![]
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Gaiden River City Girls[]
Mami was to be played by Nana Oda, though the play would be cancelled due to one of the cast members testing positive for COVID.[2]
Localized versions[]
- In River City Ransom and Street Gangs, Mami was renamed to Cyndi.
- In the international version of River City: Knights of Justice, Mami is renamed to Princess Cynthia.
Trivia[]
- After the secret fight in River City Girls, Mami and Hasebe bitterly mention the fact that Kyōko and Misako only dated Kunio and Riki once in an "obscure 16-bit game that wasn't even released in the USA", which is a meta reference to Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka.
- Their statement there is actually incorrect, as Kyoko was also depicted as Riki's girlfriend in River City: Tokyo Rumble, which had in fact been released in the USA.
- In River City Girls 2, Mami and Hasebe were planned to be playable characters, though the idea didn't pan out and they were instead relegated to a minor cameo.[3]
- Small remnants of them being playable are able to be found in the game's files. The two were given unused selfie art as part of the side mission where the player is instructed to take photos at points across the map.