Misako (みさこ) is a recurring character first featured in Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club - Soccer Story. She is a third year student at Nekketsu High School and is the manager of the school's soccer club. She is described as being active and as someone who would put herself on the line for Kunio and his friends.
In Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka and the River City Girls continuity, she is the girlfriend of Kunio.
Appearances[]
Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club - Soccer Story[]
Misako introduces herself to Kunio at Nekketsu High School and requests his help. The majority of the soccer team got food poisoning and now doesn't have enough players, so she asks if Kunio's dodgeball team can fill in for the missing soccer players. Kunio feels bad for Misako and agrees, though the dodgeball team isn't interested in helping. Misako then convinces everyone by offering a kiss on the cheek if they win. During the ending of the game, Misako fulfills her promise by giving each player a kiss on the cheek and decides to give Kunio a kiss on the lips.
In the PC Engine version of the game, Misako is voiced by Yumi Tōma.
Nekketsu Kōkō Soccer Bu: World Cup Hen[]
Kunio-kun's Nekketsu Soccer League[]
Misako appears in the intro of the game informing everybody that she is unable to travel with the team, though promises to be in close contact to cheer them up. Kunio is then able to call Misako on the Meeting screen.
Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka[]
Misako appears as Kunio's girlfriend and later as a playable character. Misako is first talked about by Hiroshi when he informs Kunio in prison about the rumor spreading that she may be cheating on him with Daiki. When Kunio and Riki later find her by the pool at Nekketsu High School, Kunio asks her where his white uniform and hints towards the rumors about her, though she heads off to run some errands and lets him know Daiki should be on the top floor of the school. Misako goes to meet with Kunio and Riki after getting their uniforms back and is then asked by Kunio why she took such a liking to Daiki in his absense. Misako claims this was a misunderstanding and that she would never cheat on him, though Kunio remains doubtful. Riki rudely interrupts the conversation and states Kunio should not be worrying about this right now as they're still wanted fugitives. Misako angry with Riki's comments towards her suggests that his girlfriend Kyōko is in trouble and that he should be worried about her as well. From this point, Misako joins the team.
Later in the story, Misako and Kyōko are shot by Sabu in front of Kunio and Riki inside of the office at the pachinko parlor. The two girls pass out and are then carried outside of the parlor by the boys. Mamoru calls an ambulance to get them to the hospital while Takayama leads Kunio and Riki to Sabu's mansion. During the ending, Takayama reveals to the boys that Misako and Kyōko have survived.
Kunio no Oden[]
During a festival at Nekketsu High School, Misako is running her own oden stand though is struggling with sales. Kunio passes by and feels bad for her, so he decides to eat at her stand. Liking the food, he attempts to help boost her sales by claiming that any student will lose their prestigious title if they pass by without trying the food. This move attracts familiar faces from the other schools and devolves into a competitive eating contest.
In the game, Misako appears on the title screen with Kunio and on the background of the versus screen.
River City Soccer Hooligans[]
Misako appears during the opening of the game where she opens her computer and sends an e-mail out to the player introducing herself. She mentions that her team will be participating in the World Hyper Cup with Kunio leading the charge to become world champions. She ends her message by stating that she won't be able to go with them, but is hoping she'll be sent messages about all the countries the team visits. From this point, Kunio is able to call Misako on the phone on the Meeting screen.
During the ending of the game, Misako calls the team in excitement over their victory.
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special[]
Misako appears as an NPC in the Story Mode. She tries to convince Kunio to stop fighting in the streets and join Kōji and Ichirō in the dodgeball club.
River City: Tokyo Rumble[]
In the beginning of the story, Misako is first seen walking outside of Nekketsu High School with Kunio and spots Hiroshi beaten up. Seeing Sakata and Wataru next to him, Kunio chases after the two and asks Misako to take care of Hiroshi. Later on another day, Kunio meets Riki outside of the school and gets ready to leave for Yokohama, though Misako angrily walks out realizing that he's planning on getting himself involved with street fighting again. She questions why he chooses to get into risky situations, but Kunio dodges the question and instead tries to explain that he's only going up against a few punks with Riki attempting to back his sentiment up. Misako angrily tells Riki that Kyōko is going to be angry with him when she finds out, so Riki asks Misako to stay quiet about what they're doing as he doesn't wish to see her mad. Misako shrugs the whole ordeal off and just asks the two to promise that they don't get themselves hurt.
From this point on, Misako will be seen outside of Nekketsu High School and can be talked to in order to switch the CPU controlled ally.
River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~[]
Misako appears as a playable character in River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~ as part of Team Misuzu. Along with Misuzu, she is joined by Kumiko (one of the enemies in the original Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun) Miyuki from Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special, Kyōko (who first debuted in Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka), and Miho (from Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun). In this game, Misako has her Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka design. Misako comes equipped with a bokken before each match. Her special moves are the Dragon Tail Kick and the Spin Attack.
River City Melee: Battle Royal Special[]
Misako returns as a member of Team Misuzu and is involved in the Story Mode. She is able to use the Ryūbi Ranpū Kyaku and the Spin Attack.
River City Girls[]
In this continuity, Misako is reimagined to be snarky, brash, impulsive, quick-tempered, and always ready for a fight. She appears as one of the main protagonists alongside Kyōko. She is voiced by Kayli Mills.
Misako starts off with Kyōko in detention until they decide to bust out of the school after learning Kunio and Riki have been kidnapped. The girls run throughout all of town fighting anyone that gets in their way in search of any information on Kunio and Riki's whereabouts. Throughout their search, they frequently come across their love rivals Hasebe and Mami who degrade the girls and suggest that the boys are instead in love with them. By the end of the game, the girls have made their way through the Sanwakai tower and defeat Sabuko, who is the acting matriarch while Sabu is incarcerated.
Defeating Sabuko, the girls kick her out of the window and crash into the sauna nearby where they find Kunio and Riki relaxing. In the bad ending, the boys don't remember who the girls are and set off to go find Hasebe and Mami. In the good ending, the girls instead kick Hasebe and Mami out of the window with the boys now knowing who Misako and Kyoko are, they proceed to offer taking them on a burger date.
Moveset[]
| Move Name | Input | Special Meter? | Learned From | Level Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jump Hammer | Heavy Attack in midair | No | Leveling Up | 3 | Misako attacks downward with her backpack, knocking enemies down. |
| Rolling Punch | Heavy Attack while running | No | Leveling Up | 4 | Misako performs a combat roll, then punches forward. The roll acts as a screw attack and can hit enemies as well, while the punch knocks enemies forward. |
| Bruce Backhand | Block and Heavy Attack simultaneously | No | Leveling Up | 5 | Misako uses Kunio's Back Fist from Tachi-no Banka. This acts as her back attack. |
| Haymaker | Directional Pad Left/Right + Heavy Attack | No | Leveling Up | 7 | Misako throws an aggressive hook while moving forward, knocking enemies down. |
| Stone Hands | Special Attack (up to three times) | Yes | Dojo | 0 | A variant of Riki's trademark move, Misako can throw three punches while lunging forward. Each separate punch uses the Special Meter. |
| High Kick | Light Attack | No | Dojo | 0 | An extension of Misako's Light Attack combo. This becomes her third attack. |
| Hop Knee | Directional Pad Up + Heavy Attack | No | Dojo | 0 | A variant of the Rhino Kick, Misako makes a short hop and hits enemies with her knee, launching them upward. Can be used to end combos. |
| Nutcracker | Directional Pad Down + Heavy Attack | No | Dojo | 0 | Misako's "special interrogation technique", she throws a football kick to the groin, which launches enemies straight up. Combo-ending attack. |
| Spiral Uppercut | Directional Pad Up + Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 5 | A variant of Riki's Screw Upper, Misako performs a rising uppercut which knocks enemies down. |
| Backflip Kick | Special Attack while running | Yes | Dojo | 5 | Misako performs a somersault kick, launching enemies straight up. |
| Back Fist | Light Attack | No | Dojo | 5 | Another extension to Misako's Light Attack combo, becoming her fourth attack. |
| Dropkick | Directional Pad Left/Right + Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 8 | Misako performs a dropkick, knocking enemies forward. It can also be performed in midair by pressing the Special Attack button. |
| German Suplex | Heavy Attack after grabbing stunned enemy from behind | No | Dojo | 8 | The suplex from Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun. |
| Stungun | Special Attack after grabbing stunned enemy from the front | Yes | Dojo | 8 | Misako kicks the opponent, then performs a three-quarter facelock jawbreaker. |
| Backpack Swing | Directional Pad Down + Special Attack | Yes | Dojo | 12 | Misako swings her backpack, "Grand Slam"-style around her, hitting multiple enemies. |
| Powerbomb | Heavy Attack + Special Attack near enemy in midair | Yes | Dojo | 12 | A midair throw, Misako grabs an opponent in and slams |
River City Melee Mach!![]
Misako would have her moveset completely changed, as she now has two of her original moves from Kunio-tachi no Banka: the Hyper Tornado (Whirlwind Kick) and the Rolling Attack (Screw).
Statistics[]
| Stamina | 200 |
|---|---|
| Punch | 6 |
| Kick | 9 |
| Weapon | 6 |
| Throw | 10 |
| Agility | 8 |
| Strength | 10 |
| Special Techniques | Hyper Tornado Rolling Attack |
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms[]
Misako plays the role of Zhuge Liang, a renowned strategist who is known as the sleeping dragon in Fulong. Her River City Girls counterpart plays the role of Da Qiao, the older of the sisters.
In the story mode, Liu Bei (Goda) enlists the help of Zhuge Liang in the fifth chapter after Sima Hui (Takaoka) mentions her and Pang Tong (Kaori) being the two up and coming tacticians. Zhuge Liang agrees to join under Liu Bei's wing after testing him, Guan Yu (Kunio), and Zhang Fei (Godai). Shortly after joining, Zhao Yun (Sugata) warns Liu Bei and Guan Yu of Cao Cao (Yamada)'s army approaching from Bowang. Zhuge Liang uses this to prove her intelligence to the crew. The crew defeat Cao Cao's troops being led by Xiahou Dun (Ryūichi). Shortly after, Liu Cong surrenders to Cao Cao, leaving all of Jinzhou as his territory. Zhuge Liang suggests fleeing, though Liu Bei insists on helping the people of Xinye escape. Zhuge Liang then comes up with the strategy where Zhao Yun evacuates the people out of the city and launching a surprise attack after tricking Cao Cao's army into thinking the city is empty.
At the end of the chapter, Zhuge Liang suggests Liu Bei works with Sun Quan (Riki)'s army to put a stop to Cao Cao. In the final chapter, Zhuge Liang heads to Chaisang alone and convinces Sun Quan, Zhou Yu (Kyōko), and Lu Su (Mami) to join forces with Liu Bei to defeat Cao Cao's army. Zhuge Liang starts getting prepared for battle with her first asking Guan Yu to help clear the bears and tigers off Mount Nambyeong so she can change the wind's direction. Guan Yu later asks her for help in gathering 100,000 arrows as part of Zhou Yu's demands, to where Zhuge Liang then requests 20 straw materials be delivered to her. Once Guan Yu hands off the materials and later meets up with Zhuge Liang in Lukou, she's put together a makeshift boat out of the straw materials that they then use to take arrows shot by Cao Cao's army for themselves. During the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang joins you alongside Zhao Yun in the fight against Zhang He (Kinoshita). In the ending, Zhuge Liang joins the others in rebuilding the country.
In the China Heroes gamemode, Misako is able to be unlocked by completing the Moderate difficulty in the story mode. Misako is able to use her Hyper Tornado and Rolling Attack from Kunio-tachi no Banka without a weapon, have access to all tactician attacks with any fan equipped, and uses here famous Tiger Tank as her special attack. Her River City Girls counterpart was added into the English release of the game as a bonus character and is unlocked by default. This version of Misako copies her moveset from River City Girls and translates it to this game's control scheme.
River City Girls Zero[]
The River City Girls counterparts of Misako and Kyōko appear in the game's newly added intro and outro. Kayli Mills returns to voice Misako in English with Honoka Kuroki voicing the newly added Japanese dub.
Misako walks into Kyōko's room wondering what she's up to, with Kyōko telling Misako that it's an old video game that Skullmageddon sold to her depicting their first adventure together. Misako notices Kunio on the cartridge's label and becomes instantly intrigued in figuring out how to play. Kyōko mentions Skullmageddon throwing in a free SNES with her purchase with Misako then proceeding to plug in the console to Kyōko's TV. The girls then play through the entirety of Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka. After the girls finish playing the game, they talk about what happened in the game while also questioning if any of it actually happened. Kyōko asks where Sabuko was in the game not knowing who Ken is, to which Misako asks why Ken looked so handsome. Kyōko teases Misako for saying this only because he resembles Kunio. The girls then proceed to leave the house and go look for Kunio and Riki, foreshadowing events that later happen in River City Girls 2.
River City Girls 2[]
Misako retains her role as one of the main protagonists alongside Kyōko. Kayli Mills returns as her English voice actor with Honoka Kuroki returning from River City Girls Zero as her voice actor in the Japanese dub.
The story starts right with Sabuko's defeat and Misako and Kyōko heading off to their lunch date with Kunio and Riki. Sabu now knowing of Sabuko's embarrassing defeat breaks out of prison and quickly takes control of River City. On their way to class, the girls are expelled from school by Ken and are then kicked out of the window by Ryūichi and Ryūji. The group all head back to Kyōko's house to play videogames. Two months pass since then and Kyōko's Mom informs the crew that the sequel to Vampire Punchers has been released with a few copies still being in stores at the mall. Students were paid by the Sanwakai to wait outside of Kyōko's house to ensure the group doesn't get in the way, so they must all fight their way towards the mall. While at the mall, the group gets sidetracked and go see a movie, though coincidentally end up meeting Ken once again. The group faces off against Ken and wins, to where he then attempts to pull his gun on Misako and Kyōko. Unfazed, the girls continue to make fun of him until a knife with a note knocks the gun out of his hands, to where he then runs away. The girls find out the note came from Sabuko looking to team up after going to the requested location.
Throughout the rest of the story, the group travels all throughout the town taking down Sabu's subordinates (Blaire, Tsuiko, and Primo) for their emblems to get inside of the Sanwakai Tower. In Uptown, the group meets Provie and are mistaken to be yakuza, so then fight her to prove that they aren't associated with any yakuza goons. Provie was looking for her Ken to get him to tell the location of her friend Chris, but because of the group's altercation with him earlier he left the place and left Provie back to chasing him down. Misako offers to help Provie find Chris and to also beat Ken, to which she reluctantly agrees. In Downtown, the group is informed by Saotome to go look for Marian. The group eventually head into the subway where they find Marian working for the Sanwakai under Blaire's spell, which wears off after the group beat her in a fight. Marian then agrees to join the group in fighting.
After Primo's defeat in Ocean Heights, he reveals the girls will need a fourth emblem to get into the Sanwakai Tower which is held by Ken. The group fights their way to the rooftop of the now destroyed River City High to face off against Ken once again with Ryūichi and Ryūji assisting him in battle. Ken is defeated once more, hands his emblem to the girls, and flies off on a helicopter telling the girls to drop by the Sanwakai Tower for their rematch. Sabuko waits for the group outside of the school and betrays the girls by informing them that her men have strapped explosives to their friends. After saving everybody, the group heads off to the Sanwakai Tower to the sight of Sabuko putting Ken in his place and attempting to make an escape in a helicopter. The group eventually makes their way into the underground of the Sanwaki Tower where they defeat Sabu and end his plans for good.
In the post-credits cutscene, Misako is seen back at Kyōko's house with the rest of the group playing Vampire Punchers 2. Misako gets up to get the door and gets a surprise visit from Hasebe and Mami looking for a rematch, though informs the two that their adventure is already over and that they're too late.
Other video games[]
CODE SHIFTER[]
Misako and Kyōko appear as a playable dual character. A remix of the shop theme plays when playing as them in Story Mode.
Baseball Superstars 2020[]
Mighty Fight Federation[]
Misako makes a cameo appearance during Kunio's arcade mode ending.
Other media appearances[]
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (4koma Manga Kingdom)[]
Kunio-Kun! Nekketsu Battle![]
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (TV Series)[]
Kaho Takashima plays the role of Misako in the Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun 2013 TV series from NOTTV (her full name in the series is Enjōji Misako (えんじょうじ みさこ, Enjōji Misako).
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun: Rantō Enbu-hen[]
Misako is played by Ami Maeda.
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Gaiden River City Girls[]
Misako was to be played by Arisa Sonohara, though the play would be cancelled due to one of the cast members testing positive for COVID.[2]
Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister![]
In Season 1's "Mahiro's Time of the Month", Misako and Kyōko make a cameo appearance as Mahiro and Mihari play River City Girls together.
Trivia[]
- It is suggested in a trailer for Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special that Misako may have been intended to be playable in the Battle Royal mode as she appears in a segment about the gamemode, though she is not playable in the final release.
- Misako's combat-style in most Kunio games is largely based around kicking and conventional martial arts, perhaps in relation to her interest in soccer. Three of her four special moves in Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka utilize her lower-body; a flying knee, spin-kick, and mule kick; the remaining special is an aerial somersault. Her moveset in River City Girls is substantially different, focused more on upper body attacks and fighting dirty, likely to make her more distinguished from Kyōko. In one memorable scene of Kunio-Tachi no Banka, Kunio and Riki delegate to Misako the responsibility of torturing a boss to confession by kicking him in the groin.
- Her launcher move in River City Girls called "Nutcracker" even refers to it as an interrogation technique.
- A flashback sequence in River City Girls depicts Misako more akin to how she appeared in Technōs character art, with a bow and natural hairstyle. In this scene she also performs an aerial spin kick that is not part of her moveset in River City Girls, but resembles a move she has in many other games.
- According to River City Girls director Bannon Rudis, at one point they had planned to give her a floss-dancing attack as a complement to Kyōko's dab attack, but decided it was too cringe.
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Other Media[]
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