“THANK YOU, KAORI...
”
—Taroimo`s thoughts upon being saved.
Taroimo, originally known as Tarokichi, is a party member from the Near Future chapter, The Outsider. Once a pet turtle owned by Kaori, Doc Tobei turned him into a robot through organic liquefaction, whereupon he begins to follow Akira.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Taroimo is a large, green robot resembling a turtle, merged with elements of a sumo wrestler. His robotic body has beady black dot eyes, a red mawashi embroidered with a single kanji for clothing, and iron balls for hands. His cybernetic body is both taller and girthier than Akira or Lawless.
Personality[]
Possessing the intellect of a turtle, Taroimo doesn't show much in personality or intelligence, but he is steadfastly grateful and loyal towards those he cares about. He is also very slow on the uptake, tending not to react while major events unfold around him. It can be inferred that despite his powerful body, much of what he does is still based on his old animal instinct.
History[]
The Near Future: The Outsider[]
Before being drawn into the world of psychokinesis, Tarokichi was only a regular turtle. He was caught by Kazu, who gave him to Kaori to keep as a pet.
Tarokichi is first seen in Kaori´s room at the Bright Sparks Orphanage as an ordinary turtle, having recently fallen ill and nearing death. As Kaori despairs for him, Akira visits the laboratory of Doc Tobei to request his assistance. The old doctor demonstrates the process of liquefaction on Tarokichi, melting him down to amplify his latent psychic energy and transferring him into a large robotic body, saving his life. During the process, Tobei mistakenly calls the turtle "Taroimo"; the name sticks.
From there, Taroimo chooses to constantly follow Akira, joining him on his journey and helping out during battles. Steadily growing stronger thanks to upgrades from Tobei, Taroimo becomes a reliable ally to Akira, assisting in rescuing Kazu from the Crusaders, participating in the storming of the facility, and braving the burning orphanage to save Kaori. When Akira demands everyone to leave the Steel Titan after Matsu's death, Taroimo still refuses to leave his side, needing to be dragged out by Tobei. In the chapter's credit sequence, Taroimo is seen in Kaori's room, remaining by her bedside.
Final Chapter: The Dominion of Hate[]
In the game's true ending, Taroimo is seen accompanying the other children of the orphanage in Doc Tobei's lab. He is used as a test subject for Tobei's matter transmitter, but it malfunctions and explodes, leaving him blanketed in soot.
Gameplay[]
Strategy[]
As an inorganic being, Taroimo cannot gain experience from battles. As a result, he cannot level up and his stats do not increase naturally. Instead, Taroimo gains strength mainly through his equipment; new weapons and armor are the only way to increase most of his stats
Taroimo's starting abilities are few and fairly weak. To obtain new abilities, Taroimo has access to special robot weapons. Equipping these weapons in one of Taroimo's five Accessories slots provides him with a new, powerful attack, allowing the player to customize Taroimo's moveset. New equipment can be found dropped by enemies, or refined by Doc Tobei from other items or equipment.
Tariomo's stats can also be increased via Robotic Enhancements. Consuming an Enhancement will raise Taroimo's HP by 10, and in the remake, both his Agility and Evasion by 1.
Abilities[]
| Name | Info | Description | Name | Info | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taroimo PUNCH (Taro Punch) |
Default | Far enemy flying PUNCH! | Taroimo KICK (Taro Kick) |
Default | Far enemy stretch KICK! |
 |
 | ||||
| Taroimo HEADSHOCK (Head Shot) |
Default | All enemy attack REVENGE! | Lacquer Mist (Lacquer Spray Shot) |
Equip Kotobuki Lacquer | Spray an intoxicating mist to confuse enemies. |
 |
 | ||||
| Savage Shot (Intense Shot) |
Equip Stone Cannon | Fire a volley of rocks at an enemy. | Goldfish Shot (Goldfish Shot) |
Equip Showa Goldfish Launcher | Fire a barrage of goldfish at an enemy to nibble on their arms and legs. |
 |
 | ||||
| Chick Shot (Dizzy Shot) |
Equip Showa Chick Launcher | Bombard an enemy with exploding baby chickens to deal massive damage. | Punch Shot (Bounce Punch) |
Equip Spring-loaded Punch Gun | Surprise distant enemies with a punch to the face. |
 |
| ||||
| 100 Volt Laser (100V Laser) |
Equip 100 Volt Laser | Surprise distant enemies with a punch to the face. | Plasma Spark (Plasma Spark) |
Equip Plasma Spark | Unleash a concentrated ball of energy that devastates and staggers enemies. |
 |
| ||||
| 5 Million Volt Shock (50,000V Shock) |
Equip Stun Gun | Stun an enemy with a massive electrical discharge. | |||
|
Stats[]
| 2022 | 1994 |
|---|---|
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Etymology[]
Taroimo is named after the taro imo, also known as the satoimo, a species of taro vegetable native to Japan.
Tarokichi may be derived from Seki Tarōkichi, the birth name of Raiden Tameemon, who is considered one of the greatest sumo wrestlers in history.
Trivia[]
- The kanji on Taroimo's loincloth reads "kotobuki", translating to "Congratulations!", or "Long Life!".
- Taroimo's special weapons can be found in the final chapter as equipment for Cube. If the player desires, they may save these items during The Outsider to take them into the final chapter early. In the Super Famicom version, the player would need to equip the weapons in Akira's Accessories slots to carry them over.
- In the remake, Taroimo has voice clips for leveling up in the game's data, even though he cannot do so ingame.
Gallery[]
| The Near Future: The Outsider |
|---|
| Characters |
| Akira • The Steel Titan • Lawless • Taroimo • Kaori • Doc Tobei • Taeko • Tadashi Tadokoro • The Crusaders • Conspirators • Odeo |
| Locations |
| Bright Sparks Orphanage • Timeless Wonders Antiques • Public Park • City Docks • Tsukuba Research Facility • Matango Paradise • Odeo Temple |
| Enemies |
| Crusader Thug • Crusader Enforcer • Crusader Road Captain • M-1 RC Car • M-1 Lariat Unit • M-2 RC Car • M-1 Kyokushin Unit • M-1 Komatsu Bulldozer • M-3 Lariat Unit • M-1 Hebel Slab • M-1 Psycher • M-2 Kyokushin Unit • Tense Suit • Dobermann Alpha • Private Security • Commander • M-93 MBT • Roaring Thunder • LH Combat Unit W1 • Vengeful Dragon • The Great Inko |
| Music |
| Go! Go! Steel Titan! • Wait for Truth • Playing with Psychos • Playing with Psychos on Matango |
| Transcripts |
| 2022 (English) • 1994 (English, Japanese) |