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DD II Shrine

Double Dragon III Characters
NES/Famicom versions

In this page you will find a list of characters featured in the 8-bit NES/Famicom version of Double Dragon III.  One thing that needs to be pointed out is the fact that the original Japanese version of the game by Technos had a different storyline from the version that Acclaim released in America and Europe.  Even to this day, it is unknown why the story was changed (maybe somebody at Acclaim knows why).  This page covers both versions of the game and points out any differences between them.

MAIN CHARACTERS
 

BILLY LEE
Total Power: 94
Weapons: Bare Hands, Nunchuks (5)
The heir to Sou-Setsu-Ken.  During the past three years of his life he has been through many adventures.  The most notable are his battles against the Black Warriors and the Gen-Satsu-Ken group (the Shadow Warriors in the U.S.).  He recently returned from a training mission with his brother only to find a new battle waiting for him at home.
 

JIMMY LEE
Total Power: 94
Weapons: Bare Hands, Nunchuks (5)
Billy's older brother and rival.  He has been through the same ordeals that his younger brother has faced.  Now he joins Billy in his quest to search for the sacred Rosetta Stones.

CHIN SEIMEI
Total Power: 110
Weapons: Bare Hands, Iron Claw (5)
A master of Mouko Gazanken and keeper of the first Rosetta Stone.  Initially he holds resentment towards the Lee brothers for the death of his brother (Chin Taimei), but he eventually becomes a member of the group after he is defeated in combat.  He is the slowest of the four main characters, but he has high stamina and offensive power.

YAGYU RANZOU
Total Power: 84
Weapons: Ninja Blade, Shuriken (20)
A member of a secret society of ninjas and keeper of the second Rosetta Stone.  He challenges our heroes to a duel after finding his pupils beaten to the ground.  When he is defeated, he discovers that he is not the warrior he used to be and joins the party to improve his skills.  Ranzou is the fastest and most agile of the group and his ninja blade has a very long reach.  Unfortunately, he is very fragile and cannot take major damage.  He is the only character who cannot take enemy weapons.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS (NPC)
 

HIRUKO
A fortune teller who helps the Lee brothers in their quest for the Rosetta Stones.  Nobody knows anything about her or where she came from, but she is believed to be of Japanese origins due to her name.  Is she really guiding our heroes to a journey of enlightenment, or is she merely using them for her own gain?  Time will tell.

ALDO/BRETT
A student and close friend of the Lee brothers.  The dojo was left under his care when Billy and Jimmy left, but he was recently killed while protecting it from bad guys.  His name is Aldo in the Japanese version, whereas he is renamed Brett in the American version.  In the American version, his killer remains unknown until the end of the game, while in the Japanese version he is obviously the victim of Jim and his gang, the Neo Black Warriors.

MARIAN/MARION
As you know by now, Marian (or Marion, which is Acclaim's preferred spelling) is Billy's girlfriend, who was held prisoner by the Black Warriors during the first game and was literally saved from death at the end of the second.  In the American version she once again serves the role of damsel-in-distress, in which she is held hostage by a mysterious group demanding the Rosetta Stones in exchange for her safety.  That's not the case at all in the Japanese version, where she is safe and sound for once.  She even gives instructions on how to play through the game's manual.

NEO BLACK WARRIORS
The Neo Black Warriors are the enemies you'll face at the beginning of the game.  They're just nameless thugs in the American version, but there is a little back story to them in the Japanese version.  Three years before the game, the Lee brothers defeated the original Black Warriors and their leader, Willy.  Now Willy's younger brother, Jim, has brought back the Black Warriors and he will stop at nothing in order to get his revenge.

GIBSON
A skin-headed thug.  He appears in virtually every level in the game, but he is usually nothing to worry about.  However, watch out for the army knife he sometimes throws at you.

ROBINSON
A thug with long hair.  He appears numerous times in the game.  He usually teams up with Gibson when he attacks you.  His main attacks are the middle kick and a flurry of punches.  He also uses a beer bottle as a weapon.

DABY
A female thug with a Mohawk, much like her predecessor, Linda.  She appears occasionally during the first two levels.  She can throw up to three mini-knives at a time at the player.

JIM
The boss of Mission 1 and the leader of the Neo Black Warriors.  He is Willy's younger brother.  Unlike his cowardly brother, he prefers to fight with his bare hands rather than trust his life to a gun.  His special attack is the flying knee kick, which he uses while you're at a distance.

OTHER ENEMIES
During the rest of the game you will fight against various international foes such as martial artists, ninjas, gladiators and even mummies.  Since none of the following enemies are documented in the manual, information about them is scarce.

MARTIAL ARTIST
You'll fight against a group of Chinese fighters in Mission 2.  Their jump kicks have the longest range.  They're also the only enemies that uses the Sai as a weapon.  It's a shame they don't appear anywhere else.

NINJA
Remember the ninjas from Double Dragon II?  Well the ones in this game are not as annoying, but they're still very quick and agile, and they come in greater quantities too.  They come in two color variants: yellow and blue.  However, there is very little difference between the two.  Watch out for their ninja blades and the shurikens they throw.  They initially appear in Mission 3.  After that you won't have to worry about them until the end of Mission 5.

GLADIATOR
This guys are supposed to be Gladiators, but they look more like Italian pro-wrestlers.  Either way, they are very fierce opponents.  They appear during the last two missions and their weapons are arrows, which are very similar to Daby's knives.

RONEY URQUIDEZ
The Boss of Mission 4.  Although his name is never mentioned anywhere in the game, it's quite obvious that this guy is Roney, a playable character from the arcade Double Dragon 3.  He has the same look and moves from before.  He is a very tough boss and takes some time to defeat.  He has a Flying Kick similar to Jim's, except it's deadlier.  In the Japanese version you'll need to fight him in order to get the third Rosetta Stone, while in the American version you simply fight him for the heck of it.

MUMMY
Before the final battle, you will have to fight against three ancient undead warriors inside the Egyptian pyramid.  They're very slow and predictable, but don't let them grab you or you will lose a great deal of energy.

CLEOPATRA/NOIRAM
When you defeat the third mummy, she will turn into the final boss.  Her identity depends on which version you're playing.  In the American version you are led to believe that Marion has been possessed by an evil spirit that turned her into the not-so-cleverly named Queen Noiram.  In the Japanese version, she is actually the reawakened spirit of Cleopatra (consult your encyclopedia).  Either way, she is a very tough opponent.  She has the ability to shoot firebirds and waves, as well as the ability to magically toss you against the wall.  As if that wasn't enough, she turns into a fire snake, which gives her the ability to disappear into the ground and do a sneak attack from below.  It will take a great deal of skill and patience to defeat her.