| Viewtiful Joe | |
| Viewtiful Joe | |
| Name | Joe Black |
| Gender | Male |
| Weapon/Power | VFX Watch |
| Affiliation | Hero |
| Vitality | 950,000 |
| First Appearance | Viewtiful Joe (Oct,2003) |
| Game |
Viewtiful Joe Series |
| Voiced By | Darrel Guilbeau(ENG) Tomokazu Seki(JPN) |
| Company | Capcom |
Henshin-a-Go-Go, Baby!
Joe's catchphrase.
Viewtiful Joe is the main protagonist of Capcom's Viewtiful Joe series. He's a 17 year old movie fan turned super hero, and possesses VFX powers that gives him abilities similar to camera effects.
Backstory
In the original Viewtiful Joe Game, Joe is just a movie fanatic that idolizes Captain Blue, his favorite movie character. One day while watching a movie with his girlfriend, Silvia, a shadowy figure defeats Captain Blue and reaches from the screen to pull Sylvia into it. Captain Blue's robot, Six Machine, is punched out of the movie by the figure, and it takes Joe back with it. Joe is confronted by Captain Blue, who gives him a V-Watch. This allows him to transform into his alter ego, Viewtiful Joe, whenever Joe says the word "henshin" (which he expands on by adding "a-go-go baby!" to the end).
Joe obtains his name from his rival, Alastor, after he exclaims "Viewtiful!" at the sight of Joe's fighting skills.
Gameplay
The hero has arrived.
Joe
In his first vs. Capcom fighter debut in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Viewtiful Joe is an outstanding offensive rushdown character, he also has a very small hit box which allows him to avoid some attacks that the bigger fighters cannot. Joe's primary drawback is that his moves do not have much range and thus like in TvC, Advancing Guards are one of his main weaknesses. He has slightly below average stamina and weak attack, but his outstanding aerial moves, quick movement speed and excellent projectile have made him a solid character. Sadly, Joe's moves are not as good on ground as they are in the air. Also, his Excellent Knuckle Punch command normal is a rather quick overhead, enabling Joe to pull off nasty mixups.
He had a weak defensive game in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, but in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, he's much improved in this area (though at the cost of his original Slow and Zoom Level 3 Hyper) as his Voomerang has been buffed to great measures for a great keep away game, as well as being able to zone his away into his opponent's field offensively. Also as of the UA-S version of TvC and in virtue of MVC3 as well, his Mach Speed can now be jump cancelled at the final strike like Chun-Li's Houyokusen and Dante's Prop Shredder, giving him powerful air combo setups. To top off, Joe can now even triple jump and double air dash, giving him more mobility options and even more air combo/aerial rave potential. Though his Red Hot Kick no longer can go forward, limiting his air options carried from TvC, but it can now be cancelled into Hypers, and speaking of Hypers, his Desperado is now a more practical Hyper combo than in the last game. His new Groovy Uppercut is also hard to punish since he can re-perfom any of his air actions while falling from it.
Unlike in TvC, Joe's main air combo finisher is the same, only re-allocated to his j.S while he gains a new jumping H (The opposite happens to Zero, and then Frank in the Ultimate version). His j.S is also a great approach tool due to multiple hits.
In UMVC3, Joe's j.S has more priority and is an even more powerful aerial, and his hitbox decreases when jumping, making him more harder to air combo. His Shocking Pink on the downside and upside alike can no longer be juggled around the screen, making it a bit more safe but somewhat impractical. His ground throw range has also increased, compensating for his attack range. His new V-Dodge move can be great for instant evasion equivalent to the KOF-style sidestep, in that it is cancellable, making Joe's punishing game more prevailent. His midair Desperado can also now OTG.
Command Normals
- Excellent Knuckle Punch: Joe aims a backward leaning fist strike similar to an uppercut to the chin. Hits overhead.
Special Attacks
- Voomerang: Throws his head crest at the opponent. Trajectory varies with button used. Can be done in midair and can be charged to increase damage with glowing flame effects, and have lock-on capabilities.
- V-Bomb/Shocking Pink: Juggles a bomb then kicks at the opponent that can explode moment later. The move can be charged with the button used determining the amount of time it takes to explode and the bomb can hit anyone, even Joe himself. Can OTG but can only work if used as an assist (Call BEFORE launching your opponent), or if using an assist. The bomb can also be hit by attacks of all sorts to bounce it around before it explodes.
- Red-Hot Kick: His signature move, where he attacks from midair with a flying kick with him surrounded by fire. Can fly in three different directions, though in MVC3, Joe no longer has the C/H version that files forward; instead a new variation is added for the H version where Joe dives with both feet with fire effects and multiple hits. Could OTG in the inital builds of MVC3, but the OTG has been removed in the final build.
- Groovy Uppercut: New move in vanilla MVC3. Joe performs a Dragon Punch-like move leading with his helmet, with the L version making him fly straight up. Surprisingly, Joe can combo off of this move with any aerial attack of his choice, negating the typical recovering of rising anti-air moves. He can even followup with another Groovy Uppercut.
- Air Joe: While airbone, Joe performs a series of fast rapid attacks. Can tap the button used for more hits, and is mashable till Joe lands. The attack rate is more slower than in TvC along with new flash effects, and can now trap opponents inside easier due to its lowered speed. Can be cancelled into Hyper Combos. A portion of the attack where he does a drop kick provides the most hitstun out of all the other hits.
- V-Dodge: New move in UMVC3. Joe jumps up in the air and poses. This dodges all moves that are not throws, including projectiles. Can be canceled into hypers.
Assist Attacks
| Name | Type | Angle | Cross-Over | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| α | Voomerang | Shot | Front | Desperado |
| β | Groovy Uppercut | Direct | Upward | Mach Speed |
| γ | Shocking Pink | Shot | Downward | Mach Speed |
Hyper Combos
- Desperado (Level 1): Six Machine appears with Joe's girlfriend Silvia riding on top of it. Joe then uses the cannon to fire a single, powerful laser blast at his opponent. Can be used in midair, and also activates much more faster (instantly) than in TvC, though the blast travels more slower at a cost.
- Viewtiful God Hand (Level 1): Joe jabs his opponent with both hands at close range with blue energy, then scrambles them up from inside and rips them out. This slows down the opponent.
- Mach Speed (Level 1): Joe rapidly jabs at his enemy at high speeds while lines resembling photographic film scroll along the top and bottom of the screen, then ends the attack with a launching uppercut. Now sets Joe and his opponent on fire like in the original Viewtiful Joe games. Can combo off with a super jump like in TvC: UA-S, and has startup invincibility.
X-Factor
| X-Factor Boosts | Damage | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 120% | 120% |
| Level 2 | 140% | 130% |
| Level 3 | 160% | 140% |
Changes in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
- Reduced hittable area when in the air.
- Increased priority of j.S.
- Slightly increased range of ground normal throws.
- Reduced total frames of Shocking Pink.
- Shocking Pink will not explode when sliding between buttons, and it cannot be juggled.
- Added new move "V-Dodge."
- Air Desperado can OTG.
Theme Song
Viewtiful Joe's theme is a remix version of Joe The Hero from the original Viewtiful Joe.
Trailer
Gamescom Viewtiful Joe Gameplay - MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3
Special Quotes
UMVC3 Viewtiful Joe Quotes (W Eng & Jap Voices)
Trivia
- Viewtiful Joe's girlfriend, Sexy Silvia, appears in his Desperado Hyper Combo.
- When Joe is in his human form DLC costume, Silvia will also appear in her human form.
- Viewtiful Joe has alternate color schemes based on Captain Blue Jr. and the Dark Emperor (the Big Bad of Viewtiful Joe 2 and Joe's father Jet Black, the black costume is the Dark Emperor's normal look, while the white costume is his "Dark Hero, Jet Black" look from the Final Boss battle). For Ultimate, he gets color schemesbased off Sexy Silvia and his longtime rival, Blade Master Alastor. His DLC costume is Joe in his human form.
- His character theme is a remix of "Joe The Hero" from the first Viewtiful Joe. This was also his Tatsunoko vs. Capcom theme.
- The game's credit sequence shows Joe trying on outfits inspired by the Marvel superheroes.
- Captain Blue, Alastor, Mojo, and Spiral appear in his ending, a Mythology Gag towards to his fanboyism of Captain Blue as he's introduced in his own series.
- The Desperado Hyper Combo is similar to Iron Man's Proton Cannon Hyper Combo except that Desperado works as a single fire blast while Proton Cannon works as a beam and the obvious visual differences.
- Viewtiful Joe also appeared in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes and Ultimate All-Stars.
- In the second trailer, it seems that Joe shares a friendship with fellow Capcom character Amaterasu. Perhaps this is a homage to the fact both Joe and Amaterasu originate from games developed by Capcom's now shut-down Clover Studios, and more specifically, director Hideki Kamiya.
- Joe and Dante are shown to be really good friends, based on their dialogue. Dante was also created by Hideki Kamiya and has appeared in two of Joe's games as a playable character.
- Viewtiful Joe's Hyper Combo "Viewtiful God Hand" is most likely a reference to "God Hand", which incidentally was also made by Clover Studios.
- Viewtiful Joe's Marvel rival in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and its update is Dormammu, both he and Joe have similarly powerful fire-based attacks. Both fighters are also far stronger in their respective dimensions (Joe in Movieland, Dormammu in the Dark Dimension). Viewtiful Joe makes it his job to defeat any and all evildoers, while Dormammu doesn't hesitate to destroy anybody who opposes him.
- Another possible rival for Viewtiful Joe could be Spider-Man, both are superheroes with a red costume, they both also tend to make fun their opponents, both are also involved in a form of mass media (Joe with movies and Spidey with newspaper), also they share respective positions on the character selection screen.
- Joe is voiced by Tomokazu Seki in Japanese, who also reprises his role from the Viewtiful Joe anime.
- Viewtiful Joe's ending involves himself, Captain Blue, and Alastor (with Jet Black partly out of shot) acting for a Detective Joe movie inspired by Hawaii Five-O, run by Mojo and Spiral. Joe has trouble doing his role due to ad libing his lines for the script.
- One of Viewtiful Joe's victory quotes is a Fourth Wall Break, as he says he "beat Marvel Vs. Capcom 3."
- Viewtiful Joe's personality is pretty much a fourth wall breaker, not only does he know Dante as a close friend seperated by their own games (Dante was a playable character in two of Joe's games), but he also seem to know that what he's in is a cross-over game, Viewtiful Joe knows the whole entire Marvel roster, because to him, they're just heroes and villains of the comic books he reads, same goes for Tatsunoko being his favorite anime heroes and villains.
- Regarding his friendship with Dante, both him and Joe share Anime Voice reprisals. Tomokazu Seki, like Toshiyuki Morikawa reprises their respective characters from their anime series.
- In addition to the fourth wall breaking, Joe being in his superhero form is a breaker for the whole game because he must be in Movie Land to get his powers, if not then he must be recorded on camera, making the "Cameraman" more obvious in battles.
- Marvel vs Capcom 3 was the first game that Viewtiful Joe has appeared in where he is not seen in his human form. Ultimate fixes this with DLC.
- Joe's reveal Trailer shows that when an opponent has fallen to the floor after an air combo, he's able to use his Red Hot Kick move to OTG. This ability has been removed from the final version.
- Viewtiful Joe is the first character revealed to not have a Level 3 Hyper Combo.
- Viewtiful Joe's 4th Wall breaking personality is a normal trait from his games, In Viewtiful Joe 2, he tends to speak outside the film to either his dad (who's managing the movies' progression), or to fix other peoples supposed lines, like telling Alastor that "That's the old script" and so on.
- It should be noted that outside of his appearances in the Vs. series, Viewtiful Joe does not wear a mask. Instead, his helmet casts a shadow over his eyes.
Artwork
Also See
Viewtiful Joe's moves in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds