Game Character:
Hajime Ryu
Character Bio
BACKGROUND:While most other sports have undergone drastic changes and modifications to keep viewer interest, boxing has always remained the same -- two guys slugging away at each other. Hajime trained for years and it paid off, leading him to a championship in the featherweight class at the age of 22. After hearing that his "hero," Fan Su II had become a Sky Step racer, Hajime quit boxing to follow in his footsteps, joining up with Plax Textiles.
Despite his toughness, Hajime is a fun-loving guy who likes to joke around and never takes himself too seriously. His boxing experience has provided him with the agility and good necessary for a great Aeromachine pilot.
ABOUT THE TEAM AND THE MACHINE:
Plag Textiles is new to Aeromachine development but managed a miracle with the Interceptor. Created in-house, the well-rounded vehicle offers the most stable balance between top speed, acceleration, shields and handling. The propulsion system is made of high-rise glass allowing it to run extremely hot and to push the vehicle faster and faster. Hajime definitely has the eyes to match, giving him the speed to evaluate and decide on the best line through any given situation. Rumor has it that a rookie test pilot took the Interceptor to one of the courses and set a new lap record his first time out!
THE SKY STEP CHAMPIONSHIP:
As the future continued to expand in 2063 with the advent of hover technology, the International Formula Association (IFA) created and sponsored the Master Formula Series, known as F-MAr. This organization developed a variety of vehicles for races ranging from standard motor vehicles to boats, planes and most every other type. The forerunners in hover technology, IFA decided that the best way to show off its capabilities to the public was to create a new racing class -- the Sky Step (SS).
The first machines developed were all drastically unique and looked rather ragged as no strict regulations had yet been instated. Safety was also an issue still in the works, resulting in several bioreactor failures and crashes despite the intense steel frames of the Aeromachines. Only a few terms were officially defined, those being "Aeromachine" and the "AeroGauge." An Aeromachine was officially defined as "A vehicle without wheels that is equipped with at least one bioreactor, and can float in the stratosphere." The AeroGauge was the general area of the stratosphere where the races took place. It would generally lie a few hundred feet off of the ground, but racers often took their vehicles to thousands of feet or blasted across the ground, scraping over metal and concrete.
Officially underway in 2065, the Sky Step races took place exclusively in Asia on tracks that were, more or less, vague pathways through rural and urban areas. Such tracks helped recreate that classic illegal street race feeling, even though these races were sponsored. Winding above city streets, through complicated support legs, under and over bridges, and across the water's surface were only a few of the concerns that Aeromachine pilots had to overcome while racing at speeds nearing 1,000 miles per hour!
GAME APPEARANCES:
AeroGauge
SOURCES:
AeroGauge instruction booklet ~ Shawn Sackenheim, All Game Guide
