Skullomania

Skullomania (スカロマニア), real name Saburo Nishikoyama (西小山 三郎), is a video game character from the Street Fighter EX series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter EX. He is a third-rate businessman who takes up a superhero identity by donning a full-body skeleton suit.

Concept
Skullomania's design was inspired by the Japanese superhero Kamen Rider created by manga author Shotaro Ishinomori, with extra elements drawn from the Skull Man, a character from a manga Ishinomori wrote in order to work out the concepts for Kamen Rider. Skullomania also draws from real-life luchador La Parka (also known as The Reaper/Death).

Appearance
In Street Fighter EX, Skullomania's costume is simply a black body stocking with a skeleton motif printed on it. The Kamen Rider/"Skull Rider" image was enhanced in Street Fighter EX2, where Skullomania's costume gained a red scarf, gloves, and boots, as well as a belt almost identical to the Typhoon belt worn by Hayato Ichimonji, Kamen Rider #2. Both the belt and the forehead of Skullo's mask bear a stylized letter "S".

In his Shadaloo C.R.I. profile art, his gloves and boots are white, he no longer wears a belt and a gun holster on his right thigh and the "S" on his mask is orange instead of red.

In Fighting EX Layer, Skullomania remains largely the same in both of his appearances in Street Fighter EX and in his CFN profile. His gloves are now black with a skeleton motif and his boots are shorter to match his black body stocking with a skeleton motif and no longer has the "S" on his mask but retains his red scarf from his Street Fighter EX2.

Street Fighter EX
Skullomania was once an average salesman called Saburo Nishikoyama. His superiors were not pleased with his results as a salesman. Down on his luck and constantly under pressure for results, he was forced to act in a hero show held for the customers at the department store he worked at. During the performance, he felt an indescribable passion awaken within him, and decided to become a vigilante crime-fighter, swearing to protect the world from evil. As a result, he began to compete against the top-ranked martial artists in the world, fighting them on an even playing field.

Street Fighter EX ending
''I shall continue the fight as long as evil persists! Whether it'll be on this planet or in outer space. For I am a hero! But being a hero isn't easy! Now that evil has been defeated for today, I must leave! Huh, it seems I cannot go back home yet. For the sake of my beloved wife, my children, and my pet Pochiro-kun. To the Greengrocer! Super Skullocrusher!''

Street Fighter EX Plus α ending
''"I am a Hero!" As soon as Mania's perverted shout echoes across the city, his neighbor's annoyed housewife rushes madly to the Nishikoyama residence. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?" "PLEASE CUT IT OUT!" Ect. Despite this, the Nishikoyama family is a happy family. ''

Street Fighter EX2
In Skullomania's story mode in Street Fighter EX2, he sets out to defeat Garuda, whom he regards as a villain attempting to dominate the world. In his secret ending, Skullomania fights Shadowgeist, another vigilante with a different definition of justice. After defeating the vigilante, he exclaims; "I am Skullomania, the hero who fights for the sake of justice!!".

In Street Fighter EX2 Plus, it is revealed that Nishikoyama was promoted to the department manager at his job, but received a lot of criticism from his employees, who believe he was chosen to be a scapegoat. Whenever the stress of working gets too much for him to handle, he takes up the mantle of Skullomania and fights crime with an overwhelming sense of justice.

Street Fighter EX3
In Skullomania's Street Fighter EX3 ending, he manages to defeat Shadaloo, but realizes that there are still evil forces in the world. Skullomania decides that he must fight until the day that evil is completely eradicated from the world.

The final line of his ending spoofs typical superhero shows, giving a "preview" of a hypothetical episode of a show starring Skullomania, stating "''Next week: Episode 25, "Friend or Foe? Enter the Skullolady!"''".

Fighting EX Layer
Skullomania appears as one of the playable characters in Fighitng EX Layer.

After finding a re-employment from his good position, Nishikoyama now lives a productive life and a better salaryman. However, he is having trouble taking up his mantle as his super alter-ego Skullomania without any recollection of what is happening. Nishikoyama's uneasiness causes him to given birth with new powers.

Other appearances
Skullomania also made an appearance in the PlayStation game, Fighter Maker, even with some of his special moves intact. The character is also used in Komodo Crunchtime, a 2012 shooting game from Rie Studios.

Cameo
Skullomania made a very small cameo appearance in the Street Fighter Legends: Sakura comic.

Fighting style
Skullomania has an acrobatic fighting style, possibly inspired by Freestyle Dance as one of his Super Combo shows him creating body blows from his slide kick and ends with a break dance manuever.

Moveset
Skullomania's moves involves his nickname as Skullo. His first move is the Skullo Slide where he could do a slide kick and Skull Crasher where he launches himself as a torpedo. From EX2 onwards, he can also use energy attacks. One of his throws has him to slide underneath his opponent and stomps them on the back.

In Street Fighter EX2 and onwards Skullomania became fast and agile, imitating double jumps and flips from Vega and M. Bison when he is about to attack his opponents. He gains a Skullo Dash which resembles Dudley's Jet Upper and a Skullo Dive imitating M. Bison's Devil Reverse. He is also able to perform tackles and backflips as his special attacks.

In Fighting EX Layer, Skullomania retains all of his moves from the Street Fighter EX series and his agility from Street Fighter EX2. He can perform spinning flips back and forth to avoid getting attacked and gains the ability to teleport to dodge his opponents' attacks, this allows him to make a counterstrike during that state. He also gains a new fighting stance.

Super Combos
Throughout the EX series, Skullomania's Super Combos involves his moves creating body blows on his opponent. His first Super Combo is a Super Skullo Crasher like his special attack, he launches himself like a torpedo but also as a drill to make multiple damage on his opponent. His second Super Combo is a Super Skullo Slide where he makes a slide kick to make a body blow on his opponent as the last blow goes for a break dance manuever. In Street Fighter EX2 he gains his signature move the Skullo Dream. If it connects, Skullomania will set a barrage of blows which is increasingly comedic in execution as the last blow sends his opponent flying with a powerful uppercut while swearing the lines from his motto. This is his unblockable move that resembles Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu and Kairi's Kyoja Renbu. In Fighting EX Layer, this move now deals additional heavy damage and the lines from his motto had changed.

Both his Skullo Ball and his Skullo Energy Super Combos deal minor damage on his opponents. His Meteor Combo is the Super Skullo Energy where he creates a powerful ki barrier to knock his opponents in a heavy damage.

Trivia

 * His ending in the original Street Fighter EX is a reference to Kinkotsuman from Kinnikuman.


 * Skullomania shares his birthday with Hugo.


 * Skullomania states in his Street Fighter EX ending that he has a wife, children and a pet named Pochiro-kun.


 * The title background in his Street Fighter EX3 ending is based on the Choudenshi Bioman episode which is "Enter New Warrior, Jun".

Gallery
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Street Fighter EX series
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Street Fighter V
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Fighter Maker

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