This is a "play-through" using Hao Asakura in Shaman Fight (1-Player arcade) mode in the PS1 game Shaman King: Spirit of Shamans. Read on below for more information...
Hao Asakura is the boss of the game's Story mode. He is an unplayable character.
Unfortunately the result is disappointing, because even if you use alternative methods to select him as your character, he'll still be automatically controlled by the CPU! The player CANNOT control him at all.
Nevertheless, I "played through" the arcade mode with him, letting the CPU do it's job. After you defeat the last opponent, the game will go to a black screen and lock up.
===== About Hao Asakura =====
He is a very powerful boss character in the game and his spirit is a giant creature. He cannot be stunned at all, which means that if he starts an move, he cannot be hit out of it. He starts off rounds with 550 SMP worth of lifebar - the highest out of all the characters.
The principle of the character and his spirit reminds me of Dust of Osiris from Melty Blood.
===== Additional Information =====
---- On the character select screen, his icon position is right below the random ??? box. Obviously, this position cannot be accessed by normal means.
---- On the character select screen, he has a flawed 'portrait'. This is obviously because the game isn't programmed for him to be selected.
---- Hao (the guy in the middle) is not meant to appear on any other background besides one, which has a mount for him to "sit on". Therefore when he appears on a background that he's not supposed to appear on, he walks and sits "in the air".
---- As mentioned earlier, if you play as him in arcade mode, the game will freeze after you defeat the last opponent.
---- There is a different character select music theme depending on which game mode you choose. It's quite a nice touch.
===== About SK:SOF =====
Shaman King: Spirit of Shamans is based on the Japanese manga/anime series of the same main title. The characters seem to be represented excellently in the game through the in-fight sprites and artwork. Voice-acting is also very good as well (as you'd expect from Japanese voice-actors). Due to the high number of sprites, animation and detailed backgrounds, the game runs at 30fps.
The gameplay is quite unique for a fighter, as each character possess a 'spirit', which means you get some out-of-the-ordinary moves. The game has a very simple and flexible combo system which involves just sequence pressing between the strike buttons in virtually any order you like to create a combo. There is also one button dedicated to executing a character's special moves, therefore, you won't find any quarter-circle or half-circle command moves here folks. Another unique feature is your spirit banner often popping up to tell you to press an input, this is used to build your spirit meter/gauge percentage should you press it successfully.
The music is also very well composed, and has plenty of genre variety which is designed to fit each character specifically.
Overall, a high quality game that is very rounded off and complete.