Guild Wars 2

I haven’t played Guild Wars so who is this Shiro Tagachi and why was he so important?

Shiro was the bodyguard of the Canthan emperor Angsiyan. He betrayed his liege at the behest of a demon in service of Abaddon, and when he was struck down, his death wail turned Jade Sea into, well, Jade, and Echovald Forest into stone. Centuries later, he came back as the main antagonist of the Factions storyline, where he sought for a way to return to living. That’s the short version, anyways.

Took me 5 seconds, enjoy:
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Shiro_Tagachi

The Factions trailer also gives a good visualization of what happend.

A lovely video by Woodenpotatoes, explains everything there is to know about Shiro Tagachi.

It would be nice if ANET could implement more of the Clothing and wardrobe style based on that timeline period. I know I read somewhere about a Katana skin however I’ve been unlucky any finding anything like a Katana or even a Samurai Sword skin. I know the female Hexen skin recently had the a Chinese Looking hat along with it but the male skin didn’t have it.

Considering I never played the first Guild Wars, it might be nice if they included a short quest line to learn more about him. at least something for the new revenant profession to learn about communing with him.

Belinda’s Greatsword also, a Nodachi.

“[…]finding anything like a Katana or even a Samurai Sword skin.”

“[…]Belinda’s Greatsword also, a Nodachi.”

Katana and “Samurai sword” are one in the same. Though I suppose “Samurai sword” Can describe anything from wakizashi, kodachi, katana, daito, to tachi and odachi.

Which brings me to Yumiko Ishida’s comment. Nodachi Doesn’t exist. It’s odachi.
Dachi is from tachi, a word for sword. T and D are interchangeable when words are combined together to create new words. “O” means “Great”. So it’s literally a greatsword. You’ll see that this fits since the weapon in game is of the greatsword type.
Nodachi would literally mean…. hmm, “Of sword”, which makes little sense. The misconception arises because when you say odachi in English you are naming a proper object so you say, “That is an odachi.” But the N in “an” blends into the word. It would be like a non English speaker hearing Nonion when we say, “An onion.”
Someone heard it spoken as such and it just kind of stuck.

Hope I don’t sound condescending, just wanting to educate.

To answer the question, the katana skin in game has been used, so far, for the swords that the Quetzal Tengu weild in the jungle.

Snow.2506:

Hope I don’t sound condescending, just wanting to educate.

You didn’t sound condescending until that. :P

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Snow.2506:

Hope I don’t sound condescending, just wanting to educate.

You didn’t sound condescending until that. :P

Kitten me…
Sorry. I really don’t mean to Be. But some people take it that way.

Snow.2506:

“[…]finding anything like a Katana or even a Samurai Sword skin.”

“[…]Belinda’s Greatsword also, a Nodachi.”

Katana and “Samurai sword” are one in the same. Though I suppose “Samurai sword” Can describe anything from wakizashi, kodachi, katana, daito, to tachi and odachi.

Which brings me to Yumiko Ishida’s comment. Nodachi Doesn’t exist. It’s odachi.
Dachi is from tachi, a word for sword. T and D are interchangeable when words are combined together to create new words. “O” means “Great”. So it’s literally a greatsword. You’ll see that this fits since the weapon in game is of the greatsword type.
Nodachi would literally mean…. hmm, “Of sword”, which makes little sense. The misconception arises because when you say odachi in English you are naming a proper object so you say, “That is an odachi.” But the N in “an” blends into the word. It would be like a non English speaker hearing Nonion when we say, “An onion.”
Someone heard it spoken as such and it just kind of stuck.

Hope I don’t sound condescending, just wanting to educate.

To answer the question, the katana skin in game has been used, so far, for the swords that the Quetzal Tengu weild in the jungle.

That might be just the case and yes it is “Odachi”. Silly Human speech! Sorry! I fell into the trap even though I know better.

gclhoutx.7234:

It would be nice if ANET could implement more of the Clothing and wardrobe style based on that timeline period. I know I read somewhere about a Katana skin however I’ve been unlucky any finding anything like a Katana or even a Samurai Sword skin. I know the female Hexen skin recently had the a Chinese Looking hat along with it but the male skin didn’t have it.

I’d agree if they had a LS section which featured Canthan’s arriving to Kryta heavily, or we went to Cantha to get more “Canthan style weapons/armor skins”. Out of the blue? Not as much.

Kalavier.1097:

gclhoutx.7234:

It would be nice if ANET could implement more of the Clothing and wardrobe style based on that timeline period. I know I read somewhere about a Katana skin however I’ve been unlucky any finding anything like a Katana or even a Samurai Sword skin. I know the female Hexen skin recently had the a Chinese Looking hat along with it but the male skin didn’t have it.

I’d agree if they had a LS section which featured Canthan’s arriving to Kryta heavily, or we went to Cantha to get more “Canthan style weapons/armor skins”. Out of the blue? Not as much.

Canthans (in lore) have been, like other humans, heavily integrated in to the nation of krya in the 200+ years since GW1. Kryta is am immigrant state more akin to the USA than the primarily ethnic Krytan nation it was during GW1.

The reason there’s no Canthan district has to do with some questionable decisions by a certain NCSoft person that wasn’t around during GW1 taking offense at the “mixing of Asian Cultures” present in the cantahn district before release (despite elona being a clear mixing of african cultures, original kryta being a clear mixing of south american cultures, and ascalon being a clear mixing of european cultures)

Canthan families and culutre are, lore wise, very present in modern kryta and have been for hundreds of years, just like all human cultures as they immigrated and found refuge as humanity around tyria continued to flee failing wars, elder dragons, or political persecution. They’re just not in vogue like the majority krytan/ascalonian cultural identity that pervades mainstream krytan culture.

Yeah just read up on the guy that runs our Bank System, Captain Hao Luen.

Yeah, but do we have tons of Elona style weapons and armor? Not entirely.

Likewise, random dialogue in the Reach actually has two people commenting on how it’s hard to find (or unlikely) actual rice cakes or something, given the LONG time cut off from Cantha. Another scene has them comment on how the Canthan’s in Kryta don’t even know who the current emperor is, or when the last one died.

Canthan Scholar: Emperor Usoku is the last Emperor of Cantha whose name we know.

Canthan Scholar: Here, we revere the emperors we do not know, and we pray that the gods keep our distant homeland safe.

Canthan Scholar: Out last contact with Cantha was over a hundred year ago, but we still revere our ancestors as in generations past.

So while there ARE Canthan’s present in Kryta, it’s hardly a huge number. Hao Luen notes he’s from a Canthan Noble family, but the “influence” they hold toward Lion’s Arch isn’t really shown. Marjory’s family is heavily Canthan, but that’s also just kinda there.

I’m not opposed to having Canthan designs (Or Kurzick or Luxon styles either, hell I’d love that for my necromancer and her family member characters, kurzick especially), but I’d rather it not just suddenly “AND NOW, KATANA’S EVERYWHERE!”

Hence why I’d say something like some Canthans showing up in LA (fleeing Cantha, or seeking to resume trade like they had before Zhaitan rose). Hell, Usoku took over nearly a hundred years BEFORE Zhaitan rose, and that was when any contact with Cantha was lost. So the trading between Zhaitan’s rise and Usoku’s rise (which was when Cantha became isolated on purpose, only trading somewhat) was the only contact they had, and they never knew if Usoku was replaced during that timeframe, or if he was still in charge. :P

Modern Kryta is mostly Krytans and Ascalonians (and their descendants). SOME from Elona and Cantha, but not nearly as much.

edit: Maybe this will make more sense.

I personally think that if Anet wants to do more Canthan/kuzrick/luxon style designs, they could do a little overall update thing that has a Canthan like theme to it, so it’s less of an “Out of the blue random design drop!” and more of “Hey, this Canthan ship just docked in LA!”

Kalavier.1097:

Likewise, random dialogue in the Reach actually has two people commenting on how it’s hard to find (or unlikely) actual rice cakes or something, given the LONG time cut off from Cantha. Another scene has them comment on how the Canthan’s in Kryta don’t even know who the current emperor is, or when the last one died.

Both of those are to be expected.

First off, the last contact with Cantha had been 100 years ago. That’s long enough for the Canthan emperor to die and be replaced. No one – Canthan descent or otherwise – would know who the current Canthan emperor is unless they’re Zephyrites.

Secondly, it’s hard to get rice cakes no doubt for the very reason that rice is unlikely to be grown in Kryta. The population that is of Canthan descent is relatively small even compared to Elonians or Ascalonians – only those of Orrian descent are fewer in number. With no mention of rice grown in Kryta (or Ascalon) in GW1, any rice grown in GW2 would have had to had seeds brought by Canthans. No doubt that’s a small number in of itself (if you’re escaping from a dictatorial empire, seeds for your cultural foods is probably in the back of your mind), and of those not all would germinate in Kryta’s different environment.

On the other hand, weapons, armor, and clothing as well as oral traditions are far easier to bring over, and far more likely (after all, would most let alone all refugees be stark naked and ignorant of their own culture?).

For it spreading fast: People seemingly instinctually like ‘exotic’ things – foreign concept that shadows their own way of life. Reasons differ, but it’s there. This would be enough reason for an eccentric swordsmith to see a katana brought from Cantha and go “I want to produce these!” and sell them to people who go ‘oh, neat, foreign weaponry.’ Then seeing how effectively they sell, the mass producing blacksmith groups go and make a large number of the weapons, and bam. You have katanas everywhere.

No need for a Canthan ship to be docked in LA. Which, if such a thing happened, the outcry for “let us go to Cantha” would be deafening.

And the sudden and instant “HEY LOOK, CANTHAN STUFF!” for no reason? As I said, I’m not against the idea of the stuff, but I’d feel better if there was a reason for it other then randomness. Same with Elona themed armors or weapons.

I don’t see the issue. We already have a good deal of it and reason. Hell, when the China release went live, we got a ton of East Asian looks that got passed as Canthan in game. Explanation was pretty close to what you said: Zephyrites had brought the culture of their previous port of call. Which via dialogue with Marjory indicated said port of.call was Cantha.

We have that ‘instantly ton of Canthan stuff’ and we have explanation. Why is this a discussion about what if?

I’m unsure what looks you are talking about, and the Zephyite thing is EXACTLY what I’m talking about. They brought the stuff along with them from Cantha. That is what I’m talking about for future skins. Personally though, I’ve been seeing a lot of “CANTHA, CANTHA, MORE CANTHANS, YAAAAAAAAAAAAY” and it’s getting a bit overdone :P.

Anyway, that is off topic, as is the skins.

I Rp Yumiko as a Noblewoman of heavy Canthan descent (at least 80% by bloodline), that came form a long line of Canthans that stayed here in kryta after reinstating Salma as Queen. They also tried to help in her native homeland in Winds’ of Change but after seeing the changes happening for the worse, they decided to not to stay in Cantha and live in Kryta where they’d be most welcome after reinstating the monarchy with other heroes. There is evidence that some stayed behind in Cantha after its isolation (so that opens the door for other Ishida or related family to be played by other players in my RP guild and when Cantha does return to GW2).

Also, Yumiko keeps a sizable stockpile of rice in her home. As she makes a lot of ethnic food with it.

He’s the guy that could wipe your group with a single use of Impossible Odds. But… it could also kill him if you planned it that way. XD
Here’s factions intro movie to show him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtP5AkrCNUI