Frank Castle ain’t your average vigilante nowadays; Punisher has gone through the new treatment that Marvel Rivals gave, much to the chagrin of the fans. With the Dangan Ronin skin launching at 7 PM PDT on May 15th, that night is shaping up to be a very dark affair with a sad realization shared among the fans: That terribly, sad story is the very genesis of a skin that should go with Frank’s trigger-happy antics.
What actually is this Frank? This isn’t the usual skull-vest-punishing type Frank, says the official reveal. It says that Frank was just another traveler roaming around the world before that whole tragic incident. On a family trip to Kirisaki Mountain, the Great Snake Orochi ate up his family. Yes, that dark. Now reborn as Dangan Ronin, Frank carries a modified Tanegashima, which is an old rifle in case you were wondering, and goes about punishing evil wherever it hides from the sound of his voice: “Wherever evil lurks, my bullets will be the fire that purges the darkness.”
Designed by Peach Momoko (who also designed the Demon Days series for Marvel), Frank will have the aforementioned Ashigaru armor harness inspired by feudal Japanese warriors. Others are not about to let it glide. (“Tragic backstory + cool new skin = Punisher hype!”)
User @MowzaProduction called it “ass,” which basically means it felt not really like that classic Punisher. “How don’t we get his more traditional skins like the trench coat or classic all black and white?” Then Reflections, aka @WayneReynolds_, confessed that though he was hyped for the Momoko skins, this one had “kinda underwhelming.” It hit home hard.
And then there were the lore buffs getting deep into the region of nitty-gritties. The very learned @BigMadQueen clued another user in: “The Ashigaru were peasant soldiers who used medieval rifles called Teppo, or Matchlock rifles manufactured in Tanegashima.” So yeah, this isn’t just random samurai cosplay; practically, it means something.
Typical internet, and some others couldn’t help themselves from poking a little fun at the whole “white characters getting Japanese vibes” thing (@L_Bozar: “There is something kinda funny about all the white characters mostly getting the Japanese vibes, like Ronin Clint, Danganronpa Frank, etc.”). Further bluntly down, @Zorbeltof_ tweeted:”We get it, you are Chinese,” referring to Marvel Rivals’ developing studio.
However, Season 2 of Marvel Rivals has bubbled the ice, for better or worse; with Dangan Ronin Punisher coming in to throw a little chaos around.
If this skin doesn’t tickle your fancy, then fear not: @Official_BLKVNM has his eyes set on a “cosmic Ghost Rider skin,” whereas @WayneLewy_ has some visions of a Marvel X Capcom crossover (“Ironfist as Ryu? Star-Lord as Dante? Magik as Monster Hunter? Yes please.”).
Mark this down for May 15. It is literally going to be a bloody day.
