Samurai Pizza Cats
Mini-FAQ
by Ed the Moogle
Final Version
Copyright 2001 Ed the Moogle

Not official in any way. Don't copy or alter this FAQ without permission. If you 
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Note: I have not seen the show in quite some time, and so I do not remember the 
names of the Rescue Squad characters and special attacks. Or most of the bosses 
for that matter. Any help on this matter would be appreciated.

Contents

-Controls
-Cast of Characters
-Hints and Tips

***********************
**Section 1: Controls**
***********************

The controls operate similarly to most platform-style games on the NES, not the 
least of which being the Mega Man and Super Mario Brothers series. The Pizza 
Cats do have a few more moves than your average 8-bit hero, though.



*********************************
**Section 2: Cast of Characters**
*********************************

Here's a run-down of each character's statistics.

Weapon: What weapon the character uses during their basic, short-range attack.

Description: A description of the character's appearance.

Ninpo Attack 1,2,3: By holding the Up arrow and pressing the B button, a special 
attack will be formed. Each character has three such attacks. Which ones are 
used depends on the number of Ninpo icons the player collects. Level 1 attacks 
are the weakest, Level 3 are the strongest.

Overall Rating: A rating of the character's abilities and the characters' 
overall usefulness when playing through the game. All of the characters are 
pretty well balanced, but some posess exceptionally useful skills, which are 
noted here.

**********************
The Samurai Pizza Cats
**********************

Speedy Service (pronounced "Ser-vi-chay")
Weapon: Sword (high speed)
Description: A short cat wearing white and red armor.

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Shuriken Toss. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, 
which travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels 
out after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Triple Fireball. Tosses three fireballs straight ahead, which 
fan out and fly slightly upward and straight ahead, potentially taking out three 
enemies at once. They cancel out after a single hit and inflict a small amount 
of damage. Can be fired in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Ginsu Sword. Speedy unsheathes a second sword, crosses it 
with his other sword, charges energy, then fires a massively-damaging energy 
wave straight ahead of himself. Despite its misleading appearance, this move 
will damage all onscreen enemies.

------------

Polly Esther
Weapon: Scratch Claws (slow speed, but can hit twice)
Description: A cat wearing entirely pink armor.

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Heart Shuriken. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, 
which travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels 
out after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Boomerang. Tosses out a boomerang that flies out a short 
distance, loops around, then returns to Polly. It can hit multiple times with a 
single throw, making it fairly useful against stronger enemies.

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Heartbreaker. Polly charges two crescent-shaped waves of 
energy on either side of her, forming a heart shape. She then throws both 
projectiles diagonally upward, and they fan out until they fly offscreen. This 
attack, despite its misleading appearance, will inflict heavy damage on all 
onscreen enemies.

------------

Guido Anchovy
Weapon: Red Parasol (medium speed)
Description: A cat wearing blue armor with a red triangle on the front.

Special Ability: N/A

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Dagger Toss. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, which 
travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels out 
after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Boomerang Umbrella. Guido tosses his umbrella, which flies 
about half a screen's distance away, then turns around and returns to Guido. 
Should it miss on the return trip, it will travel about half a screen's distance, 
then turn around and attempt to return again. Should it be caught by Guido (it 
can't be caught while he's falling back after taking damage, for some reason) or 
fly off the screen, the attack will end. Each time the umbrella connects with an 
enemy, a small amount of damage will result. When used properly, this move can 
potentially clear the screen of enemies within seconds, making it one of the 
Pizza Cats' more useful moves.

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Blazing Sword. Guido unsheathes a sword, which ignites with 
bright red flame. He then swings the sword, sending a powerful wave of 
destructive energy all the way across the screen. Despite its misleading 
appearance, this move will damage all onscreen enemies.

****************
The Rescue Squad
****************

General Cattin
Weapon: Fists
Description: A fat cat wearing red and purple armor with a large cannon on his 
back.

Special Ability: This guy is the biggest and strongest of any character on the 
Rescue Squad, and he makes use of this ability by breaking through otherwise 
indestructible boulders with a single punch (hold toward the direction of the 
rock you wish to break, then press B while right next to it). This ability takes 
a small amount of Help energy to perform. If you're out of Help energy, he won't 
have enough strength to break any boulders.

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Shuriken Toss. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, 
which travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels 
out after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Cannon Fire. This guy will fire his cannon straight ahead and 
launch three cannon balls (with purple stars on them, oddly enough), which fan 
out in three directions, potentially clobbering up to three enemies with each 
shot. They each cancel out after a single hit and inflict a small amount of 
damage.

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Fire Storm. This guy launches a single missile into the air 
from the cannon mounted on his back. Once it flies offscreen, several 
destructive balls of fire will then rain down and gradually fan out from his 
position, eventually covering the whole screen, with each hit doing a small 
amount of damage. Useful for clearing screens full enemies.

------------

Batcat
Weapon: Fists
Description: Winged cat wearing blue and white armor and red goggles.

Special Ability: This guy's armor is decked out with a large propellor and a 
pair of bat-like wings, which he consequently makes use of to fly over large 
pits and other dangerous hazards. This ability consumes Help energy steadily as 
long as he continues to fly. When you run out of Help energy, be prepared to 
fall. (He also has some awesome Ninpo attacks at his disposal.)

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Shuriken Toss. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, 
which travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels 
out after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in the middle of a 
jump.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Gyro Attack. This move fires a slow-moving projectile, which 
zig-zags across about half the screen, inflicting light damage on any enemy that 
it touches (although it can hit multiple times). If one "chases" the propellor 
and keeps it on-screen, it will keep moving ahead and blasting baddies until one 
reaches the "wall" of the area. A very useful move.

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Spiral Blades. Fires out three small blades, which will spin 
around and gradually fan out in circular fashion, inflicting damage whenever 
they collide with something. This move can inflict a significant amount in a 
short amount of time, and is very energy-efficient, making it quite possibly the 
best Ninpo attack the Rescue Squad can use.

------------

Spritz
Weapon: Fists
Description: Wears yellow and green armor with a scuba mask.

Special Ability: As his scuba mask implies, this cat is able to glide through 
the water with ease. While any of the characters on your team can swim, none are 
able to do so as fast as him. This ability consumes Help energy steadily as long 
as he continues to swim underwater. When he runs out, he will continue swimming 
at a normal rate.

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Shuriken Toss. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, 
which travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels 
out after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Water Cannon. Fires a small cannon mounted on his arm, which 
launches three projectiles that fan out in three directions, potentially hitting 
multiple enemies in front of him. They cancel out after a single hit and inflict 
a small amount of damage. Can be fired in mid-air. Similar to the Cannon Fire 
attack. 

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Destructo-Disk. Launches a green disk that will rebound off 
of walls and enemies multiple times until it flies off the edge of the screen. 
Each hit will do a small amount of damage. Useful when you're cornered, and a 
strong enemy is closing in on you.

------------

Meowsma
Weapon: Fists
Description: Wears Orange and Yellow armor

Special Ability: This dude's armor is decked out with two large auger drills 
(and a saw thingie), which allows him to burrow through the dirt with ease- 
something no other character can do. This ability consumes Help energy for every 
"square" of dirt dug through. When your Help Energy runs out, you won't be able 
to drill through the dirt.

Ninpo Attack Lv 1: Shuriken Toss. Tosses a single projectile straight ahead, 
which travels all the way across the screen. It Inflicts weak damage and cancels 
out after connecting with an enemy. These can be thrown while in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 2: Disk Toss. Throws a spinning disk. Similar to the Shuriken 
attack, except that it will not cancel out when it hits an enemy- it will 
continue its flight until it flies offscreen. Useful for taking out several weak 
enemies at once. Can be fired in mid-air.

Ninpo Attack Lv 3: Tornado Spin. He will start spinning around, throwing out 
multiple energy waves to the left and right, which all inflict weak damage. 
Useful when surrounded.

************************
**Section 3: The Ropes**
************************

The display at the bottom of the screen looks a bit like this.

------------------------------------------
(HEART GAUGE)      SCORE: 000000     P- 02
            --------(HELP METER)----------
(Icon) NINPO ---------(Ninpo gauge)-------
------------------------------------------

The Heart meter is a display of how many hits your character can take before 
they die. Each hit they sustain will take off half of a heart, and there are 
five hearts total in the gauge. Thus, a character can take up to ten hits before 
they die. Hearts can be recovered by collecting icons that are the shape of a 
heart. Each heart icon will each recover 2 hearts on the gauge. Heart icons with 
paw prints on them will restore 1 heart each.

The Help Meter is the gauge of how much more of the Rescue Squad's ability can 
be used. When it gets low, some abilities may not be able to be performed, and 
when it hits zero, no special abilities can be performed at all. This gauge 
automatically refills at a slow rate when the player selects the "Hero" cat 
(Speedy, Guido or Polly), or the gauge can be instantly and completely refilled 
by collecting an icon of a cat's bell.

The Icon displays the currently "selected" Ninpo attack. This icon will change 
to the next-highest attack in terms of power when an icon displaying a Japanese 
symbol is collected. If the icon is already the third from the left (the 
strongest attack available), the icon will reset to the first from the left (the 
weakest available).

The Ninpo Gauge is a measure of how many special attacks can be performed by any 
of the available characters. Weaker attacks will do less damage to enemies, but 
at the same time will take a small amount of Ninpo energy to perform. Stronger 
attacks will do much more damage, but at the same time will take a lot of Ninpo 
to perform. This gauge can be refilled by collecting an icon of a container with 
an "N" on the side.

*****************************
**Section 4: Hints and Tips**
*****************************

General hints

-Both your lead character and all four members of the Rescue Squad share the 
same "meters" - That is, the Ninpo meter (for special attacks), Help meter (for 
using the Rescue Squad's special abilities), and Life meters remain consistent 
when you switch between the characters of your party. So don't use up all of 
your Ninpo with one character, only to be in need of it later when your hero 
confronts a tough boss.

-Attack the enemies that resemble flying eggs with wings to get free  power-ups. 
These oddities regenerate when you leave the screen and come back, too, so you 
can get as many easy power-ups as you want!

-When you collect some power-ups and then leave the area and come back, the 
powerups will have regenerated. Use this to your advantage whenever possible- 
max out your Ninpo attacks or get full health a la the first Ninja Turtles game.

-When flying with the help of the Rescue Squad, get a running start before you 
begin to fly. That way, you'll fly twice as fast and get twice as far before 
your Help Meter runs out.

- Be careful when doing battle with enemies near the edges of platforms and the 
like. Because your characters "flail" quite a bit when they take damage, they 
may end up falling off the screen or into another hazardous area. While you 
can't fall into "bottomless pits" and die in this game, it can be quite annoying 
at times.

-Everything in this game is "Mortal-" IE: no enemy or projectile is invincible- 
they can all be defeated with one to three swipes of a sword. Keep this in mind 
when doing battle with projectile-flinging enemies and the like. The only 
exceptions to this rule are bosses (which take roughly 10 hits to defeat) and 
spikes/lava (cannot be destroyed).

-Since all of the bosses can be defeated with relative ease through the use of 
Ninpo attacks, I won't mention their use in every boss' description. I will 
instead list methods to defeat them with hand-to-hand means.

Stage 1: The City

-There is a Ninpo Item and a whole bunch of other powerups in an underwater 
section of the stage. To get there, you will need to enlist the help of the 
Rescue Squad- first to knock down a rock and reach the ladder, second to drill 
through the dirt to reach the water, and third to swim through the water (well, 
the third one is optional, but it sure helps).

-In the area with the big "Samurai robots" that take three hits to kill, go all 
the way to the edge of the platform. Dispatch the bird that attacks you, then 
fly to the right to find a Ninpo power-up and a Ninpo refill.

Boss: Alien Robot

This guy can't do much other than stand there and flail his arms, occasionally 
sending out small spaceships to attack you. Destroy or avoid the ships, and then 
jump into the air and nail the 'bot's arms with your weapon to inflict damage. 
He'll be toast after sustaining 10 hits, and even less than that if you unload 
some Level 3 Ninpo on him.

Stage 2: The Docks

-Dive under the water when you first come across it to find a secret area with 
some power-ups in it.

Boss: Flying Fish

This boss officially wins the awards for being the wierdest looking and easiest 
of all bosses in the game. To defeat this boss, simply jump up and hit its face 
while it is in motion (it should turn around if you hit it while it's moving), 
or while it's sitting still (although you may risk taking a hit in doing so). 
This boss should be toast within 6-10 hits.

Stage 3: The Towers

-At one point in the stage, there are two paths to take. Both lead to the end of 
the level, but taking the upper (longer) path will lead to a Heart icon, a Ninpo 
ower-up, and a Ninpo refill.

Boss: Pig Saucer

Another easy battle. The saucer will fly around the edge of the screen In doing 
so, it will release two smaller enemies, then reverse and fly back across the 
top of the screen, reversing and throwing out an enemy when it flies just above 
your character. This boss can be easily juggled to death by hitting it, quickly 
eliminating the enemies it throws out, then repeating when it comes back down 
after reversing direction again. Just keep whacking his minions and then hit him 
at every opportunity, and he'll be toast within ten hits.

Stage 4: The Hills

-At the bottom of the waterfall, jump into the water to find a Ninpo refill and 
a heart icon.

-At the area where you can see the top of the big waterfall, go to the left 
across a series of platforms. Here you will find a Ninpo power-up and a heart 
icon.

Boss: Pogo Stick Man

This guy's a bit tougher than the previous bosses, but still not very tough if 
you know how to beat him. This boss zig-zags across the screen, throwing out 
four projectiles at the height of every jump, which fall straight down to the 
ground. The best way to beat him is to get in his path and wait for him to come 
close, then stand between two projectiles and hit him as he comes back down. 
He'll reverse direction every time he takes damage or hits the wall, so plan 
accordingly.

If you keep getting pounded by this boss, you can elect to stay on the opposite 
end of the screen from him and fire Ninpo projectiles to defeat him rather 
easily. Speedy's Triple Fireball, the fat cat's bazooka, and the flying cat's 
Spiral Blades all make this an easy task.

Stage 5: The Forest

-This level is not a "straightforward" level. If you keep going to the right, 
the stage will go on infinitely. In order to reach the boss, you must climb up 
two ladders to an area with water on the right-hand side of the screen. It's not 
too hard to find, so don't worry.

-Continue to the right after the first ladder to find a Ninpo power-up.

-After the second ladder down, take the nearby ladder to find a Ninpo refill and 
a Ninpo power-up.

Boss: The Big Cheese

This boss is fairly tough despite his predictable attack pattern. The Big Cheese 
will throw a fan in your character's direction (regardless of where they are on 
screen) and after every other throw he will stomp the ground and three 
stalactites will fall from the ceiling. Stay within half a screen's distance of 
the boss and remain on the ground until he throws the fan. Leap it, then quickly 
jump over and hit him in the head. Retreat before he can throw the next fan and 
avoid the falling stalactites. Repeat 10 times (or less) until he is defeated.

Stage 6: The Waterfront

I can't find any "hidden" power-up areas in this stage. Any help?

Boss: Evil Pirate

This boss quickly swims back and forth in the middle of the screen, all the 
while throwing out deadly bubbles that bounce across the screen until they go 
off the edge. You'll definitely want to use the swimmer cat for this battle 
(unless you're going to switch to your another character to use some Ninpo 
attacks). This guy is pretty easy to beat, even without Ninpo. Just avoid his 
bubbles to the best of your ability, then swim down and punch him when you see 
an opening. Repeat this ten times or so and he's toast.

Stage 7: The Amusement Park

-This is another "maze" level. To reach the end, you must either enter the 
fourth "Hippo" door in the room with five of them, or fall into the first pit 
and then fly to the right on the screen below it to enter another door. Then 
just make your way to the right in the room with all the exploding "egg bots."

-The big "Samurai robots" will turn into smaller, more agile enemies when hit 
(and they take three hits to kill, too). It's often better to just leave them 
alone so that you can save a bit of time and health.

-Don't jump when a banana-looking enemy is charging toward you. Nine times out 
of ten, they'll just jump into the air and hit you, whereas if you stay on the 
ground, they'll either leap over you or slide (thus leaving them open to attack).

-There is a heart icon in the third screen with the three ladders. Just climb up 
the rightmost or leftmost ladder to reach it.

-If you fall down the first pit you come across and head to the right on the 
next screen down, you'll reach a Ninpo refill and a power-up. If you fall down, 
you'll get a Ninpo power-up, but you'll have backtracked a bit through the level.

Boss: Vampire Cat

Another easy battle. The vampire cat will teleport around the room, forming in 
one of three places to quickly send out three bats after your character, and 
then vanish again. Attack them while they are fully formed, then destroy the 
bats ASAP and prepare to intercept 'em again at the next place s/he ends up at.

Stage 8: The Mountain

-After climbing up two screens, you will come to an area with a heart and a 
Ninpo power-up just outside the cave that you are in. It's easy to hop up on the 
platforms and go out of the cave to grab them, but this will also require you to 
backtrack a bit in the stage.

-On the screen right after that one, there is a Ninpo power-up and refill. 
You'll have to fly to grab them.

-On the screen right after THAT one, there is a rock you can punch through 
leading to another secret area. In here is ANOTHER Ninpo powerup and a refill. 
You may not need to get this one if you already picked up the previous two, but 
if you do, go ahead and grab it.

Boss: Condor bot

Man, another easy boss battle. And this late in the game, too! The 'bot will 
simply hover on the right-hand side of the screen, springing to life every few 
seconds to fly across the screen, drop a few rolling balls, then return to the 
corner. Run up to the bot, get in two or three hits, then run to the opposite 
end of the screen and attack the balls that the bot drops. 10-12 hits later, 
this boss will be toast.

Stage 9: The Airship

-Continue to the right after the first ladder for a health power-up. Drop down 
from the ledge here to avoid the spikes below.

Boss: Guitar Guy

This guy can be trouble if you don't know how to deal with him. He'll bound 
around the arena, releasing deadly music notes while at the same time trying to 
land on your head. To defeat this guy, stand between two of falling music notes, 
then attack him when he comes close to the ground, and quickly run to the other 
end of the arena and repeat. Alternately, you can elect to unload some LV3 Ninpo 
attacks on him until he's toast. Either strategy will work fine.

Stage 10: Airship interior

-Take the first ladder up to find a Help icon and a heart icon.

-Don't dive into the water atop the ship, it will take you back down to the 
floor below and probably drop you on an enemy's head, so that you take damage.

-To reach the Help bell near the end of the stage, enter the gel cube from the 
side, not from below.

BOSS: Dragon

The dragon will alternate between rolling balls across the ground at you (jump 
them) and then breathing a fireball in your character's direction, usually 
before the ball can roll offscreen (dash to avoid it). To defeat him, aim for 
his head with dash-and-retreat attacking tactics (dash-jump over the ball, hit 
him, and run before he launches the fireball), or by using Ninpo attacks on his 
head.

BOSS: Chicken Bot

This bot moves back and forth, dropping balls that burst into columns of flame 
(usually trying to drop them right on your character) and swinging its arms 
wildly. Both will inflict damage. Your target here is that glass window with the 
guy in it, right under the chicken's swinging arm. If you have some Ninpo left, 
use it and target the ugly mug in the window. If not, get close enough so that 
you can barely connect with the window, jump up, slash, and retreat. You can run 
between the boss' legs without taking damage, so do so to avoid being cornered 
and having a ball dropped on your head. Once the arm is gone, you'll have an 
easier time damaging it without being hurt yourself, and once the skull appears, 
you're eight or so hits from victory.

Stage 11: The Final Showdown

-Don't bother with flying up to the hole in the ceiling on the first screen. 
There's nothing up there.

-There are NO health or Ninpo refills in this stage, so try to preserve your 
Ninpo and Health as much as possible for the boss. If you die, pick up the Ninpo 
power-up again as you pass by it so that you can have Level 3 for the boss.

Final Boss: Bad Bird

Bad Bird begins the fight by hovering at the top of the arena, then occasionally 
diving down toward your character and flying back up to the top. At this point, 
you can either jump up there and attack him while he's hovering, or wait for him 
to dive, jump, and barely nick him with your weapon so that he doesn't hurt you 
when he returns to the top. After sustaining a few hits, he'll change his 
strategy, moving quickly around the top of the screen so that he leaves "after 
images" (these can hurt you- don't touch them), and then he'll ocasionally stop 
and dive at you in the same way as he did before. The best thing to do at this 
point is use your Ninpo power to finish him, or follow the same strategy- wait 
until he dives, then nick him with your weapon. This can be a tough battle, but 
it's manageable if you get the timing down and you've managed to preserve some 
health from the level.

*************************************
**Section 4: Credits and Other Junk**
*************************************

I'd like to thank the following people.

-The creators of Samurai Pizza Cats, for giving me many weekday mornings of 
entertainment.

-brian012, for providing me with the names of the Rescue Squad characters.

-My awesome Pentium 166 computer, for the necessary means to make this guide.

-And you, for reading this guide! </cheesy Capcom deriative>

If you find any errors, or have questions, comments, or additions, feel free to 
e-mail me at brunerp@juno.com or edmoogle@hotmail.com . Just put "Samurai Pizza 
Cats FAQ" in the subject.
