Sukeban Deka III - The Girl Gang Saga in 8-Bit

Jan 21

Distinctive and bold — such were the Sukeban, bands of Japanese youngsters who, between the 1970s and 1980s, turned their raids and criminal episodes into a cult that resonated throughout Japan.

Their rise to fame may have been the very cause of their decline. From being members of a subversive subculture that aimed to overthrow the Japanese patriarchy, Sukeban slowly transformed into pop icons, finding themselves featured in manga, anime, and even video games. And who in the 80s, holding a joystick, did not dream of impersonating empowered female characters equipped with unique tools.

This is precisely the story of the video game “Sukeban Deka III” produced by Toei Animation in 1988 for the 8-bit Famicom or NES console. The story takes its inspiration from both the Sukeban Deka manga and the TV series of the same name in which Yui Kazama, a girl member of a Sukeban group, once discovered and caught, is forced by the government to fight crime in order to redeem herself by infiltrating high schools to investigate and combat criminal activities.

In the video game, Yui Kazama, armed with a metal yo-yo, can boast the help of her two sisters (Yuka and Yuma) who have metal origami cranes and lily yarn needles as their weapons, and an interesting element is definitely that the player can, at will within the game, change the character to play and fight with by choosing among the three Kazama sisters.

The gameplay is very simple, bordering on scholastic and sometimes confusing because you do not always have a clear sense of what you need to do to move forward in the story. However, it incorporates RPG (role-playing game) elements, requiring players to both solve the case and engage in combat. This distinct feature sets it apart from classic side-scrolling beat 'em up games.

Basically, the game may not be a masterpiece worthy of being counted among the milestones, but it certainly makes one realize how much the Sukeban phenomenon has inspired a wide variety of fields.

A subculture born in the streets and high schools inspired creativity and comes to life in 8-bit to entertain entire generations once again.

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