Bashōsen

Not to be confused with the Item Box power-up, Bashosen.

The Bashōsen^[1] (バショウセン^[2], Bashōsen^?, lit. "Banana palm fan") is an object that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are a pair of war fans that serve as Jet the Hawk's main weapons.

Description

Appearance

The Bashōsens are a pair of fans that are made up of Jet’s feathers,^[1] which are green with dark dark green tips, and wooden handles with a red strap on them.

Features and traits

Capable melee weapons, the edges of the Bashōsen fans are said to be razor-sharp.^[3] With one fan, Jet can stir up tiny tornadoes powerful enough to blow opponents off course and disorientate them.^[1] He can also use both fans in melee combat, either smacking his opponents or spinning them around to knock away anyone that gets too close.

History

Sonic Riders series

Sonic Riders

In Sonic Riders, Jet pulls out a Bashōsen fan when he reaches level two in gameplay. At that level, he wields it to disorient his foe. At level three, Jet takes out a secondary fan and uses it in his off-hand to create a twister-like attack to stun the foe for an even longer amount of time.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity Jet uses only one Bashōsen fan. In gameplay, he uses it whenever he gets an Attack item.

Sonic Free Riders

In Sonic Free Riders, Like Zero Gravity only uses one Bashōsen fan. In gameplay, he uses it whenever he gets a Special Item. Like in the previous installments, it is mainly used to attack opponents.

IDW Publishing

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, Jet the Hawk used the Bashōsen to steal from the Mineral Museum and to fight Master Zik.^[4][5]

Other game appearances

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle

Main article: Bashosen

In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, the Bashōsen (spelled as Bashosen) is an Item Box power-up used by Jet and Panda Amy. In this game, the Bashōsen is an offensive power-up that can be used to attack opponents. Upon dealing damage, it will also steal some of the opponent's Rings. This power-up can also be improved by leveling up the playable character.

Trivia

• The Bashōsen is based on the Palm Leaf Fan (芭蕉扇, Palm Leaf Fan^?), an item from the Chinese epic Journey to the West. It is one of the five treasured tools owned by the two demon brothers: the Golden Horned King (金角大王, Golden Horned King^?) and the Silver Horned King (銀角大王, Silver Horned King^?).
• Jet uses the main Bashōsen in his left hand and sometimes an auxiliary one in his right.
• In Sonic and the Black Knight Jet's counterpart Sir Lamorak uses dual swords that are inspired by the Bashōsen.

Gallery

artwork

Models

References