Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman (1999)

Rising Zan is a 3rd person action game with plenty of oddball humor and interesting situations. Zan, the main character wields the weapons of both of his trades... the Sword of a Samurai master, and the six-shooter pistol of an American cowboy. He'll need a variety of techniques to defeat the Jackal Clan and avenge his own lost battle. Zan proceeds through enemies and challenges in each level to eventually reach the boss who he then battles in some form of specialized combat or pattern. Once the boss is defeated, Zan gets the chance to unleash as much punishment on his foe in 30 seconds as he can; higher damage values will change the finishing move he uses to slay his foe.

Storyline

During the pioneering days of America's Wild west period, a young man named Johnny recently becomes the newly appointed sheriff of Tsuka Town, where one of his first tasks is to explore an abanonded gold mine where many people have recently been reported kidnapped. While finding no one there, Johnny is suddenly ambushed and attacked by a mysterious samurai with a mask, who cuts an X-shaped scar into his face. However, Johnny is saved at the last minute by Suzuki, a samurai master and a friend to Johnny's late father. Owing him his life, Johnny wishes to seek revenge against the samurai, which Suzuki agrees to, on the condition that he and Johnny travel to his home country of Zipang where Johnny is to train until he was ready to go back. Now fully trained in the art of the samurai, Johnny now declares himself as the Super Ultra Sexy Hero, Zan, and mixes that with his gunslinging knowledge as he finally returns home. However, he finds that his hometown has now been overrun with ninjas and men made of wood, revealed to be the work of the Jackal, an organization of samurai and ninja who have begun to loot the wild west of their resources for their own schemes. Realizing the danger his home is in, Johnny takes up both his blade and gun as he begins to uncover the Jackal's main plan, as well as do battle with Loki, the same samurai that almost killed him years ago