Musashi no Ken - Tadaima Shugyou Chuu

Musashi no Ken - Tadaima Shugyou Chuu (roughly translated, Sword of Musashi - Now in the Middle of Training) is a Famicom game developed by Taito in 1986. It is the Famicom adaption of an early 80s manga and anime known as Musashi no Ken, which its plot features the son of two Kendo champions named Musashi. He strives to become as great at Kendo as his parents. The entire story centers around the world of Kendo and its up and coming competitors. The anime is broken up in to two parts. The first part follows Musashi's early years in grade school while the second part follows his high school years. In the first episode, Musashi befriends an Akita puppy who is by his side throughout the series.

The Famicom title was originally planned as a home port of the 1984 weapon-based fighting game, Great Swordsman, developed by SETA and published by Taito, which in fact its vs. mode resembles the Kendo mode of Great Swordsman. The Famicom game has two modes. The single player mode depicts Musashi in the middle of his training. He must run through several obstacle courses collecting swords and other items along the way. At the same time, his pet Akita will be running the course behind him. Musashi must not fall too far behind his dog. After completing three courses, Musashi will be entered into a Kendo tournament. He must defeat five competitors to win the tournament. The swords that Musashi collects during the obstacle courses provide him with access to special strike moves if he has collected enough. If you succeed in winning, the game will continue from the beginning at a higher level of difficulty. After winning the championship a second time, the game is over.

The second mode is a two player vs. mode. Each player selects from a roster of competitors, and selects them secretly by pressing different inputs on the control pad. Once five selections have been made, the selections are revealed. Each player then squares off in a Kendo match with each of their selections. The winner is the player with three or more victories.