abstract
| - Tenukie Chaud is one of the most iconic bosses of the Sonic Wings series. However, it originates from the earlier Video System game Rabio Lepus. It appears as a stage boss in Rabio Lepus, but it is always a major boss in the Sonic Wings games. Despite its cute appearance, Tenukie is identified as ferocious and a mercenary, which may explain why it has worked with both Yohmaoh and Fata Morgana. Tenukie calls itself 宇宙一の暴れん坊, which can be translated as a rowdy/hooligan/"bad boy" of outer space/the universe. It is also known as 千の仮面を持つ男, "the man with 1000 masks" because of its ability to change faces. Although the name "Tenukie" is written in katakana (テヌキー) in official Sonic Wings materials, the word 手抜き--meaning cutting corners, skimping, or being intentionally negligent--is pronounced the same way. 手抜き is also a type of move in the Japanese game called "go"; when a player "tenukis," s/he ignores the opponent's last move to make a move somewhere else on the board. Therefore, Tenukie's name could mean that it takes shortcuts, is negligent, or jumps around. (Although they are pronounced similarly, there is no connection between テヌキー and たぬき, the tanuki or "raccoon dog" famous in Japanese lore.) The meaning of Tenukie's second name "Chaudo" or "Chaud" (チャウド) is unclear, although "chaud" means "hot" in French. In all games, Tenukie has a round body with a white sheet draped over it. Its normal face consists of heavy black eye brows, round black eyes, a small mouth, and blushing cheeks. In contrast to Tenukie's appearance in Sonic Wings, its eyes are smaller and it has a nose in Rabio Lepus. However, in all games, Tenukie's face changes expressions and features frequently, particularly when it attacks. Oddly enough, Tenukie is very polite in the one instance it has printed dialogue in the games (see below). It also is one of few characters with spoken lines outside of Sonic Wings Assault, and it received its own mix track, "Dead Shimotagana Radio MIX," on the Sonic Wings 3 Soundtrack.
|