Rhythm Masters

Rhythm Masters is a duo made up of Don-chan from the Taiko no Tatsujin series and the Girl from "Tap Trial" in the Rhythm Heaven series, who goes by the name Hakuko. They are competitors in the King for Another Day Tournament. They were selected as a popular fan submission.

King for Another Day Tournament[]

"Brought together through the power of bangers, Hakuko and Don-chan set their sights on a perfect full combo all the way to the crown title. Whether it be by twisting knobs, tapping keys, or swiping at a washing machine, this duo can conquer any rhythmic challenge! Get ready for the ultimate tournament beatdown deluxe version, ta-don!"

—Rhythm Masters' description on the MOJO!!

Rhythm Masters were revealed at the end of "Music Select BGM (dj TAKA) - REFLEC BEAT VOLZZA". Their source lists consists of rips featuring music from rhythm games, such as "Dreams of Our Generation", "Mausoleum Mash", "Xepher", "Brain Power" and "FREEDOM DIVE", as well as music by artists with frequent appearances in rhythm games like Camellia, Sakuzyo and Shinji Hosoe.

In Round 1, the Rhythm Masters faced Jack & Elmo and lost. In the Loser's Bracket, they scored victories against Eminem, Solid Snake, Dr. Robotnik, and Jack Bros, but then ended their winning streak when they lost to MissingNo.

Quotes[]

Lines without a link come from the "All Vs/Victory Lines" video.

VS[]

Against	Rhythm Masters's quote
	"I see you're into more... slow jams! Literally, da-don!"
	"G-Great Soul? Did you also bring this doll to life?"
	"A trio of singing Octo-Pops? Incredible! Show me what you've got!"
	"You appear to have a Sneaky Spirit behind you! Do you want to find out what we do to those?"
	"Ooooh, are those conga drums I'm hearing? I'd like to see if they can keep the beat better than me, da-don!"
	"Hey Reggie! I have a lot of requests for you right now, ya know?" "Like five new Taiko no Tatsujin games on switch?"
	"Up for a superb game of Spaceball? Hit the ball with your heart!"
	"Woaaaah! So you're the guy who gave life to those nice witches and who banged all those songs I know, da-don! Can you sign my drumskin? I'm a huge fan, da-don!"
	"If you happen to participate in the rat race, make sure to watch for the signs! That cat is fiesty!"
	"Quit banging about how you're so good at dancing! You're so lanky your arms look like drum sticks, da-don!"
	"That is one really big um...drum stick you have there! I-I think you're better suited for a bigger drum, don!"
	"Let's see if your rhythm is as solid as your spying skills!"
	"Our DJ School is looking for wannabe DJs! You seem to fit the criteria!"
	"Hey, is this guy a disguised Cadet? Attentioooooooooon, march!"
	"I would LOVE to see you move like Jagger! Cmon, let's have a dance-off, right here, dodon ga-don!"
	"Ah! You are the one acquainted with the Wandering Samurai, yes?"
	"No, Mr. Crab guy, you're thinking of "don, kat, don don kat, don dondonkat don kat don dondonkat!""
	"I see you are a girl of love! We have a lab just for that! You should go there and shake up a good beat!"
	"Ooo, a robot maker! How do you make them? Do you screw their heads or fill them with strawberry juice?"
	"These must be rejects from the screwbot factory, their heads look like they could come off!"
	"Say...those bones could be some good drum sticks! Give me a beat, da-d- wait, not on me!"
	"So, you’re the Kung Fu master I’ve heard about? Let’s see if you are any better than Karate Joe."
	"Doctor! Can you check my heart beat? I think I'm starting to take this rhythm to heart, da-don!"
	"Looks like this tournament has packed a pest, let's take care of that, shall we?"
	"All this rhythm is making me hungry, don! What do you say we DRUM STICK around for a bit more and then BEAT it to go eat?"
	"Sentencing to a rhythm of a song? Very clever, da-don! Think we could drum up a friendship?"
	"Woah, you go big guy! You aren't the only monkey I've dealt with! Ready, and tap tap tap!"
	"Dongyaaaaa!!! W-what even is that? It's spooky, it has no consistent rhythm!"
	"This music is making me a bit tired, don... I may need a good beat to whack-I mean, wake me up!"
	"You're all about rap huh? I'm fo'sho not crazy into you, but I know you can get a good rhythm going!"
	"You know, you could make a nice lumBEARjack little guy!"

Victory[]

Against	Rhythm Masters's quote
	"Tell your board they should spin around in their chairs sometimes. Maybe that will help them take decisions at a better rhythm!"
	"Owie! Your type of wood is certainly not fitting for a pair of Bachi drum sticks, don..."
	"Fascinating! I can't wait to tell the Rhythm League about you girls!" "They're gonna love it, just like I love to drum to splatunes, da-don!"
	"It's like your Yo-Kai friend says! Just BEAT it. Dodon ga-don!"
	"Fun is the universal language!"
	"Say, Don-chan, aren't you interested in some smashing rhythms?" "I'd want to beat the beat for sure, da-don! I can ask Mr. Pac-Man for help about it!"
	"If you want to tranquilize aliens, just give 'em pork rice bowls!"
	"Don't worry, your songs will remain Untouched in Band Brothers P!"
	"How could you play a taiko drum with only one Bachi drum stick or with only Don or Ka? Don't be so silly, da-don!"
	"No need for us to buy your garlic, we have plenty at home!"
	"Oh, but it was you, Mr. De-da-don! Why were you wearing that weird mask?"
	*"Your traps are no match for Mr. Pac-Man's! I know it, I was there, da-don! Thank you again, Mr. Snake, da-don... sniff"*
	"Now that was a real beat mania-don!"
	"Since you know rabbits, could you help me? There's one I know who wants to become one with the Moon..."
	"That was really thrilling! Did this love of rhythm take a toll on me?... I suppose!"
	"Now that we've won, I guess I'll call John "Johnny" for a while, da-don!"
	"I wonder if that crab guy has ever met Mr. Lantern Eel, da-don." "Don't ask me, those dancing shrimp are the only sea creatures I know!"
	"I remember drumming to a song from your husband, it was amazing, da-don! Could I please drum to one of your songs too?"
	"This dude surely had a few Misses when making his robots..." "He should meet Professor Otowa, he'll know what to do, da-don!"
	"Hey, you guys! I want some help making taiko drums known around the world, da-don!"
	"Donkatkat, DON, kadon, donkadon, donkad- wait, I don't think you're the right guy..."
	"Can't make the greatest song in the world without the greatest rhythm in the world, da-don!"
	"It was nice to see you again Dr. Bacteria! Keep up the good rhythm! Don't forget to go for a perfect next time!"
	"Your beats are too cold! I know a few Captains who can make you pick up some heat!"
	"This machine is working well! I could use it to make some dough later!"
	"Well, it was very nice to beat- I mean, meet you! Hope we can remix a song together sometime, da-don!"
	"Bongos are cool, but I prefer taiko drums, da-don!"
	"Phew... That was so scary! I almost felt my soul leaving me, don..." "Hey, if you want to scare us any further, you'll have to Try Again!"
	"The Jazz Cats? I'd rather play with The Clap Cats!"
	"Yo, time for a snack, isn't it?" "Don!"
	"Don't be so blue, bear! You could work up a hearty appetite and become a great rhythm minigame!"

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

In their stock icon when they lose, Don-chan has X-eyes.
Depending on the kanji used, the name "Hakuko" can mean either "time signature" or "beat girl".
Rhythm Masters is one of 4 characters to be beaten in the first round, but eventually, rank higher than the character who initially defeated them. The others being Johnny Bravo, Mariya Takeuchi, and Dr. Robotnik. In RM's case, they outlasted Jack & Elmo, despite Losing to them in Round 1.
In their vs. screen, a Japanese version of their team name (リズムの達人) is seen next to their regular English name. They are the only characters to have this feature.
Hakuko's costume takes elements from music and rhythm games. Her headband has the same logo as PaRappa the Rapper's beanie, her dress resembles the notes on a MIDI keyboard, and she wears a Dance Dance Revolution arrow as a hairclip.
The duo's name is a portmanteau of their home series' titles, Rhythm Heaven and Taiko no Tatsujin (as well as its brief Taiko Drum Master name in English).

Quotes[]

A large number of their quotes give reference to the Rhythm Heaven series as well as a few to the Taiko no Tatsujin series including its characters, minigames and other references.
- Their victory quote against Metal Ajit Pai references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Board Meeting, a minigame where the boars share their ideas by spinning in their office chairs.
- Their vs. quote against Geno references the Great Soul, a character from Taiko no Tatsujin: Clay Anime, who is the one responsible for bringing many of the residents of Taiko no Tatsujin to life.
- Their vs. quote against Off the Hook ft. Paruko references the Octo-Pops from the Rhythm Heaven rhythm toy game Octopus Machine.
- Their victory quote against Off the Hook ft. Paruko references the Rhythm Heaven organization Rhythm League.
- Their vs. quote against "Weird Al" Yankovic references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Sneaky Spirits and the characters named after.
- Their victory quotes against Pitbull and the Aliens and Men in Black references the Rhythm Heaven minigame First Contact.
  - Their victory quote against Pitbull and the Aliens also references the Pitbull song "Fun".
- Their vs. quote against Men in Black references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Spaceball.
- Their vs. quote against ZUN references the inclusion of Touhou tracks in the Taiko no Tatsujin series.
- Their vs. quote against Thanos references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Rat Race.
- Their victory quote against King Dedede references the fact that he and Kirby guest starred in Taiko no Tatsujin: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure.
- Their vs. quote against DJ Professor K references the Rhythm Heaven minigame DJ School.
- Their vs. quote against Quote references the Cadets who appear from the Rhythm Heaven minigame Marching Order.
- Their victory quote against Quote references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Bunny Hop.
- Their victory quote against Adam Levine references the Rhythm Heaven song "Thrilling! Is This Love?" used in the minigame Fan Club and the Maroon 5 song "This Love".
- Their vs. quote against Johnny Bravo references the Rhythm Heaven character Wandering Samurai.
  - Their vs. quote against Johnny Bravo also references the "CN City" era of Cartoon Network bumpers, one of which involves Johnny and Samurai Jack mixing up each other's clothes at a laundromat.
- Their victory quote against Johnny Bravo references the Taiko no Tatsujin character John Wada.
- Their victory quote against Mr. Krabs references the Taiko no Tatsujin character Lantern Eel and the Rhythm Heaven characters Shrimp Scamperers from the Rhythm Heaven minigame Shrimp Shuffle.
- Their vs. quote against Mariya Takeuchi references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Love Lab.
- Their vs. quote against Dr. Robotnik and Daft Punk ft. Pharrell references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Screwbot Factory.
  - Their vs. quote against Dr. Robotnik also references the minigame Fillbots 2, a minigame where the player is in charge of fueling robots up with strawberry robo juice.
- Their victory quote against Dr. Robotnik references the character Professor Otowa.
- Their victory quote against Papyrus includes Don-chan singing to the main chorus of the Undertale song "Megalovania" with the quote itself referencing a part from the song's oni chart included as a DLC in the games Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!. Don-chan mentioning that Papyrus isn't the right guy could also be a reference to "Megalovania" being associated with Sans.
- Their vs. quote against Jack and Elmo references Jack Black's role as Po in the movie Kung Fu Panda and the Rhythm Heaven character Karate Joe.
- Their vs. quote against Jack Bros. references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Packing Pests.
- Their victory quote against HOBaRT references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Working Dough.
- Their vs. quote against Donkey Kong references the Rhythm Heaven minigame Tap Trial, the minigame Hakuko originated from.
- Their victory quote against MissingNo. references the Try Again rating from the Rhythm Heaven series.
- Their victory quote against The Jazz Cats references the cats that appears in the Rhythm Heaven minigame Kitties!.
- Their vs quote against Eminem references some of the quotes in the Rhythm Heaven minigame Love Rap.
- Their victory quote against Eminem references one of the red rapper's quotes in the Rhythm Heaven minigame Rap Men.
- Their vs. quote against Law and Disorder references the Rhythm Heaven minigame LumBEARjack.
- Their victory quote against Law and Disorder is a play on the Rhythm Heaven minigame Blue Bear.
Their victory quote against "Weird Al" Yankovic references the Michael Jackson song "Beat It".
Their victory quote against Nintendo Power and Solid Snake references Don-chan's cameo in the Super Smash Bros. series during Pac-Man's up taunt, Namco Roulette.
Their victory quote against ZUN could reference the Akyu's Untouched Scores album series for Touhou Project and the game Daigasso! Band Brothers P.
Their victory quote against DJ Professor K references the rhythm game series beatmania.
Their vs. quote against Adam Levine references the Maroon 5 song "Moves Like Jagger".
Their vs. quote against Mr. Krabs references a scene from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Krab Borg", in which Mr. Krabs calls a radio station to ask if they could play a specific song again. In the scene he describes the song he wants as "the one that goes 'bee-boo-boo-bop, boo-boo-beep'", before the DJ responds with a similar series of onomatopoeias.
Their victory quote against Daft Punk ft. Pharrell references the Daft Punk song "Around the World".
Their victory quote against Jack & Elmo references the Tenacious D song "Tribute"
Their vs. quote against Dr. Piccolo references the gameplay of Rhythm Doctor, where the player needs to cure the patients hearts while playing to the rhythm.
Their victory quote against Jack Bros. references Eurodance band Captain Jack, who has featured songs in the game Dance Dance Revolution.
Their vs. quote against Nico Nico references Don-chan's quote when befriending him in Yo-kai Watch 2 and Yo-kai Watch 3.