Context
Jitsu appeared early in the first season of the 1980s He-man and the Masters of the Universe cartoons.
He’s an evil samurai-themed warrior with a giant right hand.
This ill-advised character was only seen once. But here’s the existing material for those who’d like to rework him.
For more about the HMatMotU setting, see this writeups.org article.
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Background
- Real Name: Jitsu.
- Former Aliases: Chopper.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Skeletor’s Warriors.
- Base of Operations: Unrevealed.
- Height: 5’3″ (1.60m). Weight: 230 lbs. (104 Kg.).
- Eyes: Black. Hair: Black.
Powers & Abilities
Jitsu is a martial arts master. He’s trained in karate and, one would assume, jiu jitsu.
His oversized right hand can deliver over-powered karate chops.
History
Skeletor bought the Dragon Pearl, a powerful artifact, from Mer-Man.
He and Beast-Man then stole dragon eggs. Their plan was simple. Drop eggs all over Eternia, then use a growth serum to instantly grow them to adulthood.
Beast-Man used his power over beasts to push the dragons to violence. While the world was distracted, Skeletor would take some warriors and attack Grayskull!
Jitsu arrives at Snake Mountain
Everything went as Skeletor planned.
Jitsu joined Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Beast-Man, and Trapjaw at Snake Mountain. While Beast-Man remained behind, the rest traveled to Castle Grayskull.
Skeletor used the Dragon Pearl to trap the Sorceress inside the Pearl itself. With her out of the way, the villains forced the Jawbridge open.
Once inside, Skeletor erected a powerful forcefield over the castle.
When things look bad, teamwork’s the answer
He-man guessed Beast-Man was controlling the dragons. After He-man defeated Beast-Man the dragons stopped being violent. In fact, they turned to the side of good.
He-man asked for their help to bring down the forcefield over Grayskull. All the dragons gathered outside the old castle and breathed their fire on it together.
The forcefield failed and the heroes rushed in.
Jitsu fought against Ram-Man but lost.
No-Prize hypotheses
Jitsu stays at the rear of this group, practically never speaks, and even lingers a little before entering the Castle.
Ram-Man took Jitsu down with a charging head-butt. Jitsu didn’t get up again, though his eyes opened. Maybe he decided he was in over his head. This wasn’t what he signed up for.
Perhaps Jitsu’s first mission with Skeletor was a test and when he was taken down by Ram-Man, his short career as one of a Skeletor’s villainous warriors was at an end.
Adνеrtisеmеnt
Description
Jitsu is a huge man, with wide shoulders, full of muscle. His clothing is red and gold.
However, he lumbers about in a short squat stance.
Jitsu’s hair is in a traditional style, the chonmage.
Personality
There is little to go on. Jitsu was briefly seen in but one episode. His character was never seen again and never developed further.
He did seem the prudent type.
(Jitsu was an attempt to diversify the cast of characters. Introduced as a villain, but with plans to redeem him at the end… which never happened.)
Quotes
(Jitsu’s only line in the episode)
“You have trapped the Sorceress in the Dragon Pearl.”
DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Jitsu
| Dex: 05 | Str: 04 | Bod: 04 |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 03 | Min: 03 |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 |
| Init: 013 | HP: 015 |
Skills:
Martial Artist: 05, Martial Artist (EV): 09
Bonuses and Limitations:
Martial Artist (EV) is a Powered Skill. It represents Jitsu’s prowess with his oversized right hand.
Advantages:
Language (Japanese).
Connections:
Skeletor (Low).
Drawbacks:
None demonstrated.
Motivation:
Mercenary.
Occupation:
Villainous Warrior.
Wealth:
005
Design notes
Jitsu’s limited screen appearance means some stats are arbitrary.
From Filmation’s series bible: “CHOPPER* – has a right hand that’s enormous. With one mighty blow this villain can chop through bricks, trees, anything that gets in his way. He’s formidable in hand-to-hand combat.”
Action Figure
Jitsu’s action figure came with a “samurai sword”.
Katana [BODY 05, Enhance (EV): 02 (cap is 06), Descriptor: Slashing, piercing].
Source of Character: The 1983/1984 animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Jitsu appeared in the episode “The Dragon Invasion”. Voiced by Lou Scheimer
Helper(s): Wikipedia, Busta Toons (James Eatock) .
Writeup completed on the 24th of September, 2021.