WHO ARE THE CHIYOUMEN?

[Right-A-Way]

Do we know who the chiyoumen really are.
There is four of them, Landi , and three others. One of them appears to have a hat. I have seen pics of Niao Sun (the new charcter for shenmue3 with a hat. There is also a silouette of a person with long hair. Could this be master baihu ( the man with the mask and long hair) from the ox building?

[Spokane]

Not to mention weather or not Xiuying's brother is Lan Di or another person in the Chi-You-Men.

[Right-A-Way]

Yea thats what i was wondering about. He could be the dark silouette with the long hair as well. Also if you look, i do believe ziming (the boy who wen to revenge his paretns death) has a scar on his face just like lan di.

[Kiyuu]

Do we know who the chiyoumen really are.
There is four of them, Landi , and three others. One of them appears to have a hat. I have seen pics of Niao Sun (the new charcter for shenmue3 with a hat. There is also a silouette of a person with long hair. Could this be master baihu ( the man with the mask and long hair) from the ox building?

Welcome to the Dojo!

The Shenmue team have suggested that the Chiyou Men have the "Four Leaders"
who serve Tian Di (Tentei in Japanese). Look at the official image of the four again.



Without a doubt, two of them are Lan Di and Niao Sun. BTW, you can learn more about
Niao Sun here in this topic:

http://shenmue.planets.gamespy.com/foru ... php?t=9491


Now, look at one of the official side-story comics titled "Xiuying and Ziming" here:

http://shenmue.planets.gamespy.com/side ... mics.shtml

Apparently, another leader in the image is Ziming. But, we haven't been given any clue
who the last one is yet.


As for Master Baihu, he couldn't be one of the "Four Leaders" as we discussed here:

http://shenmue.planets.gamespy.com/foru ... hp?t=24098

[redline]

didnt "Gang Entertainment" make a video on youtube all about the story of shenmue/the phenix mirror + the chiyoumen(?)

[Terra Ryzing]

The Chiyoumen are a major crime organization based on the Chinese mafia. They are involved in drug and weapon and stolen artifact trafficking and have great influence over the Chinese government. They are lead by a mysterious leader called "Tian Di" or Tentei and have four executives in charge of 4 different regions or directions who are represented by the four heavenly beasts metaphorically. As for Master Baihu, it is highly unlikely we will meet him again. He is supposed to be the final test for Ryo to join the Yellowhead elite.

Lan Di => Dragon
Ziming => Tiger
Niao Sun => Phoenix
Unknown Master => Snake Tortoise

We know that Lan Di is the primary antagonist thus far, however, the back story of Shenmue is more complicated than meets the eye and involves various themes such as revenge and Chinese folklore (The Shenmue Tree and the legend of Bailu Village). We also have 3 other villians and a mysterious "god father" like figure who oversees the Chiyoumen's operations (Tentai). Hints and clues suggest that Niao Sun and Ziming are involved in Shenmue III's plot as Ryo is given the comma bead by Xiuying and the comic given. Lan Di will most likely not have been fought so soon in Shenmue III.

Many valuable questions must be answered in Shenmue III:

1. How did Iwao meet Sunming Zhao?
2. What did they do in Bailu village? Did they both train under the instructions of a village master?
3. Are we done with Yuanda Zhu's involvement in the story?
4. Will we ever meet up with Guizhang or Ren again?
5. Will Ryo have to visit this Meng Cun area, where Iwao is supposed to have killed Sunming?
6. What of Shenhua's stepfather?
7. What is the purpose of the sword of seven stars?
8. Would Lan Di of arrived in Bailu village already before Ryo get's there? And what exactly is Lan Di going to Bailu village for? Yuanda Zhu never fully explains.
9. What is Shenhua's real father's role/identity?
10. What connection did Shenhua's stepfather have with Sunming Zhao?
11. Will Ryo ever pay back Fuku-san for losing his lifesavings? (j/k)

[Crimson Ryan]

Some good questions there. My Shenmue knowledge is touch and go but here's my theories..

1. How did Iwao meet Sunming Zhao? Probably training in Bailu Village.
2. What did they do in Bailu village? Did they both train under the instructions of a village master? Could explain why Iwao went to Bailu Village, if that's where he met Sunming Zhao.
3. Are we done with Yuanda Zhu's involvement in the story? I'd doubt it. He's set up as a pretty big character through the two games so far.
4. Will we ever meet up with Guizhang or Ren again? Ren committed to find the treasure at the end of the Kowloon chapter, he'll be back, and once again, he's a big character now.
5. Will Ryo have to visit this Meng Cun area, where Iwao is supposed to have killed Sunming? I imagine he'd end up there at some point to find some answers as the story progresses.
6. What of Shenhua's stepfather? Nothing major.
7. What is the purpose of the sword of seven stars? Maybe Zhu would know?
8. Would Lan Di of arrived in Bailu village already before Ryo get's there? And what exactly is Lan Di going to Bailu village for? Yuanda Zhu never fully explains. Lan Di has been one step ahead of Ryo since leaving Japan, all traces point to the same old story
9. What is Shenhua's real father's role/identity? Probably isn't important.
10. What connection did Shenhua's stepfather have with Sunming Zhao? Same answer.
11. Will Ryo ever pay back Fuku-san for losing his lifesavings? (j/k) LOLOLOL

[Clint]

9. What is Shenhua's real father's role/identity? Probably isn't important.

I beg to differ.

[Crimson Ryan]

9. What is Shenhua's real father's role/identity? Probably isn't important.

I beg to differ.

Explain! I'm in the middle personally, though when I wrote that I forgot about the mirror carvings in the cave and the Sword of Seven Stars, so there could be a big story there.

[Terra Ryzing]

We've already discussed Shenhua's real father in the past... OK, in the cutscene when you first see the Shenmue tree, Shenhua has a flashback to when she was a baby and we see that the setting is obviously in a different location (A regal or royal location).... Judging by the costumes worn by her real mother and father, we all decided that Shenhua is most likely descended from Chinese nobles who founded Bailu Village as a means to escape the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.Her father looks quite wealthy and the background shows a very lavish, Chinese royalty house. This means that more than one Shenmue tree may be involved in the story. However, Ryo mentions that he feels as if "He has known the Shenmue tree for a very long time". Maybe it's the same tree and the house was destroyed?

It is most likely that Shenhua's real parents put her in the custody of a villager in Bailu village, perhaps to protect her from the Chiyoumen. she mentions they were killed, so her stepfather may of voluntarily taken her in. Shenhua possesses a unique and special power that is tied to the treasure of the Qing Dynasty... if you watch the bad ending of SII, we see Lan Di mention he wants SHenhua's "power" for the Chiyou , or Chiyoumen. As much as magic is hated by Shenmue fans, it is undoubtably of meant to play a role in the game. Of course this cannot be proved, but it is logical. Only the staff at Sega AM2 and Suzuki-san know everything. I suspect the writers and programmers of the game have been held to some sort of honor code or oath of secrecy to prevent any plot leaks from getting online. Perhaps it's only Yu Suzuki that knows of the plot, I dunno, but I am certain that the guys who worked on Shenmue II know almost all the planned details of the story.


Kiyuu, if you see this message could you comment on how you feel that theory sounds? :?

[Terra Ryzing]

Gosh, I feel like discussing Shenmue III even more. Here are some things I can conjecture from Shenmue II's hints and plot suggestions given in dialogue:

- Iwao and Sunming Zhao were friends. Yuanda Zhu stated that Sunming Zhao was his best friend. This means that Iwao is a foreigner, or outsider, who met Sunming Zhao through a mutual love of Martial arts, and later met Yuanda Zhu (both of whom are residents of China)... although it is never confirmed if Sunming Zhao, his son Longsun, and Yuanda Zhu are natives of Bailu village or if they just went there as tourists.

- Iwao would of met Longsun Zhao (Lan Di) while Lan Di was just a boy about Wong's age at the time (around 11 or 12 since Iwao visited China 20 years ago). Longsun was probably being trained by his father in Martial arts up until his mysterious death.

- Sunming Zhao is dead, confirmed by Yuanda Zhu, however the circumstances of his death are unknown. Iwao is very honorable, so if Sunming Zhao did die, either Iwao was set up or framed, or perhaps Sunming was corrupted to evil and Iwao had to stop him, which lead to an unintended death. Either way, Iwao is not a killer and I'm sure that Zhao's death is caused by other means.

- Iwao is hinted in Shenmue as anticipated the events surrounding his death. He leaves a very mysterious and inspiring letter to Ryo, which prompts Ryo to state "My father knew Lan Di was coming?". Perhaps Lan Di swore revenge before Iwao went back to China, and 20 years of training out of hate gave Lan Di the power to easily kill a skilled Jujitsu master such as Iwao. Iwao must of knew the day would possibly come, but not exactly when.

- The mirrors were 'owned by Zhao', which means they were engineered by Shenhua's stepfather and given to him as a gift or perhaps he was put in charge of the mirrors protection. Once Zhao died, Iwao took the mirrors back to Japan to ensure they are never stolen by the Chiyoumen. I feel that Sunming Zhao and Iwao were both good guys who wanted to help the people of Bailu village.

- To further elaborate on the previous point, Bailu Village is quite special in the sense that the villagers are connected to the Qing Dynasty. So Shenhua's stepfather is aware of the location of the hidden treasure and created the mirrors as a safety precaution. The mirrors were probably given each to Iwao and Sunming. Sunming Zhao received the Dragon Mirror and Iwao received the Phoenix mirror. Once Sunming Zhao was killed, Iwao took his mirror to make sure it wouldn't fall into evil hands. Which is why they were hidden to well. Tentai knew this and manipulated Lan Di to do his dirty work and retrieve the stolen mirror, perhaps unknown that Iwao also had the Phoenix mirror? Or maybe he already knew Iwao had both and needed Ryo to follow Lan Di to China so he could easily steal the other one.

- It is no coincidence that both Lan Di and Ziming were drawn to the Chiyoumen out of hatred and vengeance. Xiuying mentioned many times that revenge leads to an evil path: Lan Di and Ziming, as well as maybe Niao Sun and the mystery guy, are all corrupted by some central figure (Tentai) and began to walk a path of evil out of maybe some common vengeance.


Don't really know if all this was mentioned before, but I guess it doesn't matter. It's all very important to any Shenmue fan.

[Terra Ryzing]

OK, even more Shenmue III talk.....

- Now comes the prophecy of Bailu village and the constant mention of fate, as Shenhua's stepfather has told her many times. Shenhua's stepfather was mentioned to be sick and coughing constantly, which is why Shenhua was always brewing him herbs she gathered on the trip back to her house. She alway mentioned that her father had been secretly working on a "mysterious project" in the stone pit, which is later revealed to be a large scale combination of the Dragon and Phoenix mirrors. This is intended as her Stepfather, whom we may or may not refer to as 'Yuan', translated through his letter, because Yuan knows that his stepdaughter is secretly a special figure of power and must be protected by the 'chosen one' : Ryo Hazuki. Bailu Village is in danger of being destroyed by the Chiyoumen, Lan Di's possible intention, in order to retrieve the hidden treasure of the Qing Dynasty. Ryo is destined to save Bailu village and topple the entire Chiyoumen Organization, one executive at a time (Each bosses territory must be explored individually).

- From what Xiuying mentioned about her brother Ziming, a Chiyoumen executive and the same rank as Lan Di, he is quite powerful in Baji style (Xiuying's style) and is evil: yet he is good deep down inside. If Ryo is to meet Ziming, he will show him the comma bead and perhaps convert Ziming back to the good side for his sister's sake. Xiuying may come back in order to confront Ziming even. Ziming may become an ally, although this is complete speculation.

- Also, about Shenhua's stepfather, he know for certain he was in terrible health around the end of Shenmue II. He may of died from his illness rather than being kidnapped by Lan Di's thugs in black suits. Or maybe he was. Point is, we know that he entrusted in Ryo to care for his daughter as he believes in the prophecy and knew that Ryo was coming. Prophecy and fate are huge themes.

- For the start of Shenmue III, Shenhua's mentioned several times in dialogue about an "old woman at the village". This mysterious "old woman" is one of the village elders and Ryo will probably have to consult her once he arrives in Bailu village. This "old woman" will probably be the next transition in the plot and will send Ryo back to his old detective ways.

- Now, as far as locations and settings, Shenhua mentions about a dock where you can purchase medicine, iron, and other valuable materials at the Languishan mountain. Mountains are constantly mentioned in the Languishan chapter, so Bailu village is in fact surrounded by some huge mountains. These mountains are probably exploration points for Ryo to transition into other regions. One of Shenmue's signature gameplay styles is wide open exploration, so this will probably not of changed in Shenmue III. Many wilderness settings for the first portion of Shenmue III would of included rivers, mountains, grass fields, forests, and other natural settings, as well as crags, caves, and farming fields for crop cultivation.

- Another thing, while staying in the cave with Shenhua overnight, she mentions that it was as if somebody had stayed there already. Personally, I don't think this is Lan Di's style. He is a vastly wealthy mafia overlord who rides around in black limos and black helicopters. Lan Di would of most likely of not been this visitor. In fact, it may not even be of importance.

- Shenhua mentions that there are 50 villagers, approximately, in Bailu village. There is no modern currency which may nullify Ryo's HK dollars. Also, they live a simple life of farming and work. The villagers are also very festive at certain times, which may imply they enjoy drinking and celebrating at night (which she mentions they would do if they fix the landslide which blocked your path). This may imply that Ryo will have to have a lifestyle clash with villagers and in order to stay in Bailu village, he must adapt to there primitive farming lifestyle while resuming his role as detective. This would probably include waking up early in the vistor house, or wherever he stays, and performing a routine morning task like he has done so many times in the past.

- Shenmue isn't exactly a complicated plot to where we have these sudden shocking twists and turns. Shenhua mentions at her house she feels Nostalgic about Luoyang... This only means that this is the setting to which she was born, as mentioned earlier in the cutscene where she's a baby. Luoyang is probably the second major location you go after Bailu Village.

[Kiyuu]

We've already discussed Shenhua's real father in the past... OK, in the cutscene when you first see the Shenmue tree, Shenhua has a flashback to when she was a baby and we see that the setting is obviously in a different location (A regal or royal location).... Judging by the costumes worn by her real mother and father, we all decided that Shenhua is most likely descended from Chinese nobles who founded Bailu Village as a means to escape the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.Her father looks quite wealthy and the background shows a very lavish, Chinese royalty house. This means that more than one Shenmue tree may be involved in the story. However, Ryo mentions that he feels as if "He has known the Shenmue tree for a very long time". Maybe it's the same tree and the house was destroyed?

It is most likely that Shenhua's real parents put her in the custody of a villager in Bailu village, perhaps to protect her from the Chiyoumen. she mentions they were killed, so her stepfather may of voluntarily taken her in. Shenhua possesses a unique and special power that is tied to the treasure of the Qing Dynasty... if you watch the bad ending of SII, we see Lan Di mention he wants SHenhua's "power" for the Chiyou , or Chiyoumen. As much as magic is hated by Shenmue fans, it is undoubtably of meant to play a role in the game. Of course this cannot be proved, but it is logical. Only the staff at Sega AM2 and Suzuki-san know everything. I suspect the writers and programmers of the game have been held to some sort of honor code or oath of secrecy to prevent any plot leaks from getting online. Perhaps it's only Yu Suzuki that knows of the plot, I dunno, but I am certain that the guys who worked on Shenmue II know almost all the planned details of the story.


Kiyuu, if you see this message could you comment on how you feel that theory sounds? :?

I'm amazed that you're so passionate to talk about Shenmue III, under these circumstances.

Honestly, I don't speculate the future story very much. I'd like to enjoy solving the mysteries
when I actually play the game, if it ever comes out... :(

Well, if I dare to say one thing here, Shenhua's real parents might come from the older era.
Their costume looks too classic to me, even if the nobles tend to live in the traditional way.
Besides, I've read the earliest synopsis in an old website, saying "they (Ryo and Shenhua) go
even beyond the sky of time." So, they might travel through time! :o

Anyway, anything is possible in a fiction. ;)

[Right-A-Way]

So does anyone find it strange that Ryo, Lan-di, and boy ziming all have scars on there right cheek?

[Terra Ryzing]

So does anyone find it strange that Ryo, Lan-di, and boy ziming all have scars on there right cheek?

Not really. I find it strange that Ziming has the same voice as Wong (j/k).

I think Lan Di's scar would of been explained in Shenmue III in some sort of flashback scene. It appears to be a laceration scar, probably from a sword... maybe the sword of seven stars? Who Knows.