Major shout outs to PvtCb for his overworld routing, maps, slot machine testing, and making Any% NG viable in the first place. [section=General] This category starts from a fresh new game file. It can be completed on either Sweet or Mild; because Bitter is only available on a NG+ file, it is not possible to do a legit Any% Bitter run.
Jeane is the final boss of this category; Henry is not fought at the end due to the excessive grinding necessary to get all of the katanas to unlock him.
Wii vs. PS3 This route is for Wii, but it's mostly applicable to Heroes Paradise (PS3) with some differences; the major PS3 differences will be listed throughout the guide.
PS3 is slower due to the lengthier load times, but it's easier to start runs due to the ability to stock all slot machine powers, unlike Wii.
The NMH2 dream bosses are skipped.
Switch The Switch version is a slightly modified, upscaled Wii port. Nearly all of this guide should apply to Switch, and anything that refers to Wii also applies to Switch. The buttons in this guide still mostly refer to Wii. Might change later.
One notable Switch difference: if you fail a mission, you can re-enter it immediately afterwards, which can be useful for Free Fights during the run.
[section=Gameplay Basics]
Parrying To parry, press the lock-on button at the same time an enemy's attack collides with your katana, and then press A (slash button); if timed correctly on collision, you will hear a different sound effect and see a brief flash. This will cause a fully charged low stance attack without battery drain. (Parrying with the MK-III without infinite battery does not drain energy on the first slash, but does on the other two; this does not affect any category except 100%.)
Not every attack can be parried. Most regular physical attack (punches, sword swings, etc.) can be parried. Bullets can be parried, but laser attacks from lightsabers cannot. Charged attacks can also not be parried.
The timing for parrying is narrower on Bitter. Not sure if timing is stricter on Mild compared to Sweet. Haven't felt any meaningful change, but that's purely anecdotal.
Enemy AI is not fully understood/documented. As a general rule, some enemies at certain sections tend to be more aggressive than others, but there is still variance in enemy AI across the board.
Video explanation (by Splicerchild):
Dark Step The Dark Step is a close-quarters technique. The Dark Step allows Travis to side-step an attack while targeting and freeze time briefly (with the screen darkening), leaving the enemy/boss open for a barrage of fast attacks.
There are two types of Dark Steps:
Analogue stick (post-attack) - After blocking an enemy's attack, press left or right on the analogue stick. The direction depends on the enemy and the attack. The timing is rather forgiving. This Dark Step is the easiest and most useful, and any reference to Dark Stepping in this guide will refer to this type unless otherwise noted.
D-Pad (pre-attack) - Right before an enemy's attack connects with your beam katana, press left or right on the D-Pad. The direction depends on the enemy and the attack. Unlike the analogue stick Dark Step, regular enemies will briefly get confused, but bosses will not get confused. If you're far enough away and attempt a D-Pad Dark Step, time won't freeze (and the screen won't darken), but the enemy will still get confused. The confusion effect can last surprisingly long, even past the time freeze. The timing is less forgiving than analogue stick Dark Stepping. The D-Pad Dark Step isn't as useful or easy as analogue stick Dark Stepping, but it can be helpful at times.
You can Dark Step both physical hits and bullets if you're close enough to the enemy. You cannot Dark Step laser attacks from lightsabers nor charged attacks. In addition, enemies/bosses can still block your blows during the time freeze, so adjust your stance if this happens.
Triangle Death Blow After doing the gesture for a Death Blow, before the slash hits the enemy, repeat the gesture. This will cause the beam katana to light up with a triangle effect (with a new sound effect). The Triangle Death Blow increases the range and damage of the attack. It does not work with Death Blows from clashes.
Bike For a quick 90 degree turn, when you're driving at a fast enough speed, tilt the Wii remote the opposite direction you want to go in and press B. You do not have to be boosting in order to quick turn, but you still have to be moving at a fast-enough speed. Quick turns automatically refill the full boost gauge. Doing a wheelie briefly stops the boost gauge when in the air.
PS3: Quick turns work differently. You can open dumpsters while on the bike, whereas you need to get off the bike to open them on Wii.
Lovikov powers Three Lovikov powers are obtained in the current route. Memory of Child - The ability to run in non-combat areas. Memory of Tattoo - The higher enemy combo chain (killing enemies without taking damage), the more money you get at the end of a level. 1000LBS for each enemy. Memory of Demon - A jump slash triggered by shaking the Nunchuck (PS3: R2 + Triangle), often referred to in the community as the "Demon Slash."
The Demon Slash can knock down enemies on the ground for an easy ground kill. It can also damage bosses through their invincible "super armor" much of the time; when a boss is not taking damage to normal attacks, they have "super armor."
Slot Machine Powers
There are five possible power-ups from the slot machine, by getting three matching icons. The tiger at the top right functions as the timer for the power-up length. On NG+, this timer can be extended by obtaining the Memory of Woman from Lovikov.
Nearly every slot machine machine power is immediately activated; in all versions, the 777 is stored, and on PS3, all power-ups are stored. Only three power-ups can be stocked in all versions. With the exception of the 777, every power-up will recharge your battery fully. However, with the exception of BARS and 777, every power-up will subsequently use battery with each attack.
Cherries - (No power-up name given) Time slows down, Travis speeds up, and the screen darkens. Similar effect to Dark Steps. A minor help in some places. Bells - "Blueberry Cheese Brownie." Travis moves/turns slowly and can shoot enemies with a targeting reticle. He can also slash enemies in this state. Slow and clunky. BARS - "Cranberry Chocolate Sunday." Travis moves/turns slowly, and kills are done by pressing the QTE prompts that appear. Pressing the wrong button results in Travis taunting, wasting time. Slow and clunky. Grasshoppers - "Strawberry on the Shortcake." Travis speeds up a bit, and every normal slash triggers a death blow. Very useful. 777 - "Anarchy in the Galaxy." The rarest and most unique power-up. This item is stocked rather than activating immediately. There are two uses for this power-up:
- By pressing the Minus button on the Wii remote, an explosion will engulf the room, killing every enemy (at least within a certain range). Using a 777 on a boss will do a small amount of damage, if at all, and is not recommended at all; an example can be seen here. Useful in some spots, but due to its rarity, generally won't see much use of this effect in a run.
- At the end of a level, you will gain 10K for each stocked 777 (or any slot machine power stocked on PS3). On NG+, the reward for each stocked power-up is 50K. Vital for the early money route.
For both Bells and BARS, you can use the D-Pad to turn Travis faster than the analogue stick. You can use the analogue stick and D-Pad at the same time to turn even faster.
Slot Machine Manipulation There is a way to manipulate the slots: use wrestling moves to alter the seed. It is not 100% understood or reliable, but it can help out. This manipulation might save time in later levels, but due to the lack of information/data, it is currently only used for the first level in Any%.
The first two enemies are wrestled to start off the manipulation. It is also recommended to throw in wrestling moves every now and again if the slots are not being ideal.
Video demonstration:
PS3: It is not fully known if this manipulation works on PS3 exactly like on Wii. However, all slot machine powers are automatically stocked (not just the 777 like on Wii) and give the same amount of money, which mitigates the need for manipulating 777s specifically to begin with.
Wii Remote Speaker and Subtitles This is not a major gameplay element, but is worth noting nonetheless. By default, the Wii remote speaker (for phone calls and other sound effects) is enabled and subtitles are disabled; these settings cannot be toggled before beginning an Any% (NG) run. You can change these settings mid-run at the loss of a few seconds.
You can mute the volume of the speaker in the Wii remote menu, but unlike the in-game speaker toggle, this will not cause the speaker sounds to come from the television.
Any% NG+ is not affected by these issues because the speaker/subtitle settings carry over between playthroughs.
Wii Practice Saves Practice saves for each level/boss on Wii can be found in the Resources tab. If your Wii is softmodded, SaveGame Manager GX is recommended to easily swap between save files.
[section=Route Options] There are three routes for Any%, all based on how many 777s have you stockpiled before Shinobu. You get 10K for each 777 stored at the end of a level, which is a huge amount of money early on. PS3: Any slot machine power stored at the end of a level gives 10K.
Route 1 is the fastest, but requires the most resetting. Routes 2 and 3 are recommended for marathons, races, no-reset runs, and anyone just beginning to speed run the game.
Route 1 (“Coconut-less,” two 777s) - If you stockpile two 777s before Shinobu (and follow the normal Lovikov/dumpster route), you will have enough money to pay Shinobu’s entry fee, meaning there is no need to do the Coconut side job (and in turn, never unlock the first Pizza Butt mission). It is recommended to reset for two 777s in Death Metal’s level within the first five minutes rather than hoping to get some in Dr. Peace’s level twenty minutes in. Route 2 (one 777) – If you only stockpile one 777 before Shinobu, you can still avoid doing a side job by picking up extra money from back-up dumpsters/buried stashes along the Lovikov/dumpster route (and some out-of-the-way ones if necessary). Route 3 (“Lawn Mowing,” no 777s) – If you didn’t get any 777s before Shinobu, you will have to do the Lawn Mowing side job to get enough money to pay her entry fee.
Regardless of route, the Pizza Butt missions will be the main source of money as they are short and give a good amount of money.
The Free Fight at the parking garage is also part of the money route. It is a OHKO gig, and can be failed quickly, but its short length, location, and payout (40K) make it worthwhile. If you fail it, you cannot retry it immediately, but you can attempt it later after the next boss. (PS3: You can immediately retry any failed Free Fight.) If you fail a Free Fight and still need a good chunk of money, you may have to do another Pizza Butt to make up for it.
[section=Rank 10 - Death Metal]
Timing begins when pressing the A button on difficulty selection.
Remember to skip the tutorial.
Mansion
Use the slot machine manipulation technique. Not necessary on PS3.
Your route option will depend on how many 777s (or any power-up on PS3) you stockpile at the end of the level. If aiming for Route 1, reset if you do not have two 777s by the end of the level (unless you’re willing to chance it in Dr. Peace’s level).
If you manage to get three 777s before the big room, you can either save the third one for extra money or use it in the big room to kill both waves of enemies.
When leaving the room at the top floor, there is a money chest (1K) to the right.
When going down the spiral stairs, near the bottom half, stick to the right to cause one of the enemies to spawn early.
Do not pick up the wrestling move if attempting to fight Death Metal cloneless. Pick up the wrestling move if not. See below for details.
##Death Metal General strategy: Use parries. Dark steps if needed.
You can potentially keep Death Metal stun-locked with normal slashes.
Two options regarding the wrestling move:
- Get wrestling move, do the battle normally.
- Skip wrestling move, get a clone-less fight.
Wrestling moves seem to increase his likelihood to split. Not getting the wrestling move saves a few seconds if you can get a clone-less fight.
Video demonstration:
[section=150K to ATM]
Leave the motel, trigger the limo cutscene, enter K-Entertainment, exit, call the bike.
This is the first collecting session for Lovikov Balls and dumpster money. For all routes, you will use the same Lovikov/dumpster route made by PvtCb: 
For Route 2, you will need to collect back-up dumpsters along this route (and some not along this route if you’re still short of money).
In general, it is worthwhile to know back-up dumpster locations in case you are ever slightly short of money during the run.
PS3: The north city is cut off and Lovikov/dumpster placement is different, but the core route is similar enough here at least for this collecting session.
After getting enough money regardless of route, pay the ATM, enter/exit motel, go to the level, following the Lovikov/dumpster route along the way.
[section=Rank 9 - Dr. Peace] Destroy Stadium
After leaving the first room (after the grating goes up), there is a money chest (1K) to the right.
In the first baseball room, both chests are money chests. In the second, only the first chest is a money chest (the second one has a card).
Baseball: gesturing down-left seems to work best. Inconsistent mini-game overall.
Get the wrestling move.
##Dr. Peace General strategy: Stay close to him. Use dark steps, parries, and wrestling moves.
Whenever Dr. Peace does a spray of bullets, parry the first few bullets and Dark Step the final one to get in a few more slashes, which often results in him getting stunned. He can do the spray of bullets either quickly or slowly; it is much easier to get this combo during the slow spray. If you cannot do a Dark Step for whatever reason (due to bad position/timing), just keep using parries.
Video demonstration:
When he is charging up, you can trigger the attack early by doing a regular high slash attack (followed by rolling to avoid it). A charged low stance attack can also trigger his attack early, and gives enough invincibility frames to avoid the need to roll; the attack does not need to be fully charged. However, using a charge attack does drain the battery quite a bit, and is not recommended.
Video demonstration of high slash attack:
Video demonstration of low charge attack:
[section=200K to ATM]
Finish the rest of PvtCb’s Lovikov route, getting back-up dumpsters if necessary, especially if you are using Route 2.
PS3: Because the north city is cut off, this route will not work. Currently, there is no PS3-specific route for this section. It may be possible to collect most/all of the Lovikovs/dumpsters you need in the first collecting session. No general PS3 dumpster map exists, but there is a general map for Lovikovs: https://imgur.com/EbNOtOJ
If you are using Route 3, go to to the Job Center and select the Lawn Mowing job. Lawn Mowing can be in two places: near the bus depot to the north or in the neighborhood to the south. You can end the side job early by cutting all 100 acres.
After getting enough money regardless of route, pay ATM, enter/exit motel, go to ranking fight.
[section=Rank 8 - Shinobu] Outside School Three groups of enemies.
Inside School Fire Hallway If you get lit on fire, use the fire extinguisher; fire can quickly chip down your health. You do not take fire damage when slashing. Transitioning to the next area at the end also puts out the fire.
Sprinkler Hallway
Gymnasium There is no battery box before the boss, so if your battery is low, charge it before the phone call. May also need to get health before the boss, since she can chip your health away pretty quickly.
Get the wrestling move if desired.
##Shinobu General strategy: Parry her as much as possible.
She gives plenty of opportunities to parry, but her attacks are quick and easy to miss.
Wrestling moves deal a lot of damage, but stunning her doesn't happen often, and she can even jump out of your grab while stunned. If you prefer to rely on parries alone, skip the wrestling move before the fight to save a few seconds.
[section=250K to ATM]
Go to Lovikov at Gold Town (next to the gym). Get Demon, Child, and Tattoo.
Do Side Job 3: Garbage Collection. Get at least Silver; basically guaranteed to get Gold without issue. This unlocks Assassination Gig 5: Pizza Butt Returns.
Do a Pizza Butt as well as the Free Fight.
Pay ATM, enter/exit motel, go to ranking fight.
On the way to the level entrance, do a Pizza Butt.
[section=Rank 7 - Destroyman] Train In the train, the door opens based on the speed of the enemy/blood effects: the sooner the effects disappear, the sooner the door opens. (Not quite sure if it's better to Demon Slash, parry, or wrestle to speed it up....)
Bear Hug Studios For Warehouses 2 and 3, go finish the top floor before touching the bottom floor. This will cause both bottom floor waves to appear simultaneously.
Warehouse 1 There is only one wave on each floor.
Warehouse 2
Warehouse 3
##Destroyman General strategy: Aim for as many dark steps and wrestling moves as possible. More so than other bosses, squeeze in many Demon Slashes.
You can Dark Step his three punch combo and his Destroy Laser.
When he is airborne, you can deflect the Destroy Cannon right back it him to knock him down instead of destroying the panel. Any stance attack can work, but the spacing/timing can be fiddly.
Video demonstration:
Note: The first two-thirds of the video shows deflections of the Destroy Pang on the ground, which is not useful to the run (barring some rare circumstances) and is presented mainly for demonstration purposes. The last third is applicable to the run, showing examples of deflection when Destroyman is airborne.
[section=Rank 300K to ATM]
If you need money, you can either do a Pizza Butt and/or the Free Fight mission. Either one alone should give you enough money for the fee. The Free Fight alone can be faster (no need to go to K-Entertainment), but it is also riskier.
Pay ATM, enter/exit motel, go to ranking fight.
Do not do a Pizza Butt on the way to the Holly's level.
[section=Rank 6 - Holly Summers] Enemy layouts are tricky; learn where enemies spawn.
Beach Area 1
Beach Area 2
Beach Area 3
Beach Area 4
##Holly Summers General strategy: Avoid falling into holes. Get in as many dark steps, wrestling moves, and Demon Slashes possible. The longer the fight, the more likely you will fall into a hole.
At the beginning of the fight, you have two options. Safe strat: move up-left (towards the beach) from starting point to avoid holes. Riskier strat: move towards her, but avoid the holes on the ground once you know where they are.
Falling into a hole wastes time, but it does reset Travis's and Holly's position to consistent places.
The holes are invisible on the Wii version, but are visible on PS3.
[section=350K to ATM]
Right after leaving your motel, you must go to Naomi and give her the Military Secret. She uses the Military Secret to create the MK-II, which is based on a timer. Giving her the Military Secret later risks the MK-II being unavailable right when you need it.
After dropping off the Military Secret, go straight to the Job Center.
Do Side Job 5: Mine Sweeping - Get at least Silver (10 Mines) This unlocks Assassination Gig 11: Pizza But: The Finale.
If you forget to give the Military Secret to Naomi immediately, give it to her after Mine Sweeping and do a few Pizza Butts right after Letz Shake before picking up the MK-II to compensate; in most circumstance, this should give her enough time to make the katana.
[section=Rank 5 - Letz Shake] Underground Tunnel You can run past every enemy. If an enemy gets in your way, use the Demon Slash to knock them down.
[section=400K to ATM]
Purchase the Tsubaki MK-II from Naomi.
Pizza Butt grind, ATM, enter/exit motel, go to ranking fight. Because of the MK-II purchase, this is one of the lengthiest money grinds of the run.
On the way to the level, do a Pizza Butt.
[section=Rank 4 - Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii] Subway Terminal
Shmup
Basic gameplay: Holding the Fire button shoots bullets at a steady stream. Mashing the Fire button is marginally faster, which is useful for bigger enemies and the boss itself; it is not necessary to mash the entire time. Slashing can destroy smaller enemies, destroy missiles, and eliminate bullets from enemies. The Special attack (the black hole) destroys all enemies and bullets on-screen, but creates lag and is generally not useful beyond the boss. You have infinite continues, and getting a Game Over gives you a pity power-up once you continue. It is recommended to get down to one life before the boss as a back-up in case you get hit. Still need to test if there is notable damage difference between the power-ups.
Shmup boss General strategy: Stay close to the boss and shoot. Use the Special attack to get rid of bullets.
Enter the fight with a power-up, and if possible, have the pity power-up set-up just in case. Mash the Fire button while shooting the boss. Constantly slash and use the Special to get rid of bullets. The black hole creates lag, but it also keeps the screen clear of bullets so you can damage the boss without risking the chance of losing your power-up.
Do not pick up the wrestling move. Wrestling moves cause Harvey to teleport, which can potentially lengthen the fight.
##Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii General strategy: Get as many dark steps as possible, and attempt to stun-lock him as much as possible. Throw in as many Demon slashes as you can.
Once he gets stunned, you can potentially keep him stunned by doing normal slashes.
You can Dark Step his three slash combo as well as his one lunging slash attack.
It's possible to outright his QTE attack by staying out of the spotlight.
[section=450K to ATM]
Pay ATM, enter/exit motel, go to ranking fight.
On the way to the level entrance, do a Pizza Butt.
[section=Rank 3 - Speed Buster] General strategy: More so than most other levels, parries are critical.
Bus Stop The enemies here tend to be pretty aggressive, so it's easy to line up parries.
Bus Ride Due to the small space, parries are absolutely vital in this section.
After killing the last enemy, walk all the way to the right side of the bus to trigger the phone call a little earlier. (Found by Splicerchild. May need to confirm details.)
##Speed Buster General strategy (Sweet): stick to the right side of the arena and trigger the boss cutscene without knocking down the telephone pole.
General strategy (Mild/Bitter, PS3): stick to the left side and knock down the telephone pole normally.
To avoid knocking down the pole, watch the video below. It only works on Wii/Switch on Sweet. It does not work on Mild/Bitter, and it does not work on PS3 at all.
[section=500K to ATM]
Pizza Butt grind, pay ATM, enter/exit motel, go to ranking fight.
On the way to the level entrance, do a Pizza Butt.
[section=Rank 2 - Bad Girl] Destroy Stadium Part 2 Run over all of the enemies. Enemy spawns can be wonky.
Do not pick up the wrestling move.
##Bad Girl General strategy: Get as many Dark Steps and parries as possible.
You can Dark Step her three swing combo as well as her one large bat swing.
Once her bat is on fire, Dark Stepping her three swing combo seems to not work as consistently with the MK-II. Use parries instead.
Stand between her and the conveyor belt to prevent her from launching enemies; she'll dash and hit you (for no damage) if you block her correctly.
If she does start batting enemies, deflect the enemies back at her with a normal slash. If her bat is on fire, she will send it right back, so you must deflect it again.
If you inflict damage to her quickly enough, some of her attacks will act like her bat is lit on fire without the lighting cutscene. The cutscene will eventually trigger at some point.
Her crying attack: If both of her hands are on her face, you are free to attack. If her hand is on the bat, running towards her will trigger her OHKO attack. Do not attack her. However, there is a slightly risky strat with the charge attack to damage her. This set-up only works with the MK-II.
[section=550K to ATM]
Pizza Butt grind, ATM, enter/exit motel. If you don't have enough money after at least one Pizza Butt and need 40K or less, do the Free Fight. If you need more than 40K, do another Pizza Butt.
After leaving the motel, go to K-Entertainment and select Assassination Gig 6 (the gig at the school). Quit the gig (in the menu, Side Job -> Break); you will warp to the school. Run the rest of the way to the level.
PS3: Warping works differently. After selecting Assassination Gig 6, you will get the option to teleport to the gig. Teleport, and once you start the gig, quit it; this will place you right outside the gig's location.
Run the rest of the way to the level.
[section=Rank 1 - Jeane] Bike Section In the bike section, do wheelies to conserve boost/speed on the bike section. Time it and guide your bike to avoid obstacles.
PS3: The properties of the walls are different. You do not want to ride against the walls as it will slow you down.
Forest of Bewilderment You can run past every enemy. If an enemy gets in your way, use the Demon Slash to knock them down.
##Jeane There are multiple valid strategies for Jeane.
One potential strat: at the end of her long combo, use a low charge attack (followed by regular slashes). Manipulate her to do this combo as your main source of damage.
Do not do wrestling moves on her at all; she will counter them. Demon slashes are generally not useful.
You can cancel most of her attacks by doing a normal slash. For instance, when she is preparing her dash attack, slash her once to cancel.
Timing ends when Jeane's final punch hits your chest.
You can watch the credits, but they are not necessary for the run recording.
