You guys are slowing me down! I'm going solo!
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- "Now THAT'S whatcha call old-fashioned southern ingenuity! Or in slightly more technical terms... a subspace stealth circuit!"
- ―Professor Shirogane marveling at his latest invention's success, Operation 003-C
Professor James Shirogane, otherwise known as Professor Shirogane or "Gramps", is the chief of the CENTINELS Central Science Research Center.
A genius inventor, Professor Shirogane is responsible for designing almost of all of the CENTINELS's most advanced technology, including the (creatively named) Shirogane Drive and the CENTINEL-Suits they power, the support mech P-Star, the warship Virgin Victory, and many other things.
Professor Shirogane first appears in Operation 003-A, where after being rescued by The Wonderful Ones he becomes a major member of the Virgin Victory's crew for the remainder of the game.
Professor Shirogane is also playable as a Secret Character with access to a unique Unite Bomb.
Wonderful File[]
Chief of the CENTINELS Central Science Research Center, and for all intents and purposes the brains of the operation.
James has contributed much to strategic defense aspects of the CENTINELS organization through his research in electrical engineering and applied action potential mechatronics, including contributing to the development of a central "mother computer" known as Mother Platinum, the development of the power-enhanced CENTINEL-Suits, and designing the flying warship Virgin Victory.
From his days as a research assistant, Shirogane distinguished himself with proposed applications of his new theoretical energy source, the Shirogane Drive. His success continued, as, after two Earth Defense Wars, he finally succeeded in finishing a third-generation CENTINEL-Suit made from high-density bio-metal fiber.
The prime example of someone whose hobby has become his work, Shirogane spends his days shut in his laboratory researching new technology. He hasn't abandoned his hobby entirely, though, as Shirogane also has created several peculiar inventions that have nothing to do with his work with the CENTINELS.
Among the team, his down-home southern hospitality has earned him the affectionate nickname "Jimmy."
[Added after unlocking Wonder-Gramps as a Secret Character]
Wonder-Gramps
Weapon: Time Bomb
Draw a "9" to execute his Unite Morph. Unlike Wonder-Black's Unite Morph, Shirogane's deals no damage to the enemy but is able to slow down time for a longer period.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Professor Shirogane is a diminutive old man with an bushy, bone white beard that covers nearly the entire front of his body, bushy white eyebrows, and he prominently wears a futuristic pair of green-lensed googles at all times, leaving his eye color unknown. The top of Shirogane's head is almost completely bald with the exception of a long tuft of hair on his forehead, which sticks directly up and curls into a question mark shape. When angered, Shirogane's tuft of hair straightens out to resemble an exclamation mark.
Shirogane wears a white lab coat over a dark shirt, gray pants with a wide belt and yellow buttons, and black socks with white sandals. Shirogane also wears a robotic backpack with extendable arms resembling a futuristic crock-pot slow cooker, which appears to be the same device used in the Mixer menu.
Shirogane is also briefly seen during the events of Earth Defense War 2, 20 years prior to the events of the game: the younger Shirogane has almost the same appearance and outfit as his current self, albeit with a gray hair color and a smaller beard, and his goggles and backpack now have sepia-tone color schemes, creating an antique appearance. The lenses of his old goggles are also pink instead of green.
As Wonder-Gramps, Shirogane dons a Wonder-Mask (over his goggles) and is armed with Time Bombs: spherical red grenades featuring both a Wonderful Emblem as well as Shirogane's own personal logo on the sides of the grenade.
When Wonder-Gramps activates Unlimited Form, a cape is released from his back (barely visible under his backpack), and jaw-like plates extend from his mask, which somehow appear under his beard.
When knocked out, Wonder-Gramps is reduced to black briefs and his ever-present goggles.
Personality and traits[]
Professor Shirogane is a brilliant scientist and researcher, with a lifetime passion for invention. Having been developing new technologies since Earth's very first conflict with the GEATHJERK Federation, his level of experience is almost second to none, and his inventions played a role in every Earth Defense War: earning him a reputation as a living legend within the CENTINELS, and making him one of the most respected members of the organization.
Shirogane is always proud of his creations and always speaks highly of his work, going so far as to name two of his proudest inventions, the Shirogane Drive and the Shirogane Comet, after himself.
Despite the extremely advanced technology of his inventions, Shirogane also appreciates antiques, which was the reason why he built P-Star out of a video-game console.
Although Professor Shirogane is known for his southern hospitality, he doesn't take criticism very well, and he has somewhat of a short temper. This short temper often results in brief clashes with Wonder-Blue and Wonder-Green, who both regularly tease Shirogane with disrespectful remarks about his inventions or his age: Wonder-Green especially, as he often calls Shirogane "geezer."
Additionally, Professor Shirogane also works closely with Wonder-Black in developing advanced science and technology, though little is known about this relationship.
Despite originating from Japan, Professor Shirogane speaks in a Southern U.S. accent, and he often uses stereotypical (and unusual) southern expressions in conversations.
Gameplay[]
Professor Shirogane becomes a playable character once unlocked as the Secret Wonderful One, Wonder-Gramps.
Wonder-Gramps is a Unite Bomb user with a special ability:Wonder-Gramps' Unite Bomb deals no damage, allowing it to be used to slow enemies without reducing their health. This makes it useful for situations where you want to intentionally keep enemies alive for longer, such as when performing extensive aerial juggling.
Despite the Unite Morph's description in the Wonderful File, Wonder-Gramps' Unite Bomb doesn't actually slow down time for a longer period than a normal Unite Bomb, which may be a bug.
Because Wonder-Gramps' Unite Bomb doesn't deal damage, it can't be used to perform Unite bomb damage exploits.
Regardless of the set Unite Bomb user, Wonder-Gramps is automatically switched to any time a Size 100 Unite Bomb is drawn.
Also note that the "Draw a 9" in the Wonderful File seems to just be an approximation of Unite Bomb's usual circle and straight line shape. Trying to draw a 9 won't automatically select Wonder-Gramps, even if it registers as a valid Unite Bomb shape.
Collectibles[]
Member No.108[]
Professor Shirogane (as Wonder-Gramps) can be unlocked as a Secret Wonderful One, making him a playable character, by earning the following Bottle-Caps:
Bottle-Cap | Secret |
---|---|
No.004 The Insidious, Immortal Fifth | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.014 Operations 004-006 (Normal) | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.047 Mixing Apprentice | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.048 Mix Master | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.074 Treasure Hunter | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.075 Treasure Maniac | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.085 I'm Not Lucky, I'm Special | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
No.090 Finders Keepers (Operation 003) | No.108 Wonder-Gramps |
Wonder-Gramps can also be unlocked early without Bottle-Caps by inputting a Platinum Code or Wonderful Code.
Wonderful File No.010[]
- Location: Operation 004-B
Professor Shirogane's Wonderful File is an Underground Item located under the water surrounding Mission 004, on the bottom side.
Wonderful Figure No.108[]
Quotes[]
- "Now THAT'S whatcha call old-fashioned southern ingenuity! Or in slightly more technical terms... a subspace stealth circuit!"
- ―Professor Shirogane marveling at his latest invention's success, Operation 003-C
- "My baby's a super-dreadnought-class weapon on a 10-year orbit around Earth-- an Anti-Matter Particle Cannon capable of knocking a whole planet off her rocker in an instant!"
- ―Professor Shirogane on the capabilities of the Shirogane Comet, Operation 004-A
- "The Shirogane Comet's gonna be in firin' position in two shakes. Once she's lined up... KERBLAM! The alien fleet gets vaporized, an' we all go home fer sushi 'n' grits. Understood?"
- ―Professor Shirogane, Operation 006-A
- "Halt, ya doggone invader!"
- ―Wonder-Gramps's Taunt
Gallery[]
- In-Game Gallery
Trivia[]
- "白金 (Shirogane)" is the Japanese word for platinum, an obvious nod to PlatinumGames.
- Other than in his Wonderful File, at no point in the entire game is Professor Shirogane ever referred to as "Jimmy", affectionately or otherwise.
- Not only is Professor Shirogane's eye color unknown, his model actually lacks eyes under his goggles entirely.
- Professor Shirogane's backpack gadget appears to be the mixing device used in the Mixer menu.
- Wonder-Gramps' weapon has the same name as Wonder-Black's weapon: the Time Bomb.