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                ||             |¯¯/               ||
                || __.____/'\. | |  ________/¯\_  ||
                || '---  .---' | |  '--'\ ,-----' ||
                ||    |  | ----' '-'¯¯'.| |       ||
                ||    |  | '----'\  ,'¯ | |       ||
                ||    |  |,.\'.  |  |   | |       ||
                || ,--'  '' \\ '.| ,'___| | ,-.   ||
                ||  ¯¯'  '¯¯' '.   '(___   ¯   \  ||
                ||    |  |      )  '    | |¯¯¯¯   ||
                ||    |  |  _. / ,  \   | |       ||
                ||    |  '.'_//,' \  \  | |       ||
                || .-'¯ .,-',','   \,'  | |  _    ||
                || \_.'¯  ,','    _____,| |_/ '.  ||
                ||       /,'     (______________| ||
                ||________________________________||
                |,--------------------------------.|
                ||                   ,--.         ||
                ||    |'¯'      ,-._| ,/___,-.    ||
                ||    |  |      |  ,-------. .'   ||
                ||  __|  |_,.   |  '-------' |    ||
                || (__,  ,_  )  |  .-------. |    ||
                ||    |  /| |   |  '-------' |    ||
                ||    |  || |   |  ,-------.,',.  ||
                ||    |  /| | ,.|  '---------'  ' ||
                ||    / | | |.|||  (¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯,¯.¯ ||
                ||   ,' / | '_/| ) .¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯. .' ||
                ||   / /   \___/ ¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯/ |  ||
                ||  / /       .- /\ ¯¯\ \¯\ |  |  ||
                || /,'        )| | \ \_\ ¯¯ /  /  ||
                || '        ,' / |_|   ,---'  /   ||
                ||           ¯         ¯¯'._,'    ||
                ||________________________________||
                |__________________________________|


                  I    K    A    R    U    G    A

                    Treasure/Infrogames/Nintendo
                         Nintendo Gamecube

                           FAQ/Walkthrough
                      Created By: BlueWizard13
                     E-mail: [email protected]
                            Version 1.3
                               8/14/03

=======================
---Table Of Contents---
=======================

1. Version History
2. Game Information
3. Introduction
4. Game Basics
 A. Controls
 B. Polarity Changing
 C. Power Gauge
 D. Chains
 E. Strategies/Tactics
 F. Battle Ranking
5. Game Modes
 A. Difficulties
 B. Start
 C. Practice
 D. Conquest
 E. Challenge
6. Storyline
7. Walkthrough
 A. Chapter 01: Ideal
   a. Stage 1-1
   b. Stage 1-2
   c. Stage 1-3
   d. Stage 1-4
   e. Stage 1-5
 B. Chapter 02: Trial
   a. Stage 2-1
   b. Stage 2-2
   c. Stage 2-3
 C. Chapter 03: Faith
   a. Stage 3-1
   b. Stage 3-2
   c. Stage 3-3
 D. Chapter 04: Reality
   a. Stage 4-1
   b. Stage 4-2
   c. Stage 4-3
   d. Stage 4-4
 E. Final Chapter: Metempsychosis
   a. Stage 5-1
   b. Stage 5-2
   c. Stage 5-3
8. Boss Guide
9. Enemies
10. Secrets/Unlocks
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. In-Game Texts and Voices
 A. In-Game Texts
 B. Removed Texts
 C. Voice Translations
13. Credits
14. Copyright Information

========================
---1. Version History---
========================

Ver. 1.3 (8/14/03)- Out of my interest in yet bettering the FAQ I am still
thinking of things to add, and hence this version of the FAQ has come.  I've
added an entire In-game Text and Voice section for those interested in what all
of the texts in the game and what that voice actually says at certain parts of
the game, however, due to time constraints, I was unable to finish this
section.  I updated the FAQ to add my first ASCII art to the top of the page
(not bad for my first time I don't think!) and added the Voice that talks at
the end of the Final Chapter contributed to me by Khaascp.

**I'm still looking for Max Chains for each stage, Rank score requirements,
Enemy names that I couldn't find, and extra questions for my Frequently Asked
Questions section if you think I need to add some.  If someone could contribute
these or anything else I may need to improve my FAQ, I would greatly appreciate
it and add you to the credits.**

Ver. 1.2 (7/17/03)- I've finished the Walkthrough section, added the names to
the boss sections and finished it, put in the sound test menu by the unlock,
and put in questions and answers for the Frequently Asked Questions section.
Although the guide itself is finished, It would still be nice to put in some
extra information such as max chains, ranks score requirements, etc. see just
below for list.

**I still need Max Chains for each stage, Rank Score Requirements, Enemy names
that I couldn't find, extra questions for my Frequently Asked Questions part of
the guide if you have them, even some in-game texts that the robot-voice says
or that appear in other versions that I may have missed.  If someone could
contribute these or anything else I may need to improve my FAQ, I would greatly
appreciate it and add you to the Credits.**

Ver. 1.1 (6/16/03)- Big update on stuff.  I finished the Secrets/Unlocks
section, continued the Boss Guide, added some information on Chaining, added a
short section in Game Basics for Battle Ranking, added some story into each
chapter that was removed from the Gamecube English version that I found at
http://www.ikaruga-atari.net/en/stage.html, added an enemies section because I
found the names of some of them where I found the story, changed some parts of
chapter 01's walkthrough to appeal to those looking for higher chains more, and
continued in the Walkthrough section through chapter 02.

Ver. 1.0 (6/11/03)- First version of FAQ/Walkthrough.  Table of Contents,
Version History, Game Information, Introduction, Game Basics, Game Modes,
Storyline, Chapter 01 boss in Boss guide, "Bullet Eater" in Secrets/Unlocks,
and Chapter 01 walkthrough completed.  More versions coming to complete the
rest of the guide.

=========================
---2. Game Information---
=========================

Title: Ikaruga
Genre: Shooting (Action)
Platforms: Arcade, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Gamecube
Players: 1 or 2 players Co-op
Memory Card Blocks: 4
Designed By: Treasure
Published By: Infrogames
Released: Japan- 1/16/2003, N America- 4/16/2003, Europe- 5/23/2003

=====================
---3. Introduction---
=====================

Ikaruga has previously been released as an arcade game and on the Sega
Dreamcast in Japan.  Old shooter fans will be delighted with this work of art.
This game combines the old 2d overhead shooter idea with a new idea of ship
polarity.  This game offers 5 levels, but they are enough to keep you wanting
to play more and more.  It has three difficulties that offer slightly different
gameplay.  I will warn though that this game is HARD!  When I say it's hard, I
mean it.  It will take you a while to get used to the idea of polarity not used
in any former games of this genre.  But once you get the hang of it, you'll
keep playing and want to unlock the other options this game has to offer.  This
guide is meant to help you in your gameplay of Ikaruga with strategy, tactics,
and the ways to defeat the different bosses along with answering some of those
questions you have.

Although this game has been made for other platforms, this FAQ focuses on the
Gamecube version, controls, and information.  However, this guide could still
be used as a resource for help in any area of the game on another platform.

Note: When this game was ported over to the Gamecube, then to the English
version, a lot of the in-game text became difficult to read and/or just not
translated.  So, a lot of the in-game text you see in the other versions of
this game is not in this version.

====================
---4. Game Basics---
====================

---A. Controls---

One of the many good things about this game is that the controls are actually
quite simple, the default (and most common) controls are listed below.
However, you can change them to your liking in the options menu.

Control Pad/Stick- Move Fighter/ Highlight selections in menu
A Button- Change Polarity (White/Black)/ Confirm selection in menu
B Button- Fire (hold for rapid fire)/Go to previous menu
Z Button- Hide/Display Chain Status
R Button- Unleash Energy Charge
Start/Pause- Pause Game

---B. Polarity Changing---

One of the things that make this game unique to distinguish it between its
classic cousins is its use of polarity.  Your polarity, in this game, can be
either white (with a blue shine, but it's known as white) or black (with a red
shine, but it's known as black.

When your polarity is white (and it will be evident in your shield and ship
which you are), you can absorb white bullets from enemies and they will
transfer power into a power gauge to the side of the screen.  When you are
white, you also do double damage to black ships and take double points for
destroying it.  This can give you quite an advantage when you are fighting a
difficult enemy to be of the opposite polarity.  When your polarity is black,
you can absorb black bullets, do double damage to white, and take double points
from destroying them.  It is the same as white, just opposite.

You must change your polarity in this game for many reasons.  At times there
will be huge amounts of black or white bullets around and are nearly impossible
to dodge, but are very few of the opposite polarity.  In this case you would
have to change in order to continue.  The bullets will be absorbed and you can
move on.  Changing your polarity at the right time will be a skill the comes
with playing as in several levels, you have to be quick to change your polarity
when waves of certain colors are coming at you.

NOTE: You also score points from absorbing bullets.

---C. Power Gauge---

Your power gauge is located on the side of your screen (left if you are first
player or playing alone, right if you are second player).  However, when you
are playing on either vertical 1 or vertical 2 for a monitor selection, it is
located in the playing area on the side of your screen (or if you are playing
on a vertical monitor, the bottom, just in the playing area).

The power gauge is very useful and should be something that you keep an eye on
while playing.  Every time you absorb a bullet of the same polarity, a little
is added to the power gauge.  At any time above one square full, you can use
your energy release with the R button.

Every ten bullets you absorb, one square is filled, and for each square filled,
one homing missile is fired when you use the energy release.  Each missile is
ten times more powerful than a regular shot, so these are quite helpful in
tough areas or against tough bosses.  You can release up to twelve missiles
when the energy gauge is full.

---D. Chains---

Chains are scored when you destroy three fighters of the same polarity in a
row.  For this, you are awarded 100 points.  Every time you get another chain
after that without breaking it by destroying a ship of another polarity in the
middle of one (i.e. black + black + white), you double the bonus.  An in-game
voice will count the number of chain bonuses in a row you have so far.  Your
chain counter can be displayed under your chain status by pressing the Z button
which toggles it on and off.

The chain scores go as follows.

1 Chain ---- 100 points
2 Chains --- 200 points
3 Chains --- 400 points
4 Chains --- 800 points
5 Chains --- 1,600 points
6 Chains --- 3,200 points
7 Chains --- 6,400 points
8 Chains --- 12,800 points
Max Chain - 25,600 points

After you reach a max chain, every chain from there forward is counted again as
25,600 points until the chain is broken.  When the chain is broken, the bonus
point value is reset to 100 again.

Although this is one of the most difficult parts of the game to master, it is
also one of the most important for scoring very high and getting high Battle
Rankings.  There are a maximum amount of possible chains each Chapter and if
you can master these chains, you can get much higher in the Battle Ranking and
rack up much higher scores to send in for Arcade Mode.

--- E. Strategies/Tactics---

There are many strategies you can use to help you advance through this game
that take some time to work on, but when you get them all down, you will become
quite good at this game.

Bullet Absorbing
This strategy is simple.  When there are bullets coming at you of a certain
polarity, you can switch to that one and absorb them and add the power to your
Power Gauge.  This builds up power to later be released, and it allows you to
pass freely through the area of bullets.  However, this should be used with
caution in the normal and hard modes because enemies fire back when you destroy
them.

"Grazing"
Many people call this technique grazing.  When a bullet comes near you, for it
to destroy you, it has to hit the main part of your ship.  It will not destroy
you if it simply penetrates your shield or wing, but it must actually hit the
cab part of the fighter.  This can come in handy when you are trying to dodge
many bullets that are close together.

Chaining
As explained above, this can rack up points pretty fast.  When you get good at
this game, try to pay attention to what you destroy and when.  If you do this,
you can manage to rack up many chains of points in a row to build up a huge
score if that's what you're looking for.  This will allow for extra lives, a
place on the top score list, and bragging rights to your friends and the score
you achieved.

Single Shots
If you just tap the B button (or other fire button if you've assigned a new
one), you will release just one bullet.  This can be used for precision when
you are trying to keep a chain going for higher points.  It can be very useful.

---F. Battle Ranking---

After each chapter, you are shown a screen that gives you your score, max chain
amount, and your Battle Rank.  The battle ranks are as follows.

Lowest ------------------------------- Highest
C  C+  C++  B  B+  B++  A  A+  A++  S  S+  S++

To reach much of anything above a B, you must not only destroy the boss and
mini-bosses, but also obtain a good amount of chains through the level.  This
will raise your score and bring you much higher rankings.  I am not completely
sure what score will take you to a certain rank on each chapter, however, I do
know that by chaining, you will reach a higher score which will get you your
higher battle rank.  If someone would like to contribute what scores will give
you what ranks on each chapter, I would greatly appreciate it and would
obviously put you in the credits.

===================

---5. Game Modes---
===================

---A. Difficulties---

In many games, different difficulties just mean that some enemies are harder to
destroy or there are more of them.  This game puts a whole new meaning to
difficulty selection.

Easy: No enemies fire back at you when you destroy them, some bosses and
enemies have less life, and less bullets are released for you to dodge in many
cases.

Normal: Enemies of your current polarity will fire back at you when you destroy
them.  You can absorb these bullets for energy as an advantage, but when you
need to switch polarity quickly, this can get in the way.  Some bosses and
enemies have slightly more health, more bullets are released in many cases, and
some bosses are made more difficult with what and when they are releasing
bullets.

Hard: Enemies of both polarities will fir back at you when you destroy them.
This causes great difficulty when trying to switch polarities quickly to get by
something and trying to survive period.  Some bosses and enemies have extra
health, more bullets are released during bosses and in many other cases, and
some bosses are made more difficult with what and when they are releasing
bullets.

---B. Start---

This is the first selection on the menu.  By selecting this, a normal or trial
game is allowed for playing (if trial is turned on in options).  You can select
your difficulty (if it is not already preset in the options menu) then whether
you want a normal or trial game.  A normal game is the full game that gives you
all five chapters of play.  A trial game gives only 2 chapters of play.

---C. Practice---

This menu shows a list of each of the five chapters on each of the three
difficulties.  The only ones you can enter, however, are the ones that are
shown in white instead of gray.  To unlock a chapter for practice, you must
reach it without continuing.  For example, if you reach the beginning of level
three without continuing but die at the very beginning, that entire chapter is
still opened up for practice on whatever difficulty you played on.

---D. Conquest---

This works much the same way that Practice mode did, except it allows you to
fine-tune your skills using specific stages in each chapter.  Chapters 1
through 3 are listed on the first page, clicking next will take you to the
second page where chapters 4 and 5 are located.  To unlock a stage, you must
simply reach the chapter that the stage is in without continuing on any
difficulty.  So if you are on easy and you reach chapter 4 without continuing
but die in stage 2, everything up until chapter five is opened up including the
stages you didn't reach without continuing in chapter 4.

When you select a stage to practice, it brings up a menu asking whether you
want a Demo Play, Slow Play, or Normal Play.

Selecting demo play will allow you to see a perfect way of playing the stage on
normal.  It shows it to you in the same speed as slow play (half normal speed).
This can be quite handy in helping you develop better methods of doing things
in stages that you are having trouble on.    When you view the demo on a level
in different monitor settings, you also get different demos.

Horizontal 1- Beginning tactics, helpful things just to keep you alive
Horizontal 2- Basic play, just slightly more advanced
Horizontal 3- This will show you advanced tactics including the Bullet Eater
challenge in some cases, and always shows you great chain runs when the bullet
eater is not going
Vertical 1 or 2- Increased difficulty in some areas

When you select slow play, it allows you to play the stage in slow motion.
This can help you get the rhythm down for what you need to do to get by without
dying.

Normal play allows you to play the stage completely normal.  You have unlimited
credits and can play the stage as you want for practice.  This is quite helpful
in developing skills to get past the difficult parts of the game without dying.

---E. Challenge---

There are two options in this section.  These just offer extended gameplay and
fun aside from the typical game.

The first is Arcade.  This option is here when you buy the game.  You enter
this mode and start with 3 lives, your first being the one you are using.  You
also have no credits and are on the Normal difficulty.  You begin at the start
of the game and just go for as long as you can without losing your two lives.
You rack up as many points as you can, and when you finally die (or finish), it
gives you a unique password.  This password can be entered at
www.ikaruga-atari.net as long as you have a name registered in the site.  It
then goes on an international standings list with other people who have played
and entered their score online.

The second option is called Prototype Mode.  It is unlocked after playing the
game for 20 hours or more, or beating Normal mode without continuing.  This
option allows you to play the game as it was in the early stages of its design.
The only difference is that you have a limited number of shots that you can
fire.  If you select Easy, you get 500 bullets, Normal and you get 300 bullets,
on Hard you get 100 bullets to start with.  Every time you absorb a bullet, one
more is added to your bullet count which can reach a maximum of 999 bullets.
To fire an energy release, it costs 120 bullets.  When your reserves run out,
you can fire a short-range blank shot which is only effective at very close
range.

==================
---6. Storyline---
==================

The storyline is not very deep by any means, however, not much storyline is
needed for a game like this.  The actual story is located on page 6 in your
instruction booklet, but I will summarize it for you here.

Several years ago in an island nation known as Horai, a powerful man named
Tenro Horai found buried the Power of the Gods known as Ubusunagami Okinokai.
From this, he recovered great powers and set off with his followers who called
themselves the "Divine Ones" and began to conquer other nations.  They told
people they were "The Chosen People" and they carried out their duties in "the
name of peace."

After a while, a group known as Tenkaku developed to challenge the Horai.  They
fought and fought but lost battle after battle and were almost entirely wiped
out.  Only one man survived, and his name was Shinra.  He set off again but was
shot down and landed in a village known as Ikaruga.  The inhabitants were sent
into exile because of Horai's conquests and were sympathetic to his cause.
They nursed him back to health and gave him a ship they developed known as the
Ikaruga.

Kagari, Shinra's new partner, was once a Horai assassin sent to kill Shinra.
He was shot down but Shinra rescued him and saved his life.  From then on,
Kagari has fought with Shinra flying the Ginkei, modified by the Ikaruga people
to be like the Ikaruga fighting plane, to help him defeat Horai and save the
world.

====================
---7. Walkthrough---
====================

Finally to the part that you've all probably come to see this guide for.  This
section will guide you through each chapter and stage and give strategies to
succeeding in them.  Although the game does not show that it's switching
stages, it is split into them in conquest mode and advertises it on the back of
the game box.  It is also much easier to cover them in detail by splitting them
in a guide, so that is why I have them split even though you do not see it in
the game that the stage has switched.

I found the storyline that was removed from the Gamecube English version at
http://www.ikaruga-atari.net/en/stage.html, so I added it before each chapter.

Although I have also found the correct enemy names, because they were removed
from this version, most people reading this do not know them.  I will still
refer to each enemy in this walkthrough by their description instead of making
it difficult on people by using their correct names.

I know there is a maximum number of chains possible in each stage, but I
haven't yet got time to figure out what each is.  If someone would like to
contribute these, I would be more than happy to put them in the guide and add
you to the credits if they are correct.  However, if I find reason to believe
they are incorrect, I will be more hesitant putting them up.

---A. Chapter 01: Ideal---

Ikaruga are on an eternal journey... They have been expelled from this world...
what drives them in the pursuit of hope?  It is only their backbone as a
survivor.

-Story-
Horai, fearing "Ikaruga" who rivaled the Butsutekkai of Asami in the trial
flight, lays siege to the transfer equipment "Fudo-myoo's Sward".
Shinra and his fellows decide to make a sally and start a counterattack.

---a. Stage 1-1

When you begin this stage, you have a cutscene where Shinra's (and if you're
playing 2 player, Kagari's) ship coming out of a larger ship called the Sword
of Acala.  You see it launch off, then it goes into an overhead mode which is
where you begin play.  Enemies start off coming from the right side, then left,
and they continue alternating like this for a little while.  Just hold your
button down and shoot them moving to their side as you do to build up chains.
After this, some guys will come from the top of both polarities.  Shoot them
all by going back and forth around the screen, then shoot the next guys that
come up and you're done with stage 1.  None of the guys in this stage shoot, so
it's pretty simple.  Just be careful what and when you shoot things so that you
can maintain a chain throughout this stage.  When you complete it, it shows you
the Chapter Title in a short cutscene of the ship, and you begin play again in
stage 1-2.

---b. Stage 1-2

When this stage begins, six guys of each polarity will go across the screen in
groups of three.  They, again, will not shoot, but the next guys do.  More of
the same guys will come to the top of the screen and start shooting if you do
not kill them fast enough, still pretty easy, just fire at them and they'll
die.  Now they'll come across the screen firing at you, both polarities.  If
you don't kill them on their way across, they go back to the other side still
firing.  Just kill them all, if you let a few by, its not a big deal.  Remember
to dodge the shots of the opposite polarity though and if you're looking for
chains, be careful what you shoot and when, this is the easiest chapter to
maintain a chain on.

---c. Stage 1-3

Right away, some little guys from the left come, followed by some black ones on
the right.  Kill them, they don't fire, then move ahead to a large group that
forms at the top of the screen.  These ones will rotate around each other and
fire at you.  Their shots are easy to dodge, fire at them as you move across
the screen unless you are keeping a chain going.  In this case, I recommend not
killing them all as it is extremely difficult to kill them all without screwing
up your chain.  Kill a few of them with precision single shots, and leave it at
that, you'll have a higher score in the end unless you can manage to kill them
all without messing up your chain.  From here, move on to some more little
ones.

They are immediately followed by one large black and one large white enemy.
These guys will fire groups of shots at you in a spread fashion.  Dodge these
while firing at the one opposite of the polarity you are.  They also let out
streams of their color, just get out of the way or switch to that polarity to
avoid getting hurt by them.  Go back and forth between the two of them for a
while until they are finally dead and gone.  This will put an end to stage 1-3.

---d. Stage 1-4

This section starts with a group of 3 black followed by 2 white enemies that
fire at you.  Be quick to dodge their shots, you probably won't kill them all,
but that's alright.  Directly after them is a large white bot that fires a
powerful white beam.  I recommend filling your energy bar with this beam then
killing the enemy.  Stay in the middle then because if you kill him, a group of
guys will circle you, keep your fire going and kill them all.

They are followed by two large enemies of each polarity on both sides of the
screen.  Start with the white one on the right.  Switch to black and kill him
off.  As you go above the black one coming at you from the left, kill the small
ships coming down in two rows from the middle top.  Rotate around under the
black one and turn white to get double damage destroying the black one.  While
you are doing this, another white ship will come down on the left.  Repeat the
same thing killing the small ships from the top as you go over the white one,
stay white until you get past his fire and go black to kill him while another
black one comes down.  If you are looking to maintain a chain, I recommend
trying to ignore the middle guys, and just focus on the big guys and their side
shooters.  These can rack up nice chains because each side shooter (and there
are several on each bot) will give you another kill going towards a chain.
When they are gone, you have completed this stage with a nice "Warning: No
Refuge" sign to greet you in to stage 1-5.

---e. Stage 1-5

This stage begins with a "Warning: No Refuge" sign and the in-game voice
babbling something hard to understand.  The boss comes down from the top of the
screen.  His first attack will be his white sword.  It will come about half way
down the screen, so stay back and make sure you're polarity is white.  He will
fire out many white bullets with a few black ones from things on the sides.
Just stay right under his sword dodging the black bullets and keep firing at
the sword until it's gone.  He then pulls out his black shield.  Make your
polarity black.  He will start firing a wall of black bullets out along with a
few white ones from the sides of the screen.  Keep firing at his shield dodging
the white bullets until the shield is gone.  He will then start laying out
little grenades of the two polarities starting with white.  Stay black and fire
at him, unleash any energy you have too, until his white grenades blow up.
Turn white then black again because it does more damage to him and his next
grenades are black.  Keep doing this until he quits dropping grenades and turn
white.  He will shoot out large balls of energy that are white.  Absorb these
and fire them back at him in energy unleashes.  When he is done doing this,
he'll go back to his grenade dropping.  Continue this until he is dead.  It
will then give you your battle statistics and move on to the next chapter.

---B. Chapter 02: Trial---

The harder his will is, the more trials he faces.  You can evade trials or run
away from them.  The true meaning of trials is to overcome such weakness in
your heart.

-Story-
"Country of Agi", which used to oppose Horai, have been defeated and is now
under their control.
Shinra and his fellows make a surprise attack on an underground military
foothold, which is under construction, in order to recapture the Country of
Agi.

---a. Stage 2-1

This starts off with some of the round guys coming down from the top.  Start
from the right with the white ones, then move left to the black ones.  Chaining
is not too difficult here, just stay close to them and avoid hitting the other
color when shooting one.  When these are gone, the triangular planes come in
from both sides at the top and circle to the bottom and back around.  This is
very hard to chain in, I recommend staying in the middle as one color and just
avoiding the other color while continually shooting at all of the guys circling
around you.  This goes on for about a minute of circling.

When they are gone, some black guys on the left and white on the right come in
and stay there without shooting, they are easy to kill for a chain.  Some guys
at the top will also come in and shoot a white beam down, you can kill them if
you want, or leave them for later.  Stay in the middle now and toward the
bottom because two lines of ships will come in of one polarity for a while,
then switch to the other.  They cross each other toward the bottom, if you hit
them at the bottom, you can kill them both at the same time and manage to get
good chains from this part.  When they are gone, some white guys will come in
on the side, kill them all using your energy unleash to keep a chain going if
you've got one, then this stage is over.

---b. Stage 2-2

When you begin this very lengthy stage, you fire off from the chapter 02: Trial
title screen.  Immediately, you are circled by three rows of the round,
one-hit-kill guys that alternate in polarity.  If you are big into chains,
precision hit them with single shots to get them to build your chain up, when
you finally kill them all, you probably won't have another group of guys coming
at you and will instead face the next challenge.  However, if you are just in
for the survival now and want to kill them all fast, do so, but you'll have
another group of guys to fight as well.  There will be groups of single
polarities coming at you in a circle around you.  Slip by each group to the
bottom and kill them all as you go.  Just keep away from them and shoot them as
they come to the center, its not too tough.

Now you'll enter your first "obstacle course."  You start with five rows of
boxes.  The first is stationary, kill one of the boxes and go by.  The next has
boxes going from right to left, kill one or ease your way by to the following
row of stationary boxes.  Kill a box there, another side to side row, then a
stationary row.  Easy, just kill a box and make your way by.  The next row has
two black boxes, the rest red that you can't destroy.  Turn black so you're not
damaged by the black bullets and destroy a box, but immediately turn white
because a white box behind the black one shoots white.  Kill the black enemies
that come your way and don't shoot.  Kill this entire row of white boxes, turn
black, the unleash everything when the door opens so you can kill the white box
coming at you and the 2 white boxes on both sides.

NOTE: In the section of stage 2-2 covered just above, it is possible to squeeze
between the boxes.  You must be exactly between them and you can go through the
rows of boxes without shooting.  It is using this method that you can get the
Dot Eater! Rank on this chapter.

Now, pick a side.  There are six rows of alternating colors of fire that you'll
have to adapt to while guys come down your side as well.  Just keep firing and
always be the polarity of the next box shooter's fire is.  I recommend filling
your Power Gauge in here because you'll need it in the next section.  Keep
inching your way down the six shooters, and at the end there's a machine that
spits out little guys.  They go down to the center row and continue down that
way.  You can go into the middle, kill the guys for chains, and squeeze between
them to enter the next section after the door opens.  Or, you can kill the
machine shooting the guys out on either side, or just one, and get your way by
on the emphasis of survival only.

After you go through the closed door, you reach an area with boxes on the sides
that shoot out lines of fire in alternating colors.  Keep inching your way
through here killing the guys that come through the middle but don't fire.  You
have to change your polarity to keep alive through the lines of fire, just go
forward and backward in this section to make sure only one polarity touches you
at a time.  When you get in this area, just past the first box a large white
enemy on the right will come across to shoot a white beam at you.  I recommend
turning black and destroying this enemy with an energy unleash because he won't
fire back at you with the opposite polarity (if you are playing normal or easy)
and you do more damage to him.  Just past the next row of boxes, a large guy on
either side of you will show up, both are black.  They will fire black beams at
you but won't go into the center, just stay on their sides.  You can ignore
them to stay alive, or you can go over to absorb their energy when you can and
destroy them with your energy unleash.  Either way is fine.  Advance from here
still absorbing the lines of energy coming at you and just past the next set of
boxes is a large black enemy on the left that comes to the center firing a
black beam at you.  Absorb some of his energy, turn white if you can and
destroy him.  Otherwise just wait until he hits the center and he'll go away.
Now you enter the next section of this obstacle course in stage 2-2.

You can choose either side here, but I will walk you through the left side as
it is the one I always choose.  It is just opposite when you go to the right
side.  Turn black and kill the enemies you see on the left side, and absorb the
remaining lines of fire at you from the bottom.  Turn white and destroy the 6
black boxes that block your way into the left side.  Enter to find a white box
firing out white bullets in lines.  Inch by it and go directly to the upper
left side of the box above it to destroy 6 more black enemies that come in from
the left.  When you get a chance, turn black quickly and get through the line
of black fire, then turn white again so you can avoid dying from the fire of
the white box just above this black line.  Go past this white box to destroy 6
more black boxes that block your exit.  Then kill 3 shooters on the left firing
out white enemies, then if you want, the 3 shooters on the right firing out
black enemies.  Stay in the small opening in the wall and kill all of the
enemies that are circling above the entrance, then go through this opening when
they are gone.

Now, 2 large enemies enter the screen, the left one black and the right one
white.  I recommend first focusing on the black enemy and destroying him with
your polarity white.  This way, the beam that the right one fires, you can
absorb and can kill the black enemy at the same time.  When you destroy it,
another one will come up.  Destroy it as well.  Then, you probably still have
time.  If you are brave, turn black past the white beam coming at you and
destroy the white one that way, if you are not brave yet, stay white and hope
you destroy the white enemy on the right.  However, don't use the energy you've
accumulated in this area, you'll need it for the boss that comes soon.  When
you destroy these enemies, rows and rows of enemies from the top will appear
and make their way down the screen.  They are the small ones and don't fire at
you.  This section will be extremely hard to maintain a chain in, but if you
think you can do it, try to fire precision shots at the alternating enemies and
be sure not to hit the rows behind where you're firing.  If you are not looking
for chains, kill them all by going back and forth on the screen.  When they are
all gone, you will enter stage 2-3.

---c. Stage 2-3

A boss alarm will greet you to the second boss you have met in this game.  He
appears from the top and look rather intimidating, but is not all too
difficult.

When you begin fighting this boss, you should probably have a full Power Gauge
because of all of the things previously in this level to fill it up.  If you
don't, it's no big deal, just continue the battle as normal.  To begin, start
with the left/white side and make your polarity white to fire at the red cap
guarding his weak point.  This should open the cap all of the way after a small
time shooting it, then turn black and unleash any energy you might have.  Get
in there quickly, dodging any bullets that might be coming your way from the
guns above, and shoot at the white weak point while in the black polarity
because it does double damage.  You might be able to destroy it before he
starts to attack, if not, back out and absorb his attacks.

His attacks will begin with white spread from the left side, then a black one
from the right, another from the left, and another from the right.  Switch your
polarity for each to stay alive.  After this, stay down, don't attack yet.  Go
to the left side of the screen with your polarity white and absorb his flood of
white bullets.  When he starts with his black ones, go black and move all the
way right absorbing these.  When those are done, turn white and go back to the
left side, then go back to the right as black when that is done.  Unleash
anything you may have as the opposite polarity of the weak point you are
shooting at and by now the white weak point should be gone.  If it's not, keep
going, otherwise, move on to the black side.  Shoot at the cap with black until
its out all the way, unleash anything you may have as white, then go in there
and start shooting at it with white while still dodging his bullets from above.
Many people will be able to kill him before he continues shooting, but if not,
here's how to get by his next section of attacks.

His next attacks will start from the left with a few lines of white bullets.
Be white for this and move left.  When those are gone, go black and go to the
right through the black bullets.  Go left through the white after this, then
right through the black again.  Now he will shoot both at the same time.  On
easy, you can go to a bottom corner of the screen and turn the opposite
polarity of the shooter closest to you to absorb the other side's bullets that
will hit you, however, on normal and hard a laser from above will destroy you
here.  On normal and hard, do your best to stay close to one of them being that
color, then as soon as you can, move up and back in the opposite color to stay
alive through that.  When all of this is done, open up the side you have left
and unleash what you've got on it as the opposite polarity.  From here, just go
in and shoot away at it with the opposite polarity while dodging the bullets
from above.  He should die.  If not, he'll repeat his first set of attacks,
then the second set, and the time will run out if you haven't killed him by
then.

When you finally destroy him, your Battle Results will come up and tell you how
you did and enter you into chapter 03.

---C. Chapter 03: Faith---

There is nothing absolute in this world.  You may sometimes be at a loss
knowing that this world is unreasonable.  To break the impasse, you must hold
an unshakable belief and insight as well as a certain amount of vitality.

-Story-
The military situation is very uncertain. Shinra and his fellows manage to
infiltrate the "Country of Horai" so as to avoid perishing in an attrition war.
They reach the border and see a fortified artificial ravine.

---a. Stage 3-1

This chapter starts with some ships of each polarity coming down the sides.
Switch back and forth and try to kill them off.  If you go fast enough back and
forth, you can get them all, and you will be able to keep a relatively easy
chain for a few seconds.  The guys on the sides that you don't get will crash
into the wall at the horizontal level you are at, so make sure you go up and
down periodically to dodge the ones you let by.  As these continue down the
sides, there will also be rotating enemies in the center of both polarities,
when it reaches this point it will be quite difficult to maintain a chain.
Continue going back and forth until the enemies stop coming and a large machine
comes down the left side.  There will be several of these in this stage, they
fire black beams on the left and right sides, and white beams from the top and
bottom.  Here, you'll want to be black and wait until it goes low enough for
you to get to the left of the screen and get by it.  Unleash whatever you've
got to kill the three black shooters, and enter the white beam.

You can kill the enemies on the right quick, or stay where you are and kill the
6 guys (3 of each polarity) that come from the far left bottom of the screen
and circle up and back down.  Then enter the white beam to the left and unleash
whatever you've got to kill what's up ahead to allow easier access into this
area.  When you get a chance, turn black and go by the black beam on the left
and continue upward past the new machine.  Enter its white beam as it makes its
way right, then go left to the other white beam when you get a chance and
continue upward.  From here there are two things you can do.  You can go left
through the white beam, turn black and go up and fit yourself between the two
at the very left of the screen, you won't get damaged between them, then turn
white while the two beams go together.  Or, you can stay on the right and kill
the guys that come from the far bottom right.

Then make your way past the right black beam and into where the two white beams
collide.  From there, head all the way right quickly and go above the right
black beam.  Kill the black shooters on the right side then unleash to kill
some whites on the left and the enemies in the middle, there are several so
unleash whenever you can.  Then just avoid go where ever needed to survive the
beams of the machine, and make your way through the entrance at the top when
you can.  You see some enemies in the background, but just fit yourself in the
center of them.  Let these enemies circle you while you shoot at them as they
go around, or single shoot to try to maintain a chain, either way is perfectly
safe.  This ends stage 3-1.

---b. Stage 3-2

After the title screen passes, you meet three large white enemies on either
side, followed by three black enemies on either side, then followed by
alternating polarities of guys 3 on either side.  These enemies will go to the
bottom, then wing up to the center firing at you and go back down the other
side.  Try to be the opposite polarity of whatever you're firing at in this
one, you can usually get the enemy destroyed before it gets to where you are
firing if you stay just ahead of it.  But, always be safe first, and switch
polarities to theirs if you're about to get hit.  This section is kind of
tough, but after a little practice, you can kill all of the guys pretty simply.
If you absolutely cannot beat this section and die almost every time, you're
probably better staying out of it... How?  Well, if you stay off to either side
right up against the wall, the guys coming down the side won't hit you, and
none of their fire will hit you either, you're perfectly safe down either side
right up against the wall.

When this section is over, different patterns of round guys will show up at the
top while beams of alternating polarities will fire from the sides in clusters.
Always switch to the beam polarity firing at you and absorb the energy.  If
you want to chain this section, don't unleash your energy, and pick and choose
single guys to fire at, though this section's difficult to chain in with the
speed this all moves at.  If you're looking just to get through it, go side to
side firing and unleash everything you get.  The enemies will die in a flash
and this section will be easy for you.  After four clusters of beams fire at
you and four clusters of guys are gone, you enter a thinner section where white
enemies will come from the top, and black enemies will come from the bottom.
Focus on the black enemies and stay low in them while they collide at the top
and destroy themselves.  You can pinpoint guys to shoot at while you are
switching back and forth between rows to maintain a chain.  When this section
is over with, you'll need to stay toward the bottom of the screen, because the
walls on the sides move, and you have to stay in a certain area of the screen
while shooting guys in the passage.  The first one's easy.  Stay at the bottom,
stay one polarity, and make your way through.  When the first one's done, go
near the top because you have to be up there to get by the closing walls, but
keep shooting the guys so you don't get killed.

As you go through these closing walls, the chapter 03 mini-boss busts his way
through the walls and follows you through the next section of side to side
moving to get past the walls.  In this section, stay mid screen and move back
and forth shooting to get by through the passage the walls make for you.  Make
sure you stay high enough not to be killed by the chapter 03 mini-boss, and
keep alert to passage changes.  When this section's over, move to the side and
let the mini-boss (named Shigi) pass by you.  Kill the 6 round guys that pass
by him, 3 from either side, and prepare for battle with a very difficult enemy.

Shigi will begin with four beam shooters that rotate around his metallic body.
Reds will be in the middle first, absorb these beams, always shooting, and then
switch when white comes in the middle.  Easy right?  Wrong, because now he
starts shooting little dots from his center for you to dodge as well.  Keep
shooting and unleash whenever you get a chance, the faster you kill his beams
and shooter, the better.  Keep switching colors and dodging his opposite
colored dots from the middle, you should have a couple of the beams gone by the
time his middle shooter starts firing a stream of the little dots.  Go from one
side to the other carefully as needed of his middle shooter and keep firing at
the beams.  They should be dead by the time his middle shooter is completely
concentrated in alternating polarities.  Try to get through it safely while
taking risky shots at the center, then unleash when you can until it is finally
gone.  Shigi will blow up, and following him will be more of the round enemies
(or hitekkai, actually) that you can go back and forth to shoot.  When they are
all gone, the Chapter 03 Boss will come up in the background immediately
following the boss alarm.

---c. Stage 3-3

You fight this guy from the inside.  He has 7 black shooters and 7 white
shooters.  You have to destroy them all.  To boot, he has these things that
look like crates that are spread out across four radii cutting the battle area
into quarters that are somewhat difficult to navigate through.

When the battle begins, you'll be in the bottom left quarter of the battle
area.  It won't be this way for long though because the crate-like things will
rotate.  Start off the same polarity as the shooter you're next to because they
will all shoot off their color.  Stay this and keep shooting to the ones above
you while being the same polarity as the one you are absorbing the bullets of.
You must move from shooter to shooter because the crate-like things rotate, so
switch your polarity moving shooter to shooter always holding your fire button
in.  Make sure you keep moving along the shooters without running into the
crates and holding the fire button in killing as many of the shooters as you
can.  Unleash your energy every so often as you move your way around the boss
destroying as many shooters as you can.

After a while of doing this, he will start shooting beams from the middle.
This is where it gets tough if you haven't destroyed very many shooters.  Keep
your eye on the beams and shooters and do your best to always be the color of
the beam that's coming and suck in as much energy as you can from them.
Unleash the energy as you get it and destroy the shooters all the way.  After a
short while of this, you will have destroyed all of the shooters just using
your energy unleash.  This boss is very tough and takes some getting used to,
but once you get the hang of him, you won't have much trouble beating him on
any difficulty.

When he finally blows up, you'll get battle results and you'll be on your way
to chapter 04.

---D. Chapter 04: Reality---

Thus the reality reveals itself.
What did you seek...
What did you see...
What did you hear...
What did you think...
What did you do...

-Story-
Crossing the ravine, Shinra sees large troops headed by the military commander
"Kira" and the gigantic and overpowering Butsutekkai "Misago". Tennai reaches
the strategy that they assault in a melee combat and destroy the several
weaknesses of the enemy.

---a. Stage 4-1

This is a very short stage.  It starts with several small enemies in two
clusters, one cluster of each polarity.  Kill them off, one cluster at a time
for a chain, then they are followed by 2 white shooters and a white energy ball
shooter at the top.  Kill them (its much easier as the opposite polarity), then
they are followed by 2 black shooters and a black energy ball shooter just
below them.  Kill them off and 3 white shooters come from the bottom while 3
black shooters come from the top.  Stay white and absorb the white beams from
the bottom while dodging the black from the top and destroying the black
shooters.  Then turn black because the opposite happens.  3 black shooters come
from the bottom while 3 white shooters come from the top.  Go black and absorb
the bottom shots while killing the white shooters at the top.  Then, a white
energy ball shooter comes at the top left corner of the screen joined by a
black one at the bottom right.  Absorb the white balls while killing the white
enemy at the top left, then unleash to kill the black one at the bottom right.
This ends the short stage of 4-1.

---b. Stage 4-2

Even though stage 4-1 is one of the shortest stages in the game, stage 4-2 is
one of the longest.  As the title screen comes up, you see in the background
what looks like a satellite.  You'll be fighting one of the hardest battles of
the game in the center of that.

When the center of the satellite comes up, enter it from the bottom if you are
on normal, this will be the easiest way to complete it.  If you are a beginner
and are on Easy mode, stay on the outside as much as you can (don't do this on
normal, enemies come on the outside).  Guys will come from either side in the
center.  If you are on normal fire at them and beware of the beams that will
start up anytime now.  These form an interesting pattern for you to dodge black
going left and white going right.  Keep alternating polarities to stay alive as
needed and keep killing the guys.  It will take some practice to become good at
this section.  If you are staying on the outside in easy, safely make your way
around the outside of the walls away from the beams and the enemies.

Keep doing what you've been doing, it's a lot of the same hard stuff in this
area.  However, you will come to a point where the satellite's center is so far
left on the screen, that you cannot stay outside of the walls anymore on easy.
So, beginners will have to enter here and dodge the beams as much as you can as
you make your way up, killing enemies in the center.  Then, suddenly, the beams
will stop and enemies will stop coming.  Loads of white ships will start coming
from both directions outside the walls now as the walls close in, but still
enough room for you to stay safely inside.  This section offers an easy chain
for anyone, stay right by a hole in the wall and shoot all the white enemies
you can for a high chain.  Then, they start coming as both polarities from
either side, then turning back the other way repeatedly.  This is slightly
harder to maintain a chain in, but if you're risking it, go outside and shoot
the enemies, otherwise stay inside.

These enemies will soon be gone and the beams and enemies will start back up on
the inside.  Beginners get to the left and upper area outside the wall for
safety.  Normal players, stay on the inside and keep dodging the beams and
killing the enemies on the inside.  Soon it will get too high up on the screen
for beginners to stay outside anymore and they will have to make their way
through the beams to the bottom where they can again take refuge behind the
walls.  Here, even normal players can retreat outside the walls and shoot
enemies on the inside.  The beams will stop shortly, enemies will stop coming,
the outside walls will explode, and you have to fight the center of the
satellite as one of a few mini-bosses in this chapter.  (for quite a show on
the last section, go to Horizontal 3 mode, and view stage 4-2 demo, it can also
show you some pointers on chaining in this section)

Beams will begin with black going left and white going right again, you must
dodge back and forth sucking up these beams.  It's not too difficult if you
just don't panic, and keep inside the little diamonds that it's safe to be in.
Shortly, little shooters will emerge from the satellite and shoot little dots
at you to dodge. Fortunately, these are destroyable, and you must destroy them
all to beat this mini-boss.  Unleash when you can and keep firing at them,
shortly the mini-boss will be dead.  That will end stage 4-2.

---c. Stage 4-3

To start this stage, round enemies will come from the bottom and top of both
sides and wrap their way around into a second row if you don't destroy them.
Go back and forth from one side to the other, destroying them, then ships will
come from the top center.  Nothing in this section fires at you, but it all
moves quite fast, so it is difficult to kill them all, all the time.  Continue
killing them and dodge the ones on the side as they wrap around if you don't
get there quick enough.  Shortly these enemies will be gone, and you will have
a new mini-boss already to fight.

Little round enemies that fire single shots at a time will come from both sides
on a rail.  If these enemies reach each other in the center, they will collide
and explode, but it's much easier to kill them all off yourself.  They will
start off coming in an order of 2 of one polarity, 1 of the other, continuing,
and opposite on both sides, always firing their bullets in different
directions.  If you want to maintain a chain, pick and choose the ones you
shoot, this is slightly more difficult as there will be more for you to dodge,
but nevertheless, if you're a chain fanatic, this is the way to go.  Shortly,
they will start coming all white from the right side and all black from the
left side, stay one polarity and shoot them all from the side of opposite
polarity, when they start alternating, go to the other side and kill all of the
ones you just let live.  Now they will be coming from both sides always
alternating in color, you can pick and choose for chains, but for beginners, I
recommend just shooting them all.

After a little while of doing this, they will stop coming and it will transform
revealing a white spread shooter on the top right, a black one on the top left,
1 white and 1 black shooter on the bottom right, and 1 white and 1 black
shooter on the bottom left.  Stay to the top left and turn black.  Get in
between white spread shots and in one of the black ones while you fire at the
black spread shooter.  Inch your way to the bottom and when it explodes, fire
your charge at the two bottom left shooters.  Then do the same for the white
spread shooter.  Get under it dodging the black dots that come up at you while
absorbing the white energy and shooting at the white spread shooter.  When it's
gone, unleash at the bottom right shooters.  If any of them are left alive, go
under them and shoot them.  This will end stage 4-3.

---d. Stage 4-4

To begin this stage, groups of 3 guys at a time all of the same polarity will
fly at you.  These groups of 3 will rotate their way around the screen,
alternating polarities.  Rotate your way around the screen shooting only 1
cluster at a time, and you can maintain quite a chain in this section.  They
will rotate around the screen 2 or 3 times, and then when the white ones fly at
you their last time from the top right.  Get in the middle, and several white
enemies will surround you.  They'll start flying at you, and work your way
between a couple at the bottom and you can shoot them all.  If you're quick
enough, get back into the center again and the same group, only black, will do
the same thing.  Again, get between a couple near the bottom and shoot them
all.  When this is done, the boss alarm will go off and you'll meet the chapter
04 boss: Misago.

You fight this boss from the inside just like the third boss.  You get inside
and see the center guarded by a wall, and 3 white gates.  Behind each gate is a
black gate, another white gate, then one more black gate.  Around the outside
are 14 shooters to wind your way through carefully.  On easy, each shooter has
a specific polarity, on normal, they shoot alternating polarities in one
straight beam making it much harder to navigate through.

Begin fighting this boss by shooting at the white gates on the outside as black
polarity whenever possible, they will be defeated faster if attacked by the
opposite polarity just like any other enemy.  Keep carefully fitting yourself
through these outside shooters and shooting at the gates.  Every so often, the
center will switch directions that it is spinning, and you will catch a gate
stopping at the bottom, then switching directions at the bottom.  When this
happens, you get double time to shoot at it.  Shortly after this, 6 beams from
the wall guarding the core will go off much like those on the satellite in
stage 4-2.  You also have to be careful of these now as you make your way
around destroying the gates.  When you finally get a gate open, either stay at
the bottom and shoot through the gate unleashing whatever you have at it, or,
if you're a risk-taker, fit your way inside the gate and shoot at it as it
makes its way around.  You can survive in there, but it is difficult.  On easy,
you can just keep making your way around shooting at the center when you can
from inside the gate area, but on normal, a large, powerful, white beam will
shoot out at you.  Be careful and keep pressing toward the center when this
beam shoots out at you, and use it to your advantage unleashing your energy at
the center whenever you can.  If you shoot the gates out quickly, and get
inside one of the gates' areas (this way is much faster), you can kill this
boss within a decent amount of time and get quite a bonus to your score for
this chapter.  A little practice weaving your way in and out of the outside
shooters and inside wall beams, and you'll be well set for battle with this
boss in the future.

When he's finally gone, you'll come out and see the satellite explode off in
the distance.  The battle results will come up and show you how you did, then
you'll be ready for the final chapter: Metempsychosis.

---E. Final Chapter: Metempsychosis---

A fate brings its will back to the original place and awakens the first
conscience engraved on the deep valley of memory.  This is what drives
Ikaruga...

-Story-
Perhaps Shinra himself is aware that his days are numbered.
"I have never accomplished anything properly. But this time, may God hear my
prayer once and for all."
Shinra breaks into the underground mainstay of the Country of Horai and
confronts "Horai Tenro." Original words are repeated in vain. Meanwhile, Shinra
hears the voice of a spiritual being he encountered in his dream.
Shinra exerts all his remaining strength to defeat Horai and sees...

---a. Stage 5-1

This stage begins with an uncountable number of small white enemies.  Try to
circle around and dodge them all while shooting them, anyone, including people
playing this stage for their first time should be able to achieve quite a high
max chain in this area.  When these enemies stop coming, three white shooters
will come from the top right and make their way left.  They are quickly
followed by 6 white enemies from the top left, quickly followed by 6 black
shooters from the top right.  Try to stay opposite polarities here when you
can, and shoot them quickly, but when there are six of them, its probably best
to be their polarity because there are a lot of bullets for you to dodge there
if you were opposite them.  When this is done, several white enemies will begin
circling you.  They will all shoot a ton at you, absorb as much as you want,
unleash to kill them all, and absorb the leftover bullets and turn black.  Now
several black enemies will circle you.  Unleash your leftovers at them and
absorb their leftovers.

Again, uncountable white enemies will begin flying at you, but this time, in a
spiraling pattern.  Keep shooting at them and circling around and obtain a high
chain in this section.  They will stop coming shortly and be followed by three
white energy ball shooters from the top left.  Turn black and shoot at them
dodging their energy balls.  When they are dead, shoot at the black ones while
you are white and absorbing the leftover white energy balls.  The black ones
should die before they even get a shot off.  These enemies will be followed by
3 white enemies at the top and 3 black enemies at the bottom the same as you
just fought.  Turn black and absorb the black energy balls while you shoot the
white ones at the top.  When the white ones are dead, unleash your energy with
white polarity to quickly kill the enemies at the bottom.

Now a gigantic white enemy will come from the right and move to the center top
of the screen.  Get your shots as black while you can, then turn white and
absorb its energy, unleash when you can and kill it.  It will be followed by
several circling white enemies where it died.  Kill them off while you absorb
the leftover white bullets.  Another will come from the right.  Turn black and
shoot at it and unleash before the bullets get to you and it should die.  Turn
white and absorb the bullets killing the circling enemies that appear where it
died.  Keep doing this until these enemies stop coming.  If you are extremely
quick, you can get up to, I think, 5 of these enemies.  When they are all gone,
stage 5-1 will end.

---b. Stage 5-2

This entire stage is the Final Chapter Boss: Tageri.  This boss has 3 forms.
Its first form has 4 heads and 2 shooters.  From left to right, there is a
shooter, black head, white head, white head, black head, and a shooter.  These
shooters form a grid of opposite polarity bullets.  You'll have to fit yourself
in one with 2 white lines crossing, and fire at the left black head.  Dots will
be flooding from the top, so dodge them while you keep where you are in the
grid, and keep shooting at the black head, unleashing whenever you get a
chance.  These heads die relatively quickly when you are the opposite polarity.
When it's dead, carefully switch over to be in front of the white head and in
a black crossing black grid spot.  Absorb these bullets and keep firing at the
white head.  This should be relatively simple to keep going across shooting at
each of the heads, dodging the dots from the top, dodging the occasional energy
balls that will fire at you, and making sure you're in a grid spot that's
alright.  Keep moving your way across until they are all dead and he'll reveal
to you his second form.

His second form has only 2 heads.  Easier right?  Wrong.  This second has a
black head on the left, and a white head on the right.  They will both unleash
snakelike heads that go around the screen leaving an energy trail of their
polarity.  Start with the black one and circle away from the snake whenever you
can.  Fire at it with white whenever possible because it kills it faster.
About now, two shooters will emerge and fire clusters of their polarity into
the battle area.  Do whatever you can to stay alive, dodge all of the dots, and
make your way through all of the energy trails.  When one head dies, the screen
will be cleared and only the other head will be released.  This is much easier
now because you can stay the polarity of the head remaining, and keep firing at
it.  Just dodge the opposite polarity bullets and the snake head, absorbing the
trail it leaves and unleash at the remaining head whenever possible.  This
should be quite simple.  When it is finally gone, he will reveal his third
form.

The Final Chapter's boss's third form, is my favorite enemy in the game.  It is
difficult, but very fun to fight if you do it correctly.  He'll appear at the
top of the screen like a very large yin yang.  He starts the battle with 2
white energy strands swinging around at you.  You can follow where they cross
and absorb a bunch of energy for free right here.  He will then begin with a
white unleash at you, much like yours.  Absorb this as white, quickly unleash
all of your energy and switch polarities because he will immediately follow
this with a black unleash.  If you do this correctly, one cycle will go as
follows.

He unleashes
You absorb the energy
He switches polarities
You unleash the energy hitting him with opposite his polarity
You switch polarities
He unleashes

The cycle continues from there repeatedly going like that over and over again
until he is dead.  Once you get the rhythm down, it is quite fun to repeatedly
do this, because you are unleashing maximum damage to him every time you hit
him.  While you continue at him with the cycle, you have to be dodging dots
that appear on the screen from above.  There are a lot of them, but nothing too
much to worry about.  If you die, it will take two turns of his unleashes until
they start to follow you, then you can get back into the cycle of killing him.
And, if the battle takes too long, a large amount of dots will come down from
above and create a grid of them for you to dodge and absorb making it much more
difficult.  It's much easier to try to kill him before this, but, if you die
when this grid starts up, it will take a while for it to start again allowing
you to kill him before you have to deal with it again hopefully.

When he finally dies, he will explode and you will get a glimpse of the final
boss before the battle results come up.  Then, you will move on to stage 5-3.

---c. Stage 5-3

When this final stage begins, you see the final boss, Ubusunagami Okinokai (The
Power of the Gods), a giant gem with an incomplete ring around it, and on that
ring, 7 orange glowing lights, emerge from far below.  It comes up through a
closing gate, and the game shows you a message saying "Warning!  You cannot
fire."  This is where the "battle" begins.

It starts out with him shooting off short lines of energy of opposite
polarities.  This seems to be quite random where he's firing them off, but it
will soon form to be a pattern.  In the meantime, make left with the white
lines and right to pass black, keep going like that because the lines will form
a grid.  When they do, just go back and forth switching polarities to go back
and forth between the different colors.  While doing this, small energy balls
will dart their way at you, dodge them within your grid square and cross when
safe, remember that they can only hit you to make you explode in the direct
center of your ship, or right near where the cockpit would be.  After a while
of this, he will reveal his second "form."

He'll start this part out with alternating polarity beams fired out away from
him in all directions, then it will fire out rings of energy, 1 of each
polarity at a time, at you.  You'll see two emerge from him, one of each
polarity, and though it looks like the one closest to you will hit you first,
the one in back always speeds its way up to you first.  So be the color of the
second emerged beam, as it will hit you first.  Dodge in and out of the
straight beams out toward you while switching colors to keep alive when the
rings are going.  The little energy balls are still out there darting at you,
so be wary of them on the battlefield as well.  This part is rather simple, it
will go on for a while, where he will finally reveal his third, final, and most
difficult "form."

Here, he will start rotating his straight beams at varying speeds circling
counter-clockwise around him.  While this is going on, he will have balls of
energy going in opposite directions in a circle around him, while spreading out
toward you.  While all this is going on, at least you don't have to worry about
darting energy balls coming at you anymore though.  The best way to get through
the rings of energy balls is to find the spots where the ones of the same
polarity call come together.  At times, the rings will have balls of white,
then a cluster of black ones, alternating all along it.  That is the best time
to go through as it is the safest.  Remember to focus on the beams spinning
around the boss, as those are more likely to kill you than the balls in rings.
Keep going with this for a short period, and he will finally stop firing
completely.  You've defeated him without firing a single shot.

At this point, you will get 500,000 points for each of your remaining lives.
After that, the robot voice will say "Release the restrain device. Using the
released power may result the possibility of destruction of the ship. You did
your best. Was I helpful to you? I am deeply grateful to you."  What it comes
down to is that Shinra in his ship, the Ikaruga, fires all of his remaining
energy at the Ubusunagami Okinokai to destroy it, but destroys his ship in the
process.  It is quite a tragic ending of Shinra giving his life to save the
world, to an otherwise bland storyline removed from this version unfortunately.
I guess, it's the story that could have been.  From here, you will get to put
your initials in if you've made a high score on your game, you will see the
credits while you view mountains with doves flying over them.

Congratulations on beating the game, keep working for a higher score!

===================
---8. Boss Guide---
===================

---a. Boss Alarm---

As stated in the Introduction, most of the dialogue was rushed into this game
and either removed or simply not translated.  Interestingly, this was
translated, but it's very hard to read.  Before you read, know that
"Butsutekkai" their word for a Boss in this game.  This is the alarm that is
shown before the first four chapter bosses (I don't know why it isn't shown
before the fifth).

W   A   R   N   I   N   G
----------------------------
   On-Marishiei-Sowaka
The big enemy is approaching
at full throttle.
According to the data it is
identified as "Butsutekkai"
----------------------------
    N O   R E F U G E

I was wrong before, the text above "the big enemy is approaching" is not
Japanese Kanji as many assume.  I have found what it actually is here:
http://www2.incl.ne.jp/~mo2/ikaruga_en/alarm.html.  On-Marishiei-Sowaka is
actually a Sanskrit word.  It is a spell of Marishiten, the goddess of
shimmering air.  The spell has the power to escape disasters.

---b. Chapter Bosses---

This section will cover all of the bosses and strategies to beat them.  Though
I do not have their names, as they are not included in the Gamecube version,
the bosses are still the same and are still described in full detail to how to
defeat them.  If anyone else has strategies they would like to write up, I
would be happy to put them in here if I think they offer a good alternative
strategy giving credit to the writer of course.

Chapter 01 Boss: Eboshidori

This boss is white and looks like a mech warrior of some kind.  He has a white
sword, black shield, and is ready for battle with you.  Thankfully, being the
first boss, he is not too tough.

His first attack will be his white sword.  It will come about half way down the
screen, so stay back and make sure you're polarity is white.  He will fire out
many white bullets with a few black ones from things on the sides.  Just stay
right under his sword dodging the black bullets and keep firing at the sword
until it's gone.  He then pulls out his black shield.  Make your polarity
black.  He will start firing a wall of black bullets out along with a few white
ones from the sides of the screen.  Keep firing at his shield dodging the white
bullets until the shield is gone.  He will then start laying out little
grenades of the two polarities starting with white.  Stay black and fire at
him, unleash any energy you have too, until his white grenades blow up.  Turn
white then black again because it does more damage to him and his next grenades
are black.  Keep doing this until he quits dropping grenades and turn white.
He will shoot out large balls of energy that are white.  Absorb these and fire
them back at him in energy unleashes.  When he is done doing this, he'll go
back to his grenade dropping.  Continue this until he is dead.

There are not many differences between difficulties with this boss.  He fires
more grenades and opposite polarity bullets at you though to dodge, he's pretty
easy all the way around though when you get the hang of fighting him.

Chapter 02 Boss: Buppousou

This boss has two large gunners on his left and right side, then his weak
points will be pointed out to you in his center portion.

When you begin fighting this boss, you should probably have a full Power Gauge
because of all of the things previously in this level to fill it up.  If you
don't it's no big deal, just continue the battle as normal.  To begin, start
with the left/white side and make your polarity white to fire at the red cap
guarding his weak point.  This should open the cap all of the way after a small
time shooting it, then turn black and unleash any energy you might have.  Get
in there quickly, dodging any bullets that might be coming your way from the
guns above, and shoot at the white weak point while in the black polarity
because it does double damage.  You might be able to destroy it before he
starts to attack, if not, back out and absorb his attacks.

His attacks will begin with white spread from the left side, then a black one
from the right, another from the left, and another from the right.  Switch your
polarity for each to stay alive.  After this, stay down, don't attack yet.  Go
to the left side of the screen with your polarity white and absorb his flood of
white bullets.  When he starts with his black ones, go black and move all the
way right absorbing these.  When those are done, turn white and go back to the
left side, then go back to the right as black when that is done.  Unleash
anything you may have as the opposite polarity of the weak point you are
shooting at and by now the white weak point should be gone.  If it's not, keep
going, otherwise, move on to the black side.  Shoot at the cap with black until
its out all the way, unleash anything you may have as white, then go in there
and start shooting at it with white while still dodging his bullets from above.
Many people will be able to kill him before he continues shooting, but if not,
here's how to get by his next section of attacks.

His next attacks will start from the left with a few lines of white bullets.
Be white for this and move left.  When those are gone, go black and go to the
right through the black bullets.  Go left through the white after this, then
right through the black again.  Now he will shoot both at the same time.  On
easy, you can go to a bottom corner of the screen and turn the opposite
polarity of the shooter closest to you to absorb the other side's bullets that
will hit you, however, on normal and hard a laser from above will destroy you
here.  On normal and hard, do your best to stay close to one of them being that
color, then as soon as you can, move up and back in the opposite color to stay
alive through that.  When all of this is done, open up the side you have left
and unleash what you've got on it as the opposite polarity.  From here, just go
in and shoot away at it with the opposite polarity while dodging the bullets
from above.  He should die.  If not, he'll repeat his first set of attacks,
then the second set, and the time will run out if you haven't killed him by
then.

Chapter 03 Boss: Uzura

When you get to this boss, you see a circular guy coming from the distance
which comes around you.  You fight this guy from the inside.  He has 7 black
shooters and 7 white shooters.  You have to destroy them all.  To boot, he has
these things that look like crates that are spread out across four radii
cutting the battle area into quarters that are somewhat difficult to navigate
through.

When the battle begins, you'll be in the bottom left quarter of the battle
area.  It won't be this way for long though because the crate-like things will
rotate.  Start off the same polarity as the shooter you're next to because they
will all shoot off their color.  Stay this and keep shooting to the ones above
you while being the same polarity as the one you are absorbing the bullets of.
You must move from shooter to shooter because the crate-like things rotate, so
switch your polarity moving shooter to shooter always holding your fire button
in.  Make sure you keep moving along the shooters without running into the
crates and holding the fire button in killing as many of the shooters as you
can.  Unleash your energy every so often as you move your way around the boss
destroying as many shooters as you can.

After a while of doing this, he will start shooting beams from the middle.
This is where it gets tough if you haven't destroyed very many shooters.  Keep
your eye on the beams and shooters and do your best to always be the color of
the beam that's coming and suck in as much energy as you can from them.
Unleash the energy as you get it and destroy the shooters all the way.  After a
short while of this, you will have destroyed all of the shooters just using
your energy unleash.  This boss is very tough and takes some getting used to,
but once you get the hang of him, you won't have much trouble beating him on
any difficulty.

Chapter 04 Boss: Misago

You fight this boss from the inside just like the third boss.  You get inside
and see the center guarded by a wall, and 3 white gates.  Behind each gate is a
black gate, another white gate, then one more black gate.  Around the outside
are 14 shooters to wind your way through carefully.  On easy, each shooter has
a specific polarity, on normal, they shoot alternating polarities in one
straight beam making it much harder to navigate through.

Begin fighting this boss by shooting at the white gates on the outside as black
polarity whenever possible, they will be defeated faster if attacked by the
opposite polarity just like any other enemy.  Keep carefully fitting yourself
through these outside shooters and shooting at the gates.  Every so often, the
center will switch directions that it is spinning, and you will catch a gate
stopping at the bottom, then switching directions at the bottom.  When this
happens, you get double time to shoot at it.  Shortly after this, 6 beams from
the wall guarding the core will go off much like those on the satellite in
stage 4-2.  You also have to be careful of these now as you make your way
around destroying the gates.  When you finally get a gate open, either stay at
the bottom and shoot through the gate unleashing whatever you have at it, or,
if you're a risk-taker, fit your way inside the gate and shoot at it as it
makes its way around.  You can survive in there, but it is difficult.  On easy,
you can just keep making your way around shooting at the center when you can
from inside the gate area, but on normal, a large, powerful, white beam will
shoot out at you.  Be careful and keep pressing toward the center when this
beam shoots out at you, and use it to your advantage unleashing your energy at
the center whenever you can.  If you shoot the gates out quickly, and get
inside one of the gates' areas (this way is much faster), you can kill this
boss within a decent amount of time and get quite a bonus to your score for
this chapter.  A little practice weaving your way in and out of the outside
shooters and inside wall beams, and you'll be well set for battle with this
boss in the future.

Final Chapter Boss: Tageri

This boss has 3 forms.  Its first form has 4 heads and 2 shooters.  From left
to right, there is a shooter, black head, white head, white head, black head,
and a shooter.  These shooters form a grid of opposite polarity bullets.
You'll have to fit yourself in one with 2 white lines crossing, and fire at the
left black head.  Dots will be flooding from the top, so dodge them while you
keep where you are in the grid, and keep shooting at the black head, unleashing
whenever you get a chance.  These heads die relatively quickly when you are the
opposite polarity.  When it's dead, carefully switch over to be in front of the
white head and in a black crossing black grid spot.  Absorb these bullets and
keep firing at the white head.  This should be relatively simple to keep going
across shooting at each of the heads, dodging the dots from the top, dodging
the occasional energy balls that will fire at you, and making sure you're in a
grid spot that's alright.  Keep moving your way across until they are all dead
and he'll reveal to you his second form.

His second form has only 2 heads.  Easier right?  Wrong.  This second has a
black head on the left, and a white head on the right.  They will both unleash
snakelike heads that go around the screen leaving an energy trail of their
polarity.  Start with the black one and circle away from the snake whenever you
can.  Fire at it with white whenever possible because it kills it faster.
About now, two shooters will emerge and fire clusters of their polarity into
the battle area.  Do whatever you can to stay alive, dodge all of the dots, and
make your way through all of the energy trails.  When one head dies, the screen
will be cleared and only the other head will be released.  This is much easier
now because you can stay the polarity of the head remaining, and keep firing at
it.  Just dodge the opposite polarity bullets and the snake head, absorbing the
trail it leaves and unleash at the remaining head whenever possible.  This
should be quite simple.  When it is finally gone, he will reveal his third
form.

The Final Chapter's boss's third form, is my favorite enemy in the game.  It is
difficult, but very fun to fight if you do it correctly.  He'll appear at the
top of the screen like a very large yin yang.  He starts the battle with 2
white energy strands swinging around at you.  You can follow where they cross
and absorb a bunch of energy for free right here.  He will then begin with a
white unleash at you, much like yours.  Absorb this as white, quickly unleash
all of your energy and switch polarities because he will immediately follow
this with a black unleash.  If you do this correctly, one cycle will go as
follows.

He unleashes
You absorb the energy
He switches polarities
You unleash the energy hitting him with opposite his polarity
You switch polarities
He unleashes

The cycle continues from there repeatedly going like that over and over again
until he is dead.  Once you get the rhythm down, it is quite fun to repeatedly
do this, because you are unleashing maximum damage to him every time you hit
him.  While you continue at him with the cycle, you have to be dodging dots
that appear on the screen from above.  There are a lot of them, but nothing too
much to worry about.  If you die, it will take two turns of his unleashes until
they start to follow you, then you can get back into the cycle of killing him.
And, if the battle takes too long, a large amount of dots will come down from
above and create a grid of them for you to dodge and absorb making it much more
difficult.  It's much easier to try to kill him before this, but, if you die
when this grid starts up, it will take a while for it to start again allowing
you to kill him before you have to deal with it again hopefully.

Final Boss: Ubusunagami Okinokai (The Power of the Gods)

The final boss, Ubusunagami Okinokai (The Power of the Gods), a giant gem with
an incomplete ring around it, and on that ring, 7 orange glowing lights,
emerges from far below.  It comes up through a closing gate, and the game shows
you a message saying "Warning!  You cannot fire."  This is where the "battle"
begins.

It starts out with him shooting off short lines of energy of opposite
polarities.  This seems to be quite random where he's firing them off, but it
will soon form to be a pattern.  In the meantime, make left with the white
lines and right to pass black, keep going like that because the lines will form
a grid.  When they do, just go back and forth switching polarities to go back
and forth between the different colors.  While doing this, small energy balls
will dart their way at you, dodge them within your grid square and cross when
safe, remember that they can only hit you to make you explode in the direct
center of your ship, or right near where the cockpit would be.  After a while
of this, he will reveal his second "form."

He'll start this part out with alternating polarity beams fired out away from
him in all directions, then it will fire out rings of energy, 1 of each
polarity at a time, at you.  You'll see two emerge from him, one of each
polarity, and though it looks like the one closest to you will hit you first,
the one in back always speeds its way up to you first.  So be the color of the
second emerged beam, as it will hit you first.  Dodge in and out of the
straight beams out toward you while switching colors to keep alive when the
rings are going.  The little energy balls are still out there darting at you,
so be wary of them on the battlefield as well.  This part is rather simple, it
will go on for a while, where he will finally reveal his third, final, and most
difficult "form."

Here, he will start rotating his straight beams at varying speeds circling
counter-clockwise around him.  While this is going on, he will have balls of
energy going in opposite directions in a circle around him, while spreading out
toward you.  While all this is going on, at least you don't have to worry about
darting energy balls coming at you anymore though.  The best way to get through
the rings of energy balls is to find the spots where the ones of the same
polarity call come together.  At times, the rings will have balls of white,
then a cluster of black ones, alternating all along it.  That is the best time
to go through as it is the safest.  Remember to focus on the beams spinning
around the boss, as those are more likely to kill you than the balls in rings.
Keep going with this for a short period, and he will finally stop firing
completely.  You've defeated him without firing a single shot.

================
---9. Enemies---
================

Even though the names of the enemies are not included in the Gamecube English
version nor in the instruction booklet, I found their names all at
http://www.ikaruga-atari.net/en/stage.html and decided to post them for anyone
who's interested and it also allows me to give specific strategies on how to
defeat each enemy.  I'm using the word "enemy" even though in Ikaruga they are
more correctly known as "Hitekkai" just as bosses in Ikaruga are more correctly
known as "Butsutekkai."  Each Hitekkai and Butsutekkai is given the name of a
bird.

I know this is not quite all of the enemies, it is most of them, but I could
not find the rest of their names.  If someone would like to contribute the
names for the rest of the enemies, I would appreciate it and would obviously
add you to the credits.

Utatsugumi

These enemies are the first enemies you see in this game.  They are kind of
round and shoot one bullet at a time.  They are killed in one shot no matter
what polarity you are.  They're pretty easy, not much of a threat.

Toratsugumi

These are the smallest enemies in the game.  They usually come in groups and
they don't fire at you at all.  One shot from either polarity will kill them,
again, these guys are not much of a threat.

Renjaku

These are the first enemies you see in stage 1-2.  They are usually followed by
a few others of their kind and sometimes fire, sometimes don't.  When you are
their polarity they take about 10 bullets to kill, when you are opposite, about
5.  In groups these can be dangerous, just make sure to keep dodging their
lines of shots or kill them quickly.

Torafuzuku

These are the large enemies that shoot either beams or groups of bullets at
you.  They are first seen at the end of stage 1-3 and are usually circled by a
couple of Utatsugumi.  They always come with another of the opposite polarity.
I recommend being opposite polarity of the one you are firing at so it dies
faster and you have both polarities of bullets coming at you anyway when you
are fighting one, so it makes no difference against you.

Agisashi

These enemies are only seen in stage 1-4 to my memory just before you enter
stage 1-5.  They come with another of the opposite polarity and have several
destroyable shooters on their sides that shoot to the side.  I recommend being
the opposite polarity when fighting them so that they die faster.  You can also
(this is just a little trick to help you when fighting them) be save going
about an Ikaruga ship's length onto the guy from the bottom and you are not
destroyed.  This can be helpful when getting by them while they rotate.

Isuka

These enemies are very small, but slightly bigger than the Toratsugumi, and are
first seen in stage 1-2.  It is quite difficult to tell the difference between
these and Toratsugumi because they are just slightly bigger, but look much the
same, are also killed in one shot regardless of polarity, and never fire
either.  They also come in large groups and aren't much of a threat.

Misosazai

These enemies are kind of triangular shaped planes that never fire, but often
move quickly at you in groups of both polarities to try to ram into you.  They
are quite common in chapter three.  They are killed in one shot regardless of
polarity, but are a threat because they move so quickly in large groups and you
must be quick to dodge them and avoid being killed.

Toki

These enemies first appear in stage 3-2.  They are quite large and come in
groups with both polarities.  They move quickly and if you don't kill them
quickly, they will fire a huge stream of bullets at you.  They are killed much
quicker with the opposite polarity and that is probably the best choice as they
usually come in groups of both polarities, however, if you end up in a jam
where you are in their line of fire, change to their color and hope that you
can kill them before the next guy in line starts firing at you with the
opposite polarity.  These guys can be tough, but aren't too common throughout
the game and can be a fun challenge.

Shigi

This is the mini-boss in chapter three.  He is quite large and difficult to
beat.  He has 5 shooters, 1 of which does not start firing for about the first
30 seconds of fighting him.  He will bring shooters of the same polarity to the
middle where you must be and you have to change to that color to suck up his
energy.  Unleash it before he switches the color in the middle, and then switch
to his new middle color.  Suck up that energy and unleash it.  You can do this
safely for a while and kill hopefully a couple of the shooters before he starts
his third head firing.  This head fires 3 bullets of one polarity immediately
followed by 3 of the other.  This strand repeats itself for the rest of the
battle.  Continue dodging the middle section and sucking up the outside energy
and unleashing it until either he is completely dead, or all that is left is
the middle shooter.  If the middle shooter still remains, fire at it while the
bullets are curving around then cross over as it completes its wave firing the
other way as well.  Keep shooting at the bullets' source until it is gone and
you have beaten this difficult mini-boss.

=========================
---10. Secrets/Unlocks---
=========================

There are many different secrets in this game, as well as many things that you
can unlock to enhance your gameplay options.  This section lists them all.  For
all of the unlocks that you must clock time on the game for, time is only added
to your total when you are actually playing the game, not in the menu.  So you
cannot just leave the game on to clock time.  You can check the time you have
on the game so far in the Save/Load menu at the bottom of the screen.

"Bullet Eater"

This is a challenging way of playing the game that unlocks a new rank: "Dot
Eater!"  Simply go through any chapter without firing or using your energy
unleash.  This means not defeating any enemies including the boss.  You will
then be awarded the "Dot Eater!" rank.  It opens up nothing in the game, but is
fun to try to get this rank on different difficulties and chapters.

Extra Credits

For every hour that you play, you get an extra credit to the total you are
allowed to use in the regular game mode.
-1 Hour ---- 4 Credits
-2 Hours --- 5 Credits
-3 Hours --- 6 Credits
-4 Hours --- 7 Credits
-5 Hours --- 8 Credits
-6 Hours --- 9 Credits
-7 Hours --- Free Play
When you reach 7 hours you have unlimited continues and won't have to worry
about running out on hard mode for those new to the game.

Unlock Gallery 1

Play the game for 5 hours or complete the Trial Mode without continuing to
unlock Gallery 1 in the Extras menu.  It just has some extra pictures of some
of the characters and things in the game that you wouldn't normally get to see.

Unlock Gallery 2

Play the game for 10 hours or complete the game on any difficulty setting using
as many credits as you want.  Doing so unlocks Gallery 2 in the Extras menu.
This is an extension of Gallery 1 with just a few extra pictures to look at of
the characters and whatnot.

Unlock Sound Test

Play the game for 15 hours or complete a regular game on easy difficulty
without continuing.  This just gives you a menu of songs to go through and
listen to, nothing major.  The songs are listed below.

1. Prologue - Cirrus
2. Chapter : 01 - Ideal
3. Boss : 01 - Butsutekkai
4. Chapter : 02 - Trial
5. Boss : 02 - Recapture
6. Chapter : 03 - Faith
7. Chapter : 04 - Reality
8. Final Chapter - Metempsychosis
9. Final Chapter - The Stone-Like
10. Epilogue - Spirit Being

Unlock Prototype Mode

Play the game for 20 hours or complete a regular game on Normal difficulty
without continuing.  This opens up a new mode of play explained better in the
Challenge section of this FAQ.

Extra Conquest Mode Stages

To open up more stages in conquest mode, on any difficulty, just play a normal
game and get to the chapter of the stage you want open without continuing.  So
if you want stage 4-3 open, just reach chapter 4 without continuing, you don't
actually have to get to 4-3 without continuing to get it open.

Extra Conquest Mode Demos

To view different demos in the Demo Mode selection in a conquest stage, just
pick a different Monitor Type setting.  This is what each type of setting
displays in the Demo Mode.
Horizontal 1- Beginning tactics, helpful things just to keep you alive
Horizontal 2- Basic play, just slightly more advanced
Horizontal 3- This will show you advanced tactics including the Bullet Eater
challenge in some cases.
Vertical 1 or 2- Increased difficulty in some areas

See Behind the Pause Menu

When you pause the game, if you hold X and Y, it will vanish for as long as you
are holding the two buttons.

Screen Saver

If you pause your game or leave it in a menu for exactly three minutes, the
screen will fade to very dark.  This saves your screen some power it takes to
show the game, and helps the picture from burning on the screen.  So, if you
leave your game and come back later to find your screen very dark, don't worry,
it's just another bonus in an excellent game.

====================================
---11. Frequently Asked Questions---
====================================

This section will simply list common questions that people have about this
game, and I will try to provide answers sufficient enough to give you a
thorough idea of the answer.  If anyone has any other questions they would like
me to answer and list in here, I would be happy to answer them if I feel that
others have the same question.

---What do the symbols on the front of the box mean, you know, the ones right
above where it says "Ikaruga"?

Those symbols can be translated to several different meanings all roughly the
same.  In Japanese, these two symbols together are pronounced Ikaruga,
obviously, the title of the game.  They mean roughly "spotted bird" or several
other different twists of the name by different translators.  These other
possible meanings from different translators include "mottled dove" or
"speckled pigeon" all quite close together in meaning.

This was put on the cover because "Ikaruga" is both the name of a town the main
character took refuge at before his journey, and his ship that he flies.  I
assume they named it that because it means somewhat like "spotted bird" as in
the flying machine that Shinra uses and maybe its ability to change polarities
making it "spotted."

---Ok, well there are also symbols above the chapter titles whenever you get to
the beginning of a chapter.  What do all of those symbols mean?

Though I have not gone into research on these symbols, I have heard from many
sources that they translate roughly to the title of the actual title of the
chapter.  For example, chapter 04 is called "Reality."  In this case, the
symbols above that chapter title would also mean "Reality."  This follows suit
for the rest of the symbols above their corresponding chapter titles as well.

---What modes of gameplay actually contribute to your time clock?

All modes where you are actually playing including Regular, Conquest, Practice,
Trial, Arcade, and Prototype Modes.  However, the Auto-Save (if you have it on)
only kicks in when you finish a regular, trial, arcade, or prototype game.  So,
if you don't save manually after spending an hour in Practice mode, none of
that time will be clocked.

---What is this "Ikaruga Appreciation DVD" I've seen people talk about?

It is a DVD that runs 172 minutes showing an almost perfect run through the
game on Easy, Normal, and Hard mode.  They never lose lives and get very very
high chains, let alone scores.  It will play on any DVD player and gives you
very good strategies for your own use.  The only downside is that it costs
roughly $60 US.

---I want to play on Vertical 1 mode because the side bars distract me and I
like to play Full Screen.  However, I do not own a monitor that allows you to
rotate the screen around 90 degrees.  Would It hurt my TV to turn it on its
side?

It really depends.  I am no TV expert, but I can tell you that in pretty much
any TV's manual, it will say something about NEVER turning your TV on its side.
There are supports that hold everything the way they are in your television
the way it is on your TV when it is right side up.  When you turn it on its
side, these supports are not as strong because the TV wasn't meant to be turned
on its side.  Needless to say, there are exceptions and smaller TVs are less at
risk than larger TVs, but I would personally recommend not turning your
television on its side.  Get a monitor that allows you to turn it 90 degrees
and hook your Gamecube up through that if you want to play like that.  Or, you
could just lay on your side like I do sometimes, lol.

---On one of the beginning screens, toward the bottom, it says Project RS-2.
Does this game have anything to do with Radiant Silvergun?

Technically, no.  There is no sequel to Radiant Silvergun, just a "like" sequel
or as many call it, a "spiritual sequel."  Both games feature basically the
same final boss, a large gem as "the power of the gods."  So, if you want it to
be the sequel, it is, but it was technically not meant to be the sequel.

---On the back of the box it advertises 18 levels, but I only got 5!  What's
going on?

You actually got everything you were supposed to get.  There are 5 chapters
that hold different stages within them.  This is actually what they are talking
about, if you add up the stages this game has, you get 18.

---When I finish arcade mode, I get a password.  What is that for?

It is so that you can submit your scores online to a worldwide ranking board on
the internet.  Go here: http://www.ikaruga-atari.net and register a name with
them.  You may then enter the password you were given at the end of your round
to be possibly put in the online rankings.

==================================
---12. In-Game Texts and Voices---
==================================

I've dedicated this new section to all of the texts in this game, and in other
versions of this game.  I've done my best to track them all down, but I'm not
about to guarantee that there aren't still texts left in the game that I didn't
find.  If you find some that I don't have in here, please email me about it.
Thanks.

---A. In-Game Texts---

These texts are all found in the Gamecube version of the game.  None of these
were removed.

When you enter the Gamecube menu with Ikaruga in, and you go to the Game
screen.  The description it offers for Ikaruga is:

"Don't relax now! Your goal is to clear all of the stages."

As the game loads up, you see different screens before it reaches the menu.
These screens read as follows.

***To be completed in later versions***

---B. Removed Texts---

***To be completed in later versions***

---C. Voice Phrases---

***To be completed in later versions***

=================
---13. Credits---
=================

I would like to thank Treasure for designing this game, Infrogames for
publishing it, and obviously Nintendo for hosting it on their excellent system,
the Gamecube.

I would like to thank http://www.ikaruga-atari.net/en/stage.html for most of
the correct enemy (hitekkai) names and chapter dialogue that were unfortunately
removed from the English Gamecube version.

I would like to thank http://www16.brinkster.com/greng/birds/ for the correct
Boss (Butsutekkai) names.

I would like to thank http://www2.incl.ne.jp/~mo2/ikaruga_en/alarm.html for the
correct "sanskrit" word (not japanese kanji) that is in the boss alarm and its
meaning.

I would like to thank Khaascp for contributing what the voice actually says at
the end of the Final Chapter.

I would like to thank CJayC for hosting this on the best gaming site on the
internet, www.gamefaqs.com.


===============================
---14. Copyright Information---
===============================

If there is anything I may have missed or you think should be changed, you may
e-mail me about it at [email protected].   I will try to fit it in my FAQ if I
think it would be a good addition.

With this FAQ, you may print it for your own personal reference, and you may
post it on your website ONLY with my permission by e-mail, giving me the URL
address, and giving me, BlueWizard13, full credit for the writing of the FAQ.
You may NOT use this FAQ for any commercial use (selling it for a profit, in a
magazine, etc.).  The only site currently allowed to host this FAQ is
www.gamefaqs.com.  If you see this guide on any other site, please notify me
immediately by email.

This Guide Copyright (c) 2003 BlueWizard13

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