Beat (ビート Bīto?) is a 17 year old Rudie living in Tokyo-to, after running away from home in Fukuoka. He is a member and founder of the GG's along with Gum and Corn. He is one of the three playable characters the player starts with in Jet Set Radio, and is considered to be the Jet Set Radio series mascot.
Beat is a Technique type character, but has very in the middle stats. His biggest saving grace being his health bar. He is a beginner-friendly character to use for first time players.
Overview[]
Appearance[]
Beat wears an orange shirt bearing the katakana of his name (ビート), black/blue long pants, sunglasses with neon green lenses that appear to have sound waves going through them, black fingerless gloves, and large gray headphones. His hair is burgundy brown and very short, and his skates are mainly yellow and orange with neon green wheels. The back of his shirt has a stylized black record symbol on it.
In game, he wears a gray wrist device on his left arm. Although everyone of the GG's have them, Beat, along with Gum and Corn/Tab, are shown explicitly to have one worn on them. They are described as radio wristwatches used to tune into Jet Set Radio and can also pick up on police and Golden Rhino radio airwaves. The wrist device would also appear on Beat in the Dutch magazine called Video Games.[4]
Personality[]
Beat is a laid back and level headed Rudie who ran away from home and helped found the GG's. Beat loves to skate and is okay with breaking the law and is originally from the city of Fukuoka. Beat spends his time skating around fighting for turf with the rival gangs of Tokyo-to, marking his territory with graffiti and annihilating others' tags. As graffiti is an act of vandalism and is punishable by law, this attracts the attention of Police Captain Onishima and his various forces, who relentlessly pursue Beat and his friends. The Perfect Guide states that his main trait is "failure", implying he is persistent and persevering despite not getting it right the first time around or is happy being resigned to society's fringes and off-beat than its mainstream "norms". Beat also has a liking towards vinyl records.
As the leader of the GG's, Beat founded the GG's out of experiences of other Rudie gangs being cliquey and pushy about petty and superficial things, like appearances to even lifestyles, hence him, Gum, and Tab making the gang's policy of "no policy", allowing anyone to join as long as they aren't willing to make the gang or anyone explicitly conform selfishly to anything in general. Out of knowing how tough the streets can be and to avoid liars and deceitful people, Beat does not just allow anyone to join his gang without having them prove themselves to him. If someone willingly asks to join his gang, Beat requires the potential new member to best him in skill, and if done so as shown with Combo, he and his gang will lend a hand with whatever trouble the Rudie is currently, or might be dealing with.
Role in Jet Set Radio[]
Most releases[]
Beat is playable from the start and is the character used in the tutorial. At the beginning of the game, he completes challenges set for him by Gum and Corn to convince them to join his gang, the GG's. When not being played as, he hangs out in the middle of the garage near Pots and Mew.
At the start of chapter 2, Beat challenges Combo to a race for the right to join the GG's. After Combo wins against him, Beat states that Combo did better than he expected and agrees to help out Combo and Cube with their problem regarding the Golden Rhinos, their missing friend Coin, and asks him about the situation. Later, near the end of chapter 3, Beat is seen gaining information from Poison Jam about the "Devil's Contract" and what Goji wants to do with it.
In the Jet Crush race for Shibuya-cho, Beat is the chosen CPU competitor.
Japanese release[]
In the original Japanese release of Jet Set Radio, Beat relatively plays the same role. However, with the lack of the second chapter in this version of the game his role is smaller as a result.
Graffiti[]
Dialogue[]
- For audio relating to Beat in JSR, check out Beat/JSR Audio.
Jet Set Radio dialogue[]
- "Alright then, you gotta race with me. Whoever tags first will win!"
- "Not bad! Way better than I thought. From now on, you guys are GG too - but you have to tell me what's really going on."
Jet Set Radio (GBA) dialogue[]
- "Not bad. We might be able to do something. Let's see what your friend has got... You'll have to keep up with me if you want to skate with us!"
- "Wow, you're faster than you look! We'll give you a hand."
Sega Heroes dialogue[]
| Stage | Quote |
|---|---|
| Stage 125 | Debut
|
| Stage 133 | Interaction with Big.
|
| Stage 162 | Interaction with Sonic.
|
| Stage 175 | Interaction with AiAi.
|
Stats[]
| Style | Technique |
| Power | Mid to High |
| Technique/Speed | Mid |
| Graffiti | Mid |
| Spray Cans | 20 |
| Graffiti Command | Beat Type |
- Stats are referred by their appearance in the Sybex guidebook. A translation of his profile from the Perfect Guide is also provided.
- An underline notes the character's highest skill(s).
- Beat's graffiti challenge begins with down, making him a "Beat Type" character. He is able to hold 20 spray cans.
- He does the Acid Soul, Back Slide, and Unity grinds. His backwards grinds are the Ally-oop Miz and Soyal.
- His air tricks are the Flying Kite and Method Backflip. His halfpipe air tricks are the Misty Flip and Judo Backflip 180. His backwards air tricks are the Method and 720. His backwards halfpipe air tricks are the 540 and Abstract 540.
Official profiles[]
Jet Set Radio Perfect Guide[]
- JP: 最初のトライアルで使用するキャラ。大きなヘッドホンとサングラスがトレードマーク。能力は平均的だ。[2]
- EN: The character you begin with. A giant pair of headphones and sunglasses are his trademarks. He has average stats.[3]
Jet Grind Radio: Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets[]
- The new leader of the Shibuya-cho gang of GG's, Beat is the character you start out with in Jet Grind Radio. His abilities are well rounded, with average power, technique, and skill. Since Beat has good stamina, use him to familiarize yourself with some of the different stages, such as the early ones in Shibuya. As the game progresses, you may find it easier to use skaters like Gum or Tab to amass more points through tricks or tags.[5]
Jet Grind Radio IGN Guide[]
- This cat is the Thrasher dude; a Kali influenced surf/skate punk living in 21st century Tokyo-Cho. Beat now listens to Hip-Hop although his roots are in Punk and Skateboarding. Beat is a mellow, level headed cat that loves skating and breaking the law. Beat is originally from Fukowoka and ran away from home to Shibuya to join a street gang and become a Rudie. The other gangs originally shunned Beat, so he decided to form his own gang. Beat is the leader of the GG's.[6]
- Beat is the leader of your gang the GG's. You start out as Beat in the game. Beat has to recruit a gang of Rudies. Beat is an all round good player. He is good at tricks and can tag well. He is a good player to start the game with, however as the game gets more difficult it's best to switch players.[7]
Jet Set Radio GBA manual[]
- Beat is one of the local kids. Like all the other kids in town, he rides on the newest in-line skates powered by nitrium batteries. Beat is the original founder of the GG's.[8]
Tubbz Duck Figure[]
- Straight from the vibrant city of Fukuoka, avid in-line roller-skater and graffiti expert, Beat comes skating into the pond in style![9]
- Despite being turned into a quacking duck, pro roller-skater and graffiti artist Beat shows no signs of slowing down to marking his territory all around the streets of Fukuoka.[10]
Other appearances[]
ESPN NFL Football[]
Beat's profile in ESPN NFL Football.
In ESPN NFL Football, Beat is an unlockable cameo "character" in game, along with Combo, and eight other Sega related characters such as Axel from Crazy Taxi and Jacky Bryant from the Virtua Fighter series. If the player wants to unlock Beat, they must rush and receive 150 yards each with one player in a single game.[11] The info relating to Beat in the game differs from the actual info that was provided by sources such as the Jet Set Radio Perfect Guide and the Japanese JSR website.
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity[]
In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Beat does not appear as a playable character in the game, but he does make a small cameo appearance along with Gum in the '90s Boulevard circuit, on a Jet Grind Radio sign.[12]
Sega Superstars Tennis[]
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Beat in Sega Superstars Tennis.
In Sega Superstars Tennis, Beat appears as a playable character alongside Gum. Their home stage is the Jet Set Radio stage. His design is taken from the original Jet Set Radio. Beat's Superstar State, known as "Graffiti Floor", has Combo grind on the net of the tennis court while spray painting on the opponent's side. The paint trips up Beat's opponent, and distracts them from the game.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed[]
Beat in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Beat returns as a playable character. This time, rather than his car from the last game, he rides a quad-bike. He also appears as two unlockable stickers, obtained for getting a podium finish in every Grand Prix tournament on Expert difficulty or winning an event on Graffiti City while playing as him. His All-Star Move, named "Hi-Def", when activated, creates an aura from speakers that slow down the opponents nearby. His All-Star theme is a remix of "Grace & Glory".
Sonic Universe[]
In issue 45 of Sonic Universe, Beat, and several other Sega characters, appear in the story, "Racing for the Stars", which is based on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
Samurai & Dragons[]
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Beat in Samurai & Dragons.
In Samurai & Dragons, Beat is one of the many Sega characters to make a small cameo appearance as a card.
Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls[]
Beat's appearance in the "Broken Jet Set Radio" episode.
In Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls, Beat is featured in the opening of the show.[13] Beat is also prominently featured in the Jet Set Radio focused episode, "Broken Jet Set Radio", which also includes cameos of Gum, Corn, and DJ Professor K.
Sonic Forces[]
In Sonic Forces, there is an unlockable Beat costume for the Avatar character which can also be downloaded for free.
Sega Heroes[]
Beat, along with Gum, DJ Professor K, and Captain Onishima, was added to Sega Heroes on October 15th, 2018. To unlock him, the player would need to achieve 25 Beat shards. Beat was classified as a Rare Support Hero. In the game's story mode, Beat debuts in stage 125 and has dialogue in said stage along with stages 133, 162, and 175, and is shown to interact with Blaze Fielding from Streets of Rage, Big the Cat and Sonic the Hedgehog, and AiAi from Super Monkey Ball.
Sonic Colors: Ultimate[]
In Sonic Colors: Ultimate, Beat appears as a custom icon for the game under the "Jet Grind Radio" name.[14]
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania[]
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Beat in Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.
In Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, Beat makes an appearance in the game as a playable character. When the player selects him, the bananas in the levels are replaced with spray cans. He lacks voice lines, however.
Roller Champions[]
Beat, along with Gum and a Jet Set Radio Park, were added to Ubisoft's free-to-play game, Roller Champions on June 27, 2023. They were able to be purchased and/or earned for a limited time of two weeks. Artwork relating to Beat would also appear in the skatepark alongside his logo too.
Gallery[]
- For this character's full image gallery, see Beat/Gallery.
.gif "Beat (website ranking art).gif (284 bytes)"){kind=small}
.png "Screenshot (19).png (215 KB)")
.jpg "Beeet1(website art).jpg (13 KB)")
Trivia[]
- Beat appears on the covers of both Jet Set Radio games.
- Beat's glasses are animated to blink. This animation plays correctly in Dreamcast releases, but in the 2012 port, Beat will only properly blink when challenging Combo to a race. In stages properly, only one side of his glasses will be animated (typically the side closest to the camera).
- During the development of Jet Set Radio, Beat's name was originally going to be "Ereki", (エレキ?) which is short for electricity in Japanese, and as such had different textures on his clothing to represent this such as a lightning bolt on his shirt. These said textures still appear in the game, in the post Benten-cho route Benten Boogie cutscene.[15]
- For Beat's main Jet Set Radio artwork, he has six fingers on his left hand. Following art of Beat would immediately correct this mistake.
- In his debut in the Sega All-Stars series, Sega Superstars Tennis, he appears in his Jet Set Radio attire, while in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, he appears in his Jet Set Radio Future attire. However, in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, he has switched back to his original Jet Set Radio design.
- Interestingly, the lightning bolt and name in his "Ereki" texture appear on his tennis racket in Sega Superstars Tennis.
- In each game where Beat has his original look, he's available since the beginning of the game, whereas when he appears in his Future attire, he is an unlockable character.
- He does similar tricks as Cube and the Noise Tanks, but instead of the Unity Grind that he and the Noise Tanks have, Cube does the Full Torque.
- Beat and the Noise Tanks have the exact same grind and aerial tricks.
- The song, "Let Mom Sleep" by Hideki Naganuma, seems to be associated with Beat. This is mainly due to him being the first character shown on the title screen auto-play when the player starts up Jet Set Radio for the first time.
- Beat comes from the city of Fukuoka. The first time this was ever mentioned was during his biography in the Jet Grind Radio IGN Guide. This would be reiterated via the duck vinyl figure and other Numbskull merchandise he would receive, as descriptions for it mention the city.
- Beat is the only character from Jet Set Radio to have any involvement and dialogue in the story mode of Sega Heroes.
Credits[]
- Character model reference sheet created by Wint.
- Translation of the Jet Set Radio Perfect Guide profile by 6eat.
- Sega Heroes dialogue provided by the Sega Heroes Wiki.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Beat's page on the Japanese JSR website.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Beat's profile in the Jet Set Radio Perfect Guide (JP).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Beat's profile in the Jet Set Radio Perfect Guide, translated by 6eat.
- ↑ "Video Games – Das Magazin von Spielern für Spieler!", Ausgabe 8/2000, August 2000 page 41 via the Internet Archive.
- ↑ Jet Grind Radio: Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets, page 9.
- ↑ Jet Grind Radio IGN Guide Characters page.
- ↑ Jet Grind Radio IGN Guide Initiation & Recruitment page.
- ↑ Jet Set Radio GBA manual, posted by 6eat.
- ↑ TUBBZ Jet Set Radio Beat Collectable Duck Vinyl Figure
- ↑ Jet Set Radio Beat TUBBZ Cosplaying Duck Collectible
- ↑ Barry (September 22, 2022) ESPN NFL Football was the SEGA All-Stars Football game we never knew we had. SEGAbits. Retrieved on November 2, 2024.
- ↑ '90s Boulevard | Sonic Riders Zero Gravity
- ↑ Hi☆sCoool! セハガール OPテーマ「セハガガガンバッちゃう！！」（TVサイズ）PV
- ↑ Sonic Colours: Ultimate (PS5) Icon Showcase
- ↑ Jet Set Radio (PC) | Cutscenes | Benten & Kogane Routes
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