Gitaroo Man is a rhythm video game developed by iNiS and published by Koei for PlayStation 2. The game features visual production by Mitsuru Nakamura and an original soundtrack by Japanese band COIL. The game was released in Japan on June 21, 2001, in North America on February 18, 2002 and in Europe on June 21, 2002. A port of the game for PlayStation Portable, titled Gitaroo Man Lives!, was released in 2006. Story Gitaroo Man follows a young boy named U-1 who is often picked on by his rival Kazuya and passed over by the girl of his dreams, Pico. One day, as U-1 is suddenly attacked, his talking dog Puma transforms and gives him a weapon known as the Last Gitaroo, which transforms U-1 into the legendary warrior Gitaroo Man. After defeating many enemies, sent by Prince Zowie of the Gravillian Empire, and obtaining their Gitaroos, Puma brings a reluctant U-1 to Planet Gitaroo, which had been invaded by the Gravillian Empire. Upon arriving there, U-1 befriends a girl named Kirah, only to later discover that she is Zowie's gladiator. Refusing to fight her, U-1 uses the power of music to convince Kirah to stand up against Zowie. Obtaining all eight Gitaroos, U-1 becomes the True Gitaroo Man and defeats Zowie, after which is returns home as a more confident person. Gameplay Gitaroo Man is a rhythm game in which the player character, U-1, faces against various opponents in musical battles. In each level, both the player and opponent has a life bar, with the player tasked with depleting the opponent's life bar and reaching the end of the song without running out of life. With some exceptions, each level consists of three main phases; Charge, Attack, and Guard, followed by the Harmony and End phases at the end of the level. During the Charge and Attack phases, players follow a "trace line" using the analog stick, upon which red "phase bars" will appear. By pressing and holding down the button at the start of a phase, timing it to its appearance at the center of the screen, and releasing the button at the end, the player plays music. In the Charge phase, successful notes restore the player's health, whereas in the Attack phase, successful notes damage the opponents whilst missed notes will hurt the player. During the guard phase, players must hit corresponding buttons as they reach