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Hatapon

Hatapon refers to both a Patapon class and a major character in the Patapon series. He is the flag bearer of the Almighty (a.k.a. the player) and the leader of the Patapon army. His name comes from Hata, which means "Flag" or "Banner" in Japanese.

Description[]

Unlike other Patapon units, Hatapon has no combat abilities whatsoever; despite this, he carries the most important role of all (to the point where the game itself states that he is the backbone of their entire force). He relays the Almighty's commands to other Patapons, filling them with vigor and allowing them to coordinate themselves in battle; without him, the Patapon army falls into complete disarray. He is also the keeper of the Pata Drum in the Almighty's absence, guarding it with his life until his deity returns.

Certain tips and scenes indicate that Hatapon was once a full class of Patapon units, but it seems to have been reduced to a single individual by the time of the game's events.

Story[]

Hataponintro

Introduction of Hatapon

Patapon[]

As the Patapon tribe reached its nadir, Hatapon was the only member to retain hope in the prospect of the Almighty's return. His faith would be rewarded when the Mighty Patapon contacted him by beating the Pon Drum. Reinvigorated by his deity's beats, Hatapon gave them the Pata Drum he had kept safe all this time, allowing the Almighty to perform the Pata Pata command song.

Patapon Ending

Hatapon, along with Yaripons, in the Patapon ending.

Guided by the Almighty, Hatapon set out towards Patapolis, recruiting three Yaripons and narrowly evading a Dodonga along the way. From there, he would continue to act as the Almighty's link to the rest of his tribe, guiding them in battle as they slowly rebuilt their forces and pushed back the Zigotons that had sought to keep them from Earthend and "IT". After many battles across the land culminating in the defeat of Goruru, Hatapon and the original three Yaripons become the first Patapons to view the morning sun, believing it to be "IT." However, feeling unfulfilled by the anticlimactic end of their journey, they come to the conclusion that "IT" is, in fact, not the sun; to realize their destiny, they must cross the ocean to the real Earthend and continue their quest. With the assistance of the Zigoton Queen, Kharma, Hatapon joined the other Patapons and Zigotons in building a ship to cross the sea.

Hatapon 2

Hatapon before departing

Patapon 2[]

At some point during the construction of the ship, the Almighty vanished once again, leaving Hatapon to reminisce on the grand adventure he and his tribe had shared with their god. When the ship was complete, Hatapon joined the group sailing across the ocean, praying to the Almighty for a safe voyage. It was not to be: their ship was destroyed by a kraken after forty-nine days of exploring. Hatapon washed up alone on Tochira Beach, where the Almighty once again contacted him with the Pon Drum. Reinvigorated once more, Hatapon gathered the three Yaripons who had washed up nearby and led them to an ancient city similar to their old home; along the way, they rescued Meden, who christened their new base "Patapolis" in homage to their first settlement.

Hatapon would then resume the role he had in the previous game, broadcasting the Almighty's rhythms to the Patapon army as they battled the forces of the Karmen and the Akumapon. Along the way, they recruited a mysterious masked Hero who seemed to have lost his memories. After defeating the leader of the Karmen forces and the fearsome Dettankarmen, Hatapon and the three Yaripons unwittingly freed the Patapon Princess from her egg prison. As she and Hero reunite, the Princess tells them to rebuild the broken bridge to Earthend. With help from the Zigotons and even the Karmen, the Patapons began building a bridge leading to an unknown land, hoping that this would finally lead them to "IT."

Hatapon-Patapon3

Hatapon in the Patapon 3 Official Website

Patapon 3[]

After crossing the bridge, the Patapons discovered a mysterious box; when opened, it released the Seven Archfiends. Hatapon was the only one to avoid being petrified by these new enemies, allowing him to meet Silver Hoshipon and revive the Hero. In doing so, the Hero absorbed the essence of the Almighty, becoming the Uberhero Patapon. Later, Hatapon gives the Pata Drum to the Uberhero before resuming his role in guiding the Patapon army through battles against the Archfiends, the Bonedeth, and their hordes of monsters.

In contrast to previous games, Hatapon is more mature and serious about the threat they face, saying "Quiet, you idiots!" in response to the Trifecta's silly jokes.

Combat Abilities[]

Hatapon is a Normal Patapon whose sole role is to act as a liason between the Almighty and the rest of the Patapon army in battle. When the player inputs a command, Hatapon waves his enormous flag accordingly to relay the rhythm to his comrades; completing a song will prompt the army to act accordingly. As a result, Hatapon's survival is paramount to the success of any mission; his defeat is one of two standard defeat conditions, the other being the loss of every Patapon except for himself.

In battle, Hatapon is extremely vulnerable; he has no combat capabilities of his own, his defense is extremely low, he can't evolve into a Rarepon, and he cannot use equipment beyond the Iron Helm he wears by default. However, he can benefit from defensive tactics such as the Chaka Chaka song (especially with Tatepon support) or the Tatepon Hero's Hero Mode. In Patapon 3 he also gains an ability called Lifelink, or Flag + Shield; this renders him invincible as long as there is a living Shield-class Patapon in the party. Without this ability, he is very vulnerable, having only 200 Hitpoints; the Set Skill "Peerless Fish" increases his stamina by 10% during the rain, but this will be marginally effective as the game progresses.

Hatapon can only dodge attacks with the PON PATA (Even Dodonga's roar, if he gets out of the screen) and DON CHAKA songs.

Acquisition[]

Hatapon is available from the beginning of each game, and can't be upgraded.

Fever Mode[]

Hatapon has no combat abilities; he remains still and does not increase his health.

Miracle[]

Hatapon has no combat abilities, but he can benefit from the effects of the Duck and Cover Juju in Patapon 2. The same game also allows his flag to display the corresponding Miracle symbol when it activates, with the symbol fading as the Miracle nears expiration.

Trivia[]

HataponFlagTips
  • Hatapon visibly raises his flag and waves it from side to side when a Command Song is completed.
  • When you first meet Hatapon in the first two Patapon games, he's wearing a Wood Helm, which turns into an Iron Helm when you start to march and remains as such for the rest of the game. It is unclear if this is an animation error or an intentional design choice to represent Hatapon's invigoration upon the Almighty's return.
    Asss

    Hatapon flags

  • A tip in Patapon 3 reveals that Hatapon's flag is a mystical treasure passed down through generations of Hatapons. It is supposedly blessed by a deity, which grants immunity to all status effects; this is why Hatapon didn't turn to stone at the beginning of the game. Presumably, the flag's mystical nature is also responsible for Hatapon's ability to communicate with the Almighty Patapon.
  • In the first two installments of Patapon, Hatapon can not pick up any items. This changes in Patapon 3.
  • When not singing/directing the army, Hatapon holds his flag with his left hand, keeping his right hand over his head.
  • In the first two games, Hatapon runs the fastest and farthest of any unit when the Pon Pata song is used. In Patapon 3, this is reversed; Hatapon now has the slowest, shortest-ranged retreat of the army.
  • Hatapon's exact status in the Patapon tribe is unclear, but he appears to be their equivalent of a captain or general with his ability to relay the Almighty's commands. Notably, the ornament on top of his flagpole is identical to the one on Meden's scepter; coupled with his ability to hear and talk with the Almighty, this may mark him as a military equivalent to Meden's role as Priestess.
  • Hatapon and Meden are the only characters that appear in all three of the Patapon games, and Hatapon is the only one to have a plot-critical role in them all; Meden was petrified at the start of Patapon 3 and is only restored if the Uberhero sacrifices themselves to save the Patapons from the curse in one of the endings.
    • Ton, Chin, and Kan have the spirits of Gan Yaripon, Ban Tatepon and Don Yumipon, but Gan Yaripon did not appear in any of the games while Ban Tatepon and Don Yumipon only appeared in the first two. Additionally, Ton, Chin, and Kan are heavily implied to be the same three Yaripons who joined Hatapon in the opening stage of the previous two games, but this is not confirmed and thus remains ambiguous.
  • Since Hatapon is considered to be part of the Patapon Trifecta, he will join Ton, Chin, and Kan on any mission in Patapon 3, including stages such as the Arena of Valor. Hatapon can capture buildings in arena games, but he can't join multiplayer mode missions or arena quests.
  • In Patapon 3, when a Pingrek unit uses a scepter that has "Defense: Guard All," Hatapon receives additional defense as well.
  • Some boss attacks, like Dodonga's roar or Arch Pandara's (or Dark Pondora and Gheek Dongora) Lightning Zap, cause Hatapon to 'fly' sky high before falling down again as a result of stagger and knockback. However Hatapon still stays on his place.
  • While probably coincidental, Hatapon's flag bears a slight resemblance to a vintage loudspeaker, which fits his role as the one who "plays" Almighty's songs for the benefit of his fellow soldiers.

See Also[]

Hata
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