Tengu

"You're no match for me."

- Tengu

Tengu is a subboss in MadWorld. He is first encountered in the Bistro stage in Asian Town, and reappears in the Tower in Casino Land.

Background
There is very little information on Tengu that can be inferred or is explicitly stated in the game, other than the fact that Kreese notably dislikes him due to his pre-existing hatred of Ninjas, and has encountered him sometime in the past, given how he states that he recognizes Tengu when he appears.

He is assumed to be affiliated with his fellow ninja, given how he is accompanied by them in his second encounter and in his rematch at The Tower in Casino Land, and thus can be presumed to be an affilate of Shogun.

Appearance
Tengu is about the same size as Jack, just a little taller. He wears clothing that is similar to the one of the ninjas that are fought in the level he is first encountered in. However, his clothing is a little more ornate, with two sashes on his upper body and decorative feathers around his shoulders and waist. He wears a necklace made of prayer beads, and his face is covered by a tengu mask, which is likely where he got his name from.

As weapons he utilizes two sickles that are coated with electricity.

Involvement in the Jefferson Island DeathWatch games
Tengu first appears as a subboss in the second area of the bistro "La Lusty Geisha", which itself is the second area of Asian Town. He is fought upon entering a room surrounded by shōji walls. Once he is killed, the door to the tempura kitchen opens.

If Jack earned 2,750,000 points, another Tengu will appear in the area where the Hanabi Bloodbath Challenge is held.

Tengu reappears in the Tower of Casino Land on the elevator's second stop, and is now assisted by several Ninjas.

Strategy
Tengu is a fast and nimble fighter, who utilizes many techniques associated with ninjas, whether they are actual techniques or just mythic ones. Examples include the "ninja vanish", where he dodges an attack by disappearing in a puff of leaf petals, or the summoning of some "shadow clones" who aid him in the fight against Jack. Another example is his Kawarimi technique; If Jack manages to impale him on a Rose Bush, Tengu will vanish and a wooden log will appear in his stead. Jack will still receive points for the impalement, though.

The key to defeat Tengu is to watch him and time attacks accordingly. For example, all of his shadow clones can be destroyed at once if the chainsaw swipe is timed correctly. The same goes for his ninja vanish; if timed correctly, Tengu will reappear right as the chainsaw strikes. As Tengu is quite weak, he is quickly defeated.

Power Struggle
Jack can initiate a hidden Power Struggle against Tengu. When Tengu has summoned some of his shadow clones, he sometimes jumps towards Jack. If Jack reacts quickly, a Power Struggle can be initiated. Timing to this is actually quite difficult, as there is no prompt that shows up when the Power Struggle can be initiated, and Tengu's shadow clones can interrupt Jack with their attacks.

Tengu will grab Jack from behind and lock his arms while Tengu's shadow clones attack Jack. Jack has to break free and will then swing his chainsaw horizontally, hopefully hitting some of Tengu's shadow clones. This makes this Power Struggle unique, as instead of a sequence of inputs that determine the winner and dealing a determined amount of damage, this Power Struggle's damage is dependent on the time it takes Jack to escape Tengu's grip, and Jack will not lose the Power Struggle before his health reaches zero.

Finisher
Jack can perform an unique finishing move on Tengu. If Jack is unarmed, he will grab both of Tengu's sickles and jam them into Tengu's head. Jack will then proceed to pull until he rips Tengu's head and spine from his body.

Upon appearance

 * Kreese: "I recognize this bastard! His name is Tengu and he is full of sneaky ninja tricks."
 * Howard: "This guy looks like trouble!"
 * Kreese: "I hope Jack hands him his nimble ninja ass."

Quotes

 * "You are no match for me..." ~ Before cloning himself.

Trivia

 * A tengu is a species of mythical bird-like creatures found in Japanese folklore that are associated with storms and thunder, as well as being considered protective spirits of mountains and forests.
 * His voice actor is Roger Jackson, who also voices Shogun Kokushimuso and provides a generic voice listed as "Man A".
 * He can be instantly killed if he is forced into a Hanabi Barrel, or a Piranha Tank.
 * His unique Finisher where Jack tears his head off might be a reference towards Mortal Kombat, given how one of the most well recognized characters is the cryokinetic ninja warrior Sub-Zero, whos signature fatality is to tear his opponents head off with his hands.
 * His wrist mounted sickles might be a reference to Fox, a minor antagonist from Fist of the North Star.
 * Certain aspects of his character design (like his jacket and beard), his arena of a Dōjō, and his ability to clone himself are likely to be a reference to the God Hand boss Great Sensei, and seeing as how former members of the team that developed God Hand, Clover Studios, are current members of PlatinumGames, this is likely an intentional reference.
 * His wrist-mounted sickles might be a reference to the White Ninja enemies, as they wielded blades that were mounted to their arms, making them somewhat similar to Tengu.
 * Tengu is the only subboss that - upon his first appearance - is required to be defeated in order to progress in the game.
 * In the Tower area of Casino Land, other subbosses are fought as well in order to progress, but none of them have their first appearance here.
 * Unlike most other subbosses, Tengu's first appearance is not triggered by reaching a certain score, but by entering a certain area.
 * It is possible to jam Lampposts into Tengu if he is stunned. However, unlike Grunt Enemies he won't bleed to death afterwards and is not impeded in any way.
 * It makes it easier to distinguish the real Tengu from his shadow clones, though; the clones won't have a lamppost stuck in their head.