- "Hiya! I'm Rio! I'm the blackjack dealer in the casino. It's a lot of fun! You should drop by"
- —Rio in Dead or Alive Paradise
Rio Rollins Tachibana is the main character and the official mascot character of Tecmo's Super Black Jack gambling game series. She made her first debut outside of Japan in the Dead or Alive Xtreme spin-off, Dead or Alive Paradise.
In Paradise, the player can partake in poker and blackjack in the casino during the evening, both in which Rio acts as the table dealer. She also appears as a character to interact with in areas outside the casino.
Rio can be unlocked as a playable character by receiving Zack's "challenge item" in the hotel, visiting the casino to play blackjack against Rio, and winning with one blackjack hand.
Story
Dead or Alive Paradise
Rio is one of the most popular casino dealers working at the Howard Resort, a world-famous entertainment-resort hotel where the rich and famous gather from around the world to gamble and to be entertained.
For the two-week vacation, Zack hired Rio to be his casino hostess at New Zack Island. During that fortnight, Rio spent her time on the island either working for Zack as the casino's hostess and only dealer during the evenings, dealing cards at the poker and blackjack tables. She used her leisure time during the day to relax or to play beach games on the island's shores with the other vacationers, until the vacation finished. Afterwards, she returned to the Howard Resort to continue with her regular work.
Character
Appearance
Rio is at average height for her age, and has one of the biggest bust sizes in Dead or Alive Paradise, falling 4cm behind Tina Armstrong. She has a healthy complexion, with soft facial features and a heart-shaped face. Her hair is pinkish-red in Paradise (normally pink in the Super Black Jack series) and styled in a shoulder-long cut with a front fringe. Her eyes are a vivid green, and are always wide and awake.
She is normally seen wearing a revealing casino outfit: a white, v-collar shirt, and a black waistjacket with white detailing that both show off her stomach and lots of cleavage, a black mini-skirt, black high-heels, and a black bow-tie collar around her neck.
Personality
An adventurous soul, Rio has been involved in many adventures and constantly finds herself involved in games of chance from poker to Russian Roulette and many others.
Etymology
The name Rio (利音) is a unisex Spanish name, meaning "river". It can also be a female Japanese name. Her surname Tachibana (橘) means "wild orange".
Gameplay
To partner with Rio, the player has to go to the casino and play at least twenty games of Blackjack with Rio, after which Rio will be found wandering the island the next day. To unlock and play as Rio, the player has to challenge Rio to a game of Blackjack and win with a Blackjack hand.
While there have been no official stats released, Rio has been observed as being similar in technique to Lei Fang, while pretty low on speed, defense and power.
Appearances
Dead or Alive series
- Dead or Alive Paradise (unlockable, 2010)
Non-Dead or Alive appearances
Super Black Jack
Created by Tecmo in collaboration with pachi-slot company Net, Rio is the mascot character of the casino-themed, Japanese gambling series Super Black Jack which started off back in 2003. Since then, she has appeared in many games across most platforms, and is featured in other various merchandise such as posters, soundtracks and figurines.
Rio Sound Hustle
Rio Sound Hustle is an anime soundtrack featuring Rio with two other girls from the Super Black Jack series. The soundtrack was advertised on the Dead or Alive Paradise Japanese website.
Rio Super Carnival
Rio Super Carnival is an anime Drama CD featuring Rio with some of the girls from the Super Black Jack series. While it was advertised along with the Rio Sound Hustle soundtrack, the CD also featured a segment about Dead or Alive Paradise.
Rio BlackJack
Rio also appears in the simple blackjack game, Rio BlackJack for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is in very similar style in gameplay and appearance to Girls of DOA BlackJack, which features Kasumi as the dealer.
Rio: Rainbow Gate!
Rio has also starred in her own late-night anime series, Rio: Rainbow Gate!, produced by Xebec. The anime aired on Tokyo MX, running for thirteen episodes from January 4, 2011 to March 29, 2011.
The plot will follow Rio, a popular casino dealer with the ability to bring good luck to gamblers just by walking past them, as she learns that she is a Gate Holder - a dealer who holds one of the 13 legendary cards called "Gates" - and takes part in Gate Battles with other Gate Holders to collect the rest of the Gates, to become the world's "Most Valuable Casino Dealer".
Gallery
Renders |
---|
Promotional images |
---|
Ninja Gaiden |
---|
Miscellaneous |
---|
Trivia
- On the Paradise character selection menu, under her height/weight information, Rio has sneakily put that her weight is a "secret."
- As of Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, Rio is currently the only female character to have an unusual hair color and yet not be Japanese, not have red eyes, and not have any connection to the character Raidou (Ayane and Honoka, possessing purple and hot-pink hair respectively, have these attributes, while Rio has green eyes and her nationality is American).
External links
v · e · d | |
---|---|
Characters | |
Playable | Kasumi • Tina Armstrong • Hitomi • Helena Douglas • Leifang • Christie • Lisa • Kokoro • Ayane |
Unlockable | Rio |
Non-playable characters | Niki • Zack |
Terms | |
Games | Beach Flags • Beach Volleyball • Blackjack • Butt Battle • Poker • Pool Hopping • Slot Machines |
Other terms | Bijin Tokei • Gift Giving • Girls Guide • Pole Dancing • Precious Memories • Private Paradise • Swimsuits • Venus Clips • Zack Dollars |
Locations | |
New Zack Island Accessory Shop • Bass Island • Brilliant Jungle • Hotel • Niki Beach • Poolside • Radio Station • Sports Shop • Tranquil Beach • Zack of All Trades | |
Music | |
Dead or Alive Paradise Kossori Namaroku Voice & Soundtrack CD "Paradise!!" • "Sensational Fantasy" • "Beach Bomb" • "Coconut Groove" • "Nitro Funk" • "Violet Eyed Beauty" • "Rewind!" • "Curiosity" • "Boogie Circuit" | |
Archives | |
Costumes • Item Collection Datasheet • Promotional Artwork and Wallpapers |