I suspect japanese origin?
I first encountered this symbol 20 over years ago when I played the NES game 1942.
I thought it was the swastika or something.
Please help to solve this 20+ year myster of mine!
The screenshot image is very small, do you mean the one on the bottom left? I don’t know, but to me it looks like one of those Japanese throwing star things (shuriken)
Look more like propeller blades on a red circle to me.
The image immediately above it looks to be a gear with a wrench superimposed on it. This makes me think “machinery.” So the image in question reminds me of an airplane propeller.
What type of game is (or was) 1942? Anything to do with WWII (particularly the operations in the Pacific theater)?
Huh. Wikipedia tells of an arcade game called 1942, that is based on the Battle of Midway. I’m going to guess that the propeller blades against the Japanese rising sun symbol represents a Japanese warplane.
I vaguely remember 1942, but that screen shot is from another game. I’m not sure if the same symbol appears in both games or you’re thinking of a certain one.
Here’s a much bigger picture, along with a wikia page that links to that picture (just hit the X next to More Info).
In that picture, you can see the screenshot from the OP appears to be a screenshot of a desktop computer in a game. The symbol we’re looking it, as best as I can tell, is an icon.
For what, I have no idea. If the OP saw this exact same symbol in other places, maybe it does mean something, otherwise, I’m wondering if it was just a throwaway design for this game (Ace Attorney).
Hi Joey, you solved the mystery!
The answer is that it is a Yashichi.
I found it when I clicked on your link - it is the name for that screenshot!
So, what’s a Yashichi?
It’s an icon/emblem in Capcom games, according to the internet.
It’s basically just a little easter egg signature that appears in a lot of Capcom games. Kind of Hitchcock appearing in his own films or whatever. Just little studio quirks.
It’s also the name of the image in your screenshot in the OP.
But, to be fair, all I did was a GIS on your picture to see if that gave me any ideas.
Well, it performs as an actual bonus or power-up in games. Like in Ghost and Goblins, it’s actually in the manual and there are three variations of it: one is just a bonus of 5000 points, one increases your life by 30 seconds, one decreases your life by 30 seconds. (It is one of seven objects, though, labeled as “hidden characters.”)
In 1942, I think it’s a 5000 point bonus, too.
ETA: Apparently, this is the first instance of it, from Capcom’s Vulgus. In that game, it’s an enemy (see at around 1:40). It was also Capcom’s first game, so far as I can tell, so I can see how it became a symbol.
I mean, it’s just another example of the Konami Code or Namco’s Special Flag or whatever. It often has a use, and often is just kind of there as a nod. Usually these things start off having uses and only end up as easter eggs after establishing themselves.
Sorry. That should be around 1:14, not 1:40. (My mental note had gotten garbled.)
Oh, sure. I just think of it more as a recurring character/callback than an easter egg, but I see how the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Thanks so much!
You solved a 20 over year old mystery of mine.
I had always thought it was the swastika. Until i saw the symbol in this game.
The question had already been answered, but I’ll just add that the closest traditional Japanese thing that might look like what the OP was looking for are kamon (family crests).
If you’ve seen a bunch, though, you wouldn’t think that the propeller thing was one. They’re not multicolored and when they’re in a circle they stay in it, for the most part. In the cases where it’s not a perfect circle, it’s usually because there’s an opening in the edge rather than something going over the border.