Max Morgan
“Okay, brother, let's do this! Max Morgan's gonna take you for a ride on the pain train—first class!”
—Max Morgan
Max Morgan is a character from the Present Day chapter, The Strongest. An American professional wrestler-turned Hollywood star, he is one of the six masters Masaru Takahara faces on his quest to become the world's greatest warrior.
Profile
Appearance
Max is a tall, very muscular man. He wears a wrestling singlet styled after the flag of the United States. On his feet he wears a pair of metal-plated boots, on his hands elbow pads and fingerless gloves, and on his head a red and white-striped bandanna reading "GARSIA BOMBAR". He has blonde hair and a trimmed mustache.
Personality
Max Morgan is a born showman. His energetic, bombastic attitude is instrumental in winning over crowds and audiences alike. The epitome of the professional wrestling face, his greatest desire is to put on a memorable show for his audience.
History
Present Day: The Strongest
Morgan is the renowned king of American profession wrestling, and has even leveraged his fame to a position in Hollywood stardom. However, upon hearing of the journey of upstart Masaru Takahara, he resumed his training with a renewed vigor for the match against him. He faces Masaru in a populated wrestling ring, talking traditional smack to Masaru and wowing the crowd with his nimble German Suplex and wild Max Bomber. Upon his defeat, Max commends Masaru on his excellent performance.
Soon after his fight with Masaru, Max is murdered in combat by Odie O'Bright, who sought to become the greatest warrior through the path of death. Calling upon Max's determination, Masaru fights O'Bright and strikes him down, avenging his death.
Strategy
Max Morgan possesses two learnable techniques: the German Suplex and Max Bomber wrestling moves. His German Suplex can completely paralyze Masaru, leaving him a sitting duck, while the Max Bomber hits every tile around him, regardless of his direction. Both moves are short range, necessitating getting up close to Morgan while maintaining high HP to survive them.
While his image as a professional wrestler may not seem too intimidating, Max is one of the most challenging opponents Masaru must face. His muscular build does not belie his strength, and with his good defense and second largest HP pool of all the masters, the battle is sure to be a lengthy one.
Original
Max Morgan is one of the hardest of Masaru's opponents. When going for the win, it's best to stay away from Morgan at all times, as his attacks will make quick work of Masaru. It is best to use Moribe Seishi's Fleetfoot on him from long range to beat him, but it doesn't always work, so be cautious. The only times he should be fought at close quarters is to learn his two attacks, and afterwards, distance should be maintained at all costs.
Remake
Morgan remains a challenge in the remake. His high defenses allow him to withstand a variety of Masaru's techniques. With his resistance to the Earth element, even Worldbreaker's Wrath isn't as effective as it could be. His weakness to Wind may suggest the efficacy of the Aloha Slap, but even that doesn't deal particularly severe damage when compared to other moves. Still, its larger range compared to other attacks may still prove it useful, as long-range attacks are still key to pinning him to the mat.
Stats
Gallery
Max's portraits
Max's battle sprite
Max Morgan's loss screen
Max Morgan's victory screen
Artwork by Ryōji Minagawa for Live A Live A Live 2019
Promo art depicting The Strongest for the remake
LINE sticker for remake (wave 2)
Possible Encounters
- Max Morgan (x1)
Trivia
- Morgan's name and appearance are based off of Hulk Hogan, an American professional wrestler that was rather popular in Japan in the 1990s. As with Morgan, Hogan began to make breakthroughs into acting in the 1980s and 90s from his roles in Rocky III, Suburban Commando, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and his own short-lived TV series, Thunder In Paradise.
- The remake removes Morgan's mustache from his portrait and artwork, though he still has it in his battle sprites.
| Present Day: The Strongest |
|---|
| Characters |
| Masaru Takahara • Namkiat • The Great Aja • Tula Han • Seishi Moribe • Max Morgan • Jackie Iaukea • Odie O'Bright |
| Music |
| The Strongest - Victory Road • World Warriors • World Warriors - Rematch • Versus! • Knock You Down! |
| Transcripts |
| 2022 (English) • 1994 (English) |