Keaton, Blaster

The American pilot Blaster Keaton is an iconic character who appears in all but one of the Sonic Wings games, and he considered by the game designers to be the main character of Sonic Wings.^[1] Keaton is most recognizable in the red cyborg body he wears from Sonic Wings 3 onward. Keaton was formerly a soldier in the United States military who fought in Operation Desert Storm. Blaster has a younger brother, Zapper, who takes over his mission in Sonic Wings and who is nearly identical to Blaster in appearance.

In most games, Keaton is cheerful and excitable. He has fun on his missions but also loves to fight. He can also be a bit of a flirt, although without much success. Amazingly, he loves his boxy robot bodies and doesn't mind that his only organic part is his head. Keaton gets along well with almost everyone, even the difficult characters no one else likes.

The appearance of Keaton's body differs from game to game; however, he is always shown with light brown hair, vivid blue eyes, and a long, straight nose. When his hair is shown, it is worn combed back and spiky.

Sonic Wings[]

This 24-year-old American guy loves justice and won't abide evil. Of course, his favorite word is "JUSTICE." His personality is hard to forget. He says that in trouble, one should keep a "low profile," but. . . is he truly inconspicuous? He has a younger brother who looks just like him.

—Sonic Wings 3 strategy guide

Although he is one of the most entertaining characters in the later Sonic Wings games, in the original, Keaton is straight-laced and almost boring. He is focused and determined to complete his mission. Keaton wears his military uniform, including a camouflage jacket.

In single-player mode, Blaster Keaton is supposedly killed when his aircraft collides with the final boss after its defeat. Blaster's identical younger brother, Zapper, vows to take over for Blaster and becomes the playable character for the rest of the game. Fortunately, Keaton survives the collision, and he returns as Mecha-Keaton in Sonic Wings 2.

In two-player mode, Keaton is partnered with Keith Bishop. Keaton is definitely the straight-man of the duo; his serious statements are often met with facetious remarks from the older Keith. After the boss battle, both men survive and attempt to land on an aircraft carrier. However, Keith loses control of his plane, and they both crash, ending up bobbing in the ocean.

Sonic Wings 2[]

Keaton2 — Mecha-Keaton in Sonic Wings 2.

Mechanical body with one million Horse Power!
He was blown out into outer space in the last battle. Now he has successfully awaken [sic] from death, but. . . ?

—Aerofighters 2 English game manual

In the previous game, Blaster Keaton was blown into space, but he returned from certain death with a desperate effort. Because his entire body was terribly injured, he received a remodeling operation; his life was saved by his becoming a cyborg. However, his body is like those of robots from old science fiction. He seems to like it, though. He's a hot-blooded American guy who fights for justice.

—Sonic Wings 3 strategy guide

Keaton returns in Sonic Wings 2, resurrected as the cyborg Mecha-Keaton after his supposed death in the previous game. He tells Angela that he's been "away from the world for awhile," suggesting that he spent most of the intervening two years between games in recovery.

Keaton's head is all that remains of his human body, and his right eye has been replaced with a mechanical device. His body is boxy and silver, apparently cobbled together by Kowful from various spare parts such as an arcade machine. Keaton's attitude is vastly different as well; instead of the solemn attitude he had in Sonic Wings, he now is something of a smart aleck.

Unfortunately, Keaton's robot body gives him problems at times, as demonstrated when he ejects his head after the final boss battle in single-player mode. His head ends up stranded on the moon, which seems to be a recurring problem for him.

In two-player mode, Keaton can be paired with any of the other pilots:

Arthur: Arthur thinks that Keaton is a toy, though he is respectful enough to the older pilot. Keaton is not quite so enthusiastic about Arthur, but he is impressed with the one-year-old's fighting skills. After they defeat the final boss, Keaton demands that Arthur "score him a meal." At Arthur's house, they are greeted by his father, William Sid Pride, and Keaton amazes them both by dumping an omelet into the chest of his mechanical body.
Angela: Angela is hurt that Keaton doesn't know who she, "the musical star," is, and he apologizes saying that he's been "away from the world for a while." He also asks if she's a man or a woman, to which she replies doesn't he know the phrase "男装の麗人" ("a beauty dressed as a man"). When she declares that she is fighting for love, Keaton is taken aback. Once they get past this initial awkwardness, they work well together, with Keaton on the offensive and Angela covering him. She warns him to be careful when he gets too enthusiastic about fighting, but she is also impressed with his bravery. In the English version, their dialogue is completely different, with Keaton at first skeptical of Steve's arrogant attitude and a little confused by him. However, they each end up deciding the other is "not so bad after all," and they admire each other's "coolness." In both versions, after successfully defeating the final boss, Angela's Rafale M crashes. Keaton is at first sympathetic, then shocked when Angela's torn jacket falls off, revealing the corset she's wearing underneath. Poor Keaton then gets punched by the embarrassed Angela, who wails for him not to look at her.
Cincia and Ellen: Most of the dialogue between Keaton and the girls involves his new robotic body, particularly his need for "WD-50." In keeping with this theme, after the final boss battle, Keaton gets a tune-up from the mechanic Emma from Lethal Crash Race, who fills him up with a can of gasoline.
Hien: Keaton and Hien get along well enough, although Hien does seem a bit impatient with Keaton's lack of seriousness about the situation, particularly when Keaton's more interested in hula dancing in Hawaii than in defeating the boss there. Still, they work well together and shown a genuine concern for one another. After the final boss battle, they both report to the Shogun, Hien's master. The Shogun is for some reason incensed that Hien received help from a robot, leaving his pupil speechless.
Mao Mao: Keaton thinks Mao Mao's cute and tries to flirt with her, but she'll have none of it. After they defeat the final boss, Mao Mao asks Keaton to come over to her house. Keaton thinks she likes him, but when he goes home with her, she takes his head off and plays Sonic Wings on his robot body.
Silver: Keaton isn't exactly respectful to Silver-- he calls him "old man" and comments on his baldness-- but Silver doesn't seem to mind too much. After the final boss battle, Keaton loses control of his plane and crashes; his body is destroyed, but Silver's parrot Flint saves Keaton's head. Silver brings Keaton to Kowful. The Viking complains that Keaton has lost his body again
Whity: Keaton and Whity get along very well together since both possess a rather wacky sense of humor. After the final boss battle, Keaton decides to go swimming with the dolphin and transforms into "Aqua-Keaton," a finned version of his robot body. The two then enjoy an underwater race.

Sonic Wings 3[]

Keaton3 — Mecha-Keaton in Sonic Wings 3.

He's always cheerful, this strong, hot-blooded guy (a hot-blooded cyborg?). This 26-year-old American believes unquestionably in absolute justice. If you remember in Sonic Wings, he was an ordinary soldier. . . he was human. After that, in Sonic Wings 2, he was transformed into a mecha, to the relief of 120 million people nationwide.

In this case, the cyborg has to power up somehow. . . . When he's out of control, no one can stop him. His arm is a drill, and his body is red. The material of his body is unknown, but it is three times more efficient than before. And, after all, Keaton's special weapon "gigantic rage" is charming?!

One already feels defeated. However, there is a spike in his popularity because of this. Still, it is a shooting game, surely.

—Sonic Wings 3 strategy guide

Blaster Keaton: the name of the person who crosses the boundaries of shooting destruction. Many people retreat in horror from this super weapon. What's going on with the younger of the identical brothers?

—Sonic Wings 3 strategy guide

Keaton appears in Sonic Wings 3 in an upgraded body; instead of his silver, arcade-machine body from Sonic Wings 2, his new body is red and much more advanced. Most notable are the built-in weapons he now controls: the Keaton Drill on his left hand, the sphere-shaped Keaton Hammer on his right, and the boosters on his back. Keaton's cheerful attitude remains the same, although he is more boastful of this body than his previous one.

In single-player mode, Keaton is more alert than many of the other pilots, figuring out that he is in a "fake world" where the enemy-- presumably the time-traveling Hildroid-- has staged World War II. After the final boss battle, Keaton returns to headquarters where Kowful has prepared a humanoid body for him. Keaton changes into his new body, noting that a human body is ultimately better than a robot one. However, he discovers that Kowful has played a practical joke by giving Keaton's new body a giant drill in a sensitive area.

Keaton fights with the Blazers (Glen, Gill, and Glenda) in two-player mode. They seem surprised at his appearance and aren't sure who he is at first. Keaton likes to boast that as a robot, he doesn't show the Blazers' human weaknesses; however, the trio of humans don't seem to envy his situation. After the final boss battle, Keaton's plane blows up, but he manages to escape by ejecting his head. The Blazers rescue him, but then their plane explodes too. Keaton also appears in several other characters' ending sequences.

Sonic Wings Special[]

Keatonsws — Blaster Keaton in Sonic Wings Special.

Mkeatonsws — Mecha-Keaton in Sonic Wings Special.

In Special, Blaster Keaton returns in human form for the first time since the original Sonic Wings. The player must first complete the game as human Keaton in order to unlock Mecha-Keaton. Keaton's appearance in both forms has received an upgrade in Special. In human form, he now wears a brown leather jacket with "Justice" written across the back, along with the letter K. His robot form has also gotten a few new touches such as an antennae and piping on his head, a reference to the design of the RX-78-2 Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam. In two-player mode, Keaton is partnered with Captain Silver. Silver finds Keaton to be a bit impulsive and wild, but they do get along well. Keaton often calls Silver "old man" (とっつぁん).

One-Player Mode Endings - Human Keaton:

Boss battle with Pandora: Keaton's single-player ending from Sonic Wings is repeated, although Pandora's ship rather than Pandora herself hits Keaton's plane. Keaton's younger brother, Zapper, takes over the mission in Keaton's place.
Boss battle with Lar: Keaton's plane floats off into space in an ending reminiscent of 2001: a space odyssey. Glenda and Lord River-n-White are monitoring Keaton's radio communications, but they lose contact with him.
Boss battle with Balbi: Keaton loses control of his plane. He radios Glenda and River-n-White that he completed the mission but will not be able to return to base. Glenda sends a rescue party after him but worries that they won't make it in time.

Two-Player Mode Ending - Human Keaton:

No matter which boss is defeated, the same ending appears. Keaton discovers that some remnants of Fata Morgana remain. Suffering a head wound, he stays behind and tells Silver to "hang in there" and go on ahead. Silver hopes that Keaton will return. A rough translation is in the gallery below.

One-Player Mode Endings - Mecha-Keaton:

Boss battle with Pandora: Keaton's plane is damaged, and he saves himself by ejecting his head from his body. However, as with in his single-player ending in Sonic Wings 2, his head ends up stranded on the moon.
Boss battle with Lar: As in his single-player ending in Sonic Wings 3, Keaton returns to Kowful to receive a new human body with a little, uh, added attachment.
Boss battle with Balbi: After defeating the final boss, Keaton emerges from his plane. He claims that there are some of the enemy left; then he shoots the drill from his arm into a city and blows it up. A rough translation is in the gallery below.

Two-Player Mode Endings - Mecha-Keaton:

Boss battle with Pandora: Recalling the Sonic Wings 2 ending with Arthur, Keaton and Silver go to William's house for food, where Silver, William, and Arthur watch in amazement as Keaton shovels in the scrambled eggs.
Boss battle with Lar: Keaton's plane goes down again, but Flint rescues his head. Kowful reveals that he's finished "fixing" Keaton's human body, and the game asks if Keaton can return to his old self.
Boss battle with Balbi: Similar to Keaton's two-player ending in Sonic Wings, Silver and Keaton attempt to land on an aircraft carrier. This time, however, Keaton is the one who misses and sinks the ship.

Sonic Wings Limited[]

Swlkeatonspecial — Keaton's special attack in Sonic Wings Limited.

In Limited, Keaton appears only as Mecha-Keaton, not in human form. Mecha-Keaton has a unique, amusing special attack in which he blasts the enemy with pink hearts. To activate it, hit B to activate "Keaton's Fury," then enter the following code: up down up up A. Otherwise, his role in the two games is identical.

One-Player Mode Endings:

Boss battle with Pandora or Gurabura: Keaton's plane is damaged, and he saves himself by ejecting his head from his body. However, as with the end of single-player mode in Sonic Wings 2, his head ends up stranded on the moon.
Boss battle with Lar or Do-ni Kai: As in his single-player ending in Sonic Wings 3, Keaton returns to Kowful to receive a new human body with a little, uh, added attachment.
Boss battle with Osaru: After defeating Osaru, Keaton emerges from his plane. He claims that there are some of the enemy left, then he shoots the drill from his arm into a city and blows it up.

Two-Player Mode Endings:

Boss battle with Pandora or Gurabura: Recalling the Sonic Wings 2 ending with Arthur, Keaton and Silver go to William's house for food, where Silver, William, and Arthur watch in amazement as Keaton shovels in the scrambled eggs.
Boss battle with Lar or Do-ni Kai: Keaton's plane goes down again, but Flint rescues his head. Kowful reveals that he's finished "fixing" Keaton's human body, and the game asks if Keaton can return to his old self.
Boss battle with Osaru: Similar to Keaton's two-player ending in Sonic Wings, Silver and Keaton attempt to land on an aircraft carrier. This time, however, Keaton is the one who misses and sinks the ship.

Sonic Wings Special for Android[]

This time, Keaton appears only in his human form, but he retains Mecha-Keaton's cocky, confident attitude.

SukuSuku Inufuku[]

As a cameo, Mecha-Keaton appears during a quiz question from Minakata, who asks the player which of three sets of items they recommend. The choices are as follows:

m the Sonic Wings Super Famicon manual. keaton.jpg|From Sonic Wings artwork. bwkeaton.jpg|From Sonic Wings artwork. Image:Sw2art-keaton.jpg|From Sonic Wings 2. robokeaton.jpg|From Sonic Wings 2 artwork. Sw2-ost-back.jpg|From the Sonic Wings 2 Soundtrack CD. Image:Sw3keatonart.jpg|From the Sonic Wings 3 strategy guide. Image:Sw3group.jpg|From the Sonic Wings 3 strat

"Mysterious Robot Set" is the correct answer. If chosen, Minakata quotes Keaton's line, "A drill is a man's weapon."