Travis Touchdown

Travis Touchdown is the protagonist of the No More Heroes series. He is a consumer of various nerd and otaku subcultures as well as an amateur assassin.

Travis Touchdown
Also known as	Mr. TD Crownless King King of the Gamers
Age	27 (NMH) 30 (NMH2) 39 (TSA) 41 (NMH3)
Nationality	American
Family	Sylvia Christel (wife) Henry Cooldown (brother) Jeane (half-sister) Jeane (pet) Jeane Touchdown (daughter) Hunter Touchdown (son) Scott (grandson)
Occupation	Assassin
Affiliation	United Assassins Association (formerly)
Status	Alive
Weapon	Beam katana
First appearance	No More Heroes
Played by	Robin Atkin Downes Kazuya Nakai (select JP releases)

Appearance and Personality

Travis Touchdown is an American man of average height and build. He has black hair, which he spikes up, and blue eyes. He typically wears sunglasses, a red leather jacket, a graphic t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. In Travis Strikes Again, Travis switches to a purple jacket. Travis clips his beam katanas to his belt when not in use.

Travis Touchdown is a crude, unapologetic otaku with a bloodthirsty streak. Though he initially becomes an assassin for quick cash, he very soon becomes accustomed to killing, even glorifying in it. He is initially selfish and short-sighted; he cares very little for the consequences of his career as an assassin, focusing only on revenge, the satisfaction he gets through violence, and the chance to be number one. Travis also has the tendency to be gullible and easily influenced by sex or his own impulses. Past the facade, however, Travis is a person who feels trapped by his own circumstances. True to the common theme of Kill the Past, Travis is always at odds with his past: throughout his appearances, he is made to choose between accepting the role the past has in his life, or continuing to either run from it or remain passively within the cycle of violence he has created for himself.

Additionally, Travis is not completely without remorse. Over time, he grows to resent the United Assassins Association for treating death as a tool, to the point that he seeks to collapse the entire system and leave his life as an assassin behind. Furthermore, he has his own code of honor. Travis views all fights as a test of strength between two fighters, respecting his opponents and showing a distaste for needless killing. He often shows hesitance to kill younger opponents, and previously showed reluctance to kill women, going back on forth on whether he feels comfortable doing so over time.

In spite of these faults, Travis is shown to be both a loyal friend and a man of his word. He is persistent and pursues all goals he sets for himself without fail, from becoming #1 in the UAA to collecting all the Death Balls in Travis Strikes Again. Finally, though he has few close allies, he cares for them genuinely and will stop at nothing to fight on their behalf.

History

Backstory

Travis Touchdown's past is intentionally left vague and even contradictory over the course of the No More Heroes series. It is revealed that he has two long-lost siblings: twin Henry Cooldown (apparently raised in Ireland) and half-sister Jeane (the product of an affair between Travis' father and her mother). As a child, Travis, Henry, and Jeane ran away from their serial killer father and fled through the snow for days, building an igloo to escape the cold. They eventually reached a road, when they were surrounded by cars and heard the sound of "locks". They were taken by adults and tied up, with Henry being brainwashed and separated to another family. Travis seems to have also had his memory wiped, and does not remember his relation to Henry or Jeane. Jeane was secretly raised in a "rotten apartment" where their father regularly molested her. Travis had no knowledge of this, viewing his father (according to Jeane) as a "hard-working family man" and eventually falling in love with Jeane. One summer night, she violently kills his parents out of revenge, leaving Travis to find a bloody Jeane standing over their mangled bodies. Travis suppresses this traumatic memory, seeming only to recall it while drunk.

As he grew up, he apparently traveled to Calgery, Alberta, Canada to train with the wrestler M.S.. At another point, he lived in Tokyo where he regularly bought records at a particular record shop. One day, he found the owner had closed the shop and men in black were packing up the records, much to his disappointment.

No More Heroes

At some point, Travis moves into Motel NO MORE HEROES in Santa Destroy, adopts his cat Jeane, then wins the beam katana Blood Berry on an online auction. He meets Sylvia Christel at the Death Match Bar one night; she overhears his drunken rambling and offers to help him get even with Jeane. Travis agrees, assassinates 11th ranked hitman Helter Skelter, and joins the United Assassins Association. After killing Rank 10, Death Metal, Travis realizes that he has become a target for assassins beneath him in rank and has become trapped in the world of assassins. He only agrees to continue ascending the ranks when Sylvia teases the promise of sex once he reaches Rank 1. Strangely, before Sylvia convinces him, he mentions her "promise", indicating that he is still subconsciously aware of his quest for revenge against the murderer of his parents.

Travis proceeds to move up through the ranks of the UAA. Notably, he spares Rank 8, Shinobu Jacobs. During their fight, Shinobu accuses him of killing her father Tim Jacobs, which he denies, having been a loyal student of Jacobs via correspondence tapes. Instead of killing Shinobu, he cuts off her right arm and vows to kill her when she has grown older and become stronger. He defeats but does not kill Rank 6, Holly Summers, and she accuses him of being unable to kill a woman; she kills herself with a grenade and Travis buries her on Bodyslam Beach. Travis first encounters Henry Cooldown when Henry steals his kill of Rank 4, Letz Shake. An infuriated Travis attempts to fight him, but Sylvia breaks up their fight long enough for Henry to disappear. His trainer, Thunder Ryu, is killed by Rank 3, Speed Buster. Travis is nearly defeated by Rank 2, Bad Girl, only winning when he impales her with his katana while she is beating him. Eventually, Sylvia's contact with Travis becomes sporadic. Travis calls the UAA, only to reach Sylvia's mother. She reveals that Sylvia is a professional con artist and the UAA does not exist. However, she encourages him to fight his last battle, as "a good man finishes what he started".

Travis continues and meets Rank 1, Dark Star. Dark Star claims to be Travis' father, but is promptly killed by Jeane. Jeane and Travis break the fourth wall commenting on the surprise twist; Jeane explains their past in a fast-forwarded sequence (so the game isn't delayed due to a jacked-up rating). Travis and Jeane then begin their final battle. Jeane punches Travis through the chest, but Shinobu appears, cutting off Jeane's arm and saving Travis' life. Jeane accepts defeat and Travis cuts her to pieces, wishing her rest and a "more pleasant" dream.

Later, Travis is attacked by an assassin in his motel room. In the true ending, he is rescued by Henry Cooldown, who reveals that they are twins and that he is Sylvia's husband. They duel in the motel parking lot. The fourth wall is again broken when Henry asks how Travis will tie up all the game's loose ends as the protagonist; together, they agree to find "the exit" to the game and clash swords. In a post-credits scene, a young girl named Jeane is seen viewing the image of Travis and Henry clashing swords before she is called away by Sylvia.

No More Heroes 1.5

It would later be revealed that Sylvia put a stop to Travis and Henry's fight. Travis withdrew from the ranks of the UAA, and came to be seen as a hero in Santa Destroy, with aspiring assassins beginning to idolize him as the city undergoes significant urban development, and assassination became entertainment for the masses.

In No More Heroes 1.5, Travis is seen leaving Beef Head after speaking to his close from Georgy Bishop. Outside, he is attacked by a group of thugs which he dispatches with his beam katana. Later, Travis attends the unveiling of a statue of himself, celebrating him as a hero who protected the city. Unbeknownst to him, Bishop sees a man in a nearby car who threatens him. Travis gets a call from one of his mentors, Randall Lovikov, who had been attacked by the same men. He tells him that the men are from the mafia, and that Travis is the target. He tries to tell him who is trying to destroy the city before the line is cut and Lovikov is killed. Travis brandishes his katana as the gang members approach his motel room. He breaks out of the front door, killing many of them. He meets the Quintet, a group of five hitmen. Travis is surprised to see a look-alike of himself, dressed in blue and wielding an identical katana. Travis quickly decapitates him, and watches as nearby buildings and his statue are leveled by explosives. One of the hitmen tells him that Travis is the one who started this war by killing. He chases after their car, but they retreat past a large gate which Travis is unable to cut through.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

On a snowy night in Santa Destroy, Travis was called to the roof of a building by Skelter Helter, the brother of his first victim. They fight, and Travis decapitates him, making his head fly through the air and land back on his neck. Sylvia arrives on a helicopter, telling Travis that he is now ranked 51st in the UAA's new rankings. Travis refuses to continue, but agrees when Sylvia entices him with the prospect of sex once again. Skelter Helter's re-attached head says that his fight was only part of his plan, and warned him that he'd be burdened with another's death, before killing himself. Back in his motel room, Travis finds Bishop's severed head in a bag, which was thrown through his window. He meets with Sylvia, swearing revenge. She reveals that the one behind Bishop's death is Jasper Batt Jr., the number one assassin. She directs him to his next fight with the 50th ranked assassin, Nathan Copeland.

Travis continues fighting assassins to climb the ranks. Notably he fights a rabid fangirl, Kimmy Howell, who he spares and asks to return after she's older. Travis meets Sylvia at the UAA office, who organizes a battle royale with multiple fighters, which can bring Travis to Rank 10. He reaches the basement of Destroy Stadium, where he finds the other participants wiped out by Dr. Letz Shake, who has captured Henry. After the battle, Travis is reunited with Shinobu, who returned from training overseas in Asia to assist Travis, and has already killed two of the top ten. Shinobu now views Travis as her Master, and has developed romantic feelings for him. She tries to make an advance at him, but he rejects her because of the situation making him feel creepy, making her leave saddened.

After defeating Rank 7, Ryuji, Travis tries to spare him, but he is gunned down by Sylvia, who reminds him that the fights are not a sport and killing his opponents is necessary. Henry, who had been in a catatonic state in Travis's motel, finally wakes up, returning the favor to Travis by defeating three more assassins. Travis receives a message from Henry telling him not to let himself get killed so they can finish their fight. Travis meets Sylvia again, who reminds him of her ending his fight with Henry, and that she and Henry are now divorced. Travis tells her that assassins aren't tools, and that once he is at the top again, the ranking fights will be over. After Travis kills Rank 2, Alice Twilight, he snaps at Sylvia, telling her assassins are alive, and that he's tearing down the UAA. A short time later, Sylvia appears outside of his room, and they have sex.

Travis finally confronts Jasper Batt Jr. in his penthouse office, learning that he is the relative of some of Travis's previous routine victims. Jasper reveals the severed heads of Shinobu, Henry, and Sylvia, and they begin fighting. However this is revealed to be a trick when Henry himself arrives to assist him. Jasper eventually takes on a gigantic parade balloon final form, after which Henry leaves the fight to him. Travis climbs the balloon and cuts it in half, killing Jasper. As he falls from the building he is caught by Sylvia on her motorcycle, who drops him off outside the motel and disappears.

Years later, Travis locates Sylvia working at the Heaven's Smile brothel, and begins anonymously visiting her through one of the brothel's peep show rooms. These meetings are shown throughout the game, as she recounts the story's events to him. On his final visit, Travis reveals himself to Sylvia, and she agrees to return to Santa Destroy with him.

Kurayami Dance

A man appearing similar to Travis briefly cameos in Chapter 3: Let Me Kiss You, seen in the crowd arriving in Kingdom Kurogane.

He appears again in Chapter 13: Revenger. While looking for Kaido Wataru, Nekoda and Baba search for an assassin he'd been introduced to in "The Promised Land". This turns out to be Travis' trailer, as seen in Travis Strikes Again. The two find Travis with his back turned and playing video games, mirroring the events of the first Travis Strikes Again trailer. Nekoda and Baba decide against fighting Travis. He remarks that Wataru has already become "a demon of revenge".

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case

In the #07 black out ending, "Kill Aoyama and Akama simultaneously", Uehara is sent to meet "Mr. TD". The events detailed in this ending closely mirror the plot of Travis Strikes Back, where Travis and Uehara gather the Death Balls.

Travis Strikes Again

Years after No More Heroes 2, Travis and Sylvia got married and had twin children, Jeane Touchdown and Hunter Touchdown. To avoid attempts on his family's life, Travis had them go on the run while he secluded himself in the Texas wilderness, where he spends his time playing video games. Eventually Travis was located by Badman, the father of one of his previous opponents, Bad Girl. Badman came to Travis's trailer in the woods, and attempted to take revenge. During their fight, Travis's Death Drive Mark II video game console reacted to the presence of Badman's Death Ball, sucking them both into the video game stored on it. Inside, they learn from an AI, Death & Drive, that the console and games were created by Dr. Juvenile. According to an urban legend, completing all six Death Balls will grant the player one wish. Travis and Badman agree to locate all six and resurrect Bad Girl.

Travis's journey to collect the Death Balls is shown through visual novel chapters in Travis Strikes Back. There he meets Kamui Uehara, who uses his powers of observation to guide him to each Death Ball. Travis travels across the world with his cat Jeane (who is now able to talk) and meets a series of characters, including some from other Grasshopper Manufacture games, many of whom have some connection to Dr. Juvenile, learning bits of her past. Eventually Travis meets Damon Riccitiello, CEO of the Utopinia corporation, and demands him to hand over the Death Ball for Serious Moonlight. Damon had previously worked with Juvenile on the game; He explains that he repeatedly clashed with Juvenile during development, ending with an incident where he beat her to the point of unconsciousness. In retaliation Travis beat Damon and took the Death Ball, making him swear revenge. Later Travis is contacted by Kamui, who shows him a video of people being held hostage, and asks him to fight. Travis fights a series of assassins and then Kamui, but refuses to kill him. Travis and Kamui visit the legendary Death Ball technician Frank, and obtain the final Death Ball. With Kamui's job complete, he and Travis part ways.

As Travis clears each game he learns more about Juvenile's life through a series of faxes sent to him by her lover Klark, telling him that completing all six Death Balls will awaken the Death Drive Triple-A underneath CIA headquarters, allowing the government to create an army of clone soldiers using the DNA of Death Drive players. Klark initially warns Travis against completing the stages, but eventually asks him to defeat Juvenile, who has infiltrated the facility with plans to destroy the United States. In each Death Ball stage, Travis reflects on the story of the characters which often mirror his own life; such as fighting his childhood hero Electro Triple Star, or seeing himself in the serial killer Mr. Doppelganger. Travis and Badman clear every Death Ball, but one of the games — Killer Marathon — turns out to be incomplete, causing Bad Girl to resurrect in the form of a dog. Using the final prototype Death Ball he received from Kamui, Travis is then transported to the CIA facility. There he finds Dr. Juvenile, who has taken the form of White Sheepman. After defeating her, he connects himself to the DDAAA and is is transported through a cloned body to Mars to meet John Winter, Juvenile's father and the creator of the original Death Drive. Winter offers Travis a chance to live on Mars, but Travis refuses, realizing he can't abandon his past. Winter decapitates Travis to send him back to Earth.

Back on Earth, Travis is reunited with Shinobu, who asks him to come out of hiding. In the final Travis Strikes Back chapter, #7: On the Eve of War, Travis is confronted by Henry, who has become the leader of a cult known as the Order of the Emerald Knight and wishes to stop Travis. He and Shinobu lead Henry's goons to her dojo in Skid Row, where Travis's presence attracts two alien invaders, Mr. Blackhole and Mr. Wormhole, a wrestler/superhero named Notorious, and finally Death & Drive, who have combined into a new entity named DeaDri intent on killing Travis. DeaDri becomes giant and threatens the city, but gives up after Travis defeats him in Fire Pro Wrestling, agreeing to go back into the console. DeaDri gives Travis a hint to the location of the final Death Ball, which leads him back to his estranged family. Travis speaks with Jeane, who has become a V-Tuber, and is reunited with Sylvia, who tells Travis that she wants them to come out of hiding, despite the danger. She directs him to fight Death Metal Jr., and he obtains the completed Killer Marathon Death Ball. After clearing the final game and defeating its boss Silver Face, Bad Girl is properly resurrected.

No More Heroes III

By 2021, Travis returned to Motel NO MORE HEROES, living there alongside Shinobu and Bad Girl. The motel now housed an underground lab home to the consciousness of Dr. Juvenile, and her older sister Dr. Naomi, now taking the form of a tree. Travis witnesses the alien invasion of Earth, led by Jess Baptiste VI, aka FU, a space prince and old friend of Damon. Travis boards one of the floating UFOs, and kills the alien Mr. Blackhole. Sylvia arrives and informs Travis that he has become Rank 10 in the Galactic Superhero Ranking, and once again promises sex if he reaches the top. Travis attempts to ask her about the kids, but she ignores him and sky-dives off the ship.

Back at the motel, FU attacks as revenge, incapacitating Travis, severely injuring Shinobu, and killing Badman. Travis wakes up in the lab, and is told by Juvenile that Shinobu will recover, but is still comatose and without both of her arms. Travis also finds a distraught Bad Girl, unresponsive after the death of her father. Travis calls Sylvia and agrees to ascend the ranks to defeat FU. Travis meets Sylvia after each battle and tries to ask her about the kids each time, but is always cut off by her departure. Rank 8, Black Night Direction, is killed by a mysterious time traveler named Silent Dancer, who refers to Travis as his grandfather. Travis is invited to a concert to fight Rank 7, Vanishing Point, who is killed by Travis's former fan Kimmy Howell, now the popstar Kimmy Love. Travis kills her in the battle, and expresses regret to Sylvia, who reminds him of his killing past and that the strong survive. Later Travis meets Rank 5, the mysterious Midori Midorikawa. At the end of their battle he is prevented from killing her by the return of Kamui, who is revealed to be her boyfriend. During the fight with Rank 4, Sniping Lee, Travis expects Henry to arrive and steal the kill, but Lee is instead killed by Notorious, who introduces himself to Travis. Travis thanks him but points out that defeating the invaders is his job, but asks Notorious to take over for him if he is killed. Immediately after this, Destroyman returns as a series of mass-produced robotic bodies, and is defeated by Travis. After defeating Rank 3, Sonic Juice, he spares him, but he is instead killed by FU. They nearly fight, but are stopped by Sylvia who reminds FU that it will break the rules.

Back at the motel, Travis is confronted by Henry, who has undergone a drastic change in appearance and personality. Henry reminds him of their childhood and attempted escape from their father, and the two duel. Travis cuts Henry in half, and then slices his still-living torso into pieces. Henry is shown to be still alive in another body nearby. Later, Henry and his knights confront Travis in the bathroom, killing and decapitating him. Travis awakens inside the world of one of his childhood games, Deathman. He shares a drink with Deathman, who sends him back to the real world. Travis returns to life and wakes up in a coffin, and is saved by his filmmaking idol Takashi Miike, who he asks to make a No More Heroes movie. Travis prepares for the final battle with FU, joined by his allies throughout the game, including a recovered Shinobu and Bad Girl. He arrives at the top of Damon Tower and fights FU, who is defeated with the help of his friends and reverted to a child form. FU makes an escape in a space ship, but is killed by Damon, who revealed it was his plan all along. Travis remembers Damon as the one who pushed Juvenile out, and the two engage in a battle using giant mechs. Eventually separated from the mechs, Travis and Damon arrive at the edge of space, and have a final battle where Damon is killed.

Later, Travis and the others attend Badman's funeral, which is interrupted by the arrival of FU's father, King Jess Baptiste V. He claims to be making peace, but after Travis dismisses him, he declares war on Earth. The King is quickly dispatched by Jeane and Hunter, who arrive from the future. They reveal that Silent Dancer is Travis's grandson Scott, and that in the future Travis was killed by Henry, who teamed up with aliens to take over the world. As Travis reacted in disbelief, Sylvia told him his next opponent awaited, and announced the upcoming "family war".

The Outer Rim

A far future version of Travis appears in audio skits before "N.M.H. The Outer Rim Remix" and "IYOGIN" on The Outer Rim album, depicted alongside Sylvia Christel in an astronaut suit. 120 years after their marriage and 76 years after taking a shuttle into outer space, Travis and Sylvia have apparently both achieved immortality. Travis presents Sylvia with a music box found on a crater as a birthday gift, and N.M.H. begins. The song closes with Sylvia naming the miniature band inside the music box "The Outer Rim". In the skit before "IYOGIN", Travis and Sylvia discuss a dream Travis had in his sleep the previous night regarding his time in Tokyo. Sylvia replied that the men in black who closed the record shop were part of the UAA, although this claim makes little sense.

Official profiles

Travis Touchdown Born and raised in Santa Destroy. 27 years old. A Japanese anime otaku, he's also a fan of pro-wrestling and fighting moves. Uses his own brand of sword and physical skills to work as an assassin. (No More Heroes: Trading Card No. 130 profile)

Travis Touchdown The guy who battled his way up through the rankings of the United Assassins Association to #1. A dyed-in-the-wool otaku. Extremely well-versed in pro wrestling, movies, and Japanese anime. (Travis Strikes Again site profile)

Travis Touchdown Our hero. The legendary assassin who once boasted the title of #1 Assassin in the US. After ten years of wandering the land, he has returned to his hometown of Santa Destroy. (No More Heroes III site profile)

Trivia

• Travis is inspired by Jackass' Johnny Knoxville and UFC fighter Josh Barnett.
• Many parallels exist between Travis and the protagonist of Suda51's favorite film, Paris, Texas, who is also named Travis: Travis Touchdown's son is also named Hunter, and the film's peepshow booth scene is referenced in No More Heroes 2.
• Travis' favorite porn is bukkake. Suda51 had previously stated that Travis lost his virginity to Sylvia Christel; however, he later contradicted this, saying that Travis lost his virginity to a friend's mom after getting fucked up at a party.
  • This is, bizarrely, supported by a photograph Travis owns in No More Heroes 2 and III of a woman under which is written "Billy's Mom". Any further information on Billy or his mother is currently unknown.
• Travis keeps a photograph of Jeane beside his answering machine through No More Heroes. In No More Heroes 2, the photo remains, but Jeane's face is scribbled out with pen.
• A picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an image of the Virgin Mary typically associated with Mexican Catholicism, can be seen on Travis' bedside table (behind a stack of porn magazines).
• Travis is said to have trained in the Hart Dungeon, which was a real pro-wrestling school located in Calgary, Alberta.

Appearances

• No More Heroes
• The Outer Rim
• No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
• No More Heroes 1.5
• Erotica Comic
• Kurayami Dance (unnamed)
• The 25th Ward: The Silver Case (remake, black out only)
• LET IT DIE (decal, mentioned through imposters)
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
• Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Mii costume/spirit only)
• No More Heroes III

Gallery

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  Travis in No More Heroes
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  Travis in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
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  Travis in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
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  Travis in No More Heroes III