Ashra

Not to be confused with Asha, the female protagonist of Monster World IV/Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World

Ashra is the main antagonist of Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle.

Appearance
Ashra is a six armed, two legged muscular humanoid feline looking creature wearing a green leafy loin cloth, a mask similar to Janken the Great which allows his blue eyes to appear glowing and without pupils and a turban with a gem in the middle of it. He has sharp teeth, and his arms are always outstretched in either a rock, paper or scissors motion showcasing his

His in-game artwork colors his fur bright orange and his turban is white, however his official artwork depicts his fur as white with a burgandy turban.

His appearance on the western box art changes him from his feline like face to a six armed gorilla looking man wearing nothing but white underwear and a pair of sunglasses. He retains his six arms however.

History
Ashra was the son of Janken the Great and the prince of Planet Paper-Rock. When his father invaded Planet Aries, Ashra was left behind to keep Planet Paper-Rock under control.

During this time, Ashra introduced a new form of Janken, the popular game that people staked their lives on, Yakyūken, in which the loser would lose an item of clothing. This became popular with his citizens and soon it was even the basis of bartering in shops.

At some point during Janken's invasion, King Thunder came to Planet Paper-Rock, and took up residence in Sky Castle, somehow convincing Ashra to act as his servant in the meantime, whilst his civilians were being turned to stone by Janken the Great.

Back on Planet Aries, King Thunder's long lost son Alex Kidd appeared, defeating the Janken Army, freeing King Thunder's other son, Prince Egle and his fiancee Princess Lora, and returning King Thunder's wife and Alex and Egle's mother, Queen Patricia to the throne. In King Thunder's absence, Prince Egle became the ruling king.

Alex overhears that King Thunder is on Planet Paper-Rock, and fearing that his father has met a similar fate to his brother and been kidnapped, he sets out to the planet to find his father. Here he is challenged by many to Rock-Paper-Scissors matches but emerges the victor every time. Ashra, having never lost a game of Janken, challenges Alex, believing he will emerge victorious.

Alex manages to beat him in regular Rock-Paper-Scissors. Ashra refuses to admit defeat after losing the game, accusing Alex Kidd of cheating and begins to physically attack him, firing his many fists off his body like rockets before regrowing replacement ones. Alex, who is a trained martial artist defeats Ashra in combat, Ashra having exhausted his limb regrowth and left with just a pair regular smaller arms. He runs off accusing Alex of being mean and that he wants his mummy, running into the next room.

When Alex follows Ashra, he spots his father sitting comfortably on a throne, asking what Alex thinks of Planet Paper-Rock. Alex is stunned and confused, as King Thunder tells Ashra to be good from now on. Ashra meekly responds saying he's learnt his lesson. Alex is confused, but King Thunder seems to be happy, using Ashra as a servant and enjoying his new life.

Alex informs his other family members of King Thunder's safety and new life. Ashra, having agreed to be 'good' from here on, forms an alliance with Planet Aries, allowing the two planets to make amends and become 'friends'.

Trivia

 * Yakyūken, the form of Janken that Ashra made popular is a real life game in Japan, known as Baseball Fist. By the 1950s it had become commonly associated as a strip version of Janken.
 * Ashra making the game popular on his world explains why the Japanese version of the game involves Alex Kidd losing his clothes if he loses a match, although the western versions simply have him crushed by a weight.
 * Ashra, having never lost a game of Yakyyūken likely wears so little clothing as way of showcasing his confidence in his skills.
 * It is unknown if Ashra was ever actually an official member of the Janken Army despite his father being it's leader.
 * Ashra's ability to launch his limbs off is similar to Gooseka, Chokkina and Parpalin's ability to shoot their heads off(all of which look like hands).
 * Ashra is the only boss in Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle to need to be beaten by Alex Kidd in a best of three Janken battle, and the only one to challenge him to a more traditional boss fight.
 * An easy way to win the proceeding Ashra fight is to duck and use the Power Bracelet to slow Ashra's attacks down and hit him from afar.