The Tokushi Hellhound is a Limited Edition avatar that uses some parts from other avatars, but includes a multitude of other tweaks and additions to create a wholly new character. Available shortly after Halloween 2009, this avatar is only available for a 1-2 month period of time.

Out of the Box:

• Animated Blink with random eye movement (eyelids will close when avatar is away)
• Ability to manually move the eye position
• 7 eyebrow modes
• 3 ear positions with twitch and afk detect (ears fold back when your avatar is away)
• 4 muzzle modes with a tongue in and out option
  • Muzzle Talking Function
• 5 independent hand poses with the option to set to auto (this will cycle between the different poses excluding the point and flip off poses)
• Optional Head type with animated Jaw and particle eyes.

Build and Skin:

Released for Halloween, and being a Limited Time avatar, the Tokushi Hellhound offers only one colour/patterning, but with the usual level of texture quality that makes the lone choice worthwhile. The overall build style and textures give the impression of a kind of canine of hellish proportions, the orange-black theme reminiscent of Halloween. The avatar comes with unique patterns across the front and the back of the body as well as the face. To add to the spirit of the avatar, the body is covered with gashes where the fur has been pulled out, and even the occasional bloody scratch here and there. As most of the avatar is black, it is easy to lose detail and look like a black hole on the screen. Fortunately, the Hell Hound has sufficient shading and highlights to ensure this does not happen except when the user is in a fairly dark environment. The following photo best shows the textures on the body.

The feet are simple and fairly large, with 4 thick, curled toes tipped with extra-big, jet black claws. The toe-tips are highlighted with orange, and so is the pattern that extends from behind the foot to the digitigrade leg. The usage of orange to highlight fluff on the avatar makes it more noticeable against the darkness of the avatar. The leg thins from a large foot to relatively smaller digitigrade leg which merges very well with the avatar shape. The hand-paw attachments are very hand-like, with long dangly fingers that end with bulbous tips. The hands and feet are very similar to that of the Tokushi Jackal and Anubis, but the exaggerated quality of these attachments help to add to the under-worldly quality of the avatar. On the hands, we even see ‘scratches’ on the back, just like we do on the body skin.

The tail is one of the most otherworldly looking parts of the avatar, with a limp-furred base, a thin middle, and floppy haired end. Near the base of the tail we see three spikes that give way to an external spinal column on the back of the avatar. The external spinal column is detailed and rests neatly against the body shape; modification of the shape too much will require that the user edit the spinal cord. Of course, one can move around without wearing the exterior spine; under the spine is a very detailed texture on the back which includes the bloodiest gash you’ll find on this avatar’s body.

Just before we start on the head; the avatar has a mane of fur around the base of the neck; something that we see becoming more and more of an option on Tokushi avatars. This avatar comes with two completely different heads that the user can use, so we’ll focus on what remains the same between either head. The two areas that remain the same are the large curling horns that are reminiscent of a bighorn Ram’s. Adding horns to a creature often adds a hell-ish appeal, as do the long tufted ears with sharp indentations in them.

The Default head at the first glance is mostly the Tokushi Jackal head, but with a number of modifications that make it a wholly unique, new face. For one, the eyes are a lot smaller and more oval; and instead of having pupils, they are replaced with an eerie demonic red eye. There has been an addition of large fangs hanging over the bottom lip, and the colours and patterns on the head also set it apart from the Jackal. In addition to the alternation of orange and black, there seems to be little flames textured over the top lip reaching towards the eyes and bridge of the muzzle, and a series over the eyes. Additionally, there is a large quantity of gashes on the muzzle; particularly a bloody scar on the left side of the muzzle, and a bloody nose. Either way, it is plain to see that this representation of a Hell Hound has had many a scuffle not without a damaging toll on the body.

The alternative head is a completely based of bone. That is, there is not an ounce of flesh on this head; the flesh being non-existent save for the ears, and all that’s left other than bone is a brightly glowing red eye. The eyes are extremely neat, but as they use particle emitters, when the user walks, you get a particle stream that may please some more than others. The skull version of the head offers a deathly grinning face that looks decidedly more creepy and potentially malevolent to its fleshy counterpart. The textures on the skull and associated jaw are very well done, capturing the shading of aged bone very well, as well as including a number of gruesome fractures in various places.

Heads-Up Display and Features:

The Hellhound’s HUD is the control center for the avatar, but Tokushi also offers users the choice of changing settings by using text commands which are featured in an accompanying notecard. As a whole, feature-wise, there is not as many features as some other avatars include, but it effectively offers the basics to allow changes to the most-utilised settings. Here is the breakdown:

• Head: Eyelid State, Eyebrow Expression, Eye Rotation, Toggle Eye Blink, Toggle Eye Movement
• Hands: Choose from 5 Hand expressions, Toggle Auto-Pose
• Ears: Position, Toggle Twitch
• Mouth: Muzzle Expressions, Toggle Open/Close, Toggle Tongue In/Out

Customisation:

The avatar is copiable-modifiable, and as such, users should not have any problems customising. The shape of the head is a little longer than it is wide, so applying your own hair may be difficult. Additionally, the ability to change the eye colour may have been a good addition, though not entirely necessary.

Conclusion:

The Hell Hound is a worthy interpretation of what a Hellish Canine could be. The finished creature is a well-imagined product that is befitting the Halloween atmosphere for which it was launched. I have seen and heard of some comparison with the Pokemon Houndoom, but it is clearly not the place of this reviewer to make any judgments on such. Either way, scuffled up, bone-headed, or just plain bloodied, the Limited Edition Tokushi Hell Hound makes for a fun and unique experience, and a reminder of the 2009 Halloween Season.