- "Look out! Don't fall for New Fassad's new facade! He's bigger and badder than ever!"
- — Battle Memory (New Fassad)
- "Miraculously enough, Fassad has attained an even more powerful form. He may look funny, but he means serious business."
- — Battle Memory (Miracle Fassad)
- "OH MY PORK!! What is a baby Drago doing here?! You! Baby Drago! Get outta here!"
- — Fassad
Fassad Yokuba (ヨクバ Yokuba), or Locria (as he was known before he joined the Pigmask Army), is a recurring character in Mother 3.
In his life as Locria, one of the seven Magypsies, he once guarded the final needle that needed to be pulled in order to awaken the Dark Dragon. Unknown as to where Locria was, according to Ionia and the other Magypsies, they seem to never hear from Locria or feel his presence. The reason behind this is his betrayal of the Magypsies when he joined the Pigmask Army, where he became one of the top commanders.
Duties and a Life as a Pigmask Commander
Fassad is first seen in Chapter 1, making a rather small cameo. After Flint is released from jail, the player can go to Butch's farm, and see Fassad making a deal with Butch, which serves as foreshadowing for Chapter 3. He also makes another small cameo in Chapter 2, where he bumps into Duster and steals the money he gave to Butch. Fassad takes a larger role in Chapter 3, in where he is seen in Death Desert, along with Salsa the monkey. He is there under the orders of the Pigmask Army to sell Happy Boxes to the people of Tazmily Village. Fassad constantly tortures Salsa with the shock collar around his neck for both failing at his tasks, and for succeeding at them.
After making Salsa hand-deliver Happy Boxes to four people, he goes to Osohe Castle to see what all the commotion is about. It turns out that the Egg of Light, the item that Wess told Duster to look for, was taken by Duster, Wess and Kumatora. Fassad chases after the party, and pulls a lever that, instead of getting him closer to the party, ends up saving the party.
He reappears later at Thunder Tower after the Pork Trooper reveals that Lucas isn't really the Masked Man. Fassad, along with some other Pigmasks, chases the party to the top of the tower. After walking about while talking to the party, his habit of carelessly discarding the peels of the Luxury Bananas he eats leads to his downfall, when he slips over a tossed banana peel and tumbles from Thunder Tower's summit.
Although it seems that he is dead, this is disproved when the party is about to pull the fourth needle at Fire Mountain, and Fassad and his Interpreter appear. Fassad needs his Interpreter because, after the Pigmask Army resurrected him as a cyborg, he had horns implanted where his mouth was. The party defeats him and he retreats. He returns for the last time in the sewers of New Pork City as Miracle Fassad, with even more horns (including two that function similar to his jetpack as New Fassad). After being defeated, he goes on to say that he is sick of fighting, and that this is all just Porky's game. Shortly afterwards he explodes and he falls into the sewers, never to rise again. His fate may have been the same as the other Magypsies since he was meant to guard the final needle. His Interpreter then tells Lucas and co. not to follow it since it is not needed anymore, and flies away; the Interpreter cannot be found again.
Since his memento (the Razor and Lipstick) can be obtained in Locria's Level before the pulling of Locria's Needle, unlike the other Magypsies, it is implied that he vanished after his second defeat, making Fassad the only Magypsy to not disappear after the pulling of their Needle.
Special Attacks as a Party Member
Fassad has his own arsenal of attacks at his disposal. Although he is not a playable character, he is a powerful party member. Since Salsa is at level 1 in Chapter 3 when he is first playable, his attacks are significantly weaker than those of Fassad for many levels.
While active in-party, Fassad has several standard damage-dealing attacks, similar to Wess and Alec.
- Activate the Punishizer -- Alleviates all of Salsa's Status Ailments, and does 1 HP of damage.
- Attack! -- Standard and most frequently used attack.
- Bum Rush -- A fairly powerful attack that can deal moderate to maximum damage, depending on an enemy.
- Throw a Bomb -- Fassad's strongest attack. While rare, this attack deals significant damage and is similar to Wess's Secret Thief Arts, and the powers of a Sprinting Bomb and Pencil Rocket.
On occasion, Fassad will waste his turn, just like Pokey when he was in Ness's party in EarthBound, and just like any other non-playable party member.
- Switch 'On' on the Punishizer-- No effect
- 'Peels' a Banana -- No effect.
- Hide in Salsa's Shadow -- Comedic, yet no effect.
- Talks to a banana -- Comedic, yet no effect.
- Thinks About Western-Style Clothing-- Comedic, yet no effect.
- Thinks Wicked Thoughts-- No effect.
- Is twirling his moustache -- No effect.
- Pushed Salsa out in front of him -- Comedic, yet no effect.
- Laid down and is resting -- No effect.
- Feels cheered up, thanks to his banana -- No effect.
- Is trying to run away by himself -- Comedic, yet no effect.
- Is irritated -- No effect.
- Is feigning ignorance -- No effect.
- Is pretending to be someone else -- Comedic, yet no effect.
Secret identity as the lost Magypsy, Locria
Although it is never explicitly stated, there is substantial evidence found in game that proves beyond reasonable doubt that Fassad is the lost Magypsy Locria. The earliest example is in Fire Mountain, where the newly rebuilt cyborg ambushes Lucas and friends. The trumpets that sound in place of his own voice play a distorted version of the background music heard in the Magypsy's homes. Later, when he is fought in the New Pork City sewers as the even further redesigned "Miracle Fassad", he uses PSI abilities (including any ability from PK Freeze to PK Thunder, and even PK Starstorm on occasion) which, in the age of Mother 3, are generally limited to use by Magypsies and their pupils.
When Lucas and his party reach Leder in New Pork City, he states that Locria had betrayed the Magypies and joined the Pigmask Army. Fassad would fit under this description, as he does affiliate with them and is of high authority to the army.
In one of the highest floors of the Empire Pork Building in New Pork City, Locria's house is discovered along with numerous crates of Luxury Bananas, a favorite of Fassad's. The same turban and a vest donned by Fassad rest on the bed, and a pair of New Fassad's horns are also lain at the back of the house. On the same floor is a lone mouse counting on Locria to return to the house, as it was apparently taken care of by Locria. The mouse also reinforces Fassad's identity as a Magypsy by attesting that Locria had a distinct "Nwehehehehe" laugh and that he was hardly seen as a good person by most.
It was eventually confirmed by Shigesato Itoi that he is a magypsy.
Trivia
- He is selectable as a party member in the Debug Room, despite not being a permanent party member, or even a normal playable character.
Fassad and Salsa's renders from Earthbound 64.
- His localized name is a pun in two different languages. The first uses the Arabic word fassad which can mean both "corruption" and "to take [something] by force". The second uses the French word façade, the literal translation of which is "face," though it is used in English to refer to a superficial appearance or manner. The original Japanese name "Yokuba" is itself a pun on the word 'yokubari' (欲張り), a word describing avarice or greediness.
- The Locrian mode, the scale that Locria is named after, has a tritone as the tonic chord rather than a perfect fifth like the other modes. The tritone is also known as the 'Diabolus in Musica', a Latin phrase meaning 'Devil in Music', in reference to its dissonant tone. This is likely the reason that the name Locria was chosen for the 'dissonant' Magypsy.
- There is a possibility that Fassad knew how to do the Osohe Dance that Salsa had to do, as he seemed reluctant to zap Salsa when Salsa begins to dance correctly. Further evidence supporting this theory is that when they reach the door and Salsa dances wrong he will seem reluctant at first, spin, then shock Salsa while saying "You sure you're doing the dance right?".
- When Fassad first appears as New Fassad, his nose, left eye and both of his legs were replaced by cybernetics. After becoming Miracle Fassad, he seems to have both of his arms being replaced by some mechanical device, seemingly gained a second pair of legs and gained nine more trumpets in addition to the two he gained from his first appearance (though these additions are ephemeral and break off after he takes enough damage.
- In Tanetane Island, the sludge that appears to be a Hot Spring under the influence of Hallucination Mushrooms will occasionally have the Old Man relaxing in it: because of the effects of the mushrooms, he appears as Fassad.
Fassad in the hot spring, when spoken to.
- In Earthbound 64, Fassad's hat and coat is green, as well as a feather on his hat and even a yellow shirt with a different face.
