- "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 (also known as ヨクバ Yokuba), previously known as Locria before joining the Pigmask Army, is a recurring character and the tertiary antagonist of 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 to buy his pigs from him. He later bumps into Duster in Chapter 2 while on the way to steal the money he gave to Butch as part of their deal.
Fassad takes a larger role in Chapter 3, appearing 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 failing at his tasks, and even 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. Discovering that the Egg of Light was was taken by Duster, Wess and Kumatora, Fassad chases after the party, and commands Salsa to pull a lever that, instead of getting him closer to the party, ends up saving them.
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 his Luxury Bananas 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, which would make 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, leaving him to effectively pull the party's combined weight.
Fassad can use a standard attack, bum rush foes for at least moderate damage, and rarely throws a bomb that deals massive damage. If Salsa has any status ailments, he will cure them by activating the Punishizer, which restores Salsa to normal at the cost of 1 HP.
On occasion, Fassad will waste his turn by performing various (and often comedic) actions; some of the more cowardly ones are borrowed from Pokey's first appearance in EarthBound. The full list includes:
- switching the Punishizer 'on';
- peeling or talking to a banana;
- hiding in Salsa's shadow;
- thinking wicked thoughts or thinking about Western-style clothing;
- twirling his moustache;
- pushing Salsa out in front of him;
- laying down and resting;
- feeling cheered up, thanks to his banana;
- try to run away by himself;
- feeling irritated; and
- feigning ignorance or pretending to be someone else.
As an Enemy (New/Miracle Fassad)
After his preservation as a mechanical chimera, Fassad battles Lucas and co. on two occasions in the game. In both battles, his abilities are largely the same: he can charge a single party member, attack three at once with an off-key music attack, or throw a whole bunch of bombs at everyone. He can also emit a dazzling light to make everyone cry, and he can even emit an intense light that causes one party member to faint instantly. He can use an awful smell, Forgetfulness Gas, and flea bombs to inflict nausea, forgetfulness, and fleas, respectively. He can defend himself with a Shield device, and he can scarf down a Luxury Banana to heal 500-600 HP (far more than Lucas and co. can heal from the same item). He smiles boldly on occasion.
As Miracle Fassad, his heart fills with hatred after his horns break off, and he reveals his true power: a deadly array of PSI attacks, including PK Freeze Ω, PK Thunder Ω, Brainshock Ω, Offense Down Ω, and PSI Shield α. But his most dangerous attack by far is the rare and destructive PK Starstorm.
Secret identity as the lost Magypsy, Locria
Although it is never explicitly stated, the game contains substantial evidence proving 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 Magypsies' homes. Later, when he is fought in the New Pork City sewers as the even further redesigned "Miracle Fassad", he uses PSI abilities (including the elusive PK Starstorm) which, in the age of Mother 3, are generally limited to use by Magypsies and their disciples.
When Lucas and his party reach Leder in New Pork City, he states that Locria had betrayed the Magypsies 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.
The biggest cache of evidence is found in Locria's house, which is on one of the highest floors of the Empire Porky Building in New Pork City. The house contains a turban and vest worn by Fassad, numerous crates of Luxury Bananas, and a pair of New Fassad's horns. 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.
Fassad's status as a Magypsy was eventually confirmed by Shigesato Itoi.
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.
