The Japanese bullet train was always bound to be a competitor in the world championship in Control's bedroom. Starting lfe as Hashamoto, and keeping the name worldwide, his name only came to be changed at the 1993 London re-vamp. Perhaps kids would automatically associate Nintendo with a Japanese train better than an unfamiliar japanese name? Doesn't make sense to me, but then little of the changes made to StEx over the years do make sense.

Hashamoto's costume was always a bright golden yellow in London, and early US productions, but he was changed to blue for the Japan/Australia tours and Bochum.