Articles by Antoni Matteo Garcia

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and fighting video game fans. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do. Today, I will be talking about the seven countries that correspond to Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran and the martial arts from each of their respectively chosen countries.   It has been said that martial arts are one of the most integral components of world culture since forever. Fighting styles from all around the world have practitioners demonstrating the moves as well as the whys and ways of how they are done. One principle unites the world’s various martial arts which is the importance of mind, hands, feet, arms, legs, head, and soul being used to defend oneself from infiltrators. If the objective is being involved in unarmed combat, a fighter’s primary weapons would be their fists, feet, knees, elbows, head, arms, legs, and shins all powered by leverage, timing, precision, and balance regardless of punching, kicking, striking, grappling, and/or clinching.   Where Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran as martial artists are concerned, their corresponding countries would not only define the martial arts they do but also what type of fighters they are. Therefore, I will enlist their respective countries as well as the four martial arts that they would specialise in per country. Why four, you ask? Because it is a more manageable number and that it is easier to decipher how each martial art can define their signature attacks. With that said, let the international martial arts gatherings begin, complete with the breaking of wooden boards, cement bricks, ice blocks, and cement walls and, most of all, sparring demonstrations. Osu. Hajime.   Sesshoumaru: Japan Honour, integrity, respect, discipline, excellence, dedication, and tradition define Sesshoumaru’s martial arts code most especially in his native Japan. The need to perfect his techniques in punching, kicking, grappling, striking, takedowns, pressure points, and joint locks are second nature to him because of his staunch belief that complacency is his greatest enemy which he needs to conquer with open arms. Powerful moves aside, Sesshoumaru is a combatant who constantly observes proper dojo etiquette. Therefore, the dojo is home to him, as he treats it with dignity, respect, and honour, thus personifying martial arts ethics. Karate – From Shotokan to Kyokushin, his counterattacks and blows are well-exemplified in his jabs, knife-hand strikes, spear-hand strikes, and ox-jaw strikes. Kenpo – In both Nippon Kenpo and Shorinji Kenpo, he can launch paralysing thrust punches, ridge-hand strikes, spinning crescent kicks, and roundhouse kicks. Jujutsu – He would be more than happy to show his opponents a world of pain through his excruciating kneebars, armbars, small joint manipulations, and shoulder locks. Judo – The tatami is home to his leg wheels, foot sweeps, rear throws, and hip throws.   Shuran: The United States of America Abundance, liberty, confidence, equality, wealth, roughness, and exuberance may course through Shuran’s steel veins in the United States of America, but he is there to do combat against strong opponents and get well-acquainted with them, thus demonstrating his endurance and sportsmanship. He has worked hard on his piledrivers, chokeholds, Full Nelsons, camel clutches, Boston crabs, torture racks, and sleeper holds and does not want to return empty-handed. Even if Shuran does not win the gold belt, he would still be grateful that he got a chance to compete in American wrestling promotion companies such as WWE. Professional Wrestling – The likes of WWE and TNA would gladly get their hands on him because of his terrifying piledrivers, chokeslams, torture racks, and Boston crabs. Greco-Roman Wrestling – Marines and Air Force members alike would marvel at his bone-crushing bearhugs, backbreakers, rear naked chokes, and German suplexes. Collegiate Wrestling – He would be excited to take to the mat to introduce his opponents to his destructive overhooks, over-unders, collar ties, and overties. Freestyle Wrestling – He rules in leg trips, split legs, side circles, and underhooks.   Inuyasha: Brazil Fierceness, ferocity, determination, strength, toughness, power, and formidability all radiate within Inuyasha’s fighting prowess in Brazil. However, this is not a holiday for Inuyasha to go to the beaches, go sightseeing, get a tan, and relax. He is there to train and fight with the creme de la creme of martial artists as well as adamantly push himself to greater and stronger heights. Inuyasha has the uppercuts, Superman punches, ground-and-pounds, joint locks, hooks, low kicks, and fireman’s carries to prove his undying mettle. Every gym, dojo, and underground arena would be ecstatic to have him around as a superstar prize-fighter. Vale Tudo – All the Gracie Family members and all of UFC would embrace him thanks to his bloody ground-and-pounds, uppercuts, double axe handles, and hammer fists. Mixed Martial Arts – From Sao Paulo to Amazonas, he is going to show the folks how it is done with his brutal Superman punches, reverse punches, hooks, and low kicks. Luta Livre – He would make his opponents tremble and fall on their knees at his savage rear-naked chokes, palm strikes, cervical cranks, and spinal locks. Brazilian Jiujitsu – Armbars, omoplatas, gogoplatas, and Guillotines are his weapons.   Hakkaku: Thailand Shrewdness, courage, fortitude, self-respect, drive, grit, and high energy are injected in Hakkaku’s physical being in Thailand. Denizens of the jungles, temples, and ancient arenas would resound with a thunderous applause when he enters the scene endowed with honour and respect for everybody present. Hakkaku even represents the physical, mental, and psychological strengths found in training strong and well every day, especially seen in his shin kicks, headbutts, knee strikes, elbow strikes, spinning backfists, front kicks, and overhand punches. Gyms, arenas, and castles are always going to have their gates open for him. Muay Boran – Kings and princes would salute him for his vicious headbutts, horizontal elbow strikes, jumping knee strikes, and shin kicks. Muay Chaiya – Whether battles take place in a jungle or in a…

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and fighting video game fans. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do. Today, I will be focusing on the number one main martial art that Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran not only specialise in but also define them as combatants and as individuals.   I am sure that those of you who have trained in the martial arts would be fully aware that cross-training in different martial arts is a great thing. Nevertheless, there is always that key martial art that you not only first trained in as well as form the basis of what you specialise in but also correlate moves also rooted in the various other martial arts you train in. This boosts your repertoire in self-defence and possible attacks that can be launched towards your opponents. The one martial art you have is almost like your identity, so long as you do not forget about it even when you experiment in various other martial arts, and, as much as I hate sounding like a complete propagator, correlate what you have learned with that main martial art with the other martial art styles you continue to learn from.   When you are a septet of Yokai martial artists like Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran, you will understand that their respective main signature martial arts not only define what attack they can throw at their enemies but also how they define themselves through the chosen martial arts they have been specialising in when they were in their formative years. This is also true of the types of signature attacks, which I will limit to seven, they use to defend themselves and inflict as much excruciating damage to their foes as possible. In fact, each of their signature martial arts would be judged on how lethal they are. Thanks to watching videos by Jesse Enkamp, Rokas Leonavicius, Oliver Enkamp, Seth “Sensei Seth” Adams, Micah “Kwonkicker” Brock, and many other martial arts YouTubers I could barely name off the top of my head as well as researching on which martial arts and martial arts moves are deadly, I think I have found the number one best martial art that define each of the Splendid Seven members.   With that said, let us punch, kick, strike, grapple, hold, block, and charge into action with the number one main martial art Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialise in the most. Osu! Hajime!   Sesshoumaru: Shotokan Karate There is no doubt that Karate fits Sesshoumaru well thanks to his decorum, discipline, and valour as a warrior constantly striving for excellence which would make Gichin Funakoshi and Mas Oyama proud of him. Yes, he may also specialise in Kyokushin, Wado-Ryu, and Ashihara in terms of close-range combat, but he will always fall back on Shotokan because he has an advantage of speed, accuracy, timing, and power, especially when he breaks boards, bricks, ice blocks, and his opponents’ bones. Attacks to look out for are his spear-hand strikes, knife-hand strikes, jabs, ox-jaw strikes, low kicks, roundhouse kicks, and double leg takedowns.   Shuran: Professional Wrestling With a massively burly body size, toweringly imposing height, and an abundantly big personality, Shuran is Professional Wrestling incarnate to the point where Vince McMahon and Ric Flair would command the audience to cheer for this champion. He also uses techniques in Sambo, Luta Livre, and Vale Tudo to make his repertoire in Professional Wrestling gain in raw power, sheer strength, brutal aggressiveness, and deadly ferociousness, especially against stronger opponents. Attacks to look out for are his spinning piledrivers, German suplexes, bearhugs, camel clutches, Boston crabs, torture racks, and sleeper holds.   Inuyasha: Mixed Martial Arts Muscles of steel, lethal combat prowess, and fierce dedication are the components of what make Inuyasha a prodigious practitioner of Mixed Martial Arts as well as gain all of Carlos Gracie’s and Helio Gracie’s respect. With loads of experience in Pankration, Kapu Kuialua, and Shootfighting by Inuyasha’s side, his expertise in Mixed Martial Arts would put him above his opponents in terms of super strength, brute ferocity, explosive blows, and grand penchant for close-range combat. Attacks to look out for are his ground and pounds, Superman punches, uppercuts, double axe handles, triangle armbars, chokeholds, and soccer kicks.   Hakkaku: Muay Boran Rock-hard limbs, a metallic head, and loads of leverage propel Hakkaku’s skills in Muay Thai’s ancestor Muay Boran, thus honouring King Chulalongkorn and King Prajadhibok with all of his being. Where his specialties in its descendant Muay Thai, the Cambodian variant Pradal Serey, and the Philippine variant Panantukan are concerned, he uses attacks from them, but he always goes back to Muay Boran because it enables him to use every part of his body to launch various attacks from head to his insteps. Attacks to look out for are his headbutts, knee strikes, elbow strikes, shin kicks, front kicks, spinning backfists, and overhand punches.   Ginta: Lethwei When sterling stamina, explosive hands, and quick legs are well-combined, Ginta would inhabit the brutal power of Lethwei and would make it his zeal to be inspired by Kyar Ba Nyein and Kyaung Thar in terms of moves and moral codes. While he does use the disarming techniques in Pencak Silat, the strikes in Sanda, and all the fast attacks in Jeet Kune Do, he finds his way back to Lethwei thanks to how he incorporates using his body as a weapon to stun his opponents. Attacks to look out for are his thrust kicks, hammer fists, upward headbutts, cross punches, thrusting headbutts, elbow thrusts, and jumping knee strikes.   Ayame: Hapkido If furious fists, fleet feet, and strangulating submission holds were engendered into one combatant, it has to be Ayame embodying the strong spirit, explosive power, and gritty determination of Hapkido to the point where Choi Yong-sool and Seo Bok-Seob would salute her. Mixing…

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and fighting video game fans. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do. Today, I will be delving into the four chief martial arts Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialise in the most.   When you are a family of seven powerful Yokai warriors like Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran, you are guaranteed to live, breathe, and make the martial arts as well as the codes of siblinghood, cooperation, dedication, discipline, self-respect, respect, attitude, and confidence ways of life. When it comes to the martial arts these seven powerful Yokai warriors do, they do not limit themselves to one they do but acclimatise themselves with other ones they do and stick to them as greatly as they can. Therefore, out of the seven martial arts Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran do, I decided to go with four because they can be easily judged on how lethally deadly and mortally powerful each of them is, especially when these are practiced by these seven martial artists. Furthermore, these are the ones that truly define them not only based on their personalities and attitudes but also the fact that I have been immersing myself into martial arts documentaries, fighting games, anything and everything related to martial arts tournaments, and a whole bevy martial arts YouTube channels that I have been watching. With that said, let us get these bouts started with the four signature martial arts that define The Splendid Seven. Osu. Hajime.   Sesshoumaru: The Subduing Obliterator Experience, perseverance, discipline, and fortitude are the hallmarks which define Sesshoumaru as an honourable combatant. Fledgling fighters aspire to emulate his focused fortitude, and opponents would quake at their knees whenever they are faced with him. Sesshoumaru has a whole bunch of attacks available at his disposals such as his powerful jabs, his lightning-fast kicks, his overpowering submission holds, and his vicious takedowns. Even more worthy of his experience as a martial artist is how he observes proper dojo etiquette and makes his trademark routines of Kihon, Kata, and Kumite his way of life. Shotokan Karate – Spear-hand strikes, roundhouse kicks, and jabs are his specialties. Brazilian Jujitsu – Anybody who finds themselves fighting Sesshoumaru could attest that his submission holds, chokeholds, and arm bars are weapons of mass destruction. Judo – Whenever Sesshoumaru grabs his opponents by the collar, he would not hesitate to step up his takedowns, throws, and the occasional brutal strike to the body. Taekwondo – He revels in tornado kicks, axe kicks, straight punches, and elbow and knee strikes which are propelled by heaps of precision, power, and balanced timing.   Shuran: The Rampaging Pulveriser The sound of crushing bones, breaking joints, squishing flesh, and thunderous thuds can only mean one thing. It is none other than Shuran implementing his trademark submission holds, piledrivers, Boston Crabs, chokeholds, arm bars, bearhugs, and double axe-handles to thoroughly destroy his opponents and take home the golden champion’s belt. There is no arena let alone colosseum big enough to contain this imposingly huge wrestler who is known to inflict paralysing fear upon paralysing fear on his foes. Underneath all that brutality is a wrestler who never wants to rest on his laurels and constantly strives to improve every day. Combat Sambo – Throws, holds, chokes, and locks with great brutality are his fortes. Vale Tudo – To say that Shuran is adept in implementing ground and pound attacks and ground attacks in general is such an understatement, as he is the master of this attack. Luta Livre – When opponents find themselves in Shuran’s chokeholds, arm bars, necklocks, and leglocks, it is lights out for them, and escape is out of the question. Professional Wrestling – WWE, Lucha Libre, TNA, and other international wrestling federations are great arenas for Shuran to demonstrate his piledrivers and suplexes.   Inuyasha: The Bloody Annihilator Muscles of steel, fists of iron, skeletal structure of stone, and fighting prowess of gold are the attributes that best illustrate Inuyasha as a fighter and as an individual. Throw him in an arena or in a cage, and Inuyasha would unleash a series of mighty uppercuts, Superman punches, jabs, hooks, axe kicks, roundhouse kicks, submission holds, joint locks, throws, piledrivers, and chokeholds to his opponents. They best be careful when he gets close to them with a scary grin on his face because he revels in blood-drenched close-range combat. He is a warrior who loves to train every day and is always pumped up for the next round. Mixed Martial Arts – Hooks, jabs, ground and pounds, and chokeholds are his metiers. Pankration – Expert Pankratiasts better love the sight of their own blood when Inuyasha unleashes his explosive uppercuts, jabs, roundhouse kicks, and piledrivers. Kapu Kuialua – Should invaders attempt to conquer Inuyasha, he would charge at them with ground and pounds, soccer kicks, double axe handles, throws, and joint locks. Shootfighting – Inuyasha loves launching his Superman punches, axe kicks, suplexes, and strangleholds at his opponents while roaring at them and bathing in their blood.   Hakkaku: The Voracious Bludgeoner Metal elbows, a rock-hard head, shins of stone, and iron knees are what Hakkaku has in spades as his main weapons, especially when he propels them with his thunderous leverage, lightning speed, and titanium will. No matter how huge Hakkaku’s opponents are or how skilled they are in combat, he would easily out-manoeuvre them with his blinding headbutts, terrifying elbow strikes, devastating knee strikes, powerful reverse punches, and paralysing shin kicks, thus bludgeoning them to smithereens. Devastation to his opponents aside, Hakkaku gets enthusiastic whenever he encounters new challengers to combat with. Muay Boran – Headbutts, elbow and knee strikes, and shin kicks are his strongholds. Panantukan – Bolo punches to the face caused by Hakkaku could be potentially damaging, thus leading to long-term facial disfigurement and broken facial…