Greetings and salutations, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here. Have you ever wanted to watch Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran duke it out with opponents much larger and stronger than them whether in the arena, the colosseum, the cage or the ring? Does the thought of seven Yokai warriors implementing their various fighting styles as one team in tournaments thrill you to the point of cheering for them? Do you find it fun to see The Splendid Seven use a fabulous combination of strength, stealth, speed, and stamina in their strikes, grapples, and holds against opponents who only use muscle? Dream no more, dear martial arts aficionados. Your day has arrived. The Splendid Seven have been reigning gold-medal champions as a martial arts tournament team ever since their teens, thus pummelling larger demons, mashing bulkier musclemen, and challenging more experienced martial artists with their skill, power, timing, valour, stamina, courage, and sheer determination. Attempting to best Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran in combat is akin to asking where fighters would love to be buried should they be defeated.
If you, dear readers, remembered my Splendid Seven updated martial arts entry, you will realise that Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialise in a variety of Eastern and Western martial arts that I argue are perfect for them. Lest we forget that, when it comes to The Splendid Seven as a family of super Yokai fighters, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are the strongest and most complete fighters by virtue of their striking and grappling skills, Shuran is the most physically powerful fighter by virtue of his grappling skills, Hakkaku and Ginta are the speediest strikers and the tightest clinchers, Ayame is a powerful puncher and incomparable kicker, and Shunran is a gracefully agile kicker and flipper. Be warned that The Splendid Seven are never to be messed with, especially when all seven of them are in their full Yokai forms.
Sesshoumaru’s integrity as a combatant means he combines the old-fashioned traditions and customs of Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, and Japanese Jujitsu with the modern innovativeness of Shootfighting, Marine Corps Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, and Brazilian Jujitsu. Considering his military precision through his experience in America’s Marine Corps Martial Arts, how he honours tradition, history, and reverence with Japan’s Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, and Japanese Jujitsu, and his no holds barred approach to bringing his opponents to the ground with America’s Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, and Japan’s Shootfighting, his opponents would end up bruised, shattered, and borderline destroyed thanks to his combat prowess. This is further evidenced in his straight punches, spinning back kicks, roundhouse kicks, uppercuts, knife hands, and hooks done in Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate; his brutal takedowns complete with merciless battering in Mixed Martial Arts and Shootfighting, his strangulating chokeholds and strangleholds full of muscular strength in Brazilian and Japanese Jujitsu, and his lethal timing in Marine Corps Martial Arts. Even when Sesshoumaru does his Kata, he always implements moves from not only Shotokan Karate and Kyokushin Karate, but also from Mixed Martial Arts, Shootfighting, Marine Corps Martial Arts, Japanese Jujitsu, and Brazilian Jujitsu. If a thug dared to smash a chair onto Sesshoumaru’s head, he would counter that attack with a gut punch, snatch the chair from the thug, bash it on his head, lock him in a chokehold, and bash his head in with his fists until blood is splattered on Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru’s sense of tradition, integrity, and honour is matched by his strength, stamina, and stealth as a complete martial artist.
Inuyasha’s fatal brutality combines the pummelling takedowns of Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Hapkido, and Kapu Kuialua and the deadly punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and kicks found in Taekwondo, Bokator, and Ancient Greek Boxing. Those who dare challenge Inuyasha are looking at a fighter who has been punching and kicking huge and hard rocks, lifting boulders, wrestling stuffed deerskin dummies, and unleashing mighty roars ever since he was a young child, especially in his full Yokai form. This meant that, as he grew into maturity, his muscles bulged with power, his fists were hard as iron, his bones gained in sheer density, and his feet were lethal. In fact, Inuyasha is a lethal weapon in of himself, as he combines muscular power, super strength, and ferocious fierceness. Inuyasha definitely does go global with his powerful fighting style, as Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing are from Greece, Taekwondo and Hapkido are from Korea, Bokator is from Cambodia, and Kapu Kuialua is from Hawaii. Combining Pankration’s and Kapu Kuialua’s brutal smatterings and body locks, Ancient Greek Wrestling’s mighty chokeholds, Full Nelsons, Boston Crabs, and bearhugs; Hapkido’s, Taekwondo’s, Bokator’s, and Ancient Greek Boxing’s powerful and extremely speedy punches, kicks, and strikes including uppercuts, elbow strikes, and knee strikes can mean that Inuyasha would cause collateral damage to his opponents doing all these attacks. Should a bigger opponent attempt to conquer Inuyasha, he would give him an uppercut to the chin, a spinning back kick, a face punch, and proceed to chokehold the life out of him until he is doused in blood. Inuyasha always comes out on top by virtue of his lethal muscular brutality as a fighter.
Shuran is a wrestler who goes thoroughly global with his grappling approaches. From Japan’s Sumo Wrestling to the United States of America’s and the United Kingdom’s Professional Wrestling to Mongolia’s form of wrestling to Korea’s Ssireum to India’s Pehlwani and Malla-yuddha, he has definitely learned a whole lot of submission holds, pivots, grapples, and the occasional strikes from these international wrestling forms. While Shuran is a predominant grappler known for his anaconda-like submission holds, python-like bearhugs, back-breakers, neck-breakers, Boston Crabs, and Full Nelsons, he is also the possessor of powerful palm strikes, bodyslams, backfists, backhands, throws, and flips that could send his enemies flying out of the ring. If Shuran’s thorough wrestling background did not suffice, his background in Brazilian and Japanese Jujitsu also means that he is not beyond getting close to his opponents. He can get really close to his opponents’ heads and bodies, thus bringing them to the ground which he proudly considers to be his territory. Once brought to the ground, Shuran could apply a list of chokeholds, arm bars, knee locks, headlocks, sleeper holds, and strangleholds to bring his enemies and opponents to their knees. As a bonus, Shuran would also have the option of applying palm strikes to the face and double slaps to the ears as a means to incapacitate his enemies and opponents until they feel nothing at all. Attempting to defeat Shuran in terms of grappling is, therefore, nearly impossible. On the surface, Shuran may have all the physical strength in the world, but his true strength is in being fully aware of his opponents’ bodies and using them to his advantage in order to defeat them. Shuran’s opponents better have a prayer before defeat comes barging at their doors.
Hakkaku is a striker and a clincher who manages to use his skills in Muay Thai from Thailand, Cambodian Pradal Serey, Hawaiian Kajukenbo, Korean Taekkyeon, Filipino Panantukan, Nigerian Dambe, and Moraingy from Madagascar. His main attacks are not only limited to uppercuts, hooks, jabs, crosses, reverse punches, roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, and speed kicks, but he also has elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shin kicks at his disposal. In fact, Hakkaku’s elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shin kicks are enough to severely incapacitate his opponents and put them in a state of near vegetation. The combination of the elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shin kicks in Muay Thai and Pradal Serey and the punches, kicks, and locks in Kajukenbo, Taekkyeon, Panantukan, Dambe, and Moraingy make Hakkaku a combatant never to be underestimated. Everyday, Hakkaku makes it a daily ritual to go to the nearest oak tree and use it as a striking post. While it is in the norm for Muay Thai practitioners to use banana trees to strengthen their shins, oak trees provide Hakkaku ten times more leg strength, fist strength, and forearm strength in order to make his enemies fall down to the ground like trees about to be felled. Every time Hakkaku kicks, punches, and strikes oak trees, his bone density increases, his resolve becomes clearer when it comes to defeating his opponents, and he generally has better direction of what his obligations are. If thugs came charging to Hakkaku with baseball bats, he would just kick all the bats to smithereens, give the thugs a barrage of elbow strikes and knee strikes through his clinches until they bleed profusely, and break every bone in their bodies with his high-impact face punches. The moral is to never mess with Hakkaku unless you want to endure a lot of blood and broken bones.
Ginta is a striker and clincher who uses his abilities in Burmese Lethwei, Indonesian Pencak Silat, Chinese Sanda and Eagle Claw Kung Fu, Korean Hwa Rang Do and Tang Soo Do, and Russian Systema to knock his opponents down. Given his training and experience in these martial arts, he has all the punches and the kicks that can make his opponents topple, rattle, and shake, especially when his uppercuts, crosses, hooks, jabs, spinning back kicks, double flying kicks, and shin kicks are concerned. He is not only limited to punching and kicking because he has his elbow strikes, knee strikes, and even head-butts as his main arsenals at the helm. This means that Ginta’s expertise in bare-knuckle Lethwei, speedy yet lethal Pencak Silat and Hwa Rang Do, and powerful Sanda, Tang Soo Do, Systema, and Eagle Claw Kung Fu gives him the opportunity to smash all of his opponents’ heads in as well as give them a sobering reminder that he is never to be underestimated with. To keep his fists, feet, head, shins, knees, and elbows strong and sturdy for every fight, Ginta strikes oak trees and other mighty trees in order for his bones to be thoroughly strengthened and be hard as concrete. There are occasions where he will bleed, but Ginta would never surrender to defeat. In fact, his daily strikes with the various oak trees would ensure that Ginta does not fall down at the first hit. Opponents and enemies may want to play dirty with Ginta just because he looks unassuming by knocking him down with clubs and crowbars, but he is one fighter who would strike back with a vengeance. He would destroy them with a series of uppercuts, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and head-butts, thus making them run away in terror. Ginta is always willing to strike when the iron is hot, especially when he feels that his space is invaded.
Ayame is fierce strength and quicksilver speed incarnate through her formidability in Japan’s and America’s Kickboxing, Japan’s Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, and Judo; Israel’s Krav Maga, Boxing regardless if it is Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, English, and/or American, and Sambo from Russia. She is not just all made of uppercuts, reverse punches, hooks, jabs, crosses, gut punches, backfists, roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, side kicks, front kicks, and double flying kicks that could destroy her enemies. In fact, her repertoire of punches and kicks aside, Ayame is also a specialist in Dempsey rolls, quick side steps, dodges, and foot sweeps that could leave her opponents in a huge vertigo of confusion at best and despair at worst. Speed, stamina, balance, and timing are what also constitute Ayame’s unparalleled skills as one of the greatest kickboxers, Kenpo practitioners, and boxers of all time. If that were not enough, her great skills in Judo and Sambo also prove that she can be just as effective on the ground as a grappler by virtue of her chokeholds and strangleholds. Lest prospective opponents forget about Ayame’s skills in Krav Maga which demonstrate that she fights for her life, fights to live, and lives to fight with all of her being. For instance, if an assassin attacks Ayame with a knife, she would counter that attack by parrying their attack, snatching the knife, and bending it with her own bare hands. Proceeding from this, she would then deliver a face punch, an uppercut, a cross punch, a spinning back kick, and a foot sweep to the assassin. Once on the ground, she would lock the assassin with an arm bar then a headlock complete with blows to the eyes and to the nose, thus incapacitating them. Ayame’s speed and power are what make her worthy of respect and admiration as a fighter.
Shunran is elegant grace and quick-witted craftiness defined not only in the Chinese martial arts of Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Northern Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, and Changquan but also in her most favourite martial art of all time Capoeira hailing from Brazil. She may revel in the fierceness of Shaolin Kung Fu, Wushu, and Wing Chun as well as the precision of Northern Praying Mantis, Baguazhang, and Changquan, but Capoeira gives her the ability to use dance-like movements as weapons. To Shunran, Capoeira represents beauty, vivacity, freedom, versatility, and euphoria in all of the moves she can incorporate, especially when it comes to her roundhouse, front, spinning back, side, and flying double kicks as well as her backflips, somersaults, and front flips. Combining Capoeira’s dance-like movements and gymnastics with Shaolin Kung Fu’s fierce attacks and Wushu’s precision makes Shunran an all the more formidable combatant. It would be impudent and insolent for enemies and opponents to underestimate Shunran as nothing more than gimmicks and tricks. However, she is always willing to prove them wrong by unleashing a flurry of flying spinning kicks, flips, and foot sweeps. On the other hand, Shunran is more than just a fighter specialising in kicks and flips, for her backfists and reverse punches are also a thing of beauty, hence her use of Shaolin Kung Fu and Wushu. For instance, a mugger attempts to violate Shunran against her will. She counters their attack with a swift spinning kick and an axe kick to the head, which is simple yet effective. After that, she proceeds to flip them to the ground and incapacitate them with a chi block. Shunran’s lethal grace is never to be downplayed, for she can unleash a bite that is much worse than her bark.
The Splendid Seven’s martial arts skills, especially when they combine their styles altogether, make them weapons of mass destruction never to be toyed with. Opponents willing to challenge them better be prepared for what these seven mighty Yokai are going to deliver. Whether it is Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s vast repertory of punches, kicks, and grapples, Shuran’s chokeholds and strangleholds, Hakkaku’s and Ginta’s strikes and clinches, Ayame’s furious fists and feet, and/or Shunran’s fleet feet and zero-gravity, dance-like movements, nobody, and I mean nobody, is safe from what they have to dish out.
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