Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do. This time, I will be delving into what type of martial artists each member of The Splendid Seven is based on their fighting styles as well as their personalities.
On a general level, each of these Yokai martial artists has something special in not only the attacking moves that they have against their opponents but also what they are defined by. This is also evident in showing that Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are not the carbon-copy fighters defined by their moves but by their personalities and the diligence, hard work, intense training they have done, and focus they have placed in their chosen martial arts. If it were not already clear, Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran make martial arts a way of life full of honour, respect, cooperation, and discipline.
Sesshoumaru is the old-school traditional martial artist embracing historical tradition, boundless discipline, military precision, and sharp focus, given that he is a Karateka with special foci on Shotokan, Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shorei-Ryu, Motobu-Ryu, and Uechi-Ryu as well as a Jujutsuka and a Judoka. Because he is a specialist in Karate, Jujitsu, and Judo, he is also aware of their respective histories, does his very best to never forget his Japanese roots, and, most of all, honour the importance of tradition and discipline in and out of the dojo. He even implements Kata when he does Taekwondo from Korea, Mixed Martial Arts and Marine Corps Martial Arts from the USA, and Shootfighting also from Japan, thus demonstrating that he is also adept at various martial arts with the hawk’s focused eye, a soldier’s military precision, and a pure saint’s patience. In fact, both the American and Japanese armies laud Sesshoumaru for combining tact with brutal punches, kicks, and grapples that leave his foes writhing in pain and terror. Acquiring acclaim as a warrior aside, Sesshoumaru despises showing off because it is a sign of shallowness and dishonour. He defines the martial arts as a journey to balance, self-respect, and honour.
Shuran is the large-and-in-charge showman thoroughly taking advantage of Professional Wrestling’s grand bravado and larger than life matches. Whether he finds himself in his native Japan, The United States of America, The United Kingdom or Mexico, audiences would definitely tune into Shuran obliterating his enemies thanks to his background in not only Pro Wrestling but also Ssireum, Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, Malla-yuddha, Pehlwani, Sambo, and Vale Tudo. Furthermore, Shuran does not just limit himself to fighting in Pro Wrestling arenas, but viewers would also find him competing in Vale Tudo cage matches, underground tournaments, Sambo gyms, and even outdoor arenas in order for the grapplers and the spectators to breathe in some good fresh air from nature. What makes Shuran popular among Pro Wrestling, Sambo, and Vale Tudo circles is not only his devastatingly brutal moves but also his majestically towering size, driven champion mindset, and high levels of endurance. Behind the scenes, Shuran would never be the type of person to chase fame and fortune but pursue grappling martial arts because he is passionate about them, practices them everyday, and has his family to thank for being supportive of his endeavours.
Inuyasha is the fiercely dangerous man of action mixing historical tradition and modern innovation with bloodily brutal takedowns in one lethal package. Just like his older brother Sesshoumaru, he has an extensive background in Karate, Taekwondo, Jujitsu, and Judo. He may be a Karateka with specific foci on Kyokushin, Seidokaikan, Wado-Ryu, Ashihara, Budokan, Enshin, and Gosoku-Ryu, but he also loves American Kenpo Karate, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, Bokator, and Kapu Kuialua. Inuyasha’s fearsome fierceness is what propels him to revel in close contact combat and give his opponents the punishing flurry of beatings they deserve. Yes, there would also be a lot of blood being spewed onto Inuyasha, but he looks at his opponents’ blood on himself as a badge of honour and victory that he has worked hard to attain whether in the 100-Man Kumite or, his personal favourite, K-1 Kickboxing Tournaments. Therefore, opponents better defend themselves when Inuyasha gets close to them with a scary grin on his face and a haunting chuckle because he could ruthlessly beat them up to a bloody pulp. Inuyasha is not one to slack off as a powerful combatant because he loves facing new challenges bravely.
Hakkaku is the excitably reverent warrior ingraining himself in great sportsmanship, deep reverence to sovereigns before battle, and willingness to remain at his top game regardless of whatever situation he gets himself in. As Hakkaku is a specialist in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, Dambe, Moraingy, and Taekkyeon, he is always looking forward to fight opponents who are stronger, faster, and more skilled than him because new challenges always excite him. There are occasions where he does feel scared of whatever new experiences may come his way, but that never stops him from doing his very best. Hakkaku does everything he can to perfect his punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, shin kicks, leg kicks, foot kicks, and headbutts, for he knows that slacking off can only lead to an easy loss. His work ethic in improving and growing as a fighter is also evident in how he never takes triumphs and/or losses for granted, as they are experiences that him learn a lot more about himself and accept plus address what he needs to change in order to keep on growing. This also means that there are two sides of Hakkaku in which his fighter side is speedy and formidable, while his normal self is enthusiastic and good-willed towards his opponents.
Ginta is the lovably adorable pretty boy thanks to his cute dimples endeavouring to play fair, have a great attitude, and constantly show grace in victory as well as in defeat, thus being a great sport to everybody around him. His lovability should never be mistaken for weakness, given his striking and clinching skills in Lethwei, Sanda, Jeet Kune Do, Pencak Silat, Hwa Rang Do, Tang Soo Do, and Eagle Claw Kung Fu. Speaking of his skills in Sanda, Jeet Kune Do, and Eagle Claw Kung Fu, he is especially inspired to learn these martial arts, as his dearest wife Shunran is also a major specialist in specific Chinese martial arts. Ginta is also the possessor of abundant charisma every time he steps up to the arena to do battle, given how infectious it is, which makes the audience root for him a whole lot more. Despite him obtaining the attention of several fans, he ensures that neither fame nor vanity taint his confidence let alone his identity as an honourable martial artist. He remains humble, kind, and supportive to both ally and opponent alike. Even opponents would be thoroughly intrigued with why Ginta constantly keeps such a cheery disposition, and his usual response is that he considers everybody he meets to be worthy and strong opponents and revels in every new opportunity.
Ayame is the formidably determined Amazon warrior consistently reaching bigger and newer challenges, tougher skills as a fighter, and stronger opponents for her to do combat with, given her expertise in Dutch, American, Japanese, and French Kickboxing, the latter known as Savate. She is also just as great in Boxing, Koppojutsu, Hapkido, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Taido, Aikido, and Krav Maga, thus showing boundless ambition to keep on growing as a combatant who specialises in devastatingly bone-breaking punches and kicks. In fact, she did the impossible by getting herself in not only the K-1 kickboxing tournaments for women but also for men. Given that Ayame has been married to Inuyasha for several years, he even went out of his way to say to her detractors that, if she wanted to fight against male heavyweight opponents, she can certainly do so, and nobody shall stop her. Sure, Ayame has a super supportive husband in Inuyasha, but she is her own person with her own agency both as a kickboxer and as a person. Every opponent Ayame faces, be they man or woman, would be overpowered by her sheer strength, stamina, and determination. Nevertheless, Ayame’s valiance as a warrior will forever be imprinted in kickboxing history for all time.
Shunran is the craftily clever acrobat implementing battle tactics, strong willpower, her quick wit, and her fleet feet in order to overpower her opponents. Shunran is a versatile combatant using tricking, punching, kicking, and gymnastics in all of her moves, as she is a maven in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, Ninjutsu, Wing Chun, Savate, Koppojutsu, Systema, Wushu, and Baguazhang. Whenever she prepares for an attack, it almost appears as if she were about to perform a dance, given her strong background in Capoeira, thus initially misleading her opponents before unleashing her strikes. As Shunran unleashes her array of kicks, knife hands, elbow strikes, knee strikes, tricking moves, and gymnastic attacks, she would prove herself to be a lethally speedy fighter who uses quick reaction time and accurate timing to entrap her foes. They will never know peace when Shunran strikes with a vengeance wrapped in soft silk and fragrant cherry blossoms. She is a combatant who is truly aware that strength alone does not make an effective attack come to fruition, for timing, accuracy, speed, good direction, and reading opponents’ moves should also be at the forefront. Aside from Shunran’s quick moves, she is also the glue of the group thanks to her cooperative spirit.
The Splendid Seven are defined not just by their moves, but what their martial arts moves tie in with their personalities. When combining Sesshoumaru’s profound honour, Shuran’s large-and-in-charge bravado, Inuyasha’s ferocious fighting fierceness, Hakkaku’s excitable reverence, Ginta’s lovable adorability, Ayame’s formidable determination, and Shunran’s crafty cleverness, these seven Yokai warriors can promise balance and harmony as a team. They may be fiercer together almost akin to a well-oiled tank, but it is their unity and how their personalities bounce off of each other that seal the deal as to what makes them come alive as a septet of dynamic Yokai martial artists.
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