Greetings and salutations, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and hand-to-hand fighting game fans. Antoni here. When I did my written entry focusing on The Splendid Seven’s fighting game character inspirations, I was initially quite pleased with it. However, having a more critical second look at it, I know I could do one better for Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran. This version is going to be a bit more modified because the first version, when I look back at it, mostly relied on wild guesses on some characters. I also want to take this up a notch because the fighting game characters from Street Fighter, Tekken, and King of Fighters I have chosen for Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are not just going to be inspirations but also mentors who will gladly aid and guide them to reach their fullest potential and cut their own paths as fighters, as individuals, and most importantly as a family. There is no doubt that the following strengthening tactics are going to happen for The Splendid Seven when they are with their mentors. Gouken, Ryu Hoshi, T. Hawk, Charlie Nash, and Kazuya Mishima plus Akuma, Ken Masters, Guile, Alex, and Paul Phoenix could turn Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha into a pair of more powerful, stronger, and mightier Ansatsuken practitioners whose punches, kicks, takedowns, grapples, and submission holds match their beefier muscles of steel. E Honda, Zangief, Hugo, Darun, and Ganryu could further strengthen Shuran’s grappling and striking abilities to become a truly powerful and versatile wrestler. Sagat, Dhalsim, Dan Hibiki, Balrog, and Bruce Irvin could make Hakkaku an all-out striker and clincher who can use his entire body to bring opponents to their knees. Adon, Dee Jay, Fei Long, Vega, and Lei Wulong could transform Ginta into a lethal weapon with a great repertory of kicks, punches, and strikes up his sleeve. Chun-Li, Cammy White, Sakura Kasugano, Nina Williams, and Jun Kazama could ensure that Ayame combines strength, agility, and balance in terms of building her body to be a powerful yet lithe weapon with nicely formed sinews. Elena, Ibuki, Karin Kanzuki, Anna Williams, and Michelle Chang could give Shunran space to discover a union between power, agility, and style as a fighter complete with well-developed sinews in all the right places. That is just the short answer. The long answer lies within each Splendid Seven member and their respective seven mentors. Sesshoumaru is a gold-medal champion in Shotokan, Kyokushin, Mixed Martial Arts, Marine Corps Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, and Japanese Jujitsu who can also master Ansatsuken, Mishima Style Fighting Karate, Thunderfoot Style Martial Arts, Kyokengryu Karate, and Hybrid Martial Arts that combine Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Wrestling, and Boxing with his powerful mentors who inject him with huge doses of stealth, strength, balance, and courage. Gouken from Street Fighter T. Hawk from Street Fighter Charlie Nash from Street Fighter Ryu Hoshi from Street Fighter Kazuya Mishima from Tekken Ryo Sakazaki from King of Fighters Robert Garcia from King of Fighters Inuyasha is a gold-medal champion in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, Kapu Kuialua, and Bokator who also masters Ansatsuken, Mishima Style Fighting Karate, and Hybrid Martial Arts combining Karate, Judo, Wrestling, Boxing, and Jujitsu with his mighty mentors who incorporate him with strength, dedication, determination, and perseverance. Akuma from Street Fighter Guile from Street Fighter Alex from Street Fighter Ken Masters from Street Fighter Paul Phoenix from Tekken Terry Bogard from King of Fighters Andy Bogard from King of Fighters Shuran is a gold-medal champion in Sumo Wrestling, Mongolian Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Ssireum, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Pehlwani, and Malla-yuddha who can also throw himself in with Brazilian Jujitsu, Sambo, and Vale Tudo with all of his being thanks to his extremely macho mentors who imbue him with all the steeliness, ambition, power, strength, and might of any triumphant champion. E. Honda from Street Fighter Zangief from Street Fighter Hugo from Street Fighter Darun from Street Fighter Blanka from Street Fighter Ganryu from Tekken Akatsuki-Maru from King of Fighters Hakkaku is a gold-medal champion in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, Dambe, Moraingy, and Taekkyeon who can also implement moves from Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, and Bushinryu with every fibre of his body and soul thanks to his formidable mentors who make sure that he has might, dedication, a great attitude, reverence, and relentlessness ingrained in his system. Sagat from Street Fighter Dhalsim from Street Fighter Dan Hibiki from Street Fighter Balrog from Street Fighter Guy from Street Fighter Bruce Irvin from Tekken Joe Higashi from King of Fighters Ginta is a gold-medal champion in Lethwei, Lethwei, Pencak Silat, Sanda, Hwa Rang Do, Tang Soo Do, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, and Systema who can also prove himself just as phenomenal in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Kickboxing, and Shaolin Kung Fu with every inch of his heart, mind, body, and soul thanks to his fierce mentors who capitalise on his fearlessness, virility, power, passion, and will to constantly strive to be better. Adon from Street Fighter Dee Jay from Street Fighter Fei Long from Street Fighter Vega from Street Fighter Cody Travers from Street Fighter Lei Wulong from Tekken Kim Kaphwan from King of Fighters Ayame is a gold-medal champion in Kickboxing, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Boxing, Judo, Krav Maga, and Sambo who is just as outstanding in Shaolin Kung Fu, Aikido, Karate, Koppojutsu, army-based martial arts, and assassination-based martial arts with the passion of a million burning suns helped by her strong mentors who fill her with courage, fortitude, determination, dedication, ambition, tenacity, and toughness. Chun-Li from Street Fighter Cammy White from Street Fighter Sakura Kasugano from Street Fighter Nina Williams from Tekken Jun Kazama from Tekken Mary “Blue Mary” Ryan from King of Fighters Mai Shiranui from King of Fighters Shunran is a gold-medal champion in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Baguazhang, Changquan, and Northern Praying Mantis who is just as amazing in…
We continue Top Gun Month with the game that made its shift to 3D, Top Gun: Fire at Will. While it started on the PC on New Year’s Eve 1995, it would then be ported to the original PlayStation six months later. But is this game as the movie series it was based on? Check out the review and find out. Special thanks to Tha.wavyone (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYvCyGl6whGYN3nhXV34wpQ) for designing the title card. And once again, special thanks to @Anthony LoGatto for voicing Scrooge and… “friend” for this month’s Patreon shout-outs. Finally, a very special thanks to the following people who helped out with the “Top Gun Month” intro: animator @Cjdestroyah Animation for the animation and musician @PaulyBFromDa303 .
Join me as I review The Northman This review will have no spoilers.
Greetings and salutations, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and hand-to-hand fighting game fans. Antoni here. Ever since I sunk my teeth into Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran partaking in various martial arts, I also thought about my experience playing hand-to-hand video games such as Tekken, Street Fighter, and King of Fighters when I was a child. Furthermore, I also thought about Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter Alpha the Animation, Street Fighter II V, and Street Fighter the Animated Series which have always been my most favourite animated adaptations from hand-to-hand fighting video games. What better way to unite my enjoyment of hand-to-hand fighting video games and the dedication I have to my beloved Inuyasha AU headcanon than to match the fighting game characters that I think match Sesshoumaru’s, Inuyasha’s, Shuran’s, Hakkaku’s, Ginta’s, Ayame’s, and Shunran’s fighting styles and personalities. Since The Splendid Seven consists of, naturally, seven members who are united as one powerful and unconditionally loving family, I am going to list seven fighting game characters to each Splendid Seven member that I believe encapsulates each of them in terms of personality, style, and appeal. Furthermore, these fighting game characters are who I believe they would emulate with all their being. With that said, let us get cracking and mauling. Sesshoumaru is undoubtedly a Shotokan, Kyokushin, Mixed Martial Arts, Marine Corps Martial Arts, Japanese Jujitsu, and Brazilian Jujitsu champion. However, I could also see him excelling in Ansatsuken, Mishima Style Fighting Karate, and Kyokengryu Karate with precision and lethalness. Here are the fighting game characters Sesshoumaru would potentially form the basis of his fighting style. Ryu Hoshi (Street Fighter) Guile (Street Fighter) Charlie Nash (Street Fighter) Kazuya Mishima (Tekken) Lee Chaolan (Tekken) Ryo Sakazaki (King of Fighters) Robert Garcia (King of Fighters) Inuyasha is the undisputed master of Taekwondo, Hapkido, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, Kapu Kuialua, and Bokator. Just like Sesshoumaru, he would also excel in Ansatsuken and Mishima Style Fighting Karate. The difference is that Inuyasha would also employ Hybrid Style Martial Arts in his combat resumé with great strength and power. Inuyasha’s fighting game character inspirations are as follows. Ken Masters (Street Fighter) Akuma (Street Fighter) Alex (Street Fighter) Paul Phoenix (Tekken) Baek Doo San (Tekken) Terry Bogard (King of Fighters) Alex Bogard (King of Fighters) Shuran can dominate any ring in Sumo Wrestling, Mongolian Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Ssireum, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Pehlwani, and Malla-yuddha. Although he is predominantly a grappler, he could also adapt superbly with strikes, especially where his punches and palm strikes are concerned as well as having a background in Brazilian Jujitsu, Sambo, and Vale Tudo. No doubt is Shuran going to emulate these fighting game characters. E. Honda (Street Fighter) Zangief (Street Fighter) Hugo (Street Fighter) Ganryu (Tekken) The Jack Robots (Tekken) Akatsuki-Maru (King of Fighters) Antonov (King of Fighters) Hakkaku can use his skills in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, Dambe, Moraingy, and Taekkyeon to knock every single one of his opponents down. His signature elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shin kicks may be gloriously devastating, but he could also employ these attacks from Taekwondo, Bushinryu, and Boxing. It is through these fighting game characters that Hakkaku is going to find inspiration from the following seven. Dan Hibiki (Street Fighter) Sagat (Street Fighter) Guy (Street Fighter) Bruce Irvin (Tekken) Bryan Fury (Tekken) Joe Higashi (King of Fighters) Shen Woo (King of Fighters) Ginta can implement what he has been learning from Lethwei, Pencak Silat, Sanda, Hwa Rang Do, Tang Soo Do, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, and Systema to effectively incapacitate all of his enemies. He is also extremely versatile in terms of his combat approaches, as evidenced in combining strikes from Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, and Shaolin Kung Fu. These seven fighting game characters are undoubtedly who can define Ginta. Fei Long (Street Fighter) Adon (Street Fighter) Cody (Street Fighter) Lei Wulong (Tekken) Marshall Law (Tekken) Kim Kaphwan (King of Fighters) Rick Strowd (King of Fighters) Ayame is an exemplarily picture-perfect example of championing Kickboxing, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Boxing, Judo, Krav Maga, and Sambo. Given her formidability and adaptability to any and every martial art, she can also use what she has learned in Shaolin Kung Fu, Aikido, Karate, and army-based martial arts to propel her physical abilities and use them for protection. This is evidenced in the seven fighting game characters who define her. Chun-Li (Street Fighter) Cammy White (Street Fighter) Sakura Kasugano (Street Fighter) Nina Williams (Tekken) Mary “Blue Mary” Ryan (King of Fighters) Mai Shiranui (King of Fighters) Yuri Sakazaki (King of Fighters) Shunran is a godsend through her incomparable Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Baguazhang, Changquan, and Northern Praying Mantis. She is also a very versatile martial artist who does not limit herself to kicks, somersaults, and dance-like moves, for she can use punches, hand strikes, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and joint locks to overcome her enemies. Shunran’s fighting game inspirations do shape what her identity as a fighter is. Hokuto (Street Fighter) Pullum Purna (Street Fighter) Elena (Street Fighter) Anna Williams (Tekken) Athena Asamiya (King of Fighters) Li Xiangfei (King of Fighters) May Lee Jinju (King of Fighters) There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the fighting game characters I believe would fit Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran really well. It was not easy compiling this, especially re-familiarising myself with certain fighting game characters, but it made me so overjoyed rediscovering my enjoyment of fighting games and incorporating it to my Splendid Seven AU headcanon.
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