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 specializing in the martial arts they do. Now that I have discussed their grandfather and parental figures, it is time to place my focus on the martial arts mentors who I thoroughly believe are appropriate for Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran. Furthermore, they have also played integral roles in growing as martial artists and as people, thus being of great assistance to The Wolf Elder, Raditz, Olibu, Broly, Toga, InuKimi, and Izayoi in raising their seven powerful progenies. Who better to be powerful mentors to seven powerful Yokai martial artists such as Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran than specific characters in the Street Fighter and Tekken franchises, the two fighting video game franchises that I have always loved ever since I was a little child. Out of all the video game franchises I have chosen for Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran, why have I chosen specific characters from Street Fighter and Tekken? Because I grew up with these franchises the most more than Virtua Fighter and King of Fighters combined, and I have enjoyed certain adaptations from these two video game installments. From an artistic and narrative standpoint, I have always leaned towards Street Fighter the Animated Series, Street Fighter II V, and Street Fighter the Animated Movie, although the former is enjoyable for admittedly silly and fun reasons. Where Tekken is concerned, I would rather stick with the video games. At least Tekken: Blood Vengeance, given the few clips I enjoyed from it, was fun. Thus, the specific characters I will mention to be The Splendid Seven’s mentors from Street Fighter and Tekken are going to be the ones that I believe are the best fit for each Yokai martial artist according to style and personality. With that said, let us arm ourselves with steely determination and strong willpower to triumph over some mighty opponents and inspire others to never surrender even when chaos ensues. Osu. Hajime. Sesshoumaru’s Mentors: Putting Martial Arts and Honor in Mixed Martial Arts Sesshoumaru’s thorough background in Shotokan Karate, Nippon Kenpo, Judo, and Jujitsu has provided him with room to compete as a Mixed Martial Arts champion coveted by UFC. He would never dream of living the frat-boy lifestyle exacerbated by UFC’s reality TV show, for he has Jinpachi Mishima, Wang Jinrei, and Gouken to emulate the old tradition of martial arts, Heihachi Mishima and Akuma to pump him up with abundant bushels of allegiance, power, and muscle, and T. Hawk and Charlie Nash to thoroughly galvanize his iron will and military precision with every attack he makes while respecting and honoring his mentors. Gouken (Street Fighter) Akuma (Street Fighter) T. Hawk (Street Fighter) Charlie Nash (Street Fighter) Jinpachi Mishima (Tekken) Wang Jinrei (Tekken) Heihachi Mishima (Tekken) Shuran’s Mentors: Bulldozing Powerslams and Brutal Showmanship Gathering a gamut of international wrestling styles from Japanese to Mongolian to Turkish to Mexican to Indian may be part of Shuran’s challenge to create his own Professional Wrestling style to stand above the throng of pro wrestlers looking to crush each other in the ring. However, preserving the combat aspect in Pro Wrestling is another mountain for him to climb. Fortunately, he has E. Honda, Darun, and Ganryuu to inspire him to use his strength to uplift aspiring wrestlers, Zangief and Hugo to consistently strengthen him physically and mentally, and both King and Armor King to preserve his penchant for good showmanship. E. Honda (Street Fighter) Zangief (Street Fighter) Darun (Street Fighter) Hugo (Street Sighter) Ganryuu (Tekken) King (Tekken) Armor King (Tekken) Inuyasha’s Mentors: Letting the Bones Break and the Muscles Crush in the Arena Inuyasha’s phenomenal background in Kyokushin Karate, Judo, Kickboxing, and Combat Sambo has opened the Olympian gates for him to formulate his own Pankration style. In fact, Inuyasha has earned the admiration of Pankration competitors, thanks to his magnificent muscles and super strength. He attributes his muscles, strength, and great combat prowess to Dudley’s manly code of honor, Guile’s military toughness, Alex’s super strength, Ryu’s venerable valor, Ken’s bodacious brawniness, Kazuya’s undeterred want for power, and Paul’s rugged charisma, who have all enriched Inuyasha’s indubitably unparalleled formidability. Dudley (Street Fighter) Guile (Street Fighter) Ryu Hoshi (Street Fighter) Ken Masters (Street Fighter) Alex (Street Fighter) Kazuya Mishima (Tekken) Paul Phoenix (Tekken) Hakkaku’s Mentors: Relentless Body Shots and Rampaging Clinches Landing any and every attack on all body parts from the head to the shins to the insteps for maximum damage might seem like sadomasochistic fun if done incorrectly and in a disorderly fashion. Thankfully, that is not the case with Hakkaku’s Muay Boran odyssey, for he injects his combat spirit with respect, cooperation, dedication, and character. Furthermore, Sagat’s and Bruce’s steeliness, Balrog’s unparalleled ruthlessness, Blanka’s lethal ferociousness, Dan’s charisma, Baek’s disciplined agility, and Dhalsim’s heightened sense of spirituality all compel Hakkaku to remain consistent with his combat prowess. Sagat (Street Fighter) Blanka (Street Fighter) Dhalsim (Street Fighter) Balrog (Street Fighter) Dan Hibiki (Street Fighter) Bruce Irvin (Tekken) Baek Doo San (Tekken) Ginta’s Mentors: Vociferous Headbutts and Victorious Dedication Planting all sorts of strikes and clinches to every opponent’s body from top to bottom may seem like no monumental task for anybody who is not an experienced fighter. Nevertheless, Ginta’s constant willpower to fortify his skills in Lethwei cannot and should not be questioned, especially paired with his charisma in the ring. He is immensely grateful to have Adon’s fiery fierceness, Dee Jay’s rugged rowdiness, Vega’s deadliness, Fei Long’s brilliance, Remy’s focus, Lei’s flexibility, and Marshall’s clarity because they have helped him balance power, speed, stealth, and accuracy to make every strike as lethally painful as possible. Adon (Street Fighter) Vega (Street Fighter) Dee Jay (Street Fighter) Fei Long (Street Fighter) Remy (Street Fighter) Lei Wulong (Tekken) Marshall Law (Tekken) Ayame’s Mentors:…
The Splendid Seven
August 12, 2004. It was noon at the Tokugawa Martial Arts Training Center’s changing room. Seven mighty martial artists were about to engage in an intense sparring match. They were the two long- and white-haired dog Yokai brothers, 23-year-old Sesshoumaru and 22-year-old Inuyasha, the hulking male panther Yokai with spiky black hair, 22-year-old Shuran, and his two younger wolf Yokai brothers 21-year-old Hakkaku, who had a white mohawk, and 21-year-old Ginta, who had gray hair with a tuft of black hair in the middle; and the two long- and auburn-haired sisters consisting of 19-year-old Ayame the she-wolf Yokai and 18-year-old Shunran her younger panther Yokai sister. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were the sons of 41-year-old Toga and 39-year-old InuKimi, who were both prominent Karatekas, with their father Toga mainly specializing in Shotokan Karate and their mother InuKimi mainly specializing in Goju-Ryu Karate. Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta were the sons of 38-year-old Izayoi, an Aikidoka who was renowned for her forceful throws and precise strikes. Ayame and Shunran were the granddaughters of the 60-year-old Wolf Elder, a veteran mixed martial artist who combined Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai to create his own style and was still as powerful in his old age. Despite having different grown-ups raising their progeny to be the powerful martial artists they are, the seven powerful Yokai martial artists always remained a strong team and an even stronger family. Sesshoumaru and Shuran are single fathers both with fourteen adopted children, with Sesshoumaru’s ranging from 14 to 8 years old and Shuran’s ranging from 15 to 12 years old. Inuyasha has been married to Ayame for nine years, with Sesshoumaru being extremely supportive of both his younger brother’s and his younger sister-in-law’s romantic endeavors and passions, and have fourteen biological children from 9 to 2 years old. Both Hakkaku and Ginta have been married to Shunran for eight years, with Shuran also showing great support to his younger brothers for being the best men to be with Shunran for all eternity, and also have fourteen biological children from 8 to 1 year and 2 months old. Sticking together as a strong family may be one thing for these seven Yokai martial artists, but establishing families of their own also meant that their exciting legacies can last for a long period of time, especially when their children see their parents emerge triumphant in any and every martial arts tournament, and when their parents see their children grow and flourish as fighters and as people. The seven Yokai combatants were changing into their martial arts attires. Sesshoumaru the fierce Mixed Martial Arts warrior remained topless and barefoot, just as he was about to put on his white MMA shorts with an icy silver flame design on his right leg and his silver MMA gloves, while Inuyasha the Herculean Pankration champion, also topless and barefoot, was about to put on his black G-string and black Himantes or Ancient Greek boxing gloves made out of ox hide, as he was rubbing olive oil all over himself. Inuyasha, in his oiled and naked glory, flexed his tremendous biceps at Sesshoumaru, chuckling at him, “You better like what you see, big bro, because my big muscles are ready to crush you.” Sesshoumaru, also naked, responded also by flexing his biceps at Inuyasha and letting out a chuckle, “I do not fear you or your muscles, little brother. I will gladly conquer you.” Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha approached each other, and standing extremely close to each other, they flexed their biceps and grunted. “May the best man triumph, dear brother.” “Just so you know, I will own your butt, oh, favorite brother of mine.” Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s muscular bodies from their pecs to their abs were in full contact with each other, as they were growling and snarling at each other. They were then interrupted by Shuran the brutal Professional Wrestling prizefighter, who was putting on his green wrestling speedo, green gauntlets, and green ankle bands, “Hey, as soon as you guys are done trying to outmuscle each other, get your behinds ready for a good pummeling!” “You got it, Shuran!” Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha responded enthusiastically while they were still flexing their muscles at each other. Ayame the determined Kyuk Too Ki or Korean Kickboxing victor was putting on her red tank top and shorts from her husband Inuyasha’s robe of the fire rat. She also took notice of her brother-in-law’s and her husband’s nude pose down, as she approached the latter by running her fingers over his biceps and pecs. “Don’t forget to show me how strong you always are, you handsome stud.” Inuyasha flexed his bulging biceps, put them down, and made his granite pecs bounce at his wife, “Honey, you know me well. I always deliver the goods, especially for someone as gorgeous and strong as you are.” Inuyasha and Ayame kissed passionately, but Sesshoumaru, who was now putting on his MMA shorts and MMA gloves, interrupted their romantic endeavor, “All right, lovebirds, save your intimate moment for the bedroom. We are about to engage in battle.” “No worries, Sesshoumaru. I’ll make sure that I give my handsome Inuyasha a great fight.” Ayame replied as she wrapped her hands with her red kickboxing gloves, her feet with red footguards, and her shins with red shin guards. “Yeah, no worries, bro. We know exactly what we’re doing, and my babe Ayame is all mine.” Inuyasha said with a wide grin, as he quickly got into his G-string and Himantes. Meanwhile, Hakkaku the punishing Muay Boran combatant was putting on his forest green Muay Boran shorts, forest green armbands, white hand wraps made of hemp, and white ankle wraps, and Ginta the intrepid Lethwei competitor was putting on his brown Lethwei shorts, white hand wraps, and white ankle wraps. Shuran, now in his full wrestling attire, came over to excitedly greet his younger brothers, “I hope you guys are ready because I can’t wait to see what you are made of.” “We’ll definitely give you…
Which martial arts combo do you think would best combine Ayame’s furious fists and Shunran’s gregarious gliding? A. Hapkido and Shaolin Kung Fu B. Yongmudo and Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu C. Taekwondo and Baguazhang D. Kuk Sool Won and White Crane Style Kung Fu E. Subak and Wushu F. Hwa Rang Do and Bajuquan G. Taekkyeon and Monkey Kung Fu
Which martial arts combo do you think would best combine Sesshoumaru’s stealthy strength with Inuyasha’s mighty muscles especially when it comes to Sesshoumaru’s Karate styles combining with Inuyasha’s Mixed Martial Arts styles? A. Kyokushin Karate and Mixed Martial Arts B. Shotokan Karate and Pankration C. Wado-Ryu Karate and Vale Tudo D. Seidokaikan Karate and Shootfighting E. Goju-Ryu Karate and Shoot Boxing F. Shito-Ryu Karate and Shoot Wrestling G. Enshin Karate and Kapu Kuialua
Which striking Chinese combat form do you think would best suit Shunran’s gorgeous gracefulness and gregarious gliding? A. Shaolin Kung Fu B. Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu C. Baguazhang D. White Crane Style Kung Fu E. Wushu F. Bajiquan G. Monkey Kung Fu
Which deadly Korean martial art do you think best would suit Ayame’s ferocious fists and furious feet? A. Hapkido B. Yongmudo C. Taekkyeon D. Taekwondo E. Subak F. Hwa Rang Do G. Kuk Sool Won
Which striking and clinching combat form do you think would best suit Ginta’s qualitative quickness and quantum quirks? A. Lethwei B. Pencak Silat C. Jeet Kune Do D. Sanda E. Pongyi Thaing F. Bando G. Naban
Which deadly mixed martial art do you think would best suit Inuyasha’s magnificent muscles and mighty manliness? A. Mixed Martial Arts B. Pankration C. Kapu Kuialua D. Vale Tudo E. Shootfighting F. Shoot Boxing G. Shoot Wrestling
Which wrestling style do you think would best suit Shuran’s pulverising power and petrifying punishments? A. Professional Wrestling B. Hardcore Wrestling C. Lucha Libre D. Combat Sambo E. Mongolian Wrestling F. Sumo Wrestling G. Catch Wrestling
Which Karate style do you think would best suit Sesshoumaru’s stealthy strength and sterling stamina? A. Kyokushin Karate B. Shotokan Karate C. Goju-Ryu Karate D. Shito-Ryu Karate E. Wado-Ryu Karate F. Seidokaikan Karate G. Enshin Karate