November 15, 2026

Antoni Matteo Garcia

by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven’s East meets West Martial Arts

June 4, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Greetings and salutations, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here. It is said that the martial arts have their place in culture, history, and sociolinguistic norms throughout the world. It is also said that when Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran practice various martial arts and make it a way of life, they not only become a powerful septet of Yokai warriors but also a strong family united by honour, courage, fortitude, discipline, attitude, confidence, and valour. Nothing can ever separate their bond as martial artists and as a family.
 
For this written entry, I am going to do something that is called East meets West in which each Splendid Seven member has two Eastern martial arts and two Western martial arts. This match-up would open them up to various combat possibilities and would combine specific physical aspects from each martial art to create adaptability to overcome stronger and more skilled opponents. While this would apply to all of The Splendid Seven members, the only exceptions are Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran whose fighting styles are predominantly Eastern with one martial art being of Western origin, thus having three Eastern martial arts and one Western martial art for the four of them. With that said, let us get kicking, punching, grappling, and mauling, everybody.
 
Sesshoumaru combines tradition with innovation through Japan’s Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate, Brazil’s and America’s Mixed Martial Arts, and America’s Marine Corps Martial Arts. Shotokan’s and Kyokushin’s focus, balance, and power are combined with Mixed Martial Arts’ sheer brutality and Marine Corps Martial Arts’ speedy reaction time, survival tactics, and lethal precision. For Sesshoumaru, timing is everything when it comes to how he blocks, throws punches and kicks, and grapples his opponents to the ground to choke and batter the life out of them with his bare hands. If that were not enough, the Japanese and American army bases would be really proud to have Sesshoumaru on board with his skills in Marine Corps Martial Arts, for he has the speed and lethal accuracy to make his enemies squirm with terror, especially when he snatches their weapons away with lightning-fast quickness and incapacitates them with soul-shattering blows. He would even incorporate Karate’s main principles of Kihon, Kata, and Kumite in Mixed Martial Arts and Marine Corps Martial Arts as a means to condition himself, his teammates, and his troupes well against their enemies. Sesshoumaru is truly a martial artist worthy of respect and admiration.
 
Inuyasha combines power with brutality through Korea’s Taekwondo and Hapkido, Greece’s Pankration, and Hawaii’s Kapu Kuialua. Taekwondo’s and Hapkido’s speed, power, balance, and timing are combined with Pankration’s brute strength and Kapu Kuialua’s fierce brutality. Inuyasha’s raw power, super strength, and muscular virility are a wonderful yet dangerous combination should thugs, hellions, and lowlives dare cross paths with him. He uses every part of his body from his fists to his elbows to his knees to his heels to overcome his enemies and make them submit to his awesome power. Furthermore, Inuyasha’s combination of Taekwondo’s predominant punches and kicks with Hapkido’s, Pankration’s, and Kapu Kuialua’s joint locks, arm bars, submission holds, bearhugs, back-breakers, and neck-breakers demonstrate how serious of a fighter he really is. Whether he delivers a series of fatal spinning back kicks or disfiguring jabs to the face or devastating uppercuts to the chin or submission holds so tight that an anaconda is strangling his prey, Inuyasha can accomplish them all with pride and glory as well as having his muscles being bathed in his enemies’ blood. There is no escape when Inuyasha invites his enemies to their own demise.
 
Shuran combines brute force with grand virility through Japan’s Sumo Wrestling, Mongolian Wrestling, Korea’s Ssireum, and America’s and Great Britain’s Professional Wrestling. Sumo Wrestling’s, Mongolian Wrestling’s, and Ssireum’s grandly time-honoured tradition and cultural significance to Asia are combined with Professional Wrestling’s macho bravado and boundless thrills for all the spectators to witness. Locking enemies in various submission holds and throws is only one part of Shuran’s game in doing what he can to not falter. Consistency in his technique and dedication to his craft as a martial artist as well as to his family are also what make him thrive in perseverance and fortitude. Should any opponent dare to squeeze the life out of Shuran, he would just retaliate a million times harder with bearhugs, back-breakers, neck-breakers, suplexes, arm bars, joint locks, Boston Crabs, and Full Nelsons that can easily suffocate them to submission. Even his palm strikes and bodyslams have been proven to cause so much collateral damage. The ring and the ground are essentially home to Shuran. When potential opponents try their strength at him, they would not even last one nanosecond, thus bringing them to their knees.
 
Hakkaku combines fierceness with quick reflexes through Thailand’s Muay Thai, Cambodia’s Pradal Serey, Hawaii’s Kajukenbo, and the Philippines’s Panantukan. Muay Thai’s and Pradal Serey’s lethalness and brute force are combined with Kajukenbo’s versatility and Panantukan’s no holds barred determination to triumph. Hakkaku’s repertoire of punches and kicks may be devastating, but how he uses his clinches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shin kicks is nothing short of phenomenally jaw-dropping in the most brilliant way possible. He could never begin to tell the many occasions where he found purpose in kicking oak trees and banana trees with his bare shins to the point where Thailand and Cambodia honoured him as a fighter worthy of discipline, respect, and dignity. No mugger nor murderer would be impudent to dare besmirch Hakkaku’s good name. While Hakkaku’s punches and kicks can disfigure skeletons and break bones, his clinches combined with his knee strikes, shin kicks, and elbow strikes can leave his enemies bleeding, bruised, and beaten almost to death. There is no stopping Hakkaku when it comes to dishing out a huge serving of pain and punishment when he puts his elbows, knees, and shins to phenomenal use.
 
Ginta combines ferocity with speed through Myanmar’s Lethwei, Indonesia’s Pencak Silat, China’s Sanda, and Russia’s Systema. Lethwei’s brutality is combined with Pencak Silat’s relentlessness, Sanda’s power, and Systema’s methodical fierceness. Ginta may possess a repertoire rich in punches and kicks, but he is also very capable of clinches, knee strikes, elbow strikes, shin kicks, and head-butts which can leave potential enemies reeling and writhing with pain and anguish. There have been occasions where Ginta’s hand wraps have been soaked in so much blood, given all the beatings he has served up to his enemies. Moreover, Ginta’s signature head-butts have even seen his opponents suffering concussions and brain damage to the point where they cannot move their head around anymore. The secret to Ginta’s clinches, takedowns, and strikes is his daily ritual of punching, kicking, and head-butting oak trees and banana trees to harden and toughen his bones, thus becoming an indestructible force of nature. Whenever enemies attempt to strike Ginta down, he counters their attacks using his quick reaction time before punishing them with clinches, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and head-butts galore. Victory is not that far away for Ginta.
 
Ayame combines instinct with toughness through Japan’s Nippon Kenpo and Shorinji Kenpo as well as America’s Kickboxing and Boxing. Nippon Kenpo’s power and Shorinji Kenpo’s spirit are combined with Kickboxing’s lethal speediness and Boxing’s brute force. Ayame’s iron fists and fleet feet are the hallmarks of her skills as a fighter who strikes without respite. Her vast repertory of punches and kicks means that she is always reliable in ensuring that every enemy should get down on their knees and plead defeat. Regardless if Ayame throws an uppercut, a hook, a jab, a cross punch, a reverse punch, a spinning back kick, a roundhouse kick or a side kick, she is never going to hold back on her attacks and will go all out on them. It is no secret that Ayame’s ambition, determination, and wilfulness fuel her attacks with panache and power, which have seen her come out on top in nearly every competition and battle alike. Her series of powerful punches and speedy kicks aside, Ayame is also the bearer of quick reaction time and her signature Dempsey rolls, side steps, dodges, and blocks that have seen her obliterate her enemies with all her might. There is no doubt that Ayame’s physical strength, psychological fortitude, and quick instinct are what make her a consistent champion.
 
Shunran combines graceful agility with lightning-fast rapidity through China’s Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, and Wushu as well as Brazil’s Capoeira. Shaolin Kung Fu’s and Wing Chun’s forcefulness is combined with Wushu’s deadly precision and Capoeira’s effective timing, zero-gravity agility, and thorough flexibility. Shunran’s lightning-fast limbs and amazing acrobatic abilities are proof that she is never to be underestimated with, despite her being the youngest and the shortest member of The Splendid Seven. In fact, Shunran’s lithe physical build gives her an advantage over bigger opponents because she can effectively propel herself and always fall back on technique to make them fall. This is also clear in her repertoire of kicks, backflips, foot sweeps, somersaults, and dance-like movements that have seen her form a mixture of Capoeira’s elaborate choreography and Shaolin Kung Fu’s fierce attacks all united under the roof of quickness and precision. Shunran does not pigeonhole herself to kicks and flips alone because, given her background in Shaolin Kung Fu, Wushu, and Wing Chun, she has her backfists, reverse punches, elbow strikes, and knee strikes to make her enemies immobile. Versatility truly is the spice of life in Shunran’s martial arts skills.
 
The Splendid Seven demonstrate that mixing Eastern and Western martial arts not only encourages global unity and diversity but also taking advantage of other styles and disciplines that would aid them be more effective fighters. To them, there is no one size fits all approach to their styles. There is harmony in power, precision, speed, balance, timing, tradition, and innovation through mixing these Eastern and Western martial arts styles. Therefore, combining these martial arts styles truly makes The Splendid Seven superhuman weapons capable of great self-defence for each other and great destruction against their opponents.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven’s Iron Fist Tournament

June 3, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

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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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven’s Updated Martial Arts

June 2, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Greetings and salutations, fellow Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another piece of writing revolving around my most favourite seven-member group of Yokai warriors ever. Ever since I have been writing about my Iron Fist AU for The Splendid Seven consisting of Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran, not to mention all of the martial arts documentaries, let’s plays of Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters, and Fatal Fury; indulging myself with watching content from Jesse Enkamp also featuring his brother Oliver Enkamp, Martial Arts Journey hosted by Rokas Leonavicius, Sensei Seth, and a bevy of martial arts-related channels; and watching National Geographic’s Fight Science, I have been more fascinated by martial arts as a whole. If you remembered my first entry where I listed seven martial arts that I thought could be appropriate for all seven members of The Splendid Seven, it was enjoyable doing that and hearing some feedback from you, dear readers, but I only scratched the surface of why I think these particular martial art styles are particularly excellent for them. Now that I am a lot more conscientious, I have managed to re-evaluate certain martial arts styles that I think fit Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran exceptionally well.
 
Before going into the specific martial arts that these seven Yokai warriors specialise in, what needs to be kept in mind are the following aspects regarding their respective martial arts styles. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha aka The Inu Brothers are the strongest, fiercest, and most powerful fighters of The Splendid Seven, especially reflected in their skills as both grapplers and strikers, given their bone-shattering punches, nerve-destroying kicks, and overpowering submission holds, although Inuyasha is also completely open to throwing elbow strikes, knife hands, knee strikes, and clinches. Shuran is also the physically strongest fighter in terms of his skills as a grappler who specialises in various forms of wrestling, and his palm strikes, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and submission holds are truly powerful. Hakkaku and Ginta are strikers and clinchers through and through, given how effectively they use their elbow strikes, clinches, knee strikes, and head-butts. Ayame is a predominant striker who has a huge repertoire of punches from her uppercuts to her crosses and equally mighty kicks. Shunran is a flexible striker who has a sizeable repertoire of kicks and flips but also backfists and punches to show that she is more than just a fighter with kicks and flips. Furthermore, trying to challenge all seven of them in the arena, the ring, and/or the cage match is asking for trouble because, whether fighters try to combat them individually or together, they never hold back on their punches, kicks, submission holds, clinches, and strikes and can leave their opponents with concussions, broken bones, black eyes, bloodied noses, ballistic head traumas, and massive internal bleeding. With that said, let us get re-acquainted with The Splendid Seven’s updated seven martial arts styles based on their fighting skills.
 
Sesshoumaru
  1. Mixed Martial Arts
  2. Kyokushin Karate
  3. Shotokan Karate
  4. Brazilian Jujitsu
  5. Japanese Jujitsu
  6. Marine Corps Martial Arts Program
  7. Shootfighting
Inuyasha
  1. Pankration
  2. Taekwondo
  3. Hapkido
  4. Ancient Greek Wrestling
  5. Ancient Greek Boxing
  6. Kapu Kuialua
  7. Bokator
Shuran
  1. Mongolian Wrestling
  2. Sumo Wrestling
  3. Professional Wrestling
  4. Ssireum
  5. Turkish Oil Wrestling
  6. Pehlwani
  7. Malla-yuddha
Hakkaku
  1. Muay Thai
  2. Kajukenbo
  3. Pradal Serey
  4. Taekkyeon
  5. Panantukan
  6. Dambe
  7. Moraingy
Ginta
  1. Lethwei
  2. Pencak Silat
  3. Sanda
  4. Hwa Rang Do
  5. Tang Soo Do
  6. Systema
  7. Eagle Claw Kung Fu
Ayame
  1. Kickboxing
  2. Nippon Kenpo
  3. Shorinji Kenpo
  4. Judo
  5. Krav Maga
  6. Boxing
  7. Sambo
Shunran
  1. Capoeira
  2. Shaolin Kung Fu
  3. Wing Chun
  4. Wushu
  5. Northern Praying Mantis
  6. Baguazhang
  7. Changquan
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The Splendid Seven’s more updated martial arts styles. Your comments and additional suggestions are more than welcome. Cheers and have a lovely day.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven Pair-Ups in Martial Arts Styles

June 1, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Greetings, fellow Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another piece of written revolving around my Splendid Seven Iron Fist AU headcanon. I briefly covered some pairings and the martial arts Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Hakkaku, Ayame, and Shunran would spar in whenever they are divided into groups of two or three in a previous entry I made. Now, I will state the following martial arts each pairing would find themselves in whenever they are together, regardless of sparring or working together with them. With that said, I hope this interests you. If you agree with the martial arts styles I chose for each pairing whether they be romantic or platonic, please let me know. Enjoy.
 
The Most Loved OTP for Life Couples
 
Inuyasha x Ayame
Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Bokator, Pankration, Ancient Greek Boxing, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Kapu Kuialua
 
Ginta x Shunran
Sanda, Tang Soo Do, Capoeira, Wing Chun, Lethwei, Wushu, and Eagle Claw Kung Fu
 
The Liked Pairings but not on OTP Level
 
Sesshoumaru x Ayame
Kyokushin Karate, Shotokan Karate, Mixed Martial Arts, Taekwondo, Sambo, Nippon Kenpo, and Shorinji Kenpo
 
Shuran x Shunran
Judo, Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Vale Tudo, Systema, and Baguazhang
 
Hakkaku x Shunran
Brazilian Jujitsu, Shaolin Kung Fu, Systema, Baguazhang, Judo, Panantukan, and Japanese Jujitsu
 
The Main Familial Platonic Pairings
 
Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha
Taekwondo, Kyokushin Karate, Shotokan Karate, Hapkido, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing
 
Sesshoumaru x Shuran x Inuyasha
Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Pankration, Pehlwani, Malla-yuddha, and Mongolian Wrestling
 
Sesshoumaru x Shuran x Hakkaku
Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Pehlwani, Kajukenbo, Pradal Serey, and Muay Thai
 
Shuran x Hakkaku x Ginta
Muay Thai, Lethwei, Judo, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Turkish Oil Wrestling, and Tegumi
 
Inuyasha x Hakkaku x Ginta
Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Lethwei, Bokator, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, and Judo
 
Inuyasha x Ginta
Bokator, Kapu Kuialua, Pehlwani, Malla-yuddha, Sanda, Lethwei, and Pencak Silat
 
Hakkaku x Ginta
Muay Thai, Lethwei, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Pencak Silat, Sanda, and Panantukan
 
Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha x Shuran x Hakkaku x Ginta
Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Lethwei, Judo, Brazilian Jujitsu, Mongolian Wrestling, Pradal Serey, Bokator, Taekwondo, Mixed Martial Arts, Japanese Jujitsu, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, and Pankration
 
Ayame x Shunran
Nippon Kenpo, Kickboxing, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Taekkyeon, and Subak
 
The Heterosexual Platonic Pairings
 
Sesshoumaru x Shunran
Wing Chun, Shaolin Kung Fu, Northern Praying Mantis, Wushu, Shorinji Kenpo, Taekkyeon, and Hwa Rang Do
 
Shuran x Ayame
Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Sambo, Boxing, Krav Maga, and Tegumi
 
Inuyasha x Shunran
Taekwondo, Kyokushin Karate, Shotokan Karate, Wushu, Wing Chun, Hwa Rang Do, and Bokator
 
Hakkaku x Ayame
Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Kajukenbo, Nippon Kenpo, Pradal Serey, Judo, and Krav Maga
 
Ginta x Ayame
Lethwei, Kickboxing, Pencak Silat, Krav Maga, Judo, Nippon Kenpo, and Sanda
 
Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha x Shunran
Kyokushin Karate, Shotokan Karate, Taekwondo, Shaolin Kung Fu, Baguazhang, Wing Chun, and Wushu
 
Shuran x Hakkaku x Ayame
Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Mongolian Wrestling, Muay Thai, Kajukenbo, and Boxing
 
Hakkaku x Ginta x Ayame
Muay Thai, Lethwei, Pradal Serey, Pencak Silat, Kickboxing, Kajukenbo, and Nippon Kenpo
 
Super Strong and Diversely Dynamic Groups
 
Sesshoumaru x Inuyasha x Ayame
Mixed Martial Arts, Kyokushin Karate, Shotokan Karate, Pankration, Bokator, Ancient Greek Boxing, Taekwondo, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Kickboxing, Kapu Kuialua, Hapkido, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Krav Maga
 
Shuran x Hakkaku x Ginta x Shunran
Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Lethwei, Systema, Hwa Rang Do, Tang Soo Do, Pencak Silat, Sanda, Taekkyeon, Kajukenbo, and Mongolian Wrestling
 
Inuyasha x Ayame x Ginta x Shunran
Taekwondo, Pankration, Bokator, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, Pencak Silat, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Capoeira, and Wushu
 
Formidable Square-Offs chiefly with Main Platonic Pairings
 
Sesshoumaru vs Inuyasha
Shotokan Karate vs Taekwondo, Kyokushin Karate vs Hapkido, Mixed Martial Arts vs Pankration, Hapkido vs Bokator, Japanese Jujitsu vs Ancient Greek Wrestling, Taekwondo vs Ancient Greek Boxing, and Brazilian Jujitsu vs Kapu Kuialua
 
Shuran vs Hakkaku vs Ginta
Mongolian Wrestling vs Muay Thai vs Lethwei, Sumo Wrestling vs Pradal Serey vs Pencak Silat, Professional Wrestling vs Kajukenbo vs Sanda, Ssireum vs Taekkyeon vs Hwa Rang Do, Turkish Oil Wrestling vs Panantukan vs Tang Soo Do, Kurash vs Dambe vs Systema, and Shuai Jiao vs Moraingy vs Eagle Claw Kung Fu
 
Sesshoumaru vs Shuran vs Hakkaku
Shotokan Karate vs Mongolian Wrestling vs Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate vs Sumo Wrestling vs Pradal Serey, Mixed Martial Arts vs Professional Wrestling vs Kajukenbo, Hapkido vs Ssireum vs Taekkyeon, Japanese Jujitsu vs Turkish Oil Wrestling vs Panantukan, Taekwondo vs Kurash vs Dambe, and Brazilian Jujitsu vs Moraingy vs Eagle Claw Kung Fu
 
Inuyasha vs Ginta
Taekwondo vs Lethwei, Hapkido vs Pencak Silat, Pankration vs Sanda, Bokator vs Hwa Rang Do, Ancient Greek Wrestling vs Tang Soo Do, Ancient Greek Boxing vs Systema, and Kapu Kuialua vs Eagle Claw Kung Fu
 
Ayame vs Shunran
Kickboxing vs Capoeira, Nippon Kenpo vs Shaolin Kung Fu, Shorinji Kenpo vs Wing Chun, Judo vs Wushu, Krav Maga vs Northern Praying Mantis, Boxing vs Baguazhang, and Sambo vs Changquan
 
Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. The Splendid Seven sparring pair-ups I have concocted. Please let me know if you have suggestions too. Cheers.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven vs Ulrich’s Bodybuilder Brigade

The Splendid Seven vs Ulrich’s Bodybuilder Brigade

May 31, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

This Death Battle meme originally belongs to JasonPictures.
 
If I did not aspire to be an actor, a voice actor, a singer, a writer, a journalist, an artist, and a reviewer when I was a child, I would have gladly obtained the opportunity to be a combat sports commentator/ring announcer for mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, and other martial art/combat sport I could name off the top of my head. I would also be happy to be a radio, television, and podcast announcer because I would always be grateful to use my voice for projects regardless of the theme be it anime, music, film, television, and martial arts. This is one particular death battle I would be more than happy, grateful, and enthusiastic to announce with all my heart.
 
Imagine entering Ulrich Wernerstein’s mansion where his laboratory for producing his Bulky Bars is used as an arena for his brigade of brute bodybuilders to smash seven Yokai warriors. Where Ulrich has himself and his bodybuilder brigade full of muscle upon muscle as well as loads of power, The Splendid Seven consisting of Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran have their martial arts skills to give these muscle-heads a good beating. Trust me when I say that blood is going to be spewed, joints are going to be cracked, bones are going to break, collateral damage is going to occur within the body in the forms of internal bleeding, and every fighter is going to accrue bruises and gashes beyond belief. This is the type of event that could give Bloodsport, Tekken, King of Fighters, Mortal Kombat, Fatal Fury, and Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie a run for their money. Furthermore, this is bloody great entertainment for any martial arts aficionado, cage match fan, and/or combat sport junkie to sink their teeth in. Even better is Sam, Clover, and especially Alex and her darling beau Raymond seated at the front to see the action and maybe make some comments on the fight itself. At least Alex does not have to resort to eating up those Bulky Bars, thus having Raymond to herself as her boyfriend for life, and The Splendid Seven do not need those glorified steroids of bars anyway, for they have their martial arts skills to take these brutish behemoths down, and they have faced bigger enemies too.
 
This death battle is a competition of muscle, strength, combat prowess, power, speed, lethalness, and fierceness. As this is a free-for-all tournament, the only rule is that nobody holds back until the last team stands tall and strong. Therefore, this is wonderful for anybody who wants a fix of high-octane adrenaline.
 
All the fighters are in the following attire. Ulrich is in his dark green singlet and his muscle-head goons are in the same colour of shorts they have worn in the episode “The Incredible Bulk”. Sesshoumaru is topless, barefoot, armed with red MMA gloves, and wears black MMA shorts with a silver flame on his right short leg. Inuyasha is also topless, barefoot, armed with red MMA gloves, and wears black MMA shorts with a red, orange, and yellow flame on his right short leg. Shuran is wearing a green shoulder-length zodog while baring his torso, green gauntlets, a green shudag, and green foot guards. Hakkaku is topless, in brown Muay Thai shorts, white hand wraps, forest green Muay Thai gloves, and forest green ankle guards. Ginta is topless, in mahogany Lethwei shorts, white hand wraps, and white ankle wraps. Ayame is wearing a red headband, a red tank top, red gauntlets, red boxing gloves, red pants, and is barefoot. Shunran is wearing a light green tank top and matching Capoeira pants with a pink floral design, pink gloves, and pink foot guards. Where Ulrich and his goons are not going to wear mouth guards, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are going to do so, and how they put them on, especially when they growl then grin once on their mouths, is already intimidating, thus giving their opponents and idea of who they have to contend with.
 
Sure, the battle would start with Ulrich and his goons totally whaling on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran thanks to their immensely physical and musclebound strength. All seven of them would end up smashing on walls with painful thuds and crashes, which would make Ulrich and his goons believe that they have won. However, it is not over yet, for The Splendid Seven recover quickly from their crashes with scary smiles on their faces, spit their bloodied mouth guards, and reveal their teeth, as they wipe the blood off their mouths. This is where Ulrich and his goons realise that they have messed up and should not have let a premature “victory” get over their heads because each member of The Splendid Seven specialise in their respective martial arts.
 
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha have a strong, well-established, and firm foundation on Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Judo, Hwa Rang Do, Hapkido, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing. Their mastery of grappling groundwork and striking standing martial arts makes the two Inu brothers the complete fighters that they are as well as the strongest in mass, skill, speed, and overall collateral damage. Both of them have even mixed these various martial arts styles to formulate their own attacks. Sesshoumaru’s attacks combine Brazilian Jujitsu’s and Japanese Jujitsu’s grappling, Shotokan Karate’s and Hapkido’s precise striking in the kicks; and Shorinji Kenpo’s, Kyokushin Karate’s and Mixed Martial Arts’ close contact when he lands punches on opponents. Inuyasha’s attacks combine Judo’s, Kapu Kuialua’s, Ancient Greek Wrestling’s, and Pankration’s grappling; Tae Kwon Do’s powerful kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and punches; and Ancient Greek Boxing’s and Bokator’s close contact through his devastatingly hard-hitting punches. Besides, Sesshoumaru has been practicing Kata and working on his punches and kicks on the Makiwara as well as on the punching bag ever since he was 6, while Inuyasha has been shadowboxing, punching and kicking really huge rocks, and practicing his submission holds on a stuffed deerskin dummy ever since he was 5, and both of them have been well trained and victorious in their respective martial arts growing up. It only goes to show that the Inu Brothers combining Tae Kwon Do’s speed and stealth, Jujitsu’s and Wrestling’s grappling groundwork, and Pankration’s complete power and strength makes them truly formidable weapons on and off the battlefield, the ring, and/or the arena.
 
Despite Shuran being mostly a grappler and both Hakkaku and Ginta being predominantly strikers and clinchers, these three bros have a firm foundation on Muay Thai, Lethwei, Judo, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Tegumi, Kurash, and Shuai Jiao. Shuran’s massive size and insurmountable mass, Hakkaku’s formidable stealth and rock-hard strength, and Ginta’s rapid speed and quick timing make them akin to a well-oiled and perfectly functioning army tank. Shuran has the strength of an elephant when it comes to his abilities in Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, and Ssireum because his submission holds, chokeholds, bearhugs, back-breakers, and neck-breakers are powerful, and he takes advantage of bringing his enemies down to the ground to show that this is his territory and he will squeeze and throttle the living life out of them. Hakkaku combines speed, power, and timing when it comes to his skills in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, and Kajukenbo, for his clinches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and shin strikes can see his enemies suffer like the worms they are. Ginta possesses speed, quick reflexes, and strength to make his capabilities in Lethwei, Pencak Silat, and Sanda all the more wonderful to witness by virtue of his clinches, knee strikes, elbow strikes, shin strikes, head-butts, axe kicks, and reverse punches. Given that Shuran practices various submission holds on different dummies, Hakkaku kicks huge oak trees using his shins, and Ginta punches and kicks wooden boards made of oak, they are more than well conditioned to take down all of their opponents as well as unite their physical skills to do them in. Therefore, combining Shuran’s grappling skills in Mongolian Wrestling, Hakkaku’s clinching in Muay Thai, and Ginta’s lethal strikes in Lethwei means a sudden death for any perpetrator who dares mess with them.
 
The ladies are in full swing when Ayame and Shunran enter the arena, for these striker sisters have a sturdy foundation on Nippon Kenpo, Kickboxing, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Shorinji Kenpo, Boxing, Krav Maga, Taekkyeon, Subak, and Wado-Ryu Karate. Although Ayame’s main martial arts are Kickboxing, Judo, and Nippon Kenpo and Shunran’s are Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun, both of them have extremely powerful punches and kicks that could cause concussions to their enemies and effectively incapacitate them. Ayame combines kickboxing’s speed and power as well as Nippon Kenpo’s formidability with judo’s close-contact physical strength as a means to demonstrate that her punches and kicks may be attributes that propel her power, but her takedowns are just as effective as they are bone-shattering. Shunran combines Capoeira’s dance-like agility and grace with Shaolin Kung Fu’s plus Wing Chun’s precision and accuracy to the point where she can leave her enemies’ heads spinning one moment and have them fall to the ground the next. Therefore, these striker sisters have created an East meets West approach to their martial arts styles. The Western approaches of Boxing, let alone Kickboxing, and Capoeira and the Eastern methods found in Judo, Nippon Kenpo, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun have united in Ayame and Shunran respectively to mould them into effective ways to take opponents down and propel their skills as thorough strikers.
 
I may not be certain that you might agree with me, dear readers and animation fans, but the chances of Ulrich Wernerstein and his bodybuilder brigade winning against The Splendid Seven are slim to none. It looks like these giant muscle lummoxes are going to suffer major concussions, lethally broken bones, a whole lot of bleeding and bruises, and copious amounts of torn ligaments, internal bleeding, and damaged nerves all in one go and in the whole nine yards. Every time these muscle meatheads knock the seven Yokai warriors hard, they come back with a relentless vengeance to whale on them even harder.
 
Now, I would love to hear from you wonderful people. Who do you think would win this death battle? The Splendid Seven and their incredibly diverse and formidably powerful martial arts skills? Or Ulrich’s and his goons’ sheer muscle mass and power? Comment below and let me know.
 
I hope you enjoyed this death battle idea, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and stay formidable, everybody.
 
Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
 
Ulrich Wernerstein and his bodybuilder brigade from Totally Spies belong to Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, David Michel, and Marathon Media.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven against The Bodybuilder Brigade

The Splendid Seven against The Bodybuilder Brigade

May 30, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

This “What if This Character Fights This Character” meme originally belongs to MagicalKeyPizzaDan and is dedicated to all of my friends, fellow artists, fans, and brethren who might enjoy an intense tournament match between Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran from my Splendid Seven Inuyasha AU headcanon and Ulrich Wernerstein and his bodybuilder brigade from Totally Spies’ “The Incredible Bulk”. Sit back, relax, and revel in how seven mighty Yokai warriors can possibly overpower a brigade of muscle meatheads headed by a narcissistic muscle meathead.

Take my seven most favourite characters from an anime I have a serious love-hate relationship with and one über musclebound villain heading a quartet of über musclebound underlings from an anime-inspired series I am proud to call one of my greatest guilty pleasures of all time and you have a smackdown that can attract millions and billions, regardless if you are an underground fighting tournament fan, a wrestling fan or a martial arts tournament fan. My inspiration for this idea derived from my tenure being a huge fan of Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, and Mortal Kombat. Where the Street Fighter franchise is concerned, I am mainly inspired by the anime Street Fighter II V, the animated series Street Fighter: The Animated Series, and the anime movie Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. Something tells me that Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are going to use their martial arts skills to cream, mash, and mince Ulrich Wernerstein and his brigade of muscle meatheads, and I am going to enjoy every single moment of it. I am not going to be alone in this, as Sam, Clover, and Alex would revel in this smackdown between seven mighty Yokai warriors specialising in various martial arts and a vain muscle meathead commanding a quartet of muscle meatheads. This would be a smackdown suitable for an arena, a colosseum, and/or a huge ring ideal for martial arts tournaments a la YuYu Hakusho, Dragonball Z, Bloodsport, and The Quest but even bloodier, as you will discover why.

While Ulrich and his goons are dressed the way they are for the fight, I can imagine Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran in the following attires. As Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are the Ryu and Ken of The Splendid Seven, they will both be topless, be armed with red MMA gloves, black MMA shorts with Sesshoumaru’s having a silver flame on his right short leg and Inuyasha’s having red, orange, and yellow flame on his right short leg akin to Jin Kazama’s Player 1 and Player 2 design, thus symbolising ice and fire, and be barefoot. Shuran will be in a green shoulder-length zodog, green gauntlets, a green shudag, and green foot guards. Hakkaku will be in brown Muay Thai shorts, white hand wraps, forest green Muay Thai gloves, and forest green ankle guards. Ginta will be in mahogany Lethwei shorts, white hand wraps, and white ankle wraps. Ayame will be in a red headband, a red tank top, red gauntlets, red boxing gloves, red pants, and be barefoot, with all that red enough to put even Anna Williams to shame. Shunran will be dressed in a light green tank top and matching Capoeira pants with a pink floral design, pink gloves, and pink foot guards.

Ulrich and his goons may be all muscled up through his Bulky Bars and even all that weightlifting and muscle-building they have done. However, The Splendid Seven not only rely on muscular strength to hopefully defeat their opponents but also using martial arts as a way of life, especially highlighted with their warmups. Sesshoumaru is a practitioner in Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, and Brazilian Jujitsu who does kata usually done in Karate and works on his strikes on a Makiwara as well as a punching bag, thus illustrating that he is a man of tradition. Inuyasha is a practitioner in Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing who works on his throws and submission holds using a deerskin dummy, punches and kicks really huge boulders to strengthen his fists and feet, thus making them be hard as rocks, and does a lot of shadowboxing. Shuran is a practitioner in Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, and Ssireum who works on his throws, submission holds, and palm strikes on a dummy stuffed with rocks and stones. Hakkaku is a practitioner in Muay Thai, Kajukenbo, and Pradal Serey who conditions his shins and fists by kicking and punching oak trees. Ginta is a practitioner in Lethwei, Silat, and Sanda who conditions his shins, knees, fists, and head by knocking oak trees with those aforementioned body parts. Ayame is a practitioner in Kickboxing, Judo, and Nippon Kempo who works on her strikes using a punching bag. Shunran is a practitioner in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun who also works on her strikes using a punching bag.

With everybody well-conditioned for their epic fight of the season, there is something that Ulrich and his musclebound goons should be aware if they think they are foolhardy enough to conquer The Splendid Seven. The seven Yokai warriors are not to be underestimated because their attacks can actually do a lot of collateral damage to Ulrich and his goons. This is not just the fact that they are supernatural warriors with a lot of super strength, endless supplies of endurance, and a whole lot of physical, mental, and psychological might, but they also have brutally physical attacks that can easily incapacitate their enemies.

Sesshoumaru may be mainly a Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, and Japanese Jujitsu man, and Inuyasha may be mainly a Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, Bokator, and Kapu Kuialua man, but both Inu brothers’ fighting styles are firmly based in Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Judo, Nippon Kempo, Shorinji Kempo, Tae Kwon Do, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing. Both brothers are strikers and grapplers who are equally adept in standing martial arts and ground martial arts, with them beating a huge number of their enemies to submission on the ground. Sesshoumaru’s mixture of Tae Kwon Do kicks, Brazilian Jujitsu grapples and tackles, and Mixed Martial Arts punches, elbow strikes, and knee strikes are an exceptional compliment to Inuyasha’s mixture of Kapu Kuialua and Ancient Greek Boxing tackles, Pankration grapples, Ancient Greek Boxing punches, and Bokator kicks. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are both aggressive fighters whose uppercuts, hooks, jabs, haymakers, face punches, gut punches, and cheek punches can leave Ulrich and his goons with bleeding and broken noses, bruises, and black eyes. Even more frightening for Ulrich and his goons is when Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha shout a really powerful Kiai, shower them in a barrage of various punches and kicks, and use a combo tornado kick and uppercut akin to Street Fighter’s Shoryuken that would see them fly up and land down with an ugly thud as well as land a huge side kick that would knock them cold and a judo flip that would break their backs. As The Splendid Seven strongest overall fighters, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha aka The Inu Brothers are not one to hold back by any stretch of the imagination and would intimidate Ulrich and his goons until they are reduced to a gaggle of scared little cowards.

Shuran may be mainly a grappler in Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, and Ssireum, while Hakkaku and Ginta may be strikers and clinchers chiefly in Muay Thai and Lethwei respectively, but these three’s fighting styles are firmly based in Muay Thai, Lethwei, Judo, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Tegumi, Kurash, and Shuai Jiao. Despite their different fighting styles, the three brothers’ palm strikes, double slaps, headlocks, bearhugs, judo flips, and clinches are truly formidable to the point where their enemies submit. Shuran’s suplexes can easily break Ulrich’s and his goons’ bones, thus incapacitating them. Hakkaku’s clinches, punches, knee strikes, and elbow strikes can leave Ulrich and his goons all bloodied and bruised. Ginta’s clinches, punches, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and head-butts can also leave them just as bloodied and bruised. Shuran’s, Hakkaku’s, and Ginta’s favourite move on Ulrich and his goons is having Shuran give a Full Nelson on each of them, while Hakkaku and Ginta shin kick each of them on the legs until they submit. Once done, Shuran would release them, palm strike each of them, and have Hakkaku and Ginta shower them with jabs and hooks. Clinches and palm strikes aside, Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta would demonstrate to Ulrich and his goons that wrestling’s massive size can work wonders with striking’s and clinching’s flexibility really well, especially when these three brothers/best friends for life take them down.

Ayame and Shunran are predominantly strikers through and through. Ayame may mainly be a puncher and grappler in Kickboxing, Judo, and Nippon Kempo, while Shunran may mainly be a kicker and flipper in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun. Nevertheless, both sisters’ fighting styles are firmly based in Nippon Kempo, Kickboxing, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Shorinji Kempo, Boxing, Krav Maga, and Wado-Ryu Karate. As a dominant puncher and kicker, Ayame is always willing to dish out her signature uppercuts, hooks, jabs, haymakers, face punches, gut punches, axe kicks, shin kicks, head scissors, headlocks, and roundhouse kicks that can cause serious black eyes and broken bones. As a dominant kicker and flipper as well as the occasional puncher, Shunran always has her backfists, reverse punches, roundhouse kicks, axe kicks, shin kicks, foot sweeps, spinning back kicks, spinning roundhouse kicks, and a bevy of flying kicks and flip kicks that can cause her enemies to go into a vertigo and make them feel extremely disoriented. Where Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha have their punches on board and Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta have their clinches at the ready, Ayame and Shunran are always prepared to give Ulrich and his goons all the fast and powerful kicks they have in their repertoire, thus leaving them utterly fazed. Ayame’s and Shunran’s striking abilities would show Ulrich and his goons that these sisters always mean business.

Making The Splendid Seven’s attacks more devastating is the fatality blows each of them have for Ulrich and his goons. Sesshoumaru would throw one massive hook and one equally massive jab at the blonde muscle thug on the left cheek and mouth respectively causing him to lose some teeth and leave him bruised and bleeding. Inuyasha would pivot his weight to jump up and throw the muscle thug with the green mohawk one devastating uppercut to the chin and one equally devastating cross to the nose. Shuran would throw the bald, brown-skinned muscle thug one huge double slap to the head and suplex him headfirst to the ground. Hakkaku would throw the red-haired, tan-skinned muscle thug one painful knee strike to the groin and an equally painful flying shin kick to the head. Ginta would also throw the red-haired, tan-skinned muscle thug one ruthless head-butt and one equally ruthless elbow strike to the chest. Ayame would throw one lethal reverse punch to the blonde muscle thug’s head and an equally lethal roundhouse kick to the muscle thug with the green mohawk’s side. Shunran would throw one mean spinning back kick to the the bald, brown-skinned muscle thug’s gut and one equally mean backfist to the red-haired, tan-skinned muscle thug’s nose. With all four muscle thugs suffering in an overwhelmed manner by their attacks, this leaves Ulrich Wernerstein as the final victim. Sesshoumaru throws Ulrich two cross punches to his eyes, thus leaving him with two black eyes. Inuyasha throws Ulrich an uppercut to his chin, thus leading him to lose some teeth. Shuran delivers a palm strike to Ulrich’s chest. Hakkaku clinches at Ulrich to deliver him some serious knee strikes to the gut. Ginta also clinches at Ulrich to deliver him an elbow strike to the back. Ayame gives Ulrich a flying spinning back kick to Ulrich’s head. Shunran gives Ulrich a flying side kick to his chest. Finally, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran get into their respective MMA, Pankration, kickboxing, Mongolian wrestling, Muay Thai, Lethwei, and Capoeira stances, run to Ulrich with powerful Kiais, land a flying side kick to his head, throw an uppercut to his chin, and make him as well as his goons fall down like bowling pins. All of their fatality blows would leave a lot of blood spilt on the ground as well as ballistic head traumas, internal bleeding, heavy bruises, and broken bones. This would additionally culminate in a series of trash-talking by courtesy of Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran at Ulrich’s and his goons’ expense, stating that there was too much muscle between their ears, but at least they thoroughly enjoyed kicking their butts because it makes them feel really good.

Sam, Clover, and Alex may be initially frightened yet fascinated with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran who are also spritzed with Ulrich’s and his goons’ blood. However, the seven Yokai warriors would give a smile and wink at the three female teen spies. Even a recovered Raymond and an equally recovered Robert would be shocked at the commotion seeing Ulrich’s and his goons’ severely unconscious and the seven blood-spritzed Yokai warriors. They assure Raymond and Alex that they can enjoy their “honeymoon” because they deserve to be happy together, with Robert saying to himself that he has to lay off those bars. At least with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran kicking Ulrich’s and his goons’ butts to smithereens, Alex did not need to rely on those Bulky Bars to beat them to submission and can enjoy her wonderfully loving relationship with Raymond. As Raymond, Alex, Clover, and Sam depart, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran put their hands on top of each others’, throw them up in the air, give each other a high-five for a job excellently done, and a huge group hug full of smiles and laughter just like the close-knit Yokai warrior family that they are.

This epic tournament between The Splendid Seven and Ulrich and his bodybuilder goons just goes to show that supernatural and superhuman hand-to-hand martial arts skills beat über bulky muscles any day. Furthermore, this is what happens when Ulrich and his goons dare underestimate Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran. If you did not already guess, the muscle meatheads got their butts handed to them by the seven powerful Yokai warriors with attitude, fierceness, and familial closeness. At least there was a lot of enjoyment in this epic martial arts tournament worthy of all viewing.

I hope you all enjoyed this, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and always remember to kick butt in whatever martial arts you do, everybody.

Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.

Ulrich Wernerstein and his bodybuilder brigade from Totally Spies belong to Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, David Michel, and Marathon Media.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven Martial Arts Diet and Warm-Ups

May 29, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Greetings and salutations, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados all over the world! Antoni here with another Splendid Seven-related piece of work revolving around the martial arts Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialise in. This time, I am focusing on their warm-up rituals that see them being in pique physical, mental, and psychological strength and power whenever they get themselves in tournaments, in cage matches, and in battles with opponents ten to a million times larger than them. Have you ever wondered how Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are the mighty Yokai warriors that they are? Do you know how they obtain their individual and collective strength? The answers lies in their intense physical training, über active lifestyle, and an all-natural diet that have seen them thrive so wonderfully in everything they do as warriors and as individuals. They have never met an opponent they did not like and are always embracing challenges that make them grow a whole lot stronger than they are.
 
The Splendid Seven’s diet and lifestyle are what make them physically strong and mentally healthy, for they live on a carb-free, sugar-free, yet protein-rich as well as fat-rich diet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Instead of the usual cow’s, goat’s, sheep’s, and/or camel’s milk, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran drink the milk of bull and ox Yokai which manage to be beneficial for stronger bone density, quicker muscle repair, and ensuring a more formidable mental capacity, especially for clearer focus and higher energy, thus making it a great breakfast food staple alongside Birds of Paradise eggs cooked either sunny side-up or scrambled, which is high in protein, zinc, and selenium as well as having a more savoury flavour than chicken eggs and ostrich eggs combined; boar demon bacon, which has more of a meaty texture but far less sodium and a whole lot more niacin, Vitamin B12, and magnesium than regular pig’s bacon; Birds of Paradise sausage, which has more protein and Vitamin B12 than regular sausage; and a mixture of blueberries, strawberries, passion fruit, and dragon fruit. Furthermore, the milk of bull and ox Yokai is richer and creamier in texture than cow’s, goat’s, and camel’s milk combined and is also very useful for making cheese, butter, and cream. Meats and fish would usually consist of boar demon, crow demon, salmon, trout, tuna, eel, bird demon like Tekkei, owl demon, crocodile, and alligator which would give The Splendid Seven the super strength, stamina, and stealth they need to kickstart every physical activity they get themselves into. Fruits and vegetables would consist of blueberries, strawberries, apples, passion fruit, dragon fruit, spinach, purple yam, celery, carrots, seaweed, broccoli, onions, and kale in order for their bodies to be rid of free radicals. Rice and noodles are still part of their diet, but they are eaten very sparingly and are eaten alongside meat, fish, and vegetables. Therefore, their diet is guaranteed to keep them energised from sunup until sundown with the strength of an entire army.
 
Coupled with a healthy diet and lifestyle is how Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran physically and mentally prepare themselves for every fight they engage in. They do these preparations either with punching boards or bags, dummies, lifting weights, and/or fighting imaginary opponents.
 
Sesshoumaru’s conscientious expertise in Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Japanese Jujitsu, and Shorinji Kempo means that his warm-ups are firmly rooted in tradition, physical fortitude, and unwavering discipline. He bench presses huge barbells and even boulders and does deadlifts with heavy weights. He practices his punches on a Makiwara as well as a metal punching bag, his kicks on huge boulders, and grapples with a stuffed demon dummy made of the hid of boar demon and stuffed with the feathers of crow demon. Moreover, Sesshoumaru also practices Kata in order to fully condition himself whenever he takes down his enemies. Even when he is in his full Yokai form with red eyes and jagged stripes on his cheeks, he focuses his energy on doing his Kata, punching on a Makiwara and a metal punching bag, and kicking huge boulders so that his bones and muscles will harden like the strongest of iron.
 
Inuyasha’s undeniable formidability in Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Bokator, and Kapu Kuialua demonstrates how he is not afraid to go all out when wanting to take his foes down. He bench presses huge barbells, boulders, and dense demon bones as well as does deadlifts with heavy weights. He practices his punches and kicks on huge boulders and on thick wooden blocks, wrestles stuffed deerskin dummies, and has boxing matches with giant demon bones. Inuyasha even shadowboxes to make sure that his iron fists are in great shape to deliver some powerful uppercuts, jabs, and hooks as well as his entire body is ready to deliver roundhouse kicks and submission holds. Even when he is in his full Yokai form with red eyes and jagged stripes on his cheeks, he focuses his super strength and boundless energy on bench pressing, deadlifting, shadowboxing, punching and kicking huge boulders, thick wooden blocks, and thick demon bones, and wrestling with stuffed deerskin dummies, thus strengthening his muscles and bones just like the huge war tank he ought to be.
 
Shuran’s towering persistence in Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, Ssireum, Tegumi, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Kurash, and Shuai Jiao highlights how he can use every battle he is in to his advantage. He bench presses giant boulders, does ab crunches, and does deadlifts with heavy weights. He even wrestles with giant dummies stuffed with cotton. Whether the dummies are made of deerskin or alligator leather, it does not matter to Shuran just as long as he keeps himself as well as his muscles mighty and strong as a professional wrestler and grappler willing to tackle all of his foes.
 
Hakkaku’s excitable energy in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, Moraingy, Dambe, and Taekkyeon is a clear picture of how he never dares surrender even when his opponents attempt to knock him down hard. He does a lot of circuit training and shadowboxing which help him be fully conditioned for combat. Furthermore, Hakkaku punches and kicks giant oak trees to turn his fists and shins into hard concrete, thus making sure that his enemies do not get up whenever he clinches and kicks them really hard.
 
Ginta’s vitalised relentlessness in Lethwei, Pencak Silat, Sanda, Systema, Hapkido, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, and Tang Soo Do emphasises how passionate he is about continuously honing his craft as a martial artist reaching for the higher ground. He does circuit training and shadowboxing which keep him concentrated on his goals. Additionally, Ginta kicks giant oak trees, practices his punches on wooden boards, and his head-butts and clinches on a stuffed deerskin dummy to turn his shins, head, and fists into hard concrete, thus ensuring that his enemies have no means to escape from his clinches and his head-butts.
 
Ayame’s sheer power in Kickboxing, Nippon Kempo, Judo, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Boxing, and Sambo is a witness on how she has the iron fists, feet, and will to make history and honour her family’s plus her own good name. She does circuit training, bench pressing, and deadlifting to ensure that she is in great physical shape as well as shadowboxing to give her the focus she needs to beat her opponents to the ground. Most of all, Ayame punches and kicks giant boulders, punching bags made of deerskin, and wooden boards made of oak to make sure that her jabs, hooks, uppercuts, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, side kicks, spinning back kicks, backfists, and reverse punches stay as accurate, efficient, and powerful as ever.
 
Shunran’s death-defying grace in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Baguazhang, Northern Praying Mantis, and Changquan is the hallmark of how her fleet feet, quick reflexes, and steely willpower can never be taken for granted. She does a lot of circuit training, gymnastics, and shadowboxing as a means to propel herself in terms of speed, agility, and strength. In addition, Shunran punches and kicks oak posts, punching bags made of deerskin, and giant boulders to properly condition her huge and varied repertory of kicks ranging from a roundhouse to a split kick to an axe kick as well as her strikes in terms of her backfists and reverse punches. That way, she can remain as strong and agile as ever.
 
There you have it, ladies, gentlemen, and martial arts fans of all ages. Nothing is more exciting than having Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran warm up and get themselves ready for any battle, martial arts tournament, and any fight because they fight to live and live to fight. Martial arts is what kept them alive, and it is what will keep them together.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven’s Iron Fist Familial Bonds

May 28, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Greetings and salutations, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados all over the world! Antoni here with another Splendid Seven-related piece of work revolving around the martial arts Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialise in. I will start off with their dominant and individual martial arts, traverse into groups revolving around my main Splendid Seven BroTPs then OTPs, and finally all of The Splendid Seven members sparring like one big, formidable, powerful family. I will do another entry revolving around all the Splendid Seven BroTPs and the martial arts they spar in on a daily basis.

Sesshoumaru is a gold-medal prizefighter in Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, and Brazilian Jujitsu who can give his opponents vice-like submission holds, joint locks, and chokeholds supported by his quick foot sweeps, iron hooks, jabs, uppercuts, and elbows to the face, cheeks, guts, mouth, and/or chest, and, most of all, his devastating kicks devoid of the proverbial foot-fencing, for they can cause collateral damage to his enemies, regardless if the kick is a roundhouse, a hook, a spin or a crescent. He also has experience in Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Judo, Nippon Kempo, Vale Tudo, Marine Corps Martial Arts, Shootfighting, and Japanese Jujitsu on his side to effectively propel his attacks. Strength, stealth, and stamina are the names of his game when opponents dare challenge him and incomparable skills as a striker and a grappler.

Shuran has seen triumph after triumph as a prizewinning wrestler specialising in Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, and Ssireum. He may have also had his roots in Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Tegumi, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Kurash, and Shuai Jiao, but these martial arts have helped him strengthen his skills as a full-fledged grappler, although his strikes are just as effective such as his palm strikes, gut punches, tiger feint kicks, shoot kicks, and head-bashers. Shuran’s chokeholds, back-breakers, and bearhugs are his signature attacks, thus leaving his opponents desperately gasping for air until they can no longer breathe. Therefore, Shuran never holds back on the grappling, and his towering size and brute strength speak volumes.

Inuyasha is optimally platinum level when it comes to his combat skills in Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing. He is also a complete hand-to-hand martial artist when it comes to combining striking with grappling, considering his insurmountable experience in Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Nippo Kempo, Kapu Kuialua, Bokator, Pehlwani, and Malla-yuddha. Therefore, Inuyasha’s uppercuts, hooks, jabs, roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, clinches, Full Nelsons, Boston Crabs, camel clutches, and his ever-popular bodyslam are the stuff of legends to the point where his enemies end up severely injured. Combining muscular strength, sheer combat power, and heaps of determination have always made him a champion who never surrenders.

Hakkaku has the Thai gods’ blessings in his great abilities in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, and Kajukenbo. He is also just as great in Lethwei, Judo, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Panantukan, Moraingy, Dambe, and Taekkyeon, given that his grappling, striking, and acrobatic capabilities have made him a strong combatant through and through. Although predominantly a striker, Hakkaku’s clinches, elbow strikes, and sleeper holds have proven to be really deadly and have incapacitated his enemies. Even his axe kicks, shin kicks, and knee kicks can guarantee a lightning quick and frighteningly painful finish that will see his opponents fall down to the ground like huge trees being felled at. Hakkaku’s relentlessness is what also propels his moves to incapacitate all of his foes.

Ginta has the ancient Burmese kings’ honour in his unparalleled abilities in Lethwei, Pencak Silat, and Sanda. He is also equally laudable in Muay Thai, Judo, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Systema, Hapkido, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, and Tang Soo Do, for his combination of grappling, striking, and acrobatics have made him truly formidable. This is specific in terms of his clinches, elbow strikes, head-butts, scissor kicks, and head scissors which make his enemies writhe in a lot of pain. Equally noteworthy are his axe kicks, shin kicks, and knee kicks that could also figuratively break his enemies’ bones to smithereens. Ginta’s persistence is the hallmark of his creed and his way of life.

Ayame is the reigning champion of Kickboxing, Nippon Kempo, and Judo. Furthermore, she is just as great in Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Boxing, Krav Maga, and Sambo. If it were not already clear, Ayame is a predominant striker and is just as adept as a grappler, for her main strengths are in punches and kicks. For instance, every backfist, uppercut, hook, jab, gut punch, haymaker, roundhouse kick, front kick, spinning back kick, axe kick, shin kick, knee kick, and side kick she throws can cause collateral damage to her enemies because their bones could break and they could suffer internal bleeding if they are not careful. Ayame’s super strength is beautifully complimented by her long-lasting stamina and undying determination, thus ensuring that her amazing efforts do not go to waste.

Shunran is a shining and flashing star in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun. She is also just as phenomenal in Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Baguazhang, Northern Praying Mantis, and Changquan. As Shunran is agile and graceful, her dominant attacks are striking-related, given the huge array of kicks she can master, although she is also capable of throwing hooks, jabs, haymakers, elbow strikes, uppercuts, and a few chokeholds to add to her repertoire, all while defying gravity. Whether she does a roundhouse, a spinning back kick, a split kick, an axe kick, a flying kick, a shin kick, a knee kick, a side kick or any other kick she can do, Shunran has an indubitable number of foot attacks devoid of any form of foot fencing. She would effectively incapacitate her enemies with her shins, her knees, and her feet. Shunran’s incomparable agility, grace, and speed can make her opponents’ heads spin in a vertigo, thus leading her to triumph.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are the Ryu and Ken, Terry and Andy, Superman and Captain Marvel, and Thor and Captain America of The Splendid Seven who would always spar in Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Nippon Kempo, Judo, Pankration, Mixed Martial Arts, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, and Shorinji Kempo. The two brothers would always find pleasure in sparring with each other. In fact, Inuyasha would proclaim he likes strong men such as Sesshoumaru because he is the best sparring partner and big brother a man like him could ever ask for, while Sesshoumaru would proclaim that he also likes strong men like Inuyasha because he is just as amazing as a sparring partner, a heterosexual life-partner, and, most of all, his younger brother. They would also incorporate their individual martial arts into their sparring, such as Sesshoumaru using Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, and/or Mixed Martial Arts to try to counter Inuyasha using Kyokushin Karate, Nippon Kempo, Judo, and/or Pankration. Sure, they would shower each other with punches, kicks, chokeholds, clinches, submission holds, and bodyslams with all of their muscular strength and virile relentlessness. However, all of their sparring matches would end with smiles, a laugh, congratulating each other on a job well done, a clasp to the hand, and a warm hug from the both of them. The excitement that Inuyasha has in sparring with Sesshoumaru, given his playful punches to the shoulder on him just to get him to do battle with him, especially when both brothers gear up, is really telling of how close they are as the most appreciative of brothers, best buddies and the closest of pals, and the strongest fighters of The Splendid Seven.

Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta have a three-way brotherhood that is filled with flexibility, warmth, and support, which is clearly illustrated in their sparring matches in Muay Thai, Lethwei, Judo, Japanese Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Tegumi, Kurash, and Shuai Jiao. As Shuran is predominantly a grappler and Hakkaku and Ginta are predominantly strikers, their sparring matches would definitely help each other to become more flexible in their combat approaches and would always build each other up in the most constructive and supportive way possible. There are occasions where Shuran would have to go easy on Hakkaku and Ginta when it comes to his grappling skills, but he would also encourage them to hit him as best as they got because he always loves the sight of seeing his best bros grow stronger every time. Whenever Shuran puts his skills as a sumo and Mongolian wrestler to great use, Hakkaku and Ginta would attempt to counter his attacks with their Muay Thai, Lethwei, Judo, and Jujitsu skills. There would also be occasions where it is a free-for-all, as all three gentlemen spar with each other using their own martial arts. After throwing every punch, palm strike, and kick, Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta would give each other a high-five and hug each other to show how strong their brotherhood and friendship really is.

Sesshoumaru, Shuran, and Hakkaku possess a supportive and tight three-way brotherhood that has seen each other grow as fighters and as individuals highlighted in their sparring matches in Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Judo, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Kajukenbo, Tae Kwon Do, and Muay Thai. This combination of Sesshoumaru’s skills as both a grappler and a striker, Shuran’s skills as a predominant grappler, and Hakkaku’s skills as a predominant striker is far more exciting than one thinks, for they benefit each other. As Sesshoumaru is an extremely experienced martial artist, especially in Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian Jujitsu, and Mixed Martial Arts, he would make sure that Shuran and Hakkaku do not slack off on technique, let alone on ensuring that effectiveness and tactics thrive well. Whenever Sesshoumaru throws a haymaker, an uppercut or a jab, Shuran would counter it with a submission hold, while Hakkaku would counter it with a grab and a clinch. Whenever Shuran attempts to land a Full Nelson, Sesshoumaru would shift his weight and flip him to the ground, while Hakkaku would simply elbow him. Whenever Hakkaku attempts a clinch, Sesshoumaru would knee him, while Shuran would bearhug him. Every sparring match Sesshoumaru, Shuran, and Hakkaku get themselves into is rewarded with congratulating each other as well as Shuran embracing both Sesshoumaru and Hakkaku with a huge grin on his face knowing that he has wonderful brothers and sparring partners he can call best friends for life.

Inuyasha and Ginta are extremely supportive, encouraging, and warm towards each other to the point where they are proud to be brothers who enjoy sparring in Lethwei, Nippon Kempo, Mixed Martial Arts, Pankration, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Sanda, and Systema. Ginta would always look up to Inuyasha for his super strength as both a grappler and a striker, while Inuyasha would always find great potential in Ginta to grow into a more effective striker and clincher. Inuyasha would use his skills in Pankration, Bokator, and Kapu Kuialua to prove to Ginta that he can use his skills as a practitioner of Lethwei, Pencak Silat, and Hapkido to counter every attack he has to offer. One notable example is how Inuyasha would attempt to land a bearhug onto Ginta and make him submit, only for Ginta to counter Inuyasha’s attack with a head-butt, a clinch, a knee strike, and an elbow strike. As a result, Inuyasha ended up lauding Ginta for acting on his instinct as well as having such a formidably effective combo attack. Inuyasha’s strength in his uppercuts, jabs, hooks, bearhugs, back-breakers, roundhouse kicks, and gut punches compliments Ginta’s unparalleled lethalness in his elbow strikes, knee strikes, head-butts, clinches, uppercuts, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, side kicks, and spinning back kicks. Inuyasha’s and Ginta’s sparring matches would end with both men clasping each others’ hands, hugging each other, and congratulating each other for a job well done.

Ayame and Shunran are the warmest, most loving, most appreciative, and most endearing pair of sisters ever through their unbreakable bond found in their sparring in Nippon Kempo, Kickboxing, Shaolin Kung Fu, Japanese Jujitsu, Boxing, Krav Maga, and Sambo. Both of them may be predominantly strikers, considering the indubitable power of their roundhouse, axe, shin, knee, side, and spinning back kicks, but what makes them different is that Ayame also has grappling and clinching abilities up for grabs, while Shunran is mainly a striker. Ayame would deign to use her skills as a kickboxer, judoka, and Nippon Kempo practitioner in order to see how effective Shunran’s skills as a practitioner in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun really are. Every time Ayame lands an uppercut, a jab or a hook, Shunran would counter any of Ayame’s attack by doing a backflip and land a series of roundhouse kicks, flying kicks, and spinning back kicks on her. This would compel Ayame to be just as agile as her younger sister and Shunran to be just as strong as her older sister. Ayame’s and Shunran’s sparring matches would end with both women congratulating each other and hugging each other so tenderly, thus demonstrating how unbreakable their sisterhood really is.

Inuyasha and Ayame are a complete and formidable martial artist couple who are equally great as strikers and as grapplers who find themselves sparring in Kickboxing, Nippon Kempo, Judo, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Mixed Martial Arts. Inuyasha would always encourage Ayame to be more aggressive with her punches and kicks, while Ayame would ensure that Inuyasha never holds back on any of his attacks. What makes each other stand out in the most positive way ever is how Inuyasha can master any submission hold, punch, and kick and how Ayame can propel herself to use her punches and kicks to her advantage. Therefore, Inuyasha would compliment Ayame on her roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, jabs, backfists, uppercuts, hooks, and gut punches, while Ayame would be utterly enthralled by Inuyasha’s chokeholds, bearhugs, uppercuts, hooks, haymakers, Full Nelsons, and Boston Crabs. As Inuyasha and Ayame are a very intimate couple, they would end their sparring matches by taking off each others’ combat gear and making hot, spicy, exciting love all the way to their bedroom.

Ginta and Shunran may be gorgeous and lovely as a couple, but their sweetness is to be never mistaken for their weakness, for they revel in sparring in Capoeira, Wing Chun, Shaolin Kung Fu, Japanese Jujitsu, Wushu, Baguazhang, Northern Praying Mantis, and Changquan. Ginta would always see to it that Shunran never holds back on her punches, while Shunran would do her best to ensure that Ginta never backs down as a fighter and as a person. Worthy of praise from each other is how Ginta is steely enough to use his clinches, shin kicks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes, and Shunran is determined enough to use her repertoire of kicks, elbow strikes, palm strikes, and knee strikes. Therefore, Ginta would be utterly enchanted with Shunran’s backflips, spinning kicks, axe kicks, shin kicks, knee kicks, and groin kicks, while Shunran would be absolutely charmed with Ginta’s clinches, head-butts, takedowns, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and palm strikes. Since Ginta and Shunran are a very romantic couple, they would end their sparring matches by kissing each other passionately, taking each others’ gear off, and making intense love all the way to their bedroom.

As The Splendid Seven are one united family of super Yokai warriors, they always have to make sure that their skills and abilities do not go squandered, hence their implementation of a multi-sparring system called switch sparring where each Yokai warrior begins with their own martial arts style that they have to adapt to their opponents’ martial arts styles. They would apply the 1-minute rule where each warrior would have a chance to spar with each other before taking each other down in a dog-pile. Nothing is held back whatsoever. This commences with Sesshoumaru with Mixed Martial Arts plus Shotokan Karate and Inuyasha with Pankration plus Kyokushin Karate taking each other down. Then comes Shuran with Mongolian Wrestling to try to take down Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha comes in again to take down Shuran when Sesshoumaru exits. Shuran exits, and Hakkaku with Muay Thai and Inuyasha still with Pankration attempt to take each other down. Inuyasha exits, Shuran enters again, and he attempts to take down Hakkaku as well as eventually Ginta who enters with Lethwei. Ayame uses her Kickboxing plus Judo skills to try to take down Shuran then Sesshoumaru. Ginta has a go at Hakkaku and Ayame. Shunran enters with Capoeira and attempts to overwhelm Inuyasha. Ayame and Shunran have a go at showering each other with punches, kicks, flips, and strikes. Inuyasha and Ginta have a go at knocking each other down with punches, kicks, and submission holds. Sesshoumaru, Shuran, and Hakkaku have a go at bringing each other down with submission holds, palm strikes, and clinches. Inuyasha and Ayame have a double trouble match with Ginta and Shunran, obviously as couples, and try to best each other with all the punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and kicks they can muster. Sesshoumaru intervenes, launches a tackle on Inuyasha and Ayame, and they shower each other with uppercuts, hooks, jabs, roundhouse kicks, axe kicks, and chokeholds, while Shuran and Hakkaku pounce on Ginta and Shunran and shower each other with submission holds, clinches, palm strikes, and roundhouse kicks. Finally, as the grand finale, all seven of them have a go at each other and tackle, punch, and kick each other until they tire out. As Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran breathe a sigh of relief that their epic switch sparring match is over, all of them smile and let out a relieved and jolly laugh as a way of relaxing from all the crazy tension occurred. Inuyasha would remark how fun it was to do something like this and would even state that they should do this more often, with all of them agreeing on it. As a means of showing unity, all seven Yokai warriors even give each other a group hug because they are one united family who will never ever be kicked or knocked down by anybody.

Although bearing different hand-to-hand martial arts styles, Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are all united as a family by their love of the martial arts, sparring with each other with all they have got, and growing stronger as fighters and as individuals every single waking day.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Splendid Seven’s Fists of Iron

May 27, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another written entry revolving around Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran as The Splendid Seven. I have this to ask. Would you want to see these seven Yokai warriors in various combat tournaments competing against opponents much stronger and bigger than they are? Would you want to know what martial arts Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran specialise in which suit them perfectly? If your answer is yes, I got you covered because these seven Yokai warriors are always ready to kick loads of butt and be the formidably skilled combatants that they are. Even better is when they bring their martial arts skills together in order to demonstrate to their enemies and their opponents that they are not the type of combatants to ever surrender by any stretch of the imagination. Therefore, they are prizefighting champions who always aim for the higher ground.
 
Growing up playing Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, and many other fighting games that involve various hand-to-hand martial arts as well as reigniting my own interest in researching about various martial arts that would suit Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran well made me come to this conclusion. The ideas I acquired from my favourite hand-to-hand fighting games, martial arts anime, and underground and public tournament competitions portrayed in various media could be very applicable for another Splendid Seven AU headcanon where our favourite seven Yokai warriors specialise and compete in various martial arts of their choice but were trained in similar ones when they were younger. The models I am particularly inspired by when it comes to making Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran partake in various martial arts are Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie as well as video games including Tekken, Street Fighter, and King of Fighters. This is significant to me because this would enable all seven Yokai warriors to use their bodies, especially their hands and feet, as the most formidable weapons ever.
 
Where the martial arts all seven Yokai warriors have practiced when they were younger is concerned, all of them have practiced Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate, Japanese and Brazilian Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Nippon Kempo, Boxing, and Kickboxing in terms of forming the basis of their punches, kicks, and grapples. Sure, they have trained really hard in various martial arts. However, their purpose is to not always use their bodies as weapons to beat others up, but to demonstrate teamwork, dedication, brotherhood and sisterhood, perseverance, confidence, humility, and discipline. Their love of martial arts is what brought them together as a family, and it is what has always defined them as a team of potently powerful and super strong Yokai warriors. Who better to instruct them in martial arts than their own parents and grandparents, specifically Toga the Dog General for Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate, InuKimi for Aikido, Izayoi for Shaolin Kung Fu, and The Wolf Elder for various grappling forms of combat. From that moment on, The Wolf Elder, Toga, InuKimi, and Izayoi have aided Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran in becoming the strong and determined fighters that they are.
 
Sparring is a great way for all seven Yokai warriors to bond, especially where match-ups are concerned. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha would always spar in Kyokushin Karate, Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Mixed Martial Arts, Ancient Greek Boxing, Pankration, and Ancient Greek Wrestling to the point where every intense combat culminates in a warm hug between the two brothers and even call each other the greatest sparring partners ever. As brothers who love to spar and shower each other with punches, kicks, clinches, and grapples, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha would have a strong fraternal relationship akin to Ryu and Ken as well as Terry Bogard and Andy Bogard, given how much they would always inspire each other to grow as strong warriors. Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta would always spar in Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Muay Thai, Lethwei, Ssireum, and Mongolian Wrestling, for their collective love of grappling and clinches make them forces to be reckoned with as well as give the likes of Akuma, E Honda, Zangief, and Sagat a run for their money all while being a merry trio of brothers. Ayame and Shunran would always spar in Nippon Kempo, Judo, Kickboxing, Boxing, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wushu, and Sambo, considering how Ayame as the older sister would instil a sense of competition in Shunran as her younger sister as well as having combats that could put Nina Williams, Anna Williams, Chun-Li, Cammy White, and Sakura Kusagano to shame as combatants. One favourite activity all seven Yokai warriors would do is called switch fighting in which they use various fighting styles when sparring and have to adapt to each of them. For instance, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha start sparring with each other in Mixed Martial Arts and Pankration, then Shuran enters to combat either or both of them in wrestling which they have to adapt, Hakkaku and Ginta enter with their Muay Thai and Lethwei skills, Ayame enters with her Kickboxing moves, and Shunran enters with Capoeira to the point where all of them would end up dog-piling each other, but it is all in great fun and laughter, and it is a great way for all seven of them to release tension after such a long and hectic day of strife.
 
As each of the seven Yokai warriors grow into maturity, they would end up specialising in their own sets of martial arts. Sesshoumaru would reign supreme in Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, and Brazilian Jujitsu. Shuran would dominate in Mongolian Wrestling, Ssireum, and Sumo Wrestling. Inuyasha would wipe the floor with his opponents’ heads in Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing. Hakkaku would rule the ring in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, and Kajukenbo. Ginta would be victorious in Lethwei, Pencak Silat, and Sanda. Ayame would be a master specialist in Kickboxing, Judo, and Nippon Kempo. Shunran would be triumphant in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun. Each of them would train really hard in their respective martial arts and would, therefore, turn their bodies into the most lethal weapons anybody has ever encountered. Whether they practice with punching bags or stuffed dummies, they always take their training in their respective martial arts very seriously and are filled with burning determination. Separately as well as together, they could easily rip their enemies’ heads wide open if the threat is more powerful than they are. Putting all of them in a tournament, a cage match or an arena would make audiences see that Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are never to be underestimated with as powerful combatants whose punches, kicks, clinches, and grapples can puncture all of their opponents.
 
Sesshoumaru’s abilities as a well-rounded striker and grappler would make him own Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian Jujitsu, and even Japanese Jujitsu, Vale Tudo, Marine Corps Martial Arts, and Shootfighting. As a striker, his punches and kicks could easily incapacitate his opponents with deadly precision. As a grappler, especially when he and his opponents are brought to the ground, his chokeholds could be compared to a vice or an anaconda wrapping its coils and squeezing its prey to death. Either way, his enemies would usually end up all bloodied, bruised, and broken. His favourite moves are his signature uppercuts that have seen his opponents land to the ground with a huge thud and his Anaconda Chokehold which have seen his opponents gasping for air. Being a champion MMA fighter and an exceptionally well-rounded martial artist, Sesshoumaru is a fabulous combination of muscle power, super strength, stunning stamina, and fierce formidability. He has even done everything he can to treat his body like a regal temple, given all the weightlifting, deadlifts, and bench presses he has been doing to build his muscles well. Physical strength aside, Sesshoumaru is also a focused and disciplined warrior who never attacks unless provoked and would never resort to mere mugging when it comes to how highly he respects the code of the martial arts. Although Sesshoumaru is an MMA specialist, he and his brother Inuyasha have never forgotten about their roots in Kyokushin and Shotokan Karate, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do because they have bonded so well together through these martial arts and have become the formidable brothers that they are proud to be. Sesshoumaru clearly demonstrates that martial arts, regardless of which one he specialises in, is a way of life, and it is what he cares about the most.
 
Shuran’s huge size as the tallest, biggest member, and most physically formidable of The Splendid Seven would make him a mighty grappler in Mongolian Wrestling, Ssireum, and Sumo Wrestling as well as Tegumi, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Kurash, and Shuai Jiao. Opponents would be terrified of Shuran not only due to his towering height and great body mass but also his beastly might and scarily high amounts of determination. His physical power allows him to be a champion competitor in Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, and Ssireum and even strong enough to give Zangief from Street Fighter a run for his money and his property. Shuran is never the type of wrestler who uses his super strength to bully those smaller than him. He uses his super strength to defend those who are in need of aid as well as hone his skills as a fighter and as a protector of the ones who need it the most. What makes Shuran strong as a fighter is not just the size of his frame but also how resilient and determined he is. Every time his opponents knock him down hard, Shuran bounces back with a vengeance, especially with his monster bearhugs, chokeholds, and suplexes that have seen his enemies suffer from ballistic head traumas just because they were foolish enough to cross swords with him. He is also additionally terrifying as a striker, for his punches have also seen his opponents crashing through walls. Shuran definitely illustrates that his craft as a wrestler is not for mere show but a way of life he is more than happy to live and grow as a complete person.
 
Inuyasha’s unparalleled abilities as a formidable striker and a mighty grappler would make him an outstandingly superlative candidate for Pankration, Ancient Greek Boxing, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and even Kapu Kuialua, Bokator, Pehlwani, and Malla-yuddha. Inuyasha may be equally great as a striker and as a grappler just like his favourite big bro in the world Sesshoumaru, but, where Sesshoumaru’s fighting style tends to lean towards being a striker, Inuyasha is predominantly a grappler. His muscular frame, super strength, and sheer muscle power mean that his rock-hard body is not just made for show but also built like a well-furnished and well-oiled tank prepared to go to war. Furthermore, Inuyasha’s beautifully built muscles are also the result of his intense sessions in bench pressing and deadlifts. Combined with Inuyasha’s muscles and super strength is his fierceness and complete readiness to gear up and give his opponents such a major beatdown. Whenever he grins, cracks his fists, rolls his head, neck, and shoulders in circular motion, and flexes his bulging biceps, these are already hints that his enemies are about to experience a world of sheer terror and pain. Inuyasha would never hold back on the uppercuts, jabs, hooks, gut punches, suplexes, bearhugs, back-breakers, and his most favourite move being his Earth-shattering bodyslam that would leave his enemies all broken on the inside and on the outside. Inuyasha’s perennially competitive spirit, everlasting confidence, and boundless persistence coupled with his great muscle power have seen him best his most favourite opponents and enemies as well as pleasuring himself on sparring and tag-teaming with his favourite big brother in the whole world Sesshoumaru, having superb chemistry as a formidable power couple with his wife Ayame, and being a great source of inspiration for his best friends for life Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran. Inuyasha lives and breathes the life of a relentless fighter, and it shows in not only the matches he has won as a Pankratiast, boxer, and wrestler, but also as a complete martial artist who finds strength in the love of his family and friends.
 
Hakkaku’s quick reflexes and relentlessness plus his great skills as a striker and as a grappler would make him indubitably superb in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, and Kajukenbo plus Panantukan, Moraingy, Dambe, and Taekkyeon. His lean yet muscular frame also demonstrates how much strength he has in his system and physicality as a combatant. Every time he trains in Muay Thai as well as Pradal Serey and Kajukenbo, he would make sure that his shins and fists are well-conditioned to give his opponents a beating they would never forget. According to Hakkaku, strength is never enough to take opponents down, for quick reflexes and concentration are necessary to ensure a great victory. Hakkaku’s shin kicks and knee kicks are actually strong enough to make his enemies go down with a ballistic head trauma. Moreover, every opportunity he has for clinches, he would not make his enemies escape and would even make their noses bleed with his rock-hard punches. Opponents better show caution when Hakkaku prepares himself with his Muay Thai stance, for his clinches, shin kicks, and punches can leave them bleeding profusely. Aside from Hakkaku’s physical skills as a Muay Thai practitioner as well as a practitioner in Pradal Serey and Kajukenbo, he also embodies the importance of respect for one’s self and for his opponents. Therefore, he makes it his duty to never be a sore loser let alone a bad winner, thus making him revel in the spirit of good competition and a strong fighting spirit.
 
Ginta’s fleet feet, iron shins, rock-hard knees, and fierce fists would make him absolutely astounding in Lethwei, Pencak Silat, and Sanda, while also faring wonderfully in Systema, Hapkido, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, and Tang Soo Do. Just like Ginta’s dear brother, Hakkaku, he is just as much of a striker and grappler, given how he puts his skills as a Lethwei and Silat practitioner to great use. On top of that, Ginta’s lean yet muscular frame also mean that he is an opponent who should never be underestimated, for his physicality makes him just as formidable. Considering how effectively Ginta clinches at his enemies and opponents, while showering them with iron kicks and steel punches, he would never dare hold back at the opportunity to give them the fight of a lifetime. Even his head-butts can crack his foes’ skulls. Opponents should never mistake Ginta’s sweet disposition for his weakness because he always dishes out one huge serving of combat formidability thanks to his peerless physical prowess. No blow is strong enough to get Ginta down, and he makes it his solemn vow to never surrender, for to surrender means shame and humiliation. Every time Ginta prepares himself for a Lethwei fight, he always ensures a fair fight as well as good spirits between him and his opponents. He combines physical strength, unwavering combat prowess, and perseverance with an innocence and gentleness that make him a worthy fighter.
 
Ayame’s determination, dedication, steeliness, and ambition would make her an upstanding combatant in Kickboxing, Nippon Kempo, and Judo as well as Boxing, Krav Maga, Full Contact Karate, and Sambo. Ayame is a striker through and through, for her furious fists and her fleet feet mean that she can deliver powerful uppercuts, jabs, hooks, backfists, reverse punches, front kicks, roundhouse kicks, side kicks, and spinning back kicks to every opponent she encounters. She is also a wonderful grappler, considering how effectively powerful her clinches and headlocks are, but her strengths are in being a striker through her punches and kicks. Therefore, she is a paradigm of how effective speed, strength, stamina, and skill can be when in the heat of battle as well as demonstrating how she uses her entire as a weapon against those who dare violate her. Every gut punch, uppercut, jab, hook, roundhouse kick, spinning back kick, and side kick Ayame delivers could knock her enemies down as if though they were trees about to be felled. Aside from her amazing skills as a striker, she is also a weightlifter who demonstrates great physical strength and is just as strong as her dear older brother-in-law Sesshoumaru and her beloved husband Inuyasha. In terms of her character, she is determination and dedication incarnate, which is why she is also a champion kickboxer, judoka, and kenpo practitioner. More than anything, she really loves Kickboxing because she can be able to combine her punches and kicks in various ways and is adept at improving her skills as a kickboxer. She is never one to rest on her laurels and is always willing to achieve more than she can ever imagine. To Ayame, running away from a challenge means dying a thousand deaths, but engaging in a challenge makes a warrior strong, resilient, and a better person in the end. Ayame’s physical, mental, and psychological strength clearly shows that she is one formidable opponents warriors would love to fight with wholeheartedly.
 
Shunran’s craftiness, quick wit, fearlessness, and dedication would make her most laudable in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun plus Wushu, Baguazhang, Northern Praying Mantis, and Changquan. Her fighting style illustrates an East meets West concept that is deeply rooted in grace, style, stamina, and stealth. Therefore, combining the dancelike movements of Capoeira with the physical fierceness of Shaolin Kung Fu and Wing Chun makes Shunran a formidable opponent never to be underestimated with. One should never let her graceful movements and dancelike flexibility be signs of weakness because they show how powerful she is as a fighter, especially when she takes down opponents much larger than her. Shunran is predominantly a striker, as her strength is in her roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, side kicks, front kicks, flying kicks, scissor kicks, and vertical kicks. She can lay some really great punches, especially her hooks, uppercuts, and jabs, but her fleet feet and agility make her a veritably formidable combatant. Speaking of speed and agility, Shunran also has gymnastics on her side to propel her attacks as well as use her blocks and flips to ensure that her opponents never receive the upper hand. What makes Shunran truly formidable is just how fearless and clever she is, for she never runs away from battle and always faces each challenge with a bright and bold face. Moreover, she is in the belief that complacency and failure are never an option, and would do her very best to keep on improving her skills, thus making her a shining example of dedication and a great attitude.
 
Whether Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran compete individually in their respective martial arts or together against various opponents so much bigger and stronger than them, they always give their best in everything they do. Be they in a fighting tournament, a cage match, a huge arena or a colosseum, viewers would get to see and hear fists and feet flying, bones crushing, and the resounding battle cries of the combatants. Sesshoumaru’s fierce toughness as an MMA fighter, Shuran’s powerful might as a Mongolian Wrestler, Inuyasha’s super strength as a Pankratiast, Hakkaku’s formidable skill as a Muay Thai practitioner, Ginta’s peerless abilities as a Lethwei practitioner, Ayame’s undeniable tenacity as a Kickboxer, and Shunran’s graceful lethalness as a Capoeira practitioner are all the amazing attributes of how these mighty Yokai warriors are defined by as well as how they live their lives as martial artists, as people, and as a family. It is also their strength and power as martial artists that have paved the way for them to thrive, survive, and win in any and every competition they find themselves in. Nobody and nothing can stop them.
 
Sesshoumaru the fierce MMA fighter, Shuran the mighty Mongolian Wrestler, Inuyasha the super strong Pankratiast, Hakkaku the formidable Muay Thai practitioner, Ginta the potent Lethwei practitioner, Ayame the tenacious kickboxer, and Shunran the lethally graceful Capoeira practitioner are always willing to kick butt, take names, and come out on top with the gold. You can definitely bet on it.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

The Saban Era of Inurangers

May 26, 2022 in Blogs

Greetings, fellow aficionados of anime, Power Rangers, and all things early 90s until early 2000s. Antoni here with another piece of writing I have for you. Ever since rewatching Power Rangers, especially Mighty Morphin, Zeo, and Turbo, I have been thinking about combining anime with the different seasons from the Saban era. Just like Power Rangers’ Saban Era, the “Saban Era” of Inurangers would go on for a total of nine years starting in 2000 with Mighty Morphin Inurangers and ending in 2009 with Inurangers Wild Force. However, unlike the real life Power Rangers counterparts where there is usually between five to six Power Rangers, the Inurangers franchise would see a total of seven Inurangers starting from the very first episode. Why seven? Because this follows the colour scheme of having a red ranger, a green ranger, a white ranger, a black ranger, a blue ranger, a yellow ranger, and a pink ranger. Yes, some iterations would deviate from this formula, especially where In Space, Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, and Wild Force are concerned. Zeo is a completely different beast altogether, but you will find out more about it when I deal with Inurangers Zeo. Nevertheless, the seven-member limit remains almost like DC’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers.
With that said, here are the lists of the Inurangers of each season during their debut episodes. More details will come in their respective series, just like what I have done with the first instalment Mighty Morphin Inurangers. Not only will there be characters from Inuyasha, but also from Texhnolyze, Wolf’s Rain, Baki the Grappler, Shura no Toki, Shootfighter Tekken, Hajime no Ippo, Fullmetal Alchemist, Detective School Q, Ultra Maniac, Samurai 7, and Solty Rei. I am also sure that when you see the lists of each Inuranger team, you could already imagine humming, let alone singing, their respective theme tunes for yourselves and even be excited when you think about them morphing into their Ranger costumes.
Mighty Morphin Inurangers (2000–2002)
  • Inuyasha the Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger version of Jason Lee Scott
  • Shuran the Green Dragonzord Ranger version of Tom Oliver
  • Sesshoumaru the White Tigerzord Ranger version of Tommy Oliver
  • Hakkaku the Black Mastodon Ranger version of Zack Taylor
  • Ginta the Blue Triceratops Ranger version of Billy Cranston
  • Ayame the Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Ranger version of Trini Kwan
  • Shunran the Pink Pterodactyl Ranger version of Kimberly Ann Hart
Mighty Morphin Makai Rangers (2003)
  • Yusuke Urameshi the Red Makai Ranger version of Aurico
  • Botan the White Makai Ranger version of Delphine
  • Kazuma Kuwabara the Yellow Makai Ranger version of Tideus
  • Kurama the Blue Makai Ranger version of Cestro
  • Hiei the Black Makai Ranger version of Corcus
  • Keiko Yukimura the Green Makai Ranger version of Cestro
  • Yukina the Pink Makair Ranger version of Corcus
Inurangers Zeo (2003)
  • Sesshoumaru the Zeo Ranger V Red version of Tommy Oliver
  • Inuyasha the Zeo Ranger VI Red version of Tommy Oliver
  • Ayame the Zeo Ranger VII Red version of Tommy Oliver
  • Ichise the Zeo Ranger III Blue version of Rocky DeSantos
  • Kiba the Zeo Ranger IV Green version of Adam Park
  • Ran the Zeo Ranger II Yellow version of Tanya Sloan and Aisha Campbell
  • Cheza the Zeo Ranger I Pink version of Katherine Hillard
Inurangers Turbo (2004)
  • Ayame the Red Turbo Ranger version of Tommy Oliver and TJ Johnson
  • Sesshoumaru the Black Turbo Ranger version of the Phantom Ranger
  • Inuyasha the White Turbo Ranger version of the Phantom Ranger
  • Kiba the Green Turbo Ranger version of Adam Park and Carlos Vallerte
  • Toboe the Yellow Turbo Ranger version of Tanya Sloan and Ashley Hammond
  • Cheza the Pink Turbo Ranger version of Katherine Hillard and Cassie Chan
  • Leara the Blue Turbo Ranger version of Justin Stewart
Inurangers in Space (2005)
  • Ippo Makunouchi the Red Space Ranger version of Andros
  • Mamoru Takamura the Blue Space Ranger version of TJ Johnson
  • Masaru Aoki the Black Space Ranger version of Carlos Vallerte
  • Tatsuya Kimura the Silver Space Ranger version of Zhane
  • Toran the Pink Space Ranger version of Cassie Chan
  • Ayumi the Green Space Ranger version of Ashley Hammond
  • Karan the Yellow Space Ranger version of Ashley Hammond
Inurangers Lost Galaxy (2006)
  • Baki Hanma the Galaxy Red Ranger version of Leo Corbett
  • Ryoma Sakamoto the Galaxy Black Ranger version of Mike Corbett
  • Akira Shigeta the Galaxy Green Ranger version of Damon Henderson
  • Manabu Itagaki the Galaxy Blue Ranger version of Kai Chen
  • Rosé Thomas the Galaxy Pink Ranger version of Kendrix Morgan
  • Winry Rockbell the Galaxy Yellow Ranger version of Maya
  • Maya Orihara the Galaxy White Ranger version of Karone
Inurangers Lightspeed Rescue (2007)
  • Kiichi “Kiibo” Miyazawa the Red Lightspeed Ranger version of Carter Grayson
  • Tsume the Green Lightspeed Ranger version of Joel Rawlings
  • David Eagle the Gold Lightspeed Ranger version of Joel Rawlings
  • Ryuichi Hayami the Blue Lightspeed Ranger version of Chad Lee
  • Hige the Titanium Lightspeed Ranger version of Ryan Mitchell
  • Rose Anderson the Pink Lightspeed Ranger version of Dana Mitchell
  • Solty Revant the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger version of Kelsey Winslow
Inurangers Time Force (2008)
  • Alexander Volg Zangief the Red Time Force Ranger version of Wesley “Wes” Collins
  • Takeshi Sendou the Quantum Time Force Ranger version of Eric Myers
  • Kenta Kobashi the Crimson Time Force Ranger version of Alex Drake
  • Ichiro Miyata the Blue Time Force Ranger version of Lucas Kendall
  • Kintaro Touyama the Green Time Force Ranger version of Trip Regis
  • Megumi Manami the Pink Time Force Ranger version of Jen Scott
  • Kaoru Ichinose the Yellow Time Force Ranger version of Katie Walker
Inurangers Wild Force (2009)
  • Kyuzo the Red Lion Ranger version of Cole Evans
  • Heihachi Hayashida the Black Bison Ranger version of Danny Delgado
  • Katsushiro Okamoto the Blue Shark Ranger version of Max Cooper
  • Edward Elric the Lunar Wolf Ranger version of Merrick Balton
  • Alphonse Elric the Solar Wolf Ranger version of Merrick Balton
  • Ayu Tateishi the Yellow Eagle Ranger version of Taylor Earhardt
  • Nina Sakura the White Tiger Ranger version of Alyssa Enrilé
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The seven-person Inuranger teams from each season. Let me know in the comments below which team and season is your most favourite. Thanks for reading.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

Mighty Morphin Inurangers Heroes (Seasons 1 to 3)

May 25, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

Hello, everybody. Antoni here. Ever since I have been binge-watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Inuyasha (specifically Episodes 75, 76, 77, 83, 84, 99, and 102), Texhnolyze, Wolf’s Rain, YuYu Hakusho, and many other anime series as well as Power Rangers instalments I could name off the top of my head, I have been thinking what would happen if I combined Power Rangers with my favourite anime series. I would get Inurangers because this is an amalgamation of Inuyasha and Power Rangers, especially when it kicks off with seven of my most favourite Inuyasha characters of all time who go under the group name of The Splendid Seven. Unlike most of the original Power Ranger instalments where there would be a total of five to six members, each of the Inurangers instalments would consist of seven members at the least to a whopping eleven members in total, especially when the seven main Power Rangers colours–red, green, white, black, blue, yellow, and pink–are involved. Therefore, this is the result of what would happen if Inurangers were a union project and based their footage on both Zyuranger and Dairanger yet use their own original footage. What better way to kick this off with the first team-up of 2000’s Mighty Morphin Inurangers. No worries, Zordon fans, Zordon is going to remain as the Inurangers’ commissioner alongside Alpha 5.
 
Seeing that Inuyasha the anime started in 2000 in real time, I figured that the Inurangers franchise would commence the same year as well. As for which network would air this show, instead of Fox Kids, Mighty Morphin Inurangers would end up airing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. I hope you enjoy the Mighty Morphin Inuranger team-ups from Seasons 1 to 3 as well as the Mighty Morphin Makai Ranger team-up I have in store for you all.
 
Mighty Morphin Inurangers Season 1 (2000–2001)
The series that started it all with that iconic theme song only if you replace “Go go Power Rangers” with “Go go Inurangers”. This is also the series that introduced the seven teenage Yokai warriors with attitude consisting of two dog Yokai warrior brothers Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, their three adoptive brothers male panther Yokai warrior Shuran as well male wolf Yokai warriors Hakkaku and Ginta, Sesshoumaru’s sister-in-law and Inuyasha’s wife female wolf Yokai warrior Ayame, and Shuran’s and Hakkaku’s sister-in-law, Ginta’s wife, and Ayame’s younger adoptive sister female panther Yokai warrior Shunran. Instead of Tommy’s tenure as the Green Ranger debuting in Season 1 Episode 17 as well as his tenure as the White Ranger debuting in Season 2 Episode 17, the White Tigerzord and the Green Dragonzord Rangers already coexist in this very season, especially since the very first episode, and last throughout not only MMIR Season 1 but also throughout Seasons 2 and 3. This means there are already seven Power Coins intended for the seven Yokai warriors. The original members are as follows.
  • Inuyasha the Red Tyrannosaurus Inuranger, the bold and powerful 18-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Jason Lee Scott who commands the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. (Japanese Voice Actor: Kappei Yamaguchi/English Voice Actor: Richard Ian Cox).
  • Shuran the Green Dragonzord Inuranger, the mighty and strong 18-year-old second-in-command of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Tom Oliver or Tommy Oliver’s tenure as the Green Ranger who commands the Dragonzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Masaya Takatsuka/English Voice Actor: Scott Logie).
  • Sesshoumaru the White Tigerzord Inuranger, the fierce and determined 19-year-old co-leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Tommy Oliver, especially during his tenure as the White Ranger, who commands the Tigerzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Ken Narita/English Voice Actor: David Kaye).
  • Hakkaku the Black Mastodon Inuranger, the clever and brave 17-year-old funnyman of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Zack Taylor who commands the Mastodon Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actor: Daisuke Kishio/English Voice Actor: Alistair Abell).
  • Ginta the Blue Triceratops Inuranger, the patient and wise 17-year-old charmer of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Billy Cranston who commands the Triceratops Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actor: Hiroyuki Yoshino/English Voice Actor: Paul Dobson).
  • Ayame the Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger, the 15-year-old fearless and agile fighter of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Trini Kwan who commands the Sabre-Toothed Tiger Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yumi Kakazu/English Voice Actress: Natalie Walters).
  • Shunran the Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger, the 13-year-old graceful and smart genius gymnast of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Kimberly Ann Hart who commands the Pterodactyl Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yuki Masuda/English Voice Actress: Jocelyne Loewen).
There would be no doubt that the biggest highlight would be having the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, especially Inuyasha as the Red Ranger, shout out “It’s Morphin’ Time!”, thus leading to the Morphin Time roll calls before they transform into the Inurangers. Imagine hearing Ken Narita, Masaya Takatsuka, Daisuke Kishio, Yuki Masuda, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Yumi Kakazu, and Kappei Yamaguchi on the Japanese track and/or David Kaye, Scott Logie, Alistair Abell, Jocelyne Loewen, Paul Dobson, Natalie Walters, and Richard Ian Cox on the English track emitting the Morphin Time roll calls. Let us also not forget about the Putty fights, the MMIR version of the Power Cannon or the Inu Cannon that combines Inuyasha’s Inu Sword that is more like Tessaiga, Ayame’s Inu Daggers, Ginta’s Inu Lance, Shunran’s Inu Bow, Hakkaku’s Inu Axe, Shuran’s Inu Dragon Dagger, and Sesshoumaru’s Inu Saba Sword that acts more like Tenseiga, and even combining all seven of their Zords to create the Megazord. That would be great nostalgia incarnate combined with all of the kick-butt action and fun. Even more fun would be Princess Kaguya headlining the villains as the Inurangers’ version of Rita Repulsa and Kotatsu being the Inurangers’ version of Finster who creates the Putty Patrol and various monsters that the Inurangers have to fight against.
 
Mighty Morphin Inurangers Season 2 (2001–2002)
The original seven Inurangers are still going to be intact. As opposed to what happened to Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Emanuel Jones in the latter half of MMPR Season 2 due to issues with fair pay as well as Amy Jo Johnson in the latter half of Season 3 due to wanting to do more projects independent from the Power Ranger brand, especially since Jason, Trini, and Zack ended up in a peace conference in Switzerland and Kimberly ended up training for the Pan Global Games in Florida, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ayame, and Shunran are still staying as the Red, Black, Yellow, and Pink Rangers respectively. Therefore, there are no peace conferences and no Pan Global Games in this season, let alone the next, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ayame, and Shunran receive more enhanced Inuranger suits akin to what the Boom Comics had to offer, and the Mighty Morphin Inurangers Movie would be released with the original seven still intact. After the movie, there would be four new members of the Inurangers who would not replace Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ayame, and Shunran but be integrated into the group almost like the Mighty Morphin Inurangers version of Superfriends, X-Men, and Justice League Unlimited before Justice League Unlimited even aired. Those four new members are Ichise and Ran originally from Texhnolyze as well as Kiba and Cheza originally from Wolf’s Rain. Ichise and Ran are the first human Inurangers, Kiba is the fourth humanoid wolf Inuranger, and Cheza is the first flower maiden Inuranger. This means that four new Power Coins would be made for Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ayame, and Shunran, while Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ayame, and Shunran give their old Power Coins to Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza. This season’s team-up is as follows.
  • Sesshoumaru the White Tigerzord Inuranger, the fierce and determined 20-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Tommy Oliver, especially during his tenure as the White Ranger, who commands the Tigerzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Ken Narita/English Voice Actor: David Kaye).
  • Inuyasha the first Red Tyrannosaurus Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Red Tyrannosaurus Inuranger, the bold and powerful 19-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Jason Lee Scott who commands the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. (Japanese Voice Actor: Kappei Yamaguchi/English Voice Actor: Richard Ian Cox).
  • Shuran the Green Dragonzord Inuranger, the mighty and strong 19-year-old second-in-command of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Tom Oliver or Tommy Oliver’s tenure as the Green Ranger who commands the Dragonzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Masaya Takatsuka/English Voice Actor: Scott Logie).
  • Hakkaku the first Black Mastodon Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Black Mastodon Inuranger, the clever and brave 18-year-old funnyman and second-in-command of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Zack Taylor who commands the Mastodon Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actor: Daisuke Kishio/English Voice Actor: Alistair Abell).
  • Ginta the Blue Triceratops Inuranger, the patient and wise 18-year-old charmer and technician of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Billy Cranston who commands the Triceratops Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actor: Hiroyuki Yoshino/English Voice Actor: Paul Dobson).
  • Ichise the second Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger as well as the Beta Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger, the strong and knowledgable 17-year-old brawler of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Rocky DeSantos who commands the Red Dragon Thunderzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Satoshi Haga/English Voice Actor: Justin Gross).
  • Kiba the second Black Mastodon Ranger as well as the Beta Black Mastodon Ranger, the watchful and intelligent 16-year-old combat strategist of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Adam Park who commands the Black Lion Thunderzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Mamoru Miyano/English Voice Actor: Johnny Yong Bosch).
  • Ayame the first Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger, the fearless and agile 16-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Trini Kwan who commands the Sabre-Toothed Tiger Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yumi Kakazu/English Voice Actress: Natalie Walters).
  • Shunran the first Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Pink Pterodactyl Ranger, the graceful and smart 14-year-old genius gymnast and technician of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Kimberly Ann Hart who commands the Pterodactyl Dinozord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yuki Masuda/English Voice Actress: Jocelyne Loewen).
  • Ran the second Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger as well as the Beta Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger, the calm and clever 12-year-old spiritualist of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and Inuranger version of Aisha Campbell who commands the Yellow Griffin Thunderzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Shizuka Ito/English Voice Actress: Carrie Savage).
  • Cheza the second Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger as well as the Beta Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger, the pure-hearted and spirited 11-year-old healer of the Mighty Morphin Inuangers, and Inuranger version of Katherine Hillard who commands the Firebird Thunderzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Arisa Ogasawara/English Voice Actress: Sherry Lynn).
Before Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza were inducted into the Mighty Morphin Inurangers family, there were dynamics that changed. Sesshoumaru may have ascended as the new leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, but Inuyasha is still the undisputed leader of the team, thus having the brothers share leadership duties. Both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha would have initial difficulty in sharing leadership due their conflicting ideas and strategies, but also assuming leadership is Ayame who has always championed both the brothers as her inspiration and her reasons for fighting alongside them, thus ensuring fairness within the team dynamics. Shuran is still the second-in-command, but he also shares those duties with Hakkaku who has also gained an edge in formidability. Ginta and Shunran would also take responsibilities as technical specialists for the Command Centre, thus using their brains and skills for maintenance’s sake. As soon as Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza were inducted as Inurangers, Ichise has become the brawling warrior who is all muscle and might, Kiba has become the combat specialist to map out what plans of action are best, Ran has become the spiritualist to make sure that everybody remains united, and Cheza has become the healer to make sure that all of her teammates remain safe and well. The Morphin Time calls, the Z-Putty fights, and the Super Megazord assembly with the seven original Zords and the four new Zords combined are the highlights of this season. As for the main villain of this season, Naraku would definitely steal Lord Zedd’s thunder and be just as menacing as he is.
 
Mighty Morphin Inurangers Season 3 (2002)
All eleven Inurangers are still intact, and they even end up acquiring new Zords after the Super Megazord, which consists of both the seven Dinozords and the four Thunderzords, ends up destroyed by several demons. Season 3’s canon is different from the movie’s in which, instead of only the seven original Inurangers embarking on a quest, it is all eleven Inurangers who make the quest and encounter Ninjor who gives them new abilities and powers, especially the Ninja Ranger powers. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame are still the leaders. Shuran and Hakkaku are still the second-in-commands. Ginta and Shunran are still the technicians. Ichise may still be a brawler, but he is more open to the Inuranger family and is also more take-charge. Kiba has grown more in confidence as a combat strategist and fighter. Ran develops into a more agile and active fighter while still being one with the spirit. Cheza has also grown more active and agile as a fighter, thus incorporating dance and Wushu into her movements. This season’s team-up is as follows.
  • Sesshoumaru the White Tigerzord Inuranger, the fierce and determined 21-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Tommy Oliver, especially during his tenure as the White Ranger, who commands the Falcon Ninjazord and the White Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Ken Narita/English Voice Actor: David Kaye).
  • Inuyasha the first Red Tyrannosaurus Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Red Tyrannosaurus Inuranger, the bold and powerful 20-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Jason Lee Scott who commands the Falcon Ninjazord and the White Shogunzord. (Japanese Voice Actor: Kappei Yamaguchi/English Voice Actor: Richard Ian Cox).
  • Shuran the Green Dragonzord Inuranger, the mighty and strong 20-year-old second-in-command of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Tom Oliver or Tommy Oliver’s tenure as the Green Ranger who commands the Dragon Ninjazord and the Green Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Masaya Takatsuka/English Voice Actor: Scott Logie).
  • Hakkaku the first Black Mastodon Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Black Mastodon Inuranger, the clever and brave 19-year-old funnyman and second-in-command of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Zack Taylor who commands the Dragon Ninjazord and the Green Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Daisuke Kishio/English Voice Actor: Alistair Abell).
  • Ginta the Blue Triceratops Inuranger, the patient and wise 19-year-old charmer and technician of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Billy Cranston who commands the Wolf Ninjazord and the Blue Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Hiroyuki Yoshino/English Voice Actor: Paul Dobson).
  • Ichise the second Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger as well as the Beta Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger, the strong and knowledgable 18-year-old brawler of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Rocky DeSantos who commands the Ape Ninjazord and the Red Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Satoshi Haga/English Voice Actor: Justin Gross).
  • Kiba the second Black Mastodon Ranger as well as the Beta Black Mastodon Ranger, the watchful and intelligent 17-year-old combat strategist of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Adam Park who commands the Frog Ninjazord and the Black Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Mamoru Miyano/English Voice Actor: Johnny Yong Bosch).
  • Ayame the first Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger, the fearless and agile 17-year-old leader of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Trini Kwan who commands the Falcon Ninjazord and the White Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yumi Kakazu/English Voice Actress: Natalie Walters).
  • Shunran the first Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger and eventually the Alpha Pink Pterodactyl Ranger, the graceful and smart 15-year-old genius gymnast and technician of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Kimberly Ann Hart who commands the the Wolf Ninjazord and the Blue Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yuki Masuda/English Voice Actress: Jocelyne Loewen).
  • Ran the second Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger as well as the Beta Yellow Sabre-Toothed Tiger Inuranger, the calm and clever 13-year-old spiritualist of the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, and the Inuranger version of Aisha Campbell who commands the Bear Ninjazord and the Yellow Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Shizuka Ito/English Voice Actress: Carrie Savage).
  • Cheza the second Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger as well as the Beta Pink Pterodactyl Inuranger, the pure-hearted and spirited 12-year-old healer of the Mighty Morphin Inuangers, and the Inuranger version of Katherine Hillard who commands the Crane Ninjazord and the Pink Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Arisa Ogasawara/English Voice Actress: Sherry Lynn).
Season 3’s first episodes mark the last occasion where the Inurangers call their animal Zords, as they subside in favour of the new Morphin Time roll calls, i.e. “White Ranger Power!” etc., the Ninja Ranger Power roll calls, i.e. “Ninja Ranger Power Now!”, and the Metallic Armour Power-Up. Furthermore, the original seven Inurangers even end up sharing some of the new Zords, with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame piloting the Falcon Ninjazord and the White Shogunzord, Shuran and Hakkaku piloting the Dragon Ninjazord and the Green Shogunzord, and Ginta and Shunran piloting the Wolf Ninjazord and the Blue Shogunzord, while Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza pilot their own new Zords. In fact, Cheza, unlike Kat, ends up obtaining her own Pink Shogunzord. Where the Christmas episode is concerned, unlike what happened in “I’m Dreaming of a White Ranger” where the main six did not end up morphing to combat Rito Revolto and Goldar because of the non-sensical explanation regarding the combination of Polar Magic and unique polarity, thus pelting them with snowballs, “I’m Dreaming of a White Inuranger” would see the main eleven morphing and doing battle with the villains and help out Santa Claus and his elves with delivering the presents. Aside from the Morphin Time roll calls and the assembly of the new Zords, the Ninjetti transformation and the Tenga fights are also highlights of this season. Naraku and Kaguya may be together in this episode as villains, but they are also joined by Muso who is the Inurangers’ version of Rito Revolto.
 
Mighty Morphin Makai Rangers (2003)
Just like what occurred at Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Season 3 finale, all the eleven Inurangers end up turning into children, with Sesshoumaru at age 12, Shuran and Inuyasha at age 11, Hakkaku and Ginta at age 10, Ichise at age 9, Kiba and Ayame at age 8, Shunran at age 6, Ran at age 4, and Cheza at age 3, by Kaijinbo the Inurangers’ version of Master Vile. While the Inuranger kids are searching for the Zeo Crystals, it is up to the Makai Rangers consisting of Botan, Kuwabara, Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, Keiko, and Yukina to stop Kaijinbo’s, Naraku’s, and Kaguya’s evil plans. Although the original Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers has five members consisting of four men and one woman, this is my Inurangers headcanon. Therefore, the seven-person-team rule still applies, thus seeing four men and three women. This mini-series’ team-up is as follows.
  • Botan the White Makai Ranger, the courageous and pragmatic 25-year-old leader of the Makai Rangers, and the Makai Rangers’ version of Delphine who commands the White Battle Borg and the White Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Sanae Miyuki/English Voice Actress: Cynthia Cranz).
  • Yusuke the Red Makai Ranger, the formidable and rough-and-tumble 26-year-old co-leader of the Makai Rangers, and the Makai Rangers’ version of Aurico who commands the Red Battle Borg and the Red Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Nozomu Sasaki/English Voice Actor: Justin Cook).
  • Kuwabara the Yellow Makai Ranger, the tough and resilient 26-year-old muscle of the Makai Rangers, and the Makai Rangers’ version of Tideus who commands the Yellow Battle Borg and the Yellow Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Shigeru Chiba/English Voice Actor: Christopher Sabat).
  • Kurama the Blue Makai Ranger, the levelheaded and eloquent 26-year-old brain of the Makai Rangers, and the Makai Rangers’ version of Cestro who commands the Blue Battle Borg and the Blue Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Megumi Ogata/English Voice Actor: John Burgmeier).
  • Hiei the Black Makai Ranger, the taciturn and lethal 25-year-old strategist of the Makai Rangers, and the Makai Rangers’ version of Corcus who commands the Black Battle Borg and the Black Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actor: Nobuyuki Hiyama/English Voice Actor: Chuck Huber).
  • Keiko the Green Makai Ranger, the opinionated and headstrong 25-year-old analyst of the Makai Rangers, and based on Cestro who commands the Green Battle Borg and the Green Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yuri Amano/English Voice Actress: Laura Bailey).
  • Yukina the Pink Makai Ranger, the 25-year-old kind and quiet healer of the Makai Rangers, and based on Corcus who commands the Pink Battle Borg and Pink Shogunzord (Japanese Voice Actress: Yuri Shiratori/English Voice Actress: Jessica Dismuke).
Unlike the Aquitian Rangers who are aliens from another planet, specifically Aquitar, the Makai Rangers originate from another world, specifically from the Labyrinth Castle in the Demon Plane. Furthermore, the Makai Rangers do not speak like the Aquitian Rangers who sound like they are speaking from a fish tank, as they speak normally. The addition of Keiko and Yukina as the sixth and seventh rangers, despite Kakuranger and Alien Rangers having only five members in their respective series, is all on me and is a way for them to be more active fighters, and having Botan lead the helm like her Aquitian Ranger counterpart Delphine also signifies the very first time a young woman is leading the helm. Ayame may have counted in the later part of Season 2 and all throughout Season 3, but Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were still the main leaders who called most of the shots. Where relationships are concerned, Botan is in an openly three-way relationship with Keiko and Yukina, who are in turn married to each other with children of their own, and both Kuwabara and Kurama as well as Yusuke and Hiei are both happily married also with children of their own. Highlights from this season are, of course, the Morphin Time roll calls, the assembly of their Makai Zords, and all the Tenga fights present.
 
I hope you all enjoyed this list and sets of ideas I had in store for my Inurangers AU headcanon starting with Mighty Morphin Inurangers. Let me know what other ideas you have, and I will see you in Inurangers Zeo.

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by Antoni Matteo Garcia

30th Birthday Gratitude to Everyone

30th Birthday Gratitude to Everyone

May 24, 2022 in Blogs, The Splendid Seven

This was from back on May 1. Hello, everybody. Antoni here. It’s been two days since I turned thirty years old. This decade in my life is already starting to become more interesting than I thought, and I know fully well that it is going to present challenges along the way. These challenges are going to help me grow as an artist, a content creator, a performer specialising in singing, acting, and voice acting; a media, film, television, literature, music, anime, and cartoon aficionado; a critic focusing on film, television, music, and animation; a student majoring in English and minoring in Musicology, and an overall person. For that, I say stoke the fire, feed the flame, light up the vessel, and name the game because I am more than pumped up to give myself the kick up the backside as a means for me to be more determined than ever.

I want to thank each and every one of you who greeted me for my 30th birthday. You definitely helped me make my transition to this new decade called my 30s more worthwhile, and I am looking forward to the new challenges that are set before me. I am in that conflicting mixture between anticipation and uncertainty, but I am more than happy to accept anything and everything that will help me to keep on thriving as I live my life. Regardless of who you are, relative, friend, colleague, teacher, mentor, fellow reviewer, fellow artist, fellow voice actor, fellow singer, fellow actor, fellow content creator, and/or fellow aficionado of media, film, television, literature, music, anime, and cartoons, I am very blessed and grateful for the birthday greetings you have given me, and I too wish you abundance, encouragement, and beauty in all of your lives.

Reaching 30 has also made me realise just how far I have come. I went through pre-school, kindergarten, grade school, middle school, and high school from 3 to 18 in Cebu, Philippines through different schools. By the time High School came into play, I experienced what it was like to strive and struggle to get through the day, achieve my dreams, and acquire everything I wanted with so much hard work, specifically when my junior and senior years have seen me be a student teacher for two days and, despite me not graduating at the top of my class, I ended up graduating with honours, which was the best thing to ever happen to me as a teenager. Yes, there was the obligatory bullying, condescension, ruthlessness, nastiness, cattiness, and gut-wrenching snideness that was inflicted on me time and time again that still made me reel at those who were horrible enough to test my patience, mercy, and kindness, but Karma really had a way of turning things around in my favour for better or for worse. I went through vocational training as an actor at age 19 in film school before turning 20 also in Cebu. At age 20, I furthered my actor’s training for over three years here in Berlin. Three months before I turned 24, I did the German equivalent of a GED known as Abitur for Erwachsene and knew what it was like to fully integrate into the German system of education. At 27, I ended up being accepted into Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, with me ending up in the latter. I have never regretted any of these decisions ever since because these institutions made me embrace how harsh yet necessary experience is as my personal teacher and how I can turn all of what I am passionate about into career paths and make something productive of myself.

Outside my educational endeavours, I have also learned what it was like to grow my own content through vlog-style reviews with a focus on opera, concerts, musicals, ballet, anime, film, cartoons, and live action shows, drawing fan art, writing opinionated discourses revolving around least to most favourite animated characters and pairings whether in Western cartoons or Japanese anime, and doing my best to engage my audience as well as use the skills I had in singing, acting, voice acting, and drawing to make something of myself. I have come to enjoy partaking in discussions and discourses with my watchers, my friends, my fellow content creators, and my fans regarding anime, cartoons, television shows, films, comics, opera, and musicals on a critical level because part of entertainment is also about reflecting on what we as viewers and readers consume on a near daily basis and realising that using nostalgia as an argument is flimsy at best, thus having to use stronger arguments to support the how and why of any reason we formulate. For that, I am entirely blessed and elated.

I am also just as elated to have found my niche in developing AU headcanons for shows and comics that I have enjoyed ever since I was young and some that I have rediscovered.

My most favourite one is my Splendid Seven AU headcanon starring Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran being the super strong, fiercely formidable, and terrifically tight family of Yokai warriors specialising in various martial arts, with Sesshoumaru mastering Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, and Brazilian Jujitsu; Inuyasha mastering Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, and Ancient Greek Boxing; Ayame mastering Kickboxing, Judo, and Nippon Kempo; Shuran mastering Mongolian Wrestling, Ssireum, and Sumo Wrestling; Hakkaku mastering Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, and Kajunkenbo; Ginta mastering Lethwei, Pencak Silat, and Sanda; and Shunran mastering Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Wing Chun. Basically, my Splendid Seven AU headcanon is what would happen if Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran formed a team, let alone family, of superhero Yokai warriors in the vein of Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, Justice League, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men, and The Avengers. The result would be a formidable team exuding strength, confidence, and loads of unconditional love.

Aside from The Splendid Seven, I am also just as excited to keep on developing my two most beloved jungle warrior headcanons. The animated version consists of Namontack, Kocoum, Hercules, George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli in which the four jungle warrior brothers George, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli find themselves falling in love and being in conjugally romantic relationships with the two Powhatan warrior brothers Namontack and Kocoum and the Greek demigod Hercules complete with a lot of muscle-flexing, virility, great combat prowess, and musclemen just loving each other to bits. The comics version consists of Kavandavanda, Bundroc, Tarzan, Malb’yat, Arok, Sheena, and Jana being a super strong, super powerful, and super sexy jungle family where the jungle kings Kavandavanda, Bundroc, Tarzan, Malb’yat, and Arok partake in bodybuilding pose-downs, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, weightlifting, and Pankration, and the jungle queens Sheena and Jana partake in wrestling, boxing, and kickboxing. Both versions of my jungle warrior headcanons are going to see them use their muscles, claws, fangs, fists, super strength, and incomparable combat prowess in wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Lethwei to incapacitate all of their enemies, while still looking absolutely fabulous.

Finally, there is Robin x Raven (RobRae) and Zuko x Katara (Zutara) who are my two number one OTPs from Teen Titans 2003 and Avatar: The Last Airbender respectively. I have been loving these two couples ever since I was between my late tweens and early teens, and I always believed that these two couples should have double dates and more genuine congregations. I love these two couples so much that I hope to do a whole lot more fan art with both of them in the same environment. RobRae and Zutara are that great in my eyes.

Once again, I thank you all for the warm and wonderful birthday greetings, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and may the much greater work in my 30s begin.

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