HSDK Battle 561 Released

 So Kenichi's finally met Kajima. It's pretty obvious that Kajima's gonna do something to make Kenichi hate his guts. Shigure's probably been tortured. I'm also getting the feeling Agaard will sacrifice himself to save Apachi, 

 I also don't quite understand why martial artists are in team battles against other martial artists? Wouldn't they rather fight one on one?

 Anyway, this is obviously at an important point in the story. While it is certainly is epic, it's such a shame how much what preceded it was so lackluster. The Shinpaku Alliance has had little to any character development, and they're already at the fight of their lives. Such potential wasted.

Haha, I love how Akisame and the other guy actually have no idea what the other is saying.

I'm surprised that Kenichi didn't take a few of them out first, I'm even more surprised that BOTH Miu and Kenichi went with Najima. How on earth are the disciples gonna win this one without a bunch or reinforcements. And I mean a lot. Also I like how Hongo figured it out.

Btw the Manga Stream version is already up.

Lol again with Michael saying" Without my armour I would have been KOed" Does this dude lack confidence in his own durability? 

So I guess chapter confirmes the fact that Apachai has fought Michael Schtilvay? I mean Michaels shadow made its debut during the agaard vs apachai fight in chapter 399.

Its interesting when Apachai said to Michael "Im suprised with that attitude, your still alive" I wonder if this is a sign that one of the satsujinken masters like Hongo is going to take him out and oh and LOL at Michael saying "Im joining your BROS!"

 

@Ogata

Actually, that was Michael who said that to Apachai. The little tail on the speech bubble is pointing away from Apachai. It's a bit hard to see.

@Ogata

Actually, that was Michael who said that to Apachai. The little tail on the speech bubble is pointing away from Apachai. It's a bit hard to see.

Re-read the chapter and your right, Apachais bubble is",,,"

Also Im a little bit confused, it seemed like Ogata was fighting James Shiba but then the next panel he,sougetsu ma are just watching the fight as well as Hongo.

Nice to know some yami masters have some class!

Great chapter, and poor Apachai. It is indeed amazing that Apachai survived this long in the world of masters while being the most gentle being on the planet. Apachai pulls his punches a great deal in every fight, and even when going all out, he never hit vitals. While Agaard aimed all of his power into a gutbuster punch, Apachai was systematically hitting all of Agaard's muscles 0.0 It is REALLY difficult to hit someone's (of similar age and build) muscles hard enough that they cramp.

Nijima knew something, most likely the fact that Renka is leading another group, and he doesn't even tell his allies (one of Nijima's favorite tactics is to surprise his own allies.

 So Kenichi's finally met Kajima. It's pretty obvious that Kajima's gonna do something to make Kenichi hate his guts. Shigure's probably been tortured. I'm also getting the feeling Agaard will sacrifice himself to save Apachi, 

 

 I also don't quite understand why martial artists are in team battles against other martial artists? Wouldn't they rather fight one on one?

 

 Anyway, this is obviously at an important point in the story. While it is certainly is epic, it's such a shame how much what preceded it was so lackluster. The Shinpaku Alliance has had little to any character development, and they're already at the fight of their lives. Such potential wasted.

kajima won't do any cowardice stuff to kenichi, he follows ichiei"s order

One: I have a feeling that Hongo may or may not have actually figure out about Ryo-Pack's real plan, but just had enough of Mike's crap and lured him away to deal with him personally.

Two: What the hell is Hermit going to do here!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!??!!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! Damn it, he's supposed to have some plan, right!?

Three: This was not how I thought this would start for the disciples. I originally thought that "Katniss" would've shot Niijima in the shoulder, enraging Siegfried to show the fruits of his training with some sort of combination of Dash Goa Trance/Grandioso Counterattack + Multi-karma Strain (When Sieg resisted from being impaled by one of the Buddhist Monks) and some other deranged attack to challenge them all at once.

Four: I wonder what's going on in Kokin's mind... Or Berserker, and Lugh. 

Good theory about Hongo, and one I certainly want to see. That would be interesting to watch.

Berserker's: hmm, licorice bubblegum isn't the best, I need to beat these guys quickly so I can go get my regular strawberry flavour again.

Lugh: better sit on this rock for a while until the battle clears up a bit, there are 21 people here and a waterfall, the noise is really distracting...

Kokin's: ah well, no point trying in this one, let's see how all of my weapon-team "rivals" do and analyse them.

Hermit: I'll probably run straight passed these guys to get at Kenichi...

Sieg: this! this is almost a full orchestra! I can hear it all now! (proceed to challenge a few yomi's all at once, and holding his own, really the only reason why Hermit won last time is because he is an ally and knew all of Sieg's moveset)

Plus his recent "defeat anyone who's a level above him" aura that his master graced him with. Awhile ago, I had some theory that Hermit would "snap" to attempt to save Shigure, only to end up in the same place she's in and same shoes (or lack thereof if you know what I mean...)

Considering all the fighters Matsuena has to keep track of, I'm really just impressed how well he can keep switching in and out.  You'll notice how most shonen authors just keep to one on one's for simplicity.  

I could see Hongo taking Michael aside to kill him.  But I also would rather him face Shigure.  He's probably the worst character to go after Kenichi, because he has no qualms about killing a disciple.  In fact, he might target Kenichi out of spite if he starts losing in a duel.  

As a dark plotline, it might be interesting to see Shigure actually forced to kill Michael to keep him from slaughtering Kenichi.  And then Kajime mocks Katsukinken, claiming that the art has limits whereas Satsujinken has none.  Kenichi duels him, and demonstrates that Satsujinken has limits too (perhaps by narrowly losing, where Kajime refuses to kill Kenichi because he's just too much fun).  

Meanwhile, Miu meets her father, and admits that there are limits she has felt over and over again (once when she attacked Hongo, once when she thought Rimi was dead).  She joins her father's side to learn why he does what he does.  This leads to the final act where Miu and Kenichi are finally rivals.

Plus his recent "defeat anyone who's a level above him" aura that his master graced him with. Awhile ago, I had some theory that Hermit would "snap" to attempt to save Shigure, only to end up in the same place she's in and same shoes (or lack thereof if you know what I mean...)

I don't understand, why would Tanimoto go out of his way to save Shigure who he nore her have ever shown each other any interest? Besides Tanimoto joined yami/yomi to train under Sougetsu Ma, he doesn't seem like cares for satsujinken/katsujinken ideals which to me, makes him the most "Realistic" martial artist.

I mean irl, kill if you have to kill and don't if you don't have to and that describes tanimoto as oppose to some over the top good vs evil aligment which in the hsdk verse has manfisted itself in a form of Satsu/katsu jinken.

Considering all the fighters Matsuena has to keep track of, I'm really just impressed how well he can keep switching in and out.  You'll notice how most shonen authors just keep to one on one's for simplicity.  

 

I could see Hongo taking Michael aside to kill him.  But I also would rather him face Shigure.  He's probably the worst character to go after Kenichi, because he has no qualms about killing a disciple.  In fact, he might target Kenichi out of spite if he starts losing in a duel.  

 

As a dark plotline, it might be interesting to see Shigure actually forced to kill Michael to keep him from slaughtering Kenichi.  And then Kajime mocks Katsukinken, claiming that the art has limits whereas Satsujinken has none.  Kenichi duels him, and demonstrates that Satsujinken has limits too (perhaps by narrowly losing, where Kajime refuses to kill Kenichi because he's just too much fun).  

 

Meanwhile, Miu meets her father, and admits that there are limits she has felt over and over again (once when she attacked Hongo, once when she thought Rimi was dead).  She joins her father's side to learn why he does what he does.  This leads to the final act where Miu and Kenichi are finally rivals.

I can see Hongo luring Michael, but then again as goofy as Michael has been portrayed, he is still a bad mofo with a sycthe, its no guarantee Hongo can take him out with ease.

As far as Shigure goes, the way she is always mixed up with the disciples and now its Miu,Kenichi and Kajima to her rescue. It makes her feel like she is kind of like one of the disciples and it doesn't feel like she is a master even though she has defeated Sai Kagerou who I think is a very impressive fighter.

That being said, I would be SERIOUSLY pissed off if Kajima somehow knocks Shigure out to show how he can conqure powerful master to counter the fact that Kenichi is known to attack other masters and the author decides to give Kajima a new advantage over Kenichi which is the fact that he is the first disciple to defeat a master who without a weapon may not be up to par with other masters under her nomal circumstance.

Ofcourse this would not only ruin Shigure character but even worse, it will RUIN  the reputation of Every Weapon master not named Ganosuke Yokiou.

I'd say because Honoka is more likely to talk about her to him, plus Kenichi did ask him for help about her.

Oh and when I said "...some plan" about Hermit, I meant about him "telling" Kenichi that he was going to figure something out or something of the sort.

Oops, sorry Ogata.  I didn't mean to imply that Kajime would take on Shigure.  Not at all.  That would be outrageously one-sided.

This atmosphere is so epic, but Kajime and Kenichi have never met, so their interaction here must be immediate and epic to match.  It would be strange if this wasn't an all-out final fight - considering the build-up.  Yet, I don't feel this is the last stage of the series - so who would be a good rival for Kenichi afterward?  Hermit?  Maybe.  I prefer Miu.

Whatever the case, Michael is totally toast.  He's been developed a lot compared to the other weapon masters so that we won't miss him when he's defeated.  That's like...some unspoken rule of shonen. 
 

Oops, sorry Ogata.  I didn't mean to imply that Kajime would take on Shigure.  Not at all.  That would be outrageously one-sided.

 

This atmosphere is so epic, but Kajime and Kenichi have never met, so their interaction here must be immediate and epic to match.  It would be strange if this wasn't an all-out final fight - considering the build-up.  Yet, I don't feel this is the last stage of the series - so who would be a good rival for Kenichi afterward?  Hermit?  Maybe.  I prefer Miu.

 

Whatever the case, Michael is totally toast.  He's been developed a lot compared to the other weapon masters so that we won't miss him when he's defeated.  That's like...some unspoken rule of shonen. 
 

I hear you, I have always felt like Shigure and Ogata were going to get screwed by way of plot story.

With Ogata I always thought he was going to get stumped by a disciple and basicly play the same role as Jenazads master, which is giving birth to a disciple who is on par with Hayato and I guess now Ganosuke. Luckly this has yet to happen but the idea sickens me.

With Shigure, ever since she intereferd with valkaries, it seems like she would be the master that would be used as a plot punching bag and without a weapon it would be good excuse. Ofcourse this came true and in someways she kind of got downgraded by getting pushed around by the guards, though she did have some redeeming moments in the telecommunication room.

But yeah, as time has passed, I have noticed that its not just Shigure who gets the short end of the stick but ALL weapon masters so far have looked like bums againts Unarmed fighters. I mean look at Michael Schtilvay, the guy looks like a PURE Badass with his looks,outfit and his scythe and yet sakaki shook him around as if he was some cannon fodder in Ryutos ragnarok gang.

That and I may be wrong but...Has a weapon master ever defeated an unarmed master before? Closest thing was Seitaro/Michael vs Mycroft/Chris but other then that, I have never seen a weapon master actualy pull of a win againts an unarmed fighter.

I disagree entirely that the author misrepresented Shigure. The only problem is a misrepresentation of female characters in general, by ripping their clothes off without good reason (I argued before that showing fanservice shots after a truly amazing or heroic feat will make a female character MORE dignified, not less, and that used to happen with Shigure but not anymore).

But as for Shigure, she was shown beating Sai Kagerou, who is a true beast of a fighter, easily stronger than any of the Hachiou except for Gannosuke. He is holding his own comfortably against Mikumo, and Shigure pulled off a win against him (although with a lot of difficulty and an anger boost).

I don't think weapon masters look like chums in general, actually. I think they are too confident in their weapons, and do not fight strategically. This has been stressed again and again and again in every fight against weapon. Sasaki had some difficulty even against regular weapon masters (akabanetou/hitogiri bouchou arc) and a LOT of difficulty against a grandmaster level (the spear of the core, Okinawa base) but since they have so many openings, all Sasaki needs to do is to find one and land a good hit in.

Akisame and Kensei were shown to defeat weapon masters easily, but then again they are both near-elder monsters.

I disagree entirely that the author misrepresented Shigure. The only problem is a misrepresentation of female characters in general, by ripping their clothes off without good reason (I argued before that showing fanservice shots after a truly amazing or heroic feat will make a female character MORE dignified, not less, and that used to happen with Shigure but not anymore).

 

But as for Shigure, she was shown beating Sai Kagerou, who is a true beast of a fighter, easily stronger than any of the Hachiou except for Gannosuke. He is holding his own comfortably against Mikumo, and Shigure pulled off a win against him (although with a lot of difficulty and an anger boost).

 

I don't think weapon masters look like chums in general, actually. I think they are too confident in their weapons, and do not fight strategically. This has been stressed again and again and again in every fight against weapon. Sasaki had some difficulty even against regular weapon masters (akabanetou/hitogiri bouchou arc) and a LOT of difficulty against a grandmaster level (the spear of the core, Okinawa base) but since they have so many openings, all Sasaki needs to do is to find one and land a good hit in.

 

Akisame and Kensei were shown to defeat weapon masters easily, but then again they are both near-elder monsters.

This is actualy a really good post!

Was spear of the core really a Grandmaster? I always wondered why he and Sai never were part of the Blade masters if they are able to do damage that much?

I woulden't call all weapon masters chumps but the person that got SCREWED big time so far is Michael Schtilvay!

This is my opinion but for me, he by FAAAAAAAAAAAAAR made one of the most EPIC entrances in HSDK verse and damn dude I thought he came out of the Devil May Cry series with his scythe and overall looks. But as chapters progressed, he has looked more and more like a comedic relief.

I mean he got kicked in the face and damaged BIG TIME on the boat by Shigure. Got shown up by Hongo who stopped his scythe with his finger like he was nothing and now Sakaki is shaking him around like he is the Kenichi of the Yami masters.

Also I feel like the guy who has developed the most is Rin Tachibana and I want to see him go, Dudes history has been revealed more than any other yami masters while we don't know anything about Michael Schtilvays history,upbringing/parents, his martial arts master and how he and apachai know each other.

Yea, I am a bit miffed about Michael getting plot nerfed too. He should be shown as obnoxious and overconfident and psychotic, BUT still a grandmaster worthy of the name. That means he would have damaged both Sasaki and Apachai decently by now (well he got Apachai at least) and Hongo should have had reasonable amount of trouble stopping the scythe (still with one arm, because Michael wasn't trying either, but definitely had to grab the back of the blade with all fingers and tensing his body to hold it still).

Being hit by Kensei was ok, because others got hit too and he was standing right in front of Kensei when he started flying so it stood to reason that he wouldn't have been able to avoid that and got hit hard. That said, we also have to give it to him that he survived Shigure's final attack and one of Kensei's soft penetrating punches (it also took only one of these to KO Shougetsu back then before Shougetsu retrained), because of good equipment. So we could say that Michael is a "better than normal master" (about the same grade as Christopher Eclair) who was elevated to grandmaster due to hax equipment set.

It was never stated, but the Spear of the core was certainly a grandmaster of his art. There was a scene where he matched *finesse* with Agaard, despite the reputation that weapon masters only know how to use a weapon's power. Then Sasaki tried grabbing his spears and failed repeatedly while getting damaged in the process. This shows that in speed and technique, he is the equal to both Agaard and Sasaki. Sasaki finally only managed to win by doing a sacrificial move, taking the spear to his guts to trap it and to create an opening. When fighting the congressman, who is a master of much higher caliber than Fortuna, Sasaki speed-blitzed him even while wounded (the wound by the Spear of the Core did not heal completely even by the end of the next arc).

Also we had to take into account that the Spear of the Core had no hax equipment. He wore plain clothings and had a normal chinese spear (which is bendy by design, but was not a special added feature, it achieves this bendiness by sacrificing density and power).

Well, weapon masters are facing an inherent contradiction, anyway.  If they train with a weapon, why not use a gun, or a missile?  

I don't feel that Shigure is a punching bag either.  She faced Kushinada successfully, although she seemed to be a disadvantage against Agaard.  I just wish she used weapons more like Rorouni Kenshin, and actually smashed her opponents so that they couldn't get up.  In fact, by virtue of her being able to take on the entire armed division...well...she sort of humiliated all of them.  

Michael's the Alexander of the armed division.  He'll probably still show off an impressive display.

Anyone want to guess the three tiers for these seven guys?

Tier 1

Rin and Seitaro

Tier 2

Edeltraft and Marmaduke

Tier 3

Mildred, Michael, and Raki