Articles by Antoni Matteo Garcia

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do. This time, I will be delving into what type of martial artists each member of The Splendid Seven is based on their fighting styles as well as their personalities.   On a general level, each of these Yokai martial artists has something special in not only the attacking moves that they have against their opponents but also what they are defined by. This is also evident in showing that Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are not the carbon-copy fighters defined by their moves but by their personalities and the diligence, hard work, intense training they have done, and focus they have placed in their chosen martial arts. If it were not already clear, Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran make martial arts a way of life full of honour, respect, cooperation, and discipline.   Sesshoumaru is the old-school traditional martial artist embracing historical tradition, boundless discipline, military precision, and sharp focus, given that he is a Karateka with special foci on Shotokan, Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shorei-Ryu, Motobu-Ryu, and Uechi-Ryu as well as a Jujutsuka and a Judoka. Because he is a specialist in Karate, Jujitsu, and Judo, he is also aware of their respective histories, does his very best to never forget his Japanese roots, and, most of all, honour the importance of tradition and discipline in and out of the dojo. He even implements Kata when he does Taekwondo from Korea, Mixed Martial Arts and Marine Corps Martial Arts from the USA, and Shootfighting also from Japan, thus demonstrating that he is also adept at various martial arts with the hawk’s focused eye, a soldier’s military precision, and a pure saint’s patience. In fact, both the American and Japanese armies laud Sesshoumaru for combining tact with brutal punches, kicks, and grapples that leave his foes writhing in pain and terror. Acquiring acclaim as a warrior aside, Sesshoumaru despises showing off because it is a sign of shallowness and dishonour. He defines the martial arts as a journey to balance, self-respect, and honour.   Shuran is the large-and-in-charge showman thoroughly taking advantage of Professional Wrestling’s grand bravado and larger than life matches. Whether he finds himself in his native Japan, The United States of America, The United Kingdom or Mexico, audiences would definitely tune into Shuran obliterating his enemies thanks to his background in not only Pro Wrestling but also Ssireum, Mongolian Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, Malla-yuddha, Pehlwani, Sambo, and Vale Tudo. Furthermore, Shuran does not just limit himself to fighting in Pro Wrestling arenas, but viewers would also find him competing in Vale Tudo cage matches, underground tournaments, Sambo gyms, and even outdoor arenas in order for the grapplers and the spectators to breathe in some good fresh air from nature. What makes Shuran popular among Pro Wrestling, Sambo, and Vale Tudo circles is not only his devastatingly brutal moves but also his majestically towering size, driven champion mindset, and high levels of endurance. Behind the scenes, Shuran would never be the type of person to chase fame and fortune but pursue grappling martial arts because he is passionate about them, practices them everyday, and has his family to thank for being supportive of his endeavours.   Inuyasha is the fiercely dangerous man of action mixing historical tradition and modern innovation with bloodily brutal takedowns in one lethal package. Just like his older brother Sesshoumaru, he has an extensive background in Karate, Taekwondo, Jujitsu, and Judo. He may be a Karateka with specific foci on Kyokushin, Seidokaikan, Wado-Ryu, Ashihara, Budokan, Enshin, and Gosoku-Ryu, but he also loves American Kenpo Karate, Pankration, Ancient Greek Wrestling, Ancient Greek Boxing, Bokator, and Kapu Kuialua. Inuyasha’s fearsome fierceness is what propels him to revel in close contact combat and give his opponents the punishing flurry of beatings they deserve. Yes, there would also be a lot of blood being spewed onto Inuyasha, but he looks at his opponents’ blood on himself as a badge of honour and victory that he has worked hard to attain whether in the 100-Man Kumite or, his personal favourite, K-1 Kickboxing Tournaments. Therefore, opponents better defend themselves when Inuyasha gets close to them with a scary grin on his face and a haunting chuckle because he could ruthlessly beat them up to a bloody pulp. Inuyasha is not one to slack off as a powerful combatant because he loves facing new challenges bravely.   Hakkaku is the excitably reverent warrior ingraining himself in great sportsmanship, deep reverence to sovereigns before battle, and willingness to remain at his top game regardless of whatever situation he gets himself in. As Hakkaku is a specialist in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, Dambe, Moraingy, and Taekkyeon, he is always looking forward to fight opponents who are stronger, faster, and more skilled than him because new challenges always excite him. There are occasions where he does feel scared of whatever new experiences may come his way, but that never stops him from doing his very best. Hakkaku does everything he can to perfect his punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, shin kicks, leg kicks, foot kicks, and headbutts, for he knows that slacking off can only lead to an easy loss. His work ethic in improving and growing as a fighter is also evident in how he never takes triumphs and/or losses for granted, as they are experiences that him learn a lot more about himself and accept plus address what he needs to change in order to keep on growing. This also means that there are two sides of Hakkaku in which his fighter side is speedy and formidable, while his normal self is enthusiastic and good-willed towards his opponents.   Ginta is the lovably adorable pretty boy thanks to his cute dimples endeavouring to play fair, have a great attitude, and constantly show grace in…

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do because they work wonderfully effective together. The fact remains that, although Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are strong fighters on their own, they work outstandingly well together when it comes to giving their foes a barrage of explosive blows as well as maintaining a sense of honour, dedication, cooperation, and brother- and sisterhood. Therefore, The Splendid Seven live, breathe, and thrive on the martial arts as their way of life.   Coming from somebody who has been playing fighting games as a young lad, watches let’s plays revolving around fighting games on YouTube, and watches a bevy of martial arts documentaries, I have also conducted research on various fighting game characters in terms of moves and attacks. I did this as a means to implement what specific punch, kick, and/or grapple Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran have up their sleeves. Trust me when I say that what these seven Yokai martial artists do is neither a joke nor a game nor anything to try at home unless with parental consent or proper training. In essence, Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s strikes, grapples, and clinches could be potentially fatal if neither careful nor well-prepared, Shuran’s grapples can cause bodily trauma, Hakkaku’s and Ginta’s strikes and clinches can cause nerve damage, Ayame’s strikes can cause broken bones and concussions galore, and Shunran’s strikes can cause unconsciousness. Trying to pick fights with them and, worst of all, inciting any form of violence against them as a family plus their families as a whole are akin to demanding for a quick and speedy death sentence, so I would never recommend picking a fight with Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran if I were you.   With that said, let us delve in to what I believe are their most powerful and most effective moves in the martial arts. As a reminder, I will also put in their signature martial arts in order to formulate their most powerful attacks they would launch against their enemies. Hajime!   Sesshoumaru’s deadly accuracy and strength in the strikes and blows of Karate (Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shorei-Ryu, Motobu-Ryu, and Uechi-Ryu); Taekwondo’s speed; Brazilian Jujitsu’s, Japanese Jujitsu’s, and Judo’s tackles, grapples, and takedowns, Mixed Martial Arts’ brutality, and Marine Corps Martial Arts’ military precision offer his foes a bitter taste of pain and punishment. This is evidenced in his following signature moves that promise clean attacks, precise timing, and boundless power. Rumbling Mastodon Hook Punch Furious Sabre-Toothed Tiger Spinning Reverse Punch Raging Tyrannosaurus Front Punch Fierce Triceratops Roundhouse Kick Punishing Stegosaurus Roundhouse Kick Seismic Brontosaurus Guillotine Choke Fast Pterodactyl Foot Sweeps   Shuran’s grappling abilities in British, American, Japanese, and Mexican Professional Wrestling, Mongolian Wrestling, Ssireum, Pehlwani, Sumo, and Malla-yuddha plus his brutal ground and pound attacks in Sambo and Vale Tudo all mean serious business when he launches these attacks against his opponents. They would find themselves badly bruised and choked out of their lives when he launches his attacks he has in store for them, which take advantage of unrelenting leverage and brute strength. Explosive Elephant Body Slam Freezing Snow Yeti Bearhug Stampeding Rhinoceros Hammer Fists Olympian Sasquatch Ground and Pound Quaking Tapir Leg Strike Raising Wild Boar Boston Crab Majestic Gorilla Full Nelson   Inuyasha’s combat versatility in the strikes and blows in Karate (Kyokushin, Seidokaikan, Wado-Ryu, Ashihara, Budokan, Enshin, and Gosoku-Ryu), American Kenpo Karate’s boundless array of powerful blows, Pankration’s formidability in brutal takedowns and grapples, Ancient Greek Wrestling’s might, Ancient Greek Boxing’s ruthlessness, Bokator’s explosion, and Kapu Kuialua’s fury demonstrate his penchant for full close contact combat. Thus, Inuyasha’s moves against his opponents promise indubitably bloody defeats. Rising Hydra Uppercut Punch Mighty Nemean Lion Superman Punch Rampaging Minotaur Liver Punches Charging Cretan Bull Double Axe Handle Flashing Pegasus Axe Kick Fiery Chimaera Spinning Back Kick Ferocious Kraken Piledriver   Hakkaku’s fists, feet, shins, knees, elbows, and head are put to lethal yet phenomenal use in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, Kajukenbo, Panantukan, Dambe, Moraingy, and Taekkyeon, for he revels in striking and clinching attacks. Whenever Hakkaku launches his attacks rich in striking and clinching regardless of distance, he ensures proper timing combined with speedy fatal blows as well as full contact towards his foes. Therefore, he shows a surprising amount of tact when it comes to entrapping his foes with his fast and sharp blows. Voracious Crocodile Swing Punch Hungry Alligator Overhand Punch Poisonous Komodo Dragon Shin Kick Vicious Viper Knee Strike Venomous King Cobra Elbow Strike Snapping Boa Constrictor Low Kick Lunging Anaconda Headbutt   Ginta’s unstoppable brand of propelling his fists, feet, shins, knees, elbows, and head is what makes him thrive so exceptionally in Lethwei, Sanda, Jeet Kune Do, Pencak Silat, Hwa Rang Do, Tang Soo Do, and Eagle Claw Kung Fu. His striking and clinching attacks combine surprising his foes, quick reflexes, and relentless stamina in order to be consistently ahead of the game every single time. Even more evident is high degree of sportsmanship and dedication when going all in with his clinching and striking moves. Screaming Mandrill Haymaker Punch Jumping Baboon Crescent Kick Howling Chimpanzee Chain Punch Leaping Lemur Flying Knee Strike Sprinting Spider Monkey Shin Kick Rambunctious Orangutan Lunge Punch Gliding Tarsier Elbow Strike   Ayame’s devastatingly phenomenal and terrifyingly astounding leverage of her fists and feet make her blows in Dutch, American, and Japanese Kickboxing as well as Savate brutally explosive and full of stamina. Furthermore, the same use of her punches, kicks, and grapples are evident in Boxing, Koppojutsu, Nippon Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo, Hapkido, Taido, Aikido, and Krav Maga. Every strike she commits towards would leave her opponents writhing in pain as well as praying for quick repose from all the excruciation they found themselves in. Royal Tiger Casting Punch Bellowing Lion Jabs Roaring Leopard Blows Devouring Jaguar Shovel…

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do because they work wonderfully effective together in various situations from martial arts tournaments to defeating villains to stopping crime to making the martial arts their way of life not only as a team of powerful Yokai warriors but also as a strong, united family.   If you recalled from yesterday, I made some tweaks of the martial arts Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialise in with a few guest appearances from some of their fighting game mentors. Think of this as a more abridged and truncated entry that has the gist of what these seven powerful Yokai warriors specialise in terms of fighting styles. With that said, let’s kick some opponent butt right now.   Sesshoumaru is a specialist in clean and precise attacks, brutal takedowns, military-like strategies, and a whole lot of honour, decorum, and discipline as a striker, grappler, and clincher in the following martial arts. Karate (Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shorei-Ryu, Motobu-Ryu, and Uechi-Ryu) Japanese Jujitsu Brazilian Jujitsu Judo Taekwondo Mixed Martial Arts Marine Corps Martial Arts   Shuran is brute strength incarnate thanks to his use of leverage on his opponents’ bodies and using groundwork to defeat them in the most exceedingly brutal fashion possible as a mighty grappler in the following martial arts. Professional Wrestling (American, Mexican, and British) Vale Tudo Sambo Mongolian Wrestling Ssireum Pehlwani Malla-yuddha   Inuyasha is known to be a dangerously ruthless combatant because of his penchant for close contact combat, powerfully explosive blows, and boundless strength, power, and stamina as a striker, grappler, and clincher as well as an overall warrior in the following martial arts. Karate (Kyokushin, Seidokaikan, Wado-Ryu, Ashihara, Budokan, Enshin, and Gosoku-Ryu) American Kenpo Karate Pankration Ancient Greek Boxing Ancient Greek Wrestling Bokator Kapu Kuialua   Hakkaku has boundless perseverance regardless of the many occasions he gets knocked down thanks to how his iron will fuel his all of his strikes and clinches while maintaining great sportsmanship in the following martial arts. Muay Thai Pradal Serey Kajukenbo Panantukan Dambe Moraingy Taekkyeon   Ginta has all the charm and lovability in the world that make him an infectious cavalier thanks to his pretty boy appeal, but his penchant for striking and clinching should never be taken for granted in the following martial arts. Lethwei Sanda Jeet Kune Do Pencak Silat Hwa Rang Do Tang Soo Do Eagle Claw Kung Fu   Ayame bears the fierce iron fists of fury that can make every explosive blow cause major damage to her opponents as well as the fleet feet of lightning which demonstrates how effectively she can combine rapid speed and brute strength in the following martial arts. Kickboxing (Dutch, American, and Japanese) Koppojutsu Nippon Kenpo Boxing Hapkido Taido Krav Maga   Shunran bears exciting amounts of agility, flexibility, and rapidness coupled with her resourcefulness and conscientiousness of her surroundings and who she is up against thanks to her fleet feet and grand repertoire of striking in the following martial arts. Capoeira Aikido Shaolin Kung Fu Systema Ninjutsu Wushu Baguazhang   There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, The Splendid Seven’s martial arts lineup tweaked up, especially based on the fighting game mentors I gave them. It seems slightly more realistic. If you love this martial arts lineup I have in store for Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran or if you have any other suggestions, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading, everybody.

Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees and martial arts aficionados! Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specialising in the martial arts they do, especially for tournaments, demonstrations, and kicking a whole lot of demon, monster, and villain butt. What more can I say other than I love it when these seven Yokai martial artists band together as a powerful family to not only demonstrate their brutal yet awesome moves but also live with honour, integrity, truth, respect, cooperation, dedication, and discipline as martial artists and as people. Picture yourselves in a huge arena where a martial arts demonstration is about to take place. You see seven martial artists in the forms of Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran entering the arena as fierce and determined as ever to show that they are the greatest Yokai martial artists Japan and the world has ever seen. Sesshoumaru breaks twenty-five cement blocks on top of each other with his bare fists. Shuran charges through a concrete wall using his whole body as if though he were the world’s most powerful wrecking ball. Inuyasha breaks thirty huge ice blocks aligned at each other with his bare fists, bare shins, and bare feet. Hakkaku effortlessly shin kicks tall wooden poles made of oak. Ginta speedily knee strikes tall wooden poles made of ebony. Ayame unleashes punches and kicks towards various metallic tiles, thus breaking them. Shunran goes zero gravity with her kicks and tricking towards wooden boards and ceramic tiles, thus breaking them too. After that display of superhuman power, their greatest challenge is to overcome opponents larger than them in the fastest time possible. It may have been gruelling, but all seven Yokai martial artists come out on top. This would definitely be the greatest sight to behold and one that would live on in martial arts history. Ever since I have been making various written entries revolving around The Splendid Seven, their chosen martial arts, and the various fighting game mentors I have in store for them, I have been further assessing the possibilities of their fighting styles all thanks to the video games I used to play as a young lad ranging from Street Fighter to Tekken to King of Fighters to even Mortal Kombat as well as watching Let’s Plays of a Karate-focused video game called Karate Master Knock Down Blow. This has additionally extended nicely to watching a fair number of martial arts documentaries, shows, and media instalments which have further sparked my interest in making The Splendid Seven be a sturdy family of Yokai martial artists who live with integrity and honour. Considering that I assigned them various mentors from some of the fighting games I used to play as a child, it is also my way of further expanding their martial arts skills and even have some surprisingly genuine connections to their mentors. With that said, let us get to the individual Yokai martial artists. Leaning towards the tradition, the discipline, and the honour side of the martial arts is Sesshoumaru a Karateka whose specific styles are Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shorei-Ryu, Motobu-Ryu, and Uechi-Ryu. Aside from Karate, he also has a sturdy background in Marine Corps Martial Arts, Brazilian Jujitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Taekwondo, Mixed Martial Arts, Judo, and Shootfighting. Sesshoumaru’s clean and focused attacks are characterised by lethal jabs, uppercuts, roundhouse kicks, and axe kicks to the face, head, gut area, and ribcage among many other body parts, strangulating chokeholds that see his opponents gasping for air, bludgeoning takedowns, quick reaction time to what his opponents would deliver at him, and high doses of stamina which have seen him emerge as the victor. There is also a military code that he abides by when it comes to not attacking unless somebody is brazen enough to provoke him. He even takes after Gouken’s discipline of the martial arts code, Ryu’s ambition to become a more powerful warrior, T. Hawk’s strong and silent calmness before the storm of battle, and Kazuya Mishima’s relentlessness to emerge as the victor to the point where Sesshoumaru considers Gouken, T. Hawk, Ryu, and Kazuya to be his most favourite mentors of all time. Sesshoumaru truly does make Karate, Taekwondo, and Jujitsu a way of life whether he does his daily katas, spars with his younger brother Inuyasha and with their father Toga the Dog General on a daily basis or uses his martial arts skills to take his enemies down. Being large and in charge complete with brute strength, loads of raw power, and earth-shattering takedowns is Shuran a wrestler whose focus is on American and British Professional Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, Ssireum, Turkish Oil Wrestling, Pehlwani, and Malla-yuddha. He is also an ace in Sambo and Vale Tudo, thus demonstrating that he is more than just a grappler, as his ground and pound attacks, palm strikes, knee strikes, elbow strikes, and punches can cause collateral damage to his opponents. While Shuran’s punches, palm strikes, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and ground and pound attacks can physically and psychologically damage his opponents, his grappling skills remain unparalleled. As Shuran is the biggest and the tallest member of The Splendid Seven, his specialties of pile drivers, chokeholds, arm bars, Full Nelsons, up his sleeves such as hammerfists to the temple, straight punches between the eyes and to the solar plexus, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and kicks, not just grapples such as Full Nelsons, arm bars, chokeholds, takedowns, and foot sweeps deriving from Brazilian Jujitsu. Inuyasha draws inspiration afrom Akuma’s lethal ferociousness, es of inspiration for emerging on top of his game thanks to E. Honda’s dignity, Zangief’s toughness, Blanka’s resilience, and Ganryu’s formidability. Shuran’s brute strength and power may make him bear a champion’s mindset, but it is his unwavering will to never surrender that makes him a truly aspirational grappler let alone wrestler. Showing every monster, foe, and demon what he has got in terms of stamina, super strength, muscular power, and relentless confidence is…