Gamaran: Shura: Difference between revisions
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*[[All for Nothing]]: Jinkuu fakes his death to enter the Shogun's castle with the help of a mole to assassinate the Shogun. {{Spoiler|The plan ends up failing, as his accomplice Ryogo is slain by Genra and Jinku only manages to kill Kaido Rin and a body double of the Shogun, making his entire plan fail.}}
* [[Aluminum Christmas Trees]]: Hyogo Shakujii wields the unusual combo of a buckler shield and a katana. While it may sound absurd, shields were actually used in medieval Japan, albeit not extensively and they were usually rectangular and small. Still, fighting with a katana and a shield in combo was not an impossibility.
* [[An Arm and a Leg]]: At the end of their battle, Iori cuts off Raio's hand, forcing him to flee. He later reappears with an openeable katar blade embedded on the wrist.
** Much later in the story, {{Spoiler|Gajiara reveals that he personally punished the captive Tojo by severing his right arm, showing the severed limb to Iori, Tadaie and Isami.}}
* [[Artistic License Martial Arts]]: Shiro Momose's sword is referred to as a "Longsword", despite being only the size of a standard arming sword (he does wield it with both hands, however).
** As with many other examples of [[Whip Sword]], the efficiency of Raio's Urumi blades is vastly exaggerated, to the point that his three blades can cleanly chop through a person's head unhindered.
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** Genkai Tenpei's woman warrior Homare is introduced in combat carrying a large western-sized greatsword. She later reveals that the blade is a Montante (spanish for generic longswords).
** The second in command of the Genkai Tenpei, Genra, uses a huge iron oar as his personal weapon. It's surprisingly deadly.
** In the same group we have
** During the final arc we finally learn that [[The Bus Came Back|the oblong bag carried by Jinkuu back in Unabara]] contained his real weapon: a nodachi, identical to the Monohoshizao Masamune.
* [[Big Bad]]: In a case of [[Evil Versus Evil]], the series features two main antagonists: the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunamitsu, who organized the tournament to hire potential warriors and get rid of all potential threats, and the Daimyo of Suruga and Tsunamitsu's half-brother Tadaie Hiramatsu, a natural born, inhumanly strong fighter whose presence is a living threat to the Bakufu and ends up being Iori and Gama's enemy. {{Spoiler|Both are forced to join forces when the actual villain, Ise Ramon, starts his coup against the Bakufu and successfully assassinate Tokugawa Tsunamitsu, putting in his place his half-brother Shibusawa Kan.}}
* [[Being Tortured Makes You Evil]]: Genra's backstory, big time.
* [[Berserk Button]]: Homare is usually affable and calm, but God help you if you dare interrupt a duel she's throughfully enjoying to steal her kill, even if [[Honor Before Reason|it's to save her life.]] {{Spoiler|The second time this happens, she downright turns on her own companions and agrees to let the heroes pass (and save Zenmaru's life) out of spite.}}
* [[Blade Lock]]: Weaponized by users of western swords (Shiro, Karai and Homare), who all employ the "Bind" technique to lock their sword against the opponent's blade and make them lose their balance. Kyoyasai Yagira has a similar technique with his katana, called Tsubazeriai (Hilt-Crushing Stance)
* [[Blade on a Stick]]: The chapter 0 opens with Iori being ambushed by the spearmaster Shima Ichiriki and easily trumping his so-called "Divine Speed Spear".
** In the second round alone we have three notable spearmen: Gen'u Yoshimori, wielder of a large Omi-yari and able to pierce through entire trees with ease, Seiya Zoin, wielder of a western halberd (depicted as more similar to the historiical deals than the previous one used by the Muhou Ryuu) and Mashima Kitaro, wielder of the Divine Spear Beninuki.
** Sendo of the Genkai Tenpei can dual-wield partisans in wide circular motions, alternating between slashing attacks and sudden thrusts.
** When not using a sword or crushing his opponents bare-handed, Tadaie will choose a simple spear as his other weapon of choice.
** Jiba Renji wields a rather mundane-looking spear with sharp, triangular blades at each end. He also frequently refers to himself as a "hunter".
* [[Blood Knight]]: Tadaie first touched a sword when he was 2 and since he was 12 he was able to fight on par with adults. Unlike Jinsuke, who showed a philosophical side and desire to establish his own government, Tadaie's only concern is fighting.
* [[Boring but Practical]]: Jiba Renji of the Genkai Tenpei: While all his companions seems to focus on unusual or foreign weapons, he relies exclusively on a custom Japanese spear with an oval blade and a secondary smaller blade at the butt end.
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* [[Charles Atlas Superpower]]: Tadaie is so powerful he can literally break skulls open with his fists and snap a man's arm by punching it really hard.
* [[Co-Dragons]]: Tadaie has his closest friends and vassals, his sword instructor Rando Shakujii and the extremely strong Bihoumaru. Similarly, the Shogun can count on his own sword teacher Kyoyasai Yagira and the current leader of the Genkai Tenpei, Ise Ramon.
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Due to her lack of physical power, Ran Ichinose has to spend the entirety of her duel with the much more physically formidable Burai Udo resorting to skills, such as using both swords at once, taking full advantage of Udo's prejudice and using shurikens to wound him.
** When it comes to fighting, no trick is too underhanded for Ise Ramon, best seen when he punches Bihoumaru with enough strength to send him to the ground: as it's later revealed, he hid a nail-like shuriken in his fist and stabbed him right in the solar plexus.
* [[Cool Sword]]: A number of peculiar swords are used in the series:
** Raio Magami employs two different [[Whip Sword|urumi]] in combat, one with three blades and one with a single, bigger blade.
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** Karai of the Genkai Tenpei uses a falchion with great skill, paired with his fast movements and athletic attacks.
** Homare of the same group as Karai uses a massive Montante as her sword of choice.
** Another Genkai Tenpei member,
*[[Creepy Souvenir]]: Kitaro carries around Sasuke's severed ear (likely preserved, given that it has not rotten after three years and half) as a memento of both his lover and his vendetta. {{Spoiler|He ends up swallowing the ear whole to achieve his full potential, going so insane he can seemingly channel Sasuke and mimic his speech.}}
* [[Dual-Wielding]]: To make up for her lack of sheer strength, Ran is not above using two swords at once when she fights, or wield a sword in one hand and thrown shuriken in the other.
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** Sanjin of the Genkai Tenpei fights with dual ''bhuj'', Indian axes with a knife-ike blade. They even hide a dagger in the handle for emergencies.
** Genkai Tenpei member Sendo's true fighting style is called "Partisan Twin Sojutsu", which involves him wielding two partisans at the same time (holding them in the middle) and using them in tandem for a series of slashing and stabbing motions.
** An enormous shogunate officer dual wields swords in a style he christened the "Evershifting Demon Sword Style". [[The Worf Effect|How this work is unknown since he's mowed down by Tojo before he can draw his blades]].
*[[Epic Flail]]: Ise Ramon's main weapon is a large pair of Comet Hammers, a weapon from China consisting in two large metal weights united by a length of chain. However, despite being his main form of attack, it's far from being his only card to play, as he's expert in using bare-handed kung fu, claws and probably more weapons.
* [[Evil All Along]]: Turns out, Nachi was actually on the Bakufu's paycheck this entire time, being introduced at the Shogun's side.
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* [[Impossibly Cool Weapon]]: Ikki Obayashi's Enmiyabi, a Three-sectioned Battleaxe: it's like a three-section staff, except that one "stick" is actually a large, machete-like blade bending in an axe-like tip, resembling overall a glaive.
* [[Improbable Weapon User]]: Genra's weapon of choice is an [[Gratuitous English|Iron Eiku]] (Steel Oar): a big oar made entirely of iron. Despite sounding incredibly heavy and impractical, it's portrayed as deadly in his hands, as he can swing that beast with enough strength to actually cut his victims.
* [[Megaton Punch]]: Bihoumaru is extremely proud of his punches, being so strong that even back when he was 12 he could kill a man with a single strike. He's left in utter amazement when Homare manages to tank his punch despite getting hit right on the side of the jaw. She later pays him back by striking the solar plexus, liver and throat in one swift counterattack.
* [[The Mole]]: {{Spoiler|Shinzo Kariya is actually not a member of the Bakufu forces, but Ryogo Kuryuu, Ango's brother and former member of the Gaun Ryuu, sent by Jinsuke to infiltrate the enemy base. He helps Jinkuu infiltrate the castle in an attempt to assassinate the Shogun before the end of the Tournament, after faking his death in combat.}}
* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: Hien Shiba could be a deadringer for the swordsman Sasaki Kojiro, while Kyoyasai Yagira's ability, reputation and status as swordmaster of the Tokugawa makes him a lookalike for the Yagyu clan leader and master swordsman Munenori Tajimanokami.
* [[Not Just a Tournament]]: This time, while the main plot features a tournament, it's clear from the start that there's a lot of political intrigue weaved in.
* [[One-Man Army]]: The Genkai Tenpei, being even superior in skills to the likes of Kurogane Jinsuke's Special Corps.
* [[The Remnant]]: A sideplot of the series features the survivors of the Muhou Ryuu trying to regroup to carry on Jinsuke's legacy, wanting to make Gama their new leader. {{Spoiler|Gama eventually agrees to side with them, but he makes it clear that he has no intention to follow Jinsuke's desire to wage war to the Bakufu to turn Japan into a militarized country where martial artists can get all they want.}}
* [[The Reveal]]: An important one later on, when we learn that {{Spoiler|Hanjiro Okamoto is actually Hanjiro Ooizumi, Kamedenbo's son and one of Jinsuke's companions. He was spared because he left the Ogame Ryuu, but still Jinsuke entrusted him with his own kata, the Tenchi Kata (Heaven and Earth Form), asking him to teach this style to either Gama or Iori when the time's right.}}
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* [[Stay in the Kitchen]]: Explored trope with Ran: on one hand she's quite skilled and far more competent with the sword than many other male warriors, but against monsters such as those found among the Bakka Hyakken she's hopelessly outmatched. Despite Iori's warnings though, she still braves the battlefield alongside him and even manages to win a one-on-one match against the bigger and more imposing Burai Udo.
* [[Storming the Castle]]: The final arc has {{Spoiler|the combined forces of the Muhou Ryuu, alongside the Ichinose brothers Zenmaru and Isami, Iori and Tadaie, joining forces to attack the castle to crush the Genkai Tenpei and slay Shibusawa Kan.}}
* [[Taking You with Me]]: One of the technique employed by the Genkai Tenpei's footsoldiers is called "Tenpei Kassatsu no Dan" (Divine Soldier's Life or Death Row), which consist in four or five of them simultaneously stabbing at the victim from multiple sides going all out, not worrying at all about defense.
* [[Touch of Death]]: Zenmaru's first opponent is the former Iga shinobi Sanpeita Momochi, who has turned his left hand into a deadly tool by imbuing it with a special Chinese venom he uses with impunity.
* [[Undying Loyalty]]: Both Rando Shakujii and Bihoumaru have nothing but utter respect and loyalty for their liege Tadaie.
* [[Verbal Tic]]: Tenpei member Tessa will occasionally stop acting serious and only talk to Renji by frantically shouting "On!" over and over again. Funnily enough, Renji seems to be able to perfectly understand him.
* [[Villainous Valor]]: Rando and Bihoumaru are extremely loyal to their master and friend Tadaie, to the point of referring to him as a walking god of war, and will go to extreme lengths to protect him. Likewise, Kyoyasai Yagira is extremely loyal to the Shogun, even if said loyalty is misplaced, and genuinaly loves his underling Rin like a son.
* [[Wham! Episode]]: The climax of the second turn arc has {{Spoiler|the Genkai Tenpei turn on the Shogun, managing to kill Kyoyasai Yagira and Tsunamitsu, revealing that they actually take order from Shibusawa Kan, who's in truth the bastard child of the former Shogun and raised by the Genkai Tenpei themselves. Furthermore, Ran Ichinose is injured by a sniper, later succumbing to her wounds despite Tadaie's best efforts to save her, Tsuchiryuu and Tojo are captured by the enemy and Hanjiro Okamoto, ousted as a traitor, gives his life to allow the Ogame Ryuu's escape.}}
* [[Wham! Shot]]: The seemingly foreign Hanjiro Okamoto, cornered by Sakutaro and his sword-snapping iron cane, decides to resort to his ace in the sleeve: {{Spoiler|one of the Five Forms of the Ogame Ryuu, third technique of the Doukou Kata, Iwasakunesaku, revealing that he's a former member of the Ogame Ryuu.}}
* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: Ikki Obayashi thinks he can get the drop on Iori by bringing along thirty warriors with him, with different styles to boot. Unfortunately, Iori is able to easily beat them all and repeal his attacks.
* [[You Shall Not Pass]]: The climax of the second turn arc has Hanjiro, Tsuchiryuu and Tojo trying to stop the pursuing Tenpei forces so that the heroes can get to safety.
{{reflist}}
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