Gamaran: Shura: Difference between revisions

** 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.

*[[Ax Crazy]]: Raio Magami literally goes on a killing spree of civilians just because he couldn't find immediately an opponent to challenge. And as expected by anyone who finds love in Sasuke Sakakibara, Kitaro Mashima is just as unhinged and bloodthirsty.

* [[Beware the Silly Ones]]: Ouka looks like a caricature of ''Astroboy'' with a rather low IQ and tendendcy to make pidgeron-like sounds even when alone. He hides a rather scary [[Slasher Smile]] and is skilled enough to give ''Tsuchiryuu'' (who fought the extremely powerful Gensai Kizaki unscathed) a good fight.

* [[Blade of Fearsome Size|BFS:]] The first opponent of the Hakka Bakken fought is Hien Shiba, who wields the long zanmato "Monohoshizao Masamune". Unlike Zenmaru's heavy and powerful sword, the Shiba sword relies mostly of speed, grace and dexterity to be used in combat and has an extra area of handle to be used for half-swording.

** 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.}}

* [[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".

** 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.

* [[Break the Badass]]: During the first round of the tournament, {{Spoiler|Tadaie inflicts a crushing defeat to Iori and has his right-hand man Bihoumaru take Ran away from him. This utter defeat and the loss of Ran, towards whom he was actually developing feelings, push Iori to put his entire heart and self into the combat, finally accepting both Riko Murasame's lessons on defense and Hanjiro's teaching on Jinsuke's Tenchi no Kata.}}

* [[Breaking Speech]]: Iori tries to pull one on Ran to check her determination, pointing out that if she really enters the Competition as a swordfighter she'll probably die like a dog and achieve nothing. She's still willing to try.

* [[Call Back]]: Several to the previous series:

** Once again, the heroes join a tournament where not all is what it seems.

* [[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.

** 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]].

* [[Evil All Along]]: Turns out, Nachi was actually on the Bakufu's paycheck this entire time, being introduced at the Shogun's side.

* [[Exotic Weapon Supremacy]]: New entry Raio Magami employs Indian weapons in combat, mostly flexible urumi swords alongside traditional daggers and a katar to replace his missing hand during his second appearence. Later we get to meet the Genkai Tenpei, a cadre of incredibly powerful warriors serving the Shogunate, each trained to use foreign weapons, which give them an edge against fighters used to deal with standard weapons from Japan.

* [[Faking the Dead]]: Jinkuu pretends to have been killed by Shinzo Kariya to avoid control and try to assassinate the Shogun.

* [[The Hero Dies]]: {{Spoiler|Tragically, Ran is shot by a mook and despite Tadaie's best efforts to bring her to safety she seemingly dies, motivating Iori, Tadaie and her brothers to seek revenge.}}

* [[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.}}

* [[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! 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.