#Sojiro | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dantomasik · 6 months

Text

Enishi vs Kenshin's Foes

The Final Arc of Rurouni Kenshin introduced us to a villain who seemingly did the impossible, defeating Kenshin. Yukishiro Enishi bested the greatest swordsman in the world, and he did so handily. His swordsmanship style seemed capable of perfectly countering Kenshin's every move, including his Ultimate Technique. Here's the thing. This does not make Enishi the greatest swordsman in the world. Enishi is so hyperfixated on revenge against Kenshin that it consumes his every waking thought, reflected in his sword style, Watojutsu, a self-taught Chinese style that is exclusively offensive/aggressive, with, as Enishi himself states, no defense because Kenshin took away the only thing he ever wished to defend.

This is the difference between his style and Kenshin's. Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi is built around pitting one against many, thus it specializes in groups. Enishi's Watojutsu is solely focused on obliterating one opponent, with that opponent specifically being Kenshin and Hiten Mitsurugi. This means it is considerably less effective against other styles and other opponents. So, I thought it would be fun to do a little mental exercise and pit Enishi against the various foes Kenshin has faced or who could pose a potentially deadly threat to him.

First off, let's do a quick summary of Enishi as a swordsman.

It's safe to call him a "master swordsman", meaning anyone less than another master swordsman doesn't have a chance against him. Thus, even his worst skills still have some merit. His offense is insane. Considering it's what he puts everything into, it's safe to call it his highest stat. His defense, meanwhile, would be his lowest stat. He frequently covers up for this by relying on his offense to counter and overpower any move that comes his way, but this doesn't work against being countered himself. His speed is also top tier, although (with one notable exception) most master swordsmen have relatively similar top speeds. He has a remarkable catalog of techniques for every possible move that could be used against him, and supplements many of them with kicks that add in that extra OOMPH. He also has what we can basically consider "mind over body", meaning his body won't register pain or injuries unless he wants it to. This grants him superb endurance, but against opponents who strike to kill, that only helps so much. Lastly, he has an ace in the hole in the form of his Frenzied Nerves that can render him nigh-unstoppable. How much he can utilize them is unclear, as they seem specifically linked towards his hatred of Kenshin.

Udo Jine

The earliest foe we could consider truly deadly, Jine fought for the Shinsengumi during Bakumatsu, killing many people, including quite a few people he wasn't supposed to kill, prompting his commanding officer to discipline him. Well, attempt to discipline him, Jine killed them too, then disappeared, resurfacing on the side of the Revolutionists. After the end of Bakumatsu, Jine would continue his massive killing spree into Meiji, sending letters declaring his intentions to prominent political figures. These targets would use their positions to hire guards & security, which Jine would happily slaughter. His fight with Kenshin is all about bringing out the manslayer he once was during Bakumatsu, the manslayer even Jine feared. With 10 years of killing under his belt, Jine's skills have remained as sharp as they were during Bakumatsu when legends were made on the edge of a sword.

Jine's style seems focused on killing a lot of people, mostly small-time thugs and police officers. This does not mean he cannot keep up with or even surpass Kenshin's level of skill. Jine spent most of their duels trying to make Kenshin fight harder, more like the killer he once was. He bragged he could kill Kenshin as he currently was in a matter of 1-3 cigarettes time. His Ultimate Technique allowed him to paralyze opponents or, alternatively, psych himself up into a nigh-invincible warrior. He is also a crazed psychopath who can shrug off most wounds, fears nothing, and experiences pure ecstasy while killing people. Without doubt a master killing machine.

Result: Maybe

This one is close enough that I feel like it could go either way. Enishi definitely has the willpower to shrug off Jine's Paralysis (hell, Sano did). In terms of fighting him, Enishi excels in countering attacks with stronger attacks. Jine's style is also purely offensive, but has the flexibility that Enishi lacks. We watch him turn a disruption instantly into a surprise attack on Kenshin, which would be utterly devastating against Watojutsu. As far as his Shin no Ippo power-up, I'd be curious to see it go up against Enishi's Frenzied Nerves, but have a feeling Enishi would win. Even powered-up, Jine lost to Kenshin's pre-Ultimate Technique battojutsu, meaning Enishi, who dodged the actual Ultimate Technique without his Frenzied Nerves, would absolutely be faster. Stronger, that's a different story, and we don't really know how much stronger Jine's power-up makes him, as he is defeated before it can land a blow. We did watch him casually turn a rock into rubble, though, so that's pretty scary.

Jine's ability to counter disruptive moves is ideal for taking advantage of Enishi's weakness, and since neither one cares who the other is, both will just try to kill each other until one dies. Both are durable as a result of having f***ed up brains that don't care about pain, both are quick, and both have powerful offense.

Shinomori Aoshi

Next up we have the leader of the Oniwabanshu, Shinomori Aoshi. This is a very different matchup from Jine. Aoshi has been fighting since he was a child, taking down other spies at 13 and leading the Oniwabanshu by age 15. He definitely qualifies as "gifted". Aoshi has proven himself one of Kenshin's strongest rivals, and has come unnervingly close to killing Kenshin multiple times.

Aoshi's skills are as deadly as they get. His single kodachi grants him an almost impenetrable defense, allowing him to then rain down martial arts blows on opponents. Coupled with fluid movements that are impossible to track, his opponents are left waiting for him to strike. As for his offense, he utilizes surprisingly few offensive sword techniques, but when he goes in for the kill, you die. Adding in his second kodachi only makes him deadlier. One factor that cannot be overlooked, Aoshi may not have superhuman durability, but that is because he is so rarely hit he doesn't need it.

Result: Loss

Enishi will lose to Aoshi. Enishi's insane offense can bash away at Aoshi's insane defense all day and never get a blow in. Enishi's greatest skill is in countering techniques with stronger techniques, but this works best against opponents with a wide catalog of offensive moves, rather than a single one designed for guaranteed fatality. His kicks can add a lot of damage, but Aoshi can dodge effortlessly. Plus, against an actual martial arts master like Aoshi, he'll get schooled like a kid in sparring class. Furthermore, when Aoshi moves in for the kill with either of his offensive techniques, Enishi's Ultimate Technique may get lucky against Kaiten Kenbu, but not against Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren. Enishi will be chopped into mincemeat. His Frenzied Nerves may help, but Aoshi's style is built around defense & evasion, using only a single deadly offensive technique (with variants depending on the number of swords used) that can turn a group of men into a pile of limbs in less than a second.

Saito Hajime

Former Captain of the 3rd Shinsengumi Unit, Saito Hajime is another strong contender for the title of Kenshin's greatest rival. They've been enemies since Bakumatsu, and their first fight in Meiji is truly terrifying to watch. They simply do not make swordsmen like Saito Hajime anymore. According to him, the skills that have allowed him to survive countless wars & conflicts are no longer even known in the present day. He has lived through more bloodshed than even other master swordsmen will see in their entire lives, and has superb endurance that comes not from any special technique, but from his sheer, unrelenting desire to bring Swift Death to Evil.

As for his technique, the way of the Shinsengumi was to hone a single attack to the realm of perfection, the methodology being that it is exceedingly rare to face the same opponent multiple times in life or death battles. If you have one move guaranteed to kill your opponent, why would you need any others? Saito's Gatotsu is the most powerful thrusting attack a swordsman can face. Can't be blocked or countered, it turns into a slash & kick if dodged, and it has monstrous destructive power. The only thing scarier than facing it, is facing it again after it's carved into you.

Result: Loss

Enishi simply has no chance against the Gatotsu. Powerful as his techniques are, none of them has destructive power comparable to it. And if Enishi cannot counter a move with something stronger, he dies. This is a short analysis because that's really all there is to fighting Saito. You either have a defense that can weaken the Gatotsu, or you lose. There is no counter against it, and Enishi would never come up with the defensive strategies that have allowed Saito's opponents to survive as long as they did.

I like to think this is why Enishi surrendered to Saito in the live action movie after kicking the sh*t out of all the police officers on the train. Once Saito takes his sword stance, Enishi either surrenders or he dies.

Usui, the Blind Sword

Kenshin never fought Usui, but Saito did, and that's good enough for me. Usui fought during Bakumatsu as an anti-Hitokiri, basically killing the killers. He had his eyes carved out by Shishio Makoto, but developed hyper-sensitive hearing and eventually became one of the deadliest members of Shishio's Ten Swords, with the understanding that he can attempt to kill people (and Shishio) as much as he desires.

Usui has two fighting styles, one utilizing his spear/mace and another combining a shortened spear and turtle shield. His defense & senses are powerful enough to disrupt the Gatotsu, allowing him to weaken his foes until he goes in for a killing stab. What his style lacks in power, it makes up in defense and calculated bloodletting.

Result: Win

Maybe it's just how quickly Usui melted under Saito's cruel words, but I'm fairly confident Enishi could destroy him. With his offense, especially punctuated by his kicks, he could most likely break down Usui's defense, which worked best against a single big technique like Saito's, not a variety like Enishi's arsenal. Add in that Usui's offense is mostly for weakening foes (a strategy that won't work on Enishi's mind over body), and he is simply a poor matchup for our angry white-haired friend.

Seta Sojiro

Remember when I mentioned there was one notable exception to master swordsmen having relatively similar top speeds? That exception would be Sojiro. With his style of "speed that does not appear in sight" he is without question the fastest swordsman in the entire series (even faster than Kenshin). His permanent smiling face offers no emotions to read, making his movements almost impossible to anticipate, and his skill with the sword can be considered equal to Kenshin's, which is terrifying. This teenage boy is a killing machine. His Ultimate Technique is called "You Die Instantly" (I'm paraphrasing, but only barely) and lives up to that threat.

Result: Loss

When you can't even follow your opponent's movements, that's when you die. Enishi might do well enough as Sojiro warms up, but once he reaches top speed Enishi will drop like a pile of limbs. Frenzied Nerves or not. You cannot counter what you cannot see, and if you can't defend yourself you just get cut to ribbons. That's all there is.

Fuji

The 30ft+ tall kaiju-esque swordsman Fuji fought Kenshin's master and lived. Fuji can destroy buildings with a single swing, and his destructive power & speed only increases once he takes off his armor. You basically need to be a God or a Battleship to fight Fuji.

Result: Win

Here's the thing, Enishi is fast enough to dodge Fuji. Even if Enishi had a defense it wouldn't work against Fuji's power, but with enough time and successful hits Enishi could wear the titan down. Will definitely take some damage from the sheer collateral of Fuji's swings, but that's what mind over body is for. Fuji might be the only master swordsman with a worse defense than Enishi, mostly because he so rarely fights anyone who doesn't sh*t their pants immediately upon seeing him.

Shishio Makoto

The assassin who succeeded Kenshin during Bakumatsu, Shishio Makoto didn't do it for morals, he did it to showcase his strength. After the revolution, he was knocked out by a blow to the head from his allies, then doused in gasoline and set on fire to make sure he stayed down. And then he didn't. That should give you a pretty good idea of how durable and driven Shishio Makoto is. His fight with Kenshin later includes both Saito & Aoshi (and Sano, briefly), and he is quite decisively kicking all of their asses on his own. Even after taking what was effectively a grenade to the face, even after going well passed the limit his body can tolerate, even after receiving Kenshin's Ultimate Ultimate Attack, Shishio kept getting up to continue fighting. He only stopped after his flesh literally ignited via spontaneous human combustion, reducing him to ashes.

Shishio is one of the most powerful swordsmen ever to live. His sword catches fire, his gauntlets explode, he can catch a sword with his fingertips if it's a technique he's seen before, he can out-react a point-blank Gatotsu, block Kenshin's Ultimate Technique, knock out Sano in a single punch, and take more punishment than anyone with 3rd degree burns all over their body should be capable of sustaining for an extended period of time. His sheer strength is only outclassed by Fuji, and that's only because Fuji is over 30 goddamn feet tall.

Result: Loss

Enishi is about to get a very rude awakening as to what a true devil is like. Enishi, for all of his strength & offensive prowess, still cannot hold a candle to Shishio. Even if his mind over body helps mitigate the nasty combination of burning & slashing wounds Shishio's sword inflicts, he will never overpower Shishio and never counter him. Furthermore, as Shishio proves capable of catching Kenshin's sword mid-attack when he attempts to use a technique Shishio has already seen, so too can any of Enishi's moves be countered. Enishi has no defense against gauntlet grenades, and even his Ultimate Technique won't work against Shishio's because crouching low to the ground won't prevent him getting incinerated by the downward slash. Even if Enishi could get in some blows against Shishio, his obscene amount of endurance will render it moot.

#ruroken #rurouni kenshin #enishi #kenshin #shishio #jine #aoshi #saito #usui #sojiro #fuji #duel #fan theory

5 notes · View notes

alicenowonderland · 2 years

Text

F4 FEVER ✨

Okay, can we all agree that our childhood is not complete if we do not have a crush on one of the F4s or if we did not watched Hana Yori Dango adaptations. Who does not imagine herself being the female lead falling for the rich, handsome, toxic male lead? Or falling for the second male lead who wears in all white or any white in it? Just kidding! But I know we all loved the series.

So before I get into my point, I would like to remind you, my dear readers, that the things I will discuss here is based on my opinions. Everything that I will be put here is based on my point of views and own understanding.

Please do not forget to give me comments and please be gentle when giving one. I would love to meet other people who has the same insterests.

So… let’s get started!

🌸 THE F4 and their story 🌸

First let us know who are the F4 and their story.

F4 or also known as the 🌸 FLOWER FOUR 🌸 is a clique of young, handsome, rich men who rules the school just because they are rich and most popular. F4 came from the manga, Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers) , which is written by a Japanese writer and illustrator, Yoko Kamio.

The story revolves around Makino Tsukushi who came from a middle class family. She studies at Eitoku Gakuen (academy) where the F4 rules. Tsukasa Domyouji, Rui Hanazawa, Sojirou Nishikado and Akira Mimisaka. All four of them are friends since Kindergarten and causes the bullying inside the school whenever someone gets in their way. They bully the students by the means of the RED CARD. When Tsukushi helped her friend from Tsukasa’s bullying, she stood up against him and kicked him, making Tsukasa interested on her because she was the only girl who stands up to them. Tsukushi fell in love with Rui while Rui is still waiting for Shizuka Todou, Rui’s first love. Then there was Tsukushi’s mom who is against their love because Tsukasa comes from a rich family and we know the rest.

No matter how long and what year, we always bing watch and rewatch the series because it gives us different kinds of story-telling which makes it interesting no matter how many adaptations we watched.

🌸 THE F4 and their adaptations 🌸

Hana Yori Dango has an anime adaptation as well as a movie which first aired in 90s. The first ever television series was aired in Taiwan on year 2001 where we met Dao Ming Xi, Huaze Lei, Xi Men, Mei Zou and of course… Shancai. Yes, METEOR GARDEN. It was released in 2001 and popularized since then.

Meteor Garden Taiwan has two parts. Just so we thought Shancai and Azi have their happy ending, that is where Azi had amnesia on Season 2 and we met Princess Ye Sha and things just go crazier.

The second country to adapt it into a TV series is no other than Japan. I do not know if they really intended it then Taiwan did it first or they decided to have live-action series after the success of Meteor Garden.

Hana Yori Dango was released in 2005 and yes we all loved Domyouji! *heart eyes with drools* We cannot deny how handsome and charismatic Jun Matsumoto is even when we first saw him as an Arashi singer. The series had a part 2 also which is pretty similar to the Taiwanese version. I do not know if the Japanese stick with the manga (bec I haven’t read the manga yet) but there are things that are not similar to other adaptations. There is also a Hana Yori Dango Final: The Movie with the same casts but the story revolves around the engaged life of Tsukushi and Tsukasa.

In 2009, South Korea’s Kdrama was sky-rocketing when they released the TV series Boys Over Flowers, the Korean adaptation. This is where it was popularized again not just in Asia but all over the world. In this show we met Lee Min Ho and Kim Bum whom we gushed over a hundred times because why not. *raining hearts* *heart eyes* A lot of fans became nostalgic when they watched the show. It lasted for 25 episodes with super catchy OST. Almoooost paradiseeeee~

After 17 years, China released their own METEOR GARDEN. It was year 2018 when Cdramas are being popular and of course they have to have a remake of Meteor Garden. *for youuuuuuu ooohhh ooohhh~* We cannot deny the love we had for the new casts especially to Dylan Wang, Darren Chen and Shen Yue.

The lastest adaptation that we loved and one of the most awaited adaptations is the F4 Thailand on 2021. We cannot deny how beautiful they changed the story but still the same plot is there. We loved Bright, Dew, Win and Nani on their Thai Series but we loved them more on portraying the infamous F4. They gave us new stories to the series and we cannot help but to delve deeper into their stories. We cannot wait for a week just for the next episode to be released. Let us admit it, we missed the F4! The show was 16 episodes and kuddos to the writer, director and crew staffs for being so creative on the story-telling. How I miss Gorya and Thyme and of course… Ren! *hearts everywhere*

I was shocked when I knew that Indonesia, USA and India had their own adaptations too but as a web series. I stumbled upon it when I am searching about the topic and saw it. It is unlicensed/unofficial adaptations but it is where it came from. Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta (Indonesia) was released on 2002 and had another adaptation on 2017. Boys Before Friends (USA) on 2013 and Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (India) on 2014. China has also an entry called entitled Meteor Shower that was released on 2009.

🌸 The F4 and their differences 🌸

Same plot, same story line but different scenes. Maybe that is the reason why we loved these adaptations and it does not matter if we know the start to the end of the story because of its variations.

On Meteor Garden Taiwan since it is the first to have a TV series, it became a little bit detailed and has 27 episodes on the first season and 31 on the second season. We cried, we laughed and we feel what we need to feel on every scenes. Even there was a point where we chose Huaze Lei over Dao Ming Xi for hurting Shan Cai. We watched how their feelings grew and how they fought against all odds. It has also a side story of the F4 which is the Meteor Rain where we knew about Xi Men’s first love and Mei Zou’s love story. We do not know more about the F4’s family but we know that they are born with silver spoon and that they are spoiled rich kids who rule the Ying De Academy.

On Hana Yori Dango I guess they really stick to the manga. It has three parts, the last one is a movie about the engagement of Tsukasa and Tsukushi. This is the only adaptation that has a spin-off called Hana Nochi Hare which took place on Eitoku Academy ten years after the F4 graduated. Unlike the Taiwanese version, Rui Hanazawa is a quiet guy and his family owns a large trading firm. Sojiro came from a reputable family who owns a large tea ceremony school at Japan. He has an older brother which is not on other adaptations. Akira came from a family of mafia and has twin sisters which is not said on other adaptations.

On Boys Over Flowers, we had a new taste of the story. We saw how lavish the life of the F4 and how grand Gu Jun Pyo can give gifts to Jan Di, for example is a heart island on Jeju. Talk about money! We also loved the characters of the F4. Jun Pyo who came from a rich family and plays violin just like Huaze Lei of Taiwan adaptation, Jiho who is the grandson of the former President, Yi Jung came from a family of artists and he is skillful on pottery and Woo Bin whose family owns a large construction company and they have connections to the mafias.

Meteor Garden 2018 is a bit of mild compared to other adaptations. The F4 is not really that bad bullies compared to the other adaptations. They are just smart players of their game who ruled Ming De University because they are intellegent and because they give the school numerous awards because if their skills on playing a card game called Bridge (poker). This is the only adaptation with card game like that and that they are in college. All of the adaptations were set in high school. They give joker cards instead of red cards to those people who challenge them. Huaze Lei also plays violin and majors in music unlike the three F4 who majors in business. We do not know much about the other two F4 but we all knew that they are great Bridge players.

Lastly, the F4 Thailand which I can say is the best adaptation. We witnessed on the first seasons how evil Thyme’s Mother is until she became not-so-evil on the end. We saw how MJ cares for his friends and we witnessed how F4 settle their friendship using fists. Hahaha! We witnessed how Thyme changed and how Gorya struggled just so Thyme could remember. We realized that this show could really happen in real life but also how great it is if someone who holds into power like that changed because of love. This is the only adaptation where I saw that the male lead (Thyme) asks forgiveness to everyone he bullied. Talk about character development! We also knew Kavin’s first love and MJ’s KFC love. Hahaha! We saw how Ren got hurt when Mira decided to go abroad and settle. We knew each character, Thyme is possessive to his power at school because of his Mom. Ren who likes to draw and is very artistic came from a family of Doctors. Kavin who is a playboy yet afraid to fall in love again because of Mona came from a family with high ranking positions in the government. His grandmother is also a National Artist because she makes really nice flower garlands. And, MJ who is a handsome hacker and came from a family of mafia. We witnessed different forms of love and how it was portrayed by the different persons because it is what they knew.

I am so sad because I will the shows but happy also because who does not love that story? Who does not love a toxic guy that changes into a good one because of love? Of course no one in real life would like that but because it is very entertaining, we watched it.

I hope other countries would make their own adaptations. What I like it more is it showcases the trends and cultures in each countries. So I really hope Indonesia, India and USA will make a TV series adaptation not only a web-series. I hope Philippines will make one too!

36 notes · View notes