Possessing Spirit

The following article contains HEAVY SPOILERS! Read on at your own caution!

Possessing Spirit

The Niko Style Secret Technique: Possessing Spirit (二 (に) 虎 (こ) 流 (りゅう) 奥 (おう) 義 (ぎ) 憑 (つき) 神 (がみ) , Niko-ryū Ōgi: Tsukigami; lit. "God of Possession"), also known as the Advance (前 (まえ) 借 (が) り, Maegari; lit. "an advance on payment"), is a powerful power boosting technique. Those who have learned the technique are designated as candidates for "The Tiger's Vessel", with Ohma Tokita being its most well-known user.

About

The Possessing Spirit was claimed to be a counter For the Kure Clan's "Removal", an aesthetically similar, yet fundamentally different power boosting form. In truth, Gaoh Mukaku had created the technique long before the Niko Style as a part of the plan to kill Shen Wulong, the Connector.

Before he regained his memories and the true name of this technique, Ohma merely referred to this technique as him taking out an "Advance" (or "Loan" in the English dub of the ONA) because of the negative side-effects from using the technique.

There were initially three who were considered "Tiger's Vessel" candidates: Fei Wangfang, Long Min, and Ranjo. Ohma would later obtain the technique through force by the Other Niko. Eventually, only Wangfang and Ohma remained, though Wangfang would later evolve and refine his Possessing Spirit as Divine Demon.

Function

The Possessing Spirit involves overclocking the heart's cardiovascular output to rapidly boost their metabolic rate. The result increases their velocity, acceleration, torque and, consequently, their damage output. Because of its effects, it is usually used as a trump card.

While using Possessing Spirit, the user's heartbeat grows loud enough to be heard from a distance, their body becomes extremely vascular, with their blood vessels becoming noticeably visible on the surface of their skin and also causing the user's skin to become red, the user's hair begins to float and flare in the air (similar to static hair), the user also maintains a feral smile across their face. The technique also causes a shift in personality to where they can eventually become a mindless berserker. The technique has three "stages" that determine the level of power gained:

• First Gear: The first stage causes the user's vascularity and speed to increase at a relatively moderate level. There's a noticeable shift in the user's personality, with them wearing a terrifying grin on their face when fighting. By the time Ohma faced Kuroki Gensai, he mastered controlling the output to this stage, allowing him to combine the moderate power output with the rest of the Niko Style at its fullest.
• Second Gear: This "intermediate" stage was only used by Ohma, at a point in time where the "shackles" Chi Blockage became more and more undone through both time and consistent use. The user's skin becomes even redder, and the power output increases to the point where the user can shatter bones. The behavioral aspects are amplified as well.
• Full Throttle: The third stage, Full Throttle (全開放, Zenkaihō) refers to using the Possessing Spirit at its full potential. With the heart rate at its fastest, the user's damage output is increased dramatically. In this stage, the user also gains a truly demonic appearance; their skin becomes a very dark red in color, their vascularity is far more pronounced and the scelera of their eyes darken significantly, to the point of resembling the telltale black eyes of the Kure and Wu Clans. The user is also overcome by an illogical bloodlust, demonstrated by Ohma's resultant rampages in both times he had reached this stage. An experienced user of this stage is able to curb and control their bloodlust to an extent, such as Ranjo and Long Min.

Drawbacks

Because how the Possessing Spirit works, the technique has serious flaws that become more prominent with overuse. As diagnosed by Hanafusa Hajime, its side effects include: blood vessel damage, cerebral hemorrhaging, acute memory loss and confusion, visual and auditory hallucinations, and eventually heart failure and death.

Another noted drawback is the increased rate of blood loss due to its inherent function. This means that even a deep yet single wound would be enough to kill its user if it isn't deactivated.

As pointed out by both Tokita Niko and Kuroki, the Possessing Spirit's enhancements also robs the user of more delicate, precise motions. For the Niko Style's practicioners, this means that one cannot use the Niko Style to its fullest. The only way to circumvent this weakness is for the heart to be kept at "First Gear", where the more modest power boost can still work in tandem with the Adamantine Kata.

Known Users

Creator

Gaoh Mukaku

Niko Style

The Seven Tokita Nikos

Tokita Ohma

Other Users

Fei Wangfang

Long Min

Ranjo

The Wowang

Gallery

The 'Advance' against Ryu

The 'Advance' in his dream state

Ohma utilising Possessing Spirit fully

Long Min using Possessing Spirit

Long Min using Possessing Spirit

Long Min using Possessing Spirit against Imai Cosmo

Ranjo using Possessing Spirit

Ranjo using Possessing Spirit

Long Min and Ranjo using Possessing Spirit

Notes & Trivia

• During his fight with Raian, it was implied by Ohma's hallucination that the Possessing Spirit technique can exert even greater power than the "full throttle" state, with the only limit being how much the user can take without breaking down. This was later proven true by the reveal of the Divine Devil technique.
• The principles involved in Possessing Spirit are strikingly similar to the process of "boosting", a form of doping that athletes with spinal injuries have been known to use.
• Though technically incorrect, since it was known as the "Advance" before its true name was rediscovered, it can also be referred to as the Niko Style Secret Technique: Advance (二 (に) 虎 (こ) 流 (りゅう) 奥 (おう) 義 (ぎ) 前 (まえ) 借 (が) り, Niko-ryū Ōgi: Maegari).