Koei Style

The Koei Style (狐影流 (こえいりゅう) , Koei-ryū; lit. "Fox Shadow Style") is a long-lost martial art that Taira Genzan managed to revive. Kiryu Setsuna is currently the only user of the martial art.

History

The Koei Style is a branch of classical jiu-jutsu that, numerically speaking, has been passed down for over 400 years. However, because of the fact that most of its practitioners died in the war, the style was effectively lost.

At some point, Taira Genzan, a descendant of the main branch, collated all the archives he could find on the Koei Style and attempted to reconstruct its techniques. However, only two techniques were still applicable at that point in time: "Blink" and "Rakshasa's Palm". Unfortunately, despite planning on creating a whole new system for the Koei Style, Genzan was only able to salvage two techniques before his death at Kiryu Setsuna's hands.

Technique(s)

• Explaining Blink
• Kiryu using Blink
• Blink and you die!
• Genzan's Rakshasa's Palm in comparison to Kiryu's
• Kiryu using Rakshasa's Palm
• Kiryu using Rakshasa's Palm
• Kiryu using Rakshasa's Palm (Sole) to boost movement speed
• Kiryu using Rakshasa's Palm (Sole) as a kick
• Kiryu preparing to use True Rakshasa's Palm
• Kiryu using True Rakshasa's Palm

1/10

Blink

Japanese: 瞬 (またたき) , Matataki

The user moves suddenly and incredibly quickly, making them seem to disappear in the blink of an eye. By timing this movement with the moment that the user's opponent blinks, they create the illusion that they have vanished, enabling them to close distances easily.

Rakshasa's Palm

Japanese: 羅刹掌 (ラセツ しおう) , Rasetsushō

A palm strike with a twisting impact. The force from the technique is transmitted from the back to the shoulders, the upper arms, then amplified and transformed into a powerful twisting blow by the spiral motion of the forearms; as a result, its power is halved at point-blank range because the forearms cannot be rotated fully. Due to the extreme amount of torque this technique applies to the user's physical strikes, the user's blows become able to disable limbs, rip organs and crack bones. Whereas Genzan only twisted his wrists 180° while using the technique, Kiryu twisted his wrists 360°, drastically increasing the lethality of the technique; the larger motion needed for Kiryu's version makes it easier to predict and defend against, making it far less practical unless used in conjunction with Blink.

For training to be able to use Rakshasa's Palm, the first step comes by the user constantly twisting their hand and striking the surface of water in a barrel until the soft water feels like a rock tearing away their skin. This teaches them the sensation of "twisting the force". In the next steps, the user must strike sand, then after that, gravel. In the final step, the user must use the Rakshasa's Palm to strike flesh. For normal people, it takes at least 8 years to reach striking flesh and complete the training, but Kiryu Setsuna mastered it in only a year.

Rakshasa's Sole

Japanese: 羅刹足 (ラセツ そく) , Rasetsusoku

A variation of Rakshasa's Palm created by Kiryu Setsuna, the user applies this motion to their feet, either as a kick or a means of propulsion.

True Rakshasa's Palm

Japanese: 真・羅刹掌 (しん ラセツ しおう) , Shin Rasetsushō

Another development on Rakshasa's Palm made by Kiryu Setsuna, this move uses a piercing motion with the power focused in the user's fingertips, drastically increasing the lethality of the already deadly technique.

Known Users

Taira Genzan

Kiryu Setsuna

Notes & Trivia

• A certain school of full-contact karate practices a similar technique to Blink.