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Yamamoto Ability Reference Post
A.k.a. "How to Kill People with a Bird, a Dog and a Bamboo Sword."This is mainly just for my own reference, since I'm in the process of trying to write a fic featuring a battle between Yamamoto and Gokudera. But I figured I might as well post it in case anyone else is interested.
(Note: There are a lot of Japanese sword terms under the cut; this is a pretty good translation reference.)
Shigure Souen Ryu
The kanji for Shigure Souen Ryu means "Shower in late autumn; blue swallow." According to Yamapapa, the style "had many people thrown into darkness during the time of war... it's a sword of murder."
"Shigure Souen Ryu's four defensive formations and four offensive formations make up eight forms that allow response in accordance with the circumstances." - Reborn.
Shigure Kintoki
Yamamoto's trademark sword is "forged from steel" and feels heavy even though it looks and normally wields like a bamboo sword (can't even cut vegetables). The kanji means "shower in late autumn, golden moment/time."
It should be noted that Shigure Souen Ryu makes extensive use of water in almost all of its techniques; in fact, the only techniques that don't seem to require water to work are the third, fourth and eighth forms. However, Kojirou, Yamamoto's box swallow, can create rain flames wherever he flies, and since the rain flames seem to have much the same consistency/effect that water does, as long as Yamamoto uses his box when he fights, he can use all of the Shigure Souen techniques no matter where he is.
Shigure Souen Ryu Forms
1st Offensive Form - Torrential Rain (aka Axle of Rain)
Yamamoto stands with the sword held out horizontally in front of him, then charges in with a thrust (chudan tsuki). This is accompanied by Kojirou's rain flames, and can be mixed with Mirror Rain. (During his first fight with Genkishi, Yamamoto switches from the first form to the ninth and then to the second in rapid succession, before finishing off with Beccata di Rodine.)
2nd Defensive Form - Surging Rain
"Obscuring his form with a wall of water, and at the same time, defending with the counteraction of his body. That way, he wasn't hit!" Yamamoto scoops columns of water up and over him in long arcs, obscuring him from view. Squalo tried to slash at him uselessly, but Yamamoto was able to use the water cover to get away.
3rd Offensive Form - Sudden Downpour (aka Last-Minute Rain)
Yamamoto drops his sword and kicks it toward his opponent in a stabbing arc, running along behind it. He then reclaims the katana, having either wounded his opponent or at the very least caught them off-guard. He used this technique in his attempt to rescue Chrome during the Sky Battle; it worked pretty well until Mammon decided to be a dick.
4th Defensive Form - May Wind, October Rain
This is "a supreme evasive technique based upon synchronizing with one's opponent's breathing." Basically, Yamamoto just moves fast like a freak to avoid being hit. Post-training with TYL!Squalo, Yamamoto can also use the propulsion from his rain blades to move even faster.
5th Offensive Form - Early Summer Rain
Yamamoto charges forward in waki no kamae, and starts to swing upward with gyaku kesa giri. At the last second, he lets go of the sword, letting his rear hand swing back down to catch it as it falls back. He then swings up again and completes the strike, having caught his opponent off-balance.
6th MYSTERY FORM
WHAT IS THIS? WE DON'T KNOW. But by process of elimination, we can guess that it's defensive. And probably badass.
7th Defensive Form - Spraying Rain
Yamamoto uses his sword to bring the water up around him forming a sort of cloud-shaped shield. It was powerful enough to repel Squalo's gunpowder blasts at extreme close range.
8th Offensive Form - Pouring Rain
One of the only techniques that doesn't require water. He starts in a crouching iai goshi stance, charges forward with his sword in (I think) karuma no kamae, and then, still crouched, slices a wide arc over his head (I can't quite tell if it's kesa giri or yoho giri). This attack becomes even more powerful when Yamamoto infuses the blade with rain flames.
9th Offensive Form - Mirror Rain
Yamamoto starts in a baseball stance for no real reason, then uses his sword to swirl the water around him in a sort of cyclone a la Surging Rain, finishing the cut in a crouching iai goshi stance with the sword held in kasumi no kamae. Then he disappears behind the water, and reappears behind his confused opponent, jumping down to strike with a shomen uchi. BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT IS ONLY AN ILLLUUUSSION created by his reflection in the water; the real Yamamoto strikes from the other side, finishing the attack.
10th Special Form - Scontro di Rodine (Clash of the Swallow)
Based off of Scontro di Squalo, but with Kojirou there to mix things up a bit. Yamamoto parts the water on either side of him, then sends Kojirou zooming ahead, obscuring his opponent's vision with a giant wave. Yama then attacks. We don't get to see what kind of cut he uses, but the technique was effective enough to put a gash in REBORN'S FUCKING HAT, so it's safe to say it's pretty badass.
Known weakness: walls.
11th Special Form - Beccata di Rodine (Swallow's Beak)
Based off of Zanna di Squalo. Yamamoto lunges at his opponent and attacks with a flurry of rapid-fire stabs. (In fact, this is almost exactly like Zanna di Squalo.) He used this technique in his first fight against Genkishi.
Squalo's Attack Forms
Since Yamamoto has demonstrated a habit of stealing/modifying Squalo's attacks when the mood strikes him, I'm going to list these here too.
Attacco di Squalo (Shark Attack)
"A concussion-type sword attack that, by means of a violent shock to the entire body, creates a strong shockwave that numbs the opponent's nerves." "Attacco di Squalo's impact is even greater than that of having your bare hand hit by a bat." Yamamoto partially combated this technique by hitting his own arm to forcibly disperse the effects. TYL!Yamamoto used this attack to paralyze a Strau Mosca, and our Yamamoto borrowed it in his first fight against Genkishi. His version was infused with a rain flame, making use of its tranquility effect.
Zanna di Squalo
Squalo attacks with a flurry of strikes that are less like stabs and more like "he tore into the air itself." Basil was pretty concerned. This attack left Yamamoto pretty bloodied.
Scontro di Squalo (Clash of the Shark)
Squalo parts the water with his sword a la Moses, then charges forward like a lunatic. Supposedly he used this "legendary" technique to defeat the first Sword Emperor, but we don't actually get to see it because Yamamoto owns him with Mirror Rain.
Asari Ugetsu (Morning Moon Obscured by Rain)
This is Yamamoto's four-sword style acquired during his training with TYL!Squalo. It makes extensive use of his box dog buddy Jirou's three "short-blades" which are basically lightsabers made from rain flames. (Kojirou fuses with Shigure Kintoki to create the fourth sword, aka the one that looks like a magic fairy princess wand.) Yamamoto is enough of a show-off to twirl the hilts around on his fingertips like some sort of swordsman Harlem Globetrotter, and can use them to fire concentrated blasts of rain flames in order to fly around the same way that Tsuna does with his dying will flames. He can also fling them around like knives to stab people.
Aggregate Form - Jiunoka (Autumn Shower Transformation)
Yamamoto charges straight in and attacks every fucking thing with rain flames. RAIN FLAMES, RAIN FLAMES EVERYWHERE. The flames' tranquility effect slows and negates his opponent's attacks and the opponent himself, leaving him open for Yamamoto's final strike.
Also, post-training, Yama has the ability to use his ring's flames to sense and see through illusionary attacks. This doesn't have much to do with his sword fighting, but it's worth noting for future reference.
Aaaaand I think that's it for Yamamoto's current attack capabilities. I'll update this again the next time he decides to be a badass.
ETA: Many thanks to
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draconianangel for clarifying the 10th and 11th Special Forms! ♥
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Um, lemme see. Firstly, The 1st Offensive Form can also be called Torrential Rain... according to Kirimi (who was Mangahelpers' reliable translator).
Scontro di Rondine is actually the 11th Special Form. What Yamamoto did here is the 10th Special Form Beccata di Rondine (Swallow's Beak) which is his version of Squalo's Zanna di Squalo. This is an example of translation failure. :|
*back to lurking*
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Thank you so much for the clarification on the 10th and 11th forms (and that Reborn wiki link too, that was amazingly helpful. I COMPLETELY MISSED THAT THIRD FORM, I guess I have an excuse to go back and reread the Sky Battle now :D)! I like the name Torrential Rain better than Axle of Rain, so I'll definitely edit that too (ah, Kirimi; I miss her translations).
AND FEEL FREE TO LURK ANYTIME. I'm all for friending too, if you'd like. ♥
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*friends* ♥
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*friends back!* :D
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YOU ARE THE MOST EPIC NERD EVER. PLEASE NEVER CHANGE. LEST YOU WANT THE SKY TO TURN INSIDE OUT AND ALL THE WALLS EVER TO COME RAINING DOWN AND PLANTING THEMSELVES IN THE GROUND AND SPRINGING UP LIKE DAISIES AT THE SOUND OF "AHAHA"
...actually, I think you might want that...
also, this fic seems like it will be very cool *w* did you already do something like this for Gokudera?
(lol html fail)
Hopefully the fic will be cool, if I can figure out how to write it (need to have it finished for
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This is really interesting though! I DIDN'T KNOW YAMA'S SWALLOW WAS NAMED KOJIRO (BRB loling, mind currently in gutter) AND WTF HE HAS A DOG? Well other than that... You. Did. So much research. 8D
(I'm kinda a fail fan to this fandom now OTL)
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YEAH, THE SWALLOW FINALLY GOT A NAME IN CHAPTER 246. AND HE NOW HAS A MAGICAL AKITA INU WHO CARRIES HIS LASER SWORDS AND WHOM HE LOVES DEARLY.
Heh, most of the "research" consisted of rereading all of Yamamoto's sword fights, which was basically the best research ever. |D I've trained in iaido, so I already knew most of the sword terms too. SO IT WAS MORE PLAY THAN WORK. (Though, I like to think, no less nerdy for that.)
And heh, I wouldn't worry much; at the end of the day it's still only a manga, after all. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WRITE RIDICULOUSLY NERDY ESSAYS ON CHARACTERS' FIGHTING ABILITIES TO STILL BE A GOOD FAN.
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Well, I cannot take that as a coincidence.
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Nice up2date and detailed entry about Shigure Soen Ryu and Yamamoto's technique! I love you already for creating this post alone~! x3
I saw Reborn Wiki's article about this and this one is WAY more awesome than theirs. If I'd put your article and Reborn Wiki's article into a battle, your article would've pwned their article on the first move!
*friend!* x3