To live or not to live . . . not to live.
The Hitokiri is an interesting character. The word Hitokiri [人斬り] means manslayer. That comes from the fact that they are executioners, hunting down criminals and giving out a sentence.
There is a lot to consider when talking about the design of this character, but the first thing that catches my eye is the faces hung around the waist, which is a feature on almost all chest variations. They are supposed to represent the souls of those who Hitokiri slaughtered. Other than that, nothing really comes to mind except for the helm portrayed in the pictures above. It certainly is an interesting design.
The Masakari axe, a double edged, heavy axe requires immence skill to wield effectively. But it’s weight has it’s advantages. It’s not exactly a traditional samurai weapon, who largely used katanas, nodachis, naginatas and so on. This weapon originates from the Yamabushi, ascentic hermits, who lead a solitary life in the mountains of the shugendo region. They used agricultural tools as weapons.
Hitokiri is described as mix-up intensive hard hitter.
This character’s moveset utilises “Mugen-ryu” which essentially allows chain heavy attacks, while any light attack that proceeds a heavy attack will finish the attack chain. Mangetsu rift is also a useful ability, holding the button for the a heavy charges up an uninterruptable attack. It is slow, but it fools the enemy into attacking you instead of parrying your attack, while your opponent staggers back, you will remain uninterrupted. The opponent however can dodge the attack, so feinting Mangetsu rift and then lunging ahead with a heavy attack is crucial.
Other movesets worth taking in mind is the Rei kick and Rei sweep. Pressing the designated button after either a first light attack or a heavy attack will kick the opponent to the left or right, depending on the direction of your attack, although it’s hard to aim. Holding the designated button will have the character lower down and sweep the character off their feet. Word of warning, it can be countered by The Conqueror’s shield bash, or a similar bash attack.
Overall, the Hitokiri is a unwelcome surprise to your enemies, they certainly won’t appreciate being swept from their feet, but it doesn’t mean they won’t be able to counter your tricks. To make this character viable, experience in parrying feinting and dodging is paramount, which is why before buying this character, I recommend spending time with other characters, until you have a grasp of timing your moves.
[8/10] Basically a japanese ballerina swinging an axe around.
