Hiten Encyclopedia SPECIAL EDITION: Gatotsu Part 2
Fighting Style and Tactics
"I do not fear the man who practices 10,000 kicks once. I fear the man who practices one kick 10,000 times."- Bruce Lee
Oddly enough, one of the most common complaints regarding RuroKen's Saito Hajime is the fact that Gatotsu is truly his only technique. He uses the technique as often as he can in various situations and as a result, it lacks the same interest that Kenshin generates with his various fighting techniques. However, could there be a reason to Saito's monotony?
The answer, surprisingly, is yes. To illustrate this point, let's consider Mixed Martial Arts for a moment. Most Mix Martial Artists will only develop true proficiency in one or two arts, while nitpicking and borrowing from other martial arts into a more complete system. I've seen Sanda fighters incorporate Tae Kwan Do, Judo, Jujitsu, and even a little Muay Thai to improve their fighting stances, ground game, and structure. None the less, the core of his personal art is his Sanda.
Kenjutsu styles, such as Hiten Mitsurugi follow a somewhat similar pattern. His style encompasses a variety of techniques to compensate whatever position he may be in.
Saito on the other hand, if he were a martial artist, he would have one specific style that compensates all his needs. Ground game? His style's got it. Striking? His styles got it. Translated into Kenjutsu, all other techniques are superfluous because he has revised his Gatotsu to match everything that might be thrown at him. In other words, he only uses Gatotsu because Gatotsu is the only technique he needs!
There is some real life basis for this though: the Shinsengumi, and subsequently, Saito are encouraged to taking a technique, creating their own variation of it, and perfecting it. For Saito, this is Gatotsu. Instead of having an array of techniques like Kenshin or even Enishi, he instead opted to simplify, keeping one technique and honing it and adjusting it to compensate for any battle situation. The multiple forms that make up the Gatotsu variations that counter or compensate for every combat situation he could be in are a testament to his total mastery of his technique. He truly practiced one kick 10,000 times, so to speak.
Variations and Applications
The first variation is the base all Gatotsu moves are derived from. Gatotsu Ishiki, to recap, is the basic Gatotsu stance and the one most commonly used. Gatotsu Ishiki has enough devastating power to nearly kill Sanosuke, the best fighter in Tokyo, in a single blow. To make matters scarier, he only lived because Saito intentionally missed his vital organs. It's weaknesses were covered in the original Gatotsu post.
Gatotsu Nishiki the second variation of Saito's infamous technique. The Gatotsu, in this variation is performed normally, only the user is airborne aiming for a grounded target. In this respect, Nishiki functions very much like Kenshin's Ryu Tsui Sen, only this technique is more powerful than Kenshin's Hiten airborne strike
While other Gatotsu techniques rely on Saito's incredible leg strength and speed, this technique's power is significantly increased. Gravity pulls on Saito, who is approximately 6'0" from the looks of it. All of his weight, which is greater than Kenshin's, comes down hard on the opponent with the devastating attack force and accuracy of Gatotsu.
This variation suffers from the same drawback as the Ryu Tsui Sen; it is extremely difficult for the user to navigate in the air properly, so the likely hood of missing increases if the opponent is aware of the attack or sees it coming. This Gatotsu's gap is also larger than the other's, leaving Saito a bit more vulnerable if the attack misses.
Very similar to its sibling, the Nishiki, the Sanshiki is an airborne counterattack, aimed at an opponent who is above the user. This technique is the variation used in the L.A. (More on that after the next paragraph**) and against Kenshin during their duel when he leaped. The Sanshiki is set up like the standard gatotsu standard form or Ishiki but aimed upwards.
Occasionally, the blade edge would be facing upwards as well. Saito's legs then immediately jump, sending him flying and skewering his prey in the air. This is a situational technique, and was a near perfect counterattack for Kenshin who was preparing to use the Ryu Tsui Sen. This is a difficult gatotsu to counter because in the air, you can only shift your weight in one or two directions, pause after deceleration, and then fall back down. You're basically a sitting duck. You could turn your body to the side with your shoulder facing him, but then you'll still succumb to the side slash. Generally, if you're caught in the thresh hold of this technique....well... I'm sure someone will bury what's left of you. This technique is also the first technique seen to terribly wound Kenshin.
**So, this is the famous LA Gatotsu scene that everyone (myself included) think is odd. Let's talk about this a bit shall we? As none of you probably know, this very scene is what sparked Hiten Encyclopedia, in a conversation with mod Kateviardo (follow her on tumblr for epic RuroKen predictions!).
For those of you who are wondering what the hell Saito is doing. This is the Gatotsu Sanshiki. He has done it in the show several times and although it doesn't look quite so ridiculous, nor is he aiming for a Chandelier. I've even seen some people say "That's not gatotsu!" Well sorry to break it to you guys, but it is. It's even portrayed properly and accurately to the anime/manga.
The real problem here, if you pay close attention is not the technique being filmed but the WAY IT WAS FILMED. The cinematographer had no idea how to shoot this scene and while he did have some good shots in the film, is fairly incompetent when it comes to filming action sequences involving dramatic techniques. The wire work here is also extremely bad and filming from a low angle only emphasizes it. A good way to see how well it could've been, imagine this:
Imagine the build up of Saito pulling back his sword in the live action. Imagine that glorious scene in your mind (use the top gif for reference). Instead of shooting him launch into the air with bad wire work, imagine focusing on his legs crouched then lifting off the ground, much like the adjacent gif when he impaled Kenshin. THEN imagine showing MAINTAIN the stance in the air, then when approaching the chandelier, severs it. It may not be perfect, but it's better than what we got.
Nonetheless, props to Yosuke Eguchi for at the very least performing the technique accurately; you can tell he really tried! But remember, it's more the cinematography, not the technique that was the problem, as this is a legitimate technique in RuroKen.
NOW we get to the real power of the Gatotsu. The Zeroshiki is the strongest version of the Gatotsu; it's so strong that if it hits it's target, it will kill nearly instantaneously, tearing asunder whatever (or whoever) was in the users way. This technique is so strong and fast, that it can tear a body in half.
Adding to the danger of this technique, it does not require distance to be performed, much unlike it's siblings, meaning it can be done at point blank range, making it the perfect counter attack. It relies on every muscle in Saito's upper body to lunge the sword forward like a spear. The destructive power is enough to rival the Kuzu Ryu Sen in strength. So if it's powerful, it's practical, right? Well.... No. No it's not. This falls under the unfortunate trop of "Awesome but Impractical" category.
This technique has a giant weakness that it shares in common with Hiten's Hi Ryu Sen: you're throwing the sword. Regardless of it's force, if it misses, you are unarmed and COMPLETELY vulnerable. Saito is a genius fighter and can hold is own in unarmed combat, but even then, without a sword, it's very difficult to win. This is somewhat subverted as it's usually done at point black making it damn near impossible to miss, however, it's worth mentioning as this is exactly what happened against Shishio and almost got Saito killed. Another weakness is that this technique relies on an "element of surprise" principle. If Kenshin, or Soujiro, for example happened to be aware of Saito's technique, it would immediately be rendered useless, as Shinsoku or Shikuchi are enough to get them out of harms way, leaving Saito vulnerable.
Saito's efficiency with Gatotsu doesn't stop with a sword! This functions very much like any ordinary Gatotsu, only it requires slightly closer range, but can deliver powerful and devastating punches that knocked even Sano several feet back, testifying to Saito's fearsome strength and muscle control. Once again relying on powerful leg work, the momentum Saito builds and his arm function similar to pulling a rubber band back with your finger: once it snaps, it gets sent flying forward.
This technique functions similarly. His legs are the hand holding the rubber band back, and his upper body is the finger. Once it releases, Saito's fist flings forward power that dwarfs anything Sano, the best hand to hand fighter in the series, can throw at him!.
In the end, the Gatotsu is one of the strongest techniques of RuroKen, more than capable of killing and being armed with it makes Saito an extremely dangerous foe to have. You do not want to be on the receiving end of this bad boy as any variation can give many of Hiten's moves a run for it's money! Make sure to read the Notes for important updates!
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