Kingdom Hearts II Sword Fighting Styles

I'm very interested in the fighting styles of the characters in KH. However my own research and speculation only goes so far. Here are my findings so far

Sora: The Keyblade is a strange weapon, but does it even have a blade? Sora's fighting style in the beginning of the game is similar to using a baseball bat as a weapon. But as the story continues, he grows to be a very accomplished swordsman (if you don't believe me check out the Sora vs. Roxas cutscene). His style consists of hacking/slashing like Cloud and some European styles, but also utilizes slicing similar to Auron and the styles used by samurai's. Sora has also excelled in a field very few swordsmen enter, aerial combat. Sora's aerial/mid-air attacks are very acrobatic (even graceful somewhat) and uses momentum in combo finishes. What I want to know is, what other kind of swords could be used for Sora's fighting style?

Riku: Riku's kenjutsu (sword technique) is slightly more sophisticated than Sora's. Since the Soul Eater has a definite curve, Riku uses full swings and spins in his attacks. It seems to have a majority of slicing and slashing techniques in contrast to Sora who seems to use hacking and bashing more than slicing. I also requires more foot work than Sora's. It seems to be more offensive and doesn't have many (if any) defensive techinques.

Roxas: Even though Roxas and Sora's Valor form both use two Keyblades, Roxas's Nito-ryu (two sword style) is unique and different from Sora's. It's very fast and consists of very quick strikes. In the one fight as Nito-ryu Roxas, I've deduced that Roxas's combos are repeated one-two hits (one from each Keyblade) and then finishes one solid finishing strike. His aerial/mid-air attacks are different from Sora as it is very quick hits and then finishes with a full (vertical 360) swing using both Keyblades at once. Instead of using the two-as-one philosophy of most Nito-ryu users, Roxas seems to utilize a one-then-the-other system of attacking.

...but anyways that's just me. Anything else?

 

interesting. yeah, i notcied the difference in fighting style too. at least with sora. his stance kinda differs from the first. when enemies came in the first game, sora held the keyblade kinda funny. but in kh2, he puts the keyblade over his shoulder and stuff. your right, sora does become an accomplished swordsman. examples: sora vs roxas battle, the ending attack when facing xemnas final form, when you learn more abilities, tons of examples.
you should also do the organization fighting styles. i dont know the names of the styles, but they should be interesting. siax and his giant club/mace/axe thing, and everyone else.

 

I totally want to do Org XIII fighting style analysis but I can't...yet. Once I have enough data from KH2FM+ videos from guys like Larxene and Marluxia I'll do a complete report.

FYI Saix's weapon is a claymore (great sword) which is used smashing and slashing the opponents with the edge but also smacks and wacks them with the broadness and width of the weapon itself.

 

Cool. Someone who takes the time to analyze this stuff... (yeah, I do notice how Sora's forte' lies with aerial combat...)

I liked how in KH on DI, Riku was smart enough to bend his legs back after falling, and then thrust kick Sora when getting back up...

Mickey I think was best with being nimble, and making graceful aerial swings..

 

Organization XIII fighting styles pt. 1

I. Xemnas "The Superior"- In battle, Xemnas uses energy blades called Aerial Blades, which extend from his palms or are used as projectiles, and the power of nothingness. Xemnas also uses nito-ryu (two sword style) which is unique to him and only him. Xemnas uses full body spins, twirling both blades around and at the same time, Xemnas spins around his opponent, entrapping him/her. When done fast enough the opponent will be entrapped in a flurry of hits and due to the speed will not be able to escape. His style also employs something no one else does: Kicks. Xemnas' momentum, combined with his ability to float, allows him to employ roundhouse kicks in combination with his nito-ryu. However his style has no defensive moves of any sort, which is made up by his "Guard" shield.

II. Xigbar "The Freeshooter"- Xigbar fights using Gun Arrows and manipulating space to change the battlefield, to teleport himself and his bullets, and to levitate upside down. Xigbar is a gunman, not a martial artist, so I can't elaborate to much, but I'll give it a shot (heh heh heh, pun). To start off, Xigbar's ability to teleport himself allows him to retreat (for lack of a better word) to a location enabling him to see everything below him. Doing so, he can shoot down his opponent like a sniper. This is the only time he uses the sniper tactic. Xigbar apparently like to overwhelm is opponents with a barrage of bullets rather that try a one-shot kill (or as I like to call the "killshot") Xigbar also uses his ability to try hitting his opponent at a point blank range. He can also charge both weapons together to charge, what I like to call, a "BigShot." (named after the FF7 limit break) Xigbar's killer move uses his power over space to it's fullest. First, he limits your ability to move, then he stays in one place while his ability causes his shot to come out from every direction. However there are three major weaknesses. One is his need to reload. It only takes a couple of seconds, but this small time gives the enemy the advantage he/she may need. The second one is that you can hit the shots back at him, even the BigShot. The last one is the fact that he has no defensive moves whatsoever. Wow, that was a lot more than I expected.

III. Xaldin "The Whirlwind Lancer"- With his powers, he uses wind to manipulate his six lances and shield himself. His lances can also be compared to halberds or their eastern counterparts, the naginata. Xaldin has two major jings (battle strategies). The first one is to disappear and reappear, attacking the human blind spot (for those who don't know, the human blind spot is directly above your head). The second tactic is more extensive: get close to the opponent and use attacks that push him/her away using all of the range given to him by the length of the lances. Since Xaldin uses his power to levitate the lances, their center of mass doesn't matter and can be used in various ways. In short range, Xaldin swings all his lances around him using is body as a pivot and in a pinch all lances continuously circle him, creating an ultimate defense. In long range, he uses his power to thrust and stab all six of his lances at the opponent. Xaldin is also able to swing his lances. Yeah, no big deal right? But he swings all six of them one right after the other. Think of it as getting swung at the head with a baseball bat, but less then a second after you get hit, you get hit again the exact same way. There is also a special tactic where after the lances surround you, they disappear and then stab down diagonally at you in all directions around you in a circle, giving no escape. Xaldin can also spin the lances around (yeah, like a helicopter) giving a chopping effect. Xaldin's killer move is when all his lances transform into a dragon to attack opponents with high speed whirlwinds giving a wind slicing effect.

I don't have enough time to do all of them right now but here are the first three. Part 2 will come out soon...I hope.

 

Woah that's just plain wicked. I don't know much about sword styles but I know I love it. *dejavu*... wierd. Anyway, I think it's so awesome that you're taking the time to analyze it all. It must take you a lot of time and patience to look at it, so you must love to do it. Good for you. I'm glad there someone out there that's willing. Heh, I'm willing too but it's just my schedule. I'm always looking for new knowledge and subjects to learn about and this subject sounds awful neat-o. I'm probably going to take it up.

Just a heads up. You must really dig KH. The basic point is to defeat apponents with a blade.

All in all, very interesting stuff. I'll be visiting later for more info.

:)

 

thanx
martial arts and swordsmanship has always been my first love
but alas all i can do is research...
i actually have to watch several boss battle videos before i know what they're doing

more Org XIII later and also some Mickey, Sephiroth, Cloud and Leon

 

Ooo, I can't wait for Sephiroth's analization. S'gotta be wicked.