| Heavenly Destruction Arts is the property of AbysmalShadows! |
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| Japanese Name | |
| Romanized Name | Tengoku Hakai Ryūha |
| Official English Name | Heavenly Destruction Arts |
| Meaning | School of Heaven's Destruction |
| User(s) | Redgrave D. Zelgadis |
| Fighting Style Focus | Qigong, Haki, Shockwaves, Martial Principles |
The Heavenly Destruction Arts (天界流派 Tengoku Hakai Ryūha?): is the fighting style developed and utilized by Redgrave D. Zelgadis. Its roots can be traced back to the fighting techniques used by the slaves who revolted in what was known as the Styx Archipelago Incident. Survivors of this tragedy would later pass down the principles of their secret fighting style known only as Shadow Grappling, which served as the basis for this fighting style. Zelgadis would later incorporate Hasshoken and then Fish-Man Karate into its system.
According to Zelgadis, this style is a chronicle of his life and adventures, a book of carnage and conquest, an account of the battles he has overcome, his very thoughts and feelings, the will that he carries with him. All of this is embedded in both the naming schema and execution of his techniques. Even now, the style continues to evolve as he encounters new foes, adding these experiences into his arsenal to forge even greater techniques.
Overview[]
This fighting style was originally developed by the slaves of the Styx Archipelago, who combined the various techniques passed down by other slaves into a collective style. Zelgadis who is an inheritor of their will also learned these techniques. The basis of these techniques incorporate footwork and kicks, with many attacks utilizing the entire body, as the practice of these techniques was done while the slaves were in chains. Upon sailing into the Grand Line Zelgadis would return to Kano Country, further developing his techniques as he incorporated the Hasshoken, and during his time in Fish-Man Village would learn Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu to master all three. He would in time meld these techniques and principles into a singular style.
The various forms of Shadow Grappling.
The basis of this fighting style the Shadow Grappling is perhaps the most curious as it incorporates many techniques that are analogues to the Qigong practiced in Kano Country. Of the martial arts he has learned, Shadow Grappling is the most extensive in its depth as its techniques grant Zelgadis capabilities many would consider superhuman. Its application of striking, evasion, and defense are strangely esoteric, requiring a frame of mind rooted deeply in philosophy and spiritual understanding that would be uncommon given its origins as a martial art developed by slaves.
Techniques[]
| “ | Many overlook that martial arts isn’t just about techniques, but also contains principles such as depth. Simply, principles like weight, speed, and change are fundamental. The martial arts of ascension contain breaking, scattering, attaching, cutting and sharpness. | ” |
To understand the Heavenly Destruction Arts one must first go back to its original form, the Shadow Grappling (暗黒飛電格闘 Ankoku Hiden Kakuto?) techniques of the slaves who developed this martial art on the Styx Archipelago. In order to train and develop its techniques, many of its movements were hidden in everyday movements, not only to disguise what the slaves were doing but in order to practice and hone their techniques as much as possible. This allows a Shadow Grappler to perform their vaunted techniques with little to no preparation and their seemingly benign gestures and movements become preludes to devastating powers and techniques. Its practitioners were able to harness a life energy known only in Kano as qigong, which allows one to suffuse their bodies with ephemeral energy granting them esoteric awareness and superhuman strength and power. By applying the principles of martial arts with this mysterious energy, they were able to actualize unfathomable skills that would eventually allow them to overthrow their masters and earn their freedom.
An application of the Qigong Weight and Speed principles. A mesmerizing movement that belies its immense defensive ability.
Qigong allows for the projection of your movements beyond the physical body, no matter how minor or small, you can generate maximum velocity, force and precision with your techniques. By circulating qigong through the body as it performs the motion, the contraction and expansion of one’s muscles intensifies, explosively increasing one’s physical abilities to their limit. This allows a Shadow Grappler to disguise their deadly techniques behind movements that would ordinarily be small, mundane and ignored. Conversely the greater the range of movement, contraction and expansion the greater the degree of velocity, force and projection that can be utilized with these techniques.
With regard Shadow Grappling emphasizes the three fundamentals of martial arts: weight, speed, and change. Upon mastery they are then able to discern the ascended forms of breaking, scattering, attaching, cutting and sharpness. Depth is the basis of all martial arts, it is what distinguishes a novice from a master. It is the principle of separation, of moving away from to moving towards in relation to the essence of one’s martial arts. Weight refers to the heaviness and lightness of both one’s movements and their attacks. Rather than being a representation of one’s actual weight, it embodies the concept of control and output of generating power. Speed refers to velocity of one’s movements and attacks, as well the ability to react to the speed of the movement and speed of others. These two mechanics go hand in hand. Its more than just moving faster, one would argue that it is largely about your ability to observe the world and being able to respond to what you can sense, and what you can’t. Change is perhaps the most nebulous, as it binds both Weight and Speed. It is the principle of that which has form, and that which is formless. The state of something can change, and being able to enact this change and recognize it is fundamental to martial arts.
Shadow Grappling Techniques[]
- Nichirin (日輪 lit. "Sun Ring"?): A technique that utilizes the martial concept of weight, Shadow Grapplers hone their bodies to be able to deliver powerful force through mundane movements. This technique allows a martial artist to essentially build up power, without having to do any kind of preparatory movement or stance. The infamous "1-inch punch" is a popular example of this kind of technique. Practitioners find this technique particularly useful when combined with many of the Fish-Man Karate techniques. When using this technique its name is attached to the technique in question.
- Sōgyō (早暁 lit. "Daybreak"?): A technique that utilizes the martial concept of speed .
- Tasogare (黄昏 lit. "Twilight"?): A technique that utilizes the martial concept of change.
Hasshoken Techniques[]
- Jigokumon (地獄門 lit. "Hell Gate"?): A defensive technique, the user performs a martial arts defensive maneuver accompanied by vibrational shockwaves that creates an expanding shield that can either block or deflect blows.
Fish-Man Karate Techniques[]
- Issen Toshi Rengoku Seiken (一千年煉獄正拳 lit. "One Thousand Years of Purgatory True Punch"?): A technique combining Hasshoken and Fish-Man Karate, that generates a series of rapidly expanding shockwaves that are transmitted through both the water molecules and through vibrations.
- Hakke Gensei Muchitsujo Shō (八卦原生無秩序掌 lit. "Eight Trigrams Primordial Chaos Palm"?):
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The name of the original art Shadow Grappling and its emphasis on footwork and kicks is an homage to the style and anime Shadow Skill.