VS.
Men of pride are bound by their self-gratification of power, status, and commodity. In battle, a swordsman's pride can be both their sword & shield, but also their achilles heel. With these two, they were born for battle ~ to challenge those who may pose a threat or those that deem worthy of their blade. However, their resolve in the end is never shaken for they know that their very pride as swordsman would be tarnished if they gave into defeat or death. In today's Matchup, we have Mortal Kombat's Kenshi & Bleach's Byakuya Kuchiki ~ The Proud Warriors. Today, the following will be compared: Backstory/Role, Powers/Abilities, & Verdict (By Stillmattic). As of July 11th, Bleach & MK are tied 2-2. Kenshi's parts are written by MechG and Byakuya's parts are written by Stillmattic.
Backstory/Role (Byakuya)
Sometime before his tenor as Head of the Kuchiki Clan & 6th Division Captain in the Gotei 13, he was training under the tutelage of his grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, in hopes to strive for excellence as a bright young man capable of fostering the power and responsibility of leading the Kuchiki after his stead. During his youth 110 years ago, he had yet to adopt the aristocratic and was easily irritated as seen when former Captain of the 2nd Division, Yoruichi Shihoin, came over just to play with him. However, a part of Byakuya that is both memorable and tragic is his marriage to Hisana Kuchiki, Rukia's elder sister. As soon as Hisana fell ill and passed away, she left Byakuya with the task of finding the wherabouts of Rukia. It wouldn't be long before Byakya adopts Rukia and taker her under his care ~ changing Rukia's fate and greatly angering a one hot-headed Renji Abarai. Things became difficult when Rukia's commission in Karakura became a crime (her duration is strictly forbidden as well as adopting a Gigai body) and her own adoptive sister was to be executed. This left Byakuya at a standstill - let Justice befall upon Rukia's actions or to save the life of his dear beloved sister even if it mean going against his own name & pride. Byakuya, much like everyone else in Bleach, changed thanks to his meeting and one-on-one fight with Ichigo Kurosaki.
Byakuya and Renji first appeared in Karakura town to arrest Rukia. It was clear that Byakuya, as a Shinigami, surpassed Ichigo in all aspects as he stole Ichigo's blade & inflicted heavy damage on him. He soon took Rukia to the Gotei 13 to be trialed & executed while keeping Ichigo's team at bay from doing any further damage to Rukia or the Soul Society as a whole. Ichigo's arrival prompted several Shinigami to temporarily defect to save Rukia (the 13th & 8th Division & Renji from the 6th). Byakuya, incredibly angry with Ichigo, fights him one-on-one and tells him eventually (the fight went to Ichigo) of why he left Rukia to be executed. After a heartfelt persuasion from Ichigo, Byakuya abandoned all hopes of trying to do away with her sister. It wouldn't be long before Rukia was in trouble once more because of the Hogyoku that was implanted within her from Urahara's Gigai body. Aizen, prompting to end the Shinigami's life, was stopped when Byakuya took the initial damage from Gin's blade. Byakuya, after Aizen's defection, told Rukia of the truth behind her adoption and of her estranged and deceased elder sister, Hisana. Byakuya, from then on, would become a valuable asset to Team Ichigo - fighting 2 Espada (Zommari & Yammy), defeating Tsukishima, and become a lot stronger in his training with the 0 Division as he embarks on a journey to thwart the Wandenreich's plans. Byakuya was present when Rukia challenged As Nodt and won. Currently, Byakuya, alongside Renji, Rukia, Ikkaku, Yumichika, & Hisagi are about to brawl against members of the Sternritter.
Backstory/Role (Kenshi)
Kenshi was a natural born warrior
traveling all over Earthrealm seeking worthy competition. Every time Kenshi was
challenged by another fighter, he won, and every time he won, it boosted his
pride. He came to humble himself after being deceived by the evil sorceror
Shang Tsung who was disguised as a person named Song. Shang Tsung lead Kenshi
to an ancient temple containing a powerful sword that would give Kenshi more
power, but unsealing the well, the location of the sword, a lot of souls were
released, overwhelming Kenshi and permanently blinding him. Shang Tsung
absorbed the souls and left Kenshi to die. The sword began to speak to Kenshi
claiming that he was a descendant of a clan of great swordsmen and the souls of
his ancestors were all claimed by Shang Tsung. So, Kenshi spent a number of
years training to regain his senses without sight so he can have his revenge on
Shang Tsung.
Kenshi made his first appearance in Deadly Alliance where his abilities
basically wowed Major Jax Briggs and Lieutenant Sonya Blade to convince him to
join the OIA because when both mentioned Outworld, Kenshi jumped at the
opportunity to get his hands on Shang Tsung. His first task was to recover the
lost cyborg ninja, Cyrax. While venturing into Outworld, he encountered the
enigmatic Ermac and freed him away from Shao Kahn's control. Ermac taught
Kenshi a few new moves to enhance his telekinetic abilities. While trying to
rendezvous with the other Earthrealm warriors to battle both Quan Chi and Shang
Tsung, Kenshi encountered the Red Dragon member, Mavado. Mavado defeated Kenshi
and left him for dead. During Deception,
Kenshi was under care by Sub-Zero and the two would develop a friendship while
searching for a portal to get back to Earthrealm. When Shang Tsung died after
he, Raiden, and Quan Chi tried to stop the Dragon King Onaga, Kenshi sensed the
souls of his ancestors' return to the sword, ending his quest for revenge. In
between Deception and Armageddon, he chose to be a lone wolf,
striking down the unjust at night, basically playing Batman if you look at it.
Though he declined Johnny Cage's offer to fight with the forces of good in Armageddon, he ultimately joined the
fight anyway, killing the female Shokan, Sheeva, but eventually succumbing to
Quan Chi in a valiant sword duel with the necromancer while racing towards the
top of the pyramid of the Edenian god, Argus.
Powers/Abilities (Byakuya)
What makes Byakuya such a formidable foe is his Zanpaktou - Senbonzakura. A sword that separates into tiny segments - used as both a offensive and defensive. By swinging his Zanpaktou's hilt, he is able to control the segments floating about and inflict heavy damage on his opponents (EX: Renji, Ichigo, & Zommari). However, it is noted that Byakuya has a better understanding of his Zanpaktou after his stay with the Zero Division. His Bankai pretty much is an expansion of his Shikai's ability - obliterating anyone when his blade is split into thousands upon thousands of segments. However, in this state, a thousand blades crowd above and below Byakuya's vision as he can focus everything simply on offensive while also trying to keep his opponents at bay. He is also proficient in Shunpo & Kido ` a skill that most Captains of the Gotei 13 possess. Pretty much Byakuya's blade can be summed up from my previous and short explanation from the BH post (Hiei vs. Byakuya):
Byakuya's Zanpaktou is considered both fast and elegant, capable of doing considerable damage. Look at Renji. He lost to Byakuya in his Bankai form and survived. Same as Ichigo. Senbonzakura has done considerable damage to all of Byakuya's opponents. Not only that Byakuya is a Kido practitioner and a pretty good one at that as well as a Shunpo Expert. A combination of a deadly Shikai/Bankai ability, Kido Expert, and Shunpo Master - Byakuya mixes the elements of cool and fast. Not only that, he can foresee his opponents next move, always remains calm during a fight, and he isn't hesitant to abide by a set of rules and regulations to ensure the peace and prosperity of the Soul Society.
Powers/Abilities (Kenshi)
Though Kenshi does not possess any
sight, his other senses go beyond that of normal capability and what’s unique
about him is that he can match wits equally with just about any kombatant and
he’s immune to basically any attack that deals with sight. The sword Kenshi
wields (though it’s basically a powerful version of the katana) contains the
spirit of past warriors that have wielded it and the souls help guide Kenshi.
Other abilities is that Kenshi is able to sense when his opponent’s coming or
is nearby based on the presence of their energy or simply by hearing them
whether from long or short range and he’s able to take them by surprise. As
mentioned, he prefers to strike down his opponents by nightfall where nobody
can’t see him (Batman much). His powers are emphasized on that of his excellent
telekinetic abilities and through the use of teleportation. In MK9, Kenshi’s telekinetic powers are
expanded so that he is able to wield his sword with telekinesis. Also he’s able
to create ghostly illusions of himself to deceive his opponents and his sword
can reflect projectiles back at his opponents. Though Kenshi’s fighting ability
is that of a great swordsman, his fighting styles are Tai Chi, San Shou, and
Judo. Kenshi’s fatalities also emphasize on his telekinetic abilities; his most
notable one is the Telekinetic Contortion (fatality in Deadly Alliance) where he fires mind waves at his opponents,
paralyzing them, popping their eyes out, and putting their body parts in
unnatural directions.
Verdict (By Stillmattic)
And the winner is...
This Matchup was quite a handful to judge since I see some similarities between both these characters. Both are able to perceive when any opponent is approaching and can sense anyone just from the presence of their energy. I do like Kenshi's blade, his telekinetic abilities, and his ability to troll anyone with his ghostly illusions, but the fact of the matter still remains on Byakuya ~ his stay with the 0 Division has made him a lot stronger (the 0 division is said to be powerful than the entire Gotei 13) and we have yet to see what he is capable of. Kenshi is a badass ~ being able to match wits with anyone despite his handicap, but that doesn't stop him from trying to kick some major behind. However, I feel that Byakuya's strength has improved over time and he's had more wins than losses. There's no doubt Byakuya has been quite an adversary, but with room for improvement on his side ~ he truly has learned from all the battles he's had and from all the enemies' he's faced. With Kenshi, I can picture him trying to outwit and outmatch Byakuya with everything he's gotten, but I think Byakuya's training with the 0 Division gives him the edge since we have yet to see how much more powerful he's gotten since then + Byakuya's Zanapktou, in my opinion, could potentially be too much for Kenshi to handle despite having good perception, agility, & reflexes. In terms of story, I think Byakuya has more to offer since he's a central ally to Ichigo, but I do like how Kenshi was utilized in Deadly Alliance (though the fight with Quan Chi demonstrates that he couldn't defeat him). Nobility of the Kuchiki vs. A born & silent Warrior ~ it came down (for me) of who could potentially outwit/outmatch/outlast who, story, & overall likability and, though I like both (in their own right), I will have to give this victory to Bleach ~ BYAKUYA WINS!
So who do you think won this Round? Kenshi from MK or Byakuya from Bleach? Comment below and let us know. Look forward to Bleach Kombat Rounds every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday from July 4th-August 25th. As of today (July 14th), Bleach leads 3-2 against Mortal Kombat. Please be sure to check out the other Bleach Kombat Matchup(s) and until then, you all stay classy now.
1) Jax Briggs vs. Yasutora "Chad" Sado ~ MK
2) Jade vs. Yoruichi Shihoin ~ Bleach
3) Johnny Cage vs. Mask De Masculine ~ MK
4) Sonya Blade vs. Sui-Feng ~ Bleach
5) Kenshi vs. Byakuya Kuchiki ~ Bleach
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