User blog:Njalm2/The Beauty of Zanjutsu

Greetings everyone, and behold yet another Nanja guide. In this guide I will be attempting to explain my own beliefs on what a Zanjutsu Specialist might look like, and perhaps more importantly, attempt to empower it to the degree that it might be able to contend with the at present much more refined disciplines of Kido, Hakuda and Hoho. Before I begin, I will explain one of the greatest mistakes I've seen writers make on this site in regards to Zanjutsu and Hakuda both; that being to tie them in with real world disciplines and then only slightly amp them up, without really thinking about what exactly these two facets of Shinigami combat actually represent. It's no secret at this point that Zanjutsu encompasses every single sword style ever conceived by mortals, refined over millennia by Shinigami, and that it, at it's most basic level has taken these disciplines to the extent that swordsmen might truly perform superhuman feats. But Zanjutsu is so much more than this, at least from my perspective.

For the purpose of this guide I'll divide Zanjutsu into two separate branches, the first is simply named Zanjutsu and it deals with the spiritual bond between the Shinigami and their Zanpakutō, more so than the raw physical ability of the Shinigami themselves. The second part will be called Kenjutsu, and Kenjutsu is the actual swordsmanship, the raw skill of the wielder to wield their Zanpakutō as a weapon, as a tool. Most "Zanjutsu Masters" on this site haven't mastered Zanjutsu as much as they've mastered Kenjutsu.

A very important point about Kenjutsu is that it doesn't require a Zanpakutō. It simply requires a sword, any sword would do, in this regard it's soulless, wasteful and incomplete - it's like an empty bottle, the structure of the glass might be sturdy, but inside it's still empty. At least on it's own, if your character is only concerned with raw skill and ability, then they're not a practicing Zanjutsu and their mastery is hollow and human. In this guide I'll be focusing exclusively on Zanjutsu, as Saris has already made an excellent Kenjutsu article: Zanjutsu (LordGalvatron).

Now it's time to get on with the guide, but before we can truly go into my views on Zanjutsu, and how those might make a practitioner on par with Kido or Hakuda specialists, it's necessary to do some deconstruction of some commonly held and restrictive notions. I've included some relevant points in here, but those aren't really enough by themselves. For the best results I'd suggest you read AbysmalShadows excellent guide on combat. Here it is!.

So, without any further ado, lets break this down!

What is a Zanpakutō?
It might seem obvious, but it's really not. There's a prevalent misconception that because the Zanpakutō in the series are used primarily for fighting, that they're weapons. This has never been the case, a Zanpakutō is not any more of a weapon than a kitchen knife is, like the knife it can be wielded as a weapon if necessary, but that's not it's primary function. Just like the kitchen knife was designed primarily with the purpose of cutting bread, meat or vegetables in mind, a Zanpakutō is a tool of balance. It's primary function is purification of Hollows and Pluses, but also the Shinigami's own spirit, by engaging in Jinzen it becomes a mentor to them, a friend and a confidante, it even has the power to absolve souls of the sins committed as a hollow. The Shinigami grows alongside their Zanpakutō, provided of course that they prove themselves worthy and learn it's name.

This might seem like semantics to you all, but it's a very important distinction. Especially because they're primarily seen, used and written as weapons. This misrepresentation is founded on the belief that swords are representatives of weapons, beyond merely being used as weapons, and because the base state of each Zanpakutō takes the form of a katana (or at least the vast majority of them do). But what exactly does a sword symbolize? Just as everything magic is derived from symbolism, and represents something, best illustrated in Bleach through incantations; swords too have meanings beyond their nature. In the middle ages, swords were shown as symbols of God. Whereas the many names given to swords in mythology, history and stories were often indicative of high status, wealth or power. Interestingly, the alchemical symbol for swords is purification, specifically the purification between life and death: sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Beyond this, the symbolism of swords also speaks of honor, justice, solidarity, defense, clarity, power and force. In this manner, the sealed state of a Zanpakutō, already represents quite a bit, it's a representation of the wielders personal fighting spirit, and now it's important not to misconstrue this as merely being in a physical sense. Rather than being a representation of battle, it's a representation of our drive to succeed, to overcome challenges and better ourselves and our lot in life.

There's therefore a reason that Asauchi are generally swords. At their most basic they represent this: To become worthy of learning your Zanpakutō's name, means you have to prove yourself through struggles and adversity. These events test us, and in turn shape the person we become. This in turn, shapes our heart, which in turn shapes the Zanpakutō's personality, powers and traits. Thus, your Zanpakutō quite literally represents you, and the spiritual journey you make as a Shinigami.

A true practitioner of Zanjutsu would know this, and understand that to refer to their Zanpakutō as a weapon, is a gross injustice to both themselves and their partner. Akin to calling a close friend a "person".

Elaboration on the Issue
In canon, and by extension, on this fanon, there's overwhelming focus on raw technique before execution. It's an issue of visuality, we want to convey a sense of mastery and elegance with our writing, we want to evoke the same kind of grace we see displayed on screen. With Swordsmanship experts, there's always been an undue focus on precision, you aim for the heart, tendons in their left leg, attempt to gouge out an eye, things of that nature. But these are human concepts, these are things a human would do, Shinigami and Arrancar aren't human, and by extension they're capable of surviving injuries no human could ever survive. Heck, most of the Arrancar seen in the series have Hollow holes that penetrate usually vital parts of their body, such as Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Nnoitra. Against beings such as that, knowledge of anatomy seems increasingly pointless.

This was even highlighted in the battle between Kenpachi and Nnoitra, Kenpachi stabbed his blade through Nnoitra's eyepatch, out of the assumption that that'd be a fatal blow, only for Nnoitra to reveal that there's already a hole there, and given the size of the human brain and the size of his Hollow hole, Nnoitra should be a vegetable if we applied anatomy to this. What does this tell us? It tells us, pretty explicitly in fact, that we should not trust our human instincts in regards to combat. Indeed, if you recall the battle between Mayuri and Szayelapporo, the first things that springs to mind is how the latter overelied on internal organs for his technique, which Mayuri easily countered by removing all of his internal organs before the fight even started, all this, without exhibiting any debilitating signs whatsoever.

Expanding further on my initial point is the focus on techniques, I've had a look at several swordsmen on this site, and one thing many of them have in common is that they've got at least a dozen different swordsmanship techniques from canon, which forms the bulk of their characters "Master Swordsman" section, with a brief explanation of their general prowess tacked on almost as an afterthought. Although the contents of the swordsmanship sections typically vary from character to character, the overwhelming focus on techniques detracts heavily from the supposed mastery the author wishes to convey. Techniques are cornerstones, but if your character requires a technique, such as a Getsuga Tensho to do something fantastic, then they're by definition not a true master. Mastery comes with internalization of the base concepts that compromise a greater whole. If you want to create a true master of any aspect of the Zankensoki, you're gonna have to work hard to convey that sense of mastery through your article, by actually explaining in vivid detail what makes them so exceptional.

Power and skill is determined not by how many fancy techniques your character has, but by two simple factors: Effort Versus Result. One of the most impressive feats of swordsmanship in Bleach from my perspective, is when Zaraki casually cut a scyscraper in half with a single off-handed swing of his sword during his battle with Ichigo, that still seems much more impressive to me than Yamamoto's display against Allon. Because using a technique implies considerable effort, the characters voice darkens, their body language becomes tenser and they speak the name of the technique with emphasis. With that sort of set-up you expect a huge effect, and while you find it cool then and there, when you later see a character doing the exact same thing and not make a big deal out of it, then you're probably inclined to think of them as stronger for it. Now there's one last thing I'm going to do before we move on to the main course of this blog. And that's a comparison between the swordsman Dracule Mihawk from One Piece, and the Master Swordsmen of Bleach. Here's a video clip of Mihawk's swordplay in action.



Impressive right? Now, if this were Bleach, he'd probably have shouted out some technique name or another, but he didn't, the tremendous power of Mihawk's attacks aren't the product of a Getsuga Tensho or somesuch, though they admittedly do look a bit alike, they're simply slashes of his sword, basic attacks in other words. Listen closely to his statements about how Luffy is still in range, whereas many swordsmen on this wiki rely on Shunpo or Sonido to get close to their opponent, range is not an issue for Mihawk, his blade can reach across the entire battlefield if necessary. That's mastery, making something so mundane and simple look so damn good.

Mihawk doesn't give a damn where he hits you, if you're struck by any of those attacks, it's going to hurt, badly, heck, you're lucky if you survive to make a counterattack. Considering the great feats Mihawk is capable of even when he's not fighting seriously, it leaves you wondering what he could do if he could actually be bothered to try.

Nanja's Zanjutsu
This is the section that you've all been waiting for, the point in my guide where I explain my own approach to Zanjutsu, and offer insight on how I would go about making it a worthy match for the more developed parts of the Zankensoki. I'm gonna start by saying, that if you've paid attention to what this guide has been saying thus far, along with Bleach in general, you should know by now that the Zanpakutō have powers which are manifestations of the users heart. Therefore, if we assume that Hakuda is a the discipline that allows you to master yourself and your own body, then Zanjutsu is the discipline that allows you to master your own spirit, soul and heart. Because Zanjutsu, is deeply spiritual in nature.

The powers of a Zanpakutō belongs not to the Zanpakutō Spirit, but to the Shinigami from whose experiences the spirit was born, and from whose heart it's powers is derived. Through Jinzen, Shinigami essentially reunite with themselves, and from understanding their Zanpakutō, which is essentially a reflection of the self, they learn how to harness their spirit in different ways, thus giving rise to new techniques. It's uncommon to see a true Zanjutsu Specialist on this site, and a while back, I began the attempt of making one from my personal point of view. I'll be using him, Takumi Kimura as my prime example in this blog.

Takumi Kimura has mastered Jinzen, he's devoted more or less his entire life to his Zanpakutō, consequently, it's powers is his, and his powers belongs to it in turn. By abandoning all other pieces of the Zankensoki, and relying solely on his Zanjutsu and their powerful bond, he's nonetheless more or less lacking in true deficiencies because in place of Shunpo, he can propel himself onward with jets of fire, and in place of Kido he can conjure fireballs and set his blade ablaze to lay waste to anything in it's path. Needless to say, his Zanpakutō, Hihanami, is a fire-type, and although these feats might seem unimpressive when compared to other fire-types, it's important to note that all these powers are available to Takumi naturally, he doesn't even need to release his Zanpakutō to access to them. Because, at their very core, they're his powers to wield, as natural to him as breathing is.

There's another misconception about Shikai and Bankai, these too, are Zanjutsu techniques just as much as Eishōhaki is a Kido Technique, and they might very well be the greatest expression of it. They're the true reason why it's expected of a Shinigami to focus primarily on their swordsmanship, because without it, they're unlikely to ever learn the true name of their Zanpakutō. So what happens if someone like Takumi, who's driven to master his Zanjutsu while eschewing all other disciplines release Shikai? It'd be like comparing the Sōkatsui of Byakuya Kuchiki to that of Rukia, there simply put, is no comparison between the two. A true master of Zanjutsu releasing his Shikai, would possess powers great enough to combat the Bankai of less skilled practitioners without issue. We often attribute Ryujin Jakka's great power to Ryujin Jakka itself, while in truth, all that power is born from Yamamoto's mastery of Zanjutsu. It's not the most powerful Zanpakutō in Soul Society as much as it's the most developed.

What happens if you reach grandmaster territory with this in mind? Well, then your soul is perfected, the Zanpakutō becomes who and what you are, and you can access even it's most powerful abilities whenever you wish, and without releasing your Zanpakutō. Your abilities rise exponentially and your options are only limited by what your Zanpakutō represented. It's the pinnacle of personal enlightenment, a private nirvana - yes, you essentially become a battle Buddha. At this point, Shikai and Bankai become meaningless, formless. As you've essentially reunited with the part of yourself that the Zanpakutō embodied. Should Takumi ever reach this state, he'd become a veritable deity of fire, a true Kami. With that would come complete immunity to the element of fire (yes, Zanjutsu is probably more or less the only way to acquire legitimate immunity for a character, at least as far as the Zankensoki is concerned).

Moving onwards to a second example, I wouldn't want people to think I made this blog to shamelessly talk about my own characters after all! In this example I'll be using Kenshin Yagami. Kenshin is without a doubt one of the greatest swordsmen on this site from my point of view, with what is potentially the only well-done absolute Zanpakutō. Made well-done not only by it's sheer detail, but also by how it's absolution is narrowed down and limited. With such a powerful Zanpakutō, what would happen if Kenshin were to find a wielder skilled and suitable enough to become a true grandmaster of Zanjutsu? That's not something I want to go into.. but since this is a guide, I'll have to do so regardless. The result would be that Kenshin's wearer would become immune to magic, all magic. This is because magic, by it's very nature, defies truths, it defies the second step on the following algorithm: origin, causality and result. A magician can conjure fire without matches, without anything save for the necessary energy. Because of this, any spell would simply fade away to nothing if they struck a Zanjutsu Grandmaster wielding Yagami no Kenshin. Woe is Nanja, here, only Darth Vader can adequately express my reaction to this.



...With that dramatic moment out of the way, I'll start saving up for an assassin to restore my sanity by destroying Kenshin, kindly place yourself in a line, I'm not joking, hop to it! Ahem, righto, let's continue shall we? But before that, I bear no ill will for this, Abysmal, I want you to know that. I really don't!



Challenge: Creating a Zanjutsu Specialist!
So, in order to spread this message, and try to help you actually learn from this. Cause we all know the best way to learn is by actually doing, rather than seeing. I'm issuing a formal challenge to all of you, keep what I stated in this guide in mind, and attempt to work on a true specialist of Zanjutsu, whose only claim to power is their Zanpakutō. I challenge you to throw all other parts of the Zankensoki aside and focus only on their Zanjutsu, while using the powers of their Zanpakutō to make up for their innate lack of versatility.

If you're uncertain on how to make it work, I'd suggest picking a Zanpakutō for them with an easy-to-understand and apply power. Elemental manipulation is relatively simple to do, and if you're stuck or simply in need of someone to discuss your ideas with, I'll do my best to help you if you post your questions or thoughts in the comments below. As a reward I'll offer a tiny mini-review of the relevant sections.

I'm also here to help you understand how a Zanpakutō's powers might manifest in your characters natural talents, such as my example of Takumi. This concludes my guide, at least for now, I may add more to this as the opportunity comes along or I get more inspired, feel free to suggest sections, if enough people are aboard the idea I'll make sure to write them.