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midnightactual · 1 year

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What Is Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei?

Introduction

Some interpersonal discussion on this happened a few days ago but I was in the middle of having to put my computer's guts into a new case, so I didn't have time to think about it. The truth is, for several years, if I've thought about this form at all, I've only really thought about what it might be from a functionalist point of view: what was the point of trying to create it? And I thought perhaps it was an effort to try and use the cat transformation while Shunkō was active to try and create a melee-focused combat mode, which then went wrong and had to be sealed away. Job's done, right?

But that never really addressed why Kisuke would have the power to unseal it, which quite frankly Yoruichi would never normally permit because she would never let anyone have such power over her, least of all Kisuke, because he's annoying. No, really. This even carries over into CFYOW:

“But Ms. Hiyori did see through me. That’s why, to take a neutral position…well to be accurate, it’s not neutral, but I decided to entrust some matters to a very Soul Reaper-like Soul Reaper.” His features softened then as he spoke about Hisagi. “When the time comes that I really do become someone who could be called a villain, it would be best to leave behind someone who can definitively determine that I’ve sinned, right? I’m sure that Mr. Hisagi, who saw how Mr. Tosen was and saw how he left, well, he would do that. Of course, Mr. Kurosaki or Ms. Kuchiki would work as well.” Yoruichi jumped onto Urahara’s shoulder and protested close enough that she could have bitten his ear. “Are you saying I’m not cut out for that job?” “No, no, but you’d be on my side no matter what anyone says, right? You’re not impartial.” Urahara smiled, and Yoruichi acted exasperated, with her tail hanging down. “I don’t even know where to start with that pretentious attitude you’ve got.” “Also… if you thought I really crossed a line, you’d stop me even if you had to kick me, Ms. Yoruichi.” “I’m telling you to stop being conceited. As if I’d stop at kicking you. I’d snap your neck to stop you.” “You’re so severe.”

It also never addressed why the "seal" is so weird and nothing at all like Kidō or any other magic we ever see in Bleach. Seriously, what the fuck is this:

So there I was earlier today, minding my own business, watching a video about how trash Vegeta's Ultra Ego transformation is just to listen to something because I don't even keep up with Dragonball Super as a manga or anime, when near the end (9:24) there's this:

But a transformation like Ultra Ego should be the spotlight, as transformations are a celebration of all the character's hardships and struggles as they break their limits and ascend to a higher form of themselves, and fulfill the shōnen power fantasy. As they immerse the audience in a world where all their problems can be screamed away as they transform into a version of themselves with more control and autonomy over the world around them.

And I said to myself, you know, by this definition, Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei is a joke. Let's count the ways:

it doesn't highlight anything about Yoruichi as a character because it explicitly eliminates her personhood

it doesn't advance Yoruichi in any meaningful capacity because of the above

she can't even talk in the form let alone scream, just hiss

it removes all control and autonomy, all agency, from her

So, thematically, as a transformation to get you hype, Raijū Senkei sucks. So what was it about then?

The Mystery

If I've learned anything after interacting with Bleach to some capacity for 18 years, it's that Tite Kubo is a troll before he's anything else—and that includes being a screwup. So when I made fun of him for giving two different answers to functionally the same question, I was actually underestimating him. Let's review:

Q331: I want to know how Yoruichi can turn herself into a cat. Is it a technique she herself invented, or does she actually use some sort of spiritual tool belonging to the Shihouin clan? Or perhaps a tool or technique invented by Urahara Kisuke himself? I can’t think of anything else. A331: Yoruichi uses a technique she herself invented so she could sneak out of her clan’s mansion.

Q465: I would like to know why Yoruichi can take the form of a black cat. It seems possible to interpret it as binding Yoruichi-san to another form, a black cat, but it seems to be fundamentally different from hado and bakudo. Is it a power different from Kido? Or is it Urahara-san’s technology? A465: It is the bloodline of Shihōin. From time to time, there are members of the Shihōin family who can transform into beasts.

You see, these only appear to be two different answers to the same question. If you try and look up compilations of Kubo's answers on Klub Outside, you'll find people only list off a fraction of the total number of questions he answers, because most of his answers are non-answers or bullshit. Once you understand his nature, you can realize a fundamental truth: these aren't two different answers, they're two parts of one answer.

Pay special attention to the differences between the questions. Yoruichi using a technique she created is an answer to how she can turn herself into a cat. It being the bloodline of the Shihōin Clan is an answer to why Yoruichi can turn herself into a cat. The former is a process only made possible by the latter. It's thus simultaneously true both that:

some members of the Shihōin Clan can turn into beasts

Yoruichi developed a technique to turn into a black cat

The only thing you have to accept to make these two statements line up is that the beast Yoruichi turns into isn't a black cat. Rather, the black cat form is something she can utilize because she can turn into a beast. It's worth stopping and looking at Kubo's answer in Japanese now:

A465. 四楓院の血筋です。四楓院家からは時々獣の姿に変化できる者が出ることがあります。

The important character here is 獣 in the second sentence, kedamono or kemono, or as Wiktionary puts it, "literally 'thing of hair'", and "an animal covered in fur, a beast".

Now, at this stage it's worth remembering Yoruichi's transformation in chapter 115:

Not a lot of detail here. You could easily think that was a human silhouette pulling out of the cat's body. However, the anime tells a different story, and it's worth remembering that Kubo was quite intimately involved with the anime's production back in the first three seasons. So when we see this from episode 40:

It was probably signed off on with Kubo's approval. And Yoruichi is much bigger than Ichigo here. And then we see this in episode 41:

Now it sure seems as though everyone just assumes this is an intermediate phase in Yoruichi's cat transformation, but I think the truth is now quite apparent: this werecat form is being used to facilitate Yoruichi's transformation into a house cat.

By the way? This has been referenced all along by way of jokes. Take chapter 628:

Or even more on the nose, Bleach: Official Bootleg KaraBuri+:

(Also, what have I said about monsters before?)

So, I think that Yoruichi at least partially transforming into this werecat form while in Shunkō is the essence of Raijū Senkei. Now then, let's talk about that directly.

RAIJŪ SENKEI

Let's talk about the name first, Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei (瞬閧雷獣戦形瞬霳黒猫戦姫). This is given by the Bleach Wiki as "Flash War Cry: Thunder Beast Battle Form: Flash God Black Cat Warrior Princess". This is mostly right but wrong in at least a couple important ways.

Now, @littleeyesofpallas has a wonderful essay on the terms related to Yoruichi. (If I may have a little indulgence with its earlier observations: "Becuase [sic] if taken literally, [Shunkō] [瞬閧] means something like, "Instant Battle" or "Flash Battle" which is a little silly, and redundant", is true, but we have a loanword in English which is close: blitzkrieg.) But you'll notice that the essay stumbles upon this character, 霳, ryū, which not even Wiktionary defines. A lot of speculation follows, but I'm going to trace my own route from here.

Google suggests it means "hail":

I'm not sure where they get this from, to be quite honest. I can't find any other definitions in Japanese for it, just like littleeyesofpallas. But it does have a meaning in Chinese:

Now I'm real tempted to end the search there, quite honestly, but I'll humor a slightly deeper dive. If you use Google Translate on Baidu for it, you'll get this:

Now if you search those characters (靊霳) you'll get this entry, which relates it to a 丰隆, Fēng Lóng or Hong Leong. If you search for that in English, you'll mostly get a Singaporean bank. But if you search the hanzi, you can find:

If you search that name, Fēnglóng, you can find this, which associates it with the Chinese god of thunder, Leigong. If we read the Wikipedia page on Leigong, we find he is described as:

Leigong is depicted as a fearsome creature with claws, bat wings, and a blue face with a bird's beak who wears only a loincloth.

Raijū Senkei puts Yoruichi in a skimpy electric bikini not so different from a loincloth, and she has claws.

The Jade Emperor instructed Leigong to only kill bad people. But the sky got really dark whenever he struck people. So sometimes he killed the wrong people since he couldn't find his quarry.

Raijū Senkei also has poor target acquisition.

With all due respect to littleeyesofpallas, I think that this is a much more accurate pathway than supposing Kubo got the kanji wrong. I'll return to the two possibilities in a moment.

First, I think it's very obvious that Kisuke came up with the name Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei. It's long, it's redundant, it's reductive, it's stupid, and it probably contains at least a couple of puns, none of which are the hallmarks of Yoruichi's choices in naming things and have Kisuke written all over them. Also, Yoruichi isn't conscious so how could she come up with a name for it?

As was noted in the essay, Raijū (雷獣) is a thing in Japanese mythology. I feel the need to add, however, that it has no strong association with cats. I therefore think that Kisuke named it to pun off of the (deliberately chosen) Raijin Senkei, making allusion both to the fact that Raijū accompanies Raijin and the fact that many of the animals associated with Raijū are kedamono, beasts. As mentioned, it literally means "thunder beast".

I then think you can take your pick on exactly which pun you think is being made with 霳. If you think it means "pissed off", then the name is Shunkō: Raijū Battle Form: [Instantly Pissed-Off] [Black Cat] [Battle Princess]. If you think it means the ancient Chinese god of thunder, then the name is Shunkō: Raijū Battle Form: [Instant God of Thunder] [Black Cat] [Battle Princess].

Now, I think changing Raijin to Raijū only to shoehorn in a completely different title for a different god of thunder (Leigong) in a format that evokes Yoruichi's title of Shunshin (Shunryū) is something Kisuke would do. However, given all his complaining to Askin about how "moody" Yoruichi is, I think putting "Pissed-Off" in the title is more likely. So my money is on Shunkō: Raijū Battle Form: [Instantly Pissed-Off] [Black Cat] [Battle Princess].

(This is purely headcanon but I have to imagine Yoruichi would find being called "princess" insulting in the present, which also makes it clear Kisuke came up with this name, in my opinion.)

Great, so now we know what the name means. So what is this form? For the rest of this I'll also be featuring the original Viz translation for the purposes of consensus-building so I don't have to refer to the Japanese:

Kisuke obviously knows about this form. It's worth noting at this point that Raijin Senkei was fairly obviously only created during the time skip between chapters 423 and 424 (circa December 2001 to April 2003) and is a comparatively recent invention. We can assert this as fact from Yoruichi's complaints that her Shunkō wasn't well-controlled versus Soifon (chapter 159), her use of only partial Shunkō versus Aizen (chapter 405), her completely different and perfected base Shunkō versus Askin (chapter 656) and her complaints about how fast Yūshirō has picked up Shunkō and demonstrated an evolved form akin to Raijin Senkei (chapter 657).

So you can say that maybe Raijū Senkei comes from this time period too. But maybe it doesn't. Let's keep going.

We can also say that Yoruichi has been in this form at least once before. The translations agree quite well here regarding her sentiments of it being half-assed and grotesque/disgusting. The fact she can even make such judgments however, means one of two things: A. either testing of it was documented somehow, or B. she retains memories from her time transformed. (A) is not very on-brand for Bleach as a series (at least on Kisuke's side; that's an SRDI/Visual Department thing), so (B) seems more likely. Yoruichi is either "still in there" but can't act, or she can understand her memories well enough after the fact.

While calling something half-assed usually suggests it's done with little care, and is incompetent or inadequate, it can also suggest that it's incomplete; the very word itself suggests this, that it is half of something full. It's implied to be half of a transformation.

We then get the scene we saw earlier. Yoruichi to my eyes looks as angry as she does shocked or disbelieving. It's a 'you wouldn't dare' kind of expression to me.

Now, above is Yoruichi's release of energy upon transformation. Below is Kenpachi's release of energy from Bankai in chapter 669. I believe you can see that these are relatively comparable. We are presumably seeing a Bankai-level energy release here. (Keeping in mind that Yoruichi is described in CFYOW as being a "powerhouse" of reiatsu but not "beyond reason" like Kenpachi plus the fact we seem to be seeing the former from farther away explains the differences handily.)

There is something of a question here of whether the transformation is increasing her energy, or this instinctual form is simply releasing all of her native energy at once without any restrictions, because we know that Yoruichi is normally masterful at reiatsu control. (We also know that even highly experienced Shinigami can misjudge reiatsu, like Retsu with Ichigo on the way to Fake Karakura, so we are left to wonder how high Yoruichi's reiatsu is and if the narrator of CFYOW is truly third-person omniscient or not, which it likely is, but it's still worth pondering.)

However, if it's increasing her energy (which it could very well be doing), then I feel that alone rules this out as being simply forcing a cat transformation, along with Kubo's dual Klub Outside answers earlier; there is no particular reason to believe that giving Yoruichi the mind of a cat should increase her power in a fashion similar to Bankai, and if that were the case, why bother with Hollowfication to increase power rather than just hybrid-animal soldiers? Mayuri would totally be down for that.

And now we get the form itself. We can see that physiologically, the main difference is just that Yoruichi gets a tail. It's impossible to tell if her claws on her hands and feet are physical, or just manifestations of reiatsu and electricity. What previously seemed to be intended to be horns on Raijin Senkei now serve as cat ears. Her preference in terms of how she carries herself and moves reflects an altered mind however, which appears to be that of a cat.

Now, honestly, I can't imagine Yoruichi really giving a damn about having a tail, or claws for that matter. We also know that she doesn't particularly care about showing a lot of skin or not. So it has to be the mind aspect that bothers her. She hates that she's not in control. (And it does prove to be a major hindrance in this battle too.)

We know that this form is being selected for not because of any power increase, however, but because it cycles Yoruichi's reiatsu at a speed of 48 Hertz, which we learn after interminable bloviating about moods and infections.

And we come to the conclusion of talk on the form's nature, wherein Kisuke claims he (and seemingly only he) can "control" it, and that Yoruichi will only return to normal from this form when she feels like it.

Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't see a single instance of "control" on his part throughout the use of Raijū Senkei. I saw a lot of Kisuke narrating what it was in a distracting and time-wasting way while Yoruichi did whatever she felt like. I also saw no evidence that Kisuke can predict or forecast how Yoruichi's behavior will shift, he just points it out when it's visibly apparent.

I wouldn't call this "control". (The color fanlation is closer to being accurate, by the way.)

Also, if he can't end this transformation of his own accord, then to me that also suggests his method of initiating it is incredibly crude. I've heard it conjectured that Kisuke had to seal this form away because it was dangerous or something, but I'd put forward from the evidence that there is no magical seal, and that there's nothing outwardly magical at all about the method by which the transformation occurs; it's more like some kind of post-hypnotic trigger mechanism, like the suggestion to play Solitaire in The Manchurian Candidate. Odds are it's a set of uncommon characters or an unusual image.

However, if that's the case, then odds are Kisuke didn't invent it and implant it in Yoruichi. Odds are he learned it from her in confidence. Think about it. How does Yoruichi turn into a cat? She does it at will, sure, but what's the actual process? There's no verbal command or external trigger like a Soul Candy dispenser. It must therefore be a mental choice. She has to think of something to trigger it. The same must be true for a werecat transformation.

Kisuke knows what that something is, that's all. And we have perfect evidence for transmission of this kind of knowledge in Bleach already, all the way back in chapter 81:

It follows that both the werecat and cat transformations have a similar mental initiator, and the latter is probably a modification of the former. Raijū Senkei is just Kisuke forcing a werecat transformation during Raijin Senkei, such that the werecat also has it. Why is it only a partial transformation? I can't quite explain that except to say that perhaps Shunkō, or more particularly the Raijin Senkei form itself, arrests it and prevents a full transformation. ("Godly" form plus animal form equals still mostly human? That kind of makes sense if you squint.)

Synthesis

So let's bring it all together:

Some members of the Shihōin Clan can turn into beasts

Yoruichi is probably one of those members and has a werecat transformation

Yoruichi created a technique to turn into an ordinary cat

Yoruichi's cat transformation appears to piggyback off her beast mode

Both cat and werecat transformations are likely purely mentally initiated through some kind of highly specific thought

Raijū Senkei is created by initiating a werecat transformation during Raijin Senkei

Kisuke knows how to do this because Yoruichi somehow told him what the trigger for the werecat was, maybe through Charades?

Yoruichi mostly retains her human form from Raijin Senkei partially cancelling out the werecat transformation

Raijū Senkei is essentially the werecat "wearing" Raijin Senkei

Raijū Senkei was named by Kisuke and is largely a joke name

Have a chart that I think roughly summarizes this:

Now maybe you think this is all way too crazy for this kind of throwaway ability that didn't achieve anything, but I'd like to point you to a quote from Ryōgo Narita in his author's postscript at the end of CFYOW:

By the way, after Matsubara and I heard the story of how Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin met, both of us said the same thing immediately. “You have to draw that with your own hand as a manga, Kubo!” Or “Really, I’d like to read that as a manga!” Those fascinating characters as well as a story hidden within the world… I do not know if the day will come when that will be created in some form, but as a fan, I will pray that the BLEACH story will continue to expand.

Apparently the story of how Yoruichi and Kisuke met is so interesting that both he and Makoto Matsubara felt it could be a whole manga. Not a chapter, a manga. Their story (and their relationship, as that quote near the top from CFYOW and my analysis on Yoruichi and Kisuke finding one another show) is not nearly so simple as they met and were just friends. (I leave you here with a thought that Kisuke is a vassal and vassals are usually conquered or otherwise obliged to follow their lords.)

What does that have to do with anything? Don't you think that, since Yoruichi and Kisuke likely met before they entered the Onmitsukidō and Gotei 13 respectively, and thus neither would've had zanpakutō, a werecat transformation would be a very interesting thing to help make such a manga-length story work?

Implications

In CFYOW, we're given the following:

Taking a step forward and stroking his beard, the Osho continued. “But there were those who did not believe that was a good world. Although they did not reach the level of the Reio, there were five people who possessed powerful abilities. …They were the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans, the Shiba family included.” The Osho spoke. Their motives were different. The Tsunayashiro clan’s ancestor feared that the power of destruction might someday be turned against him. Another clan’s ancestor believed a lid was needed to cover the pit that would later become known as “hell.” The Kuchiki clan’s ancestor believed a new order was needed to guide the world into stability. The Shihoin clan’s ancestor believed that an even greater cycle of circulation was needed to progress the stagnant world forward. The Shiba clan’s ancestor believed that it was necessary to explore the route of purification rather than destruction for Hollows, as Hollows also had minds.

Of course the Shihōin would advocate for such a thing if they were werefolk. Or hanyō, not that those are a thing from classical Japanese mythology. Although note this from Klub Outside:

Q282: Do Yokai and Fairies exist within the world of Bleach? A282: It would be quite fun if they did.

I don't know about you, but this feels rather wink-wink, nudge-nudge to me.

Anyway, I've been pointing out that Yoruichi is ridiculously strong and something is interesting about the Shihōin for a while now and we finally have another intriguing piece to add to the puzzle.

You see, I've already noted that Bleach generally operates by the same rules as Dragon Ball's Saiyans when it comes to Zenkai Boosts—that is to say, after surviving a near-death experience, you gain a notable increase in power. If the Shihōin Clan has beast forms, and those beast forms increase their power output, then we have another analogy with Dragon Ball in that the Shihōin would be even more like the Saiyans, complete with their own Ōzaru mode. This also only strengthens the obvious comparisons to be made between Shunkō and Kaiōken.

Another example might be the "immortal" Ctarl-Ctarl of Outlaw Star, which have their own werebeast transformations.

Both these races are infamous for their martial prowess largely on the back of these transformations. Perhaps the same was also originally true of the Shihōin Clan, before it switched to techniques and technology, and gained higher base power?

You might even extend this to some personality traits of Yoruichi's, which I noted in Yoruichi Is A Killer, as she clearly has a kind of suppressed bloodlust and zeal for battle (can too much literally activate her beast mode?) as well as Yoruichi As An Embodiment Of War, as this "bestial" nature would surely play a role in enhancing her unpredictability (something Kisuke all but gestures at). And finally, it has interesting implications when viewed through the lens of Power-Stacking In Bleach, as if the werebeast transformation were equivalent to Bankai, then the possibility of pairing it with Shunkō and Bankai, among other things, is very crunchy.

Also, this very neatly explains why Yoruichi's Soul appears to be unique to an extent similar to (albeit through wholly different means from) Ichigo's. You might sort of say this werecat ability acts like a kind of DRM.

#Out Of Character #Bleach #Meta #Yoruichi Shihouin #Long Post #[ I make no apology if you don't have ]#[ long-post shortening enabled ]#[ that's on you ]#[ this was a lot of work to write ]#[ I'm displaying it ]

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