Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
File:Kenichi 01.JPG Kenichi (left) and Miu (right) in the cover of Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi Manga Vol. 1
Genre	Martial arts, Comedy, Romance
Manga
Written by	Syun Matsuena
Published by	Shogakukan
Anime
Directed by	Hajime Kamegaki
Studio	TMS Entertainment

Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi (史上最強の弟子ケンイチ, roughly translated as "History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi") is a manga by Syun Matsuena (松江名俊).

The first volume was published by Shōnen Sunday in August 2002. An anime adaptation by Tokyo Movie Shinsha first started airing in October 2006.

Storyline

The story is focused on Kenichi Shirahama, an average 15-year-old weakling, whose life turns to Hell with the appearance of the naive, beautiful, and strong transfer student, Miu Fūrinji. After Kenichi witnesses Miu's skills in martial arts, he joins the Ryōzanpaku dojo, the gathering place of those who are truly strong, which also happens to be Miu's home. After beating a karate student in a match, he is soon targeted by all the delinquents in the school. Since then, Kenichi's routine is divided between his hellish training with the masters of Ryōzanpaku, and his fights against the members of Ragnarok, a gang who views him as either a possible ally or an impending threat to their plans.

Characters

Main Characters

File:KenichiShirahama.jpg

Kenichi in a fighting pose.

Kenichi Shirahama (白浜 兼一 ( ケンイチ ), Shirahama Ken'ichi) Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

Kenichi is a first year high school student, who likes to read manual How to... books. He was initially viewed as a weakling to the rest of his school and was ranked as the weakest student. In order to become strong enough to protect others, he becomes a disciple of the Ryōzanpaku Dojo, and eventually lives there, so he can fully embrace his masters' teachings. Despite his whiny nature, he grows to be a strong fighter when motivated, usually when using his skill to protect others, adversary and ally alike. Ogata Ishinsai believes that he possesses untapped potential, and if he could unlock it, Kenichi would become the strongest in the world.

Kenichi has a very unique fighting style since he instinctively combines all the different types of martial arts he learns from his masters: Karate, Jujutsu, Chinese Kenpō, and Muay Thai. He sometimes creates new moves by combining the techniques from each style of martial arts. His physique also happens to be far above average as he has been through hellish training with his masters; his speed, stamina, muscle mass, and strength have all increased, and he can take very serious hits without much injury due to being knocked around on a daily basis at the dojo.

Unlike most of the other characters, Kenichi tends to think logically, often crushing the dreams of young fighters who strive to create a strong gang in the future. He also sticks to his convictions; most notable is his belief to never hit a girl, no matter the situation.

Later on, it is revealed that he and Odin, the Eight Fists League's First, were once childhood friends, before Kenichi moved out of the neighborhood. Though Kenichi initially did not remember Odin, he was actually the one who exchanged Yin Yang badges with Kenichi, along with their vow to become strong (a vow that Kenichi forgot about). Coincidentally, the cat badge that he gave to a then six-year-old Miu was also given to him by Odin. Later, when he fights Odin during the final battle, he is unable to defeat him with his current skills. However, when he imitates his masters' styles of fighting, he is finally able to overpower and defeat Odin.

File:Miu Kenichi.jpg

Miu Fūrinji

Miu Fūrinji (風林寺 美羽, Fūrinji Miu) Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami

Miu is a first year high school student, who also happens to be in the same class as Kenichi. She has a gentle nature despite being a strong fighter trained by her grandfather, the elder of the Ryōzanpaku Dojo, since childhood. Although, due to her training, she would accidentally throw people who try to sneak up behind her; a trait that her grandfather claims to be unintentional on her part. Miu is quite eager to make friends, and treasures her friendship with Kenichi, but seems oblivious to his true feelings for her, though she does get jealous whenever another girl shows affection for him, especially Renka Ma. Despite her friendly attitude, she dislikes it when people treat others, especially kittens, badly, which often prompts her to severely beat that person.

Apparently, when a then six-year-old Miu and her grandfather passed through Kenichi's old neighborhood, she inspired Odin and Kenichi to become stronger after they witness her beat three thugs. Slightly before the fight, Kenichi exchanges her Yin Yang badge with his cat badge, something that she still treasures to this day. Though Kenichi initially did not remember their first meeting, Miu had realized who he was during their first encounter in the series.

The Ryōzanpaku Dojo

File:Ryozanpaku.jpg

From L to R: (back)Apachai and Hayato; (middle)Akisame and Shio; (front)Kensei, Kenichi, and Shigure

The Ryōzanpaku Dojo is home to elite fighters, who each specializes in different styles of martial arts. The dojo is infamous for its powerful members and is often challenged by other dojos or single fighters. Due to this, Ryōzanpaku charges its challengers and actually has a waiting list; this caused Kenichi to call them 'Dojo hunters'. Even though they charge, they still lack money, and to compensate for this, the members of the dojo often use their creativity in several things, including using an uncharted island for vacation, and building their own boat and cottage.

Hayato Fūrinji (風林寺 隼人, Fūrinji Hayato) Voiced by: Hiroshi Arikawa

Hayato is Miu's grandfather and the undefeated elder of the Ryōzanpaku Dojo, who is said to have beaten 500 Shaolin masters to near death. His kicks can be so incredibly fast, that they are still a blur even when viewing a replay of it at 1/1000 times its normal speed. If necessary, he is able to intimidate the other masters in order to maintain peace. Prior to building the dojo, he and his granddaughter had traveled around the world in his quest for peace.

During the one time when he trained Kenichi in the wild, everyone in Ryōzanpaku was worried for Kenichi, especially with so many bad omens occurring as tea bowls, pots and chopsticks all split in half. He later comments that Kenichi reminds him of himself when he was young.

Shio Sakaki (逆鬼 至緒, Sakaki Shio) Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka

Sakaki is an extremely powerful, 100th level Karate master. He claimed not to take disciples at first, but gradually grew to like Kenichi and is always eager to train him. He has a soft side which he tries to hide behind his tough guy attitude, and is usually the one worrying about Kenichi the most despite looking like he does not care. He likes to gamble and can usually be seen drinking alcohol.

Apachai Hopachai (アパチャイ・ホパチャイ, Apachai Hopachai) Voiced by: Hiroya Ishimaru

Apachai is the 28-year-old Muay Thai "God of Death". Despite his lethal skills, he has a childish nature, which is why he is good with kids and animals (he also happens to have the unique ability to communicate with animals). However, when it comes to fighting, Apachai lacks the ability to hold back, and often knocks Kenichi unconscious. Since he was saddened by the fact that Kenichi was scared to train with him, he eventually learns how to hold back his strength, though he still sometimes knocks out Kenichi when he enters his fighting mode. He always looks out for Kenichi, and hammers nails into voodoo dolls (a "spell" that Shigure teaches him to bring good luck) whenever he feels something bad will happen to Kenichi.

Shigure Kōsaka (香坂 しぐれ, Kōsaka Shigure) Voiced by: Mamiko Noto

Shigure is a mysterious kunoichi and a slow talker. She is also a master of many weapons and believes that weaponry should be seen as part of the body: simply relying on the weapons strength alone will not make you a master of it. She was initially viewed as a loner, often avoiding interaction with the other residents of the dojo, besides Apachai. However, later in the series, she begins to open up to Kenichi and the others, and even partakes in certain daily rituals (e.g. dinner) with them. She teaches Kenichi how to use weapons and also got him past his fear of people using weapons against him (she even teaches him how to swim).

A mouse (who has very unique abilities), later named Tochimaru, is frequently in her company. She usually plays with Honoka and Apachai, and often beats Kensei Ma for harassing her.

Kensei Ma (馬 剣星, Ma Kensei) Voiced by: Issei Futamata

Kensei is an old, lecherous master of Chinese Kenpō. He is always trying to take revealing pictures of beautiful girls, including Shigure and Miu, which often earns him a severe beating, though it does not stop him. Despite his present attitude, he was actually a charming and handsome young man in his youth, and was very popular with women.

Later in the series, he is revealed to have a wife and three kids, including a 16-year-old daughter named Renka Ma, who followed him from China. Kensei was actually the leader of an elite martial arts alliance in China, made up of thousands of students. However, he viewed the responsibilities as a nuisance, so he left it all to his wife, and moved to Japan. He also has an older brother, Sōgetsu Ma.

Akisame Kōetsuji (岬越寺 秋雨, Kōetsuji Akisame) Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi

Akisame is a philosophical Jujutsu master, who was the first one willing to train Kenichi. Despite his seemingly small built, he is actually known for his muscles built to perfection. He also has very good insight on people, often knowing if they are troubled or hiding something; he sometimes even knows what a person is thinking, which scares Kenichi.

He has several hobbies and many unique abilities, including being a famous and legendary artisan, who has mastered calligraphy, painting, pottery, sculpting, etc. He also owns a bone clinic, and can reset and fix bones with ease. According to Kenichi in episode 8, he is capable of unspeakable brutality.

He believes that masters should not interfere with their disciple's [Kenichi's] battles, and often has to convince Sakaki not to pulverize those who beat up Kenichi. He would also sometimes bet on Kenichi's fight with Sakaki. However, like all the other masters at the dojo, he worries about Kenichi as well. He later believes that Kenichi will climb the ladder of a true martial artist, though either as a kind person who holds back his intention to fight or one that uses his anger to surpass his limits.

Ragnarok

Ogata Ishinsai a.k.a Kensei-sama

Ogata was originally going to be the very first disciple of Ryōzanpaku before Kenichi, however, the elder saw that he had evil intentions. He is revealed to be the true leader behind Ragnarok under the name "Kensei-sama". He is a Dou Martial Artist. He is fully seen when he goes into the mountains of Yamigata, where he meets Kenichi. He shows Kenichi the side of Dou (which the Elder wanted Kenichi to learn from) and it seems he grows an interest in Kenichi, wanting him to become his disciple, though Kenichi turns him down. After learning why Kenichi came to the mountains of Yamigata, it seems that he now wants to go into the city to meet up with the rest of Ragnarok. His true skills have yet to be shown, but he can easily kill a full grown Asian bear. He is revealed to be an upper ranked member of YOMI, an elite organization.

Eight Fists League

The Eight Fists League is the highest division of Ragnarok, comprised of the eight strongest members of the organization -- three members can easily defeat fifty enemies. Each member wears a glove with a number (I - VIII) that corresponds to their position. Most of the members of the League are named after legendary beings and figures from Norse mythology. Later, it is revealed that the leader of the League, Odin, is not the leading authority in Ragnarok, but rather Ogata Ishinsai whom they call "Kensei-sama." Also, the first three fists are known as the "Three of Cards" and are the founding members of Ragnarok. According to Natsu Tanimoto a.k.a. Hermit, they are on a completely different level than the other Fists. By the time Ragnarak is disbanded, the majority of its members (Fists V-VIII) are either allied with or in the Shinpaku Alliance.

File:Odinkenichi.jpg

Ryuto Asamiya a.k.a. Odin

Odin - Voiced by: Ken Narita

Odin is the strongest member, known as the First Fist, and the leader of the "Eight Fists League". He is a member of YOMI, and a user of Seikouken, a technique which allows him to create a type of barrier around his defense zone, and can thus neutralize all attacks that enter his defenses. Besides Hermit, Odin is the only one to have ever met and trained with "Kensei-sama".

His actual name is Ryuto Asamiya, and was Kenichi's friend when they were little kids, before Kenichi moved out of the neighborhood. Apparently, Odin grew the desire to become stronger after he and Kenichi witnessed Miu's martial arts skills when the three of them were only six years old. As a result of watching the fight, Odin and Kenichi made a vow to become stronger. Apparently, after realizing Kenichi's present thoughts on fighting, he believes Kenichi broke their promise, and now despises him for doing something "unforgivable" 10 years ago. Due to this and Kenichi losing to him in a battle, Odin takes Kenichi's Yin Yang badge, and subsequently bends his [Odin's] own Yin Yang badge in half, giving it to Kenichi as a loser's present. It also seems that he grew a liking for Miu as a child, and claims Kenichi is not good enough for her. When he fights Kenichi in the final battle, Kenichi's skills proves to be no match against Odin's. It is only until Kenichi begins to imitate his masters' style and techniques that he is able to finally overpower and defeat Odin.

He is named after Odin, the chief God in Norse mythology.

File:Berserker Second Fist.jpg

Berserker

Berserker - Voiced by: Jouji Nakata

Berserker is the Second Fist of the "Eight Fists League". He is often seen chewing bubble gum and hardly ever speaks. He has quite a calm disposition despite all the damage being done to Ragnarok. It is revealed that Berserker did not once study martial arts, but simply has a natural talent for fighting. Berserker is said to be the most fearsome fighter in all of Ragnarok, and Loki even believes that he could be a better First Fist than Odin (though Loki could have only said it, in order to plant a seed of betrayal in Berserker). However, Berserker shows no interest in becoming a leader for any gang, and is actually afraid of fighting Odin, believing that the latter is much stronger than he is. Hermit later defeats him in the final battle.

He is named after Berserkers, Norse warriors.

File:Freyaloki.jpg

Freya (L) and Loki (R)

Freya - Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka

Freya is the Third Fist of the "Eight Fists League". Her real name is Kaname Kugatachi, and she uses Kugatachi style Ryō-jutsu. She joined Ragnarok in order to learn techniques from "Kensei-sama", but she has yet to meet him. Freya has her own personal (attack) squad called the Valkyries and believes that in order for women to be as strong as men, they have to resort to using weapons. Like Berserker, her true skills have yet to be displayed, however, she can use her weapons so fast that Kenichi is unable to follow her attacks, despite being used to his masters' fast moves.

Despite strongly believing in the rules of Ragnarok, she is not completely heartless (she is a Sei type fighter); she let Kisara, a former loyal subordinate, go peacefully after she storms their headquarters and declares a challenge against Freya. After three Fists quit Ragnarok, she begins to wonder the mystery behind the Shinpaku Alliance since the Fists quit after meeting them. Kisara later defeats her in the final battle.

She is named after Freyja, a Norse fertility goddess.

Loki - Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

Loki is the Fourth Fist of the "Eight Fists League". He uses a style similar to Karate that involves using all the joints in the human arms. Besides being a powerful fighter, he is also quite intelligent, using information about his opponents to his advantage. Despite his strength, Loki prefers to win by using any means necessary; he kidnaps Honoka in front of Hermit, after learning she is Kenichi's sister. His ultimate goal is unknown, but it seems that destroying Ragnarok is part of it; he plants seeds of doubt in the members of the Eight Fists League in order to have Ragnarok in disarray. Loki also has "shadows", underlings who look like him; he uses them to distract and confuse opponents. Berserker later defeats him after Loki attempts a Coup d'etat against Ragnarok.

Number 20 from Ragnarok is usually seen working with Loki. She is his eyes and ears, and is mostly seen collecting information and creating weapons for him.

He is named after Loki, a mischievous being in Norse mythology.

Siegfried - Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono

Siegfried is the Fifth Fist of the "Eight Fists League". He composes music by using his battles as inspiration for his melodies. He has a tendency to hum or sing classical music during his fights and his attacks are named after different music scores and compositions. Like his namesake, he appears invincible, always getting back on his feet after taking a severe beating. This is actually due to his fighting style which uses counters and dodging an opponent's attack by the slightest margin. As such, he usually falls down on his own to fool his opponents. He is later defeated by Kenichi after being hit by a powerful punch Kenichi created himself. After their battle, he goes on a journey to find himself. Nijima later convinces him to join the Shinpaku Alliance.

He is named after Sigurd, a hero in Norse mythology.

File:Hermitkenichi.jpg

Hermit

Hermit - Voiced by: Ryo Horikawa

Hermit is the Sixth Fist of the "Eight Fists League". He uses Hakkyouken, which he learned from Sōgetsu Ma, Kensei's older brother. His actual name is Natsu Tanimoto, the president of the drama club at Kenichi's school. At school, Tanimoto pretends to be a kind and soft spoken student, which plays well seeing how he is popular with both teachers and students, and is considered to be the school's "prince". He claims to have only joined the drama club to practice lying, and is only nice because he perceives popularity as a way to control people. Tanimoto pretended to have befriended Kenichi, but in truth, he despises Kenichi's "false" justice. He later fights with Kenichi, but it ends in a draw. He was not satisfied with this and disappears for a short while in order to train.

When he returns, he meets Honoka after saving her from thugs, and ends up taking her to his house. Honoka befriends him and begins to visit his house often, where she usually ends up accidentally breaking things. He soon grows fond of her because she resembles his younger sister. He is shocked to learn Honoka is Kenichi's sister, and though he gets angry at Loki for using her as bait to lure Kenichi, he was not able to go against superior orders. However, Odin reveals that Loki had tricked him and Hermit leaves Ragnarok. Tanimoto returns to school telling Kenichi that he will stay there until he gets revenge for losing to him. After leaving Ragnarok, he is constantly pestered by Nījima to join the Shinpaku Alliance, but always refuses. Eventually, he comes to aid Shinpaku during their final battle against Ragnarok, and defeats Berserker in a grueling battle.

It is revealed that Hermit and his sister were orphans before being adopted by a rich businessman (Tanimoto was the man's family name). After the man died, Natsu inherited the company, but unfortunately, he lost the fortune due to corrupt members of the company. When the corrupt men tried to kill him, "Kensei-sama" saved him, which is why he is in debt to Ragnarok. To add to his misery, his sister died due to a disease.

File:Thorkenichi.jpg

Thor

Thor - Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi

Thor is the Seventh Fist of the "Eight Fists League". He fights using a combat-sumo fighting style and joined Ragnarok in order to make his dream of making the combat-sumo style mainstream. Despite being in Ragnarok, Thor has a high degree of honor, and considers upholding the rules of combat-sumo wrestling his top priority. He runs a fighting ring, where he is challenged by Kenichi. Before the duel, both state conditions: Kenichi's is to have Thor quit Ragnarok, while Thor's is to have Kenichi train under him. Kenichi wins the battle by throwing Thor out of the ring, and Thor honors their agreement, though he gets a severe beating from the members of the Eight Fists League because of it. Thor believes that the Shinpaku Alliance is composed of true comrades, unlike Ragnarok. Siegfried is the only person he believes to be his comrade.

He is named after Thor, the Norse Thunder God.

File:Loki Hermit Kisara.jpg

Left to Right: Loki, Kisara, and Hermit

Kisara Nanjō (南條 キサラ, Nanjō Kisara) Voiced by: Minami Takayama

Kisara is the most recent member, the Eight Fist, of the "Seven (now Eight) Fists League". Nicknamed "The Valkyrie", Kisara is a kicking expert focusing on Tae Kwon Do. She hates, above all else, being treated as weak because she is a girl, due to a past opponent claiming he 'let' her win because she was female. However, she later develops a degree of respect for Kenichi after their fight, where he guards during the entire fight, in order to slow/stop Kisara's advance to ruin Miu's play. She calls Miu 'ushijichi', translated to "Dairy Cow", since she believes Miu's big breasts are excessive.

Later on, it is revealed that she has a very soft spot for cats, especially kittens. When she was little she used to have a kitten named Noir that ended up dying to protect her during a dangerous encounter with a stray dog. When Kisara later helps a stray kitten, she is unfortunately spotted by Miu and Kenichi who eventually tries to help Kisara find a new home for the stray. She ends becoming a target of the Valkyries, Freya's female subordinates, due to the suspicions of being a spy for the Shinpaku Alliance. When they finally attack her, she is unable to fight with her full strength due to her attempts in trying to protect the kitten. However, she is aided by Kenichi, and strangely Shigure, and is able to drive them away. After the fight with the Valkyries, she decides to officially resign herself from Ragnarok. Soon after, Siegfried convinces her to join the Shinpaku Alliance through her love of cats.

During her fight with the Valkyries, it was revealed that before becoming a Fist, Kisara was part of the Valkyries, and was one of Freya's most loyal subordinates. However, Kisara aims to be her "own master" and decided to quit since all the Valkyries used weapons. She seems to have some respect for Freya and wishes to be stronger than her, another reason why she quit the Valkyries.

Divisional members

Taichi Kōga (古賀 太一, Kōga Taichi) Voiced by: Mayumi Yamaguchi

Kōga, also known as Kōga the Kicker, is the youngest known member of Kisara's team. Unlike Ikki and Ukita, he seems to bear hateful grudges against Kenichi, who he plans to take down himself, and Miu, whom he calls "Neko Shojo" (Cat Girl). Though he is a strong fighter, he possesses a carefree attitude, which usually earns him a beating from Kisara. He is very loyal to Ragnarok and is always eager to deliver punishments to those who betray the gang.

Ikki Takeda (武田 一基, Takeda Ikki) Voiced by: Kazuki Yao

Takeda, also known as Takeda the Puncher, used to be a rising boxer star. However, an incident where he came to the aid of his friend caused harm to his left arm, leaving it paralyzed. He fights Kenichi to test how strong Kenichi is, but Kenichi defeats him by attacking his lower body, which is a boxer's weakness. Fortunately, Kenichi spares him and takes him to Akisame's clinic, where Akisame fixes his left arm. With this, Takeda acknowledges Kenichi's strength and quits Ragnarok to become a pro boxer once again. Being grateful, he often comes to Kenichi's aid on several occasions. Also, he, along with Ukita, later joins Nījima's organization, the Shinpaku Alliance.

Kōzō Ukita (宇喜田 孝造, Ukita Kōzō) Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa

Ukita, also known as Ukita the Thrower, is part of a trio with Ikki Takeda and Kōga Taichi. Ukita was originally from the Judo club before becoming a member of Ragnarok. While decrying Takeda as having the attitude of a "sportsman", he felt a strong enough friendship to stand with him against Ragnarok's edict of execution after Takeda quit Ragnarok. He also quits Ragnarok when he switches sides during an ambush on Takeda. He, along with Takeda, later joins the Shinpaku Alliance.

Shinosuke Tsuji

Shinosuke (nicknamed "Shaggy Hair" by Kenichi) was an ambitious member of Kisara's team, often getting into arguments with other members about who was stronger. Though he has a rougher fighting style and less techniques than Kenichi, his fighting experience more than makes up for it. He had hoped to one day lead a gang stronger than Ragnarok, but his dreams were crushed by Kenichi's logical thinking. He initially had hordes of men as followers, but after he was beat by Kenichi's sneak attack, he lost all but two of them. Tsuji was not too angry at Kenichi since his two remaining followers stated that they stuck by him because he was their friend. He grows a bit of respect for Kenichi, and even informs him of Takeda's impending punishment at the hands of Ragnarok.

Tsukuba

Tsukuba is an upperclassman at Kenichi's school and a black belt in the Karate club. His style of martial arts is sport karate, which combines boxing and karate techniques. He is quite a strong fighter, as "he can take on two people from the Karate club at once, can break rocks with his bare hands, and break bats with a single kick," said by Kenichi during his mental meltdown. He was the referee for Kenichi's fight against Daimonji and quickly wanted to test Kenichi's skills after his win. Though he easily defeats Kenichi, he is not satisfied with his victory. When he later fights Kenichi the second time, Kenichi wins rather easily by using one of sport karate's fundamental weaknesses.

Takashi Furukawa

Takashi first appears in episode 8 with a group of members that tried to capture Kenichi. When he fights Kenichi, he appears to hold his own, but he snaps after he starts to bleed from Kenichi's punch and resorts to using a knife, which quickly frightens Kenichi. Fortunately, Miu pushes the knife right out of Takashi's hand with Kenichi's belt. Later on, when Kenichi is on his way home, he tries to take Kenichi to Kisara once again. This time, Kenichi is able to overcome his fear of weapons and easily defeats Takashi.

Number 20

Loki's underling. A master of spying and stealth, Number 20 is Loki's right hand girl. She is quite a good fighter too and has a taste for airsoft guns and dirty techniques. She dresses in military fashion and is never seen without her night-vision goggles.

Shirahama family

Honoka Shirahama (白浜 ほのか, Shirahama Honoka) Voiced by: Ayumi Sena

Honoka is Kenichi's 13-year-old younger sister, who cares for her brother greatly, often competing with Miu for his attention. The second time she visits the Ryōzanpaku dojo, she shows Shigure and Apachai how to properly make tea, which impresses them. Honoka soon becomes good friends with Shigure and Apachai, and consequently visits the dojo regularly to play with them.

She later befriends Natsu Tanimoto (aka Hermit) after he saved her from some thugs. When Loki appears, she demands why he wants to hurt her brother. As a result, both Hermit and Loki are shocked that she is Kenichi's sister, and Loki decides to kidnap her, despite Hermit's protests. In the end, however, Hermit ends up being the one to save her.

Honoka is also extremely talented in the game Othello, which none of the Ryōzanpaku masters can beat her in.

Genji Shirahama (白浜 元次, Shirahama Genji)

Genji is Kenichi's protective father and is gradually impressed with Kenichi's growth as a man, but feels sad that his son is growing further and further away from him. He has two shotguns named Sebastian and Maximilian, which he often tries to take with him in order to take back Kenichi from the Ryōzanpaku dojo, however, his wife manages to stop him every time. Despite his foolish attitude, he is actually very skilled in its use; he is able to carry Kenichi under his arm, the gun in the other, reload while on the run, and has a good enough aim to stop Shigure's traps. He also is said to be skilled with darts, so much that he recently won a gold medal in a contest.

Saori Shirahama (白浜 さおり, Shirahama Saori) Voiced by: Ai Orikasa

Saori is Kenichi's mother, who is the only calm and collected member of the Shirahama household. She always has to subdue her husband whenever he gets too excited and tries to go to the Ryōzanpaku dojo with Sebastian. She often praises her husband whenever he does something fatherly, which is often necessary because her husband usually breaks into tears after delivering an inspiring speech to Kenichi.

Other characters

File:Niijimakenichi.jpg

Nijima striking a fake battle pose.

Haruo Nījima (新島 春男, Nījima Haruo) Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki

Nījima is more of an acquaintance of Kenichi's, rather than a friend. Though both parties later consider each other a "bad friend", they are still a friend nonetheless. He is a member of the Newspaper Club, and investigates the life of everyone, usually ranking people on his palm pilot. He is a very sly person, who looks like an alien and has seemingly alien abilities (i.e. his hairs can stand on end like an antenna whenever he senses danger). He also watches Kenichi's progress with much interest and treats Kenichi as his subordinate. Unsurprisingly, Kenichi refers to him as a "demon-faced alien".

He wants to eventually rule the world, which he often daydreams of, to the point where Kenichi has to slap his face, bringing him back to reality after his face has suffered extreme swelling. To reach this goal, he formed an organization called the Shinpaku Alliance and dragged Kenichi into it. He also persuades some of the ex-Ragnarok members to join, usually using any means available, which results in a beating from Kenichi, Ukita, and Takeda. He is very adept at running away from dangerous situations, always leaving the fighting to the others, a trait which Kenichi learns from him, especially when fighting with women.

File:Yukaizumi.jpg

Yūka Izumi

Yūka Izumi

Izumi is the only other member of the gardening club besides Kenichi. She is a shy and gentle girl with glasses and pigtails. She harbors a crush on Kenichi and sees Miu as a rival of sorts. Nījima helps her evolve her relationship with Kenichi, of course only to his own benefits. She tries to enter the Ryōzanpaku dojo, but does not pass the entrance exam when she fails to do ten simple push ups.

Daimonji

Daimonji is a member of the same Karate club Kenichi initially was a part of. Though he uses his great physical strength to his advantage (which he gained by training his body since middle school), he actually does not appear to have a fighting style of his own. He bullies Kenichi very often in the Karate club, and one day offers Kenichi a chance to stay in the Karate club if Kenichi were to beat him. After Miu teaches Kenichi a technique, and trains him at the Ryōzanpaku Dojo, Kenichi wins the match. Though Daimonji lost, he did not leave the Karate club, rather Kenichi did. Daimonji was very humiliated because of the match and wanted revenge against Kenichi. He destroys Kenichi's plants in the Greenhouse and fights him once more, though he loses again.

File:Marenkakenichi.jpg

Renka Ma

Renka Ma (馬 連華, Ma Renka)

Renka is the surprisingly well-endowed and attractive 16-year-old daughter of Kensei. She came to Japan in search of her father, who she plans to take back to China. Even though she often kicks and steps on Kenichi, she soon takes a liking for him and shows this openly. This greatly annoys Miu, possibly even making her feel jealous, but Miu often imagines Renka as a cat and treats her as one. She begins to acknowledge Kenichi's style of martial arts after her visit to the the dojo, and later gives him advice on developing his own fighting style.

File:Hakubi.jpg

Maryō Ma

Maryō Ma

Maryō is Kensei Ma's uncle, who owns his own restaurant. Despite being quite knowledgeable, like Kensei, he has a very silly personality, especially when he is drunk, which causes him to beat up several people around him. He goes by the alias "Hakubi" and is currently housing Renka Ma.

File:SogetsuMa.jpg

Left to Right: Sogetsu Ma and Kensei Ma

Sōgetsu Ma

Sōgetsu is Kensei Ma's older brother and Renka Ma's uncle. He is a giant bearded fighter, who people often fear and run away from. He spent most of his life training alone and feels that strength is the only thing to live for, leading him to lose the heart of a martial artist. He becomes very jealous of Kensei's popularity with people. Twenty years ago he killed a few people which forced him to depart from China, where he was considered one of the strongest fighters. It is revealed though that he did not actually leave China for killing those people, but because he had nowhere to go. He also, unknowingly, took in Hermit as a disciple, feeling he had the same eyes as him and trained him to eliminate the weak.

Even though there is animosity between both him and Kensei, their brotherly love shows in many ways; during Hermit's training, he constantly shouted out admiration towards his brother while drunk. When he is later defeated by Kensei, Sōgetsu begins to finally show a little sympathy. After the battle and Kenichi's failed attempt to help him, he is left for dead by Kensei feeling that he will eventually kill himself and should die as a martial artist. Sōgetsu's body was not found and is still considered alive.

Shokatsu Kouan

Shokatsu is one of Maryo Ma's students, who wears small reading glasses. He mainly uses the Praying Mantis Kung Fu fighting style. He and Ryuu are later defeated by Kenichi, but the latter apologized since the cause of the fight was a simple misunderstanding.

Ryuu Genson

Ryuu is one of Maryo Ma's students, who is sent to bring Renka back to Hakubi's restaurant. He usually wears sunglasses.

Terminology

Dou

A Dou type martial artist uses his anger to exceed his limits.

Known Dou types include Ogata, Apachai and Sakaki.

Sei

A Sei type martial artist hides his intention to fight, then releases it quickly.

Attacks and techniques:

Soutenshu

An attack learned from Kensei Ma. You push away the attacks of the enemy, and when you get closer, push the enemy with both hands.

Details: You stand with your right foot front. As you make a circular movement with both your hands, you step with your left foot. Then (while stepping), you bring your hands to your right. You then push both your hands forward and hit the ground with your left foot at the same time. This move is seen in episode 32.

Seikouken

A defensive technique deployed by first fist Odin. It involves controling the entire radius within one's arm length, creating an impenetrable shield around oneself. In the anime Odin supplements this technique by releasing high amounts of ki, allowing him to confuse and scare his opponents, causing wayward attacks.

Yamatsuki

An attack learned from Shio Sakaki. You pretend to aim for the head with the your left fist, but when they try to block it, you hit them in the stomach with your right fist. This attack is forbidden in sport karate.

Details: Step in with your left foot, and pretend that your main attack is a punch to your opponent's head. When they block it, pull the fist back, and use that fluent motion to make a punch to the opponent's stomach with the opposite fist.

Kaoloi

A simple knee-dive to the opponent's head learned from Appachai.

Details: Grab the opponent by their neck or head. Then jump up and hit their face with your right knee. In the anime, this attack is said to be useful when the opponent is running towards you.

Kiokikidaoshi

A jujitsu attack learned from Akisame Kōetsuji. Grab the opponent's knee with both hands and lift it up, making the enemy fall.

Details: Shirahama uses this attack after a Ugyuhaitou, a punch in the stomach. While punching in the stomach with his right hand, he grabs the opponent's knee with his left. After that, he grabs it with his right too and he proceeds as above.

Sidestep

A technique taught by Fūrinji Miu. When an opponent attacks, you circle around his side, and appear behind him.

Details: When someone attacks with their right hand, put your right foot behind their left, with your two feet pointing towards each other. After that, follow up with your left foot, circle behind your opponent's left side and you appear behind the opponent. This can be followed by a throw; when behind the opponent's rear, hit their neck with your right arm, and put your right leg behind their legs. You should not even need to hit his neck that hard, he will lose his balance really quickly based on their speed.

Differences between the manga and anime

• There is a chapter where Kenichi's father visited him at the Ryōzanpaku Dojo, and after witnessing the actual training, tried to get Kenichi to return home. He brought along his new gun, which was secretly bought without his wife's knowledge.

• One of the chapters before Kenichi's showdown with Hermit showed that Akisame had brought Kenichi to train in the mountains to learn the art of strategy. However, at the end of the short arc, Kenichi showed that training can surpass even strategy.

• In the anime, Nījima started his offense to get Hermit to join the the Shinpaku Alliance when Kenichi went for his training with Hayate. However, in the manga, this event occurs before Kenichi fights Odin for the first time.

Anime

Episode list

Main article: List of Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi episodes

An anime adaptation of Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi, by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, first started airing in October of 2006. The total number of episodes is as of yet unknown.

Music themes

Opening themes
Title	Transcription/Translation	Artist	Episodes
Be Strong	n/a	Kana Yazumi	1-25
ヤッホー	Yahhō	Miho Morikawa	26-
Ending themes
Title	Transcription/Translation	Artist	Episodes
君がいるから	Kimi ga iru kara	Issei Eguchi	1-15
Catch Your Dream☆	n/a	Koike Joanna	16-25
Run Over	n/a	Koike Joanna	26-

External links

• Template:Ja Shōnen Sunday's official Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi page
• Template:Ja Official Kenichi anime site for TV-Tokyo
• Template:Ja Official Kenichi anime site for TMS
• Template:Ja episode list
• Template:Ja Official New White Union site
• Template:Ja Official Syun Matsuena site
• Template:Ja Official Capcom Video Game site
• Shijyou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Shijyou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia