Sabi Hakuhei

==Summary==
Sabi Hakuhei is a wandering swordsman, and a former servant of the ruling Shogunate, who betrayed them and set off on his own after obtaining Hakutō Hari, one of the twelve Deviant Blades. Renowned as the most powerful warrior in Japan, he is the fourth opponent Shichika Yasuri faces in his quest to recover the twelve blades.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: | 
Key: Restricted | Full Power
Name: Sabi Hakuhei, The Holy Swordsman, Japan's Strongest
Origin: Katanagatari
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Classification: Swordsman, Wielder of Hakutō Hari, former Servant of the Shogunate, Perfect Swordsman
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Genius Intelligence, Can perfectly wield any object as a sword, Can alter the length of his sword, Can perfectly control every movement his body makes down to the smallest detail, Speed Amplification, possible Illusion Creation and Afterimage Creation, Social Influencing (anyone who hears him say his catchphrase immediately thinks he's cool, and is compelled to express it. He is also charming and charismatic enough to obtain information everywhere he goes), Can produce bladed shockwaves of air, Resistance to Precognition, possible resistance to Empathic Manipulation (Togame considered the possibility that he was never affected by Hakutō Hari's manipulations), possibly more (As the Perfect Swordsman, he has been implied to be able to replicate and/or counter the abilities of any wielder)
Attack Potency: City Block level (Shattered Ganryuu Island in his battle with Shichika, generating this much energy) | Mountain level (Despite Shichika nearly losing his life several times, and being pushed to the limits of his abilities during their fight, Hakuhei never revealed more than a fraction of his true power. Shichika didn't truly win, he only managed not to lose, though Shichika later claimed that his options were limited to avoid breaking Hakutō Hari. Stated by Togame to be the most powerful warrior she knows, which would include Hōō Maniwa. The title of "Japan's Strongest" was given to him by Princess Hitei, implying that he is superior to Emonzaemon Sōda. Stated to be able to easily kill any Deviant Blade wielder with a mundane weapon. Is the culmination of the Hakuhei bloodline, which are implied to exist as a counter to the Yasuris, meaning he may be comparable, though ultimately inferior, to Shichika as a Completed Deviant Blade)
Speed: At least Supersonic (His footwork techniques made him even faster than Shichika's use of Iris)
Lifting Strength: Likely Superhuman (Should be comparable to Shichika. Sent a full-grown man flying through the air by gently batting him with an umbrella)
Striking Strength: City Block level | Mountain level
Durability: City Block level | Mountain level
Stamina: Likely very high (Fought an intense battle against Shichika with no visible effort)
Range: Extended melee range with Hakutō Hari, far higher with shockwaves, and far higher, possibly Interplanetary with Hakutou Kaigan (He was theorized to be able to split the Moon or even the Sun in half from Earth)
Standard Equipment:
*Hakutō Hari: Like the other Deviant Blades, Hakutō Hari was forged using a combination of centuries-old blacksmithing techniques, alchemical research, occult rituals, and even scientific methods far ahead of the series's timespan, making use of Shikizaki Kiki's soothsaying abilities. Hakutō Hari's focus is "lightness", and consists of a long, curved blade made of an extremely thin, mystical material resembling blue glass. The blade can be swung entirely without resistance, as though the wielder is holding nothing at all, but is so incredibly fickle that making even the slightest accidental movement while it is unsheathed will shatter it.
Intelligence: Genius (From the beginning of his career, was regarded as the most powerful and skilled warrior in all of Japan, if not all of history. It is said that he can surpass the deadliness of any Deviant Blade wielder regardless of the sword he carries, and in fact killed the previous bearer of Hakutō Hari in record time. Stated to be superior to mid-series Shichika in skill and Tagome in tactical ability, only losing to them because he willingly restrained his power for unknown reasons. Has mastered the use of Hakutō Hari, a blade so fragile that every movement its wielder makes must be absolutely perfect down to the smallest detail or it will shatter. Managed to deduce that Shikizaki Kiki was the creator of Kyotōryū, and that the Deviant Blades weren't his true end goal. His family is implied to exist as a counter to the Yasuris, complete with a counterpart to Kyōtōryū that was tested by Shikizaki Kiki as a possible form of Completeness. The Hakuheis can use any object as a sword and master their use instantly, making them the opposite of the Yasuris who use themselves as swords and cannot wield a weapon. Ultimately, however, while he was a perfect swordman, Shichika surpassed him by becoming a Complete swordsman)
Weaknesses: Is very old-fashioned, never refusing to challenge an honorable opponent, against whom he will hold back nearly all of his power even if it kills him. Making even the slightest wrong movement with Hakutō Hari unsheathed will cause it to shatter, though his skill and body control normally negate this.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
* Shockwaves: Hakuhei is able to swing a weapon in such a way that by passing through the air with zero resistance, it can produce incredibly sharp shockwaves of air that travel great distances at incredible speed. Hakuhei can even send these shockwaves behind him with the slightest twitch of his sword.
*Bakushukuchi: (Explode Contract Ground) A movement technique used at the start of a battle to increase his speed and kill the opponent before they can react. Noted by Shichika to be a more flexible form of footwork than his own Kyotoryuu: Iris.
*Gyakuten Muzai: A technique in which Hakuhei attacks with the sword and sheath together. It was by learning this technique that he gained the title of "Holy Swordsman".
*Sokuchiken: (Fast Slow Sword) A technique that allows Hakuhei to freely change the length of his sword, making it impossible even for Shichika's precognition to predict the range or timing of his swings. This ability is explicitly not an attribute of Hakutō Hari, as he could use this technique with any sword.
*Hakutou Kaigan: Described as Hakuhei's "true masterpiece", a secret technique only made possible by the unique attributes of Hakutō Hari, which Shichika called "the true horror of a swordsman". Implied to consist of Sokuchiken being used in conjunction with Hakutō Hari's lightness to maximize his potential range while still being light enough to wield with precision. It is rumored that with this ability Hakuhei could potentially slice the moon or the sun in half. While Hakuhei's version is never witnessed onscreen, a far inferior user's version consisted of him blurring out of sight, then reappearing above the opponent's head and swinging downwards, though he failed to inflict any damage on Shichika due to lacking both Sokuchiken and Sabi Hakuhei's perfect movements.
Note: The primary attribute of Sabi Hakuhei within the Katanagatari franchise is the fact that, for the sake of comedy, he is constantly built up as the most impressive and awe-inspiring character in the series, but his fights are never shown visibly. This is done via having his fights always occur offscreen, or from the perspective of normal humans who can't perceive the speed of his movements, with the descriptions of the event happening afterwards. As such, all we know of his abilities comes from secondhand descriptions and the brief glimpses we get of his fight with Shichika in the end credits of Episode 3.
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
Category:Katanagatari
Category:Metal Users
Category:Sword Users
Category:Honorable Characters
Category:Characters
Category:Light Novel Characters
Category:Anime Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Statistics Amplification Users
Category:Body Control Users
Category:Shockwave Users
Category:Durability Negation Users