Yagyu Munenori

## Image Gallery

**Yagyu Munenori** (柳生 (やぎゅう)  宗矩 (むねのり) , *Yagyū Munenori*), also known as the "**The Peerless Swordsman**" (剣術無双, *Kenjutsu Musō*?Literal translation: *Peerless Swordsmanship*), is one of the fighters participating in the Tenkaichi tournament, representing Oda Nobutada.

## Appearance

Yagyu is a pretty-looking young man with thin sharp features, thin eyes with pale irises, long mostly dark hair with a single long white-coloured bang that falls over the right side of his face and a single crescent moon chain earring hanging from his left ear. He wears a white kimono with a dark haori over it and carries his sword by his left hip.

During his fight with William Adams, Yagyu wears a dark and heavily stylised kimono over a neatly woven compression-vest-like undergarment, dark hakama and an equally coloured haori over the top.

## Personality

He is an outwardly polite and discerning individual, though he has been seen to show notably visceral excitement in matters involving violence and fighting strength (such as when the Tenkaichi tournament was announced and when he met Honda Tadakatsu in person); the Buddhist monks Hozoin In'ei and Hozoin Inshun noted that beneath his serene persona was hidden a truly intense bloodlust.

In truth, as noted by Oda Nobutada, Yagyu is a natural-born killing machine with a deeply twisted and evil penchant for sadism, violence and toying with life. This proclivity for evil festered in Munenori from a young age and only worsened with his growing obsession over the mastery of swordsmanship; with his moral compass notably askew and his mind focused purely on swordsmanship, the young Munenori even saw nothing wrong with using a fellow Yagyu Shinkage-ryu student as a tool to practise with (and only seeing error in being unable to determine whether or not the student was still alive). His three years of blindfolded imprisonment only served to completely merge his immense talent for swordsmanship with his deeply evil disposition.

## History

Born 29 years prior to the beginning of the Tenkaichi to Yagyu Munetoshi, founder of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, his father held hope in Yagyu Munenori due to the boy's incredible talent for swordsmanship. On the day Munenori turned 12, his father and elder brother came across him while he was standing over the mutilated corpse of a fellow student. Munenori insouciantly explained that he had thought of a new sword technique and wished to test it on another swordsman but unintentionally killed the man when he failed to determine whether the man was still alive or not. Unnerved and exasperated by his son's actions and subsequent lack of awareness for what he'd done wrong, Munetoshi ordered for Munenori to be imprisoned and deprived of all freedoms.

From then, Munenori was bound and blindfolded within imprisonment with nothing in his life but darkness. On one occasion, while his elder brother delivered him food, Toshikatsu derisively mocked Munenori until the latter asked for forgiveness. Left incredulous by the statement, Toshikatsu was left in a state of unsettled shock when Munenori went on to say that he'd do a better job of killing the next time and asked for one more opportunity to kill to keep his technique from dulling. However, even while restrained within the darkness, Munenori was able to refine his killing techniques in his mind and continued to do so for three years of imprisonment.

Impressed by his younger brother's tenacity, Toshikatsu freed Munenori and threw him a sword, detailing what events were to occur that would lead to Munenori's death. Admitting he was once afraid of Munenori, Toshikatsu then scorned Munenori's current state. However, Munenori merely revealed he'd been practising *that* technique and had even thought of a new one. Making an initial attack with his sword, Munenori began to monologue to Toshikatsu as he sliced his terrified older brother up.

## Plot

Yagyu was first seen walking to a direct summons alongside Tokugawa Ieyasu where the latter warned of the Shogun's unpredictable nature. Once in the hall, Oda Nobunaga was introduced whereupon he announced his desire to name his successor via a tournament. Watching Shibata Katsuie be mercilessly maimed for voicing his concerns over having such a tournament, Yagyu excitedly told Ieyasu that blood would soon start flying again.

102 days later, on the day of the tournament, Yagyu encountered Ieyasu and Honda Tadakatsu inside the castle grounds. After greeting Ieyasu, Yagyu revealed he would be fighting for Oda Nobutada before excitedly sizing up Tadakatsu, eliciting a similar response from the man. Just then, a gong sounded and the Tenkaichi brackets were revealed!

Yagyu was seen commenting and analysing the events of the first match between Honda Tadakatsu and Miyamoto Musashi, while sitting next to his sponsor Oda Nobutada. He was among those surprised when the outcome arrived at Musashi attaining victory.

With the next fight between Toda Seigen and Fuma Kotaro being announced, Yagyu noted his anticipation after seeing Toda's inciting display and Fuma's large shuriken. After the fight was moved to the Forest of Bloody Battle, Yagyu continued with his analytical commentary of the fights, including his discernment of Toda's Byakuyagan ability.

With the close of the first day of the Tenkaichi, Yagyu was one of the fighters present in the banquet hall. While commotion between some of the other fighters was occurring, Ito Ittosai silently pointed his finger at Yagyu Munenori with the two swordsman simply staring each other down with darkly cordial and amiably violent expressions.
Not long later, Yagyu moved to leave and walked past a bored Mori Ranmaru while mentioning that he loved it, as usual. Mori bantered that it was indeed the way Yagyu liked it with Yagyu replying that some people just lived for the path of the sword and that they still had tomorrow. At that, Yagyu left.

At Oda Nobutada's quarters, the daimyo told Yagyu that it would be their turn tomorrow and his opponent was someone from a foreign nation of whom they had little information on. Yagyu merely responded that it wasn't much of an issue, with Nobutada saying he was the same as ever. Asking how the day's matches were, Yagyu informed Nobutada of his ecstasy observing the first two fights, finishing by saying that after seeing all that, he couldn't even finish eating. After being asked if the feast was not to his liking, Yagyu respectfully responded that it couldn't compare to the Tenkaichi, the ultimate feast! Chuckling, Nobutada confided in Yagyu his belief in the true purpose of the Tenkaichi and Yagyu accepted the task, assuring Nobutada that he would cut down any warrior who stood in the way of their victory.

On the second day of the Tenkaichi, Yagyu was introduced alongside his sponsor for the third match on board the Shogun's lavish boat, showing brief bother at the harsh sunlight. Nobutada told the samurai to use his bloodlust to retain the Oda's dominion and Yagyu contently agreed to do so. After William Adams entered, Yagyu commented on the Englishman's impressive balance with Nobutada in turn noting that Mohri Terumoto hadn't simply been eccentric when choosing his fighter. William stood before him (saying he had a feminine face) and offered Yagyu a handshake in acknowledgement of his fame, eliciting Yagyu to respond modestly whilst warning William to refrain from putting his hand in his striking range. With William retracting his hand, further complimenting Yagyu's status in Japan and noting his arousal, the Englishman brandished his dirk, exclaiming that he wanted to thoroughly rape Yagyu body and soul! Yagyu mused that William was like a demon who came to terrorise Japan and, while unsheathing his own sword in response, he finished that he in turn would drive William out of Japan! At that, Mori Ranmaru got the second fight underway!

The fight instantly got underway with William making dance-like movements around Yagyu. Composedly keeping his position, Yagyu began trying to decipher the objective of William's foreign movements, but reaffirmed that all he had to do was determine when William would strike. However, when a wave rocked the boat, causing Yagyu to lose balance, it allowed William to get behind him and land a glancing kick to Yagyu's cheek. With the boat rocking again, William leapt blade poised, but Yagyu stopped the Englishman's blade with his own, commenting it was no secret as to why the boat was chosen as the fighting grounds. With their blades locked, William mentioned that it was only the opening act and *now* came the Dirk Dance, relieving Yagyu who challenged that mere tricks wouldn't be satisfying enough. William wondered aloud whether samurai could even dance to begin with, but Yagyu retorted that naturally he had the skill for dancing. Pleased by the response, William said they should put on a show for the crowd, before launching into action and bringing the fight to his pace. Yagyu recognised what William was doing to take control, just as William landed a cut across his chest. With Yagyu continuing to being dominated and incurring another cut, William exclaimed and gloated over the samurai's seemingly lacklustre performance. With William still gloating, Yagyu suddenly chuckled and then voiced his appreciation of the Dirk Dance, before stating that William would now dance to *his* lead. With Yagyu immediately turning the tables and dominating, Yagyu briefly mused that William's technique was quite useful yet still so feeble, adding that he wouldn't let William lift a finger. Just then, as it began raining, Yagyu told William his rehearsals were now over before saying that he would lead the Englishman to hell.
Beginning his unresisted onslaught against William, Yagyu mused that it reminded him of when he carved away his older brother. Ramping up his salvo of slashes, Yagyu told William not to die on him (in English) until he made his death *good*; he then proceeded to use a forbidden Yagyu Shinkage-ryu technique upon William, savagely and mercilessly lacerating the Englishman. With William on the edge of death, Yagyu told him there was nothing left to carve away before brutally rending him into a bloody corpse. Sighing, Yagyu flicked the blood from his sword as Ranmaru announced him as the winner of the third match.

After his victory, Nobutada conceded that it was only the first step to an era of peace. Yagyu agreed, adding it was a hard-fought victory. From the side, Takuan Soho exclaimed his displeasure. Surprised, Yagyu mused that he didn't think Takuan would be the type to come and watch something like this. Takuan reasoned that the samurai could've ended the match much sooner before warning Yagyu not to let the demon inside him take over. In response, Yagyu said he'd happily become a demon if it meant mastering the sword, getting him bopped on the head by Takuan who chastised him for his attitude. With Nobutada teasing Yagyu for getting a bonked, Yagyu in turn baited Takuan.

At the Twin Dragon's Cage, the location for the subsequent Tenkaichi match, Yagyu was seated with Nobutada who mused on his father's eccentricities. Watching as Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami was introduced, Yagyu murmured to himself that the Sword Saint was a monstrous old man and maybe they'd see his true form; Yagyu also did not miss when Kamiizumi was instantly awakened by Hino Choko's arrival. With the match beginning, Yagyu once again analytically commented on the fight's events, including Kamiizumi's use of Muto-dori (even musing to himself that he was the only one who could defeat the Sword Saint). After Kamiizumi opened the Gate of Celestial Awakening and sent Choko flying, Munenori discerned the mechanism behind the technique and murmured to himself that he'd been waiting for Kamiizumi to reveal his true power.

## Powers & Abilities

Even before fighting himself, Yagyu Munenori was rumoured to be a favourite to win the entire Tenkaichi, being an extremely reputable swordsman; Mori Ranmaru noted that, as one who inherited the blood of the famed Sword Saint Yagyu Sekishusai, Yagyu is a natural warrior who was raised in an environment most conducive to nurturing his talents. He has shown natural versatility, enabling him to adapt to obstacles at a frightening speed (such as the rocking of a boat by the ocean's waves).

Yagyu has shown himself to be quite perceptive, able to quickly discern other fighting styles as well as the understand other fighter's abilities and techniques (such as when he was able to accurately theorise how Toda Seigen's Byakuyagan likely functioned). He also seems to possess a great depth of fighting knowledge, seen as when he recognises Miyamoto Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryu, even when everyone else was left incredulous by the boy's usage of two swords.

While imprisoned in his teenage years, Yagyu developed the ability to thoroughly and precisely repeatedly practise and thus refine his abilities and techniques within his own mind; this enabled him to maintain and even improve his technical skill even though he was blindfolded and restrained for three years. In his adult life, Munenori visualises fighting and killing strong, interesting opponents within his mind.

### Martial Arts

**Yagyu Shinkage-ryu** (柳生新陰 (しんかげ) 流, *Yagyū Shinkage-ryū*?Literal translation: *Yagyū New Shadow Style*): Inheriting the Shinkage-ryu of his father, and mastering the core of the style's techniques, Yagyu's swordsmanship is renowned for being the greatest in all of Japan, a sword master who is second to none. Even from a young age, he was said to have displayed extraordinary talent for swordsmanship, even being able to completely overwhelm and kill his sword-wielding older brother despite having been blindfolded and restrained for three years.

* **Forbidden Art: Unending Cycle** (禁伝 無 (む) 極 (きょく) 円還 (えんかん) , *Kin-den: Mukyokyu Enkan*?Literal translation: *Forbidden Way: Limitless Returning Circle*): A continuous and combined offensive/defensive technique based on the mawashi-uchi and kiri-age of Shinkage-ryu, Unending Cycle acts to completely control the target's actions (in a very similar fashion to William Adams' Dirk Dance), leaving the target left to struggle as if drowning. In addition, the technique causes constant intense pain, keeping the target fully conscious the entire time they are being sliced. Munenori used the technique to defeat and kill William Adams during his first Tenkaichi match.

## Notes & Trivia

* This character is based on the real life Yagyū Munenori.
* He is known by many epithets (besides "Peerless Swordsman"), including "**Phoenix of the Blade**" (刀術者の鳳 (オオトり) , *Katana Jutsu-sha no Ōtori*?Literal translation: *Fènghuáng Person of the Sword Arts*) and "**Master Across the Ages**" (古今独歩の達人, *Kokondokuho no Tatsujin*?Literal translation: *History's Unsurpassed Master*).
* Yagyu is the martial arts instructor for the Oda clan.
* His father and elder brother referred to him as "**Shinzaemon**" (新左衛門 (しんざえもん) , *Shinzaemon*) in his youth.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (page 8).
2. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (page 3).
3. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (page 58).
4. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (page 27).
5. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (page 59).
6. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 14 (pages 13-14).
7. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 15 (page 24).
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (page 4).
9. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (page 7).
10. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 19-20).
11. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 4-7).
12. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 8-13).
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 16-21).
14. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 13 (page 22).
15. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 14 (page 44).
16. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 9 (page 40).
17. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 4 (page 8).
18. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 11-12).
19. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 17-21).
20. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 31-36).
21. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (pages 64-65).
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 14 (page 11).
23. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 25-27).
24. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (page 29).
25. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (page 30).
26. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 16 (pages 5-).