Ri Boku

"If you were but a simple strategist, there would be no need to kill you. Of course, you are no mere strategist. Neither do I mind you declaring yourself to be a coward. That is not something which demonstrates the caliber of a man. Your claims having no desires is probably true. Normally, an entity of greed such myself would view people like you as nothing more than a piddling existence...Yet for some reason instead, I feel you project a fearsome greatness."

## Fighters States

### Role

[[File:Attacker
Planner icon.png|20px]] Attacker
Planner

## Voice Actor

### English Voice

Chris Hackney

**Ri Boku** (李(り)牧(ぼく), *Ri Boku*?) also known as **Li Mu** is a main character in the fan-made series **Universal Warriors**.

Ri Boku is a member of **Three Great Heavens** of Zhao and the leader of **Ri Boku Army**. Formely he also served as the Prime Minister of the State of **Zhao**.

## Personality

A humble and kind person to those around him, he neither cares for fame nor glory. He truly wants to live on a peaceful farm, start a family and spend his days without war and pain. He also does not mind physical labor, actually prefering that work, as seen during his tenure in Gan Mon, and later during his exile after the Coalition Army's defeat.

As a strategist though, he is shown to be ruthless to his enemies and willing to utilize so-called underhanded means for victory. He allowed and commended the idea of attacking Ou Ki from behind in his duel with Hou Ken, and was willing to betray Qin despite alliance after their gain the strategic region Sanyou after defeating the Wei forces led by Ren Pa; realizing leaving Sanyou to Qin would become a massive threat to Zhao and the rest of the Warring States.

One of his most characteristic traits is his loyalty to Zhao and drive to protect his homeland, even at the risk of his own life. Although he considers himself a coward, he is willing to put himself in harms way for the sake of fullfilling his duty.

## Character Design

A tall and handsome man, Ri Boku has a kind face and rugged body riddled by scars. He has long, light hair, tied into a high ponytail, blue eyes, and a small black goatee. He wears long blue robe with a fur collar and a white tunic underneath it.

## Abilities and Equipment

The man who surpassed Ou Ki as the strongest general of the time and the primary antagonist for Shin. He is considered Zhao's best Great Heaven and a commander of an unprecedented level. He is the only character in the series so far with maxed out knowledge of war, surpassing the likes of Ou Sen, Shou Hei Kun and Haku Ki in that aspect.

### Power and Abilities

#### Skills

* Physical Abilities: As proof of his battle experience, he was shown to have numerous scars on his body. It was stated by Shin and the generals who were present during his appearance at Kanyou that he has a terrifying and overwhelming martial presence that is a sign of living through a ridiculous number of battlefields as a warrior. It was later proven when Shin, who managed to kill Rin Ko, challenged him to a duel. Ri Boku easily kept up and even had the upper hand against Shin in their brief bout.

* Leadership: As a member of the second generation of Three Great Heavens, Ri Boku is a living symbol of the Zhao Military. It was noted that after his victory in the Battle of Bayou he became extremely popular amongst the common folk. The loyalty of his vassals runs so deep that many of them like Kaine  and Shin Sei Jou  are ready to sacrifice their lives for him. With a leadership stat of 99, Ri Boku ranks among the best leaders in the series.

* Tactical Abilities: Unlike most strategists, his plans and tactics are based on real experience as a soldier/officer in the front lines which makes them much more effective, allowing him to operate in almost all situations. In examples shown so far, his strategies seem to be focused on the situation before the battle begins. This was seen during the Coalition War when he devised a contingency plan for the worst scenario before fights even started. He deliberately chose for Zhao the battlefield closest to the southern path and was sending his men to the Bu Pass, a few thousand at a time. To send tens of thousands of troops to the southern path without anyone catching on would take numerous days, however since they were being sent from day one, Ri Boku quickly turn the tides after Ka Rin's plan failed.

Against Yan, he was able to move his HQ to the right of the Yan, giving him a significant advantage, while against Ou Ki, the misinformation and movement speed of his army was able to completely overcome The Monstrous Bird of Qin. Ri Boku's tactics were enough to defeat an army of 200,000 Xiongnu in a way that was later described as "completely one-sided slaughter" with only 130 000 men.

Ri Boku has a talent for being able to maneuver his own headquarters and troops in ways enemy generals do not expect often with devastating consequences. Utilizing his own talents he often methodically researches his opponent's strengths and military records to predict their actions. His two most notable achievements utilizing this skill has led to the defeat of Ou Ki and Geki Shin. Ri Boku's own analysis of war also allowed him to see through Shou Hei Kun's invasion of Wei as a potentially checkmating move, and thus, he deemed it necessary to form the Coalition Army in order to prevent that.

**Manipulation of Information**: Ri Boku is adept at manipulating information flow. During the battle of Bayou, he created information lock-down on Zhao's northern border that enabled him to hide his army and intrude into the battle from the side. In addition, he purposely leaked information that Hou Ken was a general in Zhao in order to lure Ou Ki into his trap. He also used a similar method as a key stratagem to form the coalition of armies that invaded Qin, hiding the alliance from Shou Hei Kun. Later during Qin's invasion of the Gyou region, he cut three Qin armies from any communication between each other as well as from the outside as part of his plan. He is also known to lie about never using his sword in battles, as in later situations the surprise of an attack by him in the flesh completely catches the enemy off guard, as seen when he ambushed the unprepared Ma Kou and beheaded him.

**Assassination Tactics**: Ri Boku is capable of personally leading a detachment of soldiers in order to hunt down and slay the commander of an army. It was a strategy originating from his and Kaine's days fighting off the overwhelming Xiongnu back in Ganmon. He waits for the right moment when enemies are vulnerable to completely surprise them thanks to the extraordinary speed of his cavalry. By using this tactic he was able to catch off guard and swiftly kill Ma Kou as well as numerous Xiongnu leaders during his time at Ganmon. Such a tactic enabled the Zhao forces to paralyze the Xiongnu due to their leaders fearing for their lives in the midst of battle.

**Architectural Skills**: Ri Boku also possesses amazing skills in building and modifying fortifications. After the battle for the Koku You Hills, he ordered the construction of several outposts in western Zhao creating an elaborate multi-layered defense that would take at least ten years to conquer which later forced Qin to make a risky and somewhat suicidal attack on Gyou. He also modified Retsubi as a way to be easily recaptured and upgraded Gyou to the point where it was considered by Ou Sen to be the perfect city that is impossible to take from the outside by force. This enabled him to cut off the enemy's supply line and turn the entire region into a deadly trap. Later it was revealed that Ri Boku planned and started the construction of a Great Wall south to Kantan that extends over a distance of 250 Li three years ago. By conecting the already existing castles in the region and stretching over mountains and rocks he was able to create a massive bulwark with tremendous defensive capabilities.

**Origin Tactics**: Ri Boku has demonstrated the ability to find the "origin" of the workings of armies on the battlefield. After his battle with Duke Hyou, he was able to deconstruct and decipher the mechanisms of how instinctual generals wage war. He then proceeded to hammer that knowledge into the strategical type soldiers under his command. Emerging from that crucible was a new army that combined the strengths of both the strategical and instinctual.

**Military Formations**: He is one of two known great generals who is able to perform highly the advanced defensive tactic known as Ryuudou. Its purpose is to use the flow of soldiers to split the attackers into smaller groups and drive them away from the HQ. The more the enemy tries to close in on the defender's HQ, the stronger the flow becomes. Usually, the commander needs a high vantage point to make this technique possible, but Ri Boku is able to see the entire field while at ground level and doesn't require the tower to use it. All the officers in his army are well educated in warfare and capable of quickly reading the enemy's moves and reacting accordingly even without Ri Boku's command. This was showcased when they created an iron wall defense with Halting Point Formation and other defensive field tactics or when they used Widened Arrow Formation to trap the pursuing Qin forces. When on the attack, the army can form a super offensive formation that utilizes "origin tactics" to make almost unstoppable advances. Ri Boku's knowledge of field tactics also allowed him to analyze Ou Sen's advanced defensive formation. Other strategists like Ou Hon and Chou Ga Ryuu couldn't grasp it, but Ri Boku was able to find its weakness after a brief observation which resulted in A Kou's defeat.

* Politics: As the prime minister of Zhao, Ri Boku is a talented politician and diplomat. After the Battle of Bayou, he made a temporary alliance with Qin that enabled him to invade Yan. He was also the man behind the creation of the Coalition Army convincing other states to fight together against Qin. In addition, Ri Boku kept good relations with the Quanrong tribe from Ryouyou, which enabled him to use them during Qin's invasion of the Gyou region. He was well liked and supported by many citizens and peoples of Zhao. Ironically, his relationship with the former king Tou Jou was so severely negative, he was treated as Ren Pa had been, with utter contempt.

## Story

### Original

In his youth, Ri Boku lost half his entire family through the strife of war. Consumed by a bottomless sense of rage, he lost further friends and family in an unknown war after goading his battalion into recklessly charging into the heart of the enemy army. While he succeeded in killing the enemy commander, he was the sole survivor. Sometime after surviving as the last remaining soldier of his unit, he was chased by enemy soldiers deep into a forested mountain. Half dead and delirious from exhaustion, he encountered the mysterious figure, Hou Ken. While the cloaked figure initially threatened him with death for crossing his path, he spared Ri Boku after learning that the latter had lost his will to live. Hou Ken then spoke of the gods, which he cryptically referred to as the *voices of the earth*, told him that he still has a role to play and would be his guide to the *answer* he sought. Later, Ri Boku wakes up and finds himself somehow to be healed of injuries and wonders to himself if that man he saw was even real. But upon seeing the number of corpses everywhere, which were his pursuers slain, he realizes that was no dream. Afterward, Ri Boku left and distanced himself from the Zhao military due to weariness from the constant battles and decided to investigate the mysterious tribe knows as Bushin. Upon meeting at least one of their number, who focused on meditating, Ri Boku would learn more about their history despite being treated with contempt as an outsider.

## Relationships

### Original

#### Family

* Unnamed Parents †
* Unnamed Brothers †
* Qi (cousin; †)

### Universal Warriors

* Main Characters
* The Another World

* Jennifer Amantea
* Natsu Dragneel
* Lucy Heartfilia
* Gray Fullbuster
* Erza Scarlet
* Wendy Marvell
* Aladdin
* Alibaba Saluja
* Morgiana
* Hakuryuu Ren
* Kouha Ren
* Sinbad
* Kougyoku Ren
* Gingka Hagane
* Kenta Yumiya
* Madoka Amano
* Yu Tendo
* Masamune Kadoya
* Benkei Hanawa
* Kyoya Tategami

* Rebecca Bluegarden
* Juvia Lockser
* Cana Alberona
* Mirajane Strauss
* Levy McGarden
* Zeref Dragneel
* Mard Geer Tartaros
* Seilah
* Sonya
* Animus
* Suzaku
* Elie
* Lucia Raregroove
* Weisz Steiner
* Homura Kōgetsu
* Sister Ivry
* Holy
* Eraser
* Feather
* Mashima Heroes
* Yoh Asakura
* Tao Ren
* Horokeu Usui
* Silva
* Hao Asakura
* Genjo Sanzo
* Snow
* Nanashi
* Sakura Li
* Kurogane
* Fai D. Fluorite
* Eren Yeager
* Mikasa Ackerman
* Annie Leonhart
* Reiner Braun
* Sasha Blouse
* Hange Zoë
* Zeke Yeager
* Pieck Finger
* Porco Galliard
* Colt Grice
* Yelena
* Cecily Fairchild
* Anavel Gato
* Aina Sahalin
* Gym Ghingham
* Cagalli Yula Athha
* Mu La Flaga
* Neil Dylandy
* Lyle Dylandy
* Allelujah Haptism
* Patrick Colasour
* Ali al-Saachez
* Full Frontal
* Akihiro Altland
* Gaelio Bauduin
* Zoltan Akkanen
* Lane Aim
* Suletta Mercury
* Guer Jeturk
* Elan Ceres
* Shaddiq Zenelli
* Yukimura Sanada
* Nobunaga Oda
* Ieyasu Tokugawa
* Shiemi Moriyama
* Shura Kirigakure
* Cheng-Long Liu
* Ri Shin
* Duke Hyou
* Ou Ki
* Ou Sen
* Kan Ki
* Ou Hon
* Mou Ten
* Ordo
* Ka Rin
* Kan Mei
* Slaine Troyard
* Elizabeth Liones
* Escanor
* Derieri
* Tristan Liones
* Ikoma
* Mumei
* Ayame Yomogawa
* Biba Amatori
* Meteora Österreich
* Vladilena Milizé
* Anju Emma
* Yuna Akashi
* Kazumi Asakura
* Yue Ayase
* Ako Izumi
* Akira Okouchi
* Misora Kasuga
* Makie Sasaki
* Chizuru Naba
* Haruna Mutsuishi
* Honoka Tsukii
* Chisa Akagawa
* Airi Eniwa
* Miharu Yomine
* Aya Kamuro
* Riko Hinakura
* Rinne Myojin
* Lü Bu
* Kojiro Sasaki
* Poseidon
* Raiden Tameemon
* Qin Shi Huang
* Tomoe Gozen
* Elizabeth Bathory
* Cleopatra
* Mata Hari
* Mary Read
* Musashi Miyamoto
* Kaolan Wongsawat
* Brunhilde
* Manjiro Sano
* Keisuke Baji
* Chifuyu Matsuno
* Kazutora Hanemiya
* Seishu Inui
* Hajime Kokonoi
* Meguru Bachira
* Hyoma Chigiri
* Haruka Sakura
* Hajime Umemiya
* Kyotaro Sugishita
* Hayato Suou
* Ren Kaji
* Naotora Takeda
* Tatsuomi Uesugi
* Tsubasa Tokugawa
* Soma Date
* Seiroku Inukawa
* Aijiro Inue
* Imari Inuyama
* Towa Higurashi
* Akira Renbokoji
* A-drei
* H-neun
* Gashin Tezuka
* Shion Shishibe
* Brad Watt
* Alexei Zelenoy
* Tokaku Azuma
* Ryoma Nagare
* Tetsuya Tsurugi
* Anya Alstreim
* Susumu Kodai
* Adeltrud Alter
* Atlee Ariel
* Zetsu Daidan
* Fine Forte
* Tughril Mahmut
* Lelederik of Ellvaldez
* Al-Kaplan Balaban
* Nancy Schaal Bancroft
* Daryun
* Shimon Ikaruga
* Noelle Silva
* Fena Houtman
* Alisha Diphda
* Adele von Ascham
* Mischa
* Tenma Tsukamoto
* Suou Pavlichenko
* Koumei Ren
* Lenalee Lee
* Kei Mizusawa
* Virgo Fudō
* Torque
* Mora Chester

## Trivia

* According to his Character Profile

* Ri Boku's favorite subject is history, while his least favorite subject is national language.
* His favorite food is and disliked food is .
* The person he respects or admire is Julieta Juris.
* The people he dislikes or fears is Haruchiyo Sanzu.

* Ri Boku is based on the famous historical general, Li Mu who was distantly related to the Qin general, Li Xin whom Ri Shin is based on despite the manga's differences of being a war orphan and the two presumably being unrelated to each other.
* Wikipedia lists him ("Li Mu") as one of the four generals "commonly known" as the greatest generals of the Warring States period. That's alongside Ou Sen ("Wang Jian"), Ren Pa ("Lian Po") and Haku Ki ("Bai Qi").
* He can crush rocks by pinching them.
* He is noted by multiple people to be smaller and shorter than they expected, including Qin court officials and Duke Hyou himself.
* In his youth, he had a best friend by the name of Yong Shan.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 168 Page 13
2. ↑ Chapter 550 Page 15
3. ↑ Chapter 172 Page 12
4. ↑ Chapter 176 Page 3
5. ↑ Chapter 260 Page 7
6. ↑ Chapter 267 Page 11
7. ↑ Chapter 176 Page 8
8. ↑ Chapter 583 Page 8
9. ↑ Chapter 351 Page 5
10. ↑ Chapter 321 Page 8
11. ↑ Chapter 161 Page 2
12. ↑ Chapter 155 Page 17
13. ↑ Chapter 159 Page 10
14. ↑ Chapter 270 Page 6
15. ↑ Chapter 159 Page 10
16. ↑ Chapter 531 Page 9
17. ↑ Chapter 495 Page 10
18. ↑ Chapter 511 Page 9
19. ↑ Chapter 512 Page 4-5
20. ↑ Chapter 702 Page 15-16
21. ↑ Chapter 606 Page 15
22. ↑ Chapter 322 Page 13
23. ↑ Chapter 634 Page 10
24. ↑ Chapter 177 Page 16
25. ↑ Chapter 269 Page 5