Lightsaber Styles

## Overview

For as long as the Jedi have been around there have been multiple fighting styles to combat different foes, to access places with flair, or to simply use as a meditation element.

After the fall of the Jedi Order in the Age of the Galactic Republic, Lightsaber forms lost their significance. Instead Jedi introduce their own unique variations through the times between the Jedi Order and the fall of the First Order. After the destruction of the First Order, with the introduction of Rey's Jedi Order, Lightsaber forms once again became mandatory, although new variations were added to the roster's training. As such modification on forms such as Form II: Makashi, became new forms such as Form IX: Forrean.

### **Form I: Shii-Cho**

The most basic Lightsaber form, this offers offensive, defensive, force-used, and counter forms at the equal display. This form specializes in engaging multiple enemies with wide sweeping blows. This leaves this form open to much more precise strikes because the swings are much slower than most other forms. Similar to Form IV, Shii-Cho relies on heavy but decisive strikes.

#### Shu-Chun

One of the many variations of Form I, that found presidence in Luke's Jedi Order. This alteration relied on shifting tempos of strikes, separating the movesets of Shii-Cho into three distinctive tempos. Conservation focused on heavy swings and simple blocking to, as the name suggest, conserve energy while waiting for an opening. Quick form utilized less accurate movements to harass the enemy. Shu was somewhere in between them both, using a localized distance and strike-zone Shu is able to rapidly parry a counter.

### **Form II: Makashi**

Focused specifically on saber-to-saber combat, Form II is the most dueling-centric of the forms. This form serves as a perfect counter to Form I. This style uses accurate and precise strikes while focusing on protecting one’s weapon from disarmament. Fluid and anticipated motions are required in this form, where timing accuracy and skill rather than strength prevail. Because of the focus on fluid (usually) one-handed motions, most wielders have specialised blade hilts. Makashi focuses almost all of their stamina and force energy into make clean quick strikes, leaving little room for force based attacks. As such, it leaves them open to force abilities.

### **Form III: Soresu**

Mainly constructed to fight blaster-wielding opponents, this style is the most defensive. This form utilizes tight moves and subtitles movements with short sweeps to provide maximum defensive coverage leaving the duelist less exposed to the range or close-range fire. All motions occur very close to the body to expend as little energy as possible. However, this form has almost no offensive force and relays on countering and opening to damage an enemy in a duel. This form focusses on the conservation of energy, with such short movements, as such this form can outlast most forms in prolonged combat. Soresu masters are few, but anyone who can master Soresu is famed for their impregnable saber-defense.

### **Form IV: Ataru**

An Aggressive combat style using power, strength, and speed, practitioners of this form were always on the offensive, attacking with wide, fast, and powerful swings. Constantly using force-aided movement in their attacks, they could overcome physical limitations. Those who specialize in this can use smooth transitions in blouse and move at high speeds. This Form looks to combat its lack of countering moves with its speed and footwork. Atarus is known for its heavy (considered clumsy) strikes and precision follow-through moves. The point of this form is to attack so often that the enemy does not have a chance to strike. This form tired easily and was extremely susceptible to both blaster and precision strikes.

### **Form V: Shien /Djem So**

 A more offensive and stationary form. This was an adaption of Form III combining the close-range defensive maneuvers with strong attacks to limit prolonged encounters. This form requires a higher degree of physical strength than most others.

#### **Shien**

This form protected against enemy blaster fire without compromising one’s ability to launch powerful counter-attacks. With its focus against blaster fire. It lacked effectiveness against single opponents and Omni-directional countering. Shien practitioners were known to favor or at least regularly utilize reversed hand grips. This form required specific directional fighting.

#### **Djem So**

This variant-form favored lightsaber dueling. Utilizing mostly blocks and parries, Djem So focused on defense against both ranged and melee attacks while not being able to counter as gracefully as Form III. This form used sheer brute strength and wide powerful strikes and parries to knock an opponent back throwing them off balance, as such it utilized counter-strikes and an understanding of enemy fighting styles. Force attacks were used mostly to counter this form.

### **Form VI: Niman**

 This technique was aimed to balance all elements of lightsaber combat but focuses more on force ability. Utilizing close-ranged defensive techniques to blaster and lightsaber combat the user could keep their body safe while using the force to create a ‘ranged attack’. This form dealt a lot with sweeping offensive strikes and close defensive parries making it an excellent choice for duel sabre wielders. As such, this form didn't have a singular countered-form; prolonged fights were considered the best to fight this form.

### **Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad**

The most vicious of lightsaber combat, this maintains to be one of the two hardest lightsaber styles created. Heavily focused on offensive combat, this form lead with open kinetic attacks while using force abilities to counter the opponent's attacks. Kinetic energy from defensive attacks is turned into large sweeping counter-attacks re-utilizing that kinetic energy from the blows. Looking to annihilate the enemy before prolonged combat. This form specializes in a simple type of combat; simple quick strikes grow into larger heavy strikes, each attack carries momentum with it adding exponentially to the next. This form was difficult to counter, distance is the best rule of combat against Form VII.

### **Form VIII: Sho-Shi**

Utilizing additional space between combatants, Form VIII was an ancient style of combat generalized around gaining ground and harassing strikes. Small quick strikes usually at blade-tip. It was created by the Jedi who did not favor combat and instead were focussed on escaping an enemy. Force attacks were centered around protection while the blade was used to counter and strike. If forced into combat, this form used repeated light strikes to preserve against the enemy while waiting for a an opening for a final blow. Most practitioners of this form use lightsaber pikes or double-bladed sabers. Forms such as Niman, or Djem So were good at countering this because of their ability to keep up or reach the Sho-Shi user.

### **From IX: Forrean**

A derivative form of Makashi, Forrean used parries with blade at full length to scan for flaws in the enemy attack. The form focused on keeping the opponent within maximum lightsaber range, and utilised precise countering strikes, or wide sweeps for defensive measures. Unlike Form II, Forrean was centred around disarmament and execution, as well reserved footwork. This was weak to forms such as Soresu if they had no openings, or forced based forms who gained distance.

### **Form X: Tel’Arath**

Force Attacks and mobile strikes make up the majority of Form X. Derived from form VII, VI, and IV into one, Form X is an offensive based combat form. This form uses quick reactions to fight, the lightsaber usually remains at the side or rear using footwork to counter or sweeping strikes, waiting for an opening before using forced-based-movements to strike. The practitioner's blade remains in motion but not always striking to keep continuous momentum so when the opening presents itself the strike is difficult to block or counter.

### **Form XI: Jet’Nar**

This combat style almost exclusively requires a two blades for dual combat. The style uses single hand motions to attack, so the strikes remain light, and a hand in reserve in case of attacks so they can quickly react and change their blade's direction. In groups, this form uses wide sweeping near-360 attacks, in singular combat, the off-hand sabre of dual wielding is always following on the opposite angle of the attacking hand.

### Form XII: Innot'Szure

A lightsaber form unique to the New Jedi Order, it is considered a derivative of Form VII Juyo and Form III. The form uses the tempo and footwork attributed to Form VII and the blade precision of Form III. Sometimes referred to as the "Grievous Harm" form, practitioners at all stages are noted to have an equal chance of harming themselves as well as their opponents. This form is considered unique because it reverses the idea of Juyo's tempo. Accelerating swings are used for defensive parries, attempting to stagger or weaker the opponents stamina, slower precise swings are used on the offensive conserving energy on the strike. This form uses the interactions between lightsabers to calculate their attacks, making it especially well suited against other lightsaber-wielding enemies.