Mikazuchi Clan

*"We will not accept any cases related to political strife."*
— The creed of the Mikazuchi Clan
The **Mikazuchi Clan** (御雷一族 (みかずち いちぞく) , *Mikazuchi-ichizoku*) is very clandestine yet renowned family of assassins.

## About

Little is known about the Mikazuchi Clan or its inner workings, though they are a clan renowned for their speed. There are two reasons for the Mikazuchi's speed: the first is the Raishin Style's rite of succession which enables them to achieve a "state of oneness", in which the Mikazuchi apply a form of autosuggestion that unlocks the brain's muscular limiters, enabling them to unleash their full physical potential (much like the Kure's Removal). The second is that from the moment they learn how to walk they engage in drastic training in order to produce legs that specialised for running. The combination of autosuggestion and powerful legs enables the Mikazuchi to attain speeds that far exceed even the Kure Clan. Because of the great amount of strain these speeds place on the body, the Mikazuchi can only maintain these speeds for a split second.

## Raishin Style

The **Raishin Style** (雷心流 (らいしんりゅう) , *Raishin-ryū*; lit. "*Lightning Spirit Style*") is a mysterious and fearsome assassination fist that was secretly passed down through the Mikazuchi Clan for 1200 years. Apparently created by Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, the martial art focuses on its users becoming one with everything in order to achieve a state of oneness, thereby allowing its users to "become like lightning itself". Because of the unique physical constitution required to use the Raishin Style, it is a martial art that can only be used by those of Mikazuchi blood.

The style does not only focus on using weapons for assassinations but also extensively in hand-to-hand combat, making it an all-purpose style. Whether armed or unarmed, the Raishin Style focuses mainly on the utilisation of the clan's inherent superhuman speed. The Raishin Style also has many traits that are similar to Chinese martial arts; for example, in Mikazuchi Rei's fight against Saw Paing, Rei uses a technique similar in function to "fa jin: armor-piercing permeating force", a technique that delivers an impact that penetrates the exterior to reach the inside of the human body. The Raishin Style has a kata known as "Chi Molding", that helps to ease and clear the mind.

* Dream Walking explained
* Dream Walking
* Lightning Flash
* Lightning Flash
* Lightning Flash
* Sunfire
* Thunderclap
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### Dream Walking

**Dream Walking** (夢幻歩法 (むげん ほほう) , *Mugen Hohō*) is a method of footwork that uses irregular movement at ever-changing tempos to create multiple afterimages, confusing the opponent in order to finish them with **Lighting Flash**. This technique was created by Mikazuchi Sei, the 65th master of the Raishin Style.

### Lightning Flash

**Lightning Flash** (雷閃 (らいせん) , *Raisen*) is the fastest technique in the Raishin Style and the classical form of the Raishin Style. The user attacks with a supremely quick frontal strike, performed at such speed that the target barely has time to register what has happened before the effects of the strike knock them out. However, there are weaknesses in this technique:

1. The faster the user is, the more strain they put on their body; constantly using this technique causes moisture to evaporate from the user's body, making them unable to sweat properly and inducing involuntary shaking and blurred vision. In addition, the incredible forces produced by moving so fast can make the user's feet bleed.
2. Because the technique focuses on being as fast as possible, it is extremely linear. As a result, while difficult in practice, the technique can be easily countered if the opponent can read and predict it. But despite being a simple weakness, only Kuroki Gensai has been known to actually counter Lightning Strike in this manner.

### Sunfire

With **Sunfire** (陽炎 (かげろう) , *Kagerō*) the user attacks the opponent with fast but low damage strike with high-accuracy that targets the opponent's pressure points (especially their head) to damage the brain. By changing the form of each strike to suit its location, the user can inflict more deeper penetrating damage.

### Thunderclap

**Thunder Clap** (惨雷 (サンライ) , *Sanrai*) involves the user attacking the opponent's pressure point(s) with multiple fast, high-accuracy and ever-changing strikes.:

## Notable Members

### Other Members

**Mikazuchi Byo** (御雷 渺, *Mikazuchi Byō*; "*Byo Mikazuchi*"), also known as **The Lightning** (雷, *Kaminari*), is an assassin who hails from the Mikazuchi Clan, as well as Mikazuchi Rei's master.

**Mikazuchi Sei** (御雷 精, *Mikazuchi Sei*; "*Sei Mikazuchi*") was the 65th master of the Raishin Style.

## Etymology

* The surname **Mikazuchi** means "control, honorable" (御) (**mika**) and "thunder" (雷) (**zuchi**).
	+ **Mikazuchi** comes from the Japanese deity, Take**mikazuchi**-no-kami.

## Notes & Trivia

* It is said that those who master the Raishin Style gain the powers of the Lightning God.
* The Raishin Style has an abhorrent nature of finding itself siding with authority, yet has only taken the stage of history twice: the first was in the battle against the Mongols at Hakata Bay (in Bun'ei Year 11) and the second was in the fourth battle of Kawanakajima (in Eiroku Year 4) with the successor at the time having joined Uesugi's side.
* As competitors in the assassination business, they have a rivalry with the Kure Clan. Their rivalry goes way back, with the Mikazuchi's Raishin Style being used to stand against the Kure Clan for generations.
* The name of their clan comes from the Japanese mythological figure, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami.
* Though implied to be Rei's grandfather, it has yet to be stated outright as to who Mikazuchi Byo is to the current head of the Mikazuchi Clan.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 40
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 197
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chapter 89
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 148
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 151
6. ↑ Chapter 196
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 150
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 198
9. ↑ Chapter 199
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ch136`
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chapter 90
12. ↑ Mikazuchi Rei's profile