Kappa-ryu

Kappa-ryu
Statistics
Japanese Name:	河童流
Romanized Name:	Kappa-ryū
Official English Name:	Kappa Style
Debut:	Chapter 948; Episode 948
User(s):	Kawamatsu
Fighting Style Focus:	Sword

Kappa-ryu is a swordsmanship style developed by the fish-man samurai Kawamatsu. As noted by Raizo and Kikunojo, this style is Kawamatsu's signature fighting style.

Overview

According to Kawamatsu, fighting against the Kappa-ryu is like trying to swim against raging waters which makes full use of his fish-man strength to inflict powerful blows. When wielding his Soto Muso, Kawamatsu was able to blow away several men charging against him, taking them down with a single blow.

Techniques

• Menamu-gawa (滅南無川（めなむがわ）, Menamu-gawa^?, literally meaning "Destructive Hailing River): Kawamatsu lunges toward his opponents and quickly cuts them down. In the anime, he spins rapidly while charging towards his opponents, creating a small but potent horizontal whirlwind around himself while cutting them. It was first used against several Beasts Pirates guards in the Prisoner Mine. Namu (南無, Namu^?) is a transliteration of Sanskrit नमस् (námas, literally "to bow") and it is used in Buddhist salutations or expressions of faith. In the VIZ manga, this is called River of Retribution.
• Yorikiri (寄り斬り, Yorikiri^?, literally meaning "Frontal Force Out Cutter"): Kawamatsu performs a slash and sends opponents flying away through sheer force. It was first used against several Beasts Pirates guards in the Prisoner Mine.
• Amano-gawa (海野川, Amano-gawa^?): Kawamatsu jumps above his opponent, holding the blade behind him, then releases a powerful frontward flying slash attack that expands in a circle-shaped pattern horizontally. It was first used against Kaidou. This is called River of Sea in the Viz Manga.

Trivia

• Kawamatsu named this swordsmanship style after the mythological Kappa.