Genkai Tournament

The Genkai Tournament (幻海の大会, Genkai no Taikai) (aka Disciple Selection Trials), was a martial arts competition held at Genkai's private estate and is the setting for chapters 25 to 31 in the manga, and episodes 9 to 13 in the anime during the Spirit Detective Saga.

Battles[]

Tournament workings[]

The succession trials were announced by word of mouth to martial artists and spiritual practitioners, thanks to Genkai's fame. Participants must show up on the tournament's event date.

Upon an open period of gathering and a final confirmation to leave out stragglers and those with other paths needed to walk in life, all initial participants are put through a first test of receiving a paper lot. Though seeming to be but luck to decide the winners, the papers are in fact made of Spirit Energy receptive from special trees and holy water that makes the papers turn red when one with a sufficient amount of Spirit Energy makes contact with it. All of those whose papers are red have passed, those whose papers have not turned red are disqualified and are encouraged to leave immediately.

The second test takes place in Genkai's home arcade center, where all participants are strictly allowed to only play with three games: a test your strength punching game, a rock-paper-scissors game, and a karaoke machine game. Like the lots, these machines have been specially tuned to gauge spirit power stats and parameters of the participants: the punching game measures one's spiritual strength, the rock-paper-scissors game tests one's spiritual awareness and sixth sense, and last but not least the karaoke machine measures one's spiritual adaptiveness and growth. The second test itself appears to be one of a few major bottlenecks, as it is demanded that all participants must have agreeable spiritual statistics at that time, while those without exceptional spiritual parameters are disqualified and are to leave immediately.

The third test takes place in the woods of Genkai's estate. All participants then must enter and cross the forest to reach a large tree atop a large hill. The test is easier said than done, and is where the difficulty and danger begins to ramp up: the forest itself is an ancient and somewhat demonic place, where its inhabitants will not hesitate to attack and trap any who trespass into its confines. Those who are spiritually inclined but without strong fighting drive tend to be overwhelmed by its deafening and utterly imposing presence, running home scared, and Genkai herself does not blame them, as their subconscious fears are very right sensing what lurks within. There is no right way to get to the hill, but the forest is treacherous and doesn't hesitate to prey upon the unsuspecting. Many of its threats include snakes that actively drop upon victims, living vines, packs of viciously ill tempered wolves, and for those who make a straight line for the tree, the bat demon Baldok awaits to hunt those who run head on. Fortunately, Genkai is also in charge of the demons within who only act as unofficial security for her estate, ensuring the worse they do is to just injure competitors, and upon the end of the trial, will release and heal those who have fallen victim to the forest.

The fourth test however, is where all must cross the line, and those who cannot are emphasized of the fact that they must leave immediately. Set within a large, dark compound on her estate, all remaining challengers must fight to their last, be it their last legs or their last breath. Genkai does not care if this means to knock out or to kill one's opponent, and all must fight within the darkness, and with any means at their disposal necessary. Though somewhat cruel and merciless, the tournament is meant to be the crucible to test all competitors if they know the more brutal and harder truths of the martial arts, including how not all challengers wish to fight fair, that the martial arts have always been about confronting the dangers of death, the unknown, and the unreasonably violent, and that you cannot enter into such a world of carnage merely believing martial arts is always majestic and valiant; if showy and flashy, and even exaggerated. These are examples of triumphant battle, with its darkness the clear metaphor of the proverbial darkness all must face as a martial artist.

For those who have overcome and survived, the fifth test is another tournament with the last remaining competitors, but at a different location with a different purpose. Moving the venue atop the mountains of her estate, Genkai's last test is set at a vast, swampy meadow outcropping. To the naked eye, it is but a natural feature on her estate, but to those who know and who have spiritual awareness, the location is a lot more storied and gruesome. The meadow was in fact once a battlefield where in times of the samurai, a large, brutal and savage battle once took place, and those who fell in battle still remain as ghosts and earthbound souls stuck in the mortal world. Due to these factors, this makes the area one of the most potent wellsprings of spiritual energy in the world. Those with great spiritual awareness may not like what they may be forced to see, as mangled and ghoulish figures of samurai ghosts who have died in battle haunt the area, although harmlessly, while those who have developed and attained great spiritual powers are boosted and enhanced by this large continual presence of spiritual energy. As such, battle here is meant for all of the participants to showcase everything they've got to their souls. The last one standing, be it by triumph of might, skill, or even luck, decides the true successor of Genkai's legacy and even estate, if possible.

Gallery[]

Prize[]

The winner of the tournament is deemed to be Genkai's successor, and as such, will be taught how to use her signature attack; the Spirit Wave technique (Reikō Hadō Ken or Spirit Light Wave Fist in the original Japanese version).