Prelude: Hakumen vs Darth Vader

The source for Hakumen’s info can be found here.

The White Susanoo. The Ancient Hero. The Silver Knight. Hakumen is renowned across the world as a heroic icon, praised for his exploits in saving mankind from the Black Beast, yet few people know much- if anything- of his past.

Before becoming the hero of legend, Hakumen was known as Jin Kisaragi, a major of the world government known as the Novus Orbus Librarium. After graduating at the top of his class in the military academy, he was offered a position as the 4th Thaumaturgist Squadron of the NOL’s Praetorian Guard, and as an added bonus, he discovered that his secretary was his childhood friend and crush, Tsubaki Yayoi. Things seemed to be going pretty well for Jin, but this would soon change upon hearing that his brother, Ragna the Bloodedge, had been spotted in the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. With his signature weapon, the Mucro Algescro: Yukianesa, corrupting his mind, Jin abandoned his post and began pursuing him in a fit of rage.

Upon realizing that Jin had gone AWOL, Tsubaki followed him in an attempt to convince him to come back. Unfortunately for her, Yukianesa’s influence was still corrupting his mind, causing Jin to slap her and leave for the lower levels of Kagutsuchi’s NOL branch to search for Ragna.

Once he’d located his older brother, Jin began to fight him, but Ragna eventually managed to overpower him and knock him out. Shortly after, Jin woke up to find Tsubaki near him and watched as Ragna fought Nu-13, a psychotic girl that resembled their younger sister. After watching Ragna lose, Jin pushed Tsubaki off of him, screaming that he didn’t need her as he attempted to confront Nu. Nu attempted to stab him, but Tsubaki leapt in front of him and suffered a fatal injury.

The sight of this caused Jin’s sanity to return, and he desperately began trying to heal Tsubaki. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, and she soon died in his arms. To make matters worse, Nu-13 had jumped into a nearby Cauldron, taking Ragna with her into the Boundary. With his mind clouded by rage, Jin leapt after them, intent on making Nu pay with her life.

After falling through the Boundary, and seemingly unaffected by its soul-destroying effects, Jin found himself laying on a hillside under the moonlight. His body was covered in injuries, his memories had been stripped from him by the Boundary, and it seemed that he was going to die any second. At least until he was discovered by Rachel Alucard, a vampire who offered him a second chance at life and the opportunity to become a true hero.

Jin accepted her offer, and after spending a week recovering his strength, During this time, he would discover that his trip through the Boundary had sent him an entire century into the past. This was shortly before a creature known as the Black Beast would appear, which would hunt humanity to the brink of extinction.

With help from Rachel and her father, Clavis, Jin would be led to the Alucard Castle’s basement. Upon entering, he would be shown the Susanoo Unit, an ancient artifact that was one of the three Sankishin, godlike “Units” that each possess power over time. Clavis offered to let him use it, but Rachel warned Jin that using it would require that he relinquish his humanity. For Jin, there was no question; either he’d live and be unable to fight, or he could live only to fight. By donning the armor, his soul would merge with it, and he would become someone else… No, something else.

Hakumen.

Anyway, with this new body, Hakumen set out on a quest to slay the Black Beast, and along the way, he would meet five other warriors with the same mission. With the help of a mysterious warrior called Bloodedge, who would hold off the Black Beast for a year; one of the Six Heroes, Nine, would devise a possible way to defeat the Beast. By combining science with magic, she would create a new form of energy known as Ars Magus and begin teaching it to humanity.

With this new energy, Nine would rally together the armies of the world; her fellow mages in Ishana; and the strongest Ars Magus candidates to power Take-Mikazuchi, a massive living satellite that blew the Black Beast to kingdom come. 

With the Beast defeated, it began to shrink in size, slowly reverting into a familiar form: Ragna, who had survived his trip through the Cauldron. As he stared down pitifully at the man who had once been his brother, Hakumen raised his sword and brought it down on Ragna’s head, ending the life of the former Black Beast.

Despite this victory, life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows after the Dark War. One of the Six Heroes, Yuki Terumi, would later betray the other members, killing Nine and the alchemist Trinity Glassfille. Hakumen and Jubei would then confront Terumi, but he proved too powerful for them to defeat, so Hakumen chose to sacrifice himself, allowing Jubei to seal him and Terumi in the Boundary.

Unfortunately for Hakumen, this wouldn’t be where his story ended, as 90 years later he’d be pulled out of the Boundary by Kokonoe, the daughter of Jubei and Nine. During this retrieval process, Hakumen would meet with Jubei, who would inform him that Terumi had escaped the Boundary and continued wreaking havoc.

After being informed of this, the retrieval process would suffer several errors before eventually stabilizing. Once it had, Hakumen made his way toward the NOL branch in Kagutsuchi and fought Ragna, ultimately defeating him. Wanting to prevent history from repeating itself, Hakumen prepared to deliver the killing blow, but he would be stopped by Kokonoe’s attempt at teleporting Hakumen away with Phenomenon Intervention. Surprisingly, Hakumen would will himself back into existence and continue their fight, only to be defeated once Ragna activated his Azure Grimoire. Now too weak to resist, Kokonoe teleported him back to Sector Seven’s headquarters and locked him in the organization’s basement until she’d have no use for him.

Sometime after this, Rachel would free him from his shackles, intending to use his power to help deal with Terumi. After taking up his sword, Hakumen would slice through the organization’s blast doors and eventually escape, continuing his quest to destroy all evil in the world.

Hakumen wields the Susanoo Unit, a suit of armor that houses his soul. With it, he’s granted nigh-limitless stamina, an immunity to time manipulation, and the ability to slice through time; which allows him to witness events in other timelines without the risk of a paradox. Its hide is nearly indestructible, and on the off chance that it does receive damage, it can quickly regenerate. As a plus, it also gives him an immunity to seithr, a radioactive element that can cause the body to deteriorate. And its… really freaky eyes function as actual eyes. He can even see through illusions!

It also has the ability to produce magatama, a source of energy that lets Hakumen perform his special attacks and recharges over time.

But armor’s not all that Hakumen’s got on him. He also wields the Interfectum Malus: Ookami. This nearly seven-foot tall ōdachi is a Nox Nyctores Causality Weapon, one of eleven weapons forged to kill the Black Beast. This one in particular was created specifically for him, as it has the ability to slash through time and other dimensions. It can also negate Ars Magus, is said to have holy properties, and can bypass healing abilities by scarring the soul. And while Nox Nyctores usually carry the burden of attempting to remove its user’s emotions, Hakumen’s willpower is strong enough that this isn’t an issue.

Hakumen uses each of these weapons in his defensive fighting style, which involves using Zanshin to create shield-like sigils. With these, he can block attacks and counter his opponent’s mistakes. He can also passively counter projectiles by using Fūmajin to turn them into voids when they touch Ookami.

Aside from these, Hakumen’s other techniques require the use of magatama. He can dash forward and slam into the opponent with Guren; move from one end of the screen to another with Kishū, which can be canceled into an uppercut called Enma; launch people through the air with Renka; or perform a two-slash combo with Zantetsu. And should he find himself dealing with an aerial opponent, he can use Hotaru to deliver an ascending dive kick or slam them into the ground with Tsubaki and Agito.

Like any fighting game character, Hakumen also comes with his fair share of super moves. With Kishin, Hakumen gets a temporary boost in strength that doubles the generation of his magatama, with its duration based on how low Haku’s health is. He can create a massive projectile with Empty Sky Form: Summer’s Advance, briefly give himself infinite magatama with Empty Sky Form Forbidden Art: Dream State, and deliver a counter quickdraw slash with Empty Sky Form: Winter’s Riposte; which as a bonus, also lets him slice through illusions. And by using Empty Sky Form Forbidden Art: Heavenfall, he’ll deliver two kicks and smash his opponent into the ground with an overhead strike.

Should his opponent’s time draw short, Hakumen can finish them off by using Empty Sky Form Forbidden Art: Perish Evil, where he puts up a shield to block any of your attacks and if you hit him, he’ll counter by doing this:

If you thought that was where Hakumen’s abilities end, oh, how wrong you are. In addition to the above, he also comes with two other techniques. Empty Sky Form: Demonslayer was created to destroy evil, and it was originally meant to be used to kill Terumi, but he was forced to use it during a fight with Arakune. And we never get to see it in action since Arakune fled before Hakumen could use it, so… yeah.

But aside from that disappointing move, there’s Hakumen’s ultimate technique: Empty Sky Form: Time Killer!  With this, he channels his energy into a single strike that strips a target of their remaining time in the world and instantly kills them. It can even affect beings that would otherwise be immortal.

With powers like these, it’s no wonder Hakumen’s one of the strongest warriors on the planet. Even when stripped to 20% of his power, he’s still strong enough to force Ragna to tap into his full power, which makes him comparable to the planet-destroying Black Beast. He’s fought Jin to a draw; fought Azrael, one of the most dangerous criminals in the world, on an even keel; briefly held off Mu-12, a Murakumo Unit who was created to kill gods; and is strong enough that Valkenhayn, a former assassin and fellow member of the Six Heroes, admitted he was no match for Hakumen’s strength. Keep in mind that as one of the Six Heroes, Valkenhayn was capable of fending off the Black Beast, and he did so with his bare hands! He was even able to make up for his past mistakes by utterly demolishing Nu-13, and he would’ve killed her if Terumi hadn’t interrupted him. And back when he was at his full power, he was able to go toe-to-toe with the Black Beast itself.

Hakumen’s no slouch in the speed department, either. Despite his seemingly bulky frame, he can blitz Iron Tager, who can fly to the exosphere and back in seconds; kept up with Terumi, who can reach the inside of the Takamagahara System in 1/480,000th of a second; and has kept up with the likes of Ragna, Relius, and Noel; all of whom are comparable to Take-Mikazuchi’s lasers, which can move at 6% the speed of light.

But Hakumen’s not just strong, he’s also got some impressive endurance. He withstood attacks from the Black Beast; was unharmed after being attacked multiple times by Valkenhayn; and survived being impaled by Nu-13’s blades while protecting Tsubaki. He could even survive being in the Boundary for 90 years, and keep in mind that normal people will die the moment they so much as touch the Boundary. Even those that survive the process can go from looking like this:

To a crazed, incomprehensible, bug-filled blob thing, like this:

And that was just from him touching its surface! So imagine what would happen if you were plunged into its deepest depths like Hakumen did! Though admittedly, he did have some help from one of his greatest abilities: the Power of Order!

Only obtainable by those that possess absolute willpower, the Power of Order exists to maintain balance and prevent people or objects from becoming too powerful. With it, Hakumen is able to reject Phenomenon Intervention, a form of reality-warping that allows the user to alter the fates of other beings. Even in the hands of less experienced users like Jin, the Power of Order can be used to nullify the effects of the Immortal Breaker, which forces the concept of death into its victim’s mind; will people into existence; and overcome Yukianesa’s influence, which was preventing him from using it and had been influencing his emotions.

But that’s not all Hakumen has under his belt. Should he ever be backed into a corner, Hakumen can activate his Unlimited Mode. In this form, he gains a massive boost in power and durability, to the point where he’s comparable to the Black Beast; his magatama generates twice as fast; and he can cancel his attacks into each other, letting him attack at a faster rate and create devastating combos.

But even with these abilities, Hakumen’s not perfect. He tends to be arrogant and prideful, often refusing the help of others so he can handle situations by himself. And while he does really well when it comes to close-quarters, Hakumen’s long-range options are… pretty much non-existent outside of Empty Sky Form: Summer’s Advance. It doesn’t help that his magatama, while quickly generated, is also easily spent. And while the Time Killer is obscenely overpowered, it does have a few drawbacks. In order to use it in the first place, he needs to charge up all of his energy, which can take awhile, and after using it he’ll be completely drained. There are also a few ways to bypass its effects, such as Self-Observation, which lets the user create a Phenomenon Intervention that lets them survive attacks that would normally kill them. But even then, the Time Killer was still strong enough that its effects would only be delayed for a week. And it was this technicality that brings us to Hakumen’s next weakness.

While Hakumen himself is strong enough to withstand soul manipulation, the Susano’o Unit seems to have a threshold to how much it can take. This can be seen when Terumi used the Hihiirokane, a weapon that attacks both the body and the soul, to shatter his soul; leaving it dormant for him to take over. And while you’d think he could’ve prevented it by using the Power of Order, there are several problems with that assessment.

While he does have the most experience out of the cast when it comes to using the Power of Order, he still doesn’t have a full understanding of its capabilities, which means it just kind of activates whenever it feels like it. Yes, I said when it feels like it. As it turns out, the Power of Order is sentient, and much like Mjolnir, it can only be used by those it deems worthy. This means that if Hakumen can’t remain firm in his convictions, it will view him as unworthy and leave.

And despite it being his goal to kill Ragna, he has some really bad luck when it comes to carrying it out. He defeats Ragna in Kagutsuchi? Kokonoe intervenes long enough for Ragna to recover and kick his ass with Unlimited Mode. He finds that Ragna’s weakened from his fight with Mu-12? He spares him because he “has no desire to kill a man who is already near dead.” They fight each other because he finds Ragna’s desire to find Kushinada’s Lynchpin suspicious? Hazama interrupts and has Nine teleport them away. Even in their final battle with each other, Hakumen still couldn’t kill him because the effects of Doomsday had left everyone weakened except Ragna.

But even with these flaws, there’s no denying that Hakumen is one of the strongest beings in the Blazblue universe. Even after having his soul shattered by the Hihiirokane, he was able to survive, and once Terumi was defeated, the Unit found itself in the hands of Trinity Glassfille. After experiencing the danger that was caused when Terumi used it, the two agreed to throw the Susanoo Unit- with Hakumen still inside- into the deepest depths of the Boundary, making sure that neither he nor it would ever be discovered again. Despite this, a familiar woman with a devotion to justice would rise up, choosing to become the new wielder of Ookami.

Even though he may be left adrift in the Boundary for all eternity, it goes without saying that Hakumen’s left his mark on history. Should you ever cross paths, pray that you aren’t on his bad side. Otherwise, your fate will be sealed the moment you hear his creed.

(“I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. I am Hakumen. The end has come!”)

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