Kyokugenryu Karate

Kyokugen Karate (Japanese: 極限流空手, Extreme Utmost Limit Way of the Empty Hand) is a fictitious fighting style employed by several characters in the Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters games produced by SNK Playmore.

Kyokugenryu Karate at a Glance
Kyokugen Karate is primarily based on Kyokushin Karate and has some mix of other traditional Japanese and Okinawan Karate, which was meant to preemptively protect its user from harm. Kyokugen Karate is probably the most violent form of karate.

Relationship between Kyokugen and Ki
Kyokugenryu Karate uses a lot of spiritual power of the user as it incorporates defensive techniques such as the Kou-ou Ken, Ryugeki Ken, and a sign that the user is worthy of the Black Belt of Kyokugenryu Karate: the Haoushoukouken and Haoushikouken techniques. Only the finest Kyokugenryu disciples are taught the Ryuukoranbu (Boisterious Dance of the Dragon and the Tiger) technique. The Sakazakis "marketed" Kyokugenryu Karate as a means of self-defense and prior to Takuma Sakazaki's commitment to teach Kyokugenryu Karate to outsiders (most notably Robert Garcia), it was strictly passed through the Sakazaki bloodline. Prior to the events of Art of Fighting, Kyokugenryu Karate was taught only to males. To prevent her from being re-abducted, Yuri Sakazaki received the honor of being the first female practitioner of the discipline.

The Forms

 * KoOu: Means "Tiger King" in Japanese, this is the standard form of the discipline. The movesets are based upon the traditional aspects of Shotokan Karate with some Bushido Tie-Ins. Ryo's moveset is based on the Kou-Ou principle.


 * RyuuGeki: Means "Dragon Attack" in Japanese, in this form of the discipline, the movesets has some Taekwondo and Muay Thai techniques, focusing mainly on fancy kicks rather than balance between the activity of the hands and feet. Some of the kicks are taken from military-style brawling based on America's Military Units, such as Robert Garcia's Backheel Spin-Kick. While this form is easier to master than the Kou-Ou form, it is not as versatile of a form as Ryugeki has some known imbalances which exist.


 * HienShippuu: Means "Flying Gale" in Japanese. Hienshippu is the form practiced by Marco Rodriguez from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. This moveset has all the styles from the Kou-Ou form but improving on the potency of the Hienshippu Kyaku and certain Kou-Ou techniques (i.e. Enhanced Kouhou), which explains why Marco was able to use a Hienshippu Kyaku that starts with an upward knee and ends with a slamming overhead kick. Hienshippu, when mastered, tends to be as versatile of a form as the High-Level Form Shoran.


 * RaiOu: Means "Lightning Sparkle" in Japanese, and the most basic form of Kyokugenryu study. In this principle, only the basic and low-level techniques are taught. Also, it focuses more on defense rather than offense since it also encourages personal instinct to be used. All Kyokugenryu practitioners must pass the Raiou moveset in order to advance to more difficult forms. Yuri chose to stick with the Raiou Form, although Takuma gave Yuri the incentive to practice more difficult forms, but turned it down since almost all forms of Kyokugenryu Karate she believed focused more on offense rather than on defense. It is after the events of Art of Fighting 2 that Yuri has vowed to perfect her own version of the Raiou moveset.


 * ShouRan: Means "Flying Knee" in Japanese, this is the highest level of Kyokugenryu study. Only the most serious and most disciplined are capable of handling this principle. This principle includes the hardest technique to master, called the Shoran Kyaku. As SNK Playmore knows about it, only Takuma Sakazaki has mastered this principle. This principle has some judo, Aikido, and some Bushido elements tied-in.

The Moves

 * Kou-Ou Ken and Ryugeki Ken: The most basic move, which a user places all his/her Ki onto one hand and does a palm punch that emits a projectile of either the tiger or dragon, depending on the move being used. Kou-Ou Ken is available on the Kou-Ou and Raiou principles. Ryugeki Ken is available only on the Ryugeki principle.
 * Hienshippu Kyaku: Somewhat of an intermediate-level technique, consisting of two spin kicks. Hienshippu means "flying gale." Marco Rodriguez uses an improved Hienshippu Kyaku, which he jumps with a heavy knee kick and slams through with a fierce overhead kick.
 * Zanretsu Ken: The user summons all of his/her Ki onto both of his/her arms and does a series of lightning-fast punches. Zanretsu means "momentary violence." Only available through the Shoran and Kou-Ou Principles.


 * Genei Kyaku: A user summons all of his/her Ki onto his/her legs and does a series of lightning-fast kicks, ending with a Thai-style turnaround roundhouse. Only available on the Ryugeki Principle.


 * Kouhou and Ryuuga: Leaping uppercuts which either the left (Kou-Ou Principle) or the Right (Ryugeki Principle) hand rises up, slamming any jumping foes from the air.


 * Haou Shoukou Ken: A low-level, high-gauge finishing attack which the user places his/her will right onto the fists, does a two-handed fist palm. A high-gauge projectile of either the tiger or dragon emits from the palm punches. Haou Shoukou Ken means "Supreme King Flying Roaring Fist."


 * Haou Shikou Ken: A high-level finishing blow used only by those who have mastered the Haou Shoukou Ken. Virtually the same as with the Haou Shoukou Ken, but done more in a high-level style.

Most noticeably, there are two high-level moves that are taught only after a Kyokugenryu user reaches First Dan Black Belt: the Ryuukoranbu and the Shoran Kyaku, both of them taught only at the highest levels of study. The Shoran Kyaku is the most difficult move to master. The Kyokugen practitioner is free to discover moves of his/her own, as long as the basic forms of study have been mastered. While there are many variations of Kyokugen Karate, the basic principles have remained the same.

Practitioners
By order of seniority of Kyokugenryu Karate:
 * Takuma Sakazaki, the most established known practitioner
 * Ryo Sakazaki, the most well-known practitioner
 * Robert Garcia, the first known foreign practitioner
 * Yuri Sakazaki, the first and only known female practitioner
 * Khushnood Butt, student of Ryo Sakazaki

Worthy of mention may be the Mr. Karate title, used at different times by Takuma and Ryo, which appears to imply that the individual using is the current master of the art.