Developed by Sabo himself as a means to eradicate the arrogance and conceit ofthe nobles and the World Government, Ryusoken is a martial art inOne Piecethat predominantly relies on a user’s hands, using powerful, claw-like grips to deal damage to opponents. Literally translated as “Dragon Claw Fist,” the fighting style is based on the shape of a dragon’s claws, where users crush their targets with the sheer force of their grips, delivering concentrated strikes that are strong enough to shatter even steel. The actual grip used by Sabo bears a considerable resemblance to the anatomy of Japanese Dragons, which are often depicted with three claws. First shown during the tournament in the Corrida Colosseum at the time of the Dressrosa Arc, Ryusoken has been portrayed as a fundamental part of Sabo’s fighting style, now enhanced even further with the power of the Mera Mera no Mi.
Playing off his former status as a noble, the “dragon” motif in Ryusoken may be a reference to the Celestian Dragons themselves, who rank the highest in the social pecking order ofOne Piece. Sabo has also been shown augmenting his Ryusoken attacks with his Armament Haki, which bolsters their destructive power to superhuman levels. Incredibly strong opponents such as Bastille andJesus Burgess, one of the Ten Titanic Captainsof the Blackbeard Pirates, struggled to contend with Sabo when he used this fighting style, illuminating how powerful he truly is. Hence, it is no surprise that he has risen to the rank of the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, second in command only to Monkey D. Dragon.
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What Is Ryusoken?
Considering its emphasis on forming claws with one’s hands, it is likely that Ryusoken was influenced by Southern Dragon Kung Fu, an imitative style that is based on the movements of the mythical Chinese Dragon. By holding their fingers in a claw-like fashion — which gives the fighting style its name — Sabo can crush his opponents with seemingly little effort, which allowed him to take on even the most powerful participants competing for the Mera Mera no Mi at the Corrida Colosseum. His use of Ryusoken is so effective that he can break swords, armor, artillery, and even skulls with ease. Furthermore,Sabo’s mastery of Armament Hakialso gives him an additional boost in power when necessary. Aside from his fingers, Sabo has also been depicted using his fists to deal even more devastating blows in combat, signifying the versatility of this fighting style and its effectiveness against opponents of all sizes and at all levels.
Ryusoken also places considerable emphasis on striking an opponent’s “core,” which focuses the output of force towards calculated points to maximize damage. With this, Sabo can quickly dismantle or destroy structures with a single blow, by applying force directly on their cores. During the time skip, when Nico Robin wastraining with the Revolutionary Army, Sabo also instructed Robin on the importance of perceiving and targeting an opponent’s core when making use of her Fishman Karate enhanced palm strikes. As the only other known user of Ryusoken, Robin’s training under Sabo proved to be crucial in her fight against Black Maria of the Tobi Roppo during the Raid on Onigashima at the climax of the Wano Arc.
How Does Sabo Use Ryusoken?
Ever since his debut as an adult in Dressrosa, Sabo has exhibited a few techniques with Ryusoken, later combined with his Haki and Mera Mera no Mi powers. The first among them to be shown was his Ryu no Kagizume, which means “Dragon’s Talon,” where Sabo uses a three-fingered hand claw to deliver an emphatic strike. At the time of the Corrida Colosseum tournament, Sabo made use of this technique to counter Jesus Burgess' elbow strike andnullify his Armament Haki-infusedarmor. This attack can be supplemented with Armament Haki, in order to elevate its offensive power and also protect Sabo from any damage that he might suffer. Another earth-shattering demonstration of Ryusoken came when Sabo used Ryu no Ibuki or “Dragon’s Breath,” to destroy the Corrida Colosseum. After imbuing his fists with Armament Haki, Sabo pushed them into the floor to generate an impact and produce a fissure in all directions. This was done to send the force of his blow all the way to the target’s core and completely destroy it.
On consuming the Mera Mera no Mi, Sabo began to blend his flame powers with Ryusoken to create even more potent attacks. This occured in tandem with hisuse of Ace’s own attackssuch as Hiken (Fire Fist). The first demonstration of his hybrid fighting style came with Moeru Ryusoken: Kaen Ryuo, which means “Burning Dragon Claw Fist: Fire Flame Dragon King.” Here, Sabo formed claws with his fists, coated them with Armament Haki, and ignited them. He then proceeded to slam his opponent — in this case, Jesus Burgess — spin them around, and blast them away with fire. Burgess was left helpless against this assault, which shocked all gathered in the Corrida Colosseum, owning to his fame as a strong fighter in league with the Blackbeard Pirates. Therefore, it is only natural that Sabo will explore this approach to combat even more, in the process of mastering the Mera Mera no Mi.
