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Hakuhei Sabi (錆 白兵, Sabi Hakuhei) is renowned as one of Japan's strongest swordsmen. He is the fourth opponent Shichika Yasuri fights for the Deviant Blades.

Personality[]

Though he hasn't been seen speaking much, he was deemed "old fashioned" by Togame, for sending a letter to Shichika, in order to have a duel. Sabi can also come off as stern and callous, due to showing no emotion and saying few words. As well as not showing any acknowledgement to the nameless girl he saved upon a bridge during his random appearance during an episode. First saying to the men antagonizing her, "You're in the way."

Somethings could be assumed based off of his catchphrase, "I'll have you fall for me" (拙者にときめいてもらうでござる), that he is someone of elegance or "cool".

Appearance[]

Sabi has long three toned gray hair done into a pony tail and is outlined with a gray texture, and has light blue eyes with an unillustrated white pupil or center of the iris. He wears a kimono halfway upon his body (with the right sleeve and side dangling off of him) with no hakama, revealing a red arm and torso covering, bedazzled in prints of the flower crest on the side of his obi, a scrunge above his left ankle, and waraji with no tabi.

History[]

Though nothing is said on his early life, the details about him is that he was working for the Shogunate as their best swordsman.

Upon orders to obtain a deviant sword, not only did he do so in a short amount of time that shocked everyone, but he kept it for himself.

Some say that he keeps the sword due to the taint that comes with carrying such powerful weaponry or boundless beauty. But it was hinted that he may have done so, in order to not taint the Shogunate.

Upon the request for a duel he sent to Shichika, but was not shown in the animated series except for the preview of episode 4, he had lost the duel and his life.

Upon Shichika raiding the shognate castle, Matsuaki Fugi spoke of rivaling Hakuhei.

Plot[]

Volume One[]

Hakuhei is mentioned as one of the wielders of the Deviant Blades.

Volume Two[]

In the volume, Togame told Shichika about his looks and catchphrases.

He is shown in a clip where he encounters a samurai who challenges him to a duel to take his Deviant Blade, Hakutō Hari. Hakuhei tells him that he to has lost to the sword's magic, then he cuts him down. After finishing him, he says his signature catchphrase, "I'll have you fall for me!".

Volume Three[]

In this volume, Hakuhei Sabi saves a lady from bandits. He gives advice to the bandits, saying that "Katanas are not for display. They're for killing", he then finishes them off with his signature catchphrase, "I'll have you fall for me!".

Volume Four[]

Shichika and Hakuhei Sabi have a duel and the two of then fight one another. He proves to be a much more powerful opponent than the others Shichika had fought previously, however their battle is never fully shown.

Abilities[]

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Physical Prowess[]

Enhanced Strength: Hakuhei boasts unfathomable strength. During his figh with Shichika, Hakuhei was able to split a part of the ocean in half and cut enormous boulders with little to no effort. He was also able to create a huge crater with just one hit, creating a huge cloud of dust and sending multiple boulders flying up.

Enhanced Speed and Reflexes: Hakuhei boasts unfathomable speed. He can easily keep up with and surpass Shichika speed, he can also swing his sword faster than the average human eye can see.

Fighting Style[]

Swordsmanship: Hakuhei is one of the strongest swordsman in the country, holding the title of "Japan's strongest swordsman", given to him by Princess Hitei. He can easily defeat most opponents and can even compete with Shichika, however Shichika was holding back during their fight since he was not allowed to destroy his sword.

  • Ultimate Technique - Hakutō Kaigan (薄刀開眼): A sword technique in which Hakuhei swings his sword in a perfect arc, with great accuracy and speed. This technique is the only right way to use Hari, as other sword techniques would destroy the sword due to its fragility.

Weaponry[]

Hakutō Hari: One of the twelve Deviant Blades. At first Hakuhei had been sent to retrieve it, however he ended up keeping the sword for himself. It is very light, since it is made of glass. In exchange for its low durability, Hari is very easy to swing and control allowing its user to make very fast and precise attacks.

Weaknesses[]

Deviant Blade Poison: As the wielder of a Deviant Blade, Hakuhei is affected by the "poison" that exists within the sword. This "poison" makes him unwilling to give the sword away.

Trivia[]

  • His name in Japanese means 'Unsheathed Sword' from はくへい (Hakuhei), and 'Rust' or 'Hook' from さび (Sabi).
  • It is also possible that Hakuhei could also be a shortened form of the word Hakuheishuga (はくへいしゅが), which is a strategy of close quarters fighting that translates literally to 'Sword out of Sheath', meaning that he likely uses Iaijutsu or a similar sword fighting technique, where the sword is kept in the sheath when not being used to attack or block with.
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