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Description

Wǔ Xíng

Five Animals (Chinese: 五形; literally "Five Forms")

Unmasked: nightshade475.deviantart.com/a…

left to right:

Silk Snake, Jade Canary, Iron Toad, Bronze Tiger, Ivory Dragon

When the Four Great Ninja Masters decided to cement their connection by trading their most prized technique amongst each other; the Chinese Master, Shuo-Shi Sensei gave up his to O-Sensei. He had devised a style utilizing the most deadly versions of the ancient Kung Fu Animal Styles that he had acquired in China, infused with the ninja arts he had learned since his arrival in the Hidden Regions of Japan. The Five Forms, when mastered, could make the practitioner literally an unstoppable force of nature. After realizing its potential, O-Sensei felt he had finally found a student to train in the art that was worthy enough. Otomo was an adept student, but not as much as his master, O-Sensei. The sheer amount of techniques required for him to master meant that he would never fully master all of them before he was too old to utilize them. as his training went on, he began to succumb to the desire to test his skills. The better he got, the more he wanted to take on. O-Sensei forbade him from doing such, as he was chosen to safeguard the techniques, not use them to prove his superiority. Eventually Onishusoku approached him and offered him what he wanted...opportunity. Otomo's reputation as an unbeatable shinobi grew, until his arrogance got him killed. In never mastering any of the singular styles within the Wǔ Xíng, there were holes in his fighting style that were able to be observed because he fought in front of people so often, that his weaknesses were able to be exploited. O-Sensei vowed never to attempt to teach it to an individual again. Over time, the Yottsukonin agreed that they needed to save the Shinobi Order they had established as well as the art of Ninjutsu as well, and in order to ensure that, they would have to train the next generation. Onishusoku had wished to spur O-Sensei back into active life by revealing that Otomo's daughter was a ward of his League of Shadows. O-Sensei agreed, only on the condition that the child would be his to train. The Demon's Head countered with the stipulation that she would be required to fulfill missions from time to time for his organization. O-Sensei realized that to ensure the survival of the technique, he would have to start training at an earlier age, and to avoid what happened with Otomo, he decided to teach each of the five forms to only one student each. These five students became synonymous with the skills they were being taught.   They became known collectively as, the Wǔ Xíng.

Silk Snake: Edesu Dorumen

The Yottsukonin Master, O-Sensei used the technique given to him by Shou-Shi Sensei to create the deadliest of warriors... trained to be unstoppable shinobi. They all wore masks, and had little interaction with each other. On the occasions where they were allowed to train or go on missions together, they were not allowed to speak, and created a system of signals to communicate amongst themselves. Silk Snake represented his master's former pupil the most, as he was restless at the lack of opportunity to use the skills he had. Jealous of the extra opportunities his Battle Sister, Jade Canary was given to prove herself in the field, Silk Snake began to follow her to the league to secretly take missions from Onishusoku as well, without his master's knowledge. Outside of Jade Canary, the others were not bound to the deadly organization, but still completed the missions their master had chosen to undertake from the League's expediter. Silk Snake learned quickly that the glory he sought was not exactly what he found himself caught in the middle of. When he happened upon Onishusoku's offer to Canary and Deathstroke, the young shinobi jumped at the opportunity to be free to carve his own path and best Jade Canary and took Onishusoku's mission to free himself from the league. His mission was to assassinate O-Sensei. He attempted to kill his master, but even still the aged warrior showed his level of skill. He blinded his student, but spared his life. After which, he banished him.

Fighting Style: His fighting style employs pressure points, nerve strikes, grappling holds, and quick movements. He is the fastest of them when it comes to strikes. He also has such a fluidity of movement that it is seemingly almost impossible to hit him, as such he rarely wastes energy on blocking. He also employs the use of toxins to various effects to incapacitate and/or kill. Amongst the group, he is easily the sneakiest. Favors the use of throwing weapons that are easily concealed.

Jade Canary: Sandra Wu San

Jade Canary was a ward of the league of Shadows and was called on from time to time to be sent on missions, which was a term of the agreement of having her train with O-Sensei as one of his Wǔ Xíng. She was given the style of Canary to symbolize how she was the first sent into hostile situations, with the idea that if she can't make it out alive...no one can. She never knew her father, other than the fact that he was a great shinobi. She was separated from her younger sister to initiate her kunoichi training. She was efficient, but brutal and lacking refinement. Onishusoku sought to use her as a pawn from the time he found her. Once she was taken in for training as one of the Wǔ Xíng, her skills within the league became legendary. As she began to master her skills, the more she sought to be out from under the confines of the League. Onishusoku made an offer to her and the shinobi kenjutsu master, Deathstroke to obtain freedom from the league to operate independently with his blessings. Each contract had different terms, hers involved betraying her master. She balked at the idea, but the Demon's Head gave her 24 hours to consider it before making a final decision. but she was unaware that her shinobi sibling, Silk Snake had overheard the offer and made a deal of his own, which resulted in his blinding and banishment for attempting to kill their master. When she returned to give her answer , Onishisoku told her the terms of the deal had changed; she would be allowed to leave the League of Shadows, but the revised terms were to be fulfilled at a future date with no hesitation. She agreed, After which, she returned home only to discover her master had disappeared and the rest of the Wǔ Xíng disbanded. Jade Canary struck out on her own and found a wild young girl named Zashiki. Reminding her of her long lost little sister, she made the young girl her apprentice. The younger kunoichi would eventually take the name Red Canary. After some time, Onishusoku appeared to collect on his bargain; Jade Canary's only mission was to convince her apprentice, Red Canary to infiltrate the clandestine organization known as the Red Hand. Jade Canary would eventually abandon her name for the title of, Lady Shiva.

Fighting Style: Seemingly unimposing, she is as deadly as they come. She is able to read people's movements through their body language, predicting their movements beforehand. As such, the longer she fights an opponent, the easier it is for her to defeat them. She is often utilized in intelligence gathering. She is able to hold her own against multiple opponents. She flits about from opponent to opponent gracefully, with a deadly combination of hand and leg techniques. She is also as difficult as they come when it comes to being the subject of interrogation...the caged canary doesn't sing. Although he taught them all how to use the many weapons of the shinobi, she is the only one graceful enough to properly utilize O-Sensei's personal kenjutsu (swordskill) that he developed on his own.

Iron Toad: Lo Shen

Like all the Wǔ Xíng, Lo Shen is an orphan. O-Sensei saved his life as he was travelling and happened upon the thieves that had killed a family of travelers on the road. The brigands were in the process of attempting to drown him after he had fled. O-Sensei had thought the boy to be one of the survivors and slew the bandits, however the thieves were actually his parents, and had forced him to come along on the heist. When he froze up during the robbery, allowing one of the injured parties to make it back to the road (which is where O-Sensei found him before he died from his wounds), they decided the boy was a liability they could no longer suffer. O-Sensei felt regret for the orphan he had just created, even though he felt he was better off. He returned to the road to continue his journey, but the boy, who had nowhere to go, followed. The trauma he had experienced had rendered the boy aquaphobic, and O-Sensei taught him how to conquer his fear by facing it. Determined to never be weak again, he showed his dedication and eventually convinced the master to take him on as a student.

Fighting Style: he has honed his body to the point where his skin is seemingly impenetrable. His strength is immense, as his muscle development far exceeds that of his battle siblings. The rigorous training has increased his bone density to the point where he is literally, inside and out, as hard as iron. When in battle, his destructive leg techniques obliterate enemy defenses. he usually employs full frontal assault, but is the team's resident aquatic stealth operative and fighter. Can hold his breath the longest out of all of them with a technique he calls Iron Lung. He uses an elastic whip with an adhesive tip as a weapon that simulates a frog's tongue, in battle.

Bronze Tiger: Ben Tsuketara

Before coming to train with their sensei, Ben had watched his parents assassinated in front of him, but he turned around and killed his assailants to their final surprise. Ben was severely altered by that encounter, and whenever he saw or felt he was the subject of injustice, he lashed out...violently. In an effort to control the rage inside him, a family friend made arrangements for young Ben to train with O-Sensei.   The training gave him a focus and an outlet for his rage, but it did nothing to quell it. It wasn't until O-Sensei sent him on a fateful mission to prevent an assassination of a kidnap victim that he would be turned onto a new path. After dispatching the target's captors, he deduced that the boy posed no threat, and went to leave. The boy asked him to take him to his parents, and the shinobi explained the were dead. The boy asked him to take him with him and he told him to fend for himself and left, figuring he wouldn't last long. As fate would have it, one day that same boy(who had taken to stealing to survive being on his own) happened to attempt to steal from their dojo. Ben startled the intruder and he dropped a priceless Jade Buddha that was given to his master, shattering it. Ben, not recognizing him, brutally beat him for the affront. O-Sensei stopped his student from delivering the fatal blow to the intruder, and instead asked the young thief his story. after hearing it, Ben realized that he had created this situation by leaving him there that day. O-Sensei took him in as his final pupil, giving him the new name Ivory Dragon.

Fighting Style: The most fierce of the bunch, he employs the relentless attacks of the Tiger. His fighting style is primarily aggressive.   Even his defensive techniques are comprised mainly of pre-emptive or counter strikes, rather than blocks. He often employs the use of Tekagi-shuko(Tiger Hook Hands), for battle and climbing purposes.   He can be calm when stalking prey, but once engaged in battle his rage is unlocked and focused solely on his opponent.

Ivory Dragon: Richard Drakunovski

Taken to Japan on one of his father's business trips to the region when his mother had complained that he hadn't been spending enough time with the family. While there, the family was kidnapped by ninja & held hostage for a ransom that was never paid. Richard's parents were killed as a result, & when they were poised to do the same to the boy a masked warrior came in and eliminated the assassins. After taking to stealing to survive, he reencountered his masked benefactor. The same one who had saved his life, now seemed ready to take it for violating his master's sanctum. The Master stopped his student from delivering the fatal blow to the intruder, and after hearing the young thief's story, he took him in as his final pupil, giving him the new name Ivory Dragon.   As the last of O-sensei's students, he also proved to be the fastest learner, catching up relatively quickly to his shinobi siblings.

Fighting Style: the Dragon style is comprised of elements of the other four styles; The ferocity of the Tiger, the gracefulness of the Canary, the flexibility of the Snake, and the strength of the Toad. Although none of these elements are as strong as the base style, the combination of them makes a totally unique style where the practitioner is just as formidable. Combined with the style's training which allows for the cultivation and manipulation of internal and external chi energy, the Dragon is potentially the most powerful of the Wǔ Xíng. Although he is well versed in the use of all traditional shinobi weapons, he prefers unarmed combat.

- I based the secret technique on the classic kung fu animal styles, replacing monkey with toad and eagle with canary.

- I based the Wǔ Xíng on the Classic Chinese Kung Fu film, The Five Deadly Venoms. Those were represented by ; Snake, Lizard, Centipede, Toad, and Scorpion. This is where I got the idea of the masks incorporated in their training as well.

- Han Son(Shuo-Shi Sensei) developed a sixth form; The Monkey. He taught this to his own pupil in the League, Silver Monkey. He is just as deadly as the Wǔ Xíng...maybe even more so.

- I gave Jade Canary a matching tunic over her solo outfit that I presented in Killer Canaries. Elements of which are also evident in her look as Lady Shiva.

- Iron Toad was added when I decided to incorporate the Venoms. I extrapolated his abilities as well.

- I gave Jade Canary an Anbu style bird mask.

- Richard (Dragon) has even proven to be a calming presence to the usually rage filled Bronze Tiger. At times, even getting him to allow himself to remember that he's still a kid and have fun.

- I wanted Tiger and Dragon's masks to be similar. They are the closest, and their relationship reminds me of Luke Cage and Danny Rand.

- Ivory Dragon's training included A small jade amulet given to him by O-Sensei, The Dragon's Claw. He uses it as a focus for meditation and channeling his inner chi. The Dragon's Claw is a mystical artifact that can also be used to collect and channel mystical energy in times of great need.

- Lo Shen left the Hidden Regions and will become a major player with the triads in Hoshitokai. His story will involve Wing and The Chinatown Kid of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.

Description

Wǔ Xíng

Five Animals (Chinese: 五形; literally "Five Forms")

Unmasked: nightshade475.deviantart.com/a…

left to right:

Silk Snake, Jade Canary, Iron Toad, Bronze Tiger, Ivory Dragon

When the Four Great Ninja Masters decided to cement their connection by trading their most prized technique amongst each other; the Chinese Master, Shuo-Shi Sensei gave up his to O-Sensei. He had devised a style utilizing the most deadly versions of the ancient Kung Fu Animal Styles that he had acquired in China, infused with the ninja arts he had learned since his arrival in the Hidden Regions of Japan. The Five Forms, when mastered, could make the practitioner literally an unstoppable force of nature. After realizing its potential, O-Sensei felt he had finally found a student to train in the art that was worthy enough. Otomo was an adept student, but not as much as his master, O-Sensei. The sheer amount of techniques required for him to master meant that he would never fully master all of them before he was too old to utilize them. as his training went on, he began to succumb to the desire to test his skills. The better he got, the more he wanted to take on. O-Sensei forbade him from doing such, as he was chosen to safeguard the techniques, not use them to prove his superiority. Eventually Onishusoku approached him and offered him what he wanted...opportunity. Otomo's reputation as an unbeatable shinobi grew, until his arrogance got him killed. In never mastering any of the singular styles within the Wǔ Xíng, there were holes in his fighting style that were able to be observed because he fought in front of people so often, that his weaknesses were able to be exploited. O-Sensei vowed never to attempt to teach it to an individual again. Over time, the Yottsukonin agreed that they needed to save the Shinobi Order they had established as well as the art of Ninjutsu as well, and in order to ensure that, they would have to train the next generation. Onishusoku had wished to spur O-Sensei back into active life by revealing that Otomo's daughter was a ward of his League of Shadows. O-Sensei agreed, only on the condition that the child would be his to train. The Demon's Head countered with the stipulation that she would be required to fulfill missions from time to time for his organization. O-Sensei realized that to ensure the survival of the technique, he would have to start training at an earlier age, and to avoid what happened with Otomo, he decided to teach each of the five forms to only one student each. These five students became synonymous with the skills they were being taught.   They became known collectively as, the Wǔ Xíng.

Silk Snake: Edesu Dorumen

The Yottsukonin Master, O-Sensei used the technique given to him by Shou-Shi Sensei to create the deadliest of warriors... trained to be unstoppable shinobi. They all wore masks, and had little interaction with each other. On the occasions where they were allowed to train or go on missions together, they were not allowed to speak, and created a system of signals to communicate amongst themselves. Silk Snake represented his master's former pupil the most, as he was restless at the lack of opportunity to use the skills he had. Jealous of the extra opportunities his Battle Sister, Jade Canary was given to prove herself in the field, Silk Snake began to follow her to the league to secretly take missions from Onishusoku as well, without his master's knowledge. Outside of Jade Canary, the others were not bound to the deadly organization, but still completed the missions their master had chosen to undertake from the League's expediter. Silk Snake learned quickly that the glory he sought was not exactly what he found himself caught in the middle of. When he happened upon Onishusoku's offer to Canary and Deathstroke, the young shinobi jumped at the opportunity to be free to carve his own path and best Jade Canary and took Onishusoku's mission to free himself from the league. His mission was to assassinate O-Sensei. He attempted to kill his master, but even still the aged warrior showed his level of skill. He blinded his student, but spared his life. After which, he banished him.

Fighting Style: His fighting style employs pressure points, nerve strikes, grappling holds, and quick movements. He is the fastest of them when it comes to strikes. He also has such a fluidity of movement that it is seemingly almost impossible to hit him, as such he rarely wastes energy on blocking. He also employs the use of toxins to various effects to incapacitate and/or kill. Amongst the group, he is easily the sneakiest. Favors the use of throwing weapons that are easily concealed.

Jade Canary: Sandra Wu San

Jade Canary was a ward of the league of Shadows and was called on from time to time to be sent on missions, which was a term of the agreement of having her train with O-Sensei as one of his Wǔ Xíng. She was given the style of Canary to symbolize how she was the first sent into hostile situations, with the idea that if she can't make it out alive...no one can. She never knew her father, other than the fact that he was a great shinobi. She was separated from her younger sister to initiate her kunoichi training. She was efficient, but brutal and lacking refinement. Onishusoku sought to use her as a pawn from the time he found her. Once she was taken in for training as one of the Wǔ Xíng, her skills within the league became legendary. As she began to master her skills, the more she sought to be out from under the confines of the League. Onishusoku made an offer to her and the shinobi kenjutsu master, Deathstroke to obtain freedom from the league to operate independently with his blessings. Each contract had different terms, hers involved betraying her master. She balked at the idea, but the Demon's Head gave her 24 hours to consider it before making a final decision. but she was unaware that her shinobi sibling, Silk Snake had overheard the offer and made a deal of his own, which resulted in his blinding and banishment for attempting to kill their master. When she returned to give her answer , Onishisoku told her the terms of the deal had changed; she would be allowed to leave the League of Shadows, but the revised terms were to be fulfilled at a future date with no hesitation. She agreed, After which, she returned home only to discover her master had disappeared and the rest of the Wǔ Xíng disbanded. Jade Canary struck out on her own and found a wild young girl named Zashiki. Reminding her of her long lost little sister, she made the young girl her apprentice. The younger kunoichi would eventually take the name Red Canary. After some time, Onishusoku appeared to collect on his bargain; Jade Canary's only mission was to convince her apprentice, Red Canary to infiltrate the clandestine organization known as the Red Hand. Jade Canary would eventually abandon her name for the title of, Lady Shiva.

Fighting Style: Seemingly unimposing, she is as deadly as they come. She is able to read people's movements through their body language, predicting their movements beforehand. As such, the longer she fights an opponent, the easier it is for her to defeat them. She is often utilized in intelligence gathering. She is able to hold her own against multiple opponents. She flits about from opponent to opponent gracefully, with a deadly combination of hand and leg techniques. She is also as difficult as they come when it comes to being the subject of interrogation...the caged canary doesn't sing. Although he taught them all how to use the many weapons of the shinobi, she is the only one graceful enough to properly utilize O-Sensei's personal kenjutsu (swordskill) that he developed on his own.

Iron Toad: Lo Shen

Like all the Wǔ Xíng, Lo Shen is an orphan. O-Sensei saved his life as he was travelling and happened upon the thieves that had killed a family of travelers on the road. The brigands were in the process of attempting to drown him after he had fled. O-Sensei had thought the boy to be one of the survivors and slew the bandits, however the thieves were actually his parents, and had forced him to come along on the heist. When he froze up during the robbery, allowing one of the injured parties to make it back to the road (which is where O-Sensei found him before he died from his wounds), they decided the boy was a liability they could no longer suffer. O-Sensei felt regret for the orphan he had just created, even though he felt he was better off. He returned to the road to continue his journey, but the boy, who had nowhere to go, followed. The trauma he had experienced had rendered the boy aquaphobic, and O-Sensei taught him how to conquer his fear by facing it. Determined to never be weak again, he showed his dedication and eventually convinced the master to take him on as a student.

Fighting Style: he has honed his body to the point where his skin is seemingly impenetrable. His strength is immense, as his muscle development far exceeds that of his battle siblings. The rigorous training has increased his bone density to the point where he is literally, inside and out, as hard as iron. When in battle, his destructive leg techniques obliterate enemy defenses. he usually employs full frontal assault, but is the team's resident aquatic stealth operative and fighter. Can hold his breath the longest out of all of them with a technique he calls Iron Lung. He uses an elastic whip with an adhesive tip as a weapon that simulates a frog's tongue, in battle.

Bronze Tiger: Ben Tsuketara

Before coming to train with their sensei, Ben had watched his parents assassinated in front of him, but he turned around and killed his assailants to their final surprise. Ben was severely altered by that encounter, and whenever he saw or felt he was the subject of injustice, he lashed out...violently. In an effort to control the rage inside him, a family friend made arrangements for young Ben to train with O-Sensei.   The training gave him a focus and an outlet for his rage, but it did nothing to quell it. It wasn't until O-Sensei sent him on a fateful mission to prevent an assassination of a kidnap victim that he would be turned onto a new path. After dispatching the target's captors, he deduced that the boy posed no threat, and went to leave. The boy asked him to take him to his parents, and the shinobi explained the were dead. The boy asked him to take him with him and he told him to fend for himself and left, figuring he wouldn't last long. As fate would have it, one day that same boy(who had taken to stealing to survive being on his own) happened to attempt to steal from their dojo. Ben startled the intruder and he dropped a priceless Jade Buddha that was given to his master, shattering it. Ben, not recognizing him, brutally beat him for the affront. O-Sensei stopped his student from delivering the fatal blow to the intruder, and instead asked the young thief his story. after hearing it, Ben realized that he had created this situation by leaving him there that day. O-Sensei took him in as his final pupil, giving him the new name Ivory Dragon.

Fighting Style: The most fierce of the bunch, he employs the relentless attacks of the Tiger. His fighting style is primarily aggressive.   Even his defensive techniques are comprised mainly of pre-emptive or counter strikes, rather than blocks. He often employs the use of Tekagi-shuko(Tiger Hook Hands), for battle and climbing purposes.   He can be calm when stalking prey, but once engaged in battle his rage is unlocked and focused solely on his opponent.

Ivory Dragon: Richard Drakunovski

Taken to Japan on one of his father's business trips to the region when his mother had complained that he hadn't been spending enough time with the family. While there, the family was kidnapped by ninja & held hostage for a ransom that was never paid. Richard's parents were killed as a result, & when they were poised to do the same to the boy a masked warrior came in and eliminated the assassins. After taking to stealing to survive, he reencountered his masked benefactor. The same one who had saved his life, now seemed ready to take it for violating his master's sanctum. The Master stopped his student from delivering the fatal blow to the intruder, and after hearing the young thief's story, he took him in as his final pupil, giving him the new name Ivory Dragon.   As the last of O-sensei's students, he also proved to be the fastest learner, catching up relatively quickly to his shinobi siblings.

Fighting Style: the Dragon style is comprised of elements of the other four styles; The ferocity of the Tiger, the gracefulness of the Canary, the flexibility of the Snake, and the strength of the Toad. Although none of these elements are as strong as the base style, the combination of them makes a totally unique style where the practitioner is just as formidable. Combined with the style's training which allows for the cultivation and manipulation of internal and external chi energy, the Dragon is potentially the most powerful of the Wǔ Xíng. Although he is well versed in the use of all traditional shinobi weapons, he prefers unarmed combat.

- I based the secret technique on the classic kung fu animal styles, replacing monkey with toad and eagle with canary.

- I based the Wǔ Xíng on the Classic Chinese Kung Fu film, The Five Deadly Venoms. Those were represented by ; Snake, Lizard, Centipede, Toad, and Scorpion. This is where I got the idea of the masks incorporated in their training as well.

- Han Son(Shuo-Shi Sensei) developed a sixth form; The Monkey. He taught this to his own pupil in the League, Silver Monkey. He is just as deadly as the Wǔ Xíng...maybe even more so.

- I gave Jade Canary a matching tunic over her solo outfit that I presented in Killer Canaries. Elements of which are also evident in her look as Lady Shiva.

- Iron Toad was added when I decided to incorporate the Venoms. I extrapolated his abilities as well.

- I gave Jade Canary an Anbu style bird mask.

- Richard (Dragon) has even proven to be a calming presence to the usually rage filled Bronze Tiger. At times, even getting him to allow himself to remember that he's still a kid and have fun.

- I wanted Tiger and Dragon's masks to be similar. They are the closest, and their relationship reminds me of Luke Cage and Danny Rand.

- Ivory Dragon's training included A small jade amulet given to him by O-Sensei, The Dragon's Claw. He uses it as a focus for meditation and channeling his inner chi. The Dragon's Claw is a mystical artifact that can also be used to collect and channel mystical energy in times of great need.

- Lo Shen left the Hidden Regions and will become a major player with the triads in Hoshitokai. His story will involve Wing and The Chinatown Kid of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.