Baiken
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Baiken is a recurring character in the Guilty Gear series. She is a wandering samurai of Japanese descent, whose home was raided by Gears during the Crusades. Having witnessed the horrible deaths of her parents and friends, she has sworn revenge on That Man at any cost.
Design
Baiken has long pink hair, which in her first appearance looked reddish-orange, worn in a ponytail, as well as peach eyes. A red tattoo adorns her right eye and forehead, while her permanently-closed left one has a scar over it; in Xrd, she wears a goggle-like eye patch with a tsuba in it, which was removed in -Strive-. She has a clawed grappling hook in place of her missing right arm alongside other weapons such as a slashing fan, cannon, shotgun, etc.
Across her appearances, she wears a revealing red, black and white kimono with a torn right sleeve, as well as black greaves and sandals. In Xrd, Baiken also has a black gakuran with a white skull on its right sleeve, which she wears over her shoulders like a cape. Her sandal footwear resembles boots, and uses a sarashi garment to cover her groin area. Baiken's hair has become fuller with two tufts pointing upward like cat ears. The sheath of her katana was originally black, but is now red. In her -Strive-, Baiken's hair is noticably more wilder, longer and reddish in appearance. Additionally, the rope around her waist is now pink, as opposed to its previous red color from Xrd.
Personality
Deeply traumatized by her loss, Baiken remains bitter over her family's demise and is motivated solely by revenge, wanting to kill That Man beyond reason. A feisty woman and natural-born warrior, Baiken is willing to do whatever it takes for the sake of her goal, and accepts the natural consequences of her actions, having solemnly consigned herself to damnation for her sins. As implied in Λ Core Plus, her quest entails the danger of giving in to her bloodthirsty side, as shown within some of the endings for the game.
At the same time, Baiken is coarse, quick to lose her temper and impulsive, often jumping into action before thinking things through. An anti-social person, she seems to value others insofar as they can prove themselves in battle. Baiken tends to stick with her principles, unwilling to back down from a disagreement until it's settled (she can still acknowledge when the other party is in the right). Despite this, she tolerates Anji to a certain extent, but is only on friendlier terms. Baiken uses the pronoun 俺 (ore?), a casual hard masculine that is considered extremely irregular when used by women.
Having struggled with uncertainty in Λ Core Plus, her personality in Xrd seems to have mellowed slightly, allowing her to express herself less crudely towards people. While she still desires revenge for the death of her family, she knows when to prioritize the greater good of her people over her personal vendetta.
Baiken has a great bond towards Japanese culture, with her being devoted to protect whatever is left of her people. This includes her checking over the colonies and tending to dislike outsiders lurking around them. Should a problem arise though, Baiken is willing to do whatever it takes to save her people, even if it costs her life.
Story
Background
At the very beginning of the Crusades, the nation of Japan was destroyed by Justice, and those of Japanese descent—amongst whom were Baiken and her parents—were placed in colonies for their protection. However, while she was still a child, Gears raided the institution she was living in. Small and weak, Baiken could do nothing to stop the attack, and could only watch the chaos around her. During the raid, she lost her arm and eye, and witnessed the horrible deaths of her parents, who gave their lives to protect her, as well as her friends.
The massacre was the work of the Gears, but what was etched into Baiken's memory was the image of a man surrounded by dancing flames and his creations. She became acutely aware, even in the absence of evidence, that he was an enemy. With an unfading memory of the event, Baiken vowed to search for the true identity of That Man and exact her revenge.
Guilty Gear
Baiken appears as a secret character and has no part in the story. Justice's Story Mode in Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus, which is a re-telling of the tournament, shows that Baiken is the first to fight Justice after she is completely revived by Testament, but is promptly defeated.
Guilty Gear X
In 2181, after a bounty is issued on Dizzy's head, Baiken is searching for That Man and is on a path to kill "monsters", such as Sol Badguy, Potemkin and Faust. Claiming that she won't let any Gear get away, her first ending has her nearly killing Testament and Dizzy, but then letting them go, no longer in the mood as she couldn't find That Man. Her other ending has her accompanying Johnny for a drink.
Sometime afterwards, Baiken decides to visit the colony, only to find out that Gear parts are falling from the sky and the colony's barrier is weakening. She cleaves through a fallen arm, and Ky Kiske reprimands her for destroying evidence. Baiken rapidly discerns that someone is invoking them, that person being Mizuha. Baiken attacks Mizuha, but Ky and Tyr protect her. Baiken, irritated, engages Ky in a heated duel. Tyr attempts to join the fight, but releasing Fenrir causes the weakened barrier to distort and the backlash teleports Tyr and Mizuha away. Mizuha's grandfather tells Baiken and Ky to cease fighting and concentrate on finding the children, and Ky unsuccessfully tries to use his Order medallion to locate Tyr. After Baiken's nonchalant remarks, the elder asks Ky to forgive Baiken, explaining her past. Ky states that they, as survivors, should leave their hatred behind. Baiken expresses annoyance and withdraws, telling Ky to find the children and Anji Mito.
Guilty Gear XX
A few weeks later, Baiken meets and pursues I-No, whom she suspects is connected to That Man. In her first ending, she defeats I-No and That Man appears. Despite her continuous attacks, Baiken is unable to harm him; he apologizes to her and prays that someday, when his life finally ends, her anger will fade. In the second ending, the Post-War Administration Bureau sends a Robo-Ky after her, which Baiken takes as a declaration of war. In her third ending, Anji warns Baiken not to go after That Man; Baiken claims she will take Anji's life, but quickly says she will call it even just this once if Anji shares the information he got from That Man.
Guilty Gear Dust Strikers
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Guilty Gear Judgment
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Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus
All Baiken took from meeting That Man was confusion and distress, which makes her question herself: Should she seek revenge, or look for a new way of life? She turns her attention to the P.W.A.B. to find an answer through battle. In one path, an encounter with I-No leads Baiken to meeting Anji again. After a fight, he states that he doesn't want her to die, and earnestly will let himself be cut down by Baiken if she promises she won't go after That Man—who isn't something they can handle—anymore. Baiken gives no answer, but lets Anji tag along for a while.
In another path, Baiken kills I-No and gives in to her bloodlust, presumably becoming a serial killer. She comes to be known as "Baiken the Killer", and is ultimately chased down by Ky and the International Police Force for her crimes.[note 1]
Guilty Gear Xrd
On November 9, 2187, Baiken almost kills an operator who is following her for a collect call. The man on the phone is none other than Anji, who wants her to return to the Colony to investigate the Illyrian presence. Baiken inquires about the "other case", but Anji is reluctant to speak. He nevertheless convinces Baiken to take care of the Colony. A week later, Baiken finds Answer snooping around and attacks him, even as he tells her he is investigating the Universal Will. He warns Baiken that the Colony may soon become a battlefield and flees.
Baiken is found by May; she tells Baiken of the current crisis and calls her over to meet Kum Haehyun, who is working to protect the colony. Baiken escorts them to the colony's sacred tree that has had generations of ki infused into it. After confirming that Haehyun's motivations are altruistic, Baiken swears to protect Haehyun even if it costs her life. During the final battle against Ariels, Haehyun keeps the Information Flares at bay, while Baiken, May and Answer protect her from the Phalanx.
Guilty Gear -Strive-
Three weeks later,[2] Baiken somehow met Delilah,[3] who allied herself with Chipp Zanuff of the Eastern Chipp Kingdom.[4] When they first meet, Baiken notices that Delilah resembled her past-self, but Delilah becomes her 'teacher' of sorts; since she started to live with her, Baiken has attained some enlightenment.[3] They are looking for Happy Chaos, who is the source for her ire.[4] After the G4 Summit concludes, Baiken spends some time with Anji, even smiling at him, at the colony after what seems to be him informating her that ‘That Man’ is finally dead.[5] After giving up on revenge with Delilah, they now spend their days together peacefully.[6]
Abilities
Boasting the claim that there is nothing her blade cannot cut, Baiken is considered to be a fearsome fighter, using her secret weapons and traditional Japanese katana with great skill despite the loss of her eye. Her secret weapons, designed to surprise her opponents, are hidden within the sleeve of her severed arm: a Japanese mace, a feudal cannon, a bladed fan, a chain rope, a hook, a claw, and a spear. Being of Japanese descent, Baiken seems to possess the ability to manipulate Ki in the form of seals, although she is not reliant upon it nor as versatile in its usage as others in the series. She also seems to have knowledge of summoning magic in order to conjure tatami mats for her attacks.
In terms of playstyle, Baiken is a defensive fighter, with her gameplan revolving around understanding the opponent's offense and punishing them for it. She has a plethora of unique special moves that she can activate while guarding, forcing opponents to commit less often and limiting their pressure. She is also able to control the neutral game with her iconic Tatami Gaeshi technique, and her Baku Overdrives respectively seal off specific buttons of her opponent for a duration. Baiken isn't without her weaknesses however, as her offensive potential is rather linear and limited, and has one of the worst defense and stun modifiers of the cast.
Music
- Momentary Life - Guilty Gear
- Momentary Life II - Guilty Gear X, Guilty Gear XX
- Ricochet - Guilty Gear XX ♯Reload Korean OST
- Drumhead Pulsation - Guilty Gear Isuka
- 六文 -ROKUMON- - Guilty Gear Xrd
- Smoking Hot - Samurai Showdown
- Mirror of the World - Guilty Gear -Strive-
Quotes
Main article: /Quotes
Allusions
- Baiken's initial design seems to have been heavily inspired by Himura Kenshin from the manga/anime series Rurouni Kenshin.
- Baiken is likely named, although using different kanji, after Shishido Baiken, a samurai who had a duel with legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Musically, "Sun and Steel" by Iron Maiden is in tribute to Musashi.
- Her wearing a tsuba for an eyepatch in Revelator could be allusion to the Shishido Baiken depicted in the videogame Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan.
- The tsuba eyepatch is also a trait legendarily associated with the samurai Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, including his depiction in the Samurai Shodown series (which Baiken would later appear as a guest character in).
- "Momentary Life" seems particularly inspired by the song "大和 Yamato Part4" by the Japanese band Musashi.
- The concept of a one-armed, one-eyed samurai seeking revenge for his or her clan seems to be directly lifted from the literary hero Tange Sazen.
- Tatami Gaeshi seems to be a pun of the "Tsubame Gaeshi" technique reportedly favored by samurai Sasaki Kojiro, while referencing tatami trap doors, a cliché in Japanese period dramas.
- The name of "六文 -ROKUMON-" refers to the funeral custom of paying a toll of six mon before a soul can cross the Sanzu River to reach the afterlife. Her standard Overdrive, Tsurane Sanzu Watashi, is named after said river.
- The skull print on her gakuran looks remarkably similar to the logo of American horror punk band Misfits. The placement may be an allusion to Cliff Burton, who had the logo tattooed there.
Trivia
- In Guilty Gear XX, her false bounty described her as "A merciless swordswoman who slices her opponents into ribbons with her arsenal of dark weapons."
- Both Baiken and Jam possess a move called Mawarikomi.
- Baiken is a smoker, appearing with a kiseru in some of her victory poses.
- In one of the endings for A Core Plus, Baiken claims to have cast away her gender. However, due to how the ending contradicts future events that occurs in the series (eg. Baiken killing I-No within the ending yet the latter appearing later on in Xrd & Strive unscathed), it is currently uncertain if Baiken has actually done so canonically.
- This is also made more uncertain given how Baiken had became a serial killer within the ending (being referred to as "Baiken the Killer" by Ky), which strongly contradicts to how Baiken is like in her appearance in Xrd and Strive.
- A costume based on Baiken's Xrd look, for Maria S Leonburg, appears in #COMPASS.
- Baiken has made guest appearances in the following games: Brave Frontier, Chain Chronicle 3, #COMPASS, Last Period, Crusaders Quest, Epic Seven, Elemental Story, Code Shifter, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Online, Samurai Shodown (2019), and The King of Fighters All Star.
- A costume based on Baiken's Strive look, for Milla Maxwell, appears in Tales of the Rays.
Gallery
Main article: /Gallery
External links
- ギルティギア イグゼクス アクセントコア【キャラクター】｜梅喧
- 梅喧 | キャラクター | GUILTY GEAR Xrd REV 2 AC版公式サイト
- BAIKEN | CHARACTER | GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- | ARC SYSTEM WORKS
- GGML/ - GGACR/ - GGXRD-R2/ - GGST/Baiken at Dustloop Wiki
Notes
- ↑ Since the events of this ending are contradicted by Xrd, it is considered to be non-canon.
References