水遁
Suiton
Element Explanation
Water is a more or less passive element by nature. It flows freely and takes the shape of whatever it is contained in. I call it passive as it is a yielding element which goes and flows however the external forces and nature dictate it to. For example; still water will move and ripple at the slightest touch, a river flowing straight will move around a rock and take an alternate direction instead of just going through the rock. Wind can cause water to move in different directions. This is one of the reasons why water, a yielding element, is opposite to earth, an unyielding element. That rock in the bank of the river will not move for the water, it will stay firm. If the rock were to walk through the river straight, the water would go around the rock, not the other way around. This is a rudimentary understanding, however water itself can be very powerful and forceful. A large enough mass of water may disroot the rock if strong enough. Water may be condensed to a fine area and move at great speeds to cause a powerful impact. That is where variables come in, which is what any element manipulates, the variables of the properties that can enhance an element's potential. If you want to look at things in terms of balance, Taoism and philosophies behind water and it's general movement. Water is the Yin half, not forceful, yielding and water redirects energy instead of meeting it head on. The Chinese Internal styles of martial arts talk about redirecting your opponents force back onto them which is essentially a property of water (the redirection that is). Force is not met with force rather the force is allowed to continue until redirected suddenly, often times against even harder forces that are much stronger. An example would be if somebody were to punch you. They are traveling in one direction at a certain speed. You simply move out of the way while guiding the fist further in that direction, increasing the speed. Should there be a wall behind them, they make impact with that wall and most often hurt their hand.
Method System
Method 1: Basic Projectiles
Method 2: Streams/Water Sources
Method 3: Water Manipulation
Method 4: Alternative Releases (Water/Oil/Syrup)
Method 5: Specifics (Body Liquid)
Method 1: Basic Projectiles
Alright these techniques involve creating projectiles like shuriken or kunai. Shuriken and Kunai are examples of projectiles and are not limited to that scope. When you hear and think of projectiles, you think of objects that you launch or project towards your opponent. They're something that leaves your possession and treavels towards your opponent. There is nothing different when it comes to suiton projectiles. All you're doing is launching water at your opponent as you would any other projectile. Now, with water and any other element that uses projectiles you tend to use a lot of shape manipulation. Reason is, is because you need to make the projectiles strong enough damage your opponent (pierce them, knock them back with blunt force, etc). Water or any other element at its base is just raw unformed element. By using shape manipulation you form the shape of the projectile you want. As well, you also compress the element to a degree which allows for a certain density which is always good. With these water projectiles, you will be exhaling them from the mouth. You will first inhale and focus the chakra from your core and channel it up into your lungs and mouth. You will then exhale; the chakra you gathered in your lungs helps propel the water, and the mouth is the point of release. You use shape manipulation to then form the water into whatever shape you need it to be, whether it be a ball or something more advanced like a shark. The water is also compressed in a tight container (the boundaries you create by shaping it) therefore when it makes impact with the target they'll generally receive a blunt impact that knocks them back, has the capability to knock the wind out of them, bruise them, maybe break bones or damage the organs and cause shock. Also, if fast enough and small enough, the density from the tightly compressed nature and the speed may be able to pierce like a bullet. Using other mediums of release for projectiles, you would simply channel your chakra into a different location and then follow the rest of the procedures of releasing the water, and shaping it for the desired effect.
Advantages to Method
Techniques in this category are quick releases, designed to attack in short to long range scenarios against big single targets, with normal movement speed. Just like projectiles, once they leave your hand it frees you up to attack again with more projectiles or even other types of techniques. Techniques in this category allow for you to launch several shots in succession in most cases allowing you to barrage your opponents from several different angles possibly or use them as a distraction or ploy to force them in directions that would be beneficial to you. Large enough projectiles will make it difficult for your opponents to avoid, but not impossible. There can be issues with visibility, allowing you to block your opponent's vision while you plot a sneak attack. However visibility aspect is a double edged sword in most cases. You won't necessarily be able to see them unless you have sensory abilities. These techniques are better used in closer distances to disable both the ability to dodge and counter but also to make full use of the speed of these projectiles. The closer you are, the less time they have to hit the opponent.
Disadvantages to Method
Though quick in release, once projectiles are released you have no control over them. It's generally the same in every case with projectile based weaponry minus attachments like wire that allow you control. However in the case of chakra based projectiles like these, after exhaling exit from the point of release there is no real control over the projectiles. The direction you've launched is where it will go and it could be very easy to avoid them with basic techniques that could move you out of the line of fire, like Earth Release Technique or the popular hurricane fist into the air. There is the problem of the rapid fire projectiles. As said previously, as you're allowed to fire multiple shots from certain techniques, yet they don't all have the power of that particular rank, their collective power combined = the rank of the technique as a whole. What this means is, as you divide the projectiles into several shots, they considerably get weaker allowing for your opponent to exploit the weakness. Some techniques may converge at a single point (usually the target) so that they may not be able to avoid harm by just attacking individual shots, there is still that possibility. Those who try to cover a wider range with more projectiles will leave themselves at a disadvantage. The opponent can protect just their frontal or the area of where they're attacking by using weaker attacks protect against individually weaker fireballs or fire projectiles. Another big disadvantage is this method is that these techniques aren't very prone to combos with other techniques, especially those of other elements. The projectiles are generally so compressed and dense that they explode on contact, preventing them from melting or heating earth that could be used in a combo with them. The sheer concept of a projectile makes it less prone to be comboed with wind or lightning as the projectiles would require insane precision to be comboed with a wind or lightning technique. Projectiles aren't also very usable with water for the same reason as earth as the projectiles would simply "rupture" and not deliver its effect due to the small time in contact with the combo technique. The main disadvantages are that projectiles are fast yes, but less versatile in combat and for the most part, easy to defend (Credit to Scorps).
Method 2: Streams/Water Sources
This method involves creating constant streams of water as well as creating water sources. What I mean is, the techniques in this method continuously releases water and/or creates such a large mass of water, it provides a suitable water source for you to use other Suiton techniques that do need a source of water. Now what this would mean is, you have to constantly fuel the techniques with your chakra in order to keep the on pour of water coming out or else you will not be able to create the streams or the large masses of water. These techniques don't generally require a large amount of shape manipulation. Some techniques do however most are just you creating a mass of water or stream of water where you would, therefore, simply pour your chakra into the technique and create an unfocused wave of water that travels towards your destination. These techniques also provide you with a wider and, potentially longer, range of reach to your opponents. There is also the granted advantage of control over the technique. As opposed to projectiles, where you release them and their self-sustaining nature takes over and there is no further control from the users, most of these techniques allow for you to manipulate in different general directions to allow you to hit your target even if they move out of the immediate range.
Advantages to Method
As stated, these techniques give one a greater range of control over the technique seeing as the user will be constantly pouring their chakra into a continuous stream. As the technique is being released it can change the original path you have and make it go other places in the event your opponent tries to avoid it or blocking it with an obstruction. Another major advantage is the fact that some of these techniques are capable of creating water sources. With a large enough technique from this method creating a water source it opens up several more techniques in the element that requires a water source. This, of course, only applies when there isn’t any water already available to you.
Disadvantages to Method
The biggest disadvantage to this method is that, like all streams, these techniques prevent you from using another technique while this technique is currently active. The reason is, these techniques require you to constantly fuel them with chakra and thereby drawing your focus into them for the duration of the technique. If somebody goes for a different angle which requires you to defend, you’ll likely have to end the technique pre-maturely.
Method 3: Water Manipulation
Alright, so we've covered techniques that come from one's own body, creating projectiles, streams and even our own water sources. Now we're onto techniques that require the usage of an existing source of water. This method focuses on using water from a water source and manipulating it to form the techniques we want. When going about using these techniques, you expel the chakra from your body into the water source as opposed to the previous methods where you'd manifest the chakra itself into water. There are a few exceptions I believe, within this method, however most of these techniques require a water source in order for you to use them. Now, the properties of these techniques vary. There may be projectile type techniques or continuous techniques that require you to constantly focus chakra in order to use. In essence, these techniques may exhibit qualities of water techniques in previous methods but the unique thing about this method would be that you'd need a water source for these.
Advantages of Method
TBA
Disadvantages of Method
The main disadvantage to this method is the fact that these techniques require a water source in order for you to use. Unlike the last method where you are capable of manifesting large masses of water out of nowhere and even creating a water source, these techniques require a medium that is outside your constant realm of access. In battles where you do not have the pre-existing source of water you become incapable of using these techniques or become forced to set yourself up with a technique that provides you a water source.
Method 4: Alternative Releases (Water/Oil/Syrup)
This method will be easy. Basically these are techniques that create a different substance than the water, however, they still fall within the category of Suiton release. They are liquids that possess different properties than ordinary water, for example: Oil and syrup. Oil is a flammable substance, one wouldn't use this to combat fire but rather fuel it, and with syrup you create a much stickier viscosity of liquid that doesn't necessarily flow as fast as water but it gives a more adhesive property to it.
Advantages to Method
They don’t follow the traditional rules for suiton techniques meaning the techniques have a fairly new set of rules that govern them. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It is an advantage as you become capable of using these techniques in situations where you may not normally be able to because of an elemental weakness or some other occurrence.
Disadvantage of Method
As said above, the fact that these techniques don’t follow traditional suiton rules also comes as a disadvantage. Though you may be able to use these techniques in situations where you normally couldn’t at the same time you may become vulnerable in another situation where you weren’t previously with other water techniques. For example; you wouldn’t use an oil rain technique when your opponent is spewing a fire at you. Oil augments fire and even though it’s still “water release” it is a disadvantage.
Method 5: Specifics
Basically, these are techniques that don’t fall within the above listed categories. These techniques may possess similar qualities to the techniques in some of the other methods, however, for the most part they are more unique in their abilities and aren’t classifiable in this system together in other methods
Advantages of Method
Advantages are dependent on the individual technique
Disadvantages of Method
Disadvantages are dependent on the individual technique