Jingai Kanzaki GRIT FAQ v.2.7
by MaRaMaLa
04/28/98
1) What does all this have to do with Ranma 1/2?
As what was said in the web page, all this is a
part of GRIT, which is the Global Ranma Insanity Thread.
For more information, check out the official GRIT homepage
(http://www.wizard.net/~deva/grit.html).
2) Who is Skribulous?
Skribulous, or Skrib, is the RL of Jingai and
Nezumi. Unlike most RLs, Skrib is more actively involoved
with the affairs of his "wards", and would usually
intercede for them, (though usually indirectly.) for "the
greater good of all concerned" and "for the sake of a good
story". His directions are viewed less as a help than a
hindrance however, since ALL chara in his posts would
always end up displaying powers and abilities they would
_not_ usually be capable of, stretching logic and
credibility (but still between the boundaries of Aaron's
combat guide -- most of the time :). Skrib usually leans
towards serious dramatic interactions, much to the
annoyance of the others (but still between the boundaries
of Scott's chara guide -- most of the time :).
Fortunately, he won't go over his RL boundaries
(again, most of the time :). In terms of RL comparison,
Skrib is still inexperienced (no match for "Suppa" RLs
like Aaron, Al-X, Blade, Jason, Kuno, Tsu and Vince),
but has since learned to improvise for his limitations.
He usually appears as a fat 60-foot tall scaly blue
Oriental dragon with a bulging round belly and a mirthful
grin. Other than his physique and stature, he is assumed
to have all the capabilities of a standard RL.
(RL history: Skribulous is an NPC sage type
chara straight out of the many RPG sessions between me
and my friends. But don't tell Skrib that. -- MaRaMaLa)
3) Who is MaRaMaLa?
MaRaMaLa is Skribulous. Skribulous is MaRaMaLa.
But there is where the similarity ends. Skrib may be
funny and optimistic, but MaRaMaLa is more serious and
bitterly cynical. He has not shown up in GRIT, and
hopefully would not make an appearance, for the sake of
GRITverse, Ranmaverse, and all anime fandom. He writes
fanfics and is the creator of Skribulous, Jingai Kanzaki
and Nezumi Hatsuka.
(And more chara to come. Watch for them... :)
Please, don't tempt me...
4) What is the Mikansei Kakuto Kamijutsu?
Directly translated, it means the Unperfected
Martial Art Divine Spirit Style, although in GRIT it can
roughly be read as the Incompleted God Skill Martial Art.
It is a chi-based martial art, yet has elements of psi,
magic and elemental forces blended into it. Jingai
developed this martial art tech from an ancient scroll
he found deep in the mountains of Tibet and the Key
scroll given to him by Skribulous.
The Incompleted God Skill is very slow to learn
and develop, which hampers practicioners in the short run
(although once you do master the tech...) Unfortunately,
it's current known form has a major disadvantage: the
martial artist becomes extremely sensitive to all forms
of energy (not just limited to chi) flows surrounding him.
It could be a benefit, since he could detect any source
of power used in the general vicinity, but unfortunately
the wielder can personally feel the effects as if it is
a personal part of his being/psyche.
(Funny thing though: only Jingai has this
crippling disadvantage, and Nezumi doesn't. Maybe it
has something to do with Jingai's unique make-up, after
all, and not an inherent part of the training. Or maybe
vice-versa?)
A similar, though lesser in degree, tech is the
Full-Ki, the opposite of Ryuu Kumon's Empty-Ki tech.
5) What is the Goudousen-Ken?
Directly translated, it means Five Way Multitude
Sword, although in GRIT it can be roughly be read as the
Five Paths of a Thousand Fist. It is unknown what this
technique does, and the only way this technique can be
learned is by mastering five of the most powerful martial
art techniques known to GRIT: the so-called "Twin Art"
Yamasen-Ken (Mountain of a Thousand Fist) and Umisen-Ken
(Sea of a Thousand Fist), the "Third Art" Kazesen-Ken
(Gale of a Thousand Fist), the "Nature Art" Morisen-Ken
(Forest of a Thousand Fist), and the "Lost Art"
Kidoushinsen-Ken (Mystic Divine Righteousness of a
Thousand Fist).
Jingai learned of the existence of Goudousen-Ken
from the Key scroll Skribulous gave him, and believes that
it is somehow directly related with Kami-jitsu. So he is
looking for scrolls of all five techniques, and if possible
practicioners of each form or a similar style to study from.
He aquired the Kazesen-Ken from an earlier adventure before
he came to Nerima, and he plans to let give it as a present
to his old friend Ryuu Kumon.
Ryuu Kumon was the master of Yamasen-Ken, and is
an old friend of Jingai's. However, ever since sealing
the technique away, Only Ranma Saotome, the master of the
Umisen-Ken, is the current holder of the secrets of the
Twin Art. Jingai is now striving for a way to make Ranma
unseal the Twin Art so he can study them himself from Ryuu,
or even from Ranma himself if possible. Unfortunately,
Jingai does not know what has happened to Ryuu since the
last time he saw him over three years ago and has no idea
of Ryuu's change of attitude, and that Ryuu still holds a
grudge against him all this time. This would make Ryuu
unsuitable to learn the Goudousen-Ken, The Five Paths of
a Thousand Fist, unless he lets go of all his pent-up
anger and angst he has inside for Ranma Saotome.
(Wishful thinking :).
Unlike the other techniques, the Morisen-Ken does
not necessarily require the user to be a proficient martial
artist to use them, only an affinity for nature and the
surroundings (but unlike most natural arts, "Nature Art"
will work even in cities and urban sprawls). U-chan
(another chara of GRIT), for example, is qualified to be
a user of the Morisen-Ken. Also, the Forest of a
Thousand Fist may not be solely limited to plants...
The Kidoushinsen-Ken may not be lost, after all.
Rol (yet another GRIT chara) has displayed techniques (or
probably corrupted versions of said techs) that could only
come from knowledge of the "Lost Art".
Jingai is beginning to suspect that the last two
scrolls are actually scattered nearby, hidden somewhere in
Nerima. Perhaps, Ryuu-ou, Steven's sensei (and another
GRIT chara) has a copy of one, or even both of them...
6) What's the Key Scroll Jingai constantly mentions?
It's an ancient scroll containing the family tree
of all known martial arts. Jingai uses this scroll to
help him identify, trace and classify new martial arts
techs he may come across. It is still unfinished, so
Jingai is also filling in the blanks for Skribulous,
adding in newly developed martial arts techs. The "root"
was originally left blank, giving credence to Jingai's
theory and belief in a parent Martial Art, abandoned due
to the natural passage of time.
7) What's the deal about Jingai's canvas duffel bag?
No, he's not doing a Terry Bogard impression. ^_^
The duffel bag in a gift from Skrib and Jingai's only
Hammerspace access. At the beginning, it has all his
and Nezumi's stuff stored in it. Now it usually contains
scrolls, some food and a spare change of clothes (his
monk robes).
(Now that I think about it, maybe that's
identical to Terry's sack. Ever wonder why the Lone
Wolf never runs out of hats? :)
8) How about Nezumi's ribbon?
It ain't magical, but it's not a decorative
ornament, either. She uses it to conceal her elfin-like
ears, and occasionally as a weapon (similar to Ryouga's
belt sword -- although we have yet to see her do so).
It's also a pun. (take a guess... :)
BTW, she also wears wigs. (She started in GRIT
wearing a golden-blond one similar to Jingai's hair, and
later on may wear a succession of others.)
9) Why does Nezumi have elfin ears? Is she an elf?
Nope. _I_ just happen to find anime girls with
Spock ears a big turn-on. As if the big eyes weren't
bad enough... (And I'm a Lodoss War fan. So there :p).
Just kidding there... There is an important
plot twist coming up, but it won't be revealed for a
while...
10) Interdimensional Plot Holes? What is that, and
what is it doing in Mystic Manor?
Oh, that. It's a minor gateway that allows users
to travel from one place to another, while ignoring the
distance gap between the two points, with the use of two
"portals", one on each end. You can only go from one
"plot hole" to another, crossing the boundaries between
time and space. This is the only way to reach Skribulous'
normally inaccessible inner sanctum (the hut somewhere
outside Nerima -- although Ryouga did visit the place
occasionally ^_^). Think of it as Nexus Gates in StarCraft
or a permanent version of the AD&D Dimension Door Spell.
There is a plan to add more Plot Holes around
Nerima, to make travelling easier.
11) What's the puns? Takahashi-sama usually has them.
*Jingai Kanzaki - Jingai uses the kanji "Jin"
and "Kai" (Person of the World), although it could
be translated as "Beast Lord". Another pun would be
reading the translation of his name backwards and in
katakana (gaijin - foreigner) which he is not, despite
his "uncommon" looks.
Kanzaki is a common Japanese surname, and many anime
chara has it for a last name. It may not be Jingai's real
name, since it was actually given to him by the Shaolin
monks in Nara. The kanji are Ka (flame) and zaki (cape),
which could roughly describe his martial art abilities.
*Nezumi Hatsuka - hatsukanezumi (mouse)
An obvious pun, referring to her cursed form.
Jingai calls her Ne-san, since he believes she is
older than him. (That's not the only reason. ^_- )
This may not be her real name, after all...
*Nezumi's ribbon - for story purposes, I can't
reveal it at this time (it might spoil everything :).
But the meaning's pretty obvious to long-time die-hard
anime otaku devotees ^_^.
*Skribulous - scribble in "pig latin"
*Sika - Shiela's friend, lover and fellow nun, her
name is the Japanese word for deer
*Signus - sign in "pig latin"
*Megido - an actual place in Israel, the
prophesized location for the "Final Battle" in the
Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible (aka. Armageddon)
*Geist - (No, not from MD Geist ;p) German for
phantom or ghost
*Ender - from the title character of Ender's Game
and sequel novels, a homage to Orson Scott Card, one of my
favorite sci-fi authors
*Martial Art Techniques - see individual chara
entries
12) What's Nezumi's real age?
15 (Jingai thinks she's 18). She _could_ be a
lot older, but she ain't telling... (Nahh, couldn't be... :)
13) There is no question 13. Move along... ;p
14) Who are Mamono Masai, Goro Masai and Poli Masai?
Hey! Who told you that? I'm not done with them yet!
Okay, okay, just some hints then... Mamono
("Monster" or "Beast" in Japanese) is someone familiar to
Jingai; Poli (pronounced "Polly") is Nezumi's splitting
image; Goro... Later. ^o^;;
Then again, they probably won't be showing in GRIT
for a while...
15) Who is Shiela?
No idea... Oh, _that_ Shiela. Her chara was
designed by JLB (RL-JL), a friend of MaRaMaLa. Her
Chinese name is Tsiao Hsieh Lah (renamed Xi Puu Gi by
the Joketsuzoku -- aka. Sponge). She is actually a
member of the gaki, an ancient race of monsters (Mamono
no Busaiku) that feeds on a specific source. For Shiela,
it's the ki present in living things. She has the title
"Devourer of the Earth". She also suffers from a multiple
personality disorder, a side effect from feeding on
sentient beings.
16) Who is Signus Megido?
A member of a secretive family, he undertook the
reconnaisance mission to Nerima to observe the people
(GRITters)there, under the guise of a financial adviser
doing business research (as Sigmund Ender) or a mercenary
looking for a new base of operations (as Geist Madigan).
Of course, the mission is flexible enough for him to join
in the fun...
(RL history: A fictional persona MaRaMaLa usually
assumes during RPG sessions with his group.)
What the true aims of the Megido family are still
very much unknown...
------------
Revision history
1.1 - 10/20/97
1.2 - 10/31/97
1.3 - 11/20/97
1.4 - 11/31/97
2.0 - 12/05/97
2.1 - 12/21/97
2.2 - 01/02/98
2.3 - 02/18/98
2.4 - 03/18/98
2.5 - 04/28/98
2.6 - 07/31/98
2.7 - 10/21/98
(c) 1998 Mark Ranel M. Lambo. All Rights Reserved.