Takeru is a giant kanabo club much like Kaido's Hassaikai, though in comparison it is studded and more slender, while Hassaikai is spiked and a bit thicker.[1]
Abilities
Coupled with Yamato's immense strength, the kanabo can wreak tremendous damage to objects and opponents with a single hit,[1] and with Yamato's strength and Haki, it can be used to perform flying strikes that resemble energy blasts.[3] Yamato has masterful technique with his kanabo despite its great size and weight, being capable of moving it to counter Luffy's rapid attacks with little effort. He can also channel the mythical freezing abilities of his Devil Fruit through it.[4]
Techniques
Raimei Hakke (雷鳴八卦,Raimei Hakke?, literally meaning "Thunderclap Eight Trigrams"): A technique used by Kaido and imitated by Yamato, in which he lunges forward at his target with blinding speed and swings his kanabo horizontally, striking the target with tremendous force. The attack was first seen used against Ulti in her Beast Form, knocking her out instantly.[1] However, while Kaido can choose to use only one hand to swing his kanabo,[5] Yamato swings it with both hands instead, having a more slender kanabo which he mostly if not exclusively uses two-handed. When Yamato in his Human-Beast Form did have a clash with Kaido in his Human-Beast Form—using their respective versions of Raimei Hakke, the two of them imbuing Supreme King Haki through their weapons—their attacks seemed evenly matched,[6] but Yamato ultimately ended up taking more damage despite protecting himself.[7] The "Bāguà" (八卦,Hakke?, "Eight Trigrams" in English) are eight tripartite symbols used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamentals of reality, based on eight interrelated concepts. It is called Thunder Bagua in the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations.
Narikabura (鳴鏑,Narikabura?, literally meaning "Ringing Turnip"): Swinging his kanabo upward, Yamato unleashes a vertical energy projectile to hit opponents from below with great force. It was first used against Hatcha, and immediately knocked him unconscious upon striking him in the head.[3]Narikabura is another term for Kabura-ya ("turnip-headed arrow"), arrows used by samurai which made a whistling sound when fired. It also refers to arrows of the same kind used by kami and emperors in the Kojiki, nowadays sold in Shinto shrines as talismans or amulets. It is called Narikabura Arrow in the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations.
Himorogiri (氷諸斬り,Himorogiri?, literally meaning "Icy Various Cuts"): An offensive move where Yamato, in his Human-Beast Form, leaps into the air and starts vertically spinning his kanabo to his left, making a swirl of ice form around his claws. Therewith, he consequently strikes down upon his foe from above. When first using this attack against Kaido, he struck the back of his head and knocked him to the ground despite Kaidou blocking with his own club.[4] The attack's name is a pun on himorogi (神籬?, lit. "divine fence"), a Shintō term referring to sacred spaces/altars used for kami worship, consisting of square areas demarcated by green bamboo or sakaki. It is called Hallowed Glacier Slash in the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations.
Shinsoku Hakujaku (神足白蛇駆,Shinsoku Hakujaku?, literally meaning "Divine Step White Snake Dash"): A melee attack in his Human Form where Yamato imbues his kanabo with Supreme King Haki, causing dark lightning to emanate from it. Yamato then dashes toward his opponent, swinging his club horizontally with two hands to strike a powerful blow to that opponent. When used against Kaido alongside Luffy's Jet Culverin, it managed to knock the Emperor back quite some distance and made him spit up blood.[8] The first part of the attack's name is a pun on the word shinsoku (神速?) for "great speed" (literally meaning "divine speed"). It is called Divine Swiftness White Serpent in the VIZ manga and Funimation adaptations.
Mahoroba (馬幻刃,Mahoroba?, literally meaning "Horse Phantom Blade"): An attack where Yamato remains in his Human Form, but imbues his kanabo with frost before swinging it horizontally. It first used against Kazenbo.[9] The name of the attack is a reference to the ancient concept of Mahoroba (まほろば?), which describes a land of peace and harmony within Yamato (Japan).
Trivia
Yamato Takeru is a legendary Japanese prince of the Yamato dynasty, prominent in mythology, who wielded Kusanagi no Tsuguri, one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan, which represents the Virtue of Valor.
Like the weapons of other characters, Oda has drawn a joke rendering of Takeru anthropomorphized, taking the form of a large-chinned man with a missing tooth, beard stubble and bumps on top of his heard, as well as bulbous hair resembling the studs on the weapon itself. The man is also smoking and wearing a shirt that says kanabō (金棒?).[2]
