Hohō

Overview

Image Gallery

Hohō
English	Agility
Kanji	歩法
Information
Technique Type	Movement Technique
User	Shinigami, Visored

Hohō (歩法, Step Method; Viz "Fast Movement") is a defensive style of fighting which relates to footwork, it is one of the four basic combat skills of the Shinigami. Hohō is an important skill for most Shinigami, which incorporates speed and agility. The skill level of Hohō can be enhanced and improved through concentration, training, and mastery of it. The foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to the Onmitsukidō. Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash steps) is the greatest expression of the Hohō technique; however there are variations even within Shunpo, which only master Hohō practitioners can use.

Overview

Shunpo (瞬歩, Flash Steps) is a movement technique which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point which determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main factor of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move; users of little skill in the technique or those who have not used it for an extended period of time would obviously be out of practice, causing them to be considerably slower, which requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become winded in a shorter amount of time.

• Yoruichi Shihōin goes by the title "Goddess of the Flash" (瞬神, Shunshin), as she is the fastest Shunpo user in all of Soul Society.

• Tenjirō Kirinji was once known as "Lightning-Fast Tenjirō" (雷迅の天示郎, Raijin no Tenjirō) for his skill in the art, during his time in Soul Society.

Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō (隠密歩法　四楓の参, Onmitsu Shunpo Shihō no San) is a category of Shunpo skills, including the technique Utsusemi.

The Arrancar variation of Shunpo is Sonído, while the Quincy variation is Hirenkyaku. The Fullbringers also have their own, yet-to-be-named, movement technique, which is akin to Shunpo.

Techniques

Senka	Utsusemi	Speed Clones

Notable Users

Shunpo Masters

Shunpo masters are capable of maintaining high speed movements for extended periods of time while using the least amount of steps to achieve those movements. Masters are capable of using advanced steps, which are considerably harder to initiate. A master can possibly create new techniques but it is most likely a rare occurrence. (Note: only those who have trained and achieved mastery either stated or shown, outside any advantage they gain from Shikai, Bankai or otherwise are included in this listing).
Sōsuke Aizen	Suì-Fēng	File:Ch517Pg1KirinjiTenjiro.png Tenjirō Kirinji	File:Ep197ByakuyaPortalPic.png Byakuya Kuchiki	File:Ep250KogaPortalPic.png Kōga Kuchiki	File:Ep37ShunsuiPortalPic.png Shunsui Kyōraku
Yoruichi Shihōin	Jūshirō Ukitake	File:UraharaPortalPicFTB.png Kisuke Urahara	Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto

Shunpo Experts

Experts of the technique are considerably fast, and can maintain high speed movements for extended periods of time. While not as fast as a master, they can keep up quite effectively. Some holding the title are faster than others, but, nonetheless, their application of the technique is highly advanced.
Renji Abarai	File:Love episode 278.jpg Love Aikawa	Shūsuke Amagai	Kirio Hikifune	Shinji Hirako	File:Ep218HisagiPortalPic.png Shūhei Hisagi
File:Ep363HitsugayaPortalPic.png Tōshirō Hitsugaya	Ichibē Hyōsube	Nanao Ise	Tetsuzaemon Iba	File:Ep153GinPortalPic.png Gin Ichimaru	Maki Ichinose
Kagerōza Inaba	Ashido Kanō	Makoto Kibune	Sajin Komamura	Ginrei Kuchiki	Rukia Kuchiki
Ichigo Kurosaki	File:Ep142IsshinPortalPic.png Isshin Kurosaki	File:Ep196MayuriPortalPic.png Mayuri Kurotsuchi	Nemu Kurotsuchi	Kensei Muguruma	Ōetsu Nimaiya
File:Omaeda episode 215.jpg Marechiyo Ōmaeda	File:Rose.jpg Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi	Yūshirō Shihōin	Kaname Tōsen	File:Ep279LisaPortalPic.png Lisa Yadōmaru	Ōko Yushima

Shunpo Practitioners

Practitioners of the technique can maintain fast movements for a short period of time, by seemingly taking only a few steps to bridge what would normally be a large distances. Those who are practitioners commonly use their knowledge of Hohō while engaging in combat to close the space between combatants. Practitioners who maintain these high speeds for too long tend to become winded.
File:Yumichikaayasegawa5.jpg Yumichika Ayasegawa	Momo Hinamori	Ryūsei Kenzaki	Izuru Kira	Isane Kotetsu	Ikkaku Madarame
Masayoshi	Rangiku Matsumoto	Retsu Unohana	Hachigen Ushōda

Those Who Have Yet to Learn Shunpo

Those in this category, possessing no skill for Hohō, instead rely on walking to get where they need to be, or have trained extensively to enhance their natural speed to a level allowing them to move considerably fast, though decidedly under that of Shunpo.
Hanatarō Yamada	File:Ep199KenpachiPortalPic.png Kenpachi Zaraki