Void Shiki vs Ultimate Ones, who wins?
This is a reply I made to a thread on a forum regarding Void Shiki vs Types.
Void Shiki?
Dude, Normal Ryougi already solos everyone here unironically. She has to be the most lied about character in Type-Moon, with several stupid takes about her being below fodders like Kuzuki or Servants, when in reality she is objectively the most powerful being in TM:
Why Shiki is a physical powerhouse that crushes 90% of superhumans:
First I'll dismantle the generic NPC argument of Shiki being "a normal human girl" that idiots uses every single time to dismiss her. This isn’t just an inaccurate take, it’s an outright refusal to engage with the text.
The narrative makes it explicitly clear: Shiki is not normal in any meaningful sense of the word. She is a living program, a humanoid existence designed to carry out hundreds upon hundreds of tasks with near-perfect efficiency. This precision comes from her blank nature, which allows her to access and master any skill or knowledge without altering her core identity:
“The Ryougi family is a dynasty, just like the Asagami and the Fujou families. They are families who are trying to create humans who are beyond human, and used various methods to ensure the birth of an heir. All so that they could pass on their family’s ‘inheritance’.
“The Ryougi family is especially interesting. They knew that if they had a supernatural ability, they would one day be destroyed by the civilized world. So they thought up a supernatural ability that would let them appear as normal human beings. Hey, Kokutou. Those people we call professionals, why is it that they can only reach the top in one area?
That’s because no matter how perfect a body, or how high the amount of natural aptitude you are born with, you can only put one talent into one person. The higher you climb, the more you are restricted as to what other peaks you can go up, until in the end you cannot climb any others.
“The Ryougi family solved that problem by imbuing one body with a countless number of personalities. It’s the same as a computer. If you put hundreds upon hundreds of pieces of software into one piece of hardware called Shiki, a professional in all areas is created. That’s why her name is Shiki. The Shiki kanji in Shikigami. The Shiki kanji when you talk about Mathematical Formulas. A program that fulfills any task required of it perfectly. An empty doll that possesses countless numbers of identities, and can be modified by putting in another personality with different morals, thought patterns, even senses.”
Did Shiki already know of this..? Yeah, she definitely knew. That’s why she had stubbornly avoided becoming friendlier. Accepting the fact that she wasn’t an average person, the fact that she had not been born into a normal family, she had just been trying to live a quiet life.
“This is a continuation on the subject of the Taiji, but the division of the chaotic 「 」 into two is Ryougi. In order to further stabilize this, and in order to increase the number of classes available, they divide it into four phenomena. They then further increase the complexity by cutting it into eight trigrams. Like this, they keep dividing by a base of two. This, too, could symbolize Shiki’s ability. But that no longer exists. A bug appeared in the perfect program, you see. The Shiki you see now, well, there may be slight problems, but she is a perfectly normal human with self-awareness.”
“Why are you making a face like that? The one that broke it was you. A mentally disturbed person, you see, doesn’t break down because they don’t even dream that they may be mentally disturbed. Shiki was like that before, too. Yeah, but a human called Kokutou Mikiya made her aware of the fact. That the existence of the one called Ryougi Shiki was strange. Ah, that’s right. If you were to say it was a rescue, you already saved Shiki two years ago, didn’t you? - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
She is once again clearly stated to possess incredible physical abilities:
Shiki has the power to see things that normal people can't. Aside from being able to see spirits, she can apparently see the lines that hold an object together.
On top of that, she's a savage at heart with incredible reflexes and physical abilities. If I were to be honest, she's the exact opposite of Mikiyaーshe's someone special. Someone like that is the last person I'd ever want to see with him.
In the first place, I actually only began training with Ms. Touko because of her. If Mikiya's partner was an average girl, I would've been able to eliminate her in a single day. However, I was soon faced with the reality that Shiki was on a completely different level altogether.
Despite all of that, I had to cope with the bitter truth that I still wouldn't be able to match up to Shiki, and so there I was honing my skills day by day. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
More importantly, she was designed as a vessel for the Root (" "), meant to embody the highest possible versatility a human form can attain:
Ryougi Shiki. The Ryougi clan was a family who had toiled over the ages to give birth to one with an empty body who could act as a vessel, all in order to create a human with maximum uses. To be empty was 「 」. Without realising what a dangerous thing they were doing, they had given birth to a body called Shiki who was connected to 「 」. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
In other words, Shiki is not a “normal human” who just happened to gain powers. She was built from the ground up for superhuman adaptability and execution.
Her fighting style is itself a product of this unnatural design. She admits her skills are not trained in the traditional sense, but are instead imitations, perfect reconstructions derived from simple observation. Shiki doesn’t train her body to match her mind. She reconstructs the mind to inform the body, instinctively reshaping herself into the most optimal form for whatever is required:
"I suppose I have something along those lines. I train by taking down everything using that as my premise, so if you call it a finishing move, it is one. But we aren't of that school. And it's originally a self-created style as well."
The thing you train is your mindset, Ryougi adds.
"You remake your body. From your breathing to the placement of your feet, awareness, thoughts, to be able to remake all of them for combat. Even the way of using your muscles changes, so it might feel like you become a different person.
I suppose tensing your body and mind as a fight starts, and while you are fighting, is the foundation of all martial arts. However, we followed only that too much, and as a result our path went too far."
"What, if you are strong then that's that. There wont be any instances where you go around getting bashed up like me. And you finished off those three guys in an instant. That's an incredible self-created style right there. "
When I spoke, remembering that refreshing instant of when I met this girl, Ryougi seems a bit surprised.
"That's different. I only copied what I had seen. More than that, there's never been an instance where I've used our house's school of fighting."
She nonchalantly spat out that frightening statement, then Ryougi collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
This goes so far that she could flawlessly replicate even the Nanaya assassination techniques, one of the most advanced martial systems in the verse, designed around 3D spatial manipulation and unpredictable, lethal movement:
" A listless girl who who wears both Eastern and Western clothes by wearing a leather jacket on top of her kimono. A character that seems have to have taken only the best parts of two characters: Tohno Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and Nanaya Shiki's Nanaya Techniques. Every movement is high-spec, with no opening in either her offense or defense. However, attacks that do not use either her knife or her katana deal surprisingly low damage." - Character Introduction from Tsukihime's fourth Character Popularity Poll.
"Her performance with the 17 dissections is almost the exact same as someone else's"- Character Introduction from Tsukihime's fourth Character Popularity Poll.
Flash sheathe and flash step. Unique space-utilization techniques passed down by the Nanaya, that make use of the walls and ceiling to move. Sensa refers to the arm techniques, while Sensou refers to the leg techniques. As a member of the Nanaya bloodline, these come quite naturally to Nanaya Shiki, but it seems Tohno Shiki can also pull off similar movements when he’s been backed into a corner. In fact, it could probably be called Shiki’s trump card. Also, as the name of Nanaya Shiki’s Last Arc, Kyokushi Nanaya, suggests, it is the ultimate technique of the Nanaya family. It was first demonstrated in Kagetsu Tohya.- MB Act Cadenza PS2 Manual - Sensa, Sensou [Technique]
--- Even that, is too slow. "Still in that crouched position, Shiki puts her hand behind her. Inside the belt that tightens the kimono is the second knife. As soon as she pulled the knife out to the side from her belt, she immediately threw it at the mage.
The knife blade penetrates the two-fold ward. Like a stone skimming the water the knife bounced twice off the top of the circle, and flew towards the mage's forehead. At the speed of a bullet.
"---?!"
The mage nimbly evades. The knife nicks the edge of his ear and disappears into the corridor, and the ear which had appeared to have evaded the attack has been carved off. Flesh, blood, broken bone. Brain fluid leaks out of the wound.
"--- Ugh."
The mage lets out a groan. Faster than that however --- he felt an impact that skewered his body. Thud, and a white darkness lands upon the mage's body. By the time the mage grasped that this was Shiki, who had charged straight at him after throwing the knife, the outcome of the fight had already been decided. Driving into his body shoulder first, Shiki's single blow had the same force as a cannon shell. Just that alone would have broken a few bones, but Shiki is clenching a silver knife in her hands. The knife is perfectly penetrating the centre of the mage's chest.
Ug --- gh."
The mage coughs out blood. His blood was a sand-like powder. When Shiki removed the knife she straight away thrusts it towards the mage's neck. With all the strength in her two hands. The fight has already been decided, but she is desperately trying to deliver another critical blow. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Shiki doesn’t merely “copy” techniques; she embodies them in their purest, most optimized form.
This is further amplified by her awakened Origin, a metaphysical "direction" that gives every phenomenon and entity its fundamental purpose. In TM, everything, animate or inanimate, is conceptually tethered to an Origin. It defines what something is at its deepest level. Even if one’s conscious behavior diverges, the body and soul are inevitably pulled toward this inner imperative, often manifesting as inborn talent or instinctive mastery aligned with that theme:
"Kokutou, do you believe in past lives?"
"You mean like, living as an animal before being born as a human? Hm, I suppose it'd be a maybe. While I can't deny it, it's not like I approve of it either."
"I couldn't think of an answer more befitting of you. Well, for the sake of discussion, let's hypothesise that they do exist. Even when speaking scientifically, there are grounds for believing in reincarnation. Every particle that exists in the universe eventually changes forms, right? So long as you don't factor in concepts like our minds and souls, everything will eventually be reincarnated as something else.
An Origin is a means of retracing that orderless rule. There are some mages who allow themselves to be possessed by their past lives in order to use their abilities. Basically, it's an attempt to bring the abilities you possessed before being born into the present. An Origin is a similar concept, but it exists on an even higher plane than that. If we possessed lives before our current ones, then it'd only make sense for that life to also have one previous to it. Even if you weren't born as a human in your past life, and even if you weren't a living being in the life before that, there lies a thread of existence that ties it all together. For every one of us, there exists a beginning of our soulsーa birthplace of our existences. However, the concept of living beings does not exist there.
All that exists is a genesis, a direction for causality to move in. Within the fount where all originates, an orientation toward something is born in a flash of lightning. That prerogative toward a certain something begins to flow, eventually taking a form suitable to it. Sometimes, it just so happens to be the form of a human being. Perhaps you could call it a driving force that emerged at the beginning of all things. It's an inescapable impulse to accomplish something born from within the chaos of the Fount of Origination. An absolute imperative for all that have been given form to fulfil their purpose. That impulse is what we mages refer to as an Origin.
Well, put simply, I guess calling it an instinct would be good enough. You know how some people are only attracted to children? They say stuff like that is caused by a traumatic instance in a person's childhood, but nothing that happened to a kid would be able to affect an adult's consciousness like that.
People like that have been that way since before they were born. Our souls are bound by the rigid shapes of our Origin. Even if we're aware of it, we cannot oppose the courses set for us during the foundation of our existence."
That thing she said at the end sounded a bit too extreme. Regardless,
there were also some parts that indubitably made sense. We humans engage in actions that we don't want to because we're unable to keep our urges in check.
For all things, be it plants or minerals, our lives are bound by a predetermined direction.
"Most people live their entire lives unaware of their Origins, though.
However, there are people who are born a bit too close to their Origins. Just like people with psychic powers, they possess extraordinary abilities, and as a result tend to be outcasts of society. By the way, Shiki constantly seeks death because her Origin is Emptiness, and the reason why Azaka refuses to be bound by rules is because hers is Taboo. Shiki's being driven by that impulse because she's too close, but Azaka's pretty much a normal girl, right? An Origin is only a cause, meaning it isn't ordinarily something that rules over an individual. Unless you become aware of it for whatever reason, that is."
She glanced at me with a keen look in her eyes. I'd already understood what she was trying to say.
"In other words, you lose the ability to go in a different direction once you realise your own Origin?"
"Exactly. An Origin is a current that has surged since the beginning of existence. The mere seventeen years that Shirazumi Lio possesses will only end up getting swept away. All he can do is surrender himself to that impulse over and over again. Consumption, huh? That's quite an unusual impulse he has. I'm not surprised that Araya wanted to keep a close eye on him.
Listen, Kokutou. If that's what his Origin is, then his past life was probably a creature that feasted on everything it could get its hands on. Those who have awakened their Origins will gain the past lives they have accumulated. He can't be considered a single human anymoreーhe's an entire pack of beasts. Things haven't taken a turn for the worse because his original personality is still holding on, but once that's gone, that pack of beasts is all that will remain. Well, that'd also be quite the interesting sight," she said with a sarcastic grin on her face. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
"The direction of everything that arose from fundamental cause. The α that enabled the existence of α, the absolute order that existed at the very core. For instance, something with the Origin of 'taboo,' regardless of being born as a human, animal, or plant, would always exist to go against the morals established by the collective. It was the idea that, independent of the process of reincarnation, humans acquired bodies and wisdom from the directional force at the point of origin, and acquired personalities that were only slightly different from their prior lives. Individuals who awakened their Origins would be consumed. This was due to 'personality' being something merely on the magnitude of one hundred years; it would be overwritten by the directional force born from the origin. However, humans (human bodies) who were overwritten by their Origins would acquire great powers. Araya Souren learned the technique to awaken Origins during his research into the root of humanity. Of course, he only awakened the Origin of one person." - Garden of Sinners Pamphlet - [Other] : Origin
Merely being born near an Origin can awaken outlier psychic abilities that bypass training or logic, manifesting powers as naturally as breathing despite being entirely supernatural:
However, there are people who are born a bit too close to their Origins. Just like people with psychic powers, they possess extraordinary abilities, and as a result tend to be outcasts of society. By the way, Shiki constantly seeks death because her Origin is Emptiness, and the reason why Azaka refuses to be bound by rules is because hers is Taboo. Shiki's being driven by that impulse because she's too close, but Azaka's pretty much a normal girl, right? An Origin is only a cause, meaning it isn't ordinarily so mething that rules over an individual. Unless you become aware of it for whatever reason, that is." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
Abnormal ability. Functions that normal humans do not possess. A kind of circuitry that leads to what are commonly called paranormal activities. Different from magecraft, inborn talents are absolutely necessary for psychic power. Those possessing psychic power circuits can induce paranormal phenomenon as naturally as breathing. The psychic power users themselves take psychic power for granted, and treat it as something they simply “can do.” They only realize that they are abnormal after others (who can only comprehend “normal”) have pointed it out. In this story, Asagami Fujino is an psychic power user, but since she was tampered with somewhat, her ability falls between psychic power and magecraft. Psychic power is normally an incidental occurrence, a sudden mutation limited to one generation.- Garden of sinners Pamphlet: Kara no Kyoukai Settings Glossary - Psychic Power [other]
But to actually awaken one’s Origin is a far more profound transformation. It grants access to the collective memory and instinct shaped by that concept across countless lifetimes, allowing the user to become a living embodiment of their Origin. Their very being realigns with this abstract directive, and their actions cease to be constrained by physical limitations:
"When those instincts surface, they also bring a slight change to the physical body. Not in terms of appearance, but its internal makeup. Apparently, it's some sort of return to our original forms. The point is, people don’t even realize it’s happening until it’s over." — Kara no Kyoukai, Chapter 7
For example, Lio Shirazumi, whose Origin was Consumption, was described as having become a swarm of beasts, moving with such precision and speed that no biological creature could replicate it:
Listen, Kokutou. If that's what his Origin is, then his past life was probably a creature that feasted on everything it could get its hands on. Those who have awakened their Origins will gain the past lives they have accumulated. He can't be considered a single human anymoreーhe's an entire pack of beasts. Things haven't taken a turn for the worse because his original personality is still holding on, but once that's gone, that pack of beasts is all that will remain. Well, that'd also be quite the interesting sight," she said with a sarcastic grin on her face. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
"The enemy's prowess had escalated beyond recognition. Unnatural speed and precision surpassed any creature of flesh and bone." —Kara no Kyoukai, Chapter 7
His movements didn’t obey physics: they preceded it.
This is the crux of awakened Origins: they grant the user conceptual priority over matter. Reality itself exists to fulfill the function of Origins. When someone acts from their awakened Origin, the universe bends to support the action as the most correct and fitting expression of that concept. Movement, strength, precision, none of it is "physical" anymore. It's conceptual actualization.
Ryougi Shiki’s Origin is Nothingness, a primordial, unshaped void that precedes all dualities and forms. It is beyond categorization, which is why the narrative simply labels it “Nothing.” This is not absence or emptiness, but perfection: the potential from which all things emerge and into which all things dissolve. It is the unity of Yin and Yang before division, unmoving, yet capable of becoming anything:
The swirl of the Root is a "place" where all causalities interlace, where all things are in potential, and therefore where nothing is whatsoever. — Kara no Kyoukai Epilogue
If you really wished to pronounce this term, call it “Kara.”Its meaning varied depending on each individual’s understanding. To put it in simple terms, it was the Spiral of Origin. However, since the Spiral of Origin was called the Spiral of Origin, it was no longer “ ”.To properly express this term was a source of headache during the production of the drama CDs. -Garden of sinners Pamphlet: Kara no Kyoukai Settings Glossary
Taiji [Others]
A philosophy originated in ancient China, a graphical representation of the Yin-Yang theory. It attempts to capture the essence of everything on a conceptual level: those that are active are defined as Yang (white), and the opposite are defined as Yin (black).
The Taiji symbolizes opposing concepts such as day and night, light and darkness, male and female. At the same time, you may also call it a condensed version of the ever-changing, dynamic World.
Furthermore, there is a dot of Yin in Yang, and conversely a dot of Yang in Yin. This indicates that the distinction between Yin and Yang is not absolute. There is darkness even in light.
Taiji is the "one" at the beginning, the Yin and Yang that divide the "one" are called Liangyi (Ryougi). - Kara no Kyoukai Special Pamphlet - Encyclopedia: Taiji
This is why Shiki can replicate any action with perfect fluidity and efficiency. Her Origin enables her to become the perfect expression of any task or role, reconstructing herself with exact balance, suppressing waste, and acting with movements that override the physical world rather than simply operating within it. Her superhuman speed, adaptability, and martial prowess aren't just due to training or talent: they are the inevitable result of being an embodiment of Nothingness: the formless foundation of all things.
We see this principle in action during her battle with Lio Shirazumi. Despite being drugged, bloodied, and moments from death, Shiki effortlessly dismantles Lio (whose own speed and strength were augmented by his Consumption) faster than he could register what had happened. And afterward, she casually considers extending her own life by severing the nerves around her wounds, an act that defies conventional physiology:
The third time, her leg was torn. A sickening squelch followed as concrete soaked with blood. The claws, embedded deep in her bone, stained her foot and the floor, making even standing excruciating. Indeed, merely standing brought agony. Blood loss clouded her vision, her body teetering on the brink of collapse.
The end was shockingly abrupt. As Lio's arm lunged for her neck, she severed it. Without hesitation, she then severed both his legs. With a swift, merciless motion, she plunged her knife into his body, which momentarily floated like a balloon, before slamming him to the ground. The knife, a cruel tombstone, pierced his heart. He gasped once, a final breath, and then it was over. Lio's face remained frozen in shock, too stunned to comprehend the fate that had befallen him as his life functions ceased. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
Lio's corpse showed no bleeding; the vibrant crimson staining the warehouse floor was solely hers. With limbs torn and flesh ripped, her life would likely be measured in mere minutes. Or perhaps, as Ryougi Shiki, she could potentially extend that time until help arrived. But she made no move. A sigh escaped her lips as she relinquished the knife, collapsing onto the cold floor.- Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
"Ah," she breathed. She extended her breaths, severing the nerves in her bleeding wounds. Perhaps she would be able to conserve enough energy to call for help by resting like this. "But... what's the point?" she murmured, her gaze drifting skyward.- Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
In these moments, it seems Shiki's Origin works in harmony with her intent and instincts, overriding both the physical limitations of the world and even her own body. This is further demonstrated when she fights Asagami Fujino. At the start, Shiki runs with the speed of a peak human (covering 10 meters in 3 seconds), despite the raging wind and pouring water around her. Her Origin “ignores” these external conditions and allows her to move at the optimal speed for the act of running:
Shiki starts to run. Her speed is incredible, despite the pooling water and violent wind. It should not take more than three seconds to reduce the distance between them from ten meters to zero. Enough time to bring Fujino's frail body to the ground and stab her in her heart. But even that speed cannot match the speed of sight. Shiki has to close in on her target while Fujino only has to look at her target. For the two, that difference of three seconds is too long. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 3
Later, when Fujino begins using her distortion ability, Shiki’s instincts immediately detect the invisible, formless threat, and she reacts explosively, dodging the spatial attack:
Fujino's eyes glimmer. The left eye for a rotation to the left. The right eye for a rotation to the right. Taking Shiki's head and left leg as the fulcrums, she twists. A strange sensation occurs instantaneously. The moment Shiki feels the invisible power upon her, she jumps explosively to one side. But the power on Shiki does not weaken. Fujino's power is not a projectile weapon. Even if one gets away from one round, it is impossible to get completely away from it whilst in her vision....... Damn......!! Shiki realizes Fujino's power is stronger than she thought. She runs. As if to escape from her vision, Shiki runs in a circle around Fujino.
"Do you think you can get awa-" Fujino murmurs, but then is astonished. Shiki did get away! Unbelievably, Shiki has jumped off the bridge down to the ocean. The sound of a window being broken is heard. What athletic ability... Shiki went off the bridge and into the parking lot right underneath it. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 3
The moment Shiki senses the spatial attack, it's already affecting her, yet she reacts instantly. Fujino’s ability, Distortion, is sight-based and activates with no delay. It can obliterate objects the moment she focuses on them:
The stack of materials Shiki is hiding behind is instantly smashed. At that instant... a white figure streaks out of the wreckage - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 3
More than just fast, Distortion manipulates space itself, bending reality and forcing the target to contort along with it. It's not a projectile to dodge; it’s a spatial deformation that remains active as long as the target is in Fujino's sight. Normally, escape is impossible.
Yet Shiki not only perceives it, but avoids it cleanly. Her reaction is so precise and explosive that she breaks the line of sight and escapes, dropping off the bridge mid-fight without hesitation. This feat shows not only superhuman reflexes, but also that Shiki instinctively processes and responds to spatial manipulation in real-time: something that bypasses physical defenses and normally cannot be dodged once initiated.
This demonstrates that Shiki's speed is not merely physical; it’s instinctual. When she senses or intuitively detects a threat, her Origin automatically enhances her speed to avoid or counter it, depending on her intent. Her speed is not fixed: it fluctuates based on the situation and aligns with her instincts, Origin, and mental state. This allows her to bypass even the laws of physics, such as when space itself is warped, or even overcome the reaction times of superhuman opponents:
"Who..."
"...Huh?" The monster couldn't comprehend it. Ryougi Shiki's actions, executed with an impassive face and only her blue eyes gleaming, were imperceptible to him. Her movements, as swift as a predator stalking its prey, were beyond the human eye's capacity to perceive. Even with the monster's heightened senses, he couldn't track her movements. The knife that had severed his arm was now aimed at his neck.
"...the hell did you say you'll kill?" - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 7
Nowhere is this more evident than in her confrontation with Kurogiri Satsuki, a mage who speaks using the Unified Language: a form of "God's Word" that rewrites the world itself:
"You." "Cannot." "See Me."
The mage's voice echoed, resonating directly in my mind. Its truth was undeniable. In an instant, I lost sight of him, and my swung knife cleaved empty air.
"Wha..."
I scanned my surroundings. There was no one else in the chapel, only the presence of another person transmitted to my skin. Kurogiri was indeed right in front of me, yet his form remained unseen.
"...That was dangerous. I underestimated your ability to act faster than I could speak. As a result, I lost an arm. It's no wonder Araya was defeated. You possess a remarkable aptitude for killing."
The voice came from right in front of me. I suppressed my urge to attack, focusing my consciousness on my immediate vicinity. If I couldn't see him, I only needed to perceive his lines of death...
"You cannot defeat me," the voice echoed directly in my thoughts.
But before it finished, his death lines materialised before my eyes.
"Found you."
This time, I wouldn't let him escape. Once again, I charged towards the mage.
But... I lost sight of him again.
"This Place." "Inhibits." "Sight."
The voice reverberated through the chapel, which had now plunged into complete darkness. With a single word, the world turned invisible, devoid of light.
"Hm... It appears the effect is weaker on you. Your connection to the Fount places you on the same rank as my words. But that's been accounted for. Here, even Ryougi Shiki cannot perceive death. Though, of course, I can't see anything here either." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
"This is futile. I already explained, you cannot defeat me. Even you, who can kill anything, cannot vanquish words."
It was a truth I'd never contemplated. Words were the one enemy beyond my reach.
"However, that doesn't grant me the power to kill you either. This is the extent of my abilities. Any closer, and you could overpower me with ease. There will be no exchange of lives. I am no warrior. My role is simply to fulfil your desires." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
"You." "Cannot." "See Me."
The mage's voice echoed, resonating directly in my mind. Its truth was undeniable. In an instant, I lost sight of him, and my swung knife cleaved empty air.
"Wha..."
I scanned my surroundings. There was no one else in the chapel, only the presence of another person transmitted to my skin. Kurogiri was indeed right in front of me, yet his form remained unseen.
"...That was dangerous. I underestimated your ability to act faster than I could speak. As a result, I lost an arm. It's no wonder Araya was defeated. You possess a remarkable aptitude for killing."
The voice came from right in front of me. I suppressed my urge to attack, focusing my consciousness on my immediate vicinity. If I couldn't see him, I only needed to perceive his lines of death...
"You cannot defeat me," the voice echoed directly in my thoughts.
But before it finished, his death lines materialised before my eyes.
"Found you."
This time, I wouldn't let him escape. Once again, I charged towards the mage.
But... I lost sight of him again.
"This Place." "Inhibits." "Sight."
The voice reverberated through the chapel, which had now plunged into complete darkness. With a single word, the world turned invisible, devoid of light.
"Hm... It appears the effect is weaker on you. Your connection to the Fount places you on the same rank as my words. But that's been accounted for. Here, even Ryougi Shiki cannot perceive death. Though, of course, I can't see anything here either." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
"This is futile. I already explained, you cannot defeat me. Even you, who can kill anything, cannot vanquish words."
It was a truth I'd never contemplated. Words were the one enemy beyond my reach.
"However, that doesn't grant me the power to kill you either. This is the extent of my abilities. Any closer, and you could overpower me with ease. There will be no exchange of lives. I am no warrior. My role is simply to fulfil your desires." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
"Isn't that useless then? What's the point of it all if no one can even reply to him?"
"If it were just a normal language, then yes. The fact that he can communicate with beasts and rocks doesn't mean that he's speaking to them directly. Instead, he speaks to the world itself. Think of it like an ontological hierarchy. As long as 'I' exist, there will always be an Aozaki Touko above me that exists within the world itself. If he were to use the Unified Language on me, I would have no way of resisting. If I were to reject his words, that'd be equal to denying the fact that I exist in this world. The very words he utter become an irreversible truth. God's Word is capable of placing all of creation under complete hypnosis. The memories that we humans possess, are also recorded by the world itself. It's a similar concept to the Akashic Records, but this is a wave phenomenon that exists on a lower level than it. You see, one of the possible methods of deciphering it is the Unified Language. That's why Kurogiri's able to gather memories that have already been forgotten. He isn't drawing their forgotten memories out of their brains, but rather from the record the world stores of the past. In the present day and age, he's the only person capable of accessing the various recordings of the past that our world has kept in store. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
When he says “You cannot see me”, the world accepts this as truth. Shiki’s eyes physically lose sight of him. Her attack misses, and reality itself has been rewritten by his words. He erases visibility from the world by speaking it.
Despite this, Shiki nearly kills him before he can finish speaking. He admits:
“I underestimated your ability to act faster than I could speak. As a result, I lost an arm.”
In other words, Shiki was faster than the unified language's ability to rewrite causality. She moved before the "truth" of the world could be updated, something no ordinary human, or even mage, should be able to do. Kurogiri is baffled and acknowledges that only someone connected to the “Fount” (i.e., Root/Origin) could resist his words. Even then, Shiki’s will and reflexes allowed her to preempt divine rewriting.
Later, as he renders the world completely dark and strips away even the perception of death, he remarks:
“Even Ryougi Shiki cannot perceive death.”
"However, that doesn't grant me the power to kill you either. This is the extent of my abilities. Any closer, and you could overpower me with ease.
“Though, of course, I can’t see anything here either.”
This moment is critical. Though stripped of vision, and placed in a domain where death itself cannot be perceived, Shiki is still able to instinctively attack and continue pressing her advantage. Her perception is not reliant on the five senses or linear awareness. It’s pre-conscious, rooted in something older and deeper: her Origin of Nothingness.
This encounter proves that Shiki’s speed is not tied to movement, not even to thoughts. It’s a manifestation of existential will. Her actions emerge from the void before logic, senses, or language can process them. Her knife moves because reality must obey her intent, not the other way around.
The same principle applies to her physical strength, as seen when she struck Araya Souren with enough force to break his bones, despite Araya being an immortal, superhuman monster, explicitly known as the strongest physical combatant of the modern era, with countless battles and survivals under his belt:
The mage lets out a groan. Faster than that however --- he felt an impact that skewered his body. Thud, and a white darkness lands upon the mage's body. By the time the mage grasped that this was Shiki, who had charged straight at him after throwing the knife, the outcome of the fight had already been decided. Driving into his body shoulder first, Shiki's single blow had the same force as a cannon shell. Just that alone would have broken a few bones, but Shiki is clenching a silver knife in her hands. The knife is perfectly penetrating the centre of the mage's chest.
"Ug --- gh."
The mage coughs out blood. His blood was a sand-like powder. When Shiki removed the knife she straight away thrusts it towards the mage's neck. With all the strength in her two hands. The fight has already been decided, but she is desperately trying to deliver another critical blow. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
"Therefore, the way that Araya had to eliminate Touko was to engage her in hand-to-hand combat after closing the distance. Araya was a man who had survived turbulent times. In terms of fighting with his body as a weapon, someone from the modern era couldn’t hope to oppose him." - Kara no Kyoukai, Chapter 5
Just as her speed operates on a conceptual, pre-physical level, allowing her to “move before the world updates", her strength channels the same fundamental power of her Origin, enabling her to deliver devastating physical force that defies ordinary physical limitations.
In conclusion, Shiki is a “blank” existence who can instinctively mirror, adapt to, and refine any skill or technique she encounters by reconstructing her mind around it, causing her body to naturally follow and execute with inhuman precision. Her Origin of Nothingness empowers her to surpass physical limits, making her strength and speed dependent not on fixed stats, but on her mindset and instinct. As long as her opponent is bound by matter, physics, or lesser conceptual forces, Shiki automatically overcomes them. Nothingness, representing the infinite potential of existence, grants her limitless adaptability, instantaneous mastery, and the ability to align her body with the optimal state required to fulfill her will.
People who pit Ryougi Shiki against Fate fodder or mere Dead Apostles simply don't grasp what she truly is. She’s an outlier, embodying a cosmic force that transcends not just reincarnation and transformation, but the very concept of existence itself. The abstract principle she represents is superior to physical matter, and it’s this concept that Shiki channels when in combat. Take ORT's shell, for example, it’s the strongest material on Earth, right? That’s meaningless to someone whose power is conceptual, not physical. Shiki’s Origin automatically adjusts her body’s composition, aligning it with a force capable of shattering ORT’s shell, because she directly taps into the very foundation of existence, the wellspring from which all matter and the laws governing it are derived.
I know that Shiki and these entities would likely never physically clash, instead fighting through MEoDP and reality warping, respectively. But the point stands: even if the opportunity arises, Shiki isn't going to be overpowered or outsped by beings whose manipulation of existence’s parameters is factually inferior to the control her Origin exerts over such concepts.
Why Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are overpowered and would obliterate even Types:
Ryougi Shiki’s unique variation of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception transcends the conventional notion of death.
Her eyes perceive and sever not just life, but the very meaning or identity of a thing. She can kill not only living beings but also abstract, formless concepts that were never meant to die.
One of the clearest demonstrations of this is when she cuts through Araya Souren’s bounded field, a closed, infinite spatial loop that should have been conceptually unbreakable:
“Sure, you didn’t make a mistake. For you as a Magus, this is the best solution. But, what if the assumption itself is a mistake? You isolated Shiki? Not in a room somewhere in this apartment complex, but you isolated her in this apartment complex itself? A Bounded Field that achieves spacial isolation is already on the level of Magic. It’s a miracle that only a Bounded Field expert like you could create.
“Those who are trapped by the sealed space of a Mobius Ring can never get out from the inside. A closed world that’s enclosed by walls that can’t be destroyed by physical impacts, it’s a cage that’s impossible to escape from. You slapped Shiki in there, which gave you peace of mind. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Surely Ryougi Shiki, who saw death, was an unusual existence. However, there were many people in the world who had the ability to kill people. If it were just about killing living creatures, there was no way to beat the various modern weapons that civilization has produced.
That’s right. What makes Ryougi Shiki’s nature so different from Magi like them, was definitely not something like that. Her real nature is the ultimate nothingness that kills things that can’t be killed, even formless concepts.
“The thing that causes death.” That is the ability of Ryougi Shiki.
No weapon could interfere with a sealed world where the space was chained together infinitely with no exit. Because it had no shape, physical weapons that can only interact with physical objects couldn’t clash with it. But, Ryougi Shiki’s power was precisely one that targeted such formless things.
Then..?
“Yes, if you wanted to imprison Shiki, you should’ve trapped her in a box made of concrete.
If Shiki only had the physical strength of a young lady, all you had to do was simply prepare a hidden room enclosed by iron walls. But Araya Souren. You are a Magus, therefore you treat Magecraft as an absolute. Closing off space is meaningless. You used something ambiguous like that, but she can easily cut through that thing.” - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
No weapon could interfere with a sealed world where the space was chained together infinitely with no exit. Because it had no shape, physical weapons that can only interact with physical objects couldn’t clash with it. But, Ryougi Shiki’s power was precisely one that targeted such formless things. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
He had sufficient awareness to understand how she escaped the imprisoned space. Last night, the young lady had lost consciousness after several of her ribs were shattered by the Magus’s blow.
She had just recently awakened within the closed space, in the boundary set between the walls of the apartment complex. Within that impossible space she slashed through the impossible wall.
Infinity is not 「 」. For infinity to remain infinite, the finite has to be defined. Without the finite there cannot exist infinity. Because things have an end, we can observe the thing called infinity.
Ryougi Shiki had been cast into infinity, she saw the impossible finite and cut through it.
Of course, there is no finite inside of the infinite. You can’t slash through what doesn’t exist, so escape from such a cage is impossible. But, if there is no finite then there is no infinite. Whether finite walls exist or not, an endless world holds no meaning before Ryougi Shiki.
If there really is no finite, then it’s not infinite but 「 」. If the finite can be comprehended, Shiki could detect and slash through it.
... The black hole that should have been absolute was just a small dark room to his opponent. The Magus felt ashamed of himself. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5 Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
If true infinity lacks any boundary, there should be nothing to cut. Yet that itself is a contradiction: infinity cannot exist without contrast, without some kind of end or distinction from finite things. Without a finite, there is no infinite. Therefore, even infinity becomes an imperfection, a contradiction Shiki can perceive and sever
Infinity, as a concept, is inherently flawed. It only exists relative to its opposite. Shiki’s eyes recognize this flaw. Her Mystic Eyes don’t merely end life or function; they enact the death of meaning, of possibility. They act in the face of an absolute perfection referred to as “「 」”, a blank beyond language and distinction, in which all defined phenomena are defective by comparison.
Likewise, the Ultimate Ones’ supposed invincibility stems from their lack of a "death concept." But this, too, is a dualistic idea; invulnerability is only meaningful in contrast to vulnerability. That contradiction makes them vulnerable to Ryougi’s power.
Shiki’s Mystic Eyes are not bound to traditional death, which only affects active forces within reality. Her perception is anchored in “「 」” itself, perfection that nullifies distinction, allowing her to erase even metaphysical concepts beyond our reality:
In an anxious manner the mage came forward. Another step, even though he approaches Shiki there is no change in Shiki.... The man's talismans have just shrunk from three to two. The mage clicks his tongue in exasperation. He hadn't considered the possibility that Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception would be so powerful. To think that she could kill a concept like a ward which had no form, or life, that kind of absolute power ---.- Kara no Kyoukai: Chapter 05
As long as something can be defined, physically, symbolically, or conceptually, Shiki can erase it. Not merely destroy it, but eliminate it so completely that it cannot even be remembered as an idea.
Therefore, lacking a “death” concept offers no defense. ORT and the other Types may transcend life and death as humans understand them, but Ryougi doesn’t kill “life.” She kills meaning. If something has identity, a name, a concept, she can sever it. Not by force, but by negation.
Even the sources that claim ORT “cannot be killed by MEoDP” immediately clarify that it can still be defeated physically. This doesn’t imply immunity to death, but rather that it transcends the human notion of it. In truth, if you can destroy the body or halt the function of an object, then you’ve imposed a form of death, it just may not resemble what death means for a human being.
This is reinforced by weapons like the Black Barrel and Slash Emperor, which are explicitly capable of “killing” Types by severing their existence from Earth’s framework. When this happens, the Type is reduced to a dormant mind or conceptual node waiting to re-manifest. This proves that Types are not exempt from death, merely from our understanding of it. It's no different from Araya Souren, whose concept had already stopped, yet whose body still retained a faint thread of interaction with the world. Shiki could perceive and cut that thread after straining herself:
"... Indeed, I was foolish. I should have had all the proof I needed after the events at the hospital. Whether it is dead or alive, if it moves you cut off the root of that motion. That is your ability. Even if I am a stopped organism, as long I exist like this there is a thread that permits my existence. If that is cut I would definitely die. The unique exception is this left arm, but even that can't be hidden forever. No matter which saint's bone it is as long as it functions there will always be a cause for that movement." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
"... Indeed, I was foolish. I should have had all the proof I needed after the events at the hospital. Whether it is dead or alive, if it moves you cut off the root of that motion. That is your ability. Even if I am a stopped organism, as long I exist like this there is a thread that permits my existence. If that is cut I would definitely die. The unique exception is this left arm, but even that can't be hidden forever. No matter which saint's bone it is as long as it functions there will always be a cause for that movement." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
That proves MEoDP doesn't rely on something being alive or having a death in the conventional sense, only on whether it exists. Shiki later achieves even more absurd feats: killing a barrier that represents the concept of eternal stasis, and even slashing through an infinite void that had no identity, no traits, and no clear structure. These examples show that her eyes don't care about whether something is alive, dead, or beyond life: they simply cut what is. If something exists and can be described, even something like "infinity," which we treat as having no limit, then it can be perceived and ended. The very notion of infinity is still just a framework we made up to describe something, meaning it's a finite idea born from the void (「 」) and therefore something her eyes can interact with.
Furthermore, concepts like infinity and stasis are far more universal and absolute than ORT’s so-called “alien” nature. These aren’t just human ideas: they manifest on other planets, like Mercury, albeit in forms different from what we’re accustomed to. Despite their varied expressions, they remain the same fundamental concepts, each a finite interpretation or framework that can be perceived and understood. Ryougi Shiki’s ability to cut through these deeply abstract, cosmic phenomena demonstrates that her Mystic Eyes aren’t limited by cultural or planetary differences. So it doesn’t hold up to say ORT’s alien essence protects it from MEoDP when far more metaphysically fundamental and universal concepts can be severed by her power. This reinforces that what matters is whether something can be defined or perceived, no matter how alien, and if it can, Shiki’s eyes can cut it down.
The truth is that the statement that MEoDP is “unable to kill it” refers specifically to the concept of ORT, just as with Tatari or Araya Souren’s soul. These entities are shaped by phenomena or abstractions that transcend conventional death. However, the moment they manifest within reality, they become vulnerable. So while MEoDP may not be able to kill ORT’s essence, the pure, abstract possibility of ORT, it can still erase every form that essence ever takes within existence.
In other words, unless ORT remains forever suspended in a realm of pure potential and never touches reality in any tangible or conceptual way, the Shikis can still destroy it. MEoDP does not erase the root idea of something; it severs every shape and context through which that idea becomes interpretable or accessible in reality. It condemns not the concept, but all its manifestations, to permanent nonexistence.
That is the true power of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception: not to undo abstract essence, but to deny reality the ability to express it. The statement isn’t wrong: just misunderstood. ORT’s conceptual nature may shield it in theory, but the moment it acts, appears, or is interpreted through form or context, MEoDP can resign that context to oblivion. And eventually, ORT will run out of forms to wear.
The early depiction of Ryougi struggling with Asagami Fujino is purely due to her unfamiliarity with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception at the time:
"I suddenly recall the girl that was with Azaka... That aura of death creeping out of her like capillaries. Since I am not used to my eyes yet, I saw it without any prior preparation... That was abnormal." — Kara no Kyoukai, Chapter 3
Initially, she struggled against Fujino’s distortion powers, which lacked a tangible form. But as she grew accustomed to her Eyes, she became able to perceive and "kill" even formless phenomena:
"... I see. ...... You must be abnormal."
Fujino can only think this. She looks at Shiki and bends. Her vision distorts. The fulcrums created on Shiki's head and leg each rotate in opposite directions and twist Shiki's body like a piece of carpet.
... It should have twisted her.
Shiki, whose left arm is bleeding, nullifies Fujino's "distortion" just by swinging the knife in her right hand. No...... she kills it.
"It's hard to see that without form, but you used your power too many times. Now I can finally see it. Your power is a spiral of red and green. It's really... beautiful."
Fujino does not understand what Shiki is saying. The only thing she realizes is that Shiki will surely kill her now. Fujino repeatedly prays.
Bend, bend, bend, bend!
As Fujino glares, Shiki swings her knife and eliminates the power. The pain in Fujino's stomach is about to go over its limit.
"Who...... are you?"
Shiki answers Fujino's fear with infinitely deep eyes.
"Everything in existence has an imperfection. Especially humans, but even in air, will, and time. It's natural to have an end if it has a beginning. My eyes can see the death of things. They're special, like yours."
Shiki looks at Fujino with those ominous eyes that Fujino felt before.
"That's why... if one exists, I could even kill a God."
Shiki runs. As gracefully as if she were walking. She approaches Fujino and pushes her down to the ground. Shiki straddles her. Fujino's throat trembles at facing Death so close to her. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 3
By this point, Ryougi understands that anything with a distinct identity, whether physical, conceptual, or metaphysical, contains inherent flaws. These flaws define a thing’s existence by establishing what it is not, which is the only way we can say "this is this" and "that is that." In contrast, “ ” (the Root) has no boundaries, no identity, and no need for distinction. Because her MEoDP are connected to this origin, they can sever those imperfections and return things to the void. This insight ultimately allows her to destroy even abstract, non-physical constructs, such as Araya Souren’s conceptual barriers:
In an anxious manner the mage came forward. Another step, even though he approaches Shiki there is no change in Shiki.... The man's talismans have just shrunk from three to two. The mage clicks his tongue in exasperation. He hadn't considered the possibility that Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception would be so powerful. To think that she could kill a concept like a ward which had no form, or life, that kind of absolute power ---.- Kara no Kyoukai: Chapter 05
Bounded Fields/Wards are conceptual laws imposed upon a defined space. This means they cannot be destroyed physically but instead act as rules that dictate how space functions within their bounds. They have no life or form and exist purely as ideas projected by Araya's will in this case, yet Ryougi was capable of killing them by targeting the symbols representing their area of influence.
Later on, as I’ve already posted before, she killed Araya's infinite void, Mugen, which lacked any physical endpoint and infinitely looped upon itself. No matter the action taken, the space would always reset itself, an infinite existence that could potentially contain even the boundless potential of the Yin-Yang theory, according to Araya:
“Wait Araya. I have one question. The original purpose of this apartment complex is to represent the Taiji in order to take in the Taiji, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed. I created this alien world to completely cut off Ryougi Shiki from the outside world. The other various functions are just accessories.” - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
This gave him confidence that he could contain someone aligned with it, such as Ryougi. Physical endpoints were absent due to the space folding unto itself, and dismantling its conceptual structure through reality-warping would be impossible as well, due to its very concept being that of a void of infinite potential, fundamentally undefined and without end, making it impossible for any reality warper to destroy it.
Furthermore, this void reached the tier of True Magic, specifically spatial isolation:
“Sure, you didn’t make a mistake. For you as a Magus, this is the best solution. But, what if the assumption itself is a mistake? You isolated Shiki? Not in a room somewhere in this apartment complex, but you isolated her in this apartment complex itself? A Bounded Field that achieves spacial isolation is already on the level of Magic. It’s a miracle that only a Bounded Field expert like you could create. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
"Try listening to what someone is saying. A ward itself does no harm. That word, it originates from Buddhism. A ward is always something that isolates an area from the outside world, although it has somehow come to represent technique by which a magician protects his or her body.
Understand? I said this just before, but the best wards don't feel weird to a normal person. Let's call it "an idea which forces itself on the unconscious mind". The best of the best reach the stage of "disconnection of space"; but to go that far you are looking at magicians rather than sorcerers. Currently there's only one magician in this country, so basically that kind of ward just can't be formed. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 4
No, it wasn't magecraft. A mystery that used a twisted dimension of this level was already no longer on the level of magecraft.
This was --- that was right, a mystery of a province unreachable with today's knowledge. There was no doubt that this was an act of absolute power that human hands could not reach, magic. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
This power allows Araya to isolate his internal world from the laws of physics, granting him absolute control over existence in this isolated realm:
A twisted dimension of this level should be completely separated from the physical laws of the outside world. Preparations for opening the path were finished long ago, Aozaki." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
As we know, True Magic already allowed Zelretch to defeat Crimson Moon in combat and Aoko to override the natural order of the entire universe when she accessed the Fifth. This is because True Magic operates outside the rules of celestial bodies, making it a threat even to the Types. Araya's True Magic is specifically about rejecting outside laws, replacing them with his own rules. This means that in his realm, Araya is literally far superior to any Ultimate One, due to having complete control over any possible law of space-time. Since the laws of nature are isolated, the space becomes "nothing," a blank reality that Araya can shape in any capacity he wills.
So this feat is a clear sign of her superiority over Types. Araya’s domain is far more complex and difficult to erase than any other being or reality in the Type-Moon universe due to being a True Magic-tier isolation, immune to any contradiction to Araya's very will.
Ryougi Shiki’s battle with God's Word in Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6 further cements her supremacy over Types, because she not only confronted but resisted an even higher form of conceptual manipulation:
It was God's Word that proved all of them wrong. He showed that it wasn't only our planet that was more powerful in the Age of Gods, but also our language. If God confused the languages of man, then what was it like before that? Indeed, mankind had but a single language of communication back then. Could a language truly give meaning to and speak of every single phenomenon in our world? If it truly existed, then it would have to be a formless language. It would not be a language used to communicate with fellow men, but a language that derived its meaning through a dialogue with the world itself. God feared the word of man, so he confused our tongues and granted us a language with form.
We thought we were being granted wisdom, but we were only robbed of the truth instead.
That lost truth is what God's Word has learned, the original language that was shared among all who dwelled in this world before the Tower of Babel. We call this the Unified Language.
"Isn't that useless then? What's the point of it all if no one can even reply to him?"
"If it were just a normal language, then yes. The fact that he can communicate with beasts and rocks doesn't mean that he's speaking to them directly. Instead, he speaks to the world itself. Think of it like an ontological hierarchy. As long as 'I' exist, there will always be an Aozaki Touko above me that exists within the world itself. If he were to use the Unified Language on me, I would have no way of resisting. If I were to reject his words, that'd be equal to denying the fact that I exist in this world. The very words he utter become an irreversible truth. God's Word is capable of placing all of creation under complete hypnosis. The memories that we humans possess, are also recorded by the world itself. It's a similar concept to the Akashic Records, but this is a wave phenomenon that exists on a lower level than it. You see, one of the possible methods of deciphering it is the Unified Language. That's why Kurogiri's able to gather memories that have already been forgotten. He isn't drawing their forgotten memories out of their brains, but rather from the record the world stores of the past. In the present day and age, he's the only person capable of accessing the various recordings of the past that our world has kept in store. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
"You." "Cannot." "See Me."
The mage's voice echoed, resonating directly in my mind. Its truth was undeniable. In an instant, I lost sight of him, and my swung knife cleaved empty air.
"Wha..."
I scanned my surroundings. There was no one else in the chapel, only the presence of another person transmitted to my skin. Kurogiri was indeed right in front of me, yet his form remained unseen.
"...That was dangerous. I underestimated your ability to act faster than I could speak. As a result, I lost an arm. It's no wonder Araya was defeated. You possess a remarkable aptitude for killing."
The voice came from right in front of me. I suppressed my urge to attack, focusing my consciousness on my immediate vicinity. If I couldn't see him, I only needed to perceive his lines of death...
"You cannot defeat me," the voice echoed directly in my thoughts.
But before it finished, his death lines materialised before my eyes.
"Found you."
This time, I wouldn't let him escape. Once again, I charged towards the mage.
But... I lost sight of him again.
"This Place." "Inhibits." "Sight."
The voice reverberated through the chapel, which had now plunged into complete darkness. With a single word, the world turned invisible, devoid of light.
"Hm... It appears the effect is weaker on you. Your connection to the Fount places you on the same rank as my words. But that's been accounted for. Here, even Ryougi Shiki cannot perceive death. Though, of course, I can't see anything here either." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6.
"This is futile. I already explained, you cannot defeat me. Even you, who can kill anything, cannot vanquish words."
It was a truth I'd never contemplated. Words were the one enemy beyond my reach.
"However, that doesn't grant me the power to kill you either. This is the extent of my abilities. Any closer, and you could overpower me with ease. There will be no exchange of lives. I am no warrior. My role is simply to fulfil your desires." - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 6
Unlike AE, whose reality is self-contained, God's Word wields the Unified Language: a formless, primordial power capable of rewriting reality itself by accessing and manipulating the records of creation. This allows him to impose ontological truths, erasing or redefining existence at its most fundamental level.
Despite this overwhelming authority, Shiki resists his conceptual overwrite. Her Origin-awakening and MEoDP allows her to perceive and sever even the foundational laws shaped by his words. When God's Word attempts to erase “sight” from the world, removing the very faculty through which she perceives death, Shiki’s connection to the Source prevents her from being fully suppressed. Realizing this, he admits defeat, stating that any further engagement would result in his death. He retreats, not because he is out of tricks, but because Shiki’s power would override his own if he got any closer.
This confrontation proves Ryougi surpasses the Types: she overpowered a being who operates on a higher conceptual axis than Archetype Earth, not through brute force, but through a power targeting the very structure of existence itself. Types represent the limits of planetary reality, but Shiki transcends that, operating at the level of the Fount, where all things can be killed.
Void Shiki confirms this by stating she can kill anything in creation without exception. Using the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Ryougi perceives the “floor plan” of reality; a glimpse into the abstract realm containing the fundamental forms underpinning existence. This ability grants her the power to undo these forms. When she sees the idea of ORT, for example, she can directly remove it from reality, sending it back to " ", with no opposition; since existing in itself, having interactions, and possessing properties defined by reality's floor plan automatically makes you vulnerable to the Mystic Eyes. This ability targets all definable expressions, short of the absolute that cannot change or interact to begin with:
—My origin is nihil. From nihil I originated, the flesh that I am, the corpse in the womb to which life was somehow given. That is why Shiki can perceive death. For two years, in her comatose state, she was unable to view the outside world, and could do nothing but gaze into the nihil that Ryougi Shiki "is." More than simply seeing, she felt death.
—All that time she was floating there in that ocean which others call the "swirl of the Root." Shipwrecked all alone in the midst of " ".Yes, indeed. If nihil is her origin, then most likely she wills to bring all things to nought. Shiki is able to kill anything without exception, for that reason alone. The personality, Shiki, strives to negate. Why? Because that is the original pattern of her soul. The inclination to nihil, which ardently wishes the death of all creation.
—That is Shiki's capability. Much like Asagami Fujino, she perceives a unique channel in which things unseen by others become visible. When she "looks" at them, she is seeing a glimpse of the architect's floor-plan for all reality. That is the "swirl of the Root."
—But I can see much further than that. No, rather - I may well be that "swirl" myself. - Kara no Kyoukai Epilogue
Additional Melty Blood feats:
Shiki canonically slayed Archetype Earth in combat at the end of her MBAA story:
Archetype even acknowledged that Ryougi can still kill her despite being an Ultimate One, by bestowing the concept of Death on her:
With Ryougi also being confident in being able to kill her with no problems:
Which is further supported by her Void personality specifically urging her to take out AE:
Considering that Void is omniscient, it wouldn't have made sense for her to urge Ryougi into this direction if she couldn't win the fight:
—But not only did they keep me alive, they woke me up. They did not implant some readymade personality into me. They awakened the " " which is my origin. The outside world was thrust upon me. I - the void and vacant "I" - was forced to look at it. I found it an eyesore. I found it altogether too troublesome. So I in turn thrust it upon those two.—It was only natural. The outside world, if you could call it that, was the most wearisome thing imaginable. Because it was, all of it, down to the last of its innumerable atoms, "already known" to me. - Kara no Kyoukai Epilogue..
And, ofc, while the game ends on a cliffhanger before Shiki and Arcueid start fighting, we have confirmation from the above posted guidebook that Ryougi was the one that emerged victorious from their confrontation.
This is important, as Archetype is the guiding principle of Arcueid's existence:
Deep beneath her conscious mind lies a guiding principle known as the “Crimson Moon,” which very rarely expresses itself through her surface personality. This is the true identity of the vaguely self-important Arcueid that appeared when Shiki invaded Arcueid’s dream (inKagetsu Tohya), and who confronted the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors (in Melty Blood) - Tsukihime Doukan Plus Period- Arcueid Brunestud[Person/True Ancestor]
In Melty Blood Actress Again, Ciel theorizes that Archetype is the result of Arcueid awakening her Origin:
”I’ve heard that among magi, there are those who have reached the archetype of existence. This is called "Origin Awakening." It seems you’ve forcibly forced your way into something akin to that.” - Melty Blood Actress Again - Archetype Earth Route
However, Archetype denies this, stating she has always been one with Arcueid since her birth and simply has longer intervals between awakenings:
"Nothing like that. We were originally one entity.I simply have a longer interval between awakenings.Compared to you crawling on the surface, my standard of life is too vast." - Melty Blood Actress Again - Archetype Earth Route
Archetype: Earth, as her name implies, is the foundational blueprint of Arcueid’s being, deeper and more essential than her conscious self. She represents the purest and most powerful expression of Arcueid, one that surpasses even her 100% full power state.
Why is this important? Because Archetype is not only superior to both Full Power Arcueid and the Crimson Moon, but she also embodies the core concepts behind her existence: she is Gaia’s "sense of touch" and was originally designed to be the vessel for the Crimson Moon. Initially, she mistook herself for the Crimson Moon itself, but through her interactions with Shiki in Kagetsu Tohya, she came to recognize her individuality. By the time of Melty Blood, she fully affirms her distinct identity. This progression shows that Archetype is defined not just by her power, but by the fundamental role she was created to fulfill.
While she ultimately rejects her role as the Crimson Moon’s reincarnation vessel, she fully realizes her identity as Gaia’s touch, a being who directly interfaces with the will of the planet. In Melty Blood: Actress Again, she even demonstrates this divine authority by halting Gaia’s rotation, an act that underscores her unparalleled connection to the planet’s very foundation:
This confirms that, instead of merely being an extension of a planet's will like the other Ultimate Ones, Archetype Earth is superior to Gaia’s existence, capable of commanding it uncontested.
What does this mean in terms of reality warping capabilities?
It means Archetype Earth is not restricted by the natural laws that govern Gaia. Rather than being a product of the planet, she embodies the archetypal essence of what a celestial body can be; a metaphysical blueprint not confined to any single planetary framework. While most Types can impose the systems of their homeworld onto a foreign reality (carrying their own "laws" with them), Archetype Earth is the system: the defining principle of what a world can become. This grants her a level of conceptual flexibility and dominion far beyond that of any conventional Type or her standard Arcueid personality.
This places her above even ORT, who, as noted above, is capable of rewriting foreign realities to match the system of laws of Mercury:
Explanation - Crystal Valley
Invasion by a horrifying but beautiful landscape.
While some magi and the 27 Ancestors control internal worlds called "Reality Marbles", the one that ORT has is on a completely different level.
ORT is a "visitor from another planet".
By just him (?) being there, the Earth is changing to the environment he lived in. That is, the rewriting of physical laws, a leaking of his "alien order/system".
If man is that which destroys the planet, then ORT is an invader that paints the earth world into an alien planet. - Character Material - ORT, page 070-071
However, even ORT’s influence is bound to the laws of its own planet: a system from elsewhere. It imposes its native structure onto Earth, but it cannot transcend the idea of “a system.” ORT is rewriting, not re-defining.
Archetype Earth, by contrast, doesn’t just override laws: she generates them. Because she is the planetary archetype itself, she can reshape, overwrite, or create entirely new existential frameworks tailored to any reality she targets. She can mirror, distort, or completely recreate the underlying logic of a world, making her not just more powerful than ORT, but categorically superior. Where ORT paints over an existing canvas, Archetype is the canvas, the paint, and the very idea of painting.
So if Ryougi is capable of defeating even her, in her base form...how on Earth are you pitting Void against regular Types?
So, what exactly are the Types doing here? Trying to hit Shiki really hard? She embodies a void that transcends physical matter, perfectly expressing the contrast between force and rest. Physical blows mean nothing; she overwhelms or redirects them effortlessly. Try outspeeding her? Shiki exists as the balance between motion and stillness, shifting fluidly to the optimal state needed to evade or counter any threat. Even environmental distortions or spatial warping become irrelevant, she simply acts.
Warp reality itself? Ryougi cuts through it. She destroyed Araya’s bounded fields, erased Mugen, and bypassed True Magic-tier defenses. Even God’s Word, capable of deleting core concepts like "sight", attempted to create a realm where death was unperceivable. But he admitted that Shiki's link to the Fount made suppression impossible. Her Mystic Eyes don’t operate on appearances; they strike at the underlying truth, the meaning beneath existence itself.
And that’s assuming the Types survive long enough before she traces their Lines of Death; manifestations of their fundamental identity, including their nature and abilities as reality-warping entities.
What about ORT’s Crystal Valley? It operates on the concept of invasion and rewriting; altering reality by overwriting its foundational structure. But that makes it especially vulnerable to Shiki, who doesn’t just oppose existence, she denies it at the level of definition itself.
"Types lack the concept of death"? That's fine, so did Araya’s infinite void. Yet Shiki still destroyed it. That’s because she doesn’t bring death as a biological condition: she erases the very logic that allows something to exist or be recognized.
Her power comes from the Void, a source where all possibilities exist as pure, undivided potential. It’s not something that can be analyzed or understood rationally. It can only be expressed through action, bypassing thought entirely. If something can be defined, named, or conceptualized, it can be cut. Because to define something is to separate it from the Void, and Shiki simply returns it to that indistinct origin.
Additionally, Araya’s world, a True Magic-tier creation capable of containing infinite possibilities, rejects every law that doesn’t align with Araya’s will, making it far superior to Ultimate Ones. These entities are confined by the natural frameworks of their celestial bodies, while Araya enjoys absolute freedom in his isolated world, free from contradiction.
On top of all that, Ryougi has killed Archetype Earth, which is vastly superior to all the other Types, including ORT.
So, yeah, Ryougi blinks these fodders, even in Base form. In Self-Hypnosis? They die horribly:
Self-Hypnosis Ryougi:
Long ago, when the Samurai drew their swords, they naturally accepted that they would kill and be killed. It was not because they were prepared for it as warriors. From the moment they gripped the handles of their swords, they were awakened.
As a result their bodies were only suited for killing, as a result their minds were only focused on survival.
It was not just about getting in the right mindset before a match. When they drew their swords their brains changed functions. It wasn’t that their bodies switched over to combat mode. It was that their brains changed their bodies for combat.
Thus, the muscles are used in ways no living creature should ever use them, the blood vessels would change the route of circulation they took and and they would even cease breathing normally... Yes, all human functions that were useless in battle would be eliminated, and all parts of them would switch into combat mode.
“That stance. I’m surprised at your transformation through self-suggestion.”
The Magus in pain muttered, and the woman in the kimono replied “Yes.”
... The moment Shiki opened her eyes, Araya understood the true nature of the anxiety that ran through him. The Magus cursed his own ignorance. He didn’t think that there was a family that had passed down this technique to the present day. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5.
Unlike conventional martial arts, which focus on external form and discipline, the Ryougi style turns inward. Its user reshapes both body and mind through Self-Hypnosis, a technique that rewrites biological functions solely for the purpose of battle. Breathing, muscle tension, and even blood circulation are reconfigured and optimized. This isn’t just about sharpening instinct, it’s about eliminating all excess, crafting a being devoted to killing on a conceptual level.
This mirrors a core principle in magecraft, where spells act as self-suggestions: verbal triggers that activate internal magical circuits. The mage does not speak to the world, but to themselves, reshaping their inner structure. The more meaning a mage puts into their words, the more potent the effect. Yet magecraft remains bound by the law of equivalent exchange; it demands magical energy to alter reality.
The Ryougi technique bypasses this entirely. It does not borrow from the world. It remakes the body into a vessel of pure action, an instrument of Nothingness. By shedding all subconscious instinct and conscious intent, the user becomes an “empty” entity, capable of pure, unrestricted function. Their body no longer resists; it simply acts.
When Shiki enters this state, she becomes one with her katana and steps into a form of combat that transcends technique. She doesn’t merely fight skillfully: she embodies combat itself. Her actions are no longer limited by conscious thought or bodily limitations. She moves with the inevitability of natural law. This is not a metaphor: in this state, Shiki’s identity dissolves into her Origin, Nothingness, and her every movement becomes the purest expression of it.
This transformation is visually symbolized when Shiki assumes the Seigan stance, a basic yet foundational sword posture. Though it seems simple, in her hands it represents absolute combat readiness and timeless flow. Araya recognizes this, not as a stance, but as the return of something fundamental, a primal presence passed down from ancient warriors, now embodied in a girl wielding a katana. In this moment, he also senses Void Shiki, not fully manifested, but present enough that Shiki ceases to be herself in the conventional sense:
Up to now she had been holding her katana with one hand, she gently placed her other hand on the handle.
The center of gravity in her waist lowered slightly. With her stance, the handle of her katana was fixed in front of her abdomen and the blade was gently tilted towards the enemy before her.
Her stance was Seigan, the most widely practiced of the many schools of swordsmanship, a battle stance that has a reputation for being basic and one of the strongest. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Now, what was with this woman’s response?
What is this vessel here?
This opponent, when did she stop being Shiki?
“I see... I’ve finally met you...!”
Holding his wound above his shoulder with his remaining left arm, the Magus roared. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5.
In combat, Shiki’s abilities become transcendental. She moves faster than thought, not merely in terms of speed, but in how her intent collapses time and space. From Araya’s perspective, she doesn’t accelerate: time itself distorts around her. With a single step, she erases the distance between them while simultaneously severing his barriers without delay or buildup:
Araya saw it.
Strangely to Araya’s sight, the girl who was initially moving slower than his shout was now acting faster than his yell.
Both arms holding her katana jumped up. It was so fast it gave the illusion of a flash of light.
The katana she raised overhead then swung down with even greater speed.
The shout of Shuku was bisected by the sound of her blade, zan.
The distortion of space right in front of her should have crushed Shiki, but the entire distortion was “killed.”
— Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
The Magus put strength into his arm again.
All he had to do was open the palm of his hand and clasp it again. That was all, but...
It was too late; before he could, Ryougi Shiki had already started sprinting.
“–––”
Araya made no sound and couldn’t think in time. He accepted the blow.
Ryougi Shiki had literally shot forth like a bullet.
She drew near to the Magus to land a blow, staying in the stance she had while cutting through the distortion.
Her katana cleaved in a straight horizontal line before she took a step forward.
The Bounded Field the Magus relied on dispersed.
...If it were only the outer perimeter, Araya was ready to let it be killed in one blow. Even if she got close, he intended to use the moment when Shiki was focused on killing the second layer to decide the match.
However, with just one swing, she simultaneously annihilated two Bounded Fields outside her range. She took another step forward.
If her katana swung at such extreme speed, what must the speed of her footwork be?
— Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
With only one step, Ryougi Shiki reduced the distance between them from four meters to zero.
Her body flowed. The first step she took was simultaneously a step forward and a step toward unleashing a deadly slash. Her body was so quick, it felt more like time was rewinding rather than stopping.
The deadly slash rushed at him.
The Magus jumped backward.
— Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
The Magus’s right arm fell off as he jumped away. No, not just his arm—everything diagonally from the top of his shoulder to his chest had been cut off and fell to the floor.
He had jumped back after being completely cut through. It didn’t even register to him that he had been cut.
— Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
...That blow surely would have been fatal. If Shiki’s second deadly slash had killed three Bounded Fields instead of two, Araya’s body would have been bisected at the torso.
Fugu, the Magus’s first Bounded Field, protected the most immediate surroundings. Its protection forced her steps to be slightly shallower, allowing the Magus to escape a fatal wound.
No, that wasn’t the surprising part.
Shiki was completely different from last night.
— Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Araya’s Origin of Stillness normally allows him to impose his will upon reality, collapsing conflicting possibilities and ensuring unopposed, uninterrupted action. He doesn’t “move fast” in a conventional sense; he nullifies resistance. Causality bends around him to maintain his dominance:
"The mage moves. If Shiki left an afterimage of a white kimono in the darkness of the night as she ran, the man melted into the night as he approached his prey. A demon-like speed that didn't even let you grasp the process of him approaching. He stops, next to the immobile Shiki the mage's black coat flaps in the air. Shiki was unable to respond to the mage's unfelt approach. She had been looking --- she had been looking at the man advance towards her, but she can't perceive that the man is standing right next to her ---."—Kara no Kyoukai, Chapter 5
And yet, even this was insufficient.
Shiki bypasses his Stillness, slices through his barriers, and strikes before he can even process her movement. Her attacks are not simply fast; they are impossible under the rules Araya himself relies upon. They occur outside of interpretation.
By embodying Nothingness, Shiki enters a state where action becomes undefined, like the void before form. She no longer “fights” in any structured way: she is the principle of combat, made manifest. Her movement transcends skill, structure, and even conventional movement or fixed distances. As the purest expression of killing intent, she cannot be opposed, because she no longer operates within the framework that opposition requires.
Even more impressively, she does all this while mortally wounded: with broken ribs, internal bleeding, and muscle trauma that would cripple anyone else. Araya narrowly escapes death only because her physical injuries slightly slow her, limiting the full expression of her Origin. Were she in perfect condition, the outcome would’ve been instantaneous and absolute:
Even if Ryougi Shiki were to awaken, there is nothing she could do. Monitoring her is unnecessary. Besides, given her injuries, even standing would be difficult. Even if she wakes, her body will be incapable of moving properly.” - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Ryougi Shiki looked at the Magus with her sword still in the swinging position. A single line of fresh blood spilled out from her lips. She herself had not received a wound. However, it was just the wounds from last night reopening. Ryougi Shiki’s body had a few broken ribs and some organ damage; just walking caused regurgitated blood to flow out of her mouth. Even with such wounds, she still unveiled an impressive dance with her blade. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Cough, drops of blood escaped her mouth as she coughed. If it weren’t for the wounds from last night, she might have slashed the Magus without pause and severed his head. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Toward the climax, Shiki performs her most shocking feat. She jumps from the tenth floor of the building before Araya teleports to the ground, predicting his arrival down to the exact location and moment. Her blade finds him the instant he materializes, cutting him before he even understands what happened. This isn’t simple prediction or precognition: it's combat instinct so synchronized with the unfolding of reality that she acts as though time itself has already revealed its hand to her:
The Magus suddenly appeared in the garden, without a moment’s rest from the spatial transition he stuck out his right arm.
Looking up into the night sky, he spread the palm of his hand to crush the circular tower.
In that moment.
His body was cut at the shoulder.
“Ryougi... Shiki.”
Looking up into the night sky, the Magus muttered.
“You...”
“Gah.” Red blood spread as it scattered from the Magus’s mouth.
The powdery blood didn’t drip to the ground, nor did it wet the face of Ryougi Shiki who had slashed him. Instead it scattered in the wind.
“It can’t... be.”
Just as he said, he couldn’t believe it.
And it was only natural. When the Magus had appeared in the garden and looked up toward the night sky, what was in his field of vision was Ryougi Shiki; she had jumped from the tenth floor.
This opponent, with no hesitation had jumped from the tenth floor corridor just as the Magus had connected the space from the apartment complex to the garden to move through. He didn’t understand what kind of confidence could have led to such an action? There was no way he could have understood.
Even if she really had predicted that the Magus would appear in the garden, who would think of jumping from the tenth floor?
It was beyond reckless, in the end, it could be classified as a miracle.
Jumping from the tenth floor aiming for just one person? How was such a thing any different from dropping a needle from the tenth floor and expecting it to hit a target?
Nevertheless without hesitation his opponent had jumped.
Even while the Magus’s form remained on the tenth floor, she jumped towards the Araya Souren who had yet to actually exist and would be standing in the garden. And the moment the Magus materialized in the garden his body was cut. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
In this state, Shiki doesn’t merely move quickly or fight with refined technique; she becomes the principle of combat itself: the embodiment of pure flow, action without ego, the law enacted without contradiction. Her Origin of Nothingness is not mere absence, but the source of all potential. She does not impose her will upon the world; rather, she moves with the world, dissolving resistance and making the impossible unfold as though inevitable.
Even Araya’s dimension-layered Bounded Fields, designed to suppress energy, motion, and even the soul itself, can only slow her down briefly:
Fugu, the Magus’s first Bounded Field, protected the most immediate surroundings. Its protection forced her steps to be slightly shallower, allowing the Magus to escape a fatal wound.- Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
Touko had already seen through the fact that Araya had constructed three Bounded Fields arrayed around himself.
Fugu, Kongou, Dakatsu, Taiten, Chiyougiyou, Ouken.
Threads of the Magus’s web stretched across the ground and space, between planes and dimensions.
Any living thing, touching those circular lines would would have its power stopped.
... Normally, a Bounded Field was a stationary construct; a boundary that protected something immovable. Instead the enemy was performing something monstrous, carrying them with him; centered around himself as he moved. For that reason they were visible but gave off no detectable presence. In close-quarters combat, Araya Souren could be said to be invincible. - Kara no Kyoukai Chapter 5
In an anxious manner the mage came forward. Another step, even though he approaches Shiki there is no change in Shiki.... The man's talismans have just shrunk from three to two. The mage clicks his tongue in exasperation. He hadn't considered the possibility that Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception would be so powerful. To think that she could kill a concept like a ward which had no form, or life, that kind of absolute power ---.- Kara no Kyoukai: Chapter 05
She cuts through them because her blade is not merely physical: it is an extension of an unshackled existence. She doesn’t defy reality; she becomes the logic underlying it, carving through space and phenomena alike with no distinction between thought, intent, and execution.
What are Types even doing here? In this state, Shiki literally ignores anything that can be defined or confined by language, including Araya’s Bounded Fields, which are abstract rules akin to the reality warping they wield, while Ryougi herself is no longer limited or bound by distance, perception, or time.
There’s no point even discussing Void Shiki in relation to these fodder-level Types who would be effortlessly crushed by any high-tier Kara no Kyoukai character. Even Araya, whom Self-Hypnosis Shiki (merely wielding Void’s swordsmanship skills) defeated while on the brink of death, is capable of creating entire independent universes where he controls the rules of existence and bends infinite voids to his will. The Types’ lack of a death concept is just a tiny fraction compared to the three barriers Araya casually wields constantly, laws that enforce the negation of change and action itself.
-----
Lastly, if anyone tries to use Nasu's statements to downplay her, those are just external comments that contradict the official story-telling, making them irrelevant and no more valid than fanfiction. In fact, Nasu himself has admitted that some of his interview statements are nonsensical, as he was under pressure in his job. He’s also acknowledged that his "older self," the one who wrote Kara no Kyoukai, is a completely different person he now considers "dead," and that the intent behind that work couldn't even be captured by the Ufotable adaptation. Furthermore, Nasu himself created a "patchwork" sequel, Future Gospel, which barely worked and completely undermined the original characterization and themes of the novel. He even admitted that it was made to show how much he had changed over the years. So why should we trust him to accurately recall his older self's ideas? The man can’t even write a sequel that stays true to Kara no Kyoukai’s core, lmao.
If you want to know more about Shiki's capabilities, I made a Respect Thread for her and the rest of KnK that you can consult here.
Comments
Post a Comment