Hayai Oujou

"I didn’t hesitate to allow my padawan to create his own style. Many students want their own form; however, many fail to finish. The creation process requires determination, and many students turn back to the common styles. Cyril was one that did not. I barely helped him create the style he has now. I laughed at first, considering it to be a reckless form of Niman. The day he perfected his style was the day I could never beat him in sparring again."

- Jorfac Correl

Hayai Oujou was a lightsaber form developed by Cyril Ahlen Khan in 3,872 BBY. The form was originally created from the techniques of various common lightsaber forms. Cyril had taken what he had considered to be the more useful moves from the forms, Makashi, Soresu, Ataru, Juyo, and Sokan and transitioned them into a single style. After a few years, however, the combat form took a unique route when it started to appear identical to Niman in both strengths and weaknesses. Khan kept the techniques he had put into his style, but he modified the execution and application of them.

Hayai Oujou grew into an anti-melee form that many sword masters considered to be powerful. It harnessed swift and unpredictable strikes that overwhelmed the opposition. One important advantage of the style was the use of never ending momentum. The immediate moment a strike would fail or a block was executed, the blade would move into the next motion without stopping or hesitating. The style seemed reckless, and when being used by an initiate or advanced student it very much was. Once training was fully completed, a student would have perfected the precision and grace the style needs. A master of the style could take what first appeared to be a reckless technique and deliver a series of chained techniques that could devastate opponents. Also, the form had interchangeable blocks and strikes. The statement, “Every strike is a block, and every block is a strike,” had been used to describe the style. This does not apply to every technique, but it does to a great many.

The style of Hayai Oujou was noted for its graceful, never-ending motions. It was also, however, noted for one unusual trait among sword forms. It had originally been designed to fit a combatant with a weighted sword, not a lightsaber. When applied to the metal sword the form was swift and overpowering. The effects of using a lightsaber were then much more astonishing. Seeing a Jedi apply this style did not fully reveal the fact that the style was originally designed for the weighted sword. Only the blaster defense techniques revealed this detail. Hayai Oujou was extremely vulnerable to ranged weapons. This weakness existed because a combatant with a weighted sword was not likely to stop the incoming fire anyway. The weighted sword was also used primarily in training, regardless of whether the trainee was to use a lightsaber later. Often times a Hayai Oujou master would not switch to the energy blade and remain with the metal one.

History
Hayai Oujou was primarily developed by Cyril Ahlen Khan when he was twelve. He had always wanted to create a unique style. At a young age he would watch the masters of each common form practice and attempt to emulate their techniques. His first master, Deven Jarmain, was not enthusiastic on teaching him physical combat. Thus, Cyril’s lightsaber form began from the techniques he picked up from observation. Needless to say, the early version of Hayai Oujou was unrefined. It resembled a significantly weaker type of Niman.

Deven Jarmain mysteriously left the Jedi Order while Cyril was still a student. Jorfac Correl, a Jedi weapons master, became the new master for the padawan. When Jorfac heard that Cyril had minimal sword training, he rushed to critique all the skills that the student had developed. The process was long and painstaking, but the results were worth the effort. The master believed that the student was mastering the form Niman; however, this idea was quickly disproved. Cyril rapidly took his style in a unique direction.

During the period when Jorfac was critiquing his techniques, Cyril announced to his master that he wanted to create his own form; he stated that the other common forms were too well known and could be defended against too easily. The master agreed to assist him with anything he requested in his journey to a personalized form. Jorfac believed for a long while that his student's "unique" style was going to be completed as a variant of Niman. However, Cyril noticed the similarities between his creation and Form VI as well. The student suddenly shifted his route and began thinking differently about his style. One day Cyril chose to train only with a weighted sword. He said that he wanted to be able to use the style perfectly with any bladed weapon. Jorfac did not dismiss this idea; he believed it was wise to consult the original weapon of the Jedi. The metal weapon shaped the style from a Niman copy into a completely different form all together. The extra momentum the blade created incited the student to apply a strategy of constant motion. The heavy blade led to a different execution of lightsaber technique. The application of the skills he had learned with the training lightsaber was modified to fit his weighted sword. By the time Cyril returned to the lightsaber, the style had changed drastically from what it had originally been.

The final phase of the creation of Hayai Oujou was the process of emulating a weighted blade with the lightsaber. Cyril decided to keep the executions and applications that had become unique to the metal sword and use them with the lightsaber. The ceaseless motion of the blade became the first noticeable effect of the transition. The strikes and blocks merged together. Every strike and block could be used for both offense and defense. The weighted blade had modified the styles techniques in a unique way, and the form became extremely unpredictable as a result. As Cyril perfected his form, he reached his goal of making a style that no one was familiar with. While the techniques would be recognizable, they had all been drastically modified as he developed Hayai Oujou.

Hayai Oujou, after formation, was decided to be restricted to members of the Khan family. Cyril did not want his unique form to become too well known. He started a tradition of teaching the style to the eldest son, Force sensitive or not, to be carried on into the future. The plan worked effectively; the style never became well known enough for too many beings to develop strong enough defenses against it. However, the style nearly died out many times as a result. The techniques, executions, and applications were recorded in a datapad to prevent extinction. This became quite useful when the parents of the future Cyril Mannesh Khan were murdered before their son could be trained. The datapad’s knowledge was used so that the style could be learned without a living master. It was fair to say that the style had changed in multiple ways from the original each time a student tried to learn from the datapad’s files. However, the overall effects of the style remained constant through the ages; techniques and applications were only changed through misinterpretation. The style, even though it faced large changes, never lost the melee dominance it originally had.

Description
Hayai Oujou was an overwhelming opponent in combat. The unique style proved to be extremely powerful when used during the conflicts between the Jedi, Bendu Order, and Sith in the Old Republic. The swift blade of the form’s master devastated single opponents and held off multiple foes with ease. The style was one of the best to choose during that time of crisis. An attack from a member of the Sith or the Bendu was nearly inevitable for a member of the Jedi Order, and it was wise to master a powerful sword to sword form. Hayai Oujou demonstrated its ability overpower any opposing melee style.

The form that had devastated the sword masters of the Sith and the Bendu was not invulnerable. On the battlefield, the style was extremely vulnerable to the incoming blaster fire of enemies. Because the style did not harness effective ranged defense, a Hayai Oujou master would fall rapidly to excessive firepower. This issue led the masters of the form to take on styles that were more effective against ranged combat, like Soresu and Shien.

Hayai Oujou did not spread during the time of war against the Sith and the Bendu. Cyril Ahlen Khan was the only master of the form at the time, and he refused to teach it to any one outside his family. The style never became popular or famous, because generally only one master existed in each generation. Hayai Oujou, however, was rarely mocked. People had heard rumors of the Khan’s fighting style and they feared facing it.

Grip
Hayai Oujou was typically used with a single hand. Two hands were only used to apply more power at a cost to speed. The uncommon two-handed grip featured the off hand on the top. The dominant hand remained on the bottom to lead the strikes as if only one hand was being used. The secondary hand added strength and precision, but speed and flexibility was lost from this grip. Because speed and flexibility was necessary for the ceaseless motion, the style’s master preferred the single-hand grip.

There was no one single-handed grip that defined Hayai Oujou. The grip on the hilt was variable to the user’s preference. The majority of the users of the form positioned their grip at the top edge of the hilt at the emitter. This location allowed the greatest speed at a cost to strength. Another spot where the grip was commonly found was in the center of the hilt. This was typical of the masters who employed curved hilts in combat.

The actual grip to the weapon was as variable as the location on the hilt. Hayai Oujou used swift transitions between light and powerful grips. Holding the blade lightly allowed the user to execute more flexible strikes against an opponent. Stronger grips were used in defense. A Hayai Oujou master had to move between the firm and light grips quickly. If any mistake were to occur in the transition, the hilt could easily be removed from the hand. Some users are noted for losing their lightsaber on their own accord by a poor transfer. This was not to be unexpected form the form; the constant momentum of the user would cause the hilt to be lost if held improperly. The transitions between grips of different types were a risk to the style, but added dramatic unpredictability. While the possibility of losing the lightsaber or sword was too high for some people, the advantages presented a huge adaptive ability and an overwhelming offense to face. A master of the style would rarely err in using and transitioning into proper grips.

Stance
The Hayai Oujou stance usually remained completely constant in combat. The form typically used a medium stance. The legs were spread at shoulder length. The forward leg was set forward at shoulder distance as well, so that the body could pivot to the side and maintain the same stance without moving any legs. The stance appeared to be weak compared to most because of how basic it was. In reality, the stance was the jack-of-all-trades. The position allowed for wonderful balance, perfect maneuverability, and swift movements. It was not as strong as deeper stances could be and not as swift as lighter stances; instead it allowed the user to maintain balance and move swiftly.

While the stance was the most consistent technique in Hayai Oujou, it was the most important. A master had to be very agile with the medium stance. If the stance was not perfectly mastered, the form’s strategy would fail. Most would say a lighter stance would better fit the maneuverability the style needs. This belief was completely incorrect. Hayai Oujou needed the combination of speed and balance to perform both strikes and defenses.

In order to perfect the Hayai Oujou stance, the trainees of the form practiced walking in patterns for hours a day. These patterns allowed the student to experience the process of moving while in the stance. Muscle memory formed from the repetition and the stance became second nature. After a long period of practicing, the medium stance of the form could be as swift and maneuverable as many lighter stances.

Offense
The strategy of Hayai Oujou used multiple series of strikes to overcome an opponent. A user of the form tried to move quickly enough to make three or more strikes in the time it would take the opposition to make one. The type of strike used in combat was limited only to the imagination of the user. While there was a list of aggressive techniques in the style’s arsenal, the executions and applications were near limitless. One technique could be executed in so many ways that it could become a form of its own.

The main strategy of the offense was to be swift, but that was not the only action of importance within the form. The user also focused on making precise and flexible strikes to break around defenses. The most common application of this strategy was to make a swift strike to lure out defenses and then to rotate the wrist and arm and slice through the defenses. This often did not result in lethal wounds, but it did result in incapacitation and control cuts. Often times an opponent’s wrists would be knocked out of use by such application; the first strike would be a decoy, while the next movement would pass the defenses and execute what would seem a harmless cut. Such actions were strong when used with a weighted weapon, and a lightsaber would create much more damage. Jedi employing the Hayai Oujou strategy would often slice off hands and limbs before executing a final blow. This is what made a seemingly, highly aggressive form into one usable by even pacifists. Another Hayai Oujou stratagem commonly used was considered one of the forms most dangerous aspects. A user would strike at unimportant locations on an enemy, including the blade. These actions seemed rash at first, but they had an important role in the form. These seemingly worthless motions were patterns devised to force the opponent into a moment of weakness. This part of the form’s strategy was the hardest to master; it required perfect precision and extreme flexibility. The strikes had to hit their marks at the right speed and location. The result was devastating; in the moment the weakness appeared, a Hayai Oujou master would have cut down the opponent. This strategy was very difficult to detect, because the useless strikes resembled the other offensive strategies. In the moment a learned opponent would become suspicious, the master user could instantly change into any other aggressive strategy of the form.

Defense
Hayai Oujou employed an interesting defense. The user would execute an avoid and evade stratagem against incoming attacks. Blocks were only used to fully defend powerful strikes or to set up for a useful counterattack. Under the circumstances that the exchange of blows became too swift for successful dodges, the style used varying blocks to throw opponents' blades off course. Often times a weakness would present itself after such blocks and an effective counterattack could be made.

The avoid and evade defense plan was quite brilliant. A master of the style could beat nearly any opponent by using their momentum against them. Common dodges included sidestepping a lunge or diagonal blow or lowering one's base to avoid higher strikes. It was not the dodges that makes Hayai Oujou’s defense so effective; it was the counterattacks that follow them. Some Hayai Oujou masters would refuse to make the first attack and take a completely counter offensive strategy. A master who fought this way was powerful. As the opponent’s strike moved in, the user would execute a dodge. A moment later the user’s blade would be moving under the defenses of the opposition.

While that form of defense could be considered an offense, it demonstrated the versatility of Haiyai Oujou. The style exemplified the fact that it could use its offense as a defense and vice versa. This interchangeability made the defense of the form extremely difficult to break as well as an offense that was hard to overcome. It was the resourcefulness that defined the overall defense of the style.

Hayai Oujou did employ a blaster defense, though it was not terribly powerful. The form used a cone motion to scatter incoming weapons fire. The action was imprecise and could not direct attacks back to the source; in fact, deflected firepower would fly off in any direction uncontrolled. Because the motion was difficult to sustain for long periods, the user would only use it when necessary. Often times the dodge stratagem would be the only defense used against ranged combat. It was difficult for the cone defense to work all the time, because the style was meant to service users of the weighted blade as well as those of the lightsaber. Because a metal blade couldn’t refract energy like a laser beam, there was no reason to use such a defense. However, even a quick non-Force sensitive user could effectively use the cone defense against blaster fire, assuming their blade could withstand the energy.

Requirements
A Hayai Oujou user did not need to have a firm connection with the Force. In fact, the majority of the users had some form of disability in the Force. The Khan line was notorious for only being able to use the telekinetic core powers of the Force. Thus, the form relied very little on the use of the Force in combat. However, when the Force was used to amplify the effects, the form became much more dangerous and easier to use. The Force was not necessary for the style to be used to its fullest, but most Jedi users of the form found it extremely useful. Hayai Oujou did have many physical requirements for a user. A powerful hand to eye coordination was necessary. Precision was one of the most important requirements for the form. If a user had poor coordination, the style would be just as reckless as the user. Also, the user had to be extremely flexible, especially in the wrist, arm, and knee joints. The flexibility allowed for the unorthodox strategy the form used. The wrist was necessary for swift strikes and blocks, while the knees were necessary for dodge movements. The arms had to be completely fit for all aspects of the style.

Strength was not a requirement for users. Training in the form built up all the necessary strength for the style. Hayai Oujou used more technique, speed, and precision to be powerful rather than strength. Strength did create a good addition to the style, however. Muscle strength assisted in the power behind strikes, blocks, and, most importantly, dodges. Dodges often times needed such power in order to be effective. If a user had extra strength, more dodges could be possible. However, the evasion strategy did require speed as well. If muscles became so strong that speed was lost, the brawny user would lose a vital requirement.

Hayai Oujou did not require any particular lightsaber forms to learn; however, masters often taught their students parts of the common forms before moving on to the more complex style.

Weaknesses
Hayai Oujou possessed some vital weaknesses that could be devastating for a user if taken advantage of. The most obvious weakness was against ranged combat; even a master had severe trouble against large quantities of distanced warfare. If a user had not studied other styles, the blaster defenses were so weak that a user would be lethally vulnerable. Because this weakness was often bothersome, masters often turned to secondary lightsaber forms to combat ranged weapons.

A second weakness was the form being used by a non-master. The style was extremely reckless until every aspect was perfected. The grip transition was a good example of this recklessness. An initiate would constantly lose his weapon in training while trying to master the transition between grips. Even masters had some difficulties that could only be fixed through experience. The issue with Hayai Oujou was that it was often so complex in some fields that training in it took longer than two other combat forms. The training was also so difficult that students were incompetent in the form until mastery. The style had two points of mastery: initiate and master. There was no middle ground because of the forms complexity.

Lightsaber design
Hayai Oujou could be used with near any type of single handed lightsaber. However, some types of hilts were better for the style. A hilt that was poorly decorated and had almost no protrusions, except at the emitter and base, were perfect for the user. Too many buttons or levers on the hilt could interfere with the transition between grips. Also, some masters of the style would choose a hilt style that could switch between one and two handed grips rapidly. A sword like that would usually have limited grip obstacles.

One other common hilt type was the curved hilt. The curved hilt added a huge advantage to the style. The leverage in the curve gave a master much more control over an opponent. Such a weapon was often chosen to amplify the power within the sword form. A Jedi using Hayai Oujou and a curved hilt was a warrior not to be messed with.

While lightsabers were perfect weapons for the style, it was extremely common for a regular sword to be used. The weighted sword was often used in training and sparring. Some students preferred the heavier weapon and did not transfer to lightsaber combat. The metal blade did have some advantages the energy blade did not.

Behind the scenes
Hayai Oujou is a lightsaber form created by role-player Cyril Khan on TheStarWarsRP.Com. The form was used during the second timeline of the role-play, the Great Sovereign Crusades, as a lightsaber form for the character Cyril Ahlen Khan. Hayai Oujou, which means "Quick Death" in Japanese, was developed from a mixture of various Chinese and Japanese martial arts styles. The form was partially put together in a choreography practice for a fan-fiction movie. Although the film was never finished, the style was kept to be used in the creator's Star Wars writings.