Template:InfoboxAttack Akuryo Taisan was one of Rei's powers as a priestess. It was also one of her first attacks as Sailor Mars in most versions of the original Sailor Moon anime, and it was used in all versions of the series.
"Akuryo Taisan" is a Japanese phrase used to purify and exorcise demons of any evil, which translates into "Evil Spirit, Begone." She most likely combines her own spiritual powers with her fire/flame-based attacks. In the DiC dub she calls it Fireballs Charge.
First Anime
In the first anime, since Rei learned the chant as a priestess and not as a Sailor Senshi, she could also use it while not transformed. She first used it on Usagi in episode 10, when she felt an evil spirit. She first used it as Sailor Mars in the subsequent episode to dispel Murid's poison and keep her arm from turning to stone.
To perform this attack, Rei called out, "Akuryo Taisan," then placed an ofuda on the enemy. Sometimes she would also chant the names of the kuji - "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" (臨、兵、闘、者、皆、陣、列、在、前！; when combined into a sentence, it literally means "all warriors have been lined up in formation here") - while holding up the ofuda before performing the attack. Usually it was used to immobilize an enemy, giving the Senshi time to attack, but could also be used to purify people of an evil influence.
The attack shows Sailor Mars chanting the kuji, interspersed with cuts showing a dark figure with a wrathful, fanged face amidst flames carrying a sword and a lariat. This is likely the Buddhist deity Fudō-myōō (不動明王), also called Acala in Sanskrit or "the immovable one", who protects all living things by purifying all impediments and defilement with fire to allow one to reach enlightenment. She also uses this against enemies including Daimons in the third season to bind them with this ability.
In the English dub, it's called Mars Fire Scrolls Ignite.
Manga
This attack appeared in many forms in the manga. When Rei first used it in Act 3, it looked similar to the anime in that she threw an ofuda at Usagi when she felt an evil presence. When she used the attack later after transforming into Sailor Mars, the attack did not seem to include the use of any ofuda, but rather appeared as a ball of fiery energy, similar to Youma Taisan. At that point she used the attack to surround Jadeite with flames which burned him to death. When she used against Nephrite's shadow in Act 4, it looked like a wall of flame. This was the only attack Rei ever used during the Dark Kingdom arc. After that arc she used it only one more time in the main manga storyline: during the Dream arc in Act 36, she used Akuryo Taisan with a single ofuda in order to repel Tiger's Eye. She also used it against Zoisite in the manga side story "Casablanca Memory," where Sailor Mars performed the attack by using numerous ofuda. In the third Exam Battle story, when Rei was possessed by Ghost Sistern, Sailor Venus had to use this attack to destroy the spirit, leading Rei to become very angry and annoyed at her later.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
This attack first appeared in Act 3 of the live-action series, when Rei threw a single ofuda at floating leaves; this was the only time she used the attack as a civilian. She first used the attack as Sailor Mars against a Youma in Act 4. To perform this attack, she would first hold her hand to her chest, then circle her arms, bring them to her stomach, and finally extend her arms in front of her, releasing a stream of fire and ofuda from her hands. she also used a similar, but more powerful attack, Youma Taisan.
Musicals
The attack first appeared in the very first musical, Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen. It was only used by Rei against Haruna Sakurada in order to force her to reveal her true identity as the Youma Manegin.
Video Games
This attack was used in two video games. In the game Sailor Moon for Super Fiacom, it was the second attack which the play could activate by simultaneously pressing the attack and jump buttons. When she performed the attack in this game, Sailor Mars raised her hand, making ofuda fly around her from bottom to top before they disappeared, hurting opponents on each side in the process. When the attack was successful in making contact with an enemy, however, some of Sailor Mars' life meter would be lost.
In the Sailor Moon arcade game, Sailor Mars required three crystals to perform this attack. During the attack's full-screen animation, she swirled around with two ofuda in her hands.
Sailor Moon Crystal
After transforming into her standard Sailor form, as Sailor Mars, for the first time she had used her very first fire/flame-based powers in conjunction with her own innate spiritual abilities and easily overpowered Jadeite's cryokinetic, frigiokinetic abilities with her own combined flames and spiritual energies. It was so powerful that it almost killed the Shinnetou. She used this attack in a similar fashion to Burning Mandala in Act 3, which unleashes a steam of multiple fire rings and hoops at her enemy.The pattern of the attack was done inconsistently throughout Sailor Moon Crystal.
Trivia
- The chanting Sailor Mars does in the Japanese version, "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou taisan!" is called Kuji-in and is a form of Shinto meditation that is practices by Shinto, Shugendo, Zen and the Ninja. It is also known as "The Nine Finger Cuts".
Below are the individual meanings for the Shinto Kuji-in, as referenced from Wikipedia.
* Rin:Is to face.
* Pyou:(Also used as Hei) The soldier.
* Tou:To fight.
* Sha:The man (or the people); a foe
* Kai:The all, or the whole effect, or whole effort.
* Jin:In Formation, or position in camp or to prepare.
* Retsu:To move in column or a row, in a line; or marching, or to focus.
* Zai:To appear, or to exist to make yourself known, or create existence.
* Zen:To be in front. or show up in front.
- In the DiC English dub, she does not say the ku-jin like she did in Japanese and instead says, "I will call upon the power of Mars! Fireballs Charge!"
- When Raye uses the attack in the DiC dub in civilian, it's called Ancient Scroll Attack and later Evil Spirits, Disperse!.