Match 21312 Baiken vs. Kukaku Shiba

[JohnnyChany]

 

Baiken had stepped through the strange portal in the Backyard, chasing rumors of That Man, only to find herself in an unfamiliar world. The air smelled ancient, and the buildings looked like something out of a forgotten era.

“This place stinks of self-importance,” she muttered as she rested her hand on her katana.

Baiken walked through the streets, she soon came upon a gathering of black-clad warriors. They laughed, drank, and conversed, seemingly unconcerned with the lone intruder. Baiken stepped forward, her presence heavy as a storm cloud. Her single eye scanned the crowd.

“Hey! Where is That Man?” she demanded.

A Shinigami, seated at a distance, squinted at her from afar.

 “Eh? Kukaku? What’s with the new hair? And wow, your outfit has gotten quite the upgrade.”

Baiken’s eye twitched. The Shinigami walked closer, his expression shifted from curiosity to shock as he realized this was not Kukaku Shiba.

“I’ll give you one chance,” Baiken said. She cracked her knuckles. “Where is That Man?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re… what man?” 

Baiken’s hidden chain shot from her sleeve, wrapped around his leg and flung him through the nearest table.

Shinigami scrambled, swords drawn.

“There is no mere man here, this is Soul Society. Leave or…”

Baiken was already moving. She stomped on a mat in front of her.

“Tatami Gaeshi!”

The mat flipped up and smacked the Shinigami in the face.  With fluid precision, Baiken parried, disarmed, and slammed the others into the ground. One went flying through a wall, another was flipped onto his back with a sickening crack. As the dust settled, Baiken sheathed her sword, unimpressed.

“Tch. Useless.” 

Baiken walked off, leaving the groaning warriors behind. She still had no answers, but she wasn’t done looking.

Back at the Shiba residence, Kukaku was enjoying a peaceful moment when a panicked messenger burst through the gates.

“Lady Kukaku! What have you done?!”

Kukaku took a slow drag from her pipe. “What are you babbling about?”

“The attack! On the gathering! You left multiple Shinigami injured…”

Kukaku raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“There was an attack on a gathering of Shinigami.  The assailant was described as a woman…One-armed, fierce, ample bosom—”

Kukaku’s eyes flared with fury. “Ample bosom?! That’s what stood out to them?!” 

“They also said the woman was violent.”

Kuaku scowled, then huffed. “...Alright, a fair assumption that it could have been me, but still! It wasn’t!”

The messenger hesitated. “Then…who?”

Kukaku growled and stood. She knocked the ash from her pipe and grabbed her sword. “I’ll find out myself.”

As she moved through Soul Society, Kukaku kept hearing more tales of this mysterious intruder. how she moved like a warrior possessed,  and how she wielded strange techniques. But no one knew where she was now.

In an abandoned residence, Baiken sat cross-legged and smoked from her pipe.

“Soul Society, what is this place?” she mused. “Did I die in the portal? I expected to end up in Hades for what I’ve done not a place like this.” She shook her head. “No, That Man must be around somewhere and that is why I was transported here.”

Baiken glanced upward to see a woman with a loose fitting low hanging red top also missing her right arm. The woman stomped toward her.

“Whoever you are, you got a lot of nerve running around making me look bad,” Kukaku snapped. “Thye think you are me.”

Baiken scoffed. “Whoever would mistake me for you is blinder than my left eye. Annoying.”

“I agree. I demand that you fix this misunderstanding immediately.”

Baiken took a long drag, exhaled, and stood up. She brushed past Kukaku. “I need to find That Man so I can leave the place.”

Kukaku bristled. “Did you not hear me?  Or are you just ignoring me?”

“If you have no information on That Man then we have nothing to discuss.” 

“Fine. If you won’t take responsibility, I’ll beat some respect into you,” Kukaku declared.

Baiken sighed. “Not interested.”

“Have you no pride? I will make you a deal. When I take you down, you must go around and clear up this misunderstanding and atone for your recklessness,” Kukaku statedd. “But if you manage to defeat me, I will help you on your manhunt. You will need someone who knows their way around.” 

Baiken turned to face Kukaku. “Very well.”

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Baiken
Read more about Baiken at Wikipedia
Official Site: Arc System Works Links: Wikipedia Official Site Profile Guilty Gear Series

Kukaku Shiba
Read more about Kukaku Shiba at Wikipedia
Official Site: VIZ Media Links: Wikipedia Bleach Wiki Bleach U.S. Official Anime Site

[leroypowell3]

I'll go with Baiken.

[Venom 2009]

Nice to see Kukaku finally in a match. I'm going to give Kukaku my vote, since I have no idea who Baiken is.

[JohnnyChany]

On 3/9/2025 at 6:24 PM, Venom 2009 said:

Nice to see Kukaku finally in a match. I'm going to give Kukaku my vote, since I have no idea who Baiken is.

For anyone curious,  Baiken is a fan favorite defensive character from the Guilty Gear fighting game franchise. Most recent entry into trailer HERE

Was also recently guest character in Samurai Shodown, trailer HERE.

[DSkillz]

Wait, there's more than one prominent one-armed, buxom, and crude swordswoman out there? I just recently learned about Baiken a few years ago. 😅 

Good set-up, Johnny. From the little bit I know about Baiken and what I've just looked up on Kukaku, it looks like you have both ladies in-character here. 

As for the match? I think I'll need to look up both their capabilities a little more. 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
4.50 - DSkillz
5.00 - Venom 2009
5.00 - Boratz

FPA Calculation:
3 Total Votes cast
14.50 Total Combined Score
14.50 / 3 = 4.83 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Baiken: 1
Kukaku Shiba: 2