Kengan Omega starts the ground running by squaring off its newest characters in a fight that displays the vast disparity in talent between them.
WARNING: The following includes spoilers for Chapter 3 of Kengan Omega, accessible for free in an English translation on Comikey.
Kengan Ashura sequel series Kengan Omega struck the ground running with two new individuals who are both ready to join part with the Kengan battles. While Koga is a hothead confident he’s worthy to compete against the finest fighters in the world, Ryuki’s strange physical similarities to the past runner-up champion Tokita Ohma hints at the enormous skill the new fighter may possess.
Chapter 3 pairs the two off in a combat that rapidly demonstrates where their skill levels actually are.
After Chapter 2 finished with Ryuki and Koga facing off in Yamashita Kazuo’s office, their combat immediately begins in Chapter 3 with the arrogant Koga firing into his opening attacks. Harboring a strange hatred against Ohma that pushes him into a passion, Koga thinks the strikingly identical Ryuki to be the person he wishes to meet. Ryuki is astonished by the opening torrent of strikes, but his astonishment does not appear to limit his abilities to defend himself.
Koga launches a torrent of strikes and, to his shock, finds that none of them land. Koga successfully redirects every kick and every strike with ease, lazily requesting Koga to stop. The battle only truly becomes serious when Koga makes a throwaway reference about worms that weirdly sets Koga off, forcing the defensive fighter onto the offensive as he seizes Koga’s wrists and puts the hothead into a vulnerable position. It is only the appearance of Kazuo that interrupts the battle, as the keen-eyed businessman swiftly analyzes the situation and orders the two quit their fighting.
Kazuo’s remarkable eye allows him not only to analyze Ryuki’s superb ability as a fighter, but also to see the minor distinctions between he and Ohma. Ryuki is somewhat shorter and certainly younger than Ohma was when the Kengan warrior perished at the end of the last season. Still, he sees enough of Ryuki’s prowess to approve his desire to enter the Kengan battles straight now. Kazuo informs Ryuki that there is an upcoming bout they can transfer him into immediately, however it looks his opponent will likely be a stronger match for him than Koga was.
Introduced at the close of the chapter, the fighter Ryuki will meet is Utsubuki Kokuro, a potential up-and-comer who swiftly racked up several major victories in his first year of Kengan fights. Kokuro is briefly shown crushing a punching bag and is considered to as the fastest-rising fighter in the Kengan Association. Given the large talent differential between Ryuki and Koga, the chapter sets up a confrontation that might well allow readers to finally witness how Ryuki fights when he is pushed to his limits.
As for Koga, it’s evident that the budding fighter has much farther to go before he is anything near ready to compete in the Kengan battles. He is startled when he hears Ryuki is not already a proven fighter, and Kazuo’s keen eye is able to swiftly judge Ryuki as ready for the battles despite firmly claiming previously that Koga would be annihilated in a contest.
The fight teases just how much more talented the highest echelons are in the world of Kengan, and for readers new to the series and unfamiliar with its predecessor, it is a promise of ever-greater action yet to come. Sometimes even the best of the best still are not good enough, and when the series gets into battles among the true top tier, there’s no knowing precisely where the roof is when it comes to the skill of these warriors.
