Who is the Real Niko Tokita in Kengan Ashura/Omega Series?

Kengan Ashura’s clever tactic of bringing the gladiator fights on screen hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The premise of gladiator fights taking place in the modern era to protect corporate rights gives our liberal world an interesting twist. Despite the stellar animation, there are certain aspects of the show that require revisiting.

1. Quick Answer 

The “real” Tokita Niko is a mysterious student of Gaoh Mukaku. He is the one who refers to Ohma as the ‘Tiger’s Vessel’. As he bestowed the Possessing Spirit Technique on Ohma, Niko approached him and killed him in battle.

2. Who is the Real Niko?

I. Tokita Niko’s History

Although, Tokita Niko had been dead by the time the events of the story began. It is disclosed that Tokita Niko’s name was not Tokita Niko and it was merely an alias assigned to him.

This sent fans in a frenzy in hopes of understanding the story and the real person that had donned the name ‘Tokita Niko’. Gradually, in the manga, it is revealed that the existence of a person named Tokita Niko is a legend.

The events in relation to this date prior to the events that take place in Kengan Ashura. The Tokita Niko known to us, was the student of the true creator of the Niko Style, Gaoh Mukaku.

Gaoh Mukaku was the final master of the classical jiu-jitsu style known as ‘Gaoh Style’. Mukaku spent over 3 decades attempting to unite the Inside by engaging their strongest fighters.

Finally, Mukaku accepted that it was a feat that he wouldn’t be able to achieve alone. As a result, Mukaku took in a few orphans from the Inside that had a high aptitude for martial arts.

These orphans were trained in the Niko Style and were assigned the name ‘Tokita Niko’ as a way to build a legend of the existence of one powerful being.

As the Nikos began accomplishing great feats, talks of Tokita Niko began reverberating in the Inside. It became a name that demanded fear and respect and established enough influence to draw out the Inside who tried to headhunt them.

When the resistance grew stronger, Gaoh took the Nikos to Gakigahara Forest to teach them the secret techniques that’ll augment their strength.

The Nikos were, sadly, massacred there and only a few managed to survive – one of them being the Tokita Niko that we know.

II. The ‘Real’ Niko

Whereas, the “real” Tokita Niko came into the picture thirteen years prior to the events of Kengan Ashura and has remained a mystery.

He had observed Niko and Ohma’s training prior to making his presence known.

The “real” Tokita Niko approached Kiryu and agreed with his distaste for Ohma’s Niko, who Kiryu believed had corrupted him.

Tokita Niko tells him that he’d give him the power to kill the devil. Further on, this Niko trains Kiryu in the Niko Style and reveals to him who Ohma’s Niko really was.

After this, he sends him to Taira Genzan. In three years, the real Niko appears before Ohma and asks him to forget his master’s techniques.

He goes on to bestow the Possessing Spirit technique on Ohma and refers to him as the “Tiger’s Vessel”.

Soon, Ohma goes on a rampage which Ohma’s Niko subdues. Ohma’s Niko, then, challenges him to a brutal fight that ends in the death of the “real” Niko and a fatal injury to Ohma’s Niko.

3. Why did Niko die?

Tokita Niko had died in a battle against Taira Genzan, the initial object of Ohma’s revenge. Set 10 years prior to the story’s events, Tokita Niko seemed ready to pass down the secret technique of the Niko Style to Ohma.

Ohma was instructed to land a single blow on Niko while he wore weights on his wrists and ankles. After several sessions, Ohma is able to land a blow on Niko which kickstarts the true training.

Ohma finally acquires the secret technique of the Niko style soon after. Unfortunately, not long after that, Niko discovers that Ohma had been using the Possessing Spirit technique and he was forced to subdue a rampaging Ohma.

Niko realises the hand of a fellow Niko called the “real” Tokita Niko behind all this and defeats him.

Post this battle, Niko was wounded badly and extremely tired. He fought against Taira Genzan in this condition and succumbed to his injuries and fatigue.

4. Is Niko style real?

Niko Style is a real style created by Gaoh Mukaku with the help of his friend, Shimochi Kazufumi.

The Niko Style was created because Gaoh realized that he was nowhere near uniting the Inside despite working towards the goal for over 30 years.

He finally decided to pass down his fighting techniques. The Niko Style was a revamped version of the Gaoh Style and his friend, Shimochi, helped in this regard.

Gaoh rearranged his style in a way that it was more useful during the modern era. Since they were young, Gaoh and Shimochi were trading their techniques.

Therefore, Shimochi helped him replace the outdated techniques and thus, the Niko Style was developed.

5. Why did Ohma Tokita die?

During the finals of the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, Ohma fought bravely against Kuroki Gensai with all the knowledge and practice he had of the Niko Style and the Advance.

However, he was unable to overcome the immense strength of Kuroki Gensai and was ultimately defeated. Ohma Tokita had sustained heavy injuries during this fight.

He begins seeing hallucinations of his master Tokita Niko after waking up in the hospital.

After coming to, Niko goes to the forest of Garyu Island by himself and accepts the irrevocable nature of his situation.

With a smile on his face, Ohma finally succumbs to the injuries he had sustained during the fight.

I. Is Ohma alive?

Ohna Tokita has apparently survived despite dying. The oddness of this sentence shall be explained. Ohma is brought back to life by Hanafusa Hajime who was mysteriously offered an artificial heart to revive Ohma.

Ever since he came back to life, Ohma has been living in Kure Village and is looking to take on Purgatory.

6. About Kengan Ashura

Since the Edo periods of Japan, gladiator arenas have existed in various forms around the world.

In these arenas, wealthy business owners and merchants hire gladiators to fight in unarmed combat where the winner takes all.

Tokita “Ashura” Ohma joins these arenas and devastates his opponents. His spectacular ability to crush his enemies catches the attention of big business owners, including the Nogi Group CEO, Nogi Hideki.