I couldn't really think of an obvious category to include the outcast Kakyu (Japanese translation = Lower Class) and given that they are shunned by their Tengu brethren, it seemed appropriate to give them their own blog post.
There are only two Kakyu so far and their basic profiles are broadly similar. Both have a Melee Statistic of 3, a Move Statistic of 5 and a Ki Statistic of 2/6. They share the Dodge (1) and Evasive traits, granting them a degree of tenacity in melee and the ability to manoeuvre around the bases of opposing models with impunity. Neither can have Ki Channelled to or Leached from them which means that outside of the Spiritual Harmony event and the Gorinto terrain piece, they have to be self sufficient for Ki. They both gain a bonus to their Move when making a run action and do not suffer a Melee penalty after having made a run action. This gives them more flexibility when advancing forward to grab zones or influence objectives as they can do so at speed without fear of weakening their Melee pool.
It is also probably worth noting that they are both flightless and therefore do not have the Cloudwalk trait. This excludes them from a lot of bonuses granted by events, unique effects etc. However, because they are Small, have a Melee Statistic of 3 and a Ki Boost for their Movement Statistic, they can be included in all of the current Descension Themes. Oh and one last general point, using either Kakyu will prevent you from taking the Talisman of Grace Equipment card (which is a shame, because it is a very useful piece of equipment).
Hazkabo
Hazkabo is the more expensive of the two Kakyu, but you get quite a lot for that 1 Rice. He can choose between two weapons, the more defensive Staff which grants the ever useful Sidestep Defence or Claws which has a bit more bite to it. He also has Bravery which significantly increases your chances of passes Fear (6) tests from 50% to 75%.
Both of his Ki Feats, while moderately expensive, are very useful. Acrobatics will increase his Dodge trait to 2 (if like me, you have opponents who always seem to be rolling multiple sixes in attack, you can re-roll a good portion of them!), and grants him the ability to simply leave melee via the Agile trait which means he doesn't have to be tied up in melee. Vitality is of course is great for controlling the turn by adding an activation counter to your side and due to the huge amount of ground Hazkabo can cover (see below), he can dive in from range, do a scenario action and disappear to safety again. He can even go from one side of the board to the other over the course of one turn, which when combined with Evasive and his defensive abilities, makes him a reasonable VIM choice.
Tengu are no slouches when it comes to moving about the playing area, but Hazkabo comes with a free built in +1 bonus to his Move Statistic when he declares a run action. The wording of the unique effect on his card means that his Move Stat is boosted to 6 before you multiply it by 1.5, resulting in a total Run distance of 9" without having to use any external bonuses. If you are able to apply a further Movement boost (e.g. via a Kami of the Strong West Wind), then this will be sufficient to bring Hazkabo into contact with any centre objectives in 1 activation.
Hirohibo
Not to be unkind to poor Hirohibo, but here is another Descension Starter Set model that seems like it could do with something else. He is only 1 Rice cheaper than Hazkabo but you lose so much by taking this Kakyu over his brother. Even the Run bonus is worse as the 1" is added to the total Run move rather than the Move Statistic, equaling a run of 8.5" as opposed to 9". That 0.5" may not seem like much, but you would subsequently need more than one other Movement boost or the place effect from Blue Gale Scouting Party to achieve contact with a centre objective in the first turn
His Ki Feat, Slipstream, is not without interest (and is at least equal in cost to his base Ki Stat). He can use it to drag another friendly model an additional 1" up the board or even out of base to base contact with an enemy model (Any "Move" that isn't a Walk/Run action can be used to leave base to base). However, as the Feat requires a Run action (and consequently the movement has to be in a straight line), this latter manoeuvre would be tricky to set up/pull off, and to be honest, Qimmiq's Voice of the Wind does much the same thing, is more flexible and can be done several times per turn. I think a potentially useful side benefit is that it ensures he can't be hemmed in by his own models as the Ki Feat enables him to pass through them.
Overall, I think Hazkabo is the option you are most likely to take, but if I were to include the Ruthless Enhancement card (which enables you to remove a Kakyu model within 3" of the attached model to avoid taking a damage roll) in my list, then I think Hirohibo would be the corresponding Kakyu choice, purely because I can't see many circumstances where I would choose to sacrifice Hazkabo, even for Buzenbo. I can also see Hirohibo's Ki Feat being part of a package of Place effects and Move boosts to push a model like Buzenbo up the table without burning one of the big bird's activation counters.
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