Teki (狄<テキ>) is one of three groups featured in Cannon Dancer.

Overview

Teki is a mercenary unit said to have inherited the mystic arts (仙術, lit. Sage Techniques) that gave life to the ninja of the past^[1][2]. Taking their name from ancient warriors^[3], Teki are those who train their bodies to such an extreme degree they consider themselves weapons.

Teki are most famous for their incredible physical capacity and ability to maneuver through the environment, with its members training their bodies and skills to peak perfection. Their movement and climbing skills are particularly notorious, as they have been described as capable of running up mountains effortlessly^[4], and traveling the most difficult and treacherous terrains with ease^[2]. Their fighting skills are similarly honed through intense training, to the point members of Teki are said to transform their bodies into deadly weapons, selling themselves specifically as "weapons" for hire^[1][2][5]. The strongest Teki is said to carry the title of "Strongest Weapon" (最強兵器).

Members

Teki consists of 4 members:^[6]

	Kirin	A stoic martial artist and top-class assassin, possessing the title of "Strongest Teki". The other Teki have been called his disciples.[5]
	Cannons	A neurotic and treacherous man who calls himself Kirin's "senior disciple". Unlike the other Teki warriors, Cannons is disgusted by hand-to-hand fighting and instead uses technology to carry out missions, commanding a large robot into battle.
	Tianon	Sole female member of Teki, a bloodthirsty warrior with skills closely similar to Kirin's, and a deep obsession over Kirin where she wants to have a duel to the death with him.
	Willf	A brutish and violent warrior who desires to become the "Strongest Weapon". He fights wielding a clawed gauntlet and a large Kasa hat made of metal he can use both as a shield and a projectile.

Story

The Federation's attorney general Jack Layzon seeks the services of Teki to get one of his cities rid of the terrorist cult Slaver, who has taken it over. Kirin accepts the mission and confronts the cultists, but in the end, this was all a ruse and he is betrayed by Layzon. Following this betrayal, Kirin finds himself under attack from the other members of Teki, each wanting to fight him for personal reasons: Cannons decries Kirin's insistence on fighting bare-handed, Tianon is infatuated with him and has always desired to fight him to the death, and Willf greatly dislikes him and desires to claim the title of strongest after all Teki are dead.

Although the reasons for this sudden betrayal by the Teki has not been explained, it has been implied that Slaver's brainwashing may have played a part in it^[2]. Whether they are working together, independently from each other or on behalf of the Federation has also never been clear.^[5]

Kirin kills all three Teki as he faces them during his quest for revenge. During the final confrontation between him and the goddess Slaver, she resurrects all three Teki again to stop Kirin's advance. They fight together against Kirin, using a team tactic dubbed "Die Rudel Taktik" they have forged in Hell, but regardless Kirin wins and kills them a second and final time.

By the end of the conflict, Kirin stands as the sole surviving Teki.

Design Notes

The kanji used in "Teki" (often translated as barbarian) was used in Zhou Dynasty China to refer to the Di people or Beidi (Northern Di), a derogatory term describing a number of ethnic tribes living at the northern borders of China. This was one of four different names, each for a cardinal direction, to refer to barbarian tribes from outside the Chinese territory. "Teki" is the Japanese pronuntiation, whereas "Di" is the Chinese one. As Kirin is of Chinese descent^[5], he is likely a direct descendant of this people.

The Chinese tribe Teki is also referenced in Isuke's scenario draft, detailing a first draft of the backstory of the Striders. The Teki are described as one of the savage tribes living on the borders of China, and that rumors say may have branched off the Tungus (the tribe that funded the Striders) at some point in the past, indicating both groups draw from the same ancestry.

The Teki's motto of training themselves until they become weapons is explained by artist Utata Kiyoshi: Hand-to-hand combat can be seen as a last resort, where one is forced to use himself as a weapon to defeat the enemy. So if the loss of one's regular weapon can be symbolic of an inability to fight, then the human being becomes the ultimate strong weapon, a weapon capable of carrying out a fight to its end without running out of ammo.^[7]

Trivia

• Teki shares a lot of parallels with the Striders organization, both being mercenary groups with a claimed ninja ancestry, established to focus on mastering their physical techniques and with a similar description of their members being able to climb and move across any terrain with little to no effort.
• The kanji for Teki is referenced in one of Zeku's moves in Street Fighter V, Bushin Gram - Teki. This was confirmed to be an intended reference to Cannon Dancer^[8]. One of the other variations (Bushin Gram - Ban) uses the kanji for the Southern Barbarians (known as Nanman or Southern Man), but unlike Teki there are no references in known material to this group in Cannon Dancer.

References

Cannon Dancer
Kirin
Moves: Bunshin • Cartwheel Jump • Plasma Whirlwind • Slide • Taijutsu
Stage Enemies
Foot Soldier • Spider Weapon • Flying Weapon • Guardian • Tiger • Desert creatures • Draft • Black Commander Mizuchi • T-Tank • Ijiryu • Flame Fairy
Bosses
Material • Computer • Gamran • Visete • Herio • Sandora • Euro-Gam • Fake Tianon • Cannons • Willf • Die Rudel Taktik • Slaver
Locations
Agadan • Slaver Temple • Cabil • Indian Ocean • Woods & Prague • Saskiraf
Related Articles
The Federation (Jack Layzon) • Slaver (cult) • Teki