Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-32.208.226.199-20160526161241/@comment-7622429-20160905230223

So far, what I've read here sounds pretty good, but I see some comparisons to an energy shield like in Halo or Mass Effect. I think a better comparison is to Ki, akin to the likes of Dragon Ball. In that franchise, Ki is generated from the life force of a being. As stated by series creator Akira Toriyama, the physical body has limitations, so fighters make use of their Ki to enhance their strength, speed, and abilities beyond normal physical limits. Normally, Ki is used to increase physical prowess like how much damage fighters can take and how powerful their blows are.

However, experienced users can focus Ki into various blasts, beams, barriers, and even raise/lower it within different parts of their bodies to resist or do exponentially greater damage. Why this comparison? Well, Ki can effectively protect a user from anything below its threshold, but higher power levels can still cause physical damage to fighters, albeit not splattering them due to their Ki defenses, resulting in injuries incurred from battle. In addition to this, Ki usage is limited by the user, meaning being taken by surprise or using unconventional tactics like toxins or viruses can effectively work around these defenses.