Talk:Episode 41: Roaring Slash! Gargantua Punisher!/@comment-24424395-20141015003924/@comment-4764137-20141015034511

As a student of martial arts, I can actually confirm that you are both only partially right. The spirit of what you are talking about is completely different. Kiai, or "spirit yell", is often "hiyah!", "hyah!" or just "ha!", yes, but it's not about making your attack stronger. It's about intimidation. The idea is that a powerful yell with a quick, powerful strike, is more likely to drive off would-be assailants. It's actually aimed towards the end goal of most martial arts... To prevent dragging out altercations longer than necessary. In short, that kind of yell is actually not to increase strength, but to scare off people who you'd otherwise have to fight.