Kikuichimonji

A Kikuichimonji is a Light Blade-class Artifact weapon found throughout the Golden Sun series. In the original Golden Sun, it is notable as being the most powerful Light Blade and overall the second-most powerful weapon that is available to the player.

Basic description by game
In all games it appears in, the Kikuichimonji increases attack by 128 points. It can be sold for 10050 coins and can be subsequently re-bought for 13400 coins.

In Golden Sun, it is dropped by Fenrirs in Venus Lighthouse, although the odds of receiving one are very slim. Being a Light Blade, it can be equipped by Isaac, Garet, and Ivan. Should the player transfer it to Golden Sun: The Lost Age, it can also be equipped by Felix, Jenna, and Piers. The Kikuichimonji's sole Unleashed power in the first two games is Asura (Shura no Mai/Dance of Ashura in Japan). It converts all damage to Jupiter damage and attacks with an additional 64 attack points. It also has a chance of ignoring 50% of the target's defense, increasing the amount of damage done. Asura appears as a samurai with a tengu mask performing a horizontal cut on the target at the same time as the wielder.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the Kikuichimonji is found as a rusty sword in a shallow area north of where the whirlpool to Crossbone Isle appears. If the player brings the sword to Obaba in Champa, she will reforge it into the Kikuichimonji. As a Light Blade, it can be equipped by Matthew, Tyrell, Karis, Amiti, Eoleo, and Himi. The Kikuichimonji gains two new unleashes in addition to its signature Unleash of Asura: Combat Dance and Zenith Strike. Combat Dance is a non-elemental physical attack that multiplies damage by 1.5. Zenith Strike is a physical attack that converts all damage to Jupiter damage, and adds an additional 54 points of damage.

Analysis
A Kikuichimonji is a rare but powerful weapon with few rivals to speak of, outdone only by the Gaia Blade in terms of attack power. However, there are other weapons that can challenge its position, most notably the Swift Sword. Although physically weaker, the Swift Sword's Unleash, Sonic Smash, occasionally triples the damage done, which can overpower even the Gaia Blade. Sonic Smash also does Jupiter damage, and the Swift Sword increases the wielder’s Jupiter power, making it seemingly the perfect weapon for Ivan. However, the chance that the unleash does triple damage is not very high, and the attack bonus of the Kikuichimonji is far greater than that of the Swift Sword and the Kuikichimonji's unleash is also strong (unleash does Jupiter damage and has a chance to ignore 50% of the foes defense), so it's really a matter of preference whether you want to keep the Swift sword or give him a Kikuichimonji. However, all these weapons are found late in Golden Sun and can easily be outdone in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, so their usefulness is somewhat limited.

Due to it's Jupiter-based Unleashes, the Kikuichimonji is most fitting with Karis because of her naturally high Jupiter Power. However, it is outpowered by the Verdant Sword, a Jupiter based pure-element weapon that can be forged from Zol. Despite this, the Kikuichimonji can see use as an early placeholder weapon for Himi or Eoleo after they joins the party. The Kikuichimonji will be much stronger than the default weapons they have (the Psynergy Rod and Broad Axe respectively. Once the player has found better weapons, however, the Kikuichimonji should be replaced.

RNG Methods (Golden Sun)

 * Main article: Random Number Generator

This is a method for obtaining the Kikuichimonji in Golden Sun. Make sure Isaac is faster than Mia and Garet is slower than Mia but at least around 150. You can do this by equiping Running Shirts, Ninja Garb, Ninja Hood, Elven Shirt, Kimono, or Feathered Robe, and if any of them is too fast, you can slow them down by equipping the turtle boots. Go to the main room in Venus Lighthouse (the one with the Psynergy Stone in the middle). Save and turn off the GBA completely. Turn it on again and run around the room to engage in a battle. It should be against an Ice Gargoyle and a Fenrir and you should have the first strike.

First Round (big arrow on Fenrir):
 * Isaac casts Clay Spire.
 * Garet casts Flare Wall.
 * Ivan casts Tornado.
 * Mia casts Ice Horn.

Second Round:
 * Isaac defends.
 * Garet unleashes Torch (Works with Scorch as well) on Fenrir.
 * Ivan defends.
 * Mia casts Wish.

Third Round:
 * Isaac unleashes Bane on Ice Gargoyle.
 * Defend with everyone else.

This should drop the Kikuichimonji and a Potion. This method can be repeated to your heart's desire.

Cultural References
"Kiku-ichimonji" is the name given to the Japanese swords made by the thirteen swordsmiths who were in attendance to the Japanese Emperor Go-Toba in 1208. Asuras, in Hinduism and Buddhism, were demonic, power-seeking deities.