Issue #6

Featured Characters:

Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow

Issue Synopsis:

The "Shadow Kumite" in South Africa is a violent, no holds barred competition to crown a champion of the underground fighting movement. For the last five years, Storm Shadow has won this competition, and Duke suspects trouble will follow him here this time.

Indeed it would appear Duke is correct, as shortly after winning his last match, Storm Shadow skillfully infiltrates Xenotech Industries, taking out guards, evading surveillance, and easily making it to a large, thick metal vault. He uses his energy'powered sword to enter the vault, and makes off with his prize. He doesn't get far before Snake Eyes appears from the darkness and confronts him. Storm Shadow shows him the "XT9 Behavioral Modification Chip" that he stole, which is capable of follwing a person's movements along the electronic grid, based on prediction-based software and artificial intelligence. COBRA Commander plans to use it to track world leadership for potential assassinations.

He tells Snake Eyes if he wants it, he can take it...but he will have to fight Storm Shadow hand-to-hand. No special suits, no gadgets, just the two ninja masters, fighting "Kumite style" in front of an audience. Snake Eyes agrees.

Storm Shadow manages to "convince" the would-be challenger to Kumite to let Snake Eyes take his place, and they meet in combat, Snake Eyes wearing an old martial arts uniform from his training days.

The fight is long and vicious, each sword brother trading blows with each other. Flipping, punching, kicking, and dodging, the twin ninja go blow for blow. Storm Shadow whips out his sword, and rakes it across Snake Eyes' face, but the Sigma 6 member strikes back with his own sword. But Storm Shadow's sword crackles with pure green energy, and he shatters the other man's blade, then has him cornered, but Snake Eyes isn't defeated yet. He blocks the sword strike, and takes the blade from Storm Shadow, turning it against him. Snake Eyes spares his "brother's" life, takes the chip, and is crowned the new "Shadow Kumite" champion.

Storm Shadow sulks off, swearing that there will be another battle...

Points of Interest:

- This is the final issue in the limited series, and it still does not come across as any kind of cohesive series or storyline. Just a series of individual stories tied together by the Sigma 6 title.

- This issue seems a little bit more potentially violent than the others, as Storm Shadow uses darts and throwing stars to incapacitate guards at Xenotech. He also smashes Snake Eyes' visor with a sword blade.

- The uniform worn here by Snake Eyes is the same as we see him training with Storm Shadow in, in the cartoon episode "War".

- While Snake Eyes' "Tonfa" swords are usually the ones that have energy-capabilities, but his swords appear normal in this issue while Storm Shadow is the one with the "energy" sword.

- When Snake Eyes' visor is smashed, there is no evident scarring of his face below the mask.

Gallery:

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