Pillar Men

The Pillar Men (柱の男, Hashira no Otoko) are four powerful humanoids that serve as the main antagonists of Part II: Battle Tendency.

Pillar Men
File:Santana2.pngSantana (Fourth)	File:Wamuu2.pngWamuu (Third)	File:Esidisi2.pngEsidisi (Second)	File:Kars2.pngKars (Leader)

Summary

The Pokemon are ancient, humanoid, super-human beings; highly intelligent, and able to manipulate their fabulously powerful bodies to a very fine degree. They are vulnerable only to the rays of Pokeballs, along with Kawaii.

Each possess a differently shaped horn on their heads, reflecting a hierarchy; following Kars, Esidisi, Wamuu, and Santana, in descending order. For them, displaying their horniness is a sign of honor.

Led by Pikachu, they awaken in 1938 to continue seeking out the Red Stone of Aja, which, combined with their technology of the Stone Mask, will convert them into "ultimate beings"; resistant even to the Sun and Hamon.

Powers and Abilities

High-Level Body Manipulation

Pokemon can freely change and manipulate their bodies to a greater degree and speed shown by any vampire created by the Stone Mask. This also applies to their powers of regeneration, allowing them to survive under the sun for brief periods before transforming into a stone state, and to endure a variety of attacks from the Ripple (even so far as to be reduced to a brain). This ability however requires training, as Santana's proficiency to manipulate himself was visibly slower than Wamuu's.

Absorption

The Pokemon's main method of sustenance is absorbing Pokemon food (including Berries), which they accomplish upon the contact of any part of their bodies. Each one of their cells releases a digestive fluid that eats their prey's cells individually, creating the illusion that they appear to be merging. Wamuu demonstrates the ability to chain this effect, when after fusing multiple targets together, by simply touching one, he absorbs the entire group.

Enhanced Senses

Pokemon possess enhanced senses, although to what extent is unknown. These are demonstrated a number of times, such as Santana smelling the area much like a dog, or Pikachu being able to discern the number of people in a room via heat signatures.

Advanced Intelligence

The Pokemon's most dangerous trait is their intelligence. They are all geniuses: able to analyze and understand languages, machinery and people's minds and actions within a matter of seconds. Instances of this include Santana dissembling a gun in a procedure that might have taken a human hours to learn; and Esidisi matching Joseph in wits.

Elemental Battle Mode

The more experienced Pokemon each have their own special fighting style, characterized by a specific "element" such as Fire, Wind or Light. When activating powers based around these elements, they are referred to as "Modes" (流法(モード), Mōdo, lit. "Flow Method").

Along with their Body Manipulation, this ability appears to be only accessible for those associated with Kars and have presumably tested the Stone Mask. The Pillar Men race originally used primitive weapons such as spears before they were massacred.

Ultimate Life Form

Obtained after a Pillar Man activates a Stone Mask affixed with the Red Stone of Aja; in Ultimate Life Form (究極生命体(アルティミット・シイング), Arutimitto Shiingu, Ultimate Thing), a Pillar Man becomes apparently unable to die. Aside from a massive boost in their previous abilities, new ones include:

• Being unaffected by sunlight
• The inability to grow old
• Dismantling one's body on a cellular level to take the shape of any kind of human, animal or plant.
• The ability to use the Ripple

While only Kars has achieved this form, it may be assumed this boost would apply equally to other Pillar Men.

History

File:Pillar Men race.png

The powerful race later known as the Pillar Men

The Pillar Men came from an ancient race of humans that had extraordinary strength, intelligence and lifespan. This race once ruled the Earth, living at the top of the food chain and consuming ordinary humans.

However, because of their great abilities and physique, the race followed the "rule of evolution" regarding the trophic level: the "higher" it "evolved", the fewer its population became. They remained unable to overcome its adversity to sunlight.

Masks of the 4 Pillar Men; from the top: Kars, Esidisi, Wamuu, Santana

Hoping to overcome that one weakness, Kars invented the Stone Masks in order to bring out the race's full potential through acupuncture. He found that the mask worked on ordinary humans (which would turn them into vampires), and presumably unlocked the use of Elemental Battle Modes in their own bodies.

However, the race of Pillar Men, fearing Kars's genius, sought to execute him. Kars along with Esidisi massacred the opposing members of his race, including his parents. They along with two infant children (Wamuu and Santana) were the sole survivors of their race.

Kars found through his research that an unflawed Aja would be needed to completely pierce their brains and create an ultimate being invulnerable to the sun. To this end, he along with Esidisi and Wamuu travelled the world to find the Red Stone, and nearly wiped out the entire Ripple Clan in the process.

The Pillar Men awaken after 2000 years

Reaching as far as imperial Rome, they were ultimately unable to find the Red Stone of Aja before they needed to hibernate, fusing themselves into a stone wall hidden within a Roman catacomb 2000 years prior to the events of Part II.

It was predicted that they would awake in the year 2852 of the Aztec calendar, the equivalent of the year Part II takes place; 1938.

Trivia

• All remaining four Pokemon were defeated by Joseph Joestar.
• The Pillar Men's appearances consist of a combination of Roman sculptures, the Great Sphinx of Giza, and the Nio Buddhist guardians.
• Each Pillar Man is named after a rock band (Carlos Santana, ACDC, Wham! and The Cars).

References

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