Ryo fighting Gui Zhang in a free battle.
The free battles pit Ryo Hazuki against one or more enemies. Ryo has a large list of martial art techniques. The player has the ability to enter a practice mode, in which Ryo will practice his various martial art techniques, either alone or with a friendly opponent. This helps to increase the player's familiarity with the battle system. While progressing through the game, players have the ability to learn more techniques, adding to Ryo's skills and ultimately making him a more powerful martial artist. There are several senior martial artists that Ryo meets throughout his journey, and they offer to teach him new skills. The player has the choice to accept or decline these offers. Another method for learning new techniques involves Martial Arts Scrolls. These antique scrolls can be found, or purchased, at various locations in the game. Once Ryo has read the scroll, the technique will be added to his skills, but the player will need to practice the key combinations to truly master it.