This post took a lot of images ngl

**Narrative Value:** 

We know Daniel is the main character, and his fated final matchup at this given time is James Lee. They have always paralleled each other since earlier Lookism where Daniel is described as perfect and he takes the identity of James. James himself was compared to God. Daniel in UI also prefers to use James’ techniques as the most efficient (Pivot Blow and Handstand Tech). Also, Daniel has the copy talent where James uses extremely refined techniques and is a fast learner, almost like he has copy.

The whole purpose of his Path is that it’s stronger than the rest. Even if it’s the complete Path of someone like Jinyeong, in the eyes of someone as experienced as Gun and Paecheon, Daniel is unrivaled. It will truly be the Battle of Perfection where Daniel will truly become unrivaled after beating James. However, this just shows that Daniel will gap everyone else when he reaches completion/perfection.

Daniel is also supposed to save the world and put a stop to Kitae’s tyranny, as well as James’ corruption, or potentially his twisted sense of justice. Daniel must break the control that is trying to be imposed on him; he cannot give in to being anyone’s wings, and must protect his family and friends with his own conviction.

***(Key: EM, TM, SM, PM are the Masteries, Endurance, Technique, Speed, and Power. OVC is Overcome, FB is Full Body, and BT is Blitz Tier. BK = Blitzkrieg, PA = Path Attack, DVA = Dynamic Visual Acuity).***

To start off, in chapter 576, we get the narrative from Gun that Daniel’s Path is due to his natural senses along with his experience copying countless techniques. This births Daniel’s ability to read strike arcs and foresee his opponent’s attacks: he has seen and ingrained so many moves that it contributes to his experience, and can therefore intuitively figure out how his opponent attacks when paired with his natural disposition. Moreover, he can become unrivaled once his Path is perfected; he can see not only the strike arcs, but the method his opponent will use to guard—Daniel can exploit their opening when they attack, or hit the unguarded point ahead of time. This is what you’d call a “Path Attack.” This is symbolized by a special effect when attacking, and is also typically characterized by the purple glint in Daniel’s eyes. Compared to a normal attack, Daniel hit Paecheon’s side and caused his veins to bulge whilst he coughed up blood. His Path allows him to become unrivaled when perfected because it covers offense and defense. Not just by using PAs and reading arcs alone, but also the Blitzkrieg. BKs function by simultaneously dodging and attacking the opponent in the minute instant where their attack leaves them open. 

[Daniel's Path Explained](https://preview.redd.it/053083pwc5ph1.png?width=1158&format=png&auto=webp&s=1716b5e73b118f39904261261160d90c2eb4f6bb)

[Path Effects](https://preview.redd.it/88vqn3pwc5ph1.png?width=1103&format=png&auto=webp&s=304fa9ade58d13220374cd4802832dfc9ea0d414)

[Paecheon Ranks it #1 Technique out of all he's seen](https://preview.redd.it/wm0lgxitg5ph1.jpg?width=729&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7a9e9eaddfc6a23cde1326c74ca835f6e39289f)

***Something to note: Each aspect of his Path has some sort of expenditure (since using all 5 senses exhausts Daniel) where BKs are the greatest.***

First, in regards to Daniel’s Path Completion, he needs to complete his body. Jinrang says Daniel’s body isn’t ready to wield his Path (speaking from experience), and that he needs to train. This insinuates endurance training as Daniel indicates after taking down the Jeolla Kings, questioning if 3 at once was still too much even after training

https://preview.redd.it/oyw7gvktd5ph1.jpg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56a18b5b8cebd7771e99f1971b8979dce9669c84

Daniel’s endurance training allowed him to use 3 before getting his stamina drained from the fights and injuries following the Jeolla Kings. But endurance doesn’t seem to be the only thing; Daniel needs to reduce the energy expense, but he also needs to get rid of the lag. His Path is “something he shouldn’t be walking” in the words of Kitae. This is because, after taking one BK, Kitae had the ability to perceive the lag between the dodge and the lag. Basically, Daniel exploits a small opening, and to counter, you have to exploit an even smaller one by beating Daniel’s attack with a second attack. We know Awakenings should function as stamina restoration based on Questim being in the same verse as Lookism, so a restored Daniel was able to use another BK; it then means that Daniel’s lag always existed, he just needed to face someone capable of exploiting it. Now, what does all of this lead to? It illustrates how Daniel also needs to increase his speed so that no one can beat him. 

[Incomplete Path](https://preview.redd.it/bym25pi5e5ph1.png?width=1189&format=png&auto=webp&s=4025616ee3d2d4c666de194149bd939b8ed5b51e)

[Path Counter](https://preview.redd.it/5stycka8e5ph1.png?width=1196&format=png&auto=webp&s=527b55940eb8d376ca75594a4fa740cf80810d8f)

[Breaking down Daniel actually has an effect on Kitae in Base](https://preview.redd.it/4l40lqgzg5ph1.jpg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a2d6e97a42bf1f0e94fef6de8026f0f178d9c71)

**Current Ability:**

**PAs:** Daniel has PAs which are more effective than Base attacks

**Foresight:** Daniel can read intentions and strikes arcs, allowing him to see into the future 

**BKs:** One of the strongest attacks ITV where Daniel attacks the weak point of his opponent to deal extra damage

**Copy:** Kings, Paecheon, James, Gun, and Goo. 

**Kishin Seiken:** A Yamazaki technique, seemingly derived from Kyokushin that exerts extreme force, enough to even almost knock Paecheon out (which doesn’t require his opponent to be off-guard, it’s just more effective that way).

**UI:** Ultra Instinct which maximizes DVA and draws on experience to fight efficiently.

**With Path:** Based on Kitae’s curiosity of Daniel’s Full HP state & his collective ability after AWK, Daniel would at least be mid/high-end relative to FP Kitae (2M + Despair Attacks).

Daniel can use 5 BKs total based on collective performance. The AWK also gave him a stat amp against Kitae to where he could actually cause a bruise, despite his body actively breaking down. 

**Without Path:** 

AP - Able to cause noticeable effect on Kitae. 

Speed - Able to react to Kitae’s attacks where he’s actually at FP (even when breaking his body)

He also caused Kitae to actually block the attacks despite not actually needing to do so before, and he could even react to Kitae’s attacks despite not having his Path active. 

**In All:**

AP - Able to pierce Kitae’s durability and punch through Paecheon with BKs. PAs almost went through Kitae’s guard (sank in his body)

Speed - Foresight allows him to dodge a number of Kitae’s attacks, and Paecheon admits complete inferiority to Daniel’s BK (AS/Attack Speed & RS/Reaction Speed).

Endurance - Able to take 9 Killing Intent Attacks, 1 Despair (pre-AWK), and 3 PM Attacks (post-AWK) before falling to the final Despair Attack which imitated Gapryong’s Signature Punch. This is amongst already using 3 BKs before fighting Kitae, taking blows from Changyi, fighting Baekgun, and having holes in his hands.

**Potential:**

Daniel is destined to get 4M. Yet, this next theory comes from one of my own that was originally for a different character (I still partly believe they can achieve this). Not only will Daniel have 4M, but the SB Vestige described Kitae as a wall to overcome. Then, what did Daniel do? He successfully overcame Kitae and increased his stats, yet he didn’t overcome a Threshold. This leads me to believe that Daniel will not only get 4M, but potentially maximize all of them.

The narrative behind this is that Gun says Daniel (both) are taking so long to surpass Mastery because of their high limits. Even when Daniel fought a Top/God Tier, he didn’t get EM. So, Daniel’s limits are either 1.) Pushing him to maximize his stats (like how Paecheon did so and got DBT in return), or 2.) His natural Mastery ceiling will gap everyone to begin with. Also, Daniel is meant to be building his body to PB’s standards so that he can maximize his copies in Base. We only know that Paecheon has (& Samuel will) maximize EM, but what about the other Masteries? Even Gun, whose main aspect is endurance, should rightfully reach the max of his own EM since Samuel is.

This also leads to more potentiality. Maybe IA’s new narrative is that you can receive it only after maximizing your SM… or if it’s not a special effect, then Lineman and LC have both maximized their own SM? Both are possible, but we know Daniel has also copied IA, he just needs SM—even Jinyeong didn’t copy IA (considering he can copy 3 Prime Gap attacks), so it leads me to believe that only Elite, James, and Sinu have reached such a level of SM that they got IA (because only those fast enough can get IA like Taesoo said in 2A). So, imagine invisible BKs… that would completely remove Daniel’s Path lag, and really the only person who could counter would be James (since it seems he doesn’t need to be able to react to an attack to deflect to an extent). It’d be fitting for his Final Fight, unless there really is another Great Evil. Even then, if IA is the only ability you unlock from maxing SM, versus there being multiple US for EM, then I think that would be lame—I appeal to the belief that we really haven’t seen the extent of Maximized Masteries (Samuel’s US will be different from Paecheon’s, so it’s not restricted to one ability).

So at this point, it can be established that Daniel actually has the need to maximize 2 Masteries—this is the correct way for Daniel to become “unrivaled” as the narrative constantly reiterates.

But what about the other two Masteries? Maxing out PM would undoubtedly make Daniel’s BKs almost guaranteed one-taps, and it would also help him copy US. As for TM the only use I can currently see is creating a perfected version of the Pivot Blow where he can also redirect attacks with more force and this version can’t be countered.

Now, with all of these abilities, Daniel would be able to use invisible one-tap-like attacks, whilst also redirecting an opponent’s attack after reading it ahead of time. Then this, on top of UI would finally make Daniel the undisputed T1.

Obviously I could definitely be wrong about him maximizing every Mastery on top of UI since I can admit, he would be too OP. BUT, there should be a clear line where Daniel becomes unrivaled without needing to be “superbuffed,” and that might just be attaining 4M itself without maxing them since he can copy Unique Skills too.

MAYBE Daniel gets Overcome like Jinyeong, but I don’t have a real opinion on that as of now.

**Path Potential:**

This will sound insane, but Daniel gains extra superpowers based on his senses (or the lack thereof). Listen to the explanation though.

Against Dr. Jo, his sight was compromised, and the “fleeting light” of Daniel’s Path moved past that and allowed him to “see” once again, so that he could attack Dr. Jo—Daniel verbatim stated that this same scenario happened against Paecheon, where he could “see” his opponent’s weak point, which would otherwise be nullified if Daniel was truly blind. This is only possible because Daniel has fully enhanced senses. 

https://preview.redd.it/8awgknj8p5ph1.png?width=592&format=png&auto=webp&s=4bfab0ac8acf30831f97043d5e6e2c0fd60ac8da

So, just like irl when you lose a sense like sight, your other senses work in harmony to be stronger than usual. Daniel’s Path is an exaggerated version of this phenomenon or concept, where when his sight is gone, he gets something like night vision (or some manner of visual restoration). Maybe, he got/could get something like echolocation since some scientists say it’s an extension of hearing?

Paths can evolve, and since Daniel’s Path is based on his senses, which in turn allowed him to attain foresight, then maybe each of his senses will gain a specific function. However, the drawback is that it takes more stamina depending on how many senses need to be recovered. Ex: If he lost his sight, smell, and touch, his other senses would have to overclock to produce a subsequent function.

**Sight:** A fleeting light that Daniel can see, even if he’s blinded

**Hearing:** Echolocation to replace his hearing

**Smell:** He can sense scents as they're undulating (like natural smell, fabric, blood, etc.)

**Touch:** His strike arcs have a palpable feeling before they reach him, and/or he can sense a change in air pressure (like Gun explained in one of the images)

**Taste:** ???

**PB Daniel:**

Before I recap, I’m gonna do PB as well, but it’s gonna be way more brief:

PB Daniel will also get 4M, and maximizing them is completely up to PTJ. We know from Busan that copying US is unfair, but he’ll still do it. His Path will be the perfected version of Jinyeong’s where he uses all the techniques as his own—he copies the strengths of the techniques. PB Daniel will also have controlled UI. So PB, who already made Kitae want to test his limits, will have a Path buff on top of his insane stats, fully putting to use the Gap copy he witnessed, as well as Mujin (maybe Yamazaki techniques if he paid attention). This is IF SB doesn’t die.

**Conclusion:**

**Kings Copy: Daniel has all of the First Generation King copies that are worthwhile**

**Gen 0 Kings Copy: Daniel is able to copy Paecheon Jo, and potentially Jinyeong if he gained anything from watching him fight**

**Yamazaki Techniques: He already has Kishin Seiken, but those aren't the only techniques he has to learn**

**Controlled UI:** *Daniel will attain maximized DVA as well as better IQ on how to use his techniques more efficiently and effectively.*

**Unique Skill 1: OSOK (One-Step One Kill):** *The ability to dodge incoming attacks without moving from one spot. It takes the function of a one-step in boxing and gets rid of all blindspots, making for an almost impregnable fortress. Requirements: SM & TM*

**Unique Skill 2: UF (Ultimate Fist):** *Drawing from all the strength in the body, the user creates the ultimate one-hit attack combing PM and SM.* **Potential:** *Could perfect this ability if EM is added, allowing it to be used more than once; Gentleman explains with one of his US that he has "the endurance to withstand anything" which confirms the importance of using EM with certain US.*

**Unique Skill 3: DK (Death Kick):** *Combining SM, PM, and TM, the user creates an ultimate kick with the intent to end their opponent's life, even in the face of regeneration. This can be used by jumping up, parkouring off walls, or even pivoting off of an opponent for your own attack.* **Potential:** *Can also be used at FP multiple times if EM is added*

**Path - Keen Senses:** *Allows Daniel to read the intentions of his opponents, resulting in foresight. Not only that, but he can sense defensive maneuvers to exploit them and deal even more casual damage. The ultimate function of this ability is to dodge and attack in one instance (counter) in the very moment the opponent attacks. This requires Daniel to attack faster than what is thrown at him*

**Path Evolution:** *Daniel's Path potentially allows him to restore any sense at the expense of his stamina reserves, ultimately making it to where he becomes immune to any sensory disability/disadvantage.*

EOS Potential: Daniel Park (Post #3)