Xiaolin soccer

Xiaolin soccer (also referred to as xiao) is a variation of association football (sometimes called mundane soccer or emsoc in Xiaolin) played in the island nation of Xiaolin. It shares most of the same rules and features present in association football, but with a few key differences relating specifically to the presence of the Cosmic Soul in Xiaolin and its manifestation in the people there.

Comparison to association football

Unlike the most common form of association football, which is eleven-a-side, Xiaolin soccer typically only uses eight players per team. In addition, substitutions are unlimited, though they happen "on the fly", in a similar manner to ice hockey. This is mainly to facilitate the higher likelihood of injury or exhaustion that comes from the involvement of cosmic techniques.

The size of the goal is also the same, though the penalty area and pitch as a whole are smaller (roughly 75% of the normal proportions). Offsides do not exist in Xiaolin soccer.

The main distinctions relate to fouls – various forms of legitimate contact in Xiaolin soccer would be considered fouls in association football – and the use of supernatural (or "Cosmic") techniques.

Xiaolin soccer, as opposed to association football, is a full-contact sport. Only four "fouls" are acknowledged:

• Contact from behind
• Using inanimate objects other than the ball to strike an opponent
• Targeting a vulnerable area (e.g. spine, eyes, groin)
• Use of lethal force (this also applies to any use of force deemed to be with the intent of causing permanent injury)

The use of cosmic techniques is also restricted. See the techniques section for more detail.

There are also three degrees of offence: minor, major, and forbidden.

Contact from behind is almost always a minor offence unless the contact is also deemed to fall into another category of foul. Using inanimate objects other than the ball to strike an opponent is usually a major offence, though it can also fall under minor offences, depending on the size and weight of the object, and the nature of the strike. Targeting a vulnerable area is always at least considered to be a major offence. If the offence is also deemed to have the potential to permanently injure or otherwise handicap a player, it will be considered a forbidden offence.

Minor offences typically earn the player a "third-degree warning", and a free kick or penalty kick is awarded to the other team. Handball is still penalised in the same way as association football, and is always considered a minor offence, with a third-degree warning applied unless it denies a goal. In such cases, a second-degree warning is applied.

Major offences will usually result in a second-degree warning, and rarely a first-degree warning. Sometimes, they will result in the direct expulsion of the offending player, though it is permitted to replace them in such cases (as when a player accumulates ten warning points). As collective techniques require eight people to execute, it is very rare that players are dismissed from Xiaolin soccer games without replacement or chance of returning. This will generally only happen in the event of a forbidden offence.

Forbidden offence designation is reserved almost exclusively for use of lethal force. The offence is so rare, there are only three recorded instances of it in the entire history of Xiaolin soccer. In the case of a forbidden offence being committed, the offending player is immediately subdued by a specialised team of eight stewards. The Council is then consulted to determine whether the offender's connection to the Cosmic Soul should be forcibly severed. In two of the three documented cases, the offender was simply exiled from Xiaolin, never to be permitted to return; but in the third, the case of Shigenari Ichibashi (The Scarlet Whirlwind), the Council opted to forcibly sever his bond to the Cosmic Soul through chi blocking. Ichibashi was then exiled to a monastery at Mount Harmony, on the central and largest of the offshore Kunloon Islands.

Warnings

There are three types of warnings issued in Xiaolin soccer. Each carries a "warning point value", and a player accumulating four points is required to leave the field for five minutes. They may not be replaced during this time. If the player returns and accumulates another four warning points (including any points above the original four), they are required to leave again. Once a player accumulates ten or more warning points, they are required to leave the game for the duration. Players dismissed due to an accumulation of ten or more warning points may be replaced by a substitute, however. If a team has more than two players dismissed for accumulation of warning points (or one for a forbidden offence), they automatically forfeit the game.

First-degree warnings count for three points and are the most severe. They can be most closely correlated with the act of "sin-binning" a player in Rugby. The offending player is required to leave the field, without replacement, for two minutes. A second-degree warning counts for two points and is most closely correlated with a yellow card in association football, as any further warning (of any degree) will result in a first-degree warning and temporary removal from the game. Third-degree warnings count for one point and are used on non-severe incidents. In a way, they can be considered a codified equivalent to an association football referee "giving a talking to".

A player who has accumulated twenty or more warning points in their previous five games is suspended for two games.

Techniques

There are three categories of supernatural technique recognised by the Grandmasters of Xiaolin (enhancement techniques, collective techniques, and transcendent techniques), and the first two classifications are permitted for use in Xiaolin soccer. Enhancement techniques may be used without limit, while each team is only permitted to use one collective technique – though the frequency is not limited by anything other than the team's capacity to do so.

As each team is only permitted to use a single collective technique, these typically form part of the team identity. It also means that moves between teams are rare, as it is difficult to master a new team's technique quickly. In general, the players on a team will therefore usually come through a specialised training school connected to a team, where they will play their entire career.

Most collective techniques are highly powerful, and it is rare to see them employed more than a handful of times in a typical match; almost never more than three times by one team, in fact. Collective techniques all require exactly eight people to perform, meaning that they require every on-pitch member of a team to participate. When executed by a team of highly skilled players, collective techniques approach transcendent power when measured according to the Grice-Diggs scale, which also necessitates the presence of eight additional teams of blood masters to perform the obsidian-level combination collective technique of Divine Containment, in order to prevent harm to spectators or damage to the surrounding area, while also putting a limit on players.

Transition to association football

As a general rule, most players do not cross over into association football due to heavy reliance on the use of supernatural techniques in Xiaolin soccer. However, this reliance is predicated on the fact that the opposition will have access to techniques of their own, necessitating the use of supernatural techniques to counter them. A few players have managed to make the transition to mundane soccer in recent years, as Xiaolin has gradually begun to lift The Veil and reveal its true nature to the world.

Typically, these players are not highly skilled in the use of cosmic techniques, and are far more likely to have stronger ability with physical techniques. The most notable association football player of Xiaolin descent is Koren Udowu, whose unique bond with the Cosmic Soul enabled him to use one particular enhancement technique despite being far outside the usual range of The Pulse. Interestingly, Udowu never actually played Xiaolin soccer, though much of his training at San Manuel Monastery is derived from Xiaolin soccer training methods, and many of his physical techniques are reminiscent of the sport.

Xiaolin Master League

The Xiaolin Master League is the only competitive league for Xiaolin soccer in known existence. The sport is heavily regulated in Xiaolin due to the extreme potential for injury and collateral damage, and a team's chosen collective technique must be approved by the High Council of Xiaolin for use.

To date, only ten collective techniques have been approved for use in the Master League:

• Righteous Shield
• Cry of the Windcaller
• Impervious Defence
• Sweeping Tiger Claws
• Swift Razor Maneouvre
• Death From Above
• Limit Removal Technique
• Iron Weight Stride
• Crimson Margin Flow (not currently in use)
• Flying Dragon Fang (not currently in use)

In addition to the technique restrictions, the use of Divine Containment limits all players to something in the region of 20% of their Breath. The league is only open to people who have attained the rank of Master. Higher ranks are forbidden, and lower ranks are considered to lack the requisite ability with The Pulse.