Only he has been weakened below his former power level by a crippling injury from Relius, and characters like Hazama are Relius are at least nearly on par with his prime (Hakumen believed Nine's strength to equal Jubei's while she was alive, and Hazama killed her).
Gais, is it necessary to play the first game to get into this series?
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"To all visitors from Transylvania looking for the head of Voivode Dracula: Yes, we have it. Yes, he's dead. No, you cannot see it. No, he will not return and invade you again. It has been over thirty years, please stop pestering us."
In Continuum Shift at least, there is a Calamity Trigger mode that gives you the gist of the first game's plot and shit, and featuring the most important fights, but you should play the first one anyway.
"To all visitors from Transylvania looking for the head of Voivode Dracula: Yes, we have it. Yes, he's dead. No, you cannot see it. No, he will not return and invade you again. It has been over thirty years, please stop pestering us."