I would like to know if I can use kakihara's Reaction when an effect like "Watchers In The Dark" or the effect of "Hiruma Nikaru"/"Daigotsu Hotako" targets him... I know that the two cases are different but since it's a similar scenario I guess there could be a common answer... Thank you very much...
Akodo Kakihara VS Watchers / May Not Perform
A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
The effects are different but the timing is not. Watchers in the Dark target the card so Kakihara has a chance to react and gain the force bonus before the Watchers in the Dark's ability resolves, so he hasn't lost his ability yet.
The sequence would be:
a1) Player A announces Watchers in the Dark's ability a2) Player A chooses the performing Scout a3) Player A targets Kakihara b1) Player B reacts with Kakihara. No targets, no costs b2) Kakihara's ability resolves and he gains the force bonus a4) Player A pays the costs (none) a5) Watchers in the Dark's action begins to resolve. Kakihara loses now his (already used up) ability.
Nikaru and Hotako have the same timing and the same result.