Ketten's ability ,known as the Mystic eyes of death perception, is a 1 in a zillion neurological mishap. That allows the user to literally see the "death" in everything. These ties manifest themselves as the lines.
For those visual types
Once these lines are cut through completely. Nothing can ever reconnect them. So this is far from being sliced in half. It is nearly perfect in the sense that a person wouldnt be able to regenerate whatsoever. The only way a person has come back unscathed is by eliminating their conceptual body from existence and creating a new one with new lines.
But this ability is not just limited to people. Ketten can cut through wind, snow, rock, fire, ice, thought etc etc
If it exists he can cut it.
But let's say a giant torrent of flame came towards him. He would cut through it with ease. But he wouldnt come out unhurt because fire chopped into peices is still fire just not directly damaging. So if he couldnt cut it all to mere embers in time. He would undoubtedly be singed.
And that is the only drawback to this ability. Ketten must trace the lines of death himself. No one else can trace these (even if he pointed them out), an assault at range wouldnt be best because he wouldnt be able to completely trace the line with say a kunai. But that's where his physical ability comes in.
Bloodline-While Ketten himself appears to have a meek human body. His ancestors before him were born demon hunters and whilst he doesnt know of this origin himself due to the fact that he cant readily tap into the power. His killer instinct takes over when he is knocked unconscious. And his speed and strength then border on the superhuman. Other than that he himself is just a genin of typical stength speed and ability.