Anime is full of unconventional fighting styles and power systems. When people think of anime fights, they don't think of traditional slugfest out in the streets. They think of intense battles where the heroes put their lives on the line to defeat their foes. Whether it's Stands, Nen, or Chakra, anime is full of unique power systems.
However, martial arts have influenced a surprising number of anime characters and how they fight. Some anime characters are martial arts experts who don't need extra superpowers to pull them through battle, while others combine martial arts with their other abilities to pack a punch.
Updated on October 11th, 2022 by Sarah Martin: Since this list was published in 2020, we've added a few more of anime's best martial artists from different titles across the medium. Martial arts has inspired many of the best anime fighting styles and plays a major role in several fan-favorite battle sequences. Some of these characters practice good old-fashioned martial arts without any power-ups, but many of anime's best heroes combine their respective series' power system with kick-ass martial art skills to take down their opponents and live to fight another day.
12 Hisoka's Bloodlust Fuels His Martial Arts Prowess
Hunter X Hunter
Hisoka from Hunter X Hunter is one of anime's eeriest clowns. He only cares about satiating his bloodlust. Seeing someone with immense potential evokes a primal reaction in Hisoka.
Hisoka's bloodthirsty fuels his terrifying combative prowess. He's a master of hand-to-hand fighting, and anybody who dares challenge him is in a battle of life or death. Hisoka's poker face never wavers, even when he's throwing his opponent a barrage of punches. Gon was the first and only person who could dodge Hisoka's vicious attacks.
11 Maki Zenin's Superhuman Fighting Skills Compensate For Her Lack Of Cursed Energy
Jujutsu Kaisen
Maki Zenin proves that she doesn't need cursed energy to become a powerful jujutsu sorcerer. She's mastered using cursed tools and overwhelms her opponents with her superhuman fighting skills, many of which resemble martial arts.
A scene from Jujutsu Kaisen 0 went viral after the movie hit Crunchyroll. Fans were once again stunned by the Jujutsu Kaisen heroine's combative prowess when she dodged Yuta's near-perfect attack, jumped over him, and landed in a split. Then, she tackled him for good measure.
10 Spike Spiegel Practices Jeet Kune Do
Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is a classic anime that constantly receives praise from both fans and critics alike. Spike Spiegel, the protagonist, is a professional bounty hunter and kick-ass gunslinger. However, his martial arts expertise often goes overlooked in favor of his other skills.
Throughout Cowboy Bebop, viewers watched Spike tangle with several different opponents in close-quarter combat, often combining gunslinging skills with martial arts to defeat his foes swiftly. Spike practices Jeet Kune Do and religiously follows Bruce Lee's philosophies. Fans never get tired of watching Spike fight.
9 Hei Could Electrocute People But Prefers Hand-To-Hand Combat
Darker Than Black
Darker Than Black became a smash-hit anime series after its spring 2007 premiere. Darker Than Black is a sci-fi thriller that takes place in a dystopian environment. The protagonist, Hei, is a contractor who can manipulate electricity. Unlike other anime characters, however, Hei doesn't solely rely on his superpowers.
Hei is also a martial arts expert whose best fights involve him beating his enemies in hand-to-hand combat, rather than electrocuting them with his powers. Hei has also demonstrated impressive agility and acrobatics skills during his fights.
8 Mugen's Unpredictable Fighting Style Combines Swordsmanship With Vicious Martial Arts
Samurai Champloo
Mugen from Samurai Champloo takes his opponents off guard every single time because of his rough, animalistic fighting style. He's unpredictable in a fight and combines his masterful swordsmanship with violent martial arts to really pack a punch.
Few of Mugen's opponents have walked away without at least a handful of broken bones. Many of his opponents suffer debilitating injuries or even lose their lives after a round with Mugen. Unlike his partner-in-crime and complicated frenemy Jin, Mugen throws any sense of rhyme or reason out the window and just goes for his opponent's jugular no matter what.
7 Annie Is Nearly Undefeatable In A Fist-Fight
Attack On Titan
Annie may be one of Attack On Titan' most controversial characters, but fans can't help respecting her impressive martial arts skills. When Annie fought Eren in Stohess District, she demonstrated impressive hand-to-hand combative prowess that only a martial arts expert would have.
Her strength threw Eren off-guard and it took him a while to finally take her down. Even when she's not in her Female Titan form, Annie proved her fighting skills during training when she fought against Eren a few times.
6 Ling Yao Mastered Xingese-style Martial Arts
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the best anime of all time, according to IMDb. Alchemy is a unique power system, but fans really love the series because of its ensemble cast and masterful world-building.
Alchemy isn't the only power system in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Some characters resort to good old-fashioned slugfests, like Ling Yao. Ling Yao is the twelfth crown prince of Xing country. He's a masterful swordsman, but most importantly, a Xingese-style martial arts expert. There's no denying that Ling Yao is one of the strongest characters in the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise.
5 Shoto Aizawa Uses Martial Arts To Compensate For His Quirk
My Hero Academia
Shoto Aizawa from My Hero Academia is a pro-hero who goes by the name "Eraserhead." His Quirk works best from long distances since he has to look at his target to nullify their Quirk. Since his Erasure power isn't suited to close combat, Aizawa stepped up to the plate and learned martial arts on his own time so he'd stand a chance against the series' strongest villains.
Aizawa often uses his scarf in battle for navigation purposes, proving his impressive acrobatics skills. After stunning his foes with martial arts, he captures them with the scarf.
4 Garou Is A Martial Arts Prodigy
One-Punch Man
One-Punch Man is one of the best superhero-themed anime in recent years. Although its power system is relatively simple compared to its counterparts, it's entertaining nonetheless. Garou is one of the strongest martial artists in the series. He single-handedly defeated multiple A-class heroes while heavily injured, a statement of his strength.
However, the most frightening thing about Garou isn't his strength but his raw talent. Over the course of just a few days, he climbed from being a relatively strong individual to S-class in terms of skill.
3 Rock Lee's Taijutsu Revolves Around Martial Arts
Naruto
Rock Lee from Naruto is one of the series' most likable characters. Rock Lee's jutsu skills weren't the series' strongest, but he wanted to prove that he could become a powerful shinobi by only mastering taijutsu. Fans admire Rock Lee's sheer dedication and strong will to forge his own path in the ninja world.
Taijutsu is the art of using one's own body as a weapon, and it combines multiple martial art techniques. It takes lots of time, effort, and perseverance to become a powerful taijutsu master, something that Rock Lee has clearly done.
2 Akaza Combines Martial Arts With His Demon Blood Art
Demon Slayer
Akaza from Demon Slayer shocked fans with his appearance at the end of Mugen Train. Viewers got their first taste of the true terror of one of Muzan's Upper Demon Moons. As a human, Akaza was a martial arts expert who practiced at a dojo. He caught Muzan's attention because he slaughtered every member of a rival dojo with his bare hands as revenge for an attack.
As a demon, Akaza uses his martial arts know-how to enhance his Blood Demon Art. He practices Soryu-style martial arts and combines it with shockwaves to cause unfathomable amounts of destruction.
1 Son Goku Is An Overpowered Martial Arts Expert
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is a classic anime series that many veteran fans grew up watching. Goku's adventures served as a blueprint for many other amazing battle-oriented series that followed.
It's easy to forget that, beneath all of the overpowered super moves, Goku is a martial arts expert. Like most anime heroes, however, his skills are overexaggerated and amped up to eleven for the sake of flashy anime battle choreography. Fans can't get enough of watching Goku give his opponents their daily beatdown session in every episode.