The God of High School is a story that is absolutely in love with martial arts of all kinds. Many of its characters are intertwined with the study and history of the fighting style they practice, and many of these fighting styles exist in or are based on the real world.
Mori’s Renewal Taekwondo, Mira’s Moonlight Sword Style and Daewi’s Full Contact Karate all have an important place in their world, which is brought to light in full force during the God of High School Tournament.
Mori: Renewal Taekwondo
Mori’s Renewal Taekwondo is a powerful and speedy fighting style. Like real-life taekwondo, RE Taekwondo places most of its emphasis on fast, fluid and powerful kicks. Only a few of the style’s techniques utilize the fighter’s fists or arms, and none of them accommodate weapons. After all, the only weapons Mori needs are his legs and his instincts. Although Mori is not considered a master of RE Taekwondo, he is extremely gifted in its techniques. He can move with overwhelming speed and deliver a series of kicks before the blink of an eye. He is also extremely strong, and by combining his strength with technical skill, he can confidently counter almost any move thrown at him.
RE Taekwondo was, at one point, believed to be a perfect fighting style. It was developed by the South Korean military as a fusion of traditional South Korean taekwondo and its North Korean counterpart, ITF Taekwondo. Over time, the style’s weaknesses were uncovered and meticulously rooted out. South Korea’s military command was sure that the style was flawless -- until the group of soldiers they trained to use it were completely annihilated during the invasion of North Korea. Nowadays, the style is mostly forgotten, and those who practice it are extremely few.
Mira: Moonlight Sword Style
Mira’s Moonlight Sword Style uses a myriad of lightning-fast techniques to shred opponents to pieces. The style takes from real-life eastern sword styles, such as kendo. Nearly every move is calculated, and every strike is performed with extreme precision. Students of the Moonlight Sword Style must learn countless techniques, which each serve to counter a specific situation. Masters of the style can use even the most niche of techniques when the situation arises, allowing them to competently conquer any opponent. The style even accommodates for hand-to-hand situations, for cases when the fighter loses their sword. Users of the Moonlight Sword’s “sword-less style” can make their hands as sharp as blades to cut through anyone who gets near.
Mira is the only living user and master of the Moonlight Sword Style. She inherited it from her late father, who trained the sword style’s next generation in their family dojo. After his death, his students left, and the style faded into obscurity. However, his parting words to Mira were to keep their family’s traditional sword style alive, which is a promise she has dedicated her life to. By entering the God of High School Tournament, she hopes to find an heir worthy of reviving the Moonlight Sword Style and restoring her family’s influence.
Daewi: Full Contact Karate
Daewi’s Full Contact Karate emphasizes immense strength and sturdiness. Like real-life full-contact karate, the style utilizes every inch of a fighter’s body to harm their opponent. Punches, kicks, and just about anything else is allowed, so long as it hits the enemy as hard as possible. Every attack is performed with great magnitudes of force, meaning that any successful hit could have devastating consequences for their opponent. Full Contact Karate is also very defensive, making up for its lack of mobility with immovable stances and impenetrable guards. A practitioner can survive nearly any attack and recover just in time to counter with a fatal hit. Rather than dodge, they’ll simply block the attack and continue to fight as if completely unphased.
The God of High School’s Full Contact Karate is roughly similar to real-life full-contact karate, only far more dramatic. Users of the style can hit their opponents harder and farther than humanly possible. Some hits can land across thin air from several feet away. Especially skilled practitioners can even channel energy into their strikes. However, the differences generally end here. Many of the techniques used by Daewi are based on real moves, or happen to be real moves themselves. His karate isn’t as stylish as Mori’s taekwondo or as quick as Mira’s sword style, but it is far older, more practiced and often more efficient. Every strike is honed to ensure that not a single muscle is wasted, and his form is disciplined to perfection.
Perhaps one of The God of High School’s greatest strength is its love for martial arts. Even when characters are performing completely inhuman feats, their motions will still reflect a real-life fighting technique in some way. Even minor characters often utilize actual martial arts, such as tai chi or wrestling. If you ever wanted to see what a classic martial arts film would look like if its characters had superhuman strength, lightning speeds and powers that didn’t take away from their physical techniques or skills, then look no further than the God of High School Tournament.