The self-identified form of Keysi is used by Batman when in hand-to-hand combat and is considered to be a synthesis of different martial arts forms brought together. When in practice, it is viewed to be as ruthless as Krav Maga or Mixed Martial Arts. Moreover, Batman uses his environment to his advantage when hunting down his adversaries and weaponizes his surroundings when seeking justice. Aside from earning the title of the World’s Greatest Detective, Batman is deemed to be a master of martial arts. DC Comics claims that the Caped Crusader has perfected most, if not every, form of physical combat.
KFM teaches practitioners how to use their body weight and momentum to generate power and speed in their strikes. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of maintaining balance and control during a fight. Batman also had a mastery of acrobatics and gymnastics which he used to great effect in the show. He could perform flips, somersaults, cartwheels, and other acrobatic maneuvers with ease which allowed him to evade attacks from his enemies or surprise them with unexpected moves. From Muay Thai to Krav Maga and Kung Fu, we’ll explore which ones are part of Bruce Wayne’s arsenal so you can decide if your favorite style makes an appearance!
Martial arts do not get a lot of respect in the real world in comparison to the flashy and spectacular fights found on video games, movies, and television shows. A lot of the safety equipment used at a Karate competition is purchased with money raised by the competition. It’s an old-fashioned boxing match where sheer grit and toughness overcome overwhelming odds. De-escalation, leaving the situation and calling for help, is the most effective method of self-defense. Batman is arguably the most dangerous human alive due to his martial arts abilities in DC Comics.
In the original comic books, Batman was trained in Judo, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, and Aikido. Over the years, comic book, TV, and movie portrayals have expanded that to include ninjutsu, Muay Thai, and Wing Chun Kung Fu. Kudos to the Dawn of Justice choreography and stunt team for making such a surprisingly nuanced fight scene. The scene itself is only four minutes long, but it contains so much action and Adrian’s video only highlights how much care and specificity they put into it.
With the latest installment, The Batman, the film franchise has long established an intricate fight sequence. Rob Pattinson was trained by renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor and MMA fighter Renato Machado, who was recruited by director Matt Reeves to help teach him the martial art. In terms of martial arts used in the series, the Keysi Fighting Method is the clear winner. Keysi, created by stuntmen Justo Dieguez and Andy Norman for the film Batman Begins, emphasizes instinctive movements and body awareness as part of its self-defense system. I’m Jeff Campbell, and while I’m not a Black Belt, I have trained in martial arts on and off my whole life.
Below, I will walk you through a more complete list of what martial arts does Batman knows and uses. Batman is one of the most dangerous humans in the DC universe for a good reason, the modern incarnation of the character knows every fighting style in the world. Batman can do a hundred somersaults and 360 spin kicks, but what good would that do if he can’t throw a simple punch? Even Bruce Lee incorporated western boxing into his whoop weight loss methods, for the simple reason that it’s useful. Considered one of the most deadly forms of combat in the world, Filipino Martial Arts uses dual-wielding knives or bamboo sticks, and it’s proven effective against sophisticated weapons. In the first video Dieguez reacts when his attacker tries to clinch the back of his head and dirty box him, and ends up using his elbows to strike and beat the opponent up against the wall.
The rest of the film’s action is certainly bombastic, but those scenes don’t have quite the same punch as the warehouse fight. Despite having over 100 practiced martial art types, Batman only had the chance to learn styles used by his fellow earthlings. Other martial art styles have no solid proof of background on who taught him that specific style.
At the time, I saw some boxing, Muay Thai, maybe Krav or Jeet Kune Do. I don’t know if Reeves will incorporate Pattinson’s training in BJJ as well. My headcanon is usually that he learned Muay Thai from Ted Grant when younger, and a version of Krav Maga from Ra’s al Ghul. I think itd be really cool for Alfred to be Bruce’s first teacher and then Bruce went on his global journey to learn from other masters. Based on what we’ve seen so far, this version of Batman is clearly going to be a rugged brawler – fast and deadly, using his rage to fuel him by making every punch count . Overall, Richard Dragon is one of the most important characters in DC Comics’ history and has had a major impact on Batman’s career as a vigilante crime fighter.