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Lists about the codified systems of combat, like karate and "kung fu," and their practices and representations around the world in in popular culture.

Enter the Dragon

All the best movies with martial arts action compiled into a list of the best martial art movies. Martial arts movies are amazing to watch, so they're a perfect fit for film. From the revenge tactics of The Bride in the Kill Bill series to the martial arts mastery of Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and Way of the Dragon (among many others), this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movies-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of movies</a> with martial arts is a great fit for anyone who loves action.Martial arts films have been with us for decades. This list includes all different forms of martial arts including karate, jiu jitsu, kenpo, muay thai, and many other fighting techniques. While most of these films are action oriented, some are also comedic (like Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon), or even animated (Kung Fu Panda). Martial art movies are also the perfect kind of film that a dad can enjoy with this teenage son or any other action-loving family member. If you're into martial art movies, then this is the list for you.What are the best martial arts movies? Take a look at this list and you'll see for yourself.

Martial Arts

Are you ready for fists of fury? Here are the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-martial-artists-in-history?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best martial arts</a> movies on Netflix, ranked by movie fans. This list of Netflix martial arts movies includes everything from kung fu to karate to tai chi and everyone from Bruce Lee to Chuck Norris to the RZA. Whether they&#39;re classic <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/my-top-40-classic-kung-fu-films-_non-shaw-brothers_/stephenclark?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">kung fu movies</a> or modern karate movies, these films&nbsp;are full of action, honor, and top-notch fight sequences full of rapid-fire dragon punches and unstoppable crane kicks.

Which martial arts movies streaming on Netflix do you think are the best? Find your favorites, vote them up, and add any of the best Netflix martial arts movies we may have missed.

David Carradine

This list of the all time greatest martial arts actors (and actresses) is ranked by kung fu fans worldwide. Anyone can vote on the best martial artists here, which means these actors are truly fan favorites. If you see someone missing, you can even add them. Whether they have magical screen presence or just the physical abilities to make your jaw drop, these famous actors represent the best in kicking ass.

Though the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-martial-art-movies/all-genre-movies-lists" target="_blank">genre of martial arts films</a> is also occasionally known as &quot;kung fu films,&quot; the term in fact only refers to a subset of Chinese martial arts, and can also apply to a variety of traditional practices not directly related to self-defense. (Wushu is the more accurate blanket term for Chinese martial arts and fighting techniques.) The performers on this list practice a variety of martial arts traditions and styles, including the &quot;Jeet Kun Do&quot; techniques innovated by people like Bruce Lee, the Muay Thai style of Tony Jaa or the traditional karate employed by Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Who are the best martial arts actors of all time? These performers also represent a variety of nationalities, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai and American actors.

Blind Fury

The best &lsquo;80s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-martial-art-movies/all-genre-movies-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">kung fu movies</a>, and other martial arts movies, embody the rugged individualism and spirit of the decade; a time when the most exciting films involved non-stop action and intense fight scenes. Many of these films are about one man taking a solo journey to defy the odds and defeat his enemies - and let&rsquo;s not forget, getting the girl while he&rsquo;s at it.

What are the top &lsquo;80s kung fu and other martial arts movies? Jackie Chan&#39;s films dominated the silver screen in the 1980s and 1990s. In &lsquo;85 he wrote, directed, and starred in Police Story, a film Chan would later say was his personal favorite. The film spawned several sequels, and kept Jackie Chan in the public eye throughout the &lsquo;80s. For &#39;80s martial arts stars, this decade was all about the hero&#39;s journey. Be it the underdog hero from the Karate Kid or the unstoppable powerhouse, Chuck Norris, audiences were treated to countless acts of individual bravery.

If you&rsquo;re familiar with &lsquo;80s kung fu and other martial arts movies, you may know the work of legendary director Sammo Hung, a pioneer of the Hong Kong New Wave movement. Many of his classic films are featured on this list. 

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Vote up the best &#39;80s kung fu and other martial arts films, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section! &nbsp; 

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&#39;60s kung fu, and other martial arts movies, represent some of the best titles in Hong Kong action-cinema history. American films are conspicuously absent from this list, as Hong Kong and Taiwanese filmmakers churned out captivating tales of betrayal, revenge, and romance throughout the decade.

 
What are the best &lsquo;60s kung fu and other martial arts movies? The 1960s saw a return to the wuxia style of film making - a style that had been politically suppressed in the 1930s and &lsquo;40s. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/wuxia-movies-and-films/reference" target="_blank">Wuxia films</a> contain elements of fantasy, often set in historical Chinese epochs such as the Ming Dynasty, and involve using weapons in combat, such as swords, spears, and staffs. Shaw Brothers Studios, the venerated Hong Kong film production company, is responsible for many of the greatest &lsquo;60s kung fu and other martial arts movies. Their in-house directors went on to produce countless genre classics. King Hu, a Shaw Brothers director, helmed the classic wuxia film Come Drink With Me, noted for its use of a strong female protagonist. 

Another big name in Hong Kong cinema was Chang Cheh, director of The One-Armed Swordsman. This seminal film represented a shift in the wuxia style, leading to a trend of male antiheroes, violent swordplay, and extreme violence.

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Eventually, the wuxia films of the 1960s gave way to the gritty kung fu films of the 1970s, but not before leaving an indelible legacy. The movies on this list proved highly influential to future generations of filmmakers, and there are plenty of good &lsquo;60s kung fu and other martial arts movies to choose from. Help us rank this list by voting up your favorites. Are you a wuxia supporter, or more of a kung fu acolyte? Let us know what you think in the comment section!

Manga

Historys Strongest Disciple Kenichi

The pure confrontation of two martial artists has been the climax of many beloved manga series. With that being said, what&#39;s the best martial arts manga of all time in your opinion? Whether it&rsquo;s the mystical showdowns of shinobi in Naruto or the historical duels of legendary swordsman Musashi in Vagabond, good martial arts manga has captivated millions of readers. Are the series mentioned above your favorites, or is there another karate manga that should top our list? We&#39;re starting the list at 40 titles, but we&#39;re hoping that fans like you will add some of their favorite manga about martial arts so that the list can grow even bigger. Who knows? Maybe a title you add will end up being number one! Please don&#39;t vote for anything that you haven&#39;t personally read.&nbsp;

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Best Athletes

Fedor Emelianenko

The best martial artists in history are some of the most successful, most famous and toughest fighters to ever compete. These tough guys are <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1154722-ufc-145-results-winners-losers-and-other-thoughts" rel="nofollow">UFC champions</a>, movie stars and icons in the fighting world. Whether you're a fan of the Chinese greats like Bruce Lee, the MMA front-runners like Chuck Liddell or anywhere in between, it's hard to argue that all of these men are highly skilled in their various disciplines. Martial arts is one of the widest classifications for combat sports out there. Typically, martial arts describes fighting styles originating in Asia but can describe everything from activities containing strike attacks like tae kwon do, karate, kung fu ad capoeira to grappling activities like judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and even sumo wrestling. It is perhaps the wide range of disciplines that makes mastering martial arts so difficult.Action movie fans may enjoy seeing stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li compete on the silver screen but some may not know that before these talented men were Hollywood favorites, they were leaders in the Chinese martial arts world. Bruce Lee is arguably one of the best martial artists ever and helped the sport gain popularity. In part, Lee opened the door for tough guys, such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris, to become some on-screen martial arts legends.But there's much more to martial arts than what you see in movies. In modern times, the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) company in the world and is home to some of the best MMA fighters to ever compete. UFC Hall of Fame members such as Randy Couture, Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrocks have inspired younger fighters like Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Fedor Emelianenko to become some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/toughest-professional-fighters-in-history/the-round-mound " target="_blank">toughest professional fighters ever</a>. Is it fair to compare some of the greatest fighters like Bruce Lee to Anderson Silva without having the two men compete head to head? Maybe not but that's where you come in, folks. Tell us which fighters you think are the best in history by voting for your favorite, adding those not listed and re-ranking this list your way below!

World History

For nearly 700 years, the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-famous-samurais/reference">power of the samurai</a> held sway over feudal Japan. These Japanese warriors forged a legend&nbsp;unique among the history of the world. Before the Western world made contact with Japan, the country was segmented into a number&nbsp;of feudal states. Technically&nbsp;there was an Emperor, but for most of the last millennium, the Emperor ruled in name only. It was the daimyo, the individual leaders of each city-state, who&nbsp;really controlled the country. And at the beck and call of the daimyo were the nearly unstoppable samurai, a group of highly disciplined warriors who upheld the tenets of hard work, loyalty, and respect that have formed the foundation of modern Japanese society.First and foremost, though, samurai were fighters. Utilizing a set of tools that made Medieval knights look like total chumps, badass samurai loomed large in Japanese society from the 12th century all the way until the late 1860s. Here are some of history’s crazy samurai tales, featuring the&nbsp;men and women who helped mold the Japan that we know today.

To understand real martial arts fights&nbsp;and how they evolve, you&nbsp;must first understand how fighting styles shifted during the rise of globalization in the 20th century. Before the 1960s, martial arts training was something largely restricted to people of Asian descent, so many Westerners only knew techniques like standard boxing. But thanks to famous fights by the likes of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-disputed-fights-in-martial-arts/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Wong Jack Man</a>, different fighting techniques grew in popularity. Furthermore, as attitudes grew less sexist, such changes also allowed for women to enter the fray more freely. Because of changes in attitude and a number of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-martial-artists-in-history?page=1" target="_blank">dedicated martial artists</a>, people may now choose between a wide variety of martial arts and fighting styles.Below are&nbsp;the seminal fights that led to the fighting scene of today. Some of them included fatalities while others ended in mere seconds. But each showcases how a different fighting style or mentality completely shifted the form of martial arts. Many martial artists still hold allegiance to one style over another, but when push comes to shove, the only style that'll save you is the one that works.&nbsp;

List of celebrities who know martial arts, loosely ranked by fame and popularity. Several famous actors, actresses, musicians, and athletes are trained in various martial arts. Some celebrities are black belts in Karate while others study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Several Hollywood actors began studying the martial arts in preparation for roles in popular action films.Several musicians also know martial arts. Willie Nelson earned a black belt in Taekwondo. Megadeath musician Dave Mustaine has a black belt in Karate and Taekwondo, and Tool front man Maynard James Keenan trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lou Reed practiced Tai Chi on a daily basis, reportedly for up to three hours at a time.Do you think that being trained in martial arts helps these celebs in their lives and careers? Which martial arts have you studied? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Weapons

Weapons used in martial arts range from the traditional katana sword of the upper-class samurai, to metal whips, claws, longbows, or a simple wooden staff. Martial arts weapons vary by culture, time-period, and style of fighting - but they&#39;re all badass. Making everything from nunchucks and simple wooden tonfa to priceless swords and giant hammers, ancient weapon-makers of Asia had a reputation for creativity and style that was unmatched anywhere in the world. Their weapons weren&#39;t just elegant, however; they were deadly.&nbsp;

Japanese martial arts weapons especially embraced multiple uses. A chain weapon could be used for offense, or for climbing. A wooden staff might be a blow gun, a breathing tube, or a combat weapon. Samurai had many different kinds of swords for different uses, and Shaolin warriors in China could take simple sickles and use them to attack, defend, or intimidate.

Best Characters

Even though a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-martial-art-movies/all-genre-movies-lists" target="_blank">martial arts film</a> can have a thin plot, and bad dialogue, that doesn&#39;t have to be a bad thing. What can lift a movie of this genre out of the basement is a great villain who fights real dirty, has quotable lines, and delivers an over the top performance. Often, the more dishonorable the better. If it can be said of these bad guys as Williams once exclaimed in Enter the Dragon, &#39;Man, you come right out of a comic book&#39;, then the chances are that they belong on this list.

Dragon Ball

The very best martial arts shows on television, ranked from best to worst. This list of the greatest martial arts shows also includes pictures from the shows when available. Popular martial arts TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the most entertaining martial arts show of all time is. Don't let your favorite martial arts television programs in history get to the bottom of the list- be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. The list of martial arts television shows below includes information like the program's cast, creator and premiere date when available.Shows on this list include Love at First Fight and A Fistful of Stances.This list answers the questions, &quot;What is the best martial arts show of all time?&quot; and &quot;What are the greatest martial arts shows?&quot;

On the whole, most people use martial arts as a form of self-defense rather than killing. Rarely do practitioners of&nbsp;judo or Jeet Kune&nbsp;Do walk into a bar and start wrecking shop outside of the&nbsp;movies, but they definitely know a&nbsp;few dangerous martial arts moves that can&nbsp;strike a killing blow. Most of the killer martial arts moves&nbsp;covered here never get&nbsp;taught in&nbsp;basic martial arts classes;&nbsp;in fact many of them have either been phased out or only get used&nbsp;by&nbsp;the&nbsp;military&nbsp;for&nbsp;hand-to-hand combat. If you enjoy martial arts, or the MMA, you also won’t be seeing any of these techniques in a sanctioned match because many of them are&nbsp;banned&nbsp;for good reason; if performed incorrectly each hold, attack, and technique&nbsp;covered here can&nbsp;easily cause permanent damage, or simply kill someone. While most well trained martial artists probably know how to do many of these moves, they won't&nbsp;pull them out in a match, or even in a street fight. Even still,&nbsp;it must&nbsp;be good to know that you have a literal killer move in your back pocket at all times.&nbsp;

Boxing

Many of the most disputed&nbsp;fights in the history of the sport inspired more conflict than you ever saw in the brawls themselves. When it comes to controversial fights from history,&nbsp;the older&nbsp;stories grow and mutate as&nbsp;decades pass. Despite the existence of&nbsp;hard facts behind much of these famed battles, the rumors usually emerge as the most entertaining part of the story. Whether displayed on&nbsp;television or behind closed doors in an unknown warehouse, the world’s most disputed fights each inspire a great deal of discourse as to not only their outcomes but what happened after them. Sometimes no clear winner emerges at the end, leaving audience members&nbsp;to debate their own accounts&nbsp;for eternity; in other&nbsp;fights, a clear victor was robbed of their win by either incompetent or corrupt judges.As you learn about the&nbsp;most controversial fights in history, attempt&nbsp;to put yourself in the judges' shoes, or even a member of the audience. How would you have scored the fights? What do you think could have been done differently? Would you change who you were rooting for had you known the outcome in advance? Regardless of what you think, these are the facts below, and they will likely continue to stoke controversy for years to come.

Parenting

Is there anything more fun than watching two martial arts masters at the top of their game? Everybody loves them, but it can be hard to find a list&nbsp;of appropriate <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-martial-art-movies/all-genre-movies-lists" target="_blank">martial arts movies</a> for kids.

Many kung-fu movies are overly violent&nbsp;or might teach kids the wrong lessons, but the good Karate films for young kids teach the honor, discipline, and respect that is at the core of most martial arts. Not only are the movies fun, but martial arts is a rewarding and valuable practice for young kids, with some studies even linking it to improvements in children with <a href="https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/child-social-situations/sports/9-benefits-of-martial-arts-for-kids-with-learning-and-attention-issues" target="_blank">learning and attention issues</a>. If your kids are interested in martial arts, then these are the kids karate movies to watch, like 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up.

So if you&#39;ve ever asked yourself, what ninja films can kids watch? Look to the&nbsp;list below for answers to this and similar questions.&nbsp;From old live-action classics like the Karate Kid and 3 Ninjas, to newer animated movies like the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, there&#39;s a wide variety to choose from. So vote up&nbsp;the best kung-fu films for children, add any items you don&#39;t see, and everybody start kung-fu fighting!

And if you like these movies, check out our list of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-ninja-movies/all-genre-movies-lists" target="_blank">best ninja movies</a>.

While it&#39;s undeniable that <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-60s-kung-fu-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">kung fu movies</a> are all about the action, the more depth there is behind the fighting, the more memorable the film. In fact, the best martial arts movies feature complicated characters that can do more than simply kick the crap out of someone or paralyze them with a single punch (though that&#39;s still&nbsp;pretty cool to watch).

Whether they&#39;re cunning, sarcastic, funny, or just plain cool, the best kung fu characters are always memorable enough to stick with you long after the film is over.&nbsp;Whether it&#39;s Neo learning to channel his inner warrior in The Matrix or Bruce Lee taking on a drug kingpin in Enter the Dragon, these warriors have what it takes to get the job done. Who&rsquo;s your favorite kung&nbsp;fu fighter?

Vote up your favorite martial artist&nbsp;and see which character is the strongest of them all.

Japanese History

History is chock-full of wild samurai and ninja life-ending hardware;&nbsp;if you think they were limited to throwing stars and katanas, it&#39;s time to get schooled.

While plenty of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-ridiculous-weapons/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">ridiculous tools of destruction</a>&nbsp;have been laughed out of the history books, the&nbsp;weapons ninja&nbsp;and samurai used&nbsp;are almost exclusively ferocious. Some of the most <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/badass-historical-figures-weapons/stephanroget " target="_blank">famous of all time</a>&nbsp;belonged to samurai, but of course, their most dangerous items are only spoken of in&nbsp;hushed tones.&nbsp;

You may know the sai, but you probably don&#39;t know the kusarigama, and most people fail to realize how many different types of throwing stars exist.&nbsp;

Regardless of how easy martial artists make their practice look, becoming a martial arts master requires hard work. But, there exist more insane martial arts training methods that make other training techniques look like beginner's yoga. When you picture a martial arts class, you probably envision a dojo full of students in gis practicing roundhouse kicks. You might be surprised to learn of the ridiculous martial arts training methods - like those used in Shaolin training - which are applied in order to become a ninja master. The one thing which&nbsp;connects all&nbsp;the crazy martial arts training methods below is how they put the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/tags/human-body?ref=internalCrossLinking_tag">human body</a> through horrendous amounts of torment to steel their nerves and sharpen their skills. After all, if&nbsp;you’ve faced death alone at the top of freezing mountain while training, what’s a 10-minute-long Jeet Kune Do&nbsp;match? It goes without saying&nbsp;these super intense methods of training aren't&nbsp;the way to get into martial arts. The crazy kung fu training detailed here gears itself more toward&nbsp;practitioners who are looking for ways to push their minds and bodies past any normal means of thought, and into an almost superhuman level of conditioning. So instead of running up the nearest mountain or slamming your shins into a tree, why not read about the training instead?

Martial Artistry

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&lt;p&gt;The best martial arts movies streaming on Hulu are a made up of tons of great black belt features! In Asia, martial arts dates as far back as 700BC and has long been revered as a sacred fighting discipline. As the craft often resembles a beautiful choreographed dance, it was only a matter of time before people began appreciating martial arts aesthetically through the medium of&nbsp;film.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Vote up your favorite martial arts flick, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section. When you&apos;re done, check out the &lt;a href=&quot;/list/best-martial-arts-movies-on-netflix/ranker-streaming&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;best fighting movies on Netflix&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;


The Best Martial Arts Movies Streaming on Hulu & Hulu Plus

The Best Martial Arts Movies Streaming on Hulu

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AMAZON_WATCH

AMAZON

Blade of the Immortal

Blade of the Immortal is a 2017 samurai film directed by Takashi Miike. Cursed with immortality, samurai Manji (Takuya Kimura) helps a young girl avenge her parents.

The Villainess

No Holds Barred

No Holds Barred is a 1989 action film produced by Michael Rachmil, directed by Thomas J. Wright, written by Dennis Hackin and starring professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. The film is produced by the World Wrestling Federation under a "Shane Distribution Company" copyright and was released by New Line Cinema on June 2, 1989. It was launched as an attempt to boost Hulk Hogan's acting career several years after his appearance in Rocky III.

Warrior

Warrior is a 2011 American sports drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two estranged brothers whose entrance into a mixed martial arts tournament forces them to come to terms with their past and each other. Nick Nolte was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the father of the two brothers. Jennifer Morrison and Frank Grillo also star.

The Cage Fighter

The Cage Fighter is a 2018 sports documentary film directed by Jeff Unay. Joe Carman, a blue collar worker, breaks his promise to stop fighting and returns to mixed martial arts to fulfill his dream.

The Monkey King 3

Afro Samurai Resurrection

The best martial arts movies streaming on Hulu are a made up of tons of great black belt features! In Asia, martial arts dates as far back as 700BC and has long been revered as a sacred fighting discipline. As the craft often resembles a beautiful choreographed dance, it was only a matter of time before people began appreciating martial arts aesthetically through the medium of&nbsp;film.

Vote up your favorite martial arts flick, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section. When you&#39;re done, check out the <a href="/list/best-martial-arts-movies-on-netflix/ranker-streaming" target="_blank">best fighting movies on Netflix</a>.

The best martial arts movies streaming on Hulu are a made up of tons of great black belt features! In Asia, martial arts dates as far back as 700BC and has ...