Line #164 Main/EverybodyWasKungFuFighting


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/KungFuHustle https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kungfuhustle_3689.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:This is why you should never enter a fight without knowing your enemy, why you should never pick a fight with a building full of kung fu masters, [[SpaceWhaleAesop and why you should never make your landlady angry.]]]]
3
4	->''"Everybody was kung fu fighting''\
5	''Those cats were fast as lightning''\
6	''In fact, it was a little bit frightening''\
7	''But they fought with expert timing."''
8	-->-- '''Carl Douglas''', "Kung Fu Fighting"
9
10	Nothing spells WorldOfBadass more than literally everybody else being Badasses who know Martial Arts in one or another form. Because it isn't just [[SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat grandma who suddenly acquires the ability to be an expert martial artist]]... it's literally everyone!
11
12	Some like to portray a world where violence solves everything. Everyone can and will be a martial arts master. Or [[TheGunslinger expert sharpshooter]]. Or a beast at [[GoodOldFisticuffs good old fashioned fisticuffs.]] Or a black belt in [[MartialArtsAndCrafts the Interior-design Curtain-fitting Style]].
13
14	It doesn't matter whether or not it was hinted that they know how to fight nor does it matter whether or not they even look like they can. They can, do, and will.
15
16	In comedy shows, this can be played for laughs, when characters spontaneously break out into epic fights over trivial things like who lost the remote, who should pay for dinner, or who threw a chair. It is not uncommon for the TropeNamer song to begin playing.
17
18	Highly common in {{Wuxia}} and MartialArtsMovie genres, where it's harder to name a character who doesn't know some martial art.
19
20	See also AllAsiansKnowMartialArts, AllChinesePeopleKnowKungFu, SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat, IKnowMortalKombat, and DragonsUpTheYinYang to set the mood. AllMonksKnowKungFu seems to be this trope limited to all kinds of monks. Can be a form of EveryoneIsASuper, where "Super" is defined as "Martial Artist". EveryoneIsArmed occurs when an absurdly chaotic ''gun'' fight breaks out.
21
22	Contrast WimpFight, when it's painfully obvious that the people don't know how to fight, and FightSceneFailure, which is when the ''Actors'' are the ones that don't know how to fight.
23
24	Trope title is from [[TheSeventies the 1970s]] classic song by Carl Douglas (First four lines shown above) that describes the style of this trope perfectly.
25
26	----
27	!!Examples
28
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	[[folder:Advertising]]
32	* Creator/ZhangZiyi once starred in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJbe8napP_I a Visa ad]] where she is served a soup that is too salty for her, prompting the entire restaurant staff (especially the chef who feels very insulted) to gang up on her, resulting in kung fu mayhem.[[note]]In case you're wondering about why there is kung fu, bear in mind that this ad was made not long after Zhang Ziyi found success by starring in ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon''[[/note]]
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
36	* The ''Franchise/DragonBall'' series. Everybody from the little old man to the evil bubble gum alien seems to know Kung Fu.
37	** The now-defunct MMORPG ''VideoGame/DragonBallOnline'', set over two centuries after the end of ''DBZ'', justified this: two decades after the end of the series, Gohan published a book which taught the general populace about KiManipulation. This lead to Goten and Trunks founding a school centered around ki-control swordfighting; 15 years later, students of this school were instrumental in driving off an invasion attempt by the remnants of Frieza's forces, which lead to a wide-spread interest in SupernaturalMartialArts, which lead to Krillin and Tien Shinhan founding new schools of Turtle- and Crane-style martial arts. Add in wide-spread [[BloodKnight Saiyan]] genes, and you have a species that literally has fighting in its blood.
38	* ''Manga/IkkiTousen'', good God. Pretty much every person that gets any amount of time can be seen fighting at some point or another (and that's counting the minor ones).
39	* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''. Subverted in some characters, like Niijima or the girl who has a crush on Kenichi, but pretty much the whole cast has knowledge of martial arts, even Shigure's mouse.
40	* ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' gives us a glimpse of what non-military life in Mid-Childa is like through the eyes of Nanoha's daughter. After a few chapters, it becomes this. That duo of girls? HeirToTheDojo of an ancient martial art and a {{Golem}} [[MarionetteMaster manipulator]] [[spoiler:who could also fight as a DittoFighter in close combat]] The BlitheSpirit nun-in-training? Tonfa-based WarriorMonk [[TheTrickster Trickster]] speedster. TheOjou? [[KnightInShiningArmor Literal]] MagicKnight fighting style passed down from Ancient Belka. The only named new character who hasn't been revealed to have a fighting style of some sort so far is TheOjou's butler, who is a very minor person.
41	* The {{Mons}} genre in general. Every opponent the main character meet will inevitably have a theme to their item or pet, which they will invariably ALSO be a martial arts master in this style as well. As they [[CallingYourAttacks scream out the names of the attacks their item or pet does]], they will also (pointlessly) perform shadow fighting techniques to point out how kick-ass they are. Perhaps to convince us (and themselves) that they're not just, you know, ''fighting with cards and plastic toys.''
42	** Although in the case of ''Franchise/YuGiOh'', many characters actually are good fighters, which was particularly relevant in the first few volumes of [[Manga/YuGiOh the manga]] and the [[Anime/YuGiOhFirstAnimeSeries Toei anime]]. Jounouchi is a skilled street fighter who knocks out a trained assassin and keeps up against a Leather Face expy, Honda isn't exactly a wuss either, Kaiba kicks the crap out of a couple of people, Anzu throws some mean punches, Yami Yugi is hinted at being quite capable (particularly in the Toei anime, where he has no troubles slamming his puzzle into the wall or kicking the daylights out of two of Kaiba's mooks who were twice his size (off-screen, sadly) and Yami Bakura wasn't exactly weak either; let's not even start bringing up their past selves, who were all without a doubt trained in combat.
43	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a justified example, considering that most of the events takes place in hidden villages completely organized around training HighlyVisibleNinja.
44	* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. Everyone knows some martial art variation, from Anything Goes Tea Ceremony to Martial Arts Figure Skating. You name it, it's a martial art. Even [[MartialArtsAndCrafts calligraphy]].
45	* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': The Demon World to the extent that all out war is averted by [[NotJustATournament a tournament that is nearly as violent]] because no one knows how else to go about things. Even in the Living World, Yusuke and Kuwabara solve their problems by fighting.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Comic Books]]
49	* The same goes for many DC universe citizens, but ''especially'' [[WeirdnessMagnet Metropolis.]] Expect the invasion of [[AlienInvasion aliens]] or a terrorist attack from a [[{{Qurac}} third-world dictatorship]] to turn into a pipe-swinging free-for-all in the streets in five seconds flat.
50	* In ''ComicBook/{{Scott Pilgrim}}'', '''everybody'''. Except [[NonActionGuy Wallace]].
51	** Even Wallace [[VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorldTheGame isn't afraid to fight now.]]
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
55	* Many, many animated films from the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, both classic ones and ones from more modern eras, often have a climax that's all about this, with [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits various unlikely hero characters]] taking on the villains in a zany brawl with plenty of opportunities for outrageous slapstick and similar comical moments in what may well be an otherwise serious scene [[MoodWhiplash (or leading up to one)]]. Examples include:
56	** Scuttle leading various other marine creatures in [[WeddingSmashers crashing the wedding]] of Prince Eric and Vanessa in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid\|1989}}''.
57	** The servants-turned-household objects defending their master's castle from a mob in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
58	** ''Everyone'' joining the fight atop Pride Rock to overthrow King Scar in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King\|1994}}''.
59	** The climactic plaza battle in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}''.
60	* The entirety of the ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'' series, of course. Heck, it even has a cover of the song quoted at the top of this very page (with slightly more [[ValuesDissonance politically correct]] lyrics, natch).
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
64	* In ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'', every anchorman apparently keeps weapons on their person, at all times.
65	* Happens quite frequently in the [[Creator/TimBurton Burton]]/[[Creator/JoelSchumacher Schumacher]] ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' films. While roughly half the arch-villains ([[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]], Penguin and Riddler especially) are [[NonActionGuy very unathletic]] and/or [[SissyVillain physically weak]], their {{Mooks}} are often improbably masters of kung fu, karate, and various other styles, some of them even wielding ''[[KatanasAreJustBetter katanas]]''. For ''Film/BatmanReturns'', Burton even had to hire ten (mostly) nameless guys from a Hollywood dojo specifically for a fight scene. Gets ''really'' ridiculous in ''Film/BatmanForever'', where an entire street gang who spend most of their time threatening and mugging teenage girls are all skilled at kendo and various forms of hand-to-hand combat. A more realistic approach was taken in [[Creator/ChristopherNolan Nolan's]] ''[[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy Batman]]'' films, where the {{Mooks}} for the most part don't know how to fight and just rely on guns.
66	* ''Film/{{Blade}}'' has Blade repeatedly fighting scores of {{mooks}} with martial arts. Vampires don't seem to hand out many guns to their minions.
67	* The climax of ''Film/BlazingSaddles''. After the "fake Rock Ridge" is blown up by the Waco Kid, Sheriff Bart leads every single one of the townspeople in a wild and confused attack on Hedley Lamarr's gang. Even the women throw punches, the preacher [[GroinAttack knees some guy in the groin]] (immediately asking God to forgive him for that), and the town drunk knocks a thug [[BreathWeapon simply by breathing on him]]. The free-for-all eventually literally [[BreakingTheFourthWall Breaks The Fourth Wall]] -- [[NoFourthWall not that there was much of one, to begin with]] -- onto the Warner Brothers studio lot where ''Blazing Saddles'' is being filmed, with other productions being swept up in the turmoil and everyone eventually fighting their way into the studio cafeteria, where one of the cooks ''just happens'' to have a huge tray of custard pies handy so the entire cast can [[PieInTheFace throw pies at each other]].
68	* Lampshaded at the end of ''Film/{{Bowfinger}}''. They're making a film in Taiwan, where all the locals know kung-fu. The Westerners are shown as painfully bad at it, but still mowing through mobs of extras.
69	* ''Film/{{Chocolate}}'', another Thai martial-arts film from the director of ''Film/OngBak''. Everyone on the streets of UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}}, from warehouse laborers to butchers to gangsters, is a martial artist of some kind (except for the transvestite gangbangers, who use guns). Almost all of them have their ass handed to them by an autistic [[WaifFu teenaged]] [[LittleMissBadass girl]].
70	* ''Film/EnterTheDragon'' ends with a massive kung fu battle. On one side you have Han's army of martial arts students, trained to kill mercilessly with their bare hands. On the other side you have... a bunch of vagrants and runaways, kidnapped from the streets of Hong Kong and freshly released from Han's dungeons. And Creator/BruceLee. The two sides appear to be about evenly matched.
71	* One of the staples of Creator/JackieChan's films is him playing a kung fu fighting cop. Jackie Chan's opponents tend to come from all walks of life, including accountants.
72	* It's never really explained why there just happens to be a Kung Fu school in the middle of a 6th-century English town, in ''Film/KingArthurLegendOfTheSword'' but it is very convenient when Arthur is being chased by the Evil King's men, is on the verge of being overrun and needs refuge and back up in order to escape.
73	* Played to hilarious, ''awesome'' excess in ''Film/KungFuHustle''. The local mobsters make the mistake of trying to extort money from an apartment building where no less than six people are kung fu masters.
74	* ''Film/KungFuHipHop'' features kung fu fighting hip hop dancers.
75	* ''Film/MiamiConnection'' is the simple timeless story of a taekwondo rock band having to fight against street thugs and drug-dealing biker ninjas. Nearly everyone in it knows martial arts, even a nightclub owner and assorted extras. You can easily tell that most of the characters are played by martial artists, [[{{Narm}} not actors]].
76	* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Film/TheMatrix'' due to the training programs, where people can simply [[TransferableMemory download]] the necessary skills.
77	* ''Film/TheRaid'': It seems that every single petty criminal inside the slummy apartment run by a drug lord that the movie takes place in is well versed in martial arts. It just so happens that the protagonist is better at them.
78	* ''Film/RisingSun'': Since JapanTakesOverTheWorld, everyone is apparently learning karate as well. The Japanophile Connor is an expert, and the ordinary cop Web is also inexplicably an expert. The pair bypass a bouncer who brags about his black belt via some [[CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatism]]. The film also adds a gratuitous scene where Connor and Web fistfight some mooks sent by the Japanese.
79	* Happens a little more than two-thirds of the way through Disney's ''Film/TheRocketeer'' when some gangsters try to shake down a diner. A fistfight breaks out, and ''everyone'' in the diner joins the action, including the kitchen staff who come out [[ImprovisedWeapon swinging their frying pans]].
80	* ''Film/RushHour 3'': Carter clearly knows how to fight by now against other fighting experts. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BvJZTe4L88&feature=related He even breaks into song afterward]].
81	* A plot point in the movie ''Film/ShaolinSoccer'': the hero wants to spread Shaolin Kung Fu and points out to a soccer coach how it could be used to improve peoples' lives (like avoiding {{Banana Peel}}s and [[MundaneMadeAwesome parallel parking]]). After they win a soccer tournament with an entire team of Shaolin monks, the hero gets his wish, and we get a {{Montage}} of people using kung fu [[MundaneUtility in their everyday lives]]. In the English dub, the song that plays in the background is a cover of "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas. The film also features a woman who uses tai chi to cook and [[spoiler:play goalie]].
82	* Basically ''every'' Creator/ShawBrothers martial arts films with the word "Shaolin" in it's title, ever since the success of ''Film/TheShaolinTemple1976'' and ''Film/The36thChamberOfShaolin''. Everyone is a fighter, may they be waiters, labourers, cooks...
83	* Played with in the 2008 ''Film/SpeedRacer'' film, as everyone in the Racer family is able to prodigiously defend themselves against enemy racers, ninjas, etc. Most of them somehow know Kung Fu, although Pops uses his wrestling pedigree to kick ass with GoodOldFisticuffs. The exception is the Racers' mechanic Sparky, who [[NonActionGuy is totally useless in a fight]] and repeatedly has to be bailed out by his infinitely more skilled companions.
84	* ''Film/{{Sockbaby}}''. In ''[=Sockb4by=]'', even Ronnie's next-door neighbor is one of the mook squad that attacks him.
85	* Played for laughs in ''Film/TheyCallMeBruce?'' where everyone from street thugs to FBI agents knows martial arts, but the protagonist doesn't despite people assuming from his name and because he's Asian that he's like Creator/BruceLee.
86	* ''Film/TripleThreat2019'' Almost every named character is proficient in martial arts to some degree, resulting in a large number of close quarters combat sequences.
87	* ''Film/{{Undefeatable}}'' plays this to the bone. Random women in red dresses that resemble the antagonist's wife strike stances and ''try'' to fight, among other characters that have no business knowing martial arts. To be fair, all but the four main characters are terrible at it.
88	* As [[LemonyNarrator VJ Emmie]] happily puts it, everybody in Uganda knows kung fu in ''Film/WhoKilledCaptainAlex'', from the terrorists to the military soldiers. Interestingly enough, all the actors in the movie [[WriteWhatYouKnow have some knowledge of mixed martial arts, either self-taught or learned from others]], and there ''is'' a Shaolin Kung Fu school in Uganda.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Literature]]
92	* Robert Muchamore's ''Literature/CHERUBSeries'' has every member of the titular organization be trained in martial arts, justified in that it's a spy school and the pupils are required to know this for missions.
93	* Smartly inverted in ''Literature/TheGallagherGirls'' series: the characters (teenagers who also attend [[SpySchool spy school]]) are completely used to everyone knowing kung fu, and so they don't realize until ''after'' beating off a kidnap attempt that ordinary kidnappers [[OhCrap shouldn't have been expecting]] a [[ValleyGirl senator's daughter]] and her best friend to know this much about martial arts.
94	* Pretty much the case in ''Literature/GreekNinja''.
95	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
96	** In the [[Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse novel]] "Vulcan's Glory" a series of murders takes place onboard the USS ''Enterprise'' where the victims all had their necks broken. The newly arrived Lieutenant Spock quickly ascertains that a single handed Vulcan technique called ''Lan-Dova'' was used to break the necks, and that the murderer was a Vulcan or was raised by Vulcans as the ''Lan-Dova'' technique was taught to nearly all Vulcan school children as part of their self defense training.
97	* Justified in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' stories; in this CapePunk world, just having powers of some sort marks one as a target of both FantasticRacism and SuperhumanTrafficking, so the [[SuperHeroSchool Whateley Academy]] school administration is determined to give every one of their students at least some sort of fighting chance. Students have to take either introductory martial arts ("introductory" in the [[BoxingLessonsForSuperman superpowered sense of the word]]) or Survival (which is more about [[CombatParkour evasion techniques]] than wilderness survival), and those who don't take it in their first semester usually regret it when they discover the Combat Finals at the end of the term. As a result, huge numbers of mutants at the school can pull off some aikido or Shaolin kung fu or whatnot, and a fair number are quite proficient; there are even [[Characters/WhateleyUniverseSchoolClubsAndCliques two rival 'schools']], the [[TigerVersusDragon Dragons and the Tigers]], within the school walls. There are over half a dozen teachers whose job is teaching martial arts, in a school of under 600 mutants. At least three students (Fey, Bladedancer, and Pejuta) have ''personal'' martial arts trainers, though these specialists also help with some other students sometimes.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
101	* Becoming a vampire on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (and ''Series/{{Angel}}'', by proxy) didn't just mean gaining immortality or super strength... it also meant automatic Kung Fu prowess. [[CursedWithAwesome Why is being a vampire bad again?]] Oh yeah, that [[KryptoniteFactor sun]] thing. And that [[OurSoulsAreDifferent soulless monster]] thing.
102	** {{Lampshaded}} in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E1Lessons Lessons]]":
103	--->'''Dawn:''' But he's new! He doesn't know his strength, he might not know all those fancy martial arts skills they inevitably seem to pick up.
104	** Except in Vampire Harmony's early appearances, particularly the scene where she and Xander get into a [[RuleOfFunny hilarious slap-fight]], complete with [[MundaneMadeAwesome epic music and slow-motion]].
105	** Lampshaded in one episode where Dawn complains that it takes her forever to learn any martial arts whereas all newborn vampires "seem to spend a couple of months at the same tae kwon do school".
106	** Lampshaded in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E1Anne Anne]]" when the Scooby Gang are hunting vampires while Buffy's out of town and encounter a newborn vampire who hands them their asses in this fashion. When Xander, pissed-off, demands to know how the hell he learned that stuff, Oz recognizes him as a former classmate who used to be captain of the gymnastics team.
107	* Any ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' hero or side character intended to become one later will have mad fight skills even if there's no indication that they've ever taken a single karate lesson. If they don't have any the very first time the {{Mooks}} show up, they will by their second appearance.
108	** Also of note is that a ridiculous number of people in the original seasons were nuts about martial arts, long before Rita attacked. Once the franchise finally moved out of Angel Grove in season 7, this was realistically dropped. However, a couple of later seasons had the heroes get caught up in the fight and become Rangers specifically ''because'' they had been already been training in SupernaturalMartialArts.
109	** Averted with [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers the original]] Blue Ranger. Billy didn't have any martial arts skills in his human form at the beginning of the series and even seemed to have trouble with Rita's Putties. Following an episode that had him actually taking lessons from one of the other Ranger's relatives, he started to get better over time.
110	** Hilariously subverted with Green Ranger Ziggy of ''Series/PowerRangersRPM''. Even all the way to the season finale, he's always struggled in a fight (in comparison to his fellow Rangers).
111	* ''Series/{{Lovejoy}}'', a British TV series (very!) loosely based on some novels about a conman-cum-antiques-dealer, subverted this one in a scene where Lovejoy's ally of the week, a Japanese man, frightens off a gang of thugs by ''pretending'' to know kung fu. After they're gone he explains that everyone just assumes he can kick their butts because he's Asian.
112	* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. Not only does everyone (outside of [[RedShirt the mooks]]) know Kung-Fu, they know different styles: Karate, Capoeira, Judo, pressure point manipulation -- if it's vaguely martial art-like, a Xena character has used it. Yes; [[RuleOfCool in Ancient Greece]].
113	** Fully justified. Ancient Greece was, by modern standards, a violent place where swords, spears, and unarmed fighting were commonplace, accepted elements of everyday life- yes, even in "gentle", civilized Athens. (Socrates was an ex-soldier). Pankration was a clearly defined martial art complete with strikes, throws, and submission holds and remains a viable art even in the modern age of Ultimate fighting.
114	*** Even more justified as some scholars suggest that kung fu was invented by people who had learned Pankration from [[UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat Alexander]]'s soldiers during his eastern campaign.
115	** In fact, in ancient Greece, ''every'' male had to join the military, so it's entirely expected that they should know how to handle themselves in a fight. They should not, however, know Kung Fu.
116	*** Justified in ''Hercules: The Maze and the Minotaur'', where Hercules and Iolaus do mention that they've been to "the East."
117	** Pankration was more like wrestling than a martial art relying on strikes, although it had those too. It was invented by hoplites in case a soldier fell down. In this case, trying to get up would most likely result in getting stabbed, so the alternative was to drag the opponent down on the ground with you and choke him to death. The original Olympics had Pankration as the main event with the top contenders fighting naked. The only moves disallowed are eye-gouging, biting, and killing your opponent. The champions were treated as royalty.
118	* In one of JD's [[ImagineSpot daydream sequences]] in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', Turk and The Todd had to kung fu fight every other surgeon in the hospital for a briefcase. To the song ''"Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting"''. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9ZZsUX00s&feature=related here.]]
119	** [[spoiler:"Betrayal five!"]]
120	* One episode of ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}'' had no supernatural enemies whatsoever. Instead, the episode's villain was a corrupt District Attorney who was trying to frame his mistress for murder. Towards the end of the episode, the mistress confronts the District Attorney and the two of them suddenly engage in a brief kung fu fight completely out of left field.
121	* On ''Series/{{Lost}}'', everyone except Hurley is an expert marksman and close-combat fighter. Hurley makes up for this lack by running people over with a bus.]
122	* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E12ComparativeReligion Comparative Religion]], every last member of the study group is shown to be capable of brawling.
123	* ''Series/TopGearUK'' created a TitleSequence for ''The Intercepters'', a non-existent Seventies action show, which featured members of Top Gear in PornStache taking out various villains with a well-placed karate chop. Eventually, even hapless hotel butlers and dancing females are on the receiving end.
124	* ''Series/Batman1966''. Two heroes vs. the episode's main villain and their henchmen? Seems like fair odds.
125	* ''Series/{{CSINY}}:'' "Corporate Warriors" involved a firm whose executives were all highly skilled martial arts experts. One was killed by a second who was subsequently killed by a third. One of the clues Danny & Stella found was a footprint ''on the ceiling of a completely trashed pool bar.''
126	* ''Series/Warrior2019'' has just about every major Asian character know martial arts. The non-Asian characters tend to be adept fighters in their own right.
127	* In ''Series/WuAssassins'', almost every single named character displays martial arts skills in combat, to varying degrees of proficiency. And since most of them are Asian-American, this doubles as AllAsiansKnowMartialArts.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Music]]
131	* The TropeNamer is Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting". Besides the famous refrain, the rest of the lyrics dip into AllChinesePeopleKnowKungFu as well.
132	* Music/LemonDemon's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WgT9gy4zQA song]] "Music/TheUltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny" where pop culture icons from the past couple centuries all vehemently kick each other's asses. [[spoiler:Till only [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] is left standing.]]
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Stand Up Comedy]]
136	* Creator/GeorgeCarlin took note of this trope and roundly mocked it in his book ''Napalm & Silly Putty'':
137	-->'''George:''' Why is it when the two main characters in an action movie have their big climactic fight it always turns out that both of them are really good fighters? Just once, wouldn't you like to see a fight between two leading male characters where one of them [[CurbStompBattle gets the shit completely beat out of him in about eight seconds?]] Especially the hero.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
141	* In the roleplaying game ''TabletopGame/FengShui'', one of the cardinal rules of combat is that everyone -- EVERYONE -- knows at least some kung fu. They might not have enough skill for it to register in their stats, but if a character is capable of more motion than your average baby, ''then they know kung fu''.
142	** Except for those who have just the Guns skill combat-wise, like the Killer or the Techie. Those guys just dive around, take cover, and use the GunsAndGunplayTropes to full effect (and they probably know GunFu). Or the Sorcerer, who uses the Sorcery skill to rain all over his enemies' parade. Sometimes literally.
143	* ''TabletopGame/HongKongActionTheatre'' may be a better example of this trope in tabletop games than ''TabletopGame/FengShui''. In this game, every character, whether they specialize in melee, gunplay, sorcery, or just kicking ass MartialArtsMovie style, knows Kung Fu. You even get to select your character's specific style of Kung Fu upon creation!
144	* The same applies for any TabletopGame based on {{Fighting Game}}s, such as the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' RPG, ''Thrash'', and ''Final Stand''.
145	* The RPG ''TabletopGame/WeaponsOfTheGods'', and (one assumes) [[AdaptationDisplacement the Taiwanese comic book on which it's based.]]
146	** As well as its successor, ''TabletopGame/LegendsOfTheWulin''.
147	* One officially listed campaign suggestion for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' is to have everyone be a gestalt monk (basically, add in the abilities of the monk class on top of whatever actual class any character has), specifically to evoke this kind of feeling in a campaign.
148	* It's even easier in ''TabletopGame/LegendSystem'' with the tracks. Everyone just takes one of the Monk class' "Discipline of the Serpent/Dragon/Crane" tracks, and you can have a barbarian that knows kung-fu, a Jedi that knows kung-fu, a thief who knows kung-fu, and a NinjaPirateZombieRobot that knows kung-fu.
149	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' loves its Supernatural Martial Arts and as such:
150	** The companion book "Scroll of the Monk" suggests using this trope liberally and with gusto should one of the [=PCs=] be looking for a hidden martial arts master.
151	** Burn Legend, in ''[[AlternateUniverse Shards of the Exalted Dream]]''. The character sheet doesn't even ''have'' social or mental stats, and the general assumption is that any NPC of significance is going to be a black belt.
152	** Sidereals (also known as ''fate ninjas'') are all over them. They ''all, mandatorily'' start with at least two points in martial arts (Endings Caste start with three and specializes in them). They also have their own ''whole tier'' of martial arts, which generally involves beating up ''concepts'' of reality and stands above everything else. They also have a unique Background related to having a martial arts teacher.
153	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shinobigami}}: All player characters, and likely a high percentage of [=NPCs=], are {{Ninja}}.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Video Games]]
157	* From ''VideoGame/{{Assassins Creed II}}'' onwards, if you pickpocket anyone and they catch sight of Ezio, the victim will attempt to punch him out. Keyword being ''attempt'': It doesn't take many punches from Ezio to put them in their place.
158	* ''VideoGame/FugitiveHunterWarOnTerror'' is all about tracking down terrorists around the globe, taking them on in fistfights, and capturing them. Terrorists who, inexplicably, have the same martial arts skills as you do? including UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden.
159	* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', almost every character or enemy seems to have some sort of training in a martial art. Even the lingering spirits of random dead people seem to be capable of martial arts skills as advanced as yours. Makes the sole cause of a DamselInDistress (Fuyao, the girl who you rescue from slavers in Gao the Greater's pirate base) stand out.
160	* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. Everybody seems to have a hardon for Big Boss's CQC system.
161	* The two-person non-lethal takedowns in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' often begin with the targets attempting to expertly melee Jensen followed by an equally expert counter and finishing move. The takedowns can be done not just on enemies but also regular [=NPCs=]. This means that you can witness elaborate martial battles not just between Jensen and soldiers, but between Jensen and ordinary civilians or even between Jensen and ''street prostitutes''.
162	* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'': Most people, including all mooks and many male civilians, know kung fu in Hong Kong. If you hijack a car or start punching people in the street, you may be surprised by the number of people who will at least try to hit back.
163	* ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6''[='=]s World Tour mode is all about this trope. Everyone in Metro City knows how to fight and is willing to throw down at a moment's notice.
164	* Turns out to be true for ''{{VideoGame/Thief}}'' ''1'', and to some extent ''2''. As the secret "outtakes" level proved, the same sword fighting system which allowed guards, humanoid monsters, and undead alike to go weapon-to-sword with Garret also works with all those harmless human servants, ballerinas, and passersby - if they weren't flagged to act as scared noncombatants they ''could kick your ass'' unarmed with the same moves, probably while [[ApologeticAttacker whimpering in fear]]. The developer notes lampshade it kind of looks like kung fu.
165	* ''VideoGame/Trepang2'': No matter if they are a PMC, clandestine operators, scientist, or even a simple worker, they are expertly capable of pulling off round-house kicks, sweep kicks, and an axe-kick (in addition to a straight jab and hook).
166	* ''Videogame/ZenoClash'': Everyone you fight is a strangely adept combatant; this is particularly strange, as you are the only one who seems to have gotten any training at all.
167	* ''Videogame/ZenoClash2'': Unlike the first game, a [[JustifiedTrope Justification]] is offered as to why everyone is so great at fighting. The world of Zenozoik is a primitive place, and the people there have neither a concept of law nor justice. The standard dispute resolution method is [[MightMakesRight fighting]]--much to Golem's exasperation.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Webcomics]]
171	* Grape, ever since she was a kitten, in ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}''
172	* The heart and soul of ''Webcomic/WhatTheFu''.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Web Original]]
176	* It seems that almost every character in ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers'' is fairly skilled with firearms. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that firearms training and basic marksmanship are mentioned as being mandatory or that the employee in question enjoys recreational shooting.
177	* There was an unusual prevalence of combat skilled characters in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' V3 and its Pregame, especially since the characters are all, at best, high schoolers. Averted in V2 and V1, mostly, since few characters got opportunities to engage in hand to hand fighting.
178	* The ''WebVideo/TGWTGYearOneBrawl'', where ''every single one'' of the site's contributors proved to be semi-competent, marginally deadly martial artists. Except for Ma-Ti, who has [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway Heart]] as his power.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder:Western Animation]]
182	* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', almost every main-character, both good and evil, knows a version of kung-fu. Most of them know ''superpowered'' kung-fu [[ElementalPowers based on one of the four elements]]. Exceptions are Sokka, who functions as the team's BadassNormal (eventually), and a few minor characters, like Yue, Yugoda and the Cabbage Merchant.
183	* One of the initial criticisms of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' was that seemingly every villain was an expert hand-to-hand combatant, including traditionally poor fighters like Joker and Penguin. This was toned down as the show went on (for better or for worse), although it always existed to some extent.
184	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' specifically states that anytime someone throws a chair, everyone will engage in a mass fight. Huey and Uncle Ruckus are apparently gifted martial artists that are great with melee weaponry; in Ruckus' case, this is extremely bizarre (given his terrible health and physical ability, blatantly referred to in previous episodes). Colonel Stinkmeaner started out as a subversion (Huey assumed his blindness made him Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}, but it turns out he's just a blind elderly man who got a lucky shot in), but (unusually) returned from Hell a martial arts master, the event implying that he was trained by ''{{Satan}} himself''. This was before his Hateocracy showed up, where they went up against hired bodyguard Bushido Brown.
185	** Not to mention that Granddad is a master of [[DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff Belt-Fu...]]
186	** In the second season episode "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch", Granddad's internet blind date, Luna, is revealed to know "White Lotus Kung-Fu" and to have won the [[BloodSport Kumite]] (every time the tournament's name is mentioned, there's a little [[MartialArtsMovie martial arts]] "hi-yah" noise). Needless to say, eventually Huey tests her skills [[spoiler:and is beaten to the floor for his troubles.]]
187	** For half the fights that break out in Boondocks, participants are shown with inexplicable physical prowess and at least [[RuleOfCool some karate kicks in there]].
188	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' had the entire family break out into an epic brawl after criticizing each other's faults. Ironically (or maybe not), this brought the family closer together. Not to mention the multiple chicken fights.
189	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is the living embodiment of this trope, and it is awesome. Notably, in a TimeTravelEpisode set during the character Jackie's childhood during TheSeventies, a fight breaks out between present-Jackie, past-Uncle, present-Jade, and the Dark Hand, prompting one of the kids watching to say "[[ShoutOut Everybody is Kung-Fu Fighting!]]".
190	* ''WesternAnimation/MuchaLucha'' does it with Mexican ProfessionalWrestling. The main setting is a school for luchadores, and true to form, pretty much 90% of the entire cast (and that's counting one-shot characters) dabbles in wrestling.
191	* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' the penguins use violence to solve everything from runaways to making popcorn pop. Skipper, the leader, even says in one episode, "I find reason tedious and boring. We use force."
192	* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' this happens ''a lot''. Four of the five members of the Simpson family can handle themselves pretty well in a fight (Maggie the baby at least knows how to fire a gun), and countless other Springfieldians are more than likely to start an EscalatingBrawl over just about ''anything'', including someone saying something mildly disagreeable.
193	-->''' Mayor Quimby:''' [[LampshadeHanging Can't this town go one day without a riot?]]
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:Real Life]]
197	* This is part of the {{conscription}} training for citizens of both Koreas, with taekwondo instead of kung fu as the martial art. In fact, in the case of South Korea, it is more or less an unwritten rule that all children should learn taekwondo (and only before middle school, apparently), although it's changing now.
198	* Most Israeli citizens serve in the military and are consequently trained in UsefulNotes/KravMaga. Due to the state of constant hostility with its neighbors, Israelis are more likely to need to fight than most other nations with a compulsory draft.
199	* In pre-UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Japan, karate and kendo were compulsory school subjects for boys, and [[NaginatasAreFeminine naginata-do for girls]].
200	* Outdoor aerobics-style tai chi classes are extremely common in China, predominately for health benefits. Since tai chi is a martial art, in theory, the people in these classes can defend themselves if they just perform the movements faster. Thus, [[DownplayedTrope a reasonable amount of people might be kung fu fighting if they really needed to]].
201	* The Irish are responsible for giving us the concept of the ''donnybrook'': a large group of friendly people brawling with each other [[RuleOfFun purely for entertainment]].
202	* UsefulNotes/AncientGreece was a place where ''everyone'' knew how to fight. It usually was wrestling or Pankration, but there were also pugilists and the like. All those myths in which random people killed each other for little reason? TruthInTelevision, for them.
203	* Paris during the Belle Epoque. After France' defeat in the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar, the suppression of the Paris Commune, and a failed attempt to restore the monarchy the population was left with little trust in the government and filled with young poor people who resorted to crime and violence to make money (eventually resulting in the Les Apaches subculture ([[AppropriatedAppellation allegedly so named after a robbery victim compared his robber's ferocity to the Apache and he not only liked it but spread the idea]]), and when the badly outnumbered police failed to maintain order the Parisians took upon themselves to fight back, importing Savate from the south and refining it in countless fights between Les Apaches and the common people. This went horribly for the Germans during both World Wars: during the first [[EnemyMine droves of Parisians from both sides of the law to the German advance on the capital by going to the frontline]] and helping the army win the Battle of the Marne, and in 1944 the German garrison was suddenly assaulted by the Parisians, many of which had lived during the Belle Epoque, ran out of town and ''chased'' until they surrendered to the Free French troops that were supposed to liberate the capital.
204	[[/folder]]

Context Main / EverybodyWasKungFuFighting