History Main / GunFu

* [[HeroicComedicSociopath Tasha Godspell]] and [[TheRival Ryu Hwan]] from ''Manhwa/WitchHunter''.

* Big Boss and the Boss of VideoGame/MetalGear series developed a form of CQC that integrates a knife into a gun-holding stance, where the practitioner will hold a combat knife in the last two fingers of their off-hand, with the thumb and other two fingers still on the gun as normal (this produces some off grips on some rifles where just adding the knife with the off-hand where it normally goes would result in it stabbing the magazine; in VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4, we can see Snake using a sort-of claw grip to prevent this problem with his M4 and AK-102.) In cutscenes, this is taken much further, with melee spectacles involving the snatching of full-sized rifles out of someone's hands and having it ready to fire in under a second, throwing to the ground ''with'' a rifle since both hands are tied up holding it, and breaking down someone else's gun before they can fire it.

Though the invention of Gun Fu is typically ascribed to ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'', the Gun Fu in ''Tomorrow'' is better described as the best practices for shooting cinematic gunplay[[note]]With tricks such exaggerated character and object motions, tracking shots, slo-mo, and shots focused on bullet impacts; these can arguably also be found in classic western films like ''Film/Scarface1983'', and some of these elements [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny are now so ubiquitous]] that it can be difficult to distinguish them from a modern perspective[[/note]]; the combat style in ''Tomorrow'' consists of largely conventional stand-and-shoot. The truly stylized forms of gun combat that most consider Gun Fu to be today were developed in later John Woo films like ''Film/TheKiller1989'' and ''Film/HardBoiled''.

* ''VideoGame/LaikaAgedThroughBlood'': Is an AfterTheEnd {{Metroidvania}} about doing this... as an ActionMom BadassBiker doing tricks, flipping her bike to reload.

Though the invention of Gun Fu is typically ascribed to ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'', the Gun Fu in ''Tomorrow'' is better described as the best practices for shooting cinematic gunplay[[note]]With tricks such exaggerated character and object motions, tracking shots, slo-mo, and shots focused on bullet impacts; these can arguably also be found in classic western films like ''Film/Scarface1983'', and some of these elements [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny are now so ubiquitous]] that it can be difficult to distinguish them from a modern perspective[[/note]]; the combat style in ''Tomorrow'' consists of largely conventional stand-and-shoot. The truly stylized forms of gun combat that most consider Gun Fu to be today were developed in later John Woo films like ''Film/TheKiller'' and ''Film/HardBoiled''.

* Just about every HeroicBloodshed movie that Creator/JohnWoo made in Hong Kong, with ''Film/TheKiller'' and ''Film/HardBoiled'' being the most prominent examples.

* Sharnid of ''LightNovel/ChromeShelledRegios'' says two kinds of people use Gun Fu. Those who are truly skilled, and idiots. [[SelfDeprecatingHumor He is one of the idiots.]]

* In ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts: From The New World'' one of the available characters is a towering Native American who uses Gun Fu with six-shooters in GunsAkimbo. His Special Power is actually CALLED 'GUN-FU' - and his basic attacks are actually Kung-Fu katas with gunshots.
* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Yuna]] goes from shy WhiteMagicianGirl to brave Gun Fu expert [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 in two years]].

Gun Fu is a catch-all term for stylized firearm-based combat styles in fictional visual media that combines martial arts with guns. Originating from Hong Kong action cinema, Gun Fu was [[TropeMaker pretty much invented]] by Creator/JohnWoo's action films from the 1980s-90s (which also launched the HeroicBloodshed genre), who combined the stylized choreography of martial arts films with the intense gun action of western gangster films.

Though the invention of Gun Fu is typically ascribed to ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'', the Gun Fu in ''Tomorrow'' is better described as the best practises for shooting cinematic gunplay[[note]]With tricks such exaggerated character and object motions, tracking shots, slo-mo, and shots focused on bullet impacts; these can arguably also be found in classic western films like ''Film/Scarface1983'', and some of these elements [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny are now so ubiquitous]] that it can be difficult to distinguish them from a modern perspective[[/note]]; the combat style in ''Tomorrow'' consists of largely conventional stand-and-shoot. The truly stylized forms of gun combat that most consider Gun Fu to be today were developed in later John Woo films like ''Film/TheKiller'' and ''Film/HardBoiled''.

* '''Gun Acrobatics:''' In Gun Acrobatics, the characters jump, dodge, slide, roll and leap their way through hails of bullets while unloading their own guns at their targets. Expect the character to be going GunsAkimbo with pistols (due to their maneuverability) and doing some WireFu. This is the classic form of Gun Fu found in John Woo's later films. In the west, it's arguably popularized by ''Film/TheMatrix''.

* '''Gun Melee:''' In Gun Melee, the characters move themselves up [[ShortRangeLongRangeWeapon close and personal with their enemies]], and use hand-to-hand combat to support their gun-based long range attacks. Expect lots of PistolWhipping and interplay between melee combat and gunshots. A much more modern take on Gun Fu compared to Gun Acrobatics, this fighting style is very much popularized by ''Film/JohnWick''.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': After Akira gets trained in the ability by Alpha to use "compressed time" (a more grounded equivalent to BulletTime), Akira ends up doing a lot of this. It’s a DeconstructedTrope in a sense that doing this is something done out of desperation in close combat and often results in a WreckedWeapon. Or, one time when Akira uses an Anti-tank rifle in one hand while flying through the air, even though he’s using PoweredArmor granting SuperStrength, firing it unsupported breaks his arm and the arm of his armor. This results in Akira getting high tech swords to make up for this weakness despite despising them at first due to OpposingCombatPhilosophies. But he still does plenty of it after taking up SwordAndGun, with enemies often matching him due to drugs or implants granting them compressed time.

* Film/JohnWick performs a single-gun variant of gun fu, using UsefulNotes/{{Sambo}} grappling moves in order to take down enemies preparatory for point-blanking them or otherwise shooting them. This is especially pronounced during the club scene, where he kills his way through a lot of guys at close range, point-blanking them so as not to risk hitting the bystanders surrounding him.

* He later brought that spectacle to ''Machinima/RedVsBlue''. Particularly in Season 9, which shows that the Freelancer agents were [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ3OZfPsP2E#t=1m0s experts at this sort of combat]].

* '''Gun Melee:''' In Gun Melee, the characters, usually forced by their tight environments, move themselves up close and personal with their enemies, and use hand-to-hand combat to support their gun-based long range attacks. Expect lots of PistolWhipping and interplay between melee combat and gunshots. A much more modern take on Gun Fu compared to Gun Acrobatics, this fighting style is very much popularized by ''Film/JohnWick''.

Gun Fu is a catch-all term for the fancy moves Hong Kong action movie characters (and Western films inspired by said Hong Kong action movies) perform with their guns. It's essentially [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin martial arts stunts]]...'''[-WITH GUNS-]'''!

Essentially, the main point of Gun Fu is the liberal application of RuleOfCool to firearms. Expect lots of GunsAkimbo, PistolWhipping, and a heat-packing version of the OffhandBackhand. While pistols are the most common weapon, it can also be done with anything else you could reasonably consider a firearm - Uzis, the SawnOffShotgun, even rocket launchers, as long as you hold it in your hands and fire it. Occasionally, they mix in a little standard martial arts.

It's become very common in modern action movies. Why? RuleOfCool, that's why!

Creator/JohnWoo pretty much [[TropeMaker invented it]] in [[TheNewestOnesInTheBook 1986]] with ''A Better Tomorrow'', which launched the HeroicBloodshed genre in Hong Kong. [[FollowTheLeader Shortly afterwards, these sequences began popping up everywhere]]. Chow Yun-Fat, who became an iconic image with [[GunsAkimbo a gun in each hand]], starred in most of Woo's later films.

Now it must be clear that this is ''not'' GunKata, though it is a close relative. That trope is more about strategic dodging and aiming with guns, while this is about acrobatics with guns. Both are graceful and cool to an almost obscene degree, but Gun Fu is, funnily enough, probably the more plausible of the two. Although both involve ImprobableAimingSkills. And yes, [[CoolVsAwesome you can use both at the same time]].