History Main / SupernaturalMartialArts

* ''Film/{{Hero}}'' is a {{Wuxia}} film focusing on magical martial arts. Fighters are shown deflecting a RainOfArrows with swords and dress sleeves, hacking through hundreds of armored soldiers, and jumping off the surface of water to swordfight in midair.

** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Sabin Rene Figaro and Duncan Harcourt]] can punch hundreds of times per second, smash foes with beams of BattleAura, release fiery clones of themselves, shed their LifeForce to heal others, fling RazorWind with their hands, and split themselves into many copies to pummel an enemy from all directions. And suplex runaway trains.

[[quoteright:350:[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_l2w9qha.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:400:Huh, I must have been sick the day they covered that in karate class.]]

* ''Manga/BlackClover'' revolves around the use of mana to perform magic and spells as a means of offense and defense. However, most mages in the series are an example of the SquishyWizard, and most do not have impressive physical traits, making them weak against straightforward physical strikes like punches and kicks. Likewise, most mages do not know how to handle themselves in battle if their magic is neutralized in some way. Yami, one of the captains of the Magic Knight squads, possesses the highest physical stats out of all of the captains. This gives him an edge in most combat situations, since not only is he able to dish out physical damage really well, but he can take it too.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Thanks to the wuxia influences on the series, the story jumps into ki moves very early on with the introduction of the Kamehameha. More uses include flying, cloning yourself, reading minds, teleportation, and endless over examples. For quite a long time however they are used primarily as special moves due to the amount of ki required to use them, but at about the time the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' split occurs, they start becoming more common in battle. In the early ''Manga/DragonBall, a character knowing how to use their ki, such as Tao Pai-Pai and Tenshinhan, is a clear indicator that they are someone to be taken seriously, and thus there's a clear divide between them and the more generic fighters and wrestlers who tend to be knocked out early in the Tenkaichi Budokai by the ki-using characters.

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', the Ripple is an ancient form of martial arts that allows a human with the right potential to generate energy similar to [[ThePowerOfTheSun sunlight]] using precise breath control. The Ripple is especially powerful against beings that cannot withstand sunlight like vampires and the Pillarmen.

** And then you've got protagonist Jin, who doesn't borrow the power of a god. Instead, [[spoiler:he IS a god - Sun Wukong himself, to be specific.]]

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''

* Ku Fei of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is capable of killing demons barehanded.

* Manga/GiantRobo combines this with an extensive RuleOfCool. [[MemeticBadass Alberto the Shockwave]] is probably the best example.

* FanFic/SavageSkies gives this to the MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic races. The primary focus is on the Gale King style, as the central character is a pegasus, but there's mention of the unicorn Still Way and the earth pony Mountain Root. The terms have been picked up by various other fics in the fandom.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/user/nesmario123 NESMario123's]] online web series [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFUQLkEA4RYKnTFYfXUve0w/videos BunchOfPseudoIntellectuals Z Kai]] Or B.O.P. Kai for short, it depicts many commentators of the [[https://www.youtube.com/user/BunchofPseudo Bunch of Pseudo-Intellectuals]] commentary group fighting with martial arts and in most episodes blasting enemies with Ki, with the most famous example being [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2xsdjpgtWc Episode 3.]]

** With the addendum of a certain [[AlmightyJanitor humble sweeper]], the only known master of Deja Fu, or "The sensation you have felt this blow before", which allows a level of [[TimeMaster time mastery]] beyond even [[spoiler: the newly awakened AnthropomorphicPersonification of Time itself]].

** ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse''

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}''

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are something between this and FullContactMagic, as bending is basically regular, real-world martial arts moves used by people who can cause [[ElementalPowers movement of a certain element]] to utilize the element more efficiently. All four bending styles are based off of real-world Chinese martial arts; Waterbending is Tai chi, Airbending Baguazhang, Firebending Northern Shaolin kung fu, and Earthbending Hung Gar. Also as with real-world martial arts, they [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra evolve and change]] over long periods of time, with new schools spinning off of the ancient traditions.

** Toph's Earthbending style is actually unique from the other Earthbenders, and is based on Chu Gar (Southern Praying Mantis style). Which, incidentally, is said to have been created by a blind woman.

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': Based as it is ([[FantasyKitchenSink partially]]) on eastern mythology, there are a ton of supernatural martial arts in the universe, both shown in-comic, described in TheRant in the "Manual of Hands and Feet" segments, or described in ''[[AllThereInTheManual Shattered Worlds]]''. Martial arts are separated into External and Internal arts (with some being both) depending on how they manipulate the user's [[TheFlameOfLife Atum]] and tend to have fanciful and descriptive names such as [[PowerPalms Empty Palms]] [[RazorSharpHand Pattram Sword Hand]], or [[UseYourHead Head of John]].

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': Various forms are common across the multiverse; Pankrash Circle Fighting has been mentioned as being strong enough to allow a beetle to fell a lion, and White Chain often uses 49 Empty Palms style. Angels in general are acknowledged as the greatest martial artists; they have little to do in their infinite lives but practice and use them.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are something between this and FullContactMagic, as bending is basically regular, real-world martial arts moves used by people who can cause [[ElementalPowers movement of a certain element]] to utilize the element more efficiently. All four bending styles are based off of real-world Chinese martial arts; Waterbending is Tai Chi, Airbending Ba Gua, Firebending Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, and Earthbending Hung Gar. Also as with real-world martial arts, they [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra evolve and change]] over long periods of time, with new schools spinning off of the ancient traditions.

** Toph's Earthbending style is actually unique from the other Earthbenders, and is based on Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Which, incidentally, was created by a blind woman.
** In another common feature with martial arts, many of the bending styles are inspired by natural phenomena and the movements of creatures. Waterbenders learned it from the tides, airbenders from flying bison, earthbenders from badgermoles, and firebenders from dragons. While the idea that bending itself was learned by observing these creatures was later {{Retcon}}ned (bending was shown in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra The Legend of Korra]]'' to be granted by lion turtles before every spirit departed the world when the Spirit World and human world were cut off from each other), the idea that styles of bending were derived from watching different creatures or phenomena never changed.

* Rokushiki (Six Powers) in ''Manga/OnePiece'' has CharlesAtlasSuperpower applications, like SuperToughness and kicks strong enough to create RazorWind, but the practice also extends to [[MasterOfYourDomain complete body control]], KiManipulation and NotQuiteFlight.

* ''Anime/StreetFighterIITheAnimatedMovie'' is [[TheAnimeOfTheGame exactly what it says.]] As such, all of the characters moves and signature specials are faithfully represented, from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLR4-slWpOg the opening scene]], to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I056MPrakoQ it's dramatic conclusion.]]
* The post-apocalyptic world of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' (and its prequel, ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky'', set in pre-[=WW2=] China) is the home of literally hundreds of different supernatural martial arts techniques, usually involving the manipulation of chi, either the users own or his opponents. The main one being of course the ''Hokuto Shinken (North Star Dipper Fist)'' used by main character Kenshiro, and his step brothers and fellow students Raoh, Toki and Jagi. By manipulating pressure points and chi channels, the Hokuto Shinken can be used both as an incredibly devastating weapon, causing your opponent to explode violently, or as a method of healing. There is also the ''Nanto Seiken (South Dipper Holy Fist)'' which is essentially the counterpart to the Hokuto Sinken, and involves using chi and pressure points to cause damage from the outside rather than the inside. Its used by both villains such as Shin and Souther, and heroes such as Rei. On top of these two, there are dozens of minor styles used by other characters.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'':
** Spoofed with the Wuxi Finger Hold in the first movie's final battle scene -- flexing a single finger causes a massive blast wave that may or may not disintegrate the target.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'': There's Po catching and throwing back ''cannonballs'' (well, explosive fireworks cannonballs, but still...) due to having achieved Inner Peace.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'': Po learns to give chi with some help from [[spoiler:Tigress and a secret village of pandas]], which not only bathes everything in golden light but can fill biological vessels with life energy.

[[quoteright:340:[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/katara_whip_it.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:340:In RealLife, Tai Chi is moving like water. In {{WesternAnimation/Avatar The Last Airbender}}, waterbending IS [[MakingASplash moving water]].]]

A [[BrokenBase controversial]] way to counteract LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards.

** In another common feature with martial arts, many of the bending styles are inspired by natural phenomena and the movements of creatures. Waterbenders learned it from the tides, airbenders from flying bison, earthbenders from badgermoles, and firebenders from dragons. While the idea that bending itself was learned by observing these creatures was later {{Retcon}}ned (bending was shown in ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLegendOfKorra The Legend of Korra]]'' to be granted by lion turtles before every spirit departed the world when the Spirit World and human world were cut off from each other), the idea that styles of bending were derived from watching different creatures or phenomena never changed.

* In ''Manga/DragonsRioting'', Koei Sougetsu a martial art style taught to the main character by his father that leaves the rest of the cast whose abilities are normally [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower physical in nature]] in awe... despite he primarily uses it to run away from [[WeaksauceWeakness attractive girls]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'' and ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'' both feature organizations that teach Supernatural Martial Arts: students of ''Ninja Storm'''s Wind and Thunder Ninja Academies can pull off [[ElementalPowers elemental]] effects, where the monks of the Order of the Claw in ''Jungle Fury'' are trained in the use of the AnimalBattleAura. The same also applied to their ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' counterparts, ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'' and ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'', respectively.

* ''Series/MarcoPolo''has the character of Hundred Eyes doing some kung fu of...questionable plausibility. The in-universe explanation is that he has access to all of the original works of Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism (including secret ones, that were only accessible at his original monastery). The real explanation is probably that the directors just really like Wuxia movies (and likely knows that their audience does too: so they're putting it in to make all the "boring" history go down easier). The moves are all real, but their power-level is just a smidge too high. Nothing is so far out of the ordinary as to be ridiculous to the uninitiated, but far enough to raise the eyebrows of any dancer or actual martial artist. The series also has Jia Sidao, the Chinese prime minister, know some of these moves. The "Grasshopper" Technique that they both use was indeed a real thing (as was the practice of keeping grasshoppers and getting them to fight by tickling them). However, it did not actually let you defy the laws of physics. It is also not biologically possible to reset a dislocated joint on your own body, which Hundred Eyes does several times. Slightly justified in that Marco Polo is not a completely reliable narrator, and people at the time actually believed that martial artists manipulated the energy of the universe (chi or ki) to do things which people (wrongly) assumed were impossible. This belief is kind of the reason why this trope exists in the first place, so [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools its presence in the series is not ridiculous]]. Especially since removing the physics-defying moves would not affect the story's continuity.