A Fighting Series, as its name suggests, is one that places a lot of emphasis on fighting. Different fighting styles and learning new moves and abilities are a major part of the plot. There will be lots of emphasis on training, technique, and practice. The main character often, though not always, wants to become the best fighter in the world; whether he does or not, he usually is by the end. Common in Chinese movies from the 1970s and ubiquitous in shonen anime/manga.
Note that simply having a lot of fighting does not mean that a show is a Fighting Series - in order to qualify, the fighting has to be integral to the plot, rather than a means to an end.
See Fighting Game for the Video Game equivalent. Should not be confused with Dueling Shows
Tropes common to this genre include:
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique
- Determinator
- Kung-Fu Kid
- My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours
- The Rival
- Rule of Cool
- Sorting Algorithm of Evil
- Spirited Competitor
- Time to Unlock More True Potential
- To Be a Master
- Tournament Arc
- Training from Hell
Examples
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Anime and Manga
- Airmaster
- Arachnid
- Baki the Grappler
- Black Clover
- Bleach
- Crows
- Cyber Weapon Z
- Dragon Ball, Trope Codifier alongside Saint Seiya.
- Fairy Tail
- Fist of the North Star, which, along with Kinnikuman, launched the entire Shonen fighting genre.
- Gamaran
- Hajime no Ippo - Although it leans more towards to Gaming and Sports Anime and Manga, the series showcases many of the tropes commonly found in Fighting Series. The fact that it is focused on boxing helps.
- Hunter × Hunter
- Ikki Tousen, combined with Fanservice
- Jackals
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure takes this to the weirdest facets, as the title already implies.
- Jungle King Tar-Chan
- Katekyō Hitman Reborn! became this from the Kokuyo Arc onward.
- Kengan Ashura
- Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple (an affectionate parody of the genre)
- Kill la Kill
- Kinnikuman - Predating Fist of the North Star by 4 years, it arguably did just as much as, if not more, for the genre.
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Vivid combines this with Magical Girl.
- ViVid Strike! is basically Magical Girl MMA.
- Mahou Sensei Negima!, combined with the Harem Genre.
- Maken-ki! is set at Tenbi Academy, where everything is settled officially in duels.
- Mobile Fighter G Gundam combines this concept with Humongous Mecha.
- My Hero Academia
- Naruto
- One Piece
- Pokémon
- Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General
- Pretty Cure, especially Heartcatch Pretty Cure, also combine this with Magical Girl, and did so before Vivid.
- Queen's Blade, combined with Heroic Fantasy and Fanservice
- Ranma ½
- Ratman
- Real Bout High School
- Rosario + Vampire, like Negima above, eventually combines with the Harem genre.
- Saint Seiya, arguably the Trope Codifier together with Dragon Ball
- Shaman King
- Soul Eater
- Taboo-Tattoo
- Until Death Do Us Part, focussing on urban guerilla warfare.
- Vagabond
- Yu-Gi-Oh!, especially before the Card Games appeared; in fact, the original concept was that of "a fighting series where the main character never throws a punch."
- YuYu Hakusho
Film
- Fist of Fury
- The Karate Kid
- The Kung Fu Panda franchise
- Legend of a Fighter, and in fact almost anything Bruce Lee appeared in.
- The Rocky movies
- Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Live-Action TV
Video Games
- Asura's Wrath is influenced by these types of series in Japan, with the idea that's it's an Interactive version of this type of Anime series. It works.
Web Comics
- '32 Kick-Up does this with Inkblot Cartoon Style Funny Animals.
- Girls of the Wild's
- The Korean webtoon Lookism is strangely this. It starts with a fat guy being tired of being beat up and he splits into two. One of them a Bishonen with a Heroic Build, the other the same old one. Due to his past of being beat up he as had the reflexes to avoid but not the speed and now he does. Turns out that this new body and his old body too if he had dared to is pretty strong and he is able to defend himself against the strong guys at his new school. This is a Web Toon with many Action Fashionistas, Badass Architects, Dance Battlers, and more. In this Defeat Means Friendship as well.
- My Best Friend Marneao
Western Animation
