#so he decide to master self defense via sword

[pomfoxt]

Scarred

[hellyeahheroes]

Robin(2021) #1 Review

Opening this comic with an assessment of a character that I have no choice but to agree with is a cheap way to score points with me.

Anyways, we caught heat for being unfair to this story since it was announced because all of us wanted it to be a Cass story since forever. And it became yet another thing Damian absorbs. I mostly ignored it because I’ve always been open about my disdain for the character and his fandom for nearly a decade. I never liked Damian because put these characteristics on a non-white passing character, they’d be dead inside of year. Then again I hate almost all of Grant Morrison monstrosities.

Regardless, new story who dis is in full effect here. We open this bad boy up with Damian gone missing and the Batfamily searching for him. Nightwing tried asking Damian’s old Teen Titans team and they obviously don’t know and probably hope Damian is dead. Tim checked Arkham Ruins(???) and Damian wasn’t there. I honestly don’t think Tim was trying to find Damian. Steph and Cass checked Damian’s farm and Steph concluded Damian has been there at least because while Damian may be a little shit, he loves his dog and pet bat dragon. Barbara checked facial recognition pings and his transactions and dude is an IRS nightmare.

Damian is missing. Bruce is worried that maybe making a violent murderous preteen Robin raised in a cabal of killers to be chief murderer was a bad idea and is worried. Barbara ensures him that they will find his son and we cut to Damian fighting Snake guy in some musty ass fight put somewhere. Because of course it’s a musty ass fight pit because while the story is well drawn, it never claimed to be not cliche.

Damian hands the scrub his ass and it turns out Damian is trying to earn a marker to participate in some tournament. I liked this panel.

Not because of the artist flex of changing the art style, but it establishes Damian with a relatable hobby, reading manga. And not just a Shounen as you expect him to read but a slice of life manga which kind of puts his life in perspective. Also the lesson in the manga is reflective of what happens in the comic. Damian’s mastery is reflective of how he sees Hana. Hana decides to go beyond what her masters taught her. She decides to innovate and make her art her own. And that’s indicative of another flaw of Damian: Damian leans of the prestige of his teachers. He is the student that replicates the style 1:1. He wants to inherit Batman’s mantle, but doesn’t want to shed his teachings that he is proud of. And it comes down to this idea that Damian refuses to innovate and adapt because he is hiding behind his masters.

This panel saved the story so good job.

And after a talk with dead Alfred, it’s revealed that Damian is on this journey as a way to mirror Bruce’s journey into becoming Batman. It’s his way to iron his resolve without a catalyst to find a need to. It highlights his naïveté. He thinks that he can just simply copy the steps and get the same results.

Regardless what happens next simultaneously undermines the story or the impact of it.

Okay, when you think of Martial artists in DC, you immediately think Batman, Shiva, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragon, and Shiva. Why I said Shiva twice? Because Shiva is the pinnacle.

So to reveal that three premier martial artists in the universe are not only not participating but they were paid off to not participate, cheated out, or were subbed in as an entry replacement, it undermines the promotion. It’s like going to a Beyonce Concert only to find out that between the words in small print Beyonce and Concert was ‘s Sister’s and now you are watching Grammy award winning Solange. Sure, it’s an unique experience but it ain’t Beyonce.

And also, there is no amount in the world that would keep Shiva away from this tournament if it’s as prestigious as it’s led to be. Let’s be real. If anything, it’s far more likely that she saw the roster of scrubs and decided to make some scratch.

There are two characters that I recognize: Connor Hawke and Rose Wilson. I am not familiar with Connor so I am not sure if he is out of place. Rose is fine but y’know, scrub. I’m sorry Rose Wilson got her ass handed to her by Cass in the previous universe. There is no universe where I take her seriously in a fighting tournament to crown greatest fighter because the ass stomp was so thorough that Cass was beating Slade’s ego by proxy.

Back to the comic, Damian interrupts the host and basically is the fighting tournament trope of overly confident disrespectful guy with too many accolades which he will proudly tell you about them. What I like about this is the nice nod to the previous manga panel. Damian is not a great fighter. There I said it. Damian’s ability hinges on the idea that he was trained by the greatest killers and Batman but the issue is that name prestige doesn’t make great fighters. Too many times, comic books overly rely on this idea of fighting being a what you know and not being a game of not getting hit and getting hits in. It does not matter if Damian is trained by the League and Batman and it’s questionable as to how much Batman taught him in the first place. Hence why we see Damian with a sword or staff to compliment his lack of range. Damian can’t read muscle twitches like a Cass or Shiva so he has a normal reactive response and comics never highlighted his ability. The most impressive thing I’ve seen Damian do is catch a Batarang which is something I’ve seen Tim do. Damian overly relies on the idea that his teachers taught him to be the best when they simply taught him to survive in a fight.

“But why does Cass get away with it?,” you ask. Cass has this broken hax that is reading muscle twitch and immediately knowing the instant of what you are going to do before you do it or decide to do. Cass doesn’t need range because to her, you are screaming your intentions. She doesn’t need to block an attack when she can just parry. She doesn’t need to step back when she can just step forward while slipping all attacks. She is an autistic savant at fighting with an absolute defense. Damian is just another badass teen in a world of badass adults.

And the humbling of Damian begins...again.

Pros:

-Damian’s new costume. I like that he is branching out and starting to own his own colors. It’s nice.

-Using a character flaw to make it a theme. I like Chekhov’s gun via teachable moment. In tournament arcs, what separates the good ones and the bad ones is the idea that the hero simply must overcome their opponents and not their own self. This is why Yuyu Hakusho is awesome.

- Great art and nice continuity. It’s nice that Damian’s past wasn’t ignored for once and they didn’t just throw his Teen Titans characterization down the tubes. Say what you want, but it was arguably Damian’s longest run in spite of his fans hating it. And contrary to what they believe, it was very much in character for him. My fear going into this that Damian would not face any fallout and lo and behold he ran away.

- it’s a good start for a Damian story. Say what you want, but it’s unique in that the little shit gets his comeuppance immediately. And not that just by losing, but by dying. Damian has killed before and readily justifies it because he never realizes the weight of taking someone’s life. He’s been killed before but those were painted in a way that he is valiant. Here, this is death caused by his own arrogance. He mocks a fighter for talking shit and gets murked while talking shit. He spouts names of his own teachers and expects people to care or be weary as if Rose Wilson and Connor aren’t there. It’s a tournament sponsored by the League of Assassins, Damian. They have been taught by the league too.

Cons:

-Look I get promotion. No promoter is going to undermine their product but the fact that this tournament reeks like ABA is killing my interest to give a shit. It’s a convenient caveat to say that, “Well, a character won this so they can have the title but the title doesn’t mean anything.” I know of regardless of whom wins this, they aren’t the best. Go ham or don’t at all.

-not enough emphasis of the importance of this arc. Why even have this tournament? What’s the prize? What’s even the point?

-While the art is nice, the action is framed poorly. I like physical action like this to be nearly choreographed in a way I can see and piece movement in my head. The two fight scenes we get are somewhat disjointed in that it’s just poses. For example, Flatline’s first kick makes no sense at all and I don’t get her follow up. Trying to picture the movement hurts my head and in an action concept like this, it’s best to frame action scenes as more than doing poses. Here is a good example:

This only emphasizes the action and gets the reader to acknowledge that this a tournament of great fighters or at least a great fighting story.

All in all, do I think this story is off to a good start? Yes. Is it going to change my opinion on Damian? Hell no. My reaction to Damian getting his ass handed to him was this.

The issue is that it never sticks. Damian can learn and be a better person but the development never sticks. It becomes a cyclical series of events because whoever writes him next will just keep writing him as this shitty entitled murder rich kid who never learns anything and gets validated somehow. It’s been over a decade and I’m tired of the same excuses of his shitty behavior. I am tired of writers validating it or excusing it.

Damian losing isn’t an outcome I care for because it’s wasted on him. Honestly I am more interested in Connor and Rose being there. I have no faith that it will stick nor does it undo the shitty idea of the character. I have never wanted to see Damian fight. It’s never been fun to read about nor has the impetus of his character emphasized the ability or style. Placing Damian in an Enter the Dragon style tournament lacks the pizzazz of Cass doing the same thing. For example, let’s try Marvel.

Let’s say someone pitches an idea of a tournament arc styled after Game of Death. Immediately you think Martial Artists non-powered. Danny Rand, Daredevil, Elektra, Shang-Chi, Pei and Colleen Wing. Okay, instead of giving those characters the honor, you give the story to Black Cat. Honestly, I’d read it because Felicia could sell me a documentary on grass and I’d buy it but the point stands, why does Damian have this Bruce Lee inspired Martial Arts story versus the actual Chinese or East Asian Martial Arts focused member of the Batfamily, Cassandra Cain?

But this has nothing to do with what could have been. It’s a fun beginning of a possibly fun arc. In that regard, it delivers but what’s the point?

Like I said, fun story.

@ubernegro

[azazelsconfessional]

((Azazel's abilities(and some combat abilities for the other Missionaries as they continue to be side characters when this event ends)

Azazel is ridiculously powerful. He's easily the most powerful member of the Missionaries, after Nyarlathotep.

Shame about the chains that keep his power and true form locked away.

Rule of Revelation (Sacred Artifact: Bible "Eyes of the Fallen")

Azazel's Bible is always on his person. He does NOT put it down and does not give it to people except those he trusts. He's willing at times to show its contents to people but he won't let most anyone hold it.

If you do get a hold of it it will stop working/won't show you anything. It will just become a book with glowing symbols on/in it or a regular Bible with an eye on the front.

Eyes of the Fallen allows Azazel to view and proccess anything the pages see, including outside of Missionaries territory.

In order to use Eyes of the Fallen, Azazel needs to expose his chains, causing him to remove his cassock.

Azazel can move the pages wherever he pleases. They're magical so there's some resistance in them, however they are paper and thus easily destroyed or removed or displaced.

Large eyes made of light will appear in the sky over large areas he's searching.

Within Missionaries Territory Azazel can see anything without the aid of his Artifact.

Azazel can see anything there is to be seen and a bit more. Though he can't see "how" someone came to be who/what they are, he can see their current form and see them for what they really are(MC has 24+ souls and he can see and identify them all; Nomad is a human modified into a tiger and he can see his human soul; Shino is a Shadow/ghost/etc and he can see that he's no longer really alive/his original form; when Raphael made them all see zombies and the Fisher King he was able to confirm they weren't real zombies but the memories of a past occurrence; etc)

He can both see and hear things, however the other senses don't work.

There are little to no combat capabilities to Eyes of the Fallen.

Healing capabilities slightly described below.

Magic & Game Unit Skills

Azazel is insanely powerful to the point that his Summopedia page described him as being the most powerful of the Missionaries. However his chains prevent him from accessing his true form or power.

Azazel is able to use bursts of Aether(equivalent Light, Holy, etc) magic despite being a Fallen Angel.

They're not super strong, but they do have a decent range. He can use them more or less infinitely due to his huge power reserve that's otherwise restricted to him.

He's able to heal himself and others. In-game limits this to using Eyes of The Fallen/his Charge Skill and only to allies in his immediate vicinity, so I'll consider this healing happening through use of the pages of his Artifact over wounds.

Applies the effect 'Blessing' to his allies around himself(heals over time temporarily.)

Can remove a debuff of people he hits; weaken(defense) of people he hits; temporarily prevent use of skills of those he hits; heal allies after damaging opponents

Taking damage can strengthen allies(increase their charge points, which isn't really a concern in terms of writing since they can use their powers more or less instantly)

Misc

Azazel has wings he can magically produce/retract. He can use them to fly.

Azazel's pain tolerance is obscenely high. He responds to pain as though it's pleasure.

Azazel cannot be killed. Killing him will change him into his true form.

Breaking his chains(accessible only to beings with powers on level with a Supreme God/King of Gods; Archangel Raphael; and entities with Rules that can cut through/break/open things absolutely(MC's Rule of Rending, primarily) and a few others) will also change him into his true form and return to him his powers.

Eyes of the Fallen and some other things can make his tail turn from a goat tail into a snake tail. His scales are slightly keeled and more keeled when agitated/fighting, making them spiky like a spiny bush viper

Exists but is inaccessible--a spear with the Rule of Corruption inherit in his true body. Cannot access it unless chains are 'loosened' by an Archangel or are cut enough maybe????? I haven't decided how this headcanon works since he can't use it anyway

Under the cut a small rundown on side characters' powers

Arsalan:

Artifact is a shamshir that can spray an infinite amount of sacred oil

Oil is fired at a speed that can knock one off their feet or knock weapons out of one's hand

Oil is obviously slippery and heavy enough to prevent use of wings as well; holding things and maintaining footing is very difficult

Allies are adept at fighting through/with his oil and thus are uninhibited except if their wings get too oily

Always covered in oil himself, hard to hold on to

Oil has healing properties(Unction), hurts enemies after they've been hit by Arsalan(Unction Weakness)

Oil is flammable, Zabaniyya controls his flames and uses the oil to spread Hellfire if need be(see: Zabaniyya)

Sword is strong against demons in particular; sacred oil is all over his body and makes him strong against/resistant to demons as well

Rarely uses sword as weapon, sticks to oil and physical combat unless given permission by Jacob or in a desperate situation that requires it

Physically and mentally extremely strong and resilient, uninhibited by his own oils even when manhandling enemies via wrestling

Sword allows him to resist oil and temptation as well

Teeth and claws are very sharp

Incredible leader, almost all of Aoyama Guild will obey him without question

Maria

Artifact is thorns that can move pain to and from others and herself(including painful memories)

Thorns are able to grow just about anywhere, including inside, and cover spaces

Applies Stigma to herself and those she hits or is hit by(applies damage over time and reduces defense)

Heals self and allies, especially by transferring damage from them to enemies through thorns

Temporarily disable skills

Leader of the Aoyama Guild, obeyed by most of the current members

Gabriel

Rule/Sacred Artifact(undisclosed? May be a microphone?/magical girl wand?) allows her to drive others to madness through the power of moonlight. Dubiously part of her Rule is her ability to make others fall for/obey her simply by commanding them

Likely also has a sword Artifact, rarely uses it, similar circumstances as Arsalan

The latter usually is used to make people stop attacking(Charm)

Very support-based, strengthening, healing, and motivating self and allies through song and magic

Has wings, can fly quickly

Maddened people are probably controllable by her, or at least they adore her and will probably listen and attack allies that threaten her?

Zabaniyya

Role of the Torturer; Rule of Hellfire; Sacred Artifact is a fiery spear, however he doesn't use it, similar circumstances to Arsalan

Fights using martial arts, mastering the 'Fiery Spear Hand' in which he channels his weapon through his hands

Can also fight from a distance using fire, but rarely does

Inflicts internal and external burns through his Artifact. Rule of Hellfire under the Role of the Torturer causes eternal pain.

Internally burning all the time, high pain tolerance, considers pain a penance and doesn't shy away from it very much; probably essentially immune to fire? Basically a firey tank. V high defense.

Applies Stigma and deals additional damage to those afflicted with Stigma and Burn; also applies Stigma to those who hit him

Can harm others from a distance using a chain of cross-shaped flames if they're afflicted with Stigma; chains are probably homing?

Heals allies apparently???

Rule of Hellfire purges people of sin and evil through flames, thus likely more effective against demons

Can ignite flames of passion/love, although he refuses to do this

Has wings, can fly, rarely uses them

Will not fight unless ordered by appropriate parties or the enemy has broken divine law

Kimun/Wen Kamui

Rule allows him to strip others (of their growth). Artifact is the 'Mankiller Sword' which he uses on himself as Kimun and others as Wen.

Mankiller Sword, if it's able to strip someone of their clothing, fur, hair, or flesh, is able to spawn a copy of the person's past self for them to fight--losing the fight against themself will cause them to lose their growth. If they win, the copy disappears.

Can spawn multiple copies if he cuts them multiple times

Can duplicate himself this way as well

Copies(of himself or enemies) might not cooperate with him although they mostly obey, depends on the person and their traumas/what they're struggling to grow or move on from/etc

Temporarily can't attack after doing this????/after using his Charge Skill

Can copy enemy buffs

Able to heal self and allies

Very high defense and pain tolerance due to his role/rule causing him to strip himself of his own skin/pelt/fur to give it to others

Hurts you even if he misses.

Unable to be frozen

Can apply freeze(lowers defense, damage over time) if he misses

Jacob

Sacred Artifact is a Pillar allowing him to remember all previous loops; connected to the Tree of Life in Eden; cannot be killed

Sacred Artifact is the Archangel Uriel's whirling sword of flame. Doesn't use it in flame form most of the time, only uses it to enhance his punches and kicks and movements; it also guides him around due to his blindness; also able to restore people's memories from previous loops(including people he doesn't know and he "can reach even those who have never appeared in this Tokyo with his Rule") and makes a pillar of holy light that leads to the Tree of Life in Eden, making him more effective against either angels or the undead(hard to tell because it was used against undead angels, possibly both)

Blind, thus unaffected by anything that requires sight

Leader of the Aoyama Guild, although a lot of people aren't aware of it due to his absence, thus obeyed by most of its members(if not all of them because the Admins obey him)

Can multihit/punch very fast. He's no Captain Falcon but his fists are Dangerous.

Relies mostly on sound for navigation but can also be guided by his Artifact. Can probably blind others with the massive pillar of light from it.

Cannot be forced to move backwards. Can pull people in a certain range towards him/get in people's personal space easily to fight since he fights with his fists

Weakens enemies, applies Blessing(healing over time) to himself

Artifact heals him, removes ALL debuffs, and makes him highly resistent to damage temporarily

Artifact also provides him a shield that keeps him from being exposed to life-threatening conditions(Korpokkur's blizzard is how we learned about this--also keeps him warm and guides him to people and things he should meet)

Takes less damage from other close range fighters using their bare hands/fists(and any enhancements like knuckles, claws, etc--basically if you're a Blow unit/hit in a singular space in front of you he takes less damage from you)

Can use his Artifact as a sword but generally refuses to. It's a big, spinning sword of flame and would apply burn but he avoids using it because he hates weapons

NPC Angels

Primarily attack in a group. Always guarding the Church and its activities and almost always accompany its admins. The church is rarely unattended.

Fight with spears which can be thrown. Some level of magic?

Apply stigma to hit enemies. Deal more damage to Stigmafied enemies.

Can heal surrounding allies.

Nyarlathotep

You just die. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[sanjuno]

Meta Fic rides again

I'm a little stuck on how to word something in my Nano 2020 project so I decided to take a break by trying to read “Scum Villain’s Self Saving System” again and failed horribly because I got to the part when Binghe comes back and my interest died a quick and messy death for yet a third time. Someone write me a giant pile of gen-fic and LiuShen AUs to heal my heart.

Here, I’ll start us off:

Spite and Fury (or; PEDW is a hive of Scum and Villainy)

So bitter-old-man!Madara dies of old age after he passes his Epic Revenge Plot over into Obito’s keeping, and the Sage’s knockoff-brand cycle-of-transmigration peels Indra’s chakra out of Madara’s soul - which results in dying!Madara having a screaming ragefit that sends his spirit-and-chakra careening through the void between worlds

At which point shattered-and-fragmenting-more!Madara gets into an altercation with the System and since the System is a little bitch it tosses Madara into the worst possible Fate it can think of (see: PEDW)

Transmigration bullshit and Sharingan fuckery smash into each other in a gigantic clusterfuck of asspulls

Madara is missing bits because Indra’s imprint got ripped out

The Shen Jiu base soul is missing bits because torture and previous abuse of his character by the System

The resulting villain amalgamation is Not Pleased

Instead of landing in the divergence point chosen by the System - aka the Qi deviation fever shortly after Binghe arrives at Cang Qiong Sect – we instead have the jigsaw puzzle mashup of Mads-and-Jiu land in baby-slave Jiu’s body

The good news is Madara and Jiu stop fragmenting because they end up woven together - they’re stuck together as an almost-single person only with two different sets of memories

Character exploration is going to be an EVENT

Also the Madara part of them is really happy with the silky smooth hair

Also Yue “lets-Binghe-kill-him-because-he-thinks-Shen-Jiu-is-dead” Qi is cast is a much better light when compared to Senju “stabs-his-sworn-brother-in-the-back” Hashirama

So Mads-Jiu plays it close to canon for the first few years - the only real difference is that he tags his Jiejie with a tracking seal for after he escapes from slavery - he’s not leaving his ability to find her again up to chance or developing a reputation as a whoremonger if he can help it

When he gets bought by the Qiu is when Mads-Jiu starts being a manipulative little shit like we all know he is

Xanatos-pileup-or-bust!Mads-Jiu basically lets Yue Qi escape alone because he NEEDS Yue Qi to become Cang Qiong Sect Leader for his long-term plans to work properly

So Mads-Jiu warns Yue Qi that if he has to be CAREFUL because cultivating is dangerous and if Yue Qi comes back missing any pieces then Jiu will cut the EXACT SAME BITS OFF HIMSELF

And so Yue Qi is EXTREMELY safety conscious and the life eating sword drama is avoided entirely

Of course he’s also taking longer to reach his initial strength levels than in canon because he isn’t rushing

So there’s nothing like Yue Qi showing up early to trigger a plot divergence alert in the System

</mwahahaha>

Mads-Jiu is more pragmatic regarding Qiu Haitang’s so-called innocence this time around - and so he arranges for her to catch the Creeper Qiu bro abusing and assaulting Shen Jiu

Haitang is HORRIFIED AND DISGUSTED to see what her brother is doing to her fiancé and also TERRIFIED by the fact that he talks the entire time about how sweet it’s going to be when it’s HAITANG under him

The Qiu burn on schedule but Haitang kills her fair share - double Qi deviations FTW!

The system does not notice such a minor change in the background events - Jiu kills the Qiu, burns down their house, and Haitang survives the fire with vengeance raging in her heart

Mads-Jiu kills the demonic creeper that was hanging around because ew no and also keep your hands of Haitang

Again, it’s too close to canon for the System to notice - Jiu killed him in defense of a “childhood friend” so hahaha again

Instead of being used as a stalking horse by an evil master Mads-Jiu runs off with Haitang to track down and rescue his Jiejie

Shenanigans ensue

Afterwards Mads-Jiu “has an idea to help find Qi-ge” by asking around for him at the Immortal Alliance Conference

Of course there are more shenanigans and Yue Qi saves all three by claiming that they’re Cang Qiong disciples - so of course he drags all 3 of them back with him and wibbles at the current Sect Leader until he lets them all join

Still (mostly) following canon! Ha! So no “punishment” events get triggered in the System (which is mostly dormant because the Protagonist isn’t born yet XP)

Qiu Haitang was supposed to join a Sect! Jiejie got sold on schedule! Shen Jiu killed the Qiu and his “first master”! Yue pesters his Shizun into letting his sibling(s) join the Sect in an unorthodox fashion!

But the devil is in the details

And the devil’s name is Uchiha Madara

Jiejie ends up as Peak Lord for Talisman Peak because magic and seals saved her before

Haitang ends up Peak Lord for Hidden Peak because she refuses to be caught unawares by a dangerous secret ever again... also because she’s a mean sneaky bitch and owns it

Having more than one sibling for the Sect Leader to blatantly favour means less wholesale resentment directed at Mads-Jiu as well

However the Jiu part of them has memories from PIDW and also SVSSS - so he knows that shit is going to get horrible once Su Xiyan gets knocked up

Obviously the answer is to seduce all of his fellow peak lords into a glorious polyamorous clusterfuck so as to promote skinship and pack bonding and harmony among the sect leadership

(It worked for PIDW Binghe with his wives and SVSSS Shen Yuan with getting Bing-mei to chill his tits after all and nobody can trip you into bed quite like a shinobi)

And so Cang Qiong’s family aesthetics get rocked so hard that instead of panting after his Shizun baby disciple Binghe decides to seduce his peers...

... and his rivals

... and other sect’s disciples

... and the occasional demon

Mads-Jiu is really proud of his baby demon lord but makes sure not to single Binghe out - instead every Qing Jing disciple gets rewarded and punished at the same time

It promotes bonding! And teamwork!

And prevents the utter destruction of Mads-Jiu’s chrysanthemum via oversized demonic pillar!

There is totally going to be an extra where Mads-Jiu realizes that the average size of a male cultivators pillar is DANGEROUSLY EXCESSIVE

NOBODY NEEDS THAT MUCH PILLAR

Even HIS pillar hasn’t escaped the curse

BIGGER IS NOT BETTER!

How the fuck is he supposed to fight if he can’t even wear pants comfortably!?!?

(No wait come back Mu-shidi this shixiong is sorry it wasn’t mockery it was a perfectly reasonable tantrum that was a long time coming now stop sulking your dick is very pretty let shixiong make it up to you~)

And at some point there will be a wild Bing-ge who appears to cause trouble with a mirror that’s intended to temporarily transform people into the form of their last life - he aims it at the native Bingbing to get him out of the way so he can steal the “nice” Shizun

It would have been Pom time for Bingbing but Mads-Jiu pushes him out of the way

And cue giant explosion of dark Qi as a bonus expansion pack of Madara’s 10-tail Jinchuriki time with powers-and-memories gets downloaded into Mads-Jiu

Mads-Jiu the “Heavenly Demon Demi God” drops several mountains worth of flaming meteor rock on the invaders and then goes on a giant flaming skeleton rampage against Bing-ge

... Bing-ge has changed his mind he doesn’t want this Shizun take him back and oh gods the shrieking

How does he shriek so loud? Doesn’t he need to breathe?

... ok so Shizun breathes fire that’s good to know

Whelps time to bravely run away

And then the amassed sects need to figure out how to calm down the rampaging hell beast

The youngest Qing Jing disciple is brought out and told to cry for Shizun

Actually-a-broody-hen!Mads-Jiu whips around and starts fussing over his baby student

Because baby why are you crying stop it tell Shizun who hurt you and he will BURN THEM TO ASH

The last bit I have an idea for involves Mads-Jiu getting yanked though dimensions because Edo Tensei where he instantly twigs to what is going on and pushes the “righteous cultivator” skin to maximum strength

He shoves all the baby ninja behind him and keeps barrier spamming the zombie army - because ew no stay away from the children resentful corpses

Zetsu is included in the zombie army shall not pass smack down

Zombie!Tobirama is appalled because wut? Wasn’t this supposed to be Madara’s zombie? What is happening?

And I dunno something where he “notices” the resentful energy surrounding Danzo because stealing the eyes of the people you murdered is bad karma

So Mads-Jiu does a spirit thing and the ghosts of the Uchiha rips Danzo apart while screaming about his guilt in full view of the entire Village

And then Mads-Jiu goes home because filial little Bingbing came to get him and he’s not enjoying upending the shinobi social order nope not at all whom exactly do you take him for?

... Yes he’s done and ready to go back to his spouses now he’s sure the ninja have all learned better than to raise living corpses now anyway

The end

=/=

[thedcdunce]

Hardware

“I never thought about dying before. It makes me want to live.” - Hardware

Real Name: Curtis “Curt” Metcalf

Gender: Male

Height: 6′ 1″

Weight: 170 lbs (77 kg)

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Abilities:

Genius Level Intellect

Martial Arts

Firearms

Equipment:

The Hardware

Skylark

Curtis' Personal Car

The Hardware

Custom Handgun

Universe:

Dakotaverse

New Earth

Citizenship: American

Base of Operations:

Hard Company

Alva Technologies, Dakota City

Parents:

Mitchell Metcalf; father

Denise Metcalf; mother

Marital Status: Married (Barraki Young; wife)

Occupation:

Businessman

Inventor

Scientist

Education: College graduate with seven scientific degrees

First Appearance: Hardware #1 (April, 1993)

Abilities

Genius Level Intellect: Curtis Metcalf is one of the most brilliant scientific minds on the planet. He has created breakthroughs in metallurgy, computer science, nanotechnology, and plasma weapons. Curtis is also Earth's foremost expert on Cooperative technology having studied and reverse engineered devices aboard Icon's lifepod.

Mechanical Aptitude

Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Computer Hacking

Martial Arts: Curtis Metcalf is a good hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by his father in the martial arts.

Firearms: Skilled in the use of various types of firearms of his own design.

Equipment

The Hardware: All of Curtis Metcalf's superhuman abilities derive from a sophisticated suit of armor called the Hardware. There have been several different versions, labeled 2.0, 3.0 et cetera.

Shell: The basic armor is a plasticized metal alloy of Curtis' own design. Using a device called the Shell Forge, Hardware coats his body from head to toe with this material.

Superhuman Durability: Once polarized, the shell serves as a skintight, impact-resistant foundation upon which his external armor rests. Though not bulletproof, the shell is highly bullet resistant and can easily shrug off small caliber gunfire. It also has ablative capabilities that offer protection against low-level energy attacks like electricity and laser beams.

Superhuman Strength: The shell has programmable polymers integrated into its structure. Initially, the shell amplified Curtis's strength fifty fold, meaning that he could lift 5 tons under optimal conditions. However, Hardware's battle with the SYSTEMatic Mark III indicates that Curtis has significantly increased the shell's strength augmentation abilities.

External armor: The external systems of Hardware's armor are stored within the nano-robot housing pods in his helmet and shoulder pads. These systems are constructed by nano-robots, microscopic machines that are released via main control systems in the helmet. The external armor is powered by high efficiency batteries called power packs installed in the shoulder pads.

Skylark

Curtis' Personal Car: When he became Hardware, Curtis Metcalf was initially reluctant to use his personal car for crimefighting. However, he soon realized his car would be useful in situations like undercover operations in which his other vehicles like the Skylark would be too conspicuous. To this end, Curtis made extensive modifications to the car to improve its effectiveness as a crimefighting vehicle. Curtis has owned two cars. The first was a 1992 Lotus Esprit, which was destroyed by the costumed assassin Volt in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Metcalf. The second was a 1996 Dodge Viper GTS, which first saw action when Hardware aided his father Mitch Metcalf in bringing the crime boss Top Dog to justice. This car was destroyed by a missile fired by one of Top Dog's henchmen. He did not immediately replace it with a third car.

The Hardware: The armor comes with a versatile arsenal of weapons and tools.

Omnicannon

Plasma Whip

Retractable Sword

PLASER (Plasma Laser)

Energy Field

Fluid Gun

Custom Handgun: In his civilian identity, Curtis usually has carried a traditional handgun for self-defense. However, he increasingly found himself facing superhuman foes that could not be defeated with a mere gun. So, Curt began developing high-tech, easily concealable weapons to fulfill this need. Most notable of these is his watch, whose face flips up to reveal a hidden compartment containing a miniature version of his Omnicannon shell. In weapon mode, the watch uses pressurized gas to propel the shell toward a target with enough explosive force to destroy a car. Due to its small size, the watch only has enough ammo for one shot and lacks computer targeting systems, requiring Curt to manually aim it. A pressure field of Curt's design prevents the mini-shell from being accidentally detonated if he bangs the watch against a wall or similar hard surface.

History

Curtis Metcalf, alias Hardware is a superhero vigilante operating out of Dakota City. He is a genius inventor who has designed an advanced armored exo-skeleton with an immense arsenal of technological weaponry. He wages a one-man crusade against crime by night, fighting against his former mentor, Edwin Alva, and the international syndicate S.Y.S.T.E.M.

Origins

Curtis Metcalf was a child prodigy from a working class neighborhood, born to Mitchell and Denise Metcalf. At age twelve, famous inventor Edwin Alva took notice of his gifts and developed a personal interest in him. Alva paid his way through the top schools in the country, Curt graduated from high school at age fourteen, and got his first college degree at fifteen. After completing his education on scholarship, the only requirement was that he would come to work at Alva Technologies, where he was given an enormous salary, his own staff, and the freedom to work on anything he wanted. This paid off, and his inventions made millions of dollars for the company. Throughout his life, he considered Alva to be the closest thing he had to a friend, and more of a father than his own dad had ever been. Believing he should receive a higher share of the profits he generated, Curtis asked Alva for a pay raise and found out what the old man really thought of him. Alva had absolutely no respect for Curtis as anything other than a useful servant, and regarded their relationship as dog and master.

Enraged, Curtis tried to quit his position but was contractually obliged to never work for a competing company. Instead, he turned to blackmail. Searching for a blight on Alva's record, he instead discovered that his boss was a complete monster who was also a major figure in the covert international crime network S.Y.S.T.E.M. After submitting the evidence he had found to the proper authorities, Curtis was completely ignored. The level of power and corruption Alva had achieved permeated the legal system, and made it impossible for him to be taken down by conventional means. Instead, Curtis decided to bring him down himself. Making use of the vast technological resources at his disposal, he created an advanced suit of armor that allowed him to fight against the criminal enterprises of his enemy by night, using the alter-ego Hardware. Alva struggled every night against the high-tech dreadnought, unaware that he is funding his own arch-nemesis, who operates out of his basement.

From the beginning of his career, Hardware battled with all types of villains, most of whom were hired by Alva to kill him. From the body doubling assassin Reprise to the tech-inspired Technique, none of them could best the armored avenger. Within months, Hardware relentlessly picked Alva's organization to pieces, costing him millions of dollars. However, one day Edwin Alva discovered Hardware's true identity and appeared in his hideout! Alva's original rage turned into something else. Impressed by Curtis' tactical abilities and courage to stand up to him, Alva made him a stunning offer. In return for Hardware's protection and occasional help, Curtis would be made his second-in-command and allow him to dismantle Alva's criminal organization. Curtis accepted the deal, believing he could shut down the bad parts of Alva Industries and S.Y.S.T.E.M. easier this way. But first, he would need new armor.

New Armor, New Beginnings

In the months that followed, Alva seem to be living up to his end of the bargain, divesting from his criminal operations and training Curtis in the intricacies of running a multinational corporation. Deciding to go out with a bang, Alva decided to announce his retirement at the grand opening of Utopia Park. But when riots break out, Alva decided to take the safety of Utopia Park into his own hands. Donning a new prototype armor, Alva sacrificed his life to save a group of people from being crushed.

[nammyfanficsblog]

Eyeshield 21 X Fire emblem Fates/If

I haven’t write anything for so long, really sorry about that ; w ;  this time, I wanted to share some of crossover idea with you again ^w^  Imagine this......

*Hoshido and Nohr are really hate each other so much*

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The player - Corrin, still have the power to transform into dragon but this time, no only him/her that has this power.

Devil bats = Hoshido (with supporting from Chameleon and Sphinx )

Special Skill - White storm = Add current rate of Speed to Atk during your phase.  (almost of Hoshido’s members have this skill)

Sena - A young samurai with highest speed base, He becomes more serious than usual. Current Master of Raijinto and a Rival to Shin. Sena must bear many tensions around himself and this lead him to........ 

Monta - A Monk, staff and elemental magics user. Rival to Sakuraba. One of Sena’s best friend. He hates and jealous over that nohr’s noble mage. compare with other magical unit, His speed base is the highest! which made him to dodge almost of attack easier than other mages. too bad, his atk and def stats are really low.....

Hiruma - blame Takumi An archer, his Accurate is unstoppable! Every time that he throw/shoot something, it’s always hit!  He has quite balancing stat and highest Luck. Unlike others Hoshido, He doesn’t hate Nohr at all (but doesn’t mean that he like them too....) Rival to Takami.  His personality is seems become more relaxed and less evil. *spoiler : he might change side sometime....

Kurita - Oni Savage, Kurita is an only hoshidan unit who doesn’t have “White storm” skill. He has a great Atk , Def and Hp yet his spd is the lowest of all. He doesn’t hate Nohr directly but just want to protect his friends. Rival to Otawara.

Jumonji, Kuroki are Sky knights, Togano is a mechanist. The ha-ha bros are deadly when being together for their “Triangle attack” technique. They just wanted to prove themself and join Sena’s force to do so. Jumonji is the only one who takes his job seriously, Kuroki named his pegasus for  “Melon-chan” and Togano is quite scared of pegasus.

Komusubi -  Oni Savage, Just follow his master to fight. He has better Spd than Kurita but a little bit lower Atk and Def than him.  

Yukimitsu - A diviner, Highest Mtk and Mdef but quite low at Hp and Def. He also has a special skill “Curse touch” which allows him to cause some abnormal status though his attack at a (very low) current rate. His personality will become more evilly when someone mentions about “Curse”. He just can’t stand for only watch his friends fight so, he decides to join and protect too. 

Ichimaru - Ninja, Secret ninja join Sena’s force to protect his homeland.he has 2nd best Spd stat only lower than Sena’s. He’s wonder why he is being too plain and even got a nick name for “Silent Assassin”

Suzuna and Natsuhiko - Kitsune, Taki sibling join force to protect their homeland, They’re like the secret weapons of Hoshido since when transformed, they’re really great in all status! their weakness are “beast bane” or “Iron skin” skill.

----

and White knight = Nohr  (with supporting from Poseidon, Spider)

Special skill - Dark Aid = Add current rate of Atk to Def during opponent phase. (Same as Hoshido’s members, Most of Nohr’s also have this skill)

Shin - A  Cavalier, one of few members that has balance stats. Shin is both good at sword and spear. He has a goal to conquer over Hoshido but still waver about it. Sena is his Nemesis. Personal skill - Dark aid, Chivalry, Bless guardian.

Sakuraba -  A Troubadour, He view Monta as his nemesis. Despite his origin, He is able to use light magic/tome without trouble and also able to use light magic as well, making him know as “Twilight mage”. he has high def if compare with others magical unit. He doesn’t understand why the Hoshidan hates Nohr so much. 

Otawara - A Mercenary, Kurita is being his nemesis. Despite being mercenary and not riding horse, he has quite good Spd stat and has balancing stat . He always wanted to have a fair fight with his rival but his story doesn’t lead him to....

Takami - A Dark mage, Hiruma is his nemesis. Noble mage with highest magic stat and balance physical stat which made him quite deadly for a mage. Unlike all Nohr, He really admired Hoshidan and “hawkeye archer”.  his personality is become more evilly than usual.

Ikari -  A Wolfskin , the only one who doesn’t have “Dark aid” skill. He doesn’t have personal hates toward hoshido, just wanted to fight. 

Kakei and Mizumachi - Malig knight, Most of Poseidon members are now riding the dragons! 

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Natural side  (They will go with player no matter which side it is)

Riku - Mercenary, Kid - Outlaw and Tetsuma - Butler, The Gunman are from Nohr. They bored and tired of fighting between their homeland and Hoshido, so, they seek another way to solve this. 

Riku is used to be Sena’s childhood friend, who also teach Sena how to use sword. His speed stat is as good as Sena’s but lack of luck (don’t do crit as much as Sena)

Kid/ Shien, He always seek adventure together with his butler. He enjoys his past memories of peace. his skill/ accurate is quite high together with Mag def stat. Kid is like mage killer of Nohr.

Tetsuma is Kid/Shien’s personal butler who does anything to serve his master. He is quiet for most of time and only obey to Kid or those who kid is trust’s command. This battle butler can also use healing spell and is like a counterpart of Hoshido’s ninja.

Mamori - Songstress, Her duty is to get Nohr and Hoshido stop fighting. Her status is good at defense and Luck (via her staff)  She was siding with Hoshido at first.

Atsumi, Haibara and  Konjo  - Blacksmith, Oni Savage and  Priestess. Also with Hoshido at first, until they notices something about their leader. 

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The kids (What if the rest member of eyeshield 21 are turn out to be the children of Nohr and Hoshido??? I just thinking about this = w =)

Ikkyu = Son of Monta , Young monk who admire his father and dream to become like him in some day. Unlike his father, he has stable status with gift of spd.

Clifford = Son of Hiruma , The talent archer just like his dad but doesn’t like anything about Hiruma at all. He is the serious character who would take his job of saving the homeland more seriously than his father himself.

Torakichi Nanpa = Sakuraba’s son (how could a fan of Sakuraba become his son??? XD) 

Akira Nakabo = Sena’s son , a lance fighter - because too shy and lack of confidence, these make him become self aware and isn’t able to use sword but he practice to use lance instead.

Hayato Akaba = Mamori’s son, inherit of holy voice. 

that’s all for now ; w ; 

Updates* I draw some fanarts!  >w<  here !

but I didn’t know if I will have more inspiration to do more  ; w ; 

*spoiler -  In some route there was a genocide/killing all the members....*

[cloakedsparrow]

Combat skills are at the basic core of every superhero, and it is often one of their most defining qualities. While it’s certainly important for them to have a strong heart and will, how they fare in a fight is one of the most exciting aspects that makes heroes great. Even those that dwell in the mystic arts much have a solid degree of hand-to-hand combat training to further supplement their skills.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has graced audiences with its great selection of characters and given audiences an array of dazzling fights and combat sequences. With the high-flying master martial artist Iron Fist set to make his introduction as the final Defender on March 17, CBR has decided to take a look at some of the best hand-to-hand combatants the MCU has to offer before he takes the stage.

15. MATT MURDOCK/DAREDEVIL

Known as “The Devil Of Hell’s Kitchen” in New York, Daredevil may not be the most physically imposing figure, but his visage and skill are not to be underestimated. Robbed of his sight at a young age, Daredevil is taken in by Stick at a young age, who teaches him how to fight and control his other heightened senses.

Since taking up the mantle, Daredevil’s senses are on an entirely different level, surpassing that of Stick himself. His enhanced senses make sneak attacks against him nearly impossible and he can “see” in the dark, which gives him a distinct advantage when fighting at night or in dark environments. He has proven himself more than capable of taking on multiple opponents single-handedly (and has done so multiple times) and has superb agility and reflexes. He has taken a ton of punishment in some of his fights and continually gets up, showing a fortitude and will worthy of Captain America. He also wields a special baton-like weapon that can separate into two individual weapons and has a retractable cable that can be used in a variety of ways. When it comes to all-around combat skill, few can match Daredevil.

14. TRISH WALKER

A famous talk-show host in New York, many wouldn’t expect this icon to have such skill. A friend and confidant of Alias Investigator Jessica Jones, Walker decides to take matters into her own hands by learning self-defense with the impending danger of Kilgrave on the horizon. To prepare, she takes up Krav Maga, which is a special form of martial arts that originated in Israel that incorporates elements of other styles like judo, aikido and boxing.

This particular style akin to a special form of street-fighting that teaches realistic elements of how to engage and neutralize threats. It is often a style that was, and is, taught in the military. Trish later proved her ability and potential for this particular martial art as she fended off a Kilgrave-controlled Will Simpson long enough until Jones came to help her. Given that she had not been training in Krav Maga for very long, her ability to react and remember her teachings in such a tense situation speaks to her latent potential as a fighter. The next time viewers see Walker, she will no doubt be much improved in her Krav Maga techniques.

13. FRANK WALKER/PUNISHER

Unlike the more finesse styles of other heroes, Frank Castle, better known by his moniker The Punisher, is a straight up brawler. A man hell-bent on revenge for the murder of his family, he seeks to permanently end the life of criminals everywhere. An anti-hero who made his premiere to the MCU in the second season of “Daredevil,” The Punisher’s popularity skyrocketed such that he was even given his own Netflix series spin-off.

A former Marine, the Punisher has years of intense military training that has honed his body into a fine-tuned, well-oiled fighting machine. Ferocious and quick to attack in battle, he was skilled enough to take down a superb fighter like Daredevil in their first encounter. His military training has made him deathly efficient, as he is able to calculate the quickest way to take down an opponent in a variety of ways. His skill is further demonstrated when he takes on and defeats dozens of prisoners during a planned ambush without a weapon. In all of his fights, the Punisher displays a propensity to withstand heavy amounts of punishment and a resilience few can match. Challenging him to a one-on-one fight isn’t a wise thing to do.

12. HOPE VAN DYNE/WASP

When Scott Lang was given the mantle of Ant-Man from his predecessor Hank Pym, he was trained by the person who seemed way better suited to the task than he did: Hope Van Dyne. The daughter of Pym, Hope was the one who oversaw much of Lang’s training in hand-to-hand combat. Given the power of the suit to shrink, it was her job to teach him proper technique to defend himself more properly and have the suit to be as effective as possible when he’s small.

Appearing to have training in several styles of combat, Hope was largely responsible for much of Lang’s offensive capabilities. As much progress as he made, Lang never really got an upper hand on her during their sparring sessions. Unfortunately, she did not take an active role in fights during the first “Ant-Man” film, regulated solely to the hardcore training instructor instead. Fortunately, that looks to change as she takes up her mother’s mantle of Wasp in “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” which is set to debut on July 6, 2018.

11. HAWKEYE

Hawkeye made the unconventional jump from premiere S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to full-time Avenger. Often the butt of everyone’s joke as the guy with the bow and arrow, he has has proven himself worthy of being called an Avenger time and time again. In addition to his veteran leadership, Hawkeye’s skill lies predominantly with his bow, which he uses with a variety of trick arrows that include explosive arrows, corrosive arrows and grappling arrows.

He’s shown himself as more than a simple marksman, as his skill in hand-to-hand combat is enough that he is capable of matching Black Widow singlehandedly, who barely managed to defeat him while he was being controlled by Loki via the Mind Gem in “The Avengers.” He is skilled in using his bow in close-quarter fights, and gains an upgraded version in “Age of Ultron” that can become a staff, showcasing his skills in using multiple weapons. The most dangerous thing about Hawkeye is his penchant for reading situations and catching people off guard, as he did with Loki during the Chitauri invasion. On a team full of super-powered icons, Hawkeye proves his worth time and time again.

10. ELEKTRA

There are some people whose entire lives have been consumed with nothing but the next fight and no one personifies that better than Elektra. Trained by her master Stick in the same manner that her lover Daredevil was, Elektra quickly made a name for herself as a top-notch combatant and a proficient assassin.

Skilled in a variety of martial arts, she was trained from a young age by Stick and the Chaste, making her a killer from a young age. Unlike Daredevil and most heroes, she doesn’t have any qualms when it comes to killing her opponents, especially if they’re trying to kill her first, always willing to do whatever it takes to win. She is versatile, as she can make use of a variety of different weapons like swords and daggers thanks to her vast amount of training, though she is just as skilled fighting unarmed. In combat, she prefers the use of special daggers with curved hilts (known as sai) that she gained from an opposing Hand member whom she killed, which further enhances her quick, agile fighting style. Making use of her speed and quick attacks, Elektra is a graceful, lethal opponent on the field of battle.

9. GAMORA

Like Elektra, Gamora was the result of unfortunate circumstances, as her entire species, including her parents, were killed off by the mighty Thanos. However, for some reason, the mighty overlord spared Gamora’s life and took her under his wing as his adopted daughter. As it turns out, he bad bigger plans for her, molding the green alien into an assassin he could make use of in his never-ending quest for domination over the entire galaxy.

Together with her adopted sister Nebula, both were genetically enhanced and trained to become deadly assassins to serve their adopted father. Thanks to these enhancements, Gamora’s physical capabilities are beyond that of most normal humans (or aliens), as she is able to shoot and throw projectiles with pinpoint accuracy, and run faster and longer while also being able to leap greater distances. She is also a deadly swordsman, able to carve up obstacles and various foes alike with her sword named “Godslayer.” Her skill is such that she was able to overcome her sister Nebula in single-combat, with whom she shared a strained relationship and rivalry. When it comes to women in the galaxy, few can match her prowess and skill.

8. DRAX THE DESTROYER

Known as “The Destroyer,” Drax turned to a savage life of criminal activity and vengeance as he pursued Ronan The Accuser, an agent of Thanos who killed his family. While Drax often comes across as one of the least intelligent and socially aware members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it does not hinder his ability to fight, as he is easily their strongest front-line fighter alongside Gamora.

Drax possesses incredible strength and is able to tear through metal with relative ease. His bulky physique has also given him great durability, able to withstand a lot of punishment from physical attacks. Like Gamora, he can run and leap great distances, though he does not possess any of the enhancements that she does, with all of his physical traits being the result of his natural physiology. He is also an accomplished knife wielder, and his dual-wielding fighting style relies on the use of using two of them in battle. He is ferocious and brutal in battle, and his skill is such that he was able to defeat Korath The Pursuer by himself during the Battle of Xandar, an impressive feat given the mercenary’s physically enhanced features.

7. KARL MORDO

One of the first teachers and acquaintances to Doctor Steven Strange, Mordo was a character whose devotion to his craft and the mystic arts was unmatched. Of course, while wielding magic is an impressive feat in itself, the basic essentials of combat are still needed to protect and defend the world from the mystical threats beyond the physical world.

While still within the order of the mystic masters, Mordo was one of its most powerful members in not only magic, but in combat as well. He easily bested Strange in sparring sessions, showing his versatility and creative use of magic items. One such item includes the “Boots of Valtorr,” which allow Mordo to leap high and ride the air, which gives him a unique ability to get behind his opponents and makes him a hard target to track. He also wields a unique staff that extend and contracts and can be used as both a whip. A perfect mix of magic and martial arts, Mordo will make for a dangerous foe for Strange and other mystic users in the very near future.

6. THE ANCIENT ONE

Being hundreds of years old brings about plenty of combat experience, and the Ancient One has plenty of it. As the former Sorcerer Supreme, she possesses a wide array of magical abilities and commands an order of magic users to defend the world from various mystical threats. What often goes unnoticed is her prowess in hand-to-hand combat.

Similar to her student Mordo, the Ancient One uses a fine mix of magic and traditional combat. While she doesn’t possess any items like Mordo’s boots or Strange’s Cloak, she uses her magic to create sword and shield constructs from her palms as weapons to use in battle, dual-wielding and switching between various weapons at will. This makes her quite unpredictable to approach in combat, and her experience shows in her ability to stay calm despite being outnumbered. She is very agile and quick on her feet, able to engage Kaecilius’s followers by herself with relative ease despite the shifting environment. Add in her other magical abilities to things like transporting foes into the mirror dimension and manipulating the environment, and the Ancient One is an opponent many can’t hope to take down alone.

5. STICK

Everybody needs a good master to learn from, and Stick, despite his methods, is a master unlike any other. Blind from birth and in allegiance to a mysterious organization known as “The Chaste,” Stick was a teacher to both Elektra and Daredevil, who both became accomplished fighters in their own right. This is especially the case for the Matt Murdock, who was taught to use his blindness to his advantage by Stick and make to it his own.

A man who doesn’t like developing connections outside of the fight, Stick learned to overcome the weakness caused by his blindness to be able to heighten his other senses, a skill that greatly aids him in battle. Despite his advanced age, he remains a calculated fighter, taking down enemies in the most efficient way possible. Stick is deceptively quick for a man of his age and has also trained with multiple weapons, having shown proficient use in swordsmanship and wielding staffs. While not one to show any hints of positive emotions towards his former students, Stick is no doubt a teacher who has earned their grudging respect for his advanced skills.

4. NATASHA ROMANOV/BLACK WIDOW

From ruthless Russian assassin to vaunted S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to world-saving Avenger, Black Widow has held numerous titles and identities over the years. But her skills in combat, groomed from an early age, have never waned and have allowed her to become one of the best pure fighters within the MCU.

Black Widow’s beauty is only matched by her fighting skill and her ability to think quickly on her feet. She became a member of the Avengers solely due to her own skill and without the use of any super-serums, mech suits or superpowers. Her skill is such that she was even able to sneak up on Loki, who acknowledges that there aren’t many humans who exist that could accomplish such a task. She has mastered various fighting styles and held her own against threats like the Chitauri and Ultron’s robot minions alongside her more super-powered colleagues. She is proficient in the use of many weapons, with her primary focus being on various pistols and electroshock weapons that she keeps within her suit and on her person. At the end of it all, Black Widow demonstrates the full capabilities of pure human skill in combat.

3. T’CHALLA/BLACK PANTHER

Having only recently entered the MCU in “Captain America: Civil War,” the young King of Wakanda immediately made his regal presence felt. Even though “Black Panther” isn’t set to debut until February 2018, he already made his mark as one of the MCU’s top combatants despite appearing in only one film at the time of writing this list.

Though we don’t know the full extent and details into Black Panther’s abilities, his prowess in combat is among the best viewers have seen in the MCU. Boasting an intimidating vibranium-laced panther suit, he has enhanced speed that allows him to easily keep pace with Captain America in a foot race. He also displayed enhanced strength in fights against Captain America and Bucky Barnes, fighting on equal footing with both of them. As his name suggests, his movements are very akin to that of a panther itself, with retractable claws built into the hands of his suit that he uses to slice and dice his opponents. He uses an aggressive fighting style with a variety of acrobatic kicks and leaps that make him hard to pin down. Once his solo title debuts, there is no doubting the Wakandan king will demonstrate his full fighting potential.

2. BUCKY BARNES/WINTER SOLDIER

Known as the Winter Soldier for his days as a brainwashed assassin for Hydra, Bucky Barnes went from loyal friend of Steve Rogers to an unthinkable and nearly unstoppable assassin of the highest caliber. Thanks to his training under the Winter Soldier program, Barnes was honed in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

Making his transformed return in “Captain America: Winter Solider,” Barnes is similar to his friend in a variety of ways: he possesses the same kind of strength, stamina and endurance as his friend post-Super Soldier serum. He is a superb fighter in hand-to-hand combat, showing proficiency in wielding various weapons like knives and all matter of military-grade equipment. His skills are such that he outclasses Black Widow in single combat, having overcome here on several occasions while he was still under mind control. He also has a special bionic arm that is strong enough to penetrate Iron Man’s armor and perform a head-on punch against Cap’s shield without sustaining damage to it or himself. While he willingly places himself back in cryo following “Civil War,” there’s no doubting he will make his return soon.

1. STEVE ROGERS/CAPTAIN AMERICA

An iconic symbol of both America and the Avengers, Steve Rogers has consistently proven himself as one of the toughest hand-to-hand combatants to beat. Thus far, those who have gone against Cap in single-combat have never really emerged victorious. Plenty gave him a run for his money, but could they truly beat him?

In terms of physical skill, the Super Soldier serum stripped Rogers of his frail body, enhancing his body to that of superhuman levels. His durability is such that he could get smashed into a car shielding himself from an explosion and come back fighting. He can also withstand an engaged battle against Iron Man and take direct hits from the enhanced mech suit. His weapon of choice is his trusty vibranium shield, which is nearly indestructible and able to pierce through nearly anything. His balance and dexterity are such that he can throw his vibranium shield perfectly and predict its projected path in the heat of battle. His hand-to-hand combat skills are also superb, holding his own against the likes of powerful opponents like Loki, Barnes, Ultron, Black Panther and Iron Man.

[nancyedimick]

The martial arts are arts

Students stand in formation before wushu practice at the Tagou martial arts school in Dengfeng, China. (Nicholas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

This post is based on David B. Kopel’s “Self-Defense in Asian Religions,” [2 Liberty Law Review 79 (2007)]. 

In a recent speech denouncing President-elect Donald Trump, Meryl Streep announced that without Hollywood, “you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Although Streep won a well-deserved award for an outstanding acting career, the award did not confer on her the unilateral authority to define what are “the arts.” The martial arts are called “martial arts” because they are generally recognized to be arts, even though they are not the particular arts at which Streep and Hollywood excel. The hauteur exemplified by Streep was well-known to the ancient Taoists:

In the space of one generation, the cultural and the martial may shift in relative significance, insofar as there are times when each is useful. Nowadays, however, martialists repudiate culture and the cultured repudiate the martial. Adherents of cultural and martial arts reject each other, not knowing their functions according to the time. [Thomas Cleary, “The Taoist Classics” (vol. 1, 2003), p. 314]

Watching the martial arts, including mixed martial arts, can be entertaining, as Sonny Bunch pointed out in a recent Post article. More important, the martial arts, when properly followed, foster good character and transcendence of selfishness — virtues which Streep and Hollywood often congratulate themselves for promoting via the cinematic arts.

According to tradition, the martial arts were founded around 520 A.D. by Bodhidharma, a great Buddha who brought Zen Buddhism from India to China. During the journey to China, Bodhidharma was carrying valuable documents, and learned of the dangers to travelers posed by robbers. He meditated, and experienced a revelation that he should study animals. So he began to do so, and from the study, eventually developed the “18 movements of Lo Han.”

At the Shao-lin Temple in China, Bodhidharma saw that many monks fell asleep during meditation. He felt compassionate pity for the monks whose bodies were wasting away through purely mental meditation exercises. So Bodhidharma decided to teach the “bodies and minds” of the monks. He invented Kung Fu (or Chuan Fa), a form of boxing used for systematic exercise.

There was another benefit to the Bodhidharma’s martial arts: because the monks had undertaken vows not to use weapons, gangs of soldiers or ex-soldiers would often rob the monks who traveled outside their monastery. After learning the unarmed combat techniques of martial arts, the monks could journey safely, and so they traveled around China, Okinawa and Japan, disseminating the martial arts. The ideal martial artist was a Scholar Warrior, a person whose mind and body were well-trained and well-integrated.

For practical self-defense, the martial arts have been especially important to people who are persecuted by the government. For example, when China was ruled by the Mongols, the arms prohibition on the subjugated Chinese was so severe that only 1 out of 10 families was allowed a carving knife. The martial arts have also been important for cultural defense. As Thomas Cleary described the period of the Ming Dynasty in China:

It would seem that one of the concerns of the time, therefore, was the “deposit” of knowledge that would allow humankind to survive in the future. Geniuses everywhere from Europe to East Asia seem to have deposited part of that knowledge right in the infrastructures of conflict (such as the martial arts), and then moved to balance this by developing culture to a high pitch … . This whole process itself illustrates a principle of the I Ching, whereby waxing and waning balance each other. [Thomas Cleary, “Classics of Buddhism and Zen” (vol. 5, 2002), p. 97]

For example, when Japan conquered Okinawa in 1609 and disarmed the people, Okinawans practiced martial arts as a means of preserving their cultural identity. Unsurprisingly, genocidal tyrant Mao Zedong attempted to wipe out all knowledge of the martial arts in his campaign to exterminate all aspects of traditional culture, which might impede his efforts to enslave all the people of China under his totalitarian cult of personality.

Sometimes, the martial arts have been studied and applied in a morally degenerate fashion, as in 20th century Japan under the military dictatorship. More often, however, the arts have been used to build good character and self-control — including as a meditation practice. One advantage of moving meditation is that it is easier for the teacher to monitor the student’s progress. In sitting meditation, as long as the student maintains the correct posture, the teacher cannot see if the student is falling into error or bad habits. With moving meditation, the student’s physical actions help the teacher discern if the student is able to maintain calm and to overcome fear. The Zen master Hakuin (1685-1768) concluded that:

The advantage in accomplishing true meditation lies distinctly in favor of the warrior class … mounted on a sturdy horse, the warrior can ride forth to face an uncountable horde of enemies as though he were riding into a place empty of people. The valiant, undaunted expression on his face reflects his practice of the peerless, true, uninterrupted meditation sitting. Meditating in this way, the warrior can accomplish in one month what it takes the monk a year to do.

There is a certain amount of technique that a martial arts master can impart by direct instruction. Yet much of the learning must come through self-discovery by the student. Masters speak of “a special transmission beyond instruction.” The student studies ji, the techniques of the particular martial art. True mastery, though, comes from ri, the ineffable truths of the universe.

For example, kyudo is Japanese ritual archery, in which the archer moves through a very formal and precise set of eight steps in raising, aiming and firing the bow. The first level of kyudo is called toteki (the arrow hits the target). The archer is concentrating on the technique of shooting accurately. He is more concerned with hitting the center of the target than with his form. In the first level, the target is seen as a goal.

At the second level, kanteki (the arrow pierces the target), the archer’s body moves with beautiful symmetry. His breath control helps unify his mind, body and spirit, so that his shooting is smooth and extremely powerful. True kanteki is much more than a technique which can be taught. In kanteki, the target is seen as an opponent.

Finally, the martial artist progresses to zaiteki (the arrow exists in the target). The target is no longer a goal or an opponent; the target is a true reflection of the archer. The archer aims to purify his thoughts and his actions, knowing that pure shooting will flow from a pure mind and body. Now, “there is no distance between man and target, man and man, and man and the universe — all are in perfect harmony.” [Hideharu Onuma, Kyydo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery (1993)]

One of the essential goals of spiritual growth through the martial arts is to forget oneself. The Zen Buddhist sword master Takuan explained that:

The mind must always be in the state of “flowing” … When the swordsman stands against his opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his enemy’s sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the unconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the unconscious that strikes. [Quoted in Joe Hyams, “Zen in the Martial Arts” (1982), p. 84.]

The martial artist must learn not to focus on one part of the opponent’s body. Narrow focus creates blind spots that lead to the artist receiving blows. As the martial artist learns in combat to adopt a wider perspective, so should he learn in all the rest of his life to see more completely. He should transcend the visual limit that ostensibly separates mind from body, or self from universe. He is no longer located in a particular sequence of time, but instead lives in the eternal present: “In sports, time exists. In the martial arts there is only the present.” [Taisen Deshimaru, “The Zen Way to the Martial Arts” (1982), p.23]

Like psychotherapy, martial arts training may allow the student to experience a previously unknown state of self-awareness, and the awareness can lead to terrifying experiences of shame or guilt. The existential crisis might be analogized to what St. John of the Cross called the “dark night of the soul.” At the crisis point, some students will turn away, while others will confront their true selves.

The martial arts are superficially a form of training to fight external foes. But the true martial artist must combat the enemy within — and if he is to prevail, he must fight without greed, ignorance or hatred. If he wins, then his internal demons can be harnessed into service of the good. Defeating self-deception is not a once-and-for-all battle. After one form of self-deception is defeated, a more sophisticated and insidious form may replace it. The psychological and spiritual struggle does not take place while a passive subject is lying on a psychotherapist’s couch, paying for advice. The inner combat is experienced through physical combat:

Chuan Fa used the wordless strategy of direct interpersonal encounter to teach the words of personal self-encounter. It uses the “words” of personal self-encountering to understand the wordless doctrine of interpersonal encounter. Ultimately it sought to encounter the infinity known as perfect and complete Enlightenment. [Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio, The Boddhisativa Warriors (1994), p. 279]

The whole energy (ki) of the universe flows through the martial artist at a single point in his body. By staying centered on this one point, the mind and body of the artist are united with the universe and can experience its infinite energy and freedom. Kyudo master Hideharu Onuma was asked by some students how they should practice after they returned to the United States, and he could no longer instruct them. He replied, “Your practice should always center around these six elements: truth, goodness, beauty, balance, humility, and perseverance.” [Onuma, p. 150]

Some martial arts teachers in the United States specialize in empowering women and in integrating feminist values into the spiritual instruction. Some female participants report that the martial arts have liberated them from the notion that women must always be victims, that women are incapable of resisting successfully. The principle applies to physical attacks, and in more abstract social settings. Said one woman: “If every woman in the world could defend herself, it would change the world; patriarchy would crumble … Physical empowerment for women is critical from the start; then women wouldn’t be as intimidated psychologically by men.” [Shirely Castlenuovo & Sharon R. Guthrie, “Feminism and the Female Body: Liberating the Amazon Within” (1998), pp. 67-90]

Vernon Kitabu Turner was a weak and bookish American black child in the racist South. He was a descendant of Nat Turner, a mystic who in 1831 led the largest slave revolt in American history. Bullies would often attack him when he sat under a tree reading. When he was nine years old, in 1964, he heard about the Kitty Genovese murder. It was reported by the New York Times that in Queens, New York, a young woman was stalked, attacked repeatedly and stabbed to death outside an apartment building over the course of half an hour. Thirty-eight people allegedly heard her scream, but none of them did anything. Meditating on Psalm 144 (“Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teaches my hands to make war, and my fingers to fight.”), Turner asked God to teach him to fight, to learn how to protect people. Turner promised that he would never abuse the knowledge. He took up the martial arts and eventually became an American Zen master.

In church, Turner remembered, the congregants heard and believed the story of David and Goliath. Yet they refused to apply the story to their own lives. They could not believe that, with God’s help, they could “bring down Goliath.” Turner explains that the person who truly understands Zen will say, “I will do no harm to others. I will not be a person who is aggressive and violent. But neither will I sit here and watch someone be destroyed when I know I should reach out and offer a helping hand.” [Vernon Kitabu Turner, “Soul Sword: The Way and Mind of a Zen Warrior” (2000)]

Not every person who studies the martial arts does so for the purpose of moral self-improvement and community service, just as not everyone in Hollywood works for the noble purposes for which Streep congratulated herself and her peers. Like many Hollywood filmmakers, some mixed martial arts fighters simply provide violent entertainment. Yet when practiced at the highest level, the arts are paths to self-transcendence, and the paths are equally available to practitioners of the cinematic arts and the martial arts. One step towards a better America is greater empathy and tolerance among the people of a diverse nation. The people who cheered Streep’s remarks about empathy will, I hope, respect their fellow citizens who study the martial arts.

Originally Found On: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/01/11/the-martial-arts-are-arts/

[wolfandpravato]

The martial arts are arts

Students stand in formation before wushu practice at the Tagou martial arts school in Dengfeng, China. (Nicholas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

This post is based on David B. Kopel’s “Self-Defense in Asian Religions,” [2 Liberty Law Review 79 (2007)]. 

In a recent speech denouncing President-elect Donald Trump, Meryl Streep announced that without Hollywood, “you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Although Streep won a well-deserved award for an outstanding acting career, the award did not confer on her the unilateral authority to define what are “the arts.” The martial arts are called “martial arts” because they are generally recognized to be arts, even though they are not the particular arts at which Streep and Hollywood excel. The hauteur exemplified by Streep was well-known to the ancient Taoists:

In the space of one generation, the cultural and the martial may shift in relative significance, insofar as there are times when each is useful. Nowadays, however, martialists repudiate culture and the cultured repudiate the martial. Adherents of cultural and martial arts reject each other, not knowing their functions according to the time. [Thomas Cleary, “The Taoist Classics” (vol. 1, 2003), p. 314]

Watching the martial arts, including mixed martial arts, can be entertaining, as Sonny Bunch pointed out in a recent Post article. More important, the martial arts, when properly followed, foster good character and transcendence of selfishness — virtues which Streep and Hollywood often congratulate themselves for promoting via the cinematic arts.

According to tradition, the martial arts were founded around 520 A.D. by Bodhidharma, a great Buddha who brought Zen Buddhism from India to China. During the journey to China, Bodhidharma was carrying valuable documents, and learned of the dangers to travelers posed by robbers. He meditated, and experienced a revelation that he should study animals. So he began to do so, and from the study, eventually developed the “18 movements of Lo Han.”

At the Shao-lin Temple in China, Bodhidharma saw that many monks fell asleep during meditation. He felt compassionate pity for the monks whose bodies were wasting away through purely mental meditation exercises. So Bodhidharma decided to teach the “bodies and minds” of the monks. He invented Kung Fu (or Chuan Fa), a form of boxing used for systematic exercise.

There was another benefit to the Bodhidharma’s martial arts: because the monks had undertaken vows not to use weapons, gangs of soldiers or ex-soldiers would often rob the monks who traveled outside their monastery. After learning the unarmed combat techniques of martial arts, the monks could journey safely, and so they traveled around China, Okinawa and Japan, disseminating the martial arts. The ideal martial artist was a Scholar Warrior, a person whose mind and body were well-trained and well-integrated.

For practical self-defense, the martial arts have been especially important to people who are persecuted by the government. For example, when China was ruled by the Mongols, the arms prohibition on the subjugated Chinese was so severe that only 1 out of 10 families was allowed a carving knife. The martial arts have also been important for cultural defense. As Thomas Cleary described the period of the Ming Dynasty in China:

It would seem that one of the concerns of the time, therefore, was the “deposit” of knowledge that would allow humankind to survive in the future. Geniuses everywhere from Europe to East Asia seem to have deposited part of that knowledge right in the infrastructures of conflict (such as the martial arts), and then moved to balance this by developing culture to a high pitch . . . . This whole process itself illustrates a principle of the I Ching, whereby waxing and waning balance each other. [Thomas Cleary, “Classics of Buddhism and Zen” (vol. 5, 2002), p. 97]

For example, when Japan conquered Okinawa in 1609 and disarmed the people, Okinawans practiced martial arts as a means of preserving their cultural identity. Unsurprisingly, genocidal tyrant Mao Zedong attempted to wipe out all knowledge of the martial arts in his campaign to exterminate all aspects of traditional culture, which might impede his efforts to enslave all the people of China under his totalitarian cult of personality.

Sometimes, the martial arts have been studied and applied in a morally degenerate fashion, as in 20th century Japan under the military dictatorship. More often, however, the arts have been used to build good character and self-control — including as a meditation practice. One advantage of moving meditation is that it is easier for the teacher to monitor the student’s progress. In sitting meditation, as long as the student maintains the correct posture, the teacher cannot see if the student is falling into error or bad habits. With moving meditation, the student’s physical actions help the teacher discern if the student is able to maintain calm and to overcome fear. The Zen master Hakuin (1685-1768) concluded that:

The advantage in accomplishing true meditation lies distinctly in favor of the warrior class … mounted on a sturdy horse, the warrior can ride forth to face an uncountable horde of enemies as though he were riding into a place empty of people. The valiant, undaunted expression on his face reflects his practice of the peerless, true, uninterrupted meditation sitting. Meditating in this way, the warrior can accomplish in one month what it takes the monk a year to do.

There is a certain amount of technique that a martial arts master can impart by direct instruction. Yet much of the learning must come through self-discovery by the student. Masters speak of “a special transmission beyond instruction.” The student studies ji, the techniques of the particular martial art. True mastery, though, comes from ri, the ineffable truths of the universe.

For example, kyudo is Japanese ritual archery, in which the archer moves through a very formal and precise set of eight steps in raising, aiming and firing the bow. The first level of kyudo is called toteki (the arrow hits the target). The archer is concentrating on the technique of shooting accurately. He is more concerned with hitting the center of the target than with his form. In the first level, the target is seen as a goal.

At the second level, kanteki (the arrow pierces the target), the archer’s body moves with beautiful symmetry. His breath control helps unify his mind, body and spirit, so that his shooting is smooth and extremely powerful. True kanteki is much more than a technique which can be taught. In kanteki, the target is seen as an opponent.

Finally, the martial artist progresses to zaiteki (the arrow exists in the target). The target is no longer a goal or an opponent; the target is a true reflection of the archer. The archer aims to purify his thoughts and his actions, knowing that pure shooting will flow from a pure mind and body. Now, “there is no distance between man and target, man and man, and man and the universe — all are in perfect harmony.” [Hideharu Onuma, Kyydo: The Essence and Practice of Japanese Archery (1993)]

One of the essential goals of spiritual growth through the martial arts is to forget oneself. The Zen Buddhist sword master Takuan explained that:

The mind must always be in the state of “flowing” … When the swordsman stands against his opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his enemy’s sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the unconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the unconscious that strikes. [Quoted in Joe Hyams, “Zen in the Martial Arts” (1982), p. 84.]

The martial artist must learn not to focus on one part of the opponent’s body. Narrow focus creates blind spots that lead to the artist receiving blows. As the martial artist learns in combat to adopt a wider perspective, so should he learn in all the rest of his life to see more completely. He should transcend the visual limit that ostensibly separates mind from body, or self from universe. He is no longer located in a particular sequence of time, but instead lives in the eternal present: “In sports, time exists. In the martial arts there is only the present.” [Taisen Deshimaru, “The Zen Way to the Martial Arts” (1982), p.23]

Like psychotherapy, martial arts training may allow the student to experience a previously unknown state of self-awareness, and the awareness can lead to terrifying experiences of shame or guilt. The existential crisis might be analogized to what St. John of the Cross called the “dark night of the soul.” At the crisis point, some students will turn away, while others will confront their true selves.

The martial arts are superficially a form of training to fight external foes. But the true martial artist must combat the enemy within — and if he is to prevail, he must fight without greed, ignorance or hatred. If he wins, then his internal demons can be harnessed into service of the good. Defeating self-deception is not a once-and-for-all battle. After one form of self-deception is defeated, a more sophisticated and insidious form may replace it. The psychological and spiritual struggle does not take place while a passive subject is lying on a psychotherapist’s couch, paying for advice. The inner combat is experienced through physical combat:

Chuan Fa used the wordless strategy of direct interpersonal encounter to teach the words of personal self-encounter. It uses the “words” of personal self-encountering to understand the wordless doctrine of interpersonal encounter. Ultimately it sought to encounter the infinity known as perfect and complete Enlightenment. [Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio, The Boddhisativa Warriors (1994), p. 279]

The whole energy (ki) of the universe flows through the martial artist at a single point in his body. By staying centered on this one point, the mind and body of the artist are united with the universe and can experience its infinite energy and freedom. Kyudo master Hideharu Onuma was asked by some students how they should practice after they returned to the United States, and he could no longer instruct them. He replied, “Your practice should always center around these six elements: truth, goodness, beauty, balance, humility, and perseverance.” [Onuma, p. 150]

Some martial arts teachers in the United States specialize in empowering women and in integrating feminist values into the spiritual instruction. Some female participants report that the martial arts have liberated them from the notion that women must always be victims, that women are incapable of resisting successfully. The principle applies to physical attacks, and in more abstract social settings. Said one woman: “If every woman in the world could defend herself, it would change the world; patriarchy would crumble … Physical empowerment for women is critical from the start; then women wouldn’t be as intimidated psychologically by men.” [Shirely Castlenuovo & Sharon R. Guthrie, “Feminism and the Female Body: Liberating the Amazon Within” (1998), pp. 67-90]

Vernon Kitabu Turner was a weak and bookish American black child in the racist South. He was a descendant of Nat Turner, a mystic who in 1831 led the largest slave revolt in American history. Bullies would often attack him when he sat under a tree reading. When he was nine years old, in 1964, he heard about the Kitty Genovese murder. It was reported by the New York Times that in Queens, New York, a young woman was stalked, attacked repeatedly and stabbed to death outside an apartment building over the course of half an hour. Thirty-eight people allegedly heard her scream, but none of them did anything. Meditating on Psalm 144 (“Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teaches my hands to make war, and my fingers to fight.”), Turner asked God to teach him to fight, to learn how to protect people. Turner promised that he would never abuse the knowledge. He took up the martial arts and eventually became an American Zen master.

In church, Turner remembered, the congregants heard and believed the story of David and Goliath. Yet they refused to apply the story to their own lives. They could not believe that, with God’s help, they could “bring down Goliath.” Turner explains that the person who truly understands Zen will say, “I will do no harm to others. I will not be a person who is aggressive and violent. But neither will I sit here and watch someone be destroyed when I know I should reach out and offer a helping hand.” [Vernon Kitabu Turner, “Soul Sword: The Way and Mind of a Zen Warrior” (2000)]

Not every person who studies the martial arts does so for the purpose of moral self-improvement and community service, just as not everyone in Hollywood works for the noble purposes for which Streep congratulated herself and her peers. Like many Hollywood filmmakers, some mixed martial arts fighters simply provide violent entertainment. Yet when practiced at the highest level, the arts are paths to self-transcendence, and the paths are equally available to practitioners of the cinematic arts and the martial arts. One step towards a better America is greater empathy and tolerance among the people of a diverse nation. The people who cheered Streep’s remarks about empathy will, I hope, respect their fellow citizens who study the martial arts.

Originally Found On: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/01/11/the-martial-arts-are-arts/