Summary
Martial artists are prevalent inmost battle-focused anime, refining the art of hand-to-hand combat in every battle. Fans love the brutal power of these fist fights as their favorite characters use their preferred martial art to show enemies who’s boss.
The best martial artists must use a combination of brains and brawn to defeat their opponent, with the former being quite rare for many anime brawlers. Thankfully, even characters who seem a bit dense off the battlefield can show some incredible intelligence during fights to outsmart their enemies.
As goofy as Joseph may be, there’s no denying that he can show some impressive brains in battle when the situation calls for it. The fact that he effortlessly mastered Hamon makes it clear that he’s a gifted martial artist who can take on the toughest foes with his grit.
However, there are times when Joseph uses his brain in battle to surprise his enemies. His goofy antics hide the fact that he’s hatching a plan, with a combination of brains and sheer luck ensuring that he wins against his toughest opponents in Battle Tendency.
Given howmost shinigami inBleachuse their Zanpakuto to inflict a ton of damage in battle, it’s easy to see why Yoruichi needed to pull out something different to stand out with her hand-to-hand combat skills. This is achieved by her incredible mastery over Shunpo and Kido.
It helps that she is a master tactician, which is why she was chosen to lead the Onmitsukido before being excommunicated from Soul Society. Even though she lost this position, that should take nothing away from the intelligence she brings into battle.
Being a martial arts prodigy requires a combination of power and technique, andGarou has both. Without the smarts to learn the toughest combat skills, he would’ve never reached his legendary status.
Unfortunately, Garou was too thirsty in his goal to seek power and ended up walking a dark path. Saitama had to get a bit serious and knock some sense into him to humble a gifted and smart martial artist who bought into his hype a bit too much.
Cowboy Bebopboasts an incredible main cast who will worm their way into the hearts of fans with ease. This obviously includes the protagonist, Spike Spiegel, whose suave and calm attitude makes him an easy hero to root for.
His use of Jeet Kune Do, coupled with his stoic attitude, ensures that he can take numerous competent foes in hand-to-hand combat. It takes a lot of mental fortitude not to get emotional in combat, something that Spike reserves for his rival, Vicious. His sharp intellect has allowed him to avoid the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate for ages, humiliating an entire organization by staying one step ahead every single time.
Without any ninjutsu or genjutsu skills, certain shinobi can only rely on their taijutsu in combat. This is what makes both Might Guy and Rock Lee two of the most amazing characters in the show, using their close-combat skills to great effect against imposing foes.
In Might Guy’s case, this jonin also uses his brainpower to get an advantage over his foes. A great example is when he trained himself to fight Sharingan users by looking at their feet, negating their ocular powers in a beautifully simple manner. This, coupled with his unbending will, ensures that fans will always root for Might Guy in his toughest fights.
At a glance, Goku may seem like one of the dumbest characters around.Dragon Ball Superdoes no favors to the protagonist in this department, but the truth is that there’s more to Goku than what meets the eye.
In battle, a switch flips in Goku’s brain, allowing him to emulate tough techniques with ease and strategize efficiently in combat. Fooling Frieza and figuring out Hit’s Time-Skip are just a few of the many waysGoku’s battle IQ has shone in combat.
When it comes to mortal martial artists in anime, most people will agree that Kenshiro is the strongest and wisest of the bunch. The assassination technique of Hokuto Shinken is not an easy one to learn, requiring both impressive technique and razor-sharp wits to execute perfectly.
This is why Kenshiro deserves to be hailed as one of the most intelligent martial artists around. He clearly has an in-depth knowledge of the body’s pressure points, using them tomake enemies explode with minimal effort.
Whis is an angel with the power of Ultra Instinct, which means that he never needs to think in battles. The sheer amount of discipline required to reach this state is no joke and shows why Whis is one of the smartest characters in anime history.
This angel boasts a ton of knowledge, keeping his cards close to his chest and disciplining Beerus whenever he gets out of line. The fact that he mentored two of Earth’s strongest warriors is a testament to the sheer wealth of knowledge Whis hasinDragon Ball Super.
