Summary
From the dawn of arcades through to the hyper-competitive tournaments today, fighting games have always been a mainstay ineach console generation, with a broad range that varies from fantastical and cartoony slap-fests through to gritty, realistic duels. Most fighting games that involve martial arts tend to take many artistic liberties, turning the fighting into something a lot flashier and more stylized than the original inspiration.
Games likeStreet Fighterfeature dynamic, explosive takes on martial arts, or move into the realm of pure fantasy with their action,whileMortal Kombattries to maintain the air of realism to its fighter’s combat styles, even as said fighters are rearranging the organs of their opponents into less ideal compositions. For the time-honored martial art ofkarate, many games have taken inspiration from the heavy, strike-focused philosophy that this fighting style employs, and used it to create some excellent combat systems.These next games all feature karate as a prominent means of dealing damage.
From its first game onwards, what’s always separatedTekkenfrom other fighting games was its attention to in-depth, tactical fighting. “Realism” isn’t quite the right word, considering the gravity-defying hairstyles—andalso the Panda—but this is a series concerned more with technique and reflexes over flashy energy attacks or over-the-top finisher moves.
Perhaps this focus on technique is why, while admittedly being a fictional school,Tekken 8has one of the most faithful and well-realized adaptations of karate in any video game, with the central Mishima family style of karate being utilized by many central characters throughout the dramatic stories of eachTekkengame.
The legendaryYakuzagames have provided some of the mostintense, dramatic, and surrealmoments in all of modern gaming, and the series has more than earned its devout following of die-hard fans.Yakuzacontinues to innovate on its own formula with every title, recently making the switch from real-time to turn-based combat to shake things up.
A game so entrenched in Japanese culture was sure to feature its most famous martial art, and though the titular protagonist, Kiryu Kazuma, doesn’t utilize a specific fighting style, many of his attacks and strikes are taken directly from authentic karate moves, showcasing his skill as a multi-disciplinary fighter.
One of themost interesting titlesin BioWare’s catalog,Jade Empireis a stylized martial arts fantasy game that takes the esthetics of authentic martial arts, but creates something altogether different and unique that stands apart from them.
While the game incorporates various fighting styles into its skill system, the martial styles of Legendary Strike and Iron Palm use the same movements and striking philosophies as karate, showcasing this martial art in a manner that remains consistent with the title’s overall style.
There are few games that compare toAbsolver’sslick, fast-paced martial arts action. There are a host of martial arts in this game that are based around authentic fighting styles, and players can specialize into these in order to build a fighter of their own design.
One of the starting fighting styles, the Forsaken style, is heavily influenced by karate with its direct, powerful strikes and kicks. This remains one of the stronger fighting styles in the game, even as different forms are unlocked as players progress.
As mentioned above, many fighting games tend to stray away from authentic martial arts for the sake of flashiness, butVirtua Fighter 5shows it’s possible to stick to the core tenets of a martial art and still have it look dynamic and engaging. There aretwo central charactersin this game who use authentic, direct-striking karate in their fighting style.
Jean and Sarah are two fan-favorite characters whose fighting style incorporates heavy usage of karate. Jean, in particular, as a brooding, brainwashed assassin, highlights how directly lethal this martial art can be with his powerful strikes.
A much more grounded character in the world ofStreet Fighter, Makoto has her own unique brand of karate that she’s specializes in despite her young age. Rindoukan karate is a special school of this martial art that Makoto puts to great use as one of the best fighters inStreet Fighter 3.
This game actually does quite a good job of mechanically transferring the benefits of karate into a virtual format. Makoto has a high stun, high-impact fighting style that frequently leaves enemies dazed or reeling after just one hit.
A nostalgic return to one of the most iconic films of the 80’s within one of the most iconic video game genres of the 90’s,The Karate Kid:Street Rumbleis asatisfying, punchy renditionof urban-based karate that takes players on a whirlwind tour of the original trilogy.
The principals of karate as a martial art are all found in this game, although, much like the movies themselves,Street Rumbletakes a few liberties with how karate is portrayed. For fans of the movies or theCobra KaiNetflix series, however, this game is a must-play.
