What martial art does Neo use in The Matrix?

In the original Matrix movie, Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) has a number of martial arts uploaded into his brain whilst in the real world. In this scene, he simply states “I’m going to learn Ju Jitsu.” After the ten hour process is finished, he wakes up and then claims “I know Kung Fu.” At this point, he then starts sparring against Morpheus in the Matrix to prove his newly acquired martial arts skills. However, what martial arts does Neo know and what do we see him use in the Matrix movie franchise?

Neo knows Ju Jitsu

We can see Neo using his Japanese Ju Jitsu skills to good effect when fighting the likes of Agent Smith and others. Here, they would grapple for control of each other’s wrists. Then, when one got a dominant position from this exchange, they would proceed to punch the other one in the face. This was done alongside other martial arts such as Wing Chun and the speed of hands from both fighters was lightning quick which is what you’d expect from The One and the Matrix’s top agent.

Neo knows Kung Fu

Perhaps Neo’s most dominant style of fighting was Kung Fu. When he trains with Morpheus in the dojo, we can see him adopt a crane stance before sparring. He also uses a conventional bow stance before the fight begins. As most of his fighting involves striking (kicks and punches), it’s fair to say that Neo relies on his Kung Fu more than other martial arts.

As Kung Fu is an umbrella term, it’s also assumed that he uses the striking elements more than the grappling. That is, Neo adopts more a reliance on Wushu than Shuai Jiao for example. In fact, other than Ju Jitsu wrist fighting, there’s actually very little grappling in the Matrix and most of the martial arts used is based on striking.

Neo knows Kenpo

Another martial art that we see uploaded into Neos memory is Kenpo. Interestingly, it’s actually called ‘Kempo’ in the movie which is a common mispronunciation. Kenpo is a variation of Karate which is very similar and you could be mistaken for believing that it is actually Karate, but for the name.

As mentioned earlier, Neo often relies on striking so it’s no surprise to see that he excels in Kenpo. We often see him fending off multiple attackers with his Kenpo skills and his technique is clearly expert. This is to be expected though considering he literally had his brain updated to include mastery of Kenpo and other martial arts.

Neo knows Taekwondo

Taekwondo is similar to Kenpo but is more reliant on kicks, especially to the head. There is one scene where he kicks Agent Smith in the head using a Taekwondo front kick. In fact, many of his kicks rely on TKD as they are based on speed and flexibility. These aren’t calf kicks and the majority of them land on the head rather than below the shoulders. This indicates that Neo is well versed in Taekwondo which is backed up when we see it being uploaded into his memory.

Neo knows Wing Chun

After Kung Fu, perhaps Neo’s biggest skill set is Wing Chun. When fighting the agents, he often relies on his expert Wing Chun skills and is great and close range trapping. Here, he blocks punches from a close distance and returns them using the momentum of his hand and arm speed.

Due to Neo having super powers that allow him to move quicker than most, his trapping skills come in handy and it allows him to deflect punches with relative ease. Even when his opponents match his own speed though, his technique is simply too good and his blocks are incredibly precise.

Neo knows Tai Chi

Let’s face it, this one is included for movie purposes and is the least realistic martial art on the list. Nonetheless, the Matrix is a piece of fiction and its goal was to entertain audiences. Even the other styles listed are done unrealistically in terms of speed and precision. Anyway, during one scene Neo has hundreds of bullets fired at him which makes it impossible for him to dodge.

To counter this, he uses Chi energy to stop the bullets. According to some Tai Chi practitioners, Chi energy is all around us, and we can learn to use it to create a force field by utilizing the energy around us. Although this has been proven as nonsense, it still makes for a cool CGI scene.

Neo knows Bojitsu

Bojitsu is an art that relies on the Bo staff that originated in Okinawan Kobudo. This is basically a long pole that is used to strike enemies and defend yourself. In one scene, he is surrounded by hundreds of agents and plants his staff in the middle of the ground. He then swings on his staff and kicks his enemies away by rotating around the Bo.

Unrealistic? Yes. However, as mentioned previously the Matrix is a movie after all and at the time such martial arts had rarely been seen by mainstream audiences so it made for iconic moments. For the most part though, Neo rarely relied on staff fighting and either used his body or guns during combat.

Neo knows Drunken boxing

So, what is Drunken boxing and is it actually a real thing? As it happens, it actually is a real martial art but is also one that has practically died out these days and hasn’t been used for many years. Originating in China, it was mostly a Kung Fu style that imitated drunk people. The point of this was to be very fluid and unorthodox, almost looking like the fighter was drunk on alcohol. This could mean lowered hands and loose hips.

Perhaps the closest thing in modern day to this style would be UFC Champion Anderson Silva who had quite a relaxed stance. We don’t really see much of this being used by Neo during the Matrix who actually uses more of a classic Kung Fu stance and doesn’t really box that much. Nonetheless, we know he learns this style when it’s uploaded into his brain.

Does Neo learn every single style of fighting?

It’s largely implied that during the ten hour uploading process, Neo literally gets every single martial arts discipline uploaded into his brain. At least, this is what the scene suggests. We know from the start of the scene that we can see the likes of TKD and Drunken boxing being installed into his brain. However, as time goes on the camera shifts to a different image. As these arts switch every few seconds and the process takes at least ten hours, it’s safe to assume that during that time other martial arts are put into his brain.

Having said this, there’s a key takeaway to remember at this point. Throughout the film, we only really see glimpses of certain martial arts and most of these are the ones listed above. In other words, we don’t see Neo engaging in BJJ or boxing. Another nod towards the Kung Fu element in the Matrix is the use of choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping who specialized in Kung Fu at the time. This style has been called ‘movie Kung Fu’ as it is a Kung Fu hybrid that looks stylish and cool on the big screen.

It’s also known that many of the actors trained Kung Fu for months whilst shooting the movie. As a result, it’s safe to assume that Neo knows all martial arts in the Matrix as he is The One. However, for the purpose of the film he only relies on a handful of disciplines.

Conclusion

Based on the above, it’s fair to say that Neo was a very talented martial artist. Having said this, you’d expect it considering he’s The One and he literally had every piece of available martial arts knowledge transplanted into his brain. What is also worth noting is his incredible speed which is perhaps why he opted to use these martial arts more than others.

For instance, Japanese Ju Jitsu and Wing Chun aren’t as effective if done slowly, which is why Neo was so dominant in using them – because his speed was far beyond that of a standard human being. In conclusion, Neo was a master martial artist with incredible knowledge but mostly relied on a handful of arts.