What martial arts does Agent 47 know?

Agent 47 is the main protagonist in the Hitman video game series and has also starred in various Hitman movie spin-offs too. Obviously, being a hitman, his job is to kill – and he’s meant to do it as quietly and efficiently as possible. With this in mind, it’s not surprising to learn that Agent 47 is a martial artist.

Anyone with such an effective rear naked choke clearly knows what they’re doing. It’s not only this either, in terms of stealth Agent 47 is an expert which shows he’s undergone espionage training. Read on for more information – and as always, remember that Hitman is a fictional video game so don’t take this article too seriously!

What martial arts Agent 47 uses in the Hitman video games

Ninjutsu

Primarily, the most commonly used martial art by Agent 47 was his Ninjutsu. Although Ninjutsu is mostly a lost art these days, its foundations still live on in spy and hitman training to this day. In short, Ninjutsu was used by Ninjas in feudal Japan. Here, they would do all sorts of missions including assassinations, but also activities such as spreading propaganda and generally disrupting opposing regimes.

Most people associate Ninjutsu with the art of sneaking around though – which is what Agent 47 does best. So, even though he may not be formally trained in Ninjutsu – the likelihood is that this is his most relevant martial art and without it, his skills would be useless. Back in the day, it may have been throwing stars and blowpipe guns to silently kill your enemies. Agent 47 has a modern twist on this, opting for a silencer instead to create minimal attention.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

As mentioned earlier, perhaps the most common form of assassination by Agent 47 is by strangulation. To be more precise, he uses the rear naked choke to quietly kill his victims. This move has been used in a few different martial arts but is mostly used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In short, BJJ focuses on submissions and grappling on the ground.

Although Agent 47 often opts for the garote wire instead, sometimes he uses a rear naked choke instead. Even though the rear naked choke looks fairly easy, it can sometimes be difficult to finish and you need to be very precise when trying it against people that know how to defend it. Aside from this choke, Agent 47 doesn’t show much in the way of BJJ or fighting on the ground but he does know a few joint locks.

Silat

When it comes to weapons, Agent 47 may prioritize the gun as his main weapon. However, he’s also not afraid to use blades either when called upon. Over the years, Agent 47 has brandished all sorts of knives, from small daggers to literal katanas. This means that he’s got all bases covered, from firearms to knives, to hand fighting.

As said, this isn’t too surprising considering his profession. Often people may carry knives without knowing what to do with them. Whilst this may give them an advantage over an unarmed opponent, imagine them fighting a person armed who knows how to use blades. This is where Agent 47 comes in and he knows how to fight with blades.

Wing Chun and Krav Maga

When hand fighting, Agent 47 often uses a blend of Wing Chun and Krav Maga. Here, he uses his forearms to block strikes and reply with vicious elbows. Put another way, it’s a mistake to try and fight Agent 47 when he’s unarmed. Even though he’s more dangerous when armed, he can still more than handle himself when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Remember, he does kill people for a living so this makes sense.

As for Krav Maga, Agent 47 also breaks necks to get an instant kill. This is a technique taught in Krav Maga that can kill instantly. As Agent 47 is all about a quick kill, it makes sense that he’d know this technique. Overall, there are very few martial arts out there that teach this move because of its deadly consequences. Thus, it’s fair to assume that he knows Krav Maga.

Conclusion

As you would expect, Agent 47 knows all sorts of martial arts. This is vital too, as his life literally depends on his combat skills which are his profession. With this in mind, his approach to martial arts is highly practical, rather than that of a hobbyist. Also, because of this Agent 47 will do anything to survive. At the same time, he always tries to defeat his opponents with as little effort as possible.

To summarize, Agent 47 could be described as a well-rounded martial artist. He is an expert with firearms, knives, and using his body with a combination of grappling and striking.

If you’re a fan of the Hitman games then check out Hitman 3 on the PS4