What martial arts does Dexter Morgan use in Dexter?

In the hit TV series Dexter, the main character Dexter Morgan is a serial killer. Here, he hunts down predatory members of society and kills them in expert fashion. This appeases his blood lust, whilst also showing off his fight skills. It’s not surprising that he knows how to fight and kill, considering it is his favorite pass time.

So, it’s fair to assume that over the years – Dexter has practiced and mastered the art of fighting. However, he’s also trained martial arts in a formal setting. At one point during the show, he mentions to his colleague Doakes that he once trained martial arts for free as part of his profession as a forensics expert. Here, he would have had access to training martial arts due to his links with the police force. So, if you want to learn what martial arts Dexter Morgan uses then read on…

Dexter uses Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Perhaps Dexters most famously used martial art is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This is a grappling-based discipline that involves submitting your opponent out on the floor. In Dexter’s case, he is an expert as using the rear naked choke, which is also known as the sleeper hold. This is a very sensible way of killing someone for Dexter as it involves little mess, such as blood or a struggle. In the show, whenever Dexter manages to take the back of his enemies, they are almost guaranteed to die.

This means that you could assume that Dexter is very well versed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling. Interestingly, we’ve never seen him use other chokes or submissions other than the rear naked choke and throttling people. Nonetheless, this is Dexters main move and he is a very dangerous grappler on the ground.

Dexter uses Japanese Ju Jitsu

Another area that Dexter does well in is Japanese Ju Jitsu. This helped influence BJJ and Judo so it’s not too surprising that Dexter has an interest in it. Whilst standing, Dexter often uses Japanese Ju Jitsu to hold and subdue his opponents. For instance, in the clip below – he gets sucker punched by Doakes. Dexter smartly responds by getting Doakes in an arm lock and controls his posture by doing so. Here, if Doakes moves wrongly, Dexter could have snapped his elbow.

This is a similar philosophy that is also found in Aikido – where standing joint locks are used to pacify attackers. In short, it’s fair to say that Dexter has a lot of interest in the grappling martial arts and knows a few submissions. Again, this goes back to the idea that he doesn’t want to create a messy crime scene, which makes sense considering his passion for killing.

Dexter uses Judo

Following on from Japanese Ju Jitsu, Dexter also uses Judo to throw his enemies to take the fight to the ground. For instance, if he manages to secure a takedown or throw, then it makes it easier for Dexter to grapple whilst on the floor. At this point, he can apply his trade mark strangles. So, typically a fight involving Dexter uses a mix of striking and Japanese Ju Jitsu whilst standing.

After this, if Dexter manages to gain a dominant position then he’ll use his Judo to throw to the floor. For example – with Doakes the fight was in favor of Dexter. Perhaps he could have then transititoned into some kind of shoulder throw from his Japanese Ju Jitsu hold. As you may have figured, Dexter has a versatile array of grappling techniques.

Dexter knows boxing (kind of)

It’s not known if Dexter has ever trained in boxing but he isn’t bad at boxing. Often, his fights will start with a few punches thrown and Dexter is both good at punching and dodging strikes from his opponents. Although he’s primarily a grappler at heart, he does draw upon his boxing experiences at times when needed.

Imagine a serial killer who didn’t know any boxing or martial arts. This would make their lives a lot harder. So, Dexter can box but he isn’t exactly an expert in this field, nor is it where he’s most comfortable. After years of fights and scraps, you would assume that he could box and has probably picked up a few tips from all the experience he has.

Dexter uses Ninjutsu

The likelihood of Dexter actually learning Ninjutsu in a formal environment is slim to none. This is because it’s difficult to learn these days and has its fair share of nonsense. However, in terms of stalking his prey and killing them, you could claim that Dexter is a master of Ninjutsu. In short, Ninjutsu is a form of espionage that relies on killing people by stealth, creating propaganda and using creative methods to achieve your goals.

In other words, you could say that Ninjutsu was the older version of spying and modern-day espionage. In terms of his activities, Dexter thinks like a spy which is how he effectively hides in plain sight. From planning his kills, to sneaking around and kidnapping, to meticiously hiding evidence – Dexter is definitely an example of a modern day Ninjutsu pracitioner.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s safe to say that Dexter is at his best when grappling. Simply put, if he gets a hold of you then you’re in trouble and the best way to fight him would be from distance. In other words, if you tried to pick him off with long distance, rangy strikes then he’d probably suffer. Still, this isn’t too easy to do and he can still stand and bang.

However, if Dexter does manage to grapple you then most often he manages to find a way to the back. From here, against most untrained people he has enough knowledge to be able to sink in his trademark rear naked choke. In conclusion, Dexter is a solid martial artist. After years of fighting and killing people, he knows his strengths and often uses them. However, we should also state that he’s not an expert and may struggle against other skilled fighters.

If you’re a fan of Dexter and his killing skills, feel free to check out the first series here.