What martial arts does Shang-Chi use?

Shang-Chi is arguably Marvel’s most known superhero when it comes to using martial arts. In fact, it’s a massive part of his identity and Marvel describes him as a ‘Kung Fu’ master. Such is the Kung Fu ability of Shang-Chi, he also taught Spider-Man how to use this martial art when Peter Parker temporarily lost his spider senses.

Since the comic book days, Shang-Chi has also been immortalized in movie form, with the movie of the same name achieving commercial success and turning Shang-Chi into a household name in the process. Anyway, today we shall be taking a close look at his Kung Fu skills, as well as any other martial arts that are also in his repertoire.

What does it mean to be a ‘master of Kung Fu’?

Obviously, the tag of ‘master of Kung Fu’ comes with a lot of responsibilities and power. Contrary to popular belief though, Kung Fu is not actually a singular fighting style. That’s right, contrary to what cinema often teaches, Kung Fu isn’t just about kicks and chops, it encompasses all sorts of styles and differing techniques.

With this said, to be a ‘master’ of Kung Fu is a really strong statement. It basically means that Shang-Chi is a master of fighting and is about as well-rounded as you can possibly be. From strikes to weapons, to grappling – this statement would imply that Shang-Chi is a walking encyclopedia of many Chinese fighting disciplines.

In terms of the actual fight scenes in the comics and movies though, often Marvel goes along with the stereotype of Kung Fu meaning striking, which is what Shang-Chi relies on for the most part.

Shang-Chi also uses Jeet Kune Do

One of Shang-Chi’s other martial arts that he relies upon is Jeet Kune Do. Like Kung Fu, this is also a bit of an umbrella term and was a discipline created by the legendary Bruce Lee. Here, Lee expanded upon his Wing Chun skills and applied this to Jeet Kune Do. However, he made some alterations such as strikes from distance and applying Wing Chun even more so to a street fighting setting. One of the main weapons Bruce Lee trained in Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun was the use of nunchucks.

These are also used in other martial arts too such as Karate. The nunchuck is one of the most famous martial arts weapons and that’s in part thanks to Bruce Lee. These are two poles joined together by a chain, meaning you can swing one end whilst holding the other. As seen in the picture, Shang-Chi can be seen brandishing nunchucks whilst in the comics. This makes sense considering he is meant to be a martial arts expert after all.

Shang-Chi also uses Bojutsu

Another weapon that Shang-Chi uses is the Bo staff that is also shown in both the movies and the comics. This is an Okinawan weapon that is basically a large, thin, wooden pole and it’s used offensively and defensively. Shang-Chi uses this to fend off strikes from his enemies as it can be used as a physical barrier. He can also use it to poke or slash enemies and as you can imagine, getting hit by such a weapon could be fatal.

In some less realistic scenes, Shang-Chi also uses this to hold against whilst he runs sideways on the Bo, kicking his enemies in the process. Over the years, this style has proved popular in lots of fighting scenes although it’s not really something that could be accomplished in real life. Interestingly though, there are some Shaolin monks who do train with staffs and can balance on them for a very long time.

Shang-Chi also uses Eskrima

The last weapon that Shang-Chi also uses are small blades which taps into his knowledge of Eskrima. This is a Flipino martial art that relies on small knives or sticks to fight off opponents. In the case of Shang-Chi, he often carries a small dagger in his back pocket for close combat. It’s one thing to be able to attack with a knife, but it’s also important to be able to defend with one.

It’s especially important for Shang-Chi to carry such a dangerous weapon as sometimes he’s outnumbered or faces enemies with weapons of their own. Thankfully, this is only a small blade so it can be easily carried by Shang-Chi and used with ease. Although a lot of people think that knife fighting is wild and reckless, there’s actually a lot of skill involved.

Shang-Chi also uses Tai Chi

This one is purely used for cinematic purposes but in the movie, Shang-Chi uses ‘Chi’ energy to use the ten rings. Although most believe it’s nonsense, some practitioners of Tai Chi believe it can be used as an energy force where you can move objects and people with your mind. As this is a comic book after all, it’s no surprise that Shang-Chi can do this and although it’s an unrealistic skill, it does make for some cool looking scenes.

You may have noticed that his literal name spells Shang-Chi which actually translates to ‘the rising of the spirit’ in Chinese so it doesn’t really have anything to do with chi energy. Another area of Tai Chi that he does train though is the meditation side of Tai Chi. Obviously, meditation is very relevant in some of the Chinese martial arts and is done to create a zen-like place in your mind and achieve clarity. For someone that is involved in mentally and physically taxing battles, it makes sense that Shang-Chi should meditate and use Tai Chi.

Conclusion

Overall, Shang-Chi is well deserved of his name ‘master of martial arts’ and clearly shows it throughout his time as a superhero. It’s important to remember as well, that a big part of his character development is his mentality which is also reflective of a true martial artist. Shang-Chi isn’t wild or overly emotional like Wolverine for instance, instead he’s what you’d expect from someone that has studied martial arts vigorously for many years. Whilst Kung Fu is also his main strength, as seen he’s also well equipped in other martial arts from other parts of the world too.