What martial arts does Uma Thurman use in Kill Bill?

It’s no secret that Kill Bill features a lot of martial arts, with the movies often parodying old martial arts movies at times. In fact, in recent years it’s probably the biggest film to have featured martial arts during its fight scenes…and there are lots of them. In Kill Bill, the protagonist is played by Uma Thurman and is simply called ‘The Bride’.

Here, she often showcases her martial arts skills in shockingly good fashion, even taking out around 100 armed enemies by herself in one fight scene. Remember, this is a Quintin Tarantino movie after all, so there’s always going to be a degree of exaggeration. Nonetheless, this is a list of the martial arts that Uma Thurman uses in Kill Bill. As said, these aren’t meant to be realistic and are blown out of proportion so you have been warned!

Uma Thurman uses Kenjutsu

Perhaps Uma Thurman’s most clear skill in Kill Bill is her Kenjutsu which she is very talented with. Kenjutsu is a Japanese martial art that basically means using swords to fight with. As for Thurman, she often opts for a katana to take on her enemies. Sometimes, she will kill people instantly with a quick slash to the throat. However, against more skilled opponents she will have full-on battles that show her technical prowess with the blade. Although her sensei Pai Mai is less than impressed with her swordsmanship, it’s insinuated that he has incredibly high standards.

It’s understood that The Bride was meant to be an assassin, so she probably trained Kenjutsu for years. This theory also makes sense, considering Kenjutsu is Japanese and much of Kill Bill is set in Japan. The theory is that The Bride lived there for many years, which adds up to her training Kenjutsu and explains why she’s so good at it.

Uma Thurman uses Kung Fu

Whilst preparing for her role as The Bride, Uma Thurman trained Kung Fu which was also put into the movie. This is often used during the fight scenes in Kill Bill that don’t feature weapons. Here, Thurman uses her hands to punch and feet to strike and becomes very proficient in using her limbs as weapons. She also adopts a Kung Fu stance whilst waiting to strike her enemies.

There is one scene in the films that explicitly shows this – where Thurman visits Kung Fu master Pai Mei. Here, she visits him to learn from him due to his great knowledge of the martial art where he describes her skills as ‘amateur at best’. A tough man to please, they eventually spar and he proves that her Kung Fu is far inferior to his. Apparently, Pai Mei’s Kung Fu is a blend between Bak Mei and Eagle’s Claw styles which is what Thurman uses when fighting various attackers.

Uma Thurman uses Krav Maga

At times, Uma Thurman also resorts to Krav Maga to kill. This shows that she’s not averse to fighting dirty if it’s needed. Early on in the first film, she kills Jasper by literally ripping his tongue out with her teeth. This is the kind of survival tactic that would be taught in Krav Maga and is a creative way to kill someone whilst stuck to the floor. She also gouges an eyeball out of an attacker later on in the films which is also taught in Krav Maga.

Remember, Uma Thurman’s character is fighting her way through a number of deceitful enemies who will kill her by any means necessary. This isn’t like fighting in an organized tournament where there are rules – so it’s crucial that she relies on Krav Maga for her own survival.

Uma Thurman uses Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

In some of the fight scenes, Uma Thurman uses Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to enhance her chance of winning. This can be seen a couple of times during her battle with Vernita Green. At Green’s house, the two have an infamous fight scene that shows both of their martial arts capabilities. During this fight, she manages to reverse the position whilst on the floor. With Green attacking her and Thurman being on the bottom, she uses a balloon sweep to throw Green over her shoulders and get to a top position.

After a short while, she also gets Green in a rear naked choke hold but she eventually escapes. This is an important martial art to know, as sometimes you won’t be armed or be able to solely rely on strikes to cause damage. Whilst Thurman’s character probably isn’t quite a BJJ black belt, she’s still very skilled nonetheless.

Uma Thurman uses Eskrima

When fighting Vernita Green, the pair use Eskrima as they clash whilst both holding small daggers. This takes place during the same fight that uses the aforementioned BJJ skills. In this scene, the pair manage to cut each other using these blades but don’t cause either of them serious harm or threaten to kill one and another. It’s possible that Thurman would have won the Eskrima battle towards the end of the fight, but at this point, they’re interrupted by Green’s child and stop fighting.

Anyway, as Vernita Green is also a skilled assassin, this shows both of their martial arts skills in this area. You would imagine that Uma Thurman would easily beat most untrained people in a knife fight. Having said this, it’s also clear that her katana skills are far better than her Eskrima skills. As said earlier, she literally kills over 100 enemies with her katana at once, whereas her dagger skills just aren’t as deadly.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember the context of The Bride and her place within the Kill Bill universe. As these are Tarantino movies, they’re pretty wild and out there. Even the greatest martial artist in the world couldn’t defeat a dojo of 100 armed men. However, this is a throwback to a bygone era, and a nod to Bruce Lee’s martial arts films that saw himself and others pull off similar feats.

In conclusion, Uma Thurman’s character is incredibly skilled. Her best martial art is definitely her reliance on Kenjutsu which she can be considered a master at. Elsewhere, her fighting style mostly uses Kung Fu, Krav Maga, BJJ, and Eskrima – with a big emphasis on Kung Fu. Because of this, she can be considered very well rounded and whatever way you fight her – you know you’re in for a tough fight. It’s important to note that she is a trained assassin after all, so these skills are to be expected. The point is that despite this, there are of course some cinematic exaggerations thrown in for good measure.

If you’re a fan of the Kill Bill movies, then check out the Blu-Ray collection here.