What martial arts does Wolverine know?

The X-Men’s Wolverine may be immortal with adamantium running through his body, but it turns out that he’s actually a highly skilled martial artist. You may think that there’s little need to master fighting skills if you’re undefeatable. However, against other mutants and superheroes, it makes sense that Wolverine should learn to be the best fighter possible. Further, it’s efficient and time-effective if he learns how to deal with enemies as quickly as possible.

It should also be noted that there are two sides to Wolverine’s fighting techniques. The first is that shown in the comics. In the original comic books, Wolverine is noticeably more skilled than he is in the films. Here, it’s explicitly stated that he knows a few martial arts and you can see this during the fight scenes. However, in the movies, you could argue that his fighting skills are somewhat dumbed down and he relies on brute strength and speed rather than technique.

Because of this, we’ve decided to feature both the movie and comic book sequences to show a realistic picture of Wolverine and his martial arts skills. Read on to learn more about your favorite antihero.

Boxing

Perhaps Wolverine’s most famous martial art is boxing. Obviously, he packs a hard punch due to having adamantium in his knuckles which means he can easily knock out normal humans. As well as this, he has superhuman speed which is another great attribute as a boxer. This allows for him to duck strikes as well as reply with ones of his own. In the films, we can see his superior boxing skills when he fights The Blob.

Although vastly outweighed, Wolverine still beats him with relative ease during a boxing match. This shows that he’s not just based on speed and strength and has genuine technique. Outside of the ring, he will often use his boxing skills when he doesn’t use his claws. For instance, if he wants to hurt someone without killing them, then he will simply box them until they’re unconscious.

MMA

Again, looking at the movies – it’s clear that Logan has a background in MMA fighting. Here, he is called ‘undefeated’ during a cage match in a bar in Alaska. It is assumed that he has easily defeated many opponents before in this no-holds-barred setting. Although he doesn’t really grapple, he doesn’t need to due to the power of his punches and he can literally fling people off him if they get too close.

Interestingly during this scene in the first X-Men movie, he wins a cage fight by knocking out his opponent with a headbutt. Although deemed illegal under UFC and MMA rules, this is actually a part of the Burmese martial art Lethwei. It’s unclear whether Wolverine is actually trained in Lethwei or whether he’s just a brawler with headbutts. Regardless, headbutting is a good tactic for Wolverine who can do major damage without harming his own brain. As a result, this is something he can use to his advantage over other mutants and fighters.

Krav Maga

In the comic book Excalibur vol. 85 – Wolverine teaches Kitty Pryde Krav Maga. This is during a flashback, where he teaches her a number of dangerous strikes from up close and claims the moves originate from Mossad. She eventually uses these techniques when fighting a possessed Nightcrawler later on.

Generally, we see a few indications of Wolverine using his Krav Maga as he can also be viewed as a pretty dirty fighter. He’s not afraid to throw headbutts, twist necks, or stab with his claws. Although these tactics can be deemed extreme for some fighting situations, they’re also very applicable for real-life fights if you’re in serious danger. Therefore, Wolverine knowing Krav Maga makes sense, especially when you look at his military background where it’s often taught.

Kenjutsu

If you’re aware of Wolverine’s martial arts background then you’ll be well aware of his Kenjutsu skills. During part of the X-Men series, Wolverine used the Muramasa Blade which was given to him by the Japanese bladesmith, Muramasa. Here, Wolverine would use this sword to defeat enemies such as Nuke and Wild Child.

Interestingly, this blade was also owned by Captain America for a while and has a history of use with other superheroes. For the most part, Wolverine is known for using his claws but is also highly skilled with swords which means his Kenjutsu is of a high level.

Ninjutsu

Wolverine also knows Ninjutsu which is a martial art based on stealth and deception amongst other things. It is mentioned in the comics that he learned this as a child so that he could sneak up on animals and pet them. Whether this was self-taught, or whether he was formally trained is not known.

As an adult, he often uses Ninjutsu as well. Although he’s known as being a pretty brash fighter, he’s also reliant on stealth at times to sneak past soldiers and enemies. In short, contrary to what some believe – Wolverine doesn’t always go in swinging his claws and can be more subtle when asked of him. His claims of Ninjutsu are also cemented with more knowledge from the comic books, where it’s said that he taught Psylocke Ninjutsu.

Tiger Claw Kung Fu

Whilst this may sound obvious, Wolverine is often reliant on his adamantium claws to slash and stab enemies which is where his name comes from. This style of fighting often mimics Tiger Claw Kung Fu, which is a branch of general Kung Fu. The art of Tiger Claw is to use your hands and body like claws and a tiger. Sound familiar? These animal-like stances are often used by Wolverine who will often jump on his opponents from a crouching position.

Similarly, with his hands, he will literally use his claws which are similar to the fist positions of Tiger Claw Kung Fu. Whilst this may not be as talked about or obvious as the other styles of martial arts that he uses, it’s fair to say that Wolverine’s fighting style is definitely influenced by Tiger Claw Kung Fu.

Conclusion

To summarize, Wolverine uses multiple martial arts that mostly rely upon weapons such as swords and his claws, or the brute force of his adamantium frame. Combined with his natural agility and strength, it’s no surprise that Wolverine is a tough opponent and a skilled martial artist. When you add in his immortality and his Ninjutsu skills, it’s easy to see why he’s such an effective mutant for the X-Men.

It should be added that whilst he’s not as well rounded as certain other heroes (his grappling is almost non existent), he doesn’t really need to be due to his physical advantages. At the same time, that’s not to say that Wolverine is dumbed down either as he does have a lot of martial arts under his belt and certainly not just a brawler that lacks technique.