Ryu & Ken VS Bruce & Chuck: Battle of the Iconic Martial Artists

Share on Facebook posted 03-12-10 by Max Tedaldi

Here at 30ninjas we are obsessed with massive explosions, bone-breaking fight scenes, and a 30 car pile-up always grabs our attention. Because of our need to discover the best the world has to offer in the genre of mind-blowing, we often find ourselves in heated, emotional, and most likely violent arguments over which explosion was bigger, which fight scene more bloody, and which car wreck more destructive. That is why Angelo and myself have decided to collaborate on these series of articles: To decide once and for all, who is right and heir to the 30ninjas throne of destruction and mayhem. Each week we will be picking two comparable items within the realms of video-games and movies and duke it out for bragging rights. Got something you’d like to see on Versus, let us know in the comment section.

Week 6: Ryu & Ken VS Bruce Lee & Chuck Norris

Ryu & Ken by Angelo

Who They Are

Ken Masters and Ryu … uh … convenient last name, have been around for ages. They were the main characters of the very first Street Fighter, and at that point were identical in every way. However, as time went on, Ryu and Ken began to diverge. One became a stoic practitioner of the martial arts seeking enlightenment through physical perfection, and the other became a flashy pretty boy who, despite his noble warrior spirit, generally fought for glory and attention. They are both masters of a specific type of Ansatsuken, handed down from their master Gouken. Whereas Ryu focuses on the Do aspect of the martial arts, the inner spirituality and personal development one gains through mastery of one’s own body, Ken focuses on the Jutsu aspect of the martial arts, practical application and evolution through theory.

What They Do

D,DF,F+P=Hadouken. F,D,DF+P=Shoryuken. D, DB, B+K=Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku. You probably want something more than a move list don’t you? Well, I promised I wouldn’t factor in the ability to throw fireballs with your own Ki into this versus, so let’s get historical shall we? Ryu (and conversely Ken, due to the fact that he was originally just a head swap) was based off of Yoshiji Soeno, the creator of Shidōkan karate. This particular style fuses basic karate principles with aspects of Muay Thai and grappling, and in recent more commercial days even some Korean Tae Kwon Do. The particular style, when translated, loosely means “House of the Way of the Warrior.” All of Ryu and Ken’s basic moves are based off of Soeno’s original style. The five basic principles of Shidōkan karate are prominent in Ryu’s character. 1, Keep alive the warrior’s spirit. 2, Improve your character though being polite to others. 3, Train both mind and body. 4, Live in a simple way through love of all mankind. 5, Never seek to fight. Ken on the other hand, well Ken is a dick, but he is an awesome dick. Fun fact: Ryu and Ken’s original style was mistranslated as Shotokan, a different style of karate founded by Gichin Funakoshi with focus on stance and ferocity. Though Ryu and Ken do not actually use the Shotokan style, another Street Fighter character, Makoto, does.

Why They Win

Do I still have to leave out the whole fireballs and flaming dragon punch thing? I do? OK fine. Granted, Bruce Lee is a tough fight to go up against. However, there is already a Bruce Lee analog in Street Fighter, through Fei Long. Guess what, Ryu beats the crap out of Fei Long. Bruce Lee was quite the martial artist, don’t get me wrong, but Ryu goes up against demons, dictators, and otherworldly forces all on his quest to perfect himself. He is the true world warrior, the man who puts his own perfection above all else. Now Ken, on the other hand, beats Chuck Norris hands down. Granted Chuck may have roundhouse kicked Mr. T to create the eighties, but Chuck, in my opinion, lost all of his awesome meme powers to Vin Diesel after it turned out he was planning the rise of several republican splinter cells that will take over the country should we stray too far from the American way of life. So its movie star versus movie star, and you know what, I’ll go for the movie star that that trained under the Assassin’s fist.

ALSO THEY CAN THROW FIREBALLS AND SHIT! COME ON!

Bruce Lee & Chuck Norris by Max

Who They Are

Who are they? Who are they!? A true ninja would never ask this question, but for those of you who have been living in an action-free explosion-less, anti-bomb shelter here’s the info. Bruce Lee was the martial arts super star in such films as Fist of Fury and Enter The Dragon. He began studying martial arts under Yip Man, master of Wing Chun, in Hong Kong before moving to the United States and creating Jeet Kune Do, Way of the Intercepting Fist. Bruce’s charisma and talent led him into films. After the massive success of Fist of Fury Bruce met karate champion Chuck Norris at a demonstration in California, and immediately cast him in his next film Way of the Dragon. The fight between the two became one of the most legendary martial arts moments in film. Bruce starred in more than 30 martial arts films by the time of his death in 1973.

After rocketing to martial arts film celebrity following the release of Way of the Dragon, Chuck went on to star in Missing in Action and Walker, Texas Ranger, among other martial arts-based films. He is an eighth-degree black belt and the proud owner of a mustache and beard made of pure steel wool.

What They Do

Bruce Lee studied and mastered Wing Chun and created his own style, Jeet Kune Do, as a martial arts method with more practical applications. Apart from wiping the floor with opponents too numerous to count, Bruce accomplished a number of physical feats that are physically and conceptually mind-boggling. He could throw grains of rice up into the air and then catch them in mid-flight using chopsticks. He could perform one-handed push-ups using only the thumb and index finger, and we was master of the one-inch punch made famous by Kill Bill. Action scenes from many of Bruce’s films had to be shot in 32 frames per second as opposed to the standard 24, because his movements were just too fast and the camera couldn’t catch them with good clarity.

Chuck Norris has been known to use the roundhouse kick as a solution for any obstacle that gets in his way. He has also stared animals down to prevent them from attacking as well as direct them to do complex tasks. Seriously though, apart from Chuck’s resurgent cult status, the guy has an eighth degree black belt, he held the Professional Middleweight Karate champion title for six consecutive years, and founded Chun Kuk Do (the Universal Way)

Why They Win

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding. There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist. Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas. Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn’t nearly foolish enough to attack him. Chuck Norris sleeps with a pillow under his gun. Google won’t search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don’t find Chuck Norris, he finds you. They once made a Chuck Norris toilet paper, but there was a problem: It wouldn’t take shit from anybody. Chuck Norris played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won. Chuck Norris does not follow fashion trends, they follow him. But then he turns around and kicks their ass. Nobody follows Chuck Norris. When Bruce Banner gets mad, he turns into the Hulk. When the Hulk gets mad, he turns into Chuck Norris. And guess who beat Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon, none other than Bruce Lee. Come on, is this even close?!