How Many Martial Arts Does Batman Know? It's A Dark Secret!

Photo by William Tung, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Batman fights crime in Gotham City, and because he has no superpowers, he has to rely on human skills to beat the members of his Rogues Gallery.

Along with his gadgets…

Batman relies heavily on martial arts, which is why I decided to look at how many and which martial arts Batman knows.

You'll often see the claim online that Batman knows 127 martial arts. DC has never published that number. DC describes him as a master of virtually every form of martial arts, and the comics show him using styles such as boxing, Muay Thai, savate, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kung fu and Krav Maga.

127? That number is fan lore, not canon.

Take a moment and read the content provided below to know more.

Who Is Batman?

Batman is the heroic alter ego of Bruce Wayne, a Gotham City resident. Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, in a story titled "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate."

That early story didn't include much of the Batman mythology we know today, and the character changed a lot over time.

Although Batman is a superhero, he lacks superpowers.

As a child, Bruce Wayne watched his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, get shot and killed in a mugging. In most versions of the story, the killer is a small-time criminal named Joe Chill.

Bruce survived and was raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

The Waynes were one of Gotham's richest families, so young Bruce was well provided for.

In many versions, young Bruce was terrified after falling into a cave full of bats, and that fear later inspired his choice of the bat as his symbol.

Wayne believed criminals were "a superstitious, cowardly lot," and that the best way to fight them was to make them afraid.

He created Batman to turn his fear against them, and he has been hunting Gotham's criminals since 1939.

The Batman stories have evolved throughout time.

His supporting cast grew to include several Robins, James Gordon, Lucius Fox and the rest of the so-called Bat-Family, and his Rogues Gallery grew too.

The comics led to live-action and animated TV series, films, video games and much more, making Batman one of the most profitable and famous properties in modern pop culture.

Skills, Abilities, And Martial Arts

As already stated, Batman has no superpowers. Unlike Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash or Green Lantern, he is an ordinary human.

He has trained his body and mind to their peak, but nothing he does is superhuman.

So, what makes him so successful and dreaded by criminals?

Batman fights criminals with three key tools: his intellect, his gadgets, and his combat abilities.

He is a brilliant detective. One of his greatest foes, Ra's al Ghul, even calls him "Detective."

He also relies on technology, some of which he designs himself and some of which comes from Lucius Fox and Wayne Enterprises.

The third tool, martial arts, is just as crucial to his work as a vigilante, and I'll cover it in more depth below.

How Many Martial Arts Does Batman Know?

Batman is a true master of martial arts.

DC describes him as "a master of virtually every form of martial arts."

He is extremely disciplined, physically powerful and strong-willed.

The popular figure of 127 martial arts comes from fan sites and wikis, not from DC. No official source gives an exact count.

In the comics, Batman is often compared with DC's top martial artists, such as Lady Shiva, Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon, which shows how highly the writers rate him.

Here is a list of martial arts Batman is commonly said to know, based on fan compilations:

Aikido
Ba Gua
Bojutsu
Boxing
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Capoeira
Chin Na
Escrima
Fencing
Francombat
Hapkido
Hung Gar
Jeet Kune Do
Judo
Jujitsu
Kali
Karate
Kendo
Kenjutsu
Kenpo
Kickboxing
Krav Maga
Kung Fu
Kyudo
Muay Thai
Ninjutsu
Savate
Shaolin
Shorin Ryu
Silat
Taekwondo
Tai Chi
Varma Ati
Wing Chun
Yawyan

As I said, this is only a partial list, and DC has never given a complete one, so I have to make do with what I have.

Here are 10 martial arts that stand out in Batman's fighting style, now that you've seen the wider list:

Type of Martial Art	Focus
Aikido	Joint locks and throws
Boxing	Punches
Judo	Throwing techniques
Karate	Punches, kicks and strikes
Krav Maga	Self-defense and disarming techniques
Kung Fu Styles	Strikes, blocks and footwork
Muay Thai	Elbow strikes and knee strikes
Ninjutsu	Stealth and weapons techniques
Savate	Kicking techniques
Taekwondo	Kicking techniques

How Did He Master And Perfect These Martial Arts?

The response to this question, however, is not that straightforward.

Why?

Well, there have been a lot of Batman stories since 1939, and many of them belong to different continuities, so it's hard to tell one consistent story about how he learned to fight.

The common thread is that Bruce Wayne trained with many of the world's best martial artists.

He also studies his opponents closely, including dangerous fighters like Deathstroke and members of the League of Assassins.

He uses that knowledge to plan counter-tactics for each of them.

Batman is an expert at reading his opponents' movements and weak points, and he uses them to his advantage in battle.

His travels before becoming Batman are a big part of the story.

In the "Year One" retelling, he spends years traveling the world and learning from the planet's greatest martial arts masters before returning to Gotham.

The best-known version of this training appears in Christopher Nolan's film Batman Begins.

In it, a young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) trains in the Himalayas with Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) and the League of Shadows. Ducard is later revealed to be Ra's al Ghul.

Most versions agree that Batman's fighting skills come from these years of training abroad.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What martial arts does Batman use?

DC says he has mastered virtually every form of martial arts. On the page and screen, he blends striking arts like boxing and Muay Thai with grappling arts like judo and jiu-jitsu, much like a mixed martial artist. He also uses his surroundings to his advantage.

Has Batman mastered all martial arts?

No official source says so. The often-repeated figure of 127 martial arts comes from fans, not DC. In the comics, Batman holds his own against DC's best fighters, including Lady Shiva, Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon.

How many martial arts would Batman realistically know?

A real person could not truly master 127 martial arts in one lifetime. Most real fighters spend years mastering just one or two styles.

A realistic version of Batman would look more like a modern mixed martial artist, combining striking, wrestling and submission grappling.

How many martial arts does DCEU Batman know?

The DC Extended Universe films don't give a number. Ben Affleck's Batman fights with a brutal, close-range style that mixes strikes, throws and grappling, and some fans try to break it down move by move.

Knock-Out Point: The Olympics is a sporting event that Batman (aka Bruce Wayne) never had the chance of joining. Imagine the spectacle that he would have created if he did participate! This brings us to an article we wrote about this topic -- Olympic Martial Arts.

Conclusion

Batman is often described as a master of every fighting style, but the famous "127 martial arts" figure isn't official. What DC does say is that he is a master of virtually every form of martial arts.

So, what are your thoughts? How many martial arts does Batman have under his belt? How well does he know them, too? Is he better than Bruce Lee? Can he do better Karate than the Karate kid?

I hope you found this information helpful and that you continue to watch or read everything about superheroes!