DC's best martial artists

As vast and nearly endless as the DC multiverse, the concept of martial arts is well woven into the fabric of the DCEU, serving as a cornerstone for many of its most iconic characters. From the dark streets of Gotham to the mystical realms of the multiverse, these skilled fighters embody discipline, strategy, and unparalleled combat prowess.

In turn, the purpose of this article is nothing more than to carefully select and rank the best martial artists in the entire DC universe. Showcasing his distinctive fighting styles and significant contributions to the world of superhero storytelling. Whether they're heroes of justice or villains going their separate ways, below are the best martial artists the DC multiverse has to offer.

10 O-Sensei

N/A

• Accessories: World Organization of Organized Defense
• Universe of Origin: Earth-One
• First appearance: Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #1

Legendary martial arts instructor O-Sensei is neither a superhero nor a supervillain, but rather a legendary trainer. He is responsible for training martial masters such as Richard the Dragon and Bronze King. Both of them rank much higher in this section. Very little is known about his past or even present life, except that he had a goddaughter, Carolyn Wooson.

A versatile master, O-Sensei mastered several martial arts before his death, including Aikido, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Sawat and even Boxing. While he doesn't have a significant contribution to the DCU, the impact his students have on the universe is more than enough to merit his place.

9 Ted Grant

Wild cat

• Accessories: Justice Society of America
• Universe of Origin: New Earth
• First appearance: Comic book sensation #1

A boxer who was blamed for the death of his opponent, Ted Grant's life was pretty complicated even before he donned the Wildcat suit. Inspired by the Green Lantern comics to become a vigilante, Ted Grant became Wildcat to right the wrongs with his killer name, and has continued to fight crime as his superhero alter ego ever since. Able to resurrect, along with his slowed aging and enhanced vision, Wildcat is a pretty troublesome hero to face, even without his combat prowess.

In addition to his unsettling ability to stay dead, Ted is a master of various martial arts, including Hapkido, Krav Maga, Capoeira, Taekwondo, and Kickboxing. Above all, however, Ted became a boxer and a veteran. His most notable involvement in the DCU was joining the Justice Society of America during World War II. It is during this period that he gains the ability to resurrect after meeting the pair of the Inferno King and Zatara.

8 Connor Hawke

Green arrow #2

• Accessories: Team Arrow, Justice League
• Universe of Origin: New Earth
• First appearance: Green Arrow Volume 2, #0

The son of Oliver Queen, the original Green Arrow, Connor Hawke began heroism as a way to continue his father's legacy as the Green Arrow. Born to his father's former lover, Sandra Hawke, Connor is an archer like Oliver as the Green Arrow. However, he also surpasses his old man in every aspect, including fighting skills.

According to Batman, Connor Hawke is second only to Lady Shiva, a compliment of the highest esteem. Personally trained by the infamous Richard the Dragon, Connor is able to duplicate the skills of others, being somewhat of a combat prodigy. Having trained under the best and rarest martial masters on Earth, Connor has surpassed all of his teachers with the exception of Richard the Dragon, which alone is enough to earn him his place.

7 Constantine the Dragon

Constantine the Dragon

• Accessories: Dezstrok Terminator
• Universe of Origin: New Earth
• First appearance: Green Arrow Volume 3, #27

Green Arrow's longtime nemesis and assassin, Constantine the Dragon sets up camp in the DCU's gallery of villains. Considered a child prodigy, Constantine began his life as an assassin as a child when he was ten years old when he discovered a talent for murder. It is unknown how much martial skill he has and what martial arts he has learned in his life.

However, his reputation as a fearsome fighter remains, given that he has outmatched Ethan Hawke, one of the DCEU's certified martial artists, on several occasions. However, the assassin is unable to take the top spot due to not having enough feats to demonstrate his prowess.

6 Cassandra Kane-Wayne

Batgirl #4

• Accessories: Batman Inc., League of Assassins, Young Justice
• Universe of Origin: New Earth
• First appearance: Batman #567

Born to a pair of assassins, David Cain and Lady Shiva, Cassandra Cain by default earns her place in this piece by that fact alone. A member of the Batman family as Batgirl, Cassandra is also the adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne. Unlike other characters in the DCU, Cassandra does not choose the life of a superhero or villain, but is born into one.

Just as she was born into martial arts, training all her life and mastering all types of martial arts, Cassandra is considered the perfect weapon of killing even by her parents. With a sponge-like brain that can absorb and learn techniques from even her opponents, Cassandra's greatest strength is her ability to learn. Mentored and trained by some of the DCU's most iconic martial artists, including Bronze Tiger, Lady Shiva, Onyx, and Batman, Cassandra's martial arts talent may even surpass that of her mother, Lady Shiva.

5 Benjamin Turner

Bronze tiger

• Accessories: League of Assassins, Justice League Task Force, Suicide Squad
• Universe of Origin: New Earth
• First appearance: Richard Dragon Kung-Fu Fighter #1

One of only two students O-Sensei has ever taken on, along with Richard Dragon, Ben Turner, also known as Bronze Tiger, is as much of a martial arts heavyweight as Richard Dragon is in the DCU. Like Richard the Dragon, he also has no superpowers; however, his fighting skills are enough to defeat even Deathstroke and bring Batman to a standstill.

More impressively, he is recognized by Lady Shiva and is considered to be on her level in terms of combat, having fought Richard Dragon to a stalemate several times. Thanks to his extremely quick reflexes and strength, Ben Turner is a master of several martial arts, including Hapkido, Boxing, Judo, Muay Thai, Savate, Silat, Jit Kung Do, Jujutsu and Taekwondo.

4 Bruce Wayne

Batman

• Accessories: Batman Incorporated, Wayne Industries, Justice League
• Universe of Origin: New Earth
• First appearance: Batman #401

Gotham City's protector, Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, is one of the DCU's most iconic superheroes and, accordingly, one of the best heroes ever. However, not only is he one of the best overall, Batman is also considered one of the best in the martial arts department of the DCU. Born to the famous Wayne family and Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce became interested in self-defense, fighting and martial arts long before he became Batman, starting with a trip to Paris.

Beginning with his trip to France, Bruce studied martial arts from the world's greatest masters, from swordsmanship to training under the Gray Shadow to training under Ra's Al Ghul until he finally returned and became the Dark Knight at 25. More than his fighting prowess, Bruce Wayne is also responsible for training some of the best fighters in the DCU, including Cassandra Kane. He does all this without the help of a superpower.

3 Sandra Wu-Sang

Lady Shiva

• Accessories: League of Assassins, Birds of Prey, Brotherhood of the Fist
• Universe of Origin: Earth-One
• First appearance: Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5

A master assassin and one of the world's greatest assassins, Lady Shiva is one of the most memorable DCU villains due to her involvement in major moments throughout the DCU. Cassandra Cain's mother, Lady Shiva, aka Sandra Wu-San, is infamous for her ability to kill, having mastered most of the world's lethal martial arts, including sawate, kokusho, and her specialty, Dim Mak, an ancient martial art that allows her to strike on opponents' vital points, causing paralysis and death.

According to Batman, Lady Shiva is often considered the best martial artist in the world, given some of the opponents she has faced and defeated. She is also considered on par with the likes of Richard Dragon, Batman, Connor Hawke and even her own daughter Cassandra Kane. However, with her level of experience, she is slightly superior to most of the other heroes and villains, with the exception of Richard the Dragon and Karate Kid.

2 Richard Draconovsky

Richard the Dragon

• Accessories: World Organization of Organized Defense
• Universe of Origin: Earth-One
• First appearance: Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #1

One of the DCU's mainstays when it comes to martial arts, Richard Drakunowski, aka Richard Dragon, is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial artists in the world, thus one of the best martial artists in the DCU. Neither hero nor villain, Richard the Dragon's combat prowess allows him to take on more gray roles such as thief, secret agent, and instructor.

Lacking a superpower, Richard's reputation as a deadly opponent stems from his understanding of the mystical arts of combat and the versatility of all of Earth's deadliest martial arts, having personally studied under the famous O-Sensei. He is also capable of using almost all melee weapons, despite preferring hand-to-hand combat. Even after retiring as an adventurer, he became a martial arts instructor and is responsible for training heroes such as Huntress, The Question, and Oracle.

1 Val Armor

The Karate Kid

• Accessories: Legion of superheroes
• Universe of Origin: Hour before zero
• First appearance: Adventure Comics #346

The undisputed best martial artist of the DCU, Val Armor, aka The Karate Kid, is a superhero from the future and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The son of Japan's greatest crime boss, Kira Nezumi, Val Armor is a martial artist who has mastered every type of martial art ever created before the 30th century. Adopted and trained by the legendary sensei Toshiaki, Val was the youngest warrior to earn the rank of samurai.

Due to his combination of all kinds of unarmed and armed combat techniques, Val can take on much stronger opponents without much difficulty, using his strength against them like he did against Equus. Also, having no superpowers other than the Legion Flight Ring, Val was classified by Superman as a 15th-class fighter, while Batman was classified as a 12th-class. techniques.