Martial Arts in Popular Culture

From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source

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Martial arts have long been the subject and public fantasy due to its mystical nature as way of life. With the help of modern mass media, which depicted martial arts as a ancient and enigmatical subject, It made its way to peoples' imagination. It became part of the present popular culture (pop culture) and introducing the art to wide avariety of audience.

Pop culture on the other hand could be simply defined (but modern scholars still dont agree) the prevailing culture of a society possess that utilizes mass media, and their vernacular language. This type of culture is born out of the interaction, the ideas, and the desires of a group of people that belongs to the common class or the mainstream. It is usually seen in fashion, television, newspapers, radio and everything that is used as a meduim of interaction between persons.

Television

Comics

a martial arts comic strip

Comics or sequential art is a visual art form that consists of images incorporated with text, often enclosed in a speech balloon or image captions. This type of art is primarily used to entertain people though the use of amusing drawings and enjoyable stories. Today, comics have become a literary form with its own set of genres.

The most common type of comics are the 4-panelled-comics called the comic strip which is usually found in news papers and magazines. The other type of comics are comic books, graphic novels and albums which is a longer type of comics.

Through generations, comics have been used by people to spread the teachings of martial arts.

Animated Cartoons

Ranma1/2: A scene where Genma Sautome practices martial arts with Ranma. This is an example how animation uses martial arts as a theme

The animated cartoon was developed primarily as a form of motion-picture entertainment. Since then, it encapsulated the mind of people, childred and adults alike. Because of this development, many artists incorporated martial arts theme in spicing the stories used in creating animated cartoons.

Video Games

kids playing video games

Video Games or Computer games are computer controlled games where players interact with the objects that are displayed on a screen. It is a form of entertainmnet wherein participants are brought into an alternate form of reality that video games represent. Overtime, since the dawn of computer technology, many game developers and programmers have tried to capture the excitement of martial arts. Since then, martial arts have been further popularized and ingrained in the consciouness of the mainstream society that fuels the expansion and development of pop culture.

Magazines