Fish-Man Karate

Fishman Karate (魚人空手) is a martial art that is practiced by certain skilled members of the fishman race. While deadly enough on land, Fishman Karate has a number of devastating underwater moves designed to be suitable with the Fishmen strength and speed along with the mobility that goes while under water and, in some cases, a fishman's personal adaptation (fins, teeth, etc.).

According to Jinbe, the secret of Fishman Karate is mastery of the water in the user's direct vicinity, using its power to send powerful waves impacting the water within the opponent's body. Since every living creature is nothing more than a mass of water, the users of Fishman Karate are able to battle opponents that are usually highly resistant (if not immune) against blows and punches. This was first demonstrated against Monkey D. Luffy, a rubber man, who is nearly immune to blunt attacks. Jinbe also displayed that Fishman Karate can be used effectively on land as he can utilize the water in the atmosphere and make use of it to attack.

This martial art can be learned on Fishman Island, more specifically at the Fishman Karate Dojo.

Kuroobi's Techniques
Kuroobi, officer of the Arlong Pirates, claimed that he is a level 40 practitioner of this martial art style. All of his moves are demonstrated during his battle against Sanji.


 * Hyakumaigawara Seiken (百枚瓦正拳): A hard punch that can send an opponent flying. Kuroobi claims that this attack is so strong that it can break through one hundred tiles. In the Viz Manga and 4Kids dub, this is called Hundred Brick Fist but is unnamed in the Funimation dub.


 * Wanto Giri (腕刀斬り): Kuroobi slams his arm-fin into the back of his opponent's neck. In the Viz Manga, and the 4Kids and FUNimation dubs, this is called Forearm Sledge.


 * Itomaki Kumite (イトマキ組手): Done underwater, Kuroobi wraps his ponytail around the opponent's waist to prevent them for escaping. The word "Itomaki" means "manta ray"; but it can also mean "spool of thread", which is what his opponent looks like when they are caught by this attack. In the Viz Manga and 4Kids and FUNimation dubs, this is called The Dueling Hair Tether.


 * Kaisoku: Harakudashigeri (海速 腹下し蹴り): An underwater attack, Kuroobi darts forward and uses the momentum to deliver a savage side kick to the opponent's stomach. This attack's name is a pun, the word "kaisoku", written with different kanji, can mean "high speed"; the term "harakudashi", meaning "drop of the stomach", is also the word for "laxative"; and, finally, the word "geri" is one of the many ways of writing "kick", but this version can also mean "diarrhea". Put them all together and it makes "High speed, laxative induced diarrhea". This is called Instant Undersea Bowel Buster in the Viz Manga, Instant Undersea Bladder Buster in the 4Kids dub, and simply Undersea Bladder Buster in the FUNimation dub.


 * Ka Ka Kakato Otoshi (火華カカト落とし): Done underwater, Kuroobi spins and hits his opponent with the heel of his foot. This is called Flaming Ax Kick in the Viz Manga and 4Kids and FUNimation dubs.


 * Kachiage Haisoku (カチ上げ背足): Done underwater, an inner-sole kick to the chin of Kuroobi's opponent. This is called Back-Foot Jawbreaker in the Viz Manga and 4Kids and FUNimation dubs.


 * Jodan Bakusho (上段爆掌): Done underwater, this is an open-palm attack to the chin of Kuroobi's opponent. This is called Guffaw Palm Bomb in the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub and Exploding Palm Bomb in the 4Kids dub. "Jodan" here is written with the characters for "high rank", but is a homophone for the word for "joke"; which is why the word "guffaw" is present in the English translation for this attack name.


 * Appakushi Chokka Koro (圧迫死直下航路): Done underwater, Kuroobi grabs his opponent then swims extremely fast to the ocean floor where the pressure of the ocean wreaks havoc on the opponent's body. In the Viz Manga and 4Kids and FUNimation dubs, this is called Pulverizing Pressure Plunge.


 * Senmaigawara Seiken (千枚瓦正拳): A much stronger version of the Hyaku Maigawara Seiken, Kuroobi claims that this move is the "true essence of Fishman Karate". It can break through one thousand tiles, and kill a human with one shot. Unfortunately for him, it was never seen if he was telling the truth because Sanji had defeated Kuroobi with a barrage of kicks before the punch could actually connect. In the Viz Manga and 4Kids and FUNimation dubs, this is called Thousand Brick Fist.

Capote's Techniques
During the Donut Race portion of the Davy Back Fight, Capote of the Foxy Pirates showed some of his skills in Fishman Karate in order to aid the Cutie Wagon in racing. The techniques he used are as follows:




 * Kaimen Wari (海面･割り): Using a karate chop, Capote can split the very ocean itself in order to send a shock wave to attack an enemy. In the Viz Manga, this is called Sea Surface Splitter. This was first seen being used to attack the Barrel Tiger in the Donut Race of the Davy Back Fight.


 * Two Fish Engine (魚々人泳法（ツーフィッシュエンジン）): Combining himself with Monda by placing himself in the star shark's mouth, Capote can create a faster "engine" for the Cutie Wagon. With this, Capote and Monda can pull the Cutie Wagon more easily through raging currents. Apparently Monda's sharp teeth don't hurt Capote. In the Viz Manga, this is called Twin Fishpower Engine. This was first seen being used after they and Porche realized that they couldn't move through the coral reef easily and were losing to the Barrel Tiger.

Jinbe's Techniques
As a former Shichibukai member, Jinbe is a very high-level master of the Fishman Karate style.


 * Karakusagawara Seiken (唐草瓦正拳): Jinbe punches at a fair distance from the intended target(s), so instead of the fist connecting, it uses the water vapor in the air to release a shock wave that sends them flying. This move is similar to Bartholomew Kuma's Pad Cannon with the only difference being that the shock waves are not concentrated upon being released; but in exchange, it has a much wider area of effect. This move has a delayed effect, as the shock wave takes a while to affect the opponent(s). This move was first shown against some Impel Down jailers. This is called Arabesque Brick Fist in the Viz Manga and FUNimation subs.


 * Gosenmaigawara Seiken (五千枚瓦正拳): A much-stronger version of the Senmaigawara Seiken. It is a very powerful punch, able to knock out a Demon Guard in one strike. It is used like an uppercut, rather than a straight punch, sending the opponent flying skywards. It was first used against Minorhinoceros in Level 4 of Impel Down. Considering the name, it is possible this attack is fifty times stronger than Kuroobi's Hyakumaigawara Seiken and five times stronger than his Senmaigawara Seiken, and as such, break through five thousand tiles. In the anime, Jinbe used a variation of the technique that launched a shock wave, only this one didn't have a delayed effect. In the Viz Manga, this is called 5,000 Brick Fist.


 * Yarinami (槍波): A technique used on a body of water's surface. Jinbe heaves a spear-shaped burst of water with enough force to punch a hole in solid structures. In the anime, Jinbe performed this technique after emerging from the eye of a whirlpool, and then musters up the whirlpool with his webbed hands and throws it into the target(s) in the form a piercing cyclone of water. This was first used against the Marines on board a battleship, dealing a fair amount of damage to the ship itself. In the Viz Manga and FUNimation subs, this is called Spear Wave.


 * Samehada Shotei (鮫肌掌底): A simple palm block with enough force behind it to slap away a sword swing from the shadow-powered Gekko Moriah. In the Viz Manga and FUNimation subs, this is called Sharkskin Palm Thrust.


 * Samegawara Seiken (鮫瓦正拳): A powerful straight punch that is strong enough to send the shadow-powered Gekko Moriah reeling. It is unknown as to how strong this technique is, compared to either his Karakusagawara Seiken or his Gosenmaigawara Seiken. In the anime, a shock wave passes through Moriah's back, similar to the Sai Dai Rin: Rokuogan technique. Later, when used against Luffy, Jinbe launches a shock wave at a fair distance by manipulating the water vapor around the air to injure even the rubber-bodied captain. In the Viz Manga is called Shark Fist Tile Breaker and in FUNimation subs, this is called Shark Brick Fist.


 * Uchimizu (撃水): Jinbe hurls a simple droplet of water at his opponent, which can become a deadly bullet with the kinetic force created by his immense fishman strength. He first used it to nullify Hody Jones' Uchimizu. In the FUNimation subs, this is called Water Shot.


 * Nanasenmaigawara Mawashigeri (七千枚瓦回し蹴り): Jinbe performs a roundhouse kick, which is strong enough to block the gigantic Wadatsumi's punch and break one of his fingers. In the FUNimation subs, this is called 7000 Brick Roundhouse Kick.


 * Gyojin Karate Ogi: Buraikan (魚人空手「奥義」武頼貫): The most powerful technique of Fishman Karate seen so far, Jinbe hurls a pack of water in his hands and shoots a powerful water shock wave that pierces through his opponent's body. It is so powerful that it even pierced through Wadatsumi's giant form. Buraikan (無頼漢) means outlaw. This is called Vagabond Drill in the Funimation subs.

Hody Jones' Techniques
Hody Jones has shown extreme power with his Fishman Karate, so much that Usopp claimed that he was above Arlong; this mighty strength has further been boosted by Hody's overdose on the Energy Steroid drugs. However, Jinbe regarded Hody as a rookie compared to himself.He could no longer use the moves as he overdosed on Energy Steroids, which eventually stripped him of all of his natural prowess, rendering him a frail and weak old man, and the fact that he was arrested and put in the prison of the Ryugu Palace.


 * Soshark (粗鮫（ソシャーク）): Hody uses his tremendous strength and grip to crush large walls of stone. "Soshaku" means 'mastication' in Japanese. This was first seen when Hody used it to crush the wall of Ryugu Palace to allow water to flood in. In the Viz manga and FUNimation subs, this is called Shark Grip.


 * Yabusame (矢武鮫): Hody first wets his arm, then he uses his massive strength to throw many drops of water, which are converted into deadly arrows through mere kinetic force. This is similar to Arlong, who also threw water with the force of bullets during his battle against Zoro and Sanji in Arlong Park. "Yabusame" is a type of traditional Japanese mounted archery. This was first seen used against the Straw Hat Pirates and the restrained Neptune army. After his transformation on Energy Steroids, Hody secretes the water from his arm, rather than gathering it from an external source. In the anime, he was able to use this technique underwater, using air bubbles instead of water droplets. In the Viz manga and FUNimation subs, this is called Shark Arrows.


 * Uchimizu (撃水): The basic version of Yabusame, in which Hody throws a single drop of water like a bullet. After undergoing the transformation due to the Energy Steroids, the penetrative force of this attack has increased in an unbelievable way, to the point where it not only pierced through a fishman, but also through several structures and rock formations behind him, moving a long distance away from the location from which it was fired, and only then returning to its original state of drop and falling in the water. "Uchimizu" is the sprinkling of water in Japan. This was first seen used against a soldier who ran at him, commencing a suicide bombing (in the anime he first used it against the Minister of the Left, Minister of the Right and Neptune's soldiers at Gyoverly Hills). After his transformation on Energy Steroids, Hody secretes the water droplet from his arm. In the FUNimation subs, this is called Water Shot.


 * Umidaiko (海太鼓): Hody punches the water in front of him pushing it at his opponent and sending a shockwave through it. The shockwave hits the opponent dealing great damage and leaving a pressure mark on his body. This was first seen used against Manboshi. In the FUNimation subs, this is called Sea Drums.

Trivia

 * As Tansui of the Macro Pirates was taken out before he could show any of his moves, his level of Fishman Karate is never seen.
 * This fighting style seems to go by a ranking system not unlike that of standard karate that measures a practitioner's level of expertise in relation to the rank they achieved.

Site Navigation
Karate degli uomini-pesce