Fish-Man Karate

Fish-Man Karate is a martial art that is practiced by certain skilled members of the Fish-Man race, alongside Fish-Man Jujutsu. It is a style that mainly revolves around striking techniques.

Humans can also learn the fighting style, as shown by Koala. While deadly enough on land, Fish-Man Karate has a number of devastating underwater moves designed to suit the enhanced strength and speed that fish-men possess while in their natural environment.

Description
This martial art can be learned on Fish-Man Island, more specifically at the Fish-Man Karate Dojo. While Fish-Man Karate is primarily practiced by Fish-Men, humans can also learn to preform it. There are different levels of Fish-Man Karate; Kuroobi proclaimed himself to be a "level 40 black belt", though it has not been explained exactly how the rank system works.

According to Jinbe, the secret of Fish-Man Karate is mastery of the water in the user's direct vicinity. The sea itself is a Fish-Man Karate user's most effective and powerful weapon, and in addition to actual water, users of Fish-Man Karate can utilize the moisture in the air and even the water inside of people's bodies. It is also possible for a user to put their own spin on the style, so as to take full advantage of the characteristics of the fish species whose attributes they were born with, among other physical features that they possess. For example, Kuroobi, a ray fish-man, makes uses of his pronounced arm fins and his long hair tied into a thin ponytail.

While stronger in the water, Fish-Man Karate can still be deadly on land, as one can use it to make the moisture in the air carry the force of their strikes to their target, meaning the user can still land a blow on their enemy without needing to make physical contact. Additionally, because every creature has a high percentage of water in their body, the users of Fish-Man Karate are able to drastically increase the damage caused by their blows via the force of the impact traveling through the water within the opponent's body. This enables them to battle opponents that are usually highly resistant or immune to blunt force blows. This was demonstrated against Monkey D. Luffy, a rubber human who is nearly immune to blunt attacks.

The best fighters can take a few drops of water and hurl them so hard that the impact is as strong as a bullet. To this extent, in the hands of a powerful fish-man, even a small splash of water becomes a lethal weapon.

Jinbe's Techniques
As a former Warlord of the Sea who already had a black belt when he was still a child, Jinbe is a very high-level master of the Fish-Man Karate style.




 * Karakusagawara Seiken (唐草瓦正拳): Jinbe punches at a fair distance from the intended target(s), transmitting the force of the blow through the water vapor in the air to release a shock wave that sends them flying. This move is similar to Bartholomew Kuma's Pad Ho with the only difference being that the shock waves are not concentrated upon being released; but in exchange has a much wider area of effect. This move has a delayed effect, as the shock wave takes a while to reach 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 adaptations.




 * 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 Jailer Beast in one strike. 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 did not have a delayed effect. In the VIZ Manga and Funimation adaptations, 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 of 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 adaptations, this is called Spear Wave.
 * Murasame (群雨): Instead of a single large attack, Jinbe sends multiple, smaller, water projectiles. It was first used against Prometheus during the escape from Whole Cake Island.


 * 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 Gecko Moria. In the VIZ Manga and the Funimation adaptations, this is called Sharkskin Palm Thrust.




 * Samegawara Seiken (鮫瓦正拳): A powerful straight punch similar to Jinbe's usual seiken that transmits the force of the impact through the water in a person's body, enabling the strike to bypass a person's defenses; even those of devil fruit users. Just one blow was enough to overpower Gecko Moria even after Moria had absorbed several shadows into himself to increase his strength. It is unknown how strong this technique is, compared to either his Karakusagawara Seiken or his Gosenmaigawara Seiken. In the anime, a shock wave passes through Moria'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, this is called Shark Fist Tile Breaker and Shark Brick Fist. The latter is also used in the Funimation adaptations.


 * 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 fish-man strength. He first used it to nullify Hody Jones' Uchimizu. In the VIZ Manga and Funimation adaptations, 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 VIZ Manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called 7000 Brick Roundhouse Kick.




 * Fish-Man Karate Ogi: Buraikan (魚人空手「奥義」武頼貫): 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, and even managed to knock back enormous Emperor Big Mom. Buraikan (無頼漢) means outlaw. In the VIZ Manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Vagabond Drill. It is also referred to as Vagabond Drill in the English localization of One Piece: Pirate Warriors series.


 * Soshark: Jinbe uses his tremendous grip strength to crush anything he grabs. Jinbe's grip is so powerful it can be effective even against a powerful Hardening Busoshoku Haki user. This was first seen against Who's-Who. Soshaku means "mastication" in Japanese. In the Viz Manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Shark Grip.




 * Fish-Man Karate Ogi: Onigawara Seiken (魚人空手「奥義」鬼瓦正拳): Jinbe delivers a powerful straight punch similar to his other seiken, but used with the Hardening technique and without connecting to its real target. It is able to generate a powerful black lightning charged shockwave. It was first used to defeat Who's-Who. An onigawara, or "ogre tile", is a type of roof ornamentation found in Japanese architecture, generally roof tiles or statues depicting an oni or a fearsome beast. In the Viz Manga, this is called Fish-Man Karate Secret Art: Demon Brick Fist.

Non-Canon Techniques

 * Shizurase (閑羅瀬): Jinbe waves both arms at great speed and uses his strength to disperse incoming attacks with the humidity around him. This move is highly effective against fire. It was seen being used against Portgas D. Ace's Hiken, obliterating it completely.

Kuroobi's Techniques
Kuroobi, an 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): While underwater, Kuroobi wraps his ponytail around the opponent's waist to prevent them for escaping. Itomaki means "manta ray" but 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 the 4Kids and Funimation dubs, this is called The Dueling Hair Tether.


 * Kaisoku: Harakudashigeri (海速 腹下し蹴り): While underwater, Kuroobi darts forward and uses the momentum to deliver a strong side kick to the opponent's stomach. This attack's name is a pun. Kaisoku, when written with different kanji, can mean "high speed". Harakudashi, meaning "drop of the stomach", is also the word for "laxative". Geri is one of the many ways to write "kick", but it can also mean "diarrhea". Put all together, these alternate readings produce "High speed, laxative-induced diarrhea". This is called Instant Undersea Bowel Buster in the Viz Manga and Funimation subs, 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): While underwater, Kuroobi spins and hits his opponent with the heel of his foot. This is called Flaming Axe Kick in the Viz Manga and the 4Kids and Funimation dubs.


 * Kachiage Haisoku (カチ上げ背足): While underwater, Kuroobi delivers a kick to the opponent's chin using the inner sole of his foot. This is called Back-Foot Jawbreaker in the Viz Manga and the 4Kids and Funimation dubs.


 * Jodan Bakusho (上段爆掌): While underwater, Kuroobi delivers an open-palm strike to the opponent's chin. Jodan here is written with the characters for "high rank", but is pronounced the same as the word for "joke". This is called Guffaw Palm Bomb in the Viz Manga and Funimation dub and Exploding Palm Bomb in the 4Kids dub.


 * Appakushi Chokka Koro (圧迫死直下航路): While underwater, Kuroobi grabs his opponent and swims extremely fast to the ocean floor, where the high-pressure crushes the opponent's body. In the Viz Manga and the 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 Fish-Man Karate". According to him, it can break through one thousand tiles and will kill a human with one shot. The effects of this move were not seen, as Sanji had defeated Kuroobi with a barrage of kicks before the punch could actually connect. In the Viz Manga and the 4Kids and Funimation dubs, this is called Thousand Brick Fist. This technique is also used by Jinbe in Pirate Warriors 3 to blow back enemies.

Capote's Techniques
During the Donut Race portion of the Davy Back Fight, Capote of the Foxy Pirates showed some of his skills in Fish-Man 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. This was first seen being used to attack the Barrel Tiger in the Donut Race of the Davy Back Fight. This is called Sea Surface Split in the Viz Manga and Surface Splitter in the Funimation dub and "Sea Surface Splitter" in the Funimation subs.


 * Two Fish Engine: 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 do not hurt Capote. This was first seen being used after they and Porche realized that they could not move through the coral reef easily and were losing to the Barrel Tiger. In the Viz Manga, this is called Twin Fishpower Engine.

Nico Robin's Techniques
Thanks to Koala's tutelage, Nico Robin became capable of incorporating the principles of Fish-Man Karate into her moveset. Notably, she is the first Devil Fruit user to be seen performing the martial art and can utilize both fighting styles in conjunction.




 * Fish-Man Karate: Giganteum (魚人空手): A follow-up technique to Mil Fleur that applies the fundamentals of a secret Fish-Man Karate technique Robin learned from Koala. Robin creates a giant arm and then delivers an upward palm strike on an object, generating a circular shockwave characteristic of certain Fish-Man Karate moves that causes wider and stronger internal damage on whatever it hits. Robin first used this move during her battle against Black Maria, tactically performing it on the battlefield's ceiling in order to produce enough debris to suppress a fire created by her opponent.

Hody Jones's Techniques
Hody Jones has shown extreme power with his Fish-Man 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 novice compared to himself. This is later evidenced when he was unable to do any damage to Luffy causing him to comment that Hody's level was inferior to Jinbe's. Additionally, much of Hody's power was a result of his use of Energy Steroids and without them he could no longer use these moves as he had been overdosing on the Energy Steroids; this 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: Hody uses his tremendous strength and grip to crush large walls of stone. This was first seen when Hody used it to crush the wall of Ryugu Palace to allow water to flood in. "Soshaku means "mastication" in Japanese. In the Viz Manga and Funimation adaptations, 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. 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. "Yabusame" is a type of traditional Japanese mounted archery. In the Viz manga and Funimation adaptations, this is called Shark Arrows. This technique is also used by Jinbe in Pirate Warriors 3.




 * 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 fish-man, 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. 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. "Uchimizu" is the sprinkling of water in Japan. In the VIZ Manga and the Funimation adaptations, 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. This is called Sea Drum in the VIZ Manga and Sea Drums in the Funimation adaptations.

Hack's Techniques
During the fight at the Corrida Colosseum, Hack showed some of his skills as a level 100 practitioner of Fish-Man Karate. The techniques he used are as follows:




 * Yonsenmaigawara Seiken (四千枚瓦正拳): A much-stronger version of the Senmaigawara Seiken. It is a very powerful straight punch that sent an opponent bigger than Hack flying backwards. Considering the name, it is possible this attack is forty times stronger than Kuroobi's Hyakumaigawara Seiken and four times stronger than his Senmaigawara Seiken, and as such, can break through four thousand tiles. However, it was not strong enough to break down Bartolomeo's barrier; the recoil from deflection of force caused Hack's arm to be injured instead.

Koala's Techniques
Koala is skilled enough at Fish-Man Karate to be able to teach it and was able to defeat an opponent much larger than her. Not being a female fish-man and still being able to learn the art makes her more impressive. In the anime, she is shown to be proficient enough to defeat a group of five armed men with only a single strike each.

Video Game Only

 * Gedan-geri (下段蹴り): This technique involves circling around and attacking an enemy from behind with a flurry of kicks. This technique appears in One Piece: Burning Blood as one of Koala's Special Attacks.


 * Samegawara Seiken (鮫瓦正拳): A powerful straight punch that produces a shock wave that passes through the opponent. This technique appears in One Piece: Burning Blood as one of Koala's Special Attacks.


 * Samehada Shotei (鮫肌掌底): A simple yet powerful palm block. This technique appears in One Piece: Burning Blood as one of Koala's Special Attacks. When used in the game it produces spherical bubble around the user.


 * Kakumei Gun Gyojin Karate Shihandai (革命軍魚人空手師範代): Koala focus herself before performing a backward somersault into the air to deliver a diving kick to the opponent, followed by a backhand strike, then spinning around to attack the stunned opponents backside with a kick, then spinning around again to attack them from the front with another kick, before finishing the technique with Samegawara Seiken. This technique appears in One Piece: Burning Blood as Koala's Ultimate Move.

Aladine's Techniques
Even though he is a merman, Aladine is able to utilize Fish-Man Karate.


 * Umidaiko (海太鼓): Aladine punches the water in front of him pushing it at his opponent and sending a shockwave through it. This was first seen used against Oven.

Anime Only Techniques

 * Uchimizu (撃水): Aladine can throw water drops like deadly bullets.

Sebastian's Techniques
Sebastian is a Wotan, which makes him a much larger size in comparison to an average fish-man. With this in mind, he used larger variant of the standard Water Shot technique.


 * O Uchimizu (大撃水): Similar to a normal Uchimizu, but much larger in size. It was first seen used against Luffy and Boa Hancock.


 * O Yabusame (大矢武鮫): A larger version of a normal Yabusame. The water droplets act more like blunt cannonballs causing dents in the deck of a ship than like arrows. It was first used against Luffy and Boa Hancock.

Trivia

 * As Tansui of the Macro Pirates was taken out before he could show any of his moves, his level of Fish-Man 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.
 * S-Shark, a clone of Jinbe, seemingly inherited his progenitor's ability to use Fishman Karate. Furthermore, being given an artificial replication of the Sui Sui no Mi, S-Shark is able to use the liquified ground as substitute for water to apply the style.
 * Robin and Jinbe are the only members of the Straw Hat Pirates to use this style, with Robin only using the fundamentals in conjunction her Devil Fruit powers.

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