History Main / MartialArtistsAreAlwaysBarefoot

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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots''. In "Sonnie's Edge" the title character walks barefoot across broken glass [[FeelsNoPain without even noticing]]. She acts as the remote operator for [[BeastlyBloodSports bioengineered beasts]] and may be suffering nerve damage from when she was cut up by an estate gang. [[spoiler:The real reason is her brain is inside her beast and it's her human body that's remotely operated.]]

** Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome are constantly shoeless, which is fitting enough considering they are martial arts masters who are almost always dressed in gi. Of the two, only Soun has the sense to wear ''geta'' when going out to the street. Early manga and anime at least showed Genma (in panda form) wiping his feet with a washcloth before coming into the house again.

%%* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'': Joe Higashi and Hwa Jai who practice UsefulNotes/{{MuayThai}}, Richard Meyer and Bob Wilson who practice UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}, and Mai Shiranui in some installments.

* ''VideoGame/{{SegaNinja}}'' : The titular [[ActionGirl Princess Kurumi]] goes barefoot once she reveal herself as a ninja in the opening scene, then continues on for the rest of the game fighting her way back to the castle. It's not that obvious in the game itself, but it's more evident in the cover art and official posters. Interestingly, she might be the only character barefoot while other enemy ninjas wear sandals with full body ninja suits.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Trainers that specialize in Fighting-type Pokémon often go barefoot, including the common Black Belts, [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Bruno]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Chuck]], [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Maylene]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Marshal]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Bea]].

* ''ComicBook/ShangChi'', the ComicBook/MasterOfKungFu from Creator/MarvelComics, is one of the more skilled martial masters from the Marvel Universe. His original depiction in his own 1970s title had him barefoot. Nowadays he is seen wearing shoes.

* Mantis from ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' is almost always barefoot. This has to do with her upbringing at the Vietnamese Temple of the Priests of Pama where she became an adept of Oriental mystic practices and a master of martial arts (Asian martial arts are frequently associated with barefooting), as well as [[EarthyBarefootCharacter her connection to nature]].
* "ComicBook/ShangChi", the Master of the Kung Fu from Creator/MarvelComics, is one of the more skilled martial masters from the Marvel Universe. His original depiction in his own 1970s title had him barefoot. Nowadays he is seen wearing shoes.

* In ''Series/IronFist2017'', Danny seems to have no problem walking barefoot on the New York sidewalk and both he and Colleen are frequently barefoot in the dojo, which is also Colleen's home and where it is traditional to be without shoes.

* Barefoot fighters are rare in the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' franchise, limited mainly to inhuman characters like Sheeva and Goro for whom it's more of a racial preference rather than how they were trained. Kobra from ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' is the only human kombatant who primarily fights in a gi with bare feet, though Johnny Cage and Liu Kang have had barefoot outfits on occasion as well.

* Barefoot fighters are rare in the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' franchise, not counting inhuman characters like Sheeva and Goro for whom it's more of a racial preference rather than how they were trained. Kobra from ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' is the only human kombatant who regularly fights in a gi with bare feet, though Johnny Cage and Liu Kang have had barefoot outfits on occasion as well.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Trainers that specialize in Fighting-type Pokémon often go barefoot, including the common Black Belts, [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Bruno]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Chuck]], and[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Maylene]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Marshal]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Bea]].

* ''Manga/IntheHeartofKunoichiTsubaki''has eight of the kunoichi wear stirrups that expose their toes and heels, one with just footwraps, and three completely going barefoot.

[[quoteright:300:[[ComicBook/ShangChi https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shangchi.png]]]]

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** Dee Jay typically goes barefoot, though ''VideoGame/StreetFighterSix'' has him wearing beach sandals.

** Dee Jay typically goes barefoot or only wearing beach sandals.

* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'': Joe Higashi and Hwa Jai who practice UsefulNotes/{{MuayThai}}, Richard Meyer and Bob Wilson who practice UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}, and Mai Shiranui in some installments.

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* ''Webcomic/EurekaSevenParadoxMakers'': Robin is trained in martial arts and kendo, and grew used to remaining in bare feet, so he pops his shoes off when he wants to unwind or instinctively joins Claire if she's taken hers off, too, following her lead and making her feel sympathized with.

* ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'': Ryo Sakazaki is a Kyokugen karate practitioner who is almost always depicted as being barefoot in his karate gi. In the original game Ryo wore geta that he'd kick off before fighting. In the legendarily awful OVA, he declares, "Not wearing shoes is part of our training!" but given the other Kyokugen fighters (Robert and Yuri) have no trouble with footwear, it's just him.

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* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Trainers that specialize in Fighting-type Pokémon often go barefoot, including the common Black Belts, [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Bruno]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Chuck]], [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Maylene]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Marshal]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Bea]].

* ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'': the ProudWarriorRaceGirl Orube from the warrior world of Basiliade, [[FantasyCounterpartCulture whose appearance is purposely reminiscent of Asian martial artists]], goes barefoot whenever she can.

* Advertising/SegataSanshiro goes barefoot, in keeping with his appearance of a martial arts master who'll kick your ass if you don't play UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. This is {{deconstructed|Trope}} in his advertisement for ''Winter Heat'', wherein he races across an ice rink against an ice skater, but is later found desperately warming his feet up.