Martial arts movies are especially great at producing protagonists that are equally comedic as they are fearsome, with many of them still being a joy to watch even years later. The most iconic martial arts movie protagonists might follow a general trend of being cool, intimidating figures whose absolute mastery of their craft has given them a certain edge of toughness. However, some of the best kung fu heroes are those who don’t allow their skills at fighting to get in the way of their good fun.

Arguably, the trope of the goofy, fun-loving, yet powerful martial arts hero can be traced all the way back to Sun Wukong of Chinese folklore, whose Journey to the West became the foundation of all sorts of martial arts movie and anime characters. Eccentric fighting styles have also contributed to the healthy number of martial arts movie protagonists with a chip on their shoulder who aren’t afraid to embrace their sillier side. Whatever their origin, these kinds of heroes hold up so well because of how they’re able to blend humor with action.

6

Jack Burton

Big Trouble in Little China

Perhaps the single biggest oddity among horror icon John Carpenter’s filmography is Big Trouble in Little China, a bizarre martial arts movie that sees the ancient wizard Lo Pan return to kidnap a green-eyed Chinese immigrant. Kurt Russell stars as Jack Burton, a corn-fed American trucker who gets way in over his head, but nevertheless helps his old pal rescue his fiancée from the evil sorcerer’s clutches. Certainly an unconventional martial arts movie protagonist, Jack Burton is in reality a side character in his own movie, not trained in kung fu or magic.

Nevertheless, his bumbling superpower of dumb luck turns out to be a double-edged sword, embarrᴀssing him at times, yet saving his life by accidentally knocking two bad guys into a bottomless pit when he falls on his behind. Beyond that, Burton has some stellar reflexes, enough to catch a knife thrown at him and fling it back before scooping up his poorly-characterized love interest for a kiss. Dated, overly macho, but done so in a very self-aware way, Jack Burton is an adorably cheesy action hero flung into circumstances he’s hilariously unprepared for.

5

Sing

Kung Fu Hustle

The great Stephen Chow is famous for a great many comedic kung fu movie characters, but none of them stand out quite like Sing in Kung Fu Hustle. Sing is a petty crook whose aspirations include terrorizing the hilariously-named Pigsty Alley by pretending to be a member of the dangerous Axe Gang. When the real Axe Gang comes into town and uncovers his deception, Sing is forced to choose between his desire to become a villain and his buried moral imperative to become a hero.

Sing is an amazingly slimy martial arts protagonist in a genre laden with boring, perfectly ethical heroes. Oozing with personality right down to his Buddha Palm technique, a decidedly unconventional martial arts style, Sing has a sense of humor to match his cynical belief that nice guys never win. It’s no wonder that Kung Fu Hustle is considered to be such an enduring classic by high-profile names like Bill Murray and James Gunn.

4

Wong Fei Hung

Drunken Master

The only person who dares to eclipse Stephen Chow in terms of their legacy of comedic martial arts characters is the great Jackie Chan. Of all of Jackie Chan’s martial arts movie characters, his most iconic and still most entertaining today is still easily Wong Fei Hung of the Drunken Master duology. An impulsive student based on a real hero in Chinese folklore, Wong Fei Hung is punished by his influential father with some intense training after constantly making a fool of himself, leading to him embracing a style that makes the most of his chicanery — drunken boxing.

Seeing Wong Fei Hung weaponize Jackie Chan’s slapstick humor for the first time is still a work of art. Hilarious and dim-witted though he may be, his skills are unparalleled as he swaps between the eight forms of the Drunken Immortals and powers-up by indulging in absurd amounts of rice wine. Wong Fei Hung is even more fun in the sequel, Drunken Master II, leaving an indelible legacy that would go on to be reflected in many, many more characters in Jackie Chan’s filmography onwards.

3

Ming Ling Shur

Lady Iron Monkey

Lady Iron Monkey might be a weird, obscure martial arts film, but it certainly has one of the best examples of a character that takes the carefree example laid by Sun Wukong to heart. The film centers on Ming Ling Shur, a young girl who was abandoned in the wilderness and raised by monkeys, taking on ape-like qualities in the process, such as a tail and fur. After being adopted by a martial arts master and raised to adulthood in civilization, she strikes out on her own adventure, falling in love with an evil prince plotting to seize power.

Ming Ling Shur’s jovial, carefree atтιтude is abundantly fun to watch, easily dismantling the toughest kung fu pracтιтioners around while earning her place as the evil prince’s right-hand woman. Her sense of whimsy only makes it all the sadder when she’s rejected, going to great lengths to cure herself of her simian features in an effort to become traditionally beautiful. Bouncing along to Lady Iron Monkey‘s wild Moog synth tracks, Ming Ling Shur is the epitome of a trickster monkey character in the martial arts world outside of Sun Wukong himself.

2

Black Dynamite

Black Dynamite

A love letter to the great Blaxploitation films of the 70s, Black Dynamite is a hilarious parody that manages to be effortlessly cool and absurdly silly at the same time. Michael Jai White stars as the тιтular character, a former CIA officer and war veteran who uses his martial prowess to clean up the streets one thug at a time. While his signature mᴀssive revolver is a go-to problem solver, the film gets plenty of use out of Michael Jai White’s very real unarmed combat skills.

Black Dynamite’s delivery is spot-on hilarious, distilling the casual Sєxism, promiscuity, and wanton machismo that went into the Blaxploitation genre with astounding reverence. In a way, he’s so over-the-top in his comedic idea of what an action hero should be that he circles back around again to become genuinely cool. No other martial arts hero personally battles President Richard Nixon with help from Abraham Lincoln’s ghost, and that feat alone solidifies Black Dynamite as one of the greatest.

1

Jade

New Dragon Gate Inn

Another genre-bendingly hilarious female lead, Jade might not be the strict sole protagonist of New Dragon Gate Inn, but she’s easily the most memorable character. The story enters the late stages of a complicated political struggle that sees a group of skilled martial artist rebels on the run from the government, holding up in the eponymous New Dragon Gate Inn. It’s here that the Inn’s proprietor, Jade, who has a nightmarish side-business chopping up customers into meat buns of dubious origin.

Jade is a refreshingly blunt female character who isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind, confidently outing one of the rebels as a woman in disguise after she doesn’t react to Jade’s seductive advances. Her proficiency with throwing stars makes for some fun, tense fight sequences in the close quarters of the Inn, and it’s hard not to be charmed by her as she switches sides back and forth, always slithering over to the winning team. It’s no wonder martial arts legend Maggie Cheung got top-billing for her amazing performance as Jade.