10 Best DC Comics Fighters Without Powers (Not Including Batman)

A huge draw of comic books is the action. The format lets artists run wild with awesome poses and dynamic blows that hit harder than pure novelization and are freer than typical animation or live-action. High-octane, world-shaking fights between veritable and literal gods are always awesome to see. Absoltue Superman’s “Reign of the Superman” is a prime example of that. However, there’s something special about plain old hand-to-hand martial arts. Watching two incredibly skilled warriors duke it out with nothing more than their grit and fists is always heart-pounding and can be some of the best entertainment out there.

There has been and will always be a heck of a lot of debate over who the greatest fighter in DC is. Based on just popularity and showcases alone, Batman is often cited as either the best or one of the best. While the Dark Knight certainly is strong, there are still heroes and villains who can kick the pants off him. In fact, today we’re taking a look at the ten greatest fighters in DC without powers. We’re barring the Bat himself, but frankly, most, if not all, of the characters here could beat him, and I do not say that lightly. With all that said, let’s rank DC’s greatest human fighters.

10) O-Sensei

O-Sensei is a strange character to rank here. He has a reputation as one of the greatest martial artists of all time, and he definitely deserves to be in that conversation for the fact that he trained about half of this list. However, we didn’t see much of O-Sensei actually fighting. He’s been stated to be the best, but his students have almost certainly surpassed him, and since we can’t compare his exploits like we can with the other entrants on this list, I don’t feel comfortable ranking him. He deserves a spot on this list, but as for where, it’s hard to say. If he’s as good as the legends say, then I’d personally put him at sixth, but as of right now, his reputation alone can only earn him tenth.

9) Carolyn Wu-San

Carolyn is in much the same boat as O-Sensei, but we do have a few more showings of her skills and talent. She’s the sister of Lady Shiva, and trained and traveled the world alongside Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon when they were all young. Shiva even explicitly called out how Carolyn was even more talented than she was, and Carolyn proved that whenever they sparred. However, Carolyn was assassinated by David Cain when she was still young, so she never reached her full potential like the rest of her friends. She might have been the best of the best, but unfortunately, she was denied the opportunity.

8) Nightwing

Dick has shown on numerous occasions that he’s just as skilled as Bruce, and that he might have long since surpassed him. Dick is arguably the greatest acrobat in DC, and he leverages that to a truly unique fighting style that’s closer to something Spider-Man does than something a normal human should be capable of. Dick has beaten legends like Ra’s al Ghul and demonstrated he can hold his own against anyone who goes up against him. Dick is Batman’s oldest student, and he has mastered everything his mentor taught him and then some. 

7) Connor Hawke

Connor Hawke is the second Green Arrow, and while his dad might just have him beat in archery, Connor runs circles around him with pure martial arts. He’s soundly defeated Damian Wayne, taken on and beaten the Brotherhood of the Monkey Fist, a cult dedicated to mastering martial arts, and even held his own against Lady Shiva. Connor has trained with the best of the best and been acknowledged by every one of them. He’s one of the greatest in the world, but even with his impressive resume, some have the skills to decimate even him.

6) Constantine Drakon

Case in point, Drakon has all of Connor’s skills and then some. He’s a merciless assassin who has repeatedly battled the Green Arrow Family, and whenever he faces Connor in a one-on-one, he trounces him. Drakon is a one-man death machine with zero remorse and insatiable greed. He learned to kill because he was insecure about his height, but soon found that he was immensely talented at it, and has become arguably the second deadliest assassin on the planet. Heck, he’s handled fighting Mia Dearden and Connor at the same time, only occasionally being bested by the duo when they pulled moves like Connor shooting Drakon through Mia. Drakon is a monster, plain and simple.

5) Lady Shiva

Here’s where the list goes from contentious to almost interchangeable. Positions five through two are so evenly matched that it’s almost impossible to parse who is consistently shown to be better than who, but we’re going to try our best. Lady Shiva is the ultimate benchmark for the best in the world. She’s the world’s deadliest assassin and has routinely demonstrated that she can command hand-to-hand like nobody else. She regularly beats Batman and was chosen to lead Ra’s al Ghul’s League of Shadows, his elite assassin army. Shiva retrained Batman after he broke his back and constantly shows everyone that she is a one-woman army. She’s arguably the best in the world, but the others have just a little more consistent showing.

4) Bronze Tiger

Frankly, a fight between Shiva and Bronze Tiger is a toss-up, but here’s my pitch for why Ben Turner deserves fourth instead of fifth. For one, Ben has beaten Batman in all of their encounters, while Shiva has occasionally been overwhelmed or matched by the Dark Knight. Bronze Tiger is an absolute legend, so great at what he does that Ra’s al Ghul abducted and brainwashed him just to use his skills. Like Lady Shiva, he was trained by the legendary O-Sensei and traveled the world, showing everyone that he has the potential to defeat anybody. Bronze Tiger is an absolute beast, and nobody should ever underestimate him.

3) Richard Dragon

Richard Dragon has always been and will always be O-Sensei’s greatest student. He’s repeatedly shown that he can either hold his own or defeat everyone else on this list. Frankly, there’s nothing I can really say about Richard’s resume that I haven’t said about everyone else, but he has shown that he’s the most consistent at beating the others in combat. Richard is as close to the pinnacle of martial arts as you can achieve, and he has constantly redefined what one person should be capable of with fighting alone. He’s one of DC’s best, without a doubt.

2) Cassandra Cain

Cass is the ultimate product of the greatest fighters in DC. She is the daughter of Lady Shiva, trained by David Cain and Bronze Tiger, and took the mantle of Batgirl to fight alongside Batman. She’s the culmination of every one of the greatest corners of martial arts in DC, and she added her own unique skills to the pot. She was raised to interpret violence and movement as her first language, letting her read someone’s body language like they were announcing their moves in advance. She’s beaten Lady Shiva plenty of times, and even Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragon’s brother in all but name, called Cass the best in the world. Cass is the ultimate fighter that she was born to be.

1) Karate Kid

It feels unfair to include Karate Kid in this list, but despite all the insanity he can do, he doesn’t have powers. He hails from the 31st Century and the Legion of Super-Heroes, being a normal human who earned his way onto the team with his martial arts skills. What did he do to prove he deserved a spot? He fought Superboy. A normal human fought Clark Kent in a fair fight and held his own. No Kryptonite, no magic, just hands. Karate Kid does straight-up magic with his martial arts, from shattering walls to stopping an earthquake with a kick. 

Nobody else on this list stands a half a chance against him, and that’s how it should be. Martial arts are an art that’s always evolving, so the greatest warrior of tomorrow should take everything from today and make it their baseline, creating something entirely new and incredible using everything that came before. He’s the ultimate proof that martial arts will continue to evolve, and that, even if someone is the best of the best today, there is always more they can learn and master. Karate Kid is proof that people can do anything they set their minds to, and that’s amazing.

Which DC character do you think is the greatest fighter? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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