Top 10 Fighters in the DC Universe, Ranked

One of the biggest strengths of comic books is their ability to marry a novel-like narrative with action that can’t be conveyed with words alone. Comics combine narrative and action better than any other medium, and that’s showcased best in the incredible martial arts fights that superheroes constantly find themselves in. It’s always fun to watch superpowered behemoths slug it out with energy blasts that could make the dinosaur extinction event look like a gentle rain, but there’s something special about an old-fashioned martial arts fight. They carry a tension unlike anything else and, in general, get people more excited than even the most intense cosmic brawl.

DC, in particular, is stacked with some of the most skilled fighters ever conceived. While it’s endlessly entertaining to pit the best of the best against each other, today, we’re going to settle the debates once and for all. We’re going to take a look at the ten best martial artists in the DC Universe and rank them. Now, this list is very, very competitive, and some of these fighters have even beaten people who rank higher than them. Isolated incidents aren’t what we’re after, but the overall depiction of their skills. Power and skill-scaling are more of an interpretive science than a hard one, given the inconsistent continuity of comics. With all that established, let’s let these grizzled fighters duke it out for first place.

10) Batman

It might seem strange that the Dark Knight is last on our list, but even tenth here is better than everyone else not on this list. Batman is undeniably one of the best fighters in the world, but he is not the best. What makes Batman so dangerous is his emergent skills, which arise from being one of the best at everything he does. He’s one of the best fighters, one of the smartest people in the world, one of the best detectives, one of the stealthiest, and so on. He’s top ten in every skill he has, which makes him one of the most dangerous men in the world. Still, in a vacuum, his martial arts skills are just a bit behind everyone else here, since that is their main focus. 

9) Connor Hawke

Son of the original Green Arrow, Connor has been taught everything that made his dad great and created some of his own tricks along the way. He’s been regularly shown to take on the worst and best in the world, being chosen as the one to evolve the Brotherhood of the Monkey Fist and winning the Lazarus Tournament, which was composed of some of the world’s greatest fighters. Connor is arguably even better at hand-to-hand than he is at bowmanship, and he is definitely one of the best archers in the world. Connor has the credentials, although he’s yet to match his mettle against most of the other higher-placed people on this list.

8) Constantine Drakon

Not to be confused with Constantine the magician, Drakon is one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the world. He’s been a longtime enemy of the Green Arrow, and despite the numerous times that he’s battled against Oliver and Connor, he’s never lost to either of them. In fact, despite Connor’s incredible skills, Drakon regularly defeated Connor and Speedy, Mia Dearden, at the same time. Drakon is so skilled that he makes someone like Connor look like a chump, which is just about the best recommendation that someone can have. The villain hasn’t shown up in quite a while, but when he does, he is a presence that demands attention.

7) Wildcat

Wildcat is one of the core members of the Justice Society of America, having been a member since darn near their founding. While his power gifts him with eight lives more than the average man, Wildcat is remembered for his world-altering fighting skills. He’s a master of every fighting style there is, but his favorite is boxing, and he’s probably the best boxer in the world. Wildcat is so good at what he does that he’s the de facto teacher when someone wants to fight with the best of them. He’s trained Catwoman, Batman, and even Black Canary. When someone needs to learn to kick butt, they always turn to Wildcat, and that alone is a sign that he’s one of the best in the world. 

6) Lady Shiva

In terms of deadly assassins, there are none above the legendary Lady Shiva. She’s trained since birth to master her mind and body, and after she finally embraced the darkness in her heart, she rose as the ultimate weapon. She was chosen as the one to lead Ra’s al Ghul’s League of Shadows, and Ra’s doesn’t accept anyone but the best. She’s regularly gone up against the Dark Knight and won, and the people who can beat her in a fair fight can literally be counted on one hand. Wildcat is the person you call to make you skilled, and Shiva is the woman to train you to become the best. Don’t let Shiva’s sixth-place ranking make you think she’s weak. Trust me, the top five are just that good.

5) Black Canary

Dinah Lance might be the only one on this list with a superpower, that being her sonic scream, but she does not need that ability to kick some serious butt. Wildcat has called Black Canary his number one student, and considering who he’s trained, that’s about the highest praise you can get. Dinah always puts her money where her scream is, as just recently, she proved she could beat Shiva in a fight in Black Canary: Best of the Best. Black Canary is easily one of the most talented heroes in all of DC, but somehow, some are even more skilled than her.

4) Bronze Tiger

Benjamin Turner is the legendary Bronze Tiger, trained by O-Sensei alongside Richard Dragon to be one of the best in the world. He traveled the world alongside his brother-in-arms, and together they battled the strongest warriors that this world has to offer. His skills are so impressive that Ra’s al Ghul once kidnapped and brainwashed Bronze Tiger to work for the League of Assassins, where he became their greatest warrior, even including Lady Shiva. Bronze Tiger has fought Batman multiple times, and he’s never lost, handily beating the Dark Knight each time. He’s darn near unstoppable, just like the other warriors on this list.

3) Richard Dragon

Much like his best friend and brother, Richard Dragon is considered to be one of the best fighters to ever raise a fist. He’s easily as skilled as Bronze Tiger, and arguably, either one could take this spot. This upper end of the list is where skill differences become so minute they’re almost impossible to see, but Richard Dragon earns his place at third because he’s traveled the world fighting the greatest warriors alive, and he seemed to be O-Sensei’s favored student. Richard might not get as much spotlight as Bronze Tiger, but he’s more than shown that he stands in the highest echelon of martial artists that DC has ever known.

2) Cassandra Cain

Cassandra Cain is the daughter of Lady Shiva and David Cain, an assassin who sits in the top twenty version of this list. She was raised from birth to be the ultimate weapon, to the point that David Cain never spoke to her, instead communicating with body language. Cass can read people’s bodies like a conversation, letting her predict her opponents’ moves before they even think of it. She’s beaten her mother numerous times, and Batman has routinely said that he would lose against her in a one-on-one. Bronze Tiger himself has called Cass the best in the world and raised his son on that truth. There’s nobody who can fight like Cass, but as much as it pains me, there’s exactly one person more skilled than her.

1) Karate Kid

Not the classic movie, but the Legion of Super-Heroes member who actually predates it by nearly twenty years. Unlike most of the 31st Century heroes, Val Armorr has no powers, only an extreme mastery of futuristic martial arts. Humanity constantly improves on everything we do, every discovered skill becoming commonplace for the experts of the next generation, so it only makes sense that martial arts would have evolved to an entirely different level a thousand years in the future. Of course, given just what Karate Kid is capable of, I hesitate to even call it anything but magic.

Karate Kid has done the impossible with nothing more than raw skill. His introduction in Adventure Comics #346 involved fighting Superboy. He lost, but he managed to keep the Boy of Steel on the backfoot with normal, human physiology and no cheating technology. Heck, Karate Kid once stopped an earthquake by kicking the ground the right way. He’s shattered meteors with a kick, dodged attacks from Mon-El, and even beat Eraqus, who beat Supergirl in a fight. Karate Kid is the ultimate culmination of martial arts in DC, having taken the skills of every master of the past and made them his own. Still, I’d love to see the other members of this list taught his techniques and fight to determine who’s the real best of the best.

So there are the ten best martial artists to ever throw a kick in the DC Universe. Which master martial artist is your favorite? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

10 Best Fighters in the Justice League, Ranked