Capoeira

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An Afro-Brazillian martial art which combines fighting with performance art. It's a very recognizable style with its emphasis on acrobatics, ground combat, and spinning kicks frequently all at the same time. Its usage dates back at least to the 18th century. Capoeira as practiced today stems primarily from two Mestres in the 20th century and their respective schools: Mestre Bimba, founder of the modernized Capoeira Regional in the 1930s, and Mestre Pastinha, founder of the more traditionalist Capoeira Angola that strove to keep closer to the art's roots.

Its origins are hazy and debated, but it emerged as a fighting style among the slaves of Brazil. The elements of dance existed partly so that the slaves could mask it as a cultural activity unrelated to fighting. It evolved to be a favored fighting style among criminals, and at various times in Brazilian history, it has been declared illegal to practice. As a result, much of the known history is based on stories and legends.

The art spread first throughout Brazil, from poor blacks to wealthier classes, and throughout the world in the later part of the 20th century.

Tropes used in Capoeira include:

• Armed Legs: A common misrepresentation is that some early capoeiristas performed with razor blades clenched between their toes as a hidden weapon. In actuality, razors were used, but generally in the user's hands.
  • There ARE videos on YouTube showing people playing with razors between their toes but these games are very slow and cautious.
• Badass Grandpa: Some of the founding mestres are still around and at the age of 70-80, they're still happily flipping around the roda and schooling students at the promotion ceremonies.
• Combat Pragmatist: Capoeiristas outside the roda or other sanctioned fights can easily become this with techniques like Telefone ("Telephone"), in which you clap your hands on either of the opponent's ears to disorient them and potentially permanently ruin their hearing, or Arpão de Cabeça ("Head Spear"), in which you throw your whole body into a headbutt aimed at the enemy's head, chest, or groin.
  • When in the Roda never accept if the other person offers you a "blessing"
    • Just to elaborate, the Blessing (or, in portuguese, "Benção") is an unbalancing push that is one of the most known and effective moves in Capoeira.
• Dance Battler: A traditional Capoeira roda (sparring circle) is performed to music, and is as much about looking impressive and showing off how clever you are as it is about landing blows.
• Everything's Better with Spinning: Multiple spinning kicks are frequently linked together, building up momentum and, again, looking impressive.
  • The spinning kick exchanges may also be used by one player to lull the other into a false sense of security before dumping him or her on his butt with a sudden sweep. All part of the fun of the game.
• Extremity Extremist: The basic dozen or so kicks are pretty much always the first thing new students will learn, and probably 90% of the attacks in the roda are kicks. Headbutts and takedowns account for another 9% or so. Hand strikes are usually reserved for illustrating to your opponent that they're conspicuously dropping their guard. Hand or elbow strikes and takedowns are generally reserved to more experienced practitioners, but can become fairly frequent in games between skilled Capoeiristas.
• It Will Never Catch On: Back when Only the Strong came out, a film critic called Capoeira "the lambada of martial arts". That critic turned out to be very wrong.
• Martial Pacifist: According to Mestre Bimba, "The best way of self-defense is not getting into fights at all". Facing off in the roda is referred to as "playing" rather than "fighting", and it is always the duty of a more skilled player to look out for the safety of the less skilled opponent.
• Mood Motif: The music played during the roda determines how the game is played. Slower music results in a slower, more strategic game, typically with a lot of ground fighting, close fighting, and elaborate reversals. Faster music results in a more acrobatic and high-flying match and usually involves more distance so as to not harm your partner.
• Rule of Cool: The roda where Capoeiristas play is not so much about beating your opponent as both practicing and showing off your own techniques as well as giving the opponent opportunity to show his own. Also, did we mention that it looks really impressive?

Examples of Capoeira include:

• Only the Strong, generally the movie most U.S. capoeiristras cite as their introduction to Capoeira.
  • This film is also the origin of the "Zoom Zoom" song you still hear in Mazda commercials.
• Eddy Gordo and Christie Monteiro of the Tekken series, possibly the best reproduced example in non-Brazilian media (even though they speak English like every other non-Asian...).
• L in Death Note, as well as the Action Girl who taught him in the manga.
• Combo Ninos
• Eternal Champions: Trident uses Capoeira despite its existence being an anachronism in his given time period.
• Fatal Fury / The King of Fighters: Soiree Meira, Momoko, Richard Meyer, and Bob Wilson
  • Yashiro had his fighting style stated as Capoeira, but it bears little resemblance.
• The Rundown
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Cordão de Ouro
• Kung Fu: season 1, episode 13
• Elena in the Street Fighter series
  • Blanka occasionally had Capoeira listed as his fighting style, but again, it bears little resemblance to the real thing.
• Echidna in The Bouncer
• Capoeira Fighter: A Flash-based fighting game which has had at least two sequels
• Capoeira Legends: An Indie Game for Windows which features Capoeira as an exploration of Brazilian culture.
• Lateef Crowder is one of Hollywood's most prominent capoeiristras. His roles have included
  • The Brazilian fighter in Undisputed 3. While his part was fairly minor, both of his fights are arguably among the highlights of the movie and, among other things, subvert Extremity Extremist aspect HARD.
  • Eddy Gordo in the Tekken movie.
  • The unnamed capoeiristra in Tom Yum Goong - Known as The Protector in the United States. The fight was cut short due to an injury on-set, but it was still one of the coolest-looking fight scenes in the whole movie.
• In Hellboy 2 it's revealed Abe is one hell of a capoeirista.
• The enemy captain of Episode 2 of Merc Force employs Capoeira in his fighting style.
• Força of the Whateley Universe is a Capoeira practitioner.
• Male trolls in World of Warcraft have Capoeira as their dance emote. Few players are any good at replicating it.
• An episode of Bob's Burgers focused on Tina trying to learn Capoeira.
• The dance between Aang and Katara in the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode "The Headband" shows major inspiration from it.
• The Pokémon Hitmontop, known as Kapoerer in the original Japanese, was inspired by a capoeirista. Of note is that is the only Pokémon to learn the unique move Triple Kick, a flashy but unreliable attack that may be a nod to some of the less practical maneuvers in Capoeira.
• Kilik Lunge from Soul Eater owns a pair of capoeira practicing weapons.
• This Stand Up Comedy session in Spanish has the comedian Sergio Freire commenting about Capoeira in a very... special manner.