Muay Thai in popular culture

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The combat sport of Muay Thai has been featured in media, including film, television, manga, anime and video games. [1] It gained international attention when Yodtong Senanan led the Nak Muay Team against Osamu Noguchi's Kickboxer Team on October 16, 1972. [2] It has heavily influenced the sport of kickboxing, and is used in mixed martial arts (MMA), where athletes train in its techniques.

Contents

Film

Muay Thai has been featured in the following films:

MovieYearDescriptionRef.
Duel of Fists 1971A Hong Kong engineer (David Chiang) goes to Thailand to find his long-lost half-brother (Ti Lung), who is a Muay Thai boxer. [3]
The Man with the Golden Gun 1974Later in the film, James Bond (Roger Moore) goes to the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, where he meets the main antagonist Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). [4] [5]
Bloodsport 1988Martial arts movie about an underground fighting tournament, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in his break-through role. The film features a formidable Muay Thai Fighter named Paco, played by a career Thaiboxer Paulo Tocha, who serves Van Damme's opponent in the tournament's semi-finals. [6]
Kickboxer 1989After his brother, an American heavyweight kickboxing champion, is crippled by a vicious Thaiboxer Tong Po (Michel Qissi) in the ring, Kurt Sloane (Jean-Claude Van Damme) seeks out an elusive Muay Thai Kru to teach him the art to avenge his brother. [7]
Death Cage (Zhan Long)1989While primarily a kung fu movie, the movie takes place in Thailand, where various scenes featuring Thaiboxers are present. [8]
The Quest 1996Taking place in 1920s, Christopher Dubois (Jean-Claude Van Damme) ends up stowing way on a boat and ends up being imprisoned by the boat's men. He is later acquired by a mercenary Englishman, Lord Edgar Dobbs (Roger Moore), who sells Dubois into slavery on an island off the coast of Siam, where Dubois is trained in Muay Thai fighting. After six months, Dobbs and his partner Harry Smythe find Dubois fighting in a Muay Thai match and see that Dubois has become a skilled fighter. Thus, he is subsequently chosen by Lord Dobbs to participate in a grand martial arts tournament, held in the Lost City of Tibet. [9] [10]
A Fighter's Blues
(A Fu)
2000Mong Fu (Andy Lau), a former Muay Thai boxer, returns to Thailand from Hong Kong and challenges the champion to a match. [11] [12]
Beautiful Boxer 2003The life story of Parinya Charoenphol (Asanee Suwan), who masters Muay Thai in order to realize her dream of becoming a woman. [13] [1]
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior 2003The series popularized Muay Thai, and featured some Muay Boran techniques. The film had two sequels: Ong Bak 2 (2008) and Ong Bak 3 (2010) [14] [1]
Born to Fight 2004 Dan Chupong stars in the film.[ citation needed ]
Chok-Dee: The Kickboxer2005The film is based on the life of Algerian-French Muay Thai boxer Dida Diafat, who stars as himself. [15]
Tom-Yum-Goong 2005 Tony Jaa, who starred in the movie and was also the fight choreographer, incorporates a Muay Thai style (มวยคชสาร, "muaykodchasarn", roughly translated as "Elephant Boxing"), which emphasizes grappling moves. The movie also showcased "Jaturongkabaht", which was used by the Royal Thai Bodyguards.[ citation needed ]
Mercury Man 2006
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing 2006
Muay Thai Chaiya 2007Is a film about two talented muay Thai boxers, boyhood friends whose lives take divergent paths after they arrive in Bangkok.
Master KIMs2007The Nak Muay team appears in the final scene.[ citation needed ]
Chocolate 2008Muay Thai fighters Yanin Vismitananda and Lim Su-Jeong star in this film. [16] [17]
Down for the Count
(Aukmen)
2009Muay Thai boxer Ahmad Al-Sulaiti appears as himself.
Raging Phoenix 2009Starring Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda, that movie is centered around the style of "Druken Muay Thai" [18]
The Kick 2011A Korean family of Taekwondo experts immigrate to Thailand and are exposed to Muay Thai fighting. [19]
Bunohan: Return to Murder 2011 [20]
Only God Forgives 2013A Bangkok policeman and a gangster settle their differences in a Muay Thai match.
Sha Po Lang II: A Time For Consequences 2015
A Prayer Before Dawn 2017The film is based on the true life experience of Billy Moore who survived his Thai prison ordeal by becoming a Muay Thai boxing champion. [21] [22]
The Legend of Muay Thai: 9 Satra 2018A Thai 3D computer-animated action-fantasy film.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2021Muay Thai was included in the fighting style of Shang Chi, the title character.[ citation needed ]
Raya and the Last Dragon 2021Namaari (Gemma Chan) uses a style based on muay Thai and krabi krabong.[ dubious discuss ]

Documentaries

MovieYearDescriptionRef.
Fight or Flight 2007A documentary on Thailand's ring fighting circuit. [23]
Blessed With Venom 2011A feature-length documentary chronicling the life and career of Australian Muay Thai superstar and 10 time World Champion, John Wayne Parr [24]
Lumpini 2018A documentary that follows Kwankhao Mor.Ratanabandit and Saenchai, who fights at the final event at historic old Lumpinee stadium, also at the grand opening of the new Lumpinee stadium. Narrated by Stephen Haynes.
Torn Cloth 2020A documentary that follows a group of orphans in northern Thailand that take refuge in a Muay Thai boxing camp managed by Jawee Sukantha, and the improvements it makes to their lives. Narrated by Stephen Haynes. With a special guest appearance by Tony Jaa

Television

Muay Thai has been featured in television series from reality show contests to documentary episodes.

Television ShowEpisodeDescriptionRef.
Departures (TV series) Justin Lukach enters a Muay Thai fight in one episode.
The Contender Asia seriesA reality-based television series that follows 16 aspiring Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they compete in a series of outdoor challenges and sanctioned matches. [25] [1]
Human Weapon "Muay Thai" The episode featured the history and fighting techniques of Muay Thai.
True Life "I'm a Muay Thai Fighter" Kit Cope and Ben Garcia travel overseas to make their mark in the brutal world of Muay Thai ring fighting. They are scheduled to compete in bare-knuckle fights that will be broadcast on Thailand television.
Fight Girls seriesA reality show similar to The Ultimate Fighter , where ten female fighters live together and train with a Muay Thai instructor in Las Vegas for six weeks in an effort to fight for a Muay Thai championship in Thailand.
Fight Quest "Thailand" Jimmy Smith and Doug Anderson learn Muay Thai.
Dhani Tackles the Globe "Thailand" Dhani Jones learns Muay Thai.
Babylon 5 "TKO" Michael Garibaldi and his friend Walker Smith participate in an alien-run tournament called the "Mutai".
Gaki no Tsukai The variety show features a "Thai Kick" punishment game where a boxer delivers a kick to the loser's backside.
Real World/Road Rules Challenge "The Ruins" featured a "Muay Thai challenge" where contestants kicked bamboo sticks in an elimination round.
Ring Girls seriesA reality show similar to The Ultimate Fighter , where ten female fighters live together and train with a Muay Thai instructor in Las Vegas for six weeks in an effort to fight for a Muay Thai championship in Thailand.
Power Rangers/Juken Sentai Gekiranger Power Rangers Jungle Fury season Robert "R.J." James, the Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger who wears violet, is a Muay Thai practitioner. He wears prajed (dual elbow bands) uses elbow and knee attacks, including a flying knee strike.
An Idiot Abroad "Swim With Dolphins" Karl Pilkington trains with a Muay Thai kickboxing group and later participates in a blindfolded match. [26]
Amphibia Ivy on the RunThe show's protagonist, Thai-American Anne Boonchuy, is a Muay Thai practitioner. She states she was enrolled in lessons by her mother to fit her "spirited" personality (and get her out of her kitchen), and offers to teach her amphibian friends the martial art.
Hurts Like Hell (TV series) seriesA four-part series based on corruption in the Muay Thai industry, released on Netflix.

Manga and Animation

Manga and anime shows occasionally feature characters who use Muay Thai techniques:

Manga or AnimationCharacter(s)DescriptionRef.
Kick no Oni Tadashi Sawamura, othersFictionalized retelling of real-life Tadashi Sawamura's kickboxing career. Features Sawamura's fights against various kickboxers, including the fight against Thaiboxer Samarn Sor Adisorn. [27] [28] [ page needed ]
Tatakae!! Ramenman Muay Thai Chūchai[ citation needed ]
Dragon Ball Draculaman, Pamput[ citation needed ]
Attack on Titan Female titan, Annie Leonhart[ citation needed ]
Captain Tsubasa World Youth Bunnaak Singprasert[ citation needed ]
Karate Shōkōshi Kohinata Minoru [29] Samart Sarindu, Charndech Nham Sae Gym
Thanakorn Ammarath, Changnoi Jakkapong
Singsak, Thongchai [30]
Junny Skeandelaki
SHIN "TEMUR" SHIRATO
TOUGH: High School Iron Fist Legend Kreangarg Suwanpakdee[ citation needed ]
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Apachai Hopachai, Tirawit Kōkin
Agaard Jum Sai
[ citation needed ]
Beyblade Yothin[ citation needed ]
Hajime No Ippo Jimmy Sispher[ citation needed ]
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Lussuria[ citation needed ]
All Rounder Meguru Maki KamiyaManga about Women's MMA. One of the key characters is Maki Kamiya, a high school girl-age kickboxer who transitioned to Women's Shooto, after she was unable to find adequate challengers in her Kickboxing weight class. [31]
Treasure hunting in Thailand [32] Thani Sor.Silachai [33] [34]
Kamen Rider Ryuki Kamen Rider Impaler[ citation needed ]
Kengan Ashura Gaolang Wongsawat, Cosmo Imai[ citation needed ]

Video games

The following games feature characters that use Muay Thai as their fighting style,

SeriesGame charactersDescriptionRef.
Street Fighter Sagat Debuting in the original Street Fighter, Sagat is depicted as a renowned Muay Thai expert known for his incredible power and height. He is often called the "Emperor of Muay Thai" in his home country. He was possibly named after Sagat Petchyindee. [35] [36] [37]
Adon Muay Thai warrior and a disciple of Sagat. He appears in the original Street Fighter game as the second-to-last opponent before the final match against Sagat. In later games, he is characterized as a former pupil of Sagat, seeking to surpass his disgraced master. [38]
Gou Hibiki and other minor charactersMuay Thai fighters from Street Fighter III: New Generation sometimes appear in Elena's stage during the 2nd round. [39] [ full citation needed ] [40]
SNK Fighting Games Joe Higashi Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters [41] [42] [43]
Hwa Jai Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters , initially appearing as a computer-controlled opponent, unavailable for the player. He would be introduced as a playable character in The King of Fighters XIII. [44]
King Debuting in Art of Fighting , a French female Muay Thai fighter who dresses in masculine manner. Her design was inspired by Saskia van Rijswijk and Grace Jones. [45] [46]
Payak SitipitakDebuted in Buriki One
Mortal Kombat Jax Briggs Uses Muay Thai in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
Jacqui BriggsDaughter of Jax Briggs, she utilizes a more Muay Thai-oriented fighting style in Mortal Kombat 11. [47] [48]
Virtua Fighter Vanessa Lewis In Virtua Fighter 4 , Vanessa Lewis used both Vale Tudo and Muay Thai move sets until Brad Burns was added in Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution , making her solely a Vale Tudo fighter. [49]
Brad Burns Italian Thaiboxer who debuted in Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution. [50]
Tekken Bruce Irvin Debuted in Tekken 2. [51] [52]
Bryan Fury Debuted in Tekken 3. Kickboxer who utilizes trademark Muay Thai moves in his arsenal.
Fahkumram Debuted in Tekken 7 as DLC. Massive Muay Thai fighter. Upon his unveiling in 2019, he was compared to Street Fighter's Sagat. [53] [54]
Josie Rizal Debuted in Tekken 7. Spiritual successor to Bruce Irvin, who fights with a Filipino variant of Muay Thai known as Yaw-Yan, combined with elements of Arnis. [55] [56]
Mimics, like Mokujin and Unknown Unknown in the Tekken series can use any of the techniques of the other players, including the Muay Thai moves of Bruce Irvin and Mokujin.
Dead or Alive Zack Introduced in Dead Or Alive. Zack uses self-learnt Muay Thai style. [57] [58]
World Heroes Shura (Naikanom Tom)Debuted in World Heroes 2, he is based on the Nai Khanom Tom, a legendary figure in the historicity of Muay Thai.
Fighter's History ,
Karnov's Revenge
Samchay Tomyamgun
Ehrgeiz Prince Naseem/Doza
Eternal Champions R.A.X. CoswellR.A.X. Coswell is an American cyber-kickboxer from 2345 AD. His trainer programmed a virus into his R.A.X. exoskeleton software to ensure he lost an important match. Coswell died during the match as a result. [59]
Battle K-Road Shinsaku Maekawa and John Anderson [60]
League of Legends Lee Sin
Granado Espada Irawan
The Bouncer PD-4
World of Fighting (freeware)Ananda
Battle Arena Toshinden Chaos [note 1]
Shaolin vs Wutang (1 & 2)Muay Thai is one of the 30 available fighting styles in the game.
Sleeping Dogs (video game) Wei ShenIn the Zodiac Tournament Pack DLC the game introduces 12 Fire Opal Statue collectibles. Collection of all 12 statues unlocks two outfits, one of which is a traditional Muay Thai outfit. When equipped, Wei's fighting style then switches to Muay Thai.
Judgment (video game) and its sequel Lost Judgment Toru HigashiHigashi is one of the protagonist's companions who fight by his side in several instances, most notably during the Long Battle sequences towards the end of the games. His moveset features elements from both Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do.

Other

See also

Notes

  1. Chaos, from Battle Arena Toshinden 2 and 3 , wears Mongkhon when he fights.

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  36. ธนศุทธิสกุล, รัชพล (11 April 2016). "ราชาน็อกเร็ว! "สกัด พรทวี" ยอดมวย 9 ชีวิต! หนึ่งโมเดลเกม "สตรีทไฟเตอร์"" [Fast Knockout King! "Sagat Porntawee" Legendary 9 Lives Boxer! One of the model in "Street Fighter"] (in Thai). Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  37. Serrels, Mark (6 February 2015). "Street Fighter's Sagat Was Based On A Real Life Fighter". Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  38. Steve Henderstot, Tim Lapetino (2017). Undisputed Street Fighter: The Art And Innovation Behind The Game-Changing Series. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 153. ISBN   9781524104696.
  39. サガットvsゴウ (in Japanese)
  40. "Rip Offs Page 3 – More Street Fighter and SNK inspirations". Fightingstreet.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
  41. ZZZ (January 10, 2008). "Fatal Fury (Intro / Characters)". Hardcore Gaming 101 . Retrieved March 6, 2023. Andy and Terry's Muay Thai-practicing friend wears nothing but shorts and sports a huge hairstyle. Joe Higashi was born in Japan, but has spent most of his life training in Thailand. As Fatal Fury's comical relief character, he is known to pull down his shorts and taunt his opponents with his bare behind.
  42. Stenbuck, Kite (February 11, 2021). "Joe Higashi Is Ready To Bring Muay Thai Into KOF XV". Siliconera. Enthusiast Gaming . Retrieved March 2, 2023. The Japanese fighter, Joe Higashi, spent most of his training time in Thailand to master Muay Thai. He followed the steps of his father, who was also a Muay Thai champion. As one of the starting characters in the inaugural Fatal Fury title in 1991, Joe has been available as a playable character in most KOF games released to date.
  43. "『ネオジオフリーク』1998年8月号 132頁。" ["Neo Geo Freak" August 1998 issue 132 pages.]. Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). August 1, 1998.
  44. ZZZ (January 10, 2008). "Fatal Fury (Intro / Characters)". Hardcore Gaming 101 . Retrieved March 6, 2023. Hwa Jai is a Muay Thai fighter on steroids. He is not actually playable in the [arcade release of first Fatal Fury] and only appears as a boss in the original Fatal Fury, with cameos in a couple games after that. He is finally reintroduced in The King of Fighters XIII, becoming a playable character for the first time.
  45. Lacroix, Maxim (April 2, 2021). "King voor The King of Fighters XV aangekondigd" [King for The King of Fighters XV announced]. PlaySense.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved March 6, 2023. We hebben het einde van de week weer bereikt, dus jullie weten wat dat betekent. SNK kondigt dan een nieuw personage voor The King of Fighters XV aan. Ditmaal is het de beurt aan King, welk personage gebaseerd is op de voormalig Nederlands kampioene full contact karate, wereldkampioene Muay Thai en actrice, Saskia van Rijswijk.
    Translation: We've reached the end of the week again, so you know what that means. SNK then announces a new character for The King of Fighters XV. This time it's King's turn, which character is based on the former Dutch champion full contact karate, world champion Muay Thai and actress, Saskia van Rijswijk.
  46. Scheld, Casey (April 1, 2021). "King Coming to The King of Fighters XV". Gamers Heroes. Retrieved March 2, 2023. Also known as the Beautiful Kick's Illusion, King was inspired and modeled after Jamaican singer Grace Jones. This recurring member of the King of Fighters' Womens' [sic] Team uses a Muay Thai fighting style that features several acrobatic jumping and high kick maneuvers.
  47. Lanci, Rich (2019-03-24). "Noob, Shang Tsung Among Four Revealed for Mortal Kombat 11". KeenGamer. Retrieved March 2, 2023. Jacqui Briggs was another character introduced in Mortal Kombat X as part of the new protagonist group. She's the daughter of Mortal Kombat veteran Jax, and was a more divisive new character in Mortal Kombat X. Thankfully, they did revamp her design and moveset to stand out more. While she still has a "tech" inspired moveset, she now uses many Muay Thai related strikes as well as utilizing force fields either on the ground over widespread areas or making thin square-shaped vertical barriers.
  48. Leri, Michael (March 20, 2019). "Mortal Kombat 11 Kotal Kahn and Jacqui Briggs gameplay shown". GameRevolution . Retrieved March 2, 2023. Jacqui Briggs [...] her attacks borrow from Muay Thai, which means she is less about zoning (like she was in MKX) and more about a close-range game.
  49. "Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution". GameRevolution . 2003. Retrieved March 6, 2023. [...] and the Muay Thai boxer Brad Burns. With the addition of Brad Burns, Vanessa Lewis's alternate Muay Thai style from Virtua Fighter 4 was removed and replaced with a Vale Tudo "Offensive" style; making her a solely Vale Tudo brawler.
  50. Bramwell, Tom (December 4, 2002). "PS2 VF4 evolves". Eurogamer . Retrieved February 24, 2023. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, the arcade update to Sega's beat 'em up, included two new characters (Muay Thai kickboxer Brad Burns and judo guru Goh Hinogami)
  51. Brathwaite, Brenda (November 4, 2008). "What if the Player is Black? (p. 3)". The Escapist . Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  52. Luis Correa (Dec 8, 2019). "Tekken 7 Reveals Brand New Fighter Fahkumram". Game Rant. Retrieved March 9, 2023. The trailer was only released a few hours ago, but fans are already drawing comparisons between Fahkumram and Bruce Irvin, another Tekken character who also practices Muay Thai style fighting. Ever since the character's introduction in Tekken 2 and return in Tekken 5 and 6, fans have been asking for Bruce's return in this newest installment. While Fahkumram is clearly a much more brutal character, hopefully, his release should be enough to tide over Muay Thai fans.
  53. Saarenoja, Panu (March 19, 2020). "Thainyrkkeilyn voima laajentaa Tekken 7 -mättöjä ensi viikolla – trailerikin julkaistiin" [The power of Thaiboxing will expand Tekken 7's brawls next week - the trailer was also released]. Pelaaja (in Finnish). Retrieved February 24, 2023. Fahkumram luottaa taistellessaan thainyrkkeilyn voimaan ja tämän voikin nähdä toiminnassa tuoreella trailerilla. (Translation:Fahkumram relies on the power of Thai boxing when fighting, and you can see this in action on the new trailer)
  54. Good, Owen S. (Dec 8, 2019). "Tekken 7's next DLC fighter is muay thai champ Fahkumram". Polygon . Retrieved February 24, 2023. The newest character in Tekken 7 is Fahkumram, and he briefly caused Sagat from Street Fighter to trend on Twitter because of their, hrm, close resemblance and muay thai origins. Fahkumram (his name means "roaring sky", or "thunder") is also a giant like Sagat (7-foot-5, canonically).
  55. Hurwitch, Nick (2019). The Art of Tekken: A Complete Visual History. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 148. ISBN   9781524113087. Josie fills the Muay-Thai-sized hole left by Bruce Irvin in Tekken 7. But Josie's kickboxing is styled after Eskrima, or Arnis, a weaponsbased Filipino martial art mostly focused on defense and counterstrikes.
  56. ""Tekagen Irande!" - recenzja gry Tekken 7". Ppe.pl (in Polish). Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  57. Sam Derboo (January 24, 2014). "Dead or Alive (Introduction / Characters)". Hardcore Gaming 101 . Retrieved March 6, 2023. Zak; The Dennis Rodman lookalike is a self-taught Muay Thai kickboxer looking for fame, money and women. [...] It appears he was first conceived as a ripoff of Street Fighter's Adon before getting a redesign that for once doesn't match the cliché associated with his fighting style.
  58. Russell (May 25, 2012). "Two new characters revealed for Dead or Alive 5". Gaming Nexus. Retrieved February 24, 2023. Zack, also known as "The Crazy Climber", is a funky DJ with a positive attitude and a very original sense of style.[...] He has incredible fighting instincts, and taught himself Muay Thai just by imitation. His unorthodox style of Muay Thai has become so unconventional that no one can predict what comes next.
  59. Bobinator (May 2, 2014). "Eternal Champions". Hardcore Gaming 101 . Retrieved March 6, 2023. R.A.X. Coswell; A cyborg Muay Thai kickboxer. Ended up killed by a virus implanted by his manager, who bet on another fighter. He plans to return kickboxing to its human roots if he wins the tournament.
  60. Michael Plasket (November 27, 2013). "Battle K-Road". Hardcore Gaming 101 . Retrieved March 6, 2023. Shinsaku Maekawa & John Anderson[...]Yet another conventional fighting game archetype in the form of Muay Thai kick boxers...
  61. "Biography". cmpunk.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2012-11-07. His style is an assimilation of fighting styles he has learned from his travels around the world including Muay Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Jujitsu.