Enter The Dragon
Bruce Lee’s cult character in 1973’s classic Enter the Dragon has been awarded a ‘black belt’ after being voted the nation’s number one martial arts hero.
Lee, played by Bruce Lee in the iconic final film appearance before his death, received a huge 39 per cent of the vote in a poll of 1,000 UK adults, which was carried out to mark the launch of new family videogame All Star Karate.
In the year that 80’s favourite The Karate Kid is being remade, the original ‘Old One’ Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) karate-chopped his way into second place on the poll with 16 per cent of the vote.
Miyagi’s protégé Daniel LaRusso fought his way into the top five, being beaten just by Rumble in the Jungle’s Keung (Jackie Chan) in third and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) of Ang Lee’s Oscar-winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon who claimed fourth spot on the poll.
Other karate-kicking characters making it into the top ten include Li Mu Bai (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Chen Zhen (Fist of Legend), Mei (House of Flying Daggers), Sing (Kung Fu Hustle) and Liu Kang (Mortal Kombat)
The poll also found that The Karate Kid is the nation’s favourite martial arts film, followed closely by Enter the Dragon, with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in third place.
The Top Ten Martial Arts Heroes Are As Follows:
1. Lee, Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee) - 39 per cent
2. Mr Miyagi, The Karate Kid (Pat Morita) - 16 per cent
3. Keung, Rumble in the Bronx (Jackie Chan) - 10 per cent
4. Yu Shu Lien, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Michelle Yeoh) - 7 per cent
5. Daniel LaRusso, The Karate Kid (Ralph Macchio) - 6 per cent
6. Li Mu Bai, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Chow Yun-Fat) - 5 per cent
7. Chen Zhen , Fist of Legend (Jet Li) - 4 per cent
8. Mei, House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Ziyi) - 3 per cent
9. Sing, Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow) - 2 per cent
10. Liu Kang, Mortal Kombat (Robin Shou) - 1 per cent
Other = 7 per cent
The Top Ten Martial Arts Movies Are As Follows:
1. The Karate Kid - 28 per cent
2. Enter the Dragon - 26 per cent
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 18 per cent
4. House of Flying Daggers - 7 per cent
5. Way of the Dragon - 6 per cent
6. Fists of Fury - 5 per cent
7. Hero - 4 per cent
8. Kung Fu Hustle - 3 per cent
9. Ong Bak - 2 per cent
10. Fists of Legend - 1 per cent
Sam Forrest, from videogame publisher THQ, said: "With The Karate Kid remake being released this year and films such as The Last Airbender also on the way to the big screen, karate and martial arts are enjoying a real renaissance.
"A videogame such as All Star Karate is a great and inexpensive way for children and families to learn karate together - and who knows, you could discover the next Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan in your own living room!"
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