The first time Cobra Kai hooked me was when I saw Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) sitting in his old, beat-up car, eating a gas-station burrito, and blasting 80s rock like his life hadn’t moved forward since high school. Something about that mix of sadness and stubborn pride pulled me in, and by the time Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) threw his first punch in the school bathroom, I realized that I was in for the ride.
Cobra Kai revived martial-arts TV for a whole new generation. Kids were suddenly talking about dojos again, and people were arguing, “Miyagi-Do or Eagle Fang?” But long before Cobra Kai exploded on Netflix, there were shows that did all of this with cleaner fight scenes and stronger characters, and here’s a list of a few of them.
7
‘Into the Badlands’ (2015–2019)
Into the Badlands is one of those shows people skip because they assume it’s just another post-apocalyptic story, but once you start it, you realize how rare it is to see martial arts shot with this much clarity on TV. The show revolves around Sunny (Daniel Wu), a skilled fighter who serves a powerful baron but slowly begins questioning the violent world he’s helping maintain. And that simple shift of a loyal soldier who is learning to think for himself gives the series its intensity.
The fight scenes show where a character is mentally, who they trust, and what they fear. The choreography is clean, wide-framed, and filmed in a way that respects the skill of the actors and stunt performers. You actually see every movement instead of fast cuts hiding the work. The world-building is also stronger than people give it credit for. The political system, the territories, the power struggles between barons, everything is structured, and it affects the characters in very real ways. It doesn’t have the nostalgic factor of Cobra Kai, but in terms of pure martial-arts craft and ambitious storytelling, it often does more.
6
‘Warrior’ (2019–2023)
Warrior is one of the few modern martial-arts shows that are relevant to real history. It is about Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a Chinese immigrant who arrives in 1870s San Francisco during the Tong Wars. That period was marked by gang conflict, exploitation, and anti-immigrant violence. The story doesn’t exaggerate these elements at all and shows how survival looked for people who were treated as disposable.
Every fight shows how tired, angry, or desperate the characters are. The warehouse fights, the alley confrontations, and the bare-knuckle matches all were a treat to watch, and Koji performs most of the choreography himself, which keeps the show honest. Warrior is more than a martial-arts series because it connects every character to the political climate. It does not try too hard to be flashy and historically aware, and that’s why it stands out.
5
‘Banshee’ (2013–2016)
Banshee looks chaotic on the surface, an ex-con stealing a dead sheriff’s identity, but underneath, it’s a show built on very controlled tension. Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) tries to reinvent himself in a small town already drowning in violence, and the series treats every choice he makes as something that will come back around later. There’s no supernatural element or any exaggerated mythology in the show. The danger is real because everyone is operating under their own rules, and no one is protected by plot armor.
The fights in Banshee hurt to watch in the best way possible. They are too real and raw to watch. The motel fight, the kitchen fight, and the prison arc are some of the most physically demanding scenes on TV, and Starr commits to every hit. Hood’s past follows him everywhere, and every relationship. His bond with Carrie (Ivana Miličević), Job (Hoon Lee), and Brock (Matt Servitto) is impacted by secrets that eventually collapse. The pacing is tight, the stakes are consistent, and the emotional fallout is always tied to concrete actions instead of dramatic exaggeration. The honest storytelling of Banshee is why it deserves a spot here.
4
‘Kung Fu’ (2021–2023)
Kung Fu takes the structure of a network drama and builds it around Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), a college dropout who returns home after training at a Shaolin monastery. The show doesn’t pretend to be a classic martial-arts series. Instead, there are elements of family dynamics, Chinatown community politics, and hand-to-hand action that are consistent and easy to follow.
The fights are clean and practical, and they rely on speed and precision. The absence of any exaggerated wire work or slow-motion was a breath of fresh air here. Liang does a large portion of her own stunt work, and that gives her character a physical confidence that builds naturally across the seasons. Kung Fu also touches upon everyday relationships besides all that fighting. Nicky’s bond with her parents, her siblings, and her friends drives most of the major decisions in the story. It is one of the most consistent series on this list.
3
‘Warrior Nun’ (2020–2022)
Warrior Nun, when first heard, sounds absurd. A story about an orphan who wakes up in a church morgue with a divine artifact fused into her spine. But the way it is shown on screen is brilliant. Ava (Alba Baptista) isn’t a chosen hero; she’s someone who has spent years without agency, and the series uses that history to explain why she resists responsibility the moment it’s handed to her.
Baptista also performs a lot of her own physical work, and it shows in how natural Ava looks in close-quarters fights. The camerawork stays close enough to make each fight feel close to reality. Another important point is the emotional arcs of characters shown on the show. It’s easy to underestimate this series because of its title, but the writing is clear, the action is controlled, and the character work is steady, which makes it one of the most surprising and consistent martial-arts-driven shows of the last decade.
2
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)
It’s rare for an animated series to deliver martial-arts action that is this precise and carefully built, but Avatar: The Last Airbender does so beautifully. Each bending style in the show is modeled after an actual martial-arts form, for instance, the waterbending mirrors Tai Chi, earthbending draws from Hung Gar, firebending from Northern Shaolin, and airbending from Ba Gua Zhang. This amount of research and the detailing make every fight readable and purposeful.
Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) is a trained acrobat. His dodges and spins follow consistent patterns, and the show always shows the footwork that makes his speed believable. Zuko (Dante Basco) has sharper, more aggressive movements, and his fights with Aang work because their styles naturally clash. Even supporting characters, like Toph (Jessie Flower), use seismic sense, and Sokka (Jack De Sena), learn swordsmanship through tough training. Avatar earns this spot because the action shown in the show is too real and somehow is always connected to character development. It remains one of the most complete martial arts series ever made.
1
‘Daredevil’ (2015–2018)
If there’s one modern show that sets the standard for TV martial arts, it’s Daredevil. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) fights like someone who has trained for years. The show never hides his exhaustion and vulnerability. The hallway fight in Season 1 and the prison hallway sequence in Season 3 are the most famous action sequences of the entire series, where the choreography stays brutally honest.
The combat style combines boxing, grappling, and Filipino martial arts, especially in the close-range baton work. Cox trained extensively for the role, and you can see it in how he rotates his shoulders, shifts weight during takedowns, and protects his ribs after big hits. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) also have distinct, readable fighting styles. Daredevil stays at the top because its martial arts sequences are real, heavy, and lived-in. No other modern show combines technique, emotion, and physical storytelling this well.
Daredevil
- Release Date
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2015 – 2018-00-00
- Showrunner
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Steven S. DeKnight
- Directors
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Phil Abraham, Stephen Surjik, Peter Hoar
- Writers
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Drew Goddard
