Gun Kata

Gun Kata is a fictional firearm-based martial art, seen in the films Equilibrium (2002) and Ultraviolet (2006).

Techniques
The concept was conceived by Equilibrium writer/director Kurt Wimmer and developed by fight choreographer Jim Vickers. It involves the use of firearms (generally pistols) against nearby opponents, resulting in an athletic and visually engaging form of combat. The character 'DuPont' in Equilibrium describes the concept thusly:




 * "Through analysis of thousands of recorded gunfights, the Cleric has determined that the geometric distribution of antagonists in any gun battle is a statistically-predictable element. The Gun Kata treats the gun as a total weapon, each fluid position representing a maximum kill zone, inflicting maximum damage on the maximum number of opponents, while keeping the defender clear of the statistically-traditional trajectories of return fire. By the rote mastery of this art, your firing efficiency will rise by no less than 120%. The difference of a 63% increased lethal proficiency makes the master of the Gun Katas an adversary not to be taken lightly."

Gun Kata, as a martial art, places emphasis on two tenets: shooting the enemy as efficiently as possible, and avoiding return fire. Hitting targets is a matter of knowing where enemy fighters are likely to be located in relation to the user, which removes the problem of aiming (especially at close ranges), not to mention allowing the user to defeat foes with pre-emptive fire before they can present a true threat. Avoiding return fire is also a matter of statistical probability, as Gun Kata users do not rely on bullet time-style evasions, but rather on avoiding the enemy's most likely lines of fire. In short, Gun Kata is the art of shooting where the enemy should be, while not being where the enemy should shoot. It is effective enough that the protagonist of Equilibrium, Grammaton Cleric First Class John Preston, is able to defeat more than 30 enemy stormtroopers in under a minute. It should be noted, however, that this was an exceptional feat even by the standards of Gun Kata, since Preston himself expressed some doubt as to whether he could manage it, and as a First Class Cleric, Preston was a master of Gun Kata.

In Ultraviolet, a further, more aggressive development of this technique is seen displayed by Violet Song jat Shariff (portrayed by Milla Jovovich). When unarmed and surrounded by multiple firearm-wielding opponents, Violet's movements allow her to avoid the shots fired at her and simultaneously make the enemies shoot each other instead. This could be compared to another famous fictional martial art - lightsaber combat, where the Form III only concentrates on deflecting the incoming blaster bolts with one's lightsaber, whereas the Form V allows one to send them back in the direction of the opposing gunners.

Another, less commonly seen technique of Gun Kata involves dueling with a single opponent at a very close range. This often includes melee combat with both opponents trying to point a gun at the other and pull the trigger, while at the same time, preventing the enemy from doing the same thing. This technique is only used if both adversaries are skilled in it. The most striking difference of such duels to the rest of hand-to-hand martial arts is that an enemy shot cannot be blocked or parried as in unarmed combat and fencing and can thusly be only avoided by constantly knocking off the enemy's aim and leaving him or her no time to shoot in your direction.

Yet another technique involves using a pistol as a normal melee weapon to hit the close range opponents without wasting ammunition. Since the technique is frequently used against multiple enemies equipped with firearms, the basic rules of avoiding their most likely shooting trajectories also apply, as well as hitting each enemy in a way to prevent them from shooting at all.

Possible inspirations
"Kata," known in some martial arts as "forms," are pre-determined routines of attacks, blocks and movements that simulate a many-on-one engagement; kata are more of a ritualized dance, as opposed to the open improvisation of "kumite" (sparring). As such, the use of the word "kata" is somewhat imprecise in the description of a martial art, though it is certainly applicable to the choreographed fight routines actors and stuntmen must learn. These are paralleled in "bunkai," in which a central martial artist performs the kata, while training partners take the role of the attackers.

Gun Kata is a type of "fake fu," since some moves closely resemble kung fu and also Japanese kata-based martial arts. The combat in Equilibrium in general has been compared to The Matrix. Wimmer had supposedly intended a softer, more fluid wushu style for Equilibrium, but was overruled by fight choreographer Vickers, whose experience lay primarily in the harder, jerkier karate line, and by the movie's limited budget. Wimmer realized his vision of a fluid Gun Kata in Ultraviolet.

Similar techniques
Other works of fiction since 2002 also feature techniques very similar to Gun Kata:


 * The fighting style used by Ban/DekaRed in Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger resembles Gun Kata. He calls his fighting style Juu Kun Do (Way of the Gun), a parody of Bruce Lee's fighting style, Jeet Kune Do.
 * The heroine of the anime series MADLAX (named after her) often displays techniques similar to Gun Kata, e.g. "sensing" the opponents and shooting in the directions where they are most likely to hide, while simultaneously staying out of return fire trajectories in what resembles a ritual dance.
 * One scene in the anime series Trinity Blood shows Father Tres Iquis single-handedly wiping out a large group of Methuselah in absolute darkness. Many critics stated that it bears striking resemblance to the first gunfight scene in Equilibrium.
 * In Joshua Knode's book The Shulamite Characters practice a similar martial art called Kaparjutsu wich exclusivly uses revolvers and includes similar methods of hand to hand combat.
 * In Devil May Cry 3 Dante's Gunslinger style has a number of moves reminiscent of Gun Kata techniques, particularly the Twosome Time technique, which allows him to fire his two pistols Ebony & Ivory in two different directions. Lady's gunfighting style is also somewhat like Gun Kata, although her version seems to emphasise switching between several weapons rather than moves with two.
 * Namco x Capcom's Reiji Arisu uses a Multiple Assault technique called Jyuu no Kata (???), which literally translates into Gun Kata. The attack animations bear a marked resemblance to the opening fight scene in Equilibrium, where Preston charges into a dark room with a lit hallway at his back.
 * * While it appeared years before Equilibrium, Trigun's protagonist, Vash the Stampede, possesses remarkable skills relating to fast, precision gunfighting. A man shooting at Vash remarks that he is 'dodging the bullets by judging the gun movements and timing.' Later, while on the sidelines of a quick-draw tournament, he is able to redirect fired rounds subtly enough to turn lethal wounds into survivable ones merely by throwing pebbles at the bullets.
 * Rally Vincent, the protagonist of Gunsmith Cats, does not practice a firearms-based martial art per se, but she nonetheless displays incredibly fast and efficient marksmanship. She usually disables enemies by shooting off body parts(thumbs, fingers, and in one extreme case, a hand), and even destroying critical components of their weapons(firing pins, ammo storage, safeties, ejection ports). An extreme demonstration of her skills had her shooting a grenade out of the air, as it exited a launcher, just minutes after having broken several of her ribs! On top of this, she also possesses firearm-related combat skills that go far, far beyond mere marksmanship. Examples include; demonstrating terrifying skill at russian roulette by merely timing the spin of a revolver(her record is twelve straight spins of five pulls on empty chambers each); flipping a pistol over her fingers, instantly going from surrendering the weapon to firing it; kicking magazines into her guns; blinding enemies by discharging spent brass from the gun's ejection port into their eyes; just to mention a few. It should be noted, however, she learned all of these skills from her father, who is an even more formidable gunfigher.
 * Rushuna Tendo, one of the main protagonists of Grenadier - The Senshi of Smiles, utilizes a handgun-based martial art. However, she is not only able to single-handedly defeat large numbers of enemies, but she can fire with enough precision so as to merely stun or cripple instead of kill. In fact, her skills are great enough she can use them purely defensively-by shooting enemy bullets out of the air. She also keeps her spare ammunition in her cleavage.
 * Gundoh, the fictional martial arts with guns, is used in the anime series Musashi Gundoh. Its movements vaguely resemble Gun Kata.
 * In Killer7, Con Smith's use of his dual automatics greatly resembles Gun Kata, especially his Counter and Down Attacks.