Craziest, Weirdest, Most Bizzare Weapons In Kung Fu Movies

[Shosetsu]

Although the weapon in this film DEVILISH KILLER is a Sword, one of the components in the blade itself was used in an unusual way I did not expect at all. It's a broadsword whose blade has many rings along the entire upper edge of the blade.

All this time I used to think that the purpose of those multiple rings was to use their sound to distract the opponent.  So what startled me from this movie was that the villain could detach all those rings from the blade and fling them at his opponent-- in a sense using them like ninja-shurikens.

But what I found to be a glaring discrepancy is that those tiny rings actually killed his opponent.  At most, those tiny rings should have caused only a very slight wound.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2019 by Shosetsu

[DragonClaws]

 

What about Ang Fung's use of carpentry nail's in Dragon, Tiger & Phoneix(1974)?.

 

 

 

[DrNgor]

On 2/28/2015 at 1:23 PM, KUNG FU BOB said:

Regarding the Wolf's Teeth Club- I just found out that this is what it's called about a month ago, thanks to a FB friend. I always referred to it as a "spiked club". As a young man I used to visit Chinatown a lot, and there was this one store that had a huge, black-lacquered Wolf's Teeth Club. I wanted that thing so bad! But I think it was around $300, so... uh... no.

I have since seen this weapon used in Little Dragon Maiden (1983) and Arhats in Fury (1985).

[DragonClaws]

2 hours ago, DrNgor said:

I have since seen this weapon used in Little Dragon Maiden (1983) and Arhats in Fury (1985).

 

Great thread idea @DrNgor, I've been contributing stuff to the following thread not realizing you had already started a similar one first.

 

 

 

Can any of the moderator's here merge the above thread into the one started first by @DrNgor?.

[KUNG FU BOB]

1 hour ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Great thread idea @DrNgor, I've been contributing stuff to the following thread not realizing you had already started a similar one first.

 

 

 

Can any of the moderator's here merge the above thread into the one started first by @DrNgor?.

Done. Thanks for letting me know @DragonClaws.

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

I'd like to think that the reality is they were probably a lot of individually made weapons. Let me see mostly in movies are what is produced in Mass for kung fu schools that started in the early 20th century. I'm sure swords designs and so forth changed more or less all throughout the last two thousand years. A lot of these guys that actually use martial arts were mostly in three or four categories. Lowly soldiers who were cannon fodder and hence given very little training and a sword or spear probably most likely a spear or something like that. Next would be bodyguards or gold conveyors. Those guys would most likely get the most modern dangerous thing they could so 1700 on a pistol was a coveted weapon. Next Step would be gangsters and I'm sure they had all kinds of weird shit that they could conceal that we would never see in a kung fu movie. Either that or something cheap like an axe or a kitchen knife. Finally there were Villages that had to be responsible for depending on themselves to fight off Bandits. I would imagine they would be Farm weapons or as in From The Highway,  a cannon, arrows and rifles. And remember one thing when ancient writers were writing about people being good at martial arts it didn't necessarily mean flying kicks and brick breaking chops. Many times could have meant archery or being able to ride a horse well in battle.

[DragonClaws]

On 12/17/2019 at 3:14 AM, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

I'd like to think that the reality is they were probably a lot of individually made weapons. Let me see mostly in movies are what is produced in Mass for kung fu schools that started in the early 20th century. I'm sure swords designs and so forth changed more or less all throughout the last two thousand years. A lot of these guys that actually use martial arts were mostly in three or four categories. Lowly soldiers who were cannon fodder and hence given very little training and a sword or spear probably most likely a spear or something like that. Next would be bodyguards or gold conveyors. Those guys would most likely get the most modern dangerous thing they could so 1700 on a pistol was a coveted weapon. Next Step would be gangsters and I'm sure they had all kinds of weird shit that they could conceal that we would never see in a kung fu movie. Either that or something cheap like an axe or a kitchen knife. Finally there were Villages that had to be responsible for depending on themselves to fight off Bandits. I would imagine they would be Farm weapons or as in From The Highway,  a cannon, arrows and rifles. And remember one thing when ancient writers were writing about people being good at martial arts it didn't necessarily mean flying kicks and brick breaking chops. Many times could have meant archery or being able to ride a horse well in battle.

 

This might sound far out, but my Dad has told me stories of a local 1960's bouncer, now long gone. Who used to carry a home-made ball and chain weapon, that he had knocked six inch nails through. In order to turn into a spiked chain like mace. Reserved for anyone who came back with their friends or family, to get even for being thrown out of the dance hall.

My dad and his friends spent many saterday mornings as kids, watching the local rival gangs fight on a nearby park. Only so he and his mates could pick up the many knives or home made weapons they had dropped during the scuffle. If you recall the scene in Yojimbo(1961) were the two rival gangs first face off. With Sanjuro Kuwabatake(Toshiro Mifune) laughting at the fact, they clearly dont want to actually risk getting hurt. Which leads to this strange face-off, with one group attacking while the other retreats. From his description of those gang fights back in the 1950s, they were more like the Yojimbo scene than say the finale of a Chang Cheh movie. There were never any fatatlities either, which must have been a miracle in itself.

Edited December 22, 2019 by DragonClaws

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 8/12/2019 at 12:34 PM, DrNgor said:

Movies with tonfa in them:

Tiger vs. Dragon (1972)
Call Me Dragon (1974)
Spiritual Kung Fu (1978)
Dragon Fist (1978)
Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978)
Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
City Hunter (1993)
My Father is a Hero (1995)
Les Samourais (2002)
SPL 2: A Time for Consequences (2015)

Adding to the list of tonfa appearances:

KUNG FU- THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1972)

THE THUNDER KICK (1974)

THE STREET FIGHTER (1974)

THE RETURN OF THE STREET FIGHTER (1975)

SISTER STREET FIGHTER (1974)

SISTER STREET FIGHTER: HANGING BY A THREAD (1974)

RETURN OF THE SISTER STREET FIGHTER (1975)

HEROES OF THE EAST (1978)

BORN INVINCIBLE (1978)

DIRTY TIGER, CRAZY FROG (1978)

KUNG FU EXECUTIONER (1981)

LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA (1982)

HOUSE OF TRAPS (1982)

A LIFE OF NINJA (1983)

LEGEND OF THE WOLF (1997)

EXTREME CHALLENGE (2001)

UNDISCOVERED TOMB (2002)

ONG-BAK (2003)

HELLBOY (2004, "bladed tonfas")

G.I. JOE: RISE OF COBRA (2009, "bladed tonfas")

THE RAID (2011)

FALCON RISING (2014, "makeshift tonfas")

 

 

On 10/21/2019 at 1:44 AM, Shosetsu said:

Although the weapon in this film DEVILISH KILLER is a Sword, one of the components in the blade itself was used in an unusual way I did not expect at all. It's a broadsword whose blade has many rings along the entire upper edge of the blade.

All this time I used to think that the purpose of those multiple rings was to use their sound to distract the opponent.  So what startled me from this movie was that the villain could detach all those rings from the blade and fling them at his opponent-- in a sense using them like ninja-shurikens.

But what I found to be a glaring discrepancy is that those tiny rings actually killed his opponent.  At most, those tiny rings should have caused only a very slight wound.

 

 

The rings on the back of swords are also used to catch the tips of weapons, especially spears and other swords.

I've never seen DEVILISH KILLER, but that's a unique idea. Though, as you said, pretty of silly.

[Omni Dragon]

There was a DVD of Duel with the Devils that had the tagline: 'Armed only with a yo-yo, he travels far and wide in search of these devils...'  Because Tan Tao Liang fights with a yo-yo in it.

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

6 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

Adding to the list of tonfa appearances:

KUNG FU- THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1972)

THE THUNDER KICK (1974)

THE STREET FIGHTER (1974)

THE RETURN OF THE STREET FIGHTER (1975)

SISTER STREET FIGHTER (1974)

SISTER STREET FIGHTER: HANGING BY A THREAD (1974)

RETURN OF THE SISTER STREET FIGHTER (1975)

HEROES OF THE EAST (1978)

BORN INVINCIBLE (1978)

DIRTY TIGER, CRAZY FROG (1978)

KUNG FU EXECUTIONER (1981)

LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA (1982)

HOUSE OF TRAPS (1982)

A LIFE OF NINJA (1983)

LEGEND OF THE WOLF (1997)

EXTREME CHALLENGE (2001)

UNDISCOVERED TOMB (2002)

ONG-BAK (2003)

HELLBOY (2004, "bladed tonfas")

G.I. JOE: RISE OF COBRA (2009, "bladed tonfas")

THE RAID (2011)

FALCON RISING (2014, "makeshift tonfas")

 

 

The rings on the back of swords are also used to catch the tips of weapons, especially spears and other swords.

I've never seen DEVILISH KILLER, but that's a unique idea. Though, as you said, pretty of silly.

Tiger VS Dragon is actually Kung Fu the Invisible or Invincible Fist which showed in Chinatown as "The Good and The Bad"

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

Lest we forget, TJ Hooker-

 

[KUNG FU BOB]

4 hours ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

Tiger VS Dragon is actually Kung Fu the Invisible or Invincible Fist which showed in Chinatown as "The Good and The Bad"

Ah, yes it is. Thanks!

T.J. Hooker! 😋

[DrNgor]

In Snake in the Crane's Shadow, aka Adventure of Heaven Mouse, we see:

1. a baton that looks like a hard whip, used by Doris Lung;

2. a crutch, used by Wen Chiang-Long;

3. a flying guillotine made of a cape covered with gold coins with hidden sickle blades, used by Barry Chan.

[HyperDrive]

The Fist That Kills (aka Ninja Fists of Fire) has a couple of notable weapons. One bad guy used a vest made of throwing knives that he could send flying at multiple opponents at once. Another had a belt with pop out blades. 

[ShawAngela]

In The big fight 1972, Chang Ching Ching uses a skirt with kind of coins on its surface as a weapon.

[Shosetsu]

In the movie South Shaolin Master is a weapon I can only describe as an Easter basket.  Because it is a straw wicker basket, somewhat shallow, and with a handle that curves from one side of the basket to the other.

To use the basket, it is mostly twirled at the opponent. The basket is used to disarm the opponent of his sword by ensnaring the sword.  This is done by using the basket's handle.  Because the handle is interwoven with several strips. It is interwoven loosely so that there are spaces between the strips--and the enemy's sword gets ensnared in between them.  At that point, a twisting motion of the basket disarms the opponent.

Edited April 7, 2020 by Shosetsu

[Shosetsu]

During the cast credits in the beginning of the movie Desperate Killer, someone shoots a very bizarre arrow. The single arrow has 4 or 5 arrowheads clustered together.  Then when he shoots the arrow, it splits off into separate arrows.

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Shosetsu

[Chu Liu Hsiang]

One of the villains in SHADOW GIRL uses poisonous Centipede Rings which obviously morph from ring form to a kind of dart when thrown. 

 

[ShawAngela]

In the movie The Loot, Ko Fei uses a flute that he can transforms into a staff, and then into a spear.

[ShawAngela]

In the movie The Divine Martial Arts of Dharma, one of the villains uses what looks like a wooden prayer gourd that can throw wooden darts like a machine gun.

[Yihetuan]

Fascinating thread! Thanks to all who mentioned some bizarre and crazy weapons. But I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned the "killer meteors" from the film of the same name. When Wang Yu first unleashed it, I was dumbfounded, It looked like a roman candle on steroids.

 

[DrNgor]

In City of the Dragon, the final opponent uses a pair of Sun and Moon Blades with metal bells inside of them.

Example of Sun and Moon Blades:

[ShawAngela]

In The Great Hunter, Chang Yi uses a cane with a lion head that he can transform on a long staff, and he can throw a chain that ends with the lion's head from it.

[ShawAngela]

In Shaolin Deadly kicks, Lo Lieh uses chains ended by metal hands.

[ShawAngela]

In the movie Balada Dua Jagoan that I just posted in the videos section, I just spotted a guy who fights with a kind of spear that ends with an iron svastika that can cut the wooden poles...