A Unique Martial Arts Journey
A 52-year-old Japanese YouTuber is learning karate by studying characters’ moves from Tekken 3 after his son inspired him to pursue a journey in martial arts.
AskJapan, a YouTuber with more than 189,000 subscribers, is known for his vlogs, retro gaming content, and low-budget cosplay. He has recently focused on fighting games, specifically using Tekken 3 to help him understand real-life martial arts techniques.
The creator explained that his 10-year-old son, a brown belt who has been training since age five, inspired him to begin his own practice. Rather than heading straight to a dojo, the YouTuber decided to start by analyzing the movements of characters in Tekken 3.
“I realized that, to start, I have to practice karate with games,” the YouTuber stated. He views this unconventional method as his personal path toward improvement, noting that he believes it is never too late to begin training regardless of age.
Community Support and Challenges
Throughout his videos, the creator has played through Tekken 3 using a homemade cardboard arcade cabinet. His efforts have included attempting to unlock the character Heihachi by completing arcade mode, though he has faced challenges in his progress.
The community has responded with encouragement, praising his dedication to both his physical fitness and his gaming goals. Viewers have expressed support for his unconventional training approach and his commitment to learning a new discipline at 52.
His next video, which he uploaded on November 4, shows him fashioning a Heihachi cosplay out of a helmet and cardboard paper. His goal was to unlock the boss character by attempting to beat Tekken 3’s arcade mode, but he unfortunately failed.
Fans are rallying behind the YouTuber on his latest mission, sharing words of encouragement for both his martial arts goals and his journey to becoming a better Tekken player.
“There is no age to start karate, and you still look in shape,” one viewer wrote.
“I hope Harada and the gang see this and appreciate it like I do,” another said, referencing the former Tekken boss.
It’s true that having martial arts experience can come in handy; earlier this year, a member of the fighting game community went viral for using skills he’d learned from sumo wrestling to fend off a knife-wielding man at his local gaming cafe. And despite the shocking ordeal, he returned to his Twitch stream straight afterward, complaining that the incident had cost him 14 LP in League of Legends.
