What Makes a Fight Scene Good in a Story
I was inspired by my recent time spent reviewing the old clips I used to watch when trying to reference some dynamic poses. After reading some more chapters of Solo Leveling, I’m trying to work up the energy to do more drafting.
I’ll give credit to a porn manhwa Lilith's Cord for giving me the idea to pursue some studying on dynamic movements. It’s still a porn webtoon but some panels exhibit great visuals on how fight scenes are done even on static (there’s actually a story in it so it’s not all erotic).
Sharing some of the fights that influenced that shaped my taste for what makes a good fight scene. Please note that these are just my reference and preferences. Some clips would showcase more of the element better than other examples mentioned. The idea is to take all the elements mentioned as a whole.
Please note that the medium also influences the quality of a fight "scene". Reading a book would require more creativity in trying to paint a mental picture the reader could hang on to create the world. A manga panel would reduce the requirements necessary to bring some parts of that scene into view. Fighting animations often tend to be a hit or miss in the first few seconds in catching interest.
If the execution sucks in the first few seconds, you'll lose an audience quick compared to having them read or flip through panels processing some of the information.
A Focus on Visuals.
Now I know this is a clip from a Tekken game but I’m stressing the part where there was an effort to choreograph the fight scenes to get this clip done. The stances, choice of clothing, weapon, and even taunts demonstrated in the match all contribute to defining the character (this was already done during the character design phase). Rather than seeing these pre-made 3D models as they are, I view the whole clip as just mannequins fulfilling a move set. But this is just the basic part of a fight due the emphasis is placed on brawl without context.
Introducing the character through the way they fight.
This was a clip taken from the show RWBY. It’s still a bar fight but you can readily notice that the characters introduced in the scene have received some training. It’s not straight drunken brawl or minions being cannon fodder. There is a strong emphasis on how fight choreographies act as an extension to introducing a character’s personality. Now without context, how the scene reveals itself would already straight up tell you which one is the protagonist based on tension build up prior to a fight. Confidence and calm before the actual fight.
Consistency.
This is an extension to the previous point. It doesn’t make sense if the character suddenly changes their demeanor during future fights unless the plot justifies these changes. The main character here has established a berserker fighter archetype and this encounter further solidifies that image. Having another character that contrasts the main character based on how they fight also adds value to both sides as the audience gets to learn more about the two without talking.
Emphasis on context.
Arguably, this clip made me appreciate only parts where the animators would show only frames that are necessary to convey motion. This is different from the previous examples because of the limitations of 2D animation (it takes a lot of time to draw frames to animate with compared to using a 3D model). While the frames can be static, motion and tension is still these even with just looking at the stance. I know anime has a prevalent sin of using too much expositions but the side commentaries done by observers still work in trying to establishes the weight of the outcome of the fight.
A fight scene is like a mini story within the story. There has to be a reason why it started, how it plays out and what happens during the conclusion. Leaving out the conclusion is a poor use of a fight as a tool for story telling because this is where the characters get closure to what they have placed on the line. A few minutes of fighting, internal monologue, and side character commentary helped establish the stakes which matter to the character which makes this fight useful in the overall narrative.
My bias has always been UFOtable’s animation. Their Fate Stay Night: UBW has become one of the staple reference points I come back to when it comes to evaluation animation especially fights. It’s also the same animation studio that created Demon’s Slayer.
The above fight scene is just one of the many clips out there that showcases the limits of how much great visuals can add more value to the overall narrative. The fight in the clip shows what is at stake. A good fight scene would usually let the show actions tell the story and immediately get the audience an idea of what’s going on. The first clip shared is just a plain fight and succeeding examples further build on the idea.
If a story can progress without the fight ever happening, then trying to insert a fight into the story only deprives character building opportunities. There are two types of viewing, passive and active. A passive viewer would just be content with the visuals to pass the time. An active viewer would be asking how the fight adds value to the story as a whole.
Whether you’re watching 2D or 3D animation, or even live action, fights are one way to introduce another character dimension. The same way people at ease behave different when fight or flight response is activated. The problem I have with a lot of shows in anime is the lack of purpose why such fights even need to happen.
The most basic level of showcasing fights is just straight up focusing on visuals and choreography without minding the who and the reason why the participants fight. I just imagine a minimum of two mannequins with a preset moves knocking each other out with some fancy camera angles and colorful lights. Good fighting animation satisfies this basic requirement while good fight scenes answer who the participants are and their purpose to fight within the context of the story.
If you made it this far reading, thank you for your time.
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I guess I'm more of a passive viewer. I rarely pay attention to the fight scene. There are a few that catches my attention because it really looks more like a dance choreography than a fight. The only time I realized how hard choreographing or even imagining how a fight scene should be was when I had to write a fiction story with a fight scene in it. Of course, I haven't been involved in a lot of brawls so there's nothing much to work with in my imagination.
It's a process from pre fight to post fight. A fight is different from a fight scene, a fight is just what happens within the fight scene where more choreography and visuals are the focus.
This reminds me that I should finish watching the entire ufotable Fate. Haven't watched UBW and the others yet.
That universe is a multiverse. When you watch the Fate Series, start with Fate Zero as the prequel then the succeeding 3 Fate Stay Night, UBW and Heaven's feel are treated as real events happening in different parallel time lines. The show doesn't tell you that straight, it's just a meta detail people not into the visual novels get to know. This also holds true for other shows under the Fate Franchise.
Haha yes. I actually played all routes of the VN. Part of the reason why I haven't watched UBW because I knew how it'll unfold. But good idea with starting with Zero. Since the prequel will be new information to me. Thanks!