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Problems I have with Wukong and the technique of "Wuju Style"

ForeverInMyHeart·5/21/2019, 8:33:47 PM·4 votes·8,519 views

Hi everyone,

In Master Yi's Lore Wuju is a technique of the sword - to my knowledge. In Wukong's Lore, Master Yi trained "Kong in the virtues of discipline, patience and combat, which Yi called Wuju." This is contradictory. The latter description states that Wuju is actually a combat style infused with virtues rather than it strictly being a sword-style.

Therefore, based on this description, Wukong was never technically taught the sword style: "Wuju." But, instead, Yi taught Wukong a generic fighting style which Master Yi called "Wuju."

Whaaaat?

Furthermore, Wukong doesn't follow the original "Wuju" fighting style - he follows "Wuju Style: Wukong Edition" because in Wukong's Lore it also states that "Yi channeled Kong’s propensity for recklessness and impulsiveness into a lethally swift and surprising fighting style." Now, having an alternate version to the original Wuju may be okay...

...But Wukong's version of Wuju isn't Wuju at all and shouldn't be named "Wuju". Why? Because forcefully bashing things (as seen in-game when he Wukong AAs or Qs) is completely different to Master Yi slicing opponents like butter. Master Yi is more methodical; more precise and more elegant in his fighting style - as seen in-game when Master Yi AAs or Qs.

The differences in "Wuju" between both characters are massive - creating another problem. Something needs to be sorted out.

12 Comments

RiotSkiptoMyLuo5/22/2019, 12:37:44 AM13 votes

Hey! Writer of Master Yi's bio and color story, Homecoming, here. Wuju is mostly known for its swordsmanship because that was the weapon of choice for Yi's home, but at its heart, it is a way of life. There are many doctrines but it is up to each master and disciple to interpret them. You can imagine Wukong, with his boisterous personality, taking many more liberties than Master Yi, a disciplined veteran, would. Someone can wield an axe and be a follower of Wuju, and another can be a chef whose dishes are created with the virtues embodied by Wuju teaching.

RiotRiot LegendLarry5/22/2019, 12:18:06 AM9 votes

I recently read Master Yi's Bio and Color Story and I totally understand how someone would think that Wuju was solely a sword technique. In the Bio they even say...

Wuju was founded by those believing their swordsmanship to be too precious to share, too sacred to draw blood—so for centuries, it flourished in isolation, with no outsiders knowing its true nature.

The way I think of it, and it could just be me trying to find an answer that fits rather than the intent so grain of salt and all that lol, is that Wuju is similar to real world martial arts in the sense that there are styles and sub-styles embedded in them. Ebonmaw made the comparison to Shaolin Kung Fu and to take that even further you have Northern & Southern Style that then have things like the 5 animal styles.

Maybe to bring another point that's closer to sword or weapons styles, modern day Kendo is very different to what was taught pre-World War II. Before the war throws, disarms, and locks were taught and counted as legitimate techniques, even though the name translates to "Way of the Sword". The Kendo of today does focus on sword techniques but the core principles of Kendo are the same today as it was 80 years ago, as it was arguably hundreds of years ago but that is also debated.

In this case the way I thought of it was that Master Yi studied Wuju but decided to focus on the training with the sword. Similar to how you would start with the basics of Kung Fu before choosing a weapon or style to focus in. He then taught WuKong the basics of Wuju and then decided that the staff would be a better fit for his approach to the principles of Wuju.

Many of the martial artists that I've trained with all approached their art differently than myself, or even from the students in their school. Sure there are similarities, which is natural since you're learning from the same teacher, but take TKD for example. My personal favorite kinds of kicks are power house kicks, like a side kick, or large sweeping kicks like a hook kick; I try to break through a guard or around the guard. My friend though loved "jabbing" with his kicks, he'd throw some to the body, to the head, back and forth, to try and get you to mess up your guard.

Both are very different ways to executing the principles that we learned, but we both still studied TKD.

Anyway, that's just how I understood it.

Cheers! ^______^

Ebonmaw Dragon5/21/2019, 11:10:43 PM2 votes

As you said, the Wuju Style is more than a fighting technique... it is "discipline, patience and combat"

Just like the Shaolin Kung Fu combines Zen Buddhism and martial arts.

nguforever5/21/2019, 8:40:37 PM2 votes

Well if you look at their kits you can see the wuju aspect translated from Yi to Wukong.

Yi's empowered E translates to Wukong's empowered Q.

Yi's sword attack translates to Wukon's E where he attacks multiple enemies as well.

GreenLore5/21/2019, 8:40:54 PM2 votes

I'm not sure if Wuju was ever even called a sword style.

It seems to be a style that is applicable to all kinds of weapons.

BuilderG6/11/2019, 11:22:01 PM1 votes

This is the most recent LOL thread I have found xD Thanks for clearing it up

Warlord Dienekes5/22/2019, 12:23:32 AM1 votes

Now, honestly, in lore Master Yi and Wukog's martial arts style of Wuju is probably based on Eastern, likely Chinese martial arts. I don't know much about Chinese martial arts, but I do know Medieval Italian and German (not that I'm a master by any stretch, just a competent student). And honestly nothing you listed as a difference between the fighting styles would really make up a difference if we take them at a historical viewpoint.

Medieval Swordfighting techniques are applicable to just about all other melee weapons so long as you are capable of adjusting your hand positioning and gauging the length of your weapon. It's why Fiore, a famous longsword fighting can just transition most of his movements to poleaxe or spear. Or how Silver can write to do the same drills with every weapon in his book.

And most martial arts I know have a mixture of quick cuts and strong strikes. They both do different things in the terms of combat. If you're trying to feint around the opponent's guard you want a quick cut. If you're trying to knock your opponent's defense out of your way you want a stronger strike. Now I don't know about Chinese martial arts, but I do know a smattering of kenjutsu and Wukong's Q seems your pretty standard overhead downward strike, there's a variant in just about every weapon based martial art I know, whether they call it a simple mandiritto from a high guard or give it a cool name like the strike of wrath.

Now having said all that. If the differences between how students implement their version of the same style is confusing to the point of distraction to the audience, then you have a point. But it isn't so much an error as it is recognizing the limitations of the audience.

DarkSoul19945/24/2019, 12:19:11 AM1 votes

The only way I can accept that what Wukong does is still Wuju, is if each weapon style is based off the movement of animals or something where Yi's Sword style could be based off the movement of, say, a snake and Wukong's staff style would be based off an animal with more erratic movement.