

Is Rock Lee's stance in this image a reference to some stance from martial
arts, or was it created just for _Naruto_?

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bAypS.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bAypS.jpg)


CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-20T22:45:48.550
66404
2023-04-21T15:05:14.153
2022-02-22T13:01:40.997
35679
65564
question
naruto
Is Rock Lee's fighting stance a reference?


This stance definitely is very similar to Jet Li's Stance from the 1991 movie
"Once Upon a Time in China" and Jackie Chan's stance in the 1994 movie
"Drunken Master II." (See @Fumikage_Tokoyami 's answer) Additionally, in "The
Matrix" (which was released earlier in the year the manga was started) the
"Neo vs Morpheus" fight scene features both sides using the stance. [![Neo and
Morpheus Kung Fu
Fight](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qsCB.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qsCB.png)

Though there is no concrete evidence, this stance (called the "beckoning
stance" in other films) is likely a reference to these movies, additionally
because Rock Lee is supposedly a master of the "Drunken Fist" taijutsu,
supposedly a reference to "Drunken Master II". Because "The Matrix" was
released just a tiny bit earlier than the manga, it could also be the fight
scene that inspired the stance.

All notable "Bushy Brows" seem to use this stance, so the first Bushy Brow,
Might Guy probably created it (in their universe), or perhaps Might Duy. The
official Naruto Wiki does not seem to have information on the stance. The wiki
_does_ say that Rock Lee made a transition to look more like Might Guy. Lee
may have also copied the stance. [![Might Guy and Rock
Lee](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2q4iL.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2q4iL.png)

[![Metal
Lee](https://i.stack.imgur.com/47BRx.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/47BRx.png)


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-18T01:06:11.020
67913
2023-04-21T15:05:14.153
2023-04-21T15:05:14.153
71869
71869
66404
answer


Yes, the stance is definitely inspired from movies and is not made just for
_Naruto_. I found this [Reddit
post](https://www.reddit.com/r/kungfucinema/comments/w56xwx/i_swear_ive_seen_rock_lees_stance_in_some_clip_of/)
where various commenters mentioned the use of this stance in movies released
way before _Naruto_ :

  1. Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China (1991) [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnqpR.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnqpR.png)
  2. Jackie Chan in Drunken Master II (1994) [![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cCDtE.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cCDtE.jpg)


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-19T04:06:55.187
67916
2023-04-19T04:06:55.187
48011
66404
answer