Most heroic "beaten, overmatched, and doomed, but game" moments in wuxia?

[Ken Cheng]

Which characters and moments in wuxia do you find most admirable because said character is clearly overmatched and doomed (i.e. you know he's going to die), but he's fighting so tenaciously against a much more powerful opponent and manages to hang on/do more damage than expected, that you can't help but applaud even though you know things aren't going to go well for him in the end?

[PJ]

What was the inspiration behind this topic? I'm sure you have someone in mind

For me, it's the injured Guo Jing when he tried to defend Yang Guo against 4 Mongolian warriors. That is one of the most blood boilingly heroic moments in wuxia.

[Cesare]

Guo Song Yang vs. Jin Wu Ming.
What GSY did for LXH was very moving - and very heroic.

[Ken Cheng]

What was the inspiration behind this topic? I'm sure you have someone in mind

Several, but none of whom you likely would have guessed.

1. Some Olympics runner from the 2000 Sydney Games. He had torn or strained some kind of muscle, making it difficult for him to just move, let alone compete in an Olympic race...but the guy was determined to finish. Struggling, in tears, the guy strained to the finish line when by all rights, he should have been carried off the track. His father came down from the stands to help him finish the race.

Naturally, the guy didn't win any medal, but he was the hero of that race and the audience loved his tenacity (he stole the show from the actual medal winners). The announcer said that this guy had the "true Olympic spirit."

2. In those old Japanese GODZILLA movies, there's a monster called Anguilas, who resembles a giant porcupine. Compared to the other monsters like Godzilla, Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla, Anguilas is relatively weak. He has no long range attacks, and can only use his horns and back spines to fight his enemies. Even so, in every appearance, Anguilas fights very bravely against much more powerful monsters. He never backs down and or quits, even when the opponent is really kicking his butt. He just gets up and keeps fighting some more. This tenacity wins him the respect and love of daikaiju fans.

3. L.A. Lakers player Kurt Rambis, whose skills were far from the elite levels of his teammates Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, but was valued by the Lakers' coaching staff and the fans for his tough, relentless, take-no-prisoners mentality of playing. The guy was no Larry Bird in terms of skill, but he fought ferociously for every loose ball and rebound, and played fearless, relentless defense whenever he was on the court.

4. OK, this one comes close to what you were thinking, but it's not Gwok Jing: it's Fung Mak Fung. Fung Mak Fung was no Great, but he took on a Great (the Golden Wheel Monk) and two other Mongolian warriors (each of whom was more powerful than Fung as well) and held them off surprisingly long (long enough for Gwok Jing and Yeung Gor to escape). Not unexpectedly, he met his demise in this fight, but he gave his much more powerful opponents one hell of a struggle.

[PJ]

4. OK, this one comes close to what you were thinking, but it's not Gwok Jing: it's Fung Mak Fung. Fung Mak Fung was no Great, but he took on a Great (the Golden Wheel Monk) and two other Mongolian warriors (each of whom was more powerful than Fung as well) and held them off surprisingly long (long enough for Gwok Jing and Yeung Gor to escape). Not unexpectedly, he met his demise in this fight, but he gave his much more powerful opponents one hell of a struggle.

Ah, that's exactly the first person that came to mind when I saw your topic. But Guo Jing's perseverance was even better, I thought.

[Felix]

Several, but none of whom you likely would have guessed.

1. Some Olympics runner from the 2000 Sydney Games. He had torn or strained some kind of muscle, making it difficult for him to just move, let alone compete in an Olympic race...but the guy was determined to finish. Struggling, in tears, the guy strained to the finish line when by all rights, he should have been carried off the track. His father came down from the stands to help him finish the race.

Naturally, the guy didn't win any medal, but he was the hero of that race and the audience loved his tenacity (he stole the show from the actual medal winners). The announcer said that this guy had the "true Olympic spirit."

Are you sure it isn't the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with Derek Redmond? One of the best Olumpics moment for me. Up there with Kerry Strug winning the women's team gymnastics competition with a sprained ankle in 1996. Goosebumps each time I watch it.

[yittz]

4. OK, this one comes close to what you were thinking, but it's not Gwok Jing: it's Fung Mak Fung. Fung Mak Fung was no Great, but he took on a Great (the Golden Wheel Monk) and two other Mongolian warriors (each of whom was more powerful than Fung as well) and held them off surprisingly long (long enough for Gwok Jing and Yeung Gor to escape). Not unexpectedly, he met his demise in this fight, but he gave his much more powerful opponents one hell of a struggle.

Just a friendly reminder that he is the weakest of HYS's first generation students. In ROCH with a disability he was stripping LMC bare. I am surprised he held them for that long, any one of them (except Ma) was above him in martial arts.

[flamer]

Does Yin Tianzheng count? He survived but I was very impressed by his spirit.

[Cesare]

Just a friendly reminder that he is the weakest of HYS's first generation students. In ROCH with a disability he was stripping LMC bare. I am surprised he held them for that long, any one of them (except Ma) was above him in martial arts.

Good motivation can do miracles...;-)

[Ken Cheng]

Are you sure it isn't the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with Derek Redmond? .

That's him. I'd forgotten exactly which Games it was, only that it was some time ago.

[pannonian]

Drastically overmatched, but not beaten. Xiao Longnu vs Golden Wheel Monk, the Mongolian mercs, the Quanzhen Five plus assorted others, simultaneously. And she still had the better of it until Yang Guo showed up and distracted her.

[Ken Cheng]

Drastically overmatched, but not beaten. Xiao Longnu vs Golden Wheel Monk, the Mongolian mercs, the Quanzhen Five plus assorted others, simultaneously. And she still had the better of it until Yang Guo showed up and distracted her.

That's not exactly the same thing I had in mind, because until she sort of voluntarily, deliberately, suicidally put herself in harm's way, none of her enemies were able to lay a hand on her. Ironically, though her enemies were much more powerful, Little Dragon Girl was not in any real danger during that fight until she chose to be.

What I'm thinking more of is like the Fung Mak Fung case: the subject is already gravely wounded, and by all rights should be paralyzed and helpless, but somehow finds the will to keep fighting even though his/her body really isn't equal to the challenge anymore.

[pannonian]

That's not exactly the same thing I had in mind, because until she sort of voluntarily, deliberately, suicidally put herself in harm's way, none of her enemies wer able to lay a hand on her. Ironically, though her enemies were much more powerful, Little Dragon Girl was not in any real danger during that fight until she chose to be.

IIRC she was still actively fighting the QZ5 with one hand and the GWM with the other, when she got distracted by YG, and got boomed by the QZ masters from the back and GWM's wheel from the front. Quite surprising she survived that actually, given that, in comparison, HYS would have been dead meat had OYF's palm not been intercepted by MCF.

What I'm thinking more of is like the Fung Mak Fung case: the subject is already gravely wounded, and by all rights should be paralyzed and helpless, but somehow finds the will to keep fighting even though his/her body really isn't equal to the challenge anymore.

Prelude to the duel on Peach Blossom Island. OYF and H7G are working off their energies while the youngsters watch. OYK is jealous of the attention HR is giving GJ, so he throws some needles at him. HR blocks the needles with her armour, then throws them on the ground in front of OYF. OYF automatically counterattacks towards HR, and neither HYS nor H7G can stop him. GJ meets OYF's palms instead with his own, and is knocked back a number of steps. Despite barely being able to stand, he forces himself back in front of HR in case OYF should continue the attack.

[Felix]

That's him. I'd forgotten exactly which Games it was, only that it was some time ago.

Yes, I remember that well. I just finished 6th grade a couple months prior to this event. That was inspiring to watch.

[smrter_v]

I thought when GJ was fighting HYS after thinking HYS slaughtered his masters was pretty heroically doomed. It was heroic because he cleared up any misunderstanding between the QZ 7 and HYS, losing some potent allies, and he had no hope against HYS, especially if the only help he'd get was from Ke Zhen'E, who I think was more of a hindrance in this battle...

If you would consider the manga Rurouni Kenshin to be wuxia (the only difference to me is its Japanese...) the guy whom Kenshin ruthlessly slaughters in Kyoto, Akira Kiyosato? (Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?)

This isn't in wuxia, but the guy who stood in front of a tank in China at Tiananmen...he deserves some recognition.
http://bieniosek.com/gallery/albums/...nk_1.sized.jpg

[S Beaver]

This isn't in wuxia, but the guy who stood in front of a tank in China at Tiananmen...he deserves some recognition.
http://bieniosek.com/gallery/albums/...nk_1.sized.jpg

That's different. Most likely, he expected the tanks to stop for him.

[Cesare]

That's different. Most likely, he expected the tanks to stop for him.

It still requires *some* guts.
Definitely worth mentioning, I think...;-)

[Guo Fu ):]

does Large Hadron Collider count? he couldnt even move without fainting.

[Snafu3721]

If you would consider the manga Rurouni Kenshin to be wuxia (the only difference to me is its Japanese...) the guy whom Kenshin ruthlessly slaughters in Kyoto, Akira Kiyosato? (Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?)

Actually, that was the first image that popped into my mind when I first read this thread. I'm surprised it was someone else's too!

It's when Kenshin gets his first scar correct? That fit Ken's initial description of the "doomed but does surprisingly well" scenario perfectly. The man knew he was going to die, he was bloodied and bruised, but fought on for the little happiness he had in war ridden times. Not to mention he also permanently scarred the Hitokiri Battousai.

[smrter_v]

^Haha, wow I was sure nobody knew I was talking about. Yes, the man who managed to scar the Battousai. Fought 'till he couldn't stand, even after witnessing the Battousai slice up his companions in a matter of seconds.