Insanely Basic Tips For Writing ;]

Fight Scenes

So... You wanna throw some characters at other characters and tell them to kill each other, huh? Well, in order to make all that interesting, ya gotta consider these tips first.

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1. I've been in martial arts for over six years and animation for just as long. So of course I'm going to suggest you plebs do a little research first. Wanna know how it feels to punch someone? Punch someone. Wanna know how it feels to get punched? Come over to my place.

Even learning simple stuff like rolls, stretches, differing exercises, and the most basic of techniques can help out a ton. At the very least, it'll keep people from making this face at you: ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ

You don't have to go all out like me, but at least learning the fundamentals of physics and how certain injuries will affect the fight can help. Take these fun little tip for example: there's a vein on the neck that, when hit properly, will make you instantly pass out. It only takes eight seconds to choke someone out to the point of fainting as long as you're holding them right..and if you keep it up, then just wait five minutes and they'll be dead. Anywhere in-between can give them serious brain injuries they'll likely never recover from. There are a thousand more, but I'll stop there. Trust me. I've learned more about biology from karate than from actual Biology class.

2. I feel like this is also a given, but at the very least, know what your surroundings are. Find ways to implement the setting into the fight creatively.

Example: two people are fighting in the desert and one tosses sand into the other's eyes. Or, two people are fighting in that same desert, but the one currently losing is being shoved into the sand, choked alive by all the granules.
Also please remember that when your characters are in extreme heat or freezing settings, they will fight differently. Maybe it's even the setting itself that is slowly killing the fighters, and the battle is really all about who can last the longest.

At the very least, I'd suggest you do two things in case you have a hard time with this one. (1) gather images of the setting, or at least settings like it. Then, take note of all the elements, obstacles, and even ambiance involved. (2) pick out objects to scatter about the setting that your characters can later pick up and use in the fight. Just make sure they have to do with the setting.

3. The destination of the fight can greatly impact the "vibe." (Present day me: I still use this one ALL the time.)

In the sky: superman level fights, typically very grandiose, larger than life, and impressive (even if written realistically). These are great locations for if/when you're trying to make your character look cool in some way.

On top of buildings/canyons: similarly grand but with more emphasis on stakes. You typically want that sense of uneasiness every time the main character sways or is knocked a little too far away. These scenes are often used around a climax thanks to the perfect level of grandiose tension and realism. It's a great way to get your character on edge and reveal their true feelings, mainly fear.

On the ground, outside: these fights are often much more grounded than most. Often deals with a lot of running/trying out other options beyond fighting. Typically, you're trying to establish what kind of a fighter your character is in these fights + what their morals may be.

On the ground, inside: oddly enough, this is where it gets personal. Mostly because I usually think of someone's home or a grocery store where every action means something. This is typically where the most drama takes place. I'd definitely suggest you lean into the importance of the setting they are fighting in much more than the setting of other fights. (This is also where every word counts.)

Underground: by far one of my personal favorites. The claustrophobia one can draw from these settings is truly something else. The most grounded of any other fight setting. This is where I like to strip the flashy powers and magic from my characters and let them brawl the old fashioned way, getting dirty and going all out. Down here, every punch matters.

There are of course more, but these are the basics!

3.2. Present day me, I'm actually about to add some onto that with a few more current examples, starting with the ultimate pro tip that you can MIX-AND-MATCH these settings, or jump around between them! Imma use two examples from my MHA Villain's Daughter one.

Example A (Iceman V. Y/n): Since the fight scene itself is supposed to be a bit of a jump-scare pulling Iceman out of the comfort he has just recently attained for himself,
- the fight literally starts with him getting yoinked out of his bedroom window. The first scene in this case obviously tells us everything about his position going into this fight: that he will be primarily defensive, aka, trying to return to the safety of that room.
- the fight continues with y/n hunting Iceman through the alleyways. This environment is very isolating, dark, and cramped, hardly giving either fighter the room they need to go all-out. Again, this is to emphasize the tangible horror of someone being hunted down by a person powerful as Y/n.
- he however gets the edge on y/n eventually when he collects enough I've from the environment, emphasized by him breaking through to the top of a building. When he is at his peak, even, he is literally flying around in the sky, seemingly untouchable. This is when y/n struggles the most, as they are now the one at the disadvantage.
- things turn a little bleak for y/n when Iceman slams her through the ground into the sewer system and freezes her in there. This time the setting is meant to emphasize the fix y/n has gotten herself into. This is where, though they still use powers, it is primarily raw strength v strength in here. But that leads to a moment when Iceman is horrified in seeing y/n has grown significantly stronger. She wins the fight in what was supposed to be her own grave, simply to drive it home that poor Iceman is out of options and thoroughly  f*cked.
In case you didn't notice, the setting of each story-beat in that fight was also meant to portray the mood of the characters as well. It wasn't just a cool place to fight, but a narrative device to more easily portray how the fighters feel without needing all that dialogue or mind reading narrator. Because throughout this whole fight I think only like ten lines at MOST are spoken! The rest is straight-up hands. 

Example 2 (a shorted fight this time lol):
- y/n is inside a crate as she figures out what to do with her opponent, who in this situation appears to be the one on the good side and the one she WANTS to win. She's both physically AND morally trapped here, as she has to decide between killing a good person to protect the government because the government told her to, or well reap the consequences of NOT doing all that!
- she bursts out of that crate immediately after deciding to fight, again surprising her opponent. The two fight atop the ship rather briefly. Instead of the fight relying on "who's the strongest?", it's more about how y/n can technically win without going against her morals by killing this man in the process. This is further emphasized by showing right off the bat how poorly matched these two are and that her opponent doesn't really stand a chance, and he could only win if she let him, which is important to his character development as well as her current conundrum, as he is later revealed to be her friend in disguise.
- once y/n has made the decision to fake his death for him, the "fight" is pretty much over. By being cast into the cold, merciless sea as our finisher, that of course shows us right away just how calloused y/n has to be in order to survive this "job" as well as how horribly betrayed her poor friend feels from this. Realizing how far she has fallen.
To restate, that fight is far more about "oh no, what do I do to not kill this guy?" and less about "oh no, how can I win against this guy?"

3.3. Having multiple or various goals per fight will actually bring a ton of freshness to each duel. If the question simply is "who is the strongest?" / "How can (A) possibly beat (B)?" Then there is no intrigue in the characters other than their strength (at least in that scene). If you instead make the fight more about "who is the kindest?" "who is the coward?" "will he be caught or not?" "will she learn from her ways?" Adds a whole lot more to a fight + is a good way to progress character development and all that jazz.

(Sorry, bois, that was really freaking long.)

4. Similar to the first step, please know how the weapons your characters are using work!

5. And of course no fight is complete without (A) build up, (B) understandable reasons for the characters to fight, and (C) clear stakes/what would be lost or gained if either were to lose. Remember, a fight is just an argument acted out. Keeping that in mind will make the whole process so much easier.

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And yeah that's it lol. 😂 Hopefully that was helpful in some way! If you have any further questions or are just generally very confused, feel free to ask in the comments.