is a manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series written by Ryuchi Matsuda

Ryuchi Matsuda

is the Japanese author behind A Historical Outline of Chinese Martial Arts and a manga called Kenji .According to Dr...

 and illustrated by Yoshihide Fujiwara

Yoshihide Fujiwara

is a Japanese manga artist. Fujiwara first came to attention by winning the 1984 Shogakukan New Artist Award for Maris. He worked as Ryoichi Ikegami's assistant until 1986, and his artistic style closely resembles that of his master....

. The series follows Kenji Goh, a practitioner of the Chinese martial art Bājíquán

Bajíquán

Bājíquán is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in Hebei Province in Northern China, but is also well-known in other places today, especially Taiwan...

.

Matsuda drew from his own knowledge of the martial arts when writing the manga. Kenji features Bājíquán

Bajíquán

Bājíquán is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in Hebei Province in Northern China, but is also well-known in other places today, especially Taiwan...

, Praying Mantis Kung Fu

Praying mantis kung fu

There are two styles of Praying Mantis Kung Fu:* Northern Praying Mantis , a self-defense technique from the northeast Chinese province of Shandong....

, Baguazhang

Baguazhang

Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...

, Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Piguaquan

Piguaquan

Piguaquan , also known as Piguazhang due to its emphasis on palm techniques, is often practiced along with Bajiquan and is a style of wushu that features explosive, long-range power...

, Xingyiquan

Xingyiquan

Xingyiquan is one of the major "internal" or Wudang styles of Chinese martial arts. The word translates approximately to "Form/Intention Boxing", or "Shape/Will Boxing", and is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power...

, Muslim Chinese martial arts

Muslim Chinese martial arts

The Hui started and adapted many of the styles of Chinese martial arts such as Bajiquan, Piguaquan, Liu He Quan, and other styles.There were specific areas known to be centers of martial arts, such as Cang County in Hebei Province....

, Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...

, Hung Gar

Hung Gar

Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....

, Daito Ryu, Shotokan

Shotokan

is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...

 and numerous other styles, frequently featuring real-life practitioners.

Kenji was serialized in Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

's Shōnen Sunday

Shonen Sunday

, first published on March 17, 1959, is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.- History :...

from 1988 to 1992, totaling 21 volumes

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

.

Plot

The story chronicles the life of modern-day martial artist. Kenji Goh is a teenager fond of the martial arts particularly Bājíquán

Bajíquán

Bājíquán is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in Hebei Province in Northern China, but is also well-known in other places today, especially Taiwan...

, which he studied from his grandfather at an early age. While Kenji's training in Bājíquán is not complete, he learns other martial arts to complement his skills. Kenji's rival is Tony Tan, a Chinese gangster skilled in Hung Ga Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...

 and Muslim Chinese martial arts

Muslim Chinese martial arts

The Hui started and adapted many of the styles of Chinese martial arts such as Bajiquan, Piguaquan, Liu He Quan, and other styles.There were specific areas known to be centers of martial arts, such as Cang County in Hebei Province....

 like Xinyiliuhequan.