“If you make yourself more than just a man, you become something else entirely.” – Ra’s Al Ghul, Batman Begins

My infatuation with the concept of Batman came late in life. I wasn’t a comic book kid, more movies. In the wake of Nolan, the Burton flicks made Batman laughable.

However, the summer of 2005 changed all that. A small two minute sequence in Batman Begins in which Bruce Wayne is being trained as a ninja inspired me to take up the art form myself.

Ironically, save for the sword fight, very little of the combat you see is based on traditional ninjutsu martial arts techniques. While the film was not the only motivation for study, I can say it did inspire me. Not so much to be like Batman, but to follow the example of Bruce Wayne.

In reality, there is nothing super about Bruce. Aside from a trust fund, he has no power. Everything he does is a force of mortal will. And perhaps that is why I identify with the man who became Batman. He sought to change his life, wrestled his demons and emerged from a shell of tragedy to become a figure to aspire to, both in and out of the mask.

~ Chris, Guest Blogger on
The Write Addiction