While true martial artists focus on knowledge, defense, emotion, discipline, and many other passive feelings, some individuals use them for offense only. Villainous Martial Artists often lack the sense of honor that their heroic counterparts possess since they reject the honor that it teaches and instead use it to harm others, though exceptions exist.

Martial artists are an advanced form of Fighters and are extremely formidable and redoubtable in combat. To qualify, a villain must demonstrate agility, timing, speed, accuracy, and good counter-moves, not just strong punches and kicks.

Often Martial Arts in fiction take on a supernatural quality that allow the fighters to perform acts that defy reason or greatly enhance them beyond what their age, physical appearance or skill would normally allow - taken to its extreme it can make a character into a one-man army, some of the most favored martial arts in fiction include karate, kung fu and judo though a great many characters utilize many different forms of martial arts (mixed) and some may even use completely unique styles created specifically for the media they are in.