Bruce Lee is one of the most well-known martial artists of all time. His movies are wildly entertaining and show just how adept he really is at fighting, with the fight scenes in his films feeling quite raw and impactful. Even after his untimely demise, Bruce Lee continues to be a legendary figure in pop culture, inspiring many characters and fight sequences to this day.
It's only a given that the realm of anime has also been inspired by the work of Bruce Lee, with many characters being shaped in his image. More often than not, these characters do a great job of eliciting what made the iconic martial artist popular in his own way. They do justice to the legacy of Bruce Lee in many ways and are pretty beloved characters in their own right.
6 Rock Lee (Naruto)
Rock Lee's hairstyle and fighting techniques make him an obvious nod to the legacy left behind by Bruce Lee. A character who was born with little to no talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu, Rock Lee decided to hone his taijutsu skills instead to great effect. This led to him becoming a powerful hand-to-hand warrior who could easily decimate most of his foes with ease.
It's a shame that Shippuden pretty much forgot about this character, with Rock Lee barely getting any moment to shine on his own. The bulk of the taijutsu displays were reserved for his mentor instead, which made sense but still didn't stop people from lamenting just how badly this character was sidelined in the second half of Naruto.
5 Hitmonlee (Pokemon)
Hitmonlee is one of the many Pokemon that inhabit this vast and detailed world. This Fighting-type Pokemon packs a wallop and looks pretty intimidating to boot, making it one of the more popular creatures from the early days of Pokemon.
Suffice it to say, the inspiration behind this Pokemon should be obvious. The martial arts employed by Hitmonlee coupled with its telling name should make it clear to everyone that this creature is inspired by the legendary Bruce Lee himself.
4 Kenshiro (Fist Of The North Star)
Kenshiro is the protagonist of Fist of the North Star, a no-nonsense anime that is perhaps the most popular example of a stoic and powerful anime hero who never fails to look badass no matter what he does, decimating the majority of his enemies without so much as breaking a sweat.
From the way he looks to his fighting style, it's pretty apparent that this character is based on the iconic martial artist. He even has a pretty high-pitched battle cry, which is very much reminiscent of Bruce Lee whenever he leaped into battle and showed his impressive martial arts skills. Fist of the North Star may be a pretty simplistic anime by modern standards, but viewers who just want to see a protagonist absolutely obliterate his enemies in a cool and effortless manner can't go wrong with this legendary show.
3 Blue Gilly (One Piece)
A member of the Longleg Tribe who loves to use fast and accurate kicks in battle, Blue Gilly is a pretty interesting character who entertains viewers with his charisma and confidence as he takes on his opponents. He follows the martial art of Jao Kun Do which is passed down in his tribe, with his incredibly long and powerful legs allowing him to make the most of his abilities.
The term Jao Kun Do itself is a play on words, referring to the martial art of Jeet Kune Do that was popularized by Bruce Lee himself. Blue Gilly's attacks are pretty quick and pack some hefty power, making his fighting style quite reminiscent of the real-life legendary martial artist in many ways.
2 Chie Satonaka (Persona 4: The Animation)
Chie Satonaka is one of the many party members that players can control in Persona 4, with her physical skills allowing her to deal a ton of raw damage. It helps that she had a huge HP pool because of her endurance training, allowing her to whip out a ton of attacks without sacrificing her survivability in the process.
The anime did a great job of portraying her character despite the series trying to fit a 70-hour story within 25 episodes and an OVA. She herself loves old kung-fu movies, and her combat style makes it quite evident that she is inspired by the fighting style of the late great Bruce Lee.
1 Might Guy (Naruto)
Might Guy is Rock Lee's mentor and another character who started out with barely any ninjutsu skills. However, his father served as his greatest source of inspiration, despite everyone in Konoha viewing him as a loser who stayed a Genin for his entire life. What most people didn't know is that Might Duy was a master of taijutsu and helped his son unlock the power of the Eight Gates.
His hairdo and fighting style makes it infinitely clear that his character is also inspired by Bruce Lee in many ways. His taijutsu prowess is nothing to scoff at, with Kisame struggling against the power of Might Guy time and time again.