Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light
The news is simple and powerful, like a Jeet Kune Do strike: there will be an anime about Bruce Lee. According to Deadline, the martial arts legend is getting his own animated series as soon as 2024.
The cult classic Enter the Dragon, probably the most important movie in Lee’s career, will turn 50 years old this August. In celebration of this date, none other than Shannon Lee, Lee’s daughter, who’s a producer herself, announced the upcoming anime series House of Lee.
Bruce Lee was a martial artist, actor, and director who had an immense influence on martial arts, cinema, and the portrayal of Asia in the media. Inspired by boxing, kung fu, street fighting, and other martial art disciplines and styles, he created his own method Jeet Kune Do — both spectacular and rooted in Lee’s personal philosophy.
Jeet Kune Do contains almost no direct strikes, but rather operates with economic counter-attacks. At the same time, the system is flexible at its core, following the famous “Be like water” principle.
The anime is said to be inspired by (another) one of numerous Lee's quotes: “Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never seek the light.” The series reportedly falls into an action/fantasy genre. Plot-wise it’s known that Bruce Lee as a character will be joined by the Dragon Warriors in a battle against the darkness that is ready to take over our world. A teaser is already available, with the full trailer to be released later this year.
There is a precedent for this kind of storytelling. Another legendary Asian martial artist, actor and director — Jackie Chan — already appeared in the animated series Jackie Chan Adventures.
But even when it comes to fictional characters, Bruce Lee has already inspired lots and lots of them — including anime. Obvious examples are, of course, Rock Lee and Might Guy from Naruto: extremely skilled and overly optimistic fanatics with distinctive hairstyles.
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Another example is Blue Gilly from One Piece. A charismatic and confident fighter, who uses precise kicks and follows the martial art of Jao Kun Do — a play on words referring to Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. Just to make sure that no one thinks it’s just a coincidence, Blue Gilly’s birthday falls on November 27th, which, you guessed it, is also the day Bruce Lee was born.
The series immortalizing Bruce Lee in animation will premiere in 2024.