Pokémon Karate Dojo: Belt Exams, Battles and Kata

Train through the belts from white to black in the pokee.si dojo: 3 vs 3 belt exams where real type matchups decide every fight, plus kata practice, for kids and families.

Bow, then fight. The pokee.si dojo has 10 belt exams, a kata challenge and 14 Pokémon masters whose moves and looks echo real martial arts.

The 10 belt exams

Each exam is a 3 vs 3 battle against a master and two team-mates, and real type matchups decide every fight. Exams open one after another. You choose your team from the Pokémon you have caught, or practise with any Pokémon for less XP.

  1. White Belt Exam: led by Hitmonlee (Kicking arts and kickboxing). Opponents: Machop, Mankey, Hitmonlee. Difficulty 1 of 10.
  2. Yellow Belt Exam: led by Hitmonchan (Boxing and punching arts). Opponents: Makuhita, Meditite, Hitmonchan. Difficulty 2 of 10.
  3. Orange Belt Exam: led by Hitmontop (Spinning and handstand styles). Opponents: Pancham, Machoke, Hitmontop. Difficulty 3 of 10.
  4. Green Belt Exam: led by Sawk (Karate). Opponents: Heracross, Breloom, Sawk. Difficulty 4 of 10.
  5. Blue Belt Exam: led by Throh (Judo). Opponents: Poliwrath, Machamp, Throh. Difficulty 5 of 10.
  6. Purple Belt Exam: led by Medicham (Meditation and yoga). Opponents: Alakazam, Gallade, Medicham. Difficulty 6 of 10.
  7. Brown Belt Exam: led by Mienshao (Kung fu and wushu). Opponents: Hawlucha, Blaziken, Mienshao. Difficulty 7 of 10.
  8. Black Belt Exam: First Dan: led by Pangoro (Street-brawler toughness). Opponents: Conkeldurr, Quaquaval, Pangoro. Difficulty 8 of 10.
  9. Black Belt Exam: Second Dan: led by Lucario (Aura and inner energy). Opponents: Garchomp, Annihilape, Lucario. Difficulty 9 of 10.
  10. Black Belt Exam: Third Dan: led by Urshifu (Two styles of martial arts). Opponents: Kommo-o, Zamazenta, Urshifu. Difficulty 10 of 10.

The kata challenge

The sensei strikes in a pattern and you repeat it from memory, with the arrow keys, WASD or by tapping. There are ten rounds, each named after a real kata and each longer and faster than the last.

  1. Heian Shodan (平安初段, Shotokan): “Peaceful mind, first level”. The first of the five Heian kata, usually learned early: simple lines, turns and blocks.
  2. Heian Nidan (平安二段, Shotokan): “Peaceful mind, second level”. Adds back stance and kicks to the basic pattern.
  3. Heian Sandan (平安三段, Shotokan): “Peaceful mind, third level”. Short and sharp, with a block-and-counter rhythm.
  4. Heian Yondan (平安四段, Shotokan): “Peaceful mind, fourth level”. Mixes open-hand and kick combinations at speed.
  5. Heian Godan (平安五段, Shotokan): “Peaceful mind, fifth level”. The last Heian, with a jump near the end.
  6. Tekki Shodan (鉄騎初段, Shotokan): “Iron horse, first level”. Performed in a low horse stance, moving sideways along a single line.
  7. Bassai Dai (抜塞大, Shotokan): “To storm a fortress (major)”. Powerful and dramatic: turning disadvantage into attack.
  8. Kanku Dai (観空大, Shotokan): “To view the sky (major)”. One of the longest classic Shotokan kata, opening with a raised-hands look to the sky.
  9. Jion (慈恩, Shotokan): “Often linked to a Buddhist temple; translations vary”. Strong stances and powerful, grounded techniques.
  10. Sanchin (三戦, Goju-ryu): “Three battles”. A slow, tense kata built around deep breathing and strong stance.

The dojo masters

  • Hitmonlee (Fighting), Kicking arts and kickboxing. Hitmonlee is all legs, built around kicks like High Jump Kick and Rolling Kick. Its name is based on Bruce Lee, the film star whose kicks made martial arts famous worldwide. Kicking arts such as karate, taekwondo and kickboxing all train the same idea: a leg reaches further and hits harder than an arm.
  • Hitmonchan (Fighting), Boxing and punching arts. Hitmonchan is the puncher of the Tyrogue family, famous for the Fire, Ice and Thunder Punches and the fast Mach Punch. It looks like a boxer: quick fists, tight guard, no wasted movement. Its name is based on Jackie Chan, whose fight scenes made fast hands look easy.
  • Hitmontop (Fighting), Spinning and handstand styles. Hitmontop looks like a spinning top and a capoeira fighter, spinning on its head and kicking from the ground. Its Intimidate ability lowers the Attack of foes who face it, like a bold fighter staring them down. Real karate rarely spins like this, but the lesson of balance and control is the same.
  • Machamp (Fighting), Strength training and striking. Machamp has four arms and is famous for Dynamic Punch and Cross Chop. It stands for raw strength built through hard training: lifting, conditioning and endless repetition. Machop evolves into Machoke, then Machamp when traded.
  • Medicham (Fighting, Psychic), Meditation and yoga. Medicham is the meditating fighter. Its Pure Power ability doubles its Attack, a nod to how calm focus can make you stronger, not softer. It looks like a yoga practitioner, and many karate dojos use meditation and breathing for balance and a clear head.
  • Lucario (Fighting, Steel), Aura and inner energy. Lucario senses and shapes aura, the energy behind its signature Aura Sphere. Many Asian martial arts talk about ki (qi in Chinese), or inner energy, as the unseen force of a focused strike. The aura Lucario controls looks a lot like that idea.
  • Sawk (Fighting), Karate. Sawk wears a karate uniform, called a gi, with a belt tied at the waist. Its Karate Chop and Brick Break are straight out of the dojo, where breaking boards and bricks shows focus and technique. It is the clearest karate Pokémon there is.
  • Throh (Fighting), Judo. Throh wears a judo uniform and fights with throws, using moves like Circle Throw and Storm Throw. Judo is a Japanese grappling art founded by Kano Jigoro in 1882, built on using your opponent's own force. Its Guts ability fits: if it gets a status condition like a burn or poison, its Attack goes up.
  • Mienshao (Fighting), Kung fu and wushu. Mienshao whips its long fur-like arms in flowing, acrobatic strikes, in the spirit of Chinese martial arts like kung fu (wushu). Its High Jump Kick and quick footwork reward speed and flexibility. It evolves from Mienfoo.
  • Pangoro (Fighting, Dark), Street-brawler toughness. Pangoro is a panda with a tough-guy swagger. It hits with Hammer Arm and its Iron Fist ability boosts punching moves. It is the brawler of the dojo: less technique, more heart, and a reminder that attitude is part of every fight.
  • Urshifu (Fighting, Dark), Two styles of martial arts. Urshifu masters one of two styles: Single Strike (Fighting and Dark) with Wicked Blow, from the Tower of Darkness, or Rapid Strike (Fighting and Water) with Surging Strikes, from the Tower of Waters. It begins life as Kubfu, a cub from the Isle of Armor that reads a scroll at the top of one of the two Towers to choose its style. One style is a single decisive blow, the other a flurry of fast hits.
  • Hawlucha (Fighting, Flying), Lucha libre. Hawlucha is a masked wrestler of the air, based on lucha libre, the high-flying Mexican style of pro wrestling. Its signature move Flying Press is a dive from above. Lucha is about showmanship as much as skill, and Hawlucha never forgets the crowd.
  • Annihilape (Fighting, Ghost), Rage and discipline. Annihilape is what happens when anger runs wild. Primeape evolves into it after using Rage Fist 20 times. Karate is all about self-control, so Annihilape is a warning of what happens when you lose it.
  • Quaquaval (Water, Fighting), Capoeira and dance-fighting. Quaquaval is a dancing duck whose Fighting side may echo capoeira, the Brazilian art that hides fighting inside rhythm and dance. Its signature move is Aqua Step. It is a Water type first, which makes it a fun non-Fighting master.

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