A closer look
Because simply drawing an anatomical punch is apparently too boring for modern anime, MAPPA took things into the physical realm. To achieve the buttery-smooth, uncomfortably heavy impact of the opening sequence choreography, animators hired professional martial artists and stunt coordinators. They filmed highly complex physical sparring matches from multiple camera angles and painstakingly rotoscoped over the real-life footage. This technique translates the micro-shifts in a fighter's center of gravity and weight distribution directly into ink, making the 2D combat feel dangerously grounded.
