Kungfupunk (or kung fu punk) is the genre Chinese studio S-GAME created for Phantom Blade Zero, and the formula is wuxia + steampunk. It takes the Chinese martial arts of wuxia (sects, masters, revenge and the Wulin) and mixes them with a steampunk look: steam machines, gears, metal and bodies modified with prosthetics. Its creator, Soulframe Liang, adds a touch of cyberpunk too. The term was born about 15 years ago with Rainblood, the indie game Liang made as a student, and S-GAME now uses it to present Phantom Blade Zero as a genre of its own.
The kungfupunk formula
Two traditions S-GAME blends into one style
- WuxiaChinese martial arts, sects and the Wulin
- + Steampunksteam, gears, metal and prosthetics
- = Kungfupunkthe style of Phantom Blade Zero
Definition by Soulframe Liang, director of Phantom Blade Zero, in GamesRadar+ and GamesBeat; the official site presents it as “the kungfupunk genre”.
What does kungfupunk mean?
The word joins kung fu, the popular name for Chinese martial arts, with the “-punk” suffix of steampunk and cyberpunk. In fiction, that suffix marks a world with a very recognizable technology: steam and gears in steampunk, computers and implants in cyberpunk.
Kungfupunk applies that idea to wuxia. The result is a world of swordsmen and sects that also has machinery, metal and characters with mechanical parts. As Soulframe Liang told GamesRadar+, it is “a mixture of Chinese culture and something more universal and globally understood”.
The wuxia half: Chinese martial arts
Wuxia is the classic genre of Chinese martial arts novels and films. Its stories take place in the Wulin, the world of wandering warriors, with rival sects, masters, secret techniques and themes such as revenge, loyalty, love and friendship.
Phantom Blade Zero keeps all of that: you are Soul, an assassin of The Order accused of killing his master, with 66 days to live to clear his name. Combat is built on deflects and kung fu acrobatics, and the choreography was recorded with martial artists.
The steampunk half: steam, metal and gears
Steampunk imagines a world where steam technology went much further: boilers, gears, brass and impossible machines. In Phantom Blade Zero it shows in many details:
- Mechanical weapons. Next to traditional sabers and spears there are weapons such as the Fiend Saws, Phantom Edges such as the Tiger Cannon and upgrade materials such as the Mechanical Gear.
- Modified bodies. Liang talks about “modified humans”: warriors with prosthetics and combat puppets driven by mechanisms.
- Industrial settings. Ruins of giant machines (one bell is called Engine Giant Remains), cables and lanterns in Pangzhen.
- Music. The official soundtrack mixes traditional Chinese instruments with rock guitars and drums.
Kungfupunk compared with other genres
| Genre | Base | Look | Technology | In Phantom Blade Zero |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kungfupunk | Wuxia + steampunk | Ancient China with metal and steam | Steam machines, gears, prosthetics | It is its style: kung fu swords and mechanical weapons |
| Wuxia | Chinese martial arts novels and films | Sects, temples, forests | None: martial techniques | Soul’s story, the Wulin and the sects |
| Steampunk | 19th-century science fiction | Brass, boilers, gears | Steam taken to the extreme | Mechanical weapons, machines and industrial settings |
| Cyberpunk | Near-future science fiction | Neon, cities, implants | Computers and modified bodies | A touch: the “modified humans” Liang mentions |
| Soulslike | Hard action games in the style of Dark Souls | Varies | Varies | Only partly: Liang sees it as a cross of Ninja Gaiden and Souls |
The Phantom Blade Zero column sums up what its director says and what you see in the game; these are not official categories.
Where does the term come from?
Soulframe Liang, founder of S-GAME and director of the game, told GamesBeat that the term was born with Rainblood, a 2D turn-based RPG he made on his own with RPG Maker as a student, about 15 years ago. Even then it combined “traditional Chinese aesthetic with contemporary steampunk and cyberpunk”. They called it kung fu punk.
That led to the Phantom Blade series, and Phantom Blade Zero is its big leap to consoles. In his GamesRadar+ interview, Liang explained that the team combines references such as Ninja Gaiden, Dark Souls and Resident Evil for the gameplay, “but concerning style, that’s kung fu punk”.
Is it a new video game genre?
That is how S-GAME presents it: its official site has a section “introducing the kungfupunk genre”, and GamesRadar+ wrote that Phantom Blade Zero is attempting to create “its very own genre”. For now, Phantom Blade Zero is the main reference: it is the game that brought the word to the press and to players around the world.
If the term catches on, “kungfupunk” will describe any game that mixes Chinese martial arts with steam and metal technology, just as “soulslike” was born from a single game and now names a whole genre.
Frequently asked questions
What is kungfupunk?
It is the genre S-GAME created for Phantom Blade Zero: wuxia Chinese martial arts with a steampunk look (steam, gears, metal and prosthetics), plus a touch of cyberpunk.
Is kungfupunk wuxia + steampunk?
Yes, that is the base formula. Its creator, Soulframe Liang, defines it as a mixture of traditional Chinese kung fu, steampunk and cyberpunk.
Who invented the word kungfupunk?
Soulframe Liang, founder of S-GAME and director of Phantom Blade Zero. He first used it with Rainblood, the indie game he made as a student about 15 years ago.
Is it spelled kungfupunk or kung fu punk?
Both are correct. The official site writes “kungfupunk” and the English-language press usually writes “kung fu punk”.
Which games are kungfupunk?
The main reference is Phantom Blade Zero, together with the Phantom Blade series it comes from, which started with Rainblood.
Is Phantom Blade Zero a soulslike?
Only partly. It takes level design from Dark Souls, but its director sees it closer to a cross of Ninja Gaiden and Souls, with fast kung fu combat. More in What is Phantom Blade Zero?
Keep reading
Sources: S-GAME · GamesRadar+ · GamesBeat.
Kaarosu Damu Kira is a soulslike player with 13 platinum trophies, from Dark Souls and Bloodborne to Elden Ring and Black Myth: Wukong, and the author of PBZ Guide. Kaarosu earned the Phantom Blade Zero platinum on 14 Nov 2026 in a single playthrough and turns every fight into clear, fact-checked guides.
