Into the Badlands: An Underrated Martial Arts Series

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar created a post-apocalyptic action thriller that many consider one of the finest martial arts series of the 21st century. Daniel Wu leads the cast as Sunny, a formidable fighter supported by Edi Gathegi and Sarah Bolger, in a show that runs darker and more stylized than the creators' earlier work.

The story is set 500 years after civilization collapses, with feudal barons in control and only fragments of technology remaining. Firearms are absent, so combat relies on melee weapons and crossbows; Sunny serves as a "Clipper" for Baron Quinn until his encounter with M.K., a boy who possesses a mysterious power.

Despite a smaller budget and a brisk production schedule, the series looks cinematic: widescreen framing, Irish locations in Dublin and County Wicklow, and martial-arts choreography by Ku Huen-chiu give the fights a precise, cinematic grace. Sunny’s reluctance to kill and the tattoos marking his victims add moral texture to the show’s relentless action.

Ireland, Dublin, County Wicklow

badlands, daniel wu, martial arts, post-apocalyptic, alfred gough, miles millar, sunny, m.k, ku huen-chiu, dublin