Case No. 004 · Comparative Pugilism
The Ponytail vs The Splits
A quantitative and kinesthetic analysis of late 20th century action film pugilism to determine martial supremacy between Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
"While Van Damme fights to win, Seagal fights to annihilate. In the realm of pure psychological warfare, Seagal holds a definitive and chilling advantage."
— From the research methodology
Key Quantitative Findings
Seagal Lethality Index
24.1
Average on-screen kills per film during Golden Era
Van Damme Lethality Index
10.9
Average on-screen kills per film during Golden Era
Seagal Peak Lethality
59
Kills in Under Siege (1992) — his most lethal output
Van Damme Tournament Kills
0
Kills in Bloodsport and Kickboxer combined
Tale of the Tape
Figure 1: Multi-modal comparative visualization of combatant attributes and methodology
"Seagal's power is absolute but brittle; Van Damme's is adaptable and, as his films have repeatedly demonstrated, ultimately unbreakable."
— Final verdict
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Complete Research Notebook
Access the full multi-modal comparative analysis including the "Tale of the Tape" methodology, kinesthetic signature breakdowns, psychological warfare assessment, and the definitive empirically-grounded verdict on which pugilist would prevail in hypothetical confrontation.
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