Shotokan head of the Japan Karate Association's Brazilian branch. Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme holds a 2nd "dan" black belt in Shotokan and used the style when he competed both in traditional and in full contact karate competitions in the 1970s and 1980s. Michael Jai White has a 3rd "dan" in Shotokan, although he has long practiced other karate styles such as Kyokushin and Goju Ryu. Wesley Snipes has a 5th dan black belt in Shotokan. Shotokan Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal
Ryu Hayabusa him among the "gaming's greatest patriots" of Japan. In 2011, "GamePro" speculated on Ryu's odds of filling the then-upcoming "Soulcalibur V's" lone guest-character slot (which ultimately went to Ezio Auditore of the "Assassin's Creed" franchise), opining that despite "Soul" regulars Taki and Yoshimitsu's "traditional place as the recognizable 'Japanese' characters, neither is a conventional ninja the way Ryu is." In 2012, after "Soulcalibur V" was released, Elton Jones of "Complex" included Ryu among fifteen guest characters he wanted in a future series entry. "We've had our fun going ninjitsu crazy with Taki and Natsu, but now it's time for Tecmo's