KUMITE

What it is

KUMITE is a free stick figure fighting game that runs in your browser. You play Nib, a fighter in a red headband, and take a building apart one floor at a time while the worst commentator alive calls every hit. There's nothing to install and no account, it works on a computer, a gamepad or your phone.

How to play

Keyboard

• A D move, W or Space jump, press again in the air to flip
• J strike combo, K launcher, S + K sweep, K in the air for a dive kick
• Shift dash, dash then J for a flying knee
• L block, block right before a hit lands to parry
• U Ink Storm when the ink bar is full, Esc pause, M commentary level

Phone and tablet

Turn your phone sideways. Drag anywhere on the left half to move and pull down to crouch, flick up to jump. The buttons on the right hit, launch, jump, dash, block and fire the Ink Storm, which glows red when it's ready.

Gamepad

Plug one in and it just works: the face buttons attack, jump and dash, the bumpers block and the triggers fire the Ink Storm.

The building

• Ground floor, the lobby, where it starts
• 23rd floor, accounts payable
• 51st floor, the dojo, where they actually train
• The roof, where the Iron Hat waits

Clear the roof and the encore sends you back up with more enemies on every floor.

Questions

What is KUMITE?

KUMITE is a free stick figure fighting game that runs in your web browser. You fight your way up a building one floor at a time, from the lobby to accounts payable, the dojo and finally the roof, where a boss called the Iron Hat is waiting. It's inspired by the stick figure fight animations people passed around online in the early 2000s, and this one you can actually play.

Is KUMITE free to play?

Yes. It's free, there's nothing to download, no account and nothing to buy. Open kumite-teal.vercel.app and press any key.

Can I play KUMITE on my phone?

Yes. Phones and tablets get on-screen controls: drag with your left thumb to move, and use the buttons on the right to hit, launch, jump, dash, block and fire the Ink Storm. Turn your phone sideways to play.

What are the controls?

On a keyboard, A and D move, W or Space jumps (press it again in the air to flip), J strikes, K launches, S plus K sweeps, Shift dashes, L blocks and U fires the Ink Storm when the ink bar is full. Block right before a hit lands to parry it. Gamepads work too.

Who is the commentator?

Dave. He used to call real sports, then the divorce happened, and now he commentates stick figure fights to keep up with his child support. He reacts to everything you do, reads out donations from chat, takes calls from his ex-wife on air and has some history with the final boss. Nib, the fighter you play, talks back.

Is KUMITE suitable for kids? Can I turn off the swearing?

The default commentary has swearing and crude adult jokes. Use the commentary button on the title or pause screen, or press M, to switch between full, no swearing, big moments only and off.

How long does a run take?

A run through all four floors takes a few minutes. Beat the Iron Hat and you can keep going in an encore, where every floor brings more enemies.

How was KUMITE made?

The ink style graphics run on three.js with custom ragdoll physics, the voices were made with ElevenLabs, the soundtrack with Suno, and the game was built with Claude Code.