As someone who does martial arts in real life, albeit at the novice level thus far, my super hero alter ego would be one who uses such skill to battle evil more proactively than leading a conscious and peaceful life. (Not that I'm knocking such. Otherwise I would not practice Kung Fu or related schools at all.)

However one thing that quickly becomes apparent to almost all students of the martial arts, much touted and otherwise deserved of such a reputation as some disciples become with weaponless combat, most schools also employ a wide variety of weapon systems. The "Katana," "Staff fighting," and "martial arts" were all separate powersets in CoH was something that always bothered me. Sure many characters and even some real life people are dedicated weapon specialists while others would never touch one except to disarm an attacker, but my ideal super hero alter ego would adapt to the situation at hand.

(How many times has Jackie Chan been seen weaponizing virtually an entire room during his fights?)

So how much does the aesthetic decoupling permit me to have a martial art themed hero who can switch between armed and empty handed fighting?