What it takes to be a real superhero
 

This does not require an analysis of the word "Hero" I mean an honest to goodness, guy/girl who roams the streets bringing justice in a semi-vigilante style. Since I pretty much rule super powers out from the get go, the most realistic(using the term loosely) super hero is Batman. So I got to thinking about what would be necessary for a real person to fight crime in a super hero style
1: Martial Arts: of some type is a must. I'd recommend something less well known, Since most martial arts outdo most all streetfighting, you'd be covered against those types. But if faced with another martial artist, you'd best be able to use a style he's never heard of. (which is why I'm looking into capoeira myself)
2:Intelligence: is also key, you would have to be pretty smart in terms of actual mental ability to do this
3:Marksmanship: with both a gun and a bow, as well as throwing weapons, even if you can't bring yourself to kill someone, you still need to be able to shoot.
4:Investigative skills: Like all detective heroes, you should know that you can't simply beat crime away, you need to be able to stop crimes before they happen
5:Strong resolve: You have to be able to se horrible scenes of gore, and perversion(childmole stations, serial killers taking"trophies") without breaking down, there are way to many of these types of crimes for you not to be able to.
6:Engineering: Very general but you need to be able to fix,build,or sabatoge a wide variety of things, both for the sake of weaponry,transportation, and using technology agaisnt enemies
7:General Athletics:Pretty much all types of sports, particularly those that can be seen in the olympics(Running,Gymnastics,weight lifting, the more prosaic stuff) will have a signifigant impact on your ability to fight crime
8:Chemistry: Poisons, knock out gasses, anything that might be useful
9:Medicine: Unless you have a close friend in the feild, you most likely won't be able to go to the doctor when you get injured
10:Money:Pretty simple, you need large sums of money to do something like this
11:Networking:The image of a lone superhero is unrealistic, you would need various people to do many things such as help mantain your secret, and provide you with aid.
there's a lot more, but I'm stuck with a library computer at the moment, so I'll have to post the rest later.

Some sort of manservant / sidekick / other variety of assistant is probably necessary.

I mean you could have all the medical knowledge in the world, if you break an arm you're not exactly going to be able to put yourself in a cast.

To be honest, all this just sounds like way more trouble than it's worth. I figure you're probably better off just hanging out by the toxic waste disposal site and hoping for the best.

I could swear I saw this exact post somewhere else before...

Anyway, on martial arts, it would actually be wise to study multiple styles. I would recommend Judo and another grappling art of your choice, Boxing, Muay Thai, One of the Fillipino knife/stick arts, Fencing, and Kendo.

And knowing a style your opponent is unfamiliar with does not guarantee victory.

I skimmed over the rest, so I have no other comments.

Also, in general, street fighting > martial arts. You have that a bit backwards.

Yes, martial artists can fight prettier, but pretty isn't effective. Effective is learned by getting into a fight with someone who has a baseball bat and is ACTUALLY TRYING TO KILL YOU and surviving.

Just studying martial arts doesn't give you that kind of experience.

A combination of both (which you'd end up with after awhile if you managed to beat some actual street fighters, as opposed to thugs with knives) would be best, honestly.

Martial arts teaches you how to move your body better, street fighting teaches you when and why to move your body.

Honestly, though, there's a reason super-heros don't exist. We dont' live in the world of DC Comics, and out here in the real world, someone WOULD have shot Batman by now. In the face.

It all depends, actually. Yes, there are a lot of McDojo out there, (A term used to describe a school that is too commercial to provide any training of value. Check out http://www.bullshido.com) but it is also possible to learn to be an effective fighter by studying martial arts. You just have to be very careful in selecting where you study.

That said, given the nature of our world, it should be a last resort, but it can, in a lot of situations, be very helpful.

You'd need to be rich,
athletic
strong
and the manservant is a must.

You'd also need to be suicidal, or at least suicidaly depressed,
and completely ruthlessly effective, and you'd have to kill most criminals, becuase Krylo is right, they'd have most certianly killed batman by now.

And you might want to jot a will down anyway.

Watchmen, the comic with superheros that could actually happen, given enough help. (except for Dr. Manhatten. That's just... yeah.)

Ok, so Onzie's catching of the bullet was unrealistic, but otherwise it was pretty good. Of course, you'd probably end up either like Rosie, Comedy, or Nite Owl.

Somehow they managed to avoid getting shot, through sheer luck, armor, overpowering force.... yeah.

Oh yes, one more thing you'll need to be a modern, real-life superhero: An extensive knowledge of your local and national laws. In the U.S. at least, we have anti-vigallantism laws to keep people from giving criminals more than they 'deserve', no thanks to the humanitarians.

I am highly suspect of the Batman's insistence on kevlar- I mean, they act as if the stuff makes him invincible.

I should imagine any costumed vigilante should have a fairly pragmatic outlook on the law in any case, as they're almost certain to cross its varied boundaries with fairly regular occasion. I mean the number of charges you could get against Batman just on breaking and entering defy the imagination.

A fairly good working knowledge of strategies and tactics for evading arrest would probably also be advisable.