The Art Of Self-Defense Ending Explained (& What Happens Next)

Directed by Riley Stearns, The Art of Self-Defense is a quirky, dark satire starring Jesse Eisenberg as Casey, a passive, unassertive accountant who seeks karate lessons after being brutally mugged. The two-time Oscar nominee headlines a cast including Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots. While the film starts with Casey's karate sessions with Sensei (Nivola) becoming a regular and rapidly important part of his life, The Art of Self-Defense takes a sharp turn when Casey's attempts to "become what he fears" become too literal.

After becoming Sensei's star pupil and a member of the heralded "Night Class," Casey becomes privy to his mentor's sick, fanatic ideologies and starts seeing his world morph into what Sensei believes it should be. This includes the exclusion of and isolation from distracting people (i.e. women) and the fatal replacement of his dachshund with a "man's dog": a German shepherd. During this time, The Art of Self-Defense wears and tears into both Casey and Sensei's obsessions until Stearns' film comes to a nasty conclusion.

What Happens In The Art of Self-Defense's Ending

Casey Kills The Sensei & Takes Control

The film pulls the carpet out from under the audience when Casey not only learns that it was Anna (Poots) and the members of Night Class who initially assaulted him – under the direct supervision and guidance of Sensei – but that this sort of brutality is a regular, misguided practice of the karate students; one that they believe will "enlighten" their victims, as it had Casey.

Casey promptly shoots him in the face.

In searching the dojo's secret equipment room and Sensei's private office, Casey then discovers the leader's real name (Leslie), as well as his plan to convert his video recordings of the class beatings into a compilation film. After this revelation, Casey confronts Sensei and challenges him to a duel to the death, and Sensei confidently accepts. However, when the time comes, Casey promptly shoots him in the face and leaves the corpse on the mat as a trophy.

Citing the code of warriors, Casey assumes responsibility for the deceased master's dojo. After sicing his shepherd on the student who killed his dog (Steve Terada), Casey appoints Anna — who spared Casey's life during the initial beating — as its leader. Eisenberg's character, instead, opts to teach the next crop of karate students in the kids' class.

What Sensei's Death Means

Casey Broke His Moral Code To Stop An Evil Man

Sensei posing in The Art of Self-Defense

Sensei's abrupt and brutal demise seems off-putting or contrasting to the principles brought out throughout The Art of Self-Defense. While the art of the kill is one that the victim certainly abided by, the method, conversely, is one that not only detracts from Sensei's own principles (ever since the gun-inflicted murder of the dojo's legendary Grandmaster) but Casey's as well.

It's a timely proposal that makes The Art of Self-Defense a surprisingly apt satire.

The events can be easily interpreted as a moral compromise for Casey. While he may have violated his internal code of conduct by using a gun, he also got rid of a vicious and corrupt man, one who would never have stopped on his own. This ending conjures up some daunting questions over men's role in disestablishing evil power, one being, "should those in a position to correct or influence what is wrong do so?" It's a timely proposal that makes The Art of Self-Defense a surprisingly apt satire.

The Real Meaning Of The Art Of Self-Defense Ending

Casey Finally Stood Up For Himself

Casey talking to Anna in The Art of Self-Defense

The Art of Self-Defense ending saw Casey finally stand up for what was right, even if he broke his moral code. Casey knew that Sensei was hurting people and had killed people as well. Casey never really wanted "revenge" as much as he wanted to learn to stand up for himself in the face of bullies and pressure. He, however, realized that he had no other way out. Sensei would continue to hurt people, and there was no way to stop him. When he agreed to fight to the death, Casey had no choice but to pull the trigger.

How The Art Of Self-Defense Ending Was Received

The Movie Was Polarizing For Critics & Fans

Casey practicing karate in The Art of Self-Defense

When reviewing The Art of Self-Defense, critics praised the script, acting, and story, awarding it a "Certified Fresh" 83% rating. However, audiences were not as impressed, only giving it a 63% score. One audience member wrote, "Like most dark comedies, this was a very clever commentary on society. Unlike most movies that look at toxic masculinity, this one seems to understand it." As for the professional critics, Christy Lemire of Roger Ebert.comenjoyed the film, writing:

“The Art of Self-Defense” doesn’t build to the kind of feel-good finale that you’d expect from a more traditional type of movie about the transformative power of sports. But it definitely sweeps the leg in its own way."

Fans also took to Reddit to discuss The Art of Self-Defense ending. The OP wrote, "It's both unsettling and interesting to see karate being used as a medium to portray toxic masculinity. Ultimately, I appreciated the message it tried to convey." A few fans said the movie was too dark for their liking. However, another Redditor said that this movie was accurate, writing, "I was forced to admit that a lot of the toxic behavior like you see in the movie is not unheard of in dojo (and many other spaces) in the US... I've certainly seen misogynistic behavior."