In December 1984, a man walked into a karate dojo in Dumfries, Virginia. Minutes later, he was dragged out the back door, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Decades later, the grainy footage of his brutal beating would reemerge on YouTube, igniting a firestorm of outrage, speculation—and questions that remain unanswered to this day.
In this Black Label episode of Obscura, Justin Drown unpacks the haunting story behind what came to be known as the "Kung Fu Guy Incident." At the center is Bobby Joe Blythe—a self-styled sensei with a history of violent stunts and a doctrine that turned martial arts into a license for cruelty. What happened inside that dojo wasn't a demonstration. It was an orchestrated attack on a mentally ill man, all filmed, narrated, and later uploaded by the very man who allowed it to happen.
This is not a tale of ancient discipline or honor. It's the story of power abused, a life discarded, and a justice system left paralyzed by the absence of a name. No arrest. No trial. No confirmed identity for the victim—only the echo of his last words and the sound of boots on concrete.
Listener discretion is strongly advised. The audio in this episode is graphic. The subject matter is disturbing. But the story must be told.
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