Once Upon a Time in….

That’s because apparently, in martial arts flicks, it’s okay to be a badass.

I haven’t seen all his old movies all the way through, but the gist seems to be:
You don’t have to be shy, unassuming, or modest. You can just say,
“leave me alone, or I’ll kill all 300 of you. You won’t even scratch me. That’s right, I’m that good, you pathetic excuses for ninja.”
You don’t even really have to say it either. You can just *glare* and people will flee the country (if they know what’s good for them).

Asia’s been doing the martial arts thing in stories for so long that it’s no longer a surprise when the shy-guy reveals his powers of whoop-ass. They’ve passed through the other side, back into arrogance. Take Lone Wolf and Cub; you’re always aware that he’s capable of killing everyone in sight, he just has to show how stoic he is half the time too. He’s not unassuming at all.
“Ogami Itto, I want you to kill that army.”
“… Tell me all.”
“They’re threatening our villagers.”
“I accept. Keep everyone indoors.”