In a fight, bears have a lot of advantages over us humans. One advantage they lack, however, is being able to tell just how tough their opponent might be.

According to J-Cast News, a man from Naganohara was fishing in Gunma Prefecture at the Jizo river, when an 6-foot tall Asian Black Bear pounced at the man when they locked eyes. While this would normally would be the recipe for something tragic, the man happened to be a high-ranking practitioner of karate--apparently famous enough in his hometown that he wished to remain anonymous.

Steeled by strength in karate, the man was able to strike the bear repeatedly in the eyes until it ran in retreat.

"The bear was so strong," he told reporters, "Just by leaping at me it almost knocked me over. I thought I was going to die, but I poked it in the eye and it turned around and ran away." While the man suffered scratches and bruises, he was able to drive himself to the hospital shortly after the bear encounter.

With more frequent reports of bear sightings, officials encouraged locals not to imitate the karate fisherman's combat heroics, saying "If you see a bear, don't engage it. Walk away quietly and please report it to the authorities."