While the term "Fighter" is often associated with aircraft, it is also used in other contexts to describe individuals or vehicles that engage in combat or competition. In sports, for example, a fighter is an athlete who competes in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts.

History is written by the persistence of fighters without fists. Mahatma Gandhi was a fighter. Martin Luther King Jr. was a fighter. They fought systems, not people. They used non-violence as the ultimate weapon, absorbing blows to expose the ugly nature of the oppressor. That requires a level of restraint and courage that often exceeds that of a soldier.

Let us not romanticize this entirely. The archetype of the fighter comes with a heavy tax.