[Sangetsu]

These martial arts will only be as good as the instructors who teach them. I studied karate and kendo when I was in high school, and with those backgrounds, if I were to choose any of the arts on your list, I would take Aikido.

Aikido was invented by an interesting man, Morihei Ueshiba. He was one of the last "enlightened" masters of the martial arts (there are none alive now), and the only one of whom film and video exist. Karate and Kendo are very physical forms of the martial arts, wheres Aikido tends to focus on profound principles. It is not a martial art for those who like making high kicks, or breaking things, it is an art which exists above the mentality of such people.

Jiu jitsu is a martial art which is good for bouncers, policemen, or prison guards. It's very physical and demanding, but also very effective. I've never seen the point to Tae Kwon Do, it is high in style, but low in substance. French boxing simply sounds gay, and fencing is completely irrelevant.

The principle behind the martial arts is efficient self defense. After years of study, and earning the rank of shodan in kendo, I had learned a great deal about self defense, and began practicing the most efficient form of self defense; I got a gun permit and a handgun.