>>18540943Hitmonchan should be faster than 'Lee, in terms of fighting. With a humanoid build, you can use things like the length of your arm and torso, leaning forwards, and propelling yourself with a jump to punch something really quick AND then get away because both feet are on the ground. From the perspective of standing upright, kicking is slower, more awkward and less balanced, unless you're upside down and using your arms to balance, and then you're still more vulnerable than the average fighter. Speedy kicking pretty much only works for prey animals, like horses and rabbits, who have their arms on the ground by default and are more balanced for it.
