The introduction of combat methods known today as martial arts began to take place in Spain at the beginning of the 20th century with the Japanese martial art of jiu-jitsu (a.k.a. jujutsu). Five decades later, the very unknown martial art of judo started to settle in the country, replacing old jiu-jitsu in just a few years. This replacement was not a substitution but rather a mixture, in which judo actors and mass media used jiu-jitsu social images to provide a clear reference to the general public about the new sport, but also refused other images associated to jiu-jitsu and added new ones. This contribution is aimed at describing this process, that allowed the construction of judo social imaginary and the rapid development of judo in Spanish society. For this purpose, we used literature review, historical press, historical film documentaries and interviews with judo pioneers in Spain as main sources of information. Triangulation among these sources was used to elaborate a reliable narrative.