Sweet.... Finally something I'm equipped to talk about.
For your "Bang for the buck" value - Krav Maga. It's not flashy, and most people wouldn't recognize it if they saw it. But for self defense, and 99% of every bar fight scenario you'll find yourself in, it's the end-all be-all.
Now, if you want something that works, but is a little more flashy, I'd recommend Ving Tsun (Wing Chun / Wing Tsun). It's pretty much based on the mechanics of the human body. What's important there is that you find an instructor who will also teach Chin Na along side the Wing Chun. That'll cover you if it gets to the ground.
The problem with lots of martial arts stuff is that most fights happen in places like bars, where you've got a limited amount of space to operate in. Keep that in mind if you go to a school where you spend weeks perfecting your spinning axe kick.
Jujitsu is decent, but then you *must* have to take it to a ground game. Personally, that's the last place I want to be in *any* fight. Sure, one-on-one it's decent. But from what I've seen, most people who get into fights have a friend around who'll be more than happy to get in a cheap shot.
There's no martial art out there that's going to really give you the secret skills to take 2 guys on at once, but your chances of being able to deal with that are far greater being on your feet than on the ground.
Of course... all this is just my
