Dragon Fist

Directory: Techniques → Offensive Techniques

"Unleash a dragon-powered attack! If it hits, it'll do massive damage!"
— Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Skill description

Dragon Fist (龍拳, Ryūken), also known as Dragon Fist Explosion (龍拳爆発, Ryūken Bakuhatsu), is an incredibly powerful attack developed by Goku. This technique is capable of destroying foes much more powerful than Goku himself.

Overview

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Goku defeats Super 17 with the Dragon Fist

Goku begins the attack by making a straight fist faced at his enemy, and charges him. Then once his fist, along with his own body, exits the stomach or chest of the target, the energy will be amplified massively compared to Goku's normal power and his ki will explode out in the form of an enormous golden dragon (referred to as "golden, shining dragon") which bears a great resemblance to Shenron and then finally collides into the target, possibly destroying the opponent in its path or leaving a gaping hole, hence the name "Dragon Fist".

Goku first uses it as a Super Saiyan 3 against Hirudegarn,^[5] and he later uses it in his normal form against Super 17,^[6] and in his Super Saiyan 4 form against Eis Shenron^[7] and Omega Shenron.^[8] The technique directly kills Hirudegarn, mortally wounds Super 17 (allowing Goku to vaporize the evil Android by firing a Kamehameha at him), and obliterates Eis and Omega Shenron (though Omega Shenron regenerates).

Goku's usage of the Dragon Fist in the Super 17 Saga of Dragon Ball GT shows that the move's origins might hail from the first Dragon Ball anime and might be an updated version of the Penetrate! technique Goku uses to kill King Piccolo. The execution of the move is virtually identical to the Penetrate! move, minus the initial Kamehameha and, instead of a silhouette of a Great Ape, a golden dragon appears as Goku's inner powers.

Dragonfist2 — Goku defeats Eis Shenron with the Dragon Fist

The "Super" Dragon Fist appears when Goku kills Eis Shenron as a Super Saiyan 4. Goku punches through the Shadow Dragon, immobilizing him and making him fall at Goku's feet. Then, Goku punches Eis in his back, erupting in a brutal explosion with the Super Dragon. This method of the attack is Goku's Ultimate Blast in his Super Saiyan 4 form in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. In this version, Super Saiyan 4 Goku strikes a fighting pose before dashing instantly at his foe and kicking him into the air. Then, he proceeds to deliver a brutal punch to the gut, which makes the target drop to the ground. Finally, Goku charges the Dragon Fist and strikes the foe's back with it summoning the huge dragon with an aura of flames around it. After the dragon circles the skies it then comes crashing down onto the enemy, inflicting a massive amount of damage.

Goku later uses a combination of the 10x Kamehameha and Dragon Fist to ensnare and then blow apart Omega Shenron.^[8] It seemed that the attack defeated the mighty Shadow Dragon, but he was able to regenerate due to possessing Rage Shenron's regeneration ability.

Appearances in games

XV212 — The dragon as it appears in *Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2*

In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World, Dragonball Evolution: The Game and Dragon Ball Heroes, the technique is a High Speed Rush called Dragon Fist Attack (龍撃拳, Ryūgekiken, lit. "Dragon Attack Fist") or Super Dragon Fist (超龍撃拳; Chō Ryūgekiken, lit. "Super Dragon Attack Fist"; in Budokai 1 and Budokai 2). Goku lunges with a short body charge, followed by a take-down hooking punch, a turning backhand that launches the foe, then with an uppercut, followed by an inward upward-aimed spin kick to strike the foe away. As the foe is flying back, Goku palms forward at them from afar with a Kiai from his following arm. The technique is often used in his Kaio-ken state, but he can also access it in his Super Saiyan form and beyond. In the Evolution game, Goku cannot follow it up with teleporting rushes, due to the lack of a flight system in the game. In the first Budokai game however, it is instead a simple rapid attacking flurry of strikes, and does not gain its unique use and animation until Budokai 2. Most of the time, the attack in later games is a different technique from the original Dragon Fist.

In Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension however, the animation for the attack is simply two of Goku's normal punch attacks in a two-hit combination as he rushes forward; in that said game, he also has a variation of it called the Ryūgekikyaku (龍撃拳, lit. "Dragon Attack Leg"), where he performs two spin kicks forward.

XV23 — The dragon hitting Mira in his Final Form

Dragon Fist the one of the few rush attacks in the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series capable of being executed against giant characters, such as Great Apes and Lord Slug in his Giant Form, since Goku first used it against the giant demon Hirudegarn. Dragon Fist can be used against the giant boss Hirudegarn in Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi by pressing the correct button commands, which finishes the fight; the attack is shown finishing Hirudegarn off in a CGI cutscene, different than most cutscenes in the game, which were similar in style to the anime.

Goku can also use the attack in Dragon Ball Z: Battle Taikan Kamehameha 2.

In Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, Gogeta (the fusion of Goku and Vegeta) is able to use this attack (even though he never used it in Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn or in Dragon Ball GT).

The Dragon Fist appears as a Super Skill in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse under the name Super Dragon Fist. It is different from other appearances in that it is a short range 3-hit combo attack and lacks the golden dragon entirely.

In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2, Goku used the Dragon Fist as a Super Saiyan Blue in the final fight with Mira in his Final Form, which he uses to pierce through Mira's body, allowing Goku to remove Tokitoki's Egg, enabling the Future Warrior to finish Mira off with a Super Kamehameha without destroying the egg which contains time for a new universe. This attack is one of Goku's Ultimate Skills in his normal, GT, and Super Saiyan 4 forms. This technique can also be obtained by the Future Warrior (Xenoverse 2) by purchasing it from the TP Medal Shop (open from Friday to Sunday) for 200 TP Medals. In Xenoverse 2, the user intiates the attack with a roundhouse kick to knock them away, allowing the user to transform into the golden dragon which then rushes towards the opponent, penetrating through them (like how GT Goku used it on Super 17). After performing the attack the user will revert to their normal form and briefly stand for dramatic effect. If the roundhouse kick portion of the attack is dodged or the opponent guards, the attack will fail and the actually Dragon Fist portion of the attack is not performed. Additionally, Super Dragon Fist from Xenoverse returns as a Super Skill used by Goku and the Future Warrior in Xenoverse 2.

Variations

Super Dragon Fist – A combination of the Spirit Bomb and Dragon Fist used by Goku in his various Super Saiyan forms.
Dragon Hammer – A combination of the 10x Kamehameha and Dragon Fist used by Goku in his Super Saiyan 4 form.
Shenron Blast – An attack in which Super Saiyan Goku combines the power of the Dragon Balls and Shenron with the Kamehameha. Used in the arcade game Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle.