The Dragon Fist (Ryū-Ken 竜拳; ; ; ) also known as Dragon Fist Explosion (Ryū-Ken Bakuhatsu 竜拳爆発; ; ; ) or Super Dragon Fist is the only attack Goku comes up with himself. He begins the attack by making a straight fist faced at his enemy, then he takes the form of a dragon while doing so, hence the name Dragon Fist. Widely considered by fans as the second strongest attack Goku has. He has used it on Hirudegarn, Super 17, Eis Shenron, and Syn Shenron. However, it only directly killed Hirudegarn and Eis Shenron, although it allowed Goku to win against Super 17 using a Kamehameha to vaporize the evil Android afterwards.
Goku using Penetrate!, an early version of the Dragon Fist, to kill King Piccolo.
Though it is never stated explicitly that Goku originated this move (but he is also never seen learning from anyone), the move's origins appear to hail from the first Dragon Ball anime, particularly a technique called Penetrate!. The execution of the move is virtually identical to the move he used to kill King Piccolo, minus the initial Kamehameha and instead of a golden dragon, a silhouette of a Great Ape appears as Goku's inner powers.
In its original usage against Hirudegarn the Dragon wrapped around the target ensnaring it like a constricting snake before blowing up thus granting the move's second name and the Japanese name of the Doragon Bōru Zetto Ryū-Ken Bakuhatsu!! Gokū ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru; lit. "Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Fist Explosion!! If Gokū Can't Do It, Who Will".
Trivia
- This is the only rush attack in the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series capable of hurting giant characters, such as Great Apes and Slug (in his Giant form).
- The technique is used by Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan 4 Goku in the Budokai series.