Drunken Fist


 * Name:
 * Type: C-rank, Offensive, Defensive, Short range (0-5m)
 * User: Rock Lee
 * Debut (Anime): Naruto Episode 124
 * Debut (Manga): Chapter 211

According to Might Guy; Drunken Fist is a Kenpō/Taijutsu style where, "the more you drink, the drunker you get, and the stronger you become". This unusual Taijutsu style is a unique style of combat. It can not be learned, nor can it be taught, or honed and refined through training and practice. Drunken Fist Fighter's are not simply drunk, they become human powerhouses' who'll strike unpredictability, with no inhibitions, an explosive fury and without any second thoughts about their actions.

It had been due to an unforeseen chain of events that Might Guy learned that Rock Lee was a born-user of Drunken Fist: "It happened when I took Lee to a restaurant to celebrate his learning Primary Lotus. He mistook my sake for water...  He only drank a small shot of it, and turned into something awful!...Like the silence after a storm...  When I came to... the restaurant... was trashed...The truth is... Tsunade-sama... Lee... goes into a mad, drunken frenzy!...Consequently, he's a natural... at using the Drunken Fist!"  In the end, it took the combined efforts of both Might Guy and Neji Hyuga to hold Rock Lee down and incapacitate him without doing him any lasting harm.

While under the influence of Drunken Fist, Rock Lee's approach in his strikes are discribed as 'unpredictable' because, as he is drunk, he is infact not thinking of his next move ahead. During the rest of Rock Lee's battle against Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai, the Shikotsumyaku; Lee fought with a combination of his formidible taijutsu prowess with his Strong Fist, and all of the unpredictability gained from his Drunken Fist.

While decent skill in some style of Taijutsu may also be helpful, it is not mentioned as being nessessary. Drunken Fist, it seems, can only occur naturally, and requires the user to be drunk. Once this condition has been met, the user becomes an unpredictable fighter, and is seemingly unable to discern a friend from a foe. Kimimaro observed that Rock Lee's fighting style had gone from being "very angular" to being "too angular" and random.

Due to Might Guy's concerns to Rock Lee's susceptibility to alcohol since learning of Lee's prowess with Drunken Fist, Guy will understandably be cautious of any situation where Lee may likely be exposed to any amount of alcohol, but the power that Lee gains from the Drunken Fist are not lost him: Shown in a flashback of Lee's the Naruto: Shippūden the Movie, Might Guy provided Rock Lee with an alcoholic chocolate bonbon, ("A chocolate bonbon... [cough]... I mean,.. you just chomp it and boom."  Might Guy also gave the stipulation the Rock Lee must never use it unless he should find himself in a "super-ultra-ultimate death situation," and only in such a 'dire pinch' that he has no other way out, (Lee mistakenly thought that it was to help him with the opening his sixth chakra gate.

While Rock Lee's prowess under the influence of Drunken Fist can in times of need make him into a formidable opponent, it is not the safest or most reliable option open to his allies, or to Rock Lee himself:
 * While it may give him a edge in battle, it will also take away his ability to discriminate between a friend from an enermy, and even dampen his capacity to reason. Without his ability to reason, Lee will lash out at anyone around him; meaning that Drunken Fist is best used when Rock Lee and his opponent are both isolated together.
 * For Lee himself, the Drunken Fist is not a reliable option because the 'drunken frenzy' that alcohol induces does not hold for prolonged periods of time; so whenever the 'drunken frenzy' runs its course and Lee sobers up, if he has not overcome his adversary by that time, Lee may be left at their mercy, as shown in his fight against Kimimaro.

Trivia

 * Although the Drunken Fist Taijutsu style has made less appearences in the series then the Strong Fist Taijutsu style, there is more information divulged about it in comparison to Strong Fist.
 * The Drunken Fist in the series is actully based on the 8 Immortals Zui Quan style of Chinese martial arts. However, in the actual martial art, intoxication is not a factor; rather, the characteristic "drunken" movements that the style is known for, are actually feints employed by the practitioner, that are made to confuse the opponents.
 * In the English versions of the manga and anime, the sake Lee drinks is referred to as either a "potion" or "elixir" to avoid references to alcohol as well as changing the fighting styles' name to reflect these changes. Some of the accompanying dialogue is changed as well. Though on the Naruto Series 5:2 DVD, the official English subtitles say he has drunk sake.
 * Drunken Fist Lee is playable in games Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3, Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 4, and Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel 2 as a trasnformation character.