Drunken Fist

Drunken Fistedit
酔拳­ (Suiken)
Name
Viz print media	Potion Punch
English games	Loopy Fist
Debut
Manga	Volume #24, Naruto Chapter #211
Anime	Naruto Episode #123
Movie	Naruto Shippūden the Movie
Game	Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3
Appears in	Anime, Manga, Game, Movie
Data
Classification	Taijutsu, Fighting Style
Rank	C-rank
Class	Offensive, Defensive
Range	Short range (0-5m)
Related jutsu
Seasickness Fist
Users
Rock Lee

Drunken Fist is a unique style of combat where, according to Might Guy, "the more you drink, the drunker you get, and the stronger you become". It can not be learned, taught, nor refined through training and practice. Drunken Fist fighters are not simply drunk: they become human powerhouses who'll strike unpredictably with an explosive fury and without any second thoughts about their actions. Once drunk, the user will lose their ability to know friend from foe and attack whomever is in their vicinity. The user's ability to dodge enemy attacks is also seemingly enhanced.

The Drunken Fist is not a reliable option because the 'drunken frenzy' that alcohol induces does not hold for prolonged periods of time; Lee is easily awakened from Drunken Fist with a simple scratch from anything which draws blood, sobering him up almost immediately. If he has not overcome his adversary by that time, Lee may be left at their mercy, as shown in his fight against Kimimaro. Lee also seems to have no memory of what happened while he was drunk.

Trivia

• The Drunken Fist from this series is both based on and directly named after the 8 Immortals Zuiquan style of Chinese martial arts (as "Suiken" is the on'yomi of "Zuiquan" as both share the same Han characters/kanji). However, in the actual martial art, intoxication is not a factor; rather, the characteristic "drunken" movements are actually feints that are made to confuse the opponent for a period of time.
• The Cartoon Network version, which is heavily censored, changes the name of the technique to "Loopy Fist"; however, the non-censored English dub retains the original name of "Drunken Fist".
• 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 Lee is underage).
  • Despite the change to "elixir", Lee would still have had alcohol in his drink, as elixir is a type of medicine made of 40-60% alcohol, usually vodka or grappa. Being a medicinal item would also explain why Tsunade would have some while in the hospital.
• Drunken Fist Lee is playable in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3, Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 4, and Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 5 as a transformation character. Though for the sake of gameplay balance, Lee, unlike in the anime, does not get sober immediately when hit, but instead sometimes is limited through acting as a temporary/timed-state.