Line #252 VideoGame/DoubleDragon


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8	''Double Dragon'' is a series of side-scrolling [[BeatEmUp Beat 'em Ups]] that helped popularize the genre back in the late [[TheEighties 1980s]] and early [[TheNineties 1990s]].
9
10	The original 1987 arcade game, developed by the now-defunct Technos Japan Corp. and distributed by Creator/{{Taito}}, featured a rather simple and standard premise: twin martial artists Billy and Jimmy Lee must save their lady friend Marian from the clutches of the Black Warriors, a ruthless gang that controls the city.
11
12	While not the first of its kind, as ''Double Dragon'' was originally intended to be a sequel to their previous game ''VideoGame/Renegade1986'', the game improved upon its predecessor's formula by allowing up to two players to play simultaneously and adding the ability to pick and use weapons against the enemies (both features would become standard in subsequent games in the genre). The 2-Players Mode also provides a twist in the end: if both players manage to make all the way to the end, then the two are forced to fight each other to the death, with the survivor getting to claim Marian for himself.
13
14	''Double Dragon'' was followed by two arcade sequels and numerous home versions for various platforms. The three NES versions (along with the first two Game Boy games and the SNES-exclusive installment) were actually developed by Technos themselves, while most of the other versions were licensed out and developed by other companies. The series died out after Technos went out of business in 1996 (long after the beat-'em-up boom ended), despite attempts to adapt it into a FightingGame format. The series was revived when Million Corp., a company founded by former Technos staff members, bought the rights. The rights was later bought, alongside other Technos properties by Creator/ArcSystemWorks. While the series is nowhere near as prevalent as it was back in the day, it still gets an occasional new game once in a while.
15
16	In addition to the games, there was also an [[WesternAnimation/DoubleDragon1993 animated series]] and a [[Film/DoubleDragon1994 live-action movie]], as well as a comic where their dad was Creator/StanLee. Yes, that one.
17
18	Games include:
19	[[index]]
20	* ''VideoGame/{{Double Dragon\|I}}'' (1987, [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]])[[/index]]
21	** Ported to [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]], Platform/SegaMasterSystem, [[Platform/MicrosoftWindows Windows]], Platform/AmstradCPC, Platform/ZXSpectrum, Platform/Commodore64, Platform/{{Amiga}}, Platform/AtariST, Platform/{{Atari 2600}}, Platform/{{Atari 7800}}, Platform/{{MSX}}, Platform/GameBoy, Platform/SegaGenesis, Platform/AtariLynx, [[MobilePhoneGame Mobile Phones]][[note]]both original and "EX" versions[[/note]], Platform/Xbox360, Platform/PlayStation4, and Platform/NintendoSwitch.
22	** ''Double Dragon Advance'' (2003 Platform/GameBoyAdvance): First game developed by Million, a remake of the original with elements of later games.
23	** ''Double Dragon'' (2009, Zeebo): Available only in Brazil and Mexico, loosely based on ''Advance''.
24	** ''Double Dragon'' (2011, [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]]): By the makers of the Zeebo version, ported to Platform/{{Android\|Games}} the following year.[[index]]
25	* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonII: The Revenge'' (1988, arcade)[[/index]]
26	** Ported to Amiga, Windows, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, NES[[note]][[ReformulatedGame reformulated port]][[/note]], Japanese Mega Drive, [[Platform/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] Super CD-ROM[[superscript:2]][[note]][[VideoGameRemake remake]] of the NES conversion[[/note]], and [=PlayStation=] 4.
27	** An unrelated ''Double Dragon II'' was released for the Game Boy in 1991. It is actually a localization of a ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' game.
28	** There was also a handheld LCD ''Double Dragon'' based on ''The Revenge'', though (being a '90s LCD handheld) it was extremely stripped down.
29	** ''Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons'' (2013, Xbox 360): A 3D reimagining of the arcade original.
30	* ''Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone'' (1990, arcade)
31	** Ported to NES[[note]][[ReformulatedGame concurrently developed]] with the arcade version; titled ''Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones'' in North America and Europe and ''Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone'' in Japan[[/note]], Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, Windows, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis.[[note]]The latter two are alternatively titled ''Double Dragon 3: The Arcade Game''.[[/note]]
32	* ''Double Dragon'' (1992, Platform/GameGear): An original game developed and produced by Virgin Interactive, also known as ''Double Dragon: The Revenge of Billy Lee'' in Europe.
33	* ''Super Double Dragon'' (1992, [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]])
34	** ''Return of Double Dragon'' (1992, SFC): An [[UpdatedRerelease updated release]][[note]]originally Japan only, officially distributed by Retroism in 2018[[/note]].
35	* ''Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team'' (1993, NES): {{Crossover}} [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin with]] ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}''. Developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. Technos had very little involvement with this one.
36	** Ported to Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and SNES.
37	* ''Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls'' (1994, SNES): A Tradewest-developed one-on-one fighting game based on the animated series. Once again, Technos had very little involvement with this one.
38	** Ported to Sega Genesis and Platform/AtariJaguar.
39	* ''Double Dragon'' (1995, Platform/NeoGeo): A one-on-one fighting game based on the movie. Unlike ''Shadow Falls'', Technos actually made this one and it was the last one they made before going out of business.
40	** Ported to Platform/PlayStation.[[index]]
41	* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonNeon'' (2012, Platform/PlayStation3 / Xbox 360): An extremely AffectionateParody of the series developed by [[Creator/WayForwardTechnologies WayForward]].[[/index]]
42	** Ported to Windows.
43	* ''Double Dragon Trilogy'' (2013, Android / iOS): A CompilationRerelease of the three arcade games by [=DotEmu=].
44	** Ported to Platform/{{OUYA}} and Windows.[[index]]
45	* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonIV'' (2017, [=PlayStation=] 4 / Windows): A ''Double Dragon'' game by Creator/ArcSystemWorks that features a retro art style reminiscent of the NES versions. Set after ''Double Dragon II''.[[/index]]
46	** Ported to Nintendo Switch and iOS.
47	* ''VideoGame/DoubleDragonGaidenRiseOfTheDragons'' (2023, [=PlayStation=] 4 / [=PlayStation=] 5 / Nintendo Switch / Xbox One / Xbos Series X / Windows): A new alternative story in the series that focuses on the Lees who must drive several criminal gangs out of the city with the aid of Marian and franchise newcomer Uncle Matin.
48
49	See also ''VideoGame/RageOfTheDragons'', a 2002 FightingGame that, while not a part of the series, was originally meant to be.
50
51	----
52	!!This series provides examples of:
53
54	[[foldercontrol]]
55
56	[[folder:A-L]]
57	* EightiesHair
58	* {{Acrofatic}}: Chin Seimei (and his PaletteSwap brothers who appear only in the third arcade game), as well as [=McGuire=] from ''Super''.
59	* ActionGirl: Marian and Rebecca in the Neo Geo fighting game.
60	* AdaptationDyeJob: The series was never consistent as to which Lee brothers had which hair color. In the first arcade game, Player 1 (or Hammer, as he was originally named) wore a blue outfit and had blond hair, while Player 2 (or Spike) had a red outfit and brown hair. This was changed in the NES version, where Billy wore the blue outfit and had reddish brown hair, while Jimmy wore the red outfit and had blond hair (aside from a brief scene where it's blue). Their respective sequels followed suit, although the arcade version of ''Double Dragon II'' deviated from this pattern a bit by having the Lee brothers wearing black and white during gameplay while depicting them with their "switched" hair colors from the NES version during the ending photograph. Later games in the series tend to switch back and forth between one set of hair colors or the other, depending on the developer.
61	* AdaptationExpansion: ''Double Dragon Advance'' is a remake of the original arcade game that not only features almost all the stages, moves, and enemy characters from the arcade version, but also feature quite a few stages, enemies, and moves clearly inspired by later ports and installments.
62	* AdaptationalVillainy: Jimmy Lee in the first NES game, who went on from being the Player 2 character to becoming the "[[TheManBehindTheMan shadow boss]]" of the Black Warriors.
63	* AfterTheEnd: "In the year [=199X=], violence ruled the streets of New York after the nuclear war."
64	* AlliterativeTitle: '''D'''ouble '''D'''ragon
65	* AllThereInTheManual: The names of the enemy characters are never mentioned in-game in most of the titles (except for the NES version, where all the bad guys except Willy are playable in the Versus Mode, although Williams' name is shortened to "Will" and Chin Taimei is only referred by his surname). This was before ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' introduced the idea of giving the enemy characters life gauges with their names.
66	* TheApunkalypse: The nuclear war has caused societies to collapse, allowing roving band of raiders to take power, leaving only dojos as a form of law to combat against the lawlessness. [[spoiler:The only nations spared are those that lack nuclear capabilities such as Japan.]]
67	* ArtifactTitle: The NES version of the first game ran the risk of having one due to the developers' inability to include a 2-Player co-op mode at the time. Since having a game titled ''Double Dragon'' with just half of the titular duo wouldn't had made sense, Technos decided to subvert this by taking a cue from the arcade version's twist ending, in which both brothers fought over Marian, by having Jimmy (Player 2 in the arcade version) as the final boss.
68	** The Game Boy version plays this straight by lacking a co-op mode as well and ending the game with the final boss fight with Willy.
69	** The arcade version of ''Double Dragon 3'' introduces a previously-unseen third Lee brother named Sonny exclusive to that game. Apparently "Triple Dragon" didn't have quite the same ring to it.
70	* AsianRuneChant: When Amon from the Neo Geo fighting game is performing his super move.
71	* AssKicksYou: Marian in the Neo Geo fighting game.
72	* AttackReflector: In ''Super'', hitting a knife will launch it back towards the enemy.
73	* BadassInANiceSuit: [[TheMenInBlack The Steves]] in ''Advance''.
74	* BarrierBustingBlow: Abobos and Burnovs punch through walls. The Lee brothers themselves do this in the intro of PC Engine version of ''II''.
75	* BashBrothers: Guess who.
76	* BattleBoomerang: In ''Super''; makes a return in ''Neon''.
77	* BatterUp: Whenever anyone uses a baseball bat, they always swing for the fences.
78	* BigApplesauce
79	* BoomerangComeback: Possible in ''Super'' and ''Neon''.
80	* BossRush: Most of the games have a boss rush before the final boss shows up.
81	* BottomlessMagazines: Willy.
82	* BottomlessPits
83	* BribingYourWayToVictory: The third arcade game had power-ups... that the player had to buy with actual credits.
84	* BroadStrokes: The NES version of the trilogy took certain liberties with the original plot. Namely: [[spoiler:the first game made Jimmy Lee into the true leader of the Black Warriors, ''II'' has an additional final boss countering the Lee brothers' Sousetsuken technique and clearly depicts the full recovery of Marian in the ending, and ''III'' expands the plot and changes Cleopatra into "[[BrainwashedAndCrazy Princess]] [[SdrawkcabName Noriam]]" (outside Japan).]] Subsequent games are standalone for the most part and completely drop all these plot points [[RetCanon except]] the middle one, as confirmed in ''IV'' ([[spoiler:which is specifically post-''II'' and mentions the Gensatsuken and shows Marian alive and well]]).
85	* BruceLeeClone
86	** The Lee brothers are somewhere between this and being Kenshiro expies. Billy Lee is even named after Billy Lo, Bruce Lee's character from the ''Film/GameOfDeath''.
87	*** They are at their Bruce Lee-est in ''Super Double Dragon'', even aping Lee's stance and Billy's in-game sprite sporting a very Lee-like hairstyle.
88	** Chin Taimei in the NES version of the first game.
89	** Li Chenglong, the Mission 2 boss in the third arcade game is a rather blatant example.
90	** The Japanese version of the Platform/GameBoyAdvance game flat out gives a dedication to Bruce Lee in the ending.
91	* TheCameo: In Amon's ending in the Platform/NeoGeo game, you can see [[VideoGame/VoltageFighterGowcaizer Shaia and Ballboy]] near him.
92	* CatchPhrase: A real weird word, "Chikky!" seems to be getting like Abobo's CatchPhrase, especially in the the Neo Geo fighting game, and gets carried over in his SpiritualSuccessor Abubo in ''Rage of the Dragons''.
93	* CatchAndReturn: In some games it's possible to catch a knife, leading to this trope.
94	* ChargedAttack: In ''Super'', the Lee brothers can charge up a special meter that alters their attacks, starting with the stunning backhand and knock out jumping kick, then with the moving Cyclone Kick, and finishing with the SuperMode when fully charged.
95	* CleanDubName: In the second NES game, the enemy gang was changed from the Black Warriors to the Shadow Warriors in the English version. The "Shadow Warriors" name would later be used in ''Super'' and ''Advance'', but the iOS version went back to using the "Black Warriors".
96	* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Billy is blue and Jimmy is red (except in the second arcade game, where they wore black and white). Gets a bit silly in the third arcade game with the introduction of a yellow-clad Lee brother (Sonny) as the main Player 3 character, along with other palette-swapped siblings (essentially an excuse to allow all three players to use the same character).
97	* CombatPragmatist: You can utilize hair grabs, stomps and grounded pummeling against your foes in most games. Notable in ''Advance'' in that you're not awarded score for utilizing these attacks.
98	** Willy uses a machine gun whereas everyone else uses their fists or melee weapons
99	* CombinationAttack: The Back-to-Back Hurricane Kick and the Triangle Jump Kick in both the arcade and NES versions of ''Double Dragon 3''.
100	* CompositeCharacter
101	** Jimmy Lee in the first NES game, who not only serves as the new final boss, but essentially replaces Jeff (the head-swapped Lee brother boss from the arcade version) as the boss who uses all of the player's moves.
102	** Abore in the second NES game has the same moves as his namesake from the arcade version, but his appearance resembles that of Oharra's, an Abobo head-swap from the arcade version.
103	* ConservationOfNinjutsu: The twin ninjas from ''II'' and Ranzou from ''3'' are bosses (the latter becomes a playable character). Ranzou's minions are fodder.
104	* CoversAlwaysLie
105	** The promotional illustration for ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' (as seen above) shows Marian alive, despite being killed in the beginning of the game ([[spoiler:the happy ending where Marian is brought back to life was not in the arcade version and was only added in the NES version]]). Even stranger is the fact that the artwork shows Marian embracing the Lee brother in red, when her boyfriend is established to be Billy, the Lee brother in blue (perhaps a result of Billy and Jimmy having switched hair colors in the console version).
106	** The Japanese cover art for the Game Boy version also depicts Billy wearing red instead of his traditional blue. But given that the Game Boy version has black and white graphics, his outfit could be in any color.
107	** A much straightforward example can be seen in the cover art for the first NES game, which shows Billy and Jimmy as literal BashBrothers, clenching their fists together at the background and teaming up against a pair of punks on the foreground, despite the fact that Jimmy was Billy's nemesis in the NES version. The computer versions released shortly after the NES game used the same cover artwork, but most of them had the 2-player co-op mode, so the use of the same artwork was not as misleading in those versions. The Famicom version had an entirely different cover art as well.
108	** The American Platform/GameBoy version uses the same box art as the aforementioned NES version, even though Jimmy doesn't appear in that game at all.
109	** Averted entirely by ''Double Dragon Neon''. Everything that appears on the box art appears in-game.
110	* CoOpMultiplayer: Probably the first BeatEmUp to feature this.
111	* CounterAttack: ''Super'' features an armlock move that allows the player to grab an enemy's arm by blocking his punches and then use the opportunity for multiple punches and kicks or a throw (which only works on some enemies). The Chen brothers can do the same to the player's kicks, while Duke can counter the armlock. In ''Advance'' this returns in form of nerfed catch and throw combo.
112	* CriticalExistenceFailure: {{Downplayed}} a little, weakened enemies will be more vulnerable to certain attacks (head grab, stomp etc, etc.) and will take more time to recover but otherwise will continue fighting like nothing happened until they're knocked to the ground.
113	* CrossOver: ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} & Double Dragon''.
114	* DamnYouMuscleMemory
115	** All versions of ''Double Dragon II'' use a direction-based attack system where one button attacks to the left and the other to the right, which Technos previously employed with ''Renegade''. This takes awhile to get used to players more accustomed to the original game, since one button does the standard punch combo and the other a back kick depending on the direction the player character is facing.
116	** The NES version of ''Double Dragon'' uses A+B as the command for a jump kick--if your character has reached Level 3. Until then, A+B is just a regular jump, not an attack. Forget this bit, and you may jump right into a bad guy's punches.
117	* DamselInDistress: Marian in the first game, where [[SaveThePrincess the objective was to rescue her]]. She's worse-off in the second game, where she's [[DisposableWoman killed off instead]], [[spoiler:although [[BackFromTheDead she does return to life]] in the [[SparedByTheAdaptation NES version]]]]. The English localization of the third NES game even changed the script in order to make it seem as if Marian was kidnapped once again and ends up being possessed by an evil spirit (even though she never appears in the cutscenes and the final boss who is supposed to be her was actually a different character in the arcade and Famicom versions). Averted in the Neo Geo game based on the movie, where Marian underwent {{Xenafication}}.
118	* DeadlyDodging: Somebody thrown a knife at you? Just step aside and let it hit the mook behind you.
119	* DefeatMeansFriendship: Chin Seimei is said to be friends with the Double Dragons after his defeat in the third NES game (despite introducing himself by vowing revenge on them for killing his brother in a previous game).
120	* DegradedBoss
121	** Happens during the final two stages in both, the arcade and NES versions, where the bosses from the first two stages appear as regular grunts. The "degraded" versions are generally just as tough and sometimes have just as much health as the boss versions.
122	** In the arcade version of ''Double Dragon II'', the head-swapped bosses from the previous game appear only as sub-bosses.
123	* DelinquentHair
124	* DemotedToDragon: In the first NES game, Willy goes from being the main bad guy to being the last enemy Billy fights before the final battle with his brother Jimmy. He doesn't even appear at all in the second NES game. Likewise, he's just a lackey to the Shadow Boss (who is not Jimmy like in the NES version, but a completely made-up character who vaguely resembles Burnov) in ''Battletoads & Double Dragon'', where they didn't even get his name right (he is called "Roper" instead).
125	** The Mysterious Warrior, an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin enigmatic]] figure introduced in the second NES game as the BigBad, has [[{{expy}} expies]] in ''Double Dragon Advance'' as right-hand men to Willy.[[note]]While not explicitly stated, it's implied through his defeated dialog that Raymond, the leader, later becomes the Mysterious Warrior.[[/note]]
126	* DeusExMachina: [[spoiler:Hiruko's death while trying to enter Cleopatra's tomb with only three Rosetta Stones]] in the third game.
127	* DifficultyByRegion
128	** The Famicom version of ''Double Dragon II'' allows the entire game to be played at any difficulty level, while the NES version restricts the game's length depending on the setting (3 stages on Practice, 8 on Warrior, and 9 on Supreme Master). The NES version also requires the player to input a cheat codes after getting a Game Over in order to continue, whereas the Famicom version had no such requirement. There are other specific differences between the two versions as well: traps are much easier in the Famicom version on the normal setting than in the NES version's equivalent setting (especially the disappearing platforms in Mission 6), but enemies have more health on the Famicom version's hardest setting.
129	** The Famicom version of ''Double Dragon III'' starts the player off with more health than in the NES version ([=10=] hit points per character) and there are less enemies to fight. On the other hand, the ending is affected depending on which characters survive the final battle, whereas the NES version always plays the full ending.
130	** ''Super Double Dragon'' has no adjustable difficulty settings, in contrast to its re-release ''Return of Double Dragon'', which has three settings (Easy, Normal, and Hard). However the ''Super'' is harder than ''Return'' set on Hard. ''Super'' is missing some of the extra moves in ''Return'', like the ability to switch weapons or catch your boomerangs, while the Hurricane Kick only strikes an enemy once instead of the multiple hits it does in ''Return''. Moreover, dynamites and knives are more lethal in ''Super'', and the enemy placement is different, with more recycled boss characters than in ''Return''. However, ''Return'' adds two extra areas to the final stage, making it a bit longer.
131	* DirectContinuousLevels: The first two arcade games. Missions 1 throughout 3 are set one after the other, with no cut-aways in-between. It is isn't until reaching the entrance to the enemy's hideout that the game switches to a new level.
132	* DivergentCharacterEvolution: Billy and Jimmy in ''Super'', where not only their sprites are different (rather than just being palette swaps of each other like in previous games, they started sporting different hair styles), but their basic punches and kicks were different as well.
133	* DoNotDropYourWeapon: Willy and his machine gun, the stick wielding version of Chin Taimei, the ninjas in the second and third NES games with their throwing stars and blades, the Japanese swordsmen and Roman gladiators in the third arcade game, the dual-sword wielding Baker from ''Super'', and Kikuchiyo and his cronies in ''Advance''.
134	* DragonsUpTheYinYang: The video games included gratuitous dragons in promotional imagery.
135	* DrunkenBoxing: Cheng Fu from the Neo Geo fighting game.
136	* DualBoss: Quite a few examples.
137	** The twin Abobos in the first game (in both, the arcade and NES version).
138	** The arcade version of ''Double Dragon II'' has the twin Burnovs at the end of Mission 3, plus twin versions of all the previous bosses in Mission 4.
139	** The twin ninjas in the second NES game.
140	** The twin Lee brother clones in both versions of ''Double Dragon II'' (but only when two players are present).
141	** ''Super'' has the Chen brothers (Ron Foo and Ron Pyo), while ''Advance'' has Hong and Wong (the Two Tigers).
142	* DualWielding: Chin Taimei with the sticks in ''II'', Baker with the swords in ''Super''.
143	* DumbMuscle: Abobo, especially in ''Battletoads & Double Dragon''. 'Bimmy and Jammy', the super-muscular clones of the Lee brothers in ''Neon'', also qualify, complete with stereotypical 'dumb' voice.
144	* EasilyForgiven: In the third NES game, Chin forgets about the Lee brothers killing his brother in the previous game after losing to them.
145	* EasyModeMockery: The NES version of ''II'', which only allows the full set of stages to be play on the hardest difficulty. The PC Engine version gives different endings instead.
146	* ElevatorActionSequence: ''Super Double Dragon'' has one, as does the PC Engine version of ''II''.
147	* EpicFlail: Lindas from ''II'' use these and Rowpers use something that looks like a flail boomerang in the NES version. If the game has a nunchaku, then it's usually the most powerful weapon.
148	* EvilCounterpart: Chen Ron Foo and Chen Ron Pyo, the Double Dragons from Chinatown in ''Super Double Dragon'', as well as their [[{{expy}} expies]], Hong and Wong, the Two Tigers from ''Double Dragon Advance''
149	* EvolvingAttack: The first NES game gives Billy new moves as he gains experience points from fighting enemies.
150	* {{Expy}}
151	** [[http://www.gamengai.com/bn_inf.php?id=512 The character illustrations]] drawn for the first Famicom/NES game makes Billy and Jimmy Lee look like clones of [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro and Raoh]]. While Billy was depicted more or less the same way in subsequent games, Jimmy's resemblance to Raoh was toned down considerably [[http://www.gamengai.com/bn_inf.php?id=513 after the first game]].
152	** Chin Taimei from the first NES game resembles the Karate Fighter from ''Mat Mania'', a Technos-developed wrestling game, while Abore in the arcade version of ''II'' seems to be based on André the Giant from the ''WWF Superstars'' arcade game also developed by Technos.
153	* FailedFutureForecast: The backstory for the earlier games establishes that the reason why gangs have taken over New York is because of a nuclear war that occurred in [[YearX 199X]], just like ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''.
154	** The PC Engine version of ''II'', released in 1993, establishes that despite the end of the Cold War someone still launched a nuke, starting a war.
155	** The manual for ''Double Dragon Advance'' implies that the nuclear war occurred due to UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror.
156	* FatBastard: Burnov in ''II'' and [=McGuire=] in ''Super''.
157	* FastballSpecial: In the third NES game, both of the Lee brothers and some of the enemy grunts can perform a Triangle Jump Kick where one character jumps unto his partner. The partner proceeds to launch the first character, who then performs a flying jump kick.
158	* FauxActionGirl: Marian, as revealed in the backstory given in the original game's official soundtrack and some of the console game manuals, was a part-time assistant instructor in Billy and Jimmy's martial arts training school. Seeing how she goes down with only one punch to the gut in the opening of the original game without putting much a fight, her qualifications for such a job are debatable. Her Neo Geo incarnation, on the other hand, does have actual fighting skills.
159	** In ''Neon'', it's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] - if you turn on damage displays in options, you'll see [[OvershadowedByAwesome the punch does 999 damage]]. In the final level, [[spoiler:Marian uses the PowerOfLove to open a magic gate to pursue Skullmageddon, and after the ending credits roll, she finishes off Skullmageddon with an [[GroinAttack epic blow to the nards.]]]]
160	* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In the second NES game, all the cutscenes between stages (as well as the opening and ending) only shows Billy, regardless of whether the game is being played alone (with either, Billy or Jimmy) or with both Lee brothers. The only exception is made with the cutscene when the final boss appears: if both Lee brothers are being used, both of them will appear; but if Billy dies before the final stage and Jimmy survives, then Jimmy will appear in his brother's place.
161	** Sonny, the third Lee brother who appears exclusively in the third arcade game, is absent in the game's opening and ending, while only a single member of each of the other three sibling teams (the Oyama, Chin, and Urquidez brothers) appear in the ending.
162	* GenreShift: ''Double Dragon V'' for the SNES and ''Double Dragon'' for the Neo Geo are both 1v1 fighting games rather than the side-scrolling beat-em-ups the series is known for.
163	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: At the end of the second arcade game, after defeating Willy in the end of Mission 4, creepy music starts playing and the player's purple EvilTwin rises out of his shadow and attacks him. The game has no other supernatural elements (except for Burnov, the Mission 1 boss who "teleports" after being defeated), nor does the end reference it in any way.
164	* GiantMook: Abobo and his various head/palette swaps.
165	* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Abore in the second arcade game.
166	* GrappleMove: In the original (1987) game, it was possible to grab an opponent and throw them over your shoulder.
167	* GrenadeHotPotato
168	* {{Hammerspace}}: The Knife and explosive throwing mooks never run out of supplies.
169	* HeadSwap
170	** The boss characters in the first arcade game. The Mission 1 boss is a black head-swapped version of Abobo with a mohawk, slightly larger eyes and a beard who could easily pass himself off as Creator/MrT, while the Mission 2 boss is a head-swapped Lee brother in green clothing.
171	** Starting from ''Super Double Dragon'', Billy and Jimmy began sporting their different hairstyles in their in-game sprites rather than being limited to just promotional artwork and cutscenes like they did in the NES games, with Billy having spiky brown hair and Jimmy having a blond flattop. Only the Neo Geo fighting game and ''Neon'' reverted back to making the Lee brothers into palette swaps.
172	* HeelFaceTurn
173	** The third NES game allows you to play as two additional characters, Chin Seimei and Yagyu Ranzou, after defeating them as bosses first.
174	** In ''IV'', [[spoiler:Casey and Shannon.]]
175	* HisNameIs: In the English version of the third NES game, Brett tries to tell the Lee brothers that [[spoiler:Hiruko]] is leader of the villains, but dies before he can do so.
176	* HurricaneKick: Ryuubi Ranbuu Kyaku (Dragon Tail's Storm Wind Kick) or simply the Cyclone Spin Kick.
177	* ILetYouWin: Shuko in the Neo Geo version, Round 1.
178	* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Girlfriend]]: Marian is kidnapped in the first game.
179	* ImprovisedWeapon
180	* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt: There is one in the first boss fight, which can instantly kill you and even the boss himself.
181	* KamehameHadoken: The evil clones from ''II'' throw these at sufficient distance. The Lee brothers can do this in the Neo Geo fighting game. ''Neon'' has a mixtape to allow the Lee brothers to do this as well.
182	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown
183	** The NES version of the first game took a cue from ''[[VideoGame/KunioKun Renegade]]'' and added a Sit-on Punch to Billy's attack repertoire, allowing him to pin down fallen enemy grunts and punch them while they're down.
184	** The third arcade game allows the player to jump over fallen enemies and stomp them.
185	** Both of the above moves were added to ''Advance''.
186	** ''Neon'' allows you to punch downed enemies (regardless of whether you knocked them down yourself, they fall down from the sky [[ManOnFire on fire]] or are thrown off their malfunctioning hoverbike) for large amounts of damage, although with some enemies it often results in you getting hit by their wakeup attack if you don't do it as quickly as possible.
187	* LadyInRed: While Marian is established to be Billy's girlfriend in most of the series, Jimmy fancies her as well, resulting a rivalry between the two siblings.
188	* LauncherMove: Some moves in ''Advance'', most notably the Hyper Uppercut, which can be followed by the Hyper Knee. Performing a weak attack on a stunned enemy in''Neon'' results in an uppercut, which you can follow up with a variety of different moves.
189	[[/folder]]
190
191	[[folder:M-Z]]
192	* MacGuffin: A different one for each adaptation: the Statue in the comic book, the Sword in the cartoon series, and the Medallion in the movie.
193	** Averted in ''Double Dragon Advance'', where Willy demands the secret book of Sou-Setsu-Ken as a ransom for Marian's safety in order to gain greater power. At the end of the game, the book is revealed to be a MagicFeather, as Billy and Jimmy proclaim that they get their strength from their own skills and training.
194	* MadonnaWhoreComplex: An invoked meta-example. In the early games, there are two females: Marian and Linda. [[DamselInDistress Marian]] is the pure and helpless maiden who can't fight; [[DarkActionGirl Linda]] is the evil bitch who fights with a whip.
195	* MartialArtsHeadband: Roper in ''Super''. Billy and Jimmy sported some as well in the American cover arts of the earlier games (including the cabinet art for the arcade game), but they never wore any in the actual games (save for a rare Game Gear game).
196	* {{Microtransactions}}: The arcade version of ''3'' is the UrExample, in which you could insert more real-world coins to get extra lives and power ups. In an ''arcade machine''. It didn't go over well.
197	* MightyGlacier: The {{giant mook}}s, with arcade and PC Engine Abore being the biggest and slowest.
198	* NamedByTheAdaptation: The characters in the arcade versions of the first two games didn't have names when the games were originally released, except for the two protagonists (who were initially named Hammer and Spike in Taito's promotional materials outside Japan, rather the names Billy and Jimmy that were later given). The NES version of the original game in particular was the first version to established the names of the Lee brothers, Marian and the members of the Black Warriors gang (at least those who were in that version), which subsequent versions used.
199	* NeverTrustATitle: The infamous ''Double Dragon V'' is not a continuation of the long running beat-'em-up series. Instead, it's a mediocre fighting game based on the short-lived animated series.
200	* {{Ninja}}: The nameless ninjas from the NES ''Double Dragon II'', Yagyu Ranzou and his minions from ''Double Dragon 3'', Amon from the Neo Geo fighting game, Shun the kunoichi enemy from ''Double Dragon Neon'', Ayumi from ''Double Dragon IV'', and ninja enemies from ''Double Dragon Gaiden''.
201	* NintendoHard: The third NES game is ridiculously hard due to having slower basic attacks and no lives system (although, the additional characters obtained by the player in later stages serve a similar purpose). The other two NES games could qualify as well, as both of them have some very unforgiving platforming segments in the later stages. In addition, you have a very limited number of lives without much of an opportunity to collect more, and there are no continues (at least not without inputting a cheat that changes after every third stage).
202	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The Abobo head-swap in the first arcade game bear a more than mild resemblance to Creator/MrT, while Abore in the arcade version of ''II'' wears a pair of sunglasses with glowing red eyes underneath them that makes him look like a Franchise/{{Terminator}} clone.
203	* NoEnding: ''Super Double Dragon'' at least gets an [[AWinnerIsYou text only epilogue]], but ''Return of Double Dragon'' goes straight from the final boss to the credits.[[note]]The extra areas are a good tradeoff, though.[[/note]]
204	* NoNameGiven: The final boss in the second NES game who is known simply as the "Mysterious Warrior", which is more of an identifier than an actual title.[[note]]Raymond, of the Five Emperors of Gen-Setsu-Ken, is implied to be the same character.[[/note]]
205	* OhNoNotAgain: Exclaimed by Billy Lee at the start of ''Double Dragon Neon''.
206	* OneSteveLimit:
207	** The names "Billy", "Willy" and "Williams" are all variants of the name "William" (though "Williams" is technically a surname).
208	** Both, the arcade and NES version of the third game, introduces Willy's brother Jim, not to be confused with the (usually) heroic Jimmy Lee. The arcade version also has a "Li" as the second boss (no relation to the Lee brothers), as well as two unrelated characters named S'''o'''nny (the third Lee brother) and S'''u'''nny (the second Urquidez brother).
209	** Lopar and Roper were originally different [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterations]] of Rowper's name, but both names are used in ''Battletoads & Double Dragon'' for two different enemy characters -- one of them is a renamed Willy and the other resembles cartwheeling incarnation of Williams from ''Double Dragon II''. Ironically, the one enemy character in that game who actually resembles the original Rowper was given another name (Guido).
210	* OriginalGeneration: The Neo Geo game gave many original characters that's never been in any of the previous games, namely [[{{Ninja}} Amon]], [[{{Eagleland}} Dulton]], [[ActionGirl Rebecca]], [[DrunkenMaster Cheng Fu]] and [[ScaryBlackMan Eddie]]. They're not even characters from the movie like Shuko was.
211	* PaletteSwap: In the original arcade game, there are only seven unique enemy characters and two of them are just head-swaps of other characters (namely of Abobo and the Lee brothers). The game simply recycles the same set of enemies for each stage by changing the main palette for all the mooks, including the occasional black-skinned variants. The third boss is also a green skinned palette swap of the first boss, who is nothing more than a black-skinned head/palette swap of Abobo with a Mr. T-like beard and mohawk. The other games in the series also featured palette-swapped versions of the same enemies.
212	* PistolWhipping: Willy can do this in close range with his gun.
213	* ThePowerOfFriendship: [[spoiler:Subverted in the 2P mode ending in the original game.]]
214	* ProductionThrowback
215	** The end of Mission 1 in the first arcade game has a billboard for ''[[VideoGame/KunioKun Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun]]'', the Japanese version of ''Renegade'' and Technos Japan's previous beat-'em-up, in the building just before the first boss battle.
216	** The red sports car from ''VideoGame/RoadBlaster'' (a Data East laserdisc game, ported to the Sega CD as ''Road Avenger''), a game designed by the same director (Yoshihisa Kishimoto), can be seen inside Billy and Jimmy's garage at the start of the first stage. In the second arcade game, the sports car is replaced by the helicopter from ''Thunder Storm'' (aka ''Cobra Command'', Kishimoto's other FMV game he did with Data East).
217	* ProgressivelyPrettier: Linda the female mook started as a boxy, mannish looking woman with an afro in the ''1'', became a slender but muscular woman with a mohawk in ''2'', a buxom blonde in camo and a beater in ''Battletoads and Double Dragon'', and finally a dominatrix in a leather teddy and stockings in ''Neon''. The exception to this is in the 2011 mobile version of the game, which parodied her appearance in ''1'' by making her a muscular ogress.
218	* PunchKickLayout: In the original arcade game, your character can make punch or kick attacks. The punch attack can be used to throw an opponent over your character's head or make attacks with carried weapons. Both punch and kick attacks can be made backwards, thus attacking an opponent behind you. Punch attacks made backwards become elbow jabs.
219	* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: The Lee brother's Hyper Knee and the Mysterious Warrior's backflip kick can send anyone flying quite far.
220	** In ''Neon'', the One-Inch Punch special move does a short-range attack that knocks enemies backward.
221	* RecurringRiff: The main theme.
222	* RecursiveAdaptation: ''Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls'', based on the animated series and ''Double Dragon (Neo Geo)'', based on the film.
223	* ReformulatedGame: All three of the NES games and the first Game Boy game.
224	* RingOutBoss: Most of the boss fights have a convenient BottomlessPits nearby to chuck the boss in.
225	* SdrawkcabAlias: The final boss in the NES version of ''Double Dragon III'' is called Princess Noiram ([[spoiler:who is actually a brainwashed Marion]]). Averted in all other versions (including the Famicom release), when she is actually a revived Cleopatra.
226	* {{Shoryuken}}: The Lee brothers are {{Shotoclone}}s in the fighting game, so they have this practically by law.
227	* {{Shotoclone}}: The Lee brothers in the Neo Geo fighting game.
228	* ShouldersOfDoom: Many enemies sport these.
229	* ShoutOut
230	** The red sports car inside Billy and Jimmy's garage in the original arcade game is the same one from the laserdisc arcade game ''VideoGame/RoadBlaster'' (aka ''[[MarketBasedTitle Road Avenger]]''), an earlier game by ''Double Dragon'' creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto.
231	** A billboard in Mission 1 features an advertisement for ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'', the Japanese version of ''Renegade'' and predecessor of ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom''.
232	** The second arcade game replaces the sports car inside Billy and Jimmy's garage with the helicopter from ''Cobra Command'', another laserdisc game also directed by Yoshihisa Kishimoto.
233	** The series as the whole is inspired by ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', starting from the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co4eGY8kb4w post-nuclear setting]] to the [[http://doubledragon.kontek.net/games/dd/images/ddfambox.gif character]] [[http://doubledragon.kontek.net/games/dd3/images/dd3fam.gif designs]].
234	** The masked wrestler [[http://www.gamengai.com/bn_inf.php?id=513&type=0 Burnov]] from the second game seems to be an {{expy}} of ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'' wrestler [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6d/King_Neptune_kinnikuman.jpg/180px-King_Neptune_kinnikuman.jpg Neptuneman]].
235	** ''Advance'' includes a freeway battle atop moving semis with suit-clad enemies who straighten their ties between attacks. If it's not a ShoutOut to ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded,'' then it should be.
236	* ShoutOutThemeNaming: The Lee brothers, along with recurring mooks Williams and Rowper, all take their names from the three main heroes of ''Film/EnterTheDragon''. The name "Billy" is also a reference to Billy Lo (Bruce Lee's character from ''Film/GameOfDeath'') and the female mook Linda shares her name with Bruce Lee's widow Linda Lee Cadwell.
237	** In the second game, there's an Abobo-like GiantMook named Bolo, a reference to Bolo Yeung (who played one of Mr. Han's two henchmen in ''Enter the Dragon''). The arcade version even has a head-swapped variant of Bolo who was given the name of "Oharra" in the Mega Drive port (Mr. Han's other henchman).
238	** Sousetsuken, the fictional martial art style of the Lee brothers, is named after Bruce Lee's self-developed style called ''Jeet Kune Do'' (''Sekkedō'' in Japanese). Whereas ''Jeet Kune Do'' is the "Way of the Intercepting Fist", Sousetsuken means "Fist of Twin Interception".
239	** In the third arcade game, the Lee brothers are joined by the Oyama, Chin, and Urquidez brothers, named after Mas Oyama, Jackie Chan, and Benny Urquidez in that order.[[note]] "Chin" is the Japanese pronunciation of Jackie Chan's Chinese surname.[[/note]]
240	** The second boss in the arcade version of ''Double Dragon 3'' is named Li Chenglong, a combination of Creator/BruceLee's surname and Jackie Chan's Chinese stage name (Cheng Long).
241	** Patrick [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Dulton/Dalton]] in the 1995 fighting game was probably named after James Dalton, [[Creator/PatrickSwayze Patrick Swayze's]] character in ''Film/Roadhouse1989''.
242	* SiblingTeam: Billy and Jimmy Lee.
243	** Invoked literally in the third arcade game, where the main characters were grouped by teams of siblings. The Lee brothers are joined by the Urquidez, Chin and Oyama clans.
244	* SideView: Stages and areas added to the NES games tend to be set from a side-view perspective and don't feature depth movement. They usually involved platform-jumping in some capacity like the cavern areas in Mission 3 of the first NES game or Mansion of Terror in the second. The Game Boy version also switches to a side-view in some areas.
245	* SinisterShades: Abore in the arcade and PC Engine version of ''II'', Carlem in ''Super'' and the Agent Smith-rendition of Steve in ''Advance''.
246	* SNKBoss: Duke and Shuko in the Neo Geo version. Particularly Shuko holds back from using his full move set until the player wins the first round.
247	* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Marian, who was KilledOffForReal in the second arcade game, [[BackFromTheDead gets better]] in its NES (and later PC Engine) adaptation.]]
248	* SpellMyNameWithAnS
249	** Rowper, one of the enemy {{mooks}}, had his name spelled as "Lopar" in the translated manual for the NES version. However, the character's name is actually meant to be a reference to John Saxon's character "Roper" from ''Film/EnterTheDragon''. The name "Roper" and "Lopar" are also used for two different enemies in ''Battletoads & Double Dragon'' and neither resemble the Rowper from the original game (one of them being a misnamed Willy).
250	** Linda's name is spelled "[[JapaneseRanguage Rinda]]" in the promotional brochure for the Famicom version.
251	** Chin Taimei's name was shortened to "Chintai" in the NES version's manual.
252	** Marian's name is sometimes spelled "Marion" depending on the game. The manual for the Master System version spells it "Mary-Anne" as well.
253	** Billy and Jimmy's own fighting style is subject to spelling variations - is it So-Setsu-Ken, Sousetsuken, Sou-Setsu-Ken, or ''Sōsetsuken''? The manual for the NES version even uses the spelling ''So'''sai'''ken'' (since the second kanji can be pronounced both ways).
254	** The manual for the Neo Geo game spells Burnov as "Bulnov" and Dulton as "Dalton."
255	* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Rage of the Dragons'' was intended to actually be a sequel to the previous Neo Geo game, but because Evoga (the developers) were unable to secure the rights to the ''Double Dragon'' franchise, the game is instead a loose {{homage}}, starring brothers Billy and Jimmy Lewis instead of Lee, plus an Abobo-like sub-boss named Abubo.
256	** ''Double Dragon'' itself was a spiritual successor to ''Renegade''.
257	* StalkedByTheBell: In the arcade games, first NES game, and ''Advance''.
258	* TheStinger: In ''Neon'', [[spoiler:if both Billy and Jimmy are active, they will fight for Marian's affection just like the original game.]]
259	* StuffBlowingUp: Various explosives for everyone to throw at someone they don't like.
260	* SuperDrowningSkills: Water is a deadly hazard since everyone, including the Lee brothers, ''can't swim''.
261	* SuperMode: In ''Super'', completely filling the ChargeMeter activates this, which makes your attacks more damaging and instantly knock downs enemies.
262	* SuplexFinisher: The Lee brothers got a German Suplex in their moveset in the third arcade game.
263	* TeamShot: The ending of the third arcade game ends with a group shot of Billy and Jimmy, along with three of their allies (Chin, Oyama, and Urquidez). The same art was actually used as the basis for the cover illustration of the Famicom version, only with Oyama and Urquidez replaced with Yagyu.
264	* TempleOfDoom: The final stages of ''I'' and ''II''. The NES version of the latter had a more literal Temple of Doom.
265	* ThemeMusicPowerUp: The final battle in the original arcade game (and in some of its ports and remakes) uses the title theme as background music, as does ''Return of Double Dragon'' (but not ''Super Double Dragon''). Once the final boss of the second NES game is low on health, the creepy theme is replaced by a more epic theme.
266	* ThereWasADoor: Abobo has a habit of breaking through walls, particularly in the first arcade game. Likewise, the twin purple Burnovs in Mission 4 of the second arcade game debut in a similar fashion.
267	* ThirdOptionAdaptation: In the first arcade game, if two players defeat the final boss together, the game will force them to fight each other to determine which of the Lee brothers wins over Marian. The last player standing naturally gets a kiss from Marian. However, she chooses neither in ''Advance'', stopping the fight just as one of them is about to finish the other.
268	* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Hiruko]] in ''Double Dragon 3''.
269	* ThrowABarrelAtIt: The oildrums, along with cardboard boxes and giant rocks, can be picked up and thrown by both, the player and certain enemies (depending on the game, but usually Rowper always uses them).
270	* TookALevelInBadass: Marian in the Neo Geo game, where she's not only a selectable fighter, but is one of the higher-tier characters in the roster.
271	* TornadoMove: The Mysterious Warrior has a move where he spins like a tornado with his arms outstretched. It does a ton of damage and sends you flying.
272	* TurnsRed: In ''Super'', if the player performs a throw on Williams or Rowper, they will get angry and will move faster and hit harder.
273	* TwistEnding: In the first game. [[spoiler:If both Billy and Jimmy get to the end, they turn on each other to fight for the right to claim Marian.]]
274	* UnsoundEffect: The NES version of the second game gives us GRASP in one of the cutscenes.
275	* UrbanHellscape: ''Videogame/DoubleDragon'' takes the same premise as ''Videogame/FinalFight'' but also adds in TheApunkalypse. Civilization has collapsed, making martial arts dojos the only law left in the world. Thus the twin brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee fight to clean up the streets of New York (Los Angeles in ''Super Double Dragon'').
276	* VillainousWidowsPeak: Willy in the first two arcade games.
277	* WallJump: Added in ''Super''. The arcade and NES versions of the third game also added a wall-jumping attack for each character.
278	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Many mooks, most notably Abobo.
279	* WantedPoster: In the original arcade game, the wanted posters for the first two bosses can be seen in the beginning of Mission 1, offering a reward for $10,000 each. Willy's wanted poster can be see next to the second boss's poster in Mission 3, which shows that his bounty is $100,000, ten times greater than either of the other two.
280	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The ending of the third NES game.
281	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Abobo and Burnov in the Neo Geo fighting game.
282	* WolverineClaws: Chin Seimei's weapon of choice.
283	* WorldTour: The third game has the protagonists traveling the world to find the MacGuffin.
284	* WouldHitAGirl: Pretty much every guy in the game, from the opening intro where Williams sucker punches Marian in the gut and carries her off, to Billy and Jimmy beating the crap out of the whip-wielding Lindas.
285	[[/folder]]

Context VideoGame / DoubleDragon