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[-[[caption-width-right:340:[[TheAdventuresOfDuaneAndBrandO Yea, Double Dragon! Fuckin yo face, it's time to DUKE it!]]]]-]

''Double Dragon'' is a series of side-scrolling BeatEmUp's that helped popularize the genre back in the late [[TheEighties 1980s]] and early [[TheNineties 1990s]].

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.

While not the first of its kind, as ''Double Dragon'' was originally intended to be a sequel to their previous game ''Renegade'', 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 provided a twist in the end: [[spoiler:if both players manage to make all the way through the end, then the two would be forced to fight each other to the death, with the survivor getting to claim Marian for himself.]]

''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 IP. 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.

In addition to the games, there was also an [[WesternAnimation/DoubleDragon Animated Series]] and a [[Film/DoubleDragon live-action movie]], as well as a comic where their dad was StanLee. Yes, that one.

Games include:
* ''Double Dragon'' (1987, arcade)
** Ports released for the {{NES}}, MasterSystem, GameBoy, {{Atari 2600}}, {{Atari 7800}}, AtariLynx, SegaGenesis, Mobile Phones, and {{Xbox 360}}.
* ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' (1988, arcade)
** Ports released for the NES, the Japanese MegaDrive, and the [[TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]].
** An unrelated ''Double Dragon II'' was released for the Game Boy in 1991. It is actually a localization of a ''KunioKun'' game.
* ''Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone'' (1990, arcade)
** ''Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones'' (1991, NES) - Released for the Japanese Famicom as ''Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone''. Almost a completely different game from the arcade version (then again, the same could be said about the first two NES games).
** Ported to the Game Boy and Sega Genesis as ''Double Dragon 3: The Arcade Game''.
* ''Super Double Dragon'' (1992, SNES)
** Released in Japan as ''Return of Double Dragon''. It was based on a [[BadExportForYou later build than the American version]], but was [[ObviousBeta still far from finished]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team'' (1992, NES) - {{Crossover}} [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin with the Battletoads series]]. Developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. Technos had very little involvement with this one.
** Ported to the Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and SNES.
* ''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.
** Ported to the Sega Genesis and AtariJaguar.
* ''Double Dragon'' (1995, Neo-Geo) - 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.
** Ported to the PlayStation.
* ''Double Dragon Advance'' (2003 GBA) - First game developed by Million.
** Ported to mobile phones as ''Double Dragon EX''.
* ''Double Dragon Zeebo'' (2009, Zeebo) - Available only in Brazil and Mexico.
* ''Double Dragon [=iPhone=]'' (2011, [=iPhone=]) - By the makers of the Zeebo version.
* ''Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons'' (2011, Xbox 360) - Remake of the second arcade game.
* ''[[VideoGame/DoubleDragonNeon Double Dragon Neon]]'' (2012, [=PS3=] and Xbox 360) - Retro-style remake of the first game developed by WayForward.

See also ''VideoGame/RageOfTheDragons'', a 2002 Fighting Game that, while not a part of the series, was originally meant to be.

----
!!This series provides examples of:

* EightiesHair
* {{Acrofatic}} - Chin Seimei (and his PaletteSwap brothers who appear only in the third arcade game), as well as [=McGuire=] from the SNES game.
* ActionGirl - Marian and Rebecca in the Neo-Geo fighting game.
* AdaptationDyeJob - Billy (Player 1) had blond hair in the original arcade trilogy, while Jimmy (Player 2) had brown hair. When the games were adapted for the NES, the hair colors were switched, giving Billy brown hair (although often depicted as red hair) and Jimmy blond hair. The later console installments for the SNES, PCE and GBA stick to the NES style.
** The opening sequence of the first NES game (in which the Black Warriors kidnap Marian) depicts Jimmy Lee with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue hair]] instead of his usual blond, although this could be attributed due to the number of different characters (Marian, Jimmy, Chin, Williams and Rowper) appearing in the scene, using up the limited color display of the NES (in the actual game, enemies always fight alone or in pairs and always as clones of the same character), causing Jimmy and Chin to use an unusual palette in the opening.
** The MasterSystem version also depicted Jimmy with blue hair.
** In the NES sequels, Jimmy's in-game sprite depicts him with red hair like Billy's, despite having blond hair in the cut-scenes and character select portrait.
** The ending photograph of the second arcade game the Lee twins are depicted with the switched hair colors they had in the NES games.
* AdaptationDistillation - If there's any game that gets the iconic feel, play mechanics and overall experience of the entire series, it's ''Double Dragon Advance''.
* AdaptationExpansion - The GBA game 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.
* 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.
* AffectionateParody - ''Neon'' is not a love song. It's a ''power ballad'' to beat 'em ups, the Double Dragon series, and the [[TheEighties 1980's]].
* AfterTheEnd - "In the year [=199X=], violence ruled the streets of New York after the nuclear war."
* AlternateContinuity - The NES version of the trilogy have many plot differences from their original arcade counterparts ([[spoiler:specifically when it comes to the identity of the Black Warriors' leader in the first game and Marian's survival in the second]]). All the later games are stand-alone.
* 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 ''FinalFight'' introduced the idea of giving the enemy characters life gauges with their names.
* TheApunkalypse
* TheArtifact: The input for Jump Kicks in the original arcade game is different depending on the direction the player is facing. Pressing the kick button while jumping only does jump kicks to the left and in order to do a jump kick to the right, the player must use the punch button instead. This is actually a leftover mechanic from when the game was conceived as a ''Renegade'' sequel (which used direction-based attack buttons).
* 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.
** 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.
** 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.
* AsianRuneChant - When Amon from the NEO-GEO FightingGame is performing his super move.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority - Duke and The Mysterious Warrior (Raymond in ''Advance'').
* AssKicksYou - Marian in the Neo-Geo fighting game.
* AttackReflector - In the SNES game hitting a knife will launch it back towards the enemy.
* AnAxeToGrind - Added to the arsenal of the weapons in the GBA version.
* BackFromTheDead - [[spoiler:Marian in the NES ''Double Dragon II''.]]
* BadassMustache - Abobo's in-game sprite sported a horseshoe mustache in the original game. The character illustrations for the NES version gave Abobo a clean-shaved look though, giving him an appearance similar to [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] or [[StreetFighter Sagat]].
* BadassInANiceSuit - [[TheMenInBlack The Steves]] in ''Advance''.
* BaldOfEvil - Abobo in the original game.
* BarrierBustingBlow - Abobos and Burnovs punch through walls. The Lee Brothers themselves do this in the intro of PC-Engine version of ''II''.
* BattleBoomerang - In the SNES game.
* BatterUp
* BigApplesauce
* BittersweetEnding - [[spoiler:In the arcade version of ''II'', Marian remains dead after the Lee Brothers defeat Machine Gun Willy.]]
* [[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace Billy and Jimmy Can Breathe In Space]] - Parodied in Stage 4 of ''Neon'':
--> '''Billy''': The vacuum of space? I better hold my breath! ''*they proceed to do so*''
* BlondGuysAreEvil - Duke from ''Super Double Dragon'' and [[spoiler:Jimmy]] in the NES original.
* BoomerangComeback - Possible in ''Return''.
* BossOnlyLevel - Mission 9 of the NES ''II'' is nary more than the FinalBoss.
* BossRush - Most of the games have a boss rush before the final boss shows up.
* BottomlessMagazines - Machine Gun Willy.
* BottomlessPits
* BribingYourWayToVictory - The third arcade game had power-ups... that the player had to buy with actual credits.
* BruceLeeClone
** 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 ''GameOfDeath''.
** Chin Taimei in the NES version of the first game.
** Li Chenglong, the Mission 2 boss in the third arcade game is a rather blatant example.
** The Japanese version of the {{GBA}} game flat out gives a dedication to Bruce Lee in the ending.
* TheCameo - In Amon's ending in the NeoGeo game, you can see [[VideoGame/VoltageFighterGowcaizer Shaia and Ballboy]] near him.
* CaptainErsatz - The bosses in the arcade version of ''Double Dragon II''. Particularly, Burnov (Mission 1 boss) resembles the ''{{Kinnikuman}}'' wrestler Neptuneman, while Abore (the Mission 2 boss) is a cross between TheTerminator and AndréTheGiant.
* 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''.
* CatchAndReturn - In some games it's possible to catch a knife, leading to this trope.
* ChargedAttack - In the SNES game 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.
* CharacterLevel - The first NES game added a leveling system that only allowed the player to use his basic punches and kicks (and the headbutt) at the start of the game, gradually giving him access to the rest of his moves as he levels-up.
* CleanDubName - In the second NES game, the enemy gang was changed from the Black Warriors to the Shadow Warriors in the English version, presumably to avoid the UnfortunateImplications of the original name. The "Shadow Warriors" name would be used in the later SNES and GBA games, but the [=iPhone=] version went back to using the "Black Warriors".
* 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).
* CombinationAttack - The Back-to-Back Hurricane Kick and the Triangle Jump Kick in both, the arcade and NES versions of ''Double Dragon III''.
* CompetitiveBalance - The character roster in both versions of ''Double Dragon III''.

** Arcade version
*** SquishyWizard - The Lee Brothers (Billy, Jimmy and Sonny)[[note]]Their basic attacks are weaker than the other characters and they have about as much health as the Oyama Brothers, but they make up for it by their exclusive ability to pick up and use nunchakus and swords.[[/note]]
*** MightyGlacier - The Urquidez Brothers (Roney, Sunny and Jonny)
*** StoneWall- The Chin Brothers (Seime, Taime and Sinme)
*** FragileSpeedster - The Oyama Brothers (Masao, Kunio and Akira)
** NES version
*** JackOfAllStats - Billy and Jimmy Lee
*** MightyGlacier - Chin Seimei
*** FragileSpeedster - Yagyu Ranzou
** The character roster in the Neo Geo fighting game goes here too.
*** {{Fragile Speedster}}s: Marian, Amon
*** {{Glass Cannon}}s: Eddie, Dulton, Rebecca
*** [[JackOfAllStats Jacks-of-All-Stats]]: Jimmy, Cheng Fu
*** LightningBruiser: Billy
*** {{Mighty Glacier}}s: Abobo, Burnov
* CompositeCharacter
** 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.
** 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.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard - In mode B of the first game, the computer has more health than you, can duck - which you can't do - and reacts faster than humanly possible when you run at it.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu - The twin ninjas from ''II'' and Ranzou from ''III'' are bosses (the latter becomes a playable character). Ranzou's minions are fodder.
* CoversAlwaysLie
** 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).
** 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.
** 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.
** Averted entirely by Double Dragon Neon. Everything that appears on the box art appears in-game.
* CoOpMultiplayer - Probably the first BeatEmUp to feature this.
* CounterAttack - The SNES game 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.
* CreatorCameo - A very strange example in ''Neon'': hitting the punching bag in the beginning of the 7th level exactly 87 times teleports you to another part of the stage, except now everyone's heads are replaced with the series creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto's: completing the area nets you an achievement and sends you back to the beginning of the stage.
* CriticalExistenceFailure - Subverted 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.
* CrossOver - ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} & Double Dragon''
* CrunchTastic - In ''Neon'', Billy and Jimmy describe destroying gravestones in an obligatory NightOfTheLivingMooks level as both "tombular" and "desacreatious"
* DamnYouMuscleMemory
** 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.
** 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.
* 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 cut-scenes and the final boss who is supposed to be her was actually a different character in the Famicom version). Averted in the Neo-Geo game based on the movie, where Marian underwent {{Xenafication}}.
* DeadlyDodging - Somebody thrown a knife at you? Just step aside and let it hit the mook behind you.
* 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).
* DegradedBoss
** 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.
** In the arcade version of ''Double Dragon II'', the head-swapped bosses from the previous game appear only as sub-bosses.
* DelinquentHair
* DemotedToDragon - In the first NES game , Machine Gun 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).
* DeusExMachina - [[spoiler:Hiruko's death while trying to enter Cleopatra's tomb with only three Sacred Stones]] in the third NES game.
* DifficultyByRegion
** 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.
** 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.
** ''Super Double Dragon'' has no adjustable difficulty settings, in contrast to its Super Famicom counterpart ''Return of Double Dragon'', which had three settings (Easy, Normal, and Hard). However the SNES version is harder than the SFC version set on Hard. The SNES version is missing some of the extra moves in the SFC version, 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 the SNES version. Moreover, dynamites and knives are more lethal in the SNES version, and the enemy placement is different, with more recycled boss characters than in the Super Famicom version. However, the SFC version adds two extra areas to the final stage, making it a bit longer.
* DigitalBikini: The cover artwork of the second NES game is the same one used in every other version, except Marian's thigh-revealing skirt was lengthened and her flesh-colored tank top was recolored red.
* 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.
* DivergentCharacterEvolution - Billy and Jimmy in the SNES game, 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.
* DivorcedInstallment
** The original arcade version began development as a ''[[KunioKun Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun]]'' sequel. The reason why the characters and settings were changed was done to avoid developing a separate version for the foreign market, as was the case with ''Renegade''.
** ''Rage of the Dragons'', which was initially planned as a sequel to the Neo-Geo fighting game, but Evoga could not secure the rights to the ''Double Dragon'' IP.
* DolledUpInstallment - The second GameBoy game was actually a ''[[KunioKun Kunio-kun]]'' game that had its graphics, music and story changed for its overseas release.
* 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 the SNES game, and Kikuchiyo and his cronies in the GBA version.
* {{Doppelganger}} - Taking a cue from ''Zelda II'', the Lee brothers must fight their own shadows at the end of the second game.
* DragonsUpTheYinYang - The video games included gratuitous dragons in promotional imagery.
* DrunkenBoxing - Cheng-Fu from the NEO-GEO fighting game.
* DualBoss - Quite a few examples.
** The twin Abobos in the first game (in both, the arcade and NES version).
** 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.
** The twin ninjas in the second NES game.
** The twin Lee Brother clones in both versions of ''Double Dragon II'' (but only when two players are present).
** The SNES game has the Chen Brothers (Ron-Fu and Ron-Pyo), while the GBA version has Hong and Wong (the Two Tigers).
* DualTonfas - Rebbecca from the NEO-GEO fighting game wields these.
* DualWielding - Chin Taimei with the sticks in ''II'', Baker with the swords in ''Return''.
* DumbMuscle - Abobo, especially in the ''Battletoads & Double Dragon'' crossover. 'Bimmy and Jammy', the super-muscular clones of the Lee brothers in ''Neon'', also qualify, complete with stereotypical 'dumb' voice.
* DummiedOut - The cutscenes in ''Return of Double Dragon'' were never fully implemented, but some of the assets that were meant to be used (such as closeups of the Lee brothers and bosses) are still present in the game's data (most of it is compressed and only viewable through save state hacking though).
** The Ninja and Migiude enemies from the second NES game were also supposed to appear in the PC-Engine version, but they were cut out from the main game. Their sprites (with full animation frames) are still viewable through a hidden sprite viewer mode, along with Bolo (who is listed in the manual, but it's actually his head-swap Oharra from the arcade version who appears in the game).
* EasilyForgiven - In the third NES game, Chin forgets about the Lee brothers killing his brother in the previous game after losing to them.
* 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.
* ElevatorActionSequence - ''Return of Double Dragon'' has one, as does the PC-Engine version of ''II''.
* EpicFlail - Lindas from ''II'' use these and Ropers 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.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning - The Cyclone Kick.
* EvilCounterpart - Chen Ron-Fu 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''
* EvolvingAttack - The first NES game gives Billy new moves as he gains experience points from fighting enemies.
* {{Expy}}
** [[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 [[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]].
** 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.
** Anyone who was born in the 80's would immediately recognize that, despite the fancy armor and sword, underneath it all, Skullmageddon is an Expy of [[HemanAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse Skeletor]], right down to his nasally voice.
** The Mecha Biker is very lovingly based on VideoGame/MegaMan.
* EyeScream - The "Continue?" screen in ''Neon'' features Billy chained to a post with Skullmageddon preparing to gouge his eyes out. The screen goes red just before the moment of impact.
* FatBastard - Burnov in ''II'' and [=McGuire=] in ''Super''.
* 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.
* FauxActionGirl - Marian, if we are to believe the back-story given in the original game's official soundtrack and some of the console versions, was formerly an assistant instructor in Billy and Jimmy's old dojo. 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.
** [[SubvertedTrope In Neon, it's subverted,]] if you turn on damage displays in options, you'll see 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.]]]]
* FingerlessGloves - The "right arm" thugs who appear only in the second NES game sported them.
* {{Foreshadowing}} - Jimmy Lee is among Marian's kidnappers (instead of Machine Gun Willy like in the arcade version) in the opening of the first NES game, although his palette is different from one used in the final battle (he has blue hair instead of blond and lighter skin).
* GameplayAndStorySegregation - In the second NES game, all the cut-scenes 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 cut-scene 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.
** 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.
* GeniusBruiser - Parodied with Abobo in ''Neon'', some of the things he says if he kills you are "Abobo need to study for tests", "Abobo have degree in physics", and "Abobo ready to pass the bar".
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: At the end of the second arcade game, after defeating Machine Gun 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.
* GiantMook - Abobo and his various head/palette swaps.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom - Abore in the second Arcade game.
* GoodBadTranslation - The third NES game, while technically not a translation (since it uses an entirely different script from its Famicom counterpart than changes the plot), somehow manages to screw up the spelling of Billy's name as "Bimmy" in the opening of the 2-Players Mode, which has become something of a meme. Strangely, his name is spelled correctly in the single-player version of the opening.
* GrenadeHotPotato
* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp - The back-story for the earlier games establishes that the reason why gangs have taken over New York is because of a nuclear war that occurred in [[ExtyYearsFromNow 199X]], just like ''FistOfTheNorthStar''.
** 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.
** The manual for ''Double Dragon Advance'' implies that the nuclear war occurred due to TheWarOnTerror.
* GretzkyHasTheBall - In ''Neon'', Billy and Jimmy occasionally shout things like "Touchdown!" or "Hole in One!" when smacking enemies around with the [[BatterUp baseball bat]].
* GuideDangIt - Many of the secrets in ''Neon'' are ridiculously obscure (punch a punching bag a 87 times and no more than that, crouch at a specific spot 7 times), although most of them are hinted at if not flat out spelled by the shopkeepers if you talk to them enough times.
* {{Hammerspace}} - The Knife and explosive throwing mooks never run out of supplies.
* HarderThanHard / NumericalHard: ''Neon'' has two difficulty levels above the the default Normal called Dragon and Double Dragon, both of them greatly increasing all enemies stats.
* HeadSwap
** 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 MrT, while the Mission 2 boss is a head-swapped Lee brother in green clothing.
** Starting from the SNES version, 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.
* HeelFaceTurn
** Jimmy was Billy's main adversary in the NES version of the first game, but becomes his ally in the sequels.
** The third NES game allows you to play as two additional characters, Chin Seimei and Yagyu Ranzou, after defeating them as bosses first.
* HisNameIs - In 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.
* HurricaneKick - Ryuubi Ranbuu Kyaku (Dragon Tail's Storm Wind Kick) or simply the Cyclone Spin Kick.
* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels - The difficulty settings in the second NES game (Practice, Warrior and Supreme Master).
* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Girlfriend]]
* ImprovisedWeapon
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon - The Lees in ''Neon'' don't fire the guns their enemies drop, they just use them to pistolwhip (or as they'd call it, "glock out") their enemies and throw them at them.
* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt
* JokeItem - In ''Neon'', the afro pick does exactly one point of damage when thrown and sticks to the target's hair/skull. There is an achievement for hitting every enemy with it and another for hitting Skullmageddon with one, which also momentarily stuns him if he tries to use any of his moves that involve removing his hat.
* KamehameHadoken - The evil clones from ''II'' throw these at sufficient distance. The Lee Brothers can do this in the NEO-GEO FightingGame.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown
** The NES version of the first game took a cue from ''[[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.
** The third arcade game allows the player to jump over fallen enemies and stomp them.
** Both of the above moves were added to the GBA version.
** ''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.
* LadyInRed - Marian.
* 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.
* LetsYouAndHimFight - After defeating the final boss in the first arcade game, Billy and Jimmy must fight ''to the death'' to see who wins the heart of Marian.
** This also takes place in ''Neon'', complete with Marian cheering you on in the background. You can still do high-fives while beating the hell out of your buddy though.
* LevelGrinding - The level-up system in the first NES game awards players experience points based on the attacks they land on a foe. As a result, it's easy to leech off experience points by attacking an enemy without knocking him to the ground, since enemies only die when they fall to the ground. If you're really patient, you can earn the entire set of techniques in the first level in this fashion.
* LoadBearingBoss: {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d verbatim in ''Double Dragon: Neon''. After defeating the second boss, the spaceship their currently on starts to crash back to Earth and Billy shouts in surprise, "Whoa! I didn't know that was a load bearing robot".
* 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.
** Averted in ''Double Dragon Advance'', where Willy demands the 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.
* 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.
* MagicMusic - In ''Neon'', baddies drop cassette tapes that grant special moves and stat boosts.
* MartialArtsHeadband - Roper in the SNES version. 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.
* MartialArtsUniform - The Oyama Brothers in the arcade version of ''Double Dragon 3'' and many mooks in the rest of the series.
* MightyGlacier - The {{giant mook}}s, with Arcade and PC-Engine Abore being the biggest and slowest.
* MirrorMatch - Mode B in the first NES game is a one-on-one versus game that allows players to control Billy Lee or one of five enemy characters from the main game, but the battles are limited to same character matches (Billy is matched against Jimmy, while the enemies are matched against a palette-swapped counterpart). In the Game Boy version, it's just a Billy vs. Jimmy fight.
* MissionPackSequel - The second arcade game is essentially an improved version of the first one, but with a different attack system, new looks and moves for most the returning enemies and new bosses for each stage. The difficulty has also been fine-tuned to prevent players from completing it with just the elbow strike.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: You will think that Skullmageddon is either this or a hilariously cheesy name. Maybe even both things at the same time!
* {{Ninja}} - The nameless ninjas from the NES ''Double Dragon II'', Yagyu Ranzou and his minions from ''Double Dragon III'' and Amon from the NeoGeo FightingGame.
* 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).
* 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.
* NoEnding - The American version of ''Super Double Dragon'' gets at least an [[AWinnerIsYou text only epilogue]], but the Japanese release goes straight from the final boss to the credits.[[note]]The extra levels are a good tradeoff, though.[[/note]]
* NonstandardGameOver - If the battle between Billy and Jimmy for the heart of Marian ends in a DoubleKO (say, if both brother's fall into the spike pit below), the game returns back to the title screen with no fanfare whatsoever.
* NoNameGiven
** The characters in the arcade version. The console versions would gave their identities in [[AllThereInTheManual the manuals]] though. For the arcade version of ''Double Dragon 3'', the licensed soundtrack gives out the names of the bosses in their individual themes (Jim, Li, Ranzou and Giuliano).
** The final boss in the second NES game, who is simply known as the "mysterious warrior".
** The other two enemy characters exclusive to the NES version, "Ninja" and "Migiude" (which is Japanese for "right arm", or more appropriately "right-hand man"), only have official designations instead of names, but those two are just {{elite mook}}s and not unique characters.
* ObviousBeta - ''Super Double Dragon''. Even the [[BadExportForYou more complete Japanese version]] (''Return of Double Dragon'') was clearly rushed for release. The second half of Mission 7, absent from the US version, is very unfinished (e.g. BottomlessPits you can't fall into, stairs you have to jump up). Other things DummiedOut of both versions include the proposed true FinalBoss battle with Duke's shadow, the ConveyorBeltODoom in the airport baggage claim that would lead to a BottomlessPit, the warehouse section of Mission 5, and the collapsing bridge at the end of Mission 6. Many music tracks were left unused (a few which can still be heard in the Japanese version's sound test) and Marian, who is mentioned in the manual and shown in two pieces of artwork, never actually appears in the game (she would've been a policewoman like her comic and cartoon counterparts).
* OneSteveLimit - The names "Billy", "Willy" and "Williams" are all variants of the name "William" (although, to be fair, "Williams" is technically a surname).
** Then there's Bolo and Abore, the giant mooks from ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'', the former being [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute an almost exact clone of Abobo]] from the first game, but with long hair (to the point that he's even listed as "Abobo" in the licensed Mega Drive port).
** The arcade version of ''Double Dragon 3'' has a "Jim" as the first boss (not to be confused with the heroic Jimmy Lee) and a "Li" as the second boss (who is unrelated to the Lee Brothers). Then there's S'''o'''nny (the Player 3 Lee brother) and S'''u'''nny (the Player 2 Urquidez brother).
* OriginalGeneration - The Neo-Geo version 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.
* 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.
* PistolWhipping - Willy with his gun.
* ProductionThrowback
** The end of Mission 1 in the first arcade game has a billboard for ''[[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.
** The red sports car from ''Road Blaster'' (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).
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom - The Lee Brother's Hyper Knee and the Mysterious Warrior's backflip kick can send anyone flying quite far.
** In ''Neon'', the One-Inch Punch special move does a short-range attack that knocks enemies backward.
* RakeTake - Several stages in ''Neon'' have large boards with an X on one end: stepping on the X causes the other end to fly up, catapulting any enemies standing on it high into the air. They're often positioned so that you can either juggle the enemies back and forth between 2 such boards before they have a chance to get up or quickly fling annoying enemies into a pit.
* RecurringRiff - The main theme.
* RecycledINSPACE: Subverted for your approval, ''Double Dragon Neon'' features a level ''literally'' taking place [-IN SPACE-]!
* ReformulatedGame - All three of the NES games and the first Game Boy game.
* RevisedEnding - [[spoiler:Marian stays dead in the original arcade version of ''II'', while in the NES version she lives.]]
* RingOutBoss - Most of the boss fights have a convenient BottomlessPits nearby to chuck the boss in.
* SdrawkcabAlias - The final boss in the NES version of ''Double Dragon III'' is called Queen Noiram ([[spoiler:who is actually a brainwashed Marion]]). Averted in the other versions (including the Famicom one), when she is actually a revived Cleopatra.
* SequenceBreaking - In the final area of the first Arcade Game, Willy watches on from the balcony and will come down once the Lee brothers have beaten enough mooks. You can bring him down earlier by intentionally letting Abobo throw you up the balcony and knock him down.
* SequelDifficultySpike - The arcade version of ''II'' has more powerful bosses than the first game, only partial health recovery between stages (as opposed to full health recovery like in the first game), and no bonus lives (you're stuck with what you start with). Moreover the game's time limit is adjustable and the default settings has the game on the second fastest time limit with the second hardest difficulty and only two lives, which makes the third stage hard to complete on time and the fourth stage almost impossible. All the transition sequences between stages are now done by elevators, making it impossible to carry weapons between stages unlike in the first game.
** The NES version of the third game is also considerably harder than the previous installments at first due to the omission of a lives system. If the player dies in the first two stages, the game ends. However, the additional playable characters introduced in the later stages serve as extra lives on their own and the player gets a single continue for the final two stages.
* ShesGotLegs - Marian in both the original series and the Neo-Geo fighting game.
* {{Shoryuken}} - The Lee Brothers are {{Shotoclone}}s in the Fighting Game, so they have this by law.
* {{Shotoclone}} - The Lee Brothers in the NEO-GEO Fighting Game.
* ShouldersOfDoom - Many enemies sport these.
* ShoutOut
** The red sports car inside Billy and Jimmy's garage in the original arcade game is the same one from the laserdisc arcade game ''Road Blaster'' (aka ''[[MarketBasedTitle Road Avenger]]''), an earlier game by ''Double Dragon'' creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto.
** A billboard in Mission 1 features an advertisement for ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'', the Japanese version of ''Renegade'' and predecessor of ''RiverCityRansom''.
** 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.
** The series as the whole is inspired by ''FistOfTheNorthStar'', starting from the [[http://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]].
** 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 ''{{Kinnikuman}}'' wrestler [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6d/King_Neptune_kinnikuman.jpg/180px-King_Neptune_kinnikuman.jpg Neptuneman]].
** The GBA version 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/TheMatrix Reloaded,'' then it should be.
** ''Double Dragon Neon'' director Sean Velasco voices the over-the-top villain Skullmageddon, doing a dead-on impression of Skeletor's cheesy, LargeHam voice from the original 1980's ''HeMan''.
** Also in ''Neon'', the giant ManEatingPlant boss "Marian II" looks almost like and is named similarly to Audrey II from ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors''.
** Each type of mixtape you can get includes a short version of the song in question, most of which have fitting music genres.
** When buying things from the shopkeeper, he may respond with [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight "Heh heh...thank you"]]
*** The final area just before the final fight with Skullmageddon also has an invisible ladder that leads to an area with 3 treasure chests and extra lives, much like the invisible platform that rains down powerups right before Dracula in SuperCastlevaniaIV.
** The 4th level boss, Mecha Biker, is basically Mega Man in every sense of the way: he's referred to as a "Super Combat Bot" (referencing the [[WesternAnimation/MegaMan animated series']] theme song), rides around on a red jetbike much like Rush, shoots 3-shot bursts and charge shots, slides around and even explodes like Mega Man when defeated. His boss arena also has a pair of rising gates leading up to it with a short corridor in between them, and yes, you can jump through the gates and have Billy freeze in midair during screen transition. Finally, the platform the battle takes place on resembles the Mega Man boss introduction screens in both overall color and the borders on top and bottom of it.
** Billy and Jimmy need to [[spoiler: convert themselves into robots since their human bodies can't make it through the portal that leads to the BadFuture Skullmageddon escaped to]], which is pretty similar to what happened at the end of VideoGame/EarthBound.
** The boss Skullmageddon appears to be a homage to Super Shredder, the final boss of ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Turles In Time.'' This is up to and including his boss theme having a lot of snare drums and slap bass in it similar to the sound Roland synthesizers produced when used in Konami's soundtracks, teleporting when approached, and flashing colors when near death.
*** He also sounds like a dorkier [[HeMan Skeletor]].
** The "go" indicator arrow familiar from other beat'em-ups is basically a modified [[Creator/{{Nintendo}} Power Glove.]]
** When you hit an enemy with a baseball bat, the Lees may yell "[[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Boink!!]]"
** The [[spoiler: mutated Billy and Jimmy clones you fight in the laboratory levels]] are a shout-out to WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd.
*** Well, specifically, they're a shout out to the infamous misspelling of Billy's name in the third NES game, mentioned above. The Nerd just [[BerserkButton called attention to it when he reviewed it]].
* ShoutOutThemeNaming - The Lee Brothers, along with recurring mooks Williams and Rowper, all take their names from the three main heroes of ''EnterTheDragon''. The name "Billy" is also a reference to Billy Lo (Bruce Lee's character from ''GameOfDeath'') and the female mook Linda shares her name with Bruce Lee's widow Linda Lee Cadwell.
** 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).
** ''Sō-setsu-ken'', 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", ''Sō-setsu-ken'' means "Fist of Twin Interception".
** 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]]
** The second boss in the arcade version of ''Double Dragon 3'' is named Li Chenglong, a combination of BruceLee's surname and Jackie Chan's Chinese stage name (Cheng Long)
* ShovelStrike - In the second Arcade game.
* SiblingTeam - Billy and Jimmy Lee.
** 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.
* SideView - Some of the stages and areas in the NES games are 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.
* SimpleStaff - The staff in the SNES game.
* SinisterShades - Abore in the Arcade and PC-Engine version of ''II'', Carlem in the SNES game and the Agent Smith-rendition of Steve in ''Advance''.
* SmallAnnoyingCreature - Fuzzface in ''Neon'', who only appears if you crouch in a specific spot repeatedly. The bad news: It's a creepy oversized bee thing with googly eyes that constantly stare at the screen, an annoying voice and once you make it appear, it keeps following you around until you beat the game. The good news: it perioidically drops lots of life and energy recovery items and you can hit it by "accident", which makes it shout out in pain or say that it "knows you didn't mean to do that".
* SparedByTheAdaptation - [[spoiler:Marian, who was KilledOffForReal in the second arcade game, [[BackFromTheDead gets better]] in its NES (and later PC-Engine) adaptation.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS
** 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 ''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 Machine Gun Willy).
** Linda's name is spelled "[[JapaneseRanguage Rinda]]" in the promotional brochure for the Famicom version.
** Chin Taimei's name was shortened to "Chintai" in the NES version's manual.
** Marian's name is sometimes spelled "Marion" depending on the game. The manual for the Master System version spells it "Mary-Anne" as well.
** Even ''Sōsetsuken'', the fighting style of Billy and Jimmy, has been subject to spelling variations, with the manual for the NES version using the spelling ''So'''sai'''ken'' (since the second kanji can be pronounced both ways).
** The manual for the Neo-Geo version spells Burnov as "Bulnov" and Dulton as "Dalton."
* 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.
** ''Double Dragon'' itself was a spiritual successor to ''Renegade''.
* StalkedByTheBell - In the Arcade games, first NES game and ''Advance''.
* StuffBlowingUp - Various explosives for everyone to throw at someone they don't like.
* StuffedInTheFridge - The second arcade game begins exactly the same way as the first game... Only instead of being kidnapped, Marian is gunned down to death by Machine Gun Willy. Ouch!
** [[BackFromTheDead She did get better]] in the NES version.
* SuperMode - In the SNES game completely filling the ChargeMeter activates this, which makes your attacks more damaging and instantly knock downs enemies.
* SuplexFinisher - The Lee Brothers got a German Suplex in their moveset in the third arcade game.
* 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.
* TempleOfDoom - The final stages of ''I'' and ''II''. The NES version of the latter had a more literal TempleOfDoom.
* 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'' (the Japanese version of ''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.
* ThereWasADoor - Abobo and Burnov do this several times in the first two games.
* TreacherousAdvisor - [[spoiler:Hiruko]] in ''Double Dragon III''.
* 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).
* TookALevelInBadass: Marian in the Neo-Geo version, where she's not only a selectable fighter, but is one of the higher-tier characters in the roster.
* TurnsRed - In the SNES game, if the player performs a throw on Williams or Rowper, they will get angry and will move faster and hit harder.
* UnderwaterBase - Mission 4 of the second NES game.
* UnsoundEffect - The NES version of the second game gives us G*R*A*S*P in one of the cutscenes
* UnwillingSuspension - Marian in the first game.
* VillainousWidowsPeak - Machine Gun Willy in the first two arcade games.
* VillainSong - Double Dragon Neon ends with an [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJNDP_HTFp4 epic one]].
* WallJump - Added in the SNES game. The arcade and NES versions of the third game also added a wall-jumping attack for each character.
* WalkingShirtlessScene - Many mooks, most notably Abobo.
* WantedPoster - In the original arcade game, the wanted posters for the first two bosses (Bolo and Jeff) 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 Jeff's in Mission 3, which shows that his bounty is $100,000, ten times greater than either of the other two.
** The same wanted posters for Bolo and Willy also appear in the arcade version of the second game, but Bolo in that game underwent a complete sprite swap, no longer sporting his original Mr. T-style look that his poster depicted him with.
* WastedSong - In the original arcade game (as well as in the NES version), only a fraction of the intermission theme is played between stages since the game cuts off to the next stage before the remainder can be heard (as a result the only way to hear the full intermission theme is through sound rips). In the Game Boy version, the intermission theme is played as regular stage music in Mission 4-1, while the GBA version features cut-scenes that can be read at one's leisure, allowing the whole intermission theme to be played in both of those versions.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue - The ending of the third NES game.
* WhoWearsShortShorts - Marian in the Neo-Geo fighting game.
* WhipItGood - Linda's weapon of choice in the original game.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs - Abobo and Burnov in the Neo-Geo fighting game.
* WolverineClaws - Chin Seimei's weapon of choice.
* WorldOfHam - ''Double Dragon Neon'' embraces the silliness of the 80's, and then multiplies it to the nth degree.
* WorldOfPun - ''Neon'' likewise thrives on this: when Skullmageddon isn't making enough skeleton puns to make [[Manga/OnePiece Brook]] think he's being excessive, the Lees and the normal enemies also use them liberally, mostly when using various weapons and during cutscenes for the former and during their entrance and if they manage to deliver a killing blow for the latter.
* 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.
* YouBastard: Upon defeating Skullmagaddon in the final battle, [[spoiler:he congratulates the player in crushing his dreams in having a girl of his own]]

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