Drunken Fist

The Drunken Fist is a martial arts style rooted in real-world drunken boxing, known in Chinese as Zui Quan. The practitioner deliberately adopts the swaying, stumbling movements of an intoxicated person, making their attacks nearly impossible to predict. Every wobble conceals a strike; every stumble sets up a counter. The technique's power lies entirely in deception, as the fighter appears vulnerable and uncoordinated while actually maintaining perfect control over their body and positioning.

Master Roshi, disguised as Jackie Chun, deployed the Drunken Fist during the finals of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament against a young Goku. The old master's erratic movements confused Goku completely, as the boy could not anticipate where the next strike would come from. Yamcha, watching from the stands, recognized the technique by name, which prompted Goku to remark that it was one of his Grandpa Gohan's special techniques. Goku ultimately countered the Drunken Fist with his own improvised Crazy Fist, a style that imitated various wild animals to match the unpredictability of Roshi's approach.

The technique is a direct homage to the 1978 film Drunken Master, which starred Jackie Chan and popularized drunken boxing in martial arts cinema worldwide. This connection goes deeper than just the technique itself. Roshi's tournament alias "Jackie Chun" is itself a play on Jackie Chan's name, making the Drunken Fist a layered reference that ties the character, his fighting style, and his real-world inspiration together in a single moment. In the Toonami broadcast, censors renamed it the "Mad Cow Technique" to avoid referencing alcohol for younger audiences.