Forget Final Fight, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage. When it comes to fighting, Technos’ Double Dragon is the true heavyweight champion. The 1987 arcade hit was actually intended as a direct sequel to Renegade, an earlier Technos fighting game that popularized the street vigilante theme. Designer Yoshihisa Kishimoto added cooperative play, bigger levels, and weapon attacks to Renegade to create a game that defined the beat’em up genre. The Dragons, brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, returned in several sequels and spinoffs, and also appeared in comic books, TV series, and movies in the 1990s. Here we focus on the core bouts that made the brothers the boxers they respected. If you liked this article, visit our Facebook page or subscribe to our mailing list for more great retro gaming content.

Double Dragon (1987)

The original game hit players’ consciousness like a punch to the trachea and was an instant hit in arcades. Everyone remembers the wince-inducing gameplay as Billy and Jimmy fought hordes of street punks on a mission to rescue Marian from the Black Warriors gang, but there was more to Double Dragon than just brutality. The sprites were large and well-animated, the soundtrack was exhilarating, and overall the game was a lot of fun, not without humor (rolling your eyes out and throwing them into a hole always puts a smile on your face). Sure, you could beat the game by spamming elbow moves, but that sucked all the life out of this well-rounded brawler.

Double Dragon II: The Revenge (1988).

Technos was quick to capitalize on the success of the first game, with a sequel released on schedule the following year. Naturally, it felt very familiar, starting out similar to Marian’s attack by the Black Warriors. This time, however, she was shot (don’t worry, Technos added some credits to bring her back for future games). A few new moves were added (including the iconic cyclone kick) and the challenge was made more difficult (opponents were faster and smarter, effectively mitigating the elbow smash), but Revenge was more of a palette swap than a proper sequel. No wonder it was originally planned as an update to the original game board. A more appropriate subtitle would be “The Revamp”.

Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone (1991)

Technos was probably too busy calculating profits from the first two games and handed over development duties to East Technology. DD3 saw the addition of the yellow-clad Sonny to the clan, introduced three player support, and added many new attack options, including a handy running move. It was a hard game, but luckily there was an in-game shop where you could buy weapons, extra powers, and even spare fighters. The problem was that the shop only accepted cash. What a scam! Such was the loot box controversy of the time. In the Japanese version, Technos wisely did away with the shop system, but even without it this was a poor version of the earlier game. Plus the plot was ridiculous. How on earth did we go from brawling mean street baddies to battling Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen, in space?

Super Double Dragon (1992)

The first three games were all transferred to home systems with very varying degrees of success. The series found its spiritual home on the NES, where the game was remastered for the console and introduced expanded levels with tons of platforming. Developed by Technos and released exclusively for the Super Nintendo, the game was more of a sequel to the NES trilogy than the arcade trilogy. In it, Billy and Jimmy had to crack more skulls in another mission to save Marian. Combat was streamlined, introducing moves that allowed you to fight enemies on both sides at the same time, but it was starting to feel a bit formulaic. Even tired clichés of fighting inside rising elevators and moving vehicles crept in. The Japanese version is titled “Return of Double Dragon” and has some improvements, which makes it better as a result.

Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls (1994)

Thanks to Street Fighter II, lone fighters were popular and relevant again. Someone at US publisher Tradewest thought it would be a good idea to make a SFII clone for the Super Nintendo under the name Double Dragon and tie it in with the Double Dragon cartoon that was on TV at the time. The result was a weak example of a tournament fighter that was soundly defeated by the home versions of Street Fighter II, and the Sega Mega Drive and Atari Jaguar versions were equally bad. The game was uninteresting even for Double Dragon fans, as the roster, other than Billy, Jimmy, and a few others who appeared in the cartoon, seemed to be made up of outcasts from a Star Wars cantina bar.

Double Dragon (1995)

How did Technos react to the fiasco of Shadow Falls? Doubled up and developed their own one-on-one fighter. At least this one was decent, designed for Neo Geo arcade hardware and had lots of flashy, fast-paced action. And unlike other attempts, it brought together familiar characters from previous games, including Abobo, Vernoff, Duke, and even Chun-Li’s Marian. Technos stopped trading shortly after this game’s release, but that didn’t mean the end of Double Dragon.

Double Dragon Advance (2003)

After an eight-year hiatus, Dragon returned with an exclusive title developed for the Game Boy Advance by Million. From the start, it seemed like a direct update of the original slot machine, which was fine since the first game didn’t receive a faithful adaptation, but it went way beyond that and played like a greatest hits package for fans of the series. Billy and Jimmy were blessed with their largest repertoire of moves yet, including all the old favorites (even the Renegade’s ground attacks were included), along with stylish new combos and juggling skills. The original levels had been reshuffled and new ones added, and old enemies often returned with new tricks, making the whole game feel both reassuring and surprisingly fresh at the same time.

Double Dragon Neon (2012)

“Oh no, not again!” groaned Billy as Marian was being dragged away by the Warriors again. That’s right, the humor that was evident in the first game and featured in DD Advance is present not only in the series, but in this loving parody that focuses on beat-em-ups, retro remakes, and the 1980s in general. But that wasn’t just a hint: Neon was essentially a fantastic fighting game with amazing depth (just look at all the stances and special moves). Released for PS3, X360 and PC, Neon is Double Dragon at its edgiest, perfect for fans wanting to revisit the series.

Double Dragon IV (2017)

The latest entry has the most confusing title. It’s called IV because it’s based on the arcade title and is actually a sequel to three NES games, but the action takes place after NES Double Dragon II. And despite being released for modern platforms (PS4, Switch, PC), it purposefully mimics the look and feel of the NES. It’s a strange exercise that screams “retro” a little too loudly, but it’s still a fun brawler that provides some momentary excitement. Who knows what’ll happen next in this series, but the Double Dragon name is still alive and well after 30 years, so it looks like Billy and Jimmy will be writing their names down and rescuing women for quite some time yet.