Skip to main content

The Science of a Shoryuken Will Blow Your Mind… Literally

Have you ever wondered how much it would hurt to take flying uppercut to the face from Ryu, Ken, Akuma or any of the many other Street Fighter characters who employ a Shoryuken-style move? Whatever you’ve imagined, it’s actually much, much worse.

Video game mythbusting channel VSauce3 have done their best to logically translate the force and effect of the dragon punch, based on how it’s been depicted in the series for decades, and use physics to re-create the damage in a real-world setting. As it turns out, the act of moving from a crouching position to leaping many feet off the ground and punching a person so hard that they fly up in the air with you is a superhuman feat. By their calculations, taking a dragon punch to the chin should knock your head clean off. Fatality.

To make their calculations, the team started with a specific animation from Street Fighter II: Ken using his dragon punch on a stunned Zangief. From there, they used physics to determine how much force it would take and a person for a fist to launch a Zangief-sized person a full body-length up in the air. From there, they calculate how high —more than 20 feet— and how fast —more than 20 miles per hour— Ken could jump if he didn’t hit anybody.

To re-create the shoryuken in the real world, they use a robot arm and a head-and-torso shaped target. They made the right decision.

Obviously this is all speculation:  The “science” and math employed is based on the premise that Street Fighter moves were animated to scale and exist in a world where the laws of gravity apply. Their logic seems fine, as good as you can hope for, but ultimately the Street Fighter universe and reality are world apart.

All of this, by the way, is an extremely roundabout way of reminding you that the human body is very fragile… So do not try this at home. Getting punched in the face no fun, even without super-dragon powers.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Epstein
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…
What is dragonsplague in Dragon’s Dogma 2 and how is it cured?
A dragon roars in Dragon's Dogma 2.

Dragon's Dogma 2 likes to keep many of its mechanics and systems a secret until you discover them. You will learn quickly that you can't fast travel around the map freely, but there's one mechanic that is far more detrimental to your game. This is called dragonsplague and it is a disease that can't be cured with a simple tonic. In fact, you may not even realize if you have it in your game because it isn't something that affects your character at all; instead, it affects your Pawns. Failing to recognize you have dragonsplague and deal with it in a timely manner can ruin your entire playthrough if you're not careful. To avoid such a catastrophe, here are all the details about this cruel disease.
What is dragonsplague?

Dragonsplague is a special kind of disease that Pawns can contract seemingly by interacting with either Drakes or Dragons. That part isn't fully clear yet, however, we do know that Pawns with dragonsplague can spread the disease to other Pawns. Since Pawns are able to pass between worlds to join other players, you are never fully safe from being infected if you're playing online. Unlike a real sickness, though, dragonsplague actually transfers between Pawns rather than spreads, meaning it won't fully run rampant through the game.

Read more
Stellar Blade feels more like a Soulslike than a fast-paced action RPG
Stellar Blade STALKER fight.

 

Korean developer Shift Up first made a name for itself with mobile games like 2016’s Destiny Child, a turn-based RPG, and 2022’s Goddess of Victory: Nikke, an on-rails third-person shooter. Now, Shift Up is throwing its hat into the ring of AAA game development with Stellar Blade, an action game starring a young woman named Eve who is trying to reclaim Earth from an invading alien species. The developer’s first attempt at crafting a premium console experience is already much stronger than I expected.

Read more
Get 15% off this extremely comfortable Razer gaming chair
Razer - Iskur Gaming Chair.

If you want an extremely comfortable experience while you're playing your favorite video games, you should set aside some cash to invest in a quality gaming chair. Here's a premium option that you wouldn't regret buying -- the Razer Iskur gaming chair, which is on sale from Razer with a 15% discount that pulls its price down to just $510 from $600. There's no telling how much time is remaining before the savings of $90 get taken down though, so if you're interested in this bargain, you're going to have to complete your purchase right away.

Why you should buy the Razer Iskur gaming chair
The Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair is now available, but the first model, the Razer Iskur gaming chair, remains a worthwhile purchase today. Its ergonomic design features a built-in, fully adjustable lumbar curve that supports your spine, instead of other gaming chairs' lumbar pillows that shift over time, as well as a memory foam head cushion. The Razer Iskur gaming chair is also wrapped in multi-layered synthetic leather that's not only tougher than the standard PU leather, but also more comfortable, and its high-density foam cushions that mold to your body shape while still providing the proper support.

Read more