Fists are a weapon in the Disgaea series. They mainly function as a defensive weapon that can change enemy position. In later installments, their damage calculator adds SPD to its modifier, forcing a higher focus on the SPD stat, which in turn grants better dodging and evasion capabilities. In Disgaea D2, Fists can now deal multiple attacks in a row as part of a combo when using a regular attack.
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
- "Brawlers rely primarily on their fists as weapons. Normal attacks have a high hit percentage and slightly higher Chance of Team Attack than other weapons. The Special Techniques learned with fists are short-range and have a small area of effect. But, many will allow you to knock enemies into different positions."
- —Longinus
In Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, the Fist's sole damage stat is ATK, thus putting fist-users in equal competition for Gladiator specialists with Sword and Spear users. Both Male and Female Martial Artists specialize in fists to the exclusion of all other weapons (they have A/S in Fist, and E/D in everything else); they also have a higher counter rate than most other D1 classes. The game implies that the high counter rate is inherent to the class, not the weapon.
Fist specials frequently cause the target to shift position by one or, rarely, more squares. This can be useful for knocking an enemy off of an Invincibility panel, moving a dangerous enemy away from a squishy ally, or even moving a target into weapon range of an ally that cannot get closer to the original position of the mob. Normal fist attacks only ever hit a single target, and while the list of fist specials do include 2 AOE attacks, the user must be of a somewhat high weapon proficiency to unlock them. Consequently, leveling a new fist user can be somewhat slow. Liberal application of Armsmaster Specialists is recommended.
To see the charts of weapon skills and weapon stats for Fists, please see List of Disgaea 1 Weapons#Fist.
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
- "Fist weapons are best for characters that are good at close combat, like Adell. For normal attacks, there's a slightly better chance to team attack, and there's two extra counter attacks. Another characteristic of the fist weapon is that damage depends on attack power (ATK) and speed (SPD). This means that even weak people can cover up for their attack power with speed. That's an important merit. Even if you increase attack power, if your speed is low, you won't do as much damage, so watch out for that. Skills that you can learn with fist weapon mastery include those that can move the opponent's position, so remember that. Adell, you're good with the fist weapon. It is most effective to train with the weapon you're best at."
- —Adell's Father
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories gave its main character Adell Fist weapons, and also gave Coach specialists something approaching actual value by causing Fist damage to be a balance of ATK and SPD. D2 halfway rejected the 'every class has a male and female version' trope; there is no 'female brawler' class, but the Sinner does use Fists, and achieves 'S' proficiency quite early, in tier three. His counter does not quite reach the insane counter count of the D1 Martial Artists, but is still quite respectable. Aside from the post-game-unlockable Majin, no one else in this game uses Fists, so even with the game's main character wielding them, Fists are still a second-string weapon.
To see the charts of weapon skills and weapon stats for Fists, please see List of Disgaea 2 Weapons#Fist.
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
- "Fist weapons are best for characters that are good at close combat. For normal attacks, there's a higher chance of activating a team attack, and an added number of counterattacks. A characteristic of the fist weapon is that damage depends on attack power (ATK) and speed (SPD). This means, even weak people can cover up for their attack power with speed. This is an important forte. Even if you increase ATK, if your SPD is low, you can't deal as much damage. Watch out for this. Also, many of the Fist's weapon skills move the opponent's position. Remember this."
- —Zommie V
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice:
To see the charts of weapon skills and weapon stats for Fists, please see List of Disgaea 3 Weapons#Fist.
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
- "Fist weapons are best for characters that are good at close combat. For normal attacks, there's a higher chance of activating a Team Attack, and an added number of counter attacks. A characteristic of the fist weapon is that damage depends on attack power (ATK) and speed (SPD). This means, even weak people can cover up for their attack power with speed. This is an important forte. Even if you increase ATK, if your SPD is low, you can't deal as much damage. Watch out for this. Also, many of the Fist's Weapon Skills move the opponent's position. Remember this."
- —Zommie, Jr.
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten: Fists function the same as in previous games. They often move enemies from their original position. The Bouncer class specializes in Fists while Fenrich also is proficient in Fists.
To see the charts of weapon skills and weapon stats for Fists, please see List of Disgaea 4 Weapons#Fist.
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
- "Fists are good weapons for characters who are good at close combat. Fist weapons increase your ability to counter attacks, and are generally great for close combat. Their normal attacks are based on ATK and SPD. This means that weak units can compensate for a low ATK with a high SPD. It's a very important factor. Keep in mind that even if you have a high ATK, if your SPD is low, you won't be doing much damage. Also remember that Fist Weapon Skills often move the target around."
- —Gen, the Know-It-All Guy
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance:
To see the charts of weapon skills and weapon stats for Fists, please see List of Disgaea 5 Weapons#Fist.