The Double Illusion[4] are recurring bosses in the Double Dragon series. They are evil clones of Billy and Jimmy Lee. They were introduced as the final bosses in the original arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge. Their exact origin is unknown, but they are usually shown to materialize from the brothers' own shadows.
Appearances[]
Double Dragon II: The Revenge[]
The Double Illusion are evil clones of Billy and Jimmy Lee who challenge them as the final bosses in the original arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge. They make their appearance after defeating the main antagonist, Willy.
Their origin is unknown, although all points that they are not from this world, as they possess and seem to exist through magical powers. They are either born from Billy and Jimmy's shadows, or are their actual shadows that have come to life through magical means. Being clones, they have the same abilities as the Lee brothers, and as such, they can replicate all of their Sou-Setsu-Ken arts to perfection, meaning that they can make use of secret techniques such as their trademark "hurricane kick".
These doppelgangers are also able to project dark energy blasts from their hands for ranged attacks and instantly perform finishing uppercuts, although their most devastating attack consists in them entering the bodies of their opponents and attacking them from within, taking a big chunk of their health and knocking them down, without the victims being able to retaliate in any way. The only way to avoid this attack is by not making contact with the floor; as such, constantly performing hurricane kicks will greatly reduce the chances that the attack triggers, as it allows the player to stay airborne for a longer time. If an Illusion was unable to perform this attack for a determined period of time, it will eventually leave the host's body and continue fighting as normal.
As to what their motives are, whether they are the real leaders of the Black Warriors or just summoned minions, has never been disclosed. They could also be a symbolic way of showing the brothers testing their abilities against beings who equally match them in strength and skill, or as a way of overcoming their own dark sides. Then again, they could merely be something added by the developers as an ending surprise for the player after defeating the supposed final boss, Willy. All these theories are mere speculation, though.
In the manual for the ZX Spectrum version of Double Dragon II, they are mentioned to be the "tortured souls" of Billy and Jimmy, likely due to the sorrow they had to endure after Marian's recent death, as well as their subsequent resolve to fight the perpetrators once again. The manual also states that the brothers had magical powers of their own, bestowed due to their Shinto birthright, which allowed them to break inside the magical barrier where Marian's body was kept. At that moment, the Double Illusion materialized and attacked them, although the Dragons ultimately prevailed over them. This final victory was actually key in saving Marian, as it allowed the brothers to gather enough power from the ether to enact a Shinto resurrection ceremony and bring her back to life.[3]
In the NES port of Double Dragon II, on the "Supreme Master" difficulty setting (which is considered to be the canon of that continuity), the Double Illusion are the penultimate bosses of the game, and after they are defeated, the player has to endure a final showdown against the Mysterious Warrior, another being possessing magical powers and who can control illusions, hinting that he could have been involved in the creation of the Double Illusion in some way, with the latter just being powerful loyal servants for the brothers to contend with.
In the PC Engine CD version of Double Dragon II, which is based on the NES game, the Double Illusion reprises its role of being the final boss of the game. In addition to having all the moves of its arcade and NES counterparts, it also has a new stance used when it sinks into the player's shadow. Curiously, only one Illusion appears in this game, even with two players fighting it at once.
Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons[]
Referred to as Doppelgangers in this game. They are the shadows of the egos that split from the brothers' thirst for revenge.
They are very powerful and almost don't have any weak points. They are duplicate monsters originated from Billy and Jimmy's evil sides.
They will appear after defeating Willy from the Black Warriors.[5]
They are fought as the final bosses of this 2013 remake of Double Dragon II, reprising their role from the arcade original.
- Profile
- Body type: Man A (same as both Billy and Jimmy)
- Gender: Same as both Billy and Jimmy.
- Age: Same as both Billy and Jimmy.
- Personality: A devil incarnation.
- Features: Using the same skills as Billy and Jimmy, attacks with electric balls and shadows.
Other appearances[]
River City Girls 2[]
Referred to as Shadow Billy, one of these characters makes a cameo in this game, attending The ShaDough Realm item shop.
Gallery[]
Artworks[]
Sprites[]
Trivia[]
- It is possible that these evil clones represent a physical form of the Lee brothers' inner conflict when they sought revenge for Marian's death.
- While in the games, the Double Illusion appear as perfect clones of the brothers, their gender (if any) is left to ambiguity, as they could just be unknown magical life forms that simply adopt the appearance of their opponents.
- In Double Dragon Advance, Raymond and Yáng, two members of the Five Emperors, borrow a variant of the Double Illusion's ability to turn/enter their own shadows to attack enemies with impunity from below.
- In the Double Dragon one-on-one fighting game, Koga Shuko also uses this technique, where it is given the name Kirin, meaning "Shadow Attack".
- One of the Illusions, named Shadow Billy, makes a cameo in River City Girls 2, acting as the owner of The ShaDough Realm store.
References[]
- ↑ Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons
- ↑ Named "Shadow Billy" in his cameo in River City Girls 2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Double Dragon II: The Revenge manual (ZX Spectrum), page 3. - Games Database.
- ↑ Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES) manual, page 7.
- ↑ An Introduction to Characters | Black Warriors at The Legend of Fighting Action Game: Double Dragon II.
| Double Dragon II: The Revenge | |
|---|---|
| Versions | Arcade • NES |
| Characters | Billy Lee • Jimmy Lee • Marian |
| Bosses | Arcade: Burnov • Bolo • Abore • Willy • Double Illusion NES: Burnov • Bolo • Abore • Double Illusion • Mysterious Warrior |
| Enemies | Williams • Roper • Linda • Right Arm • Ninja • Bolo • Abore • Chin Taimei • Jeff |
| More | Soundtrack • Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons |