Magic fist

The magic fist is an offensive ability used by Rayman in Rayman 2, Rayman M/Arena/Rush and the Nintendo DS version of Rayman Raving Rabbids. It replaced the telescopic fist that was used in the original Rayman game, and would then be replaced in favour of the telescopic fist in Rayman 3 onwards.

A similar projectile attack would later feature as a temporary obtainable power-up in Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends, called the Flying Punch.

In Rayman 2

Rayman charging his magic fist, with the Power Fist equipped.

The manuals for both Rayman 2 and Rayman Revolution contain a short story detailing how Rayman came to be captured by the Robo-Pirates shortly before the beginning of the game. According to this story, Rayman lost most of his powers, including the magic fist, when the Robo-Pirates destroyed the Heart of the World. This indicates that Rayman first received the magic fist at some point between the events of Rayman 2 and the previous game, and that he was already acquainted with the ability by the time he regained it at the beginning of Rayman 2.

The magic fist is re-obtained at the beginning of the game, Globox gives Rayman a Silver Lum from Ly the Fairy, after which he can shoot a glowing magic power offensively from his hands. It is able to attack enemies, break doors reinforced by wooden-sparadraps, activate switches and be used to move plums. It is thanks to this ability that Rayman and Globox were able to escape the Robo-Pirate's prison ship called the Buccaneer, by breaking a metal grate (wooden sparadrap in the PlayStation version) in his cell that links to an escape chute. The fist has a white colouration before it is upgraded.

Once Ly has been rescued in the Fairy Glade, the magic fist can now be used to magically tether and swing onto Purple Lums, in addition to its previous capabilities, Rayman also uses a similar method to shoot and tether to Ssssam's scarf, who will then waterski Rayman across the Marshes of Awakening. During this time, the fist will now have a blue colouration, until the next and final upgrade is obtained.

Rayman will later encounter Globox in the Canopy, who gives Rayman the ability to charge a magic fist before releasing it, potentially tripling the damage it can deal, unlike a charged telescopic fist, Rayman will automatically release a charged magic fist after a certain amount of time, and will not keep it held indefinitely. After this upgrade is obtained, the magic fist will have a yellow colouration, and will remain in this colouration for the rest of the game.

Rayman can have an extra upgrade if he collects a Power Fist, which lasts until he is hit three times, after which his fists will return white again. This puts the damage that Rayman's fist can deal at its maximum. Rayman can collect them by finding them in a level, or by winning them in a bonus level.

The magic fist can rebound off walls and barriers, this property can be used tactically against stationary enemies such as Barrel Pirates.

In Rayman Revolution

At the beginning of the game, instead of giving the magic fist ability, the Silver Lum delivered by Globox restores a simple version of Rayman's telescopic fist, where he can merely punch in close-quarters, and not over large distances. Rayman then uses this telescopic fist to escape from the Buccaneer, and continues to use it throughout the Woods of Light, the first level of the game. At the end of the level, the Grand Minimus gives him another Silver Lum from Ly; this one grants Rayman the magic fist power, and he keeps it for the duration of the game.

Like in the original Rayman 2, Rayman's magic fist is upgraded twice in the game by the Silver Lums given by Ly. However, the one obtained in the Fairy Glade does not only provide him with the ability to grab onto Purple Lums, but also increases its power threefold, and the one obtained in the Canopy does not give him the ability to charge his fist, only increasing its power threefold again.

In this game, the ability to charge Rayman's magic fist is obtained in the Magic Well and called "Accumulation 1". It features a different animation than in the original Rayman 2, with Rayman releasing the charged projectile in a gesture reminiscent of the Kamehameha attack from the Dragon Ball series. A further upgrade, "Accumulation 2", allows a charged shot to also damage all enemies in range. The other powers that can be bought in the Magic Well are "Rebound 1", which allows shots to bounce off walls, "Rebound 2", which upgrades them further to rebound off enemies, helping Rayman attack groups of enemies more efficiently, and "Rate of Fire", which enables Rayman to use both of his hands to shoot, effectively doubling his rate of fire.

In Rayman M, Rayman Arena and Rayman Rush

All characters possess the ability of the magic fist in the races, with the main function to trigger switches and grab onto Purple Lums.

In Rayman Rush, it has the extra function of freezing an opponent when hit.

In the Nintendo DS version of Rayman Raving Rabbids

Although the magic fist doesn't appear in the Nintendo DS version of Rayman Raving Rabbids, Rayman has a similar ability to shoot Yellow Lums.