How Martial Arts Inspired the Band Name Five Finger Death Punch

Fiver Finger Death Punch has one of the most attention-grabbing names in metal music. Equally as attention-grabbing is their expansive discography and many hit songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart including “Coming Down,” “Lift Me Up” and “Battle Born.”

The band originated in Las Vegas in 2005 and has seen a series of musician changes, with the current lineup consisting of founder and guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead singer Ivan Moody, bassist Chris Kael, drummer Charlie Engen and lead guitarist Andy James.

Meaning Behind the Band Name

The name Five Finger Death Punch stems from the 1972 kung-fu movie, Five Fingers of Death, also known as King Boxer. The plot centers around a marital arts student Chih-Hao, who falls in love with his teacher’s daughter and must win a competition against a rival kung-fu master in order to court his teacher’s daughter.

The name was chosen by Bathory, who has a background in martial arts. The Hungarian-born musician is an experienced Jiu-Jitsu fighter, having placed in the Top 3 in several competitions across America. Despite choosing the name, Bathory shared in 2019 that he doesn’t think it’s a particularly good name – which made it all the more appealing.

“The name of the band has to have some kind of effect,” he explains in an interview from the studio. “It doesn’t have to be positive; it doesn’t have to be, ‘That’s the greatest name in the world!’ It can be, ‘Oh my god, that’s the dumbest fucking shit I ever heard!’ Equally good, because it got a reaction.”

[RELATED: 10 Band Names Inspired by the Big Screen]

That’s the exact reaction he got from bandmate Moody. “I don’t think you can beat Five Finger Death Punch, that’s probably the worst fucking name,” Bathory continues. “In fact, we almost changed it, but then Ivan came in and said, ‘That’s the best name ever, they’re gonna fucking hate it, keep it! That’s fucking ridiculous!’”

Five Finger Death Punch has released nine studio albums thus far, the latest being AfterLife in 2022. Every album, with the exception of their 2007 debut The Way of the Fist, has reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)