The first game to feature fist fighting was Sega's boxing game "Heavyweight Champ" (1976), but it was Data East's fighting game "Karate Champ" (1984) which popularized martial arts themed games.
The first game to feature fist fighting was Sega's boxing game "Heavyweight Champ" (1976), which was viewed from a side-view perspective like later fighting games. However, it was Data East's fighting game "Karate Champ" (1984) which popularized martial arts themed games.