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Yamcha

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This article is about the Dragon Ball character. For Chinese custom, please see Yum cha.
Yamcha
Dragon Ball character
File:Yamcha photo.jpg
First appearanceDragon Ball Chapter 7
Dragon Ball episode 5
Created byAkira Toriyama
In-universe information
AliasZedaki (Harmony Gold dub)
Yamchu
Yamacha
Yumcha
SpeciesHuman

Yamcha (ヤムチャ, Yamucha), the notorious desert bandit, is a fictional character from the manga Dragon Ball and the anime Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. He is a human who has started out as an antagonist of Goku but quickly reformed and became his friend. His constant companion is the shape-changing cat Pu'ar. His seiyuu is Tōru Furuya. In the English dub he was originally voiced by Ted Cole and later Christopher Sabat.

For most of the original series and the first half of the second, he had a relationship with Bulma.

Appearance

Yamcha's appearance stays relatively the same for the majority of the series, although his clothes and hair style are changed a few times in both original series and Dragon Ball Z. Yamcha changed his hair style nine times through the series. In four cases his hair was very long (the beginning of Dragon Ball, during 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, during the Saiyan and Frieza saga, and he had grown a ponytail at the end of Dragon Ball Z and during Dragon Ball GT). In two cases his hair was medium long (During the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, Trunks saga and beginning of the Artificial Human saga) , and in three cases it was quite short (21st Tenkaichi Budokai, Cell and Cell Games Saga and Buu Saga). Several of these hairstyles are also used (most likely coincidentally) by Son Gohan at various points in his life. According to Android 19's scanner Yamcha is 183 centimeters tall and weighs 68 kilograms, during the Android Saga. He is one of the tallest members of the Z Warriors.

Character Information

Yamcha entered the series early in Dragon Ball as a desert bandit; he ambushed Son Goku, Bulma and Oolong as they were traveling the desert in order to steal their money and capsules. Yamcha had a fear of girls, but later overcome that fear and became a kind of a playboy. Yamcha's past was never explored in the series, but it is shown that he knows a lot about martial arts and martial arts masters. His early fighting style revolved around Wolf Fang Fist and usage of swords. After Kame Sen'nin accepts him as one of his students his Ki control dramatically increases, to the point that he was able to create his own trademark attack, Sokidan. Later in the series his fighting style usually revolves around his Wolf-style fighting style combined with various Ki blasts, Sokidan and Kamehameha. During the Cell saga Yamcha decides to give up fighting, because he felt he got behind the Saiyans too much in terms of power and because of lack of discipline. However, he does become powerful enough to fight Frieza in his final form showing he can still hold his own. Yamcha does try to fight Kid Buu along side Krillin when Kid Buu enters heaven in search of Goku and Vegeta after he blows up the Earth. He is often seen driving hover-car, which he enjoys buying, which are usually destroyed, soon after he buys them (by a new villain, or an accident). This became a kind of a running joke in the series and movies.

Yamcha participated in every Tenkaichi Budokai in the original series, but was eliminated in quarter-finals by a much stronger opponent, usually the one that wins the tournament.

Yamcha makes cameo appearances in Dragon Ball GT in episodes 40, "Piccolo's Decision" and 64, "Until We Meet Again...". By the end of Dragon Ball GT (In the final episode "Until we meet again"), Yamcha is seen fixing his car in the middle of the desert (where he lives in the same house as in dragonball) and probably returns to his vagabond life roaming the desert with Puar.

Special abilities

Kamehameha (Turtle Destruction Wave)

Along with Goku & Krillin, Yamcha is able to do the Kamehameha do to his training from Kame Sen'nin.
File:Yamcha Wolf Fang Hurricane Fist.jpg
Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist
Rogafufuken (Wolf Fang Fist)
Yamcha's trademark attack, it's a fast series of powerful swipes, grips and kicks that leave the victim looking as though they were mauled by a wolf. Usually in the anime, while executing this move, Yamcha's body is overlayed with the symbolic image of a wolf.
During his fight with Tenshinhan in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Yamcha uses an improved version called Shin Rogafufuken (New Wolf Fang Hurricane Fist).
File:Bscap038.jpg
Yamcha using his sokidan
Spirit Ball or Sokidan (Controllable Energy Bullet)
An energy ball that Yamcha can guide with great precision and control. Unlike other homing attacks, the spirit ball doesn't automatically follow its target, as Yamcha has full control of it at all times. He must remain stationary and focused to manipulate the attack. More commonly known as the Spirit Ball in english releases.
Bukuu Jutsu (Lighter Than Air Skill)
The ability of flight through Ki manipulation.
Fusion Dance (Fusion-ha)
While he doesn't uses this technique in the manga or anime, in the game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, he can use this technique to combine with Tenshinhan to form Yamhan (Tiencha in the US version)

Video games

File:3D Tiencha.jpg
Tiencha, a what-if character who appeared in Dragonball Z: Budokai 2

Yamcha is a playable character in:

He also appears as a Boss/NPC in the following:

Trivia

  • Yamcha is likely based off Sha Wujing from 'Journey to the West', the Chinese novel that Dragon Ball is based on. Both are powerful bandits (Yamcha from a sandy desert and Wujing from the Sand River), who atone and help the heroes on their quest.
  • His name comes from the Cantonese pronunciation of "to drink tea"（飲茶 'yum cha'), referring to a gathering to drink tea and eat dim sum.
  • The scars on Yamcha's face are from when he was training, but how he got them was never explained. He merely shows up with them at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai tournament.
  • In each of the Tenkaichi Budokai tournaments that he enters, Yamcha is eliminated in the quarterfinals. In two out of three cases Yamcha is defeated by the fighter who goes on to be Goku's opponent in the finals.
  • In GT, Yamcha looks very similar to how he appeared at the end of DBZ. The only notable difference is his black shirt that replaces the white one he wore. He also has few strands of gray hair that are slightly visible in the back of his hair during his brief cameo in the final episode. Other than this, he does not show any notable signs of aging, unlike Kuririn.
  • Yamcha-like characters appear in other Akira Toriyama works, namely Mr. Ho as the titular character and in Dr. Slump as Tsukutsun Tsun.
  • The first kanji Yamcha has on his clothes "樂" stands for "happy" or "music". After training with Muten Roshi, he takes turtle kanji "亀" as sign of respect. Later, after training with North Kaio, he wears both Kame and Kaio kanji. He wears them the opposite way Goku did (Kame on the back, Kaio on the chest, except in "The Tree of Might" where he wears Kaio kanji on the back and Kame on the chest).
  • Yamcha replaces Gotenks (from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi) on all loading screens in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2. Here he is seen charging up Sokidan. Players can move a Sokidan attack to breaks the bricks which are appearing around Yamcha.

Notes and references


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