Yamcha

Who This
Yamcha (ヤムチャ, Yamucha) is a main protagonist in the Dragon Ball manga and in the anime Dragon Ball, and later a supporting protagonist in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, with a few appearances in Dragon Ball GT. He is a former boyfriend of Bulma and the lifelong best friend of Puar.

A former desert bandit, Yamcha was once an enemy of Goku, but quickly reformed and became a friend and ally.[11] Brave, boastful and dependable, Yamcha is a very talented martial artist and one of the most powerful humans on Earth, possessing skills and traits that allow him to fight alongside his fellow Z Fighters when major threats loom. Although he retired by the latter half of Dragon Ball Z, due to being largely outclassed by both his allies (namely the Saiyans) and their enemies, he is always present whenever a new threat approaches, and will occasionally lend a helping hand, thus proving himself to be a powerful ally in his own right

Appearance
Yamcha's appearance changes throughout the series, mainly his clothes and hairstyle. Yamcha started out the series with long hair and bangs. After settling down in the city, he cut his hair to fit in. Later on, he would grow his hair out again and eventually cut short to a spikier hairstyle and completely short before outgrowing his hair once again. Several of Yamcha's hairstyles are also used by Gohan at various points in his life. Another of Yamcha's most significant appearance changes were the mysterious scars he got sometime during his three years training for the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. According to Android 19's scanner, Yamcha is 183 centimeters tall and weighs 68 kilograms, during the Androids Saga. The first kanji Yamcha has on his clothes 楽 (raku) stands for "comfort" or "easy"; there is no real meaning behind it other than he just enjoys being comfortable. After training with Master Roshi, he takes the "turtle" or "Kame" kanji "亀" as a sign of respect. Later, after training with King Kai, he wears both "Kame and "Kai" kanji. He wears them the opposite way Goku did ("Kame" on the back and "Kai" on the chest), except in Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might where he wears the "Kai" kanji on the back and "Kame" on the chest.Yamcha sometimes wears a white martial arts outfit with black trousers that bears a striking resemblance to the outfit worn by Bruce Lee during his fight with O'Hara in the film Enter the Dragon, as shown during one of his brief appearances in the Red Ribbon Army Saga and in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (an outfit similar is also worn by Tsukutsun Tsun in the Dr. Slump  remake). In the Majin Buu saga, Yamcha wears a yellow suit jacket along  with a white long-sleeved shirt and wears yellow suit pants and black shoes. At the end of Dragon Ball Z and throughout Dragon Ball GT,  Yamcha now has his hair long again and wears it in a ponytail and retains the same outfit that he wore in the Majin Buu Saga as his undershirt are now sleeveless. In Dragon Ball Super, Yamcha's outfit is a white martial arts with gray trousers (which is the exact same attire he wore in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods). His hair is almost the same style as the one he had during the Saiyan Saga and Frieza Saga.

When Akira Toriyama decided to create Dragon Ball, he used Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West as a prototype for his own series. Yamcha is most likely based on Sha Wujing, also known as Sha Seng and Sha Heshang, from this novel. Both are powerful bandits who are associated with sand, (Yamcha from a sandy desert, Sha from a sand river), who reform and join the heroes on their quest.

History
Yamcha is introduced in the Emperor Pilaf Saga as a 16 year old bandit that lives in Diablo Desert along with his companion, an anthropomorphic cat named Puar, and robs travelers who pass through. He ambushed Goku, Bulma and Oolong in order to steal their money and capsules. When challenged by Goku, they fought, with Yamcha using his signature technique, the Wolf Fang Fist, seemingly knocking Goku out. However, it only injured Goku. Then, Goku starts to have the disadvantage when he starts to get hungry, which drains his power. As Yamcha was about to defeat Goku, he spots Bulma and makes his retreat, due to his extreme fear of women. Yamcha returned to their camp that night and, while spying on them, learned of the Dragon Balls and their ability to grant a wish. He then decided to steal their Dragon Balls and make a wish to overcome his phobia, as he dreams of getting married. He and his companion Puar broke into the group's van that night to do so, but were foiled when the orbs under the sheet which Yamcha thought were Dragon Balls were actually the breasts of a nude and sleeping Bulma, causing him to leave in a confused daze. He attacked again the following day, by knocking over the group's van with a panzerfaust, but was again challenged by Goku and retreated when Goku damaged his vanity by knocking one of his teeth out. Yamcha's attack to the wagon had still done its damage so Goku's group was forced to leave it behind and walk. As Shu had earlier planted a bomb in the van which exploded shortly after it was abandoned, Yamcha's actions had inadvertently saved Goku.

Realizing that he could not beat Goku, Yamcha instead decided to let the group collect all seven balls and then take the wish. He again came to the group, this time apologizing for his behavior, and gave them a car to make up for damaging their van. The car, of course, had a tracking device in it.

While on the group's trail, Yamcha encounters a mysterious girl who destroyed a T-Rex and was frightened by Yamcha and attacks him, causing him to retaliate and knock her out. Later, when eavesdropping on Goku's conversation with Ox-King, he realizes that the girl is Chi-Chi, Ox-King's daughter. Not wanting to face the wrath of an angry Ox-King, Yamcha races back to the scene and apologizes to Chi-Chi, saying he did what he did because he is crazy with love for her. He quickly hides when he sees Goku coming and, by luck, witnesses Chi-Chi pull Goku's tail, exposing his weak spot. Yamcha returns to Fire Mountain and remains hidden as Goku returns with Chi-Chi and Master Roshi, the legendary martial arts master who trained both Ox-King and Goku's grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. He is awed by Master Roshi's display of the Kamehameha, an energy wave Master Roshi used with the intention of putting out the massive fire at Ox-King's residence, but instead, destroyed the castle and the entire mountain it was on. He also can not help, but be somewhat envious after Goku is chosen by Master Roshi to be his disciple

Yamcha continues to tail the group, letting it slip in front of Puar he thinks Bulma has a beautiful voice, after they recover the sixth Dragon Ball from Ox-King into a remote village. There, he has to intervene and help Goku after Bulma is turned into a carrot by Monster Carrot, leader of the Rabbit Mob. He orders Puar to turn into a bird and rescue the hostage carrot-Bulma while he takes out Monster Carrot's two henchmen. Working with Goku, the two recover carrot Bulma and through Puar's trickery get Monster Carrot to change her back. Yamcha quickly hides again after this, letting Goku deal with the gang without having to worry about Bulma's safety. While watching Bulma's disappointment at his absence, Yamcha silently curses his shyness around her.

When Shu ambushes Goku, Bulma and Oolong, stealing five of their six balls along with destroying their car with his Pilaf Machine, Yamcha has to again intervene, this time joining the group. They track the balls to Pilaf's Castle, but are soon trapped. From a hole blasted in the wall by Goku they witness Emperor Pilaf summoning Shenron and Yamcha orders Puar to go with Oolong and stop it. Emperor Pilaf's wish is interrupted by Oolong and, as punishment, the group is moved into a giant solar-oven like cell to die the next day when the sun comes up; they are not contained long though before Goku transforms into a Great Ape and destroys their cell by the light of the full moon.

To get the group to safety, Yamcha is forced to pick up Bulma despite his girl phobia. Just as Goku is about to crush Bulma, pinned by some rubble, Yamcha comes to the rescue and grabs his tail, stunning him long enough for Puar to transform into a giant pair of scissors and cut the tail off, returning Goku to his normal state. The next morning, with the balls now inert, the gang goes their separate ways. Yamcha and Bulma are satisfied though, as they now have each other and, therefore, no need to make any wishes. They go with Bulma back to the city while Goku goes off to train with Master Roshi.

Abilities

 * Flight – The ability to fly with the use of ki.
 * Ki Blast – The most basic form of energy wave.
 * Ki Sense – The ability to sense ki energy, which Yamcha learned while training on Kami's Lookout.

– Yamcha is able to pull off the basic Kamehameha attack, as well assome variations. One such variation is specific to Yamcha alone: in Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale, Yamcha uses a special reverse Kamehameha, which looks like a regular Kamehameha, but can get him out of tight spots.
 * Kamehameha
 * Team Work Kamehameha – A double Kamehameha attack used by Yamcha and Krillin in the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game.
 * Kamehame Fever - A triple Kamehameha team attack used by Yamcha, Krillin, and Goku in Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might. Named in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.
 * Super Kamehameha – Used as his super attack in the video game Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z.

– Yamcha's trademark attack. It is a very fast series of powerful punches, swipes, and kicks. Before the attack, a wolf's howl can be heard, along with an aura around Yamcha. This attack is Yamcha's signature attack in the Raging Blast Series. - A new kind of baseball pitching technique developed by Yamcha by adapting his martial arts training for baseball instead of fighting, which appears in Dragon Ball Super during the baseball match between Team Universe 6 and Team Universe 7. It is basically pitch that has the speed of his Wolf Fang Fist and the controlability of the Spirit Ball. This pitch is extremely effective allowing Yamcha to effortlessly strike out Botamo and Cabba and striking out Universe 6 for the 1st half of the 1st set.
 * Wolf Fang Fist
 * Blinding Wolf Fang Fist – A one-hit variant of the Wolf Fang Fist.
 * Wolf Fang Pitching Fist
 * Wolf Klaw - A single technique where Yamcha leaps forward, and slashes the air with invisible claws. Named in Dragon Ball: Origins 2s.
 * Tiger Jackhammer Fist – Yamcha punches his opponent repeatedly before finishing with a kick. Named in the Budokai series.
 * Neo Wolf Fang Fist – An upgraded version of the Wolf Fang Fist. Also called Wolf Fang Blowing Wind, or Wolf Fang Whirlwind Claw.
 * Wolf Hurricane – A weaker version of the Wolf Fang Fist used in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans. Yamcha can combine it with Krillin's and Tien's rush attacks to form the Earthling Strike.
 * Wolf Slice Fist – Yamcha kicks the opponent up in the air, and then he kicks and punches them down again. Used in the Budokai series.

– One of Yamcha's signature moves. He produces a concentrated ball of energy from his palm, and is able to precisely control its directional pattern using two fingers to guide it. – Yamcha uppercuts his opponent up in the air, then he flies up and knock them down to the ground again. Yamcha then fires a barrage of ki blasts on the opponent, only to finish the attack with a large ball of ki. Used only in the Budokai series. - A variation of the Afterimage technique that allows the user to recover Stamina after creating an Afterimage to avoid an attack. One of Yamcha's Super Skills in his Supervillain form in Xenoverse 2. As is typical of Yamcha, who is easily affected by others, he can use his appeal (with the start button) to increase his special abilities. But if you think Yamcha is weak, you can perform the same action with the Appeal Counter so he gets a taste of his own medicine.
 * Spirit Ball
 * Extra Large Spirit Ball – A much more powerful version of the Spirit Ball, and is even bigger than Yamcha himself.
 * Wolf Fang Blast
 * Consecutive Energy Blast - A energy sphere barrage technique used by Yamcha as one of his Super Skills in his Turtle Hermit Gi 1 skillset in Xenoverse 2.
 * Energy Wave Combo - An Energy Barrage technique used by Yamcha as one of his Super Skills in his Turtle Hermit Gi 2 skillset in Xenoverse 2.
 * Full Power Energy Blast Volley - An energy barrage technique used by Yamcha as one of his Ultimate Skills in his Turtle Hermit Gi 1 skillset in Xenoverse 2.
 * Afterimage Technique – One of Yamcha's Blast 1's in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. It allows him to dodge any sort of incoming attack (except normal ki blasts), with blinding speed.
 * Phantom Fist
 * Divination - In The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha, due to being the reincarnation of someone who has read and watched Dragon Ball, Yamcha has knowledge of all future events.
 * Ah, Lord Beerus! - A technique used by Yamcha in The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha as a way of catching Vegeta off guard during the Saiyan conflict.
 * Power up to the Very Limit – One of Yamcha's Blast 1 in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. It instantly put him in MAX power mode, along with adding all stat bonuses.
 * All-Out – Increases Attack power while depleting ki at the same time. Used in the Raging Blast series.
 * Appeal – A supportive technique used by Yamcha in Zenkai Battle Royale.
 * Fusion Dance – Yamcha is able to use the fusion dance with Tien Shinhan to form Tiencha, in the video games Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 and Dragon Ball Fusions.
 * Crane Wolf Strike - A team attack used by Yamcha and Tien in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.
 * Earthling Strike - A team attack used by Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.
 * Warriors of Earth - A team attack used by Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2.
 * Demon-Wolf-Crane - A team attack used by Yamcha, Tien, and Piccolo in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.

- A dark energy sphere technique used by Demons and those under the influence of Dark Magic. Used by Yamcha in his Supervillain form in Xenoverse 2. - A dark Explosive Wave technique used by those under the influence of Dark Magic. Used by an unplayable version of Supervillain Yamcha when fought in certain Expert Missions in Xenoverse 2. - A dark energy sphere barrage technique used by an unplayable version of Supervillain Yamcha when fought in certain Expert Missions in Xenoverse 2.
 * Fake Death - A technique where the user collapses to the ground in a pose identical to the one Yamcha took after he was killed by the Saibaman Bomb and plays dead in order to deceive the opponent. Used by Yamcha as a Super Skill in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.
 * Ki Blast Thrust - A ki-enhanced punch attack used by Yamcha to defeat Recoome on King Kai's planet in Transformed at Last. It was named in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse where it appears as one of Yamcha's Super Skills. It also appears as one of his Super Skills in Xenoverse 2.
 * Bloody Sauce
 * Darkness Mixer - A ki and stamina charging technique used by those under the influence of Dark Magic. Used by Yamcha in his Supervillain form in Xenoverse 2.
 * Baked Sphere
 * Marbling Drop
 * Peeler Storm - A dark Energy Disc technique used by an unplayable version of Supervillain Yamcha when fought in certain Expert Missions in Xenoverse 2.
 * Brainwash Attack - A dark mind control technique used by an unplayable version of Supervillain Yamcha when fought in certain Expert Missions in Xenoverse 2.
 * Stardust Breaker - Gogeta's Ultimate Attack which Yamcha can used via a glitch in Dokkan Battle.