#make yamcha great again

[yamcha-thelonewolf]

🫀The Heart's Savior.

Guys, we have come to the end, but how is it that they say? The end of something will be the beginning of something else. There will always be so much to say about Yamcha and I don't want to stop that soon. For now I would like all Dragon Ball fans to consider this topic, not because I wrote it. I am well aware that I am not the first person to talk about it, and I am glad that someone other than me has noticed, but in Yamcha's case it is never enough. The more the merrier! Even at the cost of repeating ourselves…. It doesn't matter! In latin they used to say repetita iuvant, meaning that something by dint of being repeated is eventually learned. Can it stew? Maybe. But it's still better than keeping quiet, right? And I believe that all of us Yamcha fans have a sacred right to protect one of the most misunderstood and unnecessarily mistreated characters ever.

Well, it's time to begin, but before we go into the last, most important chapter, I would like to remind you one last time of the previous two parts, so that we have a clearer and more obvious situation. I mean, at this point it's really impossible to ignore that Yamcha is useless. PART 1: The Past PART 2: The Present

PART 3: The Future

It is no accident that I wanted to divide the topic in a temporal sense. As I had said at the beginning, in the Androids and Cell Arc, Yamcha has seriously contributed to improving the past, the present and the future. He didn't fight with his muscular body, but by bringing the resounding strength of his heart into play, he made sense of Dragon Ball's most important chapter. At least it is the most important to me. Not only because it is the first and only time the warriors are really all together, but also because this is where the story begins to expand with the appearance of alternate realities. Everyone does their own thing, and while I regret that Yamcha was not given a real action moment in which to shine (with the exception of the fight against that Cell Junior together with Tien to save Goku), I'm still glad that in the same arc in which Toriyama tried to completely sideline him, Yamcha left his mark. And believe me, it is a very important mark.

We could say that Yamcha saved everyone's mood, everyone's heart, everyone's soul…. The meaning will always be the same. We are not on Planet Vegeta, where everyone is callous and devoid of humanity. We are on Earth, on that planet that made Goku an outstanding saiyan and especially the protagonist everyone has loved for years. This means that if you can't feel pure emotions, you can't go anywhere. You can't even get on the Flying Nimbus! We learned this with OG Dragon Ball: if you don't act from the heart and for the heart, you certainly won't make a good end. This is what Jackie Chun/Muten Roshi explains to Tenshinhan when he tries to convince him to abandon the path of evil and take the path of good. It was an important teaching, and it saddens me that Akira Toriyama has completely forgotten it since forty years later he has failed to reward the character who most of all was a living heart.

If you think about it, this is really Goku's strong point: his heart. In the beginning he always acted for the sake of someone else: he wanted to look for the dragon ball with four stars because it reminded him of his grandfather, then he collected them all to bring Upa's father back to life, then again to save Krillin, Muten and Chiaotzu. Always thanks to his heart he became a Super Saiyan for the first time and thanks to his good feelings he was able to save the earth many times. So it is really his heart that made him legendary. It is because of it that he was able to go on, become stronger and be the ultimate hero. ...So... Why should Yamcha be any less? He is a human, so what? He possesses superhuman strength. There is nothing different from a saiyan awakening his feelings. Both of them go against the grain. They are two sides of the same coin. Whatever...

To recap:

Yamcha saved the past. He has taken care of Goku since he was little, helped him when Goku's innocence hindered him, always supported him, and always stepped forward whenever he was in danger of getting hurt. Finally, he took care of his heart, the most important core of Goku's character, during his illness.

Yamcha saved the present. While everyone feared the worst or simply struggled without much success, Yamcha was always ready to comfort and warm that chill that could have turned the present into Trunks' horrible future. He took care of Tien, or at least he would have liked to, then Gohan and finally Krillin, helping him to hope on his chance with Android 18. It seems little, but in everyday life such a turnaround is more important than a victory against an invincible monster. After all... What remains when peace returns?

Although The Past and The Present show how big Yamcha's heart is, we still have to admit that up to now he has taken care of his friends. This is an easy thing to do. I mean, any human with a heart of gold would do all this for someone he loves, but Yamcha's value goes beyond that. After all, it is when you leave your comfort zone that you truly realize how much you are worth, and that is what I am referring to when I say that Yamcha has been the strongest of all. Nietzsche once said:

Love your enemies because they bring out the best in you.

It's true. By loving those who hate you, those who have hurt you or simply those who do not appreciate you, you become incredibly better, because you can overcome the evil you get and make it your strength in a sense.

That's exactly what Yamcha does, but you know, I even believe that he doesn't do it completely to feel better. I think he does it because he knows how to love. That's always the point: by knowing how to love he automatically knows how to forgive and overcome the hatred that he would have the right to feel. Therefore, dear friends, today we will talk about how Yamcha cared even for those whom he was not bound to love for different reasons. I want to say this will be the part that will touch me the most. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sentimental as hell but I can't help it. Yamcha is a treasure chest of emotions and I want to express them just as he would. To talk about what follows means first of all having to come to terms with the most humiliating thing of all: Yamcha and Bulma's breakup. I don't want to dive into details, not in this topic, but what I do want to point out is that for me Yamcha never cheated on Bulma.

Look at him. One who has cheated would not react like that. You can see that he is pissed off and disappointed, rather than mortified or distressed about the mistake he made. I am more accepting of the speculation that Bulma simply preferred Vegeta, although here we open a big digression about yet another writing problem in Dragon Ball. Consequently, as I see it, Yamcha suffered the breakup as a real tragedy, came out as a victim of it, and therefore his heart was severely wounded by it. With these things in mind, it is logical to think that what we see from this point on is literally a saint-made man, because not only does Yamcha accept the new reality with Bulma, but he even stays by her side to continually watch over her until the end of DBZ.

Once again Yamcha stays. He is there, he does not back down, and with his head held high he faces the greatest disappointment of his life, because without ever forgetting this we must consider that his goal was (is) always love. He strongly desired to marry Bulma and have children with her, but in the end she chose to do this with the one who had once killed her boyfriend.

Heartbroken and disillusioned, Yamcha would have many reasons for never speaking to Bulma again. Yet he does. He stays close to her, and in facing this great humiliation he proves not only that he has that usual big heart, but also that he is seriously better than those who treated him as if he were worthless. Yeah, I am really talking about Vegeta. I hope I am not annoying any Vegeta fans, but believe me, for any Yamcha fan it is impossible to accept certain attitudes that the saiyan prince had with the earthling.

Don't worry, though. I am not going to denigrate a character to glorify Yamcha. It's not my style and frankly he doesn't need it. He already shines on his own, it's just that unfortunately his brightness is obscured by super energy attacks. I will simply show the evidence, but more importantly I will talk about how Yamcha loved even Vegeta and Trunks.

Actually, why he helped Trunks should not surprise us. Trunks did nothing wrong to Yamcha. He is simply the son of Bulma and Vegeta, and even if that means Yamcha has lost his Bulma forever, that is certainly not a valid reason to hate this boy. Well, if we clearly allow ourselves to be guided by instinct and the most impetuous emotions, it is quite normal to think that Yamcha may also have felt frustration at seeing that son who should have been his. Trunks is the most concrete form of Yamcha's humiliation: not only is he not his son, he is even Vegeta's son. From this point of view, Trunks represents the beginning of a new hope for the planet but also the end of Yamcha's hopes. It's a subplot that nobody gives a damn about, but as much as I love Trunks, I can't help but think every time I see him, "oh boy, Yamcha's downfall is coming."

Whatever… These are assumptions we don't have to worry about. Yamcha may have had a small moment of annoyance with little Trunks, but he is still an innocent child, and what's more, although he is Vegeta's son, he is also Bulma's son, and Yamcha loves Bulma. Now as a friend, but he still loves her. So loving Bulma necessarily means loving Trunks as well. This to me is a great proof of his inner strength that I mentioned earlier, although at this point I wonder... Is his strenth really that inner? It seems so damn noticeable to me. Now let's take a closer look at the whole situation.

Through Trunks' words we learn for the first time about the breakup between Yamcha and Bulma. Trunks very naively explains that the main reason was Yamcha's attitude toward the girls. Bulma got fed up and so she broke up with him once and for all. Leaving aside the fact that Yamcha playboy is a kind of joke, because we have seen many times how in reality he has always been the exact opposite, it is highly probable that this statement is unfortunately the result of Bulma's usual hysteria toward Yamcha. I say "usual" because we have plenty of evidence on this. For example, in OG Dragon Ball we saw how she was pissed off at Yamcha simply because a fanclub of pretty girls had formed for him. This trifle had been enough for Bulma to leave Yamcha alone in the city, and go with Goku to search for the dragon balls. It is not hard for me to imagine that much of Yamcha's alleged faults were simply in Bulma's head. Perhaps she feared losing him and consequently imagined realities that Yamcha would never allow.

The fact is that in my opinion Trunks' explanation should not be taken as true. Future Bulma told his son a lot of lies, surely for good, because living in such a tragic time it was right to ease the boy's soul by telling him about his father's noble deeds. The point is that Future Bulma knew perfectly well that Vegeta was neither a saint nor a hero. She never knew the Vegeta of the Buu Arc. She had only experienced the impassive, distant, indifferent, and untamable Vegeta, the one you still had to worry about because you still couldn't tell if you could trust him or not. But Vegeta was still the father of her son, and her son was the only thing she had left of Vegeta. So out of love for her son, Bulma has elevated Vegeta, and as one does when telling a fanciful fairy tale in which one exaggerates many things, Future Bulma necessarily has fictionalized how she and Vegeta ended up together. I try hard to think of it that way. I find it in very bad taste that Future Bulma spoke ill of Future Yamcha, who died and did not have a chance to tell his side. So I just assume that she told this bullshit not to insult Yamcha's memory but to comfort young Trunks. As I said, the lie about Yamcha is not the only one. To glorify Trunks's father, Future Bulma also tells that Vegeta had a hidden and "warmer" side, but in reality even she was not sure about that because in the future Vegeta had never shown affection toward their son. It was a supposition she made up to give her son hope.

In short, through Future Bulma's words we can imagine that Future Yamcha is a moron, while Future Vegeta is a pretty decent man. Cold but decent. Mind you: accusing Yamcha of being "something of a playboy" does not just mean that he is a jerk who gets off on girls. Above all, it means that Yamcha is unintelligent, vile, and without dignity. But when Trunks gets into the time machine and goes back to the past, which for us is the present, all the cards get messed up and a very different reality jumps out. From here on, the paths diverge. There are those who believe Future Bulma's words and those who find the whole thing a terrible stretch. True or not, everything Yamcha does in this saga completely negates the idea that he was a shitty person with no brain or heart. Trunks sees that, but he also sees something more important: Vegeta is not as worthy as he thought.

In this scene, the tension is very high. It is not just a clash between a saiyan and an earthling. It is a clash between one who has lost everything and one who has taken everything. After all, Vegeta took Yamcha's life once and a few years later he took his girlfriend. The way Vegeta tries to cut Yamcha out of Dragon Ball has always bothered me, simply because many fans have taken all his insults against Earthlings as true. Nowadays, unfortunately, there are many who believe that Yamcha is really scum. Seeing him in this scene with that clenched fist, his gaze threatening but equally filled with goodness tugs at my heartstrings. However, the best part of this scene is really Trunks' reaction.

He seems really upset. Somehow it's as if he wants to stop it, but not just because Vegeta is taking it out on Yamcha. Trunks comes from a future where love no longer exists. There is only fear, anger, frustration. He lives in a world where there is no time to laugh, joke, play, simply feel human, and he suffers a lot from that. His warm melancholy is directly proportional to the cold evilness of the two androids. With this interpretation in mind, I am quite convinced that in this scene Trunks saw the two androids in his father. Or rather, it is as if Trunks was upset by his father's coldness very similar to that of androids. Understand me, it is as if he at that moment is witnessing the confrontation between the two times: Yamcha represents the happy past, Vegeta the ruthless future. Moreover, Trunks in those days is fully experiencing the reality he desires in his time. There is his father, there is Goku, there are his friends, laughing is still possible but most of all, the planet is so alive that hope and love do not even have to be searched for in a mad rush because they are part of it. They have not yet been eradicated as in his future. As I had already said, hope and love are precisely what convinced Trunks to accomplish this feat. Not only that. If you remember what I wrote in the previous part, I openly stated that Yamcha is the representation of these two feelings. So... Joining all the dots, it really seems that in this scene Trunks is standing up for his own ideals. If Yamcha is love and love is what Trunks wants back in a world now filled with hatred, it is only natural that he would side with the earthling. I mean, he is fed up with witnessing injustice. Besides, Trunks has respect for Yamcha as Fighter-Z. He knows that Yamcha also tried to fight against the androids and that unfortunately he did not succeed, so it is natural for him to stand up for him. It is that code of honor that is created between warriors. Well, I really think Trunks realizes here what I was saying at the beginning: Yamcha is not that much of an asshole and Vegeta is not that much of a saint. At this point Trunks seriously needs proof that negates everything he is observing. It is just a detail. The best is yet to come.

Before we get to that, I would like to briefly address the relationship between Yamcha and Trunks. We have come to understand by now that Yamcha acts out of love and precisely because of this he does not look the recipient in the face. The fact that Trunks is Vegeta's son does not matter to him. Trunks is a good guy who even though he materialized the separation between Yamcha and Bulma still saved the world by going back to the past. Moreover, as already mentioned, he is Bulma's son. All this is enough for Yamcha to respect, love and protect him.

This is a decisive moment. Trunks' death acts as a catalyst for the final fight, but more importantly it makes Vegeta bring out that "side." Everyone remembers the prince's anger against Cell after seeing his son die, but... How many remember who was the first to rescue Trunks?

Come on, seriously?! I would never have said that. ...Yes, hell, yes. Of course would have said that. There are so many characters who witness this tragic death but it just so happens that the first one to intervene is Yamcha. I don't think it's random. And even if it was, that's pretty damn consistent with his character. You see. He reaches Trunks even before Vegeta, but that certainly does not mean that Vegeta loves Trunks any less. I just mean that, despite all that Trunks represents to Yamcha, Yamcha rushes to save him, moved again by that unconditional love that distinguishes him from all others.

The very brief scenes in which Yamcha protects Trunks' corpse together with Tien are wonderful. For two sensitive souls like Yamcha and Tien, it is really the least to defend the one who allowed them to live a little longer. It is really moving to see how Yamcha and Tien take care of the body to prevent it from being profaned. Little does it matter to them that there are dragon balls and that Trunks can be brought back to life even if full of scratches and wounds. The respect for the corpse is the only priority, with or without dragon balls, and this attitude is so human that it brings tears to my eyes every time I realize how special these two earthlings are.

I mean... Trunks's corpse could have been lying there somewhere and been picked up at the end. He was dead, not unconscious like Android 18. Watching over his body was not strictly necessary, but Yamcha and Tien do it anyway. And they do it because they are the best characters in Dragon Ball their humanity is their secret weapon. A pity that for Toriyama it is just a joke.

The relationship between Trunsk and Yamcha is only part of the whole. We could trace it to the same kind of paternal bond that Yamcha establishes with Goku and Gohan, but in Trunks' case it becomes even more fascinating because he is literally the son she would have wanted with her Bulma. Of course, it's just a feeling. I highly doubt that Yamcha ever realized that he possessed "daddy-like" attitudes, and then we also have to say that protecting someone younger than you doesn't mean you do it because you have the makings of a father. To be precise, Yamcha does have it, but he certainly doesn't act thinking that everyone is his missing child. That's just the way he is, and that's why I insist on the idea that he could have been a perfect dad. Perhaps the most perfect.

I am insisting on the father figure because Future Trunks strongly misses his dad. He tells us that he was too young to remember him and that the idea of meeting him for the first time in the past moved him. But why did it move him? Let's remember it: thanks to Future Bulma. With her fantasies about Future Vegeta she colored Trunks' dark life a little, even though at the time she was not sure what she was telling. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Trunks at least grew up with the idea that the past was a good place thanks in part to his father. As we read in this scene, therefore, we understand that Trunks has a serious need to create memories of his own. It is also a way to give a visual image to his mother's stories, like when a child prefers a book with pictures to a book with only text. That is why Future Trunks stays close to his father, observes him, that is all he needs. As we have noticed, however, things are not quite as he imagined them to be. Vegeta is not what he expected, but the joy of being able to be with him is enough for him to accept him as he is. But... Is it really enough? Think about it. After such a long and difficult journey, after so many legendary tales and especially after so many expectations, how much can it hurt to return home with fewer answers and so many more questions? We do not know exactly what happened during the training between Vegeta and Trunks in the Room of Spirit and Time, but we can safely assume that Vegeta did not open up as Trunks would have liked. It was certainly an emotional moment for him, but not enough to say, "yeah, man, he's really my dad."

The decisive moment occurs precisely during Trunks' death. Earlier we saw that the first one to rescue him is Yamcha, but "obviously" nobody cares because all the attention goes to Vegeta. I understand that. This is the moment when the saiyan prince finally shows his feelings for someone else for the first time. It is not just revenge. Behind Vegeta's reaction is love, and this very feeling will make him frighteningly strong. This naturally amazes everyone, but I am sure that the reaction of the Z-Fighters is due not so much to the increase in his strength as to the fact that Vegeta is having an emotional reaction of this caliber. No one has ever seen him like this. He has officially changed for the better. I am sure Vegeta fans recognize in this scene the split between the ruthless Vegeta of the saiyan saga and the Vegeta we will see in the Buu saga. A new Vegeta has just been born, and everyone has noticed him, even Yamcha who has not had a positive idea about him until then. Actually, it must be said that Yamcha had forgiven Vegeta before anyone else. When Yamcha was still with Bulma, he had agreed to let the saiyan be hosted at his girlfriend's house.

Tien had been the voice of truth. Perhaps his third eye had glimpsed the future, I don't know, but it is quite disturbing to think that some time later this fateful decision would seal the break between Bulma and Yamcha.

What matters for now is that Yamcha has the gift of forgiveness. He did it with Tien when he broke his leg and, although in a different way, he did it with Vegeta who committed much more heinous acts against him. The only difference is that Vegeta never apologized. Once again it is Yamcha who takes a step forward, or rather three steps forward: he forgives the man who killed him, he forgives the man who took away the woman he loved and finally he forgives the man who deprived him of the chance to become a father. Excuse me, but I believe that these three battles are much more intense and difficult than any of the battles we see in Dragon Ball between our heroes and strong monsters. Especially if we think about the fact that Yamcha stays, which doesn't mean that he is just there: the way Yamcha is, it means that he learns to love even those who hurt him and especially to act for their good.

There is only one problem. Trunks cannot see all the love that Vegeta radiates for him. The essence of this scene lies precisely in the fact that finally Future Bulma's tales of Vegeta become real, but what good is all this if Trunks has no way to witness it? A new tale is needed, but this time a real one, based on facts and no longer on memories. A tale that can definitively confirm that Vegeta has a good side and especially cares about his son. So someone must necessarily step up and help Trunks hope again just because of this fantastic news.

...You again, Yamcha?! Then it is a vice! Or maybe you are simply the most beautiful Dragon Ball character ever. Well yes, guys, it is indeed Yamcha who tells Trunks about Vegeta's unexpected heroic feat. He could have told them Krillin or anyone else, but Yamcha's sensitivity precedes all others. In a sense it is as if he is the first to realize that Vegeta has actually changed. We are at the end of the battle. Trunks has been brought back to life and everyone is at Kami's palace. After some small talk and the twist between Krillin and Android 18 (to which Yamcha contributed), the fighters part ways to return home. Yamcha and Trunks head to West City and it is during this journey that Yamcha confesses to the boy what happened. To many it may seem like the least, but think about it very carefully: how many in Yamcha's place would have done the same? I mean, at that moment Yamcha is praising Vegeta for what he did for Trunks. In different words, Yamcha is praising the very man who took away his life, his woman, and the possible marriage he has dreamed of all his life. He had no reason to do it, yet he did it. He could have kept quiet, or told Trunks anything else by deliberately omitting the part about Vegeta out of some sort of personal revenge, but he does not. He does not do it because Yamcha's big heart does not allow him to act in such a mean way. At this very moment he no longer cares what Vegeta did to him. It was enough for him to see him go crazy over Trunks' death to change his mind and accept the fact that Vegeta has changed. That is all Yamcha cares about. Yamcha cares that love guides people, and in this case he cares that Bulma and little Trunks are finally in good hands. The rest no longer matters. The disappointment, humiliation, and anger he feels toward the whole disastrous situation that happened between him, Vegeta, and Bulma is water under the bridge. Yamcha has officially moved on. But it's not just about that. Here Yamcha demonstrates superhuman empathy. He never heard the revelation that Future Trunks told Goku when he first appeared. He did not hear that Trunks had no memories of his father and that this distressed him terribly, yet Yamcha senses this. We have seen how he has formidable intuition, so I am not surprised to believe that he sensed this need in Trunks. He must have imagined that in the future he misses his father figure, and so without a second thought he wanted to give him that warmth that you feel when your father loves you. Once again Yamcha went further and reasoned about situations that are much broader than people think. He took care of the present, but he also took care of the future, and this time without receiving anything in return. Telling Trunks about Vegeta doesn't change his life, but it certainly improves it. It enriches him and he just through all this love that he literally gives to anyone feels stronger and better. Making others feel good is his personal mission. Here we can see that he did it, he got his victory. Trunks' face as he says "my father did?" is full of pride because simply the circle has come full circle. Trunks got the confirmation he was looking for because he knew because of Future Bulma, but he needed to verify it. Yamcha gave peace to his tormented soul.

So guys... I hope it's clear to everyone that if this iconic scene exists, it's really because of Yamcha. I mean, surely Vegeta and Trunks would have said goodbye to each other regardless. But the power of this scene lies precisely in the fact that Trunks knows exactly what happened, what Vegeta did for his son, and as we have seen if he knows it is precisely thanks to Yamcha. In short: Yamcha helped redefine the relationship between Vegeta and Trunks. Yamcha, who as we have seen is the bearer of hope, finally made sense of why Trunks embarked on this journey. He made all of Trunks' dreams come true and in a way allowed him to become stronger, because let's face it, what allows Trunks to beat the androids in his future is not just the super training and battles he does in the past, but more importantly the chance to have experienced all the emotions he was missing and that motivated him to improve his time.

When Trunks returns home, one of the first things he does is tell about the very thing his father did. And if he tells it, let us remember, it is always because of Yamcha. Do you see what I mean? He doesn't give a damn about winning against Cell and the androids. What Trunks takes with him is mostly the emotions accumulated during this incredible experience. Telling about how those monsters were beaten would not have added anything new, because they live in a world where people fight for survival. Telling instead how love and teamwork made all the difference is completely new for him. That is what really matters. We are humans, not robots. There is no point in struggling if you don't have emotions with you. Trunks finally got them. He is finally different from the androids and can now defeat them.

I think the best part of this scene is Future Bulma's reaction. Here we learn that she had indeed ventured a little in telling Trunks about Vegeta. She was not sure about Vegeta's good side either, but she still told her son about it to comfort him. We can see how shocked she is to learn such news. From here we can infer that Future Vegeta was not even a partner in attendance. Somewhat like the Vegeta of the present. In fact, his closeness to Bulma and Trunks occurs after Cell Arc. Not having been able to experience it, Future Bulma was left with the idea that Vegeta had an unexplored good side that she never really saw. She only guessed at it. Therefore, we can say that Yamcha's words have resolved even Future Bulma's doubts. In the present, Yamcha must have noticed the substantial difference between him and Vegeta vis-à-vis Bulma. If Yamcha was affectionate and close, Vegeta is distant and cold. He probably resents that Vegeta behaves this way toward Bulma. Assuming Yamcha sensed that Trunks' future was loveless, it is easy to imagine that he also thought Future Bulma was left alone with her conflicts. After all, Vegeta's change occurred only in the past because some events were changed with Trunks' arrival. It is an exception. I like to think that Yamcha also wanted to help Future Bulma by letting her know that Future Vegeta could learn to love if he had a little more time. Why he did this we will never know. We may think that he did it because Yamcha still loves Bulma, but that would be reductive. Yamcha did it because he just loves. Giving hope is what he does best. It is quite ironic that Yamcha helped the same person who besmirched his memory by telling that he was some kind of playboy. I think it is particularly noticeable here how great Yamcha actually is. Of course he does not know what Future Bulma actually told about him. Trunks only reveals it to Goku, and the only one who hears it is Piccolo. But I am sure that even if Yamcha had known that Future Bulma did not speak highly of him, he would still have done his best to take care of her in every time arc. Lastly he simply enhanced Vegeta's own image. I think it is the most immense act Yamcha could do: to love his greatest enemy. I proudly say that Yamcha, after taking care of the past and the present, has saved even the future. Without exaggeration, he is the one who maintained the link between these three time arcs. If I may say so, he is precisely the one who most represents the theme of this saga.

I would like to conclude with two thoughts...

Any nostalgic Dragon Ball fan knows full well how important Goku's grandfather is. Son Gohan is a kind of angel who watches over the little saiyan from the very beginning, via the dragon ball with the four stars. There is one scene in particular that moves me so much. This is the exact moment when Son Gohan relinquishes this role of guardian angel to Goku's friends. If we want to dwell on Yamcha, I think he is the one who most of all took these words literally. Not only because indeed Yamcha took care of Goku during his illness, but especially because he extended this commandment. Yamcha has really taken care of everyone who is connected to Goku for some reason, precisely because Goku's happiness also depends on those around him. Taking care of Goku also means taking care of his affections, and Yamcha, as we have seen, has done this with everyone. He took care of his wife Chichi, his son Gohan, but also Tien and Krillin, two of Goku's great friends, and finally the saiyans and Bulma. I like to think that it all starts from this very scene, even though Yamcha has always been inclined to help anyone.

At the end of the Cell Arc, the carefree atmosphere of Dragon Ball returns. The one we can't do without, the one that brings us back, when gags were the soul of this story. The reason for all the laughter we witness at Kami's palace is Yamcha. He is the one who makes people laugh because he is afraid of Android 18 and he is the one who relieves the tension by entertaining everyone with his jokes. Among these jokes is one really particular one that on the surface makes him look like an idiot.

Theoretically we should mock him because he has not exactly been lucky in love. His one experience was shattered. Bulma even describes him as a playboy, so his line seems rather grotesque. Butl... After all we've seen, did Yamcha really say bullshit? Okay, he may not be lucky in love relationships, but who says that the love he is talking about is only that which is born between two guys? We saw through him that love is not only between lovers. Love can be between friends, brothers, fathers and sons, ex-girlfriends and even rivals. It doesn't matter who gets it and how they get it: the important thing is only to get it. Yamcha is the one who most spreads love in Dragon Ball. He is the one who gives soul and humanity to Dragon Ball. It is sad to think that he is the one who does not get love in return. But he doesn't care. By giving love he feels loved.

Since hope is what Dragon Ball is based on…. I continue to hope that Yamcha, too, will one day get his well-deserved victory in battle. Because... Let's face it, as a character he has long since won.

Thank you, Yamcha.

Thank you for coming so far. This is definitely my most difficult and exciting topic. It was crazy to write so much about Yamcha but it was worth it. I don’t care how many people read. Having left this opinion could be useful in the future, maybe not, but it’s okay: analyzing Yamcha’s soul was like rediscovering the beauty of being human. I think that’s the most important thing.

[hozonkai1]

Bulma: Accuses Yamcha of "cheating" Also Bulma:Fucks guy who murdered him

[z0-ne]

Hi! I was wondering if you could please do platonic goku + younger sister reader (like reader 15-16) like goku helps her do saiyan stuff also can it be hc’s please?

YES! I love the platonic Goku request so much <3 I hope you don't mind but I'd like to do a gender neutral version of this too!

TRAINING HEADCANONS! (Big brother! Goku! + younger sister! Reader)

•So first off, the reason why you don't know this is because you werent raised by Goku, you crashed on earth and were raised by Yamcha. Naturally a human can't teach you about being a saiyan so that's where Goku comes in to play!

•And when I say play I mean actually playing with you. You're sixteen but he plays with you like your six for the first few lessons.

•Flying around you in circles as you try to concentrate, talking about how fun it is to fly and you should really give it a shot so you can come up here too.

•"C'mon!Woo-hoo! look how fun it is flying all around! sure would be nice if you could do it too." He may be teaching you but hes also having his own fun teasing you, but when you give him a frustrated look he quickly covers his mouth.

•Of course after that he lets you concentrate, but he doesn't stop floating around you.

•Despite his, he's a great instructor! He explains things in a very simple way and if need be he'll drag Vegeta or piccolo into the mix so he can show you what he means when he says.

•"see how when I'm blocking, I also try to catch his fist and redirect it?" Hes shockingly paitent with you, and sometimes he seems like he slows down just so you can see it better.

•Goku will show you more than once just to make sure you get it.

•May king kai have mercy on you because he does kick your ass during training once you get the hang of things

•He is hard on you, not as bad as it would be if it was Vegeta training you but he won't hold back just because you're a girl.

•once you get a good grip in flying, ki blast, ect. Hes going to come at you, maybe not full force yet but to you its gonna feel like it.

•"C'mon! Villains won't hold back on you y'know!" He says, not exactly scolding you after knocking you flat on your ass for the fourth time today. He laughs when you glare at him.

•Dont worry, he's always going to help you back up right after trainings done, especially if you're out of breath and hardly standing on your own feet, and by the end you'll both eat until your bellies are stuffed and likely pass out under a tree before doing all of this again tomorrow.

•Goku is going to have fun with this. Especially since you're technically the first person he's teaching the actual basics to. Piccolo taught Gohan the basics, Gohan taught Goten the basics. He came around and taught them new things sure but this is something completely different.

•Its obvious he's very happy you wanted him to train you.

[tobiasdrake]

FUN FACT: Did you know that Chi-Chi got off Gohan's back about studying for the three years of the Android and Cell Saga?

A key thing to understand about Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship is that they don't have a traditional marriage. The anime went to great lengths to try and heteronormalize them as a typical couple who are together because they're madly in love.

But they're not. Goku is very much an aroace character. Like. He's not sex-repulsed, obviously; Gohan and Goten's existence proves that much. But romance and sexuality don't mean anything to him. They're not factors he considers when he's making his life choices. He's not interested in pursuing them in any meaningful way.

Goku and Chi-Chi's marriage is largely contractual. It exists because these two backwoods hicks made a deal when Goku was a child, that he didn't even know the context of what he was agreeing to.

Goku then left and never saw her again for six years. He had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

Fortunately for Goku, Yamcha was nearby to explain in Goku Terminology what it means to be married.

And that was that. Goku agreed to the terms of living in the same space as Chi-Chi, and their domestic life began from there.

Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship is, effectively, a pantomime of domestic life. They're two adultchildren playing house, moreso than a loving married couple. They had literally spent one day together before they wed; They had no idea who the other even is as a person when they started down this road.

Naturally, this resulted in a lot of friction when Gohan entered the picture. It'd have to, right?

This contractual marriage born of childish stupidity has not gone well.

Still, despite everything, Goku and Chi-Chi managed to reach an... interesting compromise in the Android arc... after a bit of really gross slapstick violence that has not aged well.

Yikes, Toriyama.

Nonetheless, Goku gets his way but only with conditions. Chi-Chi backs off on Gohan's studies and lets him train in martial arts for the next three years. But after that, it's done. Gohan will leave martial arts and become a scholar.

Once the agreement is forged, Chi-Chi's entire behavior changes. She becomes downright supportive of them.

Because they have a deal. She abides by the terms, fully expecting that Goku will abide by it as well.

This is something that the anime aggressively missed the point on. Like. They even rewrote existing scenes from the manga to show Chi-Chi violating the agreement.

Chi-Chi, what the fuck are you doing? You're breaking the deal. You don't do this in the manga. You just chill in the plane.

After things get messy in the Android arc, Goku and Chi-Chi revisit their agreement. Goku wants to add an addendum to their deal. Chi-Chi agrees... with an addendum of her own.

Goku asks to take Gohan into a pocket dimension for an entire year. Chi-Chi grants him that, but adds that after he and Gohan quit martial arts in accordance to the previous agreement, Goku has to get a job.

With that settled, she resumes backing off on Gohan's academics and being fully supportive of their temporary martial arts lifestyle.

Once Cell is defeated, their deal goes into effect. Per the agreement, Gohan quits martial arts and refocuses himself into academia.

Though Goku, at the very last second, manages to cheat on the agreement and prance away like a magnificent poof.

Goku, you cheeky dickwaffle.

[notdogice]

Well, it's been about a year since I started showing off my Pony Town cos' so I guess I should show off some more. This time we're delving into my Dragon Ball cos'! There aren't too many of them, but they have a few neat little techniques I used to create them.

First off we have Goku! He was one of the first few DB cos' I did and he has changed quite a bit from when I first made him. I had a hard time figuring out how to do his hair, but the latest update to the selection of manes Pony Town provides helped immensely. Besides the hair, I enjoyed making his shoes. The rest was pretty easy to figure out.

Of course I had to make a super saiyan Goku! ... This is the only transformation I have for him though. Funnily enough, the hair was much easier to do, and it also uses the hat slot to add onto the hair trick. I did struggle a bit with coloring the hair at first, but making the outline lighter than the hair does a great job at making it glow.

Next we have Yamcha! He was rather straightforward to make, and the most notable things to point out are his clothes and, again, shoes. It's mostly just using the outlines to add more detail, but I like how easy it was to do it.

Puar!!!!! Yeah they revamped the customizable plushies that you can equip and Puar was an obvious choice to do as my first plushie cos.

Launch, but I was inspired to make her whilst watching one of the Harmony Gold movie dubs that had popped up on youtube a while back. You'd think she'd be an easy one to do, but I had a hard time deciding which mane to use and uh those pants were absolutely hard to work with. Other than that, it was an easy enough one to do.

I had a fun time making Korin, and this is one of the very few characters that I've had to use the beard options for. I had used one of the skirt options to make him more round as well. Also, you may have noticed that I've made the outlines a gradient. I've pretty much done this for all of my DB cos', but it's a much more notable feature for Korin compared to the others.

I love Raditz, but hot damn he doesn't translate well into Pony Town. Like the legs and tail are easy enough, but his armor and hair were hell. It's mostly the hair, but I had to use a hat, ear ring, and both front and side horn options to make it work. The armor was easier, but it was a puzzle for sure.

Vegeta was the first DB cos I made. He was easy. Uh, I actually used one of the face patterns to extend his widow's peak, and I also used the grass color to hide one of his hair spikes. There's a reason for that.

Yup. I don't have much to add. He has a horn and antlers now.

One of my favourite cos' I've done, and it's Frieza of all people. His head was a joy to figure out. I used the mask option for the lower half of his face so that I could have his facial markings be present, and I used one of the beards to make that white outline. For his head, I used a top hat to create the outline, and there's a horn I used to add to the shading of his forehead. I'm very proud of how he turned out.

The Namekian frog is my favourite DB character, so I, of course, made a cos of the frog. Okay so I once saw a person who made a frog using a method like the one that I used that I have never seen anyone do ever before or since when I saw them. Like I tried looking up a tutorial for this type of frog head and I couldn't find it, so I feel like it was something that that person had figured out for themselves. Like I've seen people do the headphone eyes thing, but never in combination with the mask for a frog. Other than that, a very easy cos to make.

It's bingus time. Beerus' ears are my favourite thing about this cos. It combines the tall side horns and the big pointed ears to make his iconic big ears. It's difficult to see here, but I had used one of the ponytails to make the ear more round just by a few pixels. For his shawl, I used the cape and the neck tie together to make it.

And that's it for the Dragon Ball Pony Town cos' I have. I might make more in the future, but I can't say for sure.

[karume-everything-else]

Posso solicitar leitora dbs x feminina? O leitor está participando do torneio de poder com o universo 7, e o leitor luta contra Toppo, mas o hakai não tem efeito sobre o leitor já que um de seus poderes é se adaptar a qualquer poder ou situação de combate, fazendo com que o usuário fique preso. s técnica se adapta. tornar-se nulo? como mahoraga, não sei se você assistiu jujutsu kaisen. (Acho que seria engraçada a reação dos deuses e lutadores ao ver o hakai não surtir efeito no leitor)

Can I request dbs x female reader? The Reader is participating in the power as universe 7, and the reader fights against Toppo, but the hakai does not affect the reader as one of its powers adapts to any power or situation of combat, making the user a prisoner. s technique adapts. become-null? Like Mahoraga, I don't know if you watched jujutsu kaisen. (I think it would be funny the reaction of the gods and fighters when seeing the hakai has no effect on the reader)

Oooh~ sounds fun. I haven't seen Jujutsu Kaisen ~I have a bad magpie habit when it comes to falling for fictional men~ but that does sound like the armor from Akame Ga Kill. The proto-suit of armor the main character uses. I am so sorry it has been so long since I received this request... I am just now catching up on the anime and I started with the tournament arc specifically for this request.

You couldn't help but scratch your head at the Saiyan in front of you. Goku usually had bizarre requests but this was a little out there.

"So a multiverse tournament with a grand prize of 10 million Zeni and a wish on some... Super Dragon Balls?" You repeated hesitantly, "That's uh..."

"C'mon [Name]!" Goku clapped his hands together in a half-bowing motion, "We really need your skills for this. It'll a lot of fun too!"

"Why does that not sound promising."

"B-but!" He stepped forward, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Besides we don't have much time to debate this!"

"You need 10 people, right?" Goku nodded, but you continued before he could cut you off, "So why not ask the others? I'm sure Yamcha, Yajirobe, or Tien would be more than capable of doing this..."

"Oh right!" Goku smacked his fist into his hand, "With Tien on our side, we'd have someone capable of keeping tabs on everyone during the fight!"

"Did you even--?!"

"But that's all the more reason you gotta join us [Name]! We need all the strong fighters we can get on our side. We already figured that Andriod 17, Andriod 18, Krillen, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and myself would be a good lineup. With you, Tien, and Buu everything will be great!"

Sighing as you waited for the last-minute change, it still stumped you how Goku could be so stubborn about fighting in a battle royal. Even with the lies he was telling, you didn't feel like there was much choice in the matter. If you stepped out at this point that would just leave Roshi to step up. But he didn't seem that ready to fight, despite training when he heard about the 10 million Zeni. Without that incentive, Roshi dropped out.

Looking around at all the people you'd have to team up with, you wondered why you were even here. The ability to fight was never your strongest suit, the only thing you knew was basic techniques. Though maybe Goku was thinking more about how ki blasts and the like just didn't affect you the way it did everyone else. That and being able to adapt to other's fighting skills on the spot.

"Now then!"

Holding hands with Piccolo and Android 17 wasn't much fun, but if this Whis person insisted...

"Grand Minister, Universe 7 is ready for transport."

You vaguely wondered how this light was able to affect you, but then again even Beerus could damage you, the one time you were even around when he was hostile. So it seemed the higher the being, the less your strange abilities mattered. However, looking around at all the other fighters as they appeared.

It left an odd feeling in the pit of your stomach. All you could do was scout as you struggled to remain in this... giant top. You didn't know what else this thing could be called. Like Tien, you'd be keeping an eye on people and trying to remain a sneaky ace in the hole.

But Goku was just his typical ray of sunshine as he tried greeting all the other universes. At least the ones he knew people from anyway. Unlike your colleagues, you were more interested in the layout. One large spire in the middle seemed a bit much, especially if no one could fly.

Even if it did seem retroactively hypocritical given the kinds of fights Goku made exciting were full of him flying around like a lunatic. But maybe it had something to do with the zone you were in. There was merely a void beyond the ring, which made sense as to why they wouldn't allow everyone to fly. With too many people, someone could get lost in the shuffle and fly too far into the void and no one would be any wiser.

For all of Gohan's attempts at rallying the troops, of course Vegeta and Frieza would be as accepting as a brick wall. Not that Gohan's plan wasn't good, it just wasn't going to work with how everyone seemed to fight. He should have known that. Unless he thought the lot of you would attack like bees, slowly picking one or two fighters and batting them around like a volleyball.

Not a bad strategy, if that's what he was going for. Just not a very sustainable one given the... personalities that he was trying to preach to. Not that you had a chance to speak up on that front, the two Zeno seemed to be rather restless. It made some sense, they both acted like little children.

Which only made the matter-of-fact way that Universe 9 was obliterated that much worse...

You stuck close to Gohan, having blasted a flying, bird-like person out mere moments before the annihilation. The way this battle was going left you unable to use your abilities so far... but worse than that was how suddenly a whole universe was just... gone.

All this fighting wasn't... it couldn't...

"[Name], stay focused." Piccolo reached out to you, "The fight isn't over."

"R-right." You swallowed the lump in your throat, "It's just... harrowing to think about."

"I know, but this isn't the time to think about it." Piccolo nodded, "We went into this knowing all this. Don't let it get to you."

Nodding, you glanced around the battlefield. This whole situation was messed up, but at least this whole tournament would give everyone the fairest chance of survival. That's all this was, a fight for survival. Brute force wouldn't win this, that's for sure. To win, you'd need to fight smartly. That meant sticking close to as many of the others as you could.

Nothing could have prepared you for the overwhelming strength and aura emanating from a far-ish corner of the arena. The insanely loud screeching yell from someone, likely the person who was powering up...

Everything from that one point flew outward, churning the battlefield into a ruble-filled wasteland. Only the massive spire in the middle, the instrument ticking down the fight, remained intact. 48 minutes total... barely ten minutes have passed and yet...

Tapping Gohan on the shoulder, you had to stretch to reach a spot that wouldn't get you reflexively decked, "Hey, we're the largest target like this. If we stick together too much longer we could be backed into a corner with no escape."

"You think so?" Gohan's eyes widened as you nodded solemnly, "I guess, I mean with the field looking like this..."

He turned, raising his voice, "Guys! we need to split into smaller groups! Staying close like this won't help. But try to stay close enough to jump in if one of us is in trouble!"

Dashing off toward the center, your mind churned with the observations. Who had what abilities? What strategies were there? You couldn't hover or fly to quickly tell the others, which meant you simply had to trust them to know... or at least to figure out what was going on.

Trapping in your own mind, you didn't see the insectoid being swooping in, drop-kicking you from the left. The pain barely stung as you recovered from the fall quickly. Sizing up your opponent swiftly, you were able to keep up with the close-quarters blows. Several hits just barely skimming your skin, while you gathered energy discretely. Waiting for the right moment to...

A large ball in the palm of your hand, which you dug right into the insectoid's abdomen and flung him several feet away. Changing the match from melee to energy blasts, one which Tien finished for you.

"You okay [Name]?" His tone was lighter than you expected, "You seem distracted."

"Just thinking." You were looking all around, "Trying to make sense of the other's abilities."

"I see. Do try to be careful with that." Tien hesitated for a second, "What all have you gathered? What could you share?"

"Not much. But I wouldn't put it past the other female warriors to use their looks to their advantage. Or to have a more assassin move set."

Nodding, Tien went about his way. You knew so little about your opponents and wondered if you shouldn't attempt to scout more. Lowering your energy output should...

The entire field was called to witness something from Universe 2. You paid a little attention, using the opportunity to size up what was left of the competition. It was a surprisingly hefty number of people left, but that didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things.

You were keeping to the outskirts yourself, but when 17 attacked the three women of Universe 2, mid-transformation at that, he was getting scolded. His line of logic was sound, but even you had to admit it was rude. Honestly the three who wanted to transform were also being rude since they were pulling everything to a grinding halt for this. Acting like this was some sort of musical or something.

But you weren't going to complain too much. This was the perfect opportunity to learn what you needed to survive.

Seconds after hearing that Universe 10 was eliminated, having taken full advantage of the ruble to size up as many individuals as you could; you dodged a massive energy hammer.

The girl wielding it was younger than you, or so you thought. You couldn't tell and frankly, your time would be wasted trying to find out. But you knew how to counter her already. The ability to shape energy into weapons was straight forward, and weapons were easy to turn against their wielder. You backed up, leaping away as best you could, escalating what you threw at this girl would be the best way to defeat her... lure her into thinking she had the upper hand...

"What? Trying to run away?" She sneered, "You and that Goku, your whole Universe is just a bunch of cowards!"

Kicking up the small rocks around your feet, you held your tongue. Talking this out wouldn't make a difference, let them think what they will. Everyone had to survive after all.

It didn't surprise you that she was skilled, trading a mallet for a spear as you kept kicking and throwing increasingly larger rocks at her. Sneakily adding just a little ki behind your strikes. Giving her that false sense of security. You weren't exactly one to talk while fighting, that just wasn't how you were. And yet...

"Oh come on!" She yelled, "Don't tell me this is all you can do!?"

You knew what you could do, what you needed to know. Sending a rock right for head, causing it to swerve last second and strike the back of her knee. Right where she wasn't defending. Increasing the pressure, forcing her into the corner. No longer hurling rocks, but small ki blasts as she struggled to keep up with your speed.

Even as you rushed her, closing the distance for the final blow. Her spear went right through you, her ability having no effect on you whatsoever. Seeing that look of wonder and concern in her eyes as the truth dawned on her.

"Yo-You're some kind of monster!"

"And you're out of bounds."

The impact of your blast sent her flying, tumbling right off the edge. With no hope of being caught by a teammate. Catching your breath for a quick second, you stretched. But your back wasn't the only thing that popped as you tumbled into a dark section of the ring; a section created by the dilapidated state of the arena.

Only half paying any attention to what was coming out of the other woman's mouth, you focused on the small glimmers in the air. This one was an illusionist, there were a couple chinks in her disguising techniques but that was about it. Knowing you'd have to be careful with this one as well, careful not to let on what you knew and what you could do. Careful that you didn't just attack the right one on purpose.

Not that her illusions were even that enticing... trying to tempt you with her ideal man. It did make things slightly easier, planting small sleeper ki blasts as you dodged these projections. Waiting once more for the best time to strike.

Standing completely still, it still looked as if you'd stepped just barely out of the way. Earning a scoff and scolding for getting too cocky while she explained her master plan.

"Wanna see a magic trick?"

The first thing you've said to her this whole time... and it did wonders to catch her off guard.

"What? Are you going to disappear?" She laughed at you, "I already knew that!"

"One of us is..."

Covering your eyes as every particle of ki exploded from beneath your feet, it would make you a target sure. But at least this illusionist was out of the ring. Climbing back up to a wider, flatter surface, your eyes fell on a presumably younger man marching toward you. He seemed pissed, leading you to believe that he was from the same Universe as the two women you'd just knocked out.

"I've always been told not to hit a woman." His eyes were burning, "But I have no choice. Never have I wanted to--"

"You won't be able to lay a scratch on me." You dead-panned, "So you might as well give it all you've got. Because you won't survive otherwise."

As you traded blows, simple punches still hurt you just not as much as they would a normal person. Krillen and Beerus' voices reached you like whispers.

"Don't let your wins go to your head [Name], you're not indestructible."

"Curly, explain what she can even do. I've never seen that fighter before."

"[Name]? Well she uh... she has this weird ability. After she gets hit with or manages tot study a technique enough, she becomes immune to it. It's really risky."

"Oh, I see." You were certain that was Whis, "So in a tournament like this she's likely to be the last one standing."

"What!? How can you be so sure Whis?" Yet, you were right

"Well, unless she were to be killed by a technique, she simply counter or adapt to it correct?"

"Uh yeah... she uh... she's used that to her advantage on too many times. The only thing that seems to work against her is Solar Flare."

Then Beerus' voice nearly shattered your eardrum, "THEN SHE HAD BETTER KEEP HERSELF IN THE RING! DO YOU HEAR ME [NAME]!?"

That noise level blurred your vision for a few seconds too long. Giving this transformed, hulking bird man the upper hand as he slapped you into a wall.

"Oh, so I'm not going to survive this?" He sneered, "You don't see the writing on the wall, do you? You're the one going over the edge."

Barely managing to push away from the wall in time, you swept your leg out. A seemingly wild kick instantly blocked, a very cocky birdman just ready to throw you out.

If it wasn't for the excessive ki blast you'd built up to follow your foot. The two of you going flying in your whirlwind gamble. Toppling over the edge, hanging on by your fingertips as you struggled to hold yourself and the seemingly flightless birdman on your ankle. Firing off ki blasts from the bottom of your foot, you managed to rid yourself of the extra weight. But you were still in danger of falling out of bounds yourself.

Feet frantically looking for something, anything to catch. Reaching out for something, anything as you barely managed to keep yourself balanced on the edge of the ring.

"[NAME]!"

Gritting your teeth and expecting the worst, you were more than prepared to fight from your unfavorable position. This was about survival after all. And yet, the hand helping you up was Goku's. Reminding you how short you really were. Fighting had that weird affect on your senses after all, it was disorienting to say the least.

"Oh thank goodness you were able to hold on that long." Gokus smiled widely, "That was close."

"You're telling me." You smirked warmly, "But at least it won't happen again."

"You say that, but we'll see."

A playful punch to the side and you were back on your way. That would be the closest you got to going over. The next person would have one hellacious fight on their hands...

"Well well well, the weakest link of Universe 7."

That cold sneer from behind you was more than a little telling. Frost had caught you lurking again. Your strategy was always interrupted at the worst times. Especially now that so many of the fighters were reaching the top echelons of their capabilities, you were far from their raw levels.

But strategy would win, you were sure of it

"What's the matter? A mute as well as an easy target?" Frost mocked, "Oh well, looks like I'll just have to toss another human over the edge."

Blocking the sudden attack, you knew better than to say much. Giving away too much would prove to be your downfall... if you even let that happen. But even being able to trade blows with this Frieza look-alike wasn't enough. He kept backing you into obvious corners where all you could do was dodge and hope you could knock him back.

Until Frost got cocky in his own right. Firing a shot at Vegeta while you were hardly dodging an excessive volley of energy blasts.

The more you struggled, the worse things seemed to get. Until Vegeta threw his own blindsided attack, connecting a punch when you could hardly do a thing.

"You really need to be more careful."

"I don't need you telling me that Vegeta. I won't waste your time explaining this, but you need to watch out anyways."

"Save your breath." He scoffed, "Just do your job and stay out of my way."

Watching him leap forward, you sighed. "I highly doubt you'll be able to take him on your own..."

"Well, I'm not about to ask you for your help! Now go find somewhere else to lurk!"

"I'm not offering help." You dashed in front of the haughty prince, "This was my fight first!"

Frost smirked, "So, she knows basic English, eh? No matter, it won't make any difference."

Dodging the rocks flying as Frost's 'secret' support made it's entrance, you focused a large ki blast to the magma covering it's ears. Leaping over the metal brute and finding your footing on a much higher platform.

"Oh, so you knew what I was doing?" Frost was at your throat before you could think, "Shame, you seem to be a strategist and scout. But that ends now!"

Catching Frost's arm as you reflexively leaned back, throwing a weak punch in return. But that was only the first. Knowing how Frost moved was the advantage you needed...

"YOU BUCKET OF BOLTS! YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO FIGHTERS EVERYWHERE!"

Frost stopped first, both of you watching Vegeta shove his robotic opponent over the edge. Your guard hadn't dropped, and yet...

"Well, this won't do." Frost readied a ki blast, one that wasn't meant for you, "I'm afraid that this fight will have to wait. If you ever prove to be worth the effort."

You had no choice but to leap away as Frost's blast hit the ground. The smokescreen giving him a chance to slip away. Landing next to Vegeta, you were about to head off for another fight.

"Listen here [Name]." You turned, Vegeta wasn't about to... "Next time you better not interfere with my fight. I won't let you get in my way again."

Frowning as Vegeta ran off to another battle, "You're welcome Vegeta."

It was time to get serious. No more sneaking, no more getting dragged into fights. You would initiate the next one. And nothing would stop you...

Yet old habits died hard, analyzing the remain fighters, thinking about the swiftly dwindling time, the win conditions. Universe 7 was in the lead for fighters if time ran out, but that would only make you and the others a target. But if you could just...

"Ah ha! You're one of the fighters from Universe 7." You at least had the courtesy of stopping to see who was addressing you this time, "Tell me, how does it feel to be on the same team as that villain Goku?"

Sizing up this guy was straightforward at least. Large, likely fast, and almost certainly a melee brawler.

"Can't say I know what you're talking about." The way he talked, the way he seemed to think he was somehow above morals, "Where I'm from, Goku is considered a hero. Fight-happy, stubborn, single-minded, but not a villain. If you were in our Universe, you'd know what I'm talking about."

"Hmph. I see." He steadied himself for a fight, "I suppose you do have a point, but I have no time for senseless perspective-taking. As much as I'd like to abstain from fighting someone such as yourself, I see no way around this. Please accept the mercy of being thrown out of the ring by the second-strongest fighter of Universe 11."

Sighing as you took a stance, "I'm getting real tired of being pulled into fights and underestimated..."

"Then show me what you're capable of young Miss!"

You barely even whispered that to yourself, so how this guy heard you was beyond you. But now wasn't the time to think too much, you had to fight. Speed wouldn't help you much, there had to be power behind your punches. If it wasn't for the fact that you don't have any fighting abilities besides insane adaptability, you'd be a little more confident. For now...

Keeping your eyes on this large man, you knew he'd be fast but this was a little too fast. Leaping low to the ground, you barely avoided his massive fist. Knowing an attempt to sweep his... oddly tiny legs would be futile. His physique was bizarre and created the biggest challenge. Skidding to a stop a few feet away, you weighed your options.

Staying in melee wouldn't work and building up energy blasts wasn't viable due to how long it would take. Not to mention how ineffective that would prove long-term. Wasting energy wasn't the play here, and it was clear that your opponent thought the same thing.

Jumping every time he threw a punch, landing small blows here and there just to test how far you could push him before cracking; you had little options for actual attacks. Unless he started doing something more than the basics, you were just David fighting Goliath.

"I got cha back Top!"

Flattening yourself to the ground from under the rabbit-looking guy, you already knew what he was capable of. You couldn't counter his raw speed, but you could lay traps well enough if it came to that.

"Don't interfere Dyspo, she might be a good strategist, but she's not much of a fighter." Glaring at your opponent, again with the insults, "I merely need to bide my time until she tires herself out."

"If ya say so Top." Dyspo smirked, "Now that cha mention it, she does look a little scrappy to be in a tournament this long. Must've been sheer luck so far, huh?"

"Don't be so quick to write off a fellow warrior." Top turned to face you, "Especially if they are from Goku's Universe."

No, it was too soon for you to fully unleash. Save a little power for later. Kaioken could only get you so far... But a little spare energy here and there...

Trading punches with the newly identified Top, you put your foot down so to speak. No more dodging until...

"What's that power!?" Top stopped your fist suddenly, letting go quickly, "Has Jiren finally started fighting?"

Following Top more out of curiosity than the will to fight, you could only stare as Goku was assaulting Jiren. Nothing was getting to the massive brute, and yet...

"Justice Hand!"

Top was firing at Goku, you knew it was useless, even his own teammate called Top off. But you continued to study this Jiren figure. The way he took hits meant he was assessing Goku as much as Goku was assessing him with the volley of attacks. It wasn't just raw strength or power that Jiren had, there was something... else. Something you could counter if only he'd...

Ducking, you were surprised as Top leaped to defend you. Moving you out of the way as Goku and Jiren fought across the arena. Following the pair with your eyes, it clicked. Goku wasn't anywhere near Jiren's level. Not like this anyways. His Blue form plus Kaioken was barely able to keep up.

Stepping back, your gaze kept up effortlessly. Tipping off your opponent to your real power.

"You seem to be keeping up with those two rather easily." While Top wasn't trying to fight you right now, every little thing you did was being analyzed fully, "Am I to assume that's your true power? Shame you can't use it effectively. A scouting warrior is best suited with communication devices after all."

"Duck."

Shoving Top aside as you leapt out of the way, bracing for the impact as Goku and Jiren zipped past again, landing back in the middle of the crater they started in. Things weren't looking good for Goku specifically, Jiren barely looked like he expended himself at all. No heavy breathing, no scuff marks, nothing to suggest that he had been fighting at all. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Wait! There's a technique I still have!" Goku powered down, "But I need a minute to charge it up."

Stopping, Jiren relaxed, "Go ahead. Take all the time you need."

Not this starfish pose... You pinched the bridge of your nose, groaning.

"You're familiar with this attack?" Top wasn't nearly as hostile as he first insinuated, "What does it do?"

"You'll see. Goku is literally about to announce it." You huffed, "As if the people who know don't already..."

"Everyone! I need all the energy you can spare!" Goku yelled, "C'mon guys! Give me your energy to finish this fight!"

"That..." Top stepped back, raising his arm as if a barrier, "That can't be his plan..."

"Yep." You sighed, raising an arm to give as much energy as you could pull from the arena beneath you, "And it may not even work but... Better to try and fail than not try at all."

Knowing that Top was staring, hearing the grunt as he smirked, "Yes, that I can whole-heartedly agree with."

The tension was thick as Goku charged his Spirit Ball. That amount of energy would absolutely pose a threat to anyone who tried to take it head-on. Jiren knew this, pushing the sphere away from himself. Why did it always become a shoving match again? You couldn't even begin to count how many times this happened.

So when Goku was the one caught in the explosion, you couldn't believe it. The numb feeling washing over you was a distant memory as you jumped in to look for your comrade. Knowing that if Goku had died, or was vaporized, it would be his own fault. He fell on his own sword after all.

Even facing Jiren wasn't as bad as possibly losing the best chance at your survival. If Goku went down, only Vegeta and Freiza would be able to fight completely unhindered. The rest of your team would be disheartened, desperate, and fighting in that state wasn't going to help anyone. At least, you thought the rest of your team would be... 17 and 18 were difficult to read.

Your fighting stance against Jiren, guarding where Goku was, had been cut short. The immense power level radiating behind you had you frozen in place. Dropping your guard just to check that you were right...

"I appreciate the attempt [Name]." Goku sounded so different, what was this? "But you'll be in my way. Nothing personal, I just want to face Jiren alone."

"Right."

Jumping back up to the edge of the crater, you could only watch alongside everyone else. Sizing Jiren up as best you could from a distance. Goku's new form wouldn't last long, it was too much power for a first attempt. But what would happen after it fizzled out? Would Goku even survive that?

Sadly, it didn't take long for that to happen. Goku fell, almost completely worn out from the abundance of power. Looking to where Top was standing, further than was wise to seek out another fight; it would be wiser to regroup and strategize again. With all that you knew, the rest of you could corner Jiren and...

Before you could finish your thought, Hit from Universe 6 stepped in to fight Jiren. Knowing what little you did about the assassin, it seemed ill-matching. Jiren knew about the time skipping, and would be more than capable of countering that.

Even so, it was terribly shocking to see how Hit was ineffective, being knocked out of bounds as soon as Jiren was free from the time prison. And yet, despite your willingness to fight Jiren on Goku's behalf not even five minutes ago, he decided that you weren't worth his time. That everyone who could have challenged him was unable to.

Glaring at his meditating form, you jumped. Sensing Freiza close to Goku. Whatever else Freiza might be, trustworthy wasn't one of them. Holding a steady energy ball to his back as he stood over Goku, a similar yet unidentified energy ball in his palm, you knew he wouldn't be able to fight you the way he would others. And Frieza knew this, lowering his hand, just not dispersing the energy.

"I wouldn't dream of attacking this simpering monkey at the moment." Freiza grinned over his shoulder at you, "So you can put that away little girl."

Your eyes never left Frieza's face as the match of wills amid teammates continued. Backing down in this unknown situation, with Goku so weakened...

"Whoops!" Frieza both shot Goku and clutched your wrist, causing you to misfire, "My hand slipped. How clumsy of me."

Goku's cry of pain was short lived, short enough that you didn't have a chance to pay Frieza back for his dirty trick.

"There, see?" He cooed, "The ape is all better. Or, at least as much as I could... scraping the tiniest bit of energy I could spare for him anyways. But you;ll have to watch your back girl. I won't let you go so easily if you stand in my way again."

Rubbing your wrist and glowering at Frieza as he retreated, you knelt next to Goku.

"How are you holding up?" You knew a little about medical energy usage, "Here, let me--"

"Save your energy [Name]. You'll need it to survive the rest of the tournament. Besides, you still have an unfinished match against Top, right?"

"I don't track of those things." You shook Goku's concern off, "Besides, I have energy to spare. One of the good things about extreme adaptability is the constant flow of energy as long as I'm on solid ground."

It was nice to hear Goku chuckle again, "Yeah, surprising that it works when we aren't on Earth. Or is it just any body of land?"

"Any body of land, just nothing man-made. Odd since I know this place was technically man-made... maybe it's just because it was made by a god... er angel."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Stepping back so Goku could stand, you looked around, "So, what next? We have the most people available, you can't reach that Ultimate mode again without serious injury, and knocking too many people out spells their erasure."

"I have no clue." Goku frowned, "Thinking isn't exactly my strong suit. The best I can say is try to keep things the way they are. If we have the most people then... we will be the biggest targets huh?"

"Basically, though with you being like this makes you the prime target... just behind..."

You couldn't will yourself to state the obvious. Of course you'd be the weakest left on the field after all this time. Half the tournament has passed and you still stood here. Krillen and Tien were stuck in the stands due to careless error and noble sacrifice and here you were just...

"Just behind who?" Goku tilted his head, "Frieza? Vegeta? They're both pretty strong. Or maybe its 17 and 18... They really don't have many fans in this ring."

"I'm the weak link!" You grit your teeth, "I'm the weakest left on the field so the two of us are the ones they want to gun for."

"Hanh!? You!? Weak? But you're..."

"I have been scraping by the skin of my teeth since you pulled me up. Maybe I should have..."

"No, you're right where you need to be [Name]. There's still a lot of fighters left and you can beat all of them! So don't go thinking like that. Okay? You almost had Top earlier... I could feel it. You just have to push past your limits and let loose."

Watching as Goku turned to the Saiyan girls from Universe 6, you couldn't help but feel that he was only saying something to say it. What little you could do to compete now was...

"Get out of my way Kakkarot." Vegeta sneered, snapping you out of your trance, "These two are mine."

"What!? No way Vegeta! You got to teach Cabba! Kale and Califa are learning from me!"

Knowing better than to get between Saiyans when they want to fight, you took off. They would need all the space they could get after all, and you still had some fight left in you.

"You still have an unfinished fight against Top, right?"

That was at least a starting point. But would it really help?

Time was running out fast and while fighting kept the Zenos entertained, it wasn't as if that was difficult. Big explosions and grand speeches seemed to do the trick. But... you still felt like you had a score to settle... something to prove. To yourself, to the others, and you would start by proving it to

Top.

Leaping off the tall rock, intending to strike Top in the middle of his back; you were intercepted by his rabbit-like companion. Toppling off to one side, rolling for a second before steadying yourself on one knee.

"Thought you was gonna get the jump on Top, huh?" Dyspo sneered, "Well you ain't gettin' anywhere with dirty tactics like that!"

"That's fine." You stood, preparing to fight Dyspo instead, "I didn't expect that to work regardless if he had back up or not."

"Heh, smart girlie." Dyspo smirked, "But it won't be enough when you face true justice!"

Rolling your eyes, you focused on what you knew. Speed was his strong suit, his strength would be more momentum than raw strength, meaning if you just...

Blocking the worst of the kick and skidding back several feet, you latched onto Dyspo's ankle. If you could either get a grip, or trap him in some way... keep him immobile long enough to wear him down.

Or you could use him like a club.

Doubling your grip with both hands on his leg, you lifted the lean rabbit warrior up, much to his surprise. Before you could turn and slam him on the ground, Top was rushing in. Well, better to use this to your advantage.

Swinging Dsypo in a wide arc, you slammed him into Top with as much strength as you could. Knocking the bulky man off his feet as you kept spinning on your heels. Enduring Dyspo's desperate kicks to your hands. Kicks that were having less and less effect on you as you concentrated ki into gauntlets over your lower arms. Even as he tried to match your energy output, it failed to faze you.

Finally stopping, slamming Dyspo on the ground with enough force to create a small dent in the ground. But you didn't let go of his leg, instead dragging him around to swing at Top as he approached again. Another hefty swing of ally against ally, despite Top catching Dyspo this time... it still hit with enough force that gave you enough of an opening to drop the lucky rabbit's foot and land a powerful blow to Top's jaw.

Watching them both stagger back, you knew backing Top specifically into a corner too soon wouldn't be good for you. Dyspo in particular looked worse for your attack, but both men needed to get their bearings.

"And here I thought you were an honorable warrior," Top sounded disappointed, "But to pull such a dirty-!"

"Don't act like you know me." You spat, "I'm a strategist who played the game. Your buddy is a speedster so any chance to get him off his feet is the best chance I have at beating him."

Top paused, glaring at you. He couldn't deny what you were saying, it was a strategy he had warned Dyspo of himself. If it wasn't for the sheer power radiating from the other side of the field...

"Now what in the world is that?" Dyspo shook his head, "Another surge in power so soon?"

"Goku... don't..." You groaned, "Why are Saiyans like this?"

Before they could launch an attack, Jiren stood up from his meditation.

"It's time to retreat." He commanded, "Wait and save our strength for the final matches."

"Yeah but--!"

Jiren was sizing you up under a cold gaze, "She's run her course Dyspo. There's no use in continuing to fight someone like that. Take this act of mercy and throw yourself out for all I care. Just don't follow if you know what's good for you."

Breathing returned as you relaxed your form. You knew you couldn't stand against Jiren very long. His strategy and yours were too similar. But you had to fight Top... you had to prove...

Dodging out of the way of two rampaging Saiyans, you had to find a spot to lay low. There were still too many opponents on the field. It was all you could do to help run down the clock, not that you had much to give.

But you were among the last six standing. Six versus three. You had a score to settle and nothing was going to stop you. Not even the power struggle of wills from Goku and Jiren. With your sights set on Top, you were rudely cut off by Gohan and 17, mostly Gohan.

"I know how this looks, how much you don't want to [Name]," Gohan said, "But you should go help Frieza with Dyspo."

"Fine."

Against your better judgment and desire, you went after Dyspo. Frieza wouldn't be happy with this, but as long as you could get a couple others out of the ring... Anything to keep Frieza from getting a wish to be honest.

Just hanging back and letting whatever happened happen. Having Freiza drug around by the tail and used like a club was funny after all. Even if it didn't work all that much.

"You're just enjoying this aren't you [Name]?" Count on Freiza to give up your hiding spot, "No doubt awaiting the precise moment that you can be the one to defeat me as well."

"Huh?" Dyspo was dumbfounded and ready to run, "You mean this... That's your great play?"

"Not really." You shook your head, "I don't play well with tyrants, even if we are on the same team."

"No wonder you're not fazed being swung around like a bat." Dsypo smirked, "Too bad you won't get that chance again."

"My my, it sure is a shame that he is only capable of running, isn't it?" Both of you watched him zip off, "If only you had hung back a little longer, you might have gotten your big chance [Name]. Not that I would have gone down so easily of course."

"Naturally. Though I have a score to settle myself. Don't get in my way."

"Oh hoh hoh! Do tell."

"Not on your life."

Even as you walked alongside the scourge of your own Universe, your thoughts stressed over your desire to fight Top. He and his team had ignored you long enough.

"Oh well, just leave Dyspo to me then. And do tell the half-Saiyan and Android to stay out of my way."

Heading off to where Top's energy was radiating, you were met with Gohan.

"Freiza is being stubborn with Dyspo. I am going to fight Top." You started, "I ask that neither of you interferes unless absolutely necessary."

"Are... are you sure?" Gohan asked, "You do know--"

"I fought Top earlier, I'm aware what he can do."

"If you insist." 17 raised his arms, "But I will jump in at my best judgment."

"That's what I'm counting on."

"Freiza! Look out! Behind you!"

Turning to where the yell was directed, the three of you hesitated for a moment.

"I knew you should have stayed with Freiza." Gohan growled a little, "Now what?"

"You go." 17 said, "But first, you said you've fought Top [Name]. What do you know about his allies?"

"Dyspo is a speedster. Keep him from controlling his movements and you'll be able to take him out."

"Alright then." Gohan nodded, "You two take care of Top then."

Leaping from where you had stayed hidden, you were met with a volley of energy blasts from Top.

"Oh, if it isn't the strategist from Universe 7, we meet again."

"Don't sound so surprised." You glared, "I'm not just a strategist. I'm the one who counters ALL!"

Rushing in for a melee assault, one you knew that wouldn't work, you hit a green barrier.

"17! What the hell!?" You shouted, "This is my fight!"

"Don't tell me you can't sense it." He answered, "Freiza won't be as easy going as the rest of us. And Gohan was knocked out with that Dyspo guy. You hang back for a minute and let me take care of this."

Shaking with fury as you clenched your fist, you retreated. 17 firing an endless volley of blasts. Kneeling to absorb all the energy you could muster, knowing you would need every ounce. Especially as you watched the beams between Top and 17 collide, staying just beyond the area of effect.

Even with Freiza taking potshots at Top's back, you knew something was coming. The explosion was incredible, with Top undergoing a transformation... one with too much power behind i--

"Wait a second..." Actually listening to the chatter of the stands, you knew how to counter him, "That's it."

Waiting for your opening was easy enough, as Freiza threw his desperate attempt at Top. Being knocked out as soon as Top was up, and thrown over the edge.

"Now!"

Your punch landed, but only just.

"Hah!? What are you doing [Name]! Get out of there! Don't go into a melee match!"

"Wait, she didn't... don't tell me."

"No... she..."

"SHE CAN'T BE SERIOUS!?"

"Wait a second..." Gohan yelled amid all the confusion, "[Name] isn't affected by power ups at all. She can't just see through them, she can counter them completely if she can get close enough."

"WHAT!?"

"You mean to tell me that one little human has been winning through immunity alone?"

Trading blows with Top had its own odd effect on you. Each strike barely hurt, but the energy you were absorbing was pure destruction. Even if you knew why, it made for a weird feeling. You've never actually absorbed pure destruction like this.

"I see you do have a weird ability." Top growled, "How quaint for the scout from the 7th."

"And you've been hiding your true power. Which is what my job as a scout was all about." You glared in return, "So either fight me or step out now. Because I'm not going to back down!"

Pushing the energy you'd absorbed out like a barrier of your own, you made every effort to dodge the blows you could. Turning someone's weapon against them was never an easy feat, but as your attacks got stronger, Top's grew weaker. Punch for punch, kick for kick, Top wasn't even attempting a grapple this time. You were able to root yourself or else fight back whenever he made a pass to toss you aside.

"Standing up to a destroyer god for this long is commendable, but this has been going on long enough. Leave this ring of ruble or else I might not be able to hold back from pure destruction!"

"Shut up!"

Decking Top in the face, you didn't let up. Blow for blow with no opening for him to charge a single move. He couldn't even escape with how much faster you'd begun moving. The destruction energy, the energy of the ground, you could only hope to finish this fight soon.

"I am getting tired of this." Top had you by the foot, throwing you aside like a ragdoll, "You cannot survive this, unless you dodge. Hakai!"

Standing up as the massive purple sphere of energy touched you, this was absolutely pure destruction. And it unlocked the rage you'd been keeping in check for so long.

That first punch felt too good, especially as the stands erupted in chatter. Wondering how far you could feasibly take your ability, and being far more resilient for it. And yet... you knew that this was as far as you could go...

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

Bull rushing with every punch, the whole length of the arena... until you felt the ground leaving from under your feet. You knew this would be the last thing you did.

Appearing in the stands, you felt like collapsing. Every fiber of your being shook as you struggled to keep your eyes open.

"I... I--"

"Hey, easy [Name]." Gohan pulled you against his shoulder to keep you from falling to the floor, "Breathe, here. Have a Sensu."

"That... you really are something [Name]." Krillen sighed, "Just being able to stand toe-to-toe like that for so long."

"How in the world did you know you could take that kind of energy?" Beerus asked, "That level of Destroyer energy, even if new and weaker... you shouldn't have been able to shake that off after one time."

"I've always been able to do this." You shrugged as you stretched, "Absorbing energy and being immune to specific types of power ups are why Goku brought me into this crazy tournament."

The unsettling quiet and whispers of the power you had were quickly broken up as Jiren powered up. The tournament was far from over after all...

[saiyanandproud]

Yet another homage to @amiz06-certified-b1mb0​ great work on DB human AU, and also a bit of a sequel to the sweet surprise she drew for me (I’m still squealing whenever I think about it and my flatmate is still concerned, yes). After meeting her idol, Mariko just HAD to meet the sweetest little Arcosian ever... Too bad she doesn’t have half an idea of who he is (like, who could ever guess?? He’s so different from the rest of his family, temper-wise!)

 Before Amiz’ stories, I never cared much for Kuriza, it even sounded weird for Frieza to have a son at all to me. Now, he’s my favourite precious little bean in the story and I LOVE how he fits in the Cold family! Must protect him at all costs! I have so many questions on him in this story (if he Arcosian? Is he human? Is he Earthling? Is he a mix??) and I can’t wait to read more about him! Also, please Kuriza, be a sweet Cupid between Yamcha and that weirdo of your father, only you can make this miracle happen! We all count on you!

Thank you again for the inspiration, Amiz! Sorry if it’s super doodly this time, I didn’t have the time to make it all look neat and perfect because work! TnT

[jztars]

YanTober | Day 1 - Stalking

DragonBall / Yamcha

*Apologies for the delay

• ° • ° • ° • ° • ° • ° • ° • ° • °

How long did it take to simply have the courage to get near them?

Days? Weeks?

His hands were clammy and cold, his whole body began to sweat lightly, and for the cherry on top, his nerves were just eating him alive. He stepped into the small establishment, lowering his head somewhat low as the doorbell chimed.

He didn't need any more attention to himself.

Swallowing the bile that was rising to his throat The smell of coffee and baked pastries hit his nose, and a vague, reassuring feeling of relief swept over him.

Even if it was simply to have a quick look, it was a stupid move to follow them in. He quickly sat at an empty table, staring at the menu as if it were the most important thing on the planet, in an effort to make himself feel less out of place. A quick look above revealed his eyes glancing at them as they approached the register. When he heard them speak, he was aware that he was blushing. The heat from his cheeks was a dead giveaway. Fortunately, their voice was loud enough for him to hear; even if it was just a basic order for food and drink, it rang in his ears like a sweet song.

The voice of someone else broke him out of his thoughts. "Sir? Your order." He turned and snapped to see a girl, a bit younger than him, with an apron and a notepad.

"I didn't order-"

Idiot. You're at a Café.

"Just an espresso. Thanks..." mumbling the last bit to the waitress. She seemed to understand what he meant to say and went off to prepare his drink. The smell of fresh coffee was just as enticing as the thought of a warm pastry. Ironic since he didn't even like the sweet drink, as well as caffeine for the matter.

"Thank you for stopping by, (Your Name). Have a great day!" Any upcoming thoughts were caught in a blank, and words became a muffled mess as time seemed to inconveniently speed up. They had walked by his table, and a tired sigh seemed to leave their lips as they passed him. They didn't seem to even notice him, as if they didn't exist. Yet the feeling of butterflies bubbled into his chest.

Was this a dream?

Too fast and too soon, they were gone from his sight. He let out a large exhale, letting go of the breath he wasn't aware he was holding in. The familiar chime of the bell hit his ears again; they were out of his sight. It made his stomach twist a little. The familiar warmth was gone and ripped out of his body.

Well, now he can't just get up and leave; he already placed an order. With his morals and frustration in check, he let out a sigh, trying to calm himself down. Bringing his fingers up to trace the scar on his cheek, it was much harder to blend in with a crowd. He'd have to stop by their workplace an hour later; perhaps he would get to see them working. His heart thumped harder into his chest as it rang throughout his ears. If he was lucky enough, maybe he'd get them as a host.

"(Your Name)..." he whispered softly, his hands trembling at just the mere thought of them. His breathing was a bit heavier as the thoughts began piling up into a mess in his head. He completely dismissed the drink being placed in front of him and the return of the waitress.

"Your espresso is ready, sir!"

"What? Oh, right- here." He took out his wallet and placed the bill on the table. Snatching the drink, he quickly made his way out. The familiar and warm sunlight hit his eyes as a wave of awkwardness rushed to him. Walking down on the opposite side of his usual route, he placed the drink on top of a bin before continuing on his way.

He was such a fool.

Another chance had slipped by just as it was in reach.

[roy-dcm2]

Make the DBZ Movies Canon

I've said it before - I love shonen movies because they're just MORE. More time with the characters we love with a bigger animation budget (most of the time).

Again, imagine being the kid that LOVES Goku in 1997, and you want to see him go all out. Goku only uses SSJ3 twice in the anime, but he uses it 2 more times in the movies. You get 100% more SSJ3 with the movies. (Gear 4th Luffy is in a similar situation)

Also, imagine if fighting was like sex for sayans. How many GOOD fights did Goku have in his adult life? Piccolo, Vegeta, Freezer... maybe Majin Buu? Then it's nothing until Broli, I think.

(What about Cell, or Ginyu or Raditz - If sex ended with you bleeding on the floor, you wouldn't call that a good experience. lol)

But add in the movies and you could count - Jenemba, Android 13, Cooler, Slug... maybe Turles. (Not to mention OG Broly) Plus, all the other ones that were victories for the other characters like Garlik Jr, Bojack, or... Broly. Come to think of it, they were mostly there to make Gohan (or Goten) look good.

(It's almost like they're subs for Goku, when Goku's not around.)

So, here's my ideas on what you could do with the movie villains to add them to the canon in some capacity. Some would be big changes, and other tiny changes.

One big change up would be starting with Dr. Wheelo. Make him the LAST Dragonball villain. The set up is that he wants to be the World's Strongest. He should try to clash with Goku and his friends like 1 year after Goku became tournament champion. Because he's completely out of his debts as a DBZ villain, but he's just tough enough to give Goku + Tien, Yamcha, & Krillin a challenge. And Toei could just RETCON him in say that it happened. (Maybe make a TV special to show it.)

Next guy you gotta keep is Obviously Garlic Junior. He would make a great re-occuring villain for Gohan. Obviously, Dead Zone slots in pretty much unchanged into the anime right now. It's just a matter of who-meets-who when with Gohan/ Krillin/ Kami. I'd LOVE to see GJ capture Videl, or Pan, and he embues them with evil Energy and Gohan has to fight them but also save them.

Turles would require a major overhaul. The concept of the Tree of Might is AWESOME, but the fact that he's a random doppelganger of Goku REALLY stands out. Maybe we could change him to look like Raditz, and what I would do with him is I would actually put him in Universe 7.

This would be a NEW movie where Turles is attacking planet Salad. He hates that the Sayans are good guys in Universe 7, and so he's gonna use the Tree of Might destroy the planet, kill the vast majority of Saiyans, and he's gonna eat the fruit of might to power up. And... what if since he's ESSENTIALLY absorbing a bunch of different Ki, he triggers the Super Sayan God transformation in himself. Of course, it means Kale, Califla, Cabba, and like Goten / Trunks have to save the day.

Here's another great one. Lord Slug. I think they need to give him the Broly treatment. He needs a canon movie in Super. And he's def gonna be an interesting threat because now he can also borrow the new "orange" transformation. And this time, Goku needs Ultra Instinct to take him down.

They could also make him like an Evil Wizard. He's not just terraforming the Earth, now he wants to open up Earth's demon realm to unleash chaos because he feeds off of demon energy. That would also be an excuse to sideline Vegeta.

Meanwhile, Cooler only needs to be reconned into those two years where they were training to fight the Androids.

And then Metal Cooler can return after Majin Buu. In this new version, both Goku and Vegeta can go SSJ2, and Goku can say SSJ3 just burns too much ki.

A weird one would be Super Android 13. I think he works as a Terminator homage. (Like 3 robots just show up at a mall wanting to kill Goku) But there's NO WAY to make him work. There's no space where we can keep Goku, Vegeta, Trunks around. So i'd place him somewhere else...

The only place where he would make sense is in "The Great Saiyaman" Saga. Ya know, after the timeskip, but before the Buu Saga starts. So, it would be Teen Gohan, Goten, and Trunks (and Vegeta / Piccolo) taking him on. With Gohan going SSJ2 for the win.

(That would be great since Broly 2 is definitely on a dead timeline.)

Obviously, Bojack slots in almost completely unchanged. This is after Cell is dead. There's nothing stopping Toriyama/ Toyotaro/ Toei from saying it happened. Another WIN for Gohan.

BTW, they could also redo "Bio-Broly" and instead of being a clone of Broly, it could be a clone of Bojack. (Bio-Bojack)

Jenemba is a weird one. A big draw of the movie is seeing Goku and Vegeta have to do the Fusion. That means we'd have to add him to what is now the end of the "timeline" after the canon Broly (/SH) movie. This does mean that neither Goku or Vegeta are dead, but that doesn't matter much.

They could start off by letting the dead warriors like Pikkon and Olibu fight. (Or maybe a team of villains taking on Jenemba for time off their sentence or reincarnation, like Cell or Bojack.)

Then Jenemba reaches his final form and the path to the living world opens up, and we get the chance for Gogeta to win the day.

Finally, there's Hirudegarn. Again, he slots in without a problem after Majin Buu.

But really finally, there's one more antagonist that needs to be added to the official Canon and that is "Baby." What makes him great is the body-snatcher/ body horror aspect. He's a synthetic alien parasite.

They could change him up a little bit. So that he's not made by the Truffles, and instead he's made by the Cerealians. He was a bioweapon they weren't able to implement before they were wiped out.

It's main plan is to destroy Freezer and his empire. So, Baby starts in space until someone like Jacco accidentally takes it to Earth. It be best to make it TWO movies. One where Baby takes over, and then a last desperate band that has to take on Baby Vegeta with Ultra Ego.

[yamcha-thelonewolf]

What do you want Yamcha’s role in future works to be?

Nothing extremely relevant, really. Not because I don't desire it, but because the current path taken by Dragon Ball can never bring him to prominence as it once did. So, Yamcha has always been a supporting character, and not just in battle. This is enough to accept that his role in the whole story is simply and genuinely to be there. That would be something, and in fact in DBS we have seen a few appearances from him. Better than not seeing him, I guess, although I would have avoided some gratuitous humiliation. Yet any Dragon Ball fan knows that, fool or not, Yamcha cannot be missed. He was one of the first characters to come alongside Goku in his adventures, that friend we could all use, the one who with a dumb laugh gets us out of a bad mood when maybe he is down on his luck even more than we are. That's the point. Yamcha is a hidden character, there is a song by Toru Furuya that tells us about him in a different light, and I think this aspect is the most characteristic and fascinating element of the former bandit. Sadly by now the world knows him as the idiot of the team, the loser, the clown whose antics occasionally dampen the tension of the plot, but he is not just that. Well, basically this is what I would like. A little more respect. I don't demand that he be given an entire chapter in which he finally makes his point (although I wouldn't mind that!), but at least that he be returned to his own identity, the one that was perhaps naively given to him at the origin of Dragon Ball and that made him one of the most interesting and intriguing characters. Unfortunately, his characterization has been lost over time. Yamcha, like so many others, has been outclassed by other priorities, and that's "okay". The only thing I wish is that he would be recognized a little more, and I wish that in those little appearances he now makes he might say or do something intelligent, something useful, just as he used to do once between jokes. I mean, Yamcha was a living encyclopedia. He knew everything about everyone, he was an adept connoisseur of the martial arts, and that hinted at how captivated he was by them. There are so many signs to prove it, such as when in the filler he was quivering to punch during the baseball game or, more recently, when he helped out in the Moro arc. I simply wish he would also continue his training, perhaps with Tien, or Gohan and Piccoro, and above all believe in himself more since it seems that others don't do it as much. What Yamcha has always needed was recognition, and I'm sorry to notice how few times someone laid his hand on his shoulder to tell him he's a great guy.

From Dragon Ball FighterZ.

He is not like Tenshinhan who, despite the knowledge of his own inferiority, still manages to train and surpass himself. Yamcha is much more human: he has his own limitations, his weaknesses, his uncertainties, his sense of failure that does not keep him going. Nor is he like Krillin, who has managed to find a wife stronger than him who can spur him on and keep him active in training. For example, it would also be great if he perfected his style, deepening his wolf side or even better inventing a new technique, even more beautiful than the Spirit Ball. Well, anyway, if Yamcha cannot be made a better fighter, at the very least I would like to see him fulfill his wish: marrying a woman (or an alien) who does not make him feel wrong or inferior, but on the contrary can motivate him and chart a path for him that he has somewhat lost [I think I should also talk about Vidro, but not here]. Anyway, I know that love relationships are not the focal point of Dragon Ball, but it is also true that it was often, if not always, love that moved the characters. So why not please the one character who has officially declared over and over again that he only wants to fall in love and get married? It is sadly ironic as well as unfair. In conclusion, I think that giving him someone to love is the best gift that can be given to Yamcha. Yeah, even more than superhuman strength and satisfaction in battle. Then he would finally be a complete character and he might even go out of the picture... but at that point I'm sure many would miss him. Me for sure.

Just... Give this poor lone wolf a reason to not feel lonely anymore.

thanks for asking! 💕

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 055

Zeno! 

You sonovabitch!

As hot as Bulma looks fixing the time machine in her grimy labcoat, this episode has nothing at all to do with that.  In fact, she finishes the repairs in this very scene, but she wants to let Trunks rest up before telling him it’s ready to go.

Okay so years ago, people were griping about the state of Yamcha’s apartment in an upcoming episode of this show.  I guess they thought it looked too run down or something.  Re-watching this series over a period of a few weeks, it’s clear to me now that the background artists just suck at interior design.  Yamcha’s apartment looked a lot like the fancy restaurant that Gohan and Videl were at in Episode 43.  So is Yamcha’s apartment fancy, or was the restaurant a dump? 

Trunks’ bedroom in this episode informs our answer.   This is supposed to be a futuristic mansion, but this room looks like a prison cell.  I’m not even sure it looks like the room Trunks slept in a few episodes back.  And sure, there’s probably a lot of empty guest rooms in this building, and the Brief family are eccentric enough that they might not bother decorating half of them.  Still, the prompt for this scene was “A guest room in a futuristic mansion” and the artists were like “Well, I guess Venetian blinds?  Oh!  How about a couple of empty shelves!”

Meanwhile, Grand Zeno has contacted Beerus to arrange for Goku to come to his palace.  So Beerus summons Goku, but it takes like two days for Whis to make the trip, and Goku doesn’t want to be away from Earth for four days.  So Whis suggests they ask the Supreme Kai for help, since Supreme Kais can teleport to Grand Zeno’s palace instantaneously. 

So this is just a not-so-clever way to repeat the same scene twice in one episode.  First we have Beerus freaking out and warning Goku not to do anything stupid, and then we get the Supreme Kai contingent doing the same bit all over again. 

One tidbit we learn from all of this is that if the Supreme Kai dies, the God of Destruction dies with him, so Beerus orders Whis to make sure the Supreme Kai doesn’t get on the wrong end of Zeno’s wrath. 

Apparently Shin has to grab your ass to teleport you to Grand Zeno’s palace.  I mean, they don’t spell that out, and maybe this is just the usual Kai Kai power he uses to teleport to other planets, but I prefer to believe my grab-ass theory, because it would mean that this show can just do a thing without having five characters explain it to death.

Upon arrival, they’re greeted by this guy, called the “Grand Minister” in the dub.  I like that name better than “Great Priest”, which is what the subtitles kept calling him.  This dude is basically the attendant for Zeno, just as Whis is the attendant of Beerus, so he’s clearly not a priest.  Minister makes more sense, as it implies a more practical role, like a secretary or a minister in a head of state’s cabinet.  And the religious aspect is still there, but not quite so blatant. 

Also, he has a Dorito on his shirt, which is a bold fashion choice.

Everyone worries about Goku’s clothes being unsuitable for this meeting, so Whis makes an excuse about them being too busy to get him changed, but the Grand Minister doesn’t see the problem, because he can tell that Goku’s outfit is the most important clothing he has.  Perceptive.  And Goku’s like, “well, yeah.”

And this informs the whole relationship between Zeno and Goku.  Zeno wanted to meet Goku again because he liked him from before, and he wants them to be friends and play together.  Everyone else around Zeno is terrified of getting erased from existence, so Goku is the only being he’s ever met who’s totally at ease with him.  The gods accuse Goku of being foolish or rude, but that’s not it at all.  Goku is at ease with himself, and with the universe around him.  He’s very zen, if you will, and that’s something Zeno can appreciate.

Zeno wants Goku to play with him, but Goku says he has something very important to do.  He doesn’t mention that it’s this stupid mission to fight Goku Black, because everyone warned him not to bring up the time travel stuff.  Still, he promises to return when he’s finished, and he’ll even bring another friend who’ll be more fun to play with.  Zeno agrees, and he gives Goku a magic button.  When he’s ready, he can push the button, and Zeno will instantly appear before him. 

Goku pushes it, and Zeno’s like “I’m already here, though.”  Maybe Goku was hoping a muffin would appear somewhere.

Anyway, Goku is permitted to leave, so that takes care of that business.  So what’s the rest of the episode about?   Well, we haven’t checked in on Zamasu lately so let’s see what they’re doing in Universe 10.

Fuck, we’re still here?  Gowasu was using the Time Ring to try to teach Zamasu about mortals, but all Zamasu seems to be getting from this is that the mortals they’re observing are doomed to be nothing more than violent savages.  They watch a bunch of Barbari kill each other in a battle, and then one Barbari attacks the Kais.  So Zamasu steps in and kills the poor dope.

He chops the dude in half, and it’s treated like this insane thing, like he used a cool new technique instead of the energy blade thing Salza used in the first Cooler Movie.

Gowasu is SHOCKED and OUTRAGED that his apprentice, the one who never shuts up about how they should kill all the mortals, would kill a mortal. He wants Zamasu to explain himself, but instead he just makes this goofy face.  I’d joke that Zamasu just had his first orgasm, but he wasn’t giving a speech while he killed that guy, so the conditions weren’t quite right.

So what happens when a Supreme Kai-in-training murders a mortal in cold blood?  Does he get stripped of his rank?  Is he sent to the Phantom Zone for 500 years?  No, they go right back to what they were doing before they left.  Zamasu makes more tea for Gowasu to drink, and they rehash the same dead-end conversation they had before and during their little Time Ring trip.

Let me try to summarize this brilliant rhetoric for you. 

Gowasu: Zamasu, it’s important that you appreciate the mortals. 

Zamasu: Nah, fuck ‘em.  Mortals suck. 

Gowasu: Perhaps with time, you will come to realize that mortals have the capacity to change and grow, and this potential to evolve is part of the complexity of the universe we watch over.

Zamasu: No, you’re 100% wrong.  Mortals are all evil, and anyone who tolerates their existence is also evil. 

I mean, Zamasu uses pretty words to make his points, but the message is always the same.  He despises mortals, and he really isn’t shy about expressing this opinion.  He was visibly outraged by Goku’s visit, and the only logical conclusion to his points is that mortals should all be eradicated.  Like, there’s no subtly to any of this.  The only restraint he shows is out of deference to Gowasu, and he continues to argue with him even after Gowasu tells him he needs to adjust his attitude.  Hell, he killed a mortal right in front of Gowasu. 

Like, the concept here is that Zamasu eventually becomes the big villain of this arc, but that’s the Zamasu of the future.  The Zamasu of the present hasn’t gone down that road yet, so we’re watching his origin story unfold in real time.  This is supposed to be like Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, except, no it’s not.  This is like if Anakin Skywalker married Padme right in front of Obi-Wan, and showed off his cool red lightsaber while he killed all the Sand People, and then Anakin’s tailor shows up to fit him for a new black helmet.  And every conversation between Anakin and Obi-Wan would be like “Jedi shouldn’t kill people Anakin” and “No way, killing is the best.  I fucking love evil.”

This scene is supposed to be all profound or something, which is why they put glowing cherry blossoms in it, just in case you couldn’t tell how profound and meaningful it’s supposed to be.  He’s becoming a bad guy, and his mentor can’t even tell!  How tragic!  No, Zamasu was a villain from the moment we first saw him.  All these scenes do is have him repeat his motivation over and over.  They aren’t developing his character, they’re just reinforcing the same information.  The only thing truly profound here is how blind Gowasu is to Zamasu’s shittiness.  It’s like Gowasu doesn’t even care.

I mean, let’s set aside good and evil for a moment.  Who’s to say if it’s right or wrong to kill a few zillion mortals?  Even if Gowasu were that detached from the question, he should still be deeply troubled that his apprentice, the guy he’s training to take his place some day, holds the office of Supreme Kai in such contempt.  The job is literally to care for and watch over the universe and everything living in it.  Even if wiping out mortals were the right thing to do, that’s the job of the Destroyer Gods, so if nothing else, Zamasu has demonstrated a complete failure to understand what the Supreme Kai is supposed to do. 

So you would think Gowasu would at least stop and say “You know, I don’t think you’re cut out for this work.” But it’s like he doesn’t even see the problem.  It’s like he doesn’t want to see it.  There’s glowing cherry blossoms in this scene, but all this asshole wants to do is ignore it and drink his thirty-sixth cup of tea.

Meanwhile, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks head to Trunks’ world to take on Goku Black, but a bunch of guys start shooting at Goku, so that’s a thing.

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged - Christmas Tree of Might Review

Originally posted on December 25th, 2015

Goku starring in a Christmas special somehow makes perfect sense.

It is incredibly strange to me the ease with which Team Four Star blends the themes characteristic of a Christmas special with the universe of Dragonball Z. The idea that Goku would be the most stalwart defender of Christmas in the universe works surprisingly well, and making it so the Tree of Might sucks the Joy of ChristmasTM from the earth instead of its energy is a change that I didn’t question for a second.

I’m also reminded of Princess Snake, and I see this film as a good indicator of the growth experienced by Team Four Star between then and now. Back then, they wrote an entire episode based on the (unfunny) joke that Princess Snake and Solid Snake share the same name, so why not have her voice be a (albeit decent) David Hayter impression? With this film though, Team Four Star has taken the strange concept of a Dragonball Z Christmas film and built upon that in every possible aspect.

Part of the success of this is that they go out of their way to imbue every aspect of the film with signifiers of the Christmas season; the inclusion of Christmas music at every opportunity is one of the tricks they use most often, and their use of a metal rendition of “Deck the Halls” as the theme for the destruction of the earth is particularly clever.

All of the villains being “misfit minions” of Christmas is a great touch as well, and though the casual mentions of animal rape and child molestation tip slightly over the line of good taste, it’s still made very clear that these villains are just the type of despicable who would wish to destroy Christmas.

Except for Turle, that is. His story of the injustice of Freeza Day is just unfortunate enough to raise the question of whether or not we have a right to celebrate joy and peace when many around us are suffering, and Team Four Star wisely leaves that question unanswered. Even the reveal that Santa didn’t visit planet Vegeta out of fear for his own safety calls into question our willingness to actually spread the love we preach during this holiday.

Another significant moral question is raised when Gohan passingly mentions the rise of depression and suicides during the holidays, as he makes fun of Yamcha for his obsession with material possession causing him to feel destitute. Who’d have thought that a comedic adaptation of a silly Japanese anime would raise such significant questions about our holiday?

Rating: 4.5/5

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Stray Observations

I love that Krillin’s wish for a kickass Christmas tree is the reason for Turle and his gang’s arrival.

King Kai: “Are we laughing at Yamcha, ‘cause I’m always up for that.”

Gohan: “Santa’s just gonna bring me books again.”

Chi Chi: “He brings you what you like, and what do you like?”

Gohan: “I like books!”

Gohan: “Don’t talk s*** about Santa!”

Jinga: “Jinga!”

Beru: “And Beru!”

Tien: “F***ING WEABOOS!”

“This is so non-canon it hurts.”

Goku: “What’d you get for Freeza Day?”

Turle: “He blew our planet up!”

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[risingsouls]

//She was human once, like Tien and Yamcha, who are both great fighters, even Krillin, who trained with Goku since they were little, but that all changed when an elixir took the life she knew away from her and made her immortal. She hasn't been the same since it happened.

[That's great! I appreciate the background! But again: why would this make you think that she could match Vegeta in a fight?]

[dragon-ball-meta]

Re : Toyo bias towards Vegeta. Yes, I agree Toyo went really overboard with the praise during Vegeta's time on Yardrat, yet he still got absolutely clowned on by Moro. I'm not too bothered when Vegeta loses, I just dislike the way he loses. Also, Does vegeta act differently than he does in the anime? He threatens a galactic patrol member to take him to Yardrat, he kicked Goku out of his fight, I don't see how he's "super nice". 1/2

"Also, correct me If I'm wrong but Bulma literally cried only one time in the manga and that was when Vegeta came back from the future at the end of the Future Trunks arc. She also cries in the anime when they came back from the TOP in the anime so I don't see how that's OOC for her" Ok, here we go: 1. Yes, he still lost. Of course he would. If he didn’t, it would undermine what the narrative required to be done with Goku. But this is where perspective comes in. The entire purpose of that is to show off how great Vegeta is, how amazing he is, how HE would be able to handle all this far better if HE were given the protag powers, etc. It’s essentially wanking the character and lobbying for him. The irony is that it does have the double-edged effect of then making his losses seem that much harsher. But the point is, he does do it, frequently and to a fault. For another, in the anime Vegeta isn’t as cold or aggressive or angry anymore, but he’s still standoffish and grumpy, not one to socialize. In the manga, when they were gathering for the ToP, Vegeta actually cheerfully greeted everyone, asked them how they were, I believe even specifically greeted Gohan and small-talked him about something, I believe it was Pan? And when Bra was born, Anime Vegeta was happy, sure, and protective of his daughter, but in the “Vegeta” sense. Being all tsundere about it, arms folded, back turned, but immediately powering up and growling the moment Yamcha accidentally made her cry. That sort of thing. Manga Vegeta... is gleeful, runs over with open arms, smiling wide, and even declared his joy at the baby being a girl. It’s just... moments like that keep popping up and it’s so... not him. Bear in mind, this is also immediately after Toyotaro has Goku say that he couldn’t even be bothered to be present when GOHAN was born (which he was not dead for) followed by Vegeta saying he’s “the worst” as a parent. These are some pretty bad optics, and blatantly so.

As for Bulma, in this case context is also key. In the case of the ToP, that was relief at their universe not being destroyed. In the Future Trunks arc, it’s directly contrasted with an anime where Bulma is VERY involved, very much insists on going with them into the future to see what her Future Self had learned and how she might be able to use it, she managed to fix Cell’s’ old time machine and get it working again better than ever. In the manga... she’s a background character, she’s kept behind because it’s too dangerous, she’s all emotional over her husband going off to battle, and on top of the weepy, clingy return home (which was also denied Goku, who had his family waiting for him in the anime), Bulma had her “mistakes” with Time Travel fixed by... Pilaf. Not simply noticing a typo in an equation as in the anime, mind you, no. Pilaf read Future Bulma’s notes, as well as hers, and actually corrected them to the point that HE got the time machine running so efficiently that it could now travel to points in time the manga had previously said was impossible for those machines to do. She was even intellectually backseated that arc. Add to this the fact that Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship is pretty much never mentioned, 18 seems to be colder and less caring for her husband than even her brother is to him, and Bulma actually changing OUT of a maternity dress after Bra is born only to then change back INTO it to see her man off to battle again and... it’s pretty clear the image Toyotaro is trying to convey with that.

So yeah, while Toyotaro can’t simply have Vegeta at the forefront 24/7 and taking out every major villain... he more than shows him love. It’s pretty clear he goes out of his way to do it most of the time too.

[db-gochifan]

Dragon Ball Ships Week 2023 - Day 5: Sports

Title: The Fake Game Characters: Yamcha, Kate Bridgerton (OC), Son Gohan and Videl Pairing: Kate/Yamcha and Videl/Gohan Summary: Yamcha proposes to Kate in a not so usual way.

Cross-posted on AO3 and FFN

It was a beautiful morning, as Kate Bridgerton noticed as she opened the curtains and windows from her bedroom. A smile appeared on her lips as she thought it was going to be a great day. She took a final look in the mirror before leaving. She had been waiting for this day the whole week. The new baseball season had started and Yamcha’s team was having their first match that day. So she chose a light yellow dress and white sandals. She tied her blond hair on a high ponytail and grabbed her white handbag before leaving her house. **** “Are you sure this is gonna work?” Gohan asked unsure once again, holding his Saiyaman helmet. “It is, believe me.” Yamcha said with confidence. “And how exactly are you going to play with it? I can understand the outfit, but the helmet will be a problem to you.” “I won’t be wearing the helmet.” He went through his bag and took out a bunch of white bandanas. “We’re using them instead.” “So you bought all these Saiyaman’s outfits to propose to Kate? That’s quite a dedication, but wouldn’t it be better if you did something more… traditional?” “It would, but I wanted to do something special, something memorable. And we met through sports, so what could be better than this?” “That makes sense.” Gohan still had the feeling it wouldn’t go well, but decided to stay quiet about it. “Thanks for helping me out with this.” “You’re welcome.” He tied his bandana over his head. “I hope everything goes well and she says yes in the end.” “Me too.” Videl was beginning to get nervous outside the changing room. She was supposed to entertain Kate when she arrived, but she was also waiting for Gohan to come out. “So?” She grabbed his arm as soon as he walked out. “Did you talk to him?” “I did.” “And?” She didn’t want to play such game at all. “Don’t give me short answers, Gohan! Is he going to give up on it?” “No, he’s determined to go for it.” “But you did tell him it’s ridiculous, right? There are other ways to propose to someone.” “So you wouldn’t want this kind of proposal?” “What?” Videl released his arm, visibly taken aback and blushing with his sudden question. “Are you…?” “No.” Gohan talked it off, smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. “I was just messing with you.” “Ugh!” She smacked him in the arm. “You got me freaking out for a second! I hate you.” “I’m sorry.” He grabbed her wrist to stop her from hitting him even more. “I just wanted to see you blushing like this. You look cute.” “You really know how to turn things around.” She blushed even more and glanced at the changing room. “Well, we can only hope for the best.” “Has she arrived yet?” “No.” The woman shook her head. “But should be getting here any second now.” “We should get ready then.” He kissed her briefly and went back inside. **** By the time Kate arrived at the field, she noticed the benches were unusually and weirdly empty. She quickly reached for her phone to see if maybe she had confused the dates or the time, but they were all right. She didn’t go to the wrong place either, as she had checked on a map a few times. For a brief moment she considered the fact Yamcha might have given her the wrong address, but she didn’t believe he’d do such thing. “Kate, hi!” Videl waved her hand in the air after she looked up. “Videl, what’s going on?” The blonde took a look around as she walked to her friend. “The bleachers are empty, the game was canceled?” “No, they should be getting here soon.” “But it’s almost time of the game. It should have been crowded by now.” “Why don’t we sit here?” The brunette led her to the middle of one of the top bleachers. “I just need to call Gohan, he was supposed to meet us but he’s running late. I want to make sure everything’s alright. I’ll be right back.” “Alright.” “Gohan?” Videl called his name in a low tone from the door of the changing room. She was glad there was a wall that separated the lockers and the showers, so people couldn’t see inside it. “Hi.” He walked to her with his old Saiyman costume, blushing heavily. “You still look hot with these clothes.” She looked at him up and down. “I love it when you check me out like that and I hate to break it to you, but we need to focus here.” “Right.” She shook her head to regain control over her senses. “Is she here yet?” Yamcha joined them not too much after. “She is. I took her to the bleachers like you asked. Now the rest is on you.” “Great, thank you so much, Videl.” “You’re welcome.” She turned her attention back to him. “Are you really sure you want to do this?” “I need to help him with this. He’s a friend and it won’t hurt me.” “It doesn’t surprise me.” Videl smiled and fixed his collar. “That’s one of the reasons why I love you.” “I love you too.” He leaned in and kissed her briefly. “Okay, go. I’ll be waiting for you once this is finished.” She tilted to her right. “Good luck, Yamcha.” “Thanks, Videl.” **** Kate was getting worried about Videl. What meant to be just a couple of minutes turned into fifteen. She was about to go looking for her when a lot of people dressed as the Great Saiyaman walking to the field and take their positions. She blinked a few times and then stood up. “What’s going on here?” She raised her eyebrows and then walked towards the grid. “Is this some sort of joke?” She looked all over for Videl, but she was nowhere to be found. She couldn’t understand why the whole team was dressed as Saiyaman and a cold rush went down her spine as she considered the idea of it being a proposal. But she quickly shook it off, she didn’t think it was possible.

“She’s down here.” Videl whispered and Yamcha walked out of the changing room. She handed him a small velvet blue box. “Here.” “Thanks.” He grabbed the box and kept watching the whole scene unfold. The girl pressed play on an audio on her phone that he had recorded earlier and his voice echoed all around. “Kate, can you come to the middle of the field, please?” “Yamcha, what are you doing?” She looked for a door and crossed to the other side. “There better be a good explanation for this.” “This is my cue.” He took a deep breath and carefully and silently walked to her, stopping right behind her. “Can someone tell me what’s going on here?” Kate was beginning to get angry and impatient with the whole situation. “Why don’t you turn around?” His voice echoed in her ears and her heart skipped a beat. The blond woman began to spin around and came across him on one knee, quickly covering her mouth with her hands, in shock. “Yamcha, what are you doing?” “I have been thinking about this for a while and it just seems right to me.” He reached for her hand and looked at her. “Kate, these years with you have been nothing but amazing. I’m so blessed for having you as my girlfriend. You’re everything I’ve always wanted and more. So, will you give me the honor of becoming your husband and marry me?” “Did you set this whole thing up?” Kate looked around, too astonished with the situation. “I know it seems cheesy and…” “It definitely is.” She gave an embarrassing smile and tried to focus on him. “I can’t believe this. There was never a game, was there?” “Not until next weekend, I’m sorry. But you still haven’t answered my question.” “What?” She shook her head and then grinned. “I’m sorry. What did you ask again?” “I asked if you’d give me the honor of becoming your husband and marry me.” “Is this really necessary?” She glanced around. “Something more traditional would’ve been perfect to me.” “I told you.” Gohan’s voice echoed and he quickly covered his mouth after realizing the words had slipped from his lips. Yamcha motion with his hand for him to shut up and focused on his girlfriend again. “So..? You still haven’t answered me.” She pulled him up and held both of his hands, smiling. “It’s a little too much for me, but it wouldn’t be you if you went for something fully traditional. “Yes, I will. Of course I will.” Grinning, he kissed her briefly and then put the ringer on her finger. They turned around towards their friends and they were all cheering and clapping. “We’re engaged!” “Congratulations!” Gohan shook hands with his friend and gave him a hug. “I’m so happy for you two.” “Thanks, Gohan. And thank you for helping me out with this.” “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.” “Congratulations! I’m glad everything worked out.” “Wait, you two knew about this?” “Let’s go home, Kate.” Yamcha gave an awkward laugh and tried to talk it off. **** “I still can’t believe you came up with this whole plan to propose to me.” Kate stated while she stared at her golden ring when Yamcha walked into her bedroom after taking shower. “I wanted to include sports into it somehow, but I do admit that having the whole team dressed as Saiyaman was a bit too much.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s true, so I really hope you don’t pull this again on our wedding day.” “I won’t, I promise.” He stopped behind her and kissed the curve between her neck and shoulder. “Good.” She closed her eyes and moaned softly. “We will be late if you keep this up.” “I really don’t mind it.” He turned her head towards him and kissed her deeply. “I wouldn’t mind it either, but it’s too hard to get reservations in this restaurant. It would be a pity to let it go because we got carried away. Besides…” She turned to look at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “We can get to party later, all night.” “That’s a really good point.” Yamcha kissed her briefly and then moved back to the same spot on her neck and shoulder. “But we can still fool around for a moment. We still have quite some time before we need to get ready.” “Alright.” She untied her fluffy white robe and slid it over her arms, letting it fall from her body as she walked backwards towards the bed and brought him along. **** Both Kate and Yamcha were stunned with the restaurant. They immediately knew why it was so hard to make a reservation there; everything was absolutely stunning: the furniture, the decoration, the waiters and waitresses were wearing very fancy clothes. “Yamcha,” She grabbed his forearm and he looked at her over his shoulder. “Can we really afford something here?” “Don’t worry, I have been saving up for this moment. It’s all on me.” “But…” “Let’s just enjoy it tonight, okay?” “Okay, okay.” Kate was feeling uncomfortable in that restaurant. She couldn’t shake the fact she had been watched from everyone else there for some reason she couldn’t understand. She looked down at her own clothes; there was nothing wrong with them as far as she knew, but something was still off. “Is everything okay?” Yamcha asked across her and she looked up at him. “What are we doing?” “We’re eating?” “I know, but why are we here? This isn’t us.” “I thought you’d want to go somewhere fancy.” “Not this fancy though. But you know what?” She stood up and got him confused for a moment. “I don’t want to do it tonight.” “Okay, so what do you want to do?” “Come with me.” She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the restaurant. **** “Here you go.” Yamcha handed Kate a hot-dog and sat beside her in the sidewalk. “Are you guys really sure we didn’t ruin your plans for the night?” “Absolutely.” Gohan said. “We didn’t really have any plans, to be honest. We were just going to watch a movie.” “Still, I’m sorry for getting in the middle of that.” “Oh no, it’s fine.” Videl shook it off. “It was a very boring movie.” “Trust me, we’d rather be here with you guys.” “That’s right.” The brunette woman ate a bite of her hot-dog. “So tell me, weren’t you supposed to go a fancy restaurant to celebrate your engagement?” “We were, but Kate was feeling very uncomfortable there. So she wanted to leave and here we are.” “Why were you feeling uncomfortable?” “I felt like people were judging me, like I didn’t belong there. And I was right, I’d really rather celebrate my engagement with you here.” “What about you, Yamcha?” Gohan bent forward to look at him. “Honestly? Suits and ties aren’t for me. Except on my wedding day, of course.” He gave an embarrassing smile. “I really chose the right woman.” “I love you too.” Kate leaned towards him and kissed him briefly. “Alright.” Yamcha put on his baseball cap and spun his favorite bat in his hand. “Who’s ready for a game?” “What the hell, Gohan?!” Yamcha complained after missing the third ball in a row. “Throw it properly.” “I am. It’s not my fault you can’t hit the ball. How did you get in the team again?” “Alright.” He shook the bat briefly and got ready. “This time I’m gonna get it right. Bring it on.” “Okay, here it goes.” The baseball player successfully hit the ball and started running around the field while Gohan caught the ball in the air and came down right after. “Yes, Gohan!” Videl cheered from behind the grid. “Come on, that’s unfair game.” “I guess I got too carried away.” He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry.” “That’s fine, just keep playing.” “This takes me to school days.” “What do you mean?” Kate looked at Videl with curiosity. “He did the exact same thing on his first day at school. He easily jumped ten meters high. Everyone was shocked.” “He certainly made an impacting first impression.” “He did.” She nodded. “He was intriguing.” “I bet he was.” The blonde said with a grin, causing her to blush. “Do you want to play?” “I don’t know, it’s been so long since then. I don’t think I know how to anymore.” “Come on.” Kate pulled her towards the field. “It’s just to have fun.” “Alright. Let’s do it.” She went to choose a bat for her. “Hey, we want to play too.” “Come on in.” Kate took a look at the field for some seconds. She had made the right choice before. That felt much better than having a fancy dinner. She grabbed a bet and walked into the field, smiling widely.

[sweetescapeartist]

First off, I'm so damn sorry for overloading you with questions, you're the only person I can talk to regarding DB.

So I saw a tweet earlier today about a artist requesting other artists so show off their OC's unique transformations. Some where simple, complex, creative and all Saiyan. Then it hit me, other races have transformations that artists can work around. Except for human OCs the closest thing they get is Kaioken. Hell, I have 3 Earthlings OCs, and I can think of a transformation to save my life. I just focus on their respective fighting styles, development with said styles.😶

No problem. I like answering these kinds of questions. (This is like a week or two old by now tho. Sorry... 😅😓)

Its true that other aliens like Saiyans, Freeza, and now Piccolo have physical transformations. Humans don't, but they arent the only ones. Aliens like Hit and Jiren dont have transformations either.

Some ideas I have were mentioned with you before. (But for others who may have not read it, here are some links)

But, here's something kinda new.

Make Earthlings have ki based transformations. Krillin's NSS is a spiritual transformation (transformed ki). Take that idea and run with it. We could give Yamcha a wolf aura which means that an Earthling OC could be give animal auras that encompass the body as human transformations.

Or keep it simple like how SSJ is just a hair change and eye color change along with buffing up a bit. Take inspiration from Roshi's full power form but just make it so an Earhling OC gets a bit more swol but not at the cost of speed and mobility like Roshi's full power form and SSJ grade 3.

Another is to take inspiration from Toppo. He is an alien who doesnt naturally have a transformation, but using GoD energy, his body transformed into a buffer form. Along with a darker complexion and different aura as well as different colored eyes.

This way of designing a transformations is also similar to Piccolo's potential unleashed form where his skin tone changes and he buffs up more. So for a human OC, you could change their eye color, increase their muscle mass, and give them a different aura. The hair doesnt have to change color. That's a Saiyan thing at this point.

So to summarize my lengthy statements...

AURA CHANGE: Color, elemental design, animal aura, ect. Could have flaming aura like Jiren or a watering aura like Jiren's Super Full Power form, something like Toppo's GoD form, or like watery/misty like Krillin's NSS aura.

EYE COLOR CHANGE: Any color or even take away the pupils & irises. All white eyes can look cool. You can even change the eye shape like how the eyebrows connect to the eye when Saiyans go SSJ.

BODY CHANGE: This could be a muscle mass increase, a slight height increase, giving a character a darker skin complextion or a paler complexion. You could even give their skin tints of different colors like red, blue, yellow, orange, ect. Make them transform like the Hulk. You can even have a character turn green (or anither color) like Giovanna from Guilty Gear.

Could even have a talisman used to create a power up. Or even use magic as a power up.

For my OC, Tobi...

Tobi doesnt have a transformation like a Saiyan. He is half human and half Kitsun (fox alien race I made up). He has a few power-ups.

1. SHADOW KITSUN:

A out of control power resulting from Tobi's anger/saddness. Tobi's aura turns black and encompasses his body, making him look like a shadow then a new glowing white aura appears with particles of the aura drifting through the air. It offers better protection from physical and ki attacks but Tobi is barely concious as his emotions take control. Its a short lived power boost that quickly drains his ki. Kinda like how Goku using UI Omen for the first time didnt last long.

2. NON-SELF STATE:

He learns this from Krillin. In my story, Krillin improved it to the point that the 6 dots on his forehead glow white when using the power. (Like Omi from Xailon Showdown.)

For Tobi, his eyes turn a golden yellow while his aura is like Krillin's but he lacks the aura clad fists. This is Tobi's most stable form. He is in complete control of his emotions. His Shadow Kitsun form is in a way the opposite of NSS as well as the "Omen" form to his "Mastered" NSS form.

I was going to give Tobi a beast-like form where he kinda becomes a "were-fox" but, I think that kind of form is better fitting for the full-blood Kitsun characters I have. For them, the beastman form is their true self, but their more human form helps them reserve their power (similar to Zarbon or Freeza).

Anyway, that's how I make transformations for human characters. I take some inspiration from what we know about DB and some inspiration from other shows. I have a few other similar transformations for human characters, but I can speak of those another time.

I hope this helped give you some ideas of how to give your human OCs some transformations. The forms can be in your face changes or subtle changes. Do what fits for your characters. 👍