Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

User avatar
DarkPrince_92
I Live Here
Posts: 3443
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:09 pm
Location: Glendale, CA
Contact:

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by DarkPrince_92 » Sun Aug 24, 2014 2:19 pm

Jackal puFF wrote:I really like how there always has to be that one guy who just can't win but tries anyways. And that's Yamcha, even if you lose a lot and die and fail, keep trying anyways.
Then the Buu Arc hit. :roll:

Anyway, I think that description better fits Krillin than Yamcha. Despite his faults, Krillin stays on the battlefield.
I am a freelance animator, check out my thangs. ART!

Check my webcomic series Off Guard now on webtoons!

PSN/Steam: DarkPrince_92

User avatar
Kid Buu
I Live Here
Posts: 4125
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kid Buu » Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:14 pm

It's actually never said that Yamucha gave up training or fighting actually, likewise with Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Various guidebooks say Kuririn did, though.
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

User avatar
Doctor.
Banned
Posts: 10558
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2014 10:02 am
Location: Portugal

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Doctor. » Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:21 pm

Kid Buu wrote:It's actually never said that Yamucha gave up training or fighting actually, likewise with Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Various guidebooks say Kuririn did, though.
Didn't Kuririn train with #18? I don't think that's considered "giving up training".

User avatar
Kid Buu
I Live Here
Posts: 4125
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kid Buu » Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:23 pm

#18 kind of forces him into the tournament, if I remember correctly.
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

User avatar
DarkPrince_92
I Live Here
Posts: 3443
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:09 pm
Location: Glendale, CA
Contact:

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by DarkPrince_92 » Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:34 pm

Kid Buu wrote:#18 kind of forces him into the tournament, if I remember correctly.
Krillin himself said he stopped training when he explained to Gohan why he grew his hair out... or something like that. But if I remember correctly, someone asked why Yamcha didn't enter the Tournament, and he said he lost interest. Correct me if I'm wrong, Yamcha hung up his gloves after his losing streak lol.
I am a freelance animator, check out my thangs. ART!

Check my webcomic series Off Guard now on webtoons!

PSN/Steam: DarkPrince_92

User avatar
Kid Buu
I Live Here
Posts: 4125
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kid Buu » Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:41 pm

This was covered in another thread, so lets not derail this one. :thumbup:
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

User avatar
DarkPrince_92
I Live Here
Posts: 3443
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:09 pm
Location: Glendale, CA
Contact:

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by DarkPrince_92 » Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:03 pm

Oh true. Let's back to why we like him then. Face scars. Nothing more badass than that. Honestly, his appearance is the best thing about him for me. Second is the "wolf" fighting style as I've mentioned. Especially in Burst Limit. The game does him justice.

Image

Image
I am a freelance animator, check out my thangs. ART!

Check my webcomic series Off Guard now on webtoons!

PSN/Steam: DarkPrince_92

User avatar
Kamiccolo9
Namekian Warrior
Posts: 10352
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:32 pm
Location: Regensburg, Germany

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kamiccolo9 » Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:29 pm

I was never a big fan of Yamcha. Granted, my early experience was tainted by the surfer voice he had in the dub, and I thought he just sounded dumb.

I still don't particularly care for the character, but I suppose it's not his fault that he stopped being used like 75% of the rest of the cast.

For having a few good moments early on, but later being essentially the main Worf of the series, I'll give the guy 3 out of 7 stars on Kamiccolo9's Dragon Ball character rating scale.
Champion of the 1st Kanzenshuu Short Story Tenkaichi Budokai
Kamiccolo9's Kompendium of Short Stories
Cipher wrote:If Vegeta does not kill Gohan, I will stop illegally streaming the series.
Malik_DBNA wrote:
Scarz wrote:Malik, stop. People are asking me for lewd art of possessed Bra (with Vegeta).
"Achievement Unlocked: Rule 34"

User avatar
Kid Buu
I Live Here
Posts: 4125
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kid Buu » Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:45 pm

Oh man, if you haven't checked Toru Furuya's Yamcha then you MUST change that. Sabat is a disgrace.
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

User avatar
Kamiccolo9
Namekian Warrior
Posts: 10352
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:32 pm
Location: Regensburg, Germany

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kamiccolo9 » Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:48 pm

Kid Buu wrote:Oh man, if you haven't checked Toru Furuya's Yamcha then you MUST change that. Sabat is a disgrace.
I've heard it. Still not a fan of the character.
Champion of the 1st Kanzenshuu Short Story Tenkaichi Budokai
Kamiccolo9's Kompendium of Short Stories
Cipher wrote:If Vegeta does not kill Gohan, I will stop illegally streaming the series.
Malik_DBNA wrote:
Scarz wrote:Malik, stop. People are asking me for lewd art of possessed Bra (with Vegeta).
"Achievement Unlocked: Rule 34"

User avatar
Kid Buu
I Live Here
Posts: 4125
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Kid Buu » Sun Aug 24, 2014 11:04 pm

Oh okay. I was gonna say, I'm not one of those people who an aversion for people watching dubs, but if you know me you know my opinion on Sabat. :lol:

What makes Yamcha so strong in Burst Limit anyway then?
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

User avatar
DarkPrince_92
I Live Here
Posts: 3443
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:09 pm
Location: Glendale, CA
Contact:

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by DarkPrince_92 » Sun Aug 24, 2014 11:15 pm

Kid Buu wrote:What makes Yamcha so strong in Burst Limit anyway then?
Honestly, he is no stronger than the other characters, but I liked how the game handled him, and Tenshinhan. His moveset gives him a "wolf-like" fighting style, and a the best character model I've seen in any Dragon Ball game. Just fun for me to play with.
I am a freelance animator, check out my thangs. ART!

Check my webcomic series Off Guard now on webtoons!

PSN/Steam: DarkPrince_92

User avatar
Jackal puFF
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1684
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:24 pm
Contact:

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Jackal puFF » Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:04 am

I forgot to say, I really like his scars. There's something cool about it cause we really never know how he got them besides maybe during training or some fight with something or someone.

User avatar
BlazingFiddlesticks
I Live Here
Posts: 2091
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:48 pm

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by BlazingFiddlesticks » Mon Aug 25, 2014 2:10 pm

Oh wait, best character in Infinite World, I forgot that. Apparently his x4 punches out-priority's everyone else and between that and being able to loop Wolf Fang Fist his lower base damage is nullified because his non-stop attacking keeps getting him ki. Sounds like Brawl Meta Knight.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/952548-d ... d/49524154
JulieYBM wrote:
Pannaliciour wrote:Reading all the comments and interviews, my conclusion is: nobody knows what the hell is going on.
Just like Dragon Ball since Chapter #4.
son veku wrote:
Metalwario64 wrote:
BlazingFiddlesticks wrote:Kingdom Piccolo
Where is that located?
Canada

User avatar
TheZFighter
Regular
Posts: 538
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:40 am

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by TheZFighter » Fri Oct 10, 2014 6:01 am

Sorry if thread bumping is frowned upon here but I wanted somewhere to discuss Yamcha.

Dragon Ball Z aired in the UK long before Dragon Ball, so I saw that first. I knew nothing about Yamcha's desert bandit past, or Tien's assassin-like past and questionable morals, but for some reason they are just two characters who always fascinated me and I responded really well to. They shouldn't fascinate me really, as in DBZ they don't do very much, but for some reason they just did. After Goku, my two favourite characters are Tien and Yamcha. Unfortunately, especially in DBZ, I've got to rely on filler

Where to start with Yamcha. I've always thought he has cool hairstyles. I know they were added to greater differentiate him with non-Kid Goku, but I always thought that his scars, and the lack of explanation behind them, were pretty cool as well. I liked his early relationship with Bulma and I disliked her running off to Vegeta and producing Trunks (though that is a different discussion). I still don't really understand his relationship with Puar, but it is nice to see. How did they meet? Why are they so dedicated to one another? I suppose it kinda mirrors Tien and Chiaotzu's relationship somewhat. Yet another aspect of their characters I wish was further explored.

He debuted in the series with a pretty good understanding of martial arts, unfortunately never explained, but he also trained under Master Roshi, Korin, Kami and King Kai, so by anyone's standards he was no slouch and was pretty impressive. I found him becoming a baseball player very "realistic" though. With those sorts of powers, why wouldn't you just dominate a sport and earn big money?

Much like Tien, I think he had some cool moves/ techniques as well. I know it was never successful, but I always found Wolf Fang Fist a particularly aesthetically pleasing move, so cool. Spirit Ball/ Sōkidan was another really good looking move, even if it was never successful. That could've been such a useful technique, it is really clever, and showed really impressive ki control on Yamcha's part.

He had a lot of memorable fights/ moments, starting right at the beginning with his first when he fought pretty evenly with Goku. He saved the day against Boss Rabbit. He saved the day when he and Puar cut off Goku's tail. His fight against the Invisible Man was funny, and he fought bravely against that Mummy despite being completely out of his depth and nearly lost his life. His fight with Tien at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament was great, one of my favourites. He fought bravely against Tambourine despite having a broken leg. His fight with "Hero" was very funny. He was careless in his fight with the Saibaman, had he not been so over confident he'd probably have won that and died later against Nappa. I loved the lesser Z-Fighters getting impressive wins against the Ginyu Force, one of my favourite moments. He got battered by Turles and his gang in The Tree of Might but I was happy to see him involved. He couldn't have done much against Androids 19 and 20 as, again, he was out of his depth, but he later fought bravely to protect Goku from the Cell Jr.'s. He also got battered by Bojack and his gang in Bojack Unbound but again, I was just happy to see him involved.

One of my biggest regrets with Yamcha, and with Tien and Chiaotzu, is the Garlic Jr. saga. I know many dislike it, but personally I quite enjoyed it. It would've been a perfect opportunity to give Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu a bit of glory and spotlight. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu against the Spice Boys whilst Piccolo and Gohan fought Garlic Jr. for a while could've been good, but unfortunately Yamcha just became a possessed vampire creep and the other two didn't appear. A shame, but ah well...

I've been a fan of this series for nearly 15 years now (man I'm old!), but Yamcha has stood the test of time as one of my top characters still to this day, which must say something about him, given the number of very good characters in this series.
Z-Fighters fan.

Goku, Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Future Trunks, Android 18, Goten, Trunks and Majin Buu.

User avatar
GamerSkull
Regular
Posts: 520
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 6:45 pm
Location: United States

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by GamerSkull » Sun Feb 25, 2018 7:17 pm

This is a bit of a dead thread but I hope it's not a big deal to revive it.

Anyway, glad that there was an appreciation thread for this character. Yamcha's actually my favorite character and I really love him throughout early Dragon Ball. I only wish he was given more in the Z-era or at the very least, given a good send-off so that he just didn't fade into the background... but was written out with his story over. I think he should have at least gotten more wins throughout the series and I think Toriyama really dropped the ball on him (albeit the same argument can be made for most of the non-saiyan characters tbh). It doesn't help that there is a big meme that exists now on him and I don't particularly like when the series pokes meta fun at him (especially as far as some of the dub choices in the game and Super are concerned).

But yeah, despite all the crap he gets from the fanbase... I think I will forever be resolute in that he is my favorite Dragon Ball character.
"Roga Fu-Fu Ken!"

User avatar
ulisa
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:43 am

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by ulisa » Mon Feb 26, 2018 12:47 pm

I’ve always liked Yamcha. In the original Dragonball, I found him both charming and funny plus his attacks could be very creative. Once we entered into Z, he was a bit unfairly pushed to the side in my opinion.

While I do admit to liking the Saiyan and Half-Saiyan characters more, I liked to see them interact off the others. It may be an odd opinion to have but I loved seeing Gohan interact with his father’s friends when he was younger and I wish we’d seen more of it.

Yamcha gets points from me for simply still trying despite being outclassed. I will always have a fondness for the scene during the final battle against Cell where all Goku’s friends still choose to enter the fray to help his son.

Eh, I always liked Dragonball more for the characters than the fighting...
We truly begin to live when we find something we're willing to die for

Jord
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1474
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 8:13 am

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Jord » Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:51 pm

I actually like Yamcha a lot. He's one of the character that actually has some unique, original moves instead of generic Ki-blasts. I love how they tie his wolf-like character to his move set with the wolf fang fist and the imagery with the wolf head when he's performing it makes for an awesome visual.
Besides his move set I also like his character a lot. He's a lot more relatable than guys like Tenshinhan and Goku. He trains a lot but also uses his skills to make money which makes the character even more relatable. How many people actually have a job in DBZ? Sure, Kuririn gets a job in Super but for the most part everyone lives on either welfare or gets money from their partner.

Writing wise I do think they dropped the ball during Z. I actually didn't mind him dying against Nappa since it was recklessness that cost him the fight, giving the character a chance to grow but unfortunately they didn't do anything with this, perhaps maybe besides the filler Ginyu fight. Plus, he should have never EVER cut his awesome hair. He looked so extremely generic after that and his status decreased to a punching bag afterwards. I don't think everyone needed to keep up with Goku and co. power wise. There are only a few spots at the top and forcing all the humans to get SSJ-like power wouldn't help the story. Instead it would be nice to see him taking a different career path when he got outclassed due to the emergence of the SSJ-club. Something like doing more with his baseball skills and becoming a Satan-like star or working as a mechanic, perhaps for the capsule company. (Him working on his car in GT seemed to trigger this thought.)

You can probably guess that the baseball episode is one of my favorite episodes in Super. Those slice of life episodes should have happened more and could have given the humans more of a personality and spotlight. I actually would like to see a series focusing on the daily life of people like Yamcha, Satan, Tenshinhan and company while Goku & co. are off fighting major battles. It wouldn't be a fighting focused series but it would bring back a lot of the humor a lot of Dragonball episodes had which seemed to happen fewer and fewer as the series marched on.

His voice actor does a great job bringing even more life. Toru Furuya brings a certain kind of likability to his character without brushing away the rough edges the character has. His Yamcha just sounds cool and as a plus, I really like that he can sing as well, giving us the great Wolf Hurricane song.

User avatar
Olympian
Regular
Posts: 722
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:34 pm

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Olympian » Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:44 pm

Son Edo wrote:God acknowledging his Sokidan and skill in general was probably his biggest compliment.
That and simply becoming more powerful than God less than a year.
Ki Breaker wrote:

Yamcha + Roshi = Yamoshi

Coincidence? I think not

User avatar
Olympian
Regular
Posts: 722
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:34 pm

Re: Yamcha Appreciation Thread

Post by Olympian » Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:47 pm

trick007z wrote:I really think he was the victim of an author running with a joke. It was an amusing fact that he happened to be the most convenient guy to get eliminated first in the first couple of tournaments, but he was at least useful outside of that. But they really went overboard with it, the Android 20 was just needless and you kind of get the sense that it happened because it's Yamcha.

It also really sucks that he becomes the weakest normal hero outside of Chiaotzu.

I re-watched the first Dragon Ball arc the other day, and it's really sad how they wasted him. Also I honestly think Krillin hurt him for fulfilling essentially the same role but being more of a mirror to Goku.
Toryama basically replaced early Krillin with Yamcha. "Z" basically starts with Krillin being one-shot by Raditz tails. But I also get the sense the author grew more in his character than Yamcha`s.
Ki Breaker wrote:

Yamcha + Roshi = Yamoshi

Coincidence? I think not

Post Reply