Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

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FoolsGil
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Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by FoolsGil » Fri Sep 27, 2019 11:38 pm

Mafuba made one hell of a come back throughout Super. What reasons (in universe) wasn't Mafuba used more often, like in Z?

-Tenshinhan knows the move. And could probably use the 4 Witches Technique/Shiyoken to grow new arms in a pinch if he loses one.
-While dying is a huge problem, the only fights that would need a Mafuba are the ones that involve fights to the death.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by dbgtFO » Sat Sep 28, 2019 12:33 am

Creative problem solving isn't the characters' forte and they tend to want to solve things with the normal way of fighting.
Or they conveniently forgot it.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Marco Polo » Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:46 am

The enemies were far too strong to use it on them.

In Super the writers decided that you can use it on a much stronger enemy after all, but in Z it was assumed you couldn't.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Polyphase Avatron » Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:44 am

Marco Polo wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:46 am The enemies were far too strong to use it on them.

In Super the writers decided that you can use it on a much stronger enemy after all, but in Z it was assumed you couldn't.
Or they just wouldn't give you a chance to set it up.
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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by dbgtFO » Sat Sep 28, 2019 12:01 pm

Polyphase Avatron wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:44 am
Marco Polo wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:46 am The enemies were far too strong to use it on them.

In Super the writers decided that you can use it on a much stronger enemy after all, but in Z it was assumed you couldn't.
Or they just wouldn't give you a chance to set it up.
Taiyoken is a thing. The characters are just dumb.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Polyphase Avatron » Sat Sep 28, 2019 1:09 pm

dbgtFO wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 12:01 pm
Polyphase Avatron wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:44 am
Marco Polo wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 8:46 am The enemies were far too strong to use it on them.

In Super the writers decided that you can use it on a much stronger enemy after all, but in Z it was assumed you couldn't.
Or they just wouldn't give you a chance to set it up.
Taiyoken is a thing. The characters are just dumb.
Well that goes back to the old Taiyo-ken/kienzan combo.
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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Lionel » Sat Sep 28, 2019 1:10 pm

Like others have mentioned, pragmatic approaches to world-ending dangers are usually not part of the standard approach for Earth's defenders. They generally prefer conventionalist fisticuffs that allow them to test their mettle against hardened powerful warriors through whom they're able to test the fruits of their own labour and validate their worth as fighters.

If eliminating the threat by any means possible was really the agenda then you wouldn't just have the Mafuba be incorporated as a central tactic. Chances are they would exploiting every non power level technique there is. You see the group either inducting Akkuman to help them with his Devilmite Beam or requesting to learn it themselves for use. Roshi's Sleepy Boy technique would be getting passed down due to its potential effectiveness. Some of them might have even devised to have Shenron impart them with the capacity for using Dabura's Stone Spit or Babidi's magic.

Of course none of that actually happens. It goes against the nature of having climactic fights it looks like.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Lord Beerus » Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:53 pm

It would be too easy end conflicts, and as a cast of martial artists who pride themselves on improving in strength and having a good challenge, that's not the route they want to go down.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Majin Jator » Sat Oct 12, 2019 8:10 am

Ok, let's have in mind that besides Roshi -who takes no part in any fight after the Piccolo Daimao arc- only Ten Shin Han and Piccolo knew the technique. Which fights they take part in?:

- Saiyan fight: There were two of them. You trap one, the other frees him. When Nappa was finally dead so were Tien and Piccolo.

- Freeza fight: Piccolo had just appeared in Namek and couldn't prepare the seal.

- C19&c20: Same as with the saiyans. After Vegeta blew up 19, they didn't consider Gero a threat that they couldn't beat in the usual way.

- C17&c18&c16(sort of): Again, multiple enemies.

- Piccolo vs Cell: The first time Piccolo wanted information and seemed to have the upper hand. The second time cell didn't give him time to do shit.

- Tien vs Cell: This seems like the best occasion until you remember that Cell knows how to reverse the technique since he has Piccolo techniques.

- Piccolo against some Buu: Maybe this could have been worth a try, there was obviously time to make a seal while everyone was at Kami's place. Maybe Piccolo was aware that Buu was just too powerful to be contained (Even if you bring up Super, I don't think immortal Zamasu was in the same league as Buu. His deal was just being immortal. Now, if they had tried that with Goku Black and succeded, that would actually debunk this theory).

Oh, I almost forgot:

Tien vs Buu: He knew the name of the enemy (due to Babidi's telepathic threat) and had time to prepare a seal, I think. But wasn't he kicked to unconsciousness as soon as he deflected Buu's blast?

And I think that covers all fights? So besides Piccolo against Buu there wasn't any real occasion to use the Mafuba.

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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Hellspawn28 » Sat Oct 12, 2019 11:18 am

Buu may have found a way to scream through any type of seal bottle if the Mafuba was used on him. He is the only villain that we have seen so far that rip worm holes in other dimensions by screaming.
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Re: Why wasn't Mafuba used more often?

Post by Polyphase Avatron » Sat Oct 12, 2019 10:32 pm

Hellspawn28 wrote: Sat Oct 12, 2019 11:18 am Buu may have found a way to scream through any type of seal bottle if the Mafuba was used on him. He is the only villain that we have seen so far that rip worm holes in other dimensions by screaming.
It's not a different dimension, though. It's a magic seal.
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