Why did Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, and Chioatzu keep their bodies after death?

[precita]

After the Saiyan saga why did they keep their bodies? We know Goku did as a special request from Kami when he brought his body to King Yemma to train with King Kai.

Was it ever stated why Goku's friends got to keep their bodies after death? They weren't anything "special" so to speak in terms of their universe, and especially back in the Saiyan saga era they were all very weak including Piccolo.

[Yuji]

The out of universe answer is that Toriyama didn't think of that plot point until the Boo arc (?). In the Saiyan arc, we see in Enma Daio's office a humanoid dog creature who had kept his body.

The in-universe answer: God just allowed Goku to skip through the line of souls and go speak to Enma directly; presumably everyone loses their soul and it's only when they reach Enma that he looks over their files and grants them with their destination and a physical body if they're worthy. Enma even agrees Goku's achievements are grand and he deserves to go to Heaven. Yamcha & co died valiantly trying to protect the Earth, so that puts them in the same realm as Goku; Chaozu especially died twice, one of them a brave self-sacrifice; looking at it retroactively, Piccolo keeping his body also helps further his arc thematically, as it solidifies his change from a bad guy to a good guy. God may have pulled some strings before the Saiyans arrived too, warning Enma that a battle was coming to Earth and some of his students may die and wish to seek training from Kaio.

[nickzambuto]

When somebody dies protecting their world, they are deemed worthy of keeping their bodies in the afterlife.

Grandpa Gohan, the team who died fighting the saiyans, Goku both times, and every single person who kept their bodies in the manga died while protecting their world from a threat.

The anime is different and many people seem to keep their bodies.

[precita]

It's funny because in the anime Boo arc we see Krillin keep his body and pal around with King Kai even though he never met him before and never trained under him.

[PurestEvil]

Grandpa Gohan, the team who died fighting the saiyans, Goku both times, and every single person who kept their bodies in the manga died while protecting their world from a threat.

I find it funny that Grandpa Gohan saved the Earth by proxy by witnessing Goku hit his head on a rock.

[nickzambuto]

Grandpa Gohan, the team who died fighting the saiyans, Goku both times, and every single person who kept their bodies in the manga died while protecting their world from a threat.

I find it funny that Grandpa Gohan saved the Earth by proxy by witnessing Goku hit his head on a rock.

True. I was specifically referring to the fact that Gohan died while fighting an Oozaru saiyan who was sent here to destroy the world as the reason he kept his body.

I don't think just saving the world lets you keep your body. You have to specifically die while fighting to protect your world.

[TobyS]

Kami can intervene and let you keep your body, he explicitly did this for Goku and the humans the first time they all died.

You can also get your body by dying heroically. Although the criteria are vague in that we only have cell games Goku's example.

The dog guy was probably a hero.

[Lionel]

Beneficial to the broader world and universe as it may have been for the humans and Piccolo to sacrifice their lives against the Saiyans, I'm sceptical of that providing enough merit to qualify them for being allowed to retain their bodies. All of them have some pretty questionable backgrounds with Piccolo and Yamcha being the worst. Piccolo wasn't even motivated by any desire to defend the world per se. In his eyes the Saiyans presented a threat to his own ambitions and merely became a temporary co-belligerent of the Z-Warriors. His most selfless act was defending Gohan with his own life.

I'm more inclined to think that Kami simply pulled some strings to allow them to preserve their bodies and train with King Kai.