Does Cowardice And Subsequent Flight Cut Power By Half Or More???

[theherodjl]

When Cui chickened out and attempted to run back to Freeza, his power seemed to drop massively - to the point of Vegeta needing only a couple hits and one technique to literally reduce him to ash. There was only a 33% difference in their powers yet it seemed much more like a 2x difference(at least) based on how easily Vegeta dispatched Cui so the question is: does giving up the fight out of fear and attempting to flee cut a fighter's power by half or more? After all, Vegeta had been at the same power as Cui just a month prior and Goku with the Kaio-ken x3 was around the same level Vegeta would eventually reach. However, the difference in their powers during that fight didn't seem close to how it would be with Cui & Vegeta so is there significant Ki loss on account of being a coward? Or is there a "bravery bonus" to Ki if the weaker fighter remains determined and gives it their all?

[Yuji]

Yes. Yuuki (courage) is a component of Ki, alongside Shouki (right-mindness) and Genki (vigor/health).

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[It_Is_Ayna_You_Flips]

Forget Eastern mysticism, crippling fear make you more vulnerable irl too. That's why cornermen spend so much time keeping their fighter calm and why one bad loss can derail an entire career. Look at what happened to Paige VanZant after her lose to Rose Namajunas. She fights maybe once a year and never gets out of first gear anymore.

[DragonBallFoodie]

By shonen logic, yes.

In real life, fear lends people wings and extra power.

[Lionel]

Yes. Yuuki (courage) is a component of Ki, alongside Shouki (right-mindness) and Genki (vigor/health).

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I agree with this post. Courage is a fundamental component of ki. You could make the argument that Gohan suffered from this impairment when he lost usage of one of his arms against Cell. Nappa may have suffered from a similar condition relating to his Shouki when his frustration and anger got the better of him during his fight against Goku.

[theherodjl]

Gohan suffered from this impairment when he lost usage of one of his arms against Cell.

I just realized that conveniently fits exactly into this conundrum. Gohan stated that his power had been reduced by half when he got injured by Cell's attack but then, his power rose enough to match Cell's kamehameha when he was full of determination once more.
When you think about it, its makes a lot of sense for a SSJ2 to drop down to a SSJ in terms of power by losing the will to fight. If a Saiyan can't summon up the courage & drive to do what they do best, they ought to drop back down a notch.

[Big Boss]

I would assume so. In the same way that lowering your guard can make you susceptible to attacks from opponents much weaker than oneself, it makes sense that being in a state of fear and disarray would trigger the same kind of weakness; your body and mind are not focused on the battle and therefore your BP takes a substantial hit.

[Krillin1994]

We see this in the Rof arc, krillin's fear weakens him greatly. but as soon as he centres himself he realises how much stronger he is.

[nickzambuto]

By shonen logic, yes.

In real life, fear lends people wings and extra power.

Adrenaline is definitely a real thing, but that isn't always what happens. There are rare stories of people lifting trucks or fending off bears when under extreme duress, but what is far more common is people being crippled by fear and oftentimes freezing up completely.