Why do rocks float up during power ups?

[Mr. Piccolo]

In Dragon Ball, when a character powers up or charges an attack, you often see rocks and debris start to float up into the sky. Is there an in-universe explanation for this phenomenon? Any theories regarding this matter?

[Cetra]

Partly it is because of their psychic powers also getting focussed and telekinesis. Most of the time when a character uses telekinesis intentionally it is a villain like Freezer or Cell, the other times it surely is not intended. Other than that it really is just "pure power" causing side effects to the area around with all kind of stuff just moving.

[RancorSnp]

In DragonBall energy released from body goes up in the air. Even though you radiate the enemy from your body, you also have to concentrate it, forming a Bulb of the energy around you. Rather big bulb for the stronger characters, this is the energy that can be felt but cannot be seen.

Since you radiate the energy FROM your body, the ground level it is the weakest, while somewhere around the chest the energy concentration is the strongest. The weaeker energy is enough to actually Pull the rocks and other things up as it floats to the air, but when they go up, where the concentration of energy is stronger, the chucks often just vaporize, or to be more specific are thorn apart to the microscopic fragments.

Of course when the energy is strong enough, even the below the character may be enough to destroy surroundings, and this are the huge sphere likes hole in ground some characters made powering up. This is just a visualization the their energy sphere and of course it's strength.

[Hitiro]

I would assume that the releasing of Ki has a kind of convection effect on their surroundings. Which gives them that aura look too.

Spoiler:

Probably not Akira Toriyama's intent but our bodies produce a similar looking effect through the expulsion of our body heat. In extreme cases of heat, such as radiators and fires, the convection currents of the heat will raise objects. Usually the objects are particularly light objects like paper. People can experience the effect with hot air balloons and parachutes too. So you can think of the body as the source, the aura as a visible representation of the Ki being expelled from the body and the raising of objects an advanced form of convectional currents.

[IgnorantFuniFan]

Once I read a fan theory on the physics of Dragon Ball. Here's the link: http://www.pojo.com/dragonball/theory.shtml. I know it's a bad idea to use physics in Dragon Ball, but it's cool to apply it for fun. The theory explains that the Z fighters are powerful enough to manipulate the gravity around them (which causes things to levitate off the ground), as well as time itself. This guy talks about how characters are able to bend time in front of them in order to fly really fast without breaking the sound barrier.

[Polyphase Avatron]

In DragonBall energy released from body goes up in the air. Even though you radiate the enemy from your body, you also have to concentrate it, forming a Bulb of the energy around you. Rather big bulb for the stronger characters, this is the energy that can be felt but cannot be seen.

Since you radiate the energy FROM your body, the ground level it is the weakest, while somewhere around the chest the energy concentration is the strongest. The weaeker energy is enough to actually Pull the rocks and other things up as it floats to the air, but when they go up, where the concentration of energy is stronger, the chucks often just vaporize, or to be more specific are thorn apart to the microscopic fragments.

Of course when the energy is strong enough, even the below the character may be enough to destroy surroundings, and this are the huge sphere likes hole in ground some characters made powering up. This is just a visualization the their energy sphere and of course it's strength.

I think this idea makes the most sense