The many colours and names of Kamehameha

[dragonballzgtfighter]

Throughout Dragonball, Z, GT, movies, specials, ova and video games; we see Goku use Kamehameha.

I've seen many terms being used from Kamehameha, Kaioken Kamehameha, Full Power Kamehameha, Super Kamehameha, Angry Kamehameha and etc

I've seen many colours of Kamehameha white, blue, yellow and red.

So we see many names and colours of the Kamehameha but just what are the correct terms if any at all?

[Bussani]

From Herms' Special Attack Dictionary (translated from Daizenshuu):

Kamehameha
First Appearance: Chapter 14
Category: ki manipulation
People: Kame-sennin, Son Goku, Son Gohan, Yamcha, Jacky Chun, Krillin, Son Gohan (grandpa), Tenshinhan, Cell, Majin Buu (good, evil, pure)
Special Characteristics: A ki manipulation technique thought up by Kame-sennin. It is a technique that condenses ki into one point and then fires it. The technique’s force changes based on the strength of its user’s ki, and if mastered it also becomes possible to control its force. Son Goku soon picked up this technique, perhaps because of his ki training with Son Gohan (grandpa), or perhaps due to his special characteristics as a Saiya-jin. Tenshinhan also easily copied it. From this, it can be said that it is possible to use the Kamehameha merely by being able to control one’s ki. (Daizenshuu 2, p.202/Daizenshuu 4, p.111)
Anime: The first person to use it in the movies is Kame-sennin in “The Legend of Shenron”. Goku picked it up after seeing Kame-sennin’s technique (Daizenshuu 6, p.16). In “A Dangerous Pair!! Super Warriors Can’t Rest”, Goku, Gohan, and Goten implement a three-person Father-Son Kamehameha. It obliterated the formidable enemy Broli (Daizenshuu 6, p.124). In “The Rebirth of Fusion!! Goku and Vegeta”, a fake Goku that appeared in Janenba’s hand fired one (Daizenshuu 6, p.142).



~Deflection
First Appearance: Chapter 118
People: Tenshinhan
Special Characteristics: A technique where by judging the timing of a Kamehameha’s approach, he fires a kiai to deflect the Kamehameha back at his opponent. He used this on Yamcha’s Kamehameha during the 22nd Tenkaichi Budoukai

Feint~
First Appearance: Chapter 309
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: Used in order to fool Freeza. Firing two Kamehamehas underwater in preparation, he sends them flying up into the air. As Freeza was distracted by them, Goku landed a direct attack.

~From the Feet
First Appearance: Chapter 186
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: A technique where he hires it from his feet like rocket propulsion, thrusting him towards his opponent. This leaves both his hands free, enabling him to unleash various attacks. (Daizenshuu 2, p.209)

~Max Power
First Appearance: Chapter 51
People: Jacky Chun
Special Characteristics: A technique where he must fully use his muscles in order to fire it, due to the powerful destructive force it puts out. It has enough power to destroy the moon.

Rapid-Fire~
First Appearance: Chapter 270
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: A technique where he continuously fires Kamehamehas. Only those who have undergone intense training can unleash this. He used this to raise his own battle rating while in his spaceship going to Planet Namek.

~Return
First Appearance: Chapter 47
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: A technique where a Kamehameha is erased by another Kamehameha. Goku instantly fired this to counter Jacky Chun’s Kamehameha. (Daizenshuu 2, p.204/Daizenshuu 4, p.111)

Shunkan-ido~
First Appearance: Chapter 401
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: An attack where he uses Shunkan-ido to suddenly appear before his opponent and then fires a Kamehameha, giving them no time to dodge. With this technique, he blew away the top half of Cell’s body.

Super~
First Appearance: Chapter 185
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: A Kamehameha powered up through his training under Kami-sama in the Heavenly Realm. It has enough power to deflect Piccolo’s powerful Makosen. (Daizenshuu 2, p.209)

Turning~
First Appearance: Chapter 157
People: Son Goku
Special Characteristics: A technique where he fires a Kamehameha, then uses the ki tail left in his hands to manipulate it. Goku used this against Piccolo Daimao. (Daizenshuu 4, p.112)

It doesn't mention things like Father Son Kamehameha (I suppose since it was probably just a Super Kamehameha).

[Herms]

It doesn't mention things like Father Son Kamehameha (I suppose since it was probably just a Super Kamehameha).

The Father-Son Kamehameha is mentioned in Daizenshuu 2's attack guide, so it's kinda odd that it's not included in Daizenshuu 7's. Also, Daizenshuu 6's page on movie attacks uses the term "Father-Son Kamehameha" to refer to the team Kamehameha from DBZ movie 10.

[TheGreatness25]

Don't know if this has any significance, but wayyy back when, when I got the Japanese version of Ultimate Battle 22 from EB Games...yes...brand new JAPANESE version of Ultimate Battle 22...looking back at it, it seems impossible, but I swear it happened... ANYWAY, I was looking up special moves from the game online and I believe it was GameFaqs that listed the Kamehameha as the "Turtle Blast Wave". Now I know Kame means Turtle... I don't know if that is a logical translation, but when I thought about it, I guess it is all possible...I guess...I don't know. Point is, I always wondered just why in the hell the Kamehameha was freaking gold in all the games (including Budokai 1).

[Shoryuken]

What about the one handed kamehameha used by Future Son Gohan and Namek-Arc SSJ Goku, which is sometimes labeled as Ikari Kamehameha (Anger Kamehameha)?

[SuperSaiyan3Goku]

Interestingly enough, SSJ Goku's final attack in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is called the Angry Kamehame-Ha. It's the same one he fired at Freeza in the climax of their battle on Namek.

[Shoryuken]

Interestingly enough, SSJ Goku's final attack in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is called the Angry Kamehame-Ha. It's the same one he fired at Freeza in the climax of their battle on Namek.

I'm almost certain that every video game that's featured this anger fueled kamehameha has Angry Kamehameha as it's name.

[TheGreatness25]

No, most games featured the "Chou Kamehame-Ha" which is the Super or Mega Kamehameha.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Throughout Dragonball, Z, GT, movies, specials, ova and video games; we see Goku use Kamehameha.

I've seen many terms being used from Kamehameha, Kaioken Kamehameha, Full Power Kamehameha, Super Kamehameha, Angry Kamehameha and etc

I've seen many colours of Kamehameha white, blue, yellow and red.

So we see many names and colours of the Kamehameha but just what are the correct terms if any at all?

I think the original colour of the Kamehameha is blue, although I may be wrong. For some reason, the Kamehameha is yellow in Budokai 1, and I think the only Kamehameha which is meant to be red is Super Saiyan 4 Son Goku's x10 Kamehameha.

One thing I want to know is: What's the difference between Kame-Sen'nin's Max Power Kamehameha and Goku's Super Kamehameha? They're both maximum-powered versions of the Kamehameha.

Also, are most of the Kamehamehas Goku performs after the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budokai "Super"? Goku names the Kamehameha he blasted Piccolo with as "Super", but other times he uses it, he doesn't state them as being Super. I would assume they are, seeing as he would have no reason to not do them in a battle to the death. I think, since it's the first time we see him do it, it's necessary to name it the Super Kamehameha.

[Shoryuken]

No, most games featured the "Chou Kamehame-Ha" which is the Super or Mega Kamehameha.

I meant that every game that featured the one handed anger driven kamehameha had it labeled as Angry Kamehameha.

[Amigo Ten]

Aww, Goten's "Kamekameha" doesn't count?

[BrollysKin]

So what's the difference between the "max power" and "super"?

Aren't they both just using as much energy as feasibly possible for the individual?

[Herms]

ANYWAY, I was looking up special moves from the game online and I believe it was GameFaqs that listed the Kamehameha as the "Turtle Blast Wave". Now I know Kame means Turtle... I don't know if that is a logical translation, but when I thought about it, I guess it is all possible...I guess...I don't know.

Well, the final “ha” in Kamehameha is written with the kanji for “wave” (same as the “pa” in Dodon-pa). The name “Kamehameha” itself comes from the Hawaiian king, and means “lonely one” in Hawaiian. “Kame” means “turtle” in Japanese, and so because King Kamehameha’s name coincidentally begins with this, Toriyama’s wife suggested “Kamehameha” as the name for Kame-sennin’s special attack. But despite this, the “kame” in the “Kamehameha” attack is still always written in hiragana and never with the kanji for “turtle” (亀), perhaps because Goku and co.’s trademark way of stretching the attack’s name out syllable by syllable as they perform it is impossible if the “kame” part is written with a single character. Finally, there’s never been any official Japanese meaning given to the “hame” part of the attack’s name. Some people say it comes from hametsu, “destruction”, but that’s just fan speculation, and you have to totally ignore the tsu in the word for it to work. Since the attack name is just taken from the king’s, there’s no real reason the “hame” needs to mean anything, and Toriyama’s never mentioned any meaning for it. It’s not impossible that it’s short for hametsu, but there’s no reason to think it is.

So what's the difference between the "max power" and "super"?

Aren't they both just using as much energy as feasibly possible for the individual?

They're different because of the spelling [/Izzard]. They're called by different names in the series, and Goku doesn't bulk up to perform his Super Kamehameha like Kame-sennin does for his Max Power Kamehameha. Other than that, probably nothing.

Aww, Goten's "Kamekameha" doesn't count?

It gets its own seperate entry in Daizenshuu 7:

Kamekameha
First Appearance: Chapter 434
Category: ki manipulation
People: Son Goten
Special Characteristics: A technique that Son Goten used during the 25th Tenkaichi Budoukai. He fired it to counter Trunks’ ki blast. It’s the same technique as the “Kamehameha” used by Goku and the others, but the different name comes from the simple Goten saying it wrong. Trunks corrected him at the time. Also, because he still couldn’t control ki skillfully, this technique destroyed part of the martial arts temple. (Daizenshuu 2, p.215)

[goku the krump dancer]

The thing that gets me about the "Angry Kamehameha" is that Goku never says Kamehameha he just fires a High Powered Energy Wave.

[bkev]

Perhaps this doesn't matter, but the game "dragon power" translates it as Wind Wave. Obviously wrong, but just a tidbit.

[caejones]

Hehe.
So for a while there, I didn't try keeping up with most of the action in the anime, and never really noticed ki blast colors anyway...
... So I tried drawing people using the kameha a couple times (I think once in a cartoon and once in an illustrated version of the same sorta-kinda-fanfic), and it was both relatively small and blue.

I got Super Butoden3 and assumed from then that the Kamehameha was yellow / gold, and colored it as such in pretty much everything I've done since (including describing things in written fanfiction / text RPG type situations).

Ur... then I read threads at daizex wondering why the games always make it yellow.

As for the Chou Kamehameha... I again point to getting Super Butoden3 (I think this was the Christmas that the Cell Games were concluding on Toonami), and just kinda distinguished the super kamehameha as the more powerful one that Goku did in the game that had the sparky-ness along the beam. And since it wasn't anounced any differently from the normal kamehameha, I guess I kinda assumed the "Cho" in the PS1 games was a relatively unnecessary distinction. Hm.

[Tyro]

It's the same one he fired at Freeza in the climax of their battle on Namek.

Call me crazy, but I've never considered that a Kamehameha.

[Herms]

Call me crazy, but I've never considered that a Kamehameha.

Crazy!

But you're right, that name is really just a game thing. I've also heard that some games refer to Kuririn's scattering ki blast that he uses against the Saibaimen as a "Scattering Kamehameha". You'd think there were already enough variations of the Kamehameha, without going and labeling all ki blasts as some new type of it.

[DB_Fan1991]

It seems as we've forgotten the European Portuguese dub calling it Luz Infinita at one point.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Call me crazy, but I've never considered that a Kamehameha.

Crazy!

But you're right, that name is really just a game thing. I've also heard that some games refer to Kuririn's scattering ki blast that he uses against the Saibaimen as a "Scattering Kamehameha". You'd think there were already enough variations of the Kamehameha, without going and labeling all ki blasts as some new type of it.

Perhaps the blast Son Goku fired in the climax of his battle with Freeza is percieved as a Kamehameha because it is fired with one hand, just like Gohan's "Father-Son" Kamehameha in the climax of his battle with Cell. Kuririn's blast didn't seem like a Kamehameha to me, seeing as the way he performs it is completely different to the way the Kamehameha is performed. I guess it's just that the Kamehameha is Goku's signature technique, thus any significant blast that he or any other user of the Kamehameha perform are assumed to be a Kamehameha of some sort.

Or...the game developers were stuck for names and they thought "Aw, fuck it. Let's just call it another Kamehameha."