Power levels

[Fuujin]

Okay, first - what exactly is a power level? Which factors it includes - speed? Physical strength? Amount of Ki? Or are strength and Ki the same things? I'm confused...

And another thing - we've seen that Z Fighters are capable of unleashing attacks that, by terms of power level, are far stronger than attackers (Piccolo's Makankosappo in the Raditz fight, for example). If Vegeta had power level of 1000, what power level would his strongest attack have, if Vegeta was at full power ("freaky" attacks like Genki Dama or Kikoho, and transformations aside)?

[Zackarotto]

We've seen this sort of thing before, actually. A few times.

Power Level would probably be a mixture of physical strength and ki, which is probably more like an energy strength. My opinion is always changing for speed, though...

Best way to figure that out is with USSJ. Do the power levels increase, not thinking of speed at all? Even if it only increases slightly, to show that the extra strength made the speed loss worth it, you'd know that they took speed into consideration. If it rises quite a bit, they don't. Sorry, I don't know anything about numbers.

If I'm right about ki just representing energy, beam power, and that sort of thing, it should help you find an answer to question #2.

[johnboy1]

Power levels, I think, are a measure of the ki a character produces. Thus, when a person represses their ki, the number is lower. There are, obviously, times when a character uses an attack that is especially powerful (Galick Gun, etc.), there is a temporary burst of ki, making the power level jump up for a short time.

It's like if you're the world's greatest weight-lifter. When you relax for several hours, you probably can't get up and lift as much as you normally do. Likewise, you may be able to lift 1,500 pounds on your best day, but I doubt you'd be able to do it again within one hour, so, your "power level" decreases to (or below) normal.

[*PINHEAD*]

Basically, ki is a person's life force. Chikara is a Japanese word meaning along the lines of physical power. So, chikara (power) is how much of a person's life force (energy/stamina) is applied to their bodies in terms of strength.
A power level is a reading of how much chikara a person has. When a DB character powers up, he is using more ki than normal to boost up power. When they repress their power levels, they are manipulating their ki so that their bodies only use up a small amount of ki.
"The Level Beyond Super Saiyan," or USSJ, is an excellent example. Unlike regular Super Saiyan, which boosts ki and allows more ki to be used for power, USSJ uses up all the ki it gives (if any) really fast and in large amounts to greatly increase power. That's why they become really powerful, but their energy runs out quickly.
When characters perform a really powerful ki attack, their power levels rise because they are focusing and using up more ki than normal. Piccolo's Makakosappo thing made him use over three times as much ki as he did while just fighting.

[Dayspring]

Okay, first - what exactly is a power level? Which factors it includes - speed? Physical strength? Amount of Ki? Or are strength and Ki the same things? I'm confused...

The answer is "yes". Which is probably why they were quickly abandoned in the series.

[Adamant]

Okay, first - what exactly is a power level? Which factors it includes - speed? Physical strength? Amount of Ki? Or are strength and Ki the same things? I'm confused...

The answer is "yes". Which is probably why they were quickly abandoned in the series.

Sadly, they still appear on all the identical Angelfire sites.

And they all look like this:
Mystic Gohan: 30.000.000.000
Super Buu 3: 40.000.000.000
Kid Buu: 100.000.000.000
Base Goku: 45.000.000.000
SS 3 Goku: 5.000.000.000.000.000
Hurkule: 1

[Xyex]

I've always looked at the PL's as a measure of KI and KI as the energy that lets you do ANYTHING. In weaker people such as most Humans KI is just the general energy we operate on and nothing more. So when someone feels tired it's do to low levels of KI. As a person learns to control their KI and gets more of it they can then use it to increase their strength, speed, and endurance.

You still have a base line of KI dedicated to general activity and determines when you get tired, but the bulk of it is used elswhere. Lastly, with bulky from like the USSJ the energy fills up the muscles for a place to be stored and makes them larger, this can slow down a person simply because they aren't used to the size.

[Fuujin]

Thanks for the help, guys! I have two more questions that don't really have to do anything with the topic, but I didn't want to create a new one.

1. What is Piccolo's and Slug's "grow really big" technique called, and what does it translate to? I think I red "Kyodaika" or something... And no "Viagra" jokes!

2. It was said that Kikoho uses a specific kind of energy, "life force" or whatever. Is it the same energy "Genki Dama" is made of? What term is used for it in the Japanese 22nd Budokai episodes?

[*PINHEAD*]

This won't really answer your question, but the grow-really big thing is an example of why PL's don't measure energy ki. Piccolo did that grow big move but reverted back, saying it took too much energy. Well, if you would say him growing big also boosted power, then yes, it is an example since his boosting his size and power lowered his energy. Instead of measuring how much ki you have, PLs measure a person's physical strength (which is dependent on how much ki they have).

As far as I know, the Kikoho means something like Ki Blast. That's the same ki that the Genki Dama uses.

Something I've noticed/wondered about--since ki means life force, but the Genki Dama can absorb energy from things like plants and androids and the sun, then that probably means that the Genki Dama can absorb any form of energy, not only ki.

Sorry I didn't really answer any of your questions.

[Neon Z]

1. What is Piccolo's and Slug's "grow really big" technique called, and what does it translate to? I think I red "Kyodaika" or something... And no "Viagra" jokes!

In the manga, that attack isn't named. I don't know about the Daizenshuus and the anime.

2. It was said that Kikoho uses a specific kind of energy, "life force" or whatever. Is it the same energy "Genki Dama" is made of? What term is used for it in the Japanese 22nd Budokai episodes?

As it was alreay said, the kikoho and the Genki Dama use ki, just like every other Ki attack in the series. But the Kikoho(translated as Ki Blast Cannon in the Budokai games)can potentially use all the ki of its user, killing him, but shooting a very strong blast, which makes it very dangerous for the enemy and for the user.

Though the Kikoho can also use a small amount of ki, an example of that would be when Tenshinhan deflected Super Buutenks blast, he wasn't tired after using it, not even sweating. Another example would be a kikoho that he uses to open a hole to hide everyone from Piccolo's attack during the 23 Budokai.

Something I've noticed/wondered about--since ki means life force, but the Genki Dama can absorb energy from things like plants and androids and the sun, then that probably means that the Genki Dama can absorb any form of energy, not only ki.

Huh... plants are alive...

And #18 and #17 are also alive, and, therefore, have ki. After all, #18 had a completely human daughter.

And about sun, stone, and other things... I don't know... Though I remember hearing that everything has ki, though living things have more ki, but I may be completely wrong.

[*PINHEAD*]

Oh well...whatever. The sun's not alive, but it produces energy. That's the way I see it. And not only did #17 and #18 donate energy to the Genki Dama, but also #8; as far as I know, he was completely android.

I never said plants weren't alive. Now you see my logic.

[Neon Z]

Oh well...whatever. The sun's not alive, but it produces energy. That's the way I see it. And not only did #17 and #18 donate energy to the Genki Dama, but also #8; as far as I know, he was completely android.

I never said plants weren't alive. Now you see my logic.

I checked the quote that I mentioned and it was from another anime...

And, yes, #8 has been stated to be a robot... So... I truly have no idea.

The Genki Dama is stated to use ki when Kaio explains it to Goku, so, giving random energy to it wouldn't work. Also, if it did onle need any generic energy, you'd only need androids #17 and #18 to power up the Genki Dama to the infinity... So, that can't be it.

[SonGokuGT]

Sigh...

I hate power level talk... I wish people would give it a rest, after all it WAS dropped after the Freeza Saga! But I guess this is OK because it's debating what constitutes a power level or what it measures... On the answer, I'd probably agree with Zacko!

[*PINHEAD*]

Zackarotto's explanation's pretty good, but I still don't get how power levels could measure ki. I see ki as stamina/energy, and power as a whole other factor, but still related to how much ki you have. So power levels measure just what the name implies.
Despite what others might think, I think power levels are an important factor in DB (Z). They show a drastic difference in what we thought was really powerful, and what really was powerful. It also helps us comprehend just how powerful the characters and enemies would get in future story arcs. PLs were dropped after the Freeza saga since they were already getting ridiculously big by the time the Super Saiyan state had come about.

[Tenken]

Why did Toriyama abandon power levels?

1) Freeza died, and the scouter died with him.

2) They don't matter anymore. Think about it like this:


CPU speeds ( athlon, pentium, g5) are getting to the point that power levels were in DBZ. They are getting so high now that clock speeds don't really matter all that much anymore, hence why amd doesen't even use them anymore.

I must admit though, it would have been a lot more fun to see Vegeta check Fat Buu's power level, piss in his pants, and run away like a little wimp, only to be blasted into oblivion.

Instead we get to see him get beaten up and selflessly explode himself to save the entire earth and his son before he knows that there's no way he can beat Buu; what a drag...

Sign the petition to destroy drama!

[Kam]

Good point.

I just had to point out that it wa a good point.

///

[Jerseymilk]

No you didn't. Really.