Why did Yamcha stop fighting in Dragon Ball? Explained

Modified Jun 05, 2024 22:12 GMT

Dragon Ball and why did Yamcha stop fighting (Image via Toei Animation). — Dragon Ball and why did Yamcha stop fighting (Image via Toei Animation)

Dragon Ball fans often ask why Yamcha stopped fighting in the series, and the answer is fairly straightforward: he simply grew outmatched by the ever-increasing power levels of the series. That is shown during the events of the Tenkaichi Budokai in the Buu saga, where he states that he will not participate in the tournament since he has retired.

While it is true that Yamcha has become a joke in the Dragon Ball community, his decision to stop fighting also serves as a reminder of how the series' power scale grew out of balance as the story progressed. It is true that Yamcha was never among the strongest characters in most arcs but he is still one of Goku's oldest friends and someone who was always willing to help even if he was outmatched.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Yamcha's origins in Dragon Ball

Yamcha has had a torrid time in the series as a fighter (Image via Toei Animation)

Not much is known about Yamcha's past beyond the fact he was a desert bandit alongside his friend Puar and met Goku and Bulma early in the series. Goku eventually defeats Yamcha when they fight, but they become close friends, and the latter even becomes Bulma's boyfriend. However, their relationship has had a lot of ups and downs throughout the years.

Yamcha also becomes a student of Master Roshi and participates in the three main editions of the Tenkaichi Budokai in the series. However, he never wins an important fight because he is always outmatched by very powerful enemies, such as Ten Shin Han or Kami in disguise. That would become a running joke in the series.

During the Z portion of the story, where there would be a lot less adventure and a lot more fighting, Yamcha's role in the series takes a major backseat due to the power creep in the franchise and doesn't have any major fights. His relationship with Bulma ended off-screen, but he had a successful baseball player career, getting the most out of his training with Roshi.

Why other characters came back but Yamcha didn't

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The main reason Yamcha stopped fighting is the aforementioned power creep in Dragon Ball, with enemies and allies getting so strong that he was no match for them. That is something he mentions during the events of the Buu saga as he has no interest in participating in the upcoming Tenkaichi Budokai since he is no match at that point for the likes of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, or Piccolo.

While he is shown in Super helping his friends and humanity when a world-ending threat arrives, Yamcha has retired from martial arts and focuses on other aspects of his life, such as his baseball career. Krillin went on a similar path, growing his hair as he retired from martial arts, focusing on his career as a police officer, and caring for his family. However, he made a comeback in the Tournament of Power.

It is a running issue with the human cast in Dragon Ball as they lost prominence to the Saiyans, especially considering that the latter don't have to deal with aging as much as the former.

Final thoughts

Basically, Yamcha stopped fighting in Dragon Ball because he was outmatched in terms of power in the series and decided to retire from martial arts since he could no longer compete with the main cast.

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Edited by Toshali Kritika