History Characters / DragonBallYamcha

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[[center: [- [[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMasterRoshi Master Roshi]] | '''Yamcha''' | [[Characters/DragonBallChiChi Chi-Chi]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTienShinhan Tien Shinhan/Tenshinhan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] | [[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Hercule]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVidel Videl]] | [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]] | [[Characters/DragonBallWhis Whis]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] ([[Characters/DragonBallRibrianne Brianne de Chateau/Ribrianne]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChampa Champa]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVados Vados]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCabba Cabba]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCaulifla Caulifla]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallToppo Toppo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZeno Zen'o]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman Jaco the Galactic Patrolman]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonballFighterZ FighterZ]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]])]]-]

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Character subpage for Yamcha.
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!!Yamcha (ヤムチャ, ''Yamucha'')
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/card_100144_character_yamcha.png]]
->'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/ToruFuruya
->'''Voiced by (English):''' Kerrigan Mahan (Harmony Gold); Ted Cole (BLT/Ocean); Creator/ChristopherSabat (Creator/FUNimation); Victor Atelevich (Blue Water); Doug Rand, Sharon Mann (''DB'' Movie 2) (AB Groupe/"Big Green"); Darren Pleavin, Scott Evans (Animax), Creator/GrantGeorge (Bang Zoom!/Toonami Asia dub in ''Super'')
->'''Voiced by (Latin American Spanish):''' Creator/RicardoMendoza '''(current voice)''', Creator/JesusBarrero (''DB'' eps. 5-60), Enrique Mederos (''Z'' eps. 127-132), Rafael Rivera (''Dragon Ball'' Harmony Gold), Óscar Flores (''Path of Power'')

Yamcha was a desert bandit, Bulma's first love, and Goku's first rival. Even in the original series, Yamcha was often used as the primary victim of TheWorfEffect, hardly winning any important fights despite being one of the most powerful protagonists. By Z he was pretty much a target to show how tough the villains were, so much so that around the Buu Saga he gave up fighting entirely (except for fillers in which he somehow defeated enemies even Goku had trouble with a few years before).

Yamcha was the series' originator for a lot of the tropes and quirks that would later be popularized by characters like Krillin, Tenshinhan, Piccolo, and Vegeta. The ArrogantKungFuGuy, rival-turned-friend, ButtMonkey, MrExposition, and "bad boy" roles these characters fulfill all started with him. Even Gohan and Future Trunks draw from him; they both inherited his shy awkwardness, sw

Yamcha was the series' originator for a lot of the tropes and quirks that would later be popularized by characters like Krillin, Tenshinhan, Piccolo, and Vegeta. The ArrogantKungFuGuy, rival-turned-friend, ButtMonkey, MrExposition, and "bad boy" roles these characters fulfill all started with him. Even Gohan and Future Trunks draw from him; they both inherited his shy awkwardness, sword fighting, and long-haired character designs.
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: A-D]]
* AccidentalPervert: Quite lots in earlier chapters of the manga, when his fear of women is still intact, no less. Such as when he accidentally watched Bulma take a bath and likely [[ThanksForTheMammary touched Bulma's boobs]] when she was naked while sleeping.
* TheAce: During the baseball episode of ''Super'', being the only player on either team with any skill (or knowledge in general) in the game.
* AdaptationalBadass:
** He fares either worse or better in the anime. Yamcha does more in anime only battles and situations, but sometimes he comes off better in the manga's version of events (an example of this is Yamcha had no trouble holding down Great Ape Goku in the manga).
** Like the other canonically-weaker characters, he can fight leagues beyond his weight class in video games. UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'', as his fast-paced playstyle has made him the MemeticBadass of the game. [[ButtMonkey This does not stop Cell, Nappa, Frieza, AND GOKU from making fun of him for being too weak to be effected by the waves.]]
** A relatively minor example but in the {{JRPG}} ''Attack of the Saiyans'', Yamcha is often considered to be the second or third best character in the game, only behind Goku and Gohan respectively. Being a fast, melee-based character, Yamcha can inflict lots of damage very quickly and evade enemy attacks fairly reliably. His skill-set is also all around quite good, with lots of heavy-hitters like ''Wolf-Fang Fist'', ''Wolf Hurricane'', ''Spirit Ball'' and ''Neo Wolf Fang Fist''. Yamcha even has his own piece of exclusive equipment (the only non-saiyan character to do so) which doubles his Power and Speed, but cuts his defense in half, effectively making him a damn powerful GlassCannon. Most people even consider Yamcha one of the more viable characters for fighting [[DragonBallBroly Broly]] with. However, despite his badassery, Yamcha still dies to the Saibamen in the end-game.
** In a What-If? Saga in ''Raging Blast'', Yamcha defeats Vegeta and Future Trunks one after another in order to win over Bulma.
* {{Adorkable}}: It's even admitted InUniverse.
* AmicableExes: He maintained a close relationship with Bulma after their breakup. Even telling Future Trunks about Vegeta going PapaWolf on Cell to make him feel better.
* AlwaysSecondBest: The first of many characters to always be behind Goku despite given him a decent challenge when they first met. He is also the overall weakest of the Turtle School (not counting Ox King and Gohan Sr.).
* AnimalBattleAura: His battle aura takes the shape of a wolf.
* AnimalMotifs: Oftentimes his aura will give him the appearance of a wolf even when he isn't using one of his Wolf Fang techniques.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy:
** In his debut, Yamcha was this ([[LoveMakesYouDumb except]] [[ShrinkingViolet around]] [[CannotTalkToWomen Bulma]]). He lost most of this after his HeelFaceTurn. Yamcha usually has an ArrogantKungFuGuy moment every time he gets a large increase in power from training. Perhaps this trait of his was finally lost during his fight against Shen in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. Coming into the match, Yamcha was absolutely sure of his victory, but after being embarrassed by some of Shen's moves, Shen chastises Yamcha for his arrogance, saying that Yamcha's overconfidence on his own strength as well as his opponent's appearance made him blind to the subtlety of Shen's attacks. After listening to Shen's lecture, Yamcha seemed to have wised up, even managing to land a good hit on Shen before losing, and becomes a lot more focused and dependable on the fights that followed.
** His arrogance did return in the Saiyan Saga. After he easily beat the second Saibaman, he challenges Nappa and Vegeta, and says he will fight all the Saibamen at once. This caused him to lower his guard, allowing the defeated Saibaman to grab him and blow him up.
* ArtEvolution: During most of the original Dragon Ball series, Yamcha had small eyes that were shaped similar to Tenshinhan's eyes. It wasn't until the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai that his eyes started looking more like Goku's.
* AscendedMeme: His infamous death pose is referenced every once in a while. In ''Super's'' Episode 70, he even makes it, crater and all (alive, this time), when he steals a base.
* BarbarianLonghair: His most frequent hairstyle. He mentioned his short haircut was at Bulma's request (Goku couldn't even recognize him when he first showed up with his new 'do) and could be considered an example of him trying to change from an outlaw in the desert to ordinary citizen in the city.
* BecomingTheMask: He initially assisted Goku and the others in gathering the Dragon Balls with the intention of stealing them once they got all seven. It wasn't until the events at Pilaf's castle that he and Puar became friends with them for real.
* BeingGoodSucks: The reason Yamcha fought the Saibamen was to protect Krillin, who wanted to go next. As he pointed out, Krillin was revived already with the Dragon Balls so him dying would have been permanent, while Yamcha could be revived if the worst happens. For his good deed, Yamcha gets suicide bombed by the Saibaman, making him the first casualty of the Saiyan Invasion and he never even gets the chance to fight Nappa. And worst of all, the fandom won't ''ever'' let him live this down.
* {{Bishonen}}: Yamcha's been described as "good looking in a boyish sort of way" and "a pretty boy." Very slightly lessened after he gets his scars.
* BittersweetEnding: Yamcha is never seen accomplishing his dream to marry and have a family. In ''Dragon Ball GT'' he's even seen going back to his life alone in Diablo Desert. After the Cell Saga he also gave up martial arts and competing in tournaments, when both were things he loved to do. Though he seemed perfectly happy with how things turned out, [[NiceGuy makes sense seeing how he's such an easygoing guy.]] [[EarnYourHappyEnding He just takes every curve life can throw at him in stride.]] The end of the Cell arc had him talk about a girl he was seeing, so he's still socializing and dating on his own time, even if we never see it.
* BigDamnHeroes: Saves Goku when he was being pummeled by the Rabbit Mob who held Bulma hostage. Also invoked in the same arc, when Yamcha lends the stranded heroes a ride, as part of his plan.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: In both metaphorical AND literal sense of ''break''. In the 8th chapter of manga Son Goku sends Yamcha in the air with his punch but Yamcha ''breaks'' and bounces off the frame's border back to the ground. [[http://mangafox.me/manga/dragon_ball/v01/c008/13.html See for yourself]].
* ButtMonkey: He has it worse than Krillin. From his first appearance it was always something of a RunningGag that Yamcha was unlucky. And while he puts up a fight, he NEVER gets past the first round of the tournament (an exception being in ''[[Anime/DragonBallMysticalAdventure Mystical Adventure]]''). He never even gets to fight Vegeta and Nappa with the others; he gets distracted and killed in a SuicideAttack by a [[{{Mook}} Saibaman]]. In the Android Saga, he gets badly injured by Dr. Gero who puts a hand through his chest and nearly dies. Oh, and then his girlfriend has Vegeta's baby. During the Universal Surviving Saga, he expects to be asked to join the U7 team and waits at home for an invitation. Goku ''never'' considers him even when [[spoiler: Buu needed to be replaced]]. Poor guy just can't catch a break.
* CannotTalkToWomen: Used to be like this to such a degree that he couldn't even be around women without freaking out. After spending time around Bulma in the Pilaf Saga, and even picking her up to get her to safety at one point, Yamcha mostly gets over his phobia (although he sometimes still does show some nervous tendencies around beautiful women).
* CantCatchUp: Yamcha retires from fighting after the Cell Saga. He [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]] it himself when, unlike Krillin, he decides to forgo participating in the 25th World Tournament.
* ChickMagnet: Being a handsome guy, he is very popular among girls. In ''Dragon Ball'', he even has his own fan club.
* CombatCommentator: Yamcha's apparently read up on all of the local legends and famous martial artists: he's able to identify Goku's bo staff, Master Roshi, Grandpa Gohan, Ox-King, and the rabbit boss. He even knew that Roshi was the one who trained Gohan and Ox King, and that the two of them were best friends.
* ComedicSociopathy: Mostly in the first story arc where he tries to kill a 12-year-old Goku and robs people for a living. He also planned to steal the Dragon Balls and cripple Goku by grabbing his tail, all just to wish away his fear of women. So, him being constantly humiliated by having Bulma grab him and his amusing injures were a joy to watched.
* CompositeCharacter: Initially Toryama used Sha Gojo from ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' for the character. A likely prototype design for Yamcha was the title character to Akira Toriyama's one-shot Pink. Although Pink is a female, she also is a bandit living in a desert hideout who has an animal companion and rides a flying vehicle similar to Yamcha's Jet Squirrel. After cutting his long hair for the first time in the series, Yamcha looks very similar to the character Tsukutsun Tsun from ''Manga/DoctorSlump'' in both appearance and characteristics.
* CentipedesDilemma: Inverted. He thought he was cursed with the inability to talk to or even be around women, and for that reason, once he learned about the existence of the Dragon Balls, he decided to use them to wish away his fear of women. Much to his surprise, by the end of a long period of time where he was forced to be around Bulma, Yamcha learned that his fear of women was all in his head, and that it was only when he consciously invoked it on himself that he felt uncomfortable around women. Shortly afterwards, he and Bulma started dating.
* CluelessChickMagnet: Yamcha's quite popular around women despite his shyness.
* CoolSword: Yamcha's scimitar in ''Dragon Ball''
* CommutingOnABus: It's pretty easy to forget that he and Puar were among the first characters introduced into the story.
* ADayInTheLimelight: In ''Dragon Ball Super's'' 70th episode, Champa decides to play baseball against Beerus and brings their universes' fighters together to do it. As someone who ''actually plays baseball for a living'', '''Yamcha''' is the only one besides umpires Whis and Vados to know a darn thing about what they're doing. While he suffers a ton of AmusingInjuries he manages to give the other team a run for its money by stealing bases in true bandit style and wins the game by stealing home during a battle between the Gods of Destruction...despite ending up in his memetic death pose to do so. We also see how his training affects his baseball game, since he uses Wolf Fang Fist and Spirit Ball to expertly control any ball he pitches.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has cracked comments like these.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Thought it was initially a ruse, Yamcha came to befriend the group and turned good for real.
* DemotedToExtra: Cell Saga, Buu Saga, and ''GT''.
* DesertBandits: Was originally one.
* {{Determinator}}: Yamcha's pretty eager to fight most of the time, he eagerly volunteered to fight King Piccolo when his leg was broken. Until he goes down against #20, at which point [[KnowWhenToFoldEm he calls it quits]] (he still tags along with the others at the Cell Games, but only sits at the sidelines).
* DeusAngstMachina: Yamcha and Bulma's breakup was never explained, though this was mostly due to Toriyama's disinterest in romance and romantic relationships.
* DubText:
** Funimation changes his dialogue more than most characters. For example Bulma being mad at Yamcha for canceling a date due to being broke, became him taking another girl out to a concert in the dub. Even in ''Kai'', Funimation changed a line of Yamcha saying he's got to help Goku with "I'll be there" to "I'll just watch".
** Perhaps one of the most cruel cases happens in the Lookout, as Bulma fondly remembers Goku. Chi-Chi teases her, saying that Bulma is in love with Goku, but she should give up, because Chi-Chi is prettier. Yamcha then says that Chi-Chi looks very pretty today, which makes Chi-Chi upset, because that implies that she doesn't always look pretty. In the DubText, Chi-Chi suggests that, since Bulma likes Goku so much, they should trade husbands: Bulma gets Goku and Chi-Chi gets Vegeta. Yamcha then says that he is available, to which Chi-Chi responds that she wants an even trade, not a downgrade (though he appeared to take her comment as the friendly joke it was intended to be).
[[/folder]]

[[folder: E-M]]
* EasilyForgiven:
** Yamcha is generally shown as pretty forgiving, possibly due to being bad once himself. When Tenshinhan apologizes for breaking his leg, he just shrugs and says its nothing.
** Once he stopped trying to prove he was better than Vegeta, they seemed to get along pretty well. He's even paid the prince a genuine compliment once or twice.
** [[HypocriticalHumor Hilariously]], at one point, ''Tenshinhan'' criticizes Yamcha for making nice with Vegeta.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: He has alway been very strong for a normal human. He was able to trade blows with Goku and knock him back, Goku tells Krillin in chapter 37 that Yamcha is extremely strong and fast. He was also able to make it to the final eight of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament without any formal training, unlike Goku and Krillin. By the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, he taught himself the Kamehameha. At the 23rd, he learned a powerful technique known as the Spirit Ball that nearly knocked Shen (Kami's human host) to the ground.
* EnemyMine: When they were still ostensibly enemies, he helped Goku against the Rabbit Mob.
* TheEveryman: He is perhaps one of the most relatable characters among the Z warriors. For instance, he is commonly seen wearing outfits other than his combat gear and he has been shown driving vehicles like sky cars and airships instead of flying everywhere like most of the other characters. He also has grounded interests like romance, sports and is actually concerned with having money, as opposed to most of the other protagonists, who do not seem to work at all and spend most of their time training. A notable example of how normal he is happens at the end of the Cell Saga, when the other protagonists are struggling to think of one last wish to be granted by Shenron. Yamcha suggests that, since nobody else could think of any important uses for that wish, they should wish for something for themselves, like lots of money. The other characters silently stare at him as if shocked that he would ever as much as consider using one of the wishes for purposes that are not altruistic. In response, Yamcha timidly apologizes and agrees to leave the last wish to Krillin.
* FailureHero: In ''Z'' Yamcha seldom wins clear victories outside of fillers (and never important ones). Though he's had his moments in filler.
* FightingWithChucks: Uses a three section staff at one point in the ''Legend of Shen Long.'' Yamcha is also seen holding Nun chucks in the anime version of the King Piccolo arc.
* GracefulLoser: Was polite and respectful to Jackie Chun and Kami when they beat him in the World Tournament. He was the first to clap when Tenshinhan decided to turn over a new leaf. He's also very friendly to Trunks, his ex's son. They're shown watching TV together and Yamcha is the one who tells him about Vegeta's reaction to his death.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: He was shown to do TrainingFromHell prior to the Buu Saga. Taken to the extreme in the Piccolo Jr. Saga; he worked like a dog for the tournament for ''three years'', created a brand new technique from scratch... and still lost in his first match.
* HeelFaceTurn: One of the first of ''many'' throughout the series.
* HeelFaceMole: This was his original intention but he ended up [[BecomingTheMask turning good for real]].
* ImageSong: Say what you want about the guy but he's got a very good [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89DxgVdFOrQ one]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: After Dr. Gero did this to Yamcha, the poor guy retired from fighting.
* KamehameHadoken: He was the second student to learn it, though he doesn't use it much.
* TheLancer: Sometimes holds this role, mainly in the absence of Krillin.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: When he has long hair.
* LoveableRogue: During his bandit days.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: Clumsy around women he likes.
* LoveMartyr: Explained to Puar, this was basically why he puts up with Bulma's mistreatment in Dragon Ball.
* MartialArtsUniform: After he begins training under Roshi for the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, he adopts the same uniform as Goku and Krillin, but like Krillin only wears it when actively training or fighting.
* MasterApprenticeChain: He trained under Master Roshi and became a master under the Turtle School: Mutaito > Master Roshi > Yamcha
* MistakenForCheating: The CluelessChickMagnet above has resulted in this happening on several occasions in ''Dragon Ball''.
* MrFanservice: He was the first handsome adult male in the cast.
* MundaneUtility: He uses his SupernaturalMartialArts skills when playing baseball.
* MysteriousPast: We have no clue what Yamcha or Puar did before they were desert bandits.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: N-R]]
* NeverLiveItDown: {{Invoked}} in ''VideoGame/DragonballFighterz'', where everyone from Nappa to Frieza to ''even Goku'' throws shade at him for the time he was killed by a Saibaman.
* NiceGuy: As an Adult, Yamcha is one of the more chill and forgiving characters.
* NowLetMeCarryYou: When Goku falls sick during the battle with the androids, Yamcha, who has been protected and saved by Goku several times, physically carries him back to his house and helps care for him along with his wife.
* OlderThanHeLooks: Despite being an ordinary human, Yamcha looks about the same at 57 in ''Dragon Ball GT''.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Do note that, by the Cell arc, he's still strong enough to break aerobic equipment effortlessly. But he's much too far behind his peers.
* ProphetEyes: His eyes turn totally white when he uses the many of his moves like the Wolf Fang Fist.
* RapidFireFisticuffs: His SignatureMove, the Wolf Fang Fist/''Rougafuufuuken''. Also his improved version, the Neo Wolf Fang Fist/''Shin Rougafuufuuken''.
* ReallyGetsAround: According to Future Trunks, this is the reason Bulma eventually left him for Vegeta in that timeline. What's ironic is that Yamcha was initially extremely shy around girls at the start of the series and said he wanted to get married.
* RedemptionDemotion: Yamcha generally remained useful in ''Dragon Ball'' and in the first arc he and Puar actually saved everyone from Great Ape Goku. In "'Z'' Yamcha was really only useful for distracting villains or taking care of wounded characters.
* RetiredBadass: After the Cell Games. However, in the anime OVA special, he reveals that he still wears his fighting gi under his suit, suggesting that he still misses fighting.
* TheRival: The ''very'' first one. Back then, he teamed up with Goku to save Bulma from Monster Carrot.
* {{Roboteching}}: His Spirit Ball Attack/''Soukidan''.
* RuggedScar: After coming back from offscreen TrainingFromHell at the end of ''Manga/DragonBall'', Yamcha sports a few facial scars indicating that he's come back stronger (although he still CantCatchUp).
[[/folder]]

[[folder: S-Z]]
* ScarsAreForever: Its never revealed exactly how he got them. After Yamcha came back from his three year TrainingFromHell in the Timeskip, he had them on his face.
* ShrinkingViolet: A male example. At first Yamcha couldn't even be around women without blushing and fleeing the scene. Even after he hooked up with Bulma, he was still somewhat shy at times.
* SignatureMove: Wolf Fang Fist and Spirit Ball.
* SpikyHair: During the Android and Cell arcs.
* SurpassedTheTeacher: He eventually surpasses all of his masters and becomes one of the strongest humans on Earth.
* SuperiorSuccessor: By the time of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he surpassed Master Roshi. He also surpass Kami after training with him to fight the Saiyans.
* SurferDude: His English voice has this type of sound and speech pattern.
* TakingTheBullet: Ever since his HeelFaceTurn, Yamcha has been shown as willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. In one of the movies, he even painfully catches a boulder about to crush Bulma. His Saibaman death was actually the result of him volunteering ahead to protect Krillin from a second and final death.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: In Episode 70 of ''Super'', when Champa challenges Beerus to a baseball match, Yamcha is the only one who has any idea what the hell he's doing, since he spent the timeskip between ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Z'' playing in the pros.
* ThePollyanna: Yamcha will never, EVER, stop seeing the bright side of life, no matter how much of a CosmicPlaything he ends up as.
* ThrowTheDogABone: ''Dragon Ball Super'' Episode 70 is one long (and long deserved) one for Yamcha. He still gets his ass kicked and there was nothing important at stake in the first place, but he still ended up being what saved the day and received glowing respect and acclaim from the rest of the Z characters in attendance. Even #18 and Bulma blatantly vocalized their newfound respect for Yamcha.
* TheToothHurts: During one of their earlier encounters, Goku knocked one of his teeth out. He's reluctant to go to a dentist.
* TrainingFromHell: Yamcha had been shown to go through this a lot of the time, particularly when the date for the World Martial Arts Tournament nears. For the first tournament Yamcha trained alone in the wilderness for a month, the second time with Krillin under Roshi, and the third was for three straight years.
* TrueCompanions: Yamcha seemed to have become this for real with the gang when in Pilaf's desert oven. Even getting distressed when Ape Goku was attacked, hard to believe earlier he was planning to beat up Goku to steal the Dragon Balls.
* TookALevelInBadass: In {{Filler}}, at least, Yamcha sometimes does better. He defeated Recoome, a guy who beat ''Vegeta'' to within an inch of his life, while training on King Kai's planet. While training in the Other World along with Krillin, he also defeated some of the top fighters in the tournament that Goku had won while he was there.
* TookALevelInKindness: Like most of the cast, he reforms significantly after his DefeatMeansFriendship from Goku's hands.
* {{Tritagonist}}: In the Legacy of Goku Arc, he gets the most amount of focus after Goku and Bulma.
* TwinkleSmile: It happened occasionally in the ''Dragon Ball'' anime.
* UnbalancedByRivalsKid: Surprisingly nuanced. At first, he's upset when Gohan asks him if he's Trunks' dad, but he's still respectful and friendly to future Trunks.
* TheUnfairSex: In his relationship with Bulma. Had the genders been reversed, fans of the show would NOT be laughing.
* WakeUpCallBoss: He's the first person able to physically challenge Goku and defeat him to run out of energy (though the latter was due to Goku's getting hungry at the end of the fight).
* WeAreTeamCannonFodder: In ''DBZ''.
* WeakButSkilled:
** Yamcha's Spirit Ball is the first fully controllable ki attack shown in the series. While Yamcha was beaten handily by the powerful Shen in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he managed to show his combat smarts by, after failing to hit Shen with his Spirit Ball, he made the energy ball travel underground and erupt under Shen's chin, catching him off guard. Shen even complimented Yamcha on his skills after the battle.
** He was the second student of the Turtle School to master the Kamehameha and surprised everyone by showing this in the 22nd Budokai.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: At the start of the series, he was intimidated by women, such that Bulma's very presence could force him into retreat. He sought the Dragon Balls to help him overcome his phobia. Ultimately, he conquered his fear after spending time around, and eventually dating, Bulma.
* TheWorfEffect:
** Save for Vegeta, no other character got hit with this more. Yamcha suffers from this as early as ''Dragon Ball'', always losing in his first round in the three world tournaments he participates in to show how powerful Jackie Chun, Tenshinhan, and Hero/Shen/Kami are, despite his training. By the time ''Z'' came around, Yamcha was the first to fall in the Saiyan Arc and again in the Android Saga.
** In the first story arc, Yamcha has the advantage over Goku due to him being [[WorfHadTheFlu hungry]]. He could have won, but he sees Bulma and runs away since he's terrified of girls. When he fights Goku the next day, he gets his tooth knocked off and humorously ends the fight early out of pride.
* WouldHitAGirl: Zigzagged. In ''Dragon Ball'', he is forced to knock out Kid Chi-Chi when she attacks him. On the other hand, Yamcha seems unable to strike a beautiful girl in ''Legend of Shen Long.''
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: He uses an elbow drop to save Goku from the Rabbit Gang.
* XMarksTheHero: After the three year timeskip at the end of ''Dragon Ball'' he gets an X shaped scar on his cheek.
[[/folder]]
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->'''Voiced by (Latin American Spanish):''' Creator/RicardoMendoza '''(current voice)''', Creator/JesusBarrero (''DB'' ep. 5-60), Rafael Rivera (''Dragon Ball'' Harmony Gold), Óscar Flores (''Path of Power'')

[[center: [- [[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMasterRoshi Master Roshi]] | '''Yamcha''' | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTienShinhan Tien Shinhan/Tenshinhan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChiChi Chi-Chi]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Mr. Hercule]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVidel Videl]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]] | [[Characters/DragonBallWhis Whis]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChampa Champa]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVados Vados]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCabba Cabba]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCaulifla Caulifla]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallToppo Toppo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman Jaco the Galactic Patrolman]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonballFighterZ FighterZ]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]])]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMasterRoshi Master Roshi]] | '''Yamcha''' | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTienShinhan Tien Shinhan/Tenshinhan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChiChi Chi-Chi]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Mr. Hercule]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVidel Videl]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]] | [[Characters/DragonBallWhis Whis]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChampa Champa]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVados Vados]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCabba Cabba]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCaulifla Caulifla]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallToppo Toppo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman Jaco the Galactic Patrolman]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterz FighterZ]]]]-]

** Like the other canonically-weaker characters, he can fight leagues beyond his weight class in video games. UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterz'', as his fast-paced playstyle has made him the MemeticBadass of the game. [[ButtMonkey This does not stop Cell, Nappa, Frieza, AND GOKU from making fun of him for being too weak to be effected by the waves.]]

** Like the other canonically-weaker characters, he can fight leagues beyond his weight class in video games. UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterz'', as his fast-paced playstyle has made him the MemeticBadass of the game.

* ThePolyanna: Yamcha will never, EVER, stop seeing the bright side of life, no matter how much of a CosmicPlaything he ends up as.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Ironically, the more Yamcha seems to fade away, the larger, or at least more vocal, his fanbase becomes. For whatever reason, Yamcha is easily among the more popular human characters in ''Dragon Ball'', getting his own spin-off manga, having an entire, long-running fan manga dedicated to him (''Dragon Ball Z Elsewhere'') and is a prominent player in a large number of fanworks. People were even disappointed when Yamcha wasn't chosen as a warrior to join the Tournament of Power.

* AdaptationalBadass: He fares either worse or better in the anime. Yamcha does more in anime only battles and situations, but sometimes he comes off better in the manga's version of events (an example of this is Yamcha had no trouble holding down Great Ape Goku in the manga).

[[center: [- [[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMasterRoshi Master Roshi]] | '''Yamcha''' | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTienShinhan Tien Shinhan/Tenshinhan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChiChi Chi-Chi]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Mr. Hercule]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVidel Videl]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]] | [[Characters/DragonBallWhis Whis]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChampa Champa]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVados Vados]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCabba Cabba]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCaulifla Caulifla]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallToppo Toppo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman Jaco the Galactic Patrolman]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterz FighterZ]]]]-]

!!Yamcha (ヤムチャ; ''Yamucha'')

->'''Voiced by (Latin American Spanish):''' Creator/RicardoMendoza '''(current voice)''', Creator/JesusBarrero (''DB'' epi. 5-60), Rafael Rivera (''Dragon Ball'' Harmony Gold), Óscar Flores (''Path of Power'')

[[center: [- [[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMasterRoshi Master Roshi]] | '''Yamcha''' | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTienShinhan Tien Shinhan/Tenshinhan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] |[[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChiChi Chi-Chi]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Mr. Hercule]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVidel Videl]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]] | [[Characters/DragonBallWhis Whis]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChampa Champa]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVados Vados]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCabba Cabba]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCaulifla Caulifla]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallToppo Toppo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman Jaco the Galactic Patrolman]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterz FighterZ]]]]-]

[[center: [- [[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMasterRoshi Master Roshi]] | '''Yamcha''' | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTienShinhan Tien Shinhan/Tenshinhan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]] | [[Characters/DragonBallWhis Whis]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChampa Champa]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVados Vados]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCabba Cabba]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCaulifla Caulifla]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallToppo Toppo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman Jaco the Galactic Patrolman]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterz FighterZ]]]]-]

Yamcha was a desert bandit, Bulma's first love, and Goku's first rival. Even in the original series, Yamcha was often used as the primary victim of the WorfEffect, hardly winning any important fights despite being one of the most powerful protagonists. By Z he was pretty much a target to show how tough the villains were, so much so that around the Buu Saga he gave up fighting entirely (except for fillers in which he somehow defeated enemies even Goku had trouble with a few years before).

* EmpoweredBadassNormal: He has alway been very strong for a normal human. He was able to trade blows with Goku and knock him back, even if Goku was hungry at the time. He was also able to make it to the final eight of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament without any formal training, unlike Goku and Krillin. By the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, he taught himself the Kamehameha. At the 23rd, he learned a powerful technique known as the Spirit Ball that nearly knocked Shen (Kami's human host) to the ground.

* {{Tritagonist}}: Legacy of Goku Arc.

* WakeUpCallBoss: Somewhat. He's the first person able to physically challenge Goku and caused him to run out of energy (the latter was due to Goku's hunger).

** In the first story arc, Yamcha has the advantage over Goku due to him being [[WorfHadTheFlu hungry]]. He could have won, but he sees Bulma and runs away since he's terrified of girls. When he fights Goku the next day, Goku beats him with ease.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/card_1001440_character_yamcha.png]]