Yamcha's appearance changes throughout the series, mainly his clothes and

hairstyle.[13][14] Yamcha started out the series with long hair and bangs. After
settling down in the city, he cut his hair to fit in. Later on, he would grow his
hair out again and eventually cut short to a spikier hairstyle and completely short
before growing his hair out once again. Several of Yamcha's hairstyles are also
used by Gohan at various points in his life.[15] Another of Yamcha's most
significant appearance changes were the mysterious scars he got sometime during his
three years training for the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. According to
Android 19's scanner, Yamcha is 183 centimeters tall and weighs 68 kilograms during
the Androids Saga.[5] The first kanji Yamcha has on his clothes 楽 (raku) stands
for "comfort" or "easy"; there is no real meaning behind it other than he just
enjoys being comfortable.[16] After training with Master Roshi, he takes the
"turtle" or "Kame" kanji "亀" as a sign of respect. Later, after training with King
Kai, he wears both "Kame and "Kai" kanji. He wears them the opposite way Goku did
("Kame" on the back and "Kai" on the chest), except in Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of
Might where he wears the "Kai" kanji on the back and "Kame" on the chest.[17]

Yamcha sometimes wears a white martial arts outfit with black trousers that bears a
striking resemblance to the outfit worn by Bruce Lee during his fight with O'Hara
in the film Enter the Dragon, as shown during one of his brief appearances in the
Red Ribbon Army Saga and in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (an outfit
similar is also worn by Tsukutsun Tsun in the Dr. Slump remake).

In the Majin Buu saga, Yamcha wears a yellow suit jacket along with a white long-
sleeved shirt and black shoes. At the end of Dragon Ball Z and throughout Dragon
Ball GT, Yamcha now has his hair long again and wears it in a ponytail and retains
the same outfit that he wore in the Majin Buu Saga as his undershirt are now
sleeveless.

In Dragon Ball Super, Yamcha's outfit is a white martial arts with gray trousers
(which is exactly the same attire he wore in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of
Gods). His hair is almost the same style as the one he had during the Saiyan Saga
and Frieza Saga, with the long sideburns he had during his introduction in the
Emperor Pilaf Saga. During the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, he wears Turtle
School Uniform marked with the Galactic Patrol symbol while acting as temporarily
deputized member of the Galactic Patrol.

When Akira Toriyama decided to create Dragon Ball, he used Wu Cheng'en's Journey to
the West as a prototype for his own series.[18] Yamcha is most likely based on Sha
Wujing, also known as Sha Seng and Sha Heshang, from this novel.[19] Both are
powerful bandits who are associated with sand, (Yamcha from a sandy desert, Sha
from a sand river), who reform and join the heroes on their quest.

Personality

Yamcha showing his extreme fear of girls, as Bulma hugs him

Yamcha is originally characterized as a deadly warrior, who fears nothing but

talking to women. After befriending Goku and the others, his personality remains
mostly the same, but becomes very caring and considerate of the people he protects.
He is showcased as a courageous warrior who strives to be the best, but is unable
to reach this status, a fact that appears to plague him. He has a great network of
information, recognizing Goku's Power Pole as Grandpa Gohan's during their first
fight.

Yamcha is a huge fan of the World Martial Arts Tournament and has always wanted to
compete and someday win.[20] It is likely this is why he has knowledge of famous
fighters like Grandpa Gohan, Monster Carrot, Bacterian and King Chappa. Whenever
the tournament date neared, Yamcha would always go through vigorous training and
invent a new technique like the Blinding Wolf Fang Fist, Neo Wolf Fang Fist and the
Spirit Ball. He is the second fighter to learn the Kamehameha since the beginning
of Dragon Ball (after Goku).

In early Dragon Ball Z, he shows great pride in defending Earth from the Saiyans,
willing to put his life on the line to stop them; which he evidently does. Although
he is killed, he dies a hero's death. After returning from the dead, he prepares to
battle the Androids. In early Dragon Ball, Yamcha had a fear of women and tended to
get terrified at the sight and touch of a woman, although he seemingly got over
this after meeting Bulma when they were 16. They have an on-and-off again
relationship for several years and despite her supposed mistreatment towards him,
he still loved her. However, while the specifics are unknown, Bulma felt Yamcha was
interested in other women. During the three years prior to the Androids' arrival,
he and Bulma break up for good (though they remain friends) and she ends up with
Vegeta, which frustrated him, especially at Vegeta for fathering her son, Trunks.
His resentment towards Vegeta is apparent in the Androids Saga and Cell Games Saga,
as he speaks bitterly that he is not Trunks' father and mocked Vegeta for being
beaten by Cell. However, after seeing Vegeta's emotional reaction to Future Trunks'
death, Yamcha forgave him and is later seen being friendly with Vegeta. Yamcha is
also on good terms with Trunks and tells Future Trunks that his father really loved
him.[21] After being nearly killed by Dr. Gero, he takes more of a comical approach
and becomes largely outmatched in battle due to the ever-growing power of the
enemies the Z Fighters face. It appears whatever passion and resolve for fighting
he had disappears with the emergence of the Super Saiyans, who severely outclass
him in fighting ability and he eventually comes to accept this. After realizing
that his enemies severely overpower him, unlike Tien, who wishes to fight despite
the odds, Yamcha accepts that his contribution would be futile, and instead opts to
stand aside and keep watch, instead of engaging in combat. Despite this fact, he
remains a trusted ally and will fight on occasion when needed. During the latter
half of Dragon Ball Z, he retires from fighting, but continues training and goes
off on his own.

In Dragon Ball Super, it is revealed Yamcha actually has grown stronger and has
been training. However, he uses his strength for baseball rather than fighting at
this time. During the Universal Survival Saga, Yamcha overhears Goku and Gohan's
conversation, which outright implies that his passion for fighting still lingers
(eagerly heading home to wait and be recruited by Goku for the Tournament of
Power). In the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, Yamcha returns to the battlefield and
is excited to help defend Earth from Moro and his Galactic Brigade. When up against
three Moro Corps' members (one of whom labeled him as being weak), he corrects them
by saying that he's one of the three strongest Earthlings, showcasing his pride of
being a powerful Earthling martial artist.

Yamcha thinking to himself

Yamcha expressed a strong desire to get married, which was the reason why he wanted
to cure his gynophobia (fear of women, not to be confused with misogyny, the hatred
of women).[22] He also expressed excitement at the thought of starting a family.
[23] The Dragon Ball: Bouken Special book, released during the King Piccolo Saga,
says he is nervous around women except for Bulma and in a section where Bulma
dresses up in different outfits suggested by the main cast, Yamcha's suggestion is
a Wedding Dress (at the time he and Bulma were still a couple). In the manga,
Future Trunks states during the Trunks Saga, that Yamcha was "too non-committal"
which caused Bulma to break up with him in his timeline.

In Dragon Ball FighterZ, in a special event with Goku and Krillin, Yamcha admits
that he wishes to get married someday and is somewhat envious of his married
friends. In another conversation with Krillin, he notes that Android 21 is
attractive and due to a mistaken assumptions on his part he ends up teasing Krillin
whom he assumes has thing for female Androids like 18 and 21. Like Krillin, he is
too terrified to turn around when they sense that Android 18 had overheard Yamcha's
careless remarks and decide instead to focus on fighting the enemy hoping 18 will
go easy on them after the fight.

Future Trunks states that after Bulma and Yamcha broke up, Yamcha found a new
girlfriend. Although she never appeared in any Dragon Ball media, Yamcha's new
girlfriend is mentioned at the end of the Cell Games Saga, when Shenron asks for a
wish and Yamcha jokingly proposes he wish for a necklace for his girlfriend.
Despite originally saying it was his dream to get married and Trunks saying that
his future counterpart found love again, Yamcha appears to be single in Dragon Ball
Super and Dragon Ball GT.

In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, it is revealed that around the time of the Saiyan Saga,
Yamcha had been dating several women before his death and during a Sub Story
"Yamcha's Alive?!", it is revealed that Puar had been shapeshifting into Yamcha to
keep up the appearance to Yamcha's girlfriends that he was still alive though Puar
is more of a gentleman which caused trouble with some of Yamcha's girlfriends who
preferred Yamcha's personality. Yamcha himself is revealed to not have a problem
with Puar's acting as him as he told Krillin to give Puar the name's of some girls
he wanted Puar to go on dates with as him until he was revived if he died.

Biography
Background
Yamcha was born on March 20, Age 733. He met Puar in Age 747, two years before the
Emperor Pilaf Saga takes place.

Dragon Ball
Emperor Pilaf Saga
Main article: Emperor Pilaf Saga

Yamcha battles Goku

Yamcha is introduced as a 16 year old bandit that lives in Diablo Desert along with
his companion, an anthropomorphic cat named Puar, and robs travelers who pass
through. He ambushed Goku, Bulma and Oolong in order to steal their money and
capsules. When challenged by Goku, they fought, with Yamcha using his signature
technique, the Wolf Fang Fist, seemingly knocking Goku out. However, it only
injured Goku. Then, Goku starts to have the disadvantage when he starts to get
hungry, which drains his power. As Yamcha was about to defeat Goku, he spots Bulma
and retreats, due to his extreme fear of women.

Yamcha learns of the Dragon Balls

Yamcha returned to their camp that night and, while spying on them, learned of the
Dragon Balls and their ability to grant a wish. He then decided to steal their
Dragon Balls and make a wish to overcome his phobia, as he dreams of getting
married.

He and his companion Puar broke into the group's van that night to do so, but were
foiled when the orbs under the sheet which Yamcha thought were Dragon Balls were
actually the breasts of a nude and sleeping Bulma, causing him to leave in a
stunned and confused daze.

He attacked again the following day, by knocking over the group's van with a
panzerfaust, but was again challenged by Goku and retreated when Goku damaged his
vanity by knocking one of his teeth out. Yamcha's attack to the wagon had still
done its damage so Goku's group was forced to leave it behind and walk. As Shu had
earlier planted a bomb in the van which exploded shortly after it was abandoned,
Yamcha's actions had inadvertently saved Goku. Realizing that he could not beat
Goku, Yamcha instead decided to let the group collect all seven balls and then take
the wish. He again came to the group, this time apologizing for his behavior, and
gave them a car to make up for damaging their van. The car, of course, had a
tracking device in it.

Yamcha knocks Chi-Chi out

While on the group's trail, Yamcha encounters a mysterious girl who destroyed a T-
Rex and was frightened by Yamcha and attacks him, causing him to retaliate and
knock her out. Later, when eavesdropping on Goku's conversation with Ox-King, he
realizes that the girl is Chi-Chi, Ox-King's daughter. Not wanting to face the
wrath of an angry Ox-King, Yamcha races back to the scene and apologizes to Chi-
Chi, saying he did what he did because he is crazy with love for her. He quickly
hides when he sees Goku coming and, by luck, witnesses Chi-Chi pull Goku's tail,
exposing his weak spot. Yamcha returns to Fire Mountain and remains hidden as Goku
returns with Chi-Chi and Master Roshi, the legendary martial arts master who
trained both Ox-King and Goku's grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. He is awed by Master
Roshi's display of the Kamehameha, an energy wave Master Roshi used with the
intention of putting out the massive fire at Ox-King's residence, but instead,
destroyed the castle and the entire mountain it was on. He also can not help, but
be somewhat envious after Goku is chosen by Master Roshi to be his disciple.

Yamcha comes to Goku's aid against the Rabbit Mob

Yamcha continues to tail the group, letting it slip in front of Puar he thinks
Bulma has a beautiful voice, after they recover the sixth Dragon Ball from Ox-King
into a remote village. There, he has to intervene and help Goku after Bulma is
turned into a carrot by Monster Carrot, leader of the Rabbit Mob. He orders Puar to
turn into a bird and rescue the hostage carrot-Bulma while he takes out Monster
Carrot's two henchmen. Working with Goku, the two recover carrot Bulma and through
Puar's trickery get Monster Carrot to change her back. Yamcha quickly hides again
after this, letting Goku deal with the gang without having to worry about Bulma's
safety. While watching Bulma's disappointment at his absence, Yamcha silently
curses his shyness around her.

Yamcha after riding with Bulma

When Shu ambushes Goku, Bulma and Oolong, stealing five of their six balls along
with destroying their car with his Pilaf Machine, Yamcha has to again intervene,
this time joining the group. They track the balls to Pilaf's Castle, but are soon
trapped. From a hole blasted in the wall by Goku they witness Emperor Pilaf
summoning Shenron and Yamcha orders Puar to go with Oolong and stop it. Emperor
Pilaf's wish is interrupted by Oolong and, as punishment, the group is moved into a
giant solar-oven like cell to die the next day when the sun comes up; they are not
contained long though before Goku transforms into a Great Ape and destroys their
cell by the light of the full moon.

Yamcha puts aside his timidness around girls to save the group

To get the group to safety, Yamcha is forced to pick up Bulma despite his girl
phobia. Just as Goku is about to crush Bulma, pinned by some rubble, Yamcha comes
to the rescue and grabs his tail, stunning him long enough for Puar to transform
into a giant pair of scissors and cut the tail off, returning Goku to his normal
state. The next morning, with the balls now inert, the gang goes their separate
ways. Yamcha and Bulma are satisfied though, as they now have each other and,
therefore, no need to make any wishes. They go with Bulma back to the city while
Goku goes off to train with Master Roshi.

Tournament Saga
Main article: Tournament Saga

Yamcha in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament

Excited about the Martial Arts Tournament, Yamcha goes to the wilderness to hone
his skills much to Bulma's frustration. After a month Yamcha returns and saves
Bulma from getting hit by a truck. Bulma does not recognize Yamcha at first due to
his beard and disheveled appearance. When she does realize its him she is both
happy and annoyed that he did not call or contact her during his long absence.

Yamcha next meets up with Goku at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament where he
says he had a haircut at Bulma's request. Yamcha easily makes it through the
preliminaries and makes it to the quarter-finals, but is eliminated by Jackie Chun,
who dodges all of Yamcha's attacks with the utmost of ease and knocks him out of
the ring by creating a powerful wind with a hand chop. This level of power, along
with the physical likeness, causes Yamcha to suspect Jackie Chun is Master Roshi in
disguise and accuses him multiple times, before Roshi solicits Nam to wear a fake
beard and convince Yamcha that he is not Roshi.

Yamcha during the World Martial Arts Tournament

When Goku sees the full moon and turns into a Great Ape during his battle with
Jackie Chun, Jackie Chun fires a MAX Power Kamehameha in the ape's direction
despite Yamcha's desperate attempt to stop Chun. When the smoke clears, Goku is
nowhere to be found, and Yamcha and his friends start to cry. Fortunately, it turns
out Goku was just knocked out asleep. After Jackie Chun wins the tournament, Yamcha
and the others celebrate by going out to dinner on Roshi's tab.

Red Ribbon Army Saga

Main articles: Red Ribbon Army Saga and Commander Red Saga

Yamcha and the gang just before their encounter with Hasky

After the tournament, Yamcha returns to West City with Bulma and the others. Bulma
gets angry at him because the other girls in the city are all over him. When Goku
was flying on the Nimbus on a tour to West city, he (and Bulma through the Micro
Band) comes across Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar. Oolong and Puar tell Goku that Bulma
has been treating Yamcha badly. Yamcha says this is true, but he still likes her.
Bulma resizes herself after hearing these comments, gets angry at Yamcha again, and
heads alone to the Dream Land amusement park. Yamcha is upset by this, but goes
with Goku, Oolong, and Puar to the amusement park anyway. On the way, the two save
a fortune teller from thugs. However, it is actually Hasky, a thief hired by the
Red Ribbon Army to take the Dragon Balls. Hasky has a bunch of failed attempts to
steal the Dragon Balls, but no one catches on.

Hasky attempts to seduce Yamcha

Eventually Goku leaves the Dragon Ball with Yamcha. Seeing her chance, Hasky
attempts to seduce him, but Yamcha finds out she's a fake by coming across the real
fortune teller. Hasky attacks Yamcha with a sword and he fights her off.
Unfortunately, Bulma comes across them and in her view it looks like the two are
kissing. Bulma hurls a cabinet at Yamcha right as he just beat Hasky and stomps
off. This allowed Hasky to tie up Yamcha and take the Dragon Balls, but not before
revealing she planted a bomb in the park. Yamcha later helps Goku take care of
Hasky, get the Dragon Balls back, and defuse the bomb.

But due to the incident with Bulma, Yamcha's already strained relationship with her
was strained even further and she left with Goku to find a new boyfriend with the
Dragon Balls.

Later on, after Goku defeats the entire Red Ribbon Army, Yamcha and the rest of the
gang rush to help him in a helicopter, but they learned that their help ultimately
proved unnecessary because Goku finished them off without them.