Dragon Ball Brutally Wishes Yamcha A Happy Birthday

Is there any character in Dragon Ball’s history that has been dunked on more than the former desert bandit turned superhero in Yamcha? With today being Yamcha’s birthday, the franchise wished him a “Happy Birthday” in one of the most brutal ways possible, by bringing up the moment that is perhaps the Z Fighter’s most famous across the franchise created by Akira Toriyama in which he died at the hands of a suicidal Saibaman during the Saiyan Arc. Though Yamcha would be brought back to life, his reputation was never the same among fans who had followed the Shonen series.

Yamcha is one of the earliest characters introduced in the franchise, having appeared alongside Goku and Bulma in the early days of the Dragon Ball series, encountering them on their quest to collect the Dragon Balls and make a wish to the Eternal Dragon, Shenron. Over the years, however, Yamcha has slipped in terms of fighting ability, deciding that he simply couldn’t compete with the likes of Super Saiyans, Namekians, and other alien beings, instead utilizing his abilities to become a baseball star. In a recent episode of Dragon Ball Super, his skills as a ballplayer were put to the test as he joined in a skirmish on the field between Universe 7 and Universe 6.

Viz Media wished the former desert bandit a Happy Birthday by bringing back the moment that has become one of the biggest memes in Dragon Ball Z history wherein Yamcha was defeated by a suicidal Saibaman at the behest of the invading Saiyans in Vegeta and Nappa:

Though Yamcha continues to be a far weaker warrior than the likes of Goku and Vegeta, he recently had the opportunity to join the Z Fighters in the Moro Arc in the pages of Dragon Ball Super’s manga. With Moro’s henchmen invading Earth to make way for their master’s arrival, Yamcha was on the front lines of the fight, battling against opponents that were far closer to his power level, showing off his skills as a warrior that had been absent from the Shonen franchise for so long.

What do you think of this brutal takedown of Yamcha on his birthday? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Dragon Ball.