Buckle in, folks, because we are in for a classic Bad Rap! This one stretches way back into the 80s, so you know this one has had time to build a reputation. Today we are talking about the infamous fighter we just love to criticize – Yamcha from the Dragon Ball series.

Dragon Ball has been on for ages in one form or another, so I’ll forgive you if you weren’t aware of Yamcha’s humble beginnings. He wasn’t always the butt of a joke at the bottom of a crater, you know! Way back in the original series, Yamcha was actually introduced as the tough Desert Bandit, where he and Puar would rob unsuspecting people in the Diablo Desert. For a brief minute he was Goku’s enemy, as his goal was to steal the dragon balls. Yeah, that didn’t last too long.

Over time, he developed a pretty toxic relationship with our girl Bulma and… well, that is probably a story in itself. The thing about Yamcha is that he really isn’t a bad fighter. He held his own and trained religiously. The problem is that he’s a human in a world of OP saiyans and alien monsters. It’s easy to forget that while watching. And the fact that he fought as long and far as he did despite that makes him pretty unique… even if he is forevermore the joke fighter on the team.

Yamcha’s skills and appearances flow through every series since the original Dragon Ball. Honestly, his Bad Rap is given only because I feel like he didn’t have a lot of chances to really shine as much as I thought he could. Compare the dude with Vegeta and I think we would all side with Bulma on who was really the ultimate bad boy with a soft spot.

Tell us what you think of our guy! Would you ever like to see him take a more redeeming role in a future series? Let us know in the comments below! ✌