Yamcha (ヤムチャ, Yamucha) is a former desert bandit. He was once an enemy of Goku, but eventually reformed and became a lifelong friend and ally. He was the first of the eventual Z Fighters to meet and team up with Goku. He was once the boyfriend of Bulma, and finds a constant companion in Puar. His name is a play on "Yum cha" (literally "drinking tea"), referring to a gathering to drink tea and eat dim sum. He has the distinction of being the one Z-Fighter that has known Goku the longest, even longer than Krillin.
Yamcha's appearance stays relatively the same for the majority of the series, although his clothes and hairstyle are changed several times. Many of Yamcha's hairstyles are also used by Gohan at various points in his life.According to Android 19's scanner, Yamcha is 183 centimeters tall and weighs 68 kilograms, during the Androids Saga.Series creator Akira Toriyama suggested that Yamcha would be a baseball player in anime filler material for Dragon Ball Z. The first kanji Yamcha has on his clothes 樂 stands for "happy" or "music". 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, "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.
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 his very best to be the best, but is unable to reach this status, a fact that appears to plague him. He also seems to have a great network of information, reconizing Goku's Power Pole as Gohan's during their first fight as well as being able to identify famous martial artists such as Bacterian and King Chappa. In early Dragon Ball Z, he shows great pride in defending Earth from the Saiyans, and is willing to put his life on the line to stop them; which he evidently does. After returning from the dead, he prepares to battle the Androids. During this time he loses Bulma to Vegeta, something that frustrates him to no end. After being nearly killed by Dr. Gero, he takes more of a comical approach, and becomes all but useless in battle due to the ever growing power of the villains the Z Fighters face. It appears whatever passion 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. Despite this fact, he remains a trusted ally and fights on occasion when needed. During the latter half of Dragon Ball Z, he completely retires from fighting and goes off on his own. His very brief appearances in Dragon Ball GT further this, and he is seen alone with Puar, his fighting days completely over.
