The fighting styles of Dragon Ball

[DBZAOTA482]

One complaint regarding the fight choreography in the series is how everyone seems to fight the same. One user even went as far as to say Chi-Chi fights the same way as Goku... but then again she thinks Bulma and Launch would be good picks for FighterZ (a game that has teleporting, dashing mechanics, and high-speed combat) so what does she know?


Anyway, this complaint understandable to some degree as most DB fighters are fist fighters but I would easily contend Yamcha and Tien are very distinct in the way they fight from a visual standpoint alone. The way Yamcha fights is wild and showy utilizing open-palm strikes while Tien empathizes speed and has the fists of a praying mantis.


What do y'all have to say on this?

 

[withheldforprivacy]

AT doesn't know martial arts.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

AT doesn't know martial arts.

He does from a spectator perspective at least, since he's always been a fan of kung-fu movies, though whether or not he knows the technicalities is debatable. He seemed to have a good grasp on differences in martial arts during the early arcs, though the distinctive nature of each character's fighting styles seemed to become far more phased out as Ki became a more relevant component, to the point that the stereotype of later DBZ being just punches, power ups and explosions doesn't seem too inaccurate.

 

[Pocket-Gog~]

AT doesn't know martial arts.

He does from a spectator perspective at least, since he's always been a fan of kung-fu movies, though whether or not he knows the technicalities is debatable. He seemed to have a good grasp on differences in martial arts during the early arcs, though the distinctive nature of each character's fighting styles seemed to become far more phased out as Ki became a more relevant component, to the point that the stereotype of later DBZ being just punches, power ups and explosions doesn't seem too inaccurate.

Quick question, but if Dragon Ball kept the more distinct fighting stylers later on what would the fighting styles of Freeza, Boo, Cell etc. look like?

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Quick question, but if Dragon Ball kept the more distinct fighting stylers later on what would the fighting styles of Freeza, Boo, Cell etc. look like?

There was still some distinctiveness in the fighting styles of those characters, since Freeza seemed to excel in kicks and tail whips whilst Fat Boo had the slow, imprecise yet tanky style of fighting, with his Pure form having a rapid, speedy fighting style.

Honestly though, I don't see how they could be presented with skillful martial arts prowess beyond haxed Ki abilities considering the context, since those are characters who haven't been trained in skillful martial arts movements, the only exception being Cell due to his data and genes of many martial artists.

 

[DBZAOTA482]

AT doesn't know martial arts.

He does from a spectator perspective at least, since he's always been a fan of kung-fu movies, though whether or not he knows the technicalities is debatable. He seemed to have a good grasp on differences in martial arts during the early arcs, though the distinctive nature of each character's fighting styles seemed to become far more phased out as Ki became a more relevant component, to the point that the stereotype of later DBZ being just punches, power ups and explosions doesn't seem too inaccurate.

Quick question, but if Dragon Ball kept the more distinct fighting stylers later on what would the fighting styles of Freeza, Boo, Cell etc. look like?

Freeza and Boo are already very distinctive in how they fight.