Force of combat (Dragon Ball)

The force of combat is a concept present in the Manga Dragon Ball , like in its animated adaptation Dragon Ball Z . In Japanese 戦闘力 ( Sentōryoku ), Sentō meaning combat and Ryoku meaning force . The expression can be also translated potential of combat or simply power .

This concept appears with the arrival of Raditz (volume 17 of the manga, a terror without precedent - episode 1 of animates Dragon Ball Z ) and is very much used by the various combatants, but ends up disappearing completely at the beginning from the saga from Cell (volume 28 of the manga, the boy come from the future - episode 119 of animates).

The concept of “force”

In Dragon Ball , the force of a character can be measured, using an apparatus called scouter . This force, which is connected with the Ki, represents the potential of action of a character. Although each being has a physical potential called physical force here, Ki makes it possible to develop its capacities: the speed which it can reach, pressure that its blows (fists, feet, head) can exert, body resistance, quantity of energy which it can project (see Kamé Hamé ha or Makankô Sappô), and sometimes the degree of spiritual control. There exists of other parameter, like the andurance and the vital force

This potential is represented by a figure, informing about all the aptitudes at the same time. Nevertheless, there or Ki is a more spiritual concept, the force of combat is a more physical and mathematical vision (although a character having a great spiritual control is more suited has to have a great force of combat).

During a confrontation, the character having the greatest force of combat is a priori certain to gain the victory: its blows will make more badly than those of the adversary, and he will suffer little from the unfavourable blows.

How this force is measured

All the henchmen of Freezer have scouters, small apparatuses fixing themselves at the left ear of the character, and provided with a coloured small screen placed in front of the left eye. It is on this screen that the force of combat is posted. A small button placed between the screen and the fixing of ear allows, by pressing it, to calculate the power of a character, nevertheless, the scouter reacts automatically to any variation of the force and the poster.

the scouter posts its data in the extraterrestrial alphabet of the armies of Freezer, one in general calls it in the French version the " dispositif" , nevertheless the force of combat is read with high voice in the language of the characters, which makes it possible to have figures with the terrestrial format. On the other hand, the figures do not have a Measuring unit. Into the French version, many errors slip into the translation of these figures, it is often divided by ten of an episode with another or the reverse.

Raditz, a Saiyan belonging to the armies of Freezer, has a scouter and it is at the time of its arrival on Earth that the concept of the force of combat calculated appears. As the main characters are confronted with the henchmen of Freezer, the force of combat and Scouters become very important elements scenaristic.

Nevertheless, with the wire of the history, Freezer will be killed and its destroyed armies, with the result that more no scouter will appear and forces it of combat quantified will be gradually forgotten, starting from the saga Cell, more especially as the characters, in particular His Gokû, become increasingly able to mask their force of combat and to make it increase when they wish it, with the result that this concept loses little by little its importance.

At the time of the combat counter Cyborgs, C-20, C-19 and C-16 has in their electronic brains, a mechanism allowing the reading of the force of combat. Nevertheless this force is probably not based on the same system of calculation as the scouters (since Cyborgs were developed on the Earth) and no figure is in any event mentioned. This device is evoked only very quickly and is mentioned only twice in all the Cell part.

Babidi, in the saga Boo, has a needle meter, which also can indicate the force of a character to him, nevertheless this apparatus is based on very an other system of calculation, and has a unit, the Kili. There too, this apparatus will be used only once in all the saga Boo.

Of share the greatest presence of the scouters in the universe of Dragon Ball , this article concentrates primarily on the concepts and the figures coming from the scouters.

Increase in the force of combat

Any character, however weak, has a force of combat. But any character can also undergo a drive, which in the long term, will increase its power. All aptitudes (speed, resistance, etc) are increased at the time of a drive. More the drive is long and difficult, more the power of the character will be developed at the end of the drive. These drives appear capital in the fight against Saiyans and Freezer. One of the drives more testing will be that of Sangoku lasting the saga Freezer: travelling towards the planet Namek, Its Gokû obliges to resist and is involved under an artificial gravity in continuous increase (the maximum reached during this voyage will be of 100 times the gravity of the Earth).

Saiyans present an exceptional aptitude in relation to the power. Indeed, these people are made for the combat and are potentially, one of most powerful of the universe. The power of Saiyan increases appreciably with each time it comes very close to death. It is three times higher to be exact. Without counting that it increases with each combat delivered, during and after the combat, at the time of the phase of recovery (rest). This aptitude is also a very important element scenaristic in the saga Freezer, since at the time of a combat, Saiyan dominated by its adversary, coming very close to death and being cured, its adversary with the next meeting will exceed. Certains Saiyans will voluntarily go even until being wounded with death to gain more force.
With each use of this technique of “died” and of “resurrection”, the profit of power which Saiyan receives which practices it is increasingly important.

It is also to note that the main characters have the capacity to decrease their power artificially (i.e. to hide it). To be able to achieve this technique requires a good spiritual control. It is also an important technique in the intrigue on the Namek planet, because Scouters of the men of Freezer detect the great powers, and can also locate them in space. Krilin and Its Gohan, on Namek, almost constantly decrease their powers to avoid being detected by Scouters and to prevent that men of Freezer or Végéta do not find them. Freezer and its men did not control this technique, only Végéta reaches that point.

Official forces of combat

These forces are those which were mentioned by Akira Toriyama in its manga, in animates by its scenario writers, or who were published in a official Artbook supervised by Toriyama. They are entered starting from the arrival of Raditz until the death of Freezer. No official source mentions power beyond this part of the history.

At the beginning

Baddack: 10.000
Its Gokû, baby: 2
Its Gokû (in giant monkey): 100
Raditz : 1500
Krilin : 206

the arrival of Nappa and Vegetated

Chaozu ( maximum capacity ): 610
Its Gokû ( basic power ): 8000
Its Gokû ( Kaiô-Ken x3 ): 24.000
Its Gokû ( Kaiô-Ken x4 ): 32.000
Vegetated ( transformed into giant Monkey ): 180.000

the arrival on Namek

Krilin and Its Gohan ( dissimulated power ): 1500 each one
Its Gokû ( Kaiô-Ken ): 180.000
Freezer ( final body to 50% ): 60.000.000

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