The Yamcha Death Pose is a meme and exploitable image series based on a still frame of Dragon Ball Z character Yamcha on the ground after losing a fatal battle with Saibaman, a comparably weak character. The meme typically features Yamcha or another character placed in the crater, indicating enormous failure or weakness.
What episode is the Yamcha death pose from?
The image comes from the episode of the classic anime series Dragon Ball Z, “Saibamen Attack!” It first aired in Japan on October 18th, 1989. However, the episode didn’t air on American television until July 21st, 2005.
In the larger context of the series’ Saiyan saga, a villain named Nappa utilizes an alien species called “Saibamen” to attack the main characters, including Yamcha. In the aftermath of one of these attacks, Yamcha uses a self-destruction technique called the “Saibamen Bomb,” which results in the death of both characters. The shot of Yamcha’s corpse lying in its familiar pose comes from this moment.
@miyakosatou yamcha vs saibaman #dragonballz #yamchameme #yamchadeathpose ♬ original sound – raymonddevio – Miyako
The full episode can be watched on Crunchyroll.
How was Yamcha killed?
Yamcha was killed via the “Saibamen Bomb,” a self-destruction technique, which he implements to take out his adversary, a Saibamen.
How many times did Yamcha die?
Yamcha’s death pose incident was not the only time he died in the series. Yamcha would die two more times from there, including one incident where he is turned into chocolate and eaten (before being wished back). In Trunk’s future, Yamcha was also killed by an android, who blasted through his chest.
Yamcha also died an additional time in the sequel series, Dragon Ball Z GT.
Spread
Yamcha’s death pose, alongside the tag “ヤムチャしやがって…” (“you were Yamcha”) first came about in early 2009 as a variation on the colloquial expression “無茶しやがって…” (“you were reckless”), which has been used on Japanese video sharing service, Nico Nico Douga when referring to someone who’s attempted something impossible or absurd.
Yamcha’s association with the phrase is due to the character’s relatively weak strength compared to other Saiyan-blooded characters in the series, notably his friends Goku and his son Gohan.
An exploitable image of Yamcha’s death came about around the same time, spawning parodies and variations on the online Japanese artist community Pixiv. Soon thereafter, it was picked up by several Yahoo Blogs. By 2010, the meme had made its way to the English internet, particularly on imageboard hubsites and anime-based forums like Danbooru.
The meme became documented by TV Trops Wiki, where it appeared in the “Ascended Meme” section.
Yamcha’s death pose was further utilized in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, in which Saibaiman’s attack caused its enemy to fall to the ground in the identical death pose. Furthermore, in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, Yamcha lands in the same pose after a defeat.
Yamcha death pose template
Meme examples
More anime memes:
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- The ‘Blackbeard Writing’ meme from ‘One Piece,’ explained
- Origins of the Shinji chair meme
- Nah I’d Win: Satoru Gojo’s iconic ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ line
- The Jack-O Crouch Pose challenges you to drop it down
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