World Martial Arts Tournaments

World Martial Arts Tournament (天下一武道会 Tenka'ichi Budōkai) refers to a martial arts event in the Dragon Ball manga, and in the anime series Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT.

Rules and characteristics

In all the Dragon Ball series there is a World Martial Arts Tournament on Earth, occurring every 5 years (which later changes to every 3 years after the 21st Tournament). The tournament features Earth's strongest fighters as well as the regular participation of the Z Fighters. Besides the title of World Martial Arts Champion, the winner of the tournament would get the considerable amount of 500,000 zeni (later increased to ten million zeni) as a prize, although in the revived World Martial Arts tournament, they apparently send it by mail than actually giving it to the winner directly.In the tournament, anyone who comes into contact outside of the ring, is knocked out for more than ten seconds (which is counted by the commentator), or gives up, automatically loses. The tournament forbids any use of weapons or protective body gear (although natural weapons, such as bear claws, are allowed). Poking someone in the eyes or hitting them in the groin is also not allowed. The most important rule is that killing the opponent is not allowed. Disobeying any of these rules results in disqualification from the tournament. However, more than one villain in the manga has entered the tournament with more interest in killing someone against whom they have a vendetta than in winning the prize.The tournament has two parts: the preliminaries and the tournament itself. The preliminaries are held indoors and without an audience. In the preliminaries, all the contestants are divided in several groups, usually eight (after the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, more contestants than ever have started entering). These eight groups fight in mini-tournaments with a one-minute time limit for each match (matches that last longer than one minute are decided by points). The eight winners, one of each group, move on to the actual tournament.

In the World Tournament Saga, the tournament replaced the preliminaries with a punching contest to reduce injuries. Fighters would punch a machine, which would then calculate the strength of the punches. The fifteen who scored the highest moved on to the actual tournament (with the returning champion automatically be guaranteed the sixteen spot).

Normally, the winner of the final bout is automatically named the champion, and the returning champion had to win the tournament just like everyone else. However, at the end of the Kid Buu Saga, the tournament structure was changed so that the winner of the actual tournament was not automatically the champion, but merely won an opportunity to fight the returning champion in a title fight. This was probably done due to Mr. Satan's manipulation, as it gives the champion an unfair advantage, since the challenger must fight four opponents, with only a few minutes rest, before facing the Champion, whereas the Champion would still be fresh.The participants fight in pairs; the order of the fights is decided by each participant taking a random number from a box. As there are usually eight participants, the tournament has three levels: quarter-finals (4 fights), semi-finals (2 fights), and the final fight. It is later increased to sixteen fighters in the World Tournament Saga. The winner of each fight goes on to fight with the winner of the other fights, with a tree diagram showing the order of the fighters, going up on the aforementioned levels, ultimately leading to the final bout to determine the champion.World Martial Arts Tournaments are hosted, run and announced by the same World Martial Arts Tournament announcer. At the end of Dragon Ball GT he is replaced by his descendant.

List of champions

• Akkuman (two unknown World Martial Arts Tournaments)
• King Chappa (one unknown World Martial Arts Tournament, possibly the 20th)
• Jackie Chun (21st World Martial Arts Tournament)
• Tien Shinhan (22nd World Martial Arts Tournament)
• Goku (23rd World Martial Arts Tournament)
• Mr. Satan (the longest reigning champion, 24th through the 31st World Martial Arts Tournament, and possibly one or two more after that; however, it is important to note that the 25th Tournament and onwards were rigged in the final match)

List of known World Martial Arts Tournaments

Dragon Ball

21st

Total entrants: 137
Notable Contestants that didn't pass the elimination rounds:

• Fighter 40
• Fighter 69
• Fighter 83
• Fighter 97
• Bruce Lee Impersonator
• Bullies of the Orin Temple

Contestants:

• Krillin (semi-finalist)
• Bacterian (quarter-finalist)
• Jackie Chun (winner)
• Yamcha (quarter-finalist)
• Ranfan (quarter-finalist)
• Nam (semi-finalist)
• Goku (finalist)
• Giran (quarter-finalist)

Winner: Jackie Chun
Runner-up: Goku

22nd

Total entrants: 182
Notable Contestants that didn't pass the elimination rounds:

• Anton the Great
• King Chappa
• Nam

Contestants:

• Tien Shinhan (winner)
• Yamcha (quarter-finalist)
• Jackie Chun (semi-finalist)
• Man-Wolf (quarter-finalist)
• Chiaotzu (quarter-finalist)
• Krillin (semi-finalist)
• Goku (finalist)
• Pamput (quarter-finalist)

Winner: Tien Shinhan
Runner-up: Goku

23rd

Total entrants: 72
Notable Contestants that didn't pass the elimination rounds:

• King Chappa
• Chiaotzu
• Yajirobe (masked to hide his identity)

Contestants:

• Mercenary Tao (Cyborg Tao, quarter-finalist)
• Tien Shinhan (semi-finalist)
• Goku (winner)
• Chi-Chi (quarter-finalist)
• Piccolo – Using the alias of Ma Jr. (finalist)
• Krillin (quarter-finalist)
• Yamcha (quarter-finalist)
• Hero – Kami using Hero's body (semi-finalist)

Winner: Goku
Runner-up: Piccolo

• It is interesting to note that this is the only World Martial Arts Tournament Goku ever won, despite his participation in several before and after. This the first tournament where the outcome determines the fate of the Earth. Incidentally, after this tournament everything had to be built from scratch because the entire area was vaporised during the fight (hence the new, larger stadium).

Dragon Ball Z

24th

Known Junior Division Contestants:

• Videl

Winner: Videl Note: All that is known is that this was the first tournament to feature a Junior Division and that Videl had won it.

Known Adult Division Contestants:

• Pintar
• Spopovich
• Mr. Satan
• Jewel
• Killa

Winner: Mr. Satan
Runner-up: Jewel

• This tournament is not seen in the series, it is only alluded to, and it is present in the Daizenshuu 7 timeline. Before the Cell Games, the Z Fighters (both in the manga and the anime) comment that there hasn't been a World Martial Arts Torunament since the 23rd, though newcomer Mr. Satan is called the world's wrestling champion (world's martial arts champion in the anime). Therefore, in the anime the 24th tournament takes place before the Cell Games.

25th

Known Junior Division Contestants:

• Goten
• Trunks
• Idasa
• Ikose
• Koryuu
• Mooki

Winner: Trunks
Runner-up: Goten

Contestants:

• Goku
• Vegeta
• Pintar
• Krillin
• Piccolo – Using the alias of Ma Jr.
• Shin
• Spopovich
• Yamu
• Videl
• Kibito
• Great Saiyaman – Gohan's alter-ego.
• Mr. Satan
• Android 18
• Jewel
• Killa
• Mighty Mask – Impersonated by Goten and Trunks

Winner: Mr. Satan
Runner-up: Android 18 (who loses to Mr. Satan on purpose in a deal to make money)

26th

Winner: Mr. Satan
Runner-up: Mr. Buu (who loses to Mr. Satan on purpose)

27th

Winner: Mr. Satan
Runner-up: Mr. Buu (who loses to Mr. Satan on purpose)

28th

Contestants:

• Pan
• Goku
• Uub
• Mr. Buu
• Nareg
• Captain Chicken
• Goten
• Trunks
• Otokosuki
• Vegeta
• Nok
• Mr. Satan
• Wild Tiger
• This tournament had no winner as it was cancelled after Goku and Uub left. It is unclear why it was cancelled simply from the loss of two contestants, but the manga clearly shows the tournament being cancelled. After the tournament was cancelled, images of Goten and Pan fighting in the ring for fun are shown, though that was not an official match in the tournament.

29th

Winner: Mr. Satan
Runner-up: Mr. Buu (who loses to Mr. Satan on purpose)

30th

Winner: Mr. Satan
Runner-up: Mr. Buu (who loses to Mr. Satan on purpose)

Dragon Ball GT

31st

Junior Division Contestants:

• Goku
• Charlie
• Mugley

Winner: Mugley
Runner-up: Goku

• This is this first tournament where "Kid" Goku fights in the Junior Division. As a child, Goku had fought in the regular division because there was no Junior Division.

Kid Goku lost in the tournament because the Crying Child (Mugley) was tickling Goku while Vegeta walked into the stadium and distracted Goku, making him fall out of the ring.

Notable Contestants that didn't pass the elimination rounds:

• Mad Chilli

Known Contestants:

• Pan
• Majuub/Papayaman
• Super One
• Matt Cat

Runner-up: Majuub/Papayaman

Unknown, possibly 64th

Junior Division:

• Goku Jr. vs. Vegeta Jr. - the outcome of this fight remains unknown.

None of the fighters participating in the Adult Division were even mentioned.

Other tournaments

Cell Games

Contestants:

• Cell
• Cell Jr. (7)
• Caroni
• Piroshki
• Mr. Satan
• Goku
• Gohan
• Vegeta
• Future Trunks
• Piccolo
• Krillin
• Yamcha
• Tien Shinhan

Contestants who didn't fight:

• Android 16

"Official" Winner: Mr. Satan
Actual Winner: Gohan
Runner-up: Cell

Note: The Cell Games weren't technically a World Martial Arts Tournament. However, Cell himself stated that he would "revive the World Martial Arts Tournament". This is the only tournament in the series where contestants actually die (there are also deaths in the movie-only Intergalactic World Tournament, see below). Android 16,Future Trunks, and even Goku die at the hands of Cell. Cell and the 7 Cell Juniors died at the hands of Gohan. This is also the second tournament where the outcome determines the fate of the Earth.

Other World Tournament

The Other World Tournament is where fighters in the Other World compete. Goku and Pikkon both fought in it. This tournament was technically won by Goku (the second time Goku actually won a tournament). This tournament has occurred only twice in the series, once during the anime and later in the 12th DBZ Movie.

Note: Interestingly, this is the only tournament where killing an opponent is not a problem as all the fighters are already dead. However, as stated in the Buu Saga, if an already dead warrior "dies" again, he is erased from existence.

Known Contestants:

• Goku
• Arqua
• Torbie
• Chapuchai
• Maraikoh
• Olibu
• Pikkon
• Tapkar
• Caterpy
• Froug

• Technical Winner: Goku
• "Official" Winner: No Winner
• Runner-up: Pikkon and Goku
• Result: Draw