Risking it all for a friend

Directory: Techniques → Supportive Techniques → Movement techniques

Risking it all for a friend (やぶれかぶれだ) is a technique in which a character jumps in the way of an incoming Ki Blast to save another character. In some variants, a character may also shove another character away and take the blast instead.

Overview

KrillinRIAFAF — Krillin after protecting Gohan from Salt's Energy Wave

Drum uses this move to take King Piccolo's place as the target of Tien Shinhan's Evil Containment Wave. This move is used by Piccolo in order to save Gohan from Nappa's Bomber DX at the cost of his own life.^[5] On Namek, a Namekian uses this movement to save elder Tsuno from Vegeta's Bang Beam,^[6] and later Piccolo saves Goku from Frieza's Death Beam in a similar manner.^[7] Later, in the Garlic Jr. Saga, Krillin uses the move to protect Gohan from Salt's Surprise Blasts^[8] and Mr. Popo uses it to protect Kami from the Electric Shock attack of Kami's predecessor.^[9] Piccolo uses the technique to save Gohan again during the battle against Lord Slug's clansman Medamatcha.^[10] Goku saves his son, Gohan, from Cooler's Darkness Eye Beam.^[11] Gohan uses this technique to save Goku from one of Super Android 13's Ki Blasts while Goku was preparing a Spirit Bomb to defeat the Android.^[12] Goku saves Gohan by jumping in front of Broly's Explosive Wave during their battle on New Planet Vegeta.^[13] Future Gohan also uses a rapid movement to protect Future Trunks from Future Android 18's High-Pressure Energy Wave and Future Android 17's Photon Flash while they fall off aboard a Ferris wheel.^[14] During the Cell Games, Gohan saves Vegeta from Cell's Time to Die attack in a similar fashion.^[15] Gohan later attempts to defend Goten, Trunks, and Videl from one of Super Saiyan Broly's Ki Blasts after deflecting it, although the three are ultimately thrown back into separate locations by the blast and drastically weakened, with Gohan being the only one unscathed from the attack.^[16] In Dragon Ball GT, Trunks uses a rapid tactic to protect Pan of the Metal Breath performed by General Rilldo.^[17] A little later, Goku uses a similar movement to protect Pan from a Masenko fired by a Baby-infected Gohan.^[18] In the Super 17 Saga, Trunks used this movement in order to save his driver from Android 17's Electric Shot.

File:Vegeta takes an attack for Trunks.jpg

Vegeta protecting Future Trunks from Fusion Zamasu's Lightning of Absolution

In Dragon Ball Super, during the Golden Frieza Saga Gohan was being tortured by Frieza's Barrage Death Beam attack and Piccolo uses this Technique to protect Gohan from the final beam which would have killed him. Dying himself in the process. Also during the "Future" Trunks Saga, after enraging Fusion Zamasu by blasting him with a double Galick Gun, Vegeta uses this tactic to save Future Trunks from Fusion Zamasu's Lightning of Absolution.

Variations

Full Power Cover - A stronger version that appears as a Special Move in Dragon Ball Fusions.

Appearances in games

"Risking it all for a friend" was named in Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, where it is a Drama Piece technique. In one of the alternate endings to Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Shin Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku - Uchū-Hen, Vegeta threw himself in between Goku and Super Hatchiyack's Revenge Cannon while the former was charging his Spirit Bomb. It can also be used in the arcade game Dragon Ball Heroes and the Nintendo 3DS game Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission; in one of the promotional trailers for Dragon Ball Heroes, the Saiyan Elite is shown protecting the Saiyan Hero from an upcoming blast fired by Super Buu.

In one of the scenes in the Playdia game Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Shin Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku - Uchū-Hen, Vegeta jumps in front of Super Hatchiyack's Revenger Cannon to save Goku.

In a What-If scenario for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, Krillin utilized a variation of this technique on Android 18, where he pushed her out of the way when Semi-Perfect Cell attempted to absorb her, which resulted in Cell being fused with Krillin into a being known as Cellin, as well as resulting in his demise shortly thereafter by Yamcha and Tien Shinhan. This was later revealed to be a nightmare of Cell's due to anxiety regarding the Cell Games coming up.

Future Warrior with Piccolo and Gohan — The Future Warrior using *Wall of Defense* to shield Piccolo and Gohan from stray blasts from Frieza's Killer Ball

The move appears in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse under the name Wall of Defense and is a defensive super skill. During the Saiyan conflict, Piccolo uses the technique to shield Gohan from Nappa's Bomber DX, resulting in his death just like in the origin timeline. The Future Warrior uses the technique several times to shield various characters to prevent their potential death from altering the timeline. At the end of the Saiyan conflict, the Warrior stands between Krillin and the injured Vegeta preventing the Z-Fighter from killing Vegeta as he enters his space pod, in order to save Vegeta's life and preserve the timeline. Later after their accidental body swap with Ginyu, the Warrior uses this technique while in Ginyu's body to shield Goku from Ginyu's Body Change and to return to their original body. Similarly Goku uses it while in Ginyu's body to shield Vegeta from Ginyu's Body Change and return to his now injured body. Future Warrior also uses this technique to protect Gohan and the injured Piccolo (having been badly injured by Frieza Death Beam following Frieza's return after surviving Large Spirit Bomb) from being killed by Dark Frieza's Killer Ball technique when it almost hits them after it was dodged by Super Saiyan Goku.

In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Wall of Defense returns as a Super Skill used by Piccolo and can be obtained by the Future Warrior (Xenoverse 2). Both of the Future Warriors use this technique in cutscenes. The second Future Warrior uses it to stop Krillin from killing Vegeta after he is defeated on Earth in Age 762 like the first Future Warrior did in Xenoverse. Future Trunks uses it to shield Goku from Ginyu's Body Change and return to his original body after having his body stolen body Ginyu in a trap set by Towa and Mira. The original Future Warrior uses it to protect the second Future Warrior during Towa's attack on the Time Nest and are badly injured forcing them to leave it up the second Future Warrior to stop Towa and save Tokitoki's egg leading to the second Future Warrior's climatic showdown with Mira.^[3]

DB Fusions Saibaking Cover (Special Move - Pic 2) — Saibaking using Cover to protect a fellow Saibaman in *Dragon Ball Fusions*

In Dragon Ball Fusions, it appears under the name Cover and allows the user to cover a single ally from Ki Blasts and Ki-based special moves. When one is used on an ally protected by Cover, they will attack the user instead. There is also a stronger version called Full Power Cover. It can be used by several characters such as Android 76 and Saibaking.^[4]

Trivia

Interestingly several of the users of the technique are Namekian, in fact it was first used by the Mutated Namekian Drum to protect his father from Tien Shinhan's Evil Containment Wave. Its most famous use was by Piccolo to shield Gohan from Nappa's Bomber DX, sacrificing his (and Kami's) life in the process. It was also used by an unnamed Namekian to shield Elder Tsuno from Vegeta's attack. In the anime, Piccolo also uses it to save Goku from Frieza's Death Beam. This indicates the possibility that technique is somewhat instinctual among Namekians due to the strong bonds Nameks (and even Mutated Namekians) usually have towards their relatives (such as in the case of King Piccolo and Drum) and loved ones (as in the case of Piccolo & Gohan).
- In Dragon Ball Fusions, it is used by Namekian Android 76 as one of his special moves.