Solar Flare

Directory: Techniques → Supportive Techniques

Solar Flare (太陽拳, Taiyōken; lit. "Fist of the Sun") is a non-lethal technique in the Dragon Ball series.

Overview

Solar Flare Krillin Variation — Krillin using the Solar Flare

The Solar Flare is performed by the user placing their hands close to the center of their face with the fingers spread toward their eyes. The user then calls out the name of the technique, which provokes a white light to fire out and blind everything watching except the user, since they are projecting the light. This technique is defensive rather than offensive, and is mainly used as way to gain the upper hand, or in order to make hasty retreat, or to set up for a more complicated attack without fear of interruption.

GokuSolarFlare — Goku uses the Solar Flare against Great Ape Vegeta

Despite the simplicity of the attack and its "old" nature, the technique is still deemed extremely effective against some of the most powerful foes ever encountered by the Z Fighters because of it nature. Due to it being simply a flash of light, it works regardless of any gap in power between the user and the target. This technique is rendered useless if the opponent is wearing sunglasses, as evident in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament when Tien Shinhan uses the technique against Jackie Chun, affecting him while Master Shen and the World Tournament Announcer are unaffected by the flash.^[2] In the finals of the same tournament, Goku borrows Master Roshi's sunglasses to prevent Tien's Solar Flare and he is even capable of hitting Tien during the execution of the technique.^[3] This is also proven in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament when Goku uses the technique during his fight with Tien, which effects everyone but Master Roshi and the announcer.^[4]

CellSolarFlare — Imperfect Cell using the Solar Flare

The technique is used by Tien Shinhan during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament (the Solar Flare is one of Tien's signature moves)^[2]^[3] and later on by Goku, Krillin, and Cell. Also during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin uses a personalized version called Taiyōken Hansha^[5] in his match against Goku. During the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku uses the Solar Flare on Tien Shinhan himself, who is using the Multi-Form technique.^[4] Goku uses it again during his fight with Vegeta in the latter's Great Ape form, so Goku could have extra time to prepare his Spirit Bomb.^[6] During the battles on Namek, Krillin used the Solar Flare to blind Dodoria who is chasing him, after he and Gohan rescued Dende. Krillin performs this a little differently when he uses it on Dodoria. However, it still produced the desired result. Krillin later uses it again against Second Form Frieza.

ImperfectCellTaiyoken — Semi-Perfect Cell prepares a Solar Flare

After the Frieza Saga, it is used several times by Cell: to escape the Z Fighters,^[7] to help him in his mission to absorb Android 17 and Android 18,^[8] and even in the afterlife;^[9] up to the end of his life, Cell performs a Solar Flare using the Sun as the background, possibly to increase its effect. Krillin uses the Solar Flare on Cell in an attempt to slow him down in order for an airplane containing two survivors of Cell's attack at a town to escape, although Cell manages to catch up to Krillin upon liftoff and subsequently plow him through the plane, almost absorbing him had it not been for the Z Fighters arriving at the general vicinity.

CellTaiyoKen.Ep.43 — Perfect Cell using the Solar Flare on Goku in GT

Master Roshi uses the Solar Flare in Dragon Ball Z: Atsumare! Goku Warudo. In the Great Saiyaman Saga, it is used by Goku when he fights Arqua in the Other World Tournament.^[10] In the Baby Saga of Dragon Ball GT, Super Saiyan 4 Goku uses the Solar Flare to temporarily blind Golden Great Ape Baby so he could gather energy from Gohan, Trunks and Goten.^[11] The Solar Flare normally does not do any damage, but Nuova Shenron has a special lens that can amplify sunlight to lethal levels. When Goku shot a Solar Flare through this lens, it did a considerable amount of damage to Nuova. Later in the Shadow Dragon Saga, Goku uses the Solar Flare on Omega Shenron, but it did not even phase Omega. It is the only time where the Solar Flare failed to halt an enemy.

Appearances in Video Games

The Solar Flare can be used to daze or stun enemies and opponents in various Dragon Ball Z video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku where it temporarily stuns all the nearby enemies.

Bt 1 63 — Goku using a Solar Flare in *Budokai Tenkaichi*

It is a special technique used by Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Cell in the Butōden series. It is a Blast 1 technique that causes an opponent to lose their lock-on in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The screen turns white for a short second. In Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and the Raging Blast games, after the Solar Flare has been used on any character wearing a scouter, they will use their scouter to locate their opponent. Omega Shenron is immune against Solar Flare in the anime, but in video games he is not.

Krillin Solar Flare Zenkai Battle — Krillin using the Solar Flare in *Zenkai Battle Royale*

Both Krillin and Tien have the Solar Flare as a stun technique in the Budokai series. Krillin uses the Solar Flare in Super Dragon Ball Z. He can use an offensive version of the attack called Sun Spot, which causes damage to the opponent instead of blinding them, in Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai. Tien, Krillin and Imperfect Cell also have the Solar Flare as one of their attacks in Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit. This technique can be used in team attacks in Dragon Ball Z: W Bakuretsu Impact.

SolarFlare(DBO) — Solar Flare in *Dragon Ball Online*

In Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, there are two versions of the standard Solar Flare. Tien's version (the original version) afflicts darkness condition (which decreases an enemies accuracy). Krillin's version allows the party to escape from battle (similar to the tactic Krillin used to escape Dodoria). There is also a S-Combo called Heavenly Sunlight that is a combo attack where Tien and Krillin both unleash a Solar Flare at the same time damaging and blinding enemies. Tien also has an ultimate skill called Final Solar Flare which blinds and damages enemies (this technique is also part of the Demon-Wolf-Crane S-Combo). There are a few enemies who use an "imitation Solar Flare" which works like Tien's standard Solar Flare. Those enemies are Betrayer, Expelled Pupil, and Pupil.

The Solar Flare is a skill learned by Fighters at level 42 in the computer game Dragon Ball Online. It blinds all enemies within a certain radius, reducing their hit accuracy.

Trivia

The technique's English name, Solar Flare, ties in with the Japanese name's original meaning, "Fist of the Sun", and hints to its disruptive nature (radiation emitted by real-life Solar Flares is known to affect Earth's ionosphere and disrupt long-range radio communications) as a flash of light that blinds the opponent.
In the original manga, each person who uses Solar Flare uses it only twice:

In the 22nd World Tournament, Tien uses it once against Master Roshi (as Jackie Chun) in the semifinals, and then on Goku in the finals.
In the next Tournament, Goku uses it on Tien in the semifinals and then on Great Ape Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga while collecting energy for the Spirit Bomb.
Krillin uses it on Dodoria on Namek to escape with Gohan and Dende, and on Frieza's second form.
Finally, Cell uses it simultaneously on Piccolo, Future Trunks, and Krillin. In his next form, he uses it on Trunks and Krillin again, also affecting Android 16 and Android 18.

In the US version of Budokai Tenkaichi 3, when using the technique, Goku (GT) calls it by its original name, Taiyōken, instead of its "English Dub" name, "Solar Flare", even though he is being voiced by FUNimation Dub voice actor Stephanie Nadolny in the game. Goku (GT) is the only character to say taiyōken when using the attack in the game's "English Dub", while all other characters who use it shout "Solar Flare" when using the technique with the game's English voices.