Special Beam Cannon

Directory: Techniques → Offensive Techniques → Energy waves

Special Beam Cannon

魔貫光殺砲

Makankōsappō

Alternate names

Demon Impaling Light Killing Gun
Light of Death^[1]
Killing Laser Gun
Demonic Penetrating Light Death Cannon
Demon Ray
Höllenspirale (German dub)

Debut

Manga: "Piccolo's Farewell to Arms!?"
Anime: "Piccolo's Plan"

Inventor

Piccolo

Users

Piccolo
Cell
Cell Jr.
Gohan (in a mental battle)^[2]
Future Gohan^[3]^[4]^[5]
Super Buu (w/ Piccolo absorbed)^[6]
Master Roshi^[7]
Oniyu^[8]
Standard Hero^[9]

Color

& or & or & & or & or & or &

Class

Energy Beam, concentration type

Similar Techniques

Finger Beam
Galick Beam
Kankousen
Planet Bomb

"I was hoping to save it for a special occasion, it's the attack I planned to use to defeat you."
— Piccolo to Goku, preparing to use the Special Beam Cannon against Raditz, in "Piccolo's Plan"

Special Beam Cannon (魔貫光殺砲, Makankōsappō; lit. "Demonic Piercing Light Murder Gun") is an energy wave technique in the Dragon Ball series, and is Piccolo's signature attack. The technique is a very powerful laser beam created by Piccolo in order to destroy his then-arch-enemy, Goku.

Overview

SBC — Piccolo charges the Special Beam Cannon

The move is performed by touching the index and middle fingers of one hand to the forehead and charging enough energy to attack. Its speed changes to the power level of the person performing the move. When ready, the fingers are extended forward, the attacker shouts the name of the attack and two thin ki beams are unleashed from the fingers. One remains straight while the other coils around the straight beam. The resulting beam is quite powerful, drilling through most targets, and exploding on the ones it can't. It can also be used with only one arm (as when Piccolo used it for the first time).

The main disadvantage of the attack is the time required to build up enough energy for the focused burst, however, with enough concentration, this can be bypassed. It is the first technique in the series to be referred to as being the speed of light, as Piccolo reasoned that Raditz had to be "faster than the speed of light" to evade it.

Usage

GohansSpecialBeamCannon — Gohan firing his version of Special Beam Cannon

Piccolo uses the Special Beam Cannon in a battle for the first time in the battle against Raditz. The first time it is used, Raditz dodges and is only singed by it. The second time is a direct hit Full-Nelson Special Beam Cannon, killing both him and Goku in one shot; thus, the technique ironically fulfilled its intended propose to kill Goku. During his training with Piccolo, Gohan transforms into a Great Ape, so Piccolo uses the Special Beam Cannon to destroy the spaceship Goku used to come to Earth, which was projecting the image of the moon in the sky that caused the transformation.^[10] During the battle with Nappa, Piccolo used a blast with a similar appearance, though he fired it differently (both hands fully outstretched) and did not have to charge it up. He uses this same move while training with Gohan, only it is blue in color. Piccolo also uses it in the battle with Turles with little effect. The only other time he used it fatally is on Salza, Cooler's top henchman, in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge. He also used it to save Gohan from Bojack's Full Power Energy Ball in Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound.

O13 — Imperfect Cell using the Special Beam Cannon against Piccolo

163-33 — Perfect Cell using the Special Beam Cannon against Goku

Then Piccolo trains with several copies of himself in the episode "The Heavens Tremble" all of the copies fire a Special Beam Cannon at the original Piccolo, only to have it blown away. In the anime, Piccolo uses it additional times when battling Garlic Jr. and as a mental projection created inside Super Buu's mind.

The Special Beam Cannon is used frequently in the anime by a number of heroes and villains alike. In Dragon Ball GT, Piccolo used it on a Baby infected Gohan to no avail. Piccolo also uses it in Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! Gohan uses a very similar move while practicing with Krillin (in a mental battle) on the way to Namek, as if firing only the spiral around the beam, not the beam itself.^[2]

251-12 — Super Buu using the Special Beam Cannon against Gohan

It is used by Cell against Piccolo in their first battle in Gingertown, but the blast is deflected by Piccolo. Perfect Cell uses the technique while in Multi-Form against Goku during the Cell Games, but Goku evades. He later uses it against Gohan, only to have it deflected. Perfect Cell uses the technique again in Dragon Ball GT, during his battle in Hell against Goku. The Cell Juniors also use the Special Beam Cannon against Gohan during the Cell Games, but to no avail. In the Dragon Ball Z anime, Piccolo fires the technique at Cell during the latter's Kamehameha struggle with Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, with Tien Shinhan, Krillin, and Yamcha joining in shortly thereafter.

Years later, it is Super Buu (with Piccolo and Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks absorbed) who uses the technique, against Ultimate Gohan who manages to block it but is left severely exhausted and drained.^[11] When Vegeta is fighting the thoughts of Piccolo and Gotenks inside Super Buu, the thought form of Piccolo uses the technique but Vegeta dodges the attack and the thought form of Gotenks is hit as a result, causing him to fall but rise back up again.^[12]

Appearances in Video Games

File:SBC.PNG

Super Saiyan Future Gohan's Special Beam Cannon used in Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Piccolo uses the technique in all the video games he is playable, like the Gokuden series, Dragon Ball Z Arcade, the Butōden series, Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle, Dragon Ball Z: The Legend, the Budokai series, Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu, Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball Z For Kinect, Dragon Ball Heroes, and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (where it is Piccolo's Super move and Imperfect Cell's Blast Spark). The Special Beam Cannon's color is green in Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzōningen, Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku and the Supersonic Warriors series, and it is colored purple in the Budokai series, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Super Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball: Tap Battle.

File:SBC(UM).png

Piccolo fires the Special Beam Cannon in DBH: Ultimate Mission

Piccolo and Super Saiyan 2 Teen Gohan can use a team attack combination of the Special Beam Cannon and Masenko called Makankosappo in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2. In Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2, Cell Jr. can use the attack, and his version is colored blue. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, this move is used by Future Gohan while in his Super Saiyan form. Warrior-type Namekians can learn the Special Beam Cannon one they reach level 30 in Dragon Ball Online. In Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi, it can be obtained as one the Standard Hero's customizable Super Attacks and can be equipped use in either the Standard Hero's normal or Super Saiyan form.

Character meaning

魔 (Ma) = Demon / evil / devil
貫 (Kan) = Penetrate / pierce
光 (Kō) = Light / ray / beam
殺 (Satsu/Sa-) = Kill
砲 (Hō/Pō) = Cannon / gun

Trivia

During the battle against Raditz (Dragon Ball Z Kai version), in a flashback where Piccolo fires the Special Beam Cannon, instead of yelling "Special Beam Cannon!" like in the actual fight in the previous episode, he yells "Makankōsappō!", the Japanese name of this technique. He also yells the Japanese name in the Dragon Ball Z Kai Part One DVD.