Most Dragon Ball fans would consider Yamcha to be one of the greatest disappointments of the series, and for the most part they would be right as he has time and again proven to be the worst of all the Z Fighters despite being introduced as a badass outlaw–though his victory over Goku proves that Yamcha actually doesn’t deserve the hate he gets from fans.

Yamcha was introduced in Dragon Ball Chapter 7 by Akira Toriyama. In that chapter, Yamcha and his shapeshifting partner, Puar, are lurking in the desert as the two are professional bandits who are skilled in the ways of combat and thievery. While awaiting their next victim, Yamcha and Puar spot a team of travelers consisting of Goku, Bulma, and Oolong, and the bandits don’t waste any time in attempting to rob them. While they are thwarted, Yamcha and Puar learn that Oolong, Bulma and Goku are searching for Dragon Balls. They come up with a plan to follow them until they have collected all of the wish-granting artifacts then steal them before Goku and his gang can make their wish. As time goes on, however, Yamcha and Puar decide that the best way to ensure their victims get the Dragon Balls is to assist them in their quest–effectively making Yamcha and Puar official members of the team.

Related: Dragon Ball's Yamcha is Actually Even More Pathetic Than Fans Realize

In Dragon Ball Chapter 22 by Akira Toriyama, Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar have just escaped the clutches of the villainous Emperor Pilaf who meant to kill the team after they foiled his plot for world domination. However, the means of their escape presented its own life-threatening challenge. The team was only able to break free of their confinement after Goku gazed upon the full moon and transformed into a Great Ape. In the Great Ape form, Goku demolished Pilaf’s fortress and spiraled into a destructive rampage that nearly cost the members of his own squad their lives. However, no member of the Z Fighters died that night all thanks to Yamcha who came up with a plan on the fly and implemented it to perfection.

Yamcha's win over Goku proves he's cooler than fans think.

Remembering that grabbing Goku’s tail weakens the Saiyan, Yamcha snagged the monstrous tail of the Great Ape which put the beast into a lulled trance. However, Yamcha couldn’t hold on forever, so he ordered Puar to shapeshift into a giant pair of scissors and cut off Goku’s tail, hoping that its removal would revert the Saiyan back to his original form. Yamcha’s gamble paid off and the threat was eliminated. This victory was incredibly impressive not only due to the fact that Yamcha was able to defeat a powerful Saiyan form but also the manner in which he carried out the feat.

Yamcha and the gang had never even heard of this Great Ape transformation let alone faced it before, and yet, Yamcha brilliantly came up with a plan to take it down. Not only was Yamcha smart enough to figure out how to stop Goku’s Great Ape form, but he proved to also have the strength to pull it off. Incapacitating a Great Ape is no easy feat, especially when one is in the middle of an all-out rampage, but Yamcha did so and was victorious as a result. While this battle with Goku was perhaps the peak of Yamcha’s pretty disappointing Dragon Ball career, it still proves that he doesn’t deserve all of the hate he gets.

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