Yamcha and Chiaotzu have long been considered the two least powerful Z-Warriors in the Dragon Ball franchise, but which of the two characters is truly the weakest link among Goku’s allies? With a history that goes all the way back to the original Dragon Ball show, Yamcha and Chiaotzu have been involved in several key battles in the anime. However, it’s been a long time since either was relevant.
Unable to keep up with Dragon Ball’s Saiyans (or even Piccolo), Earthlings like Yamcha and Chiaotzu have been secondary heroes since the very beginning of Dragon Ball Z. Combined with Tien, they made up a trio of heroes who were typically seen together during stories such as the Saiyan Saga and the Frieza Saga. At this time, they were near the level of Goku’s best friend, Krillin. During Dragon Ball Super, Yamcha and Chiaotzu’s importance to the anime lessened even further when both were passed over during the Tournament of Power’s recruitment process. Weaker characters like Tien, Master Roshi, and Krillin were recruited by Goku for the big fight, but not Yamcha and Chiaotzu, who were seemingly forgotten by the rest of the Z-Warriors.
With the two characters rounding out the bottom of the list of the strongest Z-Warriors, it’s worth exploring which of them is truly is the weakest of the two. Due to being the first of the three to die to a Saibamen in Dragon Ball Z, Yamcha is the subject of the most ridicule and is often labeled with this title. But, there’s actually no evidence in the anime that Chiaotzu is stronger than him. In fact, it’s more likely that Yamcha is ahead of Tien’s sidekick by quite a bit. Stated to be on Tien’s level during the Saiyan Saga, Yamcha was clearly more powerful than Chiaotzu for most of Dragon Ball Z, and the franchise never provided a reason to think that things have changed.
Dragon Ball Z strongly hinted at a massive gap between Chiaotzu and the other Z-Warriors (including Yamcha) when his power was deemed insufficient for the battle with Doctor Gero’s androids in the Cell Saga. Yamcha participated, but Chiaotzu was left behind. There was a sense then that the others heroes’ power levels far had exceeded his capabilities. Though it’s possible that his off-screen adventures with Tien have allowed Chiaotzu to grow in power (or at least stay in fighting shape), Dragon Ball has yet to even hint that he’s above Yamcha now.
While Yamcha has admittedly slacked off on his training over the last few years, his feats in the anime set a high bar for Chiaotzu to overcome. Though Yamcha doesn’t have the best reputation in the Dragon Ball universe, it can’t be ignored that he beat Olibu – a character on par with Perfect Cell. As things stand, it’s not likely that Chiaotzu has that kind of power. Of the two, only Yamcha may stand a chance at one day catching up to Krillin and some of the others.
It should be pointed out that in spite of being known as the weakest of all the Z-Warriors in Dragon Ball's world, Yamcha and Chiaotzu are still formidable fighters, and should be recognized as such. They easily outclass several early Dragon Ball Z villains, and are two of the five strongest Earthlings on the entire planet (the other three being Master Roshi, Tien, and Krillin).