An episode of Dragon Ball Z suggested that despite how he’s been handled in the past, Yamcha may actually have what it takes to defeat Perfect Cell. Yamcha, who has been an ally of Goku since the original Dragon Ball anime, has long been ridiculed as one of the show’s weakest characters. Supposedly, the only Z-Warrior below him in power is Tien’s sidekick, Chiaotzu.
Like many of the show’s heroes, Yamcha fell far behind characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan. For this reason, he hasn’t been relevant to the Dragon Ball franchise in a long time. In fact, his character’s reputation never really recovered from his embarrassing death at the hands of a Saibamen during the Saiyan Saga. However, there’s no question he’s gotten stronger since those days. His training on King Kai’s planet and the preparations made for the arrival of the androids enhanced his physical capabilities. That said, the anime still has him sidelined for the big fights. That’s usually the case for the weaker Z-Warriors and not just Yamcha, but Krillin and Tien were notably given opportunities to fight in both the Golden Frieza Saga and the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super.
The presumption is Yamcha’s slacking resulted in him being outclassed by both, but a filler episode of Dragon Ball Z calls that into question. Toward the end of the Buu Saga, Krillin and others were amazed to watch Yamcha regain his enthusiasm for fighting. To Krillin’s astonishment, Yamcha effortlessly took down both Olibu and Gorilla, who were both competitors in the Other World Tournament where Goku fought Pikkon. What makes that so impressive is Olibu’s power level. During the tournament’s semifinals, Olibu – confirmed to be King Kai’s strongest warrior after Goku – put up a good fight against Pikkon. He couldn’t beat the character but did challenge him physically. That’s more than what can be said of Cell, who was beaten in just two hits from Pikkon.
Yamcha being able to easily defeat an opponent stronger than Cell indicates he too can now beat the iconic villain. That means Yamcha’s strength far exceeds the power of a Super Saiyan. That, more so than anything that happened with his character in Dragon Ball Super, speaks volumes about how powerful he may really be. Since Yamcha doesn’t get to do any fighting in Dragon Ball Super, there are no clues about his actual power level; it’s just assumed based on his reputation that he’s below Krillin, Tien, and the rest, even though it’s not even altogether clear if Krillin or Tien (in contrast to Yamcha) are at the point yet where they could take on Cell and win.
While there are some who think that Yamcha defeating Olibu is a plothole or an example of a filler mistake, there’s no actual evidence Yamcha can’t beat Olibu since there isn’t much to base that claim on in the first place. The anime missed a perfect chance to show what Yamcha’s really made of in the Tournament of Power by not putting him on Goku’s Universe 7 team. Though Yamcha was certainly ready to compete alongside his old allies, he never received an invitation. But, it’s possible the new Dragon Ball Super movie or possibly a later saga will bring him back into the action.