Zanzo-ken
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Directory: Techniques → Supportive techniques
| After Image Technique | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Alternate names | Zanzōken Faster Than Light Technique The Image Remaining Technique Ultimate Afterimage | ||
| Inventor | Unknown (Korin claims to be the inventor) | ||
| Users | Goku Vegeta Master Roshi Korin Yamcha Krillin Tien Shinhan Chiaotzu Piccolo Dodoria Dabura Super 17 Cell Mercenary Tao Nam (Budokai Tenkaichi 3 only, never shown in series) Gogeta Baby Broly Vegito Saibamen Tapion (Budokai Tenkaichi 3 only, never shown in series) | ||
| Color | Varies with the user | ||
Afterimage Technique, or Zanzōken (残像拳; literally translated as Afterimage Fist) is an ability to move so swiftly that an image of the technique's user is left behind. Most often it is used to dodge an incoming attack and get behind the opponent to perform a counter-attack. Its usage is not limited to just counterattacks, though.
Theoretically, this is a move that could be performed (to some degree) in the real world, since it merely requires moving faster than the eye can see. This is a similar phenomenon to that of moving your hand back and forth very fast, and seeing a sort of afterimage of your hand. However, the speed at which the Z-Fighters move their entire bodies is far too much for a normal human to perform.
Zanzoken was first seen used during 21st World Martial Arts Tournament when Jackie Chun fought Goku. In an early English dub of Dragon Ball, he calls this technique "The Devil's Afterimage", but originally there was no 魔 (Ma; literally translated as demon) character that marked all "devil" techniques.
Jackie Chun is able to perform a Tajū Zanzōken (多重残像拳; literally translated as Multiple Afterimage Fist), where he spins around his opponent, leaving a lot of afterimages of himself. In this form, it is hard to tell which one is the real Jackie Chun. Goku adapted this technique in the 21st Budokai and was able to produce more afterimages than Jackie Chun, in an attempt to fool him with his own attack.
During the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Jackie Chun used it against Tien as well. In the anime but not in the manga, Krillin also used it once against Goku when they were pitted against each other.
Later on, almost every character learns Zanzoken, and its usage is not even marked by anything, so it meets the same destiny as flight. In Dragon Ball GT, Goku and Vegeta used this to distract Omega Shenron while attempting Fusion. The two Super Saiyan 4s move so rapidly that they seem to "blink" in and out of view, leaving multiple afterimages. They even manage to move so fast that they perform the fusion technique in multiple locations at once, greatly confusing Omega Shenron.
[edit] Character meaning
- 残 (Zan) = Remaining
- 像 (Zō) = Image
- 拳 (Ken) = Fist
