Mafuba
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Directory: Techniques → Restraining techniques → Ki → Energy self-destructions
The Mafuba (魔封波, Mafūba; FUNimation "Evil Containment Wave", Viz "Mafuba Wave"; Literally meaning "Demon Seal Wave") is an energy self-destruction designed to seal Demons (Mazokus) away by sucking them into a container with a special "Demon Seal" ofuda on it. The move requires so much of the user's life force to perform that those who use it, whether successfully or not, are likely to die soon afterward. This move was first used against Piccolo Daimao by Mutaito to trap him inside an electric rice cooker during his first rampage. Any type of container can be used, as long as it can be sealed shut after the technique has been completed. However, the smaller the container, the harder it is to aim the target into its opening.
Contents
History
Dragon Ball
After Piccolo was released from his prison by Pilaf, he was confronted by Muten Roshi, who nearly succeeded in using the Evil Containment Wave to contain him again, but missed at the last second and then died shortly afterwards. The attempt was witnessed by Tenshinhan, who learned the Evil Containment Wave from watching Roshi perform it and practiced a scaled-down version of it himself several times. When he finally confronted Piccolo, he was not able to use the technique successfully, as Piccolo's son, Drum, realized what Tien was attempting and sacrificed himself by jumping in front of the blast. Drum was ensnared and about to be confined to the electronic jar, but Piccolo quickly destroyed it before the attack was successful, saving Tien, releasing Drum from the jar and therefore rendering the containment wave useless (in the manga, the container is damaged from Tien's practice attempts and therefore he does not even attempt the move).
In the later confrontation between Kami (as Shen) and Piccolo, Shen demonstrated his knowledge of the technique and attempted to use it to seal away Piccolo. Piccolo instead countered by reversing the attack with the Mafuba Gaeshi (魔封波 ガエシ, Mafūba Gaeshi; Literally meaning "Demon Seal Wave Counter"), enabling him to seal Kami. Neither Piccolo nor Kami died as a result of using the attack and Kami specifically stated that it would be a way for him to get rid of Piccolo without dying himself (their lives were connected so that if one died, the other would as well). Why Kami was spared the lethal consequences of using the attack is never clarified, but it could be speculated that his relatively great power, long life expectancy, or Namekian regeneration may have been the cause.
Piccolo knew how to both reflect and use this technique properly. If he dis not know how to initiate it earlier, then he certainly gained that knowledge after merging with Kami.
Dragon Ball Z
Garlic Junior also used a reverse version of the Evil Containment Wave on Kami (similar to the version Piccolo also used to trap Kami) in order to take over the Lookout and to release the Black Water Mist onto Earth. It is unknown if this version of the wave normally kills the user since Garlic Jr. had earlier used the Dragon Balls to gain immortality.
In the anime version of the story, the former Kami of Planet Earth also sealed away the evil Garlic within the Dark Crystal when he attempted to take the position by force. It remains unknown if the former guardian used the Evil Containment Wave since it was never specified, though Kami seems to credit Humans for his knowledge of the Mafuba rather than his predecessor. In Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, it was implied that Garlic was sealed within the Dead Zone.
The technique is named the Mafūba Wave in the manga and Japanese dub, but is renamed the Evil Containment Wave in the FUNimation dub. In the Canadian and UK version Blue Water dub, the attack retains its original name of Mafuba Wave.
Films
The Evil Containment Wave is much the same in Dragonball: Evolution as in the manga and the anime, but with some subtle differences. For one, Piccolo is not immobilized while in the wave, and is capable of destroying the jar himself. Second, the jar , not the attack, is called "a Mafūba" and preparing the jar seems to require an overnight ceremony, as opposed to simply taping a "evil containment" sign on the side of the jar.
Video games
In Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, Piccolo uses this against Super Boo at the conclusion of his Story Mode when he found that even after merging with Piccolo Daimao (which increased his power equal to Super Boo), he could not destroy him, yet he does not die by performing the technique (Kami did not die when he originally performed the technique and, at this point, Piccolo is fused with Kami and is a Super Namek, thus would be more than powerful enough to perform it without dying). It is described by Piccolo as a technique to seal away evil that is too powerful to destroy. Piccolo successfully uses it to seal Super Boo in a bottle and places it within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber as a precaution against Buu's release, with Piccolo remaining guard within Kami's Lookout. Later, in Piccolo's bonus scene, Super Boo is accidentally released by a dimensionally-displaced Gotenks (a Gotenks from the original, "non-what if" timeline), but is finally defeated by Piccolo (with help from a confused Gotenks).
A side quest involves using Tenshinhan's Evil Containment Wave to collect 150 monsters in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.
Character meaning
- 魔 (ma) = demon
- 封 (fū) = seal
- 波 (ba) = wave
