Including the 28 soldiers from the Red Ribbon Army, a total of 131 contestants participated in the 20th World Martial Arts Tournament. All participants came from around the world, confident in their own strength.
Although these characters were mere background figures in the original manga and anime, in reality, each one was a skilled fighter from their region with a unique technique to show off—much stronger than the martial artists Yamcha faced when he used to challenge people on the streets.
Soon, after a few rounds of elimination, the top eight contestants were announced.
It must be said, this truly is a world-class martial arts event—several contestants had enough presence to catch Yamcha's attention.
"Winner of Block A – Yamcha!"
"Winner of Block B – Keteru!"
A hulking man nearly three meters tall, with massive muscles that clearly weren't just for show.
"Winner of Block C – Chen Kotaro!"
A seemingly ordinary middle-aged man, but his presence was not to be underestimated.
"Winner of Block E – Violent Bear"
A beastman with a bear's head—true to his name. His aura was similar to Keteru's.
"Winner of Block D – Alvin"
A man dressed in a combat suit, appearing to be a traditional martial artist, but with a weaker aura.
"Winner of Block F – Shizi"
A beastman with a lion's head. Average aura.
"Winner of Block G – Daura"
A beastman with a crocodile's head. Also average in aura.
And among all of them, the one with the strongest presence—
"Winner of Block H – King Chapa!"
So he came after all.
Yamcha looked at the man who appeared to be of Indian descent, and information about him surfaced in his mind.
Eight-Arm Fist King Chapa, a former champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament.
Although in the original story he was eliminated twice in the preliminary rounds of the 22nd and 23rd tournaments by Goku, serving as little more than a stepping stone for the main character, in reality, the guy is quite strong.
He was just unfortunate to appear too late in the story.
If he had appeared in the 21st tournament, perhaps only Master Roshi would have been a clear match for him. He was definitely stronger than Namu, one of the semifinalists Goku fought.
He was one of the rare strong fighters in the Dragon Ball world at this stage.
"Everyone, please come over here. We'll now draw lots to determine matchups and order."
The young host with blonde hair and sunglasses shouted through a small metallic megaphone to the eight finalists.
This tournament announcer was also a legendary figure, present throughout every World Martial Arts Tournament. If it weren't for the fact that he clearly aged, people might suspect he was a hidden character like Otsutsuki Ichiraku.
The lot drawing soon began.
Yamcha drew number 7, meaning he would be in the second-to-last match.
His opponent: the three-meter-tall brute, Keteru.
First Match: Violent Bear vs. Daura
A beastman-on-beastman battle. They immediately engaged in a test of strength. As Yamcha expected, the weaker-aura crocodile-headed Daura was defeated by the bear.
Second Match: King Chapa vs. Shizi
This match was over even faster than the first. With just one move, the lion-headed Shizi was down. No one in the audience could even see how King Chapa attacked.
So far, the Eight-Arm Fist was practically unmatched.
Third Match: Chen Kotaru vs. Alvin
Both used martial arts. Alvin practiced the "Lion Fang Style," which sounded cool but proved ineffective—he didn't even manage to touch Chen Dàquán before being eliminated.
Chen's true strength remained unrevealed.
Fourth Match: Yamcha vs. Keteru
As the two stepped onto the ring, Yamcha looked like a small chick in comparison to the three-meter-tall Keteru.
With arms folded confidently across his chest, Keteru said, "If you don't want to get hurt, I advise you to surrender now."
His exaggerated physique was the source of his confidence.
From an average person's perspective, size is often associated with power—especially when it comes to muscles, in which Keteru clearly had the edge over Yamcha.
But to Yamcha, that muscle was all for show. The audience, however, didn't know that.
"Looks like the final match will come down to me and that bear."
Keteru glanced at Violent Bear outside the ring, then continued,
"To tell you the truth, even bullets can't harm me."
He said proudly.
If he could tank bullets with his bare body, he was likely on the level of Upa's father, Bora—or even stronger. For a normal human, that was indeed impressive.
Seeing that Yamcha still showed no signs of surrender, Keteru revealed more.
"Just so you know, I'm the strongest guard in the Royal Army… huh?!"
Before he could finish, Yamcha landed a heavy punch squarely in his abdomen.
"W-What?!" Keteru clutched his stomach, his eyes bulging in disbelief. After stumbling back two steps, his enormous body collapsed, unable to get up again.
"You were looking away after the match began—that's mistake number one. Underestimating your opponent and exposing an opening—that's number two. Talking too much—that's number three."
"If you had taken me seriously from the start, you might've actually made me work for it."
Even a lion uses full strength when hunting a rabbit.
Unless someone like Yamcha was deliberately hiding his strength, acting like Keteru did was just plain stupid.
"Unbelievable! Yamcha wins with a single blow!"
One blow?
No—he actually landed three heavy punches, but at a speed too fast for normal eyes to follow.
Yamcha's performance caught the attention of two other top fighters.
"A very decisive strike. A strong opponent." – Chen Kotaru.
"Still a bit slower than my Eight-Arm Fist." – King Chapa.
The top four were decided.
Because the quarterfinals ended so quickly, the semifinals were held the same day.
First Semifinal: King Chapa vs. Violent Bear
Using the same approach as Yamcha, King Chapa defeated the bear with what looked like a single punch from the audience's perspective.
"I hope you can give me a good match."
Standing confidently at the center of the ring, King Chapa exuded fighting spirit.
Second Semifinal: Yamcha vs. Chen Kotaru
The two stepped onto the ring.
Chen Dàquán bowed respectfully and said,
"Xingji Style, Chen Kotaru!"
This was a traditional martial artist's courtesy before a match—popular during the Mutaito era, though that was centuries ago.
Since Chen had introduced himself, Yamcha did the same, returning the bow.
"Crane School, Yamcha."
(End of Chapter)