Summary

The unique combat style in Dragon Ball leads to epic battles with incredibly powerful attacks, able to destroy entire planets.
Non-lethal techniques like Solar Flare and Evil Containment Wave serve as distractions or support in complex fights.
Instant Transmission allows users to teleport anywhere they've been before, and Energy Absorption makes wielders stronger by draining energy.

Since Dragon Ball has garnered a famous reputation as the poster child for Shonen action series, there is, unsurprisingly, a lot of fighting involved! The brand of combat within the franchise is very unique, leading to epic and spectacular fights that fans won't be able to find anywhere else in anime. In these fights, characters utilize incredibly powerful attacks that are often destructive enough to destroy entire planets.

However, the fights in Dragon Ball are often far more complex than people give them credit for. In these fights, the characters sometimes use techniques that don't only seek to deal out damage, but instead can exist to gather energy, provide support for someone else, or even cause a distraction. So, let's go over the best non-lethal techniques in the series and see why they're so useful!

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Solar Flare

Notable Users: Tien, Krillin, Goku, Cell

First Appearance	Dragon Ball, Episode 94, "Stepping Down"
Debut Date	December 30, 1987

The Solar Flare made its debut very early on in Dragon Ball. By placing their hands close to their eyes, the user lets out a ray of bright Ki that temporarily blinds opponents. This move serves as a distraction in order for the user to make a quick escape or to shift their enemies' attention away from someone else, and while this move was a creation of the Crane School and was originally used by Tien, it was perfected later on and added to the arsenals of Krillin, Goku, and even Cell.

Evil Containment Wave

Notable Users: Master Roshi, Tien, Piccolo, Goku

First Appearance	Dragon Ball, Episode 102, "Enter King Piccolo"
Debut Date	February 24, 1988

The Evil Containment Wave, or Mafuba, was a specialized technique created by Master Mutaito that helps him to trap any entity within a seal. Though it seems easy at first glance, it requires an incredible amount of endurance and strength from its user, and if the person performing the technique doesn't have sufficient life force, they will die soon after performing it. Also, despite its name, it can be used on any living thing, evil or not, as was seen when Roshi accidentally sealed Vegeta in the Tournament of Power.

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Instant Transmission

Notable Users: Goku, Cell, Gogeta, Vegito

First Appearance	Dragon Ball Z, Episode 123, "Goku's Special Technique"
Debut Date	January 22, 1992

One of the most iconic moves of the series, the Instant Transmission is a technique that allows the user to teleport seemingly anywhere they want. By placing 2 fingers on their forehead to concentrate, the user can teleport anywhere they've been before, even if it is light-years away. Moreover, if Goku can sense the energy of any character, however faint, he can teleport to them instantly. A user of this technique can also teleport many people at once just so long as they are touching them during the duration of performing the technique.

I didn't have much time, so they only taught me one thing. And that took a whole lot of work. But now I can teleport!

Energy Absorption

Notable Users: Cell, Buu, Moro

dbz kakarot cell absorbs android 17 — dragon ball z kakarot semi perfect cell

First Appearance	Dragon Ball Z, Episode 152, "Say Goodbye 17"
Debut Date	August 19, 1992

Though a little more villainous than the other listed techniques, the Energy Absorption technique is used by many characters throughout the series and often leaves their victims weak and depowered. It takes various forms, but the principle is the same; the absorption of someone else's energy in order for the wielder of the technique to grow stronger. An example of this can be seen with Cell using his tail to absorb others, or when Moro dials up the power of this move and can drain life force.

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Transfiguration Beam

Notable Users: Majin Buu, Super Buu, Uub

dbz: kakarot new majin buu scan — Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Majin Buu Scan

First Appearance	Dragon Ball, Episode 235, "Meal Time"
Debut Date	August 3, 1994

This is one of Majin Buu's most iconic moves that can be used by him in almost all of his forms. By emitting a pink beam from his antenna, Buu can turn his opponents into chocolate or candy. While the actual power of this attack isn't lethal since it only turns the person into candy, the opponent is still not exactly safe, as they are subject to Buu eventually eating them. Still, though, this can be countered, since Vegito was shown to inflict quite a bit of damage on Ultimate Buu despite being in his candy state.

What's wrong? Is Majin Buu all out of trash talk?

Forced Spirit Fission

Notable Users: Vegeta, Moro, Pybara

First Appearance	Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 61, "Vegeta Reborn"
Debut Date	June 18, 2020

An incredibly difficult technique to grasp and utilize, the Forced Spirit Fission acts as a direct counter to the fusion technique that seeks to combine energies or people. By channeling his power into this attack, Vegeta can use it on an enemy to manipulate their energy. This allows him to not only separate fusions, but also force apart the energy that one has stolen from somewhere else, and in the case of Moro, Vegeta used this move to remove the stolen energy he gathered. Inversely, Vegeta can also reverse the properties of this move to give someone a bunch of energy.