Ki Manipulation

Background

Ki Manipulation is the manipulation of Ki, also known as chi/qi, or simply energy, is the life force energy used by Dragon Ball characters. Ki is also known as "latent energy" or "fighting power," which directly translates as "life force." This force is a tangible energy inside every living being, with its major focus being in the center of the body. By drawing it out, an individual is able to manipulate it and use it outside the body. Ki can be used for many different techniques. Because there are physical limits to the strength of the body itself, it is necessary to increase one's ki to overcome this barrier and become stronger. Usually, the more concentrated the masses are, the more time the user requires to draw it out by powering up. When fighters gather ki, they are able to gain enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and can increase the power of their attacks to inflict greater damage to opponents. Normally, the more the ki is increased, the harder it is to control, so ki control is also important. Energy can be lost when the user sustains injuries, as exclaimed by Gohan when he loses over half of his maximum energy supply when hit by Cell's Time to Die. Maintaining proper balance between the body and spirit is important in utilizing energy, and the more properly balanced they are, the more energy you can project.

Types of Ki

• Regular Ki: Ki that is used by anyone that holds no evil intentions. It is also called Genki (the same as the component listed before). Some techniques need Good ki to work, as the Spirit Bomb. The appearance of this type of ki is usually a white aura around the user. Some techniques and transformations such as Super Saiyan or Kaio-ken can change the appearance of this type of ki. According to Grand Supreme Kai in Dokkan Battle, this specific type of ki is required to revive Majin Buu and free him from the Sealed Ball.

• Evil Ki: A particular type of ki that is manifested by beings with evil hearts. Usually, the villains have this type of ki. This nature of ki can be changed if the user holds no evil intentions, as the case of Vegeta who eventually became a good person. The appearance of this type of ki is usually a purple or pink aura around the user, like Vegeta (during the Vegeta, Namek, and Frieza Sagas) and Frieza. However, users like Cumber who have such a dark and intense, evil ki can corrupt other beings into becoming evil as well. The demon Janemba is the physical manifestation of this type of energy.

• Godly Ki: A special type of ki used by godly beings. Godly ki is far superior to regular ki, however, a regular ki user can still outmatch a Godly ki user as in the case of Jiren and Golden Frieza. The appearance is different depending on the user.
  • God of Destruction Ki: Gods of Destruction have a special type of Godly ki fueled by their own Energy of Destruction. The appearance is that of purple aura outlining the user.
  • Evil Godly Ki: A type of ki that combines the properties of Evil and Godly ki. The only known users of this type of ki are Goku Black, Merged Zamasu, and Infinite Zamasu. The appearance of this type of ki is a black aura around the user in Goku Black's case.

Usage

• Ki Attacks: Ki can be used to enhance the combat abilities of the user. Usually to increase their strength. Advanced ki users can also emit plasma from their bodies in the form of beams, blades, discs, rings, spheres, or explosions. In World Mission, the ki used to form the golden dragon for EX Dragon Fist is called Dragon Ki which the user must charge up before performing EX Dragon Fist (this applies to all EX Dragon Fist variants), thus ki can also be used to create more elaborate constructs.

• Transformation: Depending on their genetic inheritance, some beings are able to transform. However, not all beings are able to transform at will; in some instances, there must be certain environmental conditions required for their transformation (i.e. moonlight for Great Ape transformation, or emotional upheaval for first time Super Saiyans). By transforming, a person can change the limits of their regular body. Effects of transformations usually include alterations in strength and ki capacity. Some other effects may include differences in speed and durability. The most common transformation is the Super Saiyan transformation, which is only accessible to certain Saiyans and Saiyan/Human hybrids. The negative aspect of most transformations is that the process itself consumes energy. The effect of energy loss when dealing with Super Saiyan transformations can be limited or even nullified through training. Transformation is not always intended for increasing abilities. Some beings are known to transform in order to limit their abilities rather than increasing them. An example of this is Frieza, who was first seen in a suppressed state, being that his fourth form was his original state, and the form that he is first seen in was actually a transformed one. Cell demonstrated a similar ability when he reverted to a larval state in order to fit in Future Trunks' Time Machine and save energy during the time that he had to wait for the Androids.

• Ki Control: Most beings cannot freely control their ki, but many who can manipulate it also learn to control the flow of ki within their bodies, allowing them to channel larger or smaller amounts of their ki reserves. In essence, they can adjust their strength to match the situation, and generate attacks which contain larger concentrations of ki than they are normally capable of. This ability is noted by Raditz when fighting Son Goku and Piccolo; whilst they had power levels of 416 and 408 respectively, their special attacks channeled such high levels of ki that they measured at 924 and 1,480. Despite being common amongst Earth's martial artists, this ability seems to be exceedingly rare in general, as the Frieza Force are continually surprised by the ability of Son Gohan, Krillin and the others to raise and suppress their power levels at will. By gaining perfect control over their ki as it is channeled, and thus stopping any of it from leaking out of their body, a fighter is shown to be able to become exponentially more powerful. When Vegeta attained perfect ki control by training with Whis he caught up to Goku's power - who had merged with the power of Super Saiyan God - and managed to move when inside a field of godly ki when he was unable to when not perfectly controlling his ki. Through training in the Forest of Terror, Krillin also managed to attain ki control and "rose above himself", gaining greater strength.

• Ki Sense: A user with enough ki control eventually learns how to sense it, being able to sense the location, amount and type, the stronger and closer the enemy, the more powerful the sensation. Also, if a ki is very powerful, it can be sensed from afar by people who are trained to sense energy. With enough training the user can also hide their ki so others cannot sense it.

• Guard: Ki, once mastered at a basic level, carries more than just offensive and tactical power. While the durability of one's flesh and bones carry an obvious limit (even for races such as Saiyans, Namekians and deities) the extent of a fighter's ki does not carry these limits. As a result, fighters can increase their endurance by raising their guard to deflect ki attacks, although this obviously does drain energy. Lowering one's guard can result in much higher damage taken from attacks, even comparatively weak attacks such as scrapes, cuts, and bullets. Raising one's guard can be used to block attacks even more powerful than the user, although this can be extremely dangerous and often fatal.

• Ki Absorption Ki can be absorbed from others to strengthen a user. Normally this can only be done with the other users consent, however some characters have the ability to forcibly take one's ki from them. Notably Android 19 and Dr. Gero have this ability.

Uses

• Chi Manipulation & Ki Manipulation (All beings in Dragon Ball have ki, the very life force energy of all characters, ki allows a fighter to extend beyond their bodies limits, allowing them to even block attacks that would otherwise kill them from raising their guard, higher level users can lower their own durability to allow people far below them to fatally wound them)
• Aura
  • Projection: A users ki aura can exert itself as a weapon to attack.
  • Explosive: Ki users through powering up can form an entire aura around themself, radiating their immense power, where depending on their immense strength, can cause them to explode their aura outwards to remove excess ki from themself.
  • Mood Reflection: Goku and Piccolo Jr. with their auras and their stern concentration on each other reflected in their electric auras, even shooting electricity at each other.
• Emotional Empowerment (It's noted that ki users can receive energy through one cheering them on. Ki users can be greatly increased by their emotions and beliefs, Son Goku explains that Son Gohan needs to remember the time he fought Cell and bring out all of the power he has, this way he can lose to no one where it's shown during the Cell beam clash that he was holding back greatly out of fear of destroying the earth but from being cheered on and using all of his power within him, he was able to overpower Cell)
• Attack Reflection (All Ki users are able to reflect attacks just by being stronger than their opponent. Examples include, Nappa deflecting a masenko from Son Gohan, Son Gohan being able to bounce back the spirit bomb, Son Goku deflecting a crusher ball from Jeice, Frieza deflecting a Final Burst Cannon from Vegeta, Son Goku reflecting multiple death beams back to back from Frieza, and Future Trunks being able to completely repel an energy blast with his hand from a Frieza Soldier just by being much stronger than them)
• Homing Attack (Ki users can create attacks that will home in and chase a target forever)
• Penetration Damage
  • Bladed Penetration: Ki users can conjure up a circle of chi that is sharp and can cut through enemies far more powerful then themselves, along with this they can conjure ki as a means to stab through an opponent.
• Weapon Creation (Ki users can create energy weapons out of their attacks)
• Power Absorption & Energy Transferal (Ki users can transfer their ki to others and absorb the ki given to them from others)
• Attack Nullification
  • Ki Energy Based: Those with ki can nullify attacks of lesser ki with their ki alone. They can also catch and nullify ki attacks around their level through focusing enough.
• Power Nullification
  • Ki Energy Based: Through having greater ki, one can nullify the powers done through ki attacks, such as Frieza being able to nullify a hakai ball, which fully destroys a target, though he is unable to resist a hakai ball from Toppo due to him being stronger, this ability however only works on ki, attacks unrelated, characters cannot resist through being stronger, such as how Vegeta, Krillin, & Son Gohan are unable to resist Guldo's psychic powers, along with even the likes of Son Goku.
• Forcefield Creation (Ki users such as Cell can generate forcefields around themselves. These forcefields can be expanded, and used to protect others and defend against attacks far higher then the user)
• Super Armor (Through releasing one's ki, they enter a state known as "Hyper Mode", in this state they do not flinch from weak melee attacks)
• Self-Destruction (Ki users in Dragon Ball are able to release all of the energy within them to cause a massive self-destruction of energy that normally kills the user and turns them into dust though one can control it to surviving but having no stamina or energy left)
• Dormant Power Reservoir (Ki users have a dormant power reservoir within them, as shown in arcs like the Buu Saga where Babidi saps this energy in order to use the energy to revive Buu and break his seal)
• Internal Destruction (Powerful ki users can overload enemies with their ki, causing them to swell up and explode from the sheer density of ki within them)
• Binding
  • Energy Binding: Ki Users can use their ki to bind targets to objects, making them unable to escape even if they're of equal power, however, those stronger than the ki user can easily break out of it.
• Dreaming Existence (Characters in Shin Budokai have shown to create physical bodies in alternate timelines through dreaming)
• Non-Standard Interaction
  • Intangible Interaction: Those with ki can block intangible attacks when they focus and notices them.
  • Space-Time Interaction (3+1-D): Characters can blast space-time distortions to close them.
• Healing
  • Healing Singular Targets
    • Advanced Healing: Ki can be used to heal beings, allowing them to survive even with half their torso, it can also heal from near death.
• Resurrection
  • Resurrection of the Deceased (Limited): Ki users can resurrect ones heart from death if their ki beams hit their heart, restarting it.
  • Resurrection from Exhaustion: Can heal downed allies to give them ki back, reviving them)
• Intimidation & Spirit Manipulation (Ki is the manifestation of one’s lifeforce, along with the aura giving one the feeling of being crushed, exerting fear into the target, sometimes making them incapable of moving as their body is instinctively stuck due to the sheer difference in power)
• Link Manipulation & Mind Manipulation (Characters can link their ki together and train within each other’s mind enacting in image training)
• Vibration Manipulation
  • Seismic Vibration Manipulation: Ki users can transfer their ki into an object and cause it to vibrate and shake greatly. Powerful ki users can cause the very ground itself to shake when they power up.
• Electricity Manipulation
  • Unknown Voltage: Powerful Ki users can generate electricity around their aura that can outright electrocute their opponents, Goku and Piccolo Jr. showcased being able to utilize their aura as pure electricity during their clash.
• Weather Manipulation (Powerful Ki users can generate entire storms through merely powering up alone, Nappa used this in order to conjure the electricity from the storm. Goku showcases this when he first turns super saiyan, causing a massive lightning storm in the background)
• Energy Manipulation (Ki is the latent power in one's body, this latent power allows them to form and create energy from controlling their ki, which can be used to shoot out energy blast)
  • Energy Projection
  • Possible Delayed Effect (Ki users can have their attacks have delayed effects to them, such as when Baby felt the affects of the kamehameha delayed)
• Explosion Manipulation (Ki attacks can create massive explosions, or control the ki to set off a huge explosion under the enemy, or in front of them)
• Portal Manipulation
  • Non-combat applicable: Characters in GT can link their minds together to open a portal between the living realm and the other world.
• Heat Manipulation
  • At least 100 C: Ki user's ki attacks produce heat allowing them to cook and grill animals and raw meat, along with leaving behind steam after the attacks hit an area, showing its latent heat. Ki users electricity aura can burn objects that touch it.
• Light Manipulation (Ki can be used as a flash of light, Degisu seeing ki attacks be fired notes that the characters are "firing light from their hands").

• Limited Resistance to
  • Durability Negation (Ki users can focus their energy to localize an object to a specific spot to stop them from attempting to destroy their organs/insides)
  • Soul Manipulation (Characters with a strong enough will can keep moving after getting their soul reaped, though this requires something akin to a familial or friendship empowerment)

• Resistance to
  • Poison Manipulation (Can resist poisons through using forcefields)

Weaknesses

Ki users that do not have sufficient training over their emotions put their power within a mental lock, thus affects to their emotions can seriously limit their powers, their emotions can also have them instinctively block using the full power of their attacks out of fear of the destruction along with lack of confidence in themselves. If a Ki user is inflicted with any kind of status, disease, or poison, powering up or transforming will put further strain on the body and can speed up the process of poison. Users of Ki Sensing cannot sense beings that invisible, even if the character is in front of them attacking them, they have a hard time countering them due to being invisible. Users of Ki Sensing also have a harder time sensing the true being using illusions, requiring them to focus in on energy fields to see who is moving and who is casting the illusion. Due to the nature of ki draining stamina and energy, Dragon Ball characters ki usage requires them to usually use their higher levels of energy in short bursts, using a large amount of ki overtime can greatly weaken them to the point that characters far lower then them can actually harm them with attacks. Taking large amounts of damage can greatly deplete a ki users attacks, making it where attacks that would otherwise kill massively weakened characters, only pushes them back. Ki users cannot put all of their ki and strength into an attack if parts of their body are broken/injured, they also lose half of their chi if something like one of their arms are badly injured or broken.Ki users that are able to ki sense cannot do it when their guard is dropped, such as when Vegeta was able to sneak attack Son Goku during the end of their fight in the Buu Saga. Despite some ki users being able to reach blasts that can destroy planets through charged attacks or techniques, they have not shown to be able to tank such blasts themselves, with attacks that have destroyed several planets in the series always killing the character. Even characters such as Majin Buu's body cannot withstand the energy of a planet exploding. Using ki volley attacks come with the caveat of their aim being rather poor, making it harder to hit moving targets. If ki users are at all possessed, even by accident, their true self will be sleeping within, with the possessor needing to awaken them. Even if awoken, they are immobilized and unable to move without the possessor giving them the ability to, even with them wanting to wake up, they cannot do it. Specific waves can can suppress a ki users power, and put their consciousness to sleep. If Ki users stamina is broken, they will unable to be able to continue fighting for a short while, this will also cancel out any ki attack they were attempting to use, including ultimate's, this also adds on that ki users guards are down while charging ultimate attacks. Their stamina can also be broken if a character moves far too fast and surprise attacks them while they're charging their ki. Ki Users can also be grabbed out of charging their attacks. When ki users radiate their Ki at its highest, their body is also freed the most, making them open to attacks and making them easy to possess.