Kamehameha: Feasible in Ranma 1/2?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

This is a question that's been nagging me, and I felt I should ask. Before anyone brings it up, I knowthat Ranma and co don't stand a chance of being to learn most, if not all, of the techniques from Dragonball or DBZ and I know that even if Ranma could learn the Kamehameha, or its equivalent, it would probably never be as powerful as the one Master Roshi fired off the first time it was displayed in the series. However, what I'd like to hear people's opinions on is if the basic principles of the Kamehameha could be used as a workable technique in the world of Ranma 1/2.

Now, I've seen the scene in the Dragonball anime where Master Roshi first displays it, and I've read the manga of that same scene, but it's been some time so please bear with me if I'm mistaken. The fundamental principal of the Kamehameha is that the user concentrates and draws all of the ki from their body and concentrates it into a sphere of spiritual power in their hands, focusing it tightly and then unleashing it as a beam of destructive force. Correct? Well, something similar, at least in the anime, is stated to be how the Moko Takabisha and Shishi Hokodan work: in their case, the user focuses on a particular emotion to generate ki that is focused into their hands and then unleashed as a bolt of force, while the Perfected Shishi Hokodan instead launches that generated ki into a pulsating cloud of energy overhead, which is then allowed to drop like the proverbial ten ton weight. Seeing these similiarities, is it really impossible that something like the Kamehameha could exist in Ranma's world?

Now, don't get me wrong, when first learned, this is definately going to be a move with flaws. At its initial training, the move is very much a oneshot gambit: because the user is drawing up all of their ki for a single attack, whether it hits or misses, they're going to collapse from exhaustion immediately afterwards: they've used up their stamina in this one attack. Further training, of course, will enable a master to launch lower-powered Kamehamehas, which will lack the sheer punch, but will also not drain the user so badly and can be fired more quickly.

Yes, I know that the characters in Dragonball don't get exhausted from using the Kamehameha, except for Master Roshi after using his first one of the series, but let's not forget that those who use it in series are aliens who are insanely powerful, to the point they can devastate planets just by gathering their battle aura.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. It's just another way of projecting one's energy. Ranma 1/2 has various examples of that, and Herb is probably the best example in the series because of how much energy he has (though Cologne and Happosai fire off similar blasts of energy, too). But, really, the moko takabisha and shishi hokodan (particularly the former) aren't too unlike a kamehameha, to a degree. I'd say that the real difference is how the amount of power is gathered, since one is simply with focus and training and the other two are determined by how prevalent a particular emotion is (which would probably correspond with their "power level", which would mean that, if Herb and Ranma used the same amount of emotion, and thus consuming the same percentage of their own energy, Herb's attack would be stronger because he has more energy).

Heck, if Herb can make a blade out of his energy, I don't see why it can't be taken to the next step, where they can toss saw blade-like energy blasts around, like Kuririn.

[three headed dog]

Why wouldn't the Ranma and co. be able to learn all the techniques of Dragonball? I get not being able to do so at the same power level but they should all pretty much be feasible and most already are in Ranma to some degree. I also don't get why the power of Master Roshi's couldn't be achieved? He is human, it is the alien characters like the Sayans that should not be achievable (well not purely via training; there are likely ways to mimic those power levels that I can think of for example it is shown that objects can absorb ki from hate or worship like the statue of the principal if Ranma could figure out how to draw the ki from an object that has been genuflected at like say a Buddha statue for a couple thousand years that should be able to make blasts as powerful as the Sayains).

The ki blasts don't actually have to be directed through their hands theoretically they can be projected from any body part, the ultimate shishihadoken comes from the head, and they demonstratively can be done as a continuation of a punch.

Actually thinking about it the kamahameha should already be possible just not an application of the ki blast that the characters have come up with yet (afterall they do not throw ki blasts all that often and at least Ranma has demonstrated adaptions to it such as the double version and those tiny practice ones). The way I view how it would be done is Ranma (or whichever character you chose) instead of focusing the ki into a blast via emotion they first spend time building up their ki into their aura as much as possible (a demonstrated ability of at least Ranma done to break the giant rock stopping the flow of water at a hot spring run by the guy who wanted Ranma to step on his head in the manga) and then releasing their entire aura into a blast. Alternatively figuring out how to condense all the loose ki of the ShiShiHadoken into a compact ball of ki. I figure a lot of energy is being wasted in that large pillar of energy and when it comes down it comes down in a fairly large area instead of letting all that energy be wasted in the pillar and spread out over 15-20 feet condense it into a sphere the size of a basketball and it should be more than powerful enough to rip a mountain asunder when it releases the energy (though I wonder if it is possible to find a mountains breaking point? if you can then not all that much energy is really needed. Just think about how much damage could be done if you combine the ki blast with the breaking point and release it into a fault line).

[mondu_the_fat]

though I wonder if it is possible to find a mountains breaking point?

Something like that mountain in Austin (Enchanted Rock), maybe, which is one giant rock.

A normal mountain is composed of a lot of separate rocks, though. It would be like trying to breaking point a sandpit, a pile of sugar, or a body of water.

[claymade]

which would mean that, if Herb and Ranma used the same amount of emotion, and thus consuming the same percentage of their own energy, Herb's attack would be stronger because he has more energy

It's worth noting that Herb's attacks are not explicitly stated to be emotion-reliant in the same way that the Moko Takabisha and Shi Shi Hokodan are. They can be affected by his emotions, but seems able to use them without having to really work himself into much of a particular mood. Cologne's probably aren't either, especially given how unhealthy she treated the Shi Shi Hokodan as being when she was asked about it.

Basically, the MT and SSH seem to be something akin to "cribbed versions" of ki blasts, using the emotional weight as a shortcut of some kind to make it easier to pull off. (That's probably why the scroll described the technique as so easy that anyone can do it.) Whereas "normal" ki blasts like Cologne's or Herb's would likely be much more difficult.

I also don't get why the power of Master Roshi's couldn't be achieved? He is human, it is the alien characters like the Sayans that should not be achievable

Because Roshi is from a completely different plot-universe. The limits of the human body's capacity in the DBZ-verse have no relevance whatsoever to what is feasible for Ranma power-wise.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

I wasn't saying that Herb's use of ki was emotion-driven. I was just using an example to further illustrate the point I was making, regarding the difference in how power is drawn out by using emotion, and how it'd work. Just thought I'd say that. XD