Are you here to learn more about Chaozu, Tenshinhan's fighting partner? So don't move, you're in the right place!
In this guide we will study Chaozu, one of the secondary characters in the Dragon Ball Z universe. He is Tenshinhan's best friend and a courageous fighter of the Z Team.
Chiaotzu is a small Earthling with white skin and red cheeks. Former member of the Crane School and disciple of Master Shen, he is the combat partner of Tenshinhan with whom he trains regularly. Chaozu is known in the saga for his many telepathic and telekinetic powers which make him unique.
Chaozu is thus one of the most famous secondary antagonists in the Dragon Ball Z universe. Even as the least powerful member of the Z Team, Chaozu is one of the bravest and is always ready to defend the Earth , despite the much greater power of his enemies.
In this guide you will discover:
- A complete biography of the character
- Chaozu's story during the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z sagas
- Favorite attacks and character abilities
- Some interesting anecdotes about Chaozu
Ready to start this guide? So let’s get started without further ado! 👉
CHAOZU APPEARANCE :
Chaozu is an Earthling with unique characteristics that clearly differentiate him from humans. His skin is entirely white and he has round, red cheeks. He is very small and just like Krillin, he does not have a nose . Chaozu has the particularity of having only one hair on his head and this is only visible when he takes off his black hat. In Dragon Ball , he wears the vast majority of the time, the official and complete uniform of the Crane school. His costume is mostly green and he wears the kanji referring to his school on his chest. During the second part of the Saiyan saga during the confrontation against Nappa, Chaozu abandons his uniform for a sky blue tank top . 🤔
During the Majin Buu saga, just like Tenshinhan, he wears a blue Chinese Hans-style Hanfu robe. He wears a long cape and white pants. His headgear is different depending on the version. Indeed, Chaozu wears a Mongolian-inspired hat in the manga but he keeps the Crane school cap during the anime. It's also good to note that he doesn't seem to age over the course of the sagas.
If you want to discover Chaozu's best friend, discover the ultimate guide to Ten Shin Han !
Chaozu's design is partly based on the Jiang Shi , Asian vampires from Chinese mythology. This similarity is particularly clearly visible during the execution of some of his attacks. The Jiang Shi is mainly described as having very white skin, red cheeks, and wearing the uniform of the Qing dynasty . These ghost vampires are unable to walk, they only levitate and float above the ground. They also always keep their arms outstretched in front of them. 👍
All of these characteristics can be found in Chaozu from his first appearance in Dragon Ball . Indeed, the character flies most of the time instead of walking and he mostly extends his arms during his attacks.
There is another possibility where Chaozu could have been inspired by Nezha from Chinese mythology . The latter is generally represented as a large baby with a completely white body. Nezha is the direct opponent of Shun Wukong who inspired the character Goku . Nezha is notably the ally of Erlang Shen, a god represented with three eyes. Chaozu and Tenshinhan thus form a perfect duo since they resemble Nezha and Erlang respectively.
PERSONALITY :
Chaozu is a martial arts champion with psychic powers with a fairly calm and shy temperament . He is very courageous and is always ready to help his friends to protect the Earth. Although he is not the strongest fighter in Z Team, he is one of the most loyal. Chaozu is also very serious and rigorous, especially in his training with his partner Tenshinhan. Despite his calm side and his power much higher than the majority of Earthlings, Chaozu has a very childish character . This is especially the case when he gets into a childish argument with Krillin when the two characters first meet. 👌
Chaozu, however, is unable to understand certain jokes and he has problems assimilating the most basic mathematical operations . However, he is very loyal to his friends and compensates for his lack of power with great loyalty.
BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF CHAOZU:
In his very first appearance in the series, Chaozu is introduced as Tenshinhan 's accomplice and partner . The two characters travel from village to village in the company of the InoShikaCho , a domesticated creature who attacks the places that the duo indicates to it. Tenshinhan and Chaozu then pretend to save the villagers in exchange for large sums of money . Son Goku later tries to denounce them but Tenshinhan manages to convince the population that the young Saiyan is complicit with InoShikaCho. 😅
In the manga, Chaozu is officially introduced during the 22nd Martial Arts Championship during the Tenshinhan Saga of Dragon Ball. A student of Master Shen and a member of the Crane School with Tenshinhan, he enters the tournament with the aim of defeating the students of the rival clan, the Turtle School . Under Tenshinhan's request, Chaozu uses his psychic powers to change the participants' numbers during the competition. He thus decides to face Krillin in the quarter-finals, with whom he will exchange childish and petty insults before the start of the competition.
When the match begins, Chaozu is on par with his rival until the latter tries to push him out of the ring. The disciple of the Crane school then decides to use his powers to levitate in the air and shoot multiple Dodompa towards Krillin. Towards the middle of the confrontation, Master Shen learns that his brother Tao Pai Pai has been defeated by Son Goku and thus orders Chaozu to eliminate his opponent using a powerful Dodompa . ✨
The attack is quickly dodged by Krillin thanks to a jump in the air and the fighter follows with a Kamehameha in order to knock Chaozu out of the ring. The disciple of the Crane school still manages to escape the attack unscathed and uses his levitation powers again to return to the ring. Chaozu then uses his famous telekinesis technique of attacking Krillin's internal organs. In order to avenge Tao Pai Pai , Master Shen orders his disciple to kill Awesome Turtle 's apprentice slowly rather than throwing him out of the ring. Krillin, who continues to get hit, begins to understand that Chaozu needs to keep his arms straight and his palms spread in order to continue his attack. The Turtle School disciple then decides to ask basic math riddles, which forces Chaozu to use his fingers to count and thus lose control. Krillin eventually breaks free from the telekinesis and knocks his opponent out of the ring, disqualifying him from the competition . Chaozu, now eliminated from the tournament even though he had the upper hand, it is at this moment that Master Shen regrets not having taught mathematics to his disciple.
Some time later, during the final between Son Goku and Tenshinhan, Master Shen orders Chaozu to paralyze the young Saiyan from a distance in order to advantage his disciple during the confrontation. When Tenshinhan realizes this cowardly process , he orders Chaozu to stop, claiming that he wants a fair and fair fight. He then rejects the path of the assassin when the Crane Master orders him to kill Son Goku. Furious at this refusal, Shen demands that Chaozu eliminate the two fighters in the ring.
Chaozu categorically refuses because he does not want to harm his friend Tenshinhan who is fighting with honor , and he wants to see the competition end fairly. Furious at this treachery, Master Shen grabs his disciple by the throat and threatens to kill him. Awesome Turtle puts an end to the situation by expelling the Crane Master from the stadium using a Kamehameha , which saves Chaozu and allows Tenshinhan and Son Goku to continue the fight peacefully. 👊
Once Tenshinhan is declared the winner of the tournament, he and Chaozu are offered to stay in Kamehouse but the two fighters refuse, claiming that they cannot follow the teachings of another master, even after betraying Shen.
Shortly after the end of the tournament, Krillin, Son Goku's best friend, is suddenly murdered completely unexpectedly while temporarily separated from the rest of the group. A note is left on his corpse with kanji representing demonic characters . Awesome Turtle anxiously announces that the perpetrator is none other than Demon King Piccolo, a powerful demon who was locked in a rice cooker centuries ago. The latter was in fact defeated by Awesome Turtle, Master Shen and Master Mutaito thanks to the suicidal technique of Mafuba . Upon learning that Piccolo is now free again, Son Goku decides to go looking for him in order to avenge his best friend. 👊
Realizing the danger and seriousness of the situation, Chaozu decides with his partner Tenshinhan to help others in any way possible. They quickly learn about the Dragon Balls as well as Shenron the sacred dragon who has the power to bring the dead back to life and grant any wish. With Turtle Awesome, the two former disciples of the Crane decide to embark on the quest to gather the artifacts to be able to revive Krillin . During their mission, Chaozu and his companions end up coming across a group of mercenaries in possession of a Dragon Ball. Chaozu then uses his psychic powers to stop the bullets fired by the mercenaries and the group ends up recovering the precious artifact. After collecting more Dragon Balls, the radar indicates that the remaining artifacts are heading towards their position, signifying that King Piccolo is approaching. Awesome Turtle, Chaozu and Tenshinhan then decide to come up with a plan to capture the demon again.
Shortly before the Demon King's arrival, Awesome Turtle unexpectedly knocks out Tenshinhan and decides to hide the body in a cave. He then explains to Chaozu that there is a change of plans and asks him to stay hidden and stay away from the upcoming fight. When King Piccolo arrives, Awesome Turtle decides to use the Mafuba technique but fails to execute it and thus dies without Tenshinhan and Chaozu being able to act. With no more adversaries to stand in his way, King Piccolo has no trouble gathering the rest of the Dragon Balls and manages to summon the sacred dragon in order to obtain eternal youth. In order to counter the demon's wish upon the dragon's appearance, Chaozu is desperately ordered by Tenshinhan to make a wish first. 🐲
Chaozu then emerges from the shadows but is instantly killed by the demon Piccolo before having time to ask for a wish. Tenshinhan watches in horror as his friend dies and then witnesses the destruction of Shenron after Piccolo gains eternal youth . After the demon leaves, Tenshinhan buries Chaozu next to Awesome Turtle and places the corpses in freezer capsules to preserve the bodies. At the end of the saga and after Goku manages to defeat King Piccolo, Chaozu, Krillin and Awesome Turtle are brought back to life by Bulma following Shenron's resurrection by the Almighty.
Three years after the defeat of the demon Piccolo, Chaozu returns to participate in the 23rd World Martial Arts Championship with Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Krillin. It is at this moment that he realizes that Son Goku has become a young adult and he looks forward to the battles to come. When it's time for the draw, Chaozu uses his powers so that no member of Z Team (Chaozu, Tenshinhan, Krillin, Yamcha and Son Goku) as well as Piccolo Jr meet during the qualifiers. The first matches go well until Tenshinhan discovers Chaozu's body in a sad state. He realizes that the attacker is none other than Tao Pai Pai who is now back, half human and half cyborg. The latter is also registered in the tournament in order to satisfy his personal revenge by eliminating the former disciples of the Crane and Son Goku. Having suffered heavy injuries, Chaozu is transferred to the nearest hospital and joins the others after his recovery, some time after Son Goku defeated Piccolo Jr. 💀
CHAOZU IN DRAGON BALL Z
Five years after Piccolo Jr's defeat in the championship and following Goku's death against Raditz, Chaozu is invited with Tenshinhan, Krillin and Yamcha to train with the Almighty at the divine sanctuary. The fighters have one year to gain power before the arrival of the Saiyan invaders, Vegeta and Nappa. Once training with the Almighty is complete, Chaozu continues to train with Tenshinhan for the remaining six months. When the Saiyans arrive on Earth, Tenshinhan asks Chaozu to stay behind but the latter claims that he has trained for this moment and demands to follow his friend to the battlefield. 🤼♂️
The two companions then join the other Z Team fighters but despite the agreement made with Vegeta , Chaozu will not have the opportunity to face a Saibaiman .
After the death of Yamcha and the elimination of all the Saibaimen by Krillin, Nappa decides to demonstrate his power by challenging the entire Z Team alone. While the Saiyan charges his ki, Chaozu attempts to use his telekinetic powers against him but his opponent is far too strong which renders his powers useless. Once fully charged, Nappa charges Tenshinhan and cuts the latter's arm under the horrified gaze of Chaozu and his companions.
Shortly after, Krillin recovers from Nappa's Flaming Storm and he looks around, fearing that the energy blast has taken Chaozu away. Despite Vegeta's warning, Chaozu appears behind Nappa's back and clings to him. The gigantic Saiyan tries to free himself but Chaozu commits suicide in a powerful explosion after bidding farewell to Tenshinhan telepathically. It is good to note that thanks to his mimicry ability , Chaozu copied the Saibaimen technique in order to reproduce it against his enemy. The surviving Z Team fighters are then stunned to notice that Nappa was unharmed by the explosion . The latter suffered no damage and the remaining defenders of Earth are both sad and furious that Chaozu's sacrifice was in vain. 😡
Chaozu's sacrifice against Nappa is a total fiasco.
At the end of the Saiyan saga and after Vegeta's defeat, thanks to the influence of the Almighty, Chaozu's body was rebuilt and he was authorized to train with King Kaio with his deceased companions. (Piccolo, Tenshinhan and Yamcha). The small group will be able to receive training very similar to that which Son Goku did before in order to seriously gain power . Chaozu then trains on King Kaio 's planet with his companions and ends up learning the events taking place on the planet Namek . They are indeed aware of the confrontation between Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Piccolo and Gohan against the galactic emperor Frieza. ✨
At the end of Frieza's saga and during an episode exclusive to the anime, the Ginyu Commando arrives on King Kaio's planet and confronts the Z Team fighters there. It was on this occasion that Chaozu managed to defeat Guldo with great ease. He is then brought back alive for the second time following a wish made to the sacred dragon Porunga . Once back on Earth, Chaozu goes to train in the mountains with his friend Tenshinhan.
The dragon Porunga of Namek resurrects Chaozu.
About a year after the events on the planet Namek, the training of the two fighters is interrupted because they sense the energy of two powerful evil entities which are approaching Earth. Chaozu and Tenshinhan then head towards the place where the kis came from and then find Vegeta, Bulma, as well as the other members of Z Team. The group then quickly meets Meca Frieza as well as his father King Cold , accompanied by a detachment of fighters. To the surprise of Chaozu and his companions, the invaders are all eliminated instantly by an unknown game, Future Trunks . Shortly after, the group learns from the newcomer that two incredibly powerful androids will ravage the planet within three years. 💥
During these three years, Chaozu continued training with Tenshinhan in order to be ready for the day of the invasion. Once the time limit has passed, the Z Team fighters gather at the location where the invaders are supposed to appear. Thinking that Chaozu will not be up to the approaching fight, Tenshinhan manages to convince him to stay away from the confrontation . Son Goku quickly approves of this decision while Chaozu spends time in Kamehouse cooking for Awesome Turtle, Feather, and Oolong . It is also on this occasion that he will meet Maron.
After the rest of the Z Team fighters are defeated by the androids C17 and C18 , Chaozu leaves with Tenshinhan after being informed of the alarming situation.
Chaozu appears some time later in the series in the company of Tenshinhan, when the two Earthlings sense Cell's ki together . Probably due to a request from Tenshinhan, Chaozu will not appear during the Cell Games alongside his friends nor will he face the Cell Juniors . ✊
Chaozu then appears much later during Buu's saga, when he is seen in the company of Tenshinhan, at the moment when the two Earthlings feel Son Goku's ki when the latter transforms into Super Saiyan 3 . During the same saga, he appears again a little later with his partner, when both fighters narrowly escape death . Super Buu indeed eliminated a large part of the population with a single attack but Chaozu managed to survive. The latter will then examine the craters left by Super Buu 's devastating attack .
Chaozu ends up dying along with Tenshinhan and the rest of the population when Kid Buu destroys the planet with a powerful energy attack. However, he is quickly brought back to life thanks to the sacred dragon and will give his ki to Son Goku in order to constitute a powerful Genkidama which ultimately allows Majin Buu to be eliminated permanently. We then see him at the end of the saga at a party organized at Bulma's house.
Once Buu's saga is over and exclusively in the anime, we can see Chaozu working in the fields where he helps farmers with his telekinetic powers . He quickly gained a very good reputation and was regularly hired for high salaries, which considerably increased Chaozu's wealth. 👍
CHAOZU IN “THE TREE OF POWER”:
Once Thales plants a seed from the tree of Power and after it grows, Chaozu, along with the other Z Team warriors, is informed of the danger by King Kaio in Kamehouse. Chaozu, Son Goku and the others head towards the tree and fire powerful energy attacks to no avail. 😅
The defenders of Earth end up fighting Thales' men and Chaozu ends up fleeing from one of them who is much too powerful for him. Surprised by a barrage of explosive shots, he collapses to the ground but is narrowly saved by Son Gohan. Chaozu appears again towards the end of the film when Son Goku confronts Thales but is knocked down again . Following the destruction of the tree at the very end, Chaozu and the others then go on a camping trip.
CHAOZU IN BOJACK’S FILM:
During an intergalactic championship, Chaozu appears in the audience alongside Oolong as he supports Tenshinhan in his match. After Bojack and his galactic soldiers are defeated at the end of the film by Gohan and Trunks from the future, Chaozu appears one last time in the hospital while visiting his injured companions.
THE “POWER” OF CHAOZU :
Being a member of the Crane school and endowed with extraordinary psychic powers, Chaozu is a martial arts champion far above the majority of competitors. His power is demonstrated when he advances to the quarter-finals at the 22nd World Martial Arts Championship. At this point, Chaozu is Krillin's equal in power. He manages to take a Kamehameha from the latter without any problem but he still loses the fight due to a distraction. His power, however, is completely overwhelmed by the Demon King Piccolo who manages to kill him in one hit with a simple ki attack. ✨
Some time after his resurrection, Chaozu's power increased after he completed Master Karine's training with Tenshinhan, Krillin and Yamcha . About three years after the defeat of King Piccolo, he participated in the 23rd world martial arts championship and even if he managed to pass the elimination rounds, his power did not allow him to defeat Tao Pai Pai in his cyborg version.
In Dragon Ball Z, his power increases tenfold after his training with the Almighty and he even manages to surpass the latter's level. At the end of the Saiyan saga and after his death at the hands of Nappa, he leaves to train with King Kaio with his companions. His power increases significantly and he even manages to give Piccolo a hard time. His new power then allows him to defeat Guldo some time later. 👏
Although we don't know Chaozu's exact power level, it's quite possible that he continued to level up after the Androids Saga . No longer able to keep up with the others and being totally overwhelmed by events, he finally gave up training.
It is worth noting that without a possible request from Tenshinhan, Chaozu would have likely participated in the Cell Games in order to protect Earth.
CHAOZU’S ATTACKS AND POWERS
Ki Sense : This ability was taught to him by Mr. Popo. It allows him to sense ki from a distance, which allows Chaozu to locate his enemies. He used this ability for the first time when the Saiyans arrived on Earth.
Drill attack : This is an attack that appears exclusively in the anime. Chaozu quickly turns around and rushes headlong towards his opponent. He notably uses this technique during the 22nd World Martial Arts Championship against Krillin.
Dodompa : this is the famous technique used by the Crane school. The user extends their index finger and fires a powerful beam of energy towards their opponent. This technique is more powerful than Kamehameha in its basic form. Chaozu first uses this attack against Krillin after Master Shen orders him to eliminate the latter.
Dodompa Barrage : this is the same technique as the previous one but the user fires several rays at a sustained rate.
Super Dodompa : a much more powerful and devastating Dodompa beam that requires charging before use.
Mimicry : just like Tenshinhan, Chaozu has the ability to memorize an opposing technique to reproduce it later. Tenshinhan managed to copy Yamcha's Kamehameha and Chaozu imitated the Saibaiman Bomb.
Telepathy : Chaozu has the ability to mentally communicate with people of his choosing.
Telekinesis : the user has the ability to make objects in their environment move using their mind. He notably uses this technique during the world martial arts championships in order to reorganize the candidates' numbers. For Chaozu and Tenshinhan, this is very useful in knowing their opponents' fighting style.
Psychic Attack : This attack only works on opponents below Chaozu level. The user extends both palms forward and can then use their psychic powers to manipulate and control their enemies. Chaozu can thus paralyze or attack the internal organs of its target. He can also generate a ball of power around his enemy to inflict damage. Chaozu notably uses this power to defeat Guldo and again to try to destroy the Tree of Power.
Throwing Psychic Stones : Chaozu can use his psychic powers to dig up large stones from his environment to throw them at his opponent.
SOME ANECDOTES ABOUT CHAOZU:
- Like the majority of Dragon Ball Z names, Chaozu's is also a play on words. In Japanese, the name Chiaotzu (餃子) is a twist referring to jiaozi , a Chinese food. 🥡
- Since Chaozu rarely participates in Dragon Ball Z battles, his favorite pastime is watching movies and his favorite food is tenshindon . His favorite vehicle that he uses when traveling is the air scooter.
- A form of familiarity and respect is shown by Chaozu towards Tenshinhan when he calls him " Ten-san ". This nomination can be found in the original Japanese version of the anime and manga and will be retained in the British dub. However, it was modified in the American version where Chaozu simply says " Tien " to refer to his friend. 👍
- Although never appearing in the original manga or anime series, Chaozu's position as Emperor is only shown and assumed as part of the Dragon Ball Mystical Adventure film . He is also referred to at one point as "Young Emperor Chaozu" in the dub of the Dragon Ball Z episode "Goku's Alive".
- Chaozu makes a brief appearance during Naruto chapter 150. This nod is more than justified because Masashi Kishimoto, the author of Naruto is a fan of Akira Toriyama's work and it was he who inspired him to become a manga author.
ARE YOU A FAN OF CHAOZU AND THE Z TEAM? SUPPORT HIS GOKU AND HIS FRIENDS!
The guide to Chaozu is now finished, we hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. Chaozu is an important character in the Dragon Ball universe and he, along with Tenshinhan, formed the first serious rivals of Goku and Krillin, belonging to an enemy martial arts school. The former disciple of the Crane is less important during the Dragon Ball Z sagas but is still very loyal to Goku and his friends. Chaozu's most iconic scene is undoubtedly the moment where he sacrifices himself during the fight against Saiyan Nappa.
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