Some recent recent talk on SB makes me wanna toss out some of my Yamcha centric ideas, some very self indulgent some less so.
1: My personal classic "How Yamcha accidentally became the main character"
Long story short, the 21 Budokai ends up with mixed up fights from canon. Goku loses to Bacterian (Smell), Krillin to Nam (Nervousness), Roshi to Ranfan (His libido), while Yamcha beats Giran, then Bacterian, and edges out Nam barely. However he doesn't feel he earned the win, which Roshi chastises him for, saying luck plays a role in battle as much as skill or strength and that the tournaments are just a way to gauge one's self nothing but; but adding on that if he wants to defend his title, he could see if Korin will teach him and so after working some stuff out with Bulma he heads off.
Goku still seeks out his four star ball, however in this timeline the moon wasn't blown up and he likely regrows his tail during the tournament, or after it when Nimbus gets blown up, with the transformation possibly dragging out his search and being see by either Silver, White or Blue who report it to Red who has a confab with Gero and they decide a kaiju sized monkey would be a great weapon and resolve to hire Tao to kidnap him as well as gather the DBs.
Yamcha's been training with Bora this whole time and helping chase off the local Red Ribbon Army, Goku arrives and then Tao does to utterly devastate everyone, with Yamcha only surviving cos he wasn't deemed part of Tao's mission. Yamcha goes up the tower (possibly carrying Upa cos he's not leaving the kid alone) trains, and eventually gets told where the RR base is and that he's "As ready as he's gonna get".
Cue a team invasion, Yamcha defeating Tao, rejecting the man's selfish power centric world view, then them all working together to take down a machine directed Ozaru Goku, go to Baba's where Yamcha also has to face up to his past crimes as a bandit and begins his world trekking journey of training/redemption.
After that things proceed more or less as you'd expect, though probably with more changes down the line.
2: The Snake's Way
Basically post break up with Bulma Yamcha is more than a little listless and lost in himself, wondering if he'll be stong neough to matter int he current fight and having had his only other life goal effectively blow up in his face. He seeks out Baba for advice and even pays, so she decides to send him "up stairs" to someone who might be able to help him, if he avoids offending her sensabilities.
Princess Snake.
Now I may or may not take from the rather grim backstory suggested for her in the DBZ fic Alphabet where she is a 'Hera' who was a princess among the pirates before Bojack took over in a bloody coup and claimed her as his bride, with Zangya and Mamba being her children and the former part of how the Kai's were able to seal Bojack and his elites away with a spell aided by Snake. Or she might have a less depressing backstory, or just a different and unique one, or a mix, like she was a Hera but has no ties to Zangya and Mamba isn't her kid.
Long story short, her connection to hell means she can basically port up training partners for Yamcha, and if she is tied to Bojack's Galaxy Soldiers at all, she could also maybe make a set of ear rings that don't give one power so much as create the potential for the transformation... Provided it doesn't drive you insane or kill you, so it is very much an earned over gifted power up. Yamcha still being rather shy around women and at this stage quite humble probably means they get along well and she can't eat him so maybe something happens there? HE may also just pick up some magic instead. The Galaxy Soldiers may end up as the major threat of the arc, or their own thing.
3: Power ups!
Mostly just two ways to power up a character I kinda liked.
A: Shape Shifting. We've seen characters increase their power by bulking up but increase their mass by such a margin they get too slow to fight. We've seen Tenshinhan grow extra limbs and hyper toughen his body. & of course we've seen honest to goodness shape shifters and fittingly Yamcha is best friends with one. So the basic idea is that he combines elements of the three aforementioned skills and disciplines to subtly transform his body into one that can sustain, withstand and produce higher levels of Ki and reach further in training than is usual. Usually he gets a metal-ish bod but that isn't strictly necessary.
B: So I know the flame Spirit from Attack of the Sayians isn't much but here's my idea. The flame spirit is a possession based entity, and it enhances whoever it attaches itself too, but not by its own power, no, it inflames their body and soul, adding at least half again their own power to themselves and granting some cool kick ass fire powers.
4: A Different Future:
This idea is one I have discussed in private, but remember how in the original manga Trunks was actually warning about 19 and 20? Well this sorta takes that and plays around a bit. This is a future timeline where Goku died of the heart virus and 19 and 20 are incoming, but no one knows it. In fact the major concern is Vegeta because his response to Goku dying was to go to the valley where they first fought and having a temper tantrum where he destroyed the entire area and brushed up against Super Sayian before.
Tenshinhan, understandably concerned he might turn on them if he becoems so strong even Piccolo wouldn't be able to hold him back, let alone stop him, goes to Yamcha (Sending Chaozu to get Krillin) insisting they need to train and even share techniques if they want to be strong enough to defend the planet Goku save for them. Yamcha thinks he's being dramatic, but to put his mind at ease suggests they visit Baba before bothering krillen to ask about dangers in the future. First they ask about Vegeta and get told along the lines of:
Baba: "I see rage, I see violence and destruction and chaos, even at the best of times, I see a dangerous liability."
Yancha: "Not exactly the ringing endorsement I was hoping for."
Tenshinhan: "Why are you so insistent on tolerating him?"
Yamcha: "I'm trying to see the good in people, sue me."
After that Baba looks for more overt threats and her crystal ball fizzles out after showing everyone dying and Yamcha dying twice in two different ways "Why did you show me twice!?" and cities being torn to shreds. She doesn't know when, or how, but she knows danger is coming.
Yup it is 19 and 20.
This story could either basically involve just 19 and 20 being the major threats, basically operating less as fighters and more like assassins intent on tormenting and stealth killing the Z Fighters, thus allowing them to not be too OP while still being a threat.
OR
It also has Gero have basically rebuilt several forever Red Ribbon Army folks (including Violet who is not happy about it) to act as his subordinates, as they gather energy to awaken his greatest creation, Android 16 to finally take over the world.
5: The Wrong Survivor
Long story short, Yamcha survives the battle with the Androids... But Gohan doesn't. He is now the official 'protector of earth' by simple default, with a grief stricken Chichi probably wanting her pound of flesh from the Cyborgs, Bulma willing to hep but thanks to the destruction of her home working on limited resources and Baba either being denied the chance to just bring Goku back to solve the problem, or in hiding.
6: A Helping Wish
Puar, seeing how despondent Yamcha is post Cell Saga/Bojack, decides to try and cheer him up. Byr gathering the DBs and wishing for Yamcha to have the chhance to show his strength and prove his true worth. Shendron says sure and cos Yamcha is so out of it he is keeping his Ki down and so both her and Puar get popped back 300 years to a bit before King Piccolo's first fight with Mutaito.
Cue Yamcha not wanting to change the future, but then having to jump in when he hears people screaming and things going increasingly out there from that stage, with possible ripple effects leading to stuff like a Garlic Junior invasion, possible movie villains showing up, and also they gotta avoid Dabura when he shows up or end up dealing with him (OO)
7: Last One's Standing
I think I suggested this before, but long story short... Goku dies fighting King Piccolo. Tenshinhan also dies being unable to seal him. Yamcha, Bulma, Chichi, Ox King, Shen, Tao and Yajirobe (Plus maybe filler characters though maybe not) are the only one's left with any hope of fighting Piccolo whether they like it or not. I'd be thinking maybe a drawn out section where the cast are basically running interference and fighting as rebels against Piccolo's reign as he slowly begins to expand his army and spread terror,while also enjoying his opulence and more petty cruelties.
Eventually Kami manages to, or decides to get into contact with them, they are unwilling to kill him because they want to bring their friends back, and so will stop others from killing Kami as well. So instead he opts to offer the Hypoerbolic Time Chamber. I am thinking either Yamcha and Tao enter it as the strongest fighters, (also justifying why it doesn't become a team up cos Tao was only ever helping to look out for his own interests) Or Yamcha may have to enter alone due to circumstances, like say Piccolo sensing something is up an sending his army to attack Kami's Palace so everyone else needs to hold it off.
Piccolo may get enough power for a decent final brawl, either by basically pulling an evil Spirit Bomb and having his kids charge him up with power, or he absorbs them all, or maybe the time chamber isn't involved, not sure could go a lot of ways.
8: An old chestnut inspired by Earthling Chronicles.
Yamcha was at the reunion and so joins the fight against Radits, (Tenshinhan could also be there) He is either killed or is the one to make the sacrificial play and so despite Kami being none to subtle he'd have preferred Goku (Hoping to motivate him, by stressing how bad things are and needling his pride) Yamcha is left to be the one to train under King Kai. Fortunately he does have two advantages. The first being that as he lacks a pure heart he won't be spending time learning the Spirit Bomb so he can focus on Kaio-Ken and secondly, his Wolf Fang Fist, while not the same as the Kaio-Ken has several similarities so he takes to the technique even more easily than Goku giving him more time with it and a smoother learning curve.
I have others but I think I'll leave it there for now.
