Flight

Flight, known in Japanese as Bukujutsu or "Sky Dancing Art," works by manipulating ki energy beneath the user's body, effectively pushing against gravity. The technique was invented on Earth by Master Shen of the Crane School, and during the original Dragon Ball series, it was treated as a rare and impressive skill. Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu were the first to demonstrate it at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, prompting Master Roshi to dismiss it as "overrated."

Roshi's hot take aged poorly. Within a few years, virtually every serious martial artist in the series learned to fly. Goku likely picked it up during his training with Kami at the Lookout, since he couldn't fly before that period but demonstrated the skill during his match against Piccolo at the 23rd Tournament. By the Saiyan Saga, flight was a basic prerequisite for combat.

One of the most charming sequences involving flight comes during the Great Saiyaman Saga, when Gohan teaches both Videl and Goten how to use the technique. Gohan explains that anyone with enough ki and proper focus can learn it, though the process requires patience. Videl, being a normal human with no prior ki training, struggles considerably before eventually getting airborne. Meanwhile, Goten picks it up almost instantly because he's a half-Saiyan child who doesn't know things are supposed to be hard.

In a comedic aside during the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, Mr. Satan attempts to teach himself how to fly after watching the fighters hover around. He fails spectacularly.

Tournament Restrictions

Interestingly, ki-based flight is explicitly banned in the Tournament of Power, forcing fighters to rely on the arena's terrain. This rule also applies to the android method of flight used by 17 and 18, though wing-based flight from naturally winged fighters remains permitted. Android 17 cleverly works around this restriction by using energy blasts as platforms to stand on.

Dragon Ball Super introduces a notable anomaly: baby Pan can fly without any training at all. While the series established that flight requires focus and deliberate ki control, Pan casually floats around as an infant, suggesting that Saiyan hybrid children may have an innate connection to the technique that bypasses normal learning curves.

Toriyama himself confirmed in an interview that after the defeat of Kid Buu, Tien Shinhan uses the Four Witches Technique in combination with Multi-Form to farm crops. It's a delightful reminder that these world-shattering abilities often find their most practical applications in everyday life.