History Fridge / Dragonball

*** The way this troper sees it, Lord Slug takes place in a timeline where Goku arrived in time to save Piccolo and defeat the Saiyans, World's Strongest takes place in a timeline where Vegeta lost his BeamOWar with Goku and died, and Tree of Might takes place in a timeline where Goku's Spirit Bomb killed Freeza and he never needed to go Super Saiyan to beat him.

* In early ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Bulma and Roshi ask Baba if she can see the outcome of the fight against the Saiyans. Specifically, they ask whether the earth is intact one year from now. There was no apparent reason for her not to see the outcome, except for not spoiling the fight, of course. Then this troper realized that, if Roshi and Bulma asked her about this only a month or so before the fight, then the reason she couldn't see the year ahead into the future anymore was because of Cell travelling to the past before that point. Remember that Cell arrived a year before Trunks, and the Freeza saga lasted barely over a month, with only a year's time between then and Trunks arriving. Once time travel becomes involved, Baba can't see the future anymore! Must have hurt her business.

* Not exactly sure where to put this, but as I was watching ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'' I realized a human and a Saiya-jin have a fertile offspring, so that means biologically humans and Saiya-jin are the same species.

* Why is it that Gohan always seems to be just strong enough for any given situation? Because he trained with Piccolo, and the big green guy beat seven shades of hell out of him on a constant basis. Saiyans, even Half-Saiyans, get stronger every time they get themselves beaten into a fine paste. It could be that Gohan was Super Saiyan material all along and just didn't know how to control it, instead deciding subconsciously to be just a shade weaker than the strongest person he knew at the time, Piccolo. As time goes on, he learns to control it better, with occasional outbursts of "Holy Crap" power when he gets angry (see: him kicking around Types 2 and 3 Freeza after 1) impaling Krillin and 2) beating the crap out of surrogate father Piccolo). One of Gohan's inner monologues during the Cell saga suggests that, if he had been more prepared, more in control, it would have been ''him'' beating Freeza into a fine mist on Namek rather than his father.

* After the Freeza Saga, the Zenkai ability all Saiyan's possess, to get excessively stronger after suffering a near fatal defeat, seems to vanish completely after all Saiyan's have become Super Saiyans? The beatdown Vegeta received from Android 18 and then being healed later should have been enough to widen the gap, but we had to endure training. The same with Gohan, in the Buu Saga, who was beaten nearly to death by Super Buu w/Gotenks and Dende healed him. Not a single increase. So, I asked a friend of mine, and he decided upon the fact that Zenkai itself is a rudimentary form of Super Saiyan, as it increases power with a certain trigger (near death, healing), Super Saiyan increases it with a certain trigger (anger, desire). Super Saiyan is simply an extreme, conscious version of Zenkai.

** A simpler explanation is that the Zenkais became obsolete once Freeza reached his final form. Goku gained Zenkais whilst training, while Vegeta just recovered from injuries. Goku's method helped his mind keep up with his body and he could push himself to his limit and beyond, while Vegeta never seemed to push himself at all and was killed by a foe who was naturally better than himself. Once Vegeta realised that he couldn't rely on a cheat code to win any more fights, he started taking his training much more seriously.

*** "Four galaxies"? Four quandrants of ONE galaxy (a universe consists of millions or billions of galaxies, each with millions of stars). East, West, North and South kai just run ONE galaxy, with a boss above them. Presumably, either Supreme Kai is a boss of all galactic kais, OR there is an as-yet unseen god above THEM. King Yemma is the guy in charge of sorting out people for the Afterlife, similar to Hades or King Minos as portrayed in the Inferno. We know that Beerus is a destruction god, but so far, those are the only jobs we know of so far (beyond Zen'o, who is apparently Boss God of All the Multiverse.)

* Raditz wanted to make Gohan into a true saiyan, and the irony is that Gohan did become a true saiyan warrior, far exceeding anything he imagined, but as a protector, not a murderer. He grew up on battlefields, fighting and winning wars even as a child. Likewise, producing a bunch of saiyan-human hybrids was Nappa's idea, to which Vegeta replied that the humans must be exterminated to prevent such a dangerous thing from happening, but Vegeta ultimately winds up carrying out that plan and only thereby effects the revenge against Freeza they both so longed for.

** For decades we've seen alternate timelines and continuities presented in official ''Dragon Ball'' lore—whether canon via the Trunks/Androids/Cell saga, filler, anime movies, ''GT'', and many of the video games. Yet with the exception of Tullece, who just happens to ''look'' like Goku, none have even entertained the possibility of Evil Kakarot…until ''VideoGame/DragonballXenoverse'' came along. ''Xenoverse'' introduced one of the easiest possible opportunities to see Evil Goku in [[spoiler:Towa and Demigra's [[DemonicPossession Villainous magic]], used to take over and control anyone from prominent villains to Hercule Satan and even the Z-Fighters]]. But then they turn around and make it clear [[spoiler:even Demigra can't possess a god, and since Goku had his ascension in ''Battle of Gods'', he's immune to the Villainous magic]]. [[spoiler:Godhood]] didn't ''have'' to equal [[spoiler:immunity]], though. Nothing about the [[spoiler:God]] concept even hinted at this hypothetical scenario prior to ''Xenoverse''. It was a deliberate creative decision designed to give Goku an out; they ''wanted'' to make people ask if Evil Goku was possible, just so they could say "Yeah, that's not happening." Dick move, right? But then again…
** There is a narrative reason ''why'' Akira, Toei, Namco, etc. are so hell bent on Evil Kakarot never happening in official material. The recently-added "Foil" entry under Goku's character page spells it all out. If we really want a ShadowArchetype or EvilCounterpart to Goku that badly, all we need is to look at Tullece. Or Raditz. Or Vegeta. Or Cell. [[OverlyLongGag Or Frieza. Or Majin Buu. Or Android 17. Or Beerus. Or Broly.]] And there's probably more where that came from when it comes to notable antagonists or tweeners who have enough similarities to Goku to make a comparison yet enough stark differences to define that he's purer of heart, more stable-minded, has done more to organically earn his strength, etc. ''Evil Goku is already a narrative device used to help define both Goku's character and that of the foes he and his friends face by showing what sets him apart from said foes. '''Of course''' they don't want to turn that into an actual character: doing so defeats the entire purpose.''
** The Universe 6 Saiyans are ''outright confirmed'' not to be producing an "Evil Goku" anyway, as not only are all the [=U6=] characters different than anyone we've seen before, Cabbe explains that the [=U6=] Saiyans are mercenaries of good, not evil.

* Dr. Gero's ability to create killer robots, augmented humans, and bio-android creatures capable of dwarfing a baseline Super Saiyan and pre-''Resurrection ‘F’'' Freeza, at the time thought to be the most powerful beings in the universe, using only basic Earth technology, seems to be preposterous at first. However, it's become a building block to {{foreshadow|ing}} two facts critical to understanding future developments in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise. First, the power scale in the universe is exponentially leagues beyond what even the Saiyans and Freeza had achieved at the time. Second, the vast technological potential of Dragon World Earth's natural elements, which Bulma and her father already showed with the Dragon Radar, the capsules, and chronologically later on the Time Machine [[spoiler:(which future media confirms is a violation of even ''divine natural law'')]], can even be used to harness some of this same grand power, making the InsignificantLittleBluePlanet far more important than it would appear. [[spoiler:Goku and Vegeta are able to overcome Gero's creations, become strong enough to defeat Kai-killing universal threat Majin Buu, and become {{Physical God}}s capable of giving Beerus the God of Destruction a good fight and even defeating Freeza by attrition when he finally trains and reaches that same level of power. [[labelnote:For reference,]]Beerus and Buu were the two creatures that pre-training Freeza was told by his father to never mess with.[[/labelnote]] Bulma is able to look at a force field that a god-attendant used her powers to create capable of containing the reach of many ultra-powerful fighters including said Physical Gods, and then do a pretty good (albeit imperfect) job of imitating that herself using Earth technology.]]'

* The passing of the torch at the end of the Cell arc (temporary though it may have been) is even more poignant when you take into account Cell's genetic makeup. Specifically, he is a combination of the last three [[ArcVillain arc villains]] (Piccolo, Vegeta and Freeza) that was created by the story's first true ArcVillain, the Red Ribbon Army. By killing Cell and saving the world Gohan not only takes his father's place as savior of the world, he does it by defeating all of the major enemies Goku defeated in his lifetime. It's the ultimate rite-of-passage.

** It's quite possible that Freeza, being Freeza, ended up killing Guru during in his search for the Dragon Balls, rendering their powers void, and his mission meaningless. Of course, this theory has the major flaw of "Why didn't he just go to Earth and take theirs, then?", which could be Fridge Horror in and of itself.

* The AU story ''Episode of Bardock'' ends on a positive note as Bardock [[spoiler: rescues the people of Plant by ascending to become the first legendary Super Saiya-jin and defeating Chilled.]] However, this begs the question of how his actions affected the future within that specific timeline. Do the Saiya-jin wind up colonizing another world or do they still wind up on Planet Plant? If it's the latter, did he inadvertently contribute to the conquest of Plant by making the people there think Saiya-jin could be trusted?

* During the filler fight between Buu and Vegetto before the latter goes Super Saiyan. Buu creates a giant energy sphere in an attempt to destroy the Earth but before tossing it, he states that every time he has destroyed a planet, he was taken a piece of that planet's energy and the energy sphere he has made to kill Vegetto is the collective energy of all the planets he has destroyed. If the filler is to be considered canon, then Buu's rampage across the universe would make him truly invincible and considering that he can distort reality, would make him a god capable of killing all reality.

* Vegetto the Incredible Fighting Candy seems hilarious, until you realize that the fact that he is conscious in that state means so was everyone else that Buu devoured. [[AndIMustScream The inhabitants of entire cities were turned into candy and devoured, while being fully aware of what was happening to them and completely helpless.]]
** Vegetto only managed to remain conscious thanks to being ''so damn powerful''.
** Nope, in the anime at least, we hear the screams of some of Buu's candy victims and at one point Krillian angrily demands a flippant North Kai to answer if he has any idea how horrible it was to be eaten.

** Captain Ginyu's ability to body switch [[StoryBreakerPower is practically unbeatable]], and he has [[TimeStandsStill Guldo]] to potentially help. Given what we've seen, he's in no means BrilliantButLazy. Imagine if [[HijackingCthulhu he stole Freeza's body]]. Goku and friends should thank their lucky stars [[UndyingLoyalty Ginyu's so loyal to Freeza]].
** Ginyu's ability to body switch is unblockable because the Z-fighters were caught off guard the first time and have never encountered another technique like it before or since, which makes developing countermeasures difficult. Its hard to believe that Frieza would not have a defence against it given how long they have worked together or that he wouldn't keep Ginyu away from him at all times given the risk. Frieza is prideful, not stupid. The other problem is that we simply do not know enough about how it, it may not even work on someone as powerful or as biologically different as Frieza.

* Dr Gero's mosquito robots took DNA from every major arc except for the Namek arc, and Freeza/King Cold when they arrived to Earth. Cell, the product of this, is one of the most daunting foes the Z-Fighters have faced and inherited all their techniques. Had Dr Gero manage to follow them to Namek, he would've had accessed to Guldo's DNA and thus [[TimeStandsStill his time-stop]]. And since Cell doesn't need to breathe, the only thing limiting Guldo's power (having to hold his breath) is gone and can use it as long as he wishes. You know how [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders The World]] is a terrifying ability the heroes were barely able to overcome? [[OhCrap Now imagine a foe that lacks Dio's time limit]].

** Cell has techniques, but not power. He had to gain that by draining people and absorbing androids. Still, a Cell dedicated to training could likely achieve something similar to Freeza's golden form. It may take him longer, probably on a timescale much closer to the Saiyans, but considering unlike the Saiyans and Frieza, Cell can regenerate and multiform, he could shorten the gap a little.

*** You could potentially say a very similar thing about Krillin. Forever living in everyone's shadow: his best friends, the major villains, the monks at the Shaolin temple... he constantly wore some form of uniform right up until the very last battle with Cell. Seven years later free from any major battles and embracing the company of his wife and daughter (an arguably enjoying the protection living with a super powerful Android brings) he learned to loosen up and accept himself. Come the Tournament he discards the Turtle and Shaolin uniforms and instead, for the first time in a major fight, wears an unbranded red T-shirt and track pants.

* And finally, one of the biggest issues with the Dragon Ball universe, one that has the potential to, and has, caused as much pain as Frieza or Cell, '''[[AlmightyIdiot Goku]]'''. Think about it, the man is built up as a neutral figure who only wants a fair fight, but he's willing to not only bring back a feared and powerful emperor to do it, but [[AccompliceByInaction let said emperor run free to take more planets by force.]] He doesn't care who Frieza kills, how many innocents lose their homes or families to his actions, Goku just cares about who he gets to fight. [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality If it doesn't happen in front of him, it doesn't matter.]] He's put people in the line of fire rather than finish it himself, not for some big plan, but for the sake of a fight. It's not a case of valuing all life, it's a case of [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]]. He let people die without a second thought, [[DesignatedHero even when he's supposed to be saving the day]], and even when he's met with people who chew him out for all this, he brushes it off. The universe of Dragon Ball is stuck with a self-absorbed BloodKnight with a low-key [[AGodAmI God Complex]], who doesn't care who dies or suffers from his incompetence, even if it's his own kids or wife, because he can just revive them to make it all better, until he [[AesopAmnesia nearly dooms the world again]], and [[FateWorseThanDeath again]], and [[CycleOfHurting again]]. Made worse by the fact that with his growing powers, [[InvincibleVillain he may be around to do this stuff forever...]]

!!AC:FridgeHorror
* If you thought Omega Shenron was dangerous, imagine the evil counterpart of the black starred Shenron.

** Cell has techniques, but not power. He had to gain that by draining people and absorbing androids. Still, a Cell dedicated to training could likely achieve something similar to Freeza's golden form. It may take him longer, probably on a timescale much closer to the saiyans, but considering unlike the saiyans and Frieza, Cell can regenerate and multiform, he could shorten the gap a little.

*** Cell actually says as much to Trunks, at least in the ''Anime/DragonBallKai'' version, when explaining and deciding that he wants a tournament.

** It's likely that the Zenkai just isn't triggered anywhere near as much as it was before, and when it is it just isn't enough to make a significant difference anymore. The amount of times past the Frieza Saga that the Saiyans are beaten down to near death and recover from it are a fraction of what they were during that saga when the ability was introduced. Vegeta is beaten down by 18 then goes off to train with Trunks, then is beaten down by Cell with Trunks following not long after, while Goku's closest brush with death the entire saga is the Heart Virus. Gohan himself never even really gets beated down until he gets blasted by Cell, then in his first fight with Majin Buu. With Cell it's not particularly helpful because his own Zenkai ability cancels it out, while Majin Buu is simply so powerful and keeps getting significantly stronger throughout the saga that despite beating down the Saiyan character repeatedly it's not enough to catch up with them. They also don't have a bunch of Sensu Beans floating about to heal injuries from all the time so they have to be a lot more careful not to hurt themselves too much during training.

* After the Freeza Saga, the Zenkai ability all Saiyan's possess, to get excessively stronger after suffering a near fatal defeat, seems to vanish completely after all Saiyan's have become Super Saiyans? The beatdown Vegeta received from Android 18 and then being healed later should have been enough to widen the gap, but we had to endure training. The same with Gohan, in the Buu Saga, who was beat nearly to death by Super Buu w/Gotenks and Dende healed him. Not a single increase. So, I asked a friend of mine, and he decided upon the fact that Zenkai itself is a rudimentary form of Super Saiyan, as it increases power with a certain trigger (near death, healing), Super Saiyan increases it with a certain trigger (anger, desire). Super Saiyan is simply an extreme, conscious version of Zenkai.

** The speed at which they would be fighting is fair enough a point, but the dialogue that Goku and Frieza exchange with one another lasts much longer than 5 minutes. Far more believable alternatives include the possibility that Frieza vastly underestimated the amount of time it would time for Namek to explode or that Frieza's perception of a minute being different from ours given that he is an alien.
*** Or maybe Namek have a different time scale than Earth. Who's to say that 5 minutes in Namekian time is the same as 5 minutes in Earth time?

** Actually, it's for a different reason and related to the other 16 one: Android 16 was inspired by Dr. Gero's ''own son.'' He was killed by a bullet while as a high-rank soldier in the Red Ribbon army. So when he remade him, he made 16 strong enough to protect himself, but also had his son's personality. This was revealed in a somewhat recent interview.

** Although in the case of Frieza it was more CruelMercy. Goku thought it would be far more painful and humiliating for an egomaniac like Frieza to go on living, knowing he was beaten by a 'monkey'. Given Frieza some of his energy to escape Namek, however, was Goku being unable to turn a deaf ear for a plea for help.

* There's a more subtle and likely unintentional parallel between Goku and Frieza by the Buu Saga. Frieza had four forms in total -- his base restricted form, and three more powerful states leading to his true form. Goku eventually became so powerful that the only way to bring it all out was with a whopping three stages of Super Saiyan beyond his base form. In other words, his base too became his "restricted" form. Frieza, as you'll recall, had a fatal flaw in using his full power. As soon as he hit that peak, his ki would begin to take a ''staggering'' nosedive. [[NotSoDifferent Remember what Goku's crux was in going all the way to Super Saiyan 3?]]
** Not to burst the bubble, but Super Saiyan multiplies a Saiyan's existing power, rather than jumping it to a set number.
* Right before he dies on Namek, Vegeta tells Goku he wants Frieza to die by a Saiyan's hand. Guess who does ultimately kill Frieza? Not only a Saiyan but Vegeta's son, Trunks!
** Frieza gets one as well. His DNA is used to create Cell, who in one alternate future kills Trunks, thus bringing the Saiyan race to extinction.
* In early ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Bulma and Roshi ask Baba if she can see the outcome of the fight against the Saiyans. Specifically, they ask whether the earth is intact one year from now. There was no apparent reason for her not to see the outcome, except for not spoiling the fight, of course. Then this troper realized that, if Roshi and Bulma asked her about this only a month or so before the fight, then the reason she couldn't see the year ahead into the future anymore was because of Cell travelling to the past before that point. Remember that Cell arrived a year before Trunks, and the Freeza saga lasted barely over a month, with only a year's time between then and Trunks arriving. Once time travel becomes involved, Baba can't see the future anymore! Must have hurt her business.

** And on the subject of Piccolo, why keep the name of his evil counterpart? In Namekian, according to ''Word of God'', Piccolo means "Another World". And since Kami is a title, not a name, Piccolo was probably adopted by the Namekian when he couldn't remember his name. Even deeper, the titles "King Piccolo" and "Kami (Piccolo)" would translate to King and God, respectively, of another world!

* The existence of the many non-canon movies used to bug me. However, I remembered what Trunks said about the nature of time travel and the existence of multiple timelines. Then I realized- they may not be canon in ''this'' timeline, but they are in ''others''.
** Actually they are. The movies ''World's Strongest'', ''Anime/TheTreeOfMight'' and ''Lord Slug'' take place in an alternate timeline where Goku arrived in time to save the other fighters from Vegeta and Nappa. Yamcha and the others never died so there was no need to go to Namek.
*** Not quite, in ''The Worlds Strongest'' during Gohan's little song it shows a flashback of Piccolo sacrificing himself to stop Nappa's attack. The only way these 3 movies could take place is in the 3 years before the Androids, though even that causes some continuity problems, but less so.
*** Maybe in that timeline, Goku arrived in time to give Piccolo a senzu bean?
*** The way this troper sees it, Lord Slug takes place in a timeline where Goku arrived in time to save Piccolo and defeat the Saiyans, World's Strongest takes place in a timeline where Vegeta lost his BeamOWar with Goku and died, and Tree of Might takes place in a timeline where Goku's Spirit Bomb killed Freeza and he never needed to go Super Saiyan to beat him.

* It's noted on this wiki that Piccolo acts very differently in his first appearence in the 23d World Martial Arts Tournament then he does in all later appearences. When I re-watched those episodes, I noticed that his mad, card-carrying villian persona is a lot like his father's. The frige brilliance- Piccolo was only three years old at the time of the Tournament, but he has his father's memories. So, at the Turnament, he hadn't really had much life experience, and so acted based on his memories, but by the time he appears later on in "Z", he's had more time to develop his own personality- the stoic JerkWithAHeartOfGold he is for the rest of the series. -{{Tropers/Bergil}}

* GT's main three villains share similarities to the three main villains of Z:
** Baby: a conqueror from outer space with ties to the Saiyan race (like Frieza)
** Super 17: An android created by Dr Gero (partially in this case) who absorbs another of Gero's androids to become stronger (Cell)
** Omega Shenron: An unspeakably powerful force that threatens the universe just by existing, which not even fusion can defeat, and takes a spirit bomb powered by everyone Goku's met to destroy (Buu)
** Even better than that, the original Dragon Ball's three villains followed a similar format:
*** Emperor Pilaf wanted to conquer the Earth by collecting the Dragon Balls. He was ultimately thwarted when Goku transformed into an Oozaru, just like how Frieza was defeated when Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan.
*** The Red Ribbon saga introduced the first android to make an appearance, #8. Dr. Gero was also the Red Ribbon Army's head scientist at the time.
*** King Piccolo was the embodiment of evil who was sealed away long ago, but was released back onto the Earth. In order to defeat him, Goku had to drink Korin's Ultra Divine Water (not to be mistaken for Korin's Sacred Water). King Piccolo was ultimately reincarnated into Piccolo Jr., who would fight Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament. Sound familiar to anyone?

* Right before he dies on Namek, Vegeta tells Goku he wants Frieza to die by a Saiyan's hand. Guess who does ultimately kill Frieza? Not only a Saiyan, but Vegeta's son, Trunks!

* In early ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Bulma and Roshi ask Baba if she can see the outcome of the fight against the Saiyans. Specifically, they ask whether the earth is intact one year from now. There was no apparent reason for her not to see the outcome, except for not spoiling the fight, of course. Then this troper realized that, if Roshi and Bulma asked her about this only a month or so before the fight, then the reason she couldn't see the a year ahead into the future anymore was because of Cell travelling to the past before that point. Remember that Cell arrived a year before Trunks, and the Freeza saga lasted barely over a month, with only a years time between then and Trunks arriving. Once time travel becomes involved, Baba can't see the future anymore! Must have hurt her business.
* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' a friend of mine pointed out that Goku starts the series wearing an emblem on his outfit, then about midway through the series he stops wearing it. Neither me or my friend could figure out why he suddenly stopped wearing it, figuring that maybe the animators just got tired of it. My friend then remarked that it could be symbolic. He started the show as a student of Roshi and King Kai. Then after he became a Super Saiyan, he stopped wearing the symbols because he's now the master.--Sketchpad

*** You could potentially say a very similar thing about Krillin. Forever living in everyone's shadow: his best friends, the major villains, the monks at the Shaolin temple... he constantly wore some form of uniform right up until the very last battle with Cell. Seven years later free from any major battles and embracing the company of his wife and daughter (an arguably enjoying the protection living with a super powerful Android brings) he learnt to loosen up and accept himself. Come the Tournament he discards the Turtle and Shaolin uniforms and instead, for the first time in a major fight, wears an unbranded red T-shirt and track pants.

*** "Turtle school ''wave''". Anyway, the conection with King Kamehameha was intentional. WordOfGod stated his wife come with this pun for him.

* Piccolo's transition from GoodIsNotNice loner to TeamDad makes a lot of sense when you take into consideration that he takes on aspects of the personality of those he fused with. Considering fused with [[BigBrotherMentor Nail]] and then ''Kami'', it makes a lot of sense in story why Piccolo [[DefrostingIceQueen defrosted]] the way he did.

* A more Meta Example. My entire experience for the anime was greatly enhanced when I stopped looking at it as a fight anime, and started looking at it as KabukiTheater. Once I did that, the unbearably long {{Power Up}}s and poses and glowing and CallingYourAttacks were completely understandable and even enjoyable. Tropers/vp21ct

** Furthermore, the filler episode early in ''Z'', ''The Strangest Robot'', shows Gohan developing feelings for a robot called C-6, which then sacrifices itself to save him. Not only would Android 16's death remind Gohan of his old friend and the sacrifice it made for him, but the loss of C-6 was the first time Gohan had experienced death and grief, and it happened to be a mechanical being. Thus, Gohan seems to associate much pain with the loss of artificial life that has developed a virtuous, altruistic personality of its own despite its programming. Some may write this off as a coincidence due to the episode being filler, but keep in mind that Toriyama was directly involved with the creation of the anime's filler and he made many suggestions and contributed many ideas to filler episodes. - Tropers/EBsessed

*** Not quite, in ''The Worlds Strongest'' during Gohans little song it shows a flashback of Piccolo sacrificing himself to stop Nappa's attack. The only way these 3 movies could take place is in the 3 years before the Androids, though even that causes some continuity problems, but less so.

** The cherry on top is the WAY he killed Goku; a giant hole through his chest, JUST LIKE Goku did to his father! The Brilliance goes further: He hates and kills Goku bc Goku hated and killed his family. Gohan liked him and showed him kindness, so what dose Piccolo do? RETURN Gohan's kindness by saving him! Piccolo, being one of the youngest characters intentionally or unintentionally reflects the behavior directed at him back onto those that give it!!

** Not only is he part Vegeta, but part Goku as well. Maybe the Saiyans all have some trait about them that makes them want their enemy at full power when they're defeated.

*** Consider the Saiyan from an evolutionary perspective, and compare it to human evolution. When humans became predators, they took pride in waging a war on all other competing top predators (which has been successful to different degrees), and are quite proud of killing large dangerous non-humans, like bears. Saiyan don't bother hunting the lesser predators - they are hunters of the TOP predators (ie, people), and take the same joy in wiping out people-level creatures, as human people take in wiping out wolves, bears, and tigers. Humans just don't like being treated the way they treat other species.

* After Cell's self-destruction and subsequent regeneration, he somehow learned how to use Instant Transmission even though that technique had puzzled him before. How did he suddenly figure out how to use it? The answer is simple: because of Tien's cells! During Tien's fight against Jackie Chun in ''Manga/DragonBall'' he displays his ability to copy and instantly master any technique that he sees, by firing a Kamehameha after only witnessing it once during his match against Yamcha. Because Tien's cells were also used in the creation of Cell, it's very likely that Cell also possesses this ability.
* Goku seems to have a lot of problem with killing in the Saiyan/Namek saga (wanting to let Nappa, Jeice, Recoome and Burter live and letting Vegeta and trying to let Frieza live). The reason that stopped after the Namek saga was because for the first time that Goku had let someone live (Frieza) it didn't turn them good. Every other villain Goku let live in the past became good so Goku wanting to let everyone live, until Frieza proved mercy doesn't make all bad guys good, is understandable.
** Although in the case of Frieza it was more CruelMercy. Goku thought it would be far more painful and humiliating for an egomaniac like Frieza to go on living, knowing he was beating by a 'monkey'. Given Frieza some of his energy to escape Namek, however, was Goku being unable to turn a deaf ear for a plea for help.
** His tendency to spare his enemies goes back to him letting Piccolo Jr. live at the end of ''Dragon Ball.'' It's a dramatic departure from his earlier attitude of killing his enemies without hesitation. What happened in the interim? He lived with God for three years! Kami didn't just made Goku stronger physically, he refined him spiritually.

** Actually, it's for a different reason and related to the other 16 one: Android 16 was inspired by Dr. Gero's ''own son.'' He was killed by a bullet while as a high rank solider in the Red Ribbon army. So when he remade him, he made 16 strong enough to protect himself, but also had his son's personality. This was revealed in a somewhat recent interview.
** No, Gero was afraid of 16 because 16 was good. 16 was obedient to 17 and 18, to an extent, because he thought they were decent people and he only wanted to kill Goku, but he wouldn't do anything for them that did not interest him. When 16 figures out Cell is a no good bastard, 16 immediately tries to kill Cell and doesn't let anyone stop him. Gero himself is a no good bastard directly responsible for Cell's existence. 16 would immediately try to kill him. ''Then'' he would have tried to kill Goku. 16 literally puts Cell's death ahead of Goku's.
* This troper thought it was weird at first Gero made cyborgs when he was perfectly capable of making robots, then had a moment of fridge logic: Gero created CELL. To make Cell the most powerful being in the universe Gero needed him to have nigh infinite energy, but couldn't give him an infinite energy generator because Cell was grown from... cells. 17 and 18 NEEDED to be cyborgs in order for Cell to be able to absorb them, since he can't absorb pure machines (shown with 16) I like to think this is correct when 17 himself has an inner monologue pondering the same thing.

* This troper used to think that Gero saying android 16 was a "horrible defect" was just a fake warning to keep 17 and 18 from re-activating him, as he was perfectly functional. But, then i just realized he ''is'' defective, in Gero's eyes, anyways; he had no motive for destroying Goku like he wanted, and was peaceful and gentle, not the Goku smashin' death machine he wanted him to be. - Tropers/Shadowgirl13Chaos

* Broly is missing from both the ''Fusion Reborn'' movie and the Super 17 saga of ''GT'' when all the villains escape from hell (despite other movie villains appearing in both situations and Broly being one of the most popular movie villains), it just now occurred to me that at the end of the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBioBroly Bio-Broly]]'' movie Goku and Pikkon got sent to hell to stop Broly from causing trouble...They must have killed him, which would have wiped him out from existence.

* Dr Gero's mosquito robots took DNA from every major arc except for the Namek arc, and Freeza/King Cold when they arrived to Earth. Cell, the product of this, is one of the most daunting foes the Z-Fighters have faced and inherited all their techniques. Had Dr Gero manage to follow them to Namek, he would've had accessed to Guldo's DNA and thus [[TimeStandsSkill his time-stop]]. And since Cell doesn't need to breathe, the only thing limiting Guldo's power (having to hold his breath) is gone and can use it as long as he wishes. You know how [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders The World]] is a terrifying ability the heroes were barely able to overcome? [[OhCrap Now imagine a foe that lacks Dio's time limit]].

* How can Mr. Satan live in the Dragon Ball universe and not be aware of ''ki'' energy? Surely at least one of his opponents used ''ki'' to fight at some point, right? Quite possibly, yes. The early Dragon Ball manga was full of strange people with weird powers and techniques that could be easily taken for (or really were) mundane parlor tricks or special effects, and fantastic monsters with abilities that could be seen as natural to their species. ''Ki'' blasts and such were very rare, and even those could be explained away. After fighting ([[BadassNormal and thrashing]]) opponents like that, it's no wonder Mr. Satan thought legitimate ''ki'' powers were all smoke and mirrors.

* After Cell's self-destruction and subsequent regeneration, he somehow learned how to use Instant Transmission even though that technique had puzzled him before. How did he suddenly figure out how to use it? The answer is simple: because of Tien's cells! During Tien's fight against Jackie Chun in ''Anime/DragonBall'' he displays his ability to copy and instantly master any technique that he sees, by firing a Kamehameha after only witnessing it once during his match against Yamcha. Because Tien's cells were also used in the creation of Cell, it's very likely that Cell also possesses this ability.

** Also, despite the name "super saiyan god", it's not an extension or improvement of the super saiyan form the way 1, 2 and 3 are. Super saiyan used to be something saiyans could do, but was lost to the point it was a legend they were ''trying'' to bring back, Goku being the first in a thousand years. Super saiyan god was something they hadn't done in an even longer amount of time. The fact that it was even called "super saiyan" was just a result of history being corrupted into legend and the legend itself corrupting. This also explains why in the flashback super saiyan god disappears while Goku just powers down, it's possible super saiyan god was literally a created god with a limited lifespan, but the latter day saiyans, having no idea and just used to transformation, cause it to manifest in Goku instead, believing that's how it should work. They ''made'' connect to the actual super saiyan transformation, and the corrupted legend became reality.

* More about Snake Way, ''it's longer than the planet Earth''. There's no food, water or shelter. Anyone attempting to reach the end of it would die, either from starvation, dehydration or exposure... unless they are already dead! That's exactly why ''dead'' Goku never had the problems with Super Saiyan 3 that living Goku did. He never realized while running snake way or training in the after life that he was literally pushing himself to death.

* This one concerns the character from ''Manga/DoctorSlump''. We all remember the episode where Goku wound up in Penguin Village, right? So, we could assume that both ''Dr. Slump'' and ''Dragon Ball'' shared the same universe, right? Now, remember Super Buu's Genocide Attack? Since that attack tracks down every human on Earth, that means almost every one in Penguin Village (save for Arale and a couple others) are killed off. And to twist the knife even further, Kid Buu later destroys Earth so every character from ''Dr. Slump'' are now dead. Granted, Goku wished everybody back, but could Shenron bring robots like Arale and Obotchaman back to life?

* There's some fridge horror in Seventeen and Eighteen's names. We know they were originally human, and almost certainly wouldn't have been named Android Number Seventeen, and Android Number Eighteen. We also know they hated Gero, and rebelled against them. So why is it they always use the numbers he assigned to them? That even after she marries Krillin, he still only calls her Eighteen? Whatever Dr. Gero did to the twins either made them forget their own names, or made them feel so distanced from their previous lives that they no longer feel any reason but to use the names he assigned them.

*** Lapis lazuli is a blue metamorphic rock. It's a MeaningfulName because the blue eyed twins were turned into killer androids. If Lapis or lazuli are numbers in another language, then that's just a PunnyName on top of it.

** Cell has techniques, but not power. He had to gain that by draining people and absorbing androids. Still, the thought of a Cell dedicated to training means he could achieve something similar to Freeza's golden form. It would just take him longer, probably on a timescale much closer to the saiyans.

* Why does Frieza [[ImmortalitySeeker want immortality so badly]]? Well, there's [[Characters/DragonBallBeerus a certain God of Destruction]] he's terrified of...
** Frieza was scared of the Super Saiyan legend, not Beerus. That would be a huge retcon even for this show.

*** Still doesn't make a lick of sense, as humans believe they can't mate with chimpanzees (our closest biological relative; though no one has had the dragonballs to try crossing gametes in a lab. It's just a matter of "if it looks human, it can mate with a human" nonsense thinking.

* A nice bit of musical foreshadowing during the beginning of the Android Saga: the music playing when [[KidFromTheFuture Trunks]] briefly talks with Vegeta while waiting for Goku is the same one that plays during the DragonBall Z EyeCatch featuring Goku and Gohan

* Biers, god of destruction, has proven himself to be the most powerful being in the Dragonball universe, [[spoiler:with the exception of his mentor]]. Considering how destruction [[EarthShatteringKaboom happens on a daily basis]] and [[DeathIsCheap can be easily repeated]], that isn't surprising.

* Due to the fact that Videl is pregnant with Pan, that means that the Super Saiyan God transformation occurs before Dragonball GT. Assuming you class both as canon, there is a perfectly valid reason as to why Goku never uses the God transformation: He can't. Plain and simple. Goku states before he fights Baby for the first time that his child form is no longer able to handle the power of a Super Saiyan 3. That being the case, then to even contemplate using Super Saiyan God would be probably be very dangerous. Once he reaches Super Saiyan 4, the fact that it has no time limit (relatively speaking) and he can use it independently without having to rely on help from the other Z fighters, makes it a superior option regardless of how much weaker it may or not be. Think of Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan 4 as similar to Super Saiyan Grade's 2 and 3, which as Cell points out when he beats up Trunks, the latter is the epitome of AwesomeButImpractical.

* Pretty much every villain starting with Vegeta wanted to use the Dragonballs to gain immortality, which means that they wouldn't be able to be killed. Sounds all nice and dandy until you think of Frieza's reaction if Vegeta had succeeded. Can anyone say endless cycle of pain? Suddenly, immortality doesn't sound so great.

** And Piccolo tried to buy time by telling Buu to kill off all the inhabitants of the Earth. They weren't planning on using the Namekian Dragonballs at this point (they didn't even know that would work on such a large scale), so that means that anyone who had previously been killed by Vegeta or Cell and then revived couldn't be revived. Piccolo was either that jaded or that desperate that he offered to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of people that the dragonballs couldn't save.

** Or (and this is both FridgeBrilliance and FridgeHorror depending on your POV) this is just a natural consequence of being fully aware that DeathIsCheap. There are two sets of Dragonballs that are easily obtainable and have resurrected almost everyone he knows, the Senzu Bean and Dende can heal anything barring death or serious disease like the heart virus, and he is fully aware that the afterlife exists and that Videl will probably be going to Heaven. FriendToAllLivingThings he may be, but that doesn't stop him from becoming jaded to something that hasn't mattered since arguably the end of the original Dragonball series.