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1This page covers tropes found in ''Manga/DragonBall''.
2
3'''Tropes A To D''' | DragonBall/TropesEToN | DragonBall/TropesOToZ | [[YMMV/DragonBall YMMV]]
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5----
6
7[[foldercontrol]]
8
9[[folder:A to B]]
10* AccidentalMarriage: Though it was actually accidental engagement, the relationship between Chi-Chi and Goku was largely based on his assumption that "married" [[IsItSomethingYouEat was a kind of food]] and, in her joy to have a fiance, Chi Chi never really explained what it actually meant. When the misunderstanding is cleared years later and [[SheIsAllGrownUp the now teenaged Chi Chi]] gets depressed about it, though, Goku agrees to go through it anyway [[IGaveMyword since he gave his word to her.]] They eventually have two children together.
11* AccidentalMurder: Goku kills Grandpa Gohan one night when he becomes a Great Ape. He doesn't find this out until years later when he's fighting Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
12* AccidentalPervert: Goku is completely unable to differentiate between males and females by sight, leading to several of these moments.
13* AccidentalTickleTorture:
14** In the General Blue Saga, while looking for a Dragon Ball in the ocean with Krillin and Bulma, Goku gets tickled by a fish that swims into his swimsuit.
15** Additionally when Goku fights [[TentacledTerror Octopapa]], at one point when Octopapa grabs him, Goku lampshades this trope.
16** In the Japanese version of the ending of the World Martial Arts Tournament, a crowd picks Goku up and tosses him into the air. Goku complains that it tickles.
17** In the Piccolo Jr. Saga, Chi-Chi is wiping Goku's face with rag before his fight with Tien. Goku pulls away, saying that she's tickling him.
18* AccidentalTruth: After witnessing Goku's first transformation into an Oozaru (a gigantic were-monkey), Oolong wonders if Goku's "some kind of space alien". Much later, at the start of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', it's revealed that Goku actually ''is'' an alien.
19* TheAce: Goku. He serves as the AlwaysSomeoneBetter to all the main characters, even the ones who are supposed to be his rivals. He learns techniques after seeing them only once, is naturally very strong, and rapidly outpaces foes who had proven insurmountable as recently as his last fight. Other characters frequently speak of him as though he's unbeatable or aspire to try to surpass him. From the start of the series, being able to hold your own against Goku is the bar to meet to be considered an impressive fighter.
20* AchievementsInIgnorance: Goku trained for the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament by running around the world without using the Kinto'Un (Flying Nimbus cloud) on account of advice from Master Roshi. When asked how he got to the tournament, he said he swam from Yahhoy, which turned out to be on the other side of the world from the tournament.
21* AchillesHeel:
22** Until he trains himself out of it, Goku can be rendered helpless by grabbing his tail, even as a Great Ape.
23** He also doesn't have a good history as far as Paralysis-inducing techniques (more specifically, the telekinetic kind) are concerned:
24*** Goku manages to hold an edge over [[WakeUpCallBoss General Blue]], until the latter uses his special power to freeze Goku's body. It's worth noting Blue nearly kills Goku no less than ''three'' times this way.
25*** When fighting Tien during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Chiaotzu manages to paralyze Goku several times, allowing Tien to score free hits on him.
26*** Even in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', [[spoiler:decades after every non-Saiyan has been DemotedToExtra and Goku has literally become a god, Chiaotzu's telekinesis still manages to hold him in place longer than the efforts of the rest of the cast combined.]]
27* ActorAllusion: When Goku first meets Yajirobe in the Japanese version, he comments on how his voice sounds a lot like Krillin's, referencing how Creator/MayumiTanaka voiced both characters.
28* AdaptationDistillation: ''Dragon Ball SD'' is a heavily abridged retelling of the original ''Dragon Ball''. For example, Goku learns the Kamehameha the first time he meets Master Roshi (he uses it to blast Pilaf's mecha rather than Ox-King's mountain) and Chi-Chi joins the group when they're in the desert being chased by Yamcha.
29* AdaptationDyeJob: Many of these changes have come about due to the "partial colour" chapters that use limited colour palettes that weren't consistent with each other.
30** In the original manga, Bulma, her father, and her two children all have purple hair (although Bulma did also appear in some color illustrations with blue-green hair due to colour palette choices). In the anime, Bulma's father and son still have purple hair, but Bulma and her daughter have blue-green hair. Also, Bulma is also shown to have violet eyes in some of Toriyama's color illustrations, while the anime goes with blue.
31** The manga has Korin colored white, brown, or blue. The anime keeps him white.
32** Piccolo's non-green skin patches are yellow in the manga and a pinkish color in the anime.
33** Goku's starting gi is a pale blue in the anime, and turns to red once Goku gains the Turtle School gi, based on varying manga colourings. In the manga, his gi is more commonly orange or even yellow depending on the chapter; ''Z'' would correct this by bumping the Turtle School gi colour to the famous orange.
34** The Flying Nimbus is commonly purple in the manga but is buttery yellow in the anime. The sheath for the Power Pole is often depicted purple in the manga but is red in the anime.
35** Pilaf's robots at the Red Ribbon Arc's end are different colors in the anime (blue for Pilaf, pink for Mai and green for Shu) but they are all orange in the manga.
36** The full-color re-release of the manga alternates between showing young Goku's first gi as either a pale orange or deep blue.
37** Minor character Ranfan (who appears in the first tournament) is a redhead in the manga, but has violet hair in the anime. Her clothing color scheme also changed from her wearing a pink top and gray pants, to a navy blue top and green pants.
38* AdaptationExpansion: Does this with a few episodes.
39** A notable example; in the manga, there's a scene where a female Red Ribbon officer [[TheSmurfettePrinciple (and apparently the only one in the whole army)]] known as Colonel Violet presents Commander Red with a Dragon Ball. In the anime adaptation of that episode, not only does the audience see Violet retrieve it, but later, upon realizing that Goku's attack is going to spell the end of the Army, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere she loots Red's riches and gets out of Dodge]].
40** The search for the six-star Dragon Ball in the Red Ribbon Army Saga is also expanded greatly. In the manga, Goku swoops in, beats up two {{mooks}}, beats up Colonel Silver, and leaves with the Dragon Ball. In the anime, this storyline is expanded to include [[GoldfishPoopGang the Pilaf Gang]], Chi-Chi, the Ox King, and a shifty antique shop owner.
41* AdaptationInducedPlotHole:
42** In one of the Colonel Silver filler episodes, Roshi tells Krillin and Launch the origins of the Dragon Balls, two years before Toriyama would do so himself in the manga. Roshi's "out" is that he pre-faces the legend with "as I heard it".
43** One of the more infamous examples occurs in a {{filler}} episode of the Red Ribbon Army Saga. In this episode, a "Dr. Flappe" is credited as the creator of Android 8. Years later, Toriyama would write Dr. Gero as the creator of the androids. [[AllThereInTheManual A later guide book]] would {{Handwave}} this by saying Dr. Flappe and Gero were partners on the android project.
44** In the Funimation dub, while battling Goku in the wasteland that was Central City, King Piccolo says that he's "travelled all across the galaxy" and never met anyone as strong as Goku. This is odd considering that Piccolo and Kami's origins as aliens is revealed ''after'' this point, and was one of the earliest plot twists to occur in ''Z''.
45** Similarly, during the 23rd Tournament arc, Goku realizes that Kami (disguised as Shen) is an alien, ''much'' earlier than its true reveal in ''Z''.
46* AdaptationalBadass:
47** In the anime, Commander Red is initially built up as a more intimidating Bond villain type, while in the manga, he's a bit of a joke from his first scene. His height and even his face isn't revealed for several episodes, he has a violent cat-like pet and he's fantastic at pool and golf.
48** In the manga, Colonel Silver appears for a single chapter and is downed with a solitary kick. The anime gives Silver an entire mini-arc to be on par with General White and Blue as a respected officer, although he still ultimately goes down just as in the manga.
49** Tien has two minor examples:
50*** In his fight with Goku at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, he performs better in the anime where he's able to match Goku, with Goku only having a slight advantage. In the manga, the fight is far more one-sided with Goku dominating Tien until Chiaotzu paralyzes Goku, allowing Tien to badly injure Goku. Although Tien gets on Chiaotzu for this and allows Goku to pummel him as repayment, the damage was done.
51*** In the manga, Drum completely outmatches Tien, who doesn't land a single blow before going down and nearly being killed. In the anime, Tien puts up a better fight and manages to score several hits on Drum, making him bleed. He even gets to use the Evil Containment Wave and is only foiled when Drum shields Piccolo.
52* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Two examples are listed below.
53** In the manga, Pilaf and his henchmen Mai and Shuu aren't introduced until Goku and friends have collected 6 Dragon Balls and reached his castle (Chapter 18). In the anime, he shows up in the very first episode, and acquires the Dragon Ball that he has in the manga. For the rest of the meta-arc, their various exploits in attempting to acquire the other Dragon Balls are depicted. Which means, since Goku and friends get all the rest, FailureIsTheOnlyOption for these exploits.
54** The introduction of Tenshinhan ([[DubNameChange Tien]]) and Chiaotzu. In the manga, they first turn up at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai. But the anime introduces them as the villains of a filler episode while Goku is doing his solo training.
55* AdoptiveNameChange: Goku's original name was Kakarot. He gained his current name upon being found and adopted by the elderly Son Gohan after crashing on Earth.
56* AdorablyPrecociousChild: Goku. By the age of 12, he was living by himself in the wilderness and traveling the world.
57* AdventureTowns: Going from town to town is part of the quest to collect the Dragon Balls.
58* AnAesop: Master Roshi has a few Aesops on training. All of these are written to be applicable to life:
59** ''Training takes time''. Goku and Krillin train every day for eight months, for several hours a day. They don't see results themselves for seven months.
60** ''Training is meant to challenge you; you won't get any better if it's easy''. Goku complains on the first day that he's tired and asks Master Roshi if he can deliver the rest of the milk on Kinto'un. Master Roshi asks him if that would challenge his ability, and says that he would never get any better if it was easy.
61** ''It's okay to struggle''. Toriyama isn't afraid to show how exhausted Goku and Krillin are. Krillin in particular can't meet Goku's raw power, but he doesn't give up.
62** ''Everyone needs rest'', or ''balance your workload''. Master Roshi might employ TrainingFromHell, but he always gives them the chance to recover. He includes a huge breakfast, a nap time, and a study time. Even the strongest guys in the world take breaks.
63** ''Training can be boring and frustrating''. Goku and Krillin don't enjoy delivering milk and swimming with sharks, and Goku wants to learn the fun stuff right away. Roshi says they aren't ready.
64** ''Training works''. By the time the tournament comes around, Goku and Krillin are in incredible shape.
65** And the one he spells out: ''Accept that even with all of your training, there is AlwaysSomeoneBetter''. Master Roshi goes out of his way to ensure that Goku and Krillin get into the Tenkaichi Budokai, and that they do not become the Champion, or else they'd think they're the best and wouldn't need to train.
66* AffablyEvil: Mai and Shu of the Pilaf Gang are decent enough and only really do bad things under Pilaf's orders. Even Pilaf grows to genuinely care for his teammates.
67* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Goku get a few of these from Master Roshi and his grandfather when they briefly meet.
68* TheAgeless:
69** Master Roshi and Fortuneteller Baba, both having drank from the Fountain of Youth.
70** Being an android, Android 8 never appears to age.
71** King Piccolo first mentioned wanting to wish for eternal youth from Shen Long so he could rule the world forever, but for some reason when he got the balls he changed his wish to just having his youth restored (he was even stated to be holding back against Goku at first because fighting at full strength makes him age faster).
72* AlienAmongUs:
73** Goku is a member of a warrior race from another planet sent to Earth to exterminate its population, a fact that even Goku is ignorant of at this point in time.
74** Kami and King Piccolo are revealed to be two-halves of a nameless alien from Planet Namek in ''Z''. Before then, it was unknown as to ''what'' they actually are.
75* AIIsACrapshoot: Inverted by Android 8, who is made to be an unstoppable killing machine. Instead, the army gets a pacifist who refused to fight even in the face of death. He even hides the Dragon Ball from the army so they wouldn't execute the local village.
76* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Bulma has a bad habit of this.
77** She develops a crush on Yamcha despite him trying to rob and kill them.
78** She also falls for General Blue who is also trying to kill her and steal the Dragon Balls. Unlike Yamcha, he doesn't return Bulma's feelings and finds her disgusting.
79* AllMythsAreTrue: Subverted when Roshi tells Krillin and Launch the origin myth of the Dragon Balls. The legend he tells is more realistically played: parts of it are true or are based on reality, but the portrayal of it is false.
80* AlternateCharacterReading:
81** Played with when the [[CombatCommentator Tenkaichi Budokai announcer]] mispronounced Son Goku's name as "Mago Gosora" the first time he reads it. At the next tournament, he misreads Chiaotzu's name as "Gyoza". This gets LostInTranslation in the English dub of the anime, since rather than trying to explain character readings to the audience, the dialogue is changed so that it's made clear the announcer is struggling with reading some [[TheIllegible poor handwriting]] on the contestants' entry forms. This actually fits [[BookDumb Goku's character]] as he's only just learned to read and write in the last few months before his first tournament.
82** In the anime, Pilaf also misreads Goku's name as "Mago Gosora" when reading a banner at Fire Mountain welcoming Goku for his presumed wedding with Chi-Chi.
83** Shenron's name is an example - the kanji mean "god dragon" and would normally be pronounced "shinryuu", however the furigana give it a Japanese approximation of the modern Chinese pronunciation (Shénlóng). This also later comes into play in the third tournament, in which Kami (AKA {{God}}) participates incognito by [[DemonicPossession inhabiting]] a human named Shen. Goku figures out his real identity when he remembers that the kanji for "Kami" also has the reading "Shen" in its Chinese pronunciation, as in Shenron, the divine dragon. The titular Dragon Balls also use this, each one being named in Chinese.
84* AlwaysLate: Goku has a bad habit of only being able to reach the battlefield in time to save his friends from being utterly annihilated.
85* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: An ongoing theme of the entire series. No matter how powerful you become, there will always be someone better out there to challenge you.
86* [[invoked]]AngstWhatAngst: People often notice Goku's tendency to be carefree and get over big shocks quickly:
87** Bulma asks Goku how can he be so happy when he tells her that his grandfather died, leaving him to fend for himself for several years.
88** After the first time his tail is cut off, Goku freaks out for about five seconds and then gets over it, causing everyone around to do a FaceFault.
89* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: The anime had two non-canon episodes: "Goku's Traffic Safety" and "Goku's Fire Brigade". The characters learn about traffic safety and fire safety, then address the audience about it at the end.
90* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: After Goku kills Demon King Piccolo, everyone across the world celebrated their liberation.
91* AnimalMotifs: Although all Saiyans have the monkey motif, Goku embodies it the best. He will sometimes mimic a monkey's movements like running on all fours, swinging from trees, and grabbing objects with his feet. He also have the monkey's playful and mischievous nature, but can become quite violent when enraged.
92* AnimeHair: Goku has a big mane of spiky black hair that even manages to maintain its shape underwater. In the Piccolo Jr. Saga, he even used his hair as a DistinguishingMark to his friends.
93-->'''Goku''': Well? Are you convinced now? I'm Son Goku!
94* AndIMustScream: King Piccolo spent hundreds of years trapped in a rice cooker at the bottom of the ocean before Pilaf found him.
95* ArchEnemy: Goku and King Piccolo and later his son Piccolo Jr. Goku despises King Piccolo for murdering Krillin and Master Roshi and made it his personal mission to kill him. Piccolo Jr hates Goku for killing his dad and ruining his plans to take over the world. It isn't until [[EnemyMine they join forces against Raditz]] later in ''Z'' that they stop being enemies.
96* AreWeGettingThis: In the very first tournament arc, the announcer actually asks Krillin and Jackie Chun to redo one part of their fight at a slower pace because they were going so fast nobody could see it. Chun consents, as it's for television, but asserts that this he won't do it again, so they'd better pay attention.
97* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Being a martial-arts shonen manga, it is probably easier to name the villains who do ''not'' follow this trope than the ones that do.
98* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In the English-sub version of ''Manga/DragonBall'', when confronting Tambourine, Goku states, "You killed Kuririn, you killed Kinto-Un, and to top it all off, you stole my Dragon Ball!"
99* ArtifactTitle:
100** In the Funimation dub, the Power Pole. The name is taken from the Harmony Gold script from 1989, where Yamcha explains that the Power Pole is so-named because it gives the wielder immense power, hence the name and why Goku is so strong at the start. The Funimation dub dropped this aspect (it'd cause a lot of logistical problems in Tournaments where Goku can't use it, let alone when he foregoes it altogether), but the name was kept.
101** The title of the work itself has been zig-zagged over the course of its history. Dragon Balls are the focus of three arcs out of ten, and while most non-tournament arcs do have them featured at some point with great importance, they aren't the focal point like in the Pilaf and Red Ribbon Army arcs. Lampshaded early on after Bulma says the Dragon Balls become inert for a year after they've been used, which prompts Oolong to ask "[[BreakingTheFourthWall What's going to happen to the title of the manga now?]]"
102* ArtisticAge:
103** Despite being 12 and then 15 after the timeskip, Goku doesn't look a day past 8 or 10 years old. He finally looks his age after turning 18. We learn much later in ''Z'' that Saiyans age slower than humans and therefore have longer childhoods.
104** Krillin, like Goku, doesn't seem to age until after the timeskip.
105** Chiaotzu looks like a five-year-old china doll despite being at least 15 when he's introduced.
106* AsLongAsThereIsOneMan: Master Roshi fails to re-seal King Piccolo, expending his life in the process. He then tells Piccolo not to feel too comfortable, as one day, someone strong enough will come to challenge him, and dies afterwards.
107* AssassinOutclassin: The Red Ribbon Army hires Mercenary Tao to take Goku out and steal his Dragon Balls. He survives the first fight, and later beats Tao in a rematch.
108* AssholeVictim:
109** The antique shop owner from Dragon Ball episode 30 who offers only 10 Zeni to a thief boy for the Dragon Radar that the latter stole from Goku, when he knows it would be worth way more than that, and also cons Pilaf with a fake Four-Star Dragon Ball. The con man later tries the same trick on Colonel Silver who sees through the trick and shoots him dead.
110** General Blue who nearly killed Goku and his friends countless times and executed his own men for minor infractions is done in by Tao in a very anticlimactic and tragic fashion.
111** Commander Red sent countless of his own men to their deaths and ruined the lives of many others just so he could obtain the Dragon Balls to grow taller. Officer Black shot him personally in the head.
112** Giran was murdered by Tambourine after terrorizing an animal village and stealing food. He was eventually revived by the Dragon Balls.
113* ATrueHero: Most of the main characters are martial artists and other fighters by trade who primarily fight for sport or to challenge themselves. This caused a lot of controversy when much of the dialogue was [[{{Woolseyism}} changed in the English dub]] to make the heroes sound a lot more like superheroes, including Goku's infamous "I am the Hope of the Universe!" speech in ''Z''. The tricky part is the Main/{{wuxia}} influences in the source material: 99% of the characters are of the wandering hero archetype, where protecting the innocent and doing the right thing is just as important to a martial artist as being strong, but they don't go out of their way searching for injustice and often have their own goals to pursue (like a good fight for Goku). This can be confusing for western audiences when the characters fly, dress up in bright costumes and shoot lasers from their hands.
114* AttackTheTail: Justified; because [[AchillesHeel grabbing his tail would cause him to lose his unnatural strength]], Goku was often the victim of this early in the series. It was the only way to stop Goku rampage after turning into a Great Ape in the first story arc. He eventually grew out of this around the time of the first timeskip.
115* AttemptedRape: Bulma at one point is nearly raped by two Red Ribbon Army soldiers before running away and getting saved by kid Goku.
116* AutobotsRockOut:
117** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcV-73d_0YA Done]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7mzjFHYSDY all]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJXRz9D8880 the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLnha3kYHwc time]] in the Creator/FUNimation dub.
118** And in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vMprHWFi7E the North American version]] of Budoukai 3's theme
119* AvengingTheVillain: Piccolo Jr. is out to avenge the death of King Piccolo, his father/reincarnation, at the hands of Goku and he actually does fulfill this goal.
120* AwesomeButImpractical: The entire franchise has enough of these that they [[AwesomeButImpractical/DragonBall warrant their own page]].
121* AwesomenessByAnalysis:
122** How Goku learns the Kamehameha. He also learns the After Image Technique after seeing it once and manages to improve upon it after seeing it used a second time with a double. He also learns the Solar Flare after seeing it used only twice and uses it against Tien, its creator, at the next tournament. In the 22nd tournament he copies King Chapa's Hasshu-ken, Eight-Arm Fist, in his fight against Tien.
123** Tien, much like Goku, learns the Kamehameha by watching Yamcha use it. Yamcha and Krillin also learn the Kamehameha from observation since Master Roshi never teaches it to them.
124* AxCrazy:
125** General Blue, who executes a soldier for picking his nose and loves the sound of gunfire executing soldiers.
126** King Piccolo, who murders and causes suffering to countless people because he enjoys it. His son, Piccolo Jr, is only mildly better.
127* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Of the original core group, Goku is the youngest and least mature. He's babied to the extent that Bulma worries about him the most. He's still the strongest and most competent of the bunch in terms of fighting.
128* BackstabBackfire: During the fight with Mercenary Tao in the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Tao promises that he'll change his ways, but then throws a grenade at Goku as soon as the latter lets his guard down. Goku then throws it right back at him, resulting in it exploding in his face.
129* BackForTheFinale: In the final two episodes of the anime, Grandpa Gohan makes his last appearance outside of flashbacks. However, these two episodes are part of an anime-only mini-arc and thus this trope doesn't apply to the manga.
130* BadassAdorable:
131** Goku is a sweet and innocent child capable of challenging the world's greatest martial artists and single-handedly dismantling the most powerful military force in the world.
132** Chi-Chi is introduced as an adorable little girl who blows up a Tyrannosaurus with a helmet laser.
133* BadassNormal:
134** Yamcha is introduced as a desert bandit with some martial arts skill. He almost wins a fight against a starving Goku before being forced to retreat and later makes it through the preliminary rounds of the 21st World Tournament. In the years that follow, [[EmpoweredBadassNormal he picks up some special abilities through his training.]]
135** Yajirobe never gains any special powers. He can't fly or use energy attacks. Despite his lack of special powers, he fights evenly with an enraged Goku and kills one of King Piccolo's henchmen in a SingleStrokeBattle.
136* BadBoss:
137** Emperor Pilaf regularly abuses and even tortures Mai and Shu. However, he is one of the lesser bad bosses in the series since despite his abuses he never kills his allies and does respect them in his own way.
138** Commander Red executes his men for failure even if they are partly successful. When General Blue returns without a Dragon Ball but carrying Goku's Dragon Ball Radar, Commander Red makes him fight the deadly Assassin Tao so that he can see the killer's skills with his own eyes. He constantly throws good lives after bad trying to claim the Dragon Balls from Goku for the selfish purpose of becoming taller.
139** Those serving under Commander Red are not much better. General White wanted Android 8 destroyed for not wanting to kill Goku and tried to force him to make a sadist choice between Goku and the mayor's life. General Blue had two of his men executed. One for picking his nose and the other for missing Goku's submarine when they were chasing them. Officer Black, once he took over, attempted to nuke the entire Red Ribbon base to kill Goku, despite many of his own men still being there.
140** King Piccolo is a rare subversion. He cares for his children and gets upset when one of them is killed and goes out of his way to avenge them. That said, he plays this straight with his human minions, who are forced to serve him after he takes over the King Castle.
141* BalloonBelly:
142** Goku ate all the food in Master Roshi's fridge and his stomach became visibly bulged.
143*** Happened to him again during the first TournamentArc: he ate a ton of food, and his belly bulged a bit, to the point where his shirt couldn't completely cover it and his belt/sash was off.
144** Yajirobe suffered from a severe case of balloon belly when he ate a handful of senzu beans. They're meant to keep a person full for ten days ''each''.
145** Krillin also does this with his tournament fight with Goku by sucking in a lot of air to make himself float.
146* BarredFromTheAfterlife: Those killed by Piccolo and his minions are forced to spend the rest of eternity in limbo unable to cross over to the afterlife. Reviving Piccolo's victims to spare them from this fate is part of the reason why Goku is so desperate to restore the Dragon Balls after Piccolo destroyed them.
147* BastardUnderstudy: Supreme Commander Red of the Red Ribbon Army spends most of the arc expositing his plans and goals to Adjutant Black. When Black learns that Red only wanted the Dragon Balls to become taller, however, he murders Red and tries to seize control.
148* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Early in the series, Goku uses his Power Pole to extend and strands Monster Carrot and his {{Mooks}} on the Moon. There are [[MoonRabbit regular rabbits living there]] already.
149* BattleAura: Energy auras in a variety of [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience distinctive colors]] for different characters and situations become more common as the series progresses.
150* BattleStrip: Goku removes his weighted clothes in his rematch against Tien at the 23rd World Tournament. Also, Ranfan strips to her underwear in her fight with Namu in the 21st World Tournament.
151* BeamOWar: One of the series' staples. The manga would not feature them regularly until the Saiyans arrived much later, but it still featured a brief clash of beams in the battle of the Kamehamehas during Goku and Jackie Chun's fight in the 21st Martial Arts Tournament, and later in the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament the first truly major beam clash of the series happens between Piccolo Jr. and Son Goku's Super Kamehameha (with Son Goku coming out on top).
152* BeamSpam: King Piccolo in both of his fights against Goku. His favorite technique is firing his finger beams rapidly.
153* BerserkButton: It didn't happen often, but calling Goku weak causes him to lose his cool. This is seen when King Piccolo called him ant poop when regarding his power, which made Goku charge him and knocked Piccolo on his butt. Another example is when Mr. Popo mockingly calls Goku weak and wonders if he actually beat Piccolo just to rile him up. He becomes noticeably careless and reckless when this button is pressed, but thankfully gets over it after training with Kami.
154* BerserkerTears: Goku sheds tears as he runs off to avenge Krillin, who was killed by Tambourine, one of Piccolo's minions.
155* BewareTheNiceOnes: Android 8 is a pacifist who despises fighting and would rather be destroyed than cause harm to others. However, the moment he thinks Goku has been killed by a bullet in the head, he loses it and punches General White right out of Muscle Tower.
156* BigBad: See [[BigBad/DragonBall here]].
157* BigBadWannabe:
158** Pilaf pictures himself as the main villain, but is more of a whiny, spoiled brat. It would be a while before any really evil villains showed up.
159** Commander Red of the Red Ribbon Army. He sees himself commanding an army that can take over the world and hunts down the Dragon Balls for his own vanity. He is brought down almost singlehandedly by Goku and is killed by Officer Black when he learns the real reason why Red wanted the Dragon Balls.
160** [[RivalTurnedEvil Master Roshi's friend turned rival]], the Crane Hermit, shows up at the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament seeking revenge on Goku and his former students, but is quickly chased off.
161* BigBrotherInstinct: See [[BigBrotherInstinct/DragonBall here]].
162* BigDamnHeroes:
163** Goku pulls this off several times like a pro. He comes to save Bulma and Krillin from General Blue seconds before Krillin's skull could be crushed in and he rescues Tien before Drum can crush his heart.
164** Yajirobe and Tien pull off magnificent ones nearing the end of the King Piccolo arc as well, saving Goku from certain death twice.
165* BigEater: Goku frequently eats a large table's worth of food by himself. In the 21st World Tournament, he eats so much that it costs Master Roshi all of his tournament winnings to cover the bill. The success of Dragon Ball codified this trope as a trait for all future {{Shonen}} heroes to have.
166* BigGood:
167** Master Roshi for most of the series. He trains and mentors Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha. Even after being surpassed in the 22nd World Tournament, he still uses his advice and wisdom to redeem Chiaotzu and Tien, encouraging them through Goku's example to abandon their sinister aspirations. When King Piccolo rises, Roshi explains the history of the Demon King and enacts a plan to defeat him. His [[TheWorfEffect failure to overcome Piccolo]] brings an end to his role as BigGood and reinforces the CerebusSyndrome that's settled in.
168** In preparation for meeting Piccolo again in the 23rd World Tournament, Kami trains Goku and then attends the tournament in disguise in order to imprison Piccolo and prevent his evil from ever threatening the world again. His plan ultimately backfires, however, leaving the fate of the world to be decided in martial combat between his pupil Goku and the sinister Piccolo.
169* BilingualBonus: Shen Long is Chinese for "Dragon God." The names of almost all his alien characters - along with Bulma's family and Piccolo and his minions - are straight English or derived from it.
170* BittersweetEnding: The end of the King Piccolo Saga in the anime[[note]]Funimation abruptly ends the arc immediately after Piccolo's death, considering the denouement that resolves nearly all of the bitter elements to be the opening act of the next arc.[[/note]]. Piccolo has been defeated and the world is free. However, the capital of the world got destroyed, many beloved characters are dead, and Shenron is gone, making it impossible to wish anyone back. Also, Piccolo released one last off-spring before dying.
171* BlackAndWhiteMorality: There is very little grey in this series. All the villains are either irredeemably evil or make a HeelFaceTurn. The heroes are mostly good people with some mean-spirited or selfish streaks. Of course by the time of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', the series starts exploring grey morality more and more, especially with Vegeta and the future Trunks arc of ''Super''.
172* BloodKnight:
173** During his developmental years, Goku learns from Master Roshi to never become complacent in his ability because there is AlwaysSomeoneBetter. He takes this lesson to heart and makes it a core value of his character, constantly seeking stronger foes to test his skills against.
174** Tien is one of the few human blood knights. He keeps training and improving himself so he can surpass and beat Goku.
175* BloodUpgrade: General Blue fights far more seriously the moment he sees his own blood.
176* BluntYes: When Bulma gives Roshi a large diamond, Turtle suggests he give it to him for safekeeping so he doesn't blow it on something he doesn't really want.
177-->'''Roshi:''' W-What was that?! Are you saying you can't trust me?!
178-->'''Turtle:''' Yes.
179* BodyHorror: Tien's Four Witches technique involves his shoulders bulging out before two extra arms shoot out.
180* BookDumb:
181** Master Roshi's training included basic reading and math (unlike Master Shen's-- Chiaotzu might be just as BookDumb), but Goku only studied with him for about a year when he was 12-13. During his fight with Ninja Murasaki, it's revealed he can't count past 25. When it comes to fighting, however, he's a genius, able to point out the flaws of various techniques and come up with good strategies.
182** Chiaotzu may be worse than Goku. He has to do basic math on his fingers, even if the math problem is as simple as 9 minus 1.
183* BookEnds: For the anime. The Pilaf Saga has Goku and Chi-Chi search for the Bansho Fan to put out the flames in the Ox King's castle. The last few episodes of the Piccolo Jr. Saga have the same thing happen, except they actually succeed in finding the fan ''and'' put out the fire without destroying the castle.
184* BoringButPractical: Solar Flare/''Taiyoken''. This attack blinds the opponent temporarily by having the user emit a light as bright as the sun. It's not as flashy as the increasingly large energy attacks that get thrown around, but is always successful at stunning or stalling the recipient long enough for the user to escape or follow through with another attack.
185* {{Bowdlerise}}: See [[Bowdlerise/DragonBall here]].
186* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: In the anime, Goku lived for some amount of time with a colony of monkeys. The reason for this was because they used their tails for almost everything they do, and Goku's tail was his biggest weakness. By the time he returned to his friends, he was just as strong with his tail as with the rest of his body.
187* BreakingTheFourthWall: In the 8th chapter of the manga, Goku sends Yamcha into the air with his punch, but Yamcha bounces off the frame's border back to the ground.
188* BrickBreak: Oolong dared Goku to break a stack of bricks with a karate chop. Goku broke the stack with one finger.
189* BrickJoke:
190** Goku usually sleeps on his late grandpa's lap after removing his underwear. When he does the same with Bulma, he is so horrified that she lacks "balls", he forgot to put her panties back on. While they encounter Master Roshi for the first time, and Bumla agrees to show him her panties in exchange for his Dragon Ball, she shows more than what either of them expected. She learns later on that she somehow lost her panties before her agreement and furiously blames Goku for it.
191** In the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, the announcer calls out Master Roshi for blowing up the moon in order to stop a rampaging transformed Goku, citing several petty reasons including the inability of werewolves to transform. Three years later in-universe, one of the competitors at the 22nd Budokai is a Man-Wolf who is angry with Roshi for removing his chance to transform. Roshi reverts him to human form using hypnosis, whereupon he happily leaves, saying he can now pick up women. This leads to another brick joke: Roshi notes that Man-Wolf's human form is a {{gonk}} and that he's unlikely to be any more popular, but when he's revived at the end of the King Piccolo arc, there's a pretty girl mourning at his grave, suggesting he did manage to score after all.
192* BrightnessShadows: Energy blasts are often shown this way. During really dramatic ones, the entire scene may be illuminated only by the blast, as if the Sun were momentarily switched off.
193* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu:
194** Centuries before the story takes place, a human martial artist named Master Mutaito is forced to confront King Piccolo, the embodiment of evil. He uses the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Mafuba]] to [[SealedEvilInACan imprison Piccolo in an Electric rice cooker]], but only at the cost of his own life.
195** Goku and Yajirobe both kill one of Piccolo's children, protect the Dragon Ball, and Goku kills Krillin's murderer. Then Piccolo himself comes, nearly kills Goku and takes the Dragon Ball he's been guarding, making all their prior victories meaningless. To add salt to the wound, Piccolo goes on to kill Master Roshi.
196** Subverted when Master Roshi attempts to follow in his mentor's footsteps and reimprison Piccolo inside an electronic rice cooker with the Mafuba. He manages to pull off the technique against Piccolo but misses the rice cooker. Piccolo remains free while Master Roshi [[SenselessSacrifice dies for nothing]].
197* BruceLeeClone: One appears during the 21st World Tournament, facing off against Krillin. After the latter no-sells a flurry of kicks from him, he promptly quits.
198* BrutalHonesty: Goku doesn't mince words. He will give his opinion even if you don't ask for it. He calls Bulma [[TheLoad weak and useless]] when she asks to tag along during the Red Ribbon Army Saga.
199* BulletTime: It is suggested several times that we are seeing the battles as they appear to the main characters, who are all fast enough to dodge bullets and thus have incredibly heightened reflexes, meaning they're pretty much in Bullet Time constantly. This would explain some of the pacing inconsistencies (like the famous "ten-episode-long five minutes"), but the series never says ''for sure'' whether this is the case.
200* BullyHunter: One of the types of people Goku dislikes the most are those who intentionally abuse their power. When Krillin is put down by his former temple classmates for being a weakling, Goku tells Krillin to go all out when he fights them, when before he tells Krillin to hold back to keep from hurting people.
201* BullyingADragon: After Goku brings down Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army knows precisely how powerful he is. It didn't stop them from sending troops and their generals to kill him. It all comes to a head after they hire Mercenary Tao to kill him. Tao kills one of Goku's friends. In turn, Goku goes after all the Dragon Balls and [[NiceJobFixingItVillain takes out the Red Ribbon while he's at it]].
202* BunnyEarsLawyer: Muten/Master Roshi is an [[DirtyOldMan elderly pervert]] who, despite his eccentricities, bears the title of "The Invincible Master" of martial arts.
203* ButNowIMustGo: Goku pulls this more than a few times. In his childhood, he leaves his friends several times to either train, to look for the Four-Star Dragon Ball, or go after someone. He also leaves behind the people he saves like Suno and Upa, some of whom never see him again.
204* ButtMonkey:
205** Krillin from his first introduction in which he tries to impress Master Roshi by jumping off his ship only to land head first into the sand. He also suffers from the WorfEffect when he is beaten up by General Blue to show how strong he is and humiliated by Draco Man during Baba's tournament. To make it worse, Draco Man is taken down by Upa and Puar, both non-fighters. He is also the first main character to be killed; murdered offscreen by Piccolo's henchman and not Piccolo himself like Master Roshi and even Chiaotzu.
206** Any time Yamcha appears, something is likely to go very badly for him. He's forced to abandon his first fight in a humiliating fashion due to gynophobia. He suffers TheWorfEffect in nearly every subsequent appearance to illustrate the villain's strength and, in many cases, pointless cruelty. He's never made it past the first round of the World Tournament and, during action sequences, is usually relegated to staying with the non-combatants if he's not outright broken or killed to show off the villain's strength.
207
208[[/folder]]
209
210[[folder: C]]
211* CallBack: Much of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament contains flashbacks and comparisons to earlier in the series to juxtapose Goku as a Child and Goku as a Teenager going on Adult. This ranges from Goku's first meeting with Chi-Chi after asking her to marry him, to more subtle things like Jackie Chun/Goku knocking Yamcha/Chi-Chi out of the ring without touching them.
212* CallingCard: Piccolo's minion, Tambourine, leaves a paper with the symbol for "demon" near the bodies of the martial artists he kills.
213* CallingYourAttacks: Several attacks throughout the series involve shouting the name of the attack as it's used, including the Kamehameha, Wolf Fang Fist, Solar Flare, and Tri-Beam.
214* CameBackStrong: With his final act, King Piccolo reincarnates himself into an egg and launches himself across the world. This deed results in him living on as Piccolo Jr., who returns in the 23rd World Tournament stronger than ever to take revenge against Goku for killing him.
215* CameBackWrong: Actively [[DefiedTrope defied]] during the King Piccolo arc. When Krillin is killed, Bulma is worried that if his body decomposes before he can be resurrected with the Dragon Balls, he'll come back as a zombie, so she builds a stasis pod to keep him fresh. She later builds similar pods for Roshi and Chiaotzu. And when Goku finds out that Kami has the ability to restore the destroyed Shenron, he tells his companions not to burn the bodies. As it happens, however, the Dragon can restore anyone perfectly so long as there hasn't been too much time since their death.
216* TheCameo: Akai Tomato, a character from Toriyama's 1979 one-shot ''Tomato, Girl Detective'', can be seen walking in the streets of West City in episode 44.
217* CantCatchUp: Although not as obvious as ''Z'' since everyone in the cast remains useful to various degrees, but once Goku surpasses someone, they never become his equal again. Both Tenshinhan (after Goku manages to defeat King Piccolo) and Yamcha (when he hears that Goku is training under Kami) note this in-story.
218* CardCarryingVillain: Justified by Demon King Piccolo and his spawn/reincarnation Piccolo Jr. (up until his HeelFaceTurn anyway), who are unashamedly evil and proud of it. The character is the physical incarnation of the evil that once lurked in the heart of the Nameless Namekian, opposite his good qualities manifested in Kami.
219* CashLure: In the censored version, Bulma uses money as a bribe instead of her panties.
220* CastFromCalories: Ki comes from the user's body, and must be replenished with food. Goku in particular frequently burns through his store of calories, and becomes weak in a prolonged fight until he can manage to eat [[BigEater a staggering amount of food]] to recover.
221* CastFromHitPoints: The Tri-beam attack draws power directly from Tien's life force. Every time he uses it, it risks killing him.
222* CastFromLifespan: Demon King Piccolo is able to create eggs which hatch into specialized and competent minions, but doing this depletes his own life force and accelerates his aging. He seeks the Dragon Balls in order to regain his youth to counteract this.
223* CavalierCompetitor:
224** In the 21st World Tournament, the final match between Jackie Chun and Goku is a tense, suspenseful battle for the course of Goku's future, but only to Jackie Chun. For Goku, it's a fun and exciting opportunity to test his skills and learn some new techniques. Ultimately, his good-natured willingness to rise to every challenge and copy every move Jackie makes costs him the fight.
225** In the 22nd World Tournament, Goku's good sportsmanship and genuine love of the activity contagiously redeems Tien. He enters the match seeking vengeance for Goku's defeat of Mercenary Tao, but with a bit of guidance from Master Roshi, he finds himself enjoying the fight for its own sake. When Chiaotzu uses his psychic powers to paralyze Goku so that Tien can strike his vengeful blow, Tien turns on Chiaotzu and even offers Goku a free hit out of a newfound sense of fairness.
226* CelestialBureaucracy: All souls in the afterlife have their deeds listed in a file like a resume, and stamped by Lord Enma/King Yama for approval to go Heaven or be sent to Hell.
227* CensorSuds: In episode 49, Bulma stands up in her bubble bath and bends over, conveniently covered by soap suds.
228* CerebusSyndrome: The series went though this after [[spoiler: Krillin was killed by King Piccolo's henchman Tambourine]].
229* ChallengeSeeker: One of Goku's defining characteristics. He loves to find strong people to fight and test his skills against. If someone proves to be unworthy of his time, [[NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction he tends to get disappointed]].
230* CharacterDevelopment
231** Goku had no problem killing or causing massive harm to his opponents at the start of the series. By the end, he is much more reluctant to kill and has better control of his emotions since he doesn't lose his temper as easily.
232** Krillin goes from being rivals with Goku to becoming one of his closest and dearest friends. He also gains some self-confidence and is much more willing to work to improve himself.
233** Yamcha was shy around girls to the point that he could barely function. Now, he has no problem talking to the opposite sex and no longer robs people.
234** Bulma was selfish and used Goku as a means to an end. Although she is still a little selfish, she mellowed out and sees Goku as a true friend and often worries about him.
235** Launch, at least her blond personality, went from shooting at Goku and his group to seeing them as her friends and actually tries to protect them.
236** Tien went from being an ArrogantKungFuGuy to an honorable fighter who respects his opponent.
237* CharacterMagneticTeam: What started as Goku and Bulma's adventure to find the Dragon Balls grows at a phenomenal rate. Whether through mutual goals or just because they love matching their skills against Goku's, the protagonist cast expands with new additions in every arc.
238* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: All living things have ''ki'' as a sort of mystical lifeforce. With training, otherwise unremarkable humans can make their ''ki'' pool larger and stronger and learn how to channel it into [[KiManipulation shooting energy beams]], flying, being bulletproof, telepathic, and have SuperStrength that'd make them outright near ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' level. You'd still not really be much of a match for most androids and aliens, but still.
239* CheatedAngle: Besides Goku's hair, the Dragon Balls themselves always have the stars in the same configuration and always facing the camera.
240* ChekhovsBoomerang: Goku's Power Pole is used early in the series to identify him as the adopted grandson of Gohan. Once the initial arc is over, it just becomes a signature weapon for Goku until the end of the King Piccolo arc, where its true significance is revealed: the pole is meant to connect Korin's Tower to Kami's Lookout. By putting the pole to its intended use, Goku is able to meet Kami for the first time.
241* ChekhovsGunman:
242** Early in the first story arc, Bulma and Goku meets some random Turtle Hermit who happens to have one of the Dragon Balls and gives the Nimbus to Goku as a reward for helping his pet turtle. Several episodes later, they learn that the Ox-King was a former student of the Turtle Hermit and became friendly with Goku.
243** Yamcha recognizes Goku's Power Pole as belonging to Gohan, a powerful martial arts master. When Ox-King sees the Power Pole, he also learns that Goku is the grandson to Gohan, his old martial arts partner and also a student of the Turtle Hermit. He tells Master Roshi this and he takes Goku on as his student.
244* ChekhovsSkill:
245** When Goku first meets Chi-Chi, he tells her to climb on the Nimbus so they can find Master Roshi. She has some troubling getting on and grabs Goku's tail, exposing his AchillesHeel to Yamcha. When Goku turns into a Great Ape and seems unstoppable, Yamcha remembers the weakness and uses it to paralyze Goku before changing him back to normal by cutting his tail.
246** In the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Goku nearly freezes to death in a winter area and is rescued by a young girl named Snow. She tells him that he was frozen solid when she found him. When Goku fights [[BlobMonster Buyon]], he laments that the monster's soft, jelly body makes it impossible to land a solid hit. When he remembers how he nearly froze, he punches a hole in the wall and allows the cold air to freeze Buyon before finishing it with a kick that literally shatters the monster.
247** Master Roshi's TrainingFromHell regime nevertheless includes basic skills like reading and arithmetic. This proves useful in the 22nd Budokai, when Krillin takes advantage of Chiaotzu's inability to count without using his fingers.
248* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Chi-Chi and Goku first meet as children, and Goku promises to marry her, thinking marriage is a kind of food. He says so when an angry and all grown-up Chi-Chi brings it up in the Tenkaichi Budokai; Chi-Chi is saddened upon realising that she had been sort-of waiting in vain... but Goku then adds that he doesn't want her to be sad and that he takes his promises seriously, so he officially asks her to marry him right there.
249* ChildrenAreInnocent: At one point, Bulma, with Goku in tow, gets hold of her father's capsule by mistake. She's initially wary of using it, knowing her father is a DirtyOldMan, but decides to try it out anyway in case it's something useful. It's not -- the capsule turns out to contain a large number of porno magazines. When Goku takes a look at one of them, he reacts with utter bewilderment.
250-->'''Goku''': This is weird... they're all naked, even though they aren't taking any baths...
251-->'''Bulma''': (with LuminescentBlush) '''''KIDS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT THESE!!!'''''
252* ChildProdigy:
253** PlayedWith. When Goku was a kid, he was often hailed as a prodigy for not only his natural strength and talent for fighting, but his ability to learn advanced techniques after only seeing them once and being able to adapt quickly while fighting. Then, it's {{Subverted}} in ''Z'' when he learns that he's an alien from a super strong alien race that was born for battle and his abilities are considered normal. In fact, he's on the low end of his race. However, this trope is PlayedStraight again when Goku's quick adaptability and natural talent far surpasses any in his race, even the Saiyan Prince who really was a child prodigy, to the point that his low power level compared to other Saiyans at the start of the series could easily be chalked up to being raised on Earth and not fighting strong opponents in space like the other Saiyans.
254** Krillin is a downplayed example. While he never was as talented as Goku, who is a HumanAlien from a fighting race, compared to other humans, he was still an exceptionally strong child. He was able to [[TrainingFromHell survive Master Roshi's training regiment]] and would have been second only to Goku in the 21st Martial Arts Tournament if Master Roshi hadn't entered. He also learned the Kamehameha on the fly with no prior training at the age of sixteen while it took his master fifty years to develop it. The only things that really held Krillin back were his lack of self-esteem, which was an effect of the bullying he received from the monks at his former temple, and his occasional bouts of arrogance.
255* ChivalrousPervert: At times, Oolong. In the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, Bulma is standing on Oolong's shoulders to observe the elimination round while wearing a rather [[TemptingFate short skirt.]] One of the fighters scares Bulma and she loses her balance, pulling Puar down and falling to the ground. Puar is scared and has latched on to Bulma's face, and Bulma is now scared and is flailing about. Cue Oolong staring at Bulma's panties. And then a larger group of random men. Oolong alternates between trying to block their view and getting a peek himself.
256* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome:
257** Launch. She disappears after the Saiyan Saga in ''Z'', and after the first chapter of the Saiyan Saga in the manga.
258** There are many characters that have disappeared from the manga and anime over time. Akira Toriyama has admitted as much.
259* CirclesOfHell: Hell - also known as the [[{{Bowdlerise}} Home For Infinite Losers]] - seems to have a number of layers.
260* CiviliansAreIrrelevant:
261** Becomes more and more prominent as the story goes on, with fights occurring for the fate of Earth's citizens without them even knowing. Examples include the Red Ribbon, Piccolo Daimao, 23rd Tournament, Saiyan, Android, Cell and Buu Arcs: typically the villain will show up, make mincemeat of at least one city and sometimes the world's military, and then humanity collectively panics until Goku and friends save the day as they're the only ones who can stand up to them. This is also prominent in Future Trunks' timeline: Trunks is the only person left who can put up a decent fight to the Androids, while humanity has to hide in whatever safe spaces they can find.
262** Ultimately gets subverted in the grand finale of the Buu Arc: humanity chip in for Goku's Genki-Dama, but only after they're convinced by [[FakeUltimateHero Mr. Satan]], himself a strong but otherwise average human being, helping destroy Buu for good.
263* ClarkKenting: Master Roshi's "Jackie Chun" disguise involves removing his sunglasses and putting on a bad wig, and showering himself in perfume so Goku won't identify him by [[TheNoseKnows smell]]. And that's it. Several characters do manage to either figure it out or come close to figuring it out, but he always manages to somehow convince them that he's not Roshi after all.
264* ClothingDamage: As the more serious battles progress, the characters involved find their outfits steadily ripped to shreds, usually resulting in the last fighter standing having the tattered remains of their pants and nothing more. Goku even lampshades this during his fight with Piccolo Jr. at the 23rd Tournament, noting how his gi always seems to get wrecked during serious moments.
265* CloningSplitsAttributes: This is the main drawback of the Tri-Form Technique, first used by Tien Shinhan. On the surface it allows a fighter to quickly outnumber his foe by making up to four copies of themselves. The copies even retain the original's skills and intellect. The problems is that the overall power of the original is now split between however many clones have been created, meaning the new fighters are all individually weaker. This can put you at a significant disadvantage against a sufficiently powerful opponent, as Goku pointed out when Tien tried to use it against him. Interestingly Piccolo finds a better use for the technique to provide him with an evenly matched training partner.
266* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}:
267** Bulma's mother never seems to age and frequently seems completely divorced from reality.
268** Although he means well, Goku's overwhelming naivety and unusual priorities can be very off-putting to other characters and make his choices difficult to understand.
269* CombatCommentator:
270** The Announcer at the World Tournament provides an enthusiastic commentary of the action for the crowd assembled to watch as well as declaring the victor at the end of each match.
271** Whenever he's not in the ring, Master Roshi in his guise as Jackie Chun provides explanations of the more powerful and dangerous attacks being used by the fighters, such as explaining Tien's Tri-Beam or pointing out that Goku's multi-armed technique was an optical illusion created by moving his arms quickly.
272* CombatPragmatist: Many. Oh, so many...
273** Goku would occasionally fight like this. The "scissor" move of his Rock Scissors 'n' Paper technique is eye-gouging and sometimes, he uses this technique by pretending to use one move and instead using another one (shouting "paper" and using "rock" instead, for example). He also resists Tien's Solar Flare technique by wearing Master Roshi's sunglasses, and ''will'' continue this tradition in ''Z''.
274** Krillin is very much this as a kid. He tries to beat Goku at the 22nd Tournament by grabbing his tail and pulling the old 'looking over there' trick when that failed. He almost ring-outs Jackie Chun by throwing panties on the ground and kicking him when he dived for them. He also most infamously allows Yamcha to win against the invisible man by causing Master Roshi to nosebleed on him when he pulls down Bulma's shirt.
275** Kami will do whatever it takes to protect the world from Piccolo. Most infamously, he [[UseYourHead headbutts Yamcha]] ''[[GroinAttack in the crotch]]'' during the 23rd Tenkaichi, and ''gets away with it in spite of being an illegal move by [[ObfuscatingStupidity making it look like an accident]]''. He only attends the tournament in the first place so that he can cheat and use it as an opportunity to seal away Piccolo with the [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Mafuba]]. Even after the tournament's completion, he tries to take advantage of Goku's victory to assassinate Piccolo while he's unconscious.
276** Master Roshi. Especially in the 21st tournament: in his battle with Krilin, he uses ''spittle'' to gain a temporary advantage and ultimately knocks him out with an attack from behind, and against Goku, he resorts to DrunkenBoxing, hypnosis (the announcer actually calls him out on this, to which Roshi replies that it's Goku's own fault for falling for it), ''[[ShockAndAwe an electric torture attack]]'' (this one would have forced Goku to surrender, had he not seen the full moon right as he was admitting defeat), and ''using Goku's own AwesomenessByAnalysis against him''.
277** Subverted by Tien and Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu tries to cheat at the 22nd World Tournament to avenge Mercenary Tao's defeat at Goku's hands. He uses his telekinesis from the crowd to paralyze Goku, leaving him open to Tien's strikes. During the match, however, Tien finds himself moved by Goku's [[CavalierCompetitor sincere fondness for the art]] and turns on Chiaotzu, demanding he stop cheating. He then allows Goku to take a free hit on him to make things fair.
278** After being overpowered by Goku, Tao begs for his life so Goku will lower his guard. Once he does, he throws a grenade at him. This backfires badly.
279** A lot of King Piccolo's actions are inspired by fear. He is terrified of the Evil Containment Wave, which is why he sends his children to murder every martial artist on the planet. He later uses Tien as a human shield after freaking out that Goku survived his most powerful energy blast.
280* ComedicSociopathy: All the main characters, especially in the first story arc, except for Goku. Bulma is a [[SpoiledBrat spoiled, rich brat]] who often uses people to get her way and shoots a 12-year-old Goku. Oolong is a perverted pig who actually drugged Goku and Bulma so he can feel on Bulma while she's unconscious (this was changed in the dub to him wanting to steal the Dragon Balls). Yamcha is a desert thief who has no problem trying to kill a 12-year-old Goku. Master Roshi is also a pervert who blackmails Bulma to show him her panties and tries to watch Launch undress. Krillin is a DirtyCoward who cheats Goku out of his meal after he fairly found Roshi's rock, and Launch's evil side is an infamous bank robber who regularly shoots people. So, the audience don't feel sorry for them when misfortune hits. This eventually gets {{Downplayed}} as the series moved on.
281* CowerPower: At several points, Oolong and Bulma hides behind Goku whenever someone or something dangerous happens. Bulma looks especially funny since she's so much taller than Goku who is barely three feet tall. She also hides behind Yamcha, which terrifies him at first because of his fear of women.
282* CrossOver:
283** With ''Manga/DoctorSlump'' and ''Manga/OnePiece''.
284** And ''way later'', ''{{Manga/Toriko}} '''and''' Manga/OnePiece'' at the same time!
285* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: See [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass/DragonBall here]].
286* CrypticBackgroundReference: Between the 22nd and 23rd World Tournaments, Yamcha leaves to train on his own. When he returns after the timeskip, he has a cross-shaped scar on his cheek that remains for the rest of the series. The origin of the scar is never explained.
287* CurbStompBattle:
288** In the early parts of the series, Goku frequently gets matched up against foes that are sorely outmatched by his strength and skill. Much of the fun in the Red Ribbon Army arc is watching the most powerful military force on the planet succumb to the dawning realization that everything they have is worthless against this small child's overwhelming abilities. As the series progresses, however, Goku's fights start to even out more.
289** Android 8's "fight" against General White takes [[MegatonPunch one punch]] to send him flying over the horizon.
290** Master Roshi makes short work of a Red Ribbon Army unit sent after him. He also easily dismisses Yamcha when they fight at the 21st Tournament.
291** Mercenary Tao crushes Goku on their first meeting. Goku only manages to astonish him by not dying from a few hits, but fails to do any damage to the assassin. It's only because of Tao overlooking a PocketProtector that Goku survives.
292** Piccolo's second oldest son, Tambourine, makes quick work of all his victims. Most notably, he kills Krillin offscreen without any of his friends outside even noticing that something's amiss.
293** Yajirobe takes out Cymbal with a single strike.
294** Almost all of King Piccolo's fights falls into this trope. The only fight in which it didn't end in a curb stomp was his second fight with Goku.
295** Kami effortlessly humiliates Yamcha while in his guise as the bumbling fool Hero during the 23rd World Tournament.
296** After the 21st World Tournament, nearly every opponent the main cast faces ends up receiving one of these whether it's in the elimation rounds or the actual finals. The only fighters in the tournaments that can stand a chance against the main cast are the main cast or the BigBad of the arc.
297* CuteBruiser:
298** Even as a little kid, Goku is able to withstand the force of being hit by a car and shot in the face. His childlike features masks an inhuman level of strength.
299** Downplayed with Chi-Chi. Both her early appearance and her fight with Goku in the 23rd World Tournament suggest that she is incredibly strong in hand to hand combat despite being a seemingly harmless young girl, but she gets few chances to demonstrate it. Her skills impress Master Roshi and the other spectators, but Goku easily knocks her out of the ring with the wind from punching the air. She's strong, but by the time her only fight comes around, she's already been OvershadowedByAwesome.
300[[/folder]]
301
302[[folder: D]]
303* DangerousForbiddenTechnique:
304** The ''Mafuba'' / ''Evil Containment Wave'' can imprison a foe inside a small container such as a jar or electronic rice-cooker, but it takes a lethal toll on its user's body. Master Roshi learns the technique from his master Mutaito, who imprisoned King Piccolo with it but died from the effort. Master Roshi attempts to do the same when King Piccolo is set free, but misses his target and [[SenselessSacrifice dies for nothing]].
305** Tenshinhan's ''Kikou-hou'' or Spirit Cannon is a CastFromHitPoints technique that ''reduces the user's lifespan'' every time it's used. During the final round of the 22nd World Tournament, he used the attack to destroy the stage in an attempt to force Goku to ring out. While the final moments of the fight didn't go according to plan, his gambit was ultimately successful.
306* DarkerAndEdgier: The King Piccolo Saga started ''Dragon Ball'''s move from a light-hearted comedy manga to an action-drama.
307* DarkestHour: Near the end of the King Piccolo arc, the world is at its lowest point. King Piccolo has conquered the capitol and outlawed the law itself, swearing to destroy one city each year just to savor the despair and chaos. The world's greatest martial artists have been murdered, including Krillin. Goku is missing and believed dead. Master Roshi [[SenselessSacrifice died in a failed attempt to re-imprison Piccolo,]] and Chiaotzu was killed trying to use the Dragon Balls against him. What's worse is that Shenron is killed so the Dragon Balls can't be used against him. All that stands between Piccolo and complete global domination is Tien, slowly being broken down by Piccolo's demonic spawn Drum.
308* DeathByOriginStory: Goku's (adoptive) grandfather, the original Son Gohan, died under mysterious circumstances not long before the beginning of the manga. It was later discovered he was crushed to death when Goku transformed into an Oozaru. This also applies to Goku's and Vegeta's respective fathers, Bardock (killed in the destruction of Planet Vegeta) and King Vegeta (murdered by Frieza before the planet's destruction).
309* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: See [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype/DragonBall here]].
310* DefeatEqualsExplosion:
311** Justified by Officer Black, who is piloting a model suit at the time of his death. Goku punches through the suit, causing it to explode and kill him.
312** King Piccolo is defeated by Goku punching a hole through his chest large enough to fit through. In his final moments, Piccolo reincarnates himself into an egg, projectile vomits it across the planet, then promptly explodes for no reason.
313* DefeatMeansFriendship: Yamcha, Oolong, Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo all started out as enemies. Each was defeated by Goku or, in Chiaotzu's case, Krillin. Each became a loyal and dependable ally for future arcs.
314* DefeatMeansRespect: After being reborn, Piccolo respects Goku a lot more, seeing him as a major hurdle to surpass if he wants to take over the world.
315* DeflectorShield: Very common in the anime, but rare in the manga as it [[AwesomeButImpractical requires a lot of ki and concentration and it's just easier to dodge or deflect the attack]].
316* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: Roshi proclaims that either Krillin or Goku will get dinner, whoever finds the rock that was thrown, and not both.
317* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment
318** The term "senzu bean" when senzu means "holy bean."
319** Roshi means master so Master Roshi's dub name is Master Master.
320* DesperationAttack: As a child, Goku only uses the Kamehameha as a last resort, because it drains most of his energy and he can only fire it once or twice before succumbing to hunger.
321* DetonationMoon: Master Roshi, as [[PaperThinDisguise Jackie Chun]], blows up the moon during the 21st Budokai Tenkaichi to stop a rampaging Oozaru Goku. Later in the series, Kami restores it, but only after he permanently removes Goku's tail....only for Piccolo to blow it up again in the Saiyan Saga in ''Z'' to stop a rampaging Oozaru Gohan. [[DependingOnTheArtist It occasionally disappears and reappears after that.]]
322* DidntThinkThisThrough:
323** After seeing Roshi fail to seal King Piccolo with the Mafuba because he missed the rice cooker he was using as a container, Tien makes a point of practicing with ki blasts until he can reliably hit the rice cooker. When he turns up to fight King Piccolo, he realizes the rice cooker is now broken from being hit with ki blasts and can't serve as a container any more. This is changed in the anime however where Tenshinhan ''doesn't'' break the rice cooker and gets to use the Mafuba, but is still thwarted by Drum and Piccolo.
324** In the climax of the Buu Saga, where Goku needs the energy of everyone on Earth to make a Spirit Bomb? He utilities King Kai's telepathy to try and convince everyone to contribute. Only the people who actually recognize Goku contribute, because he's so relatively unknown by the planet and his request is not only strange, but genuinely terrifies the people who attempt it. When Vegeta tries this, he's not only met with skepticism due to nobody really knowing who he is? Both he and Goku are essentially told to screw off after both insult the entire planet for not listening. It takes Mr. Satan, a world-renowned and beloved public figure, to get the entire world to listen.
325** When Captain Ginyu swapped bodies with Goku, he expected to have access to the same level of power Goku has. But instead, he found himself having the same power level he had in his original body. He may have had Goku's body but he had no idea how to use it.
326** The Maiden Squadron enters the Tournament of Power not in their already transformed states, but in their weaker, if still powerful, base forms, and to transform they go on one of the tallest pillars in the arena, announce it to everyone, and ''then'' start their lengthy transformation sequence, [[TransformationIsAFreeAction expecting everyone to let them]]. Android 17 promptly blasts them mid-transformation, and has to be talked into letting them transform by the Squadron, Goku and Toppo... Much to Beerus' chagrin, as in a battle for the literal fate of eight universes "you should always crush your opponent before they have a chance to go all out".
327* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Since the beginning of the series, Shenron is a force beyond imagining. He's a magical wish-granting dragon conjured by the gathering of all seven Dragon Balls who appears long enough to grant one wish to whoever summons him, then disappears again and scatters the Dragon Balls across the world. The idea that such a being could be physically harmed is unthinkable until King Piccolo, after wishing for his youth to be restored, tests his strength by killing the mighty dragon with a single attack and rendering the Dragon Balls inert.
328* DiedInIgnorance: [[spoiler:Although Raditz is otherwise a spineless DirtyCoward, after he's fatally wounded by Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon, he dies with a smirk on his face, confident that his fellow Saiyans, Vegeta and Nappa, will resurrect him with the Dragon Balls when they arrive on Earth. While Nappa expresses a passing interest in doing so, Vegeta overrules him immediately, and thus Raditz's soul remains damned to Hell forever.]]
329* DirtyOldMan: Master Roshi is several centuries old and has a profound lust for women. He trades a Dragon Ball to Goku and Bulma in exchange for Bulma flashing him. Goku later seeks his guidance for training, but Roshi demands a price: Goku must bring him a woman. When Krillin arrives, Roshi doesn't want to train him either, but Krillin buys his chance with porn magazines and is thus sent to accompany Goku on his quest to find some female companionship for Roshi.
330* DispenseWithThePleasantries: Invoked when a squadron from the Red Ribbon Army comes to recruit Master Roshi, thinking he is a scientist, the leader of the group utters this phrase word for word after an extended conversation where Roshi is mocking the organization.
331* DisplacedOrigin:
332** Goku originally started out as a wild monkey boy from the distant mountains with inexplicable endurance and martial arts talent compared to normal people. Nowadays, he's more famous for being [[LateArrivalSpoiler descended from alien heritage]] and defeating ever-more-fantastic villains with ki blasts.
333** Bulma was originally one of the main characters. In most later incarnations of the series, she's a side character at best and DemotedToExtra at worst.
334* DistantFinale: The final arc takes place 3 years after Goku defeated King Piccolo.
335* DistractedByTheSexy: Multiple examples:
336** During his fight with Jackie Chun in the same tournament, Krillin decides the only way to beat a DirtyOldMan is to...throw a pair of Bulma's panties at him and kick the old pervert while he's distracted.
337--->''He's not the first great warrior (or the last) to be brought low by a girl's panties--''
338** This was Bulma's problem. She tended to go gaga over any hunk she saw, which was a problem when they were the bad guys. Halfway through ''Z'', this was dropped.
339* DivineIntervention: Many of the Z Fighters victories would not have been possible if godly figures of their universes didn't step in to give a hand in training or simply being active in the plot. The Buu Arc downright needed the gods to play a role due it being their mess to begin with.
340* ADogNamedDog:
341** Goku opts to call the mouse he rescues from Pirate Cave... Mouse.
342** Also, Master Roshi's turtle is named Kame, the Japanese word for Turtle.
343* DoNotAdjustYourSet: King Piccolo introduces himself as the [[PresidentEvil new ruler of the world]] by kidnapping the King and forcing him to broadcast the new world order.
344* DoppelgangerLink: [[GodIsGood Kami]] and [[MaouTheDemonKing Demon King]] [[SatanicArchetype Piccolo]] were once one individual before being split in two. If one dies, so will the other. This connection extends to Demon King Piccolo's son/reincarnation, Piccolo Jr., whose death during ''Manga/DragonBallZ's'' Saiyan Arc results in Kami also dying. When Piccolo is revived, so is Kami.
345* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Bulma and Yamcha's relationship is physically abusive in the anime. In the filler episode, "Danger in the Air", Bulma slaps Yamcha after misunderstanding his fight with the thief Hasky to be cheating on her.
346* TheDragon: Downplayed when Tien arrives at the capitol to fight King Piccolo and save the world, Piccolo creates Drum on the spot as a physical test of Tien's abilities. To earn the right to face Piccolo, Drum must first be defeated; a feat that Goku accomplishes with ease when [[BigDamnHeroes he arrives in the nick of time.]]
347* DragonInChief: Officer Black to Commander Red. He's far more competent and realizes early on that they stand no chance against Goku and recommends abandoning the Dragon Balls and escaping to rebuild the army. He also tries to recruit Goku.
348* DragonsUpTheYinYang: The titular Dragon Balls summon a wish-granting dragon when brought together.
349* DramaPreservingHandicap: King Piccolo killed Shenron shortly after regaining his youth, disabling the power of the Dragon Balls. This becomes a recurring theme going forward after the original ''Dragon Ball'', as this enforces higher stakes such as major and minor characters dying.
350* DramaticIrony:
351** Master Roshi wears a wig to pose as Jackie Chun at the World Tournament as a lesson for his students, Goku and Krillin, who are also enrolled. Part of the reason why Goku and Krillin don't believe Jackie Chun is their master is because they believe Master Roshi would curbstomp both of them in seconds, while Goku fought about evenly with Jackie and Krillin did respectably well.
352** The Red Ribbon Army attacks Master Roshi's island because they believe he's the scientist who built the Dragon Radar. They come to this conclusion because Roshi is an old man. The audience knows this invasion is doomed from conception.
353** Commander Red turns off the security defenses around the base because he thinks Tao is returning with four of the Dragon Balls. The audience knows that it isn't Tao coming, it's Goku.
354** In the same saga, Goku's friends rush to help him since they believe he will be killed fighting the Red Ribbon Army by himself. Since we see how Goku is doing, we know very quickly that he doesn't need their help. But, it's the thought that counts, right?
355** Throughout most of the King Piccolo Saga, all of Goku's friends believe he is dead and only Tien and Yamcha are left to oppose Piccolo. They don't learn that he's alive until he challenges King Piccolo for the final time.
356* TheDreaded:
357** To the Red Ribbon Army, Goku inspires fear in all the soldiers and the commanders except for General Blue. When he comes to the Red Ribbon base to take their Dragon Balls, the audience can see the collective OhCrap from everyone. Goku is also terrifying to Pilaf's gang, causing them to shake in fear whenever they know he's around.
358** Mercenary Tao. He's called the world's greatest assassin and it's not an exaggeration. Anyone who knows who he is quakes in fear. Master Roshi actually doesn't believe Goku when he reveals that he beat him.
359** King Piccolo. Everyone who knows him is terrified by his return and Master Roshi, the BigGood at the time, absolutely refuses to even consider fighting him.
360* TheDrifter: Goku becomes this after he's told to WalkTheEarth by Master Roshi. In the filler in-between the end of the Red Ribbon Army Saga and the next tournament, Goku is shown going from town to town, helping people along the way and then leaving as soon as his task is completed. He's also like this during the previous saga when he's looking for his grandfather's Dragon Ball.
361* DubPronunciationChange: The Italian dub has Chichi's name pronounced as "Kiki", since Italian language always considers "ch" a hard sound. The Spanish dub instead has her name pronounced with more emphasis on the second "chi" to avoid making it sound too much like [[CleanDubName a slang word for "boobs"]].
362* DudeShesLikeInAComa: Invoked in the first arc by Oolong, who drugs Goku and Bulma with sleeping powder so he can fondle Bulma while she's unconscious. Fortunately, Yamcha and Puar accidentally ruin his plans when they break into the trailer to steal the Dragon Balls.
363* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Master Roshi gambles his life to seal King Piccolo using the Evil Containment Wave. He fails, but he leaves King Piccolo literally paralyzed in terror to the point that he doesn't move for several seconds after Master Roshi dies. It's the first time we've seen Piccolo scared witless.
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