Tropes A to C / DBZ Abridged

This page covers tropes in Dragon Ball Z Abridged.

open/close all folders

Aborted Arc:
- Played for Laughs with the Garlic Jr. Saga, which basically becomes a non-event when Garlic Jr. and his henchmen have the misfortune of running into Mr. Popo.
- Raditz running around loose in the afterlife gets dropped after a couple episodes, most likely as a mix of TFS trying to make the series actually follow the plot of the Saiyan Saga somewhat and a complete lack of new Raditz footage to work with. Averted; he landed in HFIL.
- Chi-Chi isn't trying to castrate Krillin anymore after season 1. Getting Goku back probably got her to calm down.
- The entire side arc of Bulma's misadventures after the battle against Freeza gets going. All that is shown is Bulma collapsing from severe dehydration after filling up on Namek sea water before we eventually see her clinging to life on a crumbling piece of rock, nagging her head off. And, of course, Frog Ginyu isn't around to try to take Bulma's body, having earlier been squashed by Vegeta.
  - Well, the entire side arc, mostly, but she does end up killing crabs in the ocean.
- Because TFS couldn't figure out how to work with the source material, the Bojack movie was cancelled, and with it all the setup with being trapped inside King Kai's planet in Episode 5, as well as Goku telling Gohan that his movie was going to be next in the Broly abridging, was left without resolution. Bojack showing up in HFIL, which takes place after season 3, is the follow-up to this lingering thread.
- And as the series is now cancelled, the entirety of the Buu Saga, with the teaser redacted from the end of episode 60. The series would get a semi-adaptation of the Buu Saga via the Buu Bits made for Totally Not Mark's video review.
Accidental Misnaming:
- Freeza has corrected people who mispronounced his name on two occasions: such as Goku calling him Freezer and Trunks mispronouncing it "fry-za" (since he was using the "Frieza" spelling, lampshaded when he asks why there's an "I" in it.)
  - Incidentally, Freezer is actually Freeza's name in the Italian, Spanish, and French dubs. Most noticeably, they keep it in the last movie, despite all the other changes (such as using the Japanese name for techniques, and Piccolo for, well, Piccolo, who was called "Junior" in previous adaptations in the former's case).
- When they first met, Trunks accidentally calls Goku "Sun Wukong", named after the protagonist of Journey to the West. Sun Wukong is the original Chinese for "Son Goku" in Japan, so Goku doesn't bother correcting him.
- Gero apparently didn't pay attention to many of Goku's allies, and once mistook Krillin for Tien.
- In Revenge of Cooler, the reason Krillin sends Gohan to get senzu beans from Korin is because last time he went there, he kept calling him Whiskers the Wonder Cat (This is actually a reference to the Harmony Gold Dub of Dragon Ball, where Korin actually has that name). In fact, Krillin has such a terrible memory, he gives everyone odd names. This leads to Dende telling Freeza about Earth because he kept calling him "Little Green".
- Freeza and Zarbon call Cui "Kiwi" a couple of times.
- Goku keeps mistaking Cooler for Freeza.
- Goku keeps getting "Hyperbolic Time Chamber" wrong. By his own admission, some of these instances may not be 'accidental'.
- In Lord Slug, several people accidentally call the eponymous Lord Slug "King Piccolo," by mistake. It never ends well for them.
Achievements in Ignorance:
- Goku, as he's dying, manages to give a Final Speech, even though...
  Krillin: Goku, you can't die! Here! I brought a senzu bean!
  Goku: I don't think that's gonna work.
  Krillin: Why not?
  Goku: I sort of have a hole in my esophagus.
  Krillin: Wait, then how are you breathing?
  [Goku dies]
  - This is actually possible, since the esophagus splits from the trachea. Food and drink go down the esophagus to the stomach. Air goes down the trachea to the lungs.
- Goku is able to obtain a muffin on his spaceship because he erroneously believes there's a muffin button.^note
  Dr. Briefs: ...Where did you get that muffin?
  Goku: Muffin button.
  Dr. Briefs: But I never installed a muffin button!
  Goku: Then where did I get this muffin...?
- The mysterious muffin button also enables mind reading, somehow.
- Also, the muffin button on Freeza's ship saves Goku from Namek's explosion. It makes more sense than it sounds; the muffins formed a protective cocoon and shielded him from the explosion and void of space as well as giving the food and air to last the trip.
- Gero somehow put his brain into his android body. Not even he knows how he did that.^noteCanonically, he had Android 19 do it.
Action Command: A Renegade Interrupt prompt appears onscreen just before Vegeta kills Recoome and Burter.
Actor Allusion: Played with in the Halloween special:
- Krillin (voiced by Lanipator) dresses up as Koenma, and Bulma (voiced by Megami33) attempts to dress up as Sailor Moon. They're the minds behind Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged and Sailor Moon Abridged, respectively.
  - This is also a reference to the Japanese voice actress, Mayumi Tanaka, who voiced both Krillin and Koenma.
  - Possibly even a THIRD reference to the fact that the creators of YuYu Hakusho and Sailor Moon are married.
- Piccolo dresses up as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. James Marsters (Spike on Buffy) plays Piccolo in Dragonball Evolution.
- In Episode 4, Princess Snake is voiced by Lord Quadros. Lord Quadros voices Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid The Abridged Snakes.
- Megami33 also cameos as Sailor Moon at the end of episode 4 to comment on her thoughts about Piccolo blowing up the moon.
- One of the fake Namekians in Episode 12 off-handedly mentions two guys who "just wanted to play a children's card game," a reference to LittleKuriboh, who by that point had become an official cast member.
  - More specifically, since the fake Namekians were voiced to sound like the Plutonians from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, it is safe to assume they are referring to two characters from Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series who were voiced like the Mooninites.
  - "It is funny because wang means penis!"
- Lanipator's brief stint as Freeza is an allusion to voice actress Linda Young. Both Freeza and Yu Yu Hakusho's Genkai are voiced by Young, whom Lanipator's performance is based on.
- The character of Guldo is basically Dio from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Abridged. Antfish… does NOT voice him. But he does voice Ginyu.
- Little Kuriboh makes an allusion to his own role as Yami Yugi. When Freeza changes into his second form, he becomes larger and gets spikier horns. It's only appropriate that he uses his Dan Green voice for this form. The voice in general is not an allusion, as it predates the Kai dub by months.
- In the Tree of Might special, Tien reveals that he is Jewish. Gan Xingba, who voices him, actually is Jewish.
- In episode 37, Piccolo thinking up cool names for attacks says "Wind Scar". Lanipator voiced Inuyasha in the fan video "Inuyasha: Episode Infinity."
- Revenge of Cooler Abridged references the Japanese version, where Zarbon and Sauza not only fill similar roles but actually shared the same voice actor in Z (Show Hayami).
- Episode 48 is titled "Advanced Geometry". In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Takahata101 (the voice of Cell in the Abridged Series) provides one of the possible voices for the Future Warrior, and when this voice is selected, he refers to the Shin Kikoho as "Advanced Geometry". Ironically, Takahata101's character is on the receiving end of this attack in the Abridged Series.
- Remix gets an allusion to his own dubs in Super Android 13: "Green dick is better than blue dick!"
- Taken to a Meta level in the episode where Cell absorbs the Battleball teams: the captain of the East City Westmen is voiced by Takahata101 (who also plays Cell), which is a nod to the fact that in the Funimation dub, Cell's VA Dameon Clarke plays the same character.
- Also there are numerous callbacks to Taka's other abridged series through Cell, ranging from subtle to not-so-subtle.
- Xander Mobus plays Deadpool in "Deadpool vs Cell". He previously played Deathstroke in DEATH BATTLE! opposite Takahata101, who played Deadpool.
- In Episode 56 when Cell is retelling the entire story of Dragon Ball, the reporter asks if "the fat green one" ever comes back, and Cell responds "I wish!" Naturally Takahata101 played both Cell and Guru (the character being referenced).
- Cell names his Cell Juniors after various voice actors that have played Cell, except for Vegeta Jr Jr of course: Dameon^note, Norio^note, Curtis^noteCurtis Arnot, Takahata101 himself, Dale^noteDale Wilson, from the Westwood dub, Travis^note and Jonathan^note.
Actually Pretty Funny:
- Subverted. Freeza makes a Double Entendre pun while dishing out a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Nail. Nail begins to chuckle, and Freeza thinks that Actually Pretty Funny is in effect. Then Nail reveals that he's actually laughing because he suckered Freeza into spending an hour flying nowhere special and then beating up a hopelessly outclassed opponent while Dende was heading back to Krillin and Gohan to help them use the dragon balls. Freeza quickly stops laughing.
- Later played darkly straight in Episode 30:
  Freeza: Come on now, give me something funny.
  Goku: You... killed my best friend!
  Freeza: Ha! That is pretty funny. Hilarious, actually.
- Comes up again in Episode 50:
  Vegeta: Did you just talk out of your ass?
  Cell: Well, to be fair, Vegeta, you are part of my DNA.
  Vegeta: Oh, that is the closest thing to damage you've done since I've gotten here.
- At the end of episode 53, Krillin actually manages to get Vegeta laughing by referencing all the times he (Krillin) has been beaten up. It then goes sour when he turns it back on Vegeta's recent defeat.
- Trunks and Vegeta share a rare moment of ... not being at each others' throats, while Android 16 and Krillin are reconciling their newfound friendship.
  Trunks: ...What am I watching?
  Vegeta: I don't know, but I hate it.
  Trunks: Well, hopefully he doesn't try to screw this one too.
  Vegeta: Ha! No robo.
Actually Quite Catchy: Yamcha has a reputation as The Friend Nobody Likes among the Z fighters (though he gets unseated by Vegeta once he arrives). At one point, Yajirobe turns up in a flying car, blasting a song named "Cat Loves Food" in Yamcha's voice, which everyone recognizes, though only Krillin brings it up. Later on, Piccolo is trying to telepathically contact Gohan while being attacked by Dr. Gero, manages to get into Tenshinhan's head, and discovers Tenshinhan is singing it in his head. Tenshinhan is not amused.
Tien: You heard nothing.
Adaptational Heroism:
- Dr. Wheelo turns out to be this in the World's Strongest movie.
- Mr. Shu, Gohan's tutor, is downplayed. He still whips Gohan, but here he genuinely thinks that it helps him study, unlike in canon, where it's just because he enjoys it.
Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Freeza gets this. He's still a genocidal tyrant, but he shows much more care and concern for his higher-ranking minions than his canon counterpart ever did.
- Ginyu is very friendly and caring to his men, as opposed to the original, where he didn't care if they got wiped out.
Adaptational Villainy:
- Guru in the original was A Father to His Men and was very Too Good for This Sinful Earth. Here, he's a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk who's arguably a worse monster than Freeza, especially considering how he ordered his people to kill their albino brethren in order to hide the fact he drank the water supply. In fact, in the Lord Slug special, he signs off his letter as being the Evil Half, despite Lord Slug clearly being the film's villain.
- Do we even want to go into how Popo's scarier than the original?
  Mr. Popo: Hi.
- The Bad Future versions of Android 17 and Android 18 were already some of the darkest villains in the original anime, but here they go even further, rivalling Freeza in terms of horrifying evil.
- Played with in regards to Bardock at least in his first movie. On the one hand, he was not any more villainous than what he was in the anime. On the other, TFS didn't sugarcoat the fact that he was, in effect, a genocidal space mercenary leading a team of other genocidal space mercenaries. Played straight in the sequel, where he only stopped Chilled's men out of a vendetta against Freeza and his family, and even gave them pointers on how to oppress the villagers.
Adaptation Displacement: Gets Discussed and Lampshaded In-Universe for the Kai episodes.
- From Kai Abridged 1.
  Piccolo: I'm here to help.
  Goku: Aren't we enemies?
  Piccolo: Nobody watched Dragon Ball.
- Two examples of these happens in the third episode.
  Future Trunks: Goku! The Red Ribbon Army has returned and-
  Goku: Only saw Z, who dat?
  (Later, with Dr. Gero)
  Vegeta: Vegeta lives!
  Gero: Only saw Dragon Ball, who dis?
Adaptation Distillation:
- They managed to summarize the Saiyan Saga in the space of 12 episodes of approximately 10 minutes each. Then they one-upped themselves and compressed those 120-odd minutes into 130 seconds.
- The half-hour finale to season 2 was in itself 12 episodes of the show compressed. According to Lani, this was for the better because some of the episodes they included dragged at an unbelievable pace. They cut the events of one out entirely because of how much it slows the plot down (when Gohan goes back and tries to fight Freeza).
- The Garlic Jr. Saga is compressed into one episode, thanks to Mr. Popo. Most of said episode deals with events utterly peripheral to the Garlic Jr. Saga, so you could argue that they compress it into about 75 seconds.
- The Broly movie cuts out the plot of Vegeta having to find the Legendary Super Saiyan to face him, Broly recognizing Goku at first sight, and the first confrontation with him. Instead, Paragus made Vegeta the new king of a doomed planet, Paragus plans are revealed at the end of Part 1 instead of the first act of the original movie, and Broly is just triggered by Goku's saiyan name, Kakarot, not his entire presence.
- The Cell Games portion of the Cell Saga removes Gohan's encounter with Mercenary Tao and helping out the young girl and her grandfather. As well, the final fight against Gohan and Cell is just paired down to the two fighting it out with their Kamehamehas without any interference outside of Vegeta. Trunks defeating the Androids and Cell of his time happens in an epilogue released shortly after Episode 60.
Adaptation Expansion:
- Surprisingly, Kami's reluctance to fuse with Piccolo is given a great deal more development than in the original, and Kami's reservations are very sympathetic.
- Krillin's Love Epiphany for Android 18, which leads to him destroying the remote that would trigger her self-destruct to keep her out of Cell's hands, is also given more time and emphasis than in the original.
- Episode 56 features a video which reveals Dr. Gero's son was killed by Goku in a raid on the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters.
Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole:
- In the second episode, Goku calls Raditz by name, even though Raditz never shared his name when he introduced himself here.
- Instead of Piccolo asking to be wished to Namek after being brought back to life by Porunga, Krillin wishes to bring Piccolo to Namek over Piccolo's protests. However, Goku refusing to be transported to Earth at the end of the arc is kept as-is, raising the question of why Porunga teleported Piccolo against his will but let Goku refuse.
- Goku's fight with Freeza takes a sudden and unexplained shift from them being evenly matched to Freeza effortlessly trouncing him due to Freeza powering up being skipped. The footage from Freeza powering up instead changing to Freeza being struck by lightning from God and no selling it.
- In a similar vein, most of the footage shown of Super Saiyan Goku fighting Freeza once he powers up to 100% is Freeza beating the snot out of Goku. This makes his eventual 'You're boring and no longer a challenge' speech seem sort of weird, since he's only shown landing a few good hits and mostly getting pummelled.
- In Dragon Ball Z proper, Grand Elder Guru dies of both old age and heavy grief from the loss of every one of his Namekian children at the hands of Freeza's goons. As a result, King Kai must do mental contortions to word his wish to Shenron carefully enough that he could be brought back to life, too. In Abridged, Guru kills himself just because he can. And in spite of the fact that King Kai's wish is unchanged and that Guru is obviously not one of Freeza's men, he is revived, anyway.
- Also inverted: One common question among DBZ fans is why Goku never taught Instant Transmission to anyone else, given how amazingly useful it is. Team Four Star patched this hole by having Goku "learn" the technique by eating sick Yardrats, something that they can't exactly replicate.
  - However, this change leads to another plot hole later on when Cell returns post-regeneration without explanation in Episode 60. In the original he duplicated Goku's Instant Transmission, but in DBZA that's obviously impossible for him to do. When it's later brought up in HFIL, even Cell doesn't know how he learned how to do the technique.
- In the original series, because Android 16 is completely mechanical, he had no soul to be revived when he was killed by Cell and was thus permanently dead. The abridged series gives him a better fate, revealing that he does have a soul and went to Other World. However, this means he should have also been resurrected with everyone else on Earth who was killed by Cell. While KaiserNeko in the Episode 60 Breakdown clarifies that, much like Goku, he chose to stay, this isn't actually explained in the series proper.
- Discussed in Buu Bits in regards to Super, which takes place during the ten years between Kid Buu's defeat and the Tournament of Power. Goku claims it's been ten years since he last saw Bulma, but Bulma immediately shoots the notion down by saying they actually last saw him about a year ago because of "that Black Freeza nonsense." Goku immediately remembers that, alongside the rest of Super.
Adaptation Personality Change: Most everyone gets severe character exaggeration, but a few get changed outright:
- Nappa goes from a generic brute to a dim-witted and naive Manchild who wreaks havoc through his sheer stupidity. After his ressurrection he's a manipulative Gadfly of a movie producer, although he still has shades of his Manchild nature.
- Popo goes from a genial nice guy to the most terrifying thing in the universe.
- Guru goes from a wise and benevolent leader to a genocidal Cloud Cuckoo Lander.
- Maron goes from being a ditzy somewhat party girl to that being her cover as she's an undercover fraud investigator.
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
- In the main series, Krillin's crush on Android 18 was largely one-sided, and 18 didn't open the door for a return of said affection until Krillin wished their bombs away at the end of the Cell saga. In DBZA, however, Android 18 clearly has mutual feelings for Krillin from the very start.
  Android 17: The hell was that? You got a thing for dwarves now?
  Android 18: What if I do? Societal definitions of beauty are BS anyway.
- Additionally, any Relative Error on the part of Krillin regarding 18 and 17 is removed. In the source material, he uses the assumption that they are potentially a couple as an excuse to (publicly) shrug off his crush on 18, until she explicitly says they're related after Cell is defeated. Here, it's clear to everyone they're brother and sister early on, and unambiguously stated in Episode 44.
- Korin and Yajirobe are made a couple during the Androids saga, and get married in the Broly movie.
- Piza, Caroni and Piroshki were all filler characters Cell associated with Mr. Satan in the original series, with Caroni and Piroshki being Mr. Satan's pupils. In the Abridged series, they are just three random people who come to challenge Cell from a rival broadcasting network.
Adaptational Sexuality:
- DBZA puts Korin and Yajirobe in a relationship, getting married in the DBZA version of Movie 8. It also goes into fairly lurid and explicit details on the desires of Bulma and her mother, as well as the sexual aspects of the relationships between Bulma and Vegeta, Chi-Chi and Goku, and 18 and Krillin.
- Burter, who had no mentioned orientation in the original series, is outed as being gay by Guldo.
Adapted Out:
- Alongside Caron, and Piroshki no longer being Mr. Satan's pupils, their fights with Cell don't even happen since their helicopter is shot out of the sky and are killed off before they touch the ground.
- In Buu Bits, some details are skipped such as most of Babidi's minions fighting the heroes, Piccolo and Krillin getting petrified, Evil Buu and the criminals that shot Bee.
Affectionate Parody: The creators clearly have a great deal of love for the source material, and it shows. This includes several in-jokes and references to the original, some more obscure than others, such as details that were only revealed in interviews with Akira Toriyama long after the completed the manga.
Affably Evil:
- Nappa (though he's so dumb it borders on Obliviously Evil):
  Nappa: [looking at Tenshinhan getting pissed that Nappa just killed his friends] Oh, Vegeta, I think I made him mad. Should I talk to him about it? The first step to solving your problems is healthy communication. [Tenshinhan tries to punch him] That was very rude. I was talking to VEGETA! [beats the crap out of Tenshinhan]
- The Ginyu Force, with a special mention to the extremely polite Captain Ginyu. The man is the epitome of politeness and respect, to his boss, his men, or his opponents.
- Chilled in the Episode of Bardock is rather polite.
- Perfect Cell seems to genuinely like Goku and is generally pleasant to people who haven't pissed him off.
  - This becomes Faux Affably Evil when he is perfectly nice to Yamcha, even supportive, but then admits that he was going to kill him for "halftime entertainment" and finds Yamcha getting mercilessly curb stomped by one of his children to be funny. Of course, this is still arguably nicer than everyone else treats Yamcha.
  Yamcha: Frankly, I'm just happy to be included.
Alas, Poor Villain: Defied. It seems like Vegeta might incur this in episode 28, but quickly admits to Goku he'd still be evil even if Freeza had not enslaved his race.
Vegeta: Kakarot, if you're ever going to listen to anything I have to say, do it now.
Goku: What is it, Vegeta?
Vegeta: I've lived my entire life under Freeza's rule... My entire kingdom, my race, was enslaved to his bidding...
Goku: I understand now. If it weren't for Freezer you wouldn't be—
Vegeta: Dying? No.
Goku: I was gonna say "evil"...
Vegeta: Oh, no! I'd definitely still be evil! If this situation were reversed, this conversation would never had happened. You'd be dead, and I'd be laughing.
Albinos Are Freaks: Parodied and zigzagged. First discussed and lampshaded amongst the Namekians that the cause of a worldwide drought on Namek was due to a race of "flithy and evil" Albino Namekians, which were all killed off in a great war. Later it's revealed that the real cause of the drought was Guru's own selfishness in drinking all of Namek's water, and he shifted the blame onto the Albino Namekians. Realizing they had slaughtered an entire race of what were most likely innocent people, the Namekians promptly rip Guru to pieces.
Aliens Made Them Do It: Inverted with Nappa and the Arlians, as he has the king and queen mate because he's curious about the mating ritual.
- Technically, Vegeta and Nappa are aliens on the Arlian planet, so this can also be taken as played straight.
Aliens Speaking English: Nail needs to switch from Klingon to speak to Krillin and Gohan.
Nail: <I see we must speak the universal language>: English.
Aliens Steal Cable: Apparently they don't even need to.
Vegeta: [to Gohan] Oh well, if it isn't Moe Howard.
Gohan: How do you even—?
Vegeta: Space Hulu.
Gohan: Figures.
All Just a Dream:
- The events of episode 12 ends with Kaiser, the editor of the series, suddenly waking up from a nightmare when Krillin gets captured by the fake Namekians. Or maybe not, when Kaiser is visited by Mr. Popo, causing him to scream, which is where the video ends.
- In episode 19, Vegeta's, ahem, encounter with Bulma...
- Episode of Bardock, or at least the Framing Device is.
- Goku's Ninja Dream and Pirate Dream in Episode 44.
- The Dead Zone Abridged remake turns out to be Krillin pitching a movie to Nappa.
- Kai Abridged 2.9 involved Garlic Jr. breaking out of the Dead Zone with a new batch of Spice Boys, which takes a turn for the weird with Piccolo high on cocaine, Gohan and Krillin using sexual innuendoes to discourage his attacks on them, and Garlic Jr. seeking therapy about rage-opening the Dead Zone, which was what got him busted last time. It's also Gohan's daydream to escape another bout of Chi Chi's abusive educational regimen.
All There in the Manual:
- The official Saiyan Handbook, brought out whenever the concept of Saiyans getting stronger after injuries has to be explained.
  Jeice: Let's see, full moon, lose your tail, stronger every time you... oh. Well, I'm right f**ked, aren't I?
- Mr. Popo's backstory is revealed in the Dragon Ball Xenoverse Let's Play. It was a fan theory, and the creators said Sure Why Not and declared it canon. Mr. Popo is Demon God Dumplin.
All Up to You:
- This is Krillin's reaction when he takes the Spirit Bomb from the heavily wounded Goku.
  Krillin: Holy crap, so this is what being important feels like!
- A dying Vegeta to Goku:
  Vegeta: You... are the last remaining Saiyan. [Beat] Oh God, you're the last remaining Saiyan. [dies]
Alternate Timeline: All of the movies take place in these according to Word of God, being separate from the main show. With only a few exceptions such as the Cooler movies and Super Android 13.
Alternate Universe: Fanon made Canon via Word of God states the abridged universe exists alongside of the main one as a playground for Mr. Popo, AKA their character from Dragon Ball Xenoverse Dumplin, who created it with his Demon God powers out of respect and the fun he had with Goku and Vegeta and a desire to interact with them more. The different script and various inconsistencies are just Popo/Dumplin misremembering the proper order of events and words.
Alternative Character Interpretation: In-Universe, just as in many other abridged series.
- Goku's origins of suffering brain damage as an infant and growing up removed from society are taken up to eleven here, as is the tendency in Dragon Ball for former enemies turning into fellow protagonists. Despite this, Goku's shown hints that at least some of it is just Obfuscating Stupidity,^note even going so far as to prove smarter than his canon self on a few occasions. ^note
- Vegeta's moral compass has been made a little more consistent; in the original anime, he goes from ruthless mass murderer to reluctant restrained ally in a quick hurry, and also shrugs off Piccolo's death without really caring despite the fact that it means he loses his chance at immortality. In this version, he only blows up Arlia after the various residents (and Nappa) provoke him into a rage, completely snaps when he finds out what Piccolo's death means, and Nappa's death is rewritten as one of the most understandable killings in the series. He's also far more hostile towards the Z Warriors even after allying with them.
  - Speaking of Vegeta, his relationship with Bulma in the canonical show seemed to come out of nowhere. "F**k you!" "F**k you!" "My room, ten minutes." makes perfect sense with this Vegeta and Bulma.
- While most of the characters are just exaggerated versions of their normal selves, Mr. Popo has been turned into the most terrifying and/or freaking awesome creature in existence.
- Nappa as a Psychopathic Manchild.
- Lord Guru is a senile, bloodthirsty despot. It gets even better with an alternate interpretation of Abridged Guru, after he gives Nail a false Rousing Speech. He knew Nail was going to die. Why not give him some hope of coming out of it alive?
- Toolo (that surviving Kanassian Alien from from Bardock: The Father of Goku), who is oblivious to the fact his people are destroyed, probably because he couldn't tell the difference between his visions and the present moment anymore.
  Toolo: I CAN SEE THE FUUUUTURE!!!
- Freeza gives us one that explains a little too much: The Namekians are space rednecks.
- Guldo trying to be nice to Vegeta in the past is quite the opposite of their encounter in the source material.
- In the main series, Ginyu cares very little about his men and even plans to replace them with Freeza's mooks before even finding out if they've succeeded in their mission or not. Here, he's undoubtedly loyal to Freeza and while firm with discipline, he and the rest of the force have a mutual respect for each other... except for Guldo.
- Jeice's voice actor in the Funimation/Saban dub (using Ocean Studios) gave Jeice something of a Liverpudlian accent. Chris Sabat at Funimation took that and turned it into an outrageously exaggerated Aussie twang instead. TFS beats it into the ground and pisses on it for good measure by turning Jeice into a full-on overly-jingoistic Larrikin.
  Krillin: WE GET IT, YOU'RE FROM SPACE AUSTRALIA!!!
- Recoome's character in the original was The Brute, and he had a Simpleton Voice to really drive the point home. TFS decided to take him in a completely different direction, turning him into a Boisterous Bruiser and the living embodiment of pro wrestling. About the only thing they kept from the original was his Catchphrase.
  Recoome: The name's Recoome. And it rhymes with doom. And you're gonna be hurting...ALL! TOO! SOON!
- The Androids are somewhat different from the original series; while the androids from Trunks' timeline are even more malicious, the main timeline's Android 17 and Android 18 are more playful and impulsive, acting out of sheer boredom, with all of their on-screen kills removed from this version. 16 is a fully stereotypical robot which is somehow even more sensitive and vocal than the original.
- Additionally, 18 legitimately finds Krillin attractive^note, making it look like their eventual marriage will have a more solid foundation than in DBZ, where it mostly seems that he wore her down with Dogged Nice Guy persistence.
- King Kai is a lot less patient and is willing to kick some Ginyu butt if necessary.
- Bulma is a scientist first, and a single woman second, as opposed to the original series, where it was mostly the other way around. She's also less air-headed.
Always Someone Better:
- This has been at play since his introduction, but Episodes 30 and 31 clearly establish that Mr. Popo is the biggest fish in the Dragon Ball Z Abridged universe.
- The Revenge Of Cooler movie ends with the song "Always Someone Cooler Than You".
Ambiguously Bi: Dende has a crush on Gohan, and expresses a desire to "nestle between" Bulma's breasts. The latter could just be alien curiosity, however.
Ambiguously Gay:
- Zarbon, very much so. At least until we find out he has a girlfriend.
  Freeza: Come again?
- Played for Laughs with Vegeta, where Vegeta asks if Zarbon did anything to him while he was asleep. Zarbon replies disgusted, which at first Vegeta is happy about, but then a second later he feels annoyed and demands to know why Zarbon was disgusted. Zarbon then says "This conversation is beginning to sound REALLY gay... not that there's anything wrong with that."
- Freeza is fairly certain that Zarbon's girlfriend is actually named "Chuck".
  - It's been revealed that Zarbon is dating Princess Snake.
- And again in Kai Abridged.
  Zarbon: Maybe I'm gay, or maybe stereotypes are bullshit. Mmmm, [transforms] PUSSY!
Ambiguous Syntax: When Trunks and Krillin, and Tien and Piccolo pair off, they each mention they are going after Cell, lacking the modifier of which Cell they are aiming for. It leads them to repeating nearly the same line each time.
Amusing Injuries: All over the place.
- Goku has things to say when he is getting stomped on by Raditz.
  Goku: AUGH, spine! AUGH, RIBS! Definitely ribs!
- Whenever Goku is being crushed in a giant villain's hands, he squeaks like a squeaky dog toy. It is amazing.
  Goku: Why does everyone laugh when they do that? That's my ribs crushing my lungs!
- This also applies to when Freeza grabs Goku from behind, eliciting a single squeak and an exclamation of, "Bad touch!" before Goku then pummels Freeza in a spoof of when Freeza was tenderizing Vegeta's kidney.
- GroinAttacks are played up this way on multiple occasions:
  - Freeza hits Goku, causing a Call-Forward.
    Goku: Ow! My Gotens!
  - Vegeta's loins are severely punished in Cooler 2.
    Goku: I can't believe all 1000 of them kicked you in the dick.
    Vegeta: [high-pitched wimper]
  - And then Super Android 13 punches Goku's crotch so hard it erases Goten from the timeline.
An Ass-Kicking Christmas:
- The Christmas Tree of Might transplants the original movie to Christmas complete with Santa asking Goku to save Christmas.
- The Lord Slug Abridged movie parodies this. Goku, Idiot Hero that he is, thinks it's Christmas because it's snowing, but it's actually July. King Kai tries to use this to his advantage by making Goku believe he's the savior of Christmas, and it works until Lord Slug tells Goku that it's snowing because Lord Slug froze the planet himself.
- We get another one with The Plan To Eradicate Christmas where our heroes take on past villains and Santa Claus himself in order to save Christmas... and the Earth, but mostly Christmas.
And Call Him "George": Nappa and the Rancor. Nappa is devastated when his new "pet" is killed by his own hand a moment later.
Angrish:
- Nappa drives Vegeta into a truckload of this.
- During his fight with Vegeta, Goku took Nappa's place.
- In Episode 18, Vegeta is driven to a very immense rage. His scream is so loud, it covers the planet, reaches into space, breaches the barrier between life and death, and travels through time so Future Trunks can hear it. He then goes into a minute-long incoherent "conversation" with Krillin.
  Vegeta: I am here for it... Dragon Ball... I need that Dragon Ball... Give it to me... The one you took... I need my wish... SHUT UP GHOST OF NAPPA! I'M NOT CRAZY! YOU'RE CRAZY! ESPECIALLY YOU, NAPPA! Now, Dragon Ball. Hand now please.
Anguished Declaration of Love:
- Dende to Gohan. The admission causes him so much awkwardness that he teleports away immediately.
- Also one from TJ to The Wombat (the two radio hosts in the Cell Saga), as Cell is drinking The Wombat.
Animation Bump: Starting with the Android Saga, a lot more edits to the original footage were made. Including, but not limited to, adding eye movements; changing scenes due to altered continuity; the addition and/or removal of characters (or poses) to scenes, and even fixing errors that were present in the original footage.
Answers to the Name of God:
- Kami to King Kai and King Kai to Kami since they are both kamis.
- Kami, to Goku, in "Dead Zone Abridged". Since Kami is literally the God of Earth, it's not blasphemous:
  Kami: Listen, Goku. Just go after your son. I'll handle Garlic Jr.
  Goku: Thank God.
  Kami: You're welcome.
- Vegeta also gets in on it — when told that Kami is gone, he asks who Kami is. When told Kami is basically God, Vegeta answers, "But I'm still here!"
Anti-Climax: In the Episode 60 Epilogue, When Future Trunks finally manages to defeat his timeline's version of Cell after a very quick battle, he first basks in the victory, before realizing how anticlimactic the whole ordeal was.
Trunks: Finally, after everything... this feels... this feels...anticlima-
(gets cut off by the Ending Title card)
Anti-Humor:
- The "It's Over 9000" meme is intentionally and noticeably avoided.
- That is, until the Kai version of the Abridged series. Vegeta screams the meme, and then has a brief shouting match with Nappa before killing him.
Apathetic Citizens: In "History of Trunks" it has been thirteen long years of the Androids/Cyborgs killing cities and towns across the world. No one is trying to stop them in any way. People continue with their everyday lives like nothing is wrong and only panic when they attack the city they are currently in. One guy who runs a roller coaster at an amusement park doesn't even recognize them when they jump in line to the front car.
Appeal to Obscurity
- In an earlier episode:
  Vegeta: Now to crush you like an Arlian.
  Goku: A what?
  Vegeta: Exactly.
- And in Episode 24:
  Freeza: Tell me. Have you ever heard of planet Vegeta?
  Nail: N-no?
  Freeza: Funny. Because that's exactly what I expect the next person will say when I ask them about Namek!
- Manufactured by Freeza earlier in the same episode:
  Nail: Hmph. Racist.
  Freeza: Maybe so, but I can't quite be a racist against a race that doesn't exist... like the Clorfors. Dirty, money-grubbing Clorfors. Tried to clorf me right out of my money. Blew those little bastards up is what I did.
Arc Fatigue: Lampshaded In-Universe in Episode 24, where Krillin randomly is surprised at the fact that they're still on Namek. He also gives the fourth wall a nudge by noting that it feels like it's been a year since they got there, which is how long it's taken to do Episodes 13-24. For the curious, the events in those episodes take place over six days.
Arc Words: "Eat that horse" becomes one for the Cell Saga. It starts off as the end of a Metaphorgotten bit of advice from Goku to Vegeta during their training before returning with a vengeance when Goku's spirit gives Gohan the motivation he needs to begin overpowering Perfect Cell's Kamehameha after Goku's Heroic Sacrifice to stop him doesn't take. After Cell is killed for good, an exhausted Gohan whispers "Horse...eaten." before falling back to the ground.
Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?:
- Vegeta has a complicated reaction to Zarbon after losing their first fight.
  Vegeta: That... reminds me. Did you do anything to me while I was unconscious?
  Zarbon: [affronted] Did— Did I what?
  Vegeta: Did you do anything to me while I was unconscious?
  Zarbon: What? No! God, no!
  Vegeta: Oh, thank God! I j— wait, what do you mean by that? Am I not good enough for you?
- Bulma's nightmare about Vegeta leads to her being disappointed that he dismisses her immediately after she wakes up.
Are We There Yet?: Nappa to Vegeta during their flight to Earth. Their year-long flight.
- Switches to “Is he here yet?” while waiting for Goku to arrive.
Armor-Piercing Question:
- When Android 17 and Android 18 see Gero turned himself into an android they ask him how he did it. He says he took out his brain and put it in the machine body. When asked 'how' he did that, Gero is rendered speechless and wonders that himself.
- A villainous example from Episode 53.
  Cell: Does Gohan know, by the way?
  Trunks: Does he know what?
  Cell: That you let him die.
  [Beat]
  Trunks: I'm going to power up now.
  Cell: I'd be disappointed if you didn't.
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
- King Yemma describing his desk:
  King Yemma: And not just any mahogany! But mahogany from the planet Malchior 7! Where the trees are 300 feet tall and BREATHE FIRE! From these trees this desk was forged 2000 years ago using ANCIENT BLOOD RITUALS OF THE MALCHIOR PEOPLE! Not only does this make my desk NIGH INDESTRUCTIBLE, but it can BEND THE FABRIC OF THE UNIVERSE ITSELF! [beat] ...Also it's a very fine material. Very expensive.
  Kami: O... kay.
Ask a Stupid Question...: Freeza to a Namekian elder in Episode 14.
Elder: What do you want from us? Why are you slaughtering our people?
Freeza: Well you see, I was just in the area and I thought this would be a delightful place for a summer home what the *BEEP* do you think I'm here for?
Elder: ...Our trees?
Freeza: ...Zarbon, two or three more.
Ass Pull: Referenced in-universe by Goku in this exchange from the Broly Abridged Movie.
Piccolo: Goku, can we beat this guy?
Goku: [grunts] I dunno. I'm sure I'll pull somethin' outta my butt.
Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption: In one of the Buu Bits, when Mr. Satan has just convinced Majin Buu that he doesn't need to eat people anymore:
Mr. Satan: (Internal) Wait a second. Did I just... save humanity?! I did! I saved the world! Everything's gonna be-
Buu's dog is suddenly shot from offscreen.
Mr. Satan: Fucked.
A-Team Firing:
- A couple of Freeza's mooks comment on their accuracy.
  Mook #1: Damn, man, you couldn't hit the broad side of a space-barn!
  Mook #2: Yeah, well that's only because I'm too busy hitting the broad side of Your Mom!
- Averted in episode 46 during Piccolo and Android 17's fight.
  Android 17: Um, I stopped dodging. Seriously, are you even trying to hit me?
  Piccolo: No!
  Android 17: The hell do you mean, "no"?!
  Android 17: [notices the energy balls floating around him]
  Android 17: ...Oh. Ohhh. Oh shit.
  Piccolo: Hellzone Grenade!
  Android 17: Oh man, it's even got a cool name...
Atomic F-Bomb: Vegeta is rather prone to it. He once hurt Piccolo's ears when Piccolo was on the other side of the planet at the time, though Piccolo does have super-hearing.
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Goku, Nappa, and Guru do this a lot.
Nappa: [while flying] Vegeta... I can fly!
Audience Participation: Cell attempts to invoke this in the epilogue of Episode 60 during his battle with Trunks, asking the audience what he should do next. He even gets an answer, apparently, though that's probably due to being utterly bonkers.
Cell: [to audience] Well, kids, it seems that your old pal Cell got himself into into a sticky wicket! What should he do?... [Beat] ...Use the Kamehameha? Great idea!
Author Filibuster: The combined The Reason You Suck Speeches given to Gohan by both Cell and Android 16 in Episode 60, Part 1 have both characters mocking the boy for being a "coward". Even when Gohan insists that he's merely a "pacifist", he's called a "coward that pats himself on the back". Neither of these points were used by either character in the source material, and while 16 did urge Gohan to fight, it was with reassurance that he understood Gohan's position. Cell and 16's statements more closely reflect a popular fan reaction to Gohan's continual unwillingness to fight, despite his massive latent potential.
Author Appeal: KaiserNeko has a preference for the original manga and Japanese anime and an open dislike of the first Funimation dub, the filler arcs and anything that deviates from the original story. For this reason, the abridged series mostly uses the Japanese names, terms, and music, while ignoring most of the filler.
Awesome, but Impractical: Vegeta's Final Flash. For the Impractical part: Arguably the most powerful technique in the series, it is completely useless in actual combat as it takes several minutes to charge, is in no way subtle (unlike the Makankosappo or Spirit Bomb, both of which have been charged discretley while the target was distracted), and requires the target to stand completely still. Even then, when Cell actually allows Vegeta to use it against him, the majority of the blast misses completely, bouncing off the Earth's surface and discharging into space, because he dodged at the last second. For the awesome part: What portion did make contact inflicted almost as much damage as a point-blank Kamehameha. Word of God by Akira Toriyama says that if Cell hadn't dodged at the last second, it would have vaporized Cell, despite him being significantly more powerful than Vegeta, and ending the Cell saga then and there, with Team Four Star acknowledging this.
Awesome Mc Cool Name: As Android 17 notes of Hellzone Grenade:
Piccolo: Hellzone Grenade!
Android 17: Aw, man, it even has a cool name!
Ax-Crazy:
- Chi-Chi's violent outbursts are feared by Krillin.
- Also Guru led a massacre of albino Namekians.
  Guru: [towards Krillin] Kill it like the rest.

Back from the Dead:
- Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and all the Namekians, except for the ones from the village Vegeta killed on Namek. Since they wished back the ones killed by Freeza and his men, and Vegeta wasn't one of Freeza's men anymore, those Namekians are still dead.
- And in another change from the original series, Nappa is revealed to be alive in The Stinger of Episode 30 (Part 3), since Vegeta was still working for Freeza at the time he killed Nappa.
Backseat Driver:
- While not in the conventional sense, you'll often find Nail and Kami chiming in when Piccolo is fighting (as they have nothing better to do after merging with Piccolo's consciousness), usually criticizing whatever he's doing.
  Nail: Why are you backflipping?
  Piccolo: To gain some distance!
  Kami: YOU CAN FLY!
Bad "Bad Acting": The way Future Trunks and Future Bulma act to lure out the Cell of their timeline in the Episode 60 Epilogue, sounding incredibly stilted and wooden. It works, but it's pretty hard to watch.
Bad Boss:
- Freeza considers his minions extremely expendable, doesn't pay them, and casually kills them off to intimidate his other soldiers and end awkward conversations.
  Açaí: Also, after rising concerns with our personnel... exploding, we decided to form a union.
  Freeza: [beat] Adorable. [Açaí blows up]
- There's also Super Kami Guru. Though his worst phase seems to be over, these days he settles for being a Cloud Cuckoo Lander Jerkass.
- Lord Slug will blow up any minion who accidentally calls him "King Piccolo".
Badass Boast: Played with a lot, given the prevalence in the source material:
- Piccolo:
  Piccolo: Yeah. That's right. I can take anything you can dish ou- oh, God, there go my organs.
- Vegeta's is a rather unusual case. He manages to make a Badass Boast to Cui about how he got destroyed on Earth.^note
- Subverted in Episode 18 when Vegeta claims to be the strongest person, aside from Freeza, on Namek. Not only does he get an immediate Oh, Crap! from hearing the Ginyu Squad is almost at the planet, he said that in front of Nail, who is actually stronger than him.
- Recoome delivers an absolutely epic one in Episode 20. Of course, it's rather over-the-top, so Vegeta is just annoyed by it despite knowing full well that Recoome is mostly likely much stronger than him.
  Recoome: Vegeta! You think that just because you're the Prince of all Saiyans, you're the best there is at what you do, but let Recoome tell ya somethin', brother, you ain't no Wolverine, and you ain't got what it takes to step up to a FIVE-TIME CHAMPION! You see, Vegeta, you sit there and brag about how the Saiyans are the mightiest warriors in the universe, how they're the most ruthless, but look where they are now... DEAD! You talk about your legends, your warrior race, and your pride, but that doesn't mean a damn thing to this man! BECAUSE THE NAME'S RECOOME, AND IT RHYMES WITH DOOM, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE HURTIN', ALL TOO SOON!
  - Another brief one from Recoome just after getting assigned to fight Vegeta:
    Recoome: YES! In your FACE! Vegeta, your time is comin'. Soon, you will face the end-all, the BE-all, THE PLEAD-ALL: REEEEEEEE-COOOOOOOOOO-MAH!
- Freeza derails a Namekian by keeping a running tally of how many times he's heard a particular Badass Boast. The Namekian tries to utter an original phrase, but Freeza has already heard "We're going to f$#!k your face!" twelve times. Admittedly, it was less common than "We're here to stop this senseless slaughter of our people" (92), "Now you're going to pay" (355), "We are the ones who will stop you" (419), or even "You insane bastard" (190).
  - Later, Goku delivers a line even Freeza hasn't heard before.
  Goku: Soooo, are you that Freezer Guy?
  Freeza: I am Lord Freeza, yes.
  Goku: Awesome! Imma deck ya in the shnoz!
  Freeza: I... I'm sorry. That's a new one.
- Subverted again twice in Episode 25, as Vegeta already knew Freeza could transform and cuts him off before he can dramatically reveal it. Vegeta also gives a speech about how he's become a Super Saiyan, which Freeza is just annoyed by. Vegeta later delivers the same speech upon receiving a Zenkai (which prompts Freeza to snap at him), and finally gives it again on Goku's behalf after losing, prompting Freeza to kill him midway through.
- Gohan gets one in Episode 26 before taking on Form 3 Freeza.
  Gohan: Hey, Freeza! The human body is composed of 75% water! I am 100% DEATH! HAVE SOME!
- Played straight in Episode 28. Ironically, it's technically a lie, and Goku has a pretty decent comeback.
  Freeza: You're a cheeky little monkey, what with your silly martial arts. But you know what the difference between you and I is? You can punch a board and it will break in half. I can punch a board and wipe out its entire race.
  Goku: But can you block?
- Super Saiyan Goku gets one in episode 30. It is just as badass as the original. Definitely.
  Goku: I am the hope of the Omniverse. I am the light bulb in the darkness. I am the bacon in the fridge for all living things that cry out in hunger. I am the Alpha, and the Amiga.^note I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am Son Goku! And I am a Super- takes Freeza's attack to the face, but is completely unharmed ...Saiyan.
- When presented with the whole "five minutes" thing:
  Goku: Oh, well, then I'll have to kill you in four.
- When Freeza is denied his immortality for the second time:
  Goku: Are you just mad 'cause Imma outlive ya now?
  - Freeza had previously stated to Vegeta that the difference between them was that Freeza would actually live long enough to properly mourn being denied immortality.
- Future Trunks delivers a good one when Freeza dismisses him as a mere distraction until the Super Saiyan shows up.
  Future Trunks: Oh, well. If you're looking for a Super Saiyan... I can fill the part.
- Vegeta explains how he became a Super Saiyan in episode 36.
  Super Vegeta: Besides, my heart is pure... pure, unadulterated badass.
- Vegeta to Cooler in the second movie:
  Vegeta: I am Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans, last of my royal blood, bringer of death, destroyer of worlds and wrecker of your shit!
- Piccolo gets another great one after Android 17 is informed that he has fused with Kami.
  Android 17: Seriously - what the hell's a Kami?!
  Piccolo: It means 'God.' Now bow.
- Goku, not to be outdone, manages to deliver one that is chillingly out of character for him in episode 48.
  Goku: Oh, and by the way Cell [camera zooms in as Goku speaks plainly, lowly, and completely seriously] You're gonna die.
- Vegeta's introduction to Semiperfect Cell is one of these.
  Vegeta: Blowing up some islands to work off some stress? I can respect that. More of a planets guy myself.
  - Then in the same episode...
    Cell: Now, Vegeta, do you understand?
    Vegeta: What I understand is - I'm about to pound you so hard the boy's mother is going to be jealous.
    Trunks: Can we not!?
- Another one from the Cell Arc is delivered by both Vegeta and later Perfect Cell:
  Vegeta/Cell: "You're either perfect, or you're not me."
- Trunks tries to give one to Super Android 13, complete with the Matt Smith's 'I Am The Doctor' theme playing in the background only to be brutally beaten down for his trouble.
- From Cell:
  Cell: I'm impressed! Behind all that angst and ridiculous hair, there's a real fighter!
  Trunks: And behind all that insufferable smarm is a dead man!
  Cell: Trunks... you couldn't FATHOM the amount of dead men behind me.
- Also from Cell on his newscast announcement of the Cell Games ("follow the conversation on Twitter at #CellGames")
  Cell: Feel free to pray to your God but, spoilers, I won't be listening.
- In the Broly movie, when Vegeta finally gets his head in the game, he and Broly end up volleying such boasts at each other.
  Vegeta: No, you mouth breather! You have been ignoring your king!
  Broly: What is a king, to a god?
  Vegeta: And what is a god... TO A NONBELIEVER?
  [Vegeta turns Super Saiyan over his "Fauxchestral" Final Flash theme music before Broly violently cuts him off]
  Broly: Do you believe now?
  Vegeta: [weakly] Uh-huh... [drops] So cool...
- Master Roshi in the Cooler's Revenge, when Yajirobe says "Master Roshi's got this":
  Master Roshi: I have many things... A best friend who's a turtle, an island... Chlamydia... This.. is not one of 'em.
Badass Creed: The Ginyu Force:
Burter: Speed of light and strength of all
Recoome: The Ginyu Force shall make them fall!
Jeice: We're King Cold's army's strongest force
Guldo: We'll beat them all, secure the course!
Ginyu: If trouble meets us as we pass
Ginyu Force: WE'LL SHOVE OUR FIST RIGHT UP THEIR ASS!
Badass Decay: Mentioned by King Yemma while mentioning future plot events. invoked
King Yemma: I'm the closest thing to a god in this show! Until you get to the Kais... then I'll be horribly insignificant.
Bad Liar: Gohan, when facing Vegeta about the Dragon Radar.
Gohan: It tells time. And nothing else.
Bad News, Irrelevant News: Nappa uses this in Bardock: The Father of Goku Abridged to a young Vegeta.
Nappa: "Well, I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is, reports say our entire planet has been destroyed by a gigantic meteorite, along with all its inhabitants. [...] Aaaaaaand your father [...] But the good news is, we're going to DAIRY QUEEN!!"
Bad Santa:
- Slay, one of the Misfit Minions in "Christmas Tree of Might", is pretty proud to be one.
  Slay: You know, you look like one of the kids I let sit on my lap once. ‘Course, he was a cancer patient. Asked me if I could get rid of his cancer.
  Krillin: Oh God, this is going exactly where I think this is, isn't it?
  Slay: So I blew him up! No more cancer!
  Krillin: God, you are one of the worst mall Santas ever! Right behind those ones that molest kids.
  Slay: [beat] So I'm the ''worst'' mall Santa.
  Krillin: Oh, come on!
- Plan to Eradicate Christmas one-ups this by making the villain of the special an actual evil Santa Claus, who decided to put an end to Christmas (and humanity) due to so much naughtiness on the planet. The only person who isn't naughty is Gohan who gets...another book. At least this one is an actual gift as it's Moby-Dick in French.
Bad to the Bone:
- Alluded to but never implemented in Episode 5 when Vegeta tells the Arlian king, "I'm about to rock you...like a hurricane" in reference to the projectile Chunky Updraft.
- Used again by Vegeta by in the stinger for episode 27, complete with the music... till Freeza stops it dead in its tracks, prompting the comment he should've known it was just a one-hit wonder.
Baffled by Own Biology: Cell is surprised by the extent of his own regenerative powers several times since he inherited them from Piccolo and doesn't know how superior they are to the original version.
Balking Summoned Spirit: Shenron is frequently shown to get agitated by how often he is summoned by the Z-Fighters for wishes that don't exactly solve the issue they are currently having to the point that he outright questions why somebody else can't find the dragon balls. Whenever he attempts to reason with them by Stating the Simple Solution, they insist on the wish they had in mind. Notably, when somebody else does summon him, he is not nearly as agitated as it means something different. Kochin being the exception due to how absurd his wish is to the point that Shenron would rather be summoned by the Z-Fighters. After Dende becomes guardian though, he seems to have mellowed out.
Beard of Evil: Parodied in Christmas Tree of Might, as Goku realizes that Turles was his Evil Counterpart, he noticed that he didn't have one of these. So he imagined one.
Goku: So evil!
Beat: Excessively used to increase the hilarity in any given scene.
Be Careful What You Wish For:
- In Episode 5, Nail feels that his current life on Namek is dull and hopes that something exciting happens soon, not caring what it is. Then came Freeza...
- During the Christmas Special, Krillin wished for the best Christmas tree ever from Shenron, and Shenron delivered...
- When Piccolo gets wished to Namek, he appears somewhere on the planet. Because they didn't specify WHERE on the planet he should be brought to.
- Vegeta allows Cell to reach his Perfect Form because he wants to prove Cell wouldn't be able to best him even at his strongest. He gets that and far more than he could ever hope to. The same thing happens to Cell once he breaks Gohan and forces him to become SSJ2.
Because You Were Nice to Me: In Episode 25.
Gohan: I... you... healed me.
Dende: You are the only one I respect.
Begin with a Finisher: In the related "Cell vs." videos (where Big Bad Cell is challenged by various anime and video game characters in the week leading up to his duel with Goku to decide the fate of the world), Ken Masters attempts to pull this when he fights Cell. As soon as the bout begins, Ken launches into his super combo... and due to the unimaginable difference in power, Cell effortlessly parries every blow as soon as Ken goes to throw it. And then turns Ken into A Twinkle in the Sky with a punch that is probably a love tap for Cell.
Beleaguered Assistant: Nail puts up with a lot from Super Kami Guru.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: The moment leading up to Vegeta and Bulma having sex goes from arguing, to insulting, to the two of them simply yelling "F**k you!" at one another, to Bulma saying "My room, ten minutes."
Berserk Button:
- Goku has some rather silly ones, mostly related to food, especially bacon, and Christmas.
- Burter is rather sensitive about his status as "the fastest in the universe".
- King Kai and the pronunciation of his Signature Move, the "Kaioken".
- Lord Slug hates being compared to King Piccolo.
- And Cooler hates being compared to his brother.
- Addressing Vegeta's insecurity about Goku being stronger. As Krillin says to Trunks: "You pushed the Goku button. You shouldn't have did that."
  - Gets a Meaningful Echo in Episode 49, when Cell asks Vegeta to leave so he can fight someone more substantial.
    Cell: Oh, what, did I hit a nerve?
    Trunks: You pressed the Goku Button.
    Vegeta: You shouldn'ta did that!
  - But once he becomes perfect, Cell uses it as a taunt and Pre-Mortem One-Liner
    Cell: Some advice, prince, for the future: Next time remember your place like the rest of them... and wait for Goku!
- Do not say that you are going to kill Goku within hearing range of Android 16.
- Calling Android 18 a c*nt.
- Insisting on the Japanese pronunciation of an obvious transliteration ("Jinga and Beru" instead of "Jingle and Bell") really sets off Tenshinhan.
Better by a Different Name: Done in-universe by Vegeta.
Vegeta: I liked that show (Bleach) better when it was called YuYu Hakusho, and I liked that show better when it was called Dragon Ball Z!
Beware the Nice Ones: Gohan is generally nice and pleasant to others but it prone to berserker rages.
Beware the Silly Ones: Goku is a goofball and food junkie but is still the strongest fighter.
Big "NEVER!": Done by Vegeta for laughs (and pretty much making Yamcha the new Butt-Monkey) in Episode 54.
Master Roshi: If you're through picking on Yamcha...
Vegeta: [off-screen] NEVER!!!
Bigger Is Better in Bed: Krillin, surprisingly. Though, given the series' role for him, this may have been their way of finally throwing him a bone. Either way, 18 is DEFINITELY not complaining.
Big "NO!":
- One of the outtakes has Vegeta yelling various levels of Big "NO!" in response to Nappa asking "Are We There Yet?" once.
- Krillin belts this out when he hears that they have to face the Saiyans a second time.
- Nappa does this on the bug planet after he kills a giant bug that he wanted to keep as a pet.
- Nappa does a particularly hilarious one when Vegeta kills Vegeta Jr.
- Aquaman does this after Nappa's "Best Day Ever".
- Gohan does this after Piccolo was killed the first time by Nappa in episode 9.
- Gohan would do this a second time when he sees Piccolo shot by Freeza in episode 29.
- Yamcha does this when he hears that Goku is killed in Namek's explosion in episode 30.
- Piccolo gets one in the Broly movie when he finds out Gohan didn't get into that special school his parents were interviewing for.
- Vegeta's epic, despair-filled no upon learning that he's being haunted by Ghost Nappa.
- Trunks begins one at the end of episode 50 and doesn't stop until Vegeta yells at him three-and-a-half minutes into episode 51.
Big "WHAT?!":
- Piccolo channels "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in Lord Slug, as he can't actually hear anything after ripping off his own ears. These are mostly yelled at Gohan, where he's trying to get him to whistle.
- Also Vegeta when Dodoria tells him she's a woman.
- Gero combines one with an exaggerated Punctuated! For! Emphasis!.
  Gero: Okay, first: WHAT!? Second: THE F**K!?
Bilingual Bonus
- The Toilet in Kami's Spaceship. It spoke Japanese (saying "there is a toilet") when Dr. Briefs tried to fix it, but it was set to a "language he didn't know." Later, when Krillin tries to use it, the toilet speaks in German.
  Dr. Briefs: Damn moonspeak!
- The toilet speaks three times in German. It says, "I'm filled with piss-water!", "Shit in my face!", and "No!" The last one is briefly heard before being destroyed.
- Apparently, all Namekians are fluent in Klingon.
- The title card at the end of season one was "PLTLH (finished)".
- Episode 21's opening theme ends with the standard sponsor message found in Japanese TV shows.
- In Episode 31, Maron tells Krillin to make reservations at "L'Anus Serre", which is French for "The Tight Anus".
- In Episode 33, Freeza corrects himself, saying he last played "pretty pink princess" at his Quinceañera. This is a Latin American celebration of a girl's transition into womanhood, which is celebrated on her 15th birthday.
- In Episode 40, when Android 16 is scanning Krillin, there is a string of binary code at the bottom beside a picture of Goku with "Terminate" written over it. The binary reads "KILL SON GOKU. FEED BIRDS."
  - In the same episode, Android 16 talks with a bird who says it is named Toriyama (apparently the same bird from the Cooler movie). Outside of the obvious reference to original series creator Akira Toriyama, this name literally translates to "mountain bird," which is where the bird appeared in.
- In Cell vs. Ken and Ryu, Cell ends up (accidentally) countering Evil Ryu's Shun Goku Satsu. Instead of Akuma's "Ten" (heaven) or Evil Ryu's "Metsu" (destruction), the kanji that appear behind him spell out "Kanzen" — the Japanese word for Perfect.
- The words at the beginning of the English cover of Day of Fate ~Spirit VS Spirit~:
  - The first is Latin, "Venit Aivus Ille", which means "His Time Has Come"
  - "Yuduliya-Vele" and "Yuduliya Iyaliya" are Hebrew, which translate to "They will admit I am Godlike, or else" and "They will admit I am Godlike; I am a bird of prey", respectively.
Bizarre Alien Biology:
- References to it are added to Freeza's soldiers for comedy.
- Also to Namekians, but specifically Piccolo.
  Freeza: And now, for your other glubok!
  Piccolo: You're not really familiar with our anatomy, are you?
  - A call-back in Episode 29, while Freeza is demolishing Piccolo in combat:
    Piccolo: No, no, no— [snap] Oh, God, my glubok!
- When fighting Vegeta, Freeza grabs and eats a crab alive. Later, when Goku knocks Freeza into the ground, Freeza cracks his neck and that same crab falls out one of the holes on the side of Freeza's head, implying his throat is directly connected to his ears.
- And it's not nearly as bizarre as one would think.
  Jamaican Spirit Crab: Hey, mon!
- Apparently the primitive Saiyans reproduced by kicking each other in the stomach.
- Cell has multiple hearts. When Light Yagami goes against him and uses the Death Note on him, he can only stop one of them. Losing it doesn't seem to slow him down any.
Black Comedy Rape:
- Blink and you'll miss it during the "I'll Make a Man Out of You" video:
  Krillin: I don't wanna die a virgin!
  Popo: Boy, you really need to watch just what you say...
  Krillin: OH, GOD!
- The end of episode 12 runs in this direction as well. Also with Krillin.
- Episode 19. Bulma and Vegeta... Which turns out to be a dream. Edges with Crosses the Line Twice; also with Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?, considering how Bulma and Vegeta end up later.
- A meta example appeared in the credits of the season 2 finale.
  Please, continue to support the official release of a series that has touched all of our hearts, along with other places you may point out on these dolls.
- Twice in first the Christmas special.
  - One of the evil minions happily flashes back to the time where he raped Rudolph.
  - And later with another henchman.
    Krillin: [after hearing the henchman's story of how he killed a cancer patient] God, you are one of the worst mall Santas ever — right behind those ones that molest kids!
    Slay: So I'm the worst mall Santa?
    Krillin: Oh, come on!
- This is the essence of the recurring "I need an adult" joke, as the implication is that Gohan is afraid of getting molested.
Black-and-Gray Morality: In contrast to the original series' Black-and-White Morality. The bad guys are still as evil as their original counterparts (albeit laughably so), but the good guys have all been given the jerkass treatment for the sake of comedy.
Blatant Lies:
- Vegeta does this in Episode 21. Goku asks Vegeta what happened to him, and Vegeta says he fell down some stairs. When Krillin attempts to call him out on this, Vegeta threatens to throw him down a flight.
- Goku blames Icarus's death on Vegeta in order to get Gohan to attack him. This is not true.
- Guru does this in Episode 22 when he tells Nail he can kick Freeza's ass. As soon as Nail flies away to fight Freeza, Guru calls him a fool and says that if he had bothered to train Nail properly, he might have stood a chance.
- Even Dende pulls one on Krillin.
  Dende: The better question is, why did I tell him he was immortal?
- The way Vegeta describes how he became a Super Saiyan doesn't quite match up to reality.
  Vegeta: Oh, trust me... there's more than one way to realize the legend.
  [cut to flashback of Vegeta smashing his fist against the ground and bawling his eyes out]
  Past Vegeta: I WANNA! I WANNA BE A SUPER SAIYAN! I WANNA I WANNA I WANNA WANNA WANNA—
  [flashback ends]
  Vegeta: Push ups, sit-ups and plenty of juice.
*Bleep*-dammit!: Despite the show's incredibly vulgar sense of humor including Black Comedy Rape and just plain Black Comedy, F-bombs and the one instance of C*nt are bleeped out. Since Team Four Star aren't gunshy about it in their gaming videos or Two Saiyans Play, it's presumably entirely because they're aware of the the trope and find the contrast amusing.
Blofeld Ploy: Freeza does this to Minion 43 when he gets fed up with Zarbon's incompetence.
Freeza: Minion 43, could you come to the bridge? I need an example.
Minion 43: Private Namole reporting! An example of what, Lord Freeza— [explodes]
Freeza: You see that, Zarbon? That's you if Vegeta is not in front of me in the next 10 minutes. [beat] Bye.
Blood Knight: The Saiyans, except for Gohan, who considers himself a pacifist. When King Kai tells Goku how monstrously powerful Freeza is, Goku actually Squees.
- Gohan is actually a lesser example. He can become one when enraged to the breaking point, as Cell could attest. If he were still alive, that is.
Bloody Hilarious: Happens in the background by the end of Episode 23. When Vegeta actually squishes Frog Ginyu, unlike in the official version where he lets him go.
Blunt "Yes":
- From episode 24:
  Vegeta: [angry] SO WHAT'RE YA DOIN'?
  Gohan: [scared] What am I doin'?
  Vegeta: WHAT'RE YA DOIN'?
  Gohan: Nothing much.
  Vegeta: THWARTIN' MAH PLANS?!
  Gohan: Thwartin' your plans?!
  Vegeta: ARE YOU?!
  Gohan: ...Yes.
- And another with Trunks:
  Vegeta: [angry] SO WHAT'RE YA DOIN'?
  Trunks: [flabbergasted] What am I doing?!
  Vegeta: THWARTIN' MAH PLANS?!
  Trunks: Thwartin' your plans?!
  Vegeta: ARE YOU?!
  Trunks: You know what, YES!!
- After the events of Episode 60 Part 2, when Larry the cameraman asks if Mr. Satan and Jimmy Firecracker would like some weed, they both immediately say yes.
Bolt of Divine Retribution: Freeza challenges God to strike him down if he's really so evil. Cue a lightning bolt striking Freeza. He doesn't even feel it.
Freeza: Ha! Nice try, jackass! Next time, give it your A-game!
Bond One-Liner:
- Goku, of all people, makes one when he thinks he killed Freeza:
  Goku: You could say he suffered a bad case of... freezer burn.
- Krillin sets one up after he and Gohan take out a pair of Freeza's soldiers, but all it does is give him his first Owned Count point of the season.
- Super Saiyan Goku makes several after Freeza's disc cuts him.
  Goku: Wow, Freezer! You really were a cut above the rest. But too bad you didn't make the cut. Guess you could call this "a slice of life". All right then, I'll cut you a break. I'm gonna split.
- Goku also fails miserably at one (hilariously) in Cooler 2: The Return of Cooler's Revenge
  Goku: Time to put you... on ice!
  [throws an energy ball inside Cooler]
  Cooler: ...Really? [sighs then explodes]
- Trunks tries these several times on Freeza. Freeza is less than amicable to them.
  Trunks: [after catching Freeza's death ball] Looks like you dropped the ball. [beat] Dropped. The ball... [beat] Drrrrrropped the-
  Freeza: [Blows Trunks up]
- Cell in episode 52 to show how out of his league Vegeta is.
  Cell: Next time, why don't you remember your place like the rest of them - and wait for Goku.
Book Ends:
- The Krillin Owned Counter was created and destroyed at Kame House.
- The third season began with an episode devoted to Krillin failing at his love life when it turns out his girlfriend was really spying on him for tax fraud, which causes his owned counter to go up. At the end of the season? He succeeds so hard with Eighteen that the counter is destroyed.
- Cell's introduction and ultimate death are accompanied by songs he himself sings.
- The series begins and ends with Chi-Chi threatening to castrate a person over the danger Gohan is put in.
  - There's also the repeated line "We here at [Team Four Star/ZTV] do not condone child violence."
Brain Bleach:
- Bulma's reaction when she walks into the cave in Episode 13, after Krillin relieved himself.
- Vegeta following the revelation that Dodoria is a woman, and especially after she asks Vegeta to join her as her husband. Vegeta blasts her into oblivion to repress THAT knowledge from his mind.
- This is even more so in Kai Abridged where Dodoria's only line is ”I have a thick. Meaty. Vagina”. This results in Vegeta annihilating her, then visibly and audibly fighting off the urge to throw up.
- When Krillin uses Solar Flare on Dodoria, there's a single frame of Freeza in the shower. Each time Solar Flare is used after that there's a new one. Throughout the series, there has been Dodoria in a lace teddy, Lanipator dressed as Frank-N-Furter, two cicadas mating, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kreuger gazing longingly into each other's eyes, Semi-Perfect Cell sexually assaulting Android 18, and Cell posing suggestively in a green singlet.
Bratty Half-Pint: Chiaotzu is constantly whining in a high pitched voice, complains that he wants food and is only a couple of feet tall.
Brawler Lock: When Piccolo and Android 17 lock into one to tense music, the camera abruptly cuts away to Android 18's point of view with no music playing. Android 18 comments the fight could not possibly get dumber at this point.
Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs:
- Freeza spends the first part of Episode 27 assessing his situation (with all those dead subordinates and all) while effortlessly dodging Vegeta's attacks. When he gets to what to send the Ginyus' families, he considers fruit baskets and wine before kicking Vegeta's ki blast back and deciding on fruit baskets with wine.
- He also comments that children that he spares end up trying to kill him or working for him, typically both.
- In Episode of Bardock, Bardock, upon unexpectedly waking up in a normal bed, thinks that Hell should have beds with spikes, spiders, or spiky spiders ("spikers").
- In Episode 31, Maron asks what Yajirobe's and Korin's children would look like: little fat men or kitties.
  Korin: Probably fat kitties.
- In Episode 33, when Trunks brought the group to where Goku will land^noteand he brought snacks:
  Trunks: Now I'm sure you're all wondering why I brought you here.
  Krillin: Snacks!
  Yamcha: To kill us!
  Vegeta: To kill snacks!
Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick:
- A very straight example and in-universe:
  Freeza: Oh, good! I'll stop by [Earth] on the way home. Get some space eggs, some space milk, and BLOW IT THE F**K UP!!!
- Another example during Episode 20, when Recoome explains that the only things he sells is merchandise. Some Recoome memorabilia appears onscreen: baseball cap, t-shirt, handbag, action figure, g-string and vibrator.
- From Return of Cooler's Revenge, Roshi has: a best friend that's a turtle, an island, and chlamydia.
- In Plan to Eradicate Christmas Goku starts telling Santa about the true meaning of Christmas. Our heroes add:
  Piccolo: Goku's right. Christmas is about the bonds that bring us together!
  Trunks: It's about friends!
  Gohan: And family!
  Vegeta: And killing Santa!
Breakout Character: Nappa. They brought him back for season 2; his being dead at this point in the original series (and therefore not having any footage of him on Namek) didn't stop them; they just turned him into a ghost.
Break the Haughty:
- Both Vegeta and Freeza are subject to this as they each realize over the span of a few episodes that they're fighting an utter moron. And losing.
- Same thing happens to Semi-Perfect Cell, when he realizes that Vegeta is more powerful than he is in this form. True to the Vegeta DNA in him he starts throwing a temper tantrum that he's supposed to be most powerful by default.
Breaking the Fourth Wall:
- Like the original series, the Abridged series does this on numerous occasions.
  Vegeta: Nine minutes eighteen seconds, nine minutes eighteen seconds.
  Nappa: What's that, Vegeta?
  Vegeta: Happiest. Moment. Of. My life.^note
- There is another example in episode 57, however. Goku is about to fight Cell, only to learn that Mister Satan won the last fighting tournament. He then lets Mister Satan go first because he thinks it's the fair thing to do. When Piccolo confronts Goku, Goku replies that Mister Satan is the champ so he'll definitely win. Piccolo turns toward the viewers:
  Piccolo: I can't tell if he's serious and that's very concerning.
- When Goku breaks through and becomes Super Saiyan for the first time, King Kai reacts with appropriate astonishment, addressing the narrator directly as he does so.
  King Kai: I don't believe it! Goku has truly done it! He has become the one and only Super Saiyan!
  [beat]
  King Kai: ...Right?
  Narrator: ...Y- yeah...
  King Kai: [worried] Yyyou hesitated there for a second. [beat] ...What?
Breath Weapon:
- Nappa decides to call out his mouth laser.
  Nappa: Vegeta, look! Imma firin' mah— BLAAH!
- Piccolo also uses a breath laser to destroy one of the saibamen.
Brick Joke:
- In Episode 16, Guru wants Nail to gather the dragon balls to wish for a plasma screen TV. In Episode 21, he compares Dende's loss of everyone he ever loved to the origin of Batman. When Dende has no idea who that is, "See! This is why we NEED TV!"
- In Episode 21, Jeice gets repeatedly punched by Goku, while trying to remember what Captain Ginyu told them to do in such a situation. When Ginyu is actually present in Episode 22, he calls him out on it.
- Way back in Episode 7, Gohan asks Piccolo if the fact that he survives mostly on water means he's a plant or a slug, much to Piccolo's annoyance. After he meets Nail in Episode 25, Piccolo finds out that yes, he is in fact a slug man.
- During the credits to the Christmas Tree of Might, it gets mentioned that one of Piccolo's gifts was a bigger part in the next movie. Sure enough, his role in Lord Slug was key to the good guys winning and probably the most memorable thing about that movie.
- Freeza likes to keep count of all sayings and speeches he gets from opponents. In episode 27, Goku gives him a new one.
  Goku: So are you that Freezer guy?
  Freeza: [beat] I am Lord Freeza, yes.
  Goku: Awesome, Imma deck you in the shnoz!
  [beat]
  Freeza: I'm sorry, that's a new one.
- Episode 29 has Goku send Piccolo to hold off Freeza while he charges his attack, as payback for Piccolo getting him to do the same thing against Radditz in Episode 2.
  Piccolo: Di... did you just hold a grudge?
- In Episode 11, Popo says, "See you when you get back! Except... this season... you" to Krillin. In Episode 29, right after Krillin gets killed by Freeza, Popo appears in the stinger, saying, "Called it!"
- When Guru confesses his sins as he's dying in episode 30 part 2, he admits that he shifted the blame on the Albino Namekians after causing a drought. This fulfills two Brick Jokes at once: The great drought we overheard random Namekians talking about in episode 16 and Guru explains, as Freeza had disgustedly asked in episode 22, that's how he got so fat.
- When escaping the destruction of Namek Goku gets distracted by an ACTUAL Muffin button.
- In episode 24, Popo claims the plants he is watering are pot. In episode 30, his first line is, "I'M SO FUCKING HIGH RIGHT NOW!"
- In the fight against the Androids, Krillin's been holding onto the team's supply of Senzu Beans, and has mostly been throwing them around frivolously - like to assuage another member's hurt feelings, or at Android 19's disembodied head. In episode 40, after Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, and Tenshinhan are all curbstomped by Androids 17 and 18, Krillin goes to revive them with Senzu Beans, only to wonder where most of them went.
- In episode 41, Roshi buys a submarine. Oolong is worried about what the old perv would name it. Indeed, come the events of "The History of Trunks", we find that he named the sub the USS M'Dick. Also an in-universe example, as he'd been holding onto that joke for 17 years.
  Roshi: HOW DOES IT FEEL RIDIN' M'DICK?!
- In episode 37, Piccolo and Nail try to come up with names for future moves. They both agree that "Nail-Gun" sounds cool. Piccolo tries to use it on Cell in episode 42 only to get his neck snapped.
  - In that same episode, one of the attack names Piccolo comes up with is "Hellzone Grenade"; Nail pooh-poohs it, but Piccolo responds "Screw you, I'm using it." In Episode 46, he actually uses said attack on Android 17, who thinks to himself "Aw crap, it even has a cool name..."
- In episode 40, Popo spends the entirety of his appearance muttering "All these squares make a circle" while tripping on a gallon of LSD. Sixteen episodes later, while Cell is building his arena for the cell games, one of his attempts ends up as a circle, cue him to shout "HOW DID ALL THESE SQUARES MAKE A CIRCLE?!"
- All the way back in episode 1, Goku introduces everyone to Gohan, whom Bulma and Master Roshi are shocked to see as his son. Even more so, Goku has no idea how he came to be, looking confused at their innuendo. Jump ahead to episode 56, eight years later, when Chi-Chi reveals she's pregnant with Goten, Goku asks confused "How?!" then a Jump Cut brings Goku to Bulma's lab, screaming "Bulma! Sex makes babies!"
- When Trunks hears his mother's ringtone, he's confused because something happened to eliminate all of country music in the future. At the end of the episode, when the androids are discussing their plans once they eliminate Goku, 18 gets annoyed when a country song comes on the radio and says she has an idea.... Then the History of Trunks episode has Bulma bemoaning how much she misses country music.
Buffy Speak: Vegeta's reaction to Goku asking for a change of scenery for their fight during the Saiyan Saga.
Vegeta: Well, it is a little corpse-y.
Bullying a Dragon: In the Android Saga, Tenshinhan constantly mocks Vegeta, even though Vegeta could easily kill the triclops. When that's pointed out, Tien says that it's become a game; if Vegeta snaps and kills Tien, then Tien wins. And Vegeta knows it.
Bumbling Sidekick: Nappa was essentially this to Vegeta.
Butt-Monkey:
- Krillin (by everyone) to the point of having a special counter whenever he is “owned”. Usually someone beats him up, but in Episode 2, Krillin got owned when Master Roshi told him to shut up, and in a Season 2 episode, Krillin owned himself after screwing up a witty one-liner.
- If it isn't Krillin, it's normally Yamcha.
  - Lampshaded in the second FAQ special where the question "Why do you guys pick on Krillin so much" in answered with "Because Yamcha isn't around as much".
    Bulma: Nobody screws Yamcha but life.
  - After Android 20 put's his fist through his chest:
    Goku: Yamcha just got Yamcha'd!
  - When Porunga is summoned for the first time, King Kai wants to know about what Yamcha thinks about who should be revived first. As soon as he starts to speak, Piccolo promptly cuts him off saying that no one cares about his opinions.
  - Also, when Yamcha launches into a panicked rant upon the pending return of Freeza, Krillin responds, "You know what? If he wasn't doing it, I would."
- Good coverage for both Krillin and Yamcha in Episode 32.
  Vegeta: Is that the beta-male?^notereferring to Yamcha
  Bulma: No, Krillin just got here.
  Vegeta: Oh, God! They're breeding!
- Raditz (by his teammates) with the constant references to how weak he was. Even to the point that any scouter shown on Namek uses Raditzs as a measuring device.
- Vegeta seems to be suffering a good deal of psychological trauma as well, especially in Season 2.
- Nail is one for Guru.
  Guru: He's kind of a tool... for my amusement!
- Guldo to Vegeta, who treats him like a dog, and even to the rest of the Ginyu Force.
- Icarus, who gets killed whenever he appears in the Abridged movies.
- Piccolo by virtue of being the straight man and putting up with Goku's antics more than the others.
- Android 19 is treated with derision and mockery from most people he engages with, while Android 13 is laughed at for his manner of speech and trucker hat obsession.
But We Used a Condom!:
- Averted in Episode 34. Vegeta doesn't even know what a condom is.
  Bulma: Gotta admit, even with the broken ribs, you really... Wait...
  Vegeta: What?
  Bulma: Where's your condom?
  Vegeta: The fuck's a condom?!
- Brought up again in Episode 35
  Bulma: You said you were wearing protection!
  Vegeta: I was wearing my armor!

The Caligula: Guru's reign during his prime was apparently "terrifying."
Call-Back: See its own page here.
Call-Forward:
- After Goku escapes Hell with a fruit in hand, Goz and Mez namedrop the Demon King, Dabura. Dabura wouldn't even make a major appearance until the Buu Saga.
- In Episode 26 there's a shot of Planet Kanassa (from Bardock: The Father of Goku) where the residents can be heard shouting out random prophecies, including "Bulma and Vegeta have a kid", "The real Buu is a child", "Cell reaches his Perfect form", "Goten and Trunks become a guy", and "Gohan is the strongest in the universe but still doesn't do crap".
- Unintentional, as Episode 30 pre-dates Dragon Ball Super by a few years, but Goku mentions "being the hope of the Omniverse" during his heroic monologue to Freeza after going Super Saiyan for the first time. Dragon Ball Super establishes that there are 12 universes in existence under the rule of the Grand Zeno, who wants to erase them and start over from scratch. It's in no small part thanks to Goku's actions (like suggesting that the universes hold a tournament, something he's highly likely to win) that Grand Zeno not only spares Goku's universe but ultimately allows the others to continue existing as well.
- When Piccolo and Nail are pitching attack names, one of Piccolo's suggestions is "Hellzone Grenade", an attack he used at a later point in the source material. Nail isn't fond of it, but Piccolo decides to keep it.
- Cell tells Android 16 to not lose his head, which happens during the Cell Games.
- During his song after becoming Perfect, Cell states the R in his name is for "Revolution, which will be televised". He refers to his creation of the Cell Games as his Revolution and it is indeed televised.
- In Episode 34, Bulma mockingly calls Vegeta "The Prince of All Two Saiyans", and Vegeta counters with "Three and a half." Word of God from TFS is that this is a reference to Vegeta's brother Tarble, who won't show up for another decade in-universe.
  - Tarble is mentioned by name in Plan to Eradicate Christmas, which would take place during the Cell Saga. Vegeta states that while he doesn't think he hit Santa's sleigh as a child, he did hit his brother's space pod. They never found him. Or the body...
    Trunks: I have an uncle?
    Vegeta: You had an uncle...
- In Broly Abridged Part 1, King Kai suggests that the South Galaxy was destroyed by Beerus; the South Kai responds that he's still asleep.
  - Later in the movie, King Kai says of Goku "That man is going to be the death of me."
  - At the end of the movie, King Kai tells the South Kai that his galaxy is gone and "Ain't no Dragon Balls that'll bring that back! ...I think," calling forward to the Super Dragon Balls, which actually can pull off wishes of that magnitude.
  - During the battle with Broly, Goku attempts to encourage Gohan into going Super Saiyan 2. Unfortunately, Gohan misinterprets his advice as telling him to flee from Broly.
- In Kai Abridged 2.9, Vegeta remarks that one of the only places he hasn't looked for Goku is Planet Vampa, which is the planet that Broly and his father Paragus were stranded on in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
- Buu Bits has, during the End of Z, Goku and friends reminiscing on the events of Super, such as Black Freeza, Beerus, Goku Black, the Tournament of Power and Broly. Goku then directly references GT by name, saying it's going to ruin Pan's character.
Calling the Old Man Out: Gohan uses Goku and Ginyu's body swap as an opportunity to let out some much needed aggression:
Gohan: Abandon me for a year with Piccolo... Send me off into space... And the next time I get to see you, you lost your damn body!? YOU'RE NOT EVEN YOU ANYMORE!
Calling Your Attacks:
- Subverted when Goku takes a bit too long with this to throw the Spirit Bomb and gets blasted by Vegeta.
- Played with in Episode 10:
  Vegeta: I'm going to end this with a BIG BANG kind of attack.
  - This example is played straight in Episode 36 however.
- Played with in Episode 2:
  Goku: FULL NELSON!
  Raditz: [incredulously] A full nelson? That won't work on me. I'm Raditz!
- And Raditz was recast due to an argument over attack names ("Double Sunday" or "Keep Your Eye on the Birdie") mid-attack.
- Finally, Piccolo tries to call the name of his five-minute beam attack during the battle with Raditz; after struggling to use the Japanese name, he just goes with the English name, Special Beam Cannon.
  - Piccolo just shouts a lot of random syllables in Kai Abridged.
    Piccolo: MA-KAN-KO-SOPPA-LOPPA-KHAN!
  - When Cell uses the attack on Piccolo in Episode 43, saying the Japanese name correctly, Kami says "So that's how it's pronounced."
  - Called back again in Episode 58 when the 4 multiform technique Cells attack Goku with the Special Beam Cannon
    Piccolo: Oh, come on Goku! It's the Makakas-... Ma-kan-a-ka-! Madak-!
    Nail & Kami: [in Piccolo's head] Makankōsappō!!
    Piccolo: THAT ONE!!
    Goku: [understandably confused] What?
    Cell #1: Ma-
    Cell #2: -kankō-
    Cell #3: -sa-
    Cell #4: -CANNON!
- Parodied in the original version of Dead Zone Abridged when Garlic Jr.'s minions have names for actions/attack patterns that didn't have any in the original, such as: "Wheel of Bitchslaps" for when they attacked Goku in a circle and "Gentle Statue Push" when Goku gets sent flying into a statue.
- "CLOTHES BEAM!"
  - It is easily his most metro attack.
- Recoome likes to call most of his attacks, all of which begin with his name.
  - When he jumps headfirst into King Kai's planet, he shouts, "Recoome, DIIIVE!"
- Played with when Vegeta, after getting his arm broken by Android 18, does this while trying to do a sneak attack. Naturally, it fails.
  Vegeta: Why do I yell things?
Calling Your Orgasms: A sort of running gag is that whenever one of the Z Fighters gets laid their climaxes are always combined with calling their attacks and are accompanied by the respective ki blast.
Camp Straight: Zarbon as revealed in Episode 17 when he mentions his girlfriend.
- Though in Episode 21, Freeza rants that he's convinced Zarbon's "girlfriend" is named Chuck.
  - It's been revealed that Zarbon is dating Princess Snake.
Can't Catch Up: True to the original series, with plenty of comic lampshades.
Gohan: With this power-up, I'm now as strong as you were when we fought on Earth.
Vegeta: Congratulations, you're still weaker than the last three guys I killed.
Gohan: Wow. I now know what it's like to be Krillin.
Krillin: Sucks, doesn't it.
Canon Discontinuity:
- Lampshaded in Christmas Tree of Might at the very end. And during the credits sequence.
  Vegeta: [still on Namek] This is so non-canon it hurts.
- Played straight with the Dead Zone and World's Strongest parodies made by Neighborhood Cluck Productions, which were made before Team Four Star really formed. Both movies were re-abridged years later.
- The production Videos for Cooler 2 and Android 13 also point out why the movies can't take place in the timeline. The only movie exempt from this is Coolers' debut Movie, which was set up in the series proper.
- TFS canceled an anticipated abridged version of DBZ Movie 9 due to what KaiserNeko described as an insurmountable lack of dialogue they could convert into parody. This orphaned some setup in Episodes 5 and 6 involving Bojack being trapped in King Kai's planet. This would later be subverted, as Bojack's movie did happen sometime off-screen, according to the events of HFIL, which takes place in the DBZA canon.
Captain Obvious: Nappa on several occasions.
- In prison:
  Nappa: Hey, Vegeta.
  Vegeta: What is it?
  Nappa: We're in prison, Vegeta.
  Vegeta: I see that, Nappa.
  Nappa: Hey.
  Vegeta: What?
  Nappa: Don't drop the soap.
  Vegeta: I swear to God, Nappa, I will shiv you.
- More Nappa:
  Nappa: [while flying] Vegeta... I can fly!
- Also, the repeated:
  Gohan: [exposition of something terrible that just happened]
  Krillin: YES, GOHAN! I NOTICED!
- Then there's Piccolo...
  Piccolo: So I take it you're the one who exterminated this entire city then?
  Cell: Oh no no, that was another guy. His name's "Shit Sherlock", first name "No".
Card-Carrying Villain:
- Vegeta in the first season.
  Vegeta: That's it, everyone dies! Say goodbye to your planet, Kakarot!
  Goku: That's not very nice.
  Vegeta: OF COURSE NOT, I'M F**KING EVIL!
- Still is even when he's dying.
  Vegeta: Oh no. I'd definitely still be evil. If this situation were reversed, this conversation would never have happened. You'd be dead, and I'd be laughing. Ahahaha... ah, it hurts to laugh...
Car Fu: When Android 17 wants to steal a car, Android 16 asks if it will help them kill Goku. Android 17 says that it might if they hit Goku with it.
Casting Gag: According to the Creator Commentaries, VegettoEX's brief appearance as Appule in Episode 17 was because Appule was his "favorite character."^noteMore about this joke can be read here
The Cast Show Off: In a particularly awesome way the cast show off their singing skills in "Make A Man Out Of You".
Casual Danger Dialogue: Compared to their creator, Androids 17 and Android 18 have this reaction after being reactivated, being relatively unconcerned about the fact that Vegeta, Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, and Future Trunks are about to break down the door to the lab and instead decide to Troll Gero right up until Android 17 kills him.
Ceiling Banger: King Kai is shown to do this to Bojack on occasion by stomping on the ground.
Celebrity Endorsement: Spoofed by Nappa's Butterfinger ad.
Celebrity Impersonator: Or rather voice actor impersonator.
- MasakoX's Goku in the first season took inspiration from Peter Kelamis before it evolved into something all his own in the second and third seasons. His take on Master Roshi was also closer to the character's Japanese voice actor, Kōhei Miyauchi.
- Lanipator's voicework is a deadringer for Chris Sabat's Piccolo, Vegeta, Shenron, and his early work for Popo; Dan Gascon’s Krillin; Linda Young's Freeza (albeit briefly in the Bardock special); and Justin Cook's Raditz (until the recast in Episode 1, and then reprised in future appearances). He also replaced MasakoX as the voice of Master Roshi in season 3, sounding much closer to Mike McFarland's version of him in the Funimation dub.
- Takahata101 for Phil Parsons' Nappa and Dameon Clarke's Cell (with a mixture of Andrew Divoff from Wishmaster and Clay Martin Croker as Zorak for his Imperfect Form, while his Perfect form would take the most inspiration from Kelsey Grammer's performance as Sideshow Bob).
- KaiserNeko for Sean Schemmel's King Kai, Eric Vale's Future Trunks, Christopher Sabat’s Zarbon, and a remarkably good Yajirobe.
- Ganxingba for John Burgmeier's Tenshinhan and (in the first FAQ special) Brian Drummond's Vegeta.
- Vegeta3986 for Sabat's Yamcha. Similarly, Jason Gray-Stanford was referenced for his portrayal of Raditz in the first season.
  - Faulerro, who replaced Vegeta3986 as Yamcha halfway through season two, also sounds similar to them.
- Despite being cast before Dragon Ball Z Kai was even announced, LittleKuriboh's Freeza sounds uncannily similar to Chris Ayres' more sophisticated take on him.
- Chris Guerrero's Cooler for Tom Hardy's Bane, especially after he transforms.
- Similar to LittleKuriboh with Freeza, Megami33 as Bulma sounds like Monica Rial as Bulma before the latter ever cuts a line for Dragon Ball Z Kai.
- It seems Amber Lee Connors' Android 18 heavily resembles Colleen Clinkenbeard's role as 18 in Kai, but this was probably deliberate since the Cell saga of Kai was finished for a while once TFS got this far.
Cerebus Syndrome:
- Yes, you read that right. The Namek arc is slightly more serious than the Saiyan arc, due to Freeza still being evil and nasty. Sometimes, it's Played for Laughs, but often, it's genuine drama.
- The Cell saga follows suit. As soon as Kami first brings up the topic of Cell in Episode 40, things turn surprisingly serious, the only remaining jokes in the episode being for the sake of lampshading the change in tone. Episode 42 (the unofficial ending of the Android saga) is also very dark (lampshaded by Krillin who says that some major shit is going down) and is the only episode that doesn't have a stinger, ending instead with a shot of Cell singing a creepy version of Mr Sandman and grinning menacingly.
  Nail: Am I the only one who just noticed a huge tone-shift here?
Character Catchphrase:
- "Goddammit, Nappa!" is a common one for Vegeta, to the point where he keeps saying it even after Nappa dies. The last time he says it is when Nappa's been revived, and calls Vegeta to catch up and brag about how he's become a Hollywood producer independent of Vegeta.
- "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! MINE!" — Vegeta's way of calling dibs.
- "Doooodge!!" said frequently from Piccolo to Gohan, whenever he fails to... well, Dodge.
- "NERRRRD!", also said frequently from Piccolo to Gohan, and also eventually picked up by others.
- "Wait... what?", also used by Piccolo and Krillin when someone (usually Goku or Krillin) does something stupid.
- Mr. Popo's response to any question he doesn't want to answer is, "Pecking order." At least, it was in the first season.
- "NAIL!!!" and for a moment, "BIG GREEN!!!" by Lord Guru.
  - Nail's response includes, "Ughh... Yes sir?" and "What is it, Lord Guru?"
- Nappa has "Hey, Vegeta..." which is brought up when he wants to catch his attention, which is way too frequently for the saiyan prince's liking.
- King Kai has "Shut up, Bubbles/Gregory/Bojack!", usually in groups and usually ending with Bojack.
- "THE NAME'S RECOOME, AND IT RHYMES WITH DOOM, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE HURTIN', ALL TOO SOON!" — which is said every time Recoome is about to lay an beatdown.
- Goku has "Bored now!" for a catchphrase.
- Gohan has "Crap baskets!". It rubbed off on Future Trunks as well. Cell also borrows it, showing their connection.
- Freeza's "Adorable."
- Piccolo tends to exclaim "Bitchin'" when offered something good.
Characterization Marches On:
- The original Abridged version of the Dead Zone movie (even before the rest of the series) had surprisingly different characterizations for some of the characters, such as Gohan being of average or lower intelligence for his age and Goku being rather callous about his son's well-being.
- Krillin is an increasingly harsher character until coming to a head in the Namek arc and then taking a sharp dive into friendlier banter. KaiserNeko mentions in the episode commentaries Krillin's the best example of the much snarkier and jerkass tones of the early episodes being dialed back as they got "better at their jobs".
Character Exaggeration: Lots of it:
- Nappa becomes FAR too insanely stupid to live, Piccolo becomes a sarcastic and lonely Jerkass (and frequently the straight man to Goku's idiocy), Krillin's Butt-Monkey status has increased to crazy levels (right down to having a counter for the many times he's been "owned"), and Vegeta becomes pretty much the sanest character (when he's calm), and he's the pretty much the ally that many of the Z-Fighters can barely tolerate when he's on their side.
- Goku's abandoning his family to train is taken to new levels (along with his idiocy and appetite), Tien is The Comically Serious and straight man while his relationship as Heterosexual Life-Partners with Chiaotzu is constantly exaggerated by the others, Yamcha is Cannon Fodder, Chi-Chi is an overprotective Mama Bear and Gohan is a child genius with issues about Goku's attitude.
Chew Bubblegum: Piccolo screwed this one up several times throughout the original version of Dead Zone.
The Chew Toy: Krillin, with his status as Butt-Monkey. Also Yamcha and Guldo.
Chirping Crickets: Both times when Gohan was kidnapped ("Quick, somebody stop him!") and after Yamcha adds that he and Tien/Tenshinhan should rescue Krillin during their training in the time city.
Choosy Beggar: Trunks get sent back to the past to give Goku heart medication so he won't die, leaving the androids to destroy the world. Goku doesn't want to take it, as it's grape-flavored.
Christmas Special: Two of these, adaptedtvtropes from existing DBZ movies.
- Christmas Tree of Might, adapted from Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might.
- Plan to Eradicate Christmas, adapted from Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans, though specifically remake from Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.
Cloud Cuckoolander:
- Nappa.
  [Gohan disappears from Nappa's sight as he tries to stomp him]
  Nappa: Huh! Where'd he go? Did he disappear? Or was he never there to begin with?
  [dramatic music plays]
- And Guru.
  Guru: I shall henceforth be known as Super Kami. No, wait... Super Kami Guru.
- King Yemma is sometimes no better, with his obsession with his desk, and more specifically the material it's made out of: mahogany. But not just ANY Mahogany. Mahogany from the planet of Melchior SEVEN, where the trees are 300 feet tall and breathe FIRE!
Cluster Bleep-Bomb:
- In one episode, Vegeta goes into a long rant, most of which can't be heard over the beeps of Jeice's scouter. During The Stinger of that episode, the rant is heard without the beeps, but it turns out to be a Minor Insult Meltdown or string of Unusual Euphemisms instead. ^note
  Vegeta: Son of a gum-chewing funk monster! Why the fruit does all this funny stuff happen to me?! Forget my life! Always surrounded by miserable failing clods! Like this whole world just likes to bend me over and find me in the Alps! Like I'm some sort of schlock receptacle! Well as far as I care, these miserable cows can have a fancy barbeque, with a Goddamn pig!
- In episode 60 part 2, Cell unleashes one of these after Gohan kicks him so hard that he spits up Android 18. It's a Cluster F-Bomb that starts with an Atomic F-Bomb, just nearly every word is bleeped.
Combat Commentator:
- Jeice and Burter during Episode 20: Namekimania 2011 for the confrontation between Vegeta and Recoome, treating it like a wrestling match.
- Jimmy Firecracker and Mr. Satan (to a lesser extent) share this role in Episodes 58-60, where Jimmy commentates on the superpowered action going on between Cell and his opponents, while Mr. Satan tries to explain it away as incredibly realistic looking special effects (though it's apparent he's only doing it so he doesn't panic everyone at home that the stuff they're seeing is real).
Combined Energy Attack: The Spirit Bomb. In Episode 10, Goku takes too long in charging its energy that it ends up draining so much energy that it kills a deer. Vegeta can even sense that the attack smells like deer second before being hit by it.
Comically Missing the Point:
- This exchange between Ginyu and Vegeta.
  Vegeta: You know, I'm surprised you're here, Ginyu; I thought you'd be busy polishing Freeza's boots.
  Ginyu: First off, Lord Freeza doesn't wear boots. Second, if he did, I'd've already polished them.
- And then there was this exchange between Goku and Freeza
  Freeza: Unfortunately, Vegeta and I were having ourselves a disagreement. He wanted himself to live, and well... I didn't.
  Goku: Why do you want to die?
  Freeza: Wha-? No! I-I-I meant-I meant I want him to di-
  Goku: Is it 'cause you look weird?
- A very large portion of Episode 28 involves this happening between Goku and Freeza.
  Freeza: I'll fight you without using either of my hands.
  Goku: Alright, then I'll fight without using my shirt.
  Freeza: I think you're missing the point...
  [later]
  Goku: You punched me in the face!
  Freeza: You bit my tail!!!
  Goku: Yeah, well, I still haven't used my shirt, does that mean I win?
- And then in Episode 38 (while trying to break into Gero's lab and take on the Androids):
  Trunks: No! We can't do this without Goku!
  Vegeta: Why? It's a goddamn door!
- When going to visit Kame House, Nail and Kami ask Piccolo if Master Roshi's got any marijuana, but the terms they use keep confusing him.
  Kami: I'm asking if he has any grass on that island.
  Piccolo: Well, yeah. But it's mostly covered by that house.
  Nail: He's asking if he has any pot!
  Piccolo: I dunno, probably? I mean, he knows the Mafuba.^note"
The Comically Serious:
- Tien/Tenshinhan is the only serious character in this show. That's the joke.
- Piccolo to an extent when he's not being a Deadpan Snarker.
Compressed Vice: Gohan has had multiple instances in DBZA where he was either fully ok with fighting someone else, or encouraged it before this moment, but here he is a Straw Pacifist. He does get called a coward, but that he usually wasn't a pacifist is not addressed in the "The Reason You Suck" Speech and he is merely considered a Holier Than Thou type of pacifist.
Content Warnings:
- The outtakes, parodied. "If you're under the age of 18 and have not heard the word "fuck" before... well, ya have now."
  Krillin: Warning! The following contains strong language not suitable for minors. If you're under the age of 18, then you-*CRASH* OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!
- Further parodied when Perfect Cell announces the Cell Games. After interrupting a news broadcast to make the announcement, he grabs the anchor by the neck and announces "The following contains violence, coarse language, and adult situations not suitable for minors. Viewer discretion is advised." before promptly snapping the anchor's neck.
Continuity Nod:
- In The World's Strongest, Chi-Chi asks if Gohan is taking drugs. His response is a reference to his brief Mushroom Samba in another abridged movie, Dead Zone.
  Gohan: It was just the one apple, mom...
- Episode 54 has Dr. Briefs tell Android 16 that he's missing an extensive portion of data. Episode 39, 16's debut, had his storage pod preparing to initialize 1430 updates, only for Android 18 to impatiently kick the door off.
Contraception Deception: Accidentally done. Apparently during the one night stand that sired Trunks, Bulma asked Vegeta if he was a wearing protection and he affirmed that he was. Turns out said "protection" was his Saiyan Armor, not a condom.
Couch Gag: In most of Season 2 (Episodes 17, 19-30), the "please support the official release" message was done by a character who died in that episode (or in the case of Jeice and Recoome, in the following one). Also happens later on in Episodes 36 and 38. In Episodes 25 and 42, it was done by a character who ceased to exist as an individual being in the episode.
- In Episode 28, this has took another step: a character who was horribly wounded at the end of 27 (yes, he did the message for that episode) does it for this one too... slowly... and in great pain.
- Lampshaded in episode 29, where Krillin does it and then is told that his paycheck will be sent to his next of kin.
- Yamcha reads the disclaimer for Episode 34 and 35, lampshading that he did the previous episode's disclaimer as well and continues. He doesn't die, but does get horribly wounded by Gero.
Counter-Productive Warning: Vegeta and company try to steal Galactic Conqueror Freeza's attempt to use the dragon balls to wish for immortality, with Vegeta attempting to wish for immortality for himself, as that's the only way he can hope to stand up to Freeza and make up for the difference in their power. The wish fails to go through however, and an angry and scared Vegeta starts to explain what sort of horrible things Freeza, who is a horrific sadist and Torture Technician, will do to them... only to cut himself short when he sees that Freeza had arrived at the scene without Vegeta noticing. Freeza then invites Vegeta to give him some ideas for exactly what he should do to Vegeta and company.
Vegeta: Don't you understand? If it didn't grant me my wish, then I'm not immortal! And Freeza's going to- g-going to- [gapes in horror at Freeza]
Freeza: [chuckles and speaks in a jolly tone] Oh no, don't mind me. By all means... give me some ideas.
Country Matters: Vegeta calls Android 18 a "smug c*nt" in Episode 39. Everyone else present is visibly stunned, including Android 17, and 18 breaks his arm about a minute later.
- Kai Abridged 3 takes this joke up to eleven by having Vegeta call her one EIGHT TIMES.
  Vegeta: Hey, c*nt!
  Trunks: Woah, Dad!
  Vegeta: What? She's a c*nt! A c*nty c*nt! What'cha you gonna do about it, you big ol' c*nt? Gonna c*nt all over me with your c*nty face and your c*nty boots and your...*beat*...VAGINA???
  Android 18: (breaks Vegeta's arm)
Covers Always Lie: The new intro sequence for episode 31, and the pre-intro scene all show that we'll get into the Garlic Jr. saga. The entire episode is about Krillin and his new girlfriend, at the end of which Garlic Jr attacks the lookout and gets devoured by Mr Popo immediately. According to the creator commentary, this was a deliberate attempt to trick their audience into believing they were adapting the saga.
Cowardice Callout: Cell calls Gohan a coward for his Suicidal Pacifism, and then when Gohan retorts that he's a pacifist, Cell remarks, "So a coward patting himself on the back". Android 16 repeats the word at Gohan while giving the latter a lengthy "Reason You Suck" Speech mixed with Dare to Be Badass.
Crazy-Prepared: Apparently, Vegeta carries dog treats with him at all times for whenever he might run into Guldo.
- What's even weirder is that he still carries dog treats even after Guldo dies. He uses them on Android 19's and Android 15's decapitated heads.
Creepy Child: Dende, though Krillin doesn't think so.
Dende: Mr. Gohan, those things on that person's chest, what are they?
Gohan: Oh, on Bulma? Those are breasts.
Dende: They look lovely. I wish to nestle between them.
Krillin: [beat] You are just adorable!
Creepy Monotone:
- A recently-traumatized Dende sticks to a monotone tone, though he eventually grows out of it.
- Freeza can get into this when he wants to get very threatening.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Goku is, by all means, a complete and total idiot through and through, but he's also incredibly badass when the time calls for it. He's a strange variation of his trope in which his idiocy does not take a backseat to his badassery, adding an extra layer of insult to his opponents' injuries.
Crossover:
- The Superfriends in Episode 5. Aquaman's whales are killed by Nappa in Episode 8.
- Mr. Popo apparently has a Jynx as a girlfriend.
- The #CellGames shorts are essentially crossovers between DBZ Abridged and characters from other series, including other Abridged Series such as Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series and Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged.
Crunchtastic: Reporters are not very compassionate when it comes to Yamcha's death.
Reporter 2: Mr. Kent, if you had to come up with a word for how dead he is, what would it be?
Mr. Kent: Cadaveriffic!
Curb-Stomp Battle:
- Goku easily defeats Nappa in Episode 9.
- Zarbon massacres Vegeta in Episode 16. Vegeta's returns the favor equally brutally later.
- Goku one-shots Recoome and later practically does the same to Jeice & Burter.
- One that isn't plot-relevant is Nappa vs. the Arlian king's thirteen elite guards. He kills them all in a second... just to see how Arlians breed.
- Piccolo vs. Dorodabo in Lord Slug Abridged, followed by Goku vs. Angira and Medamatcha.
  Dorodabo: [weakly] Please don't break mah arm...
  Piccolo: [deadpan] No.
  [CRUNCH]
- King Kai vs. most of the Ginyu Force. One moment, they're mocking him, the next, they fall down into Hell.
- Mr Popo vs. Garlic Jr. It was a Curb-Stomp Battle in the original series too, just the other way around.
- Episode 33. Future Trunks versus Mecha-Freeza and King Cold. They don't stand a chance.
- Episode 36, Super Vegeta versus Android 19. Yes, machines do feel fear.
- Episode 39 features Super Saiyan Vegeta against Android 18. At first, 18 is merely playing with him and Vegeta is able to get a good few punches in. Then he calls her a smug c*nt and she stops playing around.
- Pretty much every battle Cell is in, is a curb stomp in one direction or the other.
Curse Cut Short:
- Continually subverted with Vegeta.
  Vegeta: Nononono FUUUUUUUU— [scene change] [scene changes back] —UUUUUUUUCK!
  
  Vegeta: FU [BEEEEEP] uck.
  
  Vegeta: Oh you motherFU— [scene change] [heard from a distance] —CKEEEEEERS!
  Piccolo: Ow! My ears!
- Jeice's curse gets cut short in Episode 23:
  Krillin: Why's that Space New Zealand guy here?
  Jeice: Aw, what the fu—
- Combining this with Last-Second Word Swap: during Episode 30, when it looks like Namek has been destroyed and King Kai's plan has failed, King Kai is on an angry rant when Kami telepathically contacts him:
  King Kai: And then there's this c— ami?
- Roshi gets one in Episode 2 after it's explained to him that two Saiyans much stronger than Raditz were on their way to Earth in a year. (And this is right after Goku dies and Piccolo kidnaps Gohan and takes off.)
  Roshi: Well... ...fu- [cut to title sequence]
- Gohan gets a case of this in the more recent Dead Zone Abridged, both times, he was actually about to say the word 'nigger' while reading Huckleberry Finn, innocently unaware of the meaning of it, but each time was cut short before he could finish it.
- Vegeta gets yet another when Android 18 breaks his arm and the episode ends.
Cutaway Gag: Bulma, Goku, and Vegeta get in on this in Episode 17.
Bulma: [after seeing Zarbon] Oh, my God, he's so hot! I just wanna grab him and—
Goku: [doing upside down crunches] ...sixty-nine, seventy, seventy—
Vegeta: [confronting Zarbon] One time, you've defeated me Zarbon, and that's one time too many.
Cut Himself Shaving: Goku asks Vegeta if he got beaten up by the Ginyu Force. Vegeta responds thusly:
Goku: Vegeta, what happened to you? Did you get beat up by this guy ^noteRecoome?
Vegeta: Ahh... No? I... um...
Ghost Nappa: You fell down some stairs.
Vegeta: I fell down some stairs.
Krillin: No, you didn't, you—
Vegeta: Shut up, or I'll throw you down a flight.
Cyanide Pill: In Episode 12, the ship of children whose planet was devastated by Freeza encounter Krillin and Gohan. When they think they are Freeza's men and are impervious to their guns, the entire ship takes these pills.

DBZ Abridged / Tropes A to C

Alternative Title(s): Tropes A To M

Previous

Index

Next

DBZ Abridged / Tropes A to C

Edit Locked

Alternative Title(s): Tropes A To M

Previous

Index

Next