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This page covers tropes in Dragon Ball Z Abridged.


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    L 
  • Lactating Male: While flying with Bulma, Yajirobe finds baby Trunks trying to suck his nipple. Bulma assures him that Trunks will stop when he realizes it's a dry well only for Yajirobe to imply that being on an all senzu diet resulted in him being able to lactate.
Yajirobe: Korrin likes it.
  • Lame Last Words: Lampshaded. After Tien's heroic attempt to kill Cell via repeated Ki Ko Ho fails (although he did manage to stunlock him for quite a while) and Cell floats out of a hole, he contemptuously tells Tien he could've chosen better last words (before Goku teleports in, rescues everyone, and teleports out).
    Cell: Y'know, if you want my personal opinion, "kikoho" is a pretty sad choice of last words. But to be fair, it's far from the worst decision you've made today.
    Tien: Ki ko fuck yourself.
    Cell: Aww, see? That's the spirit.
  • Lame Pun Reaction:
    • Krillin says one that gets him an owned count.
      Krillin: [after knocking two mooks into a lake] Looks like they're all... washed up!
      [Gohan stares at him blankly]
      Krillin: Yeah! Da-da-da-da, da-da [ding] ...Aww.
    • Vegeta tries one in Episode 8 after Nappa's attack on Tien.
      Vegeta: Looks like he's been... disarmed!
      [Beat, gust of wind]
      Nappa: I get it!
    • Krillin attempts to make a pun in Episode 44 after Piccolo finishes explaining to everyone about Cell. For once, everyone else is unified in their response.
      Piccolo: So yeah, that's basically it in a nutshell.
      Krillin: You mean a nut-Cell.
      Piccolo, Vegeta, and Tien: Shut up.
  • Lampshaded Double Entendre:
    • When the cast meet Goku and Gohan and discover that Gohan is Goku's son. But due to the aforementioned traits Goku doesn't have a clue what they're talking about.
    • Zarbon is full of this right until he transforms, upon which he is far less subtle.
    • There's this from Episode 23:
      Krillin: If you ask me all [Bulma] needs is a little wink-wink, nudge-nudge... [clicks teeth twice, then wolf-whistles]
      Gohan: Still five...
      Krillin: Right.
  • Lampshaded the Obscure Reference: Vegeta does this when Nappa mentions Fraggle Rock.
    • Freeza does a fully in-universe one during his beatdown of Nail, asking him if he's ever heard of the planet Vegeta.
      Nail: N-no?
      Freeza: Funny. Because I expect to hear the same from the next person when I ask them about Namek.
  • Large Ham:
    • Lanipator as Piccolo and Vegeta, but hell, that doesn't matter!
    • Kaiser as King Kai as well, especially in the Training Montage video, in which he's basically shouting all his lines as loud as he can.
    • LittleKuriboh, the Large Ham of the Abridging community, as Freeza.
    • Takahata101 as Guru.
      Guru: Naaaiil, stop making out with your boyfriend! I can hear it from heeere.
  • Laser-Guided Karma:
    • Krillin discussing karma with Dende ("Little Green") followed by shots of Vegeta getting pummeled by Zarbon in his "Beast Within" form. note 
    • Played straight concerning Guru. After being brought back to life and transported to Earth with the other Namekians, he realizes he's about to die. So, to relieve his conscience, he reveals the cause of the drought, which he had originally pinned on the albino Namekians. He did it, and drank all the water. How did you think he got so fat in the first place? As the Namekians stare in shock, he gleefully allows himself to die... He tries, but the Namekians recover in time to brutally murder him in a mob.
    • Vegeta gets a big case of this when fighting Android 18. The beating happens after Vegeta's callousness towards Trunks and Bulma, as well as some sexism expressed towards Android 18.
  • Last-Second Chance: Freeza considers changing his ways after Goku's unexpected altruism with giving him energy. He even calls it his "second and last chance" before deciding to screw it and try to kill Goku once last time.
  • Last-Second Word Swap: In the beginning of the Cooler's Revenge special, Krillin was cooking a stew for the campout, and Oolong was asking about what the stew consists of. Krillin responded that it contains the essentials: "carrots, potatoes, por... poise..." Oolong didn't take the news well when Sauza let slip that "the pork is completely overcooked".
    • Both a Call-Back and a subversion when Chiaotzu does the same thing, only he can't think of a new word so he just goes "poooooorrrrr... kkkk"
  • Laugh with Me!: Subverted after Freeza beats the crap out of Nail with Nail joining in.
    Freeza: Ah, it is kind of funny isn't it?
    Nail: Hehe, I'm laughing about something else actually.
    Freeza: Hehehe, what?
    Nail: The Earthlings have the password.
    [Beat]
    Freeza: What?
    Nail: That little Namekian you passed on the way to Guru's? On his way to the Humans with the password, by now he's probably there and they're about to summon the dragon.
    Freeza: GHHGHGHHH...
    Nail: Yeah, if I had to guess your biggest mistake it would be not stopping him, that or the purple lipstick.
    Freeza: I WILL F*CKING MURDER YOU!
    Nail: Whatever.
  • Lethally Stupid: Nappa, in spades. You can thank this moron for the deaths of Yetti and countless people in East City; even if he didn't mean it.
    • Goku counts as well. Examples include accidentally throwing Chi-Chi into orbit, and placing a self-destructing Cell onto King Kai's planet not because it was the safest place he could think of like in the original series, but because he wanted to ask King Kai where to put Cell.
  • Let's Split Up, Gang!: When trying to find Gero's lab Piccolo notes they have a lot of ground to cover and Krillin cowers as he believes Piccolo is about to tell them to split up to cover more ground, only for Piccolo to instead say they should stick together for safety. But then it gets double subverted when Tien suggests they split up instead to cover more ground and Piccolo believes he has a good point.
  • Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Freeza has his own way of cutting the conversation about Zarbon's sexual preference short.
    Freeza: Oh no, that minion died, could you go fix that? We'll continue this conversation never.
  • Lightbulb Joke:
    • Freeza tells one in Episode 23:
      Freeza: How many Namekians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Their whole race! One to screw in the lightbulb and the rest to die... And then the other one dies, too.
    • It comes back to bite him in the ass in Episode 25:
      Freeza: Now tell me if you've heard this one. How many Namekians does it take to—
      Piccolo: [PUNCH] Just one.
  • Lighter and Softer: Though it still has its darker moments, the series is overall more silly than Dragon Ball Z. This is especially true for History of Trunks Abridged, where the Crapsack World Bad Future and how it changes the lives of its inhabitants is largely played for Black Comedy (Chi-Chi going a little nuts, Bulma being desperate for a man, the Androids being more petty and less sadistic than canon etc).
  • Like a Son to Me: Subverted. In Episode 9, Gohan believes that this was gonna be the basis of Piccolo's last words to him, due to lack of reproductive organs. Instead...
    Piccolo: Why didn't you DODGE?! bleh. [dies]
  • Limit Break: In Episode 8, Final Fantasy VII style. Also works as a Visual Pun as Krillin literaly reaches his limit to the amount of insults he can handle:
    Krillin: That's it! I can't take it any more! I can only be pushed so far!
  • Literal Genie:
    • Porunga. Note that this was the case in the original series, but it's more blatantly lampshaded here when Piccolo has been wished to Namek:
      Dende: He is on Namek.
      Gohan: Wait, where is he?
      Dende: On Namek.
      Piccolo: [from the other side of the planet] You dumbass!
      Krillin: Why didn't it bring him here?
      Dende: You must be specific.
      Gohan: Oh, so it's a sort of monkey's paw; you have to be careful with the hubris in your wishes.
      Piccolo: [still distant] NERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD!
    • It happens again at the end of Season 2, when they wish back all the people killed by Freeza and his men. Since Nappa and the Saibaman that killed Yamcha technically worked for Vegeta, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha need to be revived by Porunga; after being killed by Freeza, Krillin also needed to be revived by Porunga because, like Chiaotzu, he'd been revived by Shenron once already. In addition, Vegeta was still working for Freeza when he killed Nappa, so...
    • Shenron weaponizes this on purpose after Krillin asks for a Christmas Tree. So he summons the Tree of Might.
  • Literal Metaphor: The geothermal piston of the Big Gete Star pumping into New Namek's mantle is how Cooler describes literally f**king the planet.
  • Literal-Minded:
    • Goku still doesn't get sarcasm.
      Freeza: Will you just piss off?
      Goku: I don't have to use the bathroom!
    • And Android 16.
      Android 17: We're taking the van.
      [Android 16 picks up the van]
      Android 17: No, buddy. We're going to drive it.
  • Little "No": Mr. Popo's reaction to Blue Popo's existence.
  • The Load: Gohan tends to be this for Piccolo, who ends up Taking the Bullet twice because of him.
    Piccolo: Why can't you save YOUR OWN DAMN SELF?!
  • Love Epiphany: Krillin gets one when he's trying to psyche himself into blowing up Android 18.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: From the very first episode:
    Raditz: And to top off this expositional onslaught, I... AM YOUR BROTHER!
  • Lyrical Dissonance:
    • Goku's little ditty as he charges up a Spirit Bomb in Lord Slug Abridged.
      Goku: Sun, sun, Mister Golden Sun, kill my enemies~!
    • Cell's rendition of Mr. Sandman at the end of Episode 42.
    M 
  • Made of Explodium:
    • Vegeta is puzzled after being thrown into a lake following his defeat against Zarbon.
      Vegeta: ...Why did I explode?
    • Also in Lord Slug Abridged, where Chi-Chi performs a flying kick on two enemy mooks, and they explode a second later in a Shout-Out to Fist of the North Star.
  • Made of Indestructium: The Dragonballs, which is why Guldo using his time-control powers to stop Krillin from destroying one needn't be done in a rush. Either that or Krillin is just a wimp.
  • Madness Mantra: Mr. Popo in Episode 40, after downing a gallon of LSD
    Mr. Popo: All these squares make a circle... All these squares make a circle... All these squares make a circle...
  • Magic Countdown: The notorious line where Freeza claims Namek will explode in 5 minutes, only for it to take more than 5 episodes is of course parodied. Freeza's clearly just guessing how long it'll take, and just says fivenote . Goku of all people starts calling bullshit and asks Freeza if he even knows how long a minute is.
  • Magitek: It's starting to be a Running Gag in Season Two. A generic medic in Freeza's army instructs his men to revive Vegeta with "delicious magical science", while Goku calls a sensu bean "sweet sciency magic."
  • Man of a Thousand Voices: Everyone. Nearly the entire cast of Dragon Ball Z is voiced by 10 people with their own abridged series, especially during the Saiyan Saga and Freiza Saga:
    • Lanipator: Krillin, Vegeta, Piccolo, Mr. Popo, Shenlong, Radditz, Master Roshi
    • Kaiser Neko: King Kai, Gregory, Yajirobe, Korin, Zarbon, Burter, Oolong, Garlic Jr., Trunks
    • Takahata 101: Nappa, Arlian King, Bardock, Dende, Super Kami Guru, Guldo, Porunga, Lord Slug, Cell
    • Masako X: Goku and Gohan
    • hbi2k: Farmer With Shotgun, Dr. Briefs, Turles, Nail, King Cold
    • Little Kuriboh: Narrator, Freeza
    • Antfish: Bojack, Dodoria, Captain Ginyu, Mr. Satan
    • GanXingba: Tenshinhan, King Yemma, Toma, Recoome, Jeice, Android 17, Chilled
    • Megami 33: Bulma, Chiaotzu, Puar
  • Mars Needs Women: Dende, as a member of the sluglike monogender Namekian race, doesn't even know what breasts are before meeting Bulma but instinctively knows that he wants to "nestle between them".
  • Mathematician's Answer: From Episode 25:
    Messenger: He's been telling everyone that Freeza plans to destroy Vegeta!
    King Vegeta: Wait, my son, the planet, or me?
    Messenger: ...Yes.
    [Vegeta kills messenger]
    King Vegeta: Freakin' smartass.
    • The exact same thing happens again in the first half of the Bardock movie.
    • And happens yet again in the first half of Broly's movie.
  • Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Did Nappa really come back as a ghost, or was Vegeta just hallucinating? The resurrected Nappa's movie pitch seems to point to the former, but that could just be a coincidence.
  • Meaningful Background Event: In Episode 26, Freeza's yelling can be heard in the background while he makes his final transformation. Dende dies mere seconds after the yelling stops, when it's revealed that Freeza's already changed.
  • Meanwhile, Back at the…: Used often in early season 1, to the point of parody.
  • Metaphorgotten: Done, unsurprisingly, by Goku.
    Goku: But you know what they say; when you fall off that horse, you climb right back up and you eat that horse! Come eat that horse with me Vegeta!
  • A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read:
    • Piccolo, while looking for Gohan's mind, gets to hear Vegeta's thoughts. They're... rather disturbing.
      Vegeta: Oh God, this feels amazing. First thing I'm gonna do when I get home is step in front of a full-length mirror, strip down, turn Super Saiyan and -
    • When King Kai attempts to speak to Mr. Popo telepathically, his brain explodes (non-lethally, but it gives him one hell of a headache.)
    King Kai: Awesome, now let me talk to him.
    Kami: (scoffing) If you insist.
    King Kai: Now Mr. Popo- [his connection explodes, leaving him on the ground] [recovering] How the hell do you work with this guy?!
    Kami: It's easier than you think.
  • Mind Screw: Attempted with Vegeta.
    Vegeta: Look at your men, now back to me, now look back to your men, now back to me, I am not your men, I'm flipping you off, now look at the the ground, back to me, where's the Dragon Ball? It's gone, I threw it, and there's not a damn thing you can—
    Burter: [comes back with the Dragon Ball] Here you go boss.
  • Mistaken for Gay:
    • Zarbon, numerous times. It doesn't help that he's extremely camp. After Freeza finds out about Zarbon's having a girlfriend, this exchange happens
      Freeza: Oh... And all this time I could have sworn you were... Oh, never mind...
      Zarbon: You thought I was single?
      Freeza: Well, I thought you were into...
    • Later on, Vegeta gets this treatment from Zarbon himself:
      Vegeta: That reminds me... Did you do anything to me while I was unconscious?
      Zarbon: 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?
      Zarbon: Alright, Vegeta, I'm going to be totally honest with you. This is sounding really gay.
  • Mistaken for Murderer: When Goku takes Burter out, Jeice assumes that Burter is dead and is horrified, then goes off to get Ginyu for an attempt at revenge. In truth, Goku is intentionally holding back in order to avoid killing his overmatched opponents, but Vegeta is more than happy to make up for that...
  • Mixed Metaphor: In Episode 28, Goku is just full of these.
    Goku: Hey, I'm just like any other guy. I pay my taxes one leg at a time.
    Goku: Now I may not be the brightest knife in the crayon box...
  • Mood Whiplash:
    • Freeza's group is shockingly good at this in Episode 14. Freeza himself is a peppy, fey individual who can go from amusing to intimidating in less than a sentence. Dodoria on the other hand has a brand of humor dark as pitch.
    • In Episode 14, Goku exclaiming "This is the best day ever!" while a peppy song song plays on the background. Cut to Dodoria slaughtering Namekians.
    • In Episode 18, Krillin gets happy when he and Gohan approach Guru's place to unlock Gohan's potential. Then he feels Vegeta's anger at finding his Dragon Ball missing.
      Krillin: That's it! We're gonna make it! We're finally gonna [feels Vegeta approach] die. We are going to die.
      Gohan: Krillin, what is that?!
      Krillin: Pure rage, Gohan. Pure rage.
    • In Episode 20, during Gohan's fight with Recoome. Inspirational music from Dragon Ball Z Kai plays as an injured Gohan gives a Badass Boast about Goku, but both the music and the speech are cut off abruptly when Recoome snaps Gohan's neck with a kick.
    • In Episode 21, Jeice and Burter have a heartwarming moment, and then Goku curbstomps Burter.
    • Played inversely in Episode 27, when Freeza's beating of Vegeta is no longer Played for Laughs. Aforementioned tyrant is about to skewer Vegeta on his own hand when Goku arrives and threatens Freeza in a way that hasn't already shown up on Freeza's extensive "heroic speeches" list.
    • Goku's just turned Super Saiyan in response to Krillin's death and when Freeza has the nerve to target Gohan next, this happens:
      Freeza: [in pain as Goku crushes his hand] What are you..? Let go of me!
      Goku: [through gritted teeth] I'm going to break you. [tightens grip]
      Freeza: Aaagh!
      Goku: Like a Kit-Kat bar.
      Freeza: ...What? [gets decked] WHAT?
    • Guru's death. Easily the most violent, albeit off-screen, moment of the series. Also the most hilarious.
    • The end of Episode 40 has Piccolo arriving on the Lookout and having a funny interlude with Kami and a stoned Mr. Popo who just took the aforementioned gallon of LSD, which quickly segues into Piccolo demanding Kami give up his body and let Piccolo fuse with him for a power boost while having a serious discussion not only about the threat represented by the three Androids, but also Kami's fears that something worse than them is on the way followed by a shot of Cell incubating in the basement of Dr. Gero's destroyed lab with Cell's sinister laughter heard in the background as the episode ends. The change in tone is even Lampshaded by Nail and Mr. Popo.
    • Episode 42: Piccolo and Kami finally merge into one being again and Nail and Kami immediately start mocking Piccolo. When they get to Ginger Town Kami and Nail are still mocking Piccolo who tells them to shut up so he can try and listen. Cue a creepy rendition of Mr. Sandman as sung by Cell with no ending card or stinger, for the first time ever, instead ending with Cell's creepy grin.
    • The opening for Episode 43 picks up where the last one left off, remaining ominous. Until it gets completely ruined by Cell yelling "WANNA SEE ME DRINK THIS GUY?"
    • Cell in general is quickly proving himself as a master of this, constantly swerving from funny to creepy, then back to funny again, sometimes within the same sentence.
    • Episode 56: Bulma find an uncorrupted file on Android 16's hard drive. Dr. Briefs makes a bet with his daughter that it's interracial porn. Turns out it's Dr. Gero's son sending him a video log, namely the last one as the video cuts out due to an explosion caused by young Goku when he destroyed the Red Ribbon base. Bulma and Dr. Briefs are shocked at this. They also find a bomb inside Android 16. Then Bulma tells her father he lost the bet.
    • Episode 60 part 2: Gohan's snapping, and demonstrating both badass, and psychopathic tendencies, as he coldly kills off the Cell Jrs. then having a complete brutal tear down of his father, that even terrifies Goku.
  • Mook Horror Show:
    • The short glimpse of young Goku destroying the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters in Episode 56 has clear trappings of the trope, especially as it is seen from the view-point of the person was the human counterpart of Android 16. He is just recording an innocuous v-log for his father (Dr. Gero), when, near the end of said v-log, the alarms goes off and his superior officer bellows in wild panic from outside the frame that "some thing" is tearing its way through the place. The distant, ominous shouting by Goku indicates that he is charging up a Kamehameha, which cuts off the recording the moment the attack hits their base.
    • Gohan's brutal annihilation of the Cell Jr.'s is framed this way, with dissonant music to underscore how badly he's snapped and his victims' attempts at escape or resistance being pathetically ineffective.
  • Moral Myopia: When Gero has his hand ripped off, something that will take him three hours to fix, he starts bitching out the Z-Fighters while ignoring the fact that he had blown up a city an hour ago.
  • Morton's Fork:
    • Vegeta in regards to his father.
      Yajirobe: I'm sorry! I'm sure your father was a great man!
      Vegeta: I hated my father!
      Yajirobe: Oh, then I'm sure your father was a total prick.
      Vegeta: [Punches Yajirobe repeatedly] How dare you talk about my father like that!
    • He does something similar during a flashback in the History of Trunks.
      Vegeta: [punching Gohan in the face] So what!? You think having a dad who's a Super Saiyin makes you better than me!?
      Gohan: No!
      Vegeta: Wrong answer!
    • This is also the focal point of Tien's game with him. If Vegeta gives in to Tien's goading and kills him, he loses. But if he doesn't give in, he still loses because Tien gets to mock him with impunity.
  • Motivational Lie: Numerous times:
    • Goku convinces Oozaru Gohan that Vegeta killed his pet dragon Icarus (even though Vegeta wasn't even on the planet at the time) to focus his rage on Vegeta.
    • King Kai lies to Goku by telling him its Christmas to give Goku extra encouragement when fighting Lord Slug.
    • Guru praises Nail as "Namek's Number One Son" when he's pitted against Freeza. Only after they've left does Guru reveal that Nail doesn't stand a chance.
  • Mugging the Monster: Garlic Junior attacks the lookout to begin his takeover of earth. Sadly for him, in the abridged adaptation Mr. Popo is not someone you easily trap in a bottle.
    Mr. Popo: Clean that up.
    Garlic Jr.: I beg your pardon?! Have you an inkling in that simple little head of yours who you're speaking to?
    Mr. Popo: (smirking) Oh please, do go on.
  • Mundane Made Awesome:
    • Goku's assurance to Gohan before his fight with Vegeta is played up.
      Goku: Tell her [guitar riff sequence] to put dinner on. [more guitar] Because I'm hungry. [even more guitar]
    • Also, the (MAHOGANY!) desk speech from King Yemma.
  • Mundane Utility: As per canon, there are several cases of the Z-fighters using their ki superpowers for simpler things, including roasting meat and clearing debris.
  • Mundane Wish:
    • Krillin wants to use the remaining wish on Porunga for a three-foot long hoagie. Oolong also points out that the Dragon Balls can be used to wish for panties instead of immortality.
    • Guru tells Nail to gather the Dragon Balls to wish for a plasma TV. Nail simply replies that it would be a "gross misuse of their power." At the end of Lord Slug Abridged, he uses them to deliver a letter to Slug since they don't have a mail system.
    • Kochin wants the dragon to melt the ice that has blocked the door to the lab.
  • Murder by Inaction: Following the scene where Krillin has mortally wounded Vegeta (as Vegeta requested), Dende is understandably unwilling to heal him on account of his partaking in the Namekian genocide. He reluctantly does so when Piccolo points out how screwed they are without Vegeta's assistance.
  • Musical Spoiler: Subverted when Vegeta is blasted into the sky by the Spirit Bomb. It's followed by a scene accompanied by the rather triumphant "Omae no XXX Ten wo Tarou"... which is cut off when Vegeta falls back to the ground.
  • Mutually Unequal Relationship: Goku believes that he and Vegeta are best buddies after saving him from the Ginyu Force, while it's made pretty clear that Vegeta hates him and only hangs around with the desire to get stronger than him. Vegeta finally calls Goku "best buddy" internally right before his Heroic Sacrifice.
  • My Beloved Smother: Chi-Chi gets a clear feeling for this... until Gohan quickly and shockingly puts a stop to it.
  • My Friends... and Zoidberg:
    • A variation is used by Nappa.
      Nappa: Well, it's been fun kid. I mean, for me, not for you. As for you [cut to Piccolo], everyone important to you is dead.
      Krillin: Hey, I'm still alive—
      Nappa: EVERYONE IMPORTANT.
      Krillin: ...damn it.
    • Another variation:
      Tenshinhan: Let's do it for Chiaotzu!
      Yamcha: And Krillin!
      [Chirping Crickets]
      Yamcha: OK, just Chiaotzu.
    • Yamcha's apparent awesomeness gets turned on its head in Episode 13. When they are stranded on Namek:
      Bulma: Who knows? Maybe here I'll finally meet a real man.
      Krillin: What about Yamcha?
      Bulma: A real man.
      • And again when the Z Fighters show up on King Kai's planet. King Kai tells Yamcha to wash his car while the others train.
      • From Episode 23:
        Krillin: Now let's hurry up and wish back Piccolo, Tenshinhan, and Chiaotzu!
        Gohan: What about Yamcha?
        Krillin: What about Yamcha?
        Vegeta: I don't know what this Yamcha is, but it sounds just like Raditz.
      • From Episode 24, while they're deliberating who to wish back to life:
        Piccolo: Just wish me back.
        King Kai: I guess we should ask Yamcha what he thinks.
        Yamcha: Uh—
        Piccolo: No one cares what Yamcha thinks.
  • My God, You Are Serious!:
    • Tien says a variation of this when he realizes that King Kai wasn't joking when he said that Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha would be on his planet forever.
    • Also, though he doesn't say it word-for-word, this is basically Android 17's reaction after learning that "that fat clown" thing was actually Android 19 and not just a joke.
  • My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Goku gives an epically nonsensical one after achieving Super Saiyan for the first time.
    Goku: I am the hope of the omniverse! I am the light bulb in the darkness! I am the bacon in the fridge of all living things that cry out in hunger! I am the Alpha and the Amiga! I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am Son Goku, and I am a Super- *No Sells Freeza's attack* -Saiyan.
  • My God, What Have I Done?:
    • King Kai has a moment after he chases off Goku, when he realizes this means he's all alone again. (Other than Bubbles, Gregory, and Bojack)
    • Freeza has one when he realizes that he's killed Vegeta, meaning he has to deal with Goku's idiocy himself..
      Freeza: Oh my God, I've traded Vegeta for this.
    • Bulma has a very minor one when she realized she solicited her son from the future for sex.
    • Goku has one when Piccolo torpedoes his plan of turning Gohan into his successor by pointing out that Gohan doesn't like to fight.
      Goku: I've made a terrible mistake...
  • Mythology Gag: Has its own page.

    N 
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: D.V.E.D., in Cooler 2, takes Yajirobe to something called "The De-organer."
  • Negated Moment of Awesome:
    • Happens to Gohan while fighting Recoome. Gohan starts by giving Recoome a bit of a verbal beatdown as the music starts to swell. Then he makes a desperate charge and... gets his neck snapped with one kick.
    • Mr. Popo kills Garlic Jr. before he can even do anything.
  • Nervous Wreck:
    • This happens to Krillin. He cannot shut up when he's scared.
    • Lampshaded when Yamcha freaks out in Episode 32:
      Krillin: Y'know, if he were't doing it... I would.
  • Nested Mouths: Third-form Freeza whips out one of these as a reference to Alien.
  • Never Heard That One Before:
    • Played with with Freeza, who keeps a tally of heroic speeches:
      Namekian Warrior: We're here to stop this senseless slaughter of our people.
      Freeza: 92
      Namekian Warrior: This has gone on for too long. And now, you're going to pay.
      Freeza: 355
      Namekian Warrior: We are... we... what are you—
      Freeza: No, go on. Continue. Don't mind me.
      Namekian Warrior: And... we are the ones who will stop you.
      Freeza: Ooh, wow. 419.
      Namekian Warrior: Oh yeah? Well... we're going to... f**k your face!
      Freeza: Oh my. Twelve.
      • A short while later:
        Namekian Elder: That... that wasn't part of the deal!
        Freeza: Aaaand 500! Dodoria, show 'em what they've won!
      • Though Goku did find one he hadn't heard yet.
        Goku: Imma deck you in the schnoz!
      • And when Goku becomes a Super Saiyan he stumps Freeza once more
        Goku: I'm going to break you... [crushes Freeza's hand] ...like a Kit-Kat bar!
    • Used almost verbatim in this exchange, after Trunks asks Freeza why he has "spare parts" coming out of him:
      Freeza: Impudent little... These are not spare parts! What you are looking at is the ultimate culmination of science and nature!
      Trunks: Oh, wow! I've... never seen that before.
  • Never Say "Die": Spoofed.
    Reporter: Oh my God! They blew up the cargo robot... And the cargo was people!
  • Never Say That Again: Vegeta wishes Nappa wouldn't speak again in general.
    Krillin and Piccolo: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! [both make three copies of themselves]
    Nappa: Vegeta! I can't... [smiles] believe it.
    Vegeta: [offscreen, in disgust] Uuuuuugggh.
  • Never Trust a Trailer: You see all that cool stuff in the Episode 31 intro? You're not getting any of it thanks to Mr. Popo.
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands:
    • Parodied. Vegeta reveals to Dodoria that after his trip to Earth, he can now sense energy sources and doesn't need a scouter. When Dodoria asks him how he learned how to do that, Vegeta is just as clueless.
    • And again in Episode 21 when Goku reads Krillin's mind. His explanation muffin button makes as much sense as the canonical explanation just something that happens while he's training at high gravity.
    • Parodied beautifully in the Super Android 13 movie:
      Krillin: Oh right, Spirit Saiyan... wait, what?
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In Trunks' alternate timeline Android 17 was bored with killing humans and had just decided to quit and become a park ranger when Gohan kicks him through a building. An angry Android 17 responds by vowing to kill every human.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Dr. Gero subconsciously bombarded all of his androids with a directive to kill Goku for years. He never considered that this might make them want to kill Goku themselves and would interfere with any other attempts, including by his other androids.
  • No Biological Sex: While implied in the actual series, Namekians' lack of sexual organs is explicitly stated and played for laughs several time.
    Nail: [after tricking Piccolo into putting his hand on his crotch] Ha, ha! If we had junk you'd be gay right now!
  • No Dead Body Poops: As Bardock learns upon having the corpses of his friends piled atop him, they do.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Zarbon on Vegeta after his transformation. Freeza on Vegeta after his final transformation. Cell on Vegeta after he achieves his Perfect form.
  • No Indoor Voice:
    • Vegeta spends about 80% of his screentime screaming at the top of his lungs. Lanipator lampshades it in one blooper where after recording one such outburst, he drops character to give his larynx a break and asks why he had to be cast as the loudest, raspiest voiced character in the whole show.
    • The entire Kanassan race seem to be like this.
      I CAN SEE THE FUTUUURE!!!
  • Non-Indicative Name: As Cell discovers, East/West/North City do not have names corresponding to their actual geographic location.
    Cell: Alright... so South City is to the north, North city is to the west and East city is... also to the north. Where the f*** AM I!?
  • Non Sequitur, *Thud*: Occasionally happens to characters who've had their asses handed to them.
    • Krillin gets one after getting demolished by Recoome, in a high pitched voice, no less.
      Krillin: Hello, Gohan, have you done your homework? Cause if you don't Chi-Chi will kick my ass!
    • Goku delivers one after being repeatedly dunked underwater while fighting Freeza.
      Goku: Grandpa, I don't want any more baths today. I'm clean now.
    • And Freeza after being bisected by his own attack
      Freeza: Daddy, I don't want to be on Namek anymore.
  • Noodle Incident:
    • The jockstrap incident is mentioned three separate times, though it is never explained what said incident entails. The three instances do give subtle hints, though:
      • When Vegeta is figuring where Ginyu hid the Namekian Dragonballs before he and Jeice found him and Goku:
        Vegeta: If it's anything like that jockstrap incident, Ginyu probably buried them somewhere around here.
      • Freeza mentions it in Episode twenty-seven while messing with Vegeta during their fight.
        Freeza: [thinking] This has been one giant mess. It's just like that jockstrap incident, only now I don't have Ginyu around to dig the holes.
      • Mentioned again in Episode 32 by King Cold, when he's trying to decide where to land their spaceship on Earth.
        Freeza: Daddy, we can park anywhere we want.
        King Cold: Now son, if this is anything like that jockstrap incident, we don't want to get boxed in!
    • Trunks mentions getting his sword from Tapion, but gives us no further exposition.
  • No-One Could Have Survived That: Played with in Revenge of Cooler after Goku took a blast, fell in the river and off a waterfall.
    Cooler: So. Who thinks he's dead?
    Sauza: Dead.
    Neiz: Krii!
    Doore: That boy's dead as mutton.
    Cooler: Well, too bad, I sign your paychecks. Search the forest.
    Sauza: Qu'est-ce que f$#!k.
  • No Party Like a Donner Party: How Dende seems to hint at how the Eldest Namek helped his entire race through a great drought that struck Namek...
  • No-Respect Guy: Pretty much every group has one.
    • The Z-Warriors have Yamcha.
      • When Yamcha isn't there, this is Krillin's job.
    • Raditz is on the bottom of the Saiyan totem pole.
    • The Ginyu Force has Guldo.
    • Appule is the one mocked out of Freeza's lower-ranked minions.
    • Dodoria is the least of Freeza's main henchmen.
    • Android 19 is the laughing stock of the Androids.
      • Android 13 is a close second.
    • Enema is this for Garlic Jr.'s minionsnote , with Mustard only expressing grief at his death because he'd lose access to Enema's HBO Go account.
  • No-Sell:
    • "The only thing Recoome sells is merchandise!" Including a Recoome vibrator, apparently.
    • Freeza pulls this on Goku a few times, tanking his x20 Kamehameha.
      Freeza: No, seriously, Kai-oh-what?
      Goku: Kai-oh-crap.
      Freeza: Thought so.
    • He also is unaffected by a Bolt of Divine Retribution. And mocks God for the lack of effort.
    • In Revenge of Cooler, Sauza punches Goku in the face... and much to Sauza's complete bewilderment, Goku completely ignores him while he continues chatting with Cooler, despite Sauza's fist against the side of his face. Goku does it to Cooler, too, after turning into a Super Saiyan.
    • As soon as Imperfect Cell absorbs Android 17 to become Semi-Perfect Cell, Android 16 punches him in the face while he's making motorboat noises with his newly-grown lips. Cell goes right on motorboating and blasts about a quarter of 16's head off.
    • Subverted by Semi-Perfect Cell against Tien. Tien's kikoho doesn't actually injure Cell (judging by Cell's reaction it's still very painful), but it does pin him in a hole in the ground for several minutes and allow the Androids to escape.
    • Once Cell becomes Perfect Cell, he gets hit from Krillin's Kienzan from behind. It passes straight through him doing no damage whatsoever. Krillin's Owned Count goes up not too long afterwards.
    • When Gohan's tutor whips him repeatedly, Gohan ends up falling asleep from boredom.
  • No Sympathy: What Gohan actually blames Goku for isn't his fault: abandoning Gohan with Piccolo for a year (Piccolo kidnapped him after Goku died trying to rescue him), and sending him to space (Gohan himself insisted on going, Goku himself was unable to do so due to his injures, and Goku was unable even to give his opinion on Gohan's choice due to being sedated with Clorox after screaming in terror at seeing Mr. Popo).
  • Not Hyperbole: Kami confirmed that, yes, Popo did a gallon of LSD. Straight out of a jug.
  • Not So Above It All: Trunks finds it odd that Krillin makes laser noises while shooting energy beams, then promptly starts doing it as well.
  • Not That There's Anything Wrong with That: Said word-for-word by Zarbon after insinuating that Vegeta is gay.
  • Not Wearing Pants: "Could you speak up; I'm not wearing pants." Apparently Master Roshi's hearing is directly tied to his level of dress.
  • Not Worth Killing: Androids 17 and 18 aren't intimidated when Krillin threatens to stop him from killing Goku, but because it's Krillin, the most they do is chuckle at his incredibly lame threats. Android 18 even gives Krillin a kiss because she finds his death threats cute. They walk off without lifting a finger against him.
  • The Narrator Is A Cheating Bastard: King Kai should not bet against the Narrator.
    Narrator: Many lives were lost, many lessons were learned, and I made out with a cool one hundred thou!
    King Kai: You cheating son of a—
    Narrator: Can't hear you, don't care.
  • No, You: Subverted in Episode 24.
    Gohan: You know, you seem like you're in a bad mood. Maybe you should take a nap.
    Vegeta: Maybe YOU should... Eh, actually, that sounds good.
    O 
  • Obfuscating Stupidity:
    • Played With with Goku. He seems like a total idiot, but his occasional moments of lucidity at certain convenient or simply random moments make you wonder.
      • In the second episode of the series, Piccolo makes Goku fight Raditz alone for five minutes to distract him while he charges his attack. At the end of the Freeza saga, Goku makes Piccolo fight Freeza alone for five minutes to distract Freeza while he charges his attack, using the Exact Words Piccolo did - prompting Piccolo to wonder if Goku is holding a grudge.
      • When Goku goes Super Saiyan, he correctly orders Gohan to save Piccolo and stops Freeza from interfering. Gohan notes that this was unusually astute of Goku, but Goku orders Gohan to leave without making another joke. Once Gohan and Piccolo are safe, Goku goes back to his silly self.
    • During the Cell Saga, Goku prevents Gohan from running off to fight Cell and try to save Piccolo, noting that Gohan isn't strong enough to win and that Piccolo would say the same thing, "And he's smarter than me." Gohan notes that Goku is correct, and is confused.
      • Also during the Cell Saga, Goku immediately and intuitively understands the limitations of the slow and bulky Super Saiyan Grade 3 form, describing it intelligently and even giving a reasonable summary of the form's flaws. Gohan is again confused by his father showing intelligence.
      • Goku can't say the name of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which is why Mr. Popo referred to it as the Room of Spirit and Time to him when he was a child. Goku claims he can say the name correctly, then spouts out clear (and increasingly incorrect) gibberish. When he comes up with a fourth, even more absurd incorrect name for the room, Mr. Popo accuses him of doing it on purpose. Goku notes that he "Might have been."
  • Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: The second movie with Cooler is titled Cooler 2 The Return of Cooler's Revenge The Reckoning. Probably making fun of the fact that the original movies are titled Cooler's Revenge and Return of Cooler, making it unclear which one is supposed to be the sequel.
  • Offing the Mouth: This is why King Vegeta killed his messenger Butarega.
    Butarega: King Vegeta, I have urgent news!
    King Vegeta: Speak, Butarega.
    Butarega: Bardock has gone absolutely mad, Sire!
    Bardock: FREEZA!!
    King Vegeta: What's all the commotion about?
    Butarega: He's been telling everyone that Freeza plans to destroy Vegeta!
    King Vegeta: Wait, my son, the planet, or me?
    Butarega: ... Yes.
    [Butarega is blasted by King Vegeta]
    King Vegeta: Freakin' smartass.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The Ginyu Force being pwned out of King Kai's planet... by KING KAI HIMSELF.
  • Oh, Crap!:
    • Vegeta gets one while in the middle of a Beam-O-War with Goku.
      Vegeta: This is the end, Kakarot. You don't stand a chance! I put all of my power into this attack. Now perish with the rest of your pathetic world!
      Goku: Kaio-ken...
      Vegeta: Nooo...
      Goku: TIMES...
      Vegeta: No, no, no...
      Goku: FOUR!
      Vegeta: No, no, no, nononono[blasted backwards into the sky] FUUUUUUU [50 seconds later] UUUUCK!
    • And a bit later...
      Vegeta: Haha! There's nothing left now! Your last hope, and you missed! You're all dead, and there isn't a damn thing you can d—what smells like deer?
    • And further still:
      Vegeta: [after cutting off Oozaru Gohan's tail] Ha ha, I did it! I'm the best! Around! Nothing's ever gonna keep me down... [notices Gohan is falling right towards him] No-NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!
    • And then in Episode 18, when Guru senses five "incredibly flamboyant" high power levels heading straight for the surface of planet Namek, Vegeta immediately realizes who they are (the Ginyu Force) and starts panicking that they're all going to die.
    • Even Goku has one at the end of Episode 22 when he realizes that he's had his body switched with the much weaker Captain Ginyu who just punched a hole in his own chest.
    • Krillin gets a funny one when Ginyu arrives in Goku's body in Episode 23.
      Krillin: Goku, what's your favorite food?
      Ginyu: Waldorf salad.
      Krillin: See? Double baconat-oh shit.
    • Jeice gets one in Episode 23 while fighting Vegeta.
      Jeice: What the hell happened to you? You were NOT this strong when you fought Recoome!
      Vegeta: [hands him the Saiyan Handbook] Looks like you have some required reading to do.
      Jeice: Alright, let's see here. Okay, full moon, lose your tail, stronger every time you... oh. Well I'm right f[bleep]ked, aren't I?
      Vegeta: Right in the downunder.
    • Vegeta and Krillin at the end of Episode 24.
      Vegeta: If it didn't grant me my wish, then I'm not immortal, and Freeza's going to... going to...
      [Vegeta stares, and Krillin follows his gaze to where Freeza is standing.]
      Freeza: Oh don't mind me. By all means, give me some ideas.
    • When Freeza transforms in Episode 25.
      Gohan: Krillin, do you feel that?!
      Krillin: I taste that!
      Freeza: [After transforming] All done, and judging by the expression on your face, so are you.
    • Freeza causes more of these in Episode 26, when he transforms again and kills the White Mage, and Episode 27 when he pummels Vegeta. And then Goku shows up and deflects all of his attacks...
    • Goku uses the Kaio-Ken attack on Freeza, prompting "Kaio-what" before getting smacked in the face. Then Freeza immediately recovers and says "seriously, Kaio-what?" to Goku's shocked dismay.
      Goku: Kai- Oh, Crap!.
      Freeza: Thought so.
    • The favor is returned with Goku's mega Spirit Bomb.
      Freeza: Hehehehe... eh? Oh, somehow I completely forgot about that.
      [Spirit Bomb absorbs Death Ball]
      Spirit Bomb: OMNOMNOM.
      Freeza: Oh, my God!
    • Then in Episode 37, Bulma insists on going to the battlefield to see the androids with Yajirobe and her infant son with her. Trunks isn't amused:
      Bulma: Hey guys~!
      Vegeta: AND NOW THE WOMAN'S HERE!
      Gohan: BULMA! NO!
      Trunks: DID SHE BRING ME?!
      Andoid 20: [thinking] And there's my door! [shoots down the ship]
    • Now in the remastered Dead Zone, we get a great double dose:
      Garlic Jr.: Oh god, your father's Goku. OH MY GOD! You morons stole Goku's kid? How?! How did you steal Goku's kid?!
      Cinnamon: Well first we beat up his wife...
      Garlic Jr.: Oh, my shit.
      • He gets a belated one when Kami points out that Garlic Jr. only averted a Nice Job Fixing It, Villain because part of his plan didn't succeed.
        Garlic Jr.: Before you arrived, I used the dragonballs to grant myself immorality. AHAHAHAHAHA!
        Kami: Wait, your plan was to kill me, then use the dragonballs.
        Garlic Jr.: HAHAHA- Yeah, why... [Beat] Oh, shit. Wow, I dodged a bullet on that one. Thank god my minions are so incompetent.
    • More seriously, Future Trunks experiences this when Androids 17 and 18 decide to wake up Android 16, because the Butterfly Effect created by his time traveling now means there will be three Androids instead of the two from his timeline. And considering the damage the two Androids caused, the addition of a third gives him good cause to be alarmed.
    • Krillin's reaction to Future Trunks' sword breaking on Android 18's arm is to let out a terrified and drawn out "oooooooooooh noooooooooo!"
    • Tien and especially Krillin have one in Episode 45 when Piccolo explains that because of his fusion with Kami, the Dragon Balls are gone. Krillin even starts crying a bit.
    • Piccolo gets one in Episode 46 once Kami and Nail have to mention they have another problem in the middle of the fight with Android 17. That problem being Cell!
    • Episode 51, When Cell absorbs Android 18 to become Perfect Cell, even Bulma can feel how massive that power level is.
      Bulma: Hey, so, I can't sense power levels, but I can feel that. Does that mean anything?
      Piccolo: We're fucked.
    • Episode 52 has Perfect Cell giving a pimp slap to Krillin that launches him through a hillside and halfway across a rocky island. However, that's not the Oh Crap moment. What IS the Oh Crap moment is what Krillin says to Trunks after he has recovered.
      Krillin: Vegeta's gonna die.
      Trunks: What? How do you-
      Krillin: Trunks, do have any idea how many times I've been hit by someone stronger than me since I became an adult?
      Trunks: How would I know that?
      Krillin: EVERY TIME. Barring your mother and Chi-Chi, literally EVERY TIME.
      Trunks: And?
      Krillin: AND I KNOW WHEN SOMEONE IS HOLDING BACK ...Trunks.
    • Later in the same episode, Cell gets one of his own when he realizes that Vegeta's Final Flash is actually powerful enough to kill him.
      Cell: How cute, he named it the- OH SHIT!
    • Trunks, apparently realizing exactly what Broly wants with him.
      Trunks: Goku, get me off this planet right now! I'm serious! Instant Transmission!
    • In Episode 60, Cell gets a double-whammy in the span of a few seconds at the end of the climactic Beam-O-War.
      [Vegeta blasts Cell from behind]
      Cell: Oh, shit...
      Goku: DO IT NOW!
      [Gohan unleashes everything he has, overwhelming Cell's Kamehameha]]
      Cell: OH, SHIT!!
  • The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Android 16 wants to kill Goku. Do not say you are the one that will kill him instead.
  • Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Lampshade hung in Episode 13:
    Roshi: Why Bulma's?
    Goku: Well I need a ship and Bulma's dad is a scientist.
    Roshi: I'm not even going to begin to go into what's wrong with that. I just wish you good luck.
    • Dr. Briefs seems to actually be one going by the events of Lord Slug; isolating the Gay gene and finding a meteor with his combination microscope/telescope. In addition to having built a spaceship that could go to Namek despite him being a member of an apparently non-spacefaring civilization, complete with artificial gravity chamber and a suitably long-range transmitter/receiver.
  • Once Done, Never Forgotten: In-Universe:
    • Goku calling Piccolo and other namekians as "Yoshis"
    • Vegeta being a "Prison Bitch". ...At least until he kills Nappa.
    • Guldo getting dog biscuits thrown at his head by Vegeta.
    • Krillin is never going to let Bulma forget she tried to have sex with her son from the future.
    • Kami isn't willing to let Piccolo forget about the first time he fused with Nail.
      Kami: Lower.
      Piccolo: Yeah, not falling for that.
      Kami: Hmph, I didn't think so.
    • Future Trunks only warning the Z-fighters about Androids 17 and 18 (the only ones that showed up in his timeline), but not knowing about all the other Androids that appear in theirs.
      Goku: We found three more Androids.
      Trunks: DAMMIT!
      Vegeta: Three whole Androids, eh? Pretty sure that makes 8. Hmm, never letting the boy live this one down.
  • One-Liner, Name... One-Liner: Inverted during The Stinger of Episode 21:
    Goku: [during a conversation about the differences between tetanus and rabies] Silly Gohan, animals don't eat people; people eat animals! Silly Gohan.
  • Only Sane Man: Future Trunks, Piccolo, Gohan, Shenron the Dragon, Nail and Tenshinhan all have shades of this to various degrees. Freeza and Vegeta are villainous takes on this, though generally its because they have to hang around folks like Nappa and Goku. When around other 'normal' characters like Future Trunks, Vegeta's arrogance and self-delusions are often as exasperating to them as Goku is to Vegeta.
  • On the Next: Subverted in Episode 13:
    Narrator: A new evil has revealed its face. Who are these mysterious enemies, and do Gohan and Krillin stand a chance? The answer to these questions will be revealed... Right now! Zarbon, Dodoria, Freeza, and Oh my, no.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
    • Mr. Popo is nightmare incarnate, and strikes fear into just about everyone he comes in contact with. However, in Episode 40, he is none of that, instead either staring at the floor and muttering to himself or speaking in a way that he's unable to control the volume of his voice. When Piccolo asks Kami about it, Kami tells Piccolo that Mr. Popo dropped an entire gallon of LSD a little while ago.
    • In the season three finale, Vegeta actually apologizes for his impulsive stupidity.
      Vegeta: I'm... sorry...
      Gohan: Oh, wow, we are fucked.
  • Our Lawyers Advised This Trope:
    • "We here at Team Four Star do not condone child violence... We do, however, find it hilarious."
    • The disclaimer that starts off every episode. "The following is a fan-based parody. Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Dragonball GT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release." Changed as needed throughout the series.
  • Overly Long Gag: Jeice getting repeatedly punched in the nose.
    Goku: So... Are you going to dodge any of these?
    Jeice: Oh, that's what the captai- [WHACK]!
  • Overly Long Scream:
    • Vegeta's scream can be heard by Krillin and Gohan miles away, Goku in outer space, King Yemma in the afterlife, and Trunks twenty years in the future.
    • Played with by Krillin in Episodes 29 and 30. His scream only lasts about a second, but he repeats it over and over until Freeza blows him up. Then everyone's teleported to Earth when Dende screws Freeza over, and in four months' time Porunga is convinced to just give them six wishes right off the bat. When Krillin is revived he is still screaming. Krillin has been screaming non-stop for FOUR MONTHS.
      • A straighter example occurs when Krillin, Gohan and Bulma land on Namek only to learn Vegeta has arrived and that he possesses four of the Dragon Balls. The scream is implied to last for the entire opening sequence and definitely twenty seconds afterwards.
  • Overly Narrow Superlative: Guru refers to Dende as the third-strongest Namekian on Namek. At the time, Dende, Nail, and Guru were the only surviving Namekians on the planet.
    • In Episode 34, when Vegeta once again refers to himself as "Price of All Saiyans", Bulma points out he's really "Prince of All TWO Saiyans". Vegeta meekly counters with "three and a half".
  • Overzealous Underling: In "World's Strongest", Dr . Wheelo is a giant Brain in a Jar who depends on his Dragon Kochin to get a body. Unfortunately, Kochin's determination that this new body have a functional penis leads him to kidnap (then reject) Bulma, Piccolo, and Master Roshi (getting Goku and Gohan involved). He also invested a fortune in a trap that lasted less than a minute against Goku and re-engineered some of Wheelo's creations into evil monsters. Dr. Wheelo is a complete Anti-Villain in this movie, who grows ever more horrified at Kochin's actions while completely powerless to stop him because, well...
    Dr. Wheelo: I am a brain! In a jar!
    P 
  • Pacifism Is Cowardice: The series greatly exaggerates Gohan's canonical reluctance to fight to the point that both Cell and Android 16 giving him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech in which they call him a "coward", especially because Gohan knows perfectly well how absurdly high the stakes are but still doesn't want to fight.
  • Pardon My Klingon: Literally Klingon. Dende calls Freeza a petaQ in Episode 22.
  • Parental Substitute:
    • Piccolo to Gohan, much like the source material. Unlike the source material Piccolo holds some resentment to Goku for this.
    • This relationship is also mocked when Piccolo saves Gohan from Nappa and with his dying breath calls Gohan over, not to tell him that he is like the son he never had but scream at him for not dodging.
  • Parody Assistance: The Funimation dub cast of DBZ love the show, but can't help out with it in very big ways due to that breaching their contracts. That hasn't stopped them from making occasional voice cameos, nor hiring Takahata101 to do voicework for the dub of Xenoverse.
  • Parrot Expo-WHAT?: Any time Goku uses the Kaio-ken, someone (usually Goku's opponent) inevitably responds with some variation of "Kaio-what?"
    • Bardock even gets caught up with this when he sees a vision of the future where Goku's using the Kaio-ken. Right in the middle of the fight with Dodoria's goons.
  • The Password Is Always "Swordfish": To use Kami's spaceship, activating anything merely requires you to say "Popo." Not because that's the password, but because the ship simply knows better than to refuse.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: After arriving on Earth, a dying Guru confesses that he caused the Great Drought by drinking the entire Namekian water supply. He then used the Albino Namekians as scapegoats and had them exterminated. The Namekians are horrified that they killed thousands of their own race for no reason and when Guru doesn't die immediately they tear him to pieces. Then they eat him.
  • Permafusion: Piccolo fuses with and absorbs Nail just like in the original, and it seems like Nail has ceased to be. Only a few seconds later, when Piccolo is getting hyped over his new power boost, it turns out Nail's mind is now occupying a space in Piccolo's head, and the two can have internal conversations with each other.
    Piccolo: Yes. Yes. Yes! YES! I CAN WIN! I FEEL GREAT! I! CAN! DO! THIS!-
    Nail's voice: What are you doing?
    Piccolo: Wh- uh... nothing.
    • Later, Kami would also fuse with Piccolo. Like with Nail, he also continues to exist as a voice in Piccolo's head and the three of them have internal conversations with each other.
  • Percussive Therapy: About Cell's return, Gohan remarks "I'm not even mad you're still alive. I've got some shit to work through."
  • Person as Verb: Getting killed by the villain, especially with contemptible ease, is referred to as "getting Yamcha'd".
    • Refering to the events of Dragonball, Krillin says that Cell "Tambourined" him.
  • Person of Holding: Ginger and Cinnamon.
    Goku: Hey, no fair! I can't pull swords out of my body.
    Cinnamon: Stand still and you will!
  • Phrase Catcher:
    • Gohan catches many phrases
      • Regarding his intelligence
        Piccolo, Nappa or Cell: NEEEERD!
      • Regarding the fact he is still a kid
        Gohan: I need an adult.
        Vegeta, Krillin, and Guru: I am an adult!
    • Krillin early on
      Character X: Krillin!
      Krillin: What?
      Character X: Too soon!
    • Dammit, Goku/Kakkarot!
    • Goddamnit, Nappa!
    • Tien gets variants on "I can never read that guy."
    • "Stop it!" in response to Cell's constant Double Entendres.
    • He also gets "Come again?" which is just leaving him too big an opening.
    • Android 18 gets "Why are you still here?" and "Blow yourself up or leave, I don't care which!"
  • Planet Destroyer: Anyone since Vegeta can easily explode planets like ripping wet tissue. Freeza in particular is known for this and in Bardock: Father of Goku he does it casually with a single finger in his first form no less. Later in the Cell Vs. Shorts Cell claims he can do the very same thing to Yusuke and Kuwabara and given Cell is massively more powerful than Freeza it's hardly an empty boast/threat.
  • Plot Hole: Goku said that his Super Saiyan transformation was brought about when Freeza threatened to kill Gohan. That only happened in the original series. In Abridged Freeza was too busy taunting Goku.
  • Pineapple Ruins Pizza: In this Dragon Ball Super abridged short, Beerus threatens to wipe out Goku's entire race when the latter tries to order a ham and pineapple pizza.
    Beerus: It's an abomination, and I now believe Zamasu did nothing wrong. Why would you put sweet and juicy fruit on top of a salty, delicious pizza?
  • Planet of Hats: The Kanassans are all hammy, dim, fish people with No Indoor Voice that can SEE THE FYOO-TURRRE!
  • Poke in the Third Eye: King Kai tries to telepathically communicate with Mr. Popo to organize a plan between the two of them and Kami. King Kai's antennae explode before he gets three words in and he has to have Kami act as a messenger moving forward.
    King Kai: ...How do you work with this guy?!
  • Poor Communication Kills:
    • A bunch of child-soldier refugees, whose planet was conquered and destroyed by Freeza don't listen to Krillin as he tries to explain he and Gohan aren't sent by Freeza. When even Krillin proves too strong for them to kill, they still won't listen and commit mass suicide.
    • It's pointed out Trunks could have been more specific when describing the Androids that attacked. That being said, he couldn't have anticipated there being more of them.
      Trunks: Yes, I said two, but [Android 20's] not one of them.
      Vegeta: Why didn't ya tell us what they looked like, then?!
      Trunks: I only ever met the two!
      Vegeta: Well look at that, so did we!
    • Between the time Krillin acquires the remote to blow up the Androids and him reaching 18, nobody gives him heads-up that the situation had changed dramatically due to the revelation that Cell is trying to absorb 17 and 18 and that the Android trio was really no longer a problem by themselves (partly because Vegeta and Trunks had gotten stronger than them). Realizing he was in love with 18 was one thing, but what caused him to smash the remote was 18's assurance that she and 16 weren't going to harm the heroes or any innocent people. This is especially obvious when his reaction to 18 telling him he shouldn't have broken it is to ask why in genuine confusion.
  • Powered by a Forsaken Child: Mr. Popo's flying carpet gets 10,000 miles per soul- the gallon. 10,000 miles per gallon...
  • Power Levels:
    • A Zig-Zagging Trope with the infamous "Over nine THOUSAAAAND!" line. First Vegeta read it as 1006, then told Nappa, who was being pummeled senselessly by Goku, to wait a moment.
      Vegeta: I had the scouter upside down. [calmly] It's over 9000. [breaks scouter] Rah.
      Nappa: [lying broken on the ground] Why do you sound so bored?
      Vegeta: Because he's still not a threat.
      Nappa: But—
      Vegeta: To me.
      • Nappa quotes his own line:
        Nappa: Hey Vegeta, "What does the scouter say about his power level?"
    • And as shown in the Running Gag below, because Raditz is so weak (with a power level of 1200), he's become the basic unit of measure. According to Vegeta in an announcement video, the new Dragon Ball Abridged page has OVER 9 RADITZ of Team Four Star power.
    • Vegeta calls out the Strong as They Need to Be aspect of power levels in Episode 26 while Piccolo is fighting Freeza.
      Vegeta: Wait a damn minute, something's wrong here. Back on your planet the Namek could barely stand up to Nappa, yet here he is now taking on Freeza. In his second form.
      Gohan: What do you think happened?
      Vegeta: Well either Freeza hit me so hard I'm in a delusional coma, or...
      Gohan: Or..?
      Vegeta: Power levels are BULL***!
    • Openly mocked in Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan.
      Broly: What's your power level?
      Vegeta: Stop asking, no one cares anymore!
  • Power Perversion Potential: Inverted in Buu Bits when Videl is talking to Gohan about his super speed, his immunity to bullets, and general capacity to dodge anything she throws at him if he chooses, she smiled fondly and happily as she recalls Gohan not dodging when she jumps on him to do a leg grab and her crotch is in his face.
  • Power Up Let Down: When Guru unleashes Krillin's untapped potential, Krillin notices that he doesn't feel very different.
    Guru: It wasn't that much.
  • Pre Ass Kicking One Liner:
    • Zarbon shows that he's no longer holding back:
      Zarbon: I'MMA RAPEYA, BITCH!
    • Vegeta has another in Episode 23
      Ginyu: At least I'm not stuck in some useless body.
      Vegeta: [Appearing behind him] Give me a minute.
    • Goku fires one off after going Super Saiyan.
      Goku: I'm going to break you!
      Freeza: What?!
      Goku: ...Like a Kit Kat bar!
    • Goku, once more, in the Cooler special.
      Goku: Not going anywhere for a while? Grab a Snickers.
    • Vegeta again in Episode 36
      Vegeta: Quite the cutting edge piece of tech you got there. But I'm curious. Can it feel fear?
      Android 19: Scanning... processing... results inconclusive.
      Vegeta: Let's fix that, shall we?
    • Android 16 in Episode 47:
      Android 16: Now if you'll excuse me, I will eliminate Cell.
      Android 17: I thought you were only programmed to kill Goku.
      Android 16: This "Cell" is comprised of 10.78 percent of Son Goku's DNA. These parameters... are acceptable.
  • Precision F-Strike:
    • What's the best thing to say when you're about to save the world with a Spirit Bomb?
      Krillin: BOOYAH, MOTHER***ER!
    • Freeza has the perfect response to the news of Dodoria's death.
      Freeza: ...the f**k?!
    • Anytime Gohan swears, you know shit's about to go down.
      Gohan: [to Freeza] You... Condescending... Sadistic... Callous... MOTHERF#@&ER!
    • Vegeta's response to Goku saying he trained at 100 times Earth's gravity?
      Vegeta: FUUU***UUUUCCKK!
    • Vegeta realizes that Gohan, Krillin and Dende have summoned Porunga while he was napping, resulting in the first unbleeped use of the word fuck in the series proper.
      Vegeta: OH YOU MOTHERFUUUUUUUUUCKERS!
      Piccolo: [on another part of the planet] Ow, my ears!
    • Freeza's Scouter before it gives up on him?
      Scouter: F**K THIS, I'M OUT!
    • Piccolo manages to get one out after Freeza blasts a hole through his chest.
      Piccolo: F**k you.
    • In Episode of Bardock, when the eponymous Anti-Hero finally realizes he's in the past. It pisses him off enough he goes Super Saiyan.
      Bardock: OF ALL THE STUPID... ASININE... SHARK-JUMPING BULLSHIT!
    • A completely unbleeped one in Episode 34 after Bulma and Vegeta have sex.
      Bulma: ...Wait.
      Vegeta: What?
      Bulma: Where's your condom?
      Vegeta: The fuck's a condom?
      • Aside from that, the typical bleeped versions whenever someone insulted him for wearing a pink shirt.
    • Vegeta ups the game by dropping the c-bomb against Android 18. Even the other characters are stunned.
    • The normally utterly monotone, robotic and clean-mouthed Android 16, who otherwise has not sworn once this entire series, has this to say to Cell potentially kill-stealing Goku from him.
      Android 16: Would you care to repeat that, you son of a bitch?
    • Semi-Perfect Cell lets out an uncensored "FUCK" as he's getting his ass beat by Tien
    • In the final part of Episode 60, when Vegeta apologizes to Gohan for going off half-cocked against Cell, it prompts the following, unbleeped line:
      Gohan: Wow, we really ARE fucked...
  • Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
    • Only Vegeta can use "No homo" as one of these and still sound undeniably badass.
    • He also plans one to use on Krillin after the dragon has been summoned.
      Vegeta: [thinking] Ok, as soon as they summon the dragon, I'm going to rush up and snap the bald one's neck. I'm totally going to yell "Team Three Star" when I do it, too! [imagines it, and Krillin's scream] Amazing.
    • Although the killing was interrupted, Freeza uses a Running Gag as one to Vegeta.
      Freeza: It's time to send you crying home to mommy.
      Vegeta: My mother's dead.
      Freeza: I know.
    • Probably Vegeta's best one yet is a Call-Back to the Pre Ass Kicking One Liner he gave to Android 19.
      Vegeta: So then, before I put down the clown, let's put it to bed, shall we? Do you feel fear, android?
      Android 19: No, please. Get away. Leave me alone.
      Vegeta: All I needed to hear.
    • Meta-Cooler tries to give one to Vegeta before Goku saves him.
      Cooler: [grabs Vegeta's head, with his hand covering Vegeta's mouth] You want to know what death tastes like? [charges up an energy blast in Vegeta's mouth]
    • And another interupted one for Vegeta.
      Cell: Some advice prince, for the future: Next time remember your place like the rest of them... and wait for Goku!
    • Android 16's absolutely badass response to Cell during his attempt to slow him down.
      Cell: Argh, what is happening right now? Where the fuck am I?! Wait, what's that noise? Hold on, now I see a light.
      Android 16: AC:Walk towards it!
  • Prison Rape:
    • A few allusions it during Episode 5 when Vegeta and Nappa were in an Arlian prison.
      Nappa: Hey Vegeta. Don't drop the soap.
      Green Bug: Welcome to Oz, bitch! You (Vegeta) with the spiky hair, you're gonna be my bitch! I'm gonna sell you for a cigarette but not before I violate you because you're my bi-
  • Product Placement Name: While waiting in his arena for the Cell games to start, Cell receives a call from Hetap Soda wanting to be his sponsor. He's a bit taken aback, but amusedly accepts.
    Cell: Look, I understand you do sponsor all forms of sporting events, but just so we're clear, you do realize that everyone dies if I win, right? ...Yes? Yeah, I guess it is a win-win for you then, isn't it? Alright then, it's officially "The Cell Games Presented by Hetap!"
  • Pronouncing My Name for You: An exchange between Freeza and Trunks:
    Trunks: So, you must be Fry-Zah.
    Freeza: Actually, it's Lord Free-Zah.
    Trunks: Really? Then why is there an "i" in it?
    Freeza: There isn't.
    Trunks: Huh. Gonna have to fix that when I get back then.
  • Pro Wrestling Episode: The Recoome vs Vegeta episode is "Namekimania 2011", complete with intro themes and play by play commentary from Jeice and Burter.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: Nappa has child-like glee when he gets to wreck Earth's military. He also has no patience for Goku's arrival.
    Nappa: Is he here yet? Is he here yet? Is he here yet?
  • "Psycho" Strings: This appears to have become Mr. Popo's leitmotif, which plays whenever he is about to do something very painful to someone else.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
    • After Freeza's Goon blows up the Z-Warrior's ship on Namek.
      Krillin: Huh... Well there goes our ship.
      Bulma: [offscreen] WHAT THE! F***ING! HELL!?
    • Episode 53, Cell speaks to Trunks.
      Cell: You will never. Ever. Defeat me with that form.
  • Punny Name: As confirmed by Kaiser himself, May McStand (the reporter seen in The Plan to Eradicate Christmas) is a play on April O'Neil.
  • Pyromaniac: Oolong in the Christmas Special.
    R 
  • Rank Scales with Asskicking: A simultaneously humorous and chilling example as Mr. Popo's explains the "pecking order" to the Z-Fighters receiving training: You - The Dirt - The Worms Inside of the Dirt - Popo's Stool (shown as a black box with the word "Censored" stamped across it) - Kami - Popo. A confirmation is even presented after Mr. Popo knocks Krillin off Kami's Lookout (increasing his "Owned Count") after asking a question out of turn, despite asking if anyone had any.
  • Rapid-Fire Comedy: Dragon Ball Z Kai Abridged crams most of the jokes from Season 1 into a couple of minutes.
  • Rapid-Fire "No!":
    • Vegeta lets one go when he's about to get blasted away by Goku's Kamehameha.
    • Part 3 of Episode 30, when Freeza fires a blast at Goku and Goku returns the favor (thinking Freeza is wasting the little energy he was just given, so now Goku has to give him even more) with Freeza desperately shooting off "NONONONONONONONONONONO!"
    • Android 19's last words before being destroyed by Vegeta's Big Bang Attack.
  • Rattling Off Legal: The first season has the legal disclaimers read in a rapid pace. They are later read by the characters in normal speed.
  • Reactive Continuous Scream:
    • In Episode 27:
      Vegeta: Healer's down!
      Krillin: Need a rez!
      Gohan: Out of mana!
      [Vegeta starts screaming and they all follow suit.]
    • Also happens in Dragon Ball Z Kai Abridged after Vegeta shouts the Over 9000 meme. He and Nappa proceed to scream at each other for a couple seconds before Vegeta kills him.
      Nappa: VEGETA WHY?!?
    • It also happens in part 2 of Episode 10 after Vegeta wakes up after the blast from the Spirit Bomb.
  • Readings Blew Up the Scale: During Freeza and Vegeta's power struggle, Freeza's scouter climbs up to "F**K THIS, I'M OUT" and then explodes.
  • Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Generally averted; pretty much everyone stammers in reaction to the bizarre stuff unfolding around them.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
    • Krillin lets loose pent-up aggression on Bulma:
      Krillin: Well, I dunno, maybe you could have bitched at him, how 'bout that! That's all you appear to be good for these days! Huh?! Used your bitch-fu on him! Bulma: The Mistress of Bitching; that's what they should call you! (a few scenes later) ...seriously! Five ancient Sages of Bitchdom all gathered together on the peaks of Mt. Bitch to proclaim your birth! And a hundred years later, when all the Bitch Stars had aligned, you were born and made everbody's life around you a living hell, because YOU! ARE SUCH! A BITCH!
    • Goku delivers one to Freeza without realizing it.
      Freeza: Unfortunately, Vegeta and I were having a disagreement. He wanted himself to live, and well... I didn't.
      Goku: Why do you wanna die?
      Freeza: Wha—? No, I-I... I mean-I meant, I wanted him to die—
      Goku: Is it 'cause you look weird?
      Freeza: WHAT?!
      Goku: Oh, well, you know, you've got that big head, those weird lips, and that tail—
      [Freeza snarls and attacks Goku, who just shrugs it off]
      Goku: And you don't have ears...
      Freeza: Okay, NO!
      [Freeza attacks Goku again, much more violently. Goku just shrugs it off again]
      Goku: And to top it all off? You're really kind of a jerk.
    • Same episode as the Goku one, Freeza has this to say about the Super Saiyan Legend and Vegeta's constant clinging to it in response to the Prince once again claiming (wrongly) that he's achieved that fabled status:
      Freeza: Okay, seriously. Super Saiyan. What is that, what even is that? I'll tell you what it is. It's just some stupid legend passed by your filthy monkey ancestors around a campfire like it was their own dung. Let me tell you, Vegeta. I don't deal in legends. I deal in facts. And here's a fact. By the end of this, you are going to be crying. Like a little…bitch.
    • Recoome gives a brutal one to Vegeta:
      Recoome: You see, Vegeta, you sit there and brag about how the Saiyans are the mightiest warriors in all the universe. How they are the most ruthless. Well, look at where they are now: DEAD! You talk about your legend, and 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 hurting... ALL! TOO! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONAH!
    • Then comes the one from Episode 53, when Trunks finally goes Super Saiyan Third Grade and gives Cell a small beating, only for Cell to get back up with very little damage, start with sarcastic compliments, and ultimately lower the boom on Trunks' inexperienced power-up. Combined with Goku's demonstration of the form to Gohan in the Time Chamber at the same time in the Time Chamber and the damaged Android 16's sideline commentary, Trunks is absolutely ripped apart and his spirit is utterly shattered.
      Trunks: If you haven't noticed, I've literally got you against the wall.
      Cell: And don't think I don't appreciate the effort. By a wide margin, you're packing more of a wallop than Daddy ever did. However. You will never. Ever. Defeat me with that form....
      [After Trunks attacks, and fails to hit him because the form is too bulky and slow]
      Trunks: Why!? HOW!?
      Cell: Because you're green!
      Trunks: Wait, you mean...
      Cell: No, not like me, you idiot. As in, you're a novice. An amateur. You're surrounded by fighters who have seen more action in a week than you've seen in your entire life! Hell, at your age, Goku had defeated an entire army, several demons, and sent a rabbit to the moon!
      Trunks: Did... did you make that last one up?
      Cell: And the worst part of it is, that form isn't even new. Watch. [Quickly bulks up to power-weighted form, starts impersonating Trunks.] LOOK AT ME. I'M TRUNKS. PLEASE LOVE ME, DAAAAAAD. [quickly de-bulks] See, anyone can do it.
      Trunks: ...That's a terrible impression.
      Android 16: But not inaccurate.
      Trunks: Why are you still here!?
      Cell: For God's sake, I bet even your father can do it. He's just not stupid enough to try. And as we've seen today, that threshold is vast. Now, how about you come on down, stop using that useless form, and quit wasting everyone's time?
    • No less than three are given out over the course of Episode 60 Part 1. Firstly, Piccolo yells at Goku for assuming that Gohan likes fighting as much as he does and thus putting Gohan in danger by sending him to fight Cell. Cell then calls Gohan a coward for outright refusing to fight him despite the fact that Cell and his Cell Jrs are putting all of Gohan's loved ones in danger and even with everything Cell has done, and finally Android 16('s head) gives another to Gohan telling him to grow up and realize that his pacifist attitude isn't going to help anybody when Cell destroys the planet and kills everyone because Gohan didn't feel like fighting a genocidal monster.
    • Of all people, Santa Claus gives one to the entire hero group in Plan To Eradicate Christmas. In order, Piccolo is called out for attempting to subjugate the planet, Trunks for messing with the space/time continuum, Vegeta for (pretty much insert whatever you want here) including shooting down Santa's sleigh, and Goku for his battle lust and naivety bringing doom to the entire universe. Gohan... is on the nice list and receives Moby Dick as a present.
  • Recap Episode: Parodied hilariously with Dragon Ball Kai Abridged, which recaps the entire Saiyan saga in a little more than two minutes. Then with Episode 2 of Kai Abridged, which does the Namek/Freeza saga in seven.
  • Record Needle Scratch:
    • Accompanies a freeze frame when the voice actors argue about what to call Raditz's energy attack.
    • One occurs when Krillin comments that he's not the first person to die in the series moments after Goku dies (leading to the first instance of the "Krillin! Too soon!" gag).
    • Happens when the warrior Namek confronting Freeza breaks out of his heroic speech because of his annoyance with Freeza's verbal heroic speech lines count.
    • During the battle with Super Android 13, the fight scene briefly pauses while the narrator tries to give a "down-home country" idiom appropriate to the action. He immediately gives up on the third attempt.
  • Recycled In Space: In-universe, though most are examples of Space "X". See that entry for the full list.
    • Two specific instances stand out, since they actually use the "in space" bit: Jeice actually describes Space Australia as "Australia... in space" and the restaurant Spaceys has "good food... in space".
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: When Vegeta learns that Krillin doesn't have the four-star dragonball, he breaks a blood vessel out of pure rage, causing his eyes to appear red.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Jeice and Burter.
    Ginyu: Burter was so tall... and blue! And you're so short, and red! It was the perfect little yin-yang thing we had going.
  • Reference Overdosed: Exaggerated in the "Celloween" special.
    George: It is a regular Invasion of the Body Snatchers down here! In this Land of the Dead, who knows what Psycho is this massacre? From Dusk Till Dawn, from Crystal Lake to Elm Street, nobody is being Left Behind! If this Hellraiser Slithers into your town, we suggest you run like hell, find a cabin in the woods, and if anyone comes knocking, make sure you Let the Right One In! Or you'll be Dead By Dawnnote .
  • Rejected Apology: Subverted. Piccolo apologises to Tien for that time King Piccolo killed Ciaotzu. It's implied Tien was upset about reminded of his partner's first death, but his later interactions with Piccolo are more friendly than they were before, such as betting on whether Vegeta or Krillin will screw things up for them.
  • Remembered I Could Fly:
    • Played with when Nappa suddenly remembers he can fly while he's flying.
    • And Goku when Nimbus didn't make it to the hospital to catch him in time.
    • This came up as to why Raditz didn't escape a full nelson.
      Piccolo: You could have just flown.
      Raditz: DAMN YOU, HINDSIGHT!
    • Goku panics because Tien and Piccolo are about to be killed by Cell, and it's too late to fly in and save him. Then he suddenly stops mid-sentence and teleports. As Mr. Popo points out Goku is an idiot.
  • Reminiscing About Your Victims: The Misfit Minion who raped Rudolph seems awfully fond of that memory...
  • Repeating So the Audience Can Hear: This is done in the first half of the Lord Slug movie while Slug is aged and mumbles incoherently.
  • Retconning the Wiki: Freeza is apparently a Wiki Vandal, changing the Saiyan page to say "Stupid monkeys hit by falling rocks".
  • Ret-Gone: Super Android 13 punches Goku so hard in the dick that it wipes Goten from existence in the future. Goku's testes break like a pair of eggs with a Sickening "Crunch!" and it takes a lot of senzu beans to fix it. A lot of senzu beans.
  • Retired Monster: Dende describes the horror and blood-spilling that occurred when there was a drought and Guru had to lead them through it. And he was not talking about the drought.
  • Retirony: Probably coincidental, but Zarbon mentioned that his one-year anniversary with his girlfriend was coming up in the very episode that Vegeta kills him.
  • Rhetorical Question Blunder: Happens a fair amount when Goku and Freeza interact.
    Freeza: Really, killing [children] is a kindness. I could retract that kindness if you wish, but then who's the villain?
    Goku: Y-You.
    Freeza: N-No... that was a rhetorical question.
    Goku: And I gave you a rhetorical answer.
  • Rip Van Tinkle: Related but squicky example. After spending a month on a spaceship with Bulma walking around in her underwear the entire time, Krillin has had no opportunity to... relieve himself, especially because the toilet keeps screaming at him. Once they finally land on Namek, Krillin excuses himself and heads into a nearby cave to "take care of business", then leaves with Gohan. Then Bulma goes into the same cave to set up camp and...
    Bulma: OH GOD, IT'S EVERYWHERE!
  • The Rival:
    • Yamcha insists that he and Tenshinhan are rivals in the second Q&A. Tenshinhan disagrees.
    • Vegeta and Goku are a more accurate example, as per the regular story.
  • Rocket Punch: Said word for word by Android 16 in his fight against Imperfect Cell. After firing Android 16 has to go and reattach his fist in order to use it again. Android 18 thinks it's dorky while Android 17...
    Android 18: [thinking] Wow, really?
    Android 17: [thinking] THAT IS SO COOL!
  • Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: Vegeta tries to do this when he's fed up with the idiocy in the first season between Nappa and Goku.
  • Rule of Funny: Sometimes used for the sake of a punchline.
    • The only explanation for how Vegeta's scanner readout was upside down when he was wearing it on the same side as usual.
    • And also probably the only reason that Bojack is inside King Kai's planet when in the movie, he's actually in a star that happened to be near King Kai's planet.
    • As well as the reason Goku has a horrific memory followed by an aneurysm when seeing Popo at the start of Season 2, yet the same episode has a flashback depicting him casually asking Popo for a ride to fight Vegeta and Nappa.
      • For one thing, we don't know that he was ever face to face with Popo in the Lookout. For another, a lot of things are scarier when you're helpless in a hospital bed.
    • Fake Namek.
    • KaiserNeko's initial explanation for the muffin button gag, though when one fan came up with a plausible in-universe explanation, Kaiser basically said "Sure, why not?".
    • In episode 38, Androids 17 and 18 ask Dr. Gero how he was able to perform a brain transplant on himself into a metallic body. The original plot of Dragon Ball Z had an explanation, that Android 19 performed the operation so Gero could become Android 20, however in the abridged version; Gero starts to explain, but then realizes he doesn't know how. Admittedly the mundane explanation is far less funny than Gero being genuinely confused how he managed to move his own brain to a robot.
  • Rule of Three: A few of these are slipped in every now and then.
    Vegeta: I find Cui, I kill Cui. I find Dodoria, I kill Dodoria. I find this Dragonball, I take this Dragonball. Let's see what else I can find.
  • Running Gag:
    • The "Krillin Owned" counter.
    • References to how weak Raditz is.
    • Piccolo calling Gohan a nerd.
    • Yamcha calling Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu gay.
    • Krillin being told it's too soon after making an insensitive remark.
    • Vegeta's use of the titles of rock songs ("Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet and "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by The Scorpions") for a Pre-Ass Kicking One Liner.
    • Things Piccolo says to Gohan, including "NERRRRRRRRD!" and "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!" The group regretted not taking the chance to have Gohan return the favour in the Freeza saga and made up for it with Kai Abridged 2.
    • Also, Goku's Kaio-Ken. Every time he shouts the name, someone goes "[something]note  What?" and gets punched in the face. Happens twice to Vegeta, and it even happens to Bardock during the special — he gets a future vision of Goku using it and stops blocking his opponent's moves. Freeza is the exception so far, as Goku didn't harm him at all.
      • Heck, the gag isn't even restricted to this series. It manages to earn a reference in DEATH BATTLE!, where Masako steps in to voice Goku in the "Goku VS Superman" fight, inflicting the gag on the Man of Steel.
    • Zarbon's Double Entendres that do nothing but heavily imply that he's gay even though Episode 17 reveals that he's straight and just so happens to speak in homosexual innuendo.
    • Bojack being stuck in the center of King Kai's planet.
    • "I don't know what this [name] is, but it sounds [adjective]."
    • "If I were an [adjective] [person], I would..." or some variations of it.
    • One that shows up in a couple of episodes:
      Character A: [talks about bringing something along for an emergency]
      Character B: Krillin?
      Character A: Krillin.
      • Also done with Vegita replacing Krillin at one point.
    • In Episode 18 and on occasion later, whenever a character says or does something creepy, Gohan will say "I need an adult" only for the character to reply: "I am an adult."
    • Krillin can't shut up when he's scared.
    • George Takei.
      Oh, my...
    • "I did it in the pod on the way here."
    • One appears to be forming where someone mentions Yamcha, and another person remarks that they don't know who he is, but still manage to make fun of him for being weak.
    • Krillin pretending to be a duck to reduce threat. This actually endears him to Android 16.
      Krillin: Quack!
    • Starting with Episode 17, the character giving the disclaimer will often end up dying, or at least having something horrific happen, in that episode.
    • As of Episode 24, cutting off Yamcha before he can say anything.
      • This gag is the result of Real Life Writes the Plot due to Yamcha and Kami's voice actor Vegeta3986 leaving the team. Kami was quickly given a replacement, but to emphasize Yamcha's Butt-Monkey status they don't let him speak until Episode 29.
    • It hurts to laugh.
    • Goku making a squeaky noise when being crushed (and his opponent doing it again because it's hilarious).
      Perfect Cell: [while crushing Gohan the same way] Like Father, like Son Gohan.
    • Goku using taglines from candy adverts as a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner.
    • Goku thinks his enemies have comic book super powers, such as being X-Men.
    • Every time someone mentions "that mountain over there."
      Character sent flying: Actually it looks more like a Platea-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!
    • Icarus gets eaten or in some way mutilated in each special he appears in.
    • The words on the back of Vegeta's pink shirt keep changing, become more suggestive each time.
    • Aliens keep mispronouncing Earth as Ee-arth.
      King Cold: Then why is there an "A" in it?
    • Everyone making fun of Vegeta for his pink shirt, knowing full well how much it pisses him off.
    • Different characters commenting how lucky it is that Garlic Jr.'s minions are so incompetent in Dead Zone Abridged.
    • Piccolo thinks he's meditating, but Nail knows otherwise.
    • Krillin handing out senzu beans by tossing them and shouting "SENZU BEAN!"
      • Bites him back later on, when everyone else has been pummeled hard by Android 17 and Android 18.
        Krillin: Huh, could have sworn I had a whole lot.
      • Trunks pulls it on Krillin in Episode 60 Part 2... while kneeling in front of him.
    • Piccolo's motivational chanting.
    • "PECKING ORDER!"
    • Shenlong being fed up of mundane wishes.
    • The Freeze-Frame Bonus whenever someone uses the Solar Flare.
      • He first uses it on Dodoria, causing her to see an image of Freeza taking a shower, which is itself a Call-Back to when Goku blinded Vegeta.
      • Then he uses it on Freeza, showing him an image of Dodoria wearing a nightie.
      • Then in Dragon Ball Kai Abridged Episode 2, he blinds Dodoria again, this time showing Lanipator in drag.
      • Then Imperfect Cell uses it on Krillin, Piccolo and Trunks. It's two cicadas having sex.
      • Then Semi-Perfect Cell uses it on Trunks, Android 16, Android 18, Krillin, and Vegeta. This happens right before he finally absorbs Android 18 and becomes perfect, so the image is some art of him binding Android 18 with his tail, with a disturbingly pleased look on his face.
      • In Episode 60, during Cell's literal swan song, we get a picture of Imperfect Cell wearing a Borat-style Mankini.
      • During the Celloween special, Rule 34 art of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.
      • In Dragon Ball Z Kai Abridged Episode 3.5, a creepy Frieza toy.
    • In Episode 38, Piccolo and Tien hurting their wrists (and shoulder, in the latter case) trying to punch down the big metal doors to Dr. Gero's lab.
    • Tenshinhan antagonizing Vegeta from Season 3 onward.
    • Every team has a token loser. The Saiyans had Raditz, Earth's fighters have Yamcha and Krillin, The Ginyu Force has Guldo and Freeza's organisation alternates between Dodoria and Appule.
      • Android 19 might be this for the androids, since he lags and is at risk of computer viruses.
    • People taking Gohan by saying "I'mtakingGohanbye!"
    • Korin trying to ask everyone who flies past his tower on the way to Kami's Lookout if they've seen Yajirobe, and getting ignored every time.
    • "Now I know what you're thinking: should I (insert action here)? And the answer may surprise you..." pops up a lot when a character is at the mercy of someone which is immediately followed by said painful action.
    • Any short length of time is 'five minutes.' Piccolo, Vegeta, Freeza, Goku, Dr. Gero, and Android 16 have all said it at one point or another... even though Freeza doesn't know how long a minute is.
    • "Why are you still here!?" Done most often in the Android/Cell saga, but it crops up a couple times during the Namek/Freeza arc.
    • Various characters throughout the series asking opponents if they "want to see something cool" with the opponent usually responding with an affirmative like "OK" or "Yes".
    • Often - but not always associated with the previous one, but characters acknowledging they are being played, but going along with it anyway. Typically with a line like "I know I'm being played, but yes."
    • Vegeta yelling at people for thwarting his plans.
      Vegeta: WHAT ARE YOU DOING, HUH?! THWARTIN' MAH PLANS?!
      Other Character: Thwarting your plans?
      Vegeta: ARE YOU?!
    • Cell has a bad habit of underestimating attacks first with Tien, then Vegeta, and then Goku (and most likely with Gohan).
    • When guys climax during sex, they fire off their Kamehame Hadoken.
    • Episode 60 contains a couple, including multiple characters admitting fault by declaring "My B" and doing mocking impersonations of people who annoy them followed by a flat "That's you!"
    • During Cell Saga, there's a running gag of a character responding to another character's statement with "You said it, not me."
    • Piccolo being unable to pronounce "Makankōsappō" and just calling it "Special Beam Cannon".
    • In just about every movie, Krillin gets a cool entrance, and tries to use the Catchphrase "It's Kriller time!" when entering the fray, only to get immediately curb stomped, often in midsentence.
    • In the Canadian subtitles, characters are referred to as whatever insult they were last called.
  • Running Gagged:
    • The last appearance of the "Kaio-what?" gag in the main series is Freeza No Selling it at the end of Episode 28, causing Goku to respond with "Kaio-crap!"
    • Throughout the Namek Saga, Gohan goes "I need an adult" in questionable doubt towards Vegeta, Krillin, and Guru, to which they all respond "I am an adult". Come Episode 49, Gohan says this again to towards his dad Goku. Goku says that he is an adult, but Gohan interuppts, outright saying he's anything but.
    • In The Stinger of Episode 60, the Krillin Owned Counter isn't just killed, it's blown to pieces by a Scatter Bullet after Krillin and Android 18 have multiple rounds of sex.
      • This could be considered a Moment of Awesome for Krillin, since, assuming the Scatter Bullet was his climax, and every rolling-back of the Owned Counter was 18's (which may include the one occurring when she first sees his "grower")... then that means he gave her nearly 40 orgasms before he himself finally had one!
    • "Bye son". For most of the series, it's a joke on how neglectful a parent Goku is. But the last time it's used, it's a gut punch as Goku takes responsibility for his failings.

Alternative Title(s): Tropes N To Z

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