Fridge / Dragon Ball FighterZ

Fridge Brilliance

• Beerus having a Trap Master-esque Zoning playstyle makes some surprising sense if you think about it. Nobody in the base roster is anywhere close to his power level, he doesn't need to be serious. It makes sense that his playstyle involves playing around with his opponent, he toys with them because he doesn't need to go all out.
  • However, despite advertisement, advanced players have soon figured out that this gimmick is simply a gimmick and what makes Beerus strong are his normals. Simply put, it's better not to rely on his spheres and play him like you would play any other character and you may use his spheres as a little bonus skill. This makes sense, as in the anime, Beerus has only used his little spheres during his fight with Goku in Dragon Ball Super and even there it was only for a short amount of time. For the most part, Beerus is a very physical fighter.
• Android 16's fighting style here is perhaps the most sensible it's ever been portrayed as. He's the odd man out in that his moveset is laden with grabs and devoid of any precision or pinpointed attacks...but then, you have to remember, this is Android 16 we're talking about here, the biggest example of Martial Pacifist in the franchise. Of course his moveset is centered on grapples, non-lethal takedowns and subduing attacks; even if he has to fight, he'll do it in a way that greatest avoids serious harm.
• Android 20/Dr. Gero wasn't too much for combat, he would get a couple sneak attacks in but most of his time was spent running to his base, thus he's more of the brains alongside Android 19's brawn who was specifically programmed to fight. Android 21 appears to be the same way as 20, more of a scientist and less of a fighter, and thus when she got her "Majin" power-up, that's when she actually fights.
  • As it turns out, she's actually a fighter more akin to Cell, being made from the cells of warriors and brilliant researchers (making her both a scientist and a fighter, and apparently far more powerful, with far more potential, than Cell ever was or had) - her Majin-esque form (implied to be influenced by Buu's cells) is actually her true form, with her human guise presumably being how she looked before she became an android.
• Android 16 speculates that the reason 21 is battling against her Horror Hunger is because some of the cells in her body have gone 'berserk', making that hunger manifest as a different personality and having a negative effect on 21's mind. Her true form is notably similar to that of a Majin (though lacking the obvious traits like tentacle hair, and vents in the arms and in place of ears), and she has powers similar to Buu — turning people into candy in order to eat and absorb their power. It's implied (read: outright suggested towards the end of her story) that she's like this because she has some of Buu's cells, and that's why her hunger is so voracious and gradually uncontrollable.
• Android 21 splitting her dark persona away from herself almost seems like it comes out of nowhere; yes, it makes sense that her own horror at killing Android 16 would trigger it, but there's no supernatural element that divides her into her good and evil selves. The answer is in 21's own biology — her cells have the same regenerative capability as Buu, the dark persona is earlier stated to have arisen from some of 21's own cells being berserk and frenzied, driving her to feed. 21 essentially very literally split in two, her true self remained where it was while her evil self formed from the berserk cells that must have been ejected by 21's despair. Additionally, Buu was capable of involuntarily ejecting his dark side as a Literal Split Personality (creating the Evil Buu who would then become Super Buu). It’s not too surprising that 21 could go through a similar experience.
• The standard time limit being five minutes is not only a good way to illustrate how much is going on in a five minute DB fight, but it's also the time limit of Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks whose transformation only lasts five minutes.
  • And how much time did Frieza, allegedly, say Namek took to explode?
• Yamcha and Hit having more ground-focused playstyles compared to other characters makes sense, if you think about it. Hit is a cold, calculating assassin who, if things are going smoothly, should have little use for flash (not to mention, when he fought Goku during both the Tournament of Destroyers and the Hit Arc, it was mostly a grounded affair). As for Yamcha, last time he was as beloved as he is in this game, it was the original, pre-Z, Dragon Ball (where ki-based flight was considered an advanced technique of the highest order). It's him representing the last time he was truly prominent, before the universe at large could easily outdo him on raw power alone.
• In the story mode, they've managed to clone nearly every Z-era character with the exception of Majin Buu, in which case they clone Kid Buu instead. This is because Kid Buu is Majin Buu's original form.
  • In addition to this, Kid Buu is the only clone shown to have any kind of personality. This is because Buu is an Eldritch Abomination that Gero's technology would have no way of being able to control, and actually serves as subtle foreshadowing for Android 21's instability.
  • As far as the "how" wherein Buu's cells could result in instability when not outright shown, how to prove such a thing? We've already seen it in the series proper. Even when blown to bits, those tiny pieces in themselves can become a complete Majin Buu. Unfortunately, assuming the same drones that gathered DNA for Cell were used for 21, they almost certainly weren't equipped to discern the danger from simply a powerful source of material.
• Hit's theme is a jazz piece that sounds almost completely out of place in a game where most of the music is primarily centered around guitars, orchestras, or techno elements. However, that's exactly the point: most of the fighters in the base roster may come from different worlds or different periods in time, but Hit is the only one to originate from a completely different universe, hailing from Universe 6 whereas the rest of the fighters come from Universe 7. In other words, the alien jazz instruments serve to hammer down the point that Hit is, by comparison, literally an alien to the rest of the roster.
  • Furthermore, jazz is typically less about structure and more centered around improvisation, with the sole goal being to keep the listener interested without being too repetitive. In other words, it's something that continues to improve over time, just like how Hit improves his time-skipping abilities the longer he stays in a fight.
• Goku Black's theme is noted by some to sound like it belongs less to a villain, but instead, an Anti-Hero. Black views himself not as a true villain but rather a Hero Antagonist who is bringing "peace and justice" to the multiverse.
• YMMV, but Android 21 post-split seems too good to be true; she's kind, self deprecating to a fault, and everyone else tends to fawn over her, or like Buu even break character for her. Such traits, in conjunction with her backstory, would normally have her labelled as a bland, angsty powerhouse in our cynicism. But think about it; she cast out all her negative traits as a completely seperate being, so of course she's like that!
  • Though it's noted that she isn't so much splitting off her negative traits as she is splitting off the evil personality that formed as a result of her Horror Hunger, and that another one will likely arise given enough time or that she'll eventually give in to her hunger, which is why she sacrifices herself rather than continue being a danger. As her personality is only a few years old due to her not remembering her past as a human, her goodness may be a case of her just being young and innocent.
  • This isn't unusual considering it's what Majin Buu did at one point (basically expelling all the evil in him), though as time went by his personality remained a bit childishly selfish.
• Vegeta having one of the best assists in the game and possessing more mileage off of being placed in the back to help his teammates may seem like a case of Gameplay and Story Segregation considering his infamy for hating fighting on a team... until you remember that part of Vegeta's Character Development from Z onward was learning how to acknowledge and rely on other people's strengths. Since the game's story mode takes place around the time of Super, those who watched the show know that Vegeta has mellowed out significantly and is more caring about his family and friends despite him not overtly showing it. So, by the time the game comes around, the end result is a Vegeta who, while still acting like a jerk, is more able to work alongside others in major fights and attain pride in not just getting in the first hit but also being the one to finish the job.
• The same can also be said about how Jiren, one of the strongest mortals in the multiverse who also prefers working alone, needs to rely on help from assists in this game considering how he went down in the Tournament of Power: through the teamwork of Goku, Frieza, and Android 17. In other words, he was defeated by a 3-person team that was able to synergize and work together, just like in this game. Jiren is forgoing making the same mistake by working with a team of his own.
• Though the game isn't canon, the events of the Villains Arc give a pretty good explanation on how Frieza managed to get a better control over his Golden Form by the time of the Tournament of Power: because the Earthling Soul had the ability to transform into Golden Frieza in any battle that they required, that meant that Frieza in turn had more time to get used to the form's drawbacks by the next time he was resurrected.
• Nappa playing as a character who focuses on locking down the enemy and controlling the pace of the fight despite him possessing the bulk that would normally be indicative of a Mighty Glacier isn't just hilarious as a gameplay aspect; it makes sense in the context of the story. The rest of the cast has improved immensely in both power levels and fighting abilities since the last time Nappa was around in Z and the characters that were brought back from the dead were already very powerful at their time of death. Nappa, meanwhile, has shown no signs of having improved since then as evidenced by the fact that he can't go Super Saiyan. He's still able to put up a decent fight due to being a Saiyan and employing tactics that can throw off the opponent's timing, but now he has to work even harder to get his wins.
• Broly's damage being (seemingly) subpar despite him being the most powerful Saiyan around, game balancing issues notwithstanding. He's still plenty strong, as evidenced by how he can armor through everything his opponents can throw at him to smash them into the dirt, but he's also a Sadist. He doesn't want a fight to end with a few power hits, so he holds back on the raw damage...all the better to slowly beat you to death with his brutish moveset. Broly even says so in one of his intro quotes:
  Broly: "I'll make sure your death is slow and painful!"
  • It's even more brutal with how his moveset has evolved over time. Players have found out how to get more damage out of his combos, he gained more ways to continue them, his starting normal attacks and specials have minor armor to them, his ki blast is one of the best zoning tools (even better than Freeza, the zoner of the game), he has access to a strong anti-air grab and a barrier that blocks everything but physical hits (including assists)... His moveset is almost tailor made to power through the opposition and drain hope away from his opponents. Perfect for the sadist that he is.
• Broly (Super)'s playstyle is based on a mix of not knowing the finer points of combat (thus an emphasis on powerful blows and grapples and only a select number of ki specials) and tapping into his full power (hence why he only momentarily goes Super Saiyan in some supers, with only one having a lasting buff), making for an intimidating yet fair opponent. Out of the two Brolys, he's the one who is most fitting of being called a berserker.
• Base Goku's Kaio-Ken gets stronger when he is the last person on his team left. As gimmicky as this sounds, it perfectly fits Goku's character pre-Super Saiyan. In the first two arcs of Z, Goku had a habit of showing up at the last minute to save the day. Thus gameplay wise, it makes perfect sense why he'd be the best "Anchor" for a team: he's going to be the one to save the day once everyone else falls!
  • It also makes sense when you consider his options are running out and his frustration with himself is likely growing. More allies down means less reason to hold back power he should have used earlier
• Not counting alternate evil forms or fusions, the base forms of Goku and Vegeta are allegedly the easiest to use while Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta are much more difficult, and of course Super Saiyan is in between. But of course they would be, their base forms are there for the basics. They can only do so much untransformed so they stick to what they know best. Meanwhile, their most advanced form, for this game being Super Saiyan Blue, they have access to more power and potential so they are more willing to experiment, thus they are a lot more difficult to use overall.
  • GT Goku, who is basically Kid Goku with experience, is the base form to its logical extreme. He can't support Super Saiyan for long periods of time so he has to fall back on his old methods including his Power Pole and only goes into Super Saiyan 4 when he need that last bit of power.
  • Same Logic can easily apply to Ultra Instinct Goku as with his new power comes new possibilites and not all straight forward
    • Speaking of which, Ultra Instinct Goku is a heavily defensive character, based on countering and/or evading the enemy's attacks. Makes sense, considering that when Goku first unlocked Ultra Instinct Sign he only got the ability to instinctively defend himself, not the ability to instinctively attack.
• Goku suggesting the Good Android 21 should be reincarnated instead of brought back with the Dragon Balls makes some sense if you consider not just her Horror Hunger, but the fact that 21 has only been able to manage it with help from linking with the Earthling Soul and even that is implied to have its limits. Even if the Soul Link could suppress the Horror Hunger indefinitely, both the Z Fighters and 21 likely already figured it'd be unfair to The Soul to make them stay in 21's body for what, at worst, could be forever.
• Roshi is the only character that doesn't fly. This is because he refuses to use it out of principle due to it being invented as a Crane School technique.
• Baby is a subpar character until he knock outs at least one opponent; then, he can use that opponent's assist to his advantage, potentially making him really good. Which mirrors what happened during GT: in his early forms, Baby could easily be overpowered by the heroes in their base form. But after gaining control of Vegeta and absorbing energy from his slaves, he becomes strong enough to curb-stomp Super Saiyan 3 Goku.
  • If Ginyu body-swaps with Baby, he cannot use Parasite Takeover (the move that allows Baby to use the assist of a downed opponent). A possible explanation is that Baby uses telepathy to command his slaves; when Ginyu takes over, the slaves can still sense that "Baby" is actually Ginyu.
  • If you use Ginyu to body-swap with an opponent, and then you knock out the opponent-in-Ginyu's-body, your Baby doesn't get any assist. A character that has been body-swapped into Ginyu's body is literally the worst fighter in the entire game - and due to Baby's arrogance and pride, he probably thinks that using such a weak fighter is beneath him. Which turns into Fridge Hilarity considering that he has no problems using regular Ginyu, Nappa or Yamcha.
• Videl fights in her old high school uniforms, both of them. But it's more than just representing her at her most active, much like the Turtle School student, she feels more at home with her high school outfits as that was where she was arguably at her peek.

Fridge Horror

• Android 21's backstory is rife with this. Knowing she's possibly the mother of the man Android 16 was based off of, and thus, presumably Dr. Gero's wife, creates the upsetting implication that Gero turned her into an android so he wouldn't lose her like they lost their son, and gave her the ability to perpetually regenerate so long as she's able to feed — notably she has no compulsion or programmed desire to kill Goku, so it seems like this was just a genuine attempt to keep her alive. Then he died, and when she was eventually activated, she was alone with no memory of who she was before she was an android. She was able to find out her connection to Android 16, but whatever files Gero left neglected to mention either of their connections to Android 20. And, unfortunately, 21's biological compulsion to feed was worsened by her having Buu's cells added to her during her development, becoming a case of Gone Horribly Right as Buu's appetite drove her need to feed so berserk it manifested as another personality that eventually drives her completely insane.
• Android 21 is a bio-android, like Cell. Unlike Cell, she is able to add more cells to the fused cells that make up her body (an ability she gets from, or is more easily facilitated by, Buu's cells), getting stronger and gaining new powers as she does so (and she doesn't need to fully consume a person to do this, she can snag moves with just a 'taste' in combat, and is even shown to be able to copy abilities just by seeing them used once, like Instant Transmission), meaning that, left unchecked, she would be constantly growing and evolving, getting more and more powerful as she faced and consumed stronger and stronger opponents. Buu was a mindless, wild menace, and his absorption had the risk of altering his personality. Android 21 has no such problems because she can just keep eating, as her hunger has just rendered her insane, consuming people doesn't alter her personality or form, and there isn't a limit to how much she can eat or become more powerful, meaning she surpasses Buu pretty handily. If she'd gotten lucky, she could've matched Beerus or even Whis.
  • We could go further: imagine her getting a taste of Zen'o.
  • There's the assumption that Android 21 gets her tail from Frieza. However, Frieza's tail has a very wide circumference at its base, while 21's is relatively thin. There's also the strange source of said tail, as Future Trunks didn't leave anything behind when he killed Frieza and Cold, and 21 suggests that she's been active for at least a while, meaning she can't have gotten the tail from when Frieza returned to Earth, as that was the same year as the game. However, another character with a tail has been frequenting Earth for at least a year now, who has a tail that remains relatively thin at its base. The implication then is that 21 already has Beerus's cells and simply doesn't know how to access the god level power (as throughout the game it's made clear that despite her ungodly potential, she's not trying to reach it, just sitting pretty at her base level and letting it grow the more she eats). Amusingly, this may also be the source of her self-confessed 'discerning palette', as she complains when her snacks aren't up to a certain standard.
    • Except Cell is said to have cells from not only Frieza, but his father as well. Even if Trunks did a good job of killing them, he must have missed something in order for that to be possible. It is these cells that allow Cell to survive in space and more likely where the tail in his design comes from and may look different on 21 because of her smaller frame.
    • Trunks didn't kill Frieza and Cold in the timeline that Cell originates from nor the timeline that Trunks is from, so the supercomputer would have collected their cells in both of those timelines but not in the main timeline that Trunks meddled in.
    • I always assumed that 21's tail derivates from Buu's head tentacle. Sure, it doesn't end with a small bulge like Buu's does, but that was the "organ" that was used to turn people into candy, and as 21 can do it with her fingers, the tail became stylized. Or the tentacle just took some features from Freeza's tail too.
• The sealing waves and Link System are full of this. They were both invented by Dr. Gero, and while the sealing waves make sense to a degree (what better way to defeat your powerful enemies than to paralyze them?), the Link System involves implanting souls in people to use as People Puppets. The use of artificial souls could be used to quash rebellion, which 17 noted would make sense, or turn enemies into your own army, which also makes sense, that would be useful for Red Ribbon; but the fact that living souls can be torn out of their own bodies and possess others is a little strange and horrifying. What purpose would Gero have for that? Then one remembers that Cell is basically a test bed for the cellular technology behind Android 21. If the goal was to make his wife immortal, then there's the possibility that Gero was intending on using his Link System to possess Cell's body when he 'birthed' it, giving him his own immortal body instead of a robotic replica.
  • That creates further horror given Android 21's Identity Amnesia. She would have woken up with no idea of who she was and a giant bug man looming over her claiming to be her husband. And even if she was able to cope with the concept, that would arguably be worse. What's to say he wouldn't take her on feeding trips as soon as she got hurt, acclimating her to using people's lives as sustenance, as well as cause them both to get stronger and eventually become powerful enough to overwhelm 17 and 18, at which point he would absorb the twin cyborgs to reach "perfect" form while either allowing her to feed on Goku's friends or kidnapping and modifying two more young adults specifically for her to consume? Heck, even without his premature-in-hindsight decision to activate an attack when he did triggering the events of the Android saga, what's to say Buu doesn't still come to Earth and have his cells added to both genetic palettes and now instead of one LEGO Genetic monster with all-consuming hunger, we have two?
• This is fridge horror combined with fridge heartwarming: Android 21 was created by Dr.Gero machines way after Android 17 and 18, meaning she probably was never noticed by Future Trunks. That means, Android 21 was born without Majin Buu or Beerus cells, meaning she probably as good, and since Android 16 was never activated (Xenoverse 2 confirms the future equivalent of 16 exists), she could have her family like she wanted... but then you remember Goku Black appeared, and because of him, the future timeline and the future version of 21 and 16 were killed either by them, Infinite Zamasu or Zen'O. Poor woman.
  • However, due to Whis returning Future Trunks and Mai to another version of their timeline (which went unaffected by Goku Black and Zamasu due to Zamasu being killed by Beerus before he could begin his reign of terror), the future timeline equivalents of 21 and 16 are probably just living peacefully in that new timeline.
• Android 21's sacrifice has shades of this mixed with Tearjerker when you consider her Identity Amnesia. The only life Android 21 knows began when she was activated, which she notes in one of her link events that despite having the maturity of an adult, her life experience is less than ten years (more accurately about five years, as possessing Buu's cells means she was activated after his appearance, which was five years prior to when the game is set). She barely had a life before her Horror Hunger ruined it and she decided she was too dangerous to keep living.