Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans (サイヤ人絶滅計画, Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku; lit. "Dragon Ball Z Side Story: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans") is the fourth installment of the Gokuden series of Famicom games with a completely original plot as opposed to what came before it. It later was adapted into the first Dragon Ball Z OVA as a visual guide to the original game. The OVA was later remade into a shorter but updated bonus movie for Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.
Dr. Lychee is one of the only survivors of the Tuffles, who were massacred by the coming of the Saiyans in the original anime adaptation. Lychee managed to escape with a capsule and found refuge on the Dark Planet, a world at the end of the universe. Now, his only wish is to eradicate the last remaining Saiyans, using a deadly substance known as "Destron Gas" to slowly destroy all life on planet Earth.
While an Excuse Plot in general, the core ideas and concept were later better explored in Dragon Ball GT, which also includes the Tuffles and a villain who was no better than the Saiyans he so detested, and Dragon Ball Super, where a Tuffle and another warrior who greatly resembles Hatchiyack, Aniraza, appear in the Tournament of Power.
This work contains examples of:
- Adapted Out: Every animated version of the story cuts out or changes a lot of scenes from the original games, such as taking out the surrounding Destron Gas emitters and the journey to the Dark Planet.
- Advertised Extra: A lot of emphasis is put on Hatchiyack in the marketing rather than Lychee. Justified, since Lychee is more of a Non-Action Big Bad, and Hatchiyack is a fighter, which better suits the franchise.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Hatchiyack in one of the OVA's multiple paths.
- Back from the Dead: The ghost warriors at the final Destron Gas emitter.
- Big Bad: Dr. Lychee.
- Big Damn Heroes: Vegeta and Trunks decide to drop in on the party at the glacier and help destroy the Destron Gas emitter there.
- The Brute: Hatchiyack once he transforms from a supercomputer to a humanoid being.
- Continuity Snarl: The story attempts to tie itself not only into the main continuity by mentioning it takes place in the days leading up to the Cell Games, but also to tie in the movies featuring Cooler, Lord Slug, Turles and Broly. Needless to say, none of those separate continuities fit together at all.
- Emerald Power: Hatchiyack's energy glows an emerald green, kind of like a certain Legendary Super Saiyan...
- Excuse Plot: As expected from a video game story, the plot is very thin, even by Dragon Ball Z standards. This also applies to the appearances of Frieza, Cooler, Turles, and Slug. While it's understandable why Frieza and Cooler came back, the other ghost warriors that came back are clearly just there because they were popular at the time and are poorly mixed in.
- Expy: Hatchiyack is basically Broly if he had a science-oriented origin story... Before such a thing actually happened in Bio-Broly.
- He Who Fights Monsters: It's clear that Lychee let his obsession with getting revenge on the brutal Saiyans get the better of him and made him go too far.
- Mad Scientist: Dr. Lychee.
- Make My Monster Grow: Hatchiyack's Giant and Super forms, especially the former.
- Misplaced Retribution: Lychee's plot to eradicate all Saiyans will also take out all of the humans, who were otherwise mere bystanders.
- Mook: Strange aliens who originally were just there to fulfill the random encounter quota.
- Multiple Endings:
- In the Famicom games, Hatchiyack was originally a reward boss for defeating Lychee without using items.
- The VHS OVA and Raging Blast 2 versions replicate the True Final Boss path of the games where they face Hatchiyack.
- The Playdia version features several endings depending on the route and decisions taken all the way up to facing Dr. Lychee:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Ignoring or failing to destroy the last Destron Gas Generator leads to the Ghost Warriors killing the Z-Warriors, with Lychee destroying the rest of life on Earth with the gas as a result.
- Seal Ending: Much like in the games proper, using a magical seal against Lychee after defeating him prevents the doctor from summoning Hatchiyack and ends the conflict right then and there.
- Timing Ending: The ending that the VHS OVA and the Raging Blast 2 remake use where the Z-Warriors use the 15 second charge that Hatchiyack's final attack takes to charge a combined blast of their own.
- Spirit Bomb Ending: Hatchiyack reveals a Super Form of his own, and Goku counters it by charging and throwing a Super Spirit Bomb with the energy from all the planets they've visited prior to reaching Dr. Lychee's.
- Giant Hatchiyack Ending: Cornered by the Z-Warriors, Hatchiyack uses a Giant form to gain the upper hand. Goku, with the help of a rescued magical fairy, flies into Hatchiyack's body and blasts its core with a Kamehameha, ending the fight.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: At one point, the heroes attempt to use Shenron to restore Bunbuck Island, which was destroyed by the Ghost Warriors, only to be interrupted by Pilaf stealing the Dragon Balls and using Shenron's first wish to paralyze the heroes so they can't interfere. His second wish is to restore his new palace and the island it was on... Which happened to be Bunbuck Island.
- Ret-Canon: This was the first time it was stated that Saiyans didn't originate on the Planet Plant but invaded it after leaving their homeworlds. Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super made this canon.
- Save the World: The Z-Warriors have to save the world from a vengeful alien scientist.
- Send in the Clones: Hatchiyack in one of the multiple paths.
- Too Dumb to Live: Kawazu had a plan that involves landmines... too bad he was up against Piccolo, who can simply levitate over them. Piccolo taunts him, asking if he can do the same. Kawazu attempts to do so... only to realize too late that he can't fly, and he falls... right on his own landmines. The resulting explosions not only kill Kawazu, but also destroys the Destron Gas generator as well. Piccolo even lampshades this by saying that he never thought that there was anyone more stupid than Mr. Satan.
- Wolverine Publicity: Though the original game's Famicom cartridges and some of the OVA's promotional material showcased Gohan in his Super Saiyan 2 state, the form isn't achievable in any of the games prior to the Raging Blast 2 and never showcased in any of the animated versions of the story.
