***************************************************************

Related Wikipedia Articles

Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール, Doragon Bōru?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 through 1995, and later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Inspired by the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West, it follows the adventures of Son Goku from his childhood through middle age as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven mystical objects known as the Dragon Balls, which can summon a wish-granting dragon. Along his trip, Goku meets several friends and fights against several villains who also seek the Dragon Balls. The 42 tankōbon have been adapted into three anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. Additionally, Toei has developed seventeen animated feature films and three television specials. During 2009, Toei started rebroadcasting Dragon Ball Z under the name of Dragon Ball Kai which changes the footage from the original anime. Several companies have developed various types of merchandising such as a collectible trading card game, and a large number of video games. The series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media, in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga, and in Australia and New Zealand by Chuang Yi. Several companies have dubbed and aired the three anime series in North America. In China, it was produced a live-action film adaptation in 1989. In 2002, 20th Century Fox began production of the first American-made live-action film which was released on April 10, 2009. Since its release, Dragon Ball has become one of the most popular manga series of its time in both Japan and North America. It enjoys a high readership, with over 150 million volumes of the series sold by 2007. Several manga artists have noted that the manga series was the inspiration for their own now popular works, including Naruto and One Piece. The anime is also highly popular, ranking number 12 among the best anime series of all time in 2006. Reviewers praise the art, characterization, and humor of the manga story. The anime series have had more mixed reviews, with the first also praised for its characterizations, but the second was criticized for its long, repetitive fights, and the third series considered repetitive with childish fights and "goofy" character designs. Akira Toriyama initially based most of the characters from the Chinese novel Journey to the West.[1][2] He also redeveloped one of his earlier one shot manga series, Dragon Boy. To be creative with the character, Toriyama stated that he designed Son Goku not as a monkey like the Journey to the West character, but as a human-looking boy with a monkey tail.[3] During this period of the series, Toriyama placed less emphasis on the series art work, simplifying the lines and sometimes making things "too square". He found himself having problems determining the colors for characters and sometimes ended up changing them unintentionally mid-story.[4] For the female characters, Toriyama felt it was not fun to draw "weak females" so he created women that he felt were not only "beautiful and sexy", but also "strong".[5] Going against the normal convention that the strongest characters should be the largest in terms of physical size, he designed many of Dragon Ball's most powerful characters with small statures, including the protagonist, Goku.[5] After the first chapters were released, readers commented that Goku seemed rather plain, so his appearance was changed. More characters (such as Master Roshi and Krillin) and martial arts tournaments were added to give the manga a greater emphasis on fighting. Knowing readers would expect Goku to win the tournaments, Toriyama had him lose the first two while continuing his initial goal of having Goku be the champion and hero.[3] When having fights in the manga, Toriyama had the characters go to a place where nobody lived to avoid difficulties in drawing destroyed buildings. In order to advance the story quickly, he also gave most fighters the ability to fly so they could travel to other parts of the world without inconvenience. This was also the reasoning behind Goku learning to teletransport (thus allowing characters to move to any planet in a second).[6] Son Goku (孫 悟空, Son Gokū?, addressed only as Goku in most English adaptations) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball universe created by Akira Toriyama. He first appears in the first chapter Bulma and Son Goku (ブルマと孫悟空, Buruma to Son Gokū?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984.[1] He is loosely based on Sun Wukong, a central character in Journey to the West, however, Toriyama changed some of his characteristics to be more original. Goku is introduced as an odd, monkey-tailed boy who practices martial arts and possesses superhuman strength.[2] As the story unfolds, he is actually revealed to be from a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans, said to be the strongest warriors within the fictional universe.[3] Goku starred in most of the films, specials and video games from the Dragon Ball series. Outside of the series, Goku also had cameo appearances in Toriyama's self-parody series Neko Majin Z. He also been the subject of parodies, and has also appeared in various special events and in American pop culture. Through constant training, Goku has achieved many abilities; aside from his great strength, he also possesses super speed,[16] reflexes and can perform energy blasts which are formed from chi. As a child Goku originally wielded the Nyoi-bō (如意棒, lit. "Mind Stick"?, renamed "Power pole" in the English dub), a magic staff that extends and retracts on command which was given to him by his grandfather Gohan.[1] He also learns, through simple observation, Master Roshi's technique the Kamehameha (かめはめ波?, lit. "Turtle Striking Wave"),[17] which then becomes his signature move. Another technique of his is an attack that multiplies the user's chi for an instant, called the Kaiō-ken (界王拳?, lit. "World King Fist"), taught to him by King Kai.[18] Originally Goku's main means of conveyance was on a magic cloud called Kinto-un (筋斗雲, lit. "Candy Cloud", renamed "Flying Nimbus" in the English dub?), which was given to him as a child by Master Roshi for saving Turtle.[19] After his training with Kami he learns to fly through the technique buku-jutsu (舞空術?, lit. "Air Dance Technique") and uses the cloud less and less as the series progresses. Goku in his regular state and Super Saiyan transformations.Goku's most powerful attack is the Genki Dama (元気玉?, lit. "Good Spirit Ball", renamed "Spirit Bomb" in the English dub), a powerful sphere created by gathering chi energy from surrounding life forms, which he also learned from King Kai.[12] Goku also learns a teleportation skill called Shunkan Idō (瞬間移動?, lit. "Instant Movement", renamed "Instant Transmission" in the English dub), which he learned from the inhabitants of a fictional planet called Yardrat.[20] Goku is also the only Saiyan in the series to achieve all the Saiyan transformations seen in the manga. During the events of Dragon Ball Z, Goku becomes the first Super Saiyan in a millennium after being overcome with rage by the murder of Krillin by the hand of Frieza[21] and as the series progresses he achieves every single advanced level of Super Saiyan. Each transformation changes Goku's appearance and enhances his abilities. In Dragon Ball, he is able to transform into a gigantic ape called an Oozaru,[22] albeit after his tail is removed by Kami, he loses the capacity to achieve this form.[23] However, in Dragon Ball GT, Goku is able to use this transformation again after regrowing his tail using the Elder Kai's help.[24] Goku can also fuse with Vegeta and create a warrior who has the combined power and skills of both. One method is by using the Potara Earrings presented to Goku by the Elder Kai, which results in a 'perfect fusion', creating Vegito.[25] The other method is by performing the Metamorese Fusion Dance, which creates Gogeta.[26] Originally named Kakarotto (カカロット, Kakarotto?, addressed as Kakarot in the English anime and spelled Kakarrot in the English manga),[27][28] Goku is born a member of a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans. Shortly following his birth, Goku is sent from his home, a fictional planet named Vegeta, to prepare Earth for sale on the intergalactic market by destroying all its life.[29] Due to an injury to his head that caused him severe amnesia, Goku forgets his purpose, and instead focuses on becoming stronger for little more than the pleasure of it.[29] In the beginning of the series, Goku meets a highly intelligent 16-year-old teenage girl named Bulma, the desert bandit Yamcha, and two shapeshifters named Oolong and Puar. He also encounters one of his closest friends, Krillin, and others during his training. Participating in various martial arts tournaments, Goku also battles foes-turned-allies such as Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, as well as Piccolo Daimao's offspring of the same name. During his early adulthood, Goku meets his older brother, Raditz, an encounter that results in his death. Following the wish for his revival from the Dragon Balls, Goku continues to face other enemies linked to his heritage, such as Vegeta and Frieza, whose actions force him to transform into a Super Saiyan. After his encounter with Frieza, the focus on Goku's past is shifted away, as new enemies are introduced as threats to the fictional universe. As the series continues, Goku trains his first child, Gohan, to be his successor. When the androids appear, Goku contracts the heart virus that Future Trunks warns him about earlier. Later on, Goku sacrifices himself during the battle against the evil life form Cell, leaving Gohan to succeed him. Goku returns to Earth from the afterlife seven years later and meets his second child, Son Goten. Shortly after, he participates in the next martial arts tournament, however he is drawn into a battle for the universe against an extraterrestrial named Majin Buu. Goku also battles Vegeta after he is taken under control by Babidi. Later on, Goku kills Buu with his Genki Dama technique. During the martial arts tournament held ten years after Buu's defeat, Goku meets Buu's human reincarnation, Uub, and takes off with him, in the end of the story, intending to train him as another successor. In the anime Dragon Ball GT, which begins ten years after Goku meets Uub, Goku is transformed back into a child with a wish made by Emperor Pilaf using the Black Star Dragon Balls. Shortly after he, Trunks, and Pan all take a trip around the universe to locate the Black Star Dragon Balls and return them to Earth. Goku later battles the evil Baby, Super Android 17 and the evil shadow dragons. His final challenge is against Omega Shenron, who he eventually kills using the Genki Dama. Goku leaves with the original form of Shenron, only to appear 100 years later at the next martial arts tournament as an adult once more, where he is observing the battle between his descendant (Son Goku Jr.) and Vegeta's descendant. Goku's granddaughter Pan spots him, but he quickly departs. Bulma (ブルマ, Buruma?) is a fictional character who first appears in the Dragon Ball manga created by Akira Toriyama, followed by three anime adaptations. She first appears in the first chapter Bulma and Son Goku (ブルマと孫悟空, Buruma to Son Gokū?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984.[3] She was originally portrayed as a secondary main character, next to the main protagonist Son Goku. Her role is quickly downplayed as the series continues, though she does continue her role as a supporting character for the remainder of the series. Bulma is the daughter of Dr. Briefs; the founder of Capsule Corp., a fictional corporation that creates special capsules that are often used to store objects of various sizes. Being the daughter of a brilliant scientist, Bulma is also a scientist, as well as an inventor and engineer. She is most credited for inventing the Dragon Radar, a fictional device that is specifically designed to detect the energy signal emitted by a Dragon Ball. Bulma's role as an inventor becomes important at several points in the series. Several of her creations were major to various plotlines, including a microband that could make her shrink, the time machine that brought her son Trunks to the past during Dragon Ball Z and the generator that allowed her husband Vegeta to achieve Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball GT. Krillin is introduced in Dragon Ball as a rival of the main character, Son Goku. Later in the series, he can also be seen having a close relationship with Goku, as well as his child, Son Gohan. Krillin eventually settles down and marries Android #18 after the Cell Games to have a child named Maron.[3] Piccolo (ピッコロ, Pikkoro?), whose full name is Piccolo Jr. (ピッコロ・ジュニア, Pikkoro Jyunia.?), is a fictional character from the Dragon Ball manga, authored by Akira Toriyama. Piccolo was first introduced as the reincarnation of the evil Piccolo Daimao in chapter #167 The Tenka'ichi Budokai Disturbance (波乱の天下一武道会, Haran no Tenkaichi Budōkai?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on April 4, 1988,[1] making him a demon and archrival of the primary protagonist named Son Goku. However, it is later revealed that he is from the race of alien beings called Namekians. Piccolo is usually referred to as male, but as he is Namekian he is technically genderless. After Goku barely defeats Piccolo, Piccolo decides to team up with Goku and his friends in order to beat newer, more dangerous threats. He also trains Goku's first child Son Gohan, and they form a bond so strong that Piccolo sacrifices himself to save Gohan's life. But Piccolo is later resurrected by the Dragon Balls and permanently joins Goku and the others in their battles against other, even more powerful villains. Around the start of the Namek Saga, it's revealed that Piccolo's name means "another world" in the Namekian language.[2] Gohan is introduced as the first son of the primary protagonist, Son Goku, and his wife, Chi Chi, in volume #17 of the original manga, or the premiere episode of its animated adaptation, Dragon Ball Z. Gohan is the first Saiyan/Human hybrid in the series. Premiering in the manga chapter #196 Kakarrot (カカロット, Kakarotto?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on October 24, 1988,[8] Gohan is introduced as the four-year-old son of the series' main protagonist, Goku. Described as well-mannered and reserved,[9][10] Gohan's story begins following his abduction by the Saiyan named Raditz, Goku's older brother. Later, while Goku is pinned to the ground, Gohan's extreme distress exploded with the release of his dormant power, which allowed him to injure Raditz. Piccolo, startled by this, then takes Gohan away following the fight and Goku's death, and trains him for the upcoming battle against the two other Saiyans, Vegeta and Nappa.[11] His tutelage under Piccolo forms a deep bond between the two characters, with Piccolo ultimately sacrificing himself to save Gohan during their fight with Nappa.[12] After the defeat of Vegeta, Gohan, Bulma and Krillin travel to Namek to use the Dragon Balls there, as the Dragon Balls on Earth had turned to stone due to the Earth's guardian Kami's death.[13] After succeeding in gathering the Dragon Balls, Gohan and the others wish Piccolo back to life, causing Kami and the Dragon Balls to be returned. Gohan, along with Krillin and Vegeta, are then forced into an encounter with Frieza, who seeks the Dragon Balls for immortality. Later, after Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan and defeats Frieza, Gohan is shown to settle back into school life on Earth, waiting for Goku to return home from Namek.[14] A year later, Future Trunks kills a cybernetic Frieza and his father, King Cold, and informs Gohan and the others of the upcoming threat of the androids arriving in three years time.[15] Gohan then commits himself to training with Goku and Piccolo until the arrival of the androids. Following the appearance of Cell, Gohan is taken to the Room of Spirit and Time (Hyperbolic Time Chamber) by Goku.[16] Goku then reveals his intentions: to train Gohan to become a Super Saiyan, and to have Gohan surpass him in strength.[16] Following Gohan's emergence from the Room of Spirit and Time, Gohan is depicted as a Super Saiyan, with Piccolo shown thinking to himself that he barely recognized him before granting Gohan's request to give him an outfit resembling his own.[17] At the Cell Games, Gohan, after stating his reluctance to fight out of fear of being consumed by anger, is tormented by a curious Cell, forced to watch Cell's Cell Jr.'s attack the others in Cell's effort to bring out Gohan's latent power. Following Android #16's death, Gohan, infuriated, ascends to Super Saiyan 2,[18] and later defeats Cell in a Kamehameha struggle, counseled by Goku from the afterlife and winning with the assistance of Vegeta.[19] Gohan, during the consequent peace that follows, is said to have continued his studies, and later, a sixteen-year-old Gohan[20] is shown enrolling at Orange Star High School in Satan City. On his first day, he foils a bank robbery as a Super Saiyan, and, with help from Bulma, adopts a superhero identity that he dubs the "Great Saiyaman". Participating in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, Gohan is depicted as having grown weaker, which the Daizenshū World Guide book explains as due to a lack of training and anger in transforming.[3] Gohan, after having his chi absorbed by Spopovich and Yamu, pursues the two and enters Babidi's spaceship with the Supreme Kai, Goku and Vegeta, where Gohan later fights with Dabura.[21] Following Buu's release and Gohan's defeat at his hands, Gohan is taken to the Planet of the Kai by the Supreme Kai and Kibito. After pulling out the Z Sword and accidentally breaking it in a training session, Gohan unwittingly releases the Elder Kai, who then performs a prolonged ceremony to unlock Gohan's latent powers.[22] Gohan then returns to Earth and confronts Buu for a second time, and defeats him.[23] However, he, along with Gotenks and Piccolo, are later absorbed by Buu.[24] Once revived, Gohan is able to aid Goku's Super Spirit Bomb by lending his chi.[25] Following Buu's defeat and a ten year gap at the end of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan has finally become a scholar and is depicted with a wife, Videl, and a daughter, Pan. Future Gohan (未来の悟飯, Mirai no Gohan?, Gohan of the Future) appears in the alternate timeline presented in the volume #33 sidestory of the original manga, Trunks the Story, in which he is shown to be the only surviving fighter; the others have all died at the hands of the androids (Goku, having died from a heart virus following the defeat of Frieza and King Cold, being the exception).[26][27] Gohan is shown training Bulma's half-Saiyan son, Future Trunks, to assist him in battling androids #17 and #18. In this timeline, Gohan has become a Super Saiyan, and is depicted wearing a uniform similar to his father's, one with his own kanji symbol on the back, Han, 飯. Gohan states he wears it in hopes of becoming as strong as his father one day, and Trunks mentions that his mother, Bulma, finds Gohan bears a striking resemblance to Goku when donning it.[18] In appearance, Gohan's hair is cut much shorter than his present counterpart's, as well as having a scar running down the left side of his face, and is implied to have had lost his left arm fighting #17 and #18.[18] He is eventually killed by the two androids in a battle trying to defend Pepper Town, with #17 boasting that, in previous encounters, the most he had ever used was half his strength; Gohan reacts with alarm at this statement, with #18 chuckling before the manga cuts away to an unconscious Trunks, who cannot feel Gohan's chi upon waking. Vegeta first appeared in the manga chapter #204 Sayōnara Son Gokū (さようなら孫悟空, Goodbye Son Goku?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on December 19, 1988,[1] and in episode 6 of its anime adaptation Dragon Ball Z (though he can be spotted briefly in a still scene in an earlier episode), as the prince of the nearly extinct race of alien warriors called the Saiyans. Vegeta was the original enemy of the series, hoping to use the seven Dragon Balls to gain immortality and galactic rule. As common enemies appear, Vegeta is forced into an often unstable alliance with the protagonists of the series. By the end of the manga, Vegeta develops into a trustworthy ally of the series' main character, Son Goku. Vegeta's character is known for his bitter rivalry with Goku, because in spite of his vigorous training and royal heritage, he often believed his strength and skill to be inferior to that of Goku. [2] Vegeta is introduced into the series as the proud prince of the Saiyan race. He travels to earth with his comrade Nappa in order to use the Dragon Balls for his wish for immortality.[7] He is defeated by Goku and his allies and barely escapes with his life.[8] After being restored to health, Vegeta travels to Planet Namek to attempt to wish for immortality using its Dragon Balls.[9] Upon arrival, Vegeta manages to kill many of Frieza's henchmen as well as members of the Ginyu Force. Later, he is defeated and subsequently killed by Frieza, but is revived with a wish from the Dragon Balls.[10][11] Vegeta then chooses to stay on Earth, and enters a relationship with Bulma and marries her, resulting in the birth of his son, Trunks.[12] Years later, Vegeta finally becomes a Super Saiyan and easily destroys Android #19, sent by the Red Ribbon to kill Goku.[13] However, even as a Super Saiyan, he is defeated by Android #18.[14] Afterwards, Vegeta ascends the Super Saiyan level while training with his son Trunks in the Room of Spirit and Time and pummels the android Cell, who has absorbed Android #17. But his cockiness leads him to allow Cell to absorb Android 18 and achieve his perfect form.[15][16] Vegeta fails to defeat Cell, and he is forced to participate in a martial arts tournament created by Cell called the Cell Games, in which he aids Gohan to defeat him.[17][18] At some time within the seven years after the Cell Games. He allows himself to be consumed by magician Babidi's evil for his own desire to become evil again and fight Goku.[19] However, when the monster Majin Buu is revived by their fight, he goes to face him alone and sacrifices himself in a vain attempt to defeat Majin Buu.[20] After King Yemma gives Vegeta back his body and sends him down to Earth to help against the threat of Buu, he combines with Goku using the Potara Earrings, creating Vegito, who completely overwhelms Buu with his strength.[21][22] Eventually, he is absorbed into Buu's body and subsequently, the fusion splits.[23] Goku and Vegeta then recover their allies who have been absorbed by Buu, causing him to overcome a new transformation. On the Supreme Kai's planet, Vegeta and Fat Buu battle Evil Buu again to buy time for Goku to gather energy for the Spirit Bomb, which he uses to defeat Evil Buu once and for all.[24] In Dragon Ball GT, Vegeta is possessed by Baby and battles Goku, but is eventually split from Baby's body before Baby is destroyed. Later he fights Super Android 17, but again he is knocked out and nearly killed. When Omega Shenron wreaks havoc, he fuses with Goku as a Super Saiyan 4 to become Gogeta, who defeats the evil Shenron but his arrogance doesn't allow him to finish the job, and the fusion time runs out, reverting the two back to normal. At the end of Dragon Ball GT, Vegeta says a farewell to Goku, who leaves the duty of protecting Earth in Vegeta's hands before he flies off into the sky on Shenron. The first and most identified incarnation of the character that readers and viewers get to see would come to be known production wise as Future Trunks (未来のトランクス, Mirai no Torankusu?, Trunks of the Future). This incarnation first appeared in the manga chapter 331 Nazo no Shōnen (謎の少年, The Young Boy of Mystery?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on July 15, 1991.[4] Here he is a mysterious seventeen year old who appears and singlehandedly kills Frieza and his father King Cold. Upon Goku's return from planet Namek in the following chapter, Trunks would confide with Goku and unknowingly to Piccolo (Due to his acute Namekkian hearing) his tragic story. As told in flashbacks in the anime series, the stand alone manga story Trunks the Story: A Warrior All Alone (トランクスザストーリー －たったひとりの戦士－, Trunks za Sutōrī -Tatta Hitori no Senshi-?),[5] the TV special History of Trunks, and the third side story Lonely Future Warrior!! Trunks (孤独の未来戦士!! トランクス, Kodoku no Mirai Senshi!! Torankusu?),[6] Trunks had traveled from twenty years in the future where the world was in constant ruin due to the terror of the two artificial humans #17 and #18. By this time Goku had succumbed to an unknown heart virus and rest of the Z warriors, with the exception of Gohan, had fallen at the hands of the artificial humans. Trunks, at the age of thirteen, was living with Future Bulma and secretly training with Future Gohan. After Gohan's inevitable death, Trunks would assume the mantel of Earth's sole protector against the artificial humans for the next three years. But even he would be no match against them. Fortunately, Bulma had been working on a time machine that could help change history. Once he had informed Goku of the events to come, Trunks gives Goku a special vaccine and return to his own time. Trunks would return to help the present day Z warriors battle the artificial humans, in chapter 346 and episode 131. With appearance of Cell, Trunks would train with Vegeta in the Room of Time and Mind (Hyperbolic Time Chamber in English media). After Vegeta's defeat, Trunks would fight Cell in his newly gained Perfect state. But Trunks' 3rd Super Saiyan grade proved to be ineffective so he willfully concedes. He would participate in the Cell Games and be mortally wounded by Cell immediately following his ascension to "Beyond Perfection". Afterwards, he would return to his own timeline in the future and defeat the artificial humans and Cell within his time in chapters 419-420 and episodes 193. He would appear one more time in the ninth Dragon Ball Z film Bojack Unbound to participate in the special Tenkaichi Budokai sponsored by Mr. X.S. Cash. Here he would unwillingly fight Bojack's henchman Gokua. Trunks' second incarnation would make his appearance as an infant in chapter 337 Tsudō Super Senshi-tachi (集う超戦士たち, Super Warriors Assemble?), published on August 26, 1991.[7] In this part of the story, he was only featured as a background character to provide consistency and continuity to the story. When he was eight, Trunks participated in 25th Tenkaichi Budokai and defeated Son Goten in the junior division. Eager to compete in the adult division, he and Goten together posed as the fighter Mighty Mask and were pitted against #18 in a battle royal. But unfortunately they were disqualified when #18 blew their cover, revealing that they were really two people. Trunks in Dragon Ball GT.Upon the arrival of Majin Buu in chapter 460 and episode 231, Trunks was forced to train with Goten in the Room of Time and Mind to become the super warrior Gotenks. Gotenks fought Buu, first in the time dimension, then in the real world until the thirty minute fusion time limit expired. Through Buu's treachery they, along with Piccolo, were absorbed by Buu, thus increasing Buu's power. Once freed, Trunks, along with Goten, Gohan, and Piccolo were killed when Kid Buu destroyed the Earth. After being resurrected, Trunks helped to rally the people on Earth to support Goku's Super Genki Dama in his defeat of Buu. At the end of the series, Trunks, now grown up, participated in the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai against the fighter Otokosuki in Chapters 518-519. By the GT series, a 28 year old Trunks would accompany Goku and Pan into space to recover the Black Star Dragon Balls. Within episodes 2-15, They would have many strange encounters and meet many unusual characters including the robot named Giru who would act as the gang's Dragon Radar. Upon arriving on Giru's home world the Machine Planet M2 in episode 16, the trio would be hijacked by Dr. Myu's robots and Trunks would be solidified in living metal for study. Ironically, the contents of the plate was not really Trunks, but a cleverly made decoy by both Trunks and Giru. Trunks would use the opportunity to uncover Dr. Myu's plan, which was to awaken Baby, and sabotage the process. Unfortunately Trunks' plan failed as Baby had managed to escape to Earth, When they returned home Baby had managed to possess Vegeta becoming "Baby Vegeta" and brainwash everyone else into becoming his followers. Shortly after arriving, Trunks would also fall victim to Baby's mind control and battle Goku. He along with everyone else would be freed on new planet Plant. By episode 41 Trunks had managed to become the CEO of Capsule Corporation. But he would not take the job seriously. During the Super 17 saga, he along with Goten would travel the globe fighting the villains that escaped from Hell. He would help battle Omega Shenron and help power-up Goku's Super Saiyan 4 form. Trunks possesses several abilities including superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and energy waves. Which can be utilized by the use of chi. His main means of conveyance is a technique called buku-jutsu (舞空術, lighter than air?) which gives him the ability of flight.[8] However, Trunks does not rely on this technique as his only conveyance as he can also be seen piloting various crafts manufactured by his family's company including the time machine which allowed him to visit Goku in the past.[9] Both incarnations can at least transform into basic Super Saiyan although their achievement of this form differs between incarnation. Future Trunks achieved this in his early teens but even this varies in media. In the TV special he would ascend after observing the body of the recently deceased Future Gohan.[10] Whereas, In the manga, he is shown to be a Super Saiyan for some time.[5] Present Trunks would be shown to have the ability at the age of eight.[11] In the Cell saga, Trunks would gain the ability ascend to 2nd and 3rd Super Saiyan grades[12] during his training with Vegeta in the Room of Time and Mind. Unfortunately, these forms would decrease his speed greatly and so he would abandon them after his first initial fight with Cell.[13] As a child, Present Trunks could fuse (or merge) with Goten to become the powerful being named Gotenks; this is through the Metamorese technique called the Fusion Dance, which was taught to them by Goku.[14][15] In this temporal form they could achieve Super Saiyan 3 with ease, a feat that was very difficult for Goku to achieve and maintain.[16] Trunks is also known for his use of his longsword which he keeps mounted across his back. Many fans often mistake this sword for the legendary Z-Sword due their similar appearance. As a child, Present Trunks was supposedly given the sword as a gift by the warrior Tapion after the monster Hirudegarn was defeated in the film Wrath of the Dragon.[17] However it is unknown how Future Trunks come to possess it as the story has never been chronicled by Toriyama or Toei Animation. In GT the sword was only featured in the opening introduction to the series, but was not used in any episodes. Ironically, in an early concept lithograph for GT by Toriyama, Trunks is pictured brandishing a pistol instead.[18] Present Trunks can also be seen wielding the sword in the opening introduction to the video game Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout. Frieza is introduced in chapter #247 Dark Clouds Swirl Over Planet Namek (暗雲うずまくナメック星, An'un Uzumaku Namekkusei?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on November 6, 1989.[5] Here he is portrayed as a powerful galactic overlord on a personal mission for immortality and conquest. He is said to control seventy-nine or more planets.[6] Frieza creates armies from the planets that he conquers, his most utilized race were the Saiyans. Frieza had heard about the legend of the Super Saiyan, a being with unrivaled power, but dismissed it as simple mythology; however, after several Saiyans emerged with rapidly evolving strength, Frieza began to fear that the legend would indeed come true, so as a result, destroyed the entire Saiyan race, along with their home planet, Vegeta. His actions and lust for power eventually bring him into conflict with the heroes of the series when he learns of the wish-granting Dragon Balls on Planet Namek from Vegeta's scouter and tries to take possession of them alongside his henchmen Zarbon and Dodoria. Frieza's fears were realized when he was defeated by Goku,[7] who in turn had become a Super Saiyan.[8] His character would return shortly thereafter,[9] having survived the encounter with Goku but had been left with multiple metal prosthetics as a result of lost limbs/organs. Though accompanied to Earth by his father, King Cold, Frieza is unable to avenge his loss. He is killed with relative ease by a newcomer to the series: the half-Saiyan time traveler, Trunks.[10] A blood sample taken before his ultimate fate would later become a catalyst for the next arc's featured villain: Cell, a warrior genetically engineered to be "perfect".[11] Toei Animation would continue to make use of the character in their anime adaptation, with Frieza making brief cameo appearances during later episodes of the series, animated features and Dragon Ball GT. He is last referenced in the manga as a measure of the strength of the Kaioshin, the supreme lords of the Dragon Ball universe, as "each of whom could have felled Frieza in one blow".[12] In Toriyama's self-parody of his earlier work, Neko Majin Z, Frieza sends Vegeta, serving as his henchman, on errand to retrieve his missing son, Kuriza, on Earth.[13] Frieza has two high-ranking henchmen: Kiwi (キュイ, Kyui?) and Dodoria (ドドリア, Dodoria?). Kiwi is a rival of Vegeta and sets out to kill him, but is defeated. He is voiced by Kōji Totani in Japan, Jason Gray-Stanford in the Ocean Group dub and Bill Townsley in the Funimation dub. Dodoria is a large, fat, pink alien with short spikes on his head and forearms who travels with Frieza to Namek in search of the Dragon Balls. There he encounters Vegeta. Hoping to save his life, he tells Vegeta the truth about the destruction of Planet Vegeta, but Vegeta still kills him. He is voiced by Yukitoshi Hori in Japan, Ward Perry in the Ocean Group dub, and Chris Forbis in the Funimation dub. Cell (セル, Seru?) is the ultimate creation of Doctor Gero. He is an artificial life form created using the cells of several characters from the series, including Goku, Piccolo and Frieza. As a result, Cell is able to perform techniques such as the Kamehameha, a powerful energy blast which he gains from the cells of Goku.[7] In creating the character of Cell, Toriyama tried many different designs before finally settling on the one used in the series. Cell evolves several times throughout his appearances. He originally evolves from a cocoon-like form into his first "Imperfect Form", which is insect-like in appearance. Both his first form and his second "Semi-Perfect Form" have a tail that ends in a stinger-like appendage and allows it to absorb other organisms.[8] The tail recedes under his wings in his final "Perfect Form", and he can use it to spawn Cell Jr. (セルジュニア, Seru Junia?)s, minuscule child-like versions of himself. Requiring androids #17 and #18 to evolve, he finds out that they are already dead in his timeline, so he kills the Trunks of his timeline and uses Trunks' time machine to travel back in time. He eventually absorbs both after many battles and ascends to his perfect form.[9][10] He decides to hold the "Cell Games", a tournament in which he fights against the Earth's fighters until there are none left, resulting in Earth's destruction.[11] Cell manages to defeat Goku, but he is eventually killed by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan with one arm.[12] Cell appears in Hell in Dragon Ball Z, and makes a few appearances in Dragon Ball GT. Norio Wakamoto voices him in the Japanese anime, Dameon Clarke in the Funimation dub and Dale Wilson in the Ocean Group dub. Majin Buu (魔人ブウ, Majin Bū?, also translated as Majin Boo) is a magical life form created by the wizard, Bibidi, millions of years before the series. He is eventually sealed by Bibidi after he becomes uncontrollable, and Bibidi's son, Babidi makes it his goal to revive Buu. After being released, Buu appears as an innocent looking pudgy pink genie-like creature. He is very naive and easily influenced, and he has a very volatile balance between his gentle and evil sides. After Buu kills Babidi, he becomes close friends with Hercule, which eventually causes him to expel his evil side. This evil manifests, and it manages to defeat and absorb the good side, resulting in a tall, slender form, who calls himself "Super Buu." He is interested in a challenge, and later goes on to absorb Goten and Trunks as Gotenks, Piccolo, and Gohan. It is revealed by the surviving member of the Kaioshin that the fat form of Buu is actually the result of the original assimilating their leader into his body. The original is a sleek, child-sized being who is obsessed with chaos and destruction. The original is restored after Goku and Vegeta remove the good side from Super Buu. The good side is later spit out by the original, and he goes on to live with Hercule on Earth, while the original is killed by Goku, who wishes for him to be reincarnated as a good person. King Yemma, hearing the wish, reincarnates him into a child named Uub. All forms of Buu have a rubbery body that is easily damaged. He can regenerate instantly from any wound, regrow any part of his body, and he can even restore himself from vapor. It is possible for him to become so worn down that his regeneration begins to fail. He can reconfigure body portions into weapons, including stretching his extremities. Buu also can heal damaged beings, shapeshift, and transfigure other objects and organisms. He can also absorb other organisms by enveloping them with his body, and can replicate fighting techniques, even after witnessing them once. In the original Japanese Buu and all his forms are currently voiced by Kōzō Shioya in all media. In the Ocean Studio dub Scott McNeil would voice Fat Buu, Brian Dobson would voice the Evil and Super Buus, and Ward Perry would voice Kid Buu. McNeil would voice the renamed Mr. Buu in the Blue Water dub. In the Funimation dub Josh Martin voices Fat and Kid Buus, and Justin Cook voices Evil and Super Buu. Martin and Cook voice Buu in all video games with exception of Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout where Buu, in kid form, was voiced by Dougary Grant. Buu was rated by Wizard magazine as the 40th greatest villain of all time.[13] David F. Smith of IGN states that although he is tough, Majin Buu's pink complexion prevents anybody from taking him as a serious threat.[14] Android #18 (人造人間18号, Jinzōningen Jū Hachi Gō?, Artificial Human #18) is a human forcefully turned into a cyborg along with her brother, #17.[15] After being released by Dr. Gero, she travels with #16 and #17 in order to kill Goku, though they are interrupted by Cell and the Z Fighters several times. She and #17 are eventually absorbed by Cell, but later during the Cell Games, a hard blow from Gohan causes Cell to regurgitate her. Though Krillin is unable to wish for her to be turned into a human, he is able to have her self destruct device removed.[16] Krillin later pursues #18 and, at some point, they marry and have a daughter named Marron.[17] In Future Trunks' timeline, she is a mass murderer who is later killed by Trunks. She is voiced by Miki Itō in Japan, Enuka Okuma in the Ocean Group dub and Meredith McCoy in the Funimation dub. [edit] Babidi Babidi (バビディ, Babidi?) is the son of Bibidi, the creator of Majin Buu. After Buu is sealed and his father is killed, he sets out to resurrect Buu to help him conquer the universe. Babidi manages to take over the minds of many strong warriors in order to help him achieve his goal, including Demon King Dabura, alien warrior Pui Pui, light-devouring monster named Yakon, and two muscle-bound humans, Yamu and Spopovitch. Babidi uses them to collect energy for Buu's revival, and later enlists Vegeta to help him, though Vegeta is able to ignore his orders. After Buu is revived, Babidi manages to control him with the threat of resealing him, though after being manipulated by Goku, Buu turns on him and shatters his head with a single punch. He later appears in Hell, cheering Goku and Vegeta on during their fight with Kid Buu, and then in Dragon Ball GT, when various villains escape from Hell. He is voiced Jōji Yanami in Japan, Duncan Brannan in the Funimation dub and Terry Klassen in the Ocean Group dub. [edit] Baby Baby (ベビー, Bebī?) is a parasitic alien supervillain that first appears in the 22nd episode of Dragon Ball GT. Baby was created by combining the DNA of the king of the Tuffles with a cybernetic body. Baby desires to destroy all of the Saiyans to avenge his people. Baby is first reactivated from a sleep state by his creator, Doctor Myu. He attempts to fight Goku, Trunks, and Pan, but is easily defeated. To boost his power, Baby infects various people with his DNA and begins gathering energy from them. After a second defeat at the hands of the three Saiyans, Baby infects Trunks and then goes to Earth. On Earth he battles Son Goten and Son Gohan, infects them both, and is able to infect Vegeta and make him his primary host. Goku, Trunks, and Pan return to Earth to find the entire population is now under Baby's control. Baby is able to defeat Goku, then he begins using the Black Star Dragon Balls to restore the Planet Plant and transport the Earth population to it. During this time, Baby evolves into an even more powerful form and defeats Goku again. This causes Goku to transform into a Golden Great Ape and then into a Super Saiyan 4. In this new form, Goku is able to defeat Baby-Vegeta. He has Bulma, also under his control, fire a radiation beam at him from her Blutz Wave Generator which enables him to transform into a Golden Great Ape. After a lengthy battle, Baby separates from Vegeta and attempts to escape in a spaceship, vowing to return to destroy the Saiyans. Goku blasts the spaceship with a 10x Kamehameha attack, sending it into the sun. The ship is destroyed and Baby is obliterated. He is voiced by Yusuke Numata in the Japanese version and by Mike McFarland in the English Funimation dub. [edit] Chiaotzu Chiaotzu (餃子, Chaozu?) is a small human that resembles a doll with white skin, red cheeks, and one hair under his hat. Though he is not physically strong, he is skilled with psychokinesis and telepathy. He first studies under the Crane Hermit with his close friend, Tien Shinhan. After Tien realizes that the Crane Hermit's teachings are wrong, the two leave him and join with Goku and his companions. He continues to support Tien throughout the series, even going as far as self-destructing on Nappa in order to attempt to save him. After the fight with Turles' team in the movie The Tree of Might, Chiaotzu no longer becomes involved in battle. He is voiced by Hiroko Emori in Japan, Cathy Weseluck in the Ocean Group dub and Monika Antonelli in the Funimation dub. [edit] Chi Chi Chi Chi (チチ?), known as Chi-Chi in the Viz manga, Chichi in Japanese versions, and Milk in Latin-American TV, is the wife of Goku and the mother of Gohan and Goten. She is very protective over the well being of her family, and wishes to remove them from Goku's lifestyle of fighting and constant conflict. She attempts to have Gohan focus on studying during his childhood, but this is interrupted by the constant threats to Earth. She later relaxes with Goten, even training him herself. As the daughter of the Ox-King, she is very strong in her own right, having easily made it to the quarter-finals of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. She and Goku first meet as children, and Goku promises to marry her, thinking marriage is a kind of food. She later confronts him to have him fulfill the promise, despite the misunderstanding. She was voiced by Mayumi Shō in the Japanese version of the series until episode 88, from which point she was voiced by Naoko Watanabe. In the English Funimation dub, she is voiced by Laura Bailey and Cynthia Cranz. Chi Chi is played by Jamie Chung in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution; her voice was dubbed over by Ami Koshimizu in the Japanese version of the film. [edit] Dende Dende (デンデ, Dende?) is a Namekian child saved from Dodoria by Gohan and Krillin.[18] He later gains the power to heal after having his power unlocked, which he uses to aid the warriors fighting Frieza until he is killed by the tyrant. After being revived, he lives on New Namek until he is asked by Goku to replace Kami as Earth's guardian and revive the Dragon Balls. He accepts and continues to serve as the guardian throughout the rest of the series. He is very close to Piccolo, who fused with his friend Nail on Namek. He is voiced by Tomiko Suzuki in Japan and Ceyli Delgadillo, Laura Bailey and Justin Cook in the Funimation dub. [edit] Doctor Gero Doctor Gero (ドクター・ゲロ, Dokutā Gero?) is the former chief scientist of the Red Ribbon Army. After the destruction of the organization, he begins using his development of androids to aid in destroying Goku for revenge. While creating a series of androids, he eventually implants his own brain into an exact replica of his body, becoming Android #20. Both he and Android #19, a round, pale android and the most loyal of Gero's creations, are able to absorb the energy of others using small devices on their hands. The two eventually attack Goku and his friends. #19 successfully draining Goku of his energy while Goku is affected by his heart virus, but he is killed by Vegeta afterwards. Doctor Gero flees, attempting to release #17 and #18 as a last resort, though #17 quickly kills him. Doctor Gero appears once more in Dragon Ball GT, planning to return to Earth along with Doctor Myu by creating another Android #17. They succeed, though Doctor Myu betrays Doctor Gero and has the newly formed Super #17 kill him once again. He is voiced by Kōji Yada in Japan, Kent Williams in the Funimation dub and Brian Dobson in the Ocean Group dub. [edit] Goten Goten (孫 悟天, Son Goten?) is the second and final child of Goku, the series' protagonist. First introduced in the 230 chapter of the manga,[19] Goten resembles his father in appearance, with the same hair-style and similar clothing. In chapter 324, Toriyama changes his appearance to avoid confusion with Goku to include a shirt bearing his name, and a longer, shaggier hairstyle.[20] Goten is trained by his older brother Son Gohan in preparation for the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, which their father would be attending. During the training, Gohan discovered Goten could become a Super Saiyan.[21] He also possesses the Kamehameha, a technique that concentrates chi energy and is released into a powerful beam.[22] In order to save the world from the villain Majin Buu, Goku and Piccolo teach Goten and Trunks the "Fusion" technique, which allows them to transform into a single powerful warrior, Gotenks. Gotenks battles Buu multiple times but even when he transforms into a Super Saiyan 3 he is unable to defeat Buu. Buu temporarily absorbs Gotenks, increasing his own power, but Vegeta and Goku are able to retrieve them from Buu. When Buu destroys the Earth in the 312 chapter, Goten and Trunks are killed.[23] The Dragon Balls later bring Goten back to life along with the rest of the Earth in order to give energy to Goku's Super Genki Dama attack, which defeats Buu.[24] Goten then returns to a normal life on Earth. Masako Nozawa voices Goten in Japanese, while he is voiced by Kara Edwards (as a child) and Robert McCollum (as an adult) in the English version. [edit] Hercule Hercule, known as Mister Herculese Satan in Funimation's VHS dubbed release of the "Great Saiyaman" episodes,[25] and as Mister Satan (ミスター・サタン, Misutā Satan?) in Japanese versions and Funimation's uncut releases, is a flamboyant martial artist that becomes a world renowned hero after the Cell Games. After Goku and his companions stop attending the World Tournaments, Hercule starts winning them and becomes the reigning champion for many years. During the Cell Games, he attempts to fight Cell, but even after being swatted away, he is given credit for Cell's death by the media. He is soon called a world hero, gaining great wealth and a city named after him. Though Goku and his companions find his inflated ego and arrogance very annoying, he becomes close to them after befriending the good Majin Buu, helping defeat Kid Buu by using his appeal to get energy from all of the individuals on Earth for the Genki Dama, and his daughter, Videl, marries Gohan. He is voiced by Daisuke Gōri in Japan, Don Brown in the Ocean Group dub, and Chris Rager in the Funimation dub. [edit] Kami Kami (神様, Kami Sama?) is the guardian residing over the Earth for much of the series. He is the good half of an unnamed Namekian that had to split himself in order to become guardian. The evil half, Piccolo Daimao was later sealed away by humans. After Piccolo Daimao is unleashed and killed by Goku, he spawns a much stronger reincarnation, Piccolo. Seeing a threat, Kami decides to attempt to seal away the new Piccolo in the World Martial Arts Tournament, possessing a human named Shen (dubbed Hero in the English anime) as a guise, but the plan backfires on him. After Goku defeats Piccolo, he eventually reforms, and much later during the Cell saga, Kami agrees to merge and rejoin Piccolo to stand a chance against Cell and the Androids. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono in Japan, Michael Dobson and Dale Wilson in the Ocean Group dub, and Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub. [edit] King Kai The Kai (界王, Kaiō?) are upper-level gods of the Dragon Ball universe. There are five at a time that rule over the main galaxy of the universe, with one presiding over each of the four quadrants in a galaxy, and the last overseeing them all. The Kai are responsible for the lower-level gods, who rule over individual planets. The Kai reside in the heavens, with each having their own small planet. There is a sense of competition among the Kai over whose quadrant has the best fighters. King Kai, the Northern Kai, trains Goku after his self-sacrifice to defeat Raditz. King Kai, also known as Lord of the Worlds (界王様, Kaiō-sama?) and North Kai (北の界王, Kita no Kaiō?), is the Kai of the northern quadrant of the galaxy. His companion is a pet monkey named Bubbles and in the anime he also has a flying cricket companion named Gregory. King Kai trains fighters allowed to keep their bodies if they manage to reach his small planet at the end of Snake Way. Before training any students, he forces them to appeal to his strange sense of humor, catch Bubbles, and hit Gregory with a mallet.[26] He provides Goku with martial arts training and two of his own techniques, the Genki Dama and the Kaio-ken, which King Kai was never able to master. He continues to help Goku and his friends throughout the series, lending his planet locating and telecommunicating abilities for their use. When Goku brings a self-destructing Cell to his planet, the explosion kills King Kai and destroys his planet. As he is already in the Other World, he only gains a halo and in the anime he appears to settle down on Grand Kai's planet. He is voiced by Jōji Yanami in Japan, Don Brown in the Ocean Group dub and Sean Schemmel in the Funimation dub. [edit] Master Roshi Master Roshi, known in Japanese versions as Kame Sen'nin (亀仙人, Kame Sennin?) and Muten Rōshi (武天老師?), is an ancient and wise martial arts master and the first Earthling to wield the Kamehameha. Though he seems frail, he is a mighty warrior, having trained Grandpa Gohan, Ox King, Son Goku, and others. He is a stock character, as he is both the archetypal wise old man and dirty old man, the latter being typical of shōnen manga. Still, he is depicted to be a very wise and gentle person, who loves life and its simple pleasures, but is willing to die if necessary, such as when performing the Mafuba technique (Evil Containment Wave in the English dub) against Piccolo Daimao.[27] He sometimes gets cranky, which further provides comic relief. He is bald, with a thick van dyke beard and wears sunglasses. Roshi wears beach clothes or martial arts suits and, during the earlier stages of the series, a turtle shell on his back. He usually wields a walking stick. When wishing to act anonymously in the World Martial Arts Tournament, Roshi uses the name Jackie Chun. Roshi was originally voiced by Kōhei Miyauchi. Miyauchi's final acting session before he died was for episode 260 of Dragon Ball Z, which he recorded only 3 months before his death. The episode aired on March 15, 1995. In his final line, he yells out "Kuririn!", and is turned into a bar of chocolate by Majin Buu shortly afterwards. Since episode 288 of Dragon Ball Z, Roshi is voiced by Hiroshi Masuoka, who voices him throughout Dragon Ball GT and in the recent video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi. He is voiced by Kinya Aikawa in the 10th anniversary special and by Masaharu Satō in movie 13. In the Funimation dub, he is voiced by Mike McFarland. He is portrayed by Chow Yun-Fat in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution; his voice was dubbed over by Tsutomu Isobe in the Japanese dub of the film. [edit] Pan Pan (パン?) is the granddaughter of Goku. Pan's ancestry comes from both humans, and the extraterrestrials called the Saiyans, which becomes the primary race throughout the Dragon Ball galaxies. Pan is the daughter of the first Saiyan Human hybrid to appear in the series, Gohan, and his human wife Videl. In the Japanese anime, she was voiced by Yūko Minaguchi. In the English versions of DBZ, she is voiced by Kate Bristol in the Funimation dub and Brenna O'Brien in the Ocean Group dub. In the English versions of Dragon Ball GT, she is voiced by Elise Baughman in the Funimation dub and by Caitlynne Medrek in the Blue Water dub. [edit] Piccolo Daimao Piccolo Daimao (ピッコロ大魔王, Pikkoro Daimaō?), known as King Piccolo in the English dubs and Demon King Piccolo in the Viz manga, is the evil half of the Namekian that removed his evil in order to become the guardian of the Earth; this negative energy took on a physical form, becoming a cast-off being. He and the good half, Kami, are linked, so if one dies, the other also will die. After being formed, he designates himself as the Great Demon King and begins to terrorize the world. He is eventually imprisoned by Mutaito, the master of Roshi, in a rice cooker for centuries by the suicidal Evil Containment Wave. After being released by Emperor Pilaf, he attempts to kill anyone that could possibly seal him again, uses the Dragon Balls to restore his youth, and takes over the Earth before being confronted by Goku, who, after a long battle, punches a large hole through his abdomen. Before dying, he regurgitates the egg containing his reincarnation, Piccolo Jr., in order to pursue his revenge. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono in Japan, Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub, and Scott McNeil in the Ocean Group dub. He was played by James Marsters in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution; his voice was dubbed over by Hōchū Ōtsuka in the Japanese dub of the film. Besides Piccolo Jr., Piccolo Daimao creates several offspring in order to help him with his plans. His first offspring, Piano, helps Piccolo formulate his plan until his death. He also creates Tambourine to hunt down the contenders of the World Martial Arts Tournament to keep the sealing technique from resurfacing. Tambourine kills Krillin and beats a weakened Goku, but eventually Goku's Kamehameha vaporizes him. The third, Cymbal, is created to find Dragon Balls, but he is killed and eaten by Yajirobe. The fourth, Drum, is created to battle Tien, who he easily defeats until Goku appears and kills him in one blow. Tambourine is voiced by Ryūsei Nakao in Japan and Dameon Clarke in the English dub; Piano is voiced by Brian Beacock in the English dub; and Drum is voiced by Paul LeBlanc in the English dub. [edit] Tien Shinhan Tien Shinhan (天津飯, Tenshinhan?, nicknamed Ten), known as Shinto in the Harmony Gold dub, is first introduced in chapter 113 of the manga series.[28] Initially an enemy of Goku who was trained by Roshi's rival the Crane Hermit, Tien soon makes peace with Goku and becomes a Z Fighter. Accompanied by his friend Chiaotzu, Tien enters the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament[29] and faces Goku, who proves to be a more than worthy opponent. Eventually, after Goku survives every attack thrown at him, Tien destroys the arena with his Kikohou, but Goku jumps into the air and uses his Kamehameha to slam himself into Tien. Both fighters fall down to the ground, but Goku is hit by a passing car, causing him to land on the ground first, which makes Tien the winner. Afterwards, Tien and Chiaotzu become allies of Goku. He participated in the battle against the Saiyans in Dragon Ball Z, in which he is killed by Nappa, along with Chiaotzu, Yamcha and Piccolo. The four of them are trained by King Kai and later revived by Porunga. Tien also participated in the battles against Cell and Majin Buu. Tien is bald and has three eyes, the third placed on his forehead. The third eye is from becoming enlightened.[30] When Toriyama began creating the Dragon Ball series, he used Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West as a prototype for his own work.[31] Tien's three eyed physical characteristic resembles the story character Erlang Shen, and both are warriors who were originally adversaries of the main character.[32] His outfits change consistently as the series goes on, and he usually doesn't wear a shirt when fighting. In the Japanese version of the series, he was voiced by Hirotaka Suzuoki until his death in 2006; Kōichi Yamadera acted as a substitute for Suzuoki for episodes 82 and 84 of the series. He is voiced by Mitsuaki Madono in Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit and by Hikaru Midorikawa in Dragon Ball Kai. In the English Funimation dub of the series, he was voiced by Chris Cason in the third season and by John Burgmeier from the fourth season onwards and in the redub of the third season. He was voiced by Matt Smith in the Canadian Ocean Group dub. [edit] Videl Videl (ビーデル, Bīderu?) is the daughter of Hercule. Like her father, she trains in martial arts, even surpassing him in strength.[33] She uses her abilities to fight crime in the city, and after Gohan appears as the Great Saiyaman, she quickly figures out his identity. She uses that to blackmail him into showing her how to fly. After Buu is fully defeated, the two form a relationship, eventually become married, and have a child named Pan. When the two fight crime together afterwards, she takes on the role of the "Great Saiyaman 2 or Great Saiyawoman". She is voiced by Yuko Minaguchi in Japan, Moneca Stori in the Ocean dub, and Kara Edwards in the Funimation dub. Her name is an anagram of Devil, a play on words with her father's Japanese name (Mister Satan). [edit] Yamcha Yamcha (ヤムチャ, Yamucha?), known as Zedaki in the Harmony Gold dub, is introduced as an outlaw and starts out as an antagonist of Son Goku's in order to steal his Dragon Ball and wish not to feel nervous when being near to women. He eventually reforms, becoming an ally and Z Fighter. After participating in Baba's tournament, Yamcha requests to become the pupil of Master Roshi, to which Master Roshi obliges. As result from such training, Yamcha becomes able to develop various energy techniques such as the Kamehameha and the Soukidan, an energy sphere which he can control after throwing it. He soon becomes able to fly and is able to train with various gods from the Dragon Ball universe. After the attack from the Red Ribbon's androids, he quits fighting, noting that he is very weak in comparison to his friends. His constant companion is Puar. During the series, he holds a romantic relationship with Bulma, but they break up some time after Future Trunks' first appearance. He is voiced by Tōru Furuya in the Japanese version of the series. In the English dub, he is voiced by Ted Cole and later Christopher Sabat.[34] In the 2009 Dragon Ball live-action film, he was portrayed by Joon Park, whose voice was dubbed over by Hisao Egawa in the Japanese dub of the film. [edit] Other characters [edit] Android #16 Android #16 (人造人間16号, Jinzōningen Jū Roku Gō?, Artificial Human #16) is a large android developed by Dr. Gero. He is deemed a failure, and is deactivated until Android #18 reactivates and releases him.[35][36] Despite the other Androids disobeying and killing Dr. Gero, #16 still follows his orders to search for and destroy Goku. Unlike the other two, #16 processes a sophisticated mechanism to sense and track power levels in real time.[37][38] While trying to protect #17 and #18 from Cell, he is greatly damaged[39][40], though Bulma and her father Dr. Briefs repair him. After he is repaired, he ignores his old orders to kill Goku, and focuses on the fight against Cell. Like the other androids he had the ability to self destruct, but the device was removed during his repairs. This is made known only when #16 tried to self destruct and destroy Cell, which Cell retaliates by destroying most of #16.[41][42] His head and consciousness survived, but later is destroyed by Cell, which pushes Gohan over the edge to Super Saiyan 2.[41][43] In the anime he is voiced Hikaru Midorikawa in Japan,[44] Jeremy Inman in the Funimation dub[45] and Scott McNeil in the Ocean Group dub. [46] [edit] Android #17 Android #17 (人造人間17号, Jinzōningen Jū Nana Gō?, Artificial Human #17) is a human forcefully turned into a cyborg by Dr. Gero along with his sister, #18. The two are released by Doctor Gero as a last resort, but they turn on their creator and quickly kill him instead. They begin to travel in order to find and kill Goku, coming into contact with the Z Fighters several times. In Future Trunks' timeline, he is a mass murderer who is later killed by Trunks. #17 returns one last time in Dragon Ball GT, when he fuses with a new #17 created by Doctor Gero and Doctor Myu in order to become the Super Android #17, who is finally defeated by Goku and #18. He is voiced by Shigeru Nakahara in Japan, Ted Cole in the Ocean Group dub and Chuck Huber in the Funimation dub. [edit] Emperor Pilaf Emperor Pilaf (ピラフ, Pirafu?) is a small, impish man who dreams of ruling the world. Though he proclaims himself an emperor, he actually only has a crown and a castle. Along with his two minions, Mai (マイ, Mai?), a woman that wears a trench coat, and Shu (シュウ, Shū?), a humanoid dog in a ninja outfit, he seeks out the Dragon Balls to wish for world domination. After obtaining the Dragon Balls once, he is foiled by Goku and his companions after another wish is granted just before he can speak his fully. He continues to antagonize Goku throughout the rest of Dragon Ball, and while attempting to obtain the Dragon Balls, releases Piccolo Daimao from his confinement. They appear again in Dragon Ball GT, where they obtain the Black Star Dragon Balls and accidentally wish Goku to be a child again. Pilaf is voiced by Shigeru Chiba in Japan and Chuck Huber in English dub. Shu is voiced by Tesshō Genda in Japan and Chris Cason in the English dub. Mai is voiced by Eiko Yamada in Japan and Julie Franklin in the Funimation dub. She was played by Eriko Tamura in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution. [edit] Evil Dragons The Evil Dragons, known as the Shadow Dragons in the English versions, are a group of evil beings born from the evil energy caused by overuse of the Dragon Balls. When attempting to repair the damage caused by Super #17, the cigar-smoking Evil Shenron is summoned from the Dragon Balls instead of the regular Shenron. He splits into seven dragons, each containing a Dragon Ball. They are known as the One-Star through Seven-Star Dragons in Japan, and Syn Shenron, Haze Shenron, Eis Shenron, Nuova Shenron, Rage Shenron, Oceanus Shenron, and Naturon Shenron in the English versions. Goku and Pan kill all of the dragons besides the One-Star, Four-Star, and Three-Star Dragons, and collect their Dragon Balls. Goku soon fights the Four-Star Dragon, voiced by Ken Yamaguchi in Japan and John Burgmeier in the English dub, who is fire-based and much more honorable than his siblings. The fight is soon interrupted by the Three-Star Dragon, who blinds Goku in an attempt to kill him. Goku eventually manages to kill the dragon, and when the Four-Star Dragon attempts to help Goku with his eyes, he is killed by One-Star Dragon, voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata in Japan and Bob Carter and Christopher R. Sabat in the English dub. The dragon absorbs the Dragon Balls, transforming into Omega Shenron. After a long battle, he is killed by Goku's Super Genki Dama, and the Dragon Balls are purified. [edit] Garlic Jr. Garlic Jr. (ガーリック・ジュニア, Gārikku Junia?) is the main antagonist in Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone and is one of the few original characters from the movies to appear in the TV series. His father was imprisoned by Kami in the realm of darkness, leaving Garlic Jr. with a deep feeling of resentment and desire for revenge. In the Dead Zone, he manages to obtain the seven Dragon Balls, wish for immortality, and begin his quest for revenge. He is defeated when faced with an angry Gohan, who pushes Garlic Jr. into the Dead Zone, an alternate dimension he can freely open. In the TV series, he breaks free using his power source, the Makyo Star, leading to the events of the Garlic Jr. arc. After attempting to brainwash the world with the Black Water Mist, he is once again trapped in the Dead Zone after the destruction of the Makyo Star. In the original Japanese version, Garlic Jr. is voiced by Akira Kamiya in Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone and Shigeru Chiba in the anime. He is voiced by Don Brown in the Ocean Group dub of the film and Dave Ward in the Ocean Group dub of the anime. Chuck Huber voices Garlic Jr. in the Funimation dub of the film and anime. [edit] Ginyu Force The Ginyu Force (ギニュー特戦隊, Ginyū Tokusentai?) is a team of five mercenaries who are hired by Frieza. Though physically some of the strongest individuals in the universe, the Ginyu Force's members delight in coming up with strange poses, betting candy on fights, and playing Janken. They are led by Captain Ginyu (ギニュー隊長, Ginyū Taichō?), who has a unique technique that allows him to switch bodies with his opponents. Jeice (ジース, Jīsu?), a flamboyant and showy mutant, and Burter (バータ, Bāta?), the self proclaimed fastest being in the universe, are two beings nicknamed the "Red Magma" and "Blue Hurricane" that utilise various combination attacks in battle. Recoome (リクーム, Rikūmu?) is a large humanoid that likes to toy with his opponents. Guldo (グルド, Gurudo?), although physically the weakest, has various psychic abilities, including being able to freeze time when he holds his breath. Frieza calls upon them to assist in the defeat of Vegeta and help obtain the Dragon Balls on Planet Namek. Vegeta kills Guldo along with Burter, Recoome, and Jeice. Ginyu manages to steal Goku's body, but he is unable to utilise its full power. He decides to steal Vegeta's body after Goku's can no longer be used, but he inadvertently switches bodies with a frog instead. He is allowed to flee, and ends up on Earth after Namek explodes (though not after switching bodies with Bulma and trying to take over Piccolo's body in the process, before being returned to the frog's body). In the anime, they (sans the surviving Ginyu) appear at King Kai's planet in the afterlife and battle Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu, who defeat and banish them to Hell. Tien defeats Jeice and Burter, Yamcha defeats Recoome, and Chiaotzu defeats Guldo. King Kai reveals that he actually invited the Ginyu Force there in order for Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu to test their new strength. [edit] Grandpa Gohan Grandpa Gohan (孫悟飯じいさん, Son Gohan jiisan?) is the adoptive grandfather of Goku, whom he found in a crashed spaceship. He teaches Goku martial arts, having originally studied under Roshi, and he even knows Roshi's Kamehameha.[47] He is killed by Goku as a rampaging Oozaru on a night with a full moon, though Goku does not realize it for many years. He is allowed to return to life for one day by Baba in order to fight Goku and anticipate his growth, and he later appears as an assistant to Annin, the ruler of the "magical furnace". He is only shown in flashbacks afterwards. He is voiced by Osamu Saka in the Japanese version of the original series, by Jinpei Azusa in Bardock: The Father of Goku and by Shigeru Chiba in Dragon Ball Kai. In the English version of the series, he is voiced by Christopher Sabat. He is portrayed by Randall Duk Kim in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution; his voice was dubbed over by Hiroya Ishimaru in the Japanese dub of the film. [edit] Oolong Oolong (ウーロン, Ūron?) is a shapeshifting, anthropomorphic pig that uses his abilities for his own greedy desires. He was expelled from shapeshifting training for stealing the teacher's underwear, so he lacks the ability to change his form for more than five minutes at a time without a break. He joins with Goku to search for the Dragon Balls and eventually steal them, but he abandons his plans. In Dragon Ball Z, he is often in the company of Roshi. He is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta in Japan, Doug Parker and Alec Willows in the Ocean Group dub, and Bradford Jackson in the Funimation dub. [edit] Puar Puar (プーアル, Pūaru?), known as Pu'ar in the Viz manga and Pu-erh in Japanese versions, is a soft-spoken shapeshifting blue creature and the constant companion of Yamcha. The name is revealed to be a pun on Pu-erh tea.[48] He was designed to slightly resemble a cat.[49] He uses his abilities to shapeshift into anything to help Yamcha rob passersby in the desert. Afterwards, he travels with Yamcha and Goku during Dragon Ball, and continues to live with Yamcha afterwards. He is voiced by Naoko Watanabe in the Japanese version of the series, by Kathy Morse and Cathy Weseluck in the Ocean Group dub and by Monika Antonelli in the Funimation dub. [edit] Red Ribbon Army The Red Ribbon Army (レッドリボン軍, Reddo Ribon Gun?) is a military organization bent on total world domination. Originally a technological cooperation, they lost out to the Capsule Corporation, and focused their technology on military weapons. They plan on obtaining the Dragon Balls to help with their goal, using any means necessary including raiding towns, hiring the mercenary, Mercenary Tao to attack Goku, among others. Despite this, Goku is able to wipe out the entire army. The quest for world domination turns out to be a ruse by their leader Commander Red. He is a short man, who really plans on using them to become taller, even if the whole army has to be sacrificed. The second in command is Adjutant Black (ブラック参謀?), who loyally obeys Red until hearing of his plan, at which point, he kills Red and attempts to take over, only to be killed by Goku. General Blue is a high-ranking official of the army. He comes into contact with Goku and his companions multiple times, often using a special psionic ability that allows him to paralyze other individuals. He manages to steal the Dragon Radar during their final encounter, but after returning, he is set to be executed for not obtaining any of the Dragon Balls after multiple failures. He is allowed to fight Tao to redeem himself, though Tao easily kills Blue only using his tongue. Blue is voiced by Toshio Furukawa in Japan and Sonny Strait in the Funimation dub. [edit] Shenron Shenron (神龍, Shén Lóng?, lit. "God Dragon"), also known as the Eternal Dragon in the Ocean Group and Funimation dubs, Shenlong in the Viz manga, Shen Long in Japanese versions, and the Dragon God in the Harmony Gold dub, is the wish granting dragon summoned when all of Earth's Dragon Balls are gathered. Shenron can bestow any wish as long as it does not exceed the power of his creator (who must be still alive) and has not been previously granted.[50] This is why Shenron can only bring the same person back to life once. Shenron can originally only grant one wish, but after being revived by Dende, he is able to grant two at a time. Shenron often tries to hasten summoners to make their wishes. He will usually threatens to leave or kill the summoner if they do not quickly make their wish, but never follows through with it. He is voiced by Kenji Utsumi in the Japanese version of the series with the exclusion of episodes 192 and 193 in the series and the films, in whch he is voiced by Masaharu Satō; he is voiced by Daisuke Gōri in Dragon Ball GT and by Kōji Yada in the Dr. Slump remake. In the English versions of the series, he is voiced by Don Brown in the Ocean Group dub and by Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub. His Namek counterpart is Porunga (ポルンガ?). Unlike Shenron, Porunga has a large, muscular upper body and various Namekian traits; he initially can only bring a single person back to life at a time, but can bring that person back multiple times. He can grant three wishes, so long as they don't exceed his creator's power, his creator is still alive, and each request is delivered in the Namekian dialect. Dragon Ball GT introduces the Black Star Shenron, a much larger red Shenron made by Kami when he and Piccolo Daimao were still one entity. He is summoned when the Black Star Dragon Balls are gathered, and can grant any single wish, regardless of any restrictions placed on the other dragons. He is voiced by Junpei Takiguchi in the Japanese version of the series with the exclusion of episode 283, in which he is voiced by Daisuke Gōri; he is voiced by Masaharu Satō in the video games. He is voiced by Christopher Sabat in the English dub of the series. [edit] Uub Uub (ウーブ, Ūbu?), known as Oob in the Viz manga and in Japanese versions, is the reincarnation of the evil Majin Buu. After Kid Buu is destroyed, Goku asks him to be reincarnated as a good person, Uub who is born from a small village, so they may battle again. King Yemma overhears the request and complies with it. Goku eventually senses Uub's hidden power, and seeks him out when Uub attends the tournament to gain money for his village. Goku ends up deciding to train him to be Earth's new guardian and as an opponent that he can battle. In Dragon Ball GT, Mr. Buu enters Uub's body, making him into "Majuub" to face threats such as Baby, Super #17, and the Shadow Dragons. He is voiced by Megumi Urawa in Japan and Kara Edwards (Kid Uub) and Sean Teague (Teen Uub) in the FUNimation dub. [edit] Yajirobe Yajirobe (ヤジロベー, Yajirobē?) is an overweight samurai that Goku meets in Dragon Ball. He is often considered to be rude, unmannered, timid, lazy, and cowardly. He helps Goku prepare for the battle against Piccolo Daimao, and continues to support Goku and his companions, though often from the sidelines. He trains under Kami with the others in order to prepare for the Saiyans, and helps in their victory by cutting off Vegeta's tail. During Dragon Ball, he is a wanderer that lives off the land, but after meeting Korin and discovering the Senzu Beans, which provide the nutrients of ten days worth of meals, restore energy and heal wounds, he decides to live with Korin. He begins growing the beans with him, and often delivers them to Goku and his companions. He is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka in the Japanese version of the series, by Brian Drummond in the Ocean Group dub and by Mike McFarland in the Funimation dub. [edit] Zarbon Zarbon (ザーボン, Zābon?) is one of Frieza's top two henchmen. He has the ability to transform into a powerful reptilian beast. Zarbon travels to Namek alongside Frieza and Dodoria to help collect the Dragon Balls. He eventually comes into contact with Vegeta, whom Zarbon manages to easily defeat and capture after transforming. After Zarbon retrieves Vegeta's battered body and brings him to Frieza's ship in order to heal him for interrogation, Vegeta manages to escape. Zarbon sets out to find him once again, but Vegeta, having become stronger after healing, kills Zarbon. Zarbon also appears in Bardock - The Father of Goku, where he advises Frieza to destroy the Saiyan planet and briefly appears in Dragon Ball GT when he escapes from Hell with other villains. He is voiced by Shō Hayami in the original Japanese series and by Hiroaki Miura in Dragon Ball Kai. In the English versions of the series, he is voiced by Paul Dobson in the Ocean Group dub and by Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub. In an issue of Beckett Anime, a Beckett magazine publication, Zarbon was voted as one of the top five greatest henchmen of all anime, and was the only character from Dragon Ball Z on the list.[51]

Related Search Terms