For decades, we have had the honor of being entertained by Dragon Ball. The anime that is in itself a religion has multiple storylines crammed into the entire saga. And some of them have given us plot twists of the wildest caliber that not even veteran Dragon Ball fans could have ever anticipated. Presenting – 10 Greatest Plot Twists that utterly shook the Dragon Ball Universe!!
Vegeta’s Super Saiyan moment
The Super Saiyan transformation was the stuff of legends within the Saiyan folklore. Nobody had actually seen it in action. No Saiyans ever believed that is was even true. But Goku proved everybody wrong and showed the might of a Super Saiyan during the Frieza saga. But what was even more staggering was Vegeta also accessed and unlocked the power of a Super Saiyan. Vegeta becomes a Super Saiyan during the one hundred and twenty ninth episode of Dragon Ball during the infamous Androids saga. Although he trained very hard and everybody thought he would soon reach Goku’s level, nobody thought Vegeta would actually end up literally following Goku’s footsteps and become something he him-self believed to be just a myth.
Goku can Fly
Goku trained under Kami for a good portion of his life. To be precise, he trained for a period of three years. He has garnered a sufficient amount of skills to challenge Piccolo during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. The martial arts tournament demanded Goku to play by some very restrictive rules. And as a result, Goku was at a severe disadvantage throughout his battle with Piccolo. Using explosive strength and super quick movements, Piccolo almost beat Goku to a pulp. It was then Goku revealed his true trump card. Since his training with God had ended, Goku did not just become a better fighter but also gained additional power – the power of flight. Goku had become severely cunning as a warrior and he had kept this ability of his a secret from Piccolo, aiming to use it and take the green alien down with the element of surprise. And fortunately, his gamble paid off.
Goku is a Saiyan
After saving the Earth so many times ever since he was a child, Goku is now a family man. He has a wife and a child. But his world is going to be turned upside down pretty soon. The Saiyan saga follows right after the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai arc. Raditz, Goku’s biological brother, returns from outer space to see how his brother Kakarot is doing. To everyone’s surprise, it is revealed that Kakarot is actually Goku’s true name. Goku is a Saiyan who was sent to Earth as a standard Saiyan operating procedure. Saiyan children are sent to alien planets where they grow up and conquer the world. Goku’s heritage as a Saiyan warrior was a huge twist since Goku was not a human but an alien warrior from a savage, barbaric race. His Saiyan origins have shaped his character development ever since.
Demon King Piccolo kills Shenron
Right after the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, Goku faces a truly powerful enemy. Demon King Piccolo is unlike any enemy Goku has ever faced. Demon King Piccolo is powerful, does not play by the rules, and is willing to go to extreme lengths to get the job done. Demon King Piccolo is the first supervillain in Dragon Ball that does not just defeat Goku but nearly kills him. Demon King Piccolo then kills Muten Roshi and eviscerates Chaozu. He then makes his wish fulfilled by Shenron the Dragon that resides within the seven Dragon Balls. After his wish is granted, Demon King Piccolo does the unthinkable – in order to make sure nobody undoes his actions, he kills Shenron on the spot so that nobody could have their wish granted again. It takes a miracle for Goku to turn the tide of battle.
Future Trunks reveals Vegeta is his father
After Cyborg Frieza returns to Earth to avenge his defeat and destroy the blue planet, a mysterious youth is standing in his path. He easily decimates King Cold and Frieza, chopping him into pieces with his sword. Nobody knows who this mystery warrior is until he goes Super Saiyan to reveal he is part of the Saiyan race. Later, the warrior reveals that his name is Trunks and he is form the future. Future Trunks then reveals that he is Vegeta’s son and all Dragon Ball fans start completely losing it!!
Goku becomes Super Saiyan
Can there be any stronger a plot twist that this? Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation is a milestone in not just Dragon Ball but the entire Anime Industry’s history. After being pounded by Frieza to a literal pulp, Goku was nowhere near to have the strength to go against the alien dictator. Everybody thought the Saiyan was done for. And then Akira Toriyama pulled out the ultimate Deus Ex Machina. Goku turned into a Super Saiyan after pushing past his physical and mental limits. He was finally something that even Vegeta thought to be a myth and he was the one that kept on rambling how he became a Super Saiyan via his Saiyan Zenkai ability in the first place. The actual Super Saiyan form that Goku turned into – the one with golden hair and blue eyes, was majestic and legendary in its own right.
Frieza’s Golden Form
Frieza is a truly powerful foe. He is considered to be Dragon Ball’s most memorable villain to date. Not even Cell or Buu comes closer to his popularity. But he is an old villain back from the early days of Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball has evolved into Dragon Ball Super and most of the Z Fighters have gained strength that far surpasses that of the Namek saga alien warlord. To ensure Frieza still stays relevant, Dragon Ball writers gave Frieza a crazy power boost. Frieza trained for the first time in his life. And the power upgrade he received was the Golden Form. Up until now, Frieza is the only one of his race that has ever managed to unlock this form. The fact that Frieza could transform even more was a shocker to many. The fact that he could keep up with two Super Saiyan Blue warriors in this form was ground-breaking at the very least.
Android 17 Wins the Tournament of Power
One of the biggest twists of the Dragon Ball Super Tournament of Power arc came at the very end of the story line. Goku had already unlocked his Ultra Instinct. He was giving Jiren a run for his money. Jiren still put up a fight. So Goku had to change his strategy. He asked the rest of the Universe 7 warriors still within the arena to overwhelm the enemy with more and more offensive attacks. In the end, Jiren was so caught up with Goku that he did not realize that Goku was just trying to take him down with him, not win the fight. It was Android 17 that won the tournament since the rest of the foes were defeated because Universe 7 warriors sacrificed themselves to take them down.
Goku decides to stay dead
After Gohan transforms into Super Saiyan 2, he has a very strong chance of taking Cell down for good. Instead of seizing the moment, Gohan just plays with Cell. Cell, realizing he has no way of winning the fight against a Super Saiyan 2, uses a self-detonation tactic to take everybody down with him. Goku uses his instant transmission technique to teleport him-self and Cell away to a faraway place. Goku dies and Cell survives to return back. He is later killed by the Father-Son Kamehameha by Gohan and Goku. When the Dragon Balls are about to be used to wish everyone back to the land of the living, Goku chooses to stay in the after-life citing the reason that his presence on Earth does more harm than good.
Vegeta travels to Yardrat to learn Spirit Control
It was in Dragon Ball Super that we learned that there exists a technique that transcends even Super Saiyan Blue. Called Ultra Instinct, it was what was once considered to be the ability exclusive to the Gods. Goku was the first mortal to ever master it. Vegeta, who has always been cursed to follow Goku’s trail, is also hell-bent on mastering it as his rival did. But in the end, he lets go of his desire to do so, instead deciding to achieve power in his own terms. During the Moro arc, Vegeta travels to Yardrat, the planet that taught Goku the ability of Instant Transmission. Vegeta’s sudden decision to learn Spirit Control serves as a very powerful character development device for the Saiyan Prince which will permanently change the way we see him in future Dragon Ball story arcs.
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