With the endearing Son Goku and a cast of other colorful characters, Dragon Ball Z has swept the globe since its premiere in 1984, catching the interest of fans everywhere.
The well-known Akira Toriyama wrote and drew the manga series Dragon Ball, which first appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump before being turned into the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime that the majority of western fans are familiar with.
Here are ten things you should know about the Dragon Ball Z franchise if you want to learn more.
1. Moving to the west
Although most Western viewers prefer to forget that Dragon Ball derives the majority of its influences from the traditional Chinese story Journey to the West, this might be regarded as an open secret among aficionados of the series.
The Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang made a pilgrimage through Central Asia and India in search of legendary Buddhist writings, which is the subject of the book Journey to the West.
Although it could seem that Dragon Ball and Journey to the West have little to no in common, numerous Dragon Ball Z characters have drawn inspiration from the characters in Journey to the West.
For instance, Goku’s mischievous personality, monkey tail, and distinctive Power Pole—which can alter in size and shape to suit Goku’s needs—clearly show that he was significantly influenced by the Monkey King in Journey to the West.
As we all know, Goku is accompanied in his quest to find the seven dragon balls by a diverse group of friends, including Oolong and Krillin. This is comparable to the monk traveling to the West with the Monkey King and an anthropomorphic pig as his companions. Although Journey to the West had a significant influence on the anime early on, Dragon Ball Z finally established its own personality, as the plot and characters were developed in their own way.
2. Goku Only Killed Two People Throughout the Series
Despite having powerful abilities and skills, Goku has only murdered two individuals throughout the entire series, which may seem odd. Goku, the primary character, engages in some extremely bloody battles on his quest and frequently battles villains.
This information so caught us off guard. Yakon, who initially faced off against Goku in the beginning of the Buu Saga, was his first victim. One of Babidi’s henchmen who was attempting to set Majin Buu free was Yakon.
He is a green-colored monster with a large claw and a Majin symbol on his chest. During the initial stages of the fight, Yakon had the upper hand against Goku, surprising him with his large claw and his ability to absorb energy.
Yakon was also able to hold his own against Goku in Saiyan form, by absorbing Goku’s light. However, Yakon was defeated when Goku turned the henchman’s ability against himself. By overloading Yakon with light energy, Goku managed to kill Yakon by making him explode.
The next opponent that Goku killed in a fight was Kid Buu. The main antagonist of the Kid Buu saga, Kid Buu is Majin Buu’s true and original form. His unpredictability and evil nature made Kid Buu one of the most dangerous opponents that Goku has had to face down.
Even with the help of Vegeta, Good Buu, and Mr. Satan, Goku was hard-pressed to defeat the demon. Only after a long, hard-fought battle was Goku able to kill Kid Buu with his Spirit Bomb attack.
Unlike the ruthless Vegeta who took delight in torturing and killing his opponents, Goku is too merciful to terminate his opponents, despite being given the opportunity. This highlights Goku’s easy-going, friendly nature.
3. Goku Has Only Died Twice
Given his fame and the fact that in the Dragon Ball universe, characters dying is somewhat of a joke, it’s surprising that Goku has only perished twice. It appears like Goku has a reasonably good track record given how frequently Yamcha and Krillin have been eliminated.
The first time Goku passed away was in the fight against Raditz when he and Piccolo joined forces. Raditz proved to be too big of a barrier for the two of them to overcome, despite their combined efforts.
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