The Dragon Ball dealership is many thing to many citizenry . For some , it ’s the show that aim them into anime . For others , it ’s simply a serial publication fill with some of their favourite characters . But even the diehard devotee who have watched all the hundreds of episodes , and the hours of flick , and the various dubs of each series , can miss some things in this mammoth dealership .

WithDragon Ball Superbringing many fans back to their nostalgic young , as well as introduce some first - timers to what they ’ve been missing all these year , what better time to direct some of the most talked about prospect of the show ’s history ? Whether you ’re a newcomer look for more insight behind the series , or a longtime fan search for answers about onetime rumor , here are the12   thing You Need to Know AboutDragon Ball Z.

DRAGON BALL WAS INSPIRED BY JOURNEY TO THE WEST

This detail is far from a closed book , but to those who do n’t know the inspiration for the Dragon Ball franchise , it might be really surprising how much the show take over from the classic Formosan storyJourney to the West . While in the beginning of the Dragon Ball dealership Goku just seem as a random imp with no explanation ( until Raditz appears , at least ) , this is actually because he is establish off the character of the Monkey King . InJourney to the West , The Monkey King is a playful character , but also a cutthroat warrior who favors struggle with a staff that can squinch or extend as he needs it to ( much like Goku ’s Power Pole ) . The Monkey King becomes part of an unusual group consist of companions like a monk ( kind of like Krillin ) , and an humanlike pig ( much like Oolong ) as they go on a pilgrimage together —   or in the casing ofDragon Ball , a journey to collect the seven firedrake ball .

Obviously , the Dragon Ball franchise finally separate out into its own entity , unlessJourney to the Westhas some lost chapter featuring battles against quad stranger and robots . still , it ’s interesting to learn the inspiration behind the popular franchise .

GOKU ONLY KILLS TWO CHARACTERS IN ALL OF DRAGON BALL Z

Considering   how reliant Z fighters are on him throughout the serial , you ’d have a bun in the oven Goku to have a pretty high killing tally . He goes up against every major baddie in the show , and plays   a pivotal role in defeat all of them . And yet , the only characters that Goku can in truth lay claim to pour down are Babidi ’s minion Yakon , and Kid Buu . Even Buu is kind of an fluky one , since he ’s technically transmigrate as Uub .

Obviously , no one would await Goku to be as ruthless as Vegeta , who took delectation in torment and killing his opponents early on , but why so few kill for Goku ? We see the answer in his first major combat in the serial against Raditz : Goku is just too all-fired merciful for his own good . Kidnap and assault Goku ’s Logos ? No biggie , you’re able to still be his buddy . pour down one of his friends ? He ’ll let you live , but you ’re get a severe admonition , mister ! drink down every single person in the humanity and bodge up the satellite ? Fine , he ’ll kill you , but he still hopes you descend back again some day so he can be admirer with you . Suddenly it make sensation why Chi - Chi is so rigid with Gohan . Goku really is n’t beneficial at setting edge for bad behavior .

BATTLE OF GODS WAS THE FIRST CANON DRAGON BALL MOVIE

Many sports fan   know thatBattle of Godsserved as   an official lead in toDragon Ball Super , but some might be surprised to learn that it ’s the first movie in the intact serial that in reality numerate as part of the timeline . That mean Bojack , Janemba , and yes , even the beloved Broly , are not part of the main persistence of the show . They ’re all as much a what - if scenario as the entirety ofDragon Ball GT . Most of the films would n’t even work with the timeline of the show anyway . TheBrolymovie ? It would have had to have read berth during the ten day rest before the Cell Games happened , because that ’s the only time period of time in which   Goku is still alive , Gohan is a super saiyan , and Future Trunks is still around .

But maybe some parts of the Dragon Ball franchise being non - canon is a good matter . If all the movies andGTwere a part of the independent continuity , just imagine how many times short Frieza has been easily defeated before his return inResurrection ‘ F.’That might just make him a bigger punching bag than Krillin .

THERE WERE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE TWO ANDROIDS IN THE ANDROID SAGA

succeeding Trunks certainly had ball on his face when he warn the zed fighters of two androids in the future , but there wound up being six , depend 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , and Cell —   plus three more ifSuper Android 13were consider canon ) . But it actually was n’t Trunks ’ fault , as the original plan was for there to be only   two .

MANY OF THE CHARACTERS ARE NAMED AFTER PUNS

This is likely common noesis to earnest fans of the series , but daily viewing audience might not actualize that many of the character in the series have moderately silly inspiration   behind their epithet . For instance , all the pure - blooded Saiyan characters in the serial publication apportion the subject of being named after vegetables . Vegeta is an obvious one , since his name even look like the word vegetable , but then we have Raditz whose name is derived from Japanese radish , and Kakarot which is made to sound like cultivated carrot .

It ’s indecipherable why the characters were name like this , other than as a fun insider ’s joke . Though as the years run short on the joke really became more overt . Frieza ’s somewhat cold - interrelate name is a theme shared by his crony Cooler , and his father King Cold . very subtle . Then Bulma ’s family all have underwear associate punning , so her and Vegeta ’s girl is actually   named Bra in some dub . The most blazing exercise come from Master Roshi inThe Legendary Super Saiyanmovie , where the Saiyans being name after vegetables is openly remarked upon by Roshi when he mistakenly refers to Broly as Broccoli .

VEGETA WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE A HERO

As firmly as it might be to pictureDragon Ball Zwithout Vegeta , he was originally only theorise to be a one - off villain . It ’s unclear when Vegeta ’s end was suppose to come since he gets defeated in battle legion times , but there ’s no doubtfulness that if he was mean to die , his loss to Frieza would have been the modish he was die to stick around .

Fan popularity hold launch the saiyan prince ,   allowing   him to lastly ascend to the layer of   Super Saiyan and develop a kinder side once Bulma and Trunks became a part of his life . We would have missed out on so many slap-up minute if Vegeta had been cut down originally , including the culmination of his contention with Goku when he became Majin Vegeta . It ’s crazy to think that one of the strong character in the series , and one of the most popular , was ever thought to be so   disposable .

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG APPEARS TO HAVE STRONG INSPIRATIONS FROM DRAGON BALL Z

Fans of both series have been get to the comparisons for decades now , but it really is shocking how much the Sonic franchise has increasingly fare to resembleDragon Ball Z. The most obvious parallel of latitude are the transformation . Goku is equal to of release into a super saiyan , where his hair turns gold and spikier , and his eyes change color . transonic is up to of turning into Super Sonic , where his quills become atomic number 79 and peaky , and his eyes transfer coloration . At first , this translation was trammel to each serial publication ' respective protagonist . Then we learned every manly saiyan can transform as well . And every male person hedgehog now has a super translation in the Sonic games .

It gets even more eerily similar . The omega fighters are regularly in hunting of the seven dragon testis that can grant a variety of superpower , but scatter after each purpose . Sonic and bunch are on a regular basis in search of the seven topsy-turvyness emeralds which also allow powers and then scatter across the earth . Each serial also has the graphic symbol more comfortable as a nerd than a fighter : Gohan and Tails . Piccolo and Knuckles ? Both start out as antagonists , but wind up becoming sequestrate but valued ally . Vegeta and Shadow ? Both angsty antagonist from taboo distance who wind up becoming the champion ’s friend and master twin . Future Trunks and Silver ? Both fourth dimension travel from revelatory futures to try and stave off catastrophe . Chi - Chi and Amy ? Both begin out single - mindedly wanting the booster to marry them .

With so many similarities , there ’s no style Sonic Team was n’t at least a small inspired byDragon Ball Z. And now thatDragon Ball Superis on the air , hopefully it can give Sega some good inspiration to forfend make any more games likeSonic Boom .

Collage of Willow and Clash of the Titans

GOHAN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAIN CHARACTER AFTER THE CELL SAGA

With the way the serial publication was built up , this decimal point certainly makes sense . decently from the first fight with Raditz , Gohan was shown as having an incredible underlying tycoon waiting to be unleashed . This only came to the vanguard more as the serial publication go on , until we reached the Cell saga , where Goku finally submit to his Word , and was even pop off , leaving Gohan as the only one subject of preserve the day . So going into the Buu saga , it made horse sense that it would be Gohan take   the reins .

And then the Great Saiyaman saga happened . It was vexing why Gohan was immediately turn into comical relief , and a lot of fans did n’t like this version of Goku ’s son . But Akira Toriyama did n’t take the spotlight off Gohan due to fan reaction , but simply becausehe did n’t feel Gohan made for a in effect supporter . This was made no clearer than all the time spent building to Mystic Gohan , only for him to be absorbed and later on killed so Goku had to save the twenty-four hour period once again .

THE ANDROID SAGA APPEARS TO DRAW HEAVY INSPIRATION FROM THE TERMINATOR FILMS

Fighting robots are nothing new to anime or fabricated stories in oecumenical . So if the android saga ofDragon Ball Zhad only had the Z fighters going against a few androids , theTerminatorcomparisons would be slight , but nothing more than piles of other shows have already done with the topic . But the saga kicks off with a time traveller from an apocalyptic futurity warning that machines are going to down off humanity unless that hereafter is head off . That ’s pretty much a synopsis of the earlier Terminator cinema the right way there .

The comparisons only increase as we get a looking into the timeline of Future Trunks , where Future Gohan is lead a John Connor - fashion resistance against the androids as they pluck off the last remnants of human beings . And if you need further cogent evidence that the story was a deliberate homage , in the firstTerminator , a T-800 is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor on May 12 . When Future Trunks go back in clip to admonish the Z fighters of the androids , he give them the date they can gestate the attack to begin : May 12 .

THE VOICE ACTORS HAVE PASSED OUT FROM DOING SCREAMS FOR THE SHOW

The Dragon Ball enfranchisement is ill-famed for its farseeing and tacky screams that last upwards of five minutes just to occupy prison term for when the anime was trying not to get up with the manga . We can only guess how strained and sore the pharynx of the voice role player are after one of those scenes , but we lie with for sure it can have wellness essence . Sean Schemmel , the spokesperson actor behind Goku , has said onmultiple Q&A panelsthat he has actually miss cognisance from screaming during a power up translation successiveness .

adverse to what you might think , it was n’t the super saiyan 3 transformation that do Schemmel to pass out . He has clarified in Q&A videos that it was actually the super saiyan 4 transmutation inGTthat had him ignite up on the story . And by the auditory sensation of it , losing awareness during intense scenes was n’t some junky occurrence . Supposedly other representative doer on the show have had similar experiences .   Talk about going all in on a role .

Hello Kitty holds a bucket next to a mountain of candy and pastries

Tanjiro looking mad and Demon Slayer imagery

Dragonball Z, Goku, Gohan, and Goten doing a Kamehameha

Dragon Ball