Captain Ginyu is an iconic character in the Dragon Ball series. With his quirky dancing obsession, peculiar aerobic/fighting poses, and signature body swapping ability, he is one of the more colorful foes to cross Goku’s path. Yet even for all the eccentricities, Captain Ginyu is a strong opponent with a powerful ability that can help him overcome his toughest opponents by becoming them.

For all we see about this complex character in the manga and the anime, there are some things that most fans probably aren’t aware of or hadn’t considered before.

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10 Special Power As A Child

Like many characters in the series, Captain Ginyu developed his formidable Body Change ability as a young child. It’s unclear if someone taught him this technique, it came to him naturally, or if through some bizarre experimentation and training he discovered he had the ability to swap bodies with others.

It’s also unclear how he discovered he had the ability. Did he accidentally switch bodies with someone without intending to? If so, did he know how to switch back right away? No doubt it was a wild moment in Captain Ginyu’s childhood.

9 His First Switch Was With A Rich Kid

After discovering he had the ability to switch bodies with another person Ginyu used his newfound power to switch with the richest and most popular kid in his class. At first the newfound attention he was getting from the girls was appealing, but it also came with lesser intelligence.

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He quickly switched back to his own body believing that greatness was a result of physical strength and prowess rather than financial wealth. This moment was critical for inspiring Ginyu to become a powerful fighter and seek a life in the military rather than the life of a civilian using his powers for mischievous aims.

8 He Was Almost Cooler’s Right Hand Man

After a life dedicated to becoming a powerful fighter Ginyu found himself joining Cooler’s Armored Squadron. He was on track to become the leader of the Armored Squadron and be Cooler’s right-hand man when he was challenged by Salza and lost the fight.

After Salza took the position and lead the Armored Squadron Ginyu was shortly after recruited by Cooler’s younger brother Frieza. From there Ginyu formed the Ginyu Force to become a squad of elite soldiers to do Frieza’s bidding and Ginyu became Frieza’s right-hand man.

7 His Purple Body Is His Original Form

It’s interesting that with a powerful ability like Body Change that Captain Ginyu never utilized it to take over more powerful life forms he encountered on his path to become a stronger fighter. Even after losing to opponents like Salza he retained his original body and sought to improve it.

It could be that he was never defeated by anyone that posed a threat to his life or they were so similar to his own power level that such a switch wouldn’t have been all that beneficial. The reason he switched with Goku might have been a result of recognizing his own body couldn’t reach those high levels and he needed a superior form to grow in power.

6 Ginyu’s Body Should Have Bled Out

After Ginyu accidentally switches bodies with the Namekian frog it was entertaining to see the now confused frog inhabiting Ginyu’s body hop away. But what most fans forget is that prior to this point Ginyu’s body was gravely injured.

Before taking over Goku’s body Ginyu inflicted himself with a fatal injury that would cause his body to bleed out after Goku inhabited it. That injury was never healed and Vegeta even dealt more damage after Ginyu temporarily got his body back. Yep that frog would likely have hoped off to some empty field before succumbing to those injuries and bleeding out.

5 Ginyu’s Real Body Probably Starved To Death

It’s understandable that a frog possessing Ginyu’s body was too good a joke to just let it bleed out in the Namek wilderness which is why the wounds magically healed and the frog survived. For whatever reason Porunga transports Ginyu’s frog possessed body with the group and it’s seen hopping off into the woods to live it’s life as best it could.

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Considering Ginyu’s anatomy is much different than a frog’s and the frog lacks the intelligence to use his body efficiently it’s highly likely the frog died being unable to sustain itself. While Ginyu lived on as a frog, his body likely rotted away a long time ago in the forest somewhere.

4 The Lone Survivor

Dende’s last wish on a collapsing Namek was that everyone would be transported to Earth, apart from Goku and Frieza. Ginyu finds himself on Earth with the other survivors of Namek. What’s interesting is that he is the only survivor of Frieza’s invasion force as all the others died before the fight between Goku and Frieza.

Even more interesting is that he appears to be the only animal transported by the wish. Likely it was a result of his soul being recognized by Porunga and included in the transfer. This makes him the only surviving member of Frieza’s army and perhaps the only living Namekian frog in the universe.

3 King Of The Pond

After resigning to his new fate as a Namekian frog Ginyu takes up residence in the pond near the Capsule Corporation and becomes king of the other frogs. A far cry from the previous position of power he enjoyed, but one that was likely necessary to ensure his survival as he adjusted to life as a frog and survived various predators. Mating season was likely a terrifying time as well.

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It’s even shown that Baby Trunks was roughly playing with him, not realizing it wasn’t a frog in his tiny fist but the former Captain of the disbanded Ginyu Force.

2 He Was A Frog for 17 Years

Ginyu proved resourceful and tenacious by surviving as a frog on earth for 17 years. It’s unimaginable what the psychological consequences of surviving off insects, dodging predators, and generally behaving as a frog for 17 years would be like. The extreme emotions he displays when telling the story to Frieza is entirely understandable considering what he went through.

It’s also very fortunate for Ginyu that he possessed a Namekian frog as the common earth frog has an average lifespan of about eight years, meaning he'd have died before getting a chance to get a body.

1 Why He Waited 17 Years To Steal A Body

There are two theories for why Ginyu waited 17 years to take over another body. The first is that he was fiercely devoted to Frieza and after his master’s death didn’t have the motivation to obtain a body as he would be lacking a life purpose. But after seeing Frieza revived he was motivated to find a way to be at his master’s side.

Another likely reason is that being unable to speak Ginyu had to rely upon someone else saying the words to active his ability which meant spelling them out. But Ginyu could only write in whatever language Frieza’s men used and Togoma was the first person to come along that would have been able to read it.

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