The Dragon Ball series is definitely one of the most popular franchises of all time, and it goes without saying that the sheer prominence of anime in the modern day-and-age would've been nothing more than a pipe dream, if not for the runaway success of this legendary series. It's amazing to think just how popular this series became, and the biggest credit needs to be given to none other than Dragon Ball Z. By coming at the right time on our television screens — just when children were hankering for "cartoons" that would help them fulfill their power fantasies — Dragon Ball Z skyrocketed in popularity to become one of the most popular series of all time. This compelled Toei to release a sequel that would — in their minds — help them cash in on this popularity. This sequel was called Dragon Ball GT, which has received a rather polarizing reception from fans.

There are many reasons as to why this series has not been as successful as its predecessor — either from a critical or commercial perspective. However, this didn't stop fans from cooking up wild theories related to the happenings in this series. The crazy part about this is that most of these predictions actually ended up being true, which is nothing short of mesmerizing. So, without further ado, here are 25 of the craziest fan theories pertaining to Dragon Ball GT that actually ended up coming true.

24 Dragon Ball GT And Dragon Ball Super Might Actually Be In The Same Timeline

What a way to start off this list.

Any Dragon Ball fan can attest to the fact that Dragon Ball GT created a major divide in the fanbase. There are many reasons as to why this is the case. From the seemingly shoddy storytelling to lazy writing, all the way to lackluster fight scenes — there's no shortage of the complaints that most fans have with the series, to the point where they straight up declared Dragon Ball GT to not even be canon! Such was the rage of the fanbase, and these claims were somewhat validated with the advent of Dragon Ball Super, which seemingly retconned the events of Dragon Ball GT and portrayed a different series of events that most fans seem to be perfectly okay with.

However, it seems that fans don't really need to make such a choice.

There are many convincing fan theories going around, which state that both Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball GT occur in the same timeline. Some of these theories are so detailed that, instead of doing a gross injustice by mentioning them in one brief sentence, we've decided to include them in separate entries instead. The fact that the newly announced Dragon Ball anime is reportedly carrying over a story that includes the Super Saiyan 4 transformation is certainly something that can't be ignored either.

So, one of the many sub-theories that support this main theory is that...

23 Dragon Ball GT Happened Because Someone Used The Time Machine To Mess Around With The Timeline

Including the concept of time travel in any series will undoubtedly lead to the ideation of a number of alternate fan theories and realities. It's easy to see why this is the case — after all, the concept of changing the timeline of your favorite show is so enticing that this wild speculation is pretty much expected, for the most part. Harry Potter and Doctor Who are two such series that utilize the mechanic of time travel, and one need only look at the sheer amount of fanfiction that has been written for the series to understand exactly how powerful the concept of time travel can actually be.

Dragon Ball is no exception to this golden rule.

The sheer number of fan theories that have stemmed from the deceptively simple application of the series is nothing to scoff at. Basically, what this theory states is that, due to the universal implications of the events that occurred on Earth during Dragon Ball Z, certain races decided to travel back in time to nip these incidents in the bud. However, as is the case with most time travel stories, things went horribly wrong, causing a domino effect which led to the existence of Dragon Ball GT. The existence of the Shadow Dragon Balls and the creation of Baby are just a few of the many implications of this time travel theory.

This leads off to the next theory, which states that...

22 The Dragon Ball GT Universe Was Destroyed By The Omni-King

The existence of an entity as powerful as the Omni-King is another thing that we need to talk about in detail. The implications of his existence mean that entire futures and realities can be erased at a whim, which basically means that anything and everything can happen at literally at any time. It's an implication that has fuelled various fan theories due to the sheer number of believable possibilities afforded by this concept. One such theory speaks about the alternate timeline of Dragon Ball GT.

Xeno decided to destroy this world on a whim.

This would explain why the events of Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super seem so disconnected — in the alternate timeline of the former, the Omni-King had one of his many mood swings and decided to straight up erase the entire universe, simply because he could. We've already witnessed the volatile nature of Xeno in Dragon Ball Super, so everyone can vouch for the fact that he is more than capable of performing something so devastating. It's certainly quite saddening to think that the characters in GT have been Erased by Xeno, but — at the very least — we have Dragon Ball Super and another new series on the horizon so we can't really complain.

21 Goku Decided To Use His Powers After Fusing With The Dragon To Rewind Time, Nullifying GT's Events

Sometimes, things get so bad that the only thing worth doing is to rewind back to a more pleasant time. Just ask Whis when he decided to turn back time and prevent the premature destruction of Earth at the hands of Frieza. However, this particular theory is slightly more complicated than that.

The ending of Dragon Ball GT is fairly serviceable, even though a lot of fans would state otherwise (but then hey, these people probably don't even like GT at all). After destroying Omega Shenron and preventing the destruction of Earth — again — Goku and his friends were visited by Shenron, who basically stated that Earth had misused the Dragon Balls and it was time that they took care of their own problems. Goku initially agreed with this mentality and fused with Shenron, but what's to say that he didn't have a change of heart?

After all, Goku realizes just how important the Dragon Balls actually are for Earth. If that is the case, then he might've used his new powers after fusing with the Dragon to rewind time to the start of Dragon Ball Super, leading to a new series of events that we're all pretty familiar with.

20 The Filler Of Dragon Ball Z Is Canon In Dragon Ball GT

Filler is a word that pretty much any anime fan dreads, for the same reason — no one wants to watch irrelevant material that has absolutely no effect on the main story. It's a problem that most long-running anime experience, since the manga is almost always at a slower pace. While Dragon Ball Super surpassed this problem by making its anime the dominant authority, the same can't be said for Dragon Ball Z, which had its fair share of useless filler. However, there are certain cool fanservice moments that are enabled since the writers are allowed to flex their creative muscles.

Apparently, the writers thought that the filler they'd ideated was so good that parts of it were actually made canon for Dragon Ball GT. This was done mainly because Toriyama wasn't a major part of this new series, which gave other writers greater leeway to alter certain aspects of the series. The biggest indicator of this fact is that Gogeta — a character that technically never existed in Toriyama's Dragon Ball — is a pretty major aspect of the final moments in Dragon Ball GT.

And speaking of the final moments of this series, there's something else we need to talk about.

19 Something Happened Near The End Of The Series That Caused A Rift Between The Brief Family And The Son Family

Ever since the chance meeting between Goku and Bulma way back during the early days of Dragon Ball, the Briefs family and Son family have shared an incredibly strong bond that has shown no signs of breaking. This, combined with the fact that the new additions to the family were technically familiar faces from the get-go, meant that the Son and Brief family endured a relationship that would seemingly last a lifetime. However, fans who took a closer look at the epilogue of Dragon Ball GT might find a pretty noticeable flaw in this theory.

Keep in mind that Vegeta Jr.'s mother had no clue who Pan was, which is already a pretty massive red flag as is. Perhaps after the events of Dragon Ball GT and Goku's departure, the Son family was ostracised since Vegeta became Earth's most powerful protector. It's also pretty indicative that Pan is raising her grandson, which means that something might've happened to Goku Jr.'s parents that might be related to this family feud.

Speaking of Pan, it's time to discuss some theories related to this particular character.

18 Pan's Strength Is Abnormally High Because Her Father Received A Massive Power-Up

Anyone's who watched Dragon Ball GT knows for a fact that Pan is incredibly powerful, especially for her age. It's honestly quite surprising that she didn't have the ability to turn Super Saiyan, but in a way, it makes sense — after all, the whole point of the Super Saiyan transformation is that not everyone can achieve this legend, and yet in Dragon Ball Z, pretty much every Saiyan unlocked this ability over time. So, in a way, the writers of GT were honoring the legend of the Super Saiyan by preventing another premature Saiyan from achieving this powerup. However, despite the fact that she was unable to transform, Pan was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful fighter nonetheless. One might even call her gifted in that regard.

A widely prevalent fan theory is that Pan was able to achieve such high levels of strength since her father had received multiple powerups over time. The theory of Goku being Super Saiyan during the act of creating Goten (which goes similarly for Vegeta and Trunks) comes to mind here, since the same logic can be applied for Gohan, who is permanently in his "Mystic" state.

But if this is true, then we must face a pretty bold reality...

17 Pan Was An Accident

Whoo boy, here we go.

So — in case you've forgotten — there's one major detail we need to keep into account if we're going to assume that the theory mentioned above is true. This overlooked detail is that Gohan was a teenager when he was at the peak of his Mystic form. Of course, it doesn't take an expert to state why this is such a major fact to keep in mind — no one should even be contemplating the idea of having a baby, but it seems that Gohan and Videl didn't get the memo. But Gohan is obviously an intelligent kid who knows better, so the only explanation that makes sense is that the conception of Pan was a complete accident.

After all, the Mystic form was not with Gohan forever, and his focus on academics meant that he couldn't devote a sizeable chunk of his time to just train. Therefore, there's no way that Pan would've been as powerful had Gohan been in his normal state during the act of conception.

So, what exactly happened to Gohan's Mystic form in Dragon Ball GT?

16 Gohan Lost His Mystic Form Because He Neglected His Training

While you might understandably call out this theory as fact since Dragon Ball Super already confirmed this reality, the fact of the matter is that we're talking strictly in GT terms. This means that, for all intents and purposes, Gohan should've been in his Mystic Form all along. However, the people who've seen GT know for a fact that Mystic Gohan was nothing more than a thing of the past — he's just a normal Super Saiyan at this point, and his Mystic form is not even mentioned in the series.

However, Gohan's academic prowess and scholarly nature simply can't be ignored at this point. While it's fairly well-documented that Gohan was not a big fan of Chi-Chi constantly being on his head, the fact of the matter is that he was still a brilliant child who was deeply engrossed in his studies. For him, maintaining his power level was not a priority, especially since Earth was not under constant threat anymore. So, after a while, Gohan weakened to the point where he was unable to tap into the power of his Mystic form. It's a shame, since watching Mystic Gohan in Dragon Ball GT would've been quite a treat indeed.

15 Goten And Trunks Can't Fuse Anymore Because They Can't Maintain The Same Power Levels

The lack of Gohan's Mystic form isn't the only major omission in the series. While there are several in the same vein, this particular entry talks about one major absence that needs to be mentioned.

By the end of Dragon Ball Z, there were new characters that had pretty much established themselves as fairly serious threats. However, the biggest surprise came as a result of a fusion between Goten and Trunks, which led to the creation of Gotenks. The power level of this fighter was beyond compare, and such was his prowess at fighting that he was able to completely skip the Super Saiyan 2 transformation and go directly over to Super Saiyan 3 — a feat that was unheard of at that time.

However, come Dragon Ball GT, and Gotenks has become nothing more than an afterthought. It's baffling just why this fall from grace was even allowed to begin with, but — as was the case with Gohan — Goten and Trunks simply didn't have the need to train day in and day out to make sure that their bodies were in sync. This means that both Saiyans are now incapable of maintaining the same power level — a mechanic that is critical to ensure a successful fusion.

14 Goku's Kid Body Couldn't Handle The Stress Of The Instant Transmission Technique

Instant Transmission was one of Goku's most useful techniques by a country mile. With the ability to travel thousands upon thousands of miles in mere seconds, Goku was able to intercept any threat in the nick of time before things truly went out of control — well, for the most part. While the manner in which Goku used this technique was certainly quite questionable, the fact of the matter is that the sheer importance of this technique in the story simply cannot be stated enough. However, when Goku reverted back to a kid in Dragon Ball GT, he lost his Instant Transmission ability as well. While fans might think this to be nothing more than a lazy way to stifle Goku's powers for plot reasons, it's actually a bit more complicated than that.

The Instant Transmission technique allowed a human body to move at the speed of light. This was something Goku learned while he was in the prime of his physical self, which basically meant that his body could take this toll without any permanent damage. However, Kid Goku doesn't exactly have this resilience, which meant that he had to forsake this technique for the greater good.

The Instant Transmission technique is not the only thing Goku had to give up on...

13 Maintaining A Super Saiyan 2 Form Was Incredibly Hard For Goku As Well

It goes without saying at this point, but the Super Saiyan transformation is certainly one of the coolest aspects of any anime series. Akira Toriyama stumbled onto a goldmine by ideating a technique that would become one of the most iconic transformations — combined with one of the most iconic hairdos — in television history. However, Gohan managed to exceed expectations during the Cell Saga by ascending past the Super Saiyan state, to become what is now known as the Super Saiyan 2. It's obviously a greater, more potent transformation — in fact, it is so powerful that Kid Goku can't handle the sheer increase in power.

After all, it's obvious that the Super Saiyan 2 form would take a great toll on one's body. The fact that Kid Goku can even transform into a Super Saiyan is pretty amazing, but the Super Saiyan 2 transformation would be taking things a bit too far. While it certainly would be amazing to see electricity rippling around a smaller version of Goku, it's understandable why the writers didn't choose to include this element in the series. While he can become a Super Saiyan 3, keep in mind that so could Gotenks — a character that never transformed into a Super Saiyan 2.

12 Goku Never Taught His Techniques To Others Because They Weren't As Proficient As He Was

Goku ended up losing many of his techniques once he reverted back to a kid. We've already talked about the Instant Transmission technique in detail, but another technique that we didn't see Goku use that could've aided him immensely in his adventures was the Kaio-Ken. The absence of both these techniques definitely impacted Goku greatly during his adventures in Dragon Ball GT. This begs the question — why didn't Goku choose to teach these techniques to the other Z Fighters? After all, the ability to multiply your strength immensely or travel at the speed of light would definitely be quite helpful, for more reasons than one.

However, things aren't as simple as they might seem. If you happen to share the same mentality as mentioned above, then let us remind you that Goku is one of the most naturally gifted fighters of all time. He is able to read and utilize techniques and moves at the drop of a hat, even during battle! No matter how dumb Goku might seem — and, to an extent, actually is — the last thing that one can question is his fighting mettle. The Z Fighters might take ages to learn what Goku mastered in mere months.

But we might not be giving these fighters the credit they deserve. After all...

11 The Z Fighters Have Honed Their Abilities To The Point Where They Can Sense Android Ki

One of the major reasons why Dragon Ball GT is absolutely reviled by the majority of the fanbase is because of the numerous errors throughout the run of this series. One such mistake is the subject of this entry, which revolves around Android ki — or, in this case, the lack thereof. Basically, at one point in the series, the Z Fighters are on the lookout for Android 18. While this mechanoid managed to evade their grasp, for the most part, the Z Fighters are finally able to locate the Android... by sensing his ki.

Longtime Dragon Ball fans are already fuming at this sentence. After all, it has already been specified beforehand that it was physically impossible to sense Android ki, due to their mechanical nature. Therefore, it should be impossible for these people to sense the presence of Android 18, in the first place. However, the one explanation that does make sense is that the Z Fighters honed their spiritual skills to such an extent that the boundaries dividing man and machine weren't a factor anymore. This might explain why they were able to sense Android 18's ki with ease.

10 Fights Are Less Intense In Dragon Ball GT Since Everyone Is Just So Powerful

Another reason why Dragon Ball GT was panned by fans and critics alike was due to its fighting scenes. Now, we won't go so far as to say that the fight scenes in Dragon Ball Z were intense, because — while these sequences did have their incredibly awesome moments — these confrontations could take ages before anything particularly monumental would happen. Dragon Ball Z Kai stepped in to fix these issues somewhat, although the absence of Bruce Faulconer's music is a sore sticking point. However, in the case of Dragon Ball GT, most fight scenes were boring through and through.

However — as is the case with most of the entries on this list — there's a reason for this discrepancy. You see, the early fight scenes were not really all that great because Goku never really needed to extend to his limits. But, when he did, his power level was on such a different scale that one punch was enough to send his opponents flying, and vice versa. Such is the curse of having too much power — fights end up being boring slugfests, and nothing else.

9 Vegeta Mellowed Down Because He Realized The Responsibilities Of Being A Father

Another reason why Dragon Ball GT was treated as the black horse of the series (it feels like we're settling into a rhythm at this point...) was due to the way in which it handled all the other characters whose name wasn't Goku. It's not like Dragon Ball Z was great when it came to handling side characters, but you have to admit that — at the very least — most of the characters were handled in a proper fashion. The same can't be said for Dragon Ball GT — major characters are sidelined for extended periods of time because Goku needs to be the center of attention at all times. The worst part of this is that one of the sidelined characters is none other than Vegeta himself!

In the series, the Prince Of All Saiyans actually ends up being a dutiful dad who takes care of Trunks and his newborn daughter as well. It's somewhat jarring to see Vegeta in such a role, but it also makes sense as to why he would finally stop with his overbearing need to become strong. After all, fatherhood can make anyone realize things that went over their head before, and Vegeta is no exception to this golden rule of parenting.

8 Piccolo's Regeneration Abilities Were Stifled By Baby

Another character who received criminally low screen time was none other than Piccolo. The fact that one of the major antagonists of the original Dragon Ball ended up getting little to no screen time in Dragon Ball GT rubbed fans the wrong way, and understandably so — no one wanted to see The Demon King become a side character, but such is the way GT treated this character. In fact, there's one scene where Baby injured Piccolo so bad that he's absent until the very end of the arc. Fans were perplexed at this development — shouldn't Piccolo's healing factor have kicked in and allowed him to rejoin the fray way earlier?

Well, it seems that the fans have an explanation for this as well. After all, Baby is one of the most unorthodox villains around, which meant that his abilities are still unexplained to this day — well, for the most part. So, it certainly wouldn't be a stretch to say that Baby's attack neutralized Piccolo's healing, which forced him to wait on the sidelines before he was truly battle fit again.

And that's not the only time fans scratched their heads during the Baby Arc...

7 Majuub Had To Wait And Recollect His Powers Before He Could Damage Baby

Uub was another interesting addition to the Dragon Ball universe. The fact that a simple sentence uttered by Goku during Kid Buu's passing actually ended up coming true is certainly a neat way to introduce a character. His weird connection with Majin Buu allowed him to fuse and transform into an immensely powerful fighter called Majuub, who was admittedly a but underutilized throughout the course of the series. However, that definitely doesn't take away from the fact that this fighter is pretty unique in many ways.

During the fight against Baby Vegeta, Majuub pretended to be a victim as his candy form was eaten by the parasite. However, this was all part of Majuub's plan, who wanted to damage Baby from the inside to make the fight easier. Some fans did complain as to why Majuub didn't directly transform back and defeat Baby Vegeta there and then, but a more plausible explanation is that Majuub didn't want to end Vegeta's life. He also had to make sure that his powers were mouldable in such a sense that would allow him to take care of Baby with ease.

6 The Super Saiyan 4 Form Was Inspired By Captain Marvel

No matter what one might think about Dragon Ball GT, there's one aspect that pretty much everyone universally agrees on — Super Saiyan 4 is an incredible transformation. Everything from the design, to the manner of transformation, feels so fresh yet familiar at the same time, which is an incredible feat for the designers to accomplish. The sheer power displayed in this form cannot be stated enough, which contributes to a Super Saiyan transformation that actually does justice to the name.

In fact, this transformation loosely echoes a popular superhero from the Marvel franchise. Most fans might understandably link Goku to Superman for obvious reasons, but when it comes to the Super Saiyan 4 transformation, there's one particular aspect we need to talk about. Basically, the whole concept of Goku turning into a full-blown man from a child is eerily similar to how Captain Marvel transforms, or — to avoid any confusion with the incoming Marvel movie — Shazam, as he's more popularly known.

And that's not the only interesting tidbit about the Super Saiyan 4 transformation — in fact, we're just getting started.

5 Super Saiyan 4 Is Actually An Ascended Oozaru Form

This theory might be somewhat off the charts, but just bear with us for a bit.

The first thing we need to draw your attention to is the design of the Super Saiyan 4 transformation. Unlike the other Super Saiyan forms that sported flashy yellow hairdos and auras, the Super Saiyan 4 form looks absolutely different, to the point where he even has ape hair growing on his chest. If anything, this particular Super Saiyan transformation looks more like a cross between a human and a monkey, making it way too different from the original iconic look of the past Super Saiyans.

Then there's the manner in which one achieves this transformation. A prerequisite to achieving this form is to transform into a Golden Great Ape (think of it as a Super Saiyan Oozaru), which becomes conscious and converts into a Super Saiyan 4. All of this just points towards the fact that this transformation is not a 4th version of the existing Super Saiyan transformations — if anything, it's actually an ascended transformation of the Golden Great Ape form.

Basically, a Super Saiyan 4 doesn't exist in the GT universe — Goku just named it that way, and it stuck.