With Super Saiyan Blue Goku in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the highly-anticipated film Dragon Ball Super: Broly quickly approaching, the excitement over the Dragon Ball franchise hasn’t been this big since its heyday nearly a decade ago.
While the latest series in the Dragon Ball franchise, Super, was off to a rocky start with clumsily-adapted sagas for the films Battle of Gods and Resurrection F, the Future Trunks saga and the Tournament of Power managed to satisfy longtime fans who were becoming increasingly skeptical with the low quality, and seemingly saved the show.
Now, with fans both new and old, it was only natural that there would be feverish discussion regarding outlandish theories about the show’s characters and plots. While some of these fan theories were exceedingly awesome, such as the Grand Priest being bad and the Tournament of Power being some kind of means to a usurping of the heavenly throne, they didn’t pan out (for now, at least.)
On the other hand, fans were pleased that many long-held Dragon Ball theories were confirmed to be true, along with a great chunk of new ones birthed from Super and other, more recent supplemental material. In our list of 25 Dragon Ball Super Fan Theories (We Can’t Believe Are True), we’re going to analyze some of the most outlandish fan ideas that seemed both unlikely and impossible, and yet turned out to be utterly true.
Some spoilers will follow, so if you still haven’t caught up on Dragon Ball Super, you better get in gear, because we’re diving right into something that was long-considered, and now totally confirmed:
25 Chi-Chi's Loveless Marriage
One of the least explored topics in Dragon Ball is romance. While it certainly happens, it’s never really dwelled upon. Despite this lack of attention, fans had been wondering how Goku and Chi-Chi functioned as a married couple.
According to Super, Goku doesn’t even know what a kiss is, so that answers that.
You know it’s bad when the former villains Vegeta and Android 18 have far more functional and loving relationships with their spouses than the main hero of the story, and this is considering the fact that Vegeta tries to hide his lovey-dovey side as much as possible.
24 The Universe 6 Saiyans Are Based On Universe 7
When it was revealed that Universe 6 had a flourishing race of Saiyans, fans nearly exploded out of pure excitement. Cabba, Caulifla, and Kale, the main trio of these mirror-universe Saiyans captured the imaginations of theorists, and many began to wonder if they were the direct counterparts of some of Universe 7’s most famous Saiyans.
While them being literally direct counterparts isn’t true, it has been confirmed that Cabba is based on Vegeta (consider the hair and garment), Caulifla’s determined nature and spirit are equivalent to Goku, and Kale is heavily based on Broly (but more on that later).
23 Krillin Is The Strongest Human
Ever since the final days of Dragon Ball Z, fans had wondered which pure-bred human was the strongest amongst the nearly god-like Saiyans.
Of course, Yamcha was nowhere near the top, which left the debate centered around Tien and Krillin. Disregarding the fact that Tien is likely an alien, the competition seemed neck and neck until Super generally proves that Krillin is the strongest Earthling around.
With his newly developed techniques, raw fighting ability, and tactical mind, Krillin showed his worth during the Tournament of Power.
22 The Reason Why Super's Animation Was Awful
When Dragon Ball Super premiered, most fans of the franchise were taken aback by just how bad the animation was. After years of seeing well-choreographed martial arts, detailed drawings, and stunning cinematography in Dragon Ball, Z and even GT, Super looked like an amateur production, with bad off-model characters and plain terrible animation.
Surprisingly, this issue was actually addressed by producer Norihiro Hayashida. He states that many of the animators were new to the team, and their production schedule was incredibly limited. Thankfully, the Tournament of Power arc looked superb, so let’s hope that continues.
21 Frieza's Angst Stems From Being A Child
Frieza is the Dragon Ball franchise’s most iconic villain. Becoming as much of a mascot as Goku himself, Frieza was able to make his mark by his nightmare-based designs, ruthless personality, and immense power.
Frieza is a classic villain in the sense that he’s just villainous for villainy's sake, but maybe there’s more to it than that: perhaps Frieza’s bad attitude stems from the fact that he’s a child. A spoiled one at that.
If King Cold is a grown-up, then Frieza is either a toddler or teenager.
That certainly explains the tantrums.
20 Goku's Mother Will Appear In The Movie
While this hasn’t been 100% confirmed, it might as well be. Judging by nearly ever trailer for the upcoming Dragon Ball Super movie, Broly, the film seems to be taking major inspiration from Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Minus.
This short manga saw a complete retelling of Bardock: Father of Goku, painting Bardock in a far different light. It also saw the inclusion of Gine, Bardock’s wife and Goku’s mother.
While she herself hasn’t been spotted just yet, direct imagery from the manga has been, so it seems like it’s only natural that she’ll at least cameo in the finished product.
19 The Reason Why Kaio-Ken And SSJ Couldn't Be Used In Tandem
Kaio-Ken was once one of the most powerful tools in Goku’s arsenal, but by the time Super Saiyan rolled around, it just seemed to disappear.
Fans had been wondering what exactly the reason was behind the flame-red technique’s disappearance, with some thinking that it was merely useless after Super Saiyan. Others, however, felt that perhaps the mixture of Kaio-Ken and Super Saiyan was far too dangerous of a combination, and it turned out they were right!
Goku himself admitted this fact, saying that the combination could have ended his life.
18 Fans Coined "Super Saiyan Blue..."
Most of the Saiyan transformations in Dragon Ball Super have been… subpar.
For example, Super Saiyan God wasn’t some incredible, primal force like Super Saiayan 4, but rather a pink-haired, skinny Goku. Then came Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, which tinted his hair blue.
Oh, you're not familiar with that name? How about we call it “Super Saiyan Blue?”
That’s right, the original title was “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan,” and the far more succinct one was coined exclusively by fans, a title which was later adopted by Whis.
17 ...And The Name "Omni King"
Jake Schultz is a prolific and accurate translator within the realm of Dragon Ball’s fandom, particularly due to his role in Kanzenshuu, the ultimate Dragon Ball resource.
When the time came for Super to introduce its ultimate deity, the god of all gods and all universes, Zen-Oh, Jake Schultz was there to give the this character the perfect title: “Omni King.”
It’s awesome that such a die-hard fan was able to create a term that has been adopted on the enormous scale that Omni King was.
We’re happy for him!
16 Frost And Frieza's Clever Voice Acting
Universe 6 and Universe 7 are basically mirrors of each other. For example, the main trio of Saiyans in Universe 6 are essentially the equivalents of some of Universe 7’s most prominent Saiyans, specifically Goku, Vegeta, and Broly.
Then there’s Frost and Frieza. Both are villains to the core (even though Frost lied about it) but fans noticed that there was something more to both of them, particularly their similar voices.
In the dub, Frieza is voiced by Christopher Ayres, and fans were pleasantly surprised to find that Frost was voiced by Greg Ayres, Chris’ brother.
15 There Are More Cooks In The Kitchen Than Toriyama
Akira Toriyama is the creator of the Dragon Ball franchise, and has found tremendous success with his penchant for boundless creativity. It might come as a shock to some, however, that he is no longer the only man behind the franchise.
After becoming exhausted from writing Dragon Ball material, Toriyama was quick to find back-up and support with his return to the franchise with Super.
The most important of these figures is Toyotaro, who controls the Super manga.
Together, the two work as a team to create the next steps for the franchise.
14 SSJ Isn't Based On Rage
One of Super’s more divisive (and honestly annoying) additions was the explanation of how Saiyans can achieve the legendary “Super Saiyan” transformation. Where Goku and Vegeta had to toil away in a fit of unfathomable rage to do this, Universe 6 didn't.
Cabba, Kale, and Caulifla merely found a spot on their back to focus their ki and then boom: Super Saiyan.
This was actually related to a theory that Saiyans needed to be pure of heart to achieve the famous transformation, and the Universe 6 Saiyans are nothing but.
13 The Story Hasn't Been Planned Out
One of the problems with the latest trilogy of Star Wars films is that there was no grand plan for the storyline. The reigns were handed to various directors and writers, and they were all given what was essentially free reign.
Of course, this lead to the current story fiasco of VIII and a directionless IX, proving this wasn’t a great idea.
Unfortunately, Toriyama and co. seem to be doing the same with Super, with thoughtless decisions erasing well-established rules or straight up contradicting other elements.
12 Goku Isn't Exactly A Hero
For years, fans have quipped and joked that Goku isn’t a hero, but actually the series’ greatest villain, due to his constant need to get stronger and fight stronger opponents, oftentimes putting his friends, family and planet at risk. But those are just jokes, right? Nope.
Dragon Ball Super takes this to the next level and basically makes it canon.
Goku putting the entire multi-verse in danger by reminding Zen-Oh about the Tournament of Power was terribly selfish, and it gets him treated like a villain by every other universe. About time, too.
11 Super Was Made To Fix Dragon Ball
Long after Dragon Ball Z had ended, the Dragon Ball franchise lived on through merchandise and video games, along with the follow-up series, GT, and the infamous live-action film, Dragonball Evolution.
The franchise, which was once the cream of the crop, had slowly decayed year after year, and Akira Toriyama, series creator, had had enough.
He pioneered the Super project as a way to resurrect and restore his beloved creation, and he’s doing a great job fighting the good fight.
10 Vegeta Is A Super Saiyan God
Ever since Resurrection F, it’s been readily apparent that Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, has been able to achieve Super Saiyan Blue. Better yet, by the end of Super, he had gone even further with Super Saiyan Blue Shinka.
But what about plain ol’ Super Saiyan God?
Sure, it’s been assumed that he had this ability, but we had never actually seen him go through the process or get that reddish, pinkish hair. Fans’ prayers were answered, however, as the latest Broly trailer showed us Vegeta as a Super Saiyan God in all its glory.
9 The Dub Adds Inside Jokes
While we’re not about to set fire to the dynamite debate of dubs versus subs, we just want to take a moment to appreciate what the folks at Funimation are doing with their work on Dragon Ball Super, while also confirming what some fans were quick to latch onto.
Funimation has taken the time to add in a few inside jokes that only English speaking audiences would appreciate, such as a copy of Vegeta being voiced by Ocean’s Brian Drummond, and Hit’s infamous line of “it’s time to make donuts” from Xenoverse 2.
8 Kale Is Broly
We mentioned earlier that the Universe 6 Saiyans, Cabba, Caulifla, and Kale were references to Universe 7’s Goku, Vegeta, and Broly, but the Broly connection with Kale is more exciting than one might think.
Yeah, she physically fits the bill, but was the comparison only surface level?
Official design documents from Super’s production refer to Kale as “turning into Broly,” meaning that she’s less of a reference and more of a direct comparison… likely to get people hyped up on the character again before his new movie.
7 A God Of Destruction's Secret Romance
When the numerous Gods of Destructions and their accompanying angels were introduced into the universe of Dragon Ball Super, a small but eagle-eyed group of fans became intrigued by the idea that one of these pairs might be more than just partners.
It turns out that they were right: the clown-like Belmod and angelic Marcarita were meant to be a romantic couple.
Unfortunately, Toriyama shot down the idea before it could be fully realized, but that wasn’t enough to stop curious fans from figuring out the truth.
6 Toriyama Has A Distaste For Vegeta
Have you ever wondered why Vegeta can’t seem to get his due? Why can’t the Prince of all Saiyans ever get the last word and finishing blow against a villain? Well, the answer is simple, sad and confirms what fans have thought for a long time: Akira Toriyama just doesn’t really care for the character.
He openly prefers Goku and isn’t afraid to admit that he’s indifferent towards Vegeta.
Until Toriyama changes his mind, we guess we should prepare for countless more years of Goku hogging all the glory. Alas.