There are very few shows that have transcended to a level where it's become synonymous with pop culture. It must be quite humbling to be associated with such an honor, which is exactly what Akira Toriyama must think when it comes to the Dragon Ball series. The anime is undoubtedly the most popular Japanese export of all time, and has become a universally recognized name across the globe. The sheer influence this series has had is nothing to scoff at, and everything from memes to hip-hop has been pervaded by this amazing power fantasy that was — and still is — an integral part of our life. Such is the popularity of this show that fans were clamoring for a sequel years after Dragon Ball Z had ended. To the delight of these rabid fans, Toriyama decided to heed their requests and announced a new series that would debut 18 years after the end of the original series, titled Dragon Ball Super.

The new series has proudly carried on the tradition of Dragon Ball, featuring new powerups and amazing fights that make the most of the latest technology to provide viewers with a brilliant spectacle that would be remembered for days to come. However, these fans are still in the dark when it comes to some of the most well-hidden secrets that we absolutely must discuss.

Be prepared to have your minds blown — preferably, with a Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken Kamehameha.

25 Toriyama Wrote Super Out Of His Hate For Dragonball Evolution

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This will probably be the first — and last — time that you'll be glad Dragonball Evolution even existed.

Any fan of the Dragon Ball series will waste no time when it comes to voicing their hatred for what might just be the most hated movie ever that's based on an animated series (and yes, we're counting The Last Airbender as well).

At the very least, Dragonball Evolution was the catalyst for a new series.

Apparently, Toriyama was so disgusted by the absolute craptastic nature of this hot piece of Hollywood garbage that he decided to do justice to his beloved series by greenlighting Dragon Ball Super. This was a surprising move, especially since Toriyama had initially been grateful that Dragon Ball Z had ended for good.

But what might really surprise you is that...

24 Dragon Ball Super Is Not The First Official Sequel To DBZ

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After 18 long years, fans were finally bestowed with Dragon Ball Super, a series that would serve as the first official continuation of the Dragon Ball series... or so they thought.

The story of Dragon Ball Z had already been carried forward well beforehand.

Devout fans will know of a game known as Dragon Ball Online, an MMORPG that — surprise surprise — was set in the universe of Dragon Ball. What's truly interesting about this particular game was that Toriyama himself was writing key story elements that were canon. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Online never really went mainstream, and Toriyama decided to retcon the story in favor of a medium with greater flexibility in the form of anime.

23 Dragon Ball Super Has The Highest Body Count In The Series

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Dragon Ball is a series that is generally known for being pretty lighthearted — well, for the most part. Characters meet their end, only to be revived at a later date. If that didn't come to fruition, then there was always a chirpy version of Heaven where you could live out the rest of your infinite years in peace.

However, Dragon Ball Super is comparatively darker.

The Future Trunks saga is the perfect example of this, where characters you know and love meet their end in truly gruesome ways. The ongoing Universe 6 saga is also no slouch, where entire universes and their inhabitants are erased by Zeno without so much as a second thought.

Speaking of Zeno, there's one more thing that you should know about.

22 Zeno Actually Erased 6 Universes Because He Thought That There Were Too Many Of Them

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The latest arc of Dragon Ball Super features what is definitely the most powerful character of all time that the series has ever created. If you've been keeping up with the series, then you obviously know who we're talking about. Don't be fooled by Zeno's childish appearance — his power is so fearsome that entire universes can be destroyed by his Erase ability.  In the anime, this actually happened before the events of the Universe Survival arc, when Zeno destroyed 6 of the 18 universes simply because he felt like it.

However, Zeno's motivation might've actually been a bit different.

We say this because, in the manga, the Great Priest revealed that Zeno actually Erased the 6 universes simply because he felt that there were too many, to begin with. One must wonder why the anime decided to ignore this development altogether.

And speaking of Erasure...

21 The Angels Can't Be Erased

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The angels are some of the most mysterious beings present in the world of Dragon Ball. Their unintimidating presence hides massive levels of power that one would be wise to not trifle with. In fact, their power and usefulness are so great that they enjoy one great benefit over everyone else.

Simply put, the angels can't be Erased.

After all, Zeno would find it incredibly hard to replace these valuable individuals, who groom the Gods of Destruction and see to it that they don't go out of control and destroy planets willy-nilly just because they feel like it.

And speaking of the Gods of Destruction, there's one interesting fact that you probably didn't know about them.

20 Gods Of Destruction Can't Exist Without The Respective Supreme Kais

via dragonball.wikia.com

The Gods of Destruction are new additions to the universe of Dragon Ball. After their appearance in the movie, we manage to learn more about them in Dragon Ball Super. The Gods of Destruction initially used to be mortals who had so much power that they were deemed worthy to be given the title of God. However, there's one more thing about the Gods of Destruction that you probably didn't know about.

Their existence is directly tied to the Supreme Kais.

After all, the Supreme Kais are also the Gods of Creation, and there can be no destruction without any creation. This is exactly what Future Zamasu was able to exploit, and he destroyed the Supreme Kai of his universe so that Beerus wouldn't be able to take care of him with ease.

19 Belmod And Marcarita Were Originally Meant To Be Lovers

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It doesn't take a genius to understand the creative inspiration behind the designs of Belmod and Marcarita. It's clear that the designs of Joker and Harley Quinn played a major role when it came to the inception of this pair. However, these people were supposed to have a greater resemblance to the iconic supervillain couple.

Belmod and Marcarita were slated to be lovers.

This idea was scrapped since Toriyama didn't want an angel to have such a personal connection with their God Of Destruction. While this does make sense, it certainly would've been intriguing to witness a relationship between these two nonetheless — as long as this relationship wasn't of an abusive nature.

18 Zenkai Has Become A Thing Of The Past

via: dragonball.wikia.com

In case you happened to forget, let us provide you with a reminder — Zenkai is a power boost that Saiyans received when they were beaten to the brink of death. This innate ability is what allowed Vegeta to make short work of the Ginyu Force after almost getting vanquished at their hands multiple times. However, as the series progressed, it seems that Zenkai has seemingly been forgotten.

With the sheer number of powerups that one has witnessed in the series, it seems that the power boost provided by Zenkai has become obsolete. This might be the reason why Toriyama has forgotten about a Saiyan trait that was honestly one of the major focal points of the series.

And that's not the only thing that has been forgotten.

17 Gohan Is Nothing More Than An Afterthought

via IGN India

Gohan's character peaked at the Cell Saga, when he managed to transform into a Super Saiyan 2 and absolutely destroyed Perfect Cell, without so much as a second thought. It seems that he was unable to reach this height of power after that, and has become nothing more than a wasted character.

In Dragon Ball Super, he has been completely forgotten.

The anime does feature scenes with Gohan as he decides to focus on his training and education, while also playing his role as The Great Saiyaman. However, none of these events ever occurred in the manga, implying that Gohan's appearances are nothing more than filler.

We seriously hope that's not the case, since...

16 The Manga Is Not The Dominant Authority Anymore

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One of the implied things when it comes to Japanese manga and anime is that the former is always the original source, while the latter is just an adaptation with a greater mainstream appeal. However, in the case of Dragon Ball Super, it seems that this is the complete opposite.

The manga is following the footsteps of the anime.

If this is the case, then most of the changes that have occurred in the manga are not really canon, since the anime is the dominant authority. This is an interesting development, especially since Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were based on the manga itself. It's a first for the series, and only time will tell if this was a good decision — although, at the moment, it certainly seems like it.

15 Toriyama Almost Completely Rewrote Battle Of The Gods

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Battle Of The Gods was the first original Dragon Ball material that we'd received in a while, and it was certainly a welcome change for obvious reasons. However, the end product that ended up gracing our screens was vastly different from what had originally been planned for the series.

Toriyama was so displeased by the original script that he completely rewrote the movie.

There were many changes that Toriyama made, so that he would ultimately be satisfied by the end product. One of the major changes involved the alteration of what Super Saiyan God would look like, distancing it from the meatier and bulkier look that was originally planned, and turning it into a leaner version that we all know today.

And since we're on the topic of the latest Dragon Ball Z movies...

14 Resurrection F Was Inspired By A Song

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Resurrection F featured the return of one of Dragon Ball's most iconic villains in the form of Frieza. One can argue that the Frieza Saga was the catalyst for the multiple transformations that we would see in the Dragon Ball series. So, it was ultimately fitting to witness this iconic villain come back in full glory.

However, the motivation to bring Frieza back was quite... odd, to say the least.

Longtime anime fans will certainly know the name of Maximum The Hormone, a band that provided the theme and ending songs for Death Note's second half. Well, these people had also released a song that talked in detail about Frieza. It seems that Toriyama liked this song in particular, since he chose to bring Frieza back for his second moment of glory.

But it doesn't even matter, since...

13 The Movies Aren't Even Canon

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There's a reason why Dragon Ball Super decided to retell the events of Battle Of The Gods and Resurrection F. While most people might've written this off as nothing more than just a cheap way to lengthen the series, the actual truth behind this chain of events was that Toriyama wanted to flesh out the lore of the new series.

Simply put, both movies are officially not canon anymore.

Instead, the events of the series are what is officially considered to be canon in Dragon Ball Super. It might seem like a waste of Toriyama's time and effort, but don't stress over it. After all, the next entry will probably quell your rage when it comes to anything and everything related to Toriyama's contribution to the series.

12 Toriyama Is Not The Head Writer Of The Series Anymore

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We've already mentioned at the very start of this article that Toriyama was glad that Dragon Ball Z had finally come to an end. The creative genius was tired of writing the series, and wanted to take a well-deserved break. So, when Toei decided to go ahead with Dragon Ball Super, it seems that Toriyama was not yet ready to take full reign of the series again.

So, he decided to put his protege at the head of the project.

Toyotaro (the name of said protege) was chosen due to this love and passion for the Dragon Ball series. He'd even written an unofficial doujinshi (fan manga) known as Dragon Ball AF. So, Toriyama decided to entrust the future of the Dragon Ball series in good hands by assigning Toyotaro to the demanding task of constructing the series.

Speaking of which...

11 Toyotaro Has Almost Full Creative Freedom When It Comes To Dragon Ball Super

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Obviously, the universe of Dragon Ball is still Toriyama's pride and joy, and one might assume that he would still have the final say in the events of Dragon Ball Super. And while he does have this esteemed privilege, this still doesn't mean that you should underestimate the amount of control Toyotaro has over the series.

The sheer amount of creative freedom that has been bestowed upon Toyotaro is nothing to scoff at. Toriyama has so much confidence when it comes to the creative mettle of his protege that he's allowing Toyotaro to do pretty much whatever he wants in the series. In fact, there are times when Toyotaro has pitched some ideas to Toriyama... but that's something we'll discuss later on.

If you're wondering why you didn't know about this, it's because...

10 Toei Has Downplayed Toyotaro's Influence On Dragon Ball Super For Marketing Purposes

via wikipedia.com

The fact of the matter is that when it comes to organizations, they will do everything in their power to ensure that they are able to secure the highest revenue possible, without keeping any ethical practices in mind.

This is why Toei purposely downplayed Toyotaro's influence.

The average Joe would obviously associate the newest Dragon Ball series with Toriyama's genius, which is exactly what Toei wants. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of Toyotaro's credibility, and while it's great that a person who grew up as a die-hard fan of Dragon Ball would be working in close proximity of the series, it's still pretty sucky that he's not given the credit due for his efforts into crafting Dragon Ball Super.

9 The Kamehameha Was Invented By Toriyama's Wife

via dragonball.wikia.com

One of the most iconic attacks in the history of anime and manga, the Kamehameha was an integral part of our childhoods. Words can't describe just how many times kids have decided to emulate this move and replicate their favorite hero. So, what we're about to reveal might just shatter the perfect image you had of this move.

Toriyama didn't invent the Kamehameha.

Rather, it was his wife who came up with this iconic beam attack, and the rest is history. While it certainly sucks that Toriyama didn't have as much influence over this move as one might've liked, it's still a pretty awesome piece of trivia that the most recognizable attack in Dragon Ball came from Toriyama's SO.

8 Goku Black's Design Was Taken From Turles

Longtime fans of the Dragon Ball series might've seen a movie called The Tree Of Might. This movie featured a villain called Turles, who looked exactly like Goku — a testament to lazy character design. While the movie itself was pretty decent, it's the villain that we're here to talk about.

Goku Black's design was inspired by Turles.

It goes without saying that Goku Black was one of the best villains in Dragon Ball, and one of the major reasons for this unanimous praise stems from his eerie resemblance to the protagonist we all know and love. Perhaps it was this exact sentiment that Toyotaro wanted to exploit, and he was able to do so by replicating Goku's design to a T.

7 Fused Zamasu Wasn't Supposed To Be A Monstrous Challenge

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Since we're already talking about Goku Black, it's time to discuss a fusion between him and Zamasu, that led to the creation of a formidable villain in the form of Fused Zamasu. The villain was considered nigh impossible to beat, and it was only through a last-ditch effort by Trunks that the major antagonist of the Future Trunks Saga was finally defeated.

But initially, Fused Zamasu was not meant to be that much of a threat.

In fact, the original plan was for Fused Zamasu to be defeated through the combined efforts of Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks without having to resort to other means. This would've ultimately made for a rather disappointing conclusion, and would also have prevented us from witnessing an admittedly awesome moment as well — a moment that is the focal point of the next entry.

6 Vegito Was Never Even In The Original Draft

via dragonball.wikia.com

Yep, you read that right. The Future Trunks Saga is probably the best arc of Dragon Ball Super, and if things went on as they'd been originally planned, then we would've never witnessed the return of a fan favorite in the form of Vegito.

Goku and Vegeta were supposed to defeat Zamasu without having to resort to Potara Fusion.

Thankfully, the script was altered, and in a moment of what can only be described as pure fanservice, we were lucky enough to bear witness to the return of Vegito — this time in Super Saiyan Blue form. Fans who witnessed this transformation were undoubtedly at the edge of their seat when Vegito and Fused Zamasu clashed, which makes it all the more unbelievable that this fusion wasn't planned from the get-go.