Dragon Ball Z is arguably one of the most popular animes to ever be created. With its outrageous planetary battles, over the top transformations (screaming to be marketed) and just downright awesomeness, it stands as one of the greats and quite honestly doesn’t look to be losing that title anytime soon (I mean, have you seen Ultra Instinct Goku??). It should also be noted that in some ways Dragon Ball Z was the caveat for anime's growth in popularity in the west.
Dragon Ball Z undoubtedly holds a special place in all of our hearts, However, it goes without saying that when it comes to mistakes and major plot point mishaps, Dragon Ball Z never seems to disappoint. Like a magician exposed on his act, scuttling off stage like nothing happened, Dragon Ball Z is no stranger to hanging fruits of nonsense with no real explanation for its actions. Oftentimes fans of the series are left with more questions than answers when key points to a storyline are thrown away or overwritten. Of course, as with any good show, mistakes are sure to happen and unfortunately sometimes the best a writer can do is plan for the next episode and keep business as usual (thanks, Toriyama). Today we shine a light on some of those moments, with 20 shocking mistakes you never noticed in Dragon Ball Z.
*Warning, some spoilers of Dragon Ball Super are present.*
20 Maybe It Regenerated?
Dr. Gero, aka Android 20, is the mastermind behind the android saga which lead to the introduction of Androids 17 and 18, and eventually Cell. Though the genius doctor had more than a few trump cards waiting in his lab, he initially sought out to attack the Z Fighters on his own with the help of Android 19 (eh… not the best idea).
Unfortunately, after a heated confrontation with the Z Warriors (and catching them Namekian hands from Piccolo), Gero lost his arm in battle. Defeated, he fled to his lair to awake Android 17 and 18. However, both decided to rebel against him. What makes this moment so head scratching, is that when Android 17 takes the self-destruction remote from Gero. We clearly see him with both arms fully intact. Now, unless Gero was able to mechanically engineer a new arm in a matter of moments while running for his life away from the Z Fighters, this just doesn’t make sense.
19 Missing Tails?
One of the most disgusting features of any Saiyan in the Dragon Ball Z Universe are their tails. This key characteristic has been a staple to the series since the first image of Goku hunting in the forest in Dragon Ball. He was the young boy with a monkey tail and unparalleled strength. It was a sight to behold, but something we quickly grew accustomed to once we were introduced to later Saiyans like Goku's son Gohan, Raditz, Vegeta and Nappa.
One thing that has mystified fans of the franchise, was the fact that both Goten and Trunks (sons of Goku and Vegeta) are seen missing their tails. This is an issue considering that every Saiyan baby is to typically has one. Where did they go, you ask? Well it looks like they were the victims of forgetfulness. Writer Akira Toriyama, when asked why the boys were missing tails, simply stated that he “forgot to draw them with one when he created the characters.” This wouldn't be the first time Toriyama succumbed to forgetfulness and it sure wouldn't be the last.
18 Where Is Launch?
Long time fans of the series will remember the timid, blue-haired, young lady that could switch from loveable innocence one minute, to stone cold killer the next just by a sneeze.
Launch was a nice touch to the series, giving it a sense of unexpectedness as you never knew when the slightest cloud of dust or sprinkle of pepper could send her on a rampage! She shortly became a staple in Dragon Ball. Which is why most fans of hers were thrown for a loop as to why she was nowhere to be found in Dragon Ball Z.
It turns out her exclusion was a mistake. As Toriyama being Toriyama forgot about her existence until later in the show. He would remedy this by offering short cameos of her appearance, either on the run from police or in a bar planning her next heist. It's sad when you think about it, but on the bright side I'm sure the Z Fighters are little less on edge without her around.
17 Goku & Grandpa Gohan's First Encounter
Going back to the humble beginnings of Dragon Ball, we are met with a slight contradiction in the origin story of our hero Goku that has led to a bit of confusion.
During a flashback in Dragon Ball Z, we see a then-venturing Grandpa Gohan find a stranded baby Goku crash landed in a space pod. He takes to the little chap and tries to raise him like his own while being constantly met with his violent antics until one day he falls and hits his head, wiping away his prior angst and typical Saiyan aggression.
However, in the Dragon Ball Z special Bardock – The Father of Goku, we notice a mistake in the storytelling. Grandpa Gohan finds Goku in the middle of the forest being happy and carefree, which goes against his then violent nature. It’s hard to tell which is accurate especially when you realize that the TV special is considered canon (I guess they’re both right… yay?).
16 How Old Are They?
One of the biggest mysteries that seems to find itself nestled within just about every Dragon Ball Z enthused fan blog is the conversation over Trunks and Goten's age. Unlike Gohan, who we've seen grow up throughout the show (kid to teen to adult), Goten and Trunks never seem to show any sign of maturity mentally or physically. It’s unbelievable, especially since some years have passed since the events of Majin Buu's encounter. So naturally, now that we've been introduced to the world of Dragon Ball Super, fans expected to see a change, even if a slight one, in their appearance. However, what we are left with are the same naive, childish characters with no signs of physical change or much character development, for that matter. With Dragon Ball Super still churning out episodes, we can hope to get answers soon, but at this rate it seems a little unlikely.
15 But How Tall Is He Really?
One shocking mistake that I'm sure goes unnoticed, unless your Dragon Ball Z analysis is accompanied by a magnifying glass and a ruler on hand (no judgement here), is the fluctuating height of Krillin.
Now it comes as no surprise that Krillin is small (way to go, captain obvious). But that sentiment is approached in a vague manner in the series. In some instances, Krillin’s tallness goes up, down, and then up again almost from one episode to the next. In fact, in the beginning of the Saiyan saga we see him coming up to Goku's waist, while just a short stint later on Namek he’s barely able to reach Goku's leg.
Officially, Krillin's height is listed at 5 feet. However, unless the world of Dragon Ball Z consists of giants, I wouldn't trust Toriyama's sense of measurement to be accurate.
14 Regenerating Cell
13 The Destruction Of Planet Vegeta
As we all know, the destruction of planet Vegeta was caused after the tyrant Frieza became leery of the Saiyan’s potential strength and decided to dispose of them instead of dealing with them in the future (kind of dropped the ball on that one). However during Raditz arival on earth, Raditz tells Goku of the ill fated tale of the planet which is totally off base from what actually happened. He tells Goku that a meteor hit the planet and thus extinguishing the race. Now while this could be a the case of ignorance and being fed lies by Frieza and his forces for years, it’s still a misfire that I'm sure could have been fixed by a conversation with Vegeta, who was definitely aware of the actual circumstance that befell the planet.
12 Breathing In Space
During that epic battle on Namek between Goku and Frieza, many of us were on the edge of our seats, not knowing what the future may hold for Goku as the planet was on the brink of total annihilation. What made matters worse was the revelation that was made by Frieza that even if Goku was able to defeat him, after the planet was destroyed, our hero would succumb to the vacuum of space.
Fast forward from that day, and breathing in space was known throughout the series as being a thing that wasn’t a thing, at least not for humans or Saiyans, anyway. But this is quickly mistaken during the fight between Goku and Beerus in "Battle of Gods". After Goku became a Super Saiyan God, the two take their fight to the skies and out of the atmosphere. They continue to trade blows despite the obvious absence of air for Goku. Even after Goku's Super Saiyan God aura dissipates, he is still able to hold himself up completely unaffected.
11 “Over 9000”
"It's over 9000!"
Quite possibly one of the most famous catchphrases and memes in all of Dragon Ball Z came at the hand of a mistaken translation.
You see during the Ocean Dub editing of Dragon Ball Z, a lot of the uncut episodes, plot points and scripts were cut down or striped before making their way to our living rooms. Originally the phrase was actually "over 8000," but during voice actor Brian Drummand's recording of the episode, it's been speculated that he decided to adlib the script as he felt it fit with the lip movements better than 8000. Since then the "over 9000" craze took off and turns out to be one of the few mistakes on this list that ended up being better in the long run (way to go, Brian).
10 Do Power Levels Even Mean Anything?
Any fan of Team Four Star's animated parody series Dragon Ball Z Abridged should be well aware of the ironically hilarious phrase "power levels are [redacted]." While the phrase itself is meant as a joke to play on the ever changing ranges of power in the series. It also shines a light on a big mistake from a narrative standpoint.
Power Levels during the early parts of Dragon Ball Z carried a lot of weight, as they were the determining factors between whether you were more likely to win or lose in battle. However, since the introduction of the iconic Super Saiyan transformation, those scales seems to have been thrown out of the window. Levels in transformation continue to climb and base strength for some becomes immeasurable, not to mention the moments in the series where luck turns out to be more valuable than power. It’s a headache, and makes the story hard to follow.
9 Life After Death
Life after death is a bit of a complicated concept in Dragon Ball Z. Aside from the near zero consequence it has when you really think about it (we'll get to that later), there are a number of issues that just don’t add up.
One of these issues is with bodies in the afterlife. According to the series, those that show great bravery or are very good in life get to keep their bodies in death, either for training purposes or just to live out their lives beyond the grave as they see fit. This, however, is contradicted by the fact that nearly every major villain, whose combined body count is more than the earth's population itself, have their bodies as well. The Ginyu Force, Cell, Frieza, etc, all are able to walk freely throughout Outworld despite being among the worst people to ever exist. There is no real answer to this besides filler and plot holes that the show seems to be known for. We still love it, though.
8 Moonlighting As A Ginger
Note: the image depicted above is Vegeta.
No there isn’t anything wrong with your screen's tint, and no that's not Vegeta as a Super Saiyan God (but if you asked him at this time, I’m sure he’d say otherwise). In what could be known as one of the biggest misunderstandings in the show's history, early depictions of Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z show him as a redhead with orange and green armor.
Now, as mentioned earlier, this entire situation happened to be a misunderstanding between Toriyama and Toei Animation. When sketching the Saiyan invasion, Toriyama didn’t draw a fully colored Vegeta, which would then prompt Toei Animation to wing it with his color scheme. Luckily Toriyama would soon notice this misstep and ask for a correction that we see take place just as the Saiyans make their arrival on earth. It's simply a case of miscommunication. Lesson learned.
7 Where Is Super Saiyan 2?
Another entry in the Akira Toriyama's house of forgetfulness is the Super Saiyan 2 form. During Battle Of Gods, as Goku prepared for his first encounter with the God of Destruction Beerus, we see him power up from base to Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 3. While some may write it off as just circumstantial, with Goku going all out after realizing the power gap (honestly, when has he ever done that?), it turns out Toriyama forgot that the Super Saiyan 2 form even existed and thought Super Saiyan 3 was Super Saiyan 2. I mean, who could blame him, they look soooooo much alike (note the sarcasm)!
6 Don't Forget To Use The Boosts!
It seems to me that in the world of Dragon Ball Z, where literally anything and everything has you on your toes, it’s wise to make sure you have your guard up and your strongest foot forward. From evil galactic dictators, space pirates or evil doctors with an obsession for terminators (Jesus, Gero, you need help), you never know where the next big threat is expected to rear its ugly head.
With that said, it’s baffling how the Saiyans in DBZ never use their techniques to their advantage. Especially when that technique is unique to them and requires them to just get their butts kicked. I’m talking of course about Zenkai Boosts, basically the boost in strength every Saiyan gets after reaching the brink of death. As the series has progressed, we’ve seen the Saiyans misstep on using this obvious trump card. It's a mistake that sees them put in worse situations In the long run. But alas, what would a Saiyan be without doing things that just don’t make sense?
5 Only Some Tails Grow Back?
4 There's Really No Consequence Anymore
When you really think about it, death doesn’t have much consequence in the world of Dragon Ball Z. One catastrophe is only a dragon ball wish away from never happening in the first place. Even if one isn't wished back right away, it almost seems like a matter of time before another way is found for them to rejoin the realm of the living (i.e Baba granting Goku time to come back to earth to fight in the martial arts tournament).
It’s a major loophole. Luckily Goku does attempt to tie up those loose ends in the plot, stating that if you die twice you cease to exist. For a while, fans ran with this newfound logic, but like most plot devices in Dragon Ball Z, a mistake quickly debunks this. In Dragon Ball GT we see Goku fight an already dead Frieza and Cell, and after defeating them instead of ceasing they just regenerate. Seems like Goku may have been fed some misinformation in Otherworld, and it seems like we have been fed lies since the beginning.
3 Hyperbolic Time Chamber Fumble
This next entry takes place after the fight between Super Buu and Gotenks in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Super Buu would rip through the dimensions of the chamber to get back outside after the entrance was destroyed. In doing this, he left Gotenks and Piccolo inside. However Gotenks pulled a trump card, leading to a grand escape.
What puts this moment on the list, however, is something that Piccolo says that later proves true, but makes no sense. He states that as seconds pass inside the chamber, hours pass in the real world with Buu. Now, as most fans that know a thing or two about DBZ will tell you, that is complete malarkey! It should actually be the other way around, as time slows in the chamber (i.e. Goku and Gohan training for a year inside to fight Cell). Unfortunately, “according to the episode” he was right and hours did pass. Definitely one of those DBZ mystery contradictions that we will have to just live with.
2 The Real "Hero" Of DBZ
A huge mistake that I'm sure many within the Dragon Ball Z community wonder about to this day is the overt mishandling of Gohan. Some saw Gohan as the underdog, the hero in training that would rise to the occasion and take the mantle from his father. He was to be the sworn protector of earth, and honestly, he seemed perfect for the job. Gohan was strong with limitless potential just like his father but without all of the flaws that his dad possessed. Unfortunately, this idea would be shelved after the Cell saga, leading Gohan to be reduced to the family man role and shying away from martial arts to embrace his studies and relationships. It really makes you go, “wait, what?!?!” The blame can't all be put on the Toriyama here, as it was the fans of the series that pushed his hand, feeling that Gohan’s popularity wasn't good enough.
1 Elder Kai's Forgotten Fusion
Now, this one is a little complicated and shows how loose ends being tied up in Dragon Ball Super arguably did more damage than repair in regards to plotholes.
In any case, Elder Kai first appears in Dragon Ball Z during the Buu saga after Gohan breaks the Z-Sword in training. Apparently, by his description, the old Kai became old after unintentionally fusing with an old witch after she tries on his potara earring. However, in Dragon Ball Super we learn that the potara fusion only lasts “forever” if performed between "official Supreme Kais." This explains why Goku and Vegeta, as well as Kibito and Supreme Kai, were able to diffuse. What doesn't make sense is why Elder Kai is still fused with the witch. Now, this could be explained by a spell the witch cast or the conditions of the fusion or what have you. But I'm willing to bet the main culprit is a mean plot hole that will never be filled.