Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is a totemic battle shonen series that’s forever changed the genre’s shape and scope, a lot of which has to do with the groundbreaking surprises and plot twists that come to pass in Dragon Ball Z. There’s nothing wrong with a meticulously plotted anime series that has everything figured out from the start, but there’s something to be said for stories that can make radical changes on the fly and not be frightened by the fallout.
Dragon Ball Z has taken some big swings over the course of its franchise that could be viewed as massive retcons– like the Dragon Balls’ origins or Bardock’s disposition – but none are as seismic as the major bomb that gets dropped at the end of Dragon Ball Z’s second episode. Raditz, a member of a powerful warrior race of aliens known as the Saiyans, reveals that he’s Goku’s estranged brother and that Dragon Ball’s main character is actually a Saiyan named Kakarot. This, initially, is a tough pill to swallow. However, it goes on to become one of Dragon Ball Z’s smartest decisions and a guiding philosophy through the sequel anime.
Dragon Ball Z's Reveal That Goku Is A Saiyan Finally Explores His Mysterious Backstory
Goku’s Tail & Extreme Strength Suddenly Make Sense
The original Dragon Ball introduces Goku at the young age of 12 – although he believes that he’s actually 14 at the time – but there’s barely any information provided on his childhood. Goku explains that he was found in the wilderness and raised by Grandpa Gohan, but Dragon Ball doesn’t indulge in flashbacks or provide any context on Goku’s birth parents and why he was seemingly abandoned. Dragon Ball just pushes forward and puts its focus on Goku’s current challenges, rather than fixating on what’s known about his past.
This means that Goku’s alien heritage and the fact he was found in the forest because his Saiyan Attack Pod crashed on Earth doesn’t actually disprove anything the original Dragon Ball has established. If anything, Raditz’s knowledge on Goku’s Saiyan origins helps explain many of the odd traits that define his character. Goku is an extremely strong child who also randomly has the tail of a monkey. These details are never subjected to much scrutiny and they oddly seem appropriate for a shonen series that’s also steeped in gag comedy tropes. Goku’s monkey tail doesn’t seem so out of place when he’s surrounded by a pig shapeshifter, a talking turtle, or a giant rabbit who can turn people into carrots.
It’s a detail audiences just learn to accept, but Dragon Ball Z actually makes sense of Goku’s unusual traits and explains them logically through the exploration of Saiyans. Additionally, it’s no secret that early Dragon Ball drew heavy inspiration from the 16th century Chinese novel, Journey to the West. There are major similarities between young Goku and Journey to the West’s Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Most fans dismiss Goku’s strength and his monkey tail as merely a tribute to this Chinese text – which they originally were – but Dragon Ball increasingly develops its own voice and identity that goes far beyond Journey to the West. There’s little in common between the two series by the time Dragon Ball Z comes along, so it makes sense for Toriyama to revise Goku’s dominant traits and provide a new backstory for them.
Goku's Saiyan Reveal Flips Him From The Strongest Character To A Weaker Underdog
Goku’s Alien Status Resets The Slate For Dragon Ball’s Sequel
Dragon Ball Z does something rather clever with Raditz’s revelation that Goku is a Saiyan. Raditz tells his brother that he’s not only an alien, but he’s on the bottom rung of Saiyan warriors. This immediately flips the dynamic that Goku has been used to for the majority of Dragon Ball where he’s able to solve his problems through his incredible physical strength. The original Dragon Ball even concludes with Goku’s victory during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, which proves that he is in fact the definitive strongest character in the series.
This is a satisfying place to end a series, but it’s a much less compelling angle to begin a new show. In one simple piece of retconning, Goku is quickly knocked back to the bottom of the pecking order and must once again prove himself against threats that represent a new tier of power. Dragon Ball Z emphasizes Goku’s lackluster abilities in the context of stronger Saiyans when he dies in Dragon Ball Z’s fifth episode after never meeting his doom at all in the original series. Death was something that was reserved for weaker characters, which is now a crushing reality that applies to Goku.
Goku is a Saiyan, but Raditz explains that he’s a Low-Class Saiyan rather than a Saiyan Elite. This is the power represented by even stronger Saiyans like Vegeta and Nappa. Dragon Ball Z begins at a point where Goku lacks the Saiyan’s signature tail, which prohibits him from transforming into a Great Ape, unlike the other more powerful Saiyans he takes on. Goku’s low hierarchy among Saiyans makes his accomplishments over Vegeta and Nappa all the more impressive. It pushes a nature versus nurture narrative that proves how a Saiyan doesn’t need to be one set thing and that a life away from conflict and conquest can be essential for growth.
Furthermore, Goku was one of Earth’s strongest fighters when he thought that he was a human, but such an accomplishment now suddenly means much less now that he knows the universe is much larger than he can comprehend. To this point, Dragon Ball Z establishes that many other races hold grudges against Saiyans and their past. This puts a natural target on Goku’s back and makes him vulnerable in a way that he never was before when he was just a human. Goku doesn’t share the same villainous past as most Saiyans, but his heritage still gets him in trouble. This all prompts a complicated relationship between Goku and his Saiyan roots regarding whether he identifies as a Saiyan, human, or somewhere in between. It’s rich character development and a compelling internal crisis that’s completely absent in the original Dragon Ball.
Goku's Saiyan Status Helps Expand Dragon Ball Z's Scope & Makes Space Travel Feel Natural
The Existence Of Saiyans Facilitates Off-Earth Storytelling
The original Dragon Ball goes to some very grandiose places with its storytelling and characters, but it's still a series restricted to Earth. Dragon Ball Z gradually leaves the comfort of the Earth’s atmosphere and features some radical storylines that take place on other planets. Space travel and foreign planets are tricky material to integrate into a series that was previously terrestrial in nature, but Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan retcon makes this development easier to accept. A substantial amount of time is spent on Planet Namek, but even before the heroes themselves leave Earth, there are planetary detours to places like Arlia during Vegeta and Nappa’s voyage to Earth.
On the topic of Namek, Goku’s alien origins make it easier to pull off a similar trick with Piccolo, who’s revealed to be a Namekian instead of a demon, which is what was inferred about him and his father back in the original series. This is another development that might have felt unnatural without Goku’s alien retcon first testing these waters and easing the audience into such changes. It’s a much smarter explanation of the Dragon Balls and the powers that govern them than what is initially established. Goku and Earth’s strongest heroes experience some of their biggest adventures on other planets.
This also opens Dragon Ball Z up to introduce more compelling villains – especially in the series’ movies – who are either rogue Saiyans or vengeful aliens from other planets who come to Earth with something to prove. Dragon Ball Z would require too much suspension of disbelief if stronger enemies were always on Earth and just waiting for the right moment to strike. Villains like Turles, Broly, Lord Slug, Cooler, and Bojack are all from outer space, which gives their arrivals and motivations much more credence. Goku’s Saiyan retcon leads to a fundamental expansion of the series, which Dragon Ball Super is later able to build off of with its multiverse concept. None of this is possible if Goku is just a powerful human.
Goku's Saiyan Roots Sets His Children & The Next Generation Up For Even Greater Success
Dragon Ball Z’s Next Generation Of Heroes Benefit From Their Staiyan Status
Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan retcon not only has major implications for Goku, but also his son, Gohan, who’s already in the picture once the series begins. Goku’s alien heritage becomes much more interesting once he’s started a family and technically brings more alien hybrids into the world. Gohan showcases incredible talent and potential during Dragon Ball Z’s opening battle against Raditz. One could argue that any child of Goku is destined for success, but Dragon Ball Z explains that Saiyan-human hybrids are even stronger than standard Saiyans.
This sets Gohan up for incredible things and his growing potential becomes one of the series’ defining storylines. There’d be no way to establish Gohan as a special wunderkind if both he and Goku were simply humans. The same is true for Goku’s second child, Goten, and Vegeta and Bulma’s son, Trunks. Dragon Ball Z’s exploration of Saiyan and human hybrids is just as interesting as its introduction of Saiyans.
Saiyans remain an endangered species throughout Dragon Ball Z, so it’s exciting to see Goku and Vegeta slowly repopulate their fallen people by bringing more Saiyans into the world and gradually building a legacy through their families. Dragon Ball GT isn’t always viewed as a canonical extension of the series, but its jump to 100 years in the future shows that both Goku and Vegeta have created powerful descendants who are natural Super Saiyans and easily able to defend the Earth from evil.
Goku's Alien Nature Leads to Incredible Transformations
Super Saiyans Become Dragon Ball Z’s Signature Element
Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan surprise triggers serious character and storytelling developments for the series. The existence of these Saiyans also opens the door for Dragon Ball Z’s widely celebrated Super Saiyan transformations. Super Saiyan transformations are the easiest way for the series to reflect who’s become the strongest and these flashy metamorphoses are easily the most popular and recognizable aspect of the series.
The Great Ape transformation is another Saiyan transformation that was admittedly around during the original Dragon Ball, even if Goku, at the time, didn’t understand that it was a trademark of his alien people. A mysterious extraterrestrial background makes it that much easier to incorporate powerful transformations, like Super Saiyans, that have become the series’ norm. Alternatively, Dragon Ball Z’s villains also cycle through numerous transformations as a way to create greater suspense and prolong battles. These are easier for the heroes to take on when they have their own Super Saiyan transformations to use.
Goku grows incredibly strong in the original Dragon Ball, all of which is done without the aid of transformations. Dragon Ball Z proves that human characters like Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha can get their potential unleashed, but they can’t experience incredible transformations that are on par with Super Saiyan spectacles and they inevitably fall behind as a result. Dragon Ball Z would experience greater struggles when it comes to demonstrating Goku’s growth without the aid of these transformations. Goku’s Saiyan status once again makes this possible and opens Dragon Ball Z up to one of the franchise’s most entertaining and celebrated features. It’s the crowning achievement of what this special and risky retcon brings to the table.
