One of the most popular anime series of all time, Dragon Ball, has had its share of controversy over the last few decades. Not to mention all the memes that came from Dragon Ball Z. If you’ve been living under a rock, this anime is revolving around a Saiyan named Goku, and his friends (as well as enemies) defending the Earth from intergalactic threats. Sounds cheesy and generic, but, wait till Goku transforms into the Super Saiyan!
But hey, watch it in your own time, and meanwhile we’ll take a look at some of the most fascinating Dragon Ball Z facts.
1. Gohan Was Meant to Replace Goku
Believe it or not the series creator Akira Toriyama actually thought about killing the main protagonist and making his son Gohan as his replacement. I’m really glad he didn’t, though, because that would be extremely stupid.
2. Master Roshi Cannot Die From Old Age
You heard it, folks, Master Roshi is immortal! Currently in the story the wise yet perverted master is more than 350 years old and he’s trained Goku, Gohan, Yamcha, Krillin and Ox-King. He used to be one of the most vital characters of the series, but due to the enemies getting more and more powerful, he’s been sitting on the bench. Until Dragon Ball Super, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
3. The Android Twins Have Names
You may know them as 17 and 18, but get this, they actually have names. Android 17’s real name is Lapis and Android 18’s real name is Lazuli. These were the names of 2 notorious delinquents before they were kidnapped by Dr. Gero and experimented upon in order to make them androids.
4. Goku and Gohan are Voiced by a Woman
Unless you’re watching it with subs or raw, you’d never know that Goku and Gohan sound exactly the same, and are voiced by the famous Japanese voice actress Masako Nozawa.
5. Creator Akira Toriyama’s Favorite Character is Piccolo
Toriyama’s created countless characters, from super Saiyans to dragons, but favorite one from Dragon Ball Z is the Namekian warrior and the big bad of the original Dragon Ball — Piccolo. “It really is cliché when bad guys turn into good guys, but it just feels great drawing it,” states Toriyama.
6. Gohan has Killed 15 Characters while Goku Killed Only 2
I was quite surprised when I heard Goku’s killed just 2 measly characters – Babidi’s minion Yakon and Kid Buu – but I was literally shocked when I saw Gohan’s kill count. He’s mercilessly slayed members of the Spice Gang and seven Cell juniors! Just brutal, man.
7. Goku’s Voice Actor Passed Out While Screaming
Saiyans screaming their lungs out while transforming into Super Saiyans is a sight to behold but people rarely wonder what goes on with the voice actors during that. Believe it or not Goku’s English language voice actor Sean Schemmel, who was screaming for minutes, has actually lost consciousness as a result of it, and woke up a few moments later lying on the floor.
8. Frieza Battled Goku for 19 Episodes
This cosmic brawl holds the title of the longest battle in anime history. Frieza in all his forms fought Goku for 19 freaking episodes (3.5 hours) and all that because the original manga was not ready. Some animation studios do fillers, others just spend 3.5 hours on what should’ve been 5 episodes.
9. Population of Earth has Died More Times than Krillin
You’ve probably heard the “Krillin dies too much” joke, but seriously, the whole population of Earth has died way more times than this baldy. And by “way more” I mean whole 4 times. The first time was by Kid Buu, the second time was by Frieza, The third time was by Future Zen-Oh, and the fourth time happened due to a side effect of the Black Star Dragon Balls. But at least Goku and co. are always there to bring the humanity back.
10. Goku Defeated Superman (Sort of)
Since the very day Goku turned into a Super Saiyan, or maybe even prior to that, he was matched with DC’s moneymaker – Superman. Can Goku defeat the Man of Steel? Well, in an issue of «Wizard» magazine, the Super Saiyan and Supes were pitched against each other in a hypothetical battle and Goku somehow won. There’s even an awesome animation of that epic brawl, which I’ll probably use instead of a picture.
