10 Biggest Plot Twists In The 'Dragon Ball' Franchise

Fans around the world are continuing to mourn the death of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away from a subdural hematoma on March 1, at the age of 68. His death seems especially tragic considering it has come in the franchise's 40th Anniversary year. A new series, Dragon Ball Daima, now the last of the franchise to feature Toriyama's personal touch, is set to be released later this year to mark the anniversary. Daima will see many of the franchise's characters reverted into children, and reintroduce elements from the original Dragon Ball series, such as Goku's Power Pole and Nimbus Cloud.

While some would have preferred a continuation of the Dragon Ball Super anime, which has long been on hiatus, others believe Daima will bring a refreshing twist to the Dragon Ball formula. If there has been one criticism levelled at the franchise over the years, it has been that the story was sometimes predictable, particularly in the Dragon Ball Z era. However, this was not always the case.

Here are some of the best plot twists in the history of the Dragon Ball franchise.

1. Goku himself is the 'monster' who killed his Grandpa Gohan

Early in the original Dragon Ball, while hunting for the titular wish-granting orbs, Bulma stumbles upon Goku, a freakishly strong young boy witha monkey-like tail living alone in the woods following the death of his Grandpa Gohan. The Four-Star Dragon Ball had belonged to Gohan, so Bulma allows Goku to join her in her search in order to keep track of it. However, it is not until later that the true circumstances of Grandpa Gohan's death are discovered.

Later, after Goku, Bulma, and their new travelling companions, Desert Bandit Yamcha and shapeshifters Oolong and Puar, become trapped by villain Emperor Pilaf on a Full Moon, Goku explains that his Grandfather, who had told Goku never to look upon a Full Moon, had been killed by a monster during a Full Moon. It soon becomes horribly apparent that Goku himself was that monster when, after glancing at the Moon, Goku transforms into a giant, rampaging monkey-creature, eventually dubbed Oozaru, or the Great Ape. Thankfully, Goku's friends survive the incident, which Goku has no memory of when he returns to human form the following morning.

Bulma and the others kindly opt not to tell Goku what they have deduced about the circumstances of Grandpa Gohan's death. It is not until he witnesses Vegeta's Oozaru transformation in Dragon Ball Z's Saiyan Saga that Goku realizes for himself what happened.

2. Krillin's first death

For most of it's run, the original Dragon Ball is a fun comedic martial arts adventure with a few fantasy elements thrown in. However, things take a dark turn at the beginning of the series 'King Piccolo' saga, when Goku finds his best friend Krillin dead, murdered by King Piccolo's minion, Tambourine. The death brings with it a change in tone for the remaining run of Dragon Ball and the series that followed, with higher stakes battles, and weakened plot armor for characters once believed to be relatively safe.

While in recent years, Krillin's tendency to die regularly has become something of a meme, that does not change the circumstances of his first death from being genuinely shocking.

3. Goku learns that he is a Saiyan

The original Dragon Ball, which to begin with, was inspired by the folktale Journey To The West, leaned more towards a fantasy setting than a sci-fi one. So, it came as shock to some fans when Dragon Ball Z opened with the arrival of Raditz, Goku's previously unknown older brother, from outer space. Raditz reveals that Goku, born Kakarot, is part of a race of warrior aliens known as Saiyans. He had originally been sent to Earth as a baby to conquer the planet, before a bump on the head erased his programming.

Th reveal explained Goku's strength, transformations into the Oozaru, and endless desire to become stronger. While Goku rejects his original purpose, he fully embraces his Saiyan heritage, which comes to define him for the rest of the series.

4. Piccolo's bond with Gohan

Piccolo Junior, the son borne from King Piccolo in his final moments, serves as the final antagonist of the original Dragon Ball. As he survives his bout with Goku during the World Martial Arts Tournament, many fans likely expected Piccolo Junior to remain a villain heading into Dragon Ball Z. Instead, Goku and Piccolo Junior (now known only as Piccolo) are almost immediately forced into an uneasy alliance in order to defeat Raditz. When Goku is killed in that battle, Piccolo, sensing the hidden potential of Goku's young son, Gohan, takes the boy away to train in preparation for the arrival of a second Saiyan invasion force in a year's time.

Despite a few early hiccups, the unlikely duo form a close bond, so close, in fact, that Piccolo sacrifices his life to save Gohan during the battle against the Saiyans. It is a bond that remains after Piccolo's eventual revival, with some fans even believing that Piccolo is a better Father figure to Gohan than his true father, Goku.

While children in Western countries, many of whom were introduced to Dragon Ball Z first, may never have known a world in which Piccolo was not one of the good guys, for Dragon Ball fans, this was quite the unexpected twist.

5. The parentage of Future Trunks

Throughout most of Dragon Ball, and the early sagas of Dragon Ball Z, Bulma is in a romantic relationship with former Desert Bandit Yamcha. The relationship appears to slip into 'on-again, off-again' territory the further you move into Z, yet it still comes as a shock when Trunks, a young man from the future arriving to warn the Z-Warriors of the coming of the Androids, reveals to Goku that he is the son of Bulma and Vegeta, a Saiyan Prince working very slowly towards redemption. This comes as somewhat of a shock to Goku, as Bulma and Yamcha were technically still together at the time.

In the years following Future Trunks's visit, Bulma and Yamcha break up for good, and present day Trunks is born, the result of an implied one-night stand between Vegeta and Bulma.

Vegeta is aware of the baby, but has little input in his upbringing. It is not until Future Trunks returns to aid in the battle against the Androids, and then Cell, that Vegeta makes the connection between the hybrid Saiyan teen from the future. Even then, he behaves coldly toward the boy, and Future Trunks finds himself deeply disappointed by Vegeta's lack of interest in him, but more so in Bulma and his infant self.

It is only when he witnesses Future Trunks's death at the hands of Cell that Vegeta begins to realise his mistake, marking an important turning point in the character's development.

6. Krillin falls in love with Android 18

When brother and sister duo Android 17 and Android 18 first appear, they are every bit as dangerous as Future Trunks warned the Z-Fighters they would be, with both initially committed to their task to kill Goku. The danger potentially posed by the Androids grows when the group learns that Cell, the ultimate creation of the evil Dr. Gero, must absorb them to attain his perfect form.

Despite all this, Krillin finds himself developing feelings for Android 18, and when he gets the chance to shut her down with an emergency remote, ending the threat of her absorption by Cell, he is unable to do so. Despite the odds, 18 eventually begins to return these feelings on some level, not harming Krillin despite having multiple chances to do so.

Krillin is devastated when Cell absorbs Android 18, and later becomes a dedicated guardian over her unconscious body when Cell expels her. Following Cell's defeat, and the gang's now-traditional post-battle summoning of the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, Krillin wishes for the removal of the explosives inside both Android siblings, earning 18's gratitude.

During the seven-year time jump following the Cell Saga, Krillin and 18 marry and have a daughter, Marron, to whom both are devoted. Many fans even consider the pair to have one of the healthiest romantic relationships in the entire Dragon Ball franchise.

7. Goku decides to remain in 'Other World'

Following Gohan's defeat of Cell, the villain makes one last attempt to destroy Earth by self-destructing. Goku prevents this, sacrificing his own life by transporting Cell to King Kai's planet in the moments before he explodes.

The Z-Warriors immediately gather the Dragon Balls to revive Goku and all others killed by Cell, but before the wish is made, Goku speaks to his friends from the Other World, Dragon Ball Z's version of the afterlife, and asks that they not restore him. He believes his presence draws dangerous enemies to Earth, and that the planet will be safer if he remains dead. As DBZ was an ongoing series at the time, losing the main protagonist was quite a shock.

Initially, Akira Toriyama planned for Goku to remain dead, and move ahead with Gohan as the main protagonist. However, he decided Gohan did not fit this role, so Goku returned for an extended visit during the Majin Buu saga, before being resurrected permanently by the end of the series. Whether this was the right decision has long been debated by fans and critics.

8. The Deadly consequences of losing the Tournament of Power

The third official series in the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball Super, introduces the concept of a Multiverse, with the Z-Warriors native to Universe 7. Goku befriends Zeno, the Omni-King who rules over the universes, as well as the Zeno double from an aborted timeline who eventually shares the Universal throne. Goku is told to be wary regarding his friendship with the Omni-Kings due to their immense power. However, Goku, bored and looking to test his strength, reminds the Zenos of a Tournament between the Universes they had earlier suggested.

Goku is initially delighted to receive confirmation of the Tournament of Power, which will see teams of ten from eight Universes competing. However, things take a dark turn when it is revealed that the seven losing teams will have their Universe erased from existence. The other competing Universes blame Goku for the upcoming destruction, placing a large target on the backs of Team Universe 7 throughout the Tournament.

9. Frieza becomes the tenth member of Team Universe 7

Goku quickly gathers nine of Universe 7's greatest warriors, mostly his own friends and family, to join him representing Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power. Unfortunately, just hours before the Tournament is due to begin, one intended team member, Majin Buu, unexpectedly enters a two-month hibernation. If a replacement teammate can't be found in time, Team Universe 7 will be first to forfeit, and face immediate erasure.

With the fate of the Universe at stake, Goku travels to Otherworld to reluctantly recruit his most dangerous enemy, Frieza, as Team Universe 7's final member. He secures Frieza's compliance with a promise to resurrect him if Universe 7 is successful.

Frieza attempts to betray his teammates at various points in the Tournament, as the number of competitors dwindles, Frieza ultimately realises the situation is bigger than himself, and works with Goku to ensure Universe 7's victory, even if not his own.

10. Android 17 wins the Tournament of Power

From the moment the Tournament of Power saga began, many fans believed it was a foregone conclusion that Goku would eventually win. He is the series main character, after all. So, it came as a shock when Goku and Frieza pulled a joint sacrificial move to take out Universe 11's last man standing, Jiren, thereby leaving Android 17 as the sole victor of the Tournament of Power. It was extra surprising given 17 had been a rather minor character before this point, only appearing in one or two cameos between the end of DBZ's Cell Saga and his return for the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super.

Though a surprise, no-one could say Android 17's victory wasn't earned. He was one of the MVP's of Team Universe 7, eliminating eight other combatants. He also pulled off what many fans deemed the best strategic move of the Tournament: Instead of immediately disclosing his survival of an attempted Kamikaze move, 17 hid, revealing himself at the opportune moment to aid Goku and Frieza in the Tournament's final stage.

As his prize for being the sole survivor of the Tournament, Android 17 is granted a wish from the enhanced power of the Super Dragon Balls. While earlier expressing plans to wish for a cruise ship to take a holiday with his family, 17 instead decides to wish for the erased Universes to be restored. This is the right decision, as another twist reveals that the Omni-Kings were using the Tournament as a Secret Test of Character. Had 17 made any other wish, all remaining universes in Dragon Ball's world would have been erased. So, 17 effectively saved his own Universe twice over.

Despite his relatively low amount of screentime prior to the Tournament, Android 17's design marked him as a long time fan favourite, and some hoped his victory in the Tournament of Power would lead to an increased presence for the character in future Dragon Ball projects. Unfortunately, Akira Toriyama's sudden death has left the future of the franchise up in the air.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Toriyama. Your characters and stories will not be forgotten.