Dragon Ball is a series that has been running and providing new content for fans for over a decade now.
It’s understandable for any series that’s been on for so long to culminate a large, sprawling fandom, but the Dragon Ball fans are particularly obsessive. There are many corners of the internet full of countless arguments over certain Dragon Ball details that are now dozens of years old.
It’s fans who care a lot about the show who are the reason why the property has seen such a robust revival in recent years.
This results in viewers picking apart and debating certain elements of a program, but it can also lead to them predicting what will come next. Who better to figure out major plot twists and upcoming arcs than the very people who are beyond committed to the series?
It’s one thing for fans to predict what’s going to happen in the next episode, but some viewers have been so perceptive that they’ve been able to call out major developments that would later be revealed.
Dragon Ball, more than many other anime out there, shares a special relationship with its fans. Therefore it’s extremely fascinating when these two communities can overlap and actually influence each other.
Even now, fans are still hard at work trying to connect dots and figure out plot points from the upcoming Dragon Ball Super movie, and there are definitely going to be some people out there who are completely right with their predictions.
Accordingly, here are the 30 Crazy Dragon Ball Fan Theories (That Were Actually Confirmed)!
Frieza Is Naturally Powerful
Dragon Ball Super dropped a major bombshell on audiences not just with the return of the mighty Frieza, but with the fact that Frieza also has a new powerful form at his disposal.
Frieza explains that he achieves Golden Frieza status after he finally decides to take on some training and see what he can do if he actually makes an effort.
Due to Frieza’s sedentary appearance in his floating chair and how he was always in his first form, most fans assumed that he was born with severe strength that he never really had to dip into until he met Goku.
This was then confirmed with the arrival of Golden Frieza.
Goku And Chi-Chi’s Marriage Is Romantically Barren
Goku’s naïve, obliviousness nature when it comes to women has never been a secret. It’s something that’s come up numerous times in the series, and yet Goku somehow has two children, so clearly he’s not totally ignorant.
Fans suspected that something was up between Goku and Chi-Chi, but in Dragon Ball Super audiences got a lot of validation on the matter.
In a conversation between Goku and Vegeta, Goku reveals that he’s never even kissed Chi-Chi before.
Clearly they have certain blind spots in their marriage and it’s unclear if there’s any romance left at this point.
Cabba, Caulifla, And Kale Are Universe 6’s Counterparts To Vegeta, Goku, And Broly
Before Dragon Ball Super brought a whole slew of other universes into the mix, it introduced audiences to Universe 7’s counterpart, Universe 6.
There are many similarities between these two universes, as they’re meant to compliment each other.
However, one area that’s particularly interesting is the Saiyans that occupy Universe 6.
Cabba, Caulifla, and Kale have quickly turned into memorable characters, but Toriyama has said that he wanted to intentionally draw parallels between these characters and Universe 7’s Saiyan heroes.
Vegeta is drawn to Cabba and his attitude, Caulifla shares traits with Goku, and Kale is clearly a counterpart to the Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly, and his Berserker Mode.
Fans Came Up With The Name For Super Saiyan Blue
Dragon Ball is always eager to offer up new, exciting transformations, but it doesn’t always reveal their corresponding names.
Accordingly, fans have gotten creative and come up with their own names until the series tells them otherwise.
The original name for the power level that comes after Super Saiyan God was Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, which is admittedly super clunky.
Due to how the transformation’s main feature is its blue hair and aura, fans started calling it “Super Saiyan Blue” before they knew its official name.
Toriyama eventually conceded that this name mode more sense.
The Super manga even mocks how clunky the transformation’s original name is and what a mouthful it can be.
Ki Works Like Body Armor
The physics and specifics on how ki and energy work in the Dragon Ball universe have never been explained to great detail, but many fans have built theories around how it might work.
Dragon Ball Super’s “Resurrection F” and the return of Frieza arc added a lot of fuel to these arguments when Goku gets taken down by a simple laser gun.
At this point, Goku should be more than strong enough to resist such a blast, but the series brings up how Goku should never let his guard down.
This implies that ki can be used as a barrier to prevent such attacks, but only when the user is prepared and paying attention.
Goku Black’s True Identity
As soon as a villainous Goku doppléganger became the new big bad in Dragon Ball Super, fans immediately began to assume that someone had stolen an alternate timeline’s version of Goku to use to their advantage.
Only the most perceptive of audience members suspected Universe 10’s Zamasu as the perpetrator, but with each passing episode it became increasingly obvious.
Some fans wanted to hang onto the theory that Goku Black was actually a grown up evil version of Goten, but this other theory that Zamasu had body snatched Goku to exact revenge on humanity proved to be correct.
War Of The Vegeta Voice Actors
A mini-arc in Dragon Ball Super introduces an evil Copy Vegeta that the heroes need to face off with in what makes for an exciting excuse to have a villainous Vegeta in the mix again.
Curiously, many people thought that Copy Vegeta had quite the familiar voice when he showed up in the dub.
It turns out that Christopher Sabat specifically recruited the show’s original Vegeta voice actor, Brian Drummond, to portray the role as a nod to fans.
It adds a nice dimension to the Vegeta vs. Vegeta showdown, which means a lot more than if Christopher Sabat voiced both parts.
Saiyan Hybrids Are Stronger Than Purebred Saiyans
The fact that hybrids are stronger than pure Saiyans has never been outright stated, but it can pretty much be inferred based on all of the evidence that the various Dragon Ball series provide.
Gohan, a half-Saiyan, has incredible strength at an early age, and Goten and Trunks, who are an even greater divide, can turn into Super Saiyans at an even earlier age.
Pan, Goku’s granddaughter, can even defeat criminals and fly as an infant, so this trend seems to continue.
Now, if these Saiyans actually train and choose to play into their potential is another issue entirely.
Goku Cannot Combine His Super Saiyan And Kaio-Ken Transformations
When Goku gains the ability to turn Super Saiyan, he also suddenly stops using his typical go-to power-up, the Kaio-Ken Attack.
Kaio-Ken was Goku’s typical way out of binds, but people were wondering if he simply forgot about it or couldn’t use it.
Many people assumed that the attacks couldn’t be used in tandem because the sheer overload of power would destroy Goku’s body.
This was more or less confirmed in Dragon Ball Super when the Kaio-Ken Attack makes its long-awaited return.
Goku can use the ability with Super Saiyan Blue since that transformation is all about controlling and limiting power.
Android 16 Is Based On Dr. Gero’s Son
The pacifistic Android 16 is certainly the outlier amongst Dr. Gero’s androids, and it’s got a lot to do with how the character is actually based on Gero’s son.
Toriyama has confirmed that Gero had a son in the Red Ribbon Army who met an unfortunate end. This son acted as 16’s inspiration, but it also explains why 16 is such a mystery to those who should be in the know.
Gero likely doesn’t activate 16 because he doesn’t want to see him face combat, which is why Future Trunks doesn’t recognize him.
However, Cell also has no information on him, which probably has to do with Gero trying to protect his son one final time.
Frost’s Voice Actor Bears A Certain Resemblance To Frieza’s
The introduction of Universe 6 adds a lot of possibilities to the Dragon Ball universe, especially when it comes to voice actors.
The dub has taken advantage of this on a number of occasions, but a big one is what they do with Frost.
Frost is Universe 6’s answer to Frieza, and so the series naturally decides to have them sound quite similar.
While one approach would be to simply use the same voice actor for both roles, fans noticed that something was going on here and figured out that Frost is voiced by Greg Ayres, the brother of Chris Ayres, who voices Frieza.
Frieza Would Betray Universe 7 In The Tournament Of Power
The moment that Goku decides to enlist Frieza’s help as an ally in the Tournament of Power, viewers were quick to speculate that the former villain was just waiting for the right moment to stab everyone in the back.
Fans predicted Frieza’s big game plan quite far in advance, but the character proved to have more layers than they expected.
Frieza does only think about himself and turn his back on his allies, but in the end ,he’s still beholden to Universe 7 and fights as a team.
Frieza benefits in a big way from his actions, so it’s still possible that all of his good work actually is in service of ulterior motives.
Ultra Instinct And Advanced Super Saiyan Blue Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin
As soon as Goku starts to toy with Ultra Instinct, fans were already eager to see when Vegeta would unlock the transformation for himself. However, it never happens.
Ultra Instinct remains reserved for Goku, but Vegeta obtains his own next level power-up, Advanced Super Saiyan Blue.
With the characters’ power-ups verging in these two different directions, the audience speculated that both of these transformations focus on different aspects (speed for one, strength for the other) and that they’re actually complimentary.
In fact, if the two were to fuse, they would then become the ultimate warrior.
The latter hasn’t happened yet, but their distinct transformations still remain.
Pikkon Met His End From A Heroic Sacrifice
Many fans have grown to love the anime-only character, Pikkon, who becomes a partner and competitor of Goku’s during his stay in the afterlife.
Pikkon proves to be exceptionally strong and can keep Super Saiyan Goku on his toes, which poses the question of what could have sent him to the afterlife in the first place?
Since Pikkon gets to keep his body in the afterlife and also receive training from a Kai, it implies that he met a heroic end of sorts.
The likely answer here is that Pikkon either sacrifices himself for a greater cause or passes by natural means, which the limited evidence in the series supports.
Turning Super Saiyan Is About Ki Focus And Not A Rage Catalyst
The first time that Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks become Super Saiyans, it has a lot to do with a rage-filled event that pushes them over the top.
This was initially fundamental, but it bears less and less importance as the series continues.
Fans started to speculate that there may be more involved to the transformations.
Furthermore, the Universe 6 Saiyans all become Super Saiyans incredibly quickly simply by Goku talking them through it.
These sequences explain that gaining this power actually involves focusing on the ki around the base of your spine (or tail) and creating a “funny feeling.”
This becomes the new standard for transformation.
Super Was Born Out Of Toriyama’s Disappointment In What The Franchise Had Become
Akira Toriyama wasn’t a part of Dragon Ball GT and he was entirely happy to leave his franchise behind.
At that point, Dragon Ball lived on through video games and tons of ancillary cash-ins that were of questionable quality.
One of the biggest disasters was the live-action movie, Dragon Ball Evolution, which was apparently the final nail in the coffin for Toriyama.
Due to how far the series’ stock had dropped, Toriyama was determined to redeem the property and return to it in a big way.
Fans suspected that the anime’s debut was meant to be a course correction of sorts and they were right.
Goku Would Use Zeno’s “Save Me” Button Against Zamasu
As soon as Goku gets his “Get Out of Jail Free” card from the King of Everything, many people assumed that it would be the deus ex machina that inevitably saves him from the next big situation that he winds up in.
This more or less is what happens, but it takes a lot of time to come to fruition.
Fans have basically forgotten about this magic button when it eventually comes out at the end of the Zamasu arc.
Granted, Future Trunks initially defeats Fused Zamasu, but when things get really messy, it’s Zeno’s button that wipes the slate clean in the end.
Potara Earring Fusions Are Only Permanent For Kai
Dragon Ball has introduced two varieties of fusion into the mix, the fusion dance and the Potara earrings.
The main advantage of the fusion dance is that it only lasts thirty minutes, whereas the Potara earrings promise a permanent union.
However, the Potara fusion breaks when Vegito gets absorbed by Super Buu, and later, when they use it against Fused Zamasu, it wears off super quickly because their combined power level is so high.
Perhaps then, this fusion is permanent, but only for deities.
These Potara unions haven’t been broken on any of the Kai, and the same is true when Zamasu puts it to use as well.
Belmod And Marcarita Were Supposed To Be A Couple
One of the best things about Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power is just how many new characters get introduced, including a whole new slew of Gods of Destruction and their accompanying Angels.
There are a lot of faces to keep track of, but two that definitely stand out are the God of Destruction, Belmod, and his Angel, Marcarita, due to their circus-like appearances.
Many fans instantly created associations between these two and Batman’s Joker and Harley Quinn, and Super’s Toyotaro even admitted that not only was this intentional, but the two were supposed to be romantically linked before Toriyama vetoed the idea.
Jiren Is Inspired By Buddha
Jiren is the ultimate threat that turns up in Dragon Ball Super, but for the bulk of his appearance, he doesn’t even take an offensive approach to fighting.
Jiren looks quite intimidating, but he spends multiple episodes alone in meditation where he is more focused on his breathing than what’s happening around him.
Some perceptive fans started to post theories that Jiren actually takes after Buddha due to his stoic style and focus on meditation.
As the Tournament of Power continues, fans got more confirmation of this with how much of Jiren’s approach comes down to his eyes and breathing.
His introspective approach also fits with the character’s fight for justice.
