Your Dragon Ball Z Questions Answered

It has been over 30 years since the Dragon Ball Z anime first aired on Japanese television, in 1989. We have been following Goku and his friends for years as they travel around the universe, searching for Dragon Balls and saving the day. But what is DBZ about, and why would someone want Dragon Ball Z gifts, collectibles, and costumes? Keep reading for a crash course in Dragon Ball Z characters, and find some gifts for Dragon Ball Z fans that they will love!

Images are all courtesy of Toei Animation and IMDb.

Main Cast

Goku

The series' main protagonist, Goku, is a fierce fighter who strives to be the most powerful warrior in the universe. We find out that Goku's unusual strength came from his Saiyan lineage, as he was born a Saiyan child named Kakarot. He was initially sent to conquer Earth, but a childhood injury to his head altered his memory, ridding him of his otherwise destructive nature. Goku goes on to marry Chi-Chi and has two children, Gohan and Goten. The character of Goku is loosely based on Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, and Goku inherits his mischievous nature, power pole, and flying nimbus. Goku is a member of the Dragon Team, a group of Earth's mightiest warriors seeking out the Dragon Balls. The Dragon Team also ends up being the unofficial defenders of the Earth.

Krillin

Best friend to Goku, Krillin actually started as a childhood rival while the two of them trained under Master Roshi. While he was one of the most talented fighters on Earth and possibly even the current strongest Earthling, he often gets overpowered by the alien characters they end up fighting. (And he dies and is resurrected a couple of times.) He is usually seen with a shaved head, a sign of his monastic training. The six dots on his forehead are also related to Shaolin monks. Uncharacteristically for a human adult, Krillin is oddly short and lacks a nose in his character design. Krillin also marries Android 18, and they even have a child together, Marron.

Gohan

Son to Goku and Chi-Chi, Gohan is half Saiyan, half human. In contrast to his father, Gohan is much more studious and would rather fight only if necessary. (Although, as the son of Goku, he's still one of the strongest characters in the series.) When not wearing his glasses, Gohan looks much like Goku but has shorter black hair. Gohan goes on to be a scholar as an adult, although he has to balance this with saving the world and being a family man.

Piccolo

Piccolo is part of the Namekian race, a group of bald and green-skinned aliens who created the Dragon Balls. Not to be confused with King Piccolo, he was sometimes called Piccolo Jr. His life as a villain was very short-lived, and he switches sides in Dragon Ball Z after being defeated by Goku and helps fight against the invading Saiyans. Piccolo became a trainer for Gohan, one of Goku's children. He didn't initially feel like he was part of the team, but later, Piccolo admits they are friends and allies.

Bulma

One of the most intelligent characters in the series, Bulma takes after her scientist father and is a genius in her own right. As the inventor of the Dragon Radar, she uses it to detect the presence of Dragon Balls. She follows along with the Dragon Team on their adventures, providing critical technology that aids their success. Bulma also has a knack for understanding alien tech, which comes in handy on their many encounters. Eventually, Bulma becomes Vegeta's wife and is also the mother of Trunks and Bulla.

Vegeta

Vegeta was the prince of the Saiyan people, although the Saiyan race had largely fallen into obscurity. Another enemy-turned-friend, he begrudgingly joins forces with Goku and his friends to defeat Frieza. Vegeta later falls in love with Bulma, and they have their children, Trunks and Bulla. While he can be confused for Goku and Gohan because he's another character with spiky black hair, Vegeta has a prominent widow's peak and no bangs. As another fully-blooded Saiyan, he strives to be more powerful than Goku.

Trunks

When your mother is a spoiled scientist's kid, and your father is a stuck-up prince, you get Trunks, heir to Capsule Corp. He is also incredibly proud and spoiled, traits inherited from his parents. However, an additional iteration lovingly named Future Trunks hails from an alternate timeline in an apocalyptic world. (Yes, there's some timeline goofiness where realities collide, but in a show that kills and resurrects characters and has them visiting alien planets and distant galaxies, it's not that unusual anymore.) Future Trunks traveled back in time to warn Goku and the Dragon Team about the Red Ribbon Androids and their deadly intentions.

Master Roshi

It's hard to believe that Master Roshi is merely human. This martial arts master lived as a hermit on the distant Kame House island, where he trains the next generation of martial arts masters. He is over the age of 300 and still going! He also invented the Kamehameha Wave and trained Goku, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, and Ox-King. He is, unfortunately, also famed for his lechery, which is often overlooked due to his age. Even at the ripe old inhuman age of 300-something, Master Roshi continues his work as a martial arts master.

Tien Shinhan

Originally an adversary to Goku and his friends, Tien Shinhan was trained by Master Shen, a rival of Master Roshi's. Tien Shinhan is most notable for his third eye, which isn't even that weird considering everything else that gets thrown at you when watching DBZ. While he originally enters a martial arts tournament to kill Goku, he switches sides to be part of the Z Fighters/Dragon Team. Initially cold and serious, Tien Shinhan learns to loosen up a little and does his best to become an honorable warrior. He is also best friends with Chaiotsu, another of Master Shen's former students.

Chiaotzu

Despite his rather oddball appearance, Chiaotzu is confirmed to be human. His design is based on jiangshi, vampires from Chinese folklore. The jiangshi are known for their extremely pale complexion, round, formal hats, and Qing Dynasty clothing, features which Chiotzu shares. (Like Krillin, Chiaotzu is also bald, noseless, and uncharacteristically short.) He is best friends with Tien Shinhan and was originally a rival to Goku. Chiaotzu may be small, but he has devastating psychic attacks and the ability to fly. For a human, he sure doesn't seem much like one!

Yamcha

Yet another enemy-turned-friend, Yamcha, is another incredibly powerful human character who helps to defend the Earth as part of the Z Fighters. In the early part of the series, he has an oddly crippling fear of women, but he manages to get over it and even dates Bulma for a while. Yamcha looks a lot like some of the other main characters, but his scars set him apart from other members of the Dragon Team. While he got stronger as the series progressed, Yamcha was eventually outclassed by his friends and foes, and he retires from fighting towards the end of the series.

Villains

Frieza

Some villains want to rule the world, and some want to rule the entire universe. Frieza is one of the latter, claiming to be the ruler of Universe 7. (There are 12 Universes in DBZ, and number 7 happens to be the universe that contains Earth.) He continued to be the main villain for the first half of Dragon Ball Z, constantly clashing with our heroes on his quest to find enough dragon balls to make him immortal. While taking a back seat to other villains later on, Frieza continues to appear in later series.

Ginyu Force

The Ginyu Force is a mercenary team of underlings loyal to Frieza. They are often sent out to conquer planets for Frieza, famous for their incredible strength in battle. However, their otherwise fearsome reputation is often overshadowed by their tendency to be utterly ridiculous. They like to make ridiculous poses, make bets with candy, and even play rock, paper, scissors, endearing them to many fans.

Nappa

Nappa was the general of the Saiyan Army under Prince Vegeta. After Frieza killed most of the Saiyans, he takes Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa on as underlings. He has a love for destruction and a wicked temper, making him a horrifying opponent. As a proud Saiyan, he also deeply hates Goku and his siding with the Earthlings over the Saiyans. Nappa brutally beats Goku's friends but was later defeated by Goku. After his defeat, still evil at the time, Vegeta killed him for being a useless subordinate.

Cell

Evil Scientist Dr. Gero creates a batch of androids and Cell, an artificial life form made from the genetic material of Goku, Frieza, Vegeta, and Piccolo. Because he essentially shares their DNA, he can use some of their special moves, making him a mighty force to be reckoned with. Cell also absorbs other characters, including androids created by Dr. Gero. In his singular quest for the ultimate power, he allows nothing and no one to stand in his way.

Majin Buu

Way before any of the events of Dragon Ball Z took place, an evil warlock named Bibbidi created Majin Buu. He temporarily sealed him and placed him on Earth, their next target. However, he died, so it was left to his son Babibi to release Majin Buu. (And he is also an evil warlock like his dad.) As a magical life form, Majin Buu has several alternate forms, each with different personalities and goals. The race of Majin is not inherently evil, but after an internal struggle, he splits his bad and good consciousness into separate beings. His evil form became an antagonist to the Z Fighters for part of the series.

Bibidi

Bibidi was the son of Babidi, who was the creator of Majin Buu. While the humor in the naming devices was not lost on us, it doesn't make him any less evil. He uses his magical powers to control warriors and uses them to do his bidding—collecting the energy of others so he can revive Majin Buu. Babidi then threatens the revived Buu to continue fulfilling his evil desires by threatening to re-seal him should he disregard his orders. For a time, Babidi even had Vegeta working for him. However, his demise comes when Goku convinces Majin Buu to turn on his master.

Who Created Dragon Ball Z?

Akira Toriyama is the original creator of the manga story and is responsible for the character design concepts from 1984 to 1995. His work covers 519 chapters and 42 volumes of Dragon Ball. The manga was then created into two different anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Toei Animation has created 20 animated feature films, three television specials, and two anime sequel series. Akira's creation has become one of the most well-known franchises worldwide.

How Many Episodes are there of Dragon Ball Z?

Dragon Ball is the first anime, and it is made of 153 episodes, spanning 194 manga chapters. But it doesn't stop there: Dragon Ball Z starts 5 years after Dragon Ball ends and squishes 325 manga chapters into 291 episodes! This brings the total to 444 episodes for the original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z story. Even with each episode having a run time of just under a half-hour, we think that's still a long time to binge-watch the original series, but if you try, we won't tell anyone! There have since been additional anime series, but Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are the ones that sparked a franchise.

When Did Dragon Ball Z Come Out?

Dragon Ball Z started as a manga released in 1984 in the weekly Shonen Jump. Two years later, Toriyama's story was picked up by Fuji Television in Japan. They created the Dragon Ball anime and released it on February 26th, 1986. Three years and 153 episodes later, the anime ended on April 19th, 1989. But of course, we know that wasn't the end of the franchise. The following week, Fuji Television continued with the second installment. Dragon Ball Z aired from April 26th, 1989 until January 31st, 1996! DBZ Kai was then released on April 5th, 2009 until June 28th, 2015. It was followed by Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes, and it's likely that there will be more to come.

What is DBZ Kai?

Some of you may have heard of or even watched DBZ Kai, also known as Dragon Ball Z Kai. This is essentially "Dragon Ball Z Revised". DBZ Kai follows the manga closer than the Dragon Ball Z anime. Because Toriyama was only partway through his Dragon Ball manga, Toei Animation's anime version had to create many filler episodes so that Toriyama could catch up with his writing. This is why we were blessed with episodes like "Goku's Ordeal," where Chi-Chi forces Goku and Piccolo to get their driver's licenses. Toei Animation announced Dragon Ball Z Kai would be released in April 2009 after Dragon Ball Z's 20th anniversary. DBZ Kai reduced the episode count to 159 in Japan (167 internationally) from originally 291 episodes of DBZ.

How Old is Goku?

Dragon Ball Z follows many characters throughout the series but develops the main story around the protagonist, Goku. He is a Saiyan named Kakarot who was sent to Earth by his parents when he was three years old. An old man named Gohan finds the child alone in the woods, renames him Son Goku, and adopts him as his grandson. Goku grows up to be about 12 when he is initially introduced in Dragon Ball. He trains and fights his way to find all the Dragon Balls so that he can make a wish from the almighty dragon, Shenron. At the end of Dragon Ball, Goku is 19 years of age. Of course, as we know, Dragon Ball Z begins five years later when Goku is 24 years old. Dragon Ball Z continues to follow Goku and his friends and family over the years as they level up their power to save the different universes.

What is Goku Wearing & What is Goku's Outfit Called?

Similar to Marvel's Hulk, Goku's clothes are always blown to smithereens when he fights or goes Super Saiyan. So what is that outfit even called? Goku's outfit is based on the Turtle School uniform from Master Roshi's martial arts training school. He wears what's called a gi. If you've never seen the anime and only the black-and-white manga, you may be wondering, "What color are Goku's clothes?". Well, his clothes feature two main colors. First is his orange gi which is a loose tunic and pants. He pairs this outfit with a blue undershirt, wristbands, obi he ties around his waist, and boots. Here at FUN.com, we've obtained exclusive licenses to create official Dragon Ball Z costumes for adults and kids. You can dress up just like your favorite Dragon Ball Z characters for Halloween, cosplay, or even just hang out on your living room sofa while binge-watching the entire show again.

What Does the Symbol on Goku's Shirt Mean?

Goku's gi features a round kanji, or symbol, on the front and back of his clothes. When he is younger and training at Master Roshi's Turtle School, his yellow and black gi features Master Roshi's "Kame" or "Turtle" design. A second kanji is displayed on Goku's gi when he begins to train under King Kai. His new "King Kai" kanji is a large black-and-white symbol on the back of his gi. Goku's third symbol is his own "Go" kanji, taken from his name. It also means "enlightenment". He wears this symbol through the Frieza Saga in Dragon Ball Z. The fourth and final symbol is from Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F, the nineteenth film based on the Dragon Ball franchise. This new symbol is Whis' own signature worn by both Goku and Vegeta while they train under him.

How do you think you'd do at a game of DBZ trivia? Are there some Dragon Ball questions you'd love to see answered? As much fun as it is to look at our favorite Dragon Ball Z facts, that just gives us the itch to look at our favorite Dragon Ball Z merchandise. Hopefully, our DBZ gift guide gave you a few good ideas to start from, but you can check out our full list of Dragon Ball Z gifts to find something special for the anime lover in your life. Also, should your DBZ fan (or you!) happen to love other anime shows, we have tons of other anime gifts that might be fun to add to your gift list!