Dragonball Z Mistakes/Plot Holes

Writing that last post inspired me to do one more about DBZ

Now, let's be honest, you may have gathered that I am a big fan of the show. Bigger than most. Sitting on my movie shelf is every episode of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, GT, Kai and every movie spinoff.

That being said, Dragonball Z is far from being a perfect show. Part of this is because Akira Toriyama never knew what he was going to be writing about next week when doing the manga which could obviously lend itself to some disasters.

So here are my personal favorite mistakes, plot-holes or just plain weird things from the series.

Oh yeah, with hella-spoilers.

But honestly, who hasn't watched the show at this point?

SSJ4?

Yeah, I just had to bitch about this one. It might be a bad idea to start with one that's open to debate, but I'll just state the facts.

Super Saiyan 3 was supposed to be the ultimate form. It was the final form used in the cannon manga and was only ascended in GT. To be honest, I had a pretty hard time accepting the existence of SSJ3 but with time I got used to it and I'm fine with it because of it's severe drawbacks.

Here are the rules of SSJ3:

- Don't transform on Earth. Goku almost destroyed the entire planet when he transformed, and it was factoring in King Kai's anger during the whole scene. There wasn't just the standard quakes. There were world wide floods. Buildings crumbled, glass shattered, electronics exploded, it was a real mess. Goku can use this form in the Other World because, as he says, "The Other World has fewer rules."

- Don't do it in our realm, actually. When Goku transformed to fight Majin Buu (note: the only time there was a SSJ3 transformation on Earth apart from the movie Wrath of the Dragon) he didn't just almost destroy the planet, but he actually bent the space time continuum. This is what shorted out his remaining time on Earth and forced him to return to the Other World prematurely. Do you understand the gravity of that? He gave off so much power that it fucked up the flow of time.

- Don't use a living body. The only reason Goku could transform into SSJ3 was because of that little halo over his head. Normally, simply the transformation itself would give off so much power that a living body would be torn apart by it. But in Goku's case, he had no body to destroy. This has some dispute over it because Gotenks was also able to achieve SSJ3 and he wasn't dead. What I can say for that case is that Goten and Trunks were sharing a body, so that may have given them the leiway to perform it. Matter of fact, Goku even having the non-living body and all was still completely worn out by using this form. He explains to Goten in layman's terms as being "very tired," as he sweats bullets.

But then SUPER SAIYAN 4 just comes out of nowhere! Sure, he had to pull out his tail and go into an ape form and all, but for God's sake! No earth shaking (or planet Vegeta shaking in the case of the first transformation.), No space-time continuum ruining, and don't forget Goku had a living body when he did this (although, it wasn't really a normal one).

Vegeta flip-flops

Here's an interesting one I've been tossing around and note: this one falls under the 'just kind of weird' catagory. You all know Vegeta. You all know that he's a proud bastard. He prides himself in relying only on his own strength and constantly refers to those who use other people's power as weaklings. If this is the case, and I'm coming back to SSJ4 with this one, why does he allow Bulma to use her machine to transform him into a Super Saiyan 4? I mean, for God's sake this is the guy who feels it's dishonorable to take Sensu Beans and always puts up a fuss when he has to take them. It'd be one thing if the only way to achieve SSJ4 was through machine use, but Goku did it without any such handicaps.

People may argue, "He knew he had to because the situation was so desperate." but I say bullshit to that. The Vegeta from DBZ would much rather die gloriously in battle than be given a crutch. Sure, he used Babidi that one time but that was just to reawaken his dark side and even that was a stretch for Vegeta to do.

Raditz, ahead of the curb

One of my least favorite lines in the series occurs when Goku and Piccolo are fighting Raditz. After Piccolo fires the aptly named special beam cannon, Raditz doges it and Piccolo says, "He's faster than the speed of light." Not only is this line infuriating to physics majors, but it also makes the instant transmission completely useless. If Raditz can move the speed of light, why is it so cool that Goku can do the same thing? A trick learned after Frieza, which was about 100 something episodes later mind you. Was Raditz the only enemy who could do this? When Goku uses instant transmission in front of Cell, he says "I must learn how he does that." implying that he can't do it either. Goku learned the instant transmission on the planet Yardrat when he crash landed after his fight with Frieza and the inhabitants graciously taught it to him. Then perhaps Raditz could've learned it from them... except that they wouldn't teach a killer like Raditz anything, I mean it's not like he could rape information out of them. And further more, as saiyan vacations often go, if Raditz had been there, either everyone would be dead or the planet would be destroyed. So, I can only conclude that Raditz had this ability all along and was actually way above everyone else. I guess he was hiding his strength.

Pictured: The epitome of sexiness

And while we're talking about instant transmission

Goku explains that the instant transmission turns his body into a light particle and allows him to (what else) travel at the speed of light. He refers to it as the instant transmission because, while it isn't truly instantaneous, it damn well seems it watching it with human eyes. But we know that the speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second. Now that's great for traveling around a single planet and even pretty good for traveling around solar systems, but that trick becomes completely useless when you're talking about interstellar movement, which Goku does frequently. Ever heard of a light year? Well, it takes thousands of them to do that sort of trip and as the name implies, that is indeed traveling at the speed of light. So, hate to get all technical on the show but Goku's instant transmission, really comes off as being no good.

Strange powers

I'll start by saying that this isn't a mistake or plot hole, but rather, just a thing I find strange. The Z-Fighters obviously exhibit strange, otherworldly powers, from flying to blasting. That can all be explained by mastery of energy. Gohan explains himself to Videl when teaching her how to fly, that all of these powers are performed by manifesting your own energy somehow, be it putting it under you, or condensing it into a blast. But there are a few abilities that are done from time to time that don't seem to fit that description. For instance, telepathic manipulation. In the episode where The Great Saiyaman is fighting kidnappers holding the mayor for ransom, he stops an RPG shot in mid-flight, and slowly pushes it back towards the sender. That isn't the only time levitation of some sort comes into play. Cell uses it to create his Cell Games arena and there may be a few other examples I'm forgetting. The point is, is that I want to know how that's done or at the very least, why don't they use it more often and what are the limits of this ability. But another stranger power is done a couple times. When Gohan, fresh out of the hyperbolic time chamber, asks Piccolo to make him a costume like his, Piccolo just holds his hand over his head and BAM! Gohan's wearing the same thing. He does this another time when he's training Gohan out in the wilderness. Same process but different clothes. What sort of power would allow him to do that? Is it limited to just creating clothing or can he create other things out of mid-air and if so, why wouldn't Piccolo use this power more often? I don't know. Like I said, it's not a mistake, but just something I find odd.

You meant this outfit right?

The Other World changes it's policies

We're back to Raditz and the Saiyan saga with this one. So, obviously, Piccolo kills Goku and Raditz at the same time using the Special Beam Cannon. They both go to the other world. Goku arrives with Kami and speaks with King Yemma about training with King Kai. Before he leaves Goku asks King Yemma if he's seen Raditz come through. Yemma said that Raditz put up a fight but he was able to show him up and send him to Hell. When Goku says he wants to train with Yemma, Kami informs him that King Kai is stronger than Yemma. But we later learn that Vegeta and Nappa are stronger than even King Kai, so Goku becomes stronger than him in order to defeat the saiyans. But this is only the very beginning of the show and from here on out, every enemy is stronger than the last... so, how did King Yemma get rid of those guys? They were all just as evil as Raditz, in most cases more so undoubtably they would've put up a fight. Maybe after Raditz they decided to change the rules a little to prevent future incidents?

Again, about the Other World

So, we know people that are dead turn into funny looking clouds when they're just wandering around or waiting in line. An exceptionally good person like Goku or many of the other Z-fighters get to keep their bodies as a reward for leading honest lives. So why is it that villains keep their bodies as well? You might say, it may simply have to do with the strength of the person, but Piccolo himself explains the way this process works when Vegeta is about to sacrifice himself to kill Buu. He tells Vegeta he won't be able to keep his body because the life he lead was only for himself and he caused great pain throughout it. So there's that.

Cell, savior of humanity

Here's something I find strange that's not really a mistake. During the filler episodes leading up to the Cell Games, there's a scene where Cell flies into space to blast some meteors which conveniently happened to be floating by at the time. In a classic DBZ cliche, the last meteor is huge. Cell is standing between it and Earth. "I wonder if these miserable humans would enjoy a little light show." So he blasts the thing to bits saving the Earth and all of humanity. Albeit, he sent the shrapnel down at the planet, but they didn't cause any damage. Cell should be revered. That meteor was heading straight for the Earth with nothing to stop it before he stepped in. A true hero.

Gohan the Autist/Alien

Another one of my least favorite lines in the series, in the second episode of that useless filler saga when Gohan goes to high-school, Videl gets involved with a bus-jacking and has to fight them head-on. In case you forgot, she's the daughter of Mr.Satan the man who, allegedly, saved all of humanity from the evil Cell (which I swear on this stomach virus is true). That alone basically makes Videl a celebrity, but if that weren't enough, she goes around taking care of the dirty work that's too dangerous for the police force (Keep in mind, this is a show that involves wizards, aliens, demons and androids; it should not be a dilema to suspend your disbelief just a little further). So, anyway, Videl flies down with her absurd looking helicopter to "save the day." One of the old folks exclaims, "That's Videl! She's famous!" So, right from there, we know that Videl is so famous, that simply the helicopter she drives is recognizable enough to be able to identify the driver. Well, Videl fails miserably at her remarkably simple job and manages to drive the truck off of a cliff. Gohan, dressed as The Great Saiyaman flies in and catches the bus and brings them to safety. Hooray. After all that, The Great Saiyaman says something like, "Good try, Videl. We're totally gonna fuck someday, Videl." (Y'know, polite stuff) and promptly flies off. Videl then turns dramatically and says, "HOW DID HE KNOW MY NAME?"

...

Really, writers? Really? This is an obvious bode for drama and tension, since Gohan was still supposed to be disguised at this point in the show but what a dumfucked way to do it. I mentioned before that that old guy was able to recognize her by her vehicle. An old guy no less. Old people are always the pariahs of the pop culture, I mean, for God's sake, there are probably some old people who think Kurt Cobain is still alive. What I'm getting at here is that Videl is basically a superstar. The town she lives in, the same town the bus-jacking happened was named after her father, "Satan City." Come on people, if you know the town name you already know most of VIdel's name.

So, here's what Videl probably was think when she said that. I'll bet that looking at this dork, wearing a cape and helmet, she probably thought that he was mentally retarded (which would explain the whole, lifting the bus thing) therefore, she was amazed that he knew her name. She was probably about to congratulate him. Dumbass flew away. Or maybe she assumed he was an alien, lifting that bus and all (which would only be a half wrong assumption) and was all like, they know me on other planets!?

Vegeta finally hits puberty

In Dragonball GT, Vegeta has, rather hilariously so, allowed himself to grow a mustache.

No, seriously, I have just a ton of candy here.

Well, besides looking like a pedophile, that's all fine and dandy for him. Until that it, his daughter, Bulla, calls him out on it and tells him it makes him look "like a creep." Vegeta's pride is shattered and he promptly shaves it off. So, where's the catch? Rewind back to the Cell saga. After training in the hyperbolic time-chamber, Trunks' hair is very long. Bulma offers to cut it for him, and Goku asks why Vegeta doesn't get his cut. Vegeta responds with, "For your information, a Saiyan's hair doesn't change from the day they are born!" Well, that's pretty strange considering he grew out a mustache and all (did he do something with his hair too? I can't remember...). Maybe Vegeta picked up some hair growing stuff at the pharmacy. I'm not sure that that would work on a Saiyan and draw out their latent follicles. Now, that I think about it, how do any Saiyans have facial hair? Like King Vegeta. He had a goatee. Was he born with one? Nappa had a mustache and in one flashback had hair. Now of course, he could of shaved it off, but what about the fucking mustaches!? Perhaps what Vegeta was referring to before didn't apply to facial hair. That seems odd, that hair would be subjective like that, deciding where to grow. I don't know, maybe I'm over-thinking it. I mean honestly, we're talking about the facial hair of an alien race from an anime.

The Mystery Fighter

This might be a well-known mistake, I'm really not sure, but I noticed it when re-watching The Cell Games for the nth time. Cell crushes 16's head and Gohan transforms into SSJ2. His very first act after doing so, is to kill a Cell Jr. which he does in a delicate mannor involving tearing it's head from it's shoulders. Immediately after, he runs over to Krillin who is being attacked by two of these guys. Gohan kills one with a kick as soon as he puts Krillin down near Trunks. Some other Cell Jr.s attack him all at once. Gohan makes smoke happen and kicks the third Cell Jr. clean in two. Not long after this Gohan fires off some blasts and attacks two more fleeing Cell Jr.s after saying "I said before I could never forgive you." Both are torn in two by kicks and punches. He attacks two more Cell Jr.s trying to run away. One with the apparently popular move that tears things in two with your feet, and by decapitating the other one with his bare hands. Finally, he goes after the last one. He hits it through two mountains and kicks it in two again. Done. But wait a minute...  rewind. Before Gohan is a SSJ2, Cell in an attempt to awaken this power, counts the other fighters, which comes to a grand total of seven, and shits out seven mini-Cells accordingly. Let's do some math here.

1. Killed instantly subsequent to transforming via decapitation.

2. Killed after rescuing Krillin.

3. Killed in the smoke with body ripping kick.

4. Killed after badass line.

5. Killed right after 4 with a punch.

6. Killed with a kick.

7. Killed right after 6 via decapitation.

8? Punched through a mountain.

So, what the fuck? Did Cell shit out an eighth when no one was looking? Unlikely, he was standing by Gohan the whole time and that's a pretty noticeable technique. There's no way any of them were playing dead, we saw them get mercilessly torn apart right before our eyes. Perhaps then the eighth was merely a fighter who overslept and arrived at the tournament late and due to a horrible child disfigurement, looked exactly like a Cell Jr. That, or Gohan is just so badass that he can kill things twice. Seriously, if you don't believe me you can count for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3OUyq4r9OA

Dragon, please revive some of the humans

A tradition of DBZ is to summon the Eternal Dragon in order to revive all of the people who the newly defeated villain had killed. They do this every time, generally using the Earth Shenron to do so. But one of the rules of the Eternal Dragon is that he can't grant the same wish twice which as far as the Z-Fighters are concerned, means you can't bring someone back twice. But they wish this same thing every time they defeat an enemy, so what happens to everyone who died last time? Well, they're dead for keeps this time. So, in the end Cell did a real number on humanity didn't he?

Kamehaha or Kamehamehmeha

This is a quick one but I find it pretty funny. The first instance is when Goku is charging up the "Instant Kamehameha." He chants the classic words with several breaks in between, but if you listen closely, you'll notice that Goku only says "KA-MEH-HA..." and then "HA!" What happened to that second "MEH?" This is not the only time this happens. In episode 190, at the very end, just before Cell and Gohan blast each other (sofreakingepic.jpeg) Gohan says, again with several breaks in between, "KA-MEH-HA-MEH... MEH HA!" ...So, what? Are these strange variations of the normal attack? Maybe adding or taking away syllables makes them even more powerful. That's probably it.

Someone get me the Moon-Be-Gone

I feel like this is so blazingly obvious that it can't possibly be a mistake and that I'm analyzing this wrong but I suppose I'll bring it up anyway. Remember back to early Dragonball. In first world tournament finals, Goku fights Jackie Chun who was a disguised Master Roshi. Towards the end of the battle, Goku catches a glimpse of the full moon and goes ape-shit on everyone. Jackie Chun decides to blast the living fuck out of the completely innocent moon as Yamcha runs in shouting like a retard for ten minutes. The moon is destroyed, and Goku transforms back into a human, the fight continues. Skip ahead 173 episodes. Gohan is training in the wilderness and being watched over by Piccolo. Gohan goes ape. How? Well, he looks at the full moon of course! Piccolo does the only thing that makes sense and destroys the moon yet again. Ignoring the obvious environmental hazards that would be caused by destroying a planet sized mass of rock hovering above Earth, where the hell did that second moon come from? Did I miss something? I don't recall anyone wishing the moon back. This has to be the biggest error in the entire series. How did they forget that they already destroyed the fucking moon?

That's all I've got off the top of my head! Maybe I'll make another one some time.