Dragon Ball has a legacy of more than three decades under its belt, and there’s still no end in sight as new manga volumes, feature films, and video games continue to go into production. Many broader Dragon Ball elements remain the same regarding Earth’s heroes’ dedicated training to surpass their limits and ward off evil.
That being said, Dragon Ball has come a long way from the original series’ lighter and more fantastical tone. Heightened combat and unusual characters are par for the course in Dragon Ball, but those who revisit the series from the start may be surprised at some of the odd details in early episodes.
Updated June 3, 2023, by Daniel Kurland: Dragon Ball holds a very special place in many anime fans’ hearts, partly because they’ve been on this journey since the original series when Goku was still just a kid. The original Dragon Ball lays a crucial foundation for the more action-centric series that follow, and it’s easy to forget just how weird the series can be. There’s a certain freedom in the original Dragon Ball before the franchise turns into a breakout hit, where its ability to be more flexible about certain details results in strange details and inconsistencies.
15 The World Martial Arts Tournament Changes Location
Tournaments of strength are a recurring event throughout Dragon Ball and a popular way for the characters to prove how they rank against their peers. The World Martial Arts Tournament is the most notable of these competitions, and it gets introduced as an early milestone for Goku and Krillin in the original Dragon Ball.
The World Martial Arts Tournament is consistently shown to take place on Papaya Island rather than it being a competition that changes locations. However, when the tournament is first referenced, it’s said to be held in South City. It’s easy to forget this oversight, but it still attributes the popular tournament to the wrong location.
14 Goku’s Great Ape Size Is Inconsistent
Dragon Ball has slowly moved away from the Saiyans’ signature Great Ape transformation, but in the original series, it’s Goku’s strongest power boost. It’s so easy to get caught up in the spectacle of this precocious child transforming into a giant, rampaging ape that it’s easy to lose track of just how big a Great Ape is supposed to be.
Dragon Ball is quite inconsistent on this front; Goku’s Great Ape can be the size of a castle, while other times, it feels closer to 20 feet tall. Great Ape’s become even more grandiose in Dragon Ball Z, which makes Dragon Ball‘s depictions of these creatures almost quaint in nature.
13 Manwolf Doesn’t Get Disqualified In Time
Dragon Ball‘s World Martial Arts Tournaments are exciting opportunities for endless action. There’s largely an anything-goes mentality to these tense proceedings, but there are still a few select rules that must be adhered to; otherwise, the participants will face disqualification. One such guideline is that fighters can not make use of weapons.
Jackie Chun’s fight against Manwolf is punctuated by the enemy pulling a knife on Chun. The announcer correctly declares Manwolf’s foul, but the fight continues. It’s not until Chun gets Manwolf to leave the ring by distracting him with a bone that Chun is declared the winner.
12 Goku Searches For The Dragon Balls Only 8 Months After Their Last Wish
The rules that surround the titular Dragon Balls have become increasingly lax over the years, not to mention an increasing set of powers that’s helped streamline the wish-granting process. One tenet that continues to define the Dragon Balls is that the orbs scatter and become dormant for an entire year until they can be used again.
Goku and company’s hunt for the Dragon Balls during their escapades with the Red Ribbon Army takes place only eight months after their previous wish. This means that the Dragon Balls should still be stones and harder to locate with the Dragon Radar, but this is shown to not be the case.
11 The World Martial Arts Tournament Breaks Its Own Rules
The World Martial Arts Tournament becomes such a pivotal event in the original Dragon Ball, and many fans consider it to be the point at which the series really comes alive. Dragon Ball is a little overprotective of the World Martial Arts Tournament when it’s first introduced, and there are some arbitrary anime-exclusive rules, like how non-combatants can’t watch preliminary rounds from the gymnasium.
Bulma finds a clever way to circumvent this rule. However, in the following proceedings, Master Shen flagrantly violates the same policy with two of his pupils. It’s an easy-to-miss moment but yet another inconsistency.
10 Krillin’s Lack Of Nose Becomes A Plot Point
706z87″ title=”akira”>Akira Toriyama is a talented artist who’s showcased a wide range of character designs throughout the ongoing Dragon Ball franchise. There are certain individuals who are more detailed than others, as well as some who contain design details that may not make sense but are aesthetically pleasing.
Krillin’s simplistic design appears to lack a nose or nostrils, yet most audiences wouldn’t assume that Krillin is actually missing this piece of anatomy. However, during the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin is able to endure Bacterian’s offensive stench because he doesn’t have a nose to detect his foul odor. It’s an odd joke and one that’s easy to overlook.
9 Oolong & Puar Went To Shapeshifting School Together
The original Dragon Ball is considerably lighter and more fantastical than its action-heavy sequel series, Dragon Ball Z. Oolong and Puar, two anthropomorphic animal shapeshifters, are entertaining supporting players in the original series.
There’s an offhand line of dialogue when Puar lays eyes on Oolong, where the creature refers to previously meeting Oolong at shapeshifting school. This indicates that shapeshifting is a skill that can either be taught or perfected. Shapeshifters recede into the background despite this appealing piece of lore on the subject.
8 The World’s President Is A Dog
Dragon Ball doesn’t hide the fact that it takes place in a heightened version of the world that’s considerably more magical in nature. The existence of aliens, monsters, and odd animals is more or less accepted to be the norm. However, what’s a little more surprising is that the individual who’s in charge of the free world is none other than a dog, King Furry.
Dragon Ball‘s President is rarely seen, but his appearances all reflect an anthropomorphic dog who’s found his way into the office. The paintings throughout King Furry’s office also seem to indicate that King Furry is just the latest in a long line of canine leaders.
7 Vegeta’s Hair Is 70zll0v” title=”origin”>Originally Red
A Saiyan’s hair becomes surprisingly important in Dragon Ball. The series establishes many rules surrounding this subject, many of which appear to be casual and are discarded whenever it’s convenient for a gag or storytelling turn. A lot of stock is put into the stationary nature of a Saiyan’s hair and how they predominantly have black hair.
Curiously, Vegeta’s initial appearances in the anime depict him with a redder hue of hair rather than his classical black look. It’s easy to forget about this inconsistency, especially when Dragon Ball Z Kai corrects this error.
6 Fortuneteller Baba Is Over 500 Years Old
Life and death are fluid concepts in Dragon Ball, and most of the series’ main characters have perished on multiple occasions. Accordingly, many of the humans on Earth seem to be able to live for extremely long periods without any magical intervention. Master Roshi, for instance, is around 300 years old.
Roshi’s sister, Fortuneteller Baba, is actually more than 200 years his senior and over 500 years old. Fortuneteller Baba stays by the sidelines in Dragon Ball, and while it’s obvious that she’s elderly, most wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that she’s half a millennium in age.
5 Villains Who Die Aren’t Supposed To Keep Their Bodies
Dragon Ball Z really begins to explore the rules that surround death and the afterlife after Goku passes on in the third episode. King Yemma explains to Goku early on that it’s an esteemed privilege to retain one’s bodily form in the afterlife.
This is reserved only for heroes, while villains and other troublemakers must become nondescript spirits. This principle is reiterated when Vegeta dies during the Buu Saga, yet the fact that he keeps his body proves he’s now truly a hero. However, this doesn’t explain why Frieza, Cell, the Ginyu Force, or any of the other villains who are seen in the afterlife still have their bodies.
4 The Existence Of Grand Kai
Dragon Ball has gotten a lot of mileage out of the introduction of celestial deities who watch over different tiers of existence. King Kai is eventually revealed to just be in control of the north quadrant of the galaxy and that other special Kai share comparable privileges.
This hierarchy gets extended to Supreme Kai, Angels, Gods of Destruction, and ultimately Zeno, the Omni-King. Dragon Ball Z’s Other World Tournament introduces Grand Kai, who ranks above King Kai and his three counterparts. Grand Kai and Supreme Kai serve the same role, and the former gets forgotten. Those who have never watched Dragon Ball Z’s filler might not even know about Grand Kai.
3 Monster Carrot Is Stranded On The Moon
An early contender for one of Dragon Ball‘s oddest enemies is Monster Carrot, a giant rabbit who runs a gang and possesses the power to transform targets into consumable carrots. Monster Carrot feels very in line with the original Dragon Ball, but the circumstances behind his farewell often get ignored.
Goku leaves Monster Carrot and several of his henchmen stranded on the moon. This raises some curious questions when the moon gets destroyed in Dragon Ball Z, especially when a playful manga panel shows that Monster Carrot is still stuck in outer space and is somehow alive.
2 Goku’s Family Are Gamers
Dragon Ball‘s characters are often so busy with saving the world that they don’t have a lot of time for hobbies and recreational activities. Nevertheless, there have been a few moments in Dragon Ball‘s anime, manga, and even promotional ads that depict Goku and other characters lost in the intense action of a video game.
Goku has turned to video games as a way to unwind, and promos have even put controllers in the hands of Vegeta and Frieza. Most recently, Goten and Trunks are seen playing a superhero-centric game, and it looks as if this pastime has carried over to the next generation of Saiyans.
1 Dragons & Huge Animals Exist In The World
There is no shortage of villains to threaten Goku and the rest of the Earth’s heroes. However, Dragon Ball also establishes that nature and wildlife can occasionally be just as dangerous.
Dragon Ball seems to be set in relatively modern times, especially when technology is concerned, yet the world seems to simultaneously be lost in the past with the presence of dinosaurs and absurd monsters that feel like they belong in fairy tales. Additionally, the world of Dragon Ball also has plenty of fish that are the size of whales and other gargantuan glimpses of wildlife that shouldn’t exist.