Dragon Ball: Who Are The Tuffles?

The arrival of Raditz brought the concept of aliens to the world of Dragon Ball. It expanded the scope of the series, allowing for more sci-fi-styled concepts over the more mystical flavor previous Dragon Ball arcs had. The world of Dragon Ball had changed irrevocably, and the more the story leaned into space and further beyond, the more appealing the concept of alien races seemed. With more new Dragon Ball stories coming out every day, it’s no surprise that more and more alien races are being added to the mix.

Of the alien races introduced into the world of Dragon Ball, obviously the most important is the Saiyan race, to which Goku and Vegeta belong. Despite that, the original manga spent little time deliberating on the lore and the history of the Saiyans, allowing the anime and other supplemental material to fill in the blanks. One of these additions to Saiyan lore was the concept of the Tuffles, a race that once existed before the Saiyans conquered their planet and eradicated them. Despite never being mentioned in the manga, the Tuffles have repeatedly cropped up in Dragon Ball media, making them a recurring element fans should be familiar with.

The History Of The Tuffles

The Tuffles were once an incredibly intelligent race that once lived on Planet Plant. They looked virtually similar to humans, and they were the creators of incredible technology, such as the scouter that would eventually be used by Frieza and his army. Even so, the Tuffles were fairly peaceful, and rarely participated in warfare. While the majority of what fans know about Tuffles is largely restricted to the Tuffles of Universe 7, Universe 2 and 6 are confirmed to have Tuffles as well.

At some point, the Saiyans arrived on Planet Plant, and after a short period of co-existence, the two were drawn into a conflict over control of the planet. The conflict was started by a Saiyan who would eventually become known as King Vegeta, and while the battle between Tuffle and Saiyan would be fairly even at first, the advent of the full moon allowed the Saiyan race to unlock their true powers, crushing the Tuffles beneath their feet and conquering the planet once and for all. The planet would be renamed to Planet Vegeta after the Saiyan King, and the Tuffle race would be exterminated for good.

The Tuffles’ Creations And Inventions

The Tuffles’ biggest contributions to the world of Dragon Ball were their technological innovations. Many of their inventions involved the modification and cloning of lifeforms. One example of their inventions comes in Dragon Ball GT, which introduces the Machine Mutants, artificial lifeforms that act like organic beings. They can absorb metals and mechanical objects into their bodies and contort or restructure their bodies in a variety of ways. Machine Mutants can either look very robotic (like Giru) or very human (like Dr. Myuu and General Rilldo). A variant of Machine Mutant known as Neo Machine Mutant also exists, represented by the villain Baby.

Baby is also a Tuffle parasite, which allows him to invade and control the bodies of others. When invading a Saiyan, Baby’s influence can even change the nature of their abilities, seen when Vegeta’s Super Saiyan form has an altered appearance. He can also create more parasites like himself, which is what allows him to conquer the entirety of humanity single-handedly. Despite being almost entirely absent from the series, Tuffles have had a huge impact on Dragon Ball stories just through their technology.

The Appearances Of Tuffles And Their Impact On Dragon Ball Lore

While Tuffles have never appeared in the main story (and continue to be largely absent in Dragon Ball Super), they remain a frequent source of inspiration for original characters in side media and video games. Though the Tuffles themselves are extinct, creations of the Tuffles largely appear as villains whenever they show up in Dragon Ball media, usually seeking revenge for their creators’ destruction. Dr. Lychee is the first Tuffle to appear in this fashion, seemingly being one of the main antagonists of the video game Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans before being revealed to be a Ghost Warrior created by the supercomputer Hatchiyack. Dragon Ball GTwould later feature Baby, who sought not only to take revenge on the last remaining Saiyans, but also to restore Planet Plant and the Tuffle race as well.

Surprisingly, Tuffles themselves have still yet to appear even in alternate universes, but their creations still show up in series like Dragon Ball Heroes, a popular arcade game that has its own separate anime timeline. It introduces the characters Oren and Kamin, two Neo Machine Mutants from Universe 6. They serve as antagonists of the Universal Conflict Saga and are members of the Core Area Warriors, a group bent on fighting and killing Zeno. They sport similar powers to Baby, being able to parasitize and control the bodies of others. One can also absorb the other in order to fuse together, creating the warrior Kamioren. Despite still not appearing themselves, the story of the Tuffles is still frequently referenced in the larger Dragon Ball canon, and likely will for many years to come.