Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Super has done excellent work with continuing the creator’s iconic shonen series for both old fans and new audiences alike. Dragon Ball Super is a faithful look into Goku’s growing strength, but the series also effectively turns to the characters’ pasts to better help inform their futures.
One of the biggest unresolved pieces from Goku’s history involves his Saiyan parents, Bardock and Gine, of whom he only has distant memories. Dragon Ball Super has surprised audiences with a deeper look into Goku’s parents, the likes of which will likely play a major factor in Goku’s next milestone.
8 They Both Fought On Team Bardock
Bardock’s past was largely spent as a hired hand who helped carry out Frieza’s orders, but he also didn’t operate on his lonesome. Many different Saiyan factions have been explored throughout Dragon Ball and Bardock is a part of the reliable strike force, Team Bardock. Team Bardock is initially composed of Bardock, Tora, Fasha, Borgos, and Shugesh, but the events of Dragon Ball Minus and Dragon Ball Super: Broly revise the team to also include Leek, Taro, and most importantly, Gine. Gine gradually departs Team Bardock after she and Bardock become a couple, but it’s interesting that they first met as allies.
7 Bardock Foresaw The Saiyan Genocide
Bardock has grown into more of a presence in Dragon Ball even though he perished long before Goku’s adventures at the start of the original series. Before the character’s recent return, Bardock: The Father of Goku was the biggest showcase for the character. The Father of Goku details the death of Bardock, not to mention the extermination of the Saiyans by Frieza’s hand. Curiously, a random attack gifts Bardock with precognitive abilities, which alerts him to Frieza’s nefarious intentions. These glimpses of the future, which include Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation, trigger Bardock’s Saiyan rebellion.
6 They Were Low-Class Saiyan Warriors
The Saiyans are a warrior race with a notorious reputation that’s led to them being feared by most of the galaxy’s species. The Saiyans can hold their own, but there are various tiers of these warriors that are given different responsibilities when it comes to their galactic conquests. Characters like Vegeta represent Saiyan Elites, but Goku’s parents are considered to be on the lower rungs of the Saiyan power scale.
Bardock and Gine are both low-class Saiyans, which limits their control on Planet Vegeta, but still means that they possess raw strength. Goku’s Godly power and accomplishments are even more impressive considering he’s the offspring of two low-class Saiyans.
5 Bardock Defied Extermination Orders To Save Cerealian & Granolah
Any additional insight into Bardock and Gine has been largely relegated to flashbacks, but the latest arc in Dragon Ball Super’s manga has found a clever way to emphasize the importance of Goku’s parents and his roots. It’s a major breakthrough when Monaito reveals that Bardock defied his orders to exterminate the Cerealians and that he actually helped defend a young Granolah against the Heeter Force. Bardock’s heroic act influences Goku’s actions in the present. Bardock’s old scouter is even recovered, which contains his previous battle data against the Heeter’s Elec.
4 They Were In Love With Each Other
Goku is undeniably an inspirational hero, but he’s far from perfect and one of the Saiyan’s biggest blindspots is his romantic relationship with Chi-Chi. Goku struggles to connect with his wife on an emotional level, but Dragon Ball reveals that this might not be Goku’s fault and it’s actually symptomatic of most Saiyans. Flashbacks explain that Saiyans primarily mate for reproductive purposes, not out of love, and that such emotions are rare for these warriors. Against all odds, Bardock and Gine develop genuine respect and adoration for each other, which culminates in them freeing Goku from a life of destruction.
3 They Sent Raditz Away To Train
Bardock and Gine are instrumental in Goku’s development due to their decision to send him to Earth and avoid Planet Vegeta’s impending destruction. Bardock and Gine exhibit extreme empathy towards their youngest son and it allows him to have a future where he dictates his own path in life.
However, it’s important to remember that Bardock and Gine had another child before Goku — Raditz — who receives very different treatment. Bardock and Gine set Raditz up for a life of training and combat that involves him travelling the galaxy to refine his skills. The parents are even proud that their son is strong enough to be allowed to train with a young Vegeta.
2 They Can’t Control Their Great Ape Forms
Dragon Ball’s Saiyans have come a long way since their original appearances. In the past, a Saiyan’s greatest asset was their Great Ape transformation, but this process has progressively gone out of fashion in favor of the more powerful and reliable levels of Super Saiyan. Dragon Ball establishes that Saiyan Elites can control their Great Ape forms to get the most out of these weapons of destruction. Alternatively, lesser Saiyans experience unstable and reckless Great Ape forms that are just as powerful, but wildly unpredictable. Bardock and Gine fit into the latter and are largely slaves to their Great Ape states.
1 Bardock Has Time Travelled & Become A Super Saiyan
Goku’s father, Bardock, is an important character who’s largely been restricted to flashback appearances. That being said, the character has enough of a following that Akira Toriyama has carefully returned to the Saiyan in limited doses. Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock largely feels like fan service, but it tells an extra Bardock adventure that includes him travelling through time, fighting against Frieza’s ancestor, Chilled, and even turning into a Super Saiyan. It’s best to not scrutinize these events too closely, but it still indicates the inherent greatness that’s inside of Bardock.
About The Author
