The Most Important Dragon Ball Retcons That Changed the Series

Dragon Ball is one of the longest-running anime franchises around. When the series began with the original Dragon Ball series, nobody could have predicted how massive it would become. It's been nearly 40 years since it first aired, and with the most recent Dragon Ball Super announcement, it looks like the series isn't going anywhere any time soon.

There have been a decent number of retcons since the series came out. These new changes to the franchise aren't always groundbreaking, but there are a handful of retroactive continuity changes that have turned the series on its head. Some of these changes are massive while others are just downright frustrating.

Trunks' Hair Color

Trunks' hair color changed from Dragon Ball Z to Dragon Ball Super. It's not a change that really impacts the continuity of the series, but it's easily the most frustrating retcon in the franchise. Trunks' initial design in Dragon Ball Z was arguably the best out of any character. He had an awesome jacket, used a cool sword, and had the most amazing hair color/cut in the series.

For seemingly no reason, Dragon Ball Super changed that. He has blue hair now to match his mom's, and that's about it. Purple makes sense for Trunks, as not only did Bulma used to have purple hair, but Vegeta's color scheme has always been purple. His most iconic attack, the Galick Gun, is purple, and his strongest form, Ultra Ego, also gives him purple hair.

The Potara Earrings

The Potara Earrings change is a fairly big one in Dragon Ball. When the earrings were first introduced, they were the only way the Z Fighters were going to stand a chance at defeating Majin Buu. Goku and Gohan were going to switch, but Gohan dropped the earring, forcing Vegeta to take his place.

It was a serious decision for the two to fuse at the time, as the fusion was said to be permanent. They were unfused after they were absorbed by Buu, but what about the Supreme Kai and Kibito? They were supposed to be fused forever as well, but in Dragon Ball DAIMA, good Buu is able to unfuse them.

Kibito Kai, the name of the fused version of Supreme Kai and Kibito, is in Dragon Ball Super for a while as well, which doesn't make sense if Dragon Ball DAIMA occurred before Dragon Ball Super.

Piccolo Went from a Demon, to an Alien, Back to a Demon

Piccolo has been one of the most overshadowed characters in Dragon Ball. Luckily, his Orange Piccolo form has put him back on the map. While he's one of Earth's mightest defenders now, he didn't start that way. The Demon King Piccolo was Goku's biggest enemy in the original Dragon Ball series, and since then, he's undergone a ton of changes.

Piccolo was introduced as a Demon in the original Dragon Ball series, but in Dragon Ball Z, he was revealed to be a Namekian, an alien from the planet Namek. While this was already a pretty big retcon, Dragon Ball DAIMA revealed that Namekians actually came from the Demon Realm, meaning Piccolo really was a Demon this whole time.

Super Saiyan 4

Super Saiyan 4 is one of the coolest transformations in Dragon Ball that may or may not actually be canon. The form first appeared in Dragon Ball GT when Goku and Vegeta used it to take down Omega Shenron.

Dragon Ball GT isn't considered canon, so the form wasn't either. The form finally made its way back to the franchise in Dragon Ball DAIMA, and while it looked a little different than Dragon Ball GT, it was still amazing.

There's one problem with Goku's Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball DAIMA: if Dragon Ball DAIMA is canon and happened before Dragon Ball Super, then why didn't Goku use this form against Beerus? Beerus told him to use his strongest form, and Goku used Super Saiyan 3, creating a pretty significant plot hole that still hasn't been answered.

Broly

Broly's retcon is the only retcon in Dragon Ball that actually makes the franchise better. Broly started out as easily one of the best, most ferocious villains in Dragon Ball. His first appearance in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Broly — The Legendary Super Saiyan showcased the Saiyan as a brutal warrior capable of destroying anything in his path.

Broly then came back to the franchise and made his way into the canon in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. In Dragon Ball Super, he started as a villain but ended as a confused hero. He's now training with Goku and Vegeta on Lord Beerus' planet, and his inclusion into the canon as a good guy made Dragon Ball so much better.

Goku's Backstory

Like Piccolo's backstory, Goku's backstory has undergone significant changes. He started Dragon Ball as a boy with a tail, and that was about it. Dragon Ball Z revealed that Goku wasn't human, but a Saiyan, a warrior race that doesn't age like humans and is born to fight.

Dragon Ball Z stated that Goku was sent to Earth to dominate and subjugate the entire planet, but because he hit his head when he arrived, he forgot about his initial task. Dragon Ball Super changed that in Dragon Ball Minus, as it was revealed that Bardock sent Goku to Earth as a means of protecting him from Planet Vegeta's destruction.

Bardock's character arc changed significantly too. In Dragon Ball Z, Goku's father was depicted as a savage warrior, while Dragon Ball Super showed him as a caring man, not too dissimilar from his son.