Dragon Ball has made some cool changes to its canonical timeline with new projects under the late Akira Toriyama’s supervision, but there are still many classic movie villains that should get their shot at joining the series next. Because while Dragon Ball fans have come to love each of the movies over the years, it was no secret that each of them was a non-canon story that didn’t have any impact on what came before or after. No matter how big of a fight they had, these movies pretty much happened within a vacuum in comparison to the rest of the Dragon Ball anime and manga releases.
But with projects like Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Daimafans have now seen previously non-canon exclusive ideas like Broly and Super Saiyan 4 officially joining the Dragon Ball timeline thanks to new work from Toriyama. But while the creator is no longer here to oversee how it’s done in the future, there is still plenty of fun opportunities to be had with many of the other Dragon Ball movie villains in canonical Dragon Ball stories in the future. Here are ten that would be fun to throw into the mix.
10). Hatchiyack
Hatchiyack is probably the last villain anyone would want or ask to see again, but it would be hilarious just to do so considering that Dragon Ball Heroes and other projects have not been able to let him go. Probably the most obscure as he was only relevant through special animated scenes in the Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans video game release in Japan, but his core story would be fun to see incorporated into the series. Not only is he a creation from the Tuffles, a race the Saiyans terrorized, but he’s also an entity crafted with the explicit purpose of taking out the Saiyans. He probably wouldn’t be fit for an arc on his own, but probably could be used as a stepping stone in a larger Saiyan vs. Tuffles arc that Dragon Ball had toyed with in Dragon Ball GT.
9). Dr. Wheelo
Dr. Wheelo is yet another obscure choice as he was only seen in the film, Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongestbut would also be better fit as a stepping stone in a much bigger story. Dragon Ball Heroes set up a good way for him to return by giving him a new human body (and teaming him up with another evil scientist), and these scientist foes have been a constant throughout the franchise. Goku and the others can’t really just go around punching smart guys in the face, so the story could use Dr. Wheelo as a way to bring about another monster (maybe even Hatchiyack) for Goku to take down directly. So rather than inventing some new smart evil guy…Dragon Ball should use one of the ones they have already.
8). Bio-Broly
Now this is only here because of just how funny it would be. Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly is undoubtedly the worst rated of the original Broly film trilogy, and the foe itself was no more than just some giant goop man. But with Broly being an official member of the Z Fighters as of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (where he’s training along with Goku and Vegeta on Beerus’ planet), a clone of the Saiyan would be a great rock to throw everything into chaos. Once again, this is a choice that would not be a good fit for an entire arc but maybe even better off as like a third act boss or smaller foe that needs to be defeated to continue through the arc. This idea can be taken even further with clones of the others too with the official version.
7). Chilled
Chilled is probably the last of Frieza’s extended family fans would even want to see join the official Dragon Ball canon, but he’s also a hook to an even wilder story of Goku’s father Bardock. Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock is probably the most non-canon a special can be as Bardock was accidentally transported years into the past and was crowned as the Legendary Super Saiyan, but it was still a very cool moment to see sparked by this Frieza ancestor. If there was somehow a way to make both of those things happen within the canon itself, then this would definitely be a welcome villain to see in the future. If not, the currently god level Frieza could always use some more surprising underlings that would be easy to thrown in.
6). Hirudegarn
Hirudegarn is probably the least compelling of the villains on this list, but should be in the official Dragon Ball timeline anyway because there are just so few giant monsters to deal with these days. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero showcased how cool a kaiju fight can be within the current state of the franchise with its giant sized Cell Max, and Hirudegarn would present that cool opportunity. The franchise can take that even further with a new canonical version being much stronger. Imagine Ultra Instinct Goku unleashing a godly version of his Super Dragon Fist to take down this giant demon like seen in Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon? There’s just so much potential for a new take on this monster especially now that the Demon Realm has been expanded on so much through Dragon Ball Daima.
5). Bojack
Bojack kicks off the special tier of Dragon Ball villains that would firmly fit within the timeline without too much trouble. So much so that it’s still a surprise that Bojack has never made an official appearance. Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound made the most out of Goku blowing up King Kai’s planet to unleash a crew of bad dudes with badder tudes, and that’s just a story that just makes perfect sense for the official timeline. Whether it be changed from King Kai’s planet to some other distant planet (or maybe even instead of Beerus’ planet?), it’s easy to imagine a new god powered version of Bojack that Gohan Beast would need to take down. Bojack himself might not be super interesting as a character, but his core idea is just too cool not to see used somewhere in the future.
4). Lord Slug
Lord Slug is yet another major villain with too cool of a concept to keep non-canon. Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug might have just sparked its story through a random meteor hitting Earth, but there’s just so much to be gained from an evil Namekian. Now that Dragon Ball Daima has confirmed that the Namekians come from the Demon Realm and potentially have access to all kinds of magic, there is so much to be gained from a Namekian foe that can draw out the same kind of power the new god level Orange Piccolo can. Imagine the two giant sized Namekians fighting across a town? That’s perfect for a new movie all on its own even before incorporating more of the Demon Realm and its lore.
3). Turles
We might have gotten an official version of “Evil Goku” with Goku Black during the Future Trunks arc, but Turles is still a Goku sibling that would have an impact on the canon. Goku having any siblings at all hasn’t really changed anything since Dragon Ball Z kicked off its original Saiyan saga, so bringing in another long lost brother could present a new turning point in Goku’s future. The series could even incorporate Turles’ Tree of Might plant that would take things in a new direction now that the Demon Realm has fully been added to the series. It wouldn’t be too outside of the realm of possibility to imagine a new demonic version of the Tree of Might making Turles as strong as a now god level Goku. There’s just something to that idea of what a “demonically” powered Goku would look like stacking up against a god like Goku.
2). JANKE
Janemba is so ready made for the Dragon Ball canon, it remains Dragon Ball Daima‘s biggest missed opportunity. With the franchise fully incorporating the Demon Realm and even teasing a potential new fusion, it all seemed like Janemba was going to come to the franchise in full. He’s a demonic entity straight from the Demon Realm that Goku and Vegeta needed to fuse in order to defeat. The game plan was there, but it ultimately didn’t happen. And that’s what is the hardest pill to swallow. Janemba would be the best fit for a canonical makeover. Not only does the foe provide a great enemy to face off against, but a canonical version can evolve Janemba into a being that thinks and plans too. Much like how Broly was given an emotional facelift along with his new design, Janemba could be given the same kind of evolution.
1.) Cooler
But if there’s one villain from the Dragon Ball movies that truly needs to be a part of the canon, it’s Frieza’s brother Cooler. With Black Frieza now being the strongest warrior in Universe 7, there’s a perfect opportunity to bring in his older brother. Either he’s going to be made an example of as Frieza easily takes out someone challenging him for the throne, or his brother can arrive as someone scheming to defeat his brother. Either way, it’s clear that there’s just so much potential to come from adding Cooler to the canon.
Not only did Dragon Ball Heroes give him a gold level Golden Cooler transformation to bridge the gap in power on the current timeline’s scale, but even his Meta-Cooler variation could be an interesting challenge to Frieza and his army too. Cooler can even be a late stage ally to take down Frieza later, or even force Frieza to team up with Goku once more when Cooler becomes too strong. There’s just so much here that could really be, well, cool to see.
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