When Frieza's army was invading Namek, Vegeta seemed unafraid of all his enemies except for Frieza himself. This all changed when he discovered that the Ginyu Force had been dispatched to Namek.
The Ginyu Force were a team of Freiza's most elite soldiers who acted as his right hand when it came to dealing with interlopers. It was said that Captain Ginyu was second only to Frieza himself in terms of strength, which is why Vegeta was so scared of them.
The Ginyu Force made a less than imposing impression when they first showed up, as they were introduced while posing in a manner similar to the Power Rangers.
They quickly lived up to their reputation in terms of strength and have remained popular among the fans, even though they only appeared briefly in Dragon Ball Z.
We are here today to look at the backstory of some of the goofiest and most popular Dragon Ball Z characters of all time.
From the changes in their introduction that turned them into horror movie villains to the Dragon Ball Super retcon that made no sense, here are 15 Things You Didn’t Know About The Ginyu Force!
They Are All Mutants
All of the members of the Ginyu Force come from different alien races. Burter, Jeice, and Recoome come from species that are similar to humans and they are just powerful examples of their race (in the same way that Krillin is powerful compared to normal humans).
Fans might be surprised to learn that we never saw any more of Ginyu or Guldo's species, as the ability to switch bodies and stop time are incredibly powerful ones. You would think that such races would be a powerful force in the galaxy.
Frieza explains this discrepancy by stating that all members of the Ginyu Force are mutants. The reason they are so strong and have such unique powers is due to their aberrant genetics.
It was these abilities that made them rise through the ranks of Frieza's army, to the point where they were assigned to their own special squad that could quickly deal with any problem that Freiza needed resolving. This means that Frieza is basically the evil alien version of Professor Xavier and the Ginyu Force are his team of X-Men.
Ginyu Used His Power To Steal The Bodies Of The Rich & Handsome
Captain Ginyu possesses the ability to switch his mind with that of another person so that they essentially trade bodies. He uses this ability on Goku, without realizing how to fully utilize powers like the Kaio-Ken.
We still aren't sure what Captain Ginyu's original form looks like. His dialogue suggests that the form we see in Dragon Ball Z is one he stole, yet when we see his ghost in Dragon Ball GT, it looks like the purple body we saw originally.
According to the Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu strategy guide, Ginyu first developed his Body Change power when he was a child. He then used it to switch minds with the richest kid in his class, which made him popular with the girls.
Ginyu quickly realized how hollow this existence was and decided to develop his strength instead. If this guide is considered canon, then Ginyu comes from a race that greatly resembles humanity.
Jeice's Dialogue Was Censored
There was a misconception that the Dragon Ball manga was filled with expletives. This was due to some early pirated versions of the anime that were sold at conventions with fan-made English subtitles, which tended to use the seven dirty words every other sentence.
This was also true of some of the unofficial English scanlations that were made of the Dragon Ball manga by people who didn't quite speak Japanese, so they filled the dialogue with swear words instead.
Jeice of the Ginyu Force is one of the few characters in the English version of Dragon Ball Z who needed to have naughty language censored. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, he would sometimes start the match by calling his opponent a "w**ker."
This is considered to be a swear word in places like Australia and the UK, so it was taken out in the sequels. Jeice's dialogue now cuts out before he says the word.
Dabura's Sister Turned Ginyu Into A Giant Frog
Dragon Ball Online was originally set in the far future of the world of Dragon Ball Z. The game eventually started to include time travel elements, so that the player could relive the famous battles from the series. When Dragon Ball Online ended, it was retooled into the Dragon Ball Xenoverse series.
The main villain of Dragon Ball Online was a time-traveling demon named Towa, who was the sister of Dabura. She would also show up in the Xenoverse games as an antagonist. She travels back in time to the fight between Captain Ginyu and Goku and makes it more interesting by turning the frog version of Ginyu into a giant monster.
Mega Ginyu Frog is a giant version of his frog form, with the addition of a Time Breaker gem on his forehead. The player had to battle against him, as he summoned hordes of Namekian frogs to fight by his side.
Guldo's Death Was Far More Gruesome In The Manga
The early English dubs of Dragon Ball Z have often been scorned due to their heavy-handed censorship, such as turning all deaths into being sent to "another dimension."
What most fans don't realize is that some of the scenes from the original Japanese version of the anime were toned down from the manga, as the print industry is generally looser in terms of the kind of content it can show.
One example of this happened during the death of Guldo. In the Dragon Ball Z anime, Vegeta beheads him with an energy beam, before blowing up the head with a blast of energy. In the Dragon Ball manga, Vegeta tears off Guldo's head with a chop that severs his neck in a single blow.
This edit is unusual when you consider that Future Trunks killed Frieza by chopping him into pieces with his sword, which made its way into the anime without censorship.
The Horror Intro For The Ginyu Force
The introduction of the Ginyu Force is one of the most iconic scenes in Dragon Ball history. Vegeta's absolute terror at the prospect of the Ginyu Force puts expectations in the audience's minds about a group that is even more vicious than the Prince of the Saiyans.
When they do show up, they start posing like they are in a Kabuki theatre while also shouting their names. The English version of the Ginyu Force theme features a guy shouting "Ginyu Force rules" over and over again, which just adds to the ridiculousness of the introduction.
The original English dub of Dragon Ball Z (known as the Ocean dub) significantly changed the tone of this scene. The goofy music was replaced with something that sounds like it comes out of a horror movie soundtrack. The new Ginyu Force theme was made to be foreboding, rather than silly.
Even though they were trying to make the Ginyu Force seem serious, they still kept the roses blooming and Frieza's shocked reaction, which ruins any kind of threatening demeanor that they were going for.
They Are Named After Milk Products
Akira Toriyama loves naming themes among his characters more than anything else in the world. This even extends to his works other than Dragon Ball, such as Chrono Trigger, Dr. Slump, and the Dragon Quest series.
In Dragon Ball Z, the Saiyans are all named vegetables, King Piccolo and his men are named after instruments, and Bulma's family is named after undergarments. Additionally, Hercule's family is named after angels and demons, Frieza's race is named after things that are cold, Garlic Jr and his men are named after spices, and the Gods of Destruction are named after alcoholic beverages.
The Ginyu Force also share a naming theme, in that they are all named after milk products. Ginyu is the Japanese word for milk, Burter is named after butter, Jeice is named after cheese, Guldo is named after yogurt, and Recoome is named after creme. These are puns that only work in Japanese.
Nappa Joined Them In Dragon Ball Xenoverse
The popularity of the Ginyu Force has led to them becoming popular topics of the "What If" scenarios that appear in the Dragon Ball Z video games. These have included storylines where they became good, where Ginyu has wished his teammates back to life with the Dragon Balls, and where the team has had new members, such as Nappa or Vegeta.
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, a revived version of the Ginyu Force appears as part of the Dragon Ball GT DLC pack. The player can encounter the Neo Ginyu Force in Toki Toki City, where they are now led by Nappa instead of Captain Ginyu.
You have to battle all five members of the Neo Ginyu Force at the same time, though you have Trunks on your side as well. Once the fight is over, you are thrust into battle against an evil version of Android 17 and the Neo Ginyu Force are quickly forgotten.
The Persona 5 Reference
The inspiration for the Ginyu Force was Super Sentai TV shows, which is better known as the Power Rangers franchise in the west. The Power Rangers/Super Sentai teams were usually color coordinated and would pose before, during, and after battles.
Akira Toriyama is not the only one who has included the Super Sentai teams in his works, as numerous franchises have included parodies of the Power Rangers. The Persona franchise has done this with a team called Phoenix Ranger Featherman R, which have appeared in a fictional TV show that is watched by the various protagonists of the series.
Persona 5 managed to include references to both the Power Rangers and the Ginyu Force. One of the main characters is a nerdy shut-in named Futaba who spends most of her time in her room. Futaba owns a set of the Phoenix Ranger Featherman figures and keeps them in her room. Yusuke rearranges them so that they are now performing the Ginyu Force's signature poses.
There Is A Female Version
The increasing popularity of cosplay on the Internet has led to an interest in reverse gender cosplays, such as men dressed like Slave Leia or women dressed like Aladdin. The female versions of these cosplays tend to be a lot more revealing, so if you ever wanted to see a scantily clad version of Mario and Luigi, then the Internet has you covered.
Dragon Ball Fusions saved the fans the time of coming up with a female version of the Ginyu Force by creating one of their own. The Doola Force is actually an organization that fights evil, instead of causing it.
The leader of the Doola Force is a female version of Jeice, named Doola. It is the duty of the Doola Force to rid their world of evil, though their strength is lacking compared to that of their male counterparts. It isn't until they discover their shared love of posing that the Doola Force finally uncover the source of their strength.
The Original English Dub Of Dragon Ball Z Ended Halfway Through The Fight Against Them
The initial English dub of Dragon Ball Z wasn't a success in America. In fact, it was canceled after two seasons. The original dub was produced by Ocean Productions, which oversaw a lot of the heavy-handed censorship and editing that its version of Dragon Ball Z became infamous for.
The success of Pokémon in the late '90s led to a revived interest in popular anime franchises. Dragon Ball Z found a new home on Toonami, where reruns helped to build an audience for the show. This convinced Funimation to perform an in-house dub of Dragon Ball Z and continue the show.
The original Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z ended partway through Goku's battle with the Ginyu Force. Goku defeats Recoome and Vegeta realizes that he may be the Legendary Super Saiyan. The fans had to wait until Funimation continued their dub in order to see the outcome of the battle, as the series would usually start airing episodes from the beginning again at that point.
Jeice Played Space Baseball
Jeice has commonly been accused of being another case of Akira Toriyama blatantly reusing a character design in one of his works. Many fans think that Jeice is just a recolored version of Yamcha. Toriyama took Yamcha's design, changed his skin red and his hair white, threw a suit of Frieza army armor on him and called it a day.
One of the main things linking Jeice and Yamcha is their shared use of baseball-themed techniques. Jeice has the Crusher Ball, which is basically a baseball made of energy, while Yamcha has the Spirit Ball, which he can control after it has been thrown. Yamcha also became a professional baseball player.
According to the Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu strategy guide, Jeice does actually belong to a baseball league. Jeice played in the Galactic Little League, which is where he picked up his baseball techniques. He developed the Crusher Ball during his time playing as a pitcher.
Recoome Was A Space Ballet Dancer
Recoome's behavior acts as a contrast to his appearance, as he may be the goofiest member of the Ginyu Force. He is one of the biggest and most imposing members of the Ginyu Force, yet he clowns around and poses during battle more than any other person on the team.
The Daizenshuu 7 guide stated that Recoome never took his battles seriously, which is what made him underestimate Goku and led to his downfall.
According to the Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu strategy guide, he started out as a ballet dancer, which explains some of the poses he uses in battle. He eventually left this life after developing his mutant abilities and became a member of the Ginyu Force.
It seems that there must be a Galactic Ballet in the universe of Dragon Ball Z that puts on performances of Space Swan Lake and The Nutcracker (in Space).
Guldo Used His Powers For Perverse Purposes
Guldo was by far the physically weakest member of the Ginyu Force, to the point where Vegeta alone was easily able to kill him. He had one of the best abilities in all of Dragon Ball Z, but he lacked the power to support it.
Guldo had the ability to freeze time for as long as he held his breath. He couldn't do this for very long and using it significantly drained his energy, so he couldn't really do much with it. Hit from Dragon Ball Super showed us how powerful this ability can really be.
According to the Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu strategy guide, Guldo first developed his mutant abilities at a young age. He first used his powers for perverted reasons, such as lifting girls' skirts.
He would later start using his power to steal toys. Guldo would later be inducted into the Ginyu Force and became the team's newest member before they were destroyed.
Ginyu's Return In Dragon Ball Super Makes No Sense
Vegeta was responsible for killing four of the five members of the Ginyu Force in Dragon Ball Z. The only one to escape his wrath was Captain Ginyu, who accidentally switched bodies with a frog. He was last seen during the Great Saiyaman Saga in the anime while still trapped in his frog form.
Ginyu would later return in Dragon Ball Super, as he uses his Body Change ability to steal Tagoma's body. Vegeta later kills Ginyu in Tagoma's body, allowing him to finally finish off every member of the Ginyu Force.
The return of Ginyu in Dragon Ball Super makes no sense. Everyone on Earth was killed by Super Buu, as he blew up the planet. When Dende used the Namekian Dragon Balls to revive everyone on Earth, he specified that only the good people should be revived.
If Ginyu was still harboring evil desires (as we see by the fact that he wants to return to Freiza's army), then why was he resurrected by Porunga in the first place?
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Can you think of any other lesser-known facts about Dragon Ball Z's Ginyu Force? Let us know in the comments!