The Majin Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z was the point at which the series made the least sense. Characters would spend issues/episodes gaining power-ups, only for them to be rendered useless when finally used. This was the point when Akira Toriyama had started to smell the freedom of his upcoming retirement, which is why everything became so weird and unfocused during the final arc of the story.
One of the most popular additions to Dragon Ball Z's lore that debuted in the Majin Buu Saga was the Fusion Dance. This was a technique that Goku learned in the afterlife, which allowed two beings to fuse into one and would vastly increase their power. Goku was able to pass this technique on to Goten and Trunks, which allowed them to transform into the mighty entity known as Gotenks.
We are here today to look at the borrowed existence of one of the most powerful Dragon Ball Z characters of all time.
From his rarely seen car transformation to the time when he defeated Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, here are 15 Things You Didn't Know About Gotenks.
He Briefly Became The Most Powerful Hero In The Series
If a manga series becomes popular enough during its run, then it will likely receive databooks that are released by the publisher. These are reference books that contain statistics and information about the series.
The canonicity of these books is often called into question, due to the fact that the manga's author generally doesn't have much to do with them, with the possible exception of submitting some concept art drawings.
The final Dragon Ball databook that was published was Daizenshuu 7, which was released a year after the end of the manga. As such, the information within is considered to be more accurate than the others, due to the fact that all of the facts about the series were known.
According to Daizenshuu 7, Gotenks was stronger than Vegeta when he was created. This made him the most powerful member of the Z-Fighters, as Goku was dead by this point. If Goku was alive, Gotenks would still have been able to match him, as he was also able to transform into a Super Saiyan 3.
He Is The Only Canonical Fusion Dance Character In Dragon Ball
The idea of two characters fusing into one was a popular one among the Dragon Ball Z fanbase. The Dragon Ball Z video games have gone wild with the concept, as non-canon fused beings have appeared in many of the modern titles. This idea even went on to form the basis of an entire game - Dragon Ball Fusions.
The Dragon Ball manga wasn't as generous with fused characters. Goten and Trunks were the only characters who successfully performed the Fusion Dance in the source material. Goku and Piccolo also know the dance, as they were the ones who taught it to Goten and Trunks, but they never actually use the move to fuse. Gogeta didn't even show up in the anime filler arcs, as he was a character who was exclusive to the movies.
Goku talks about the Metamoran alien race that created the Fusion Dance, but we still have no idea what they look like, as they have yet to physically show up in the series.
There Is Another Kind Of Gotenks
There are numerous different methods of fusion in the universe of Dragon Ball. The Namekians can even do it naturally, though this technique is permanent and results in one of the original beings being erased from existence.
Dragon Ball Fusions created a new method of fusion, which was intended to be easier to facilitate and explain, without all of the characters needing to use the Potara Earrings. This new method of fusion was created by the Capsule Corporation and it requires the use of two armbands, known as Metamo-Rings.
The two beings then need to perform the Fusion Dance, which will result in an EX-Fusion. These fused beings aren't as powerful as those created by the regular Fusion Dance, but they have no time limit on how long they can remain together.
Goten and Trunks can become EX Gotenks by using the Metamo-Rings. This form has a different kind of hair to the other Gotenks and doesn't have the usual waistcoat outfit. It also isn't as powerful, but the lack of a time limit means that this version of Gotenks can use the Super Saiyan 3 transformation without worrying about running out of time.
Goten & Trunks Once Fused Into A Car
Ford once released a car that was called the Fusion. This name led to a collaboration between Ford and Dragon Ball, which resulted in some truly baffling commercials.
One of the Dragon Ball Z/Ford commercials involved Goten and Trunks performing the Fusion Dance, which resulted in them transforming into a red Ford Fusion. The other Dragon Ball Z characters are all impressed by the vehicle, despite the fact that it's probably not going to put up much of a fight against Majin Buu.
This wasn't the only collaboration between Ford and Dragon Ball Z, as they also released a car called the Focus. This commercial involved Krillin using up all three of Porunga's wishes on a car with multiple features (because Chiaotzu, Piccolo, Tien, and Yamcha can all just rot in Another Dimension for all he cares). Porunga tells him that there is a car with all of these features, so he can just use one wish instead of three.
He Referred To Himself As The God Of Destruction (Long Before Beerus Showed Up)
Those of us who live outside of Japan didn't get a chance to enjoy any Dragon Ball games on a home console until the arrival of the original PlayStation. There were lots of Dragon Ball RPGs and fighting games that were made in Japan, but we never saw them. The closest we got was Dragon Power on the NES, which started out as a Dragon Ball game but was totally changed for its western release.
We did actually get a pretty good Dragon Ball Z title on the Game Boy, which was called Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Saiyans. This was a card-based RPG that covered the whole Dragon Ball Z storyline.
Gotenks refers to himself as the God of Destruction in Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Saiyans. This title would go on to become very important to the story of Dragon Ball Super, as a being known as Beerus appears. Beerus is the actual God of Destruction and none of the Dragon Ball characters have managed to overpower him yet.
He Uses Yamcha & Tien's Signature Moves Better Than They Can
Akira Toriyama hasn't been kind to Dragonball: Evolution in interviews. It has been speculated by fans that the reason he returned to the Dragon Ball franchise was so that Evolution wouldn't be the last new creative work associated with the series.
This isn't totally true, as Akira Toriyama clearly had a desire to return to Dragon Ball back in 2008 (Dragonball Evolution was released a year later), as he was responsible for the creation of an OVA called Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
The two villains in Yo! Son Goku are two of Frieza's former henchmen called Abo and Kado. Goten and Trunks perform the Fusion Dance and battle them as Gotenks. During this battle, Gotenks uses more powerful versions of Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist and Tien's Volleyball Attack. It seems that the Saiyan's won't even let the human characters have their own unique moves without feeling the need to one-up them.
An Adult Version Of Gotenks Appeared In Dragon Ball Heroes
One of the many problems and missteps made by Dragon Ball GT was the fact that the show never included an adult version of Gotenks. Goten and Trunks are both in their early twenties when GT begins, yet we never see them perform the Fusion Dance.
There is a popular arcade game in Japan called Dragon Ball Heroes. This is a game that requires you to use real-life cards that can be read by the arcade machine, which allows you to perform attacks, moves, and transformations. The machines also have beautifully animated segments that show off your abilities.
One of the new additions to Dragon Ball Heroes was the inclusion of an adult version of Gotenks. He was added in during an update which included characters and missions from Dragon Ball GT. If you possess the right cards, then you can summon an adult version of Gotenks to your team and have him transform into a Super Saiyan 3.
He Appeared In Puzzle & Dragons
Puzzle & Dragons is one of the most downloaded mobile games in Japan. In terms of worldwide popularity, it has been downloaded over fifty million times. It is a basic match-three game that involves battle elements, which helped to spawn an army of imitators.
Puzzle & Dragons has brought in over a billion dollars in profit. It should come as no surprise that they have been able to do crossovers with some of the biggest franchises in the world, as a lot of companies are interested in the promotional aspects of the game.
Dragon Ball Z has crossed over with Puzzle & Dragons on numerous occasions. The Super Saiyan 3 version of Gotenks was a foe who was added into the game as part of a crossover with Dragon Ball Kai. He appeared in a 2015 update for the game alongside Perfect Cell, Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, Babidi's men, and Dende.
Goten and Trunks have fused into naked Gotenks
One of the most curious aspects of the Fusion Dance is that the resulting being will always be shown wearing the same clothes. Once the dance is complete, the fused being will be wearing a black waistcoat with gold trim, an indigo sash around the waist, a pair of black wristbands, a pair of puffy white pants, and a pair of black boots with an indigo cover.
The question of where these clothes come from (and why they appear) is one of the many unanswered questions of Dragon Ball Z. One solution was offered by the events of the filler episode "Celebrations with Majin Buu", which showed Goku having an outdoor bath with Goten and Trunks.
The two of them perform the Fusion Dance whilst nude, which results in a naked Gotenks. This seems to confirm the idea that the clothes that appear on a fused being are actually the fused clothes of each person who performed the dance.
The Eye Inconsistency
The Super Saiyan 3 transformation is seen by many as one of the dumbest things in Dragon Ball Z. It was introduced randomly during the Majin Buu without any sort of build-up.
Goku had achieved a new Super Saiyan form while training in the afterlife, which he didn't break out until he needed to briefly stall Majin Buu. The Super Saiyan 3 form makes the user's hair grow ridiculously long in a short period of time, as well as giving them a huge eyebrow ridge for seemingly no reason.
When someone transforms into a Super Saiyan 3, their eyes become green and they keep their pupils. This is true of Goku, Future Trunks, Vegeta, and Gogeta. When Gotenks transforms into a Super Saiyan 3, his eyes turn completly green and have no pupils. This difference is never explained within the story, though it may be linked to the fact that Gotenks is a fused being.
The Anime Plot Hole Filler
The creators of an anime that adapts a manga are generally allowed a lot of leeway when it comes to extending scenes. This is because they are often adapting a manga that is still being published, so they want to add as much time to the events of the series as possible so that they don't have to resort to filler episodes.
These additions can sometimes cause plot holes, which actually happened in Dragon Ball Z. Piccolo destroys the ship that Goku traveled to Earth in during a filler episode, even though that ship was later used to build the one that Goku travels to Namek with later in the series.
The anime added an extra scene to help answer a discrepancy involving Gotenks. It's never explained how Gotenks was able to achieve the Super Saiyan 3 form, as he had never even seen it before and didn't get a chance to learn much about it before Goku had to return to the afterlife.
The Dragon Ball Z anime added a scene where Goku shows Goten and Trunks the Super Saiyan 3 transformation and gives some information about it. This makes it easier to believe that Gotenks was able to learn how to use that form in such a short time.
Dragon Ball Super Answered The Buu/Fusion Question
The Fusion Dance wasn't the only method of fusing two characters that was used during the Majin Buu Saga. Goku and Vegeta both put on the Potara Earrings, which allowed them to permanently fuse into a mighty being known as Vegito.
This new being absolutely dominated Buu in battle, to the point when it allowed itself to be devoured so that it could free those that had been absorbed and were now trapped inside Buu's body.
Dragon Ball Z actually had a mistake here. Vegito was transformed back into Goku and Vegeta when he was devoured by Buu, yet Gotenks wasn't. Goku encounters Gotenks inside of Buu's body.
Dragon Ball Super actually answered this discrepancy, by confirming that the Potara fusion is only permanent when divine beings put them on. All other creatures will separate after wearing the Potara Earrings for over an hour. This fusion will end even quicker if a powerful transformation is used, such as Super Saiyan Blue.
He Battled One Of The Monsters From Toriko
Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is the publication that was home to the Dragon Ball manga. They have become more open to allowing crossovers between the titles that appear in the magazine to happen in anime or video game form. This has led to the creation of several Super Smash Bros. style games that feature characters from series like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece, Death Note, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Toriko was a popular series that ran in Weekly Shonen Jump, though it never found much of an audience outside of Japan (most likely due to its author's criminal past). The worlds of Toriko, Dragon Ball, and One Piece were allowed to cross over in a one-hour special OVA. The plot involved the cast from all three engaged in a dangerous race.
Goten and Trunks faced off against a powerful monster called Akami, which is a native of Toriko's world. They teamed up with Franky from One Piece, who used his Radical Beam to try and slow Akami down. Gotenks used his Ghost Kamikaze attack, though this too was ineffective against Akami.
The Weird Gotenks Video Game Debut
The first Dragon Ball Z video game to feature Gotenks was Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22, which was released on the original PlayStation in 1995. This game was also released in America in 2003, which was during the PlayStation 2 era. The reviewers were particularly vicious to the game, as it was an eight-year-old title that didn't look great when it was released.
Gotenk's next appeared in a Sega Saturn game, called Dragon Ball Z: Shin Butoden, which was also released in 1995. This was a bad start for Gotenks, as both Ultimate Battle 22 and Shin Butoden received negative reviews upon release.
The third appearance of Gotenks was in an awesome fighting game... that was released on the Super Nintendo. Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension was released in 1996 and it may be one of the most polished fighting games on the system.
The roster of characters might be small, but the artwork is gorgeous for the console and the gameplay perfectly captures the spirit of the series. It seems that Gotenks was screwed over by advances in technology.
He Fought Hitler & The Nazis
The Earth of Dragon Ball has had to face its fair share of cosmic-level threats that have the power to annihilate the planet in the single stroke. That doesn't mean there aren't any low-level threats that need to be dealt with. The Red Ribbon Army had the capacity to take over the world, as did King Piccolo.
It seems that the world of Dragon Ball also had to deal with the Third Reich, as a copy of Adolf Hitler (known as the Dictator) escapes from Hell with his armies in Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn.
It is up to Goten and Trunks to stop the Nazi army in its tracks, which they do by fusing. Gotenks is able to destroy the undead Nazi army with a single use of his Ghost Kamikaze attack. The English dub of the movie also added a line about how Hitler should like Super Saiyans, considering that they have blond hair and blue eyes.
Gotenks is a member of an exclusive club of fictional characters that have directly beaten Adolf Hitler in battle. He joins such luminaries as Captain America, the cast of Persona 2, and the protagonist of Wolfenstein 3D.
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Do you know of any other facts about Dragon Ball Z's Gotenks? Tell us in the comment section!