DBZ defined what a shonen fight scene could be. You watched it on Toonami, you know the power levels. Now prove it.
Before Naruto, before One Piece, there was Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network and Toonami. Saiyans, Spirit Bombs, Instant Transmission, fusions and the fights that ran for 15 episodes. 10 questions on the saga that built the blueprint.
Pick your level
Akira Toriyama serialised Dragon Ball in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995, and the anime taught a generation what a shonen fight could look like. For many fans in the US it arrived through Cartoon Network's Toonami block at the end of the 1990s. The normal quiz stays with the essentials: Kakarot, the Kamehameha, Namek, the androids and the fusions.
Hard mode is for people who remember the dub as well as the fights. It covers names that changed on their way into English, characters who only appear for an arc or two, and some of the stranger rules of Toriyama's world. Five out of ten there is a power level worth bragging about.
The English dub of Dragon Ball Z renamed a few characters and toned down plenty of dialogue for American television. Some of those changes stuck so well that fans still quote the dub rather than the Japanese. Where the two versions differ, the question says which one it means and the explanation gives you both.
All ten easy level questions, with the answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: Orange
Orange, with a blue undershirt and the kanji of whichever master last trained him.
Correct answer: Vegeta
Vegeta, and he mentions it often.
Correct answer: Kamehameha!
Kamehameha! Five syllables of warning, and enemies still get hit.
Correct answer: Trunks
Trunks, whose grown-up version arrives from the future to warn everyone about the androids.
Correct answer: Android 18
Android 18, and she is a good deal stronger than he is.
Correct answer: Green
Green, because he is a Namekian.
Correct answer: Gotenks
Gotenks, created with the Fusion Dance, a move that looks every bit as silly as it sounds.
Correct answer: Cell
Cell, who becomes "Perfect" and is very pleased about it.
Correct answer: Majin Buu
Majin Buu, a terrible menace with an equally terrible sweet tooth.
Correct answer: Weekly Shonen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump, from 1984 to 1995.
Want to warm up before playing or double-check something? Open any question to reveal the correct answer and a short explanation.
Correct answer: Kakarot
Goku's true Saiyan name is Kakarot. He was sent to Earth as a baby by his parents to escape the destruction of Planet Vegeta.
Correct answer: 7
There are 7 Dragon Balls. When all seven are gathered, the dragon Shenron is summoned and grants one wish.
Correct answer: Master Roshi
The Kamehameha was invented by Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit. It took him 50 years to perfect. Goku learned it just by watching once.
Correct answer: Frieza
Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan for the first time on Planet Namek, triggered by the death of his best friend Krillin at the hands of Frieza.
Correct answer: Vegeta
The Saiyans hail from Planet Vegeta, which was destroyed by Frieza who feared their growing power. Only a handful survived, including Goku, Vegeta and Raditz.
Correct answer: 18
She is called Android 18 because she is the 18th android created by Dr. Gero. Her twin brother is Android 17. She eventually marries Krillin in the series.
Correct answer: Vegito
The Potara earring fusion creates Vegito. The dance fusion technique creates Gogeta. These are two separate and distinct fusions.
Correct answer: Gohan
Gohan, Goku's son, is the first to reach Super Saiyan 2 during the Cell Games. His rage after Android 16's death unleashed the transformation.
Correct answer: Piccolo Daimao
Piccolo Daimao (Great Demon King Piccolo) is the demon king in the original Dragon Ball. He is the evil half that split from Kami, the Guardian of the Earth.
Correct answer: Big Bang Attack
The Big Bang Attack, an energy sphere fired from one open palm, which he uses against the androids. The Kamehameha comes from Master Roshi, the Special Beam Cannon is Piccolo's, and the Destructo Disc belongs to Krillin.
Stuck on one, or just curious how nasty it gets? Every hard mode question is here with its answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: 8,000
8,000. The English dub changed it to "over 9000", reportedly because it fit the lip movements better, and that version became one of the internet's oldest memes. Vegeta crushes his scouter right after saying it.
Correct answer: Mr. Satan
Mr. Satan, the world martial arts champion who takes credit for defeating Cell. The name was judged too sensitive for American children's television, so the dub went with Hercule, the French form of Hercules.
Correct answer: Grandpa Gohan
Grandpa Gohan, a martial artist and former student of Master Roshi, who found the baby Goku in the mountains. Goku later names his first son after him.
Correct answer: Only the pure of heart
Only those with a pure heart. Goku and Gohan ride it without trouble, Chi-Chi can too, and Master Roshi falls straight through it the moment he tries.
Correct answer: The Great Saiyaman
The Great Saiyaman, complete with helmet, cape and poses, which Gohan invents to fight crime without his classmates recognising him. Videl works out who is under the helmet before long.
Correct answer: Captain Ginyu
Captain Ginyu, who steals Goku's body on Namek. Goku stops him from taking Vegeta's by throwing a frog into the path of the beam, and Ginyu spends the rest of the saga as that frog.
Correct answer: Korin
Korin, the old white cat at the top of Korin Tower, just below Kami's Lookout. A single bean restores a fighter from the brink of death and keeps them fed for ten days.
Correct answer: A year
A full year, in a white void with crushing gravity and extreme temperatures. Goku and Gohan, then Vegeta and Trunks, use it to prepare for Cell, and a single person can only use it for a limited time in their life.
Correct answer: Bibidi
Bibidi, who created Buu millions of years ago. His son Babidi is the one who revives Buu during Dragon Ball Z, with the help of Dabura, the Demon King he keeps under his control.
Correct answer: Nail
Nail, the Grand Elder's bodyguard, who is dying after his fight with Frieza. The fusion gives Piccolo the strength to stand up to Frieza. Piccolo later fuses with Kami as well, during the android saga.