Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball was a major hit and groundbreaking addition to the shonen genre upon its debut, but it’s only grown into a more fundamental anime series over time. Dragon Ball has been able to expand its story through endless manga, anime, video games, and more, which have all led to the franchise’s grander canon growing more complicated.
Some characters have very different representations depending on which version of them is being considered. Bardock, Goku’s father, is an important character in Dragon Ball’s larger story, and he’s set to become relevant again in a big way. However, Dragon Ball has turned to Bardock in many different representations of the series.
10 Dragon Ball Z’s Special, Bardock - Father Of Goku, Is Bardock’s Big Debut
Dragon Ball Z has over a dozen movies that feature more exaggerated villains for the heroes to conquer, but there are also a few shorter specials that still expand the series’ universe in exciting ways. One of these Specials is Bardock - Father of Goku, which tells the story of Goku’s father and the circumstances that surround Frieza’s destruction of the Saiyan population. Father of Goku is significant since it’s ostensibly the major Bardock content that Dragon Ball fans have to work with since he doesn’t properly show up in Dragon Ball Z’s anime.
9 Dragon Ball Z Kai Benefits From Hindsight And Teases Bardock At Its Beginning
Dragon Ball Z is a satisfying anime series, but like many shonen shows, it does get bogged down by a significant amount of filler material. Dragon Ball Z Kai tightens the anime’s narrative with a shorter series that makes use of improved animation. Dragon Ball Z Kai’s very first episode features a flashback to Frieza’s destruction of Planet Vegeta, which gives a brief glimpse of Bardock. It doesn’t reveal anything new about the character, but it’s still a more effective way to tease Goku’s past and future in the series.
8 Dragon Ball Z’s Manga Connects The Dots And Features A Bardock Cameo
There can sometimes be stark differences that exist between Dragon Ball’s manga and anime. The two don’t always cooperate, but there are occasions where the manga does actually adapt and make changes to better fit to the anime, rather than the other way around.
Accordingly, Bardock’s big debut may be a result of the animation studio, Toei, but he still finds his way into Dragon Ball Z’s manga during a moment of reflection from Frieza. The evil tyrant thinks back to those who opposed him in the past, with Bardock making the cut.
7 Dragon Ball Super: Broly Looks To Bardock For Saiyan Backstory
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is the first movie in the series as well as an extension that looks beyond the conclusion of Dragon Ball Super’s anime. Broly is a big deal since it properly brings the titular Legendary Super Saiyan into the series’ canon, but it also begins with an extensive flashback to the end of days for the Saiyans. This glimpse into the past features plenty of Bardock and his wife, Gine, as they prepare to set Goku out into the world. Broly doesn’t really change anything about Bardock’s character, but it’s an appreciated inclusion.
6 Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge Features An Unexpected Dose Of Bardock
Not all of the Dragon Ball Z movies are winners, and a lot of their success has to do with the creativity involved with the new villains who come into play. Cooler’s Revenge is the fifth movie, and it introduces Frieza’s vengeful brother, Cooler. Cooler’s Revenge begins with a flashback to Frieza’s destruction of Planet Vegeta as Bardock confronts the monster. Cooler watches his brother eradicate Bardock from afar, as well as ignore Goku’s fleeing space pod. It presents a pivotal moment from a curious, new perspective.
5 Dragon Ball Minus: Departure Of The Fated Child Manga Touches Base With Bardock
Jaco has become an entertaining source of comedic relief in Dragon Ball Super, but the character and the Galactic Patrol actually have their own manga spin-off by Akira Toriyama.
Jaco the Galactic Patrolman actually features a fun detour that turns to Bardock with Dragon Ball Minus: Departure of the Fated Child. This manga story connects Jaco to Goku’s roots and covers the span of time before Goku’s sent to Earth. Dragon Ball Minus features Bardock, but it also marks the first appearance of Gine, and some fun cameos from Vegeta and Raditz, too.
4 Dragon Ball Super’s Manga Rewrites Bardock’s History In A Big Way
Dragon Ball Super has already revised Dragon Ball Z’s take on Broly, and it appears that something similar may also be on the way with Bardock. Dragon Ball Super’s manga has gone far past the events of the anime series. Goku and Vegeta are currently locked in combat with a vengeful Cerealian, Granolah. Monaito, Granolah’s Namekian ally, informs him that his family actually has history with Bardock and that the Saiyan helped save his family. The full details of this have yet to be explored, but it’s sure to recontextualize Bardock’s character, especially now that Goku’s aware of him.
3 Dragon Ball: Episode Of Bardock Is The Bardock Sequel Fans Were Waiting For
Bardock - Father of Goku was a brief special, but it instantly created a rabid fan base for the deceased Saiyan. Two decades after Father of Goku’s release is a hypothetical “What If?” sequel that’s titled Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock. Originally a three-chapter manga, Episode of Bardock was later adapted into a 20-minute anime special. The Special looks at what would have happened if Bardock survived the Saiyan genocide. He unexpectedly gets sent to the past, battles Frieza's ancestor, Chilled, and becomes a Super Saiyan. Episode of Bardock also provides some context on how Frieza knows about Super Saiyans.
2 Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan Reminds The World That Bardock Exists
The eighth Dragon Ball Z movie, Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, is an important and beloved movie because of the bold new Saiyans it introduces. The movie has enough on its plate with Broly and Paragus that it doesn’t have time to also feature Bardock, but these new Saiyans do at least name drop Goku’s father in a way that feels significant. Well-versed with the past of the Saiyan people, Paragus makes reference to how Goku is Broly’s son, but it’s an observation that’s for his own benefit rather than anything revelatory for Goku.
1 Dragon Ball Z’s Anime Sneaks In Bardock To Connect It To Its Special
Dragon Ball Z focuses on Goku, Bardock’s son, and it really doesn’t shift focus much to Goku's past even though the Saiyan’s own children become important components of the series. Dragon Ball Z’s anime has its own priorities that don’t involve Bardock, but the anime does find a brief occasion to work together with the Bardock - Father of Goku special to develop its continuity. Bardock’s brief appearance mirrors his cameo in Dragon Ball Z’s manga, and he’s merely a memory of Frieza, not someone Goku encounters or learns about.