Dragon Ball has given us some great memories and plot twists, and we can’t help but wonder whether there is a reason behind it all. It's possible that it was all unplanned because of Akira Toriyama's casual attitude. Nevertheless, fans persist to think and come up with crazy theories. This list contains ten out of the thousands of theories that fans have conjured up. They are not confirmed, but the very thought of them coming true would change how we view the show and its enigmatic background from the beginning of the Saiyan Saga to the end of Future Trunks.
10 Origin Of Goten
After being introduced to the character in the Buu Saga, fans began to question who he is and where he came from. Yes, he's supposedly Goku's son, but he was not on Earth very long. One very promising theory is that Goten was conceived during the Cell Saga and is believed to have more potential than Gohan. The theory timestamps his birth after Cell's defeat, and the reason to support this is that Goku and ChiChi "sealed the deal" during the nine days before the Cell Games when Goku maintained his Super Saiyan transformation. His potential is backed up by the fact that Gohan was born while Goku was in base form, and Goten when in Super Saiyan, so he is naturally gifted.
9 Bulma Caused The Saiyans Saga
This is a very popular theory that almost makes sense when we think about it. Originally, Bulma wanted to gather the Dragon Balls in order to wish for a boyfriend, but never really got to that point. The theory states that somehow this triggered the events of the Saiyan Saga which brought her the boyfriend/future husband she wanted in the form of Vegeta. Yamcha is not considered viable because both had a very unstable relationship and so, like how the universe works, Bulma got herself a Saiyan prince for a soulmate from the heavens, just because she wished for it.
8 Evil Angels
Currently considered to be the second strongest entities in the Dragon Ball universe, the angels gave a new meaning to the word confidence. Acting as both attendant and teacher to the Gods of Destruction, the Angels are considered stronger than them because they have mastered a skill known as Ultra Instinct and have taught every God of Destruction the art of combat. Akira Toriyama is known to love twists, and this case is no exception because every angel noticeably smiled or grinned when a universe was erased from existence during the Tournament of Power. They serve Destruction Gods, and they smile at Destruction. Doesn't seem very Angelic.
7 Frieza VS Goku In Slow Motion
One of the most iconic battles in Dragon Ball history is the battle on planet Namek. With an unstable planet on the verge of exploding, Frieza states that the time till detonation is five minutes. With a thirteen episode-long battle filled with fighting, dialogue, and a deteriorating landscape, we can only assume that the battle is portrayed to us in slow motion. This is because if the actual events of the brawl are taking place at blistering speeds which the audience wouldn't be able to observe if viewed in real time. This would be far more logical, and it supports the time frame they had.
6 Super Saiyan Was Forgotten
Unlocking the transformation requires an emotional trigger, commonly rage, which is what made it disappear. Goku was able to achieve the transformation when Frieza murdered his best friend Krillin, and this was only when he had developed feelings of empathy and care for others. The Saiyans, who only lived with pride and a ruthless and emotionless demeanor, caused them to lack the “type" of rage needed to unlock the form. This theory is further supported by Toriyama's introduction of S-Cells which can increase in number for those who have gentle spirits.
5 Half Saiyans Beat Pure Bloods
A simple yet enticing theory about how hybrid Saiyans or half Saiyans are stronger than pure blooded ones. The theory focuses on how the hybrids were able to achieve the same or greater power than the pure-blooded Saiyans in a shorter amount of time and with more ease. This would mean that they have more potential to grow and could easily become stronger than them. Some common examples to support this are Goten and Trunks, both of whom became super Saiyans as kids. Gohan, the first ascended super Saiyan, and Mystic Gohan, who decimated Super Buu when no one else could match him.
4 Future Trunk’s Timeline Is The Actual Timeline
An intriguing thought that has us all wondering whether seeing is believing. We all know that Dragon Ball follows the classic approach where the bad guys show up, give the heroes a hard time, and then the heroes find a new power or method to beat them. Predictable, unless the bad guys actually won and the heroes died already. Then Future Trunks, the last remaining survivor, tried to rewrite history and allow the heroes to keep winning. Maybe Future Trunk's universe is actually the true ending of Dragon Ball, and his interference has caused alternate timelines to manifest themselves. Who knows? Only "time" will tell.
3 Jiren Is Based On Buddha
A highly plausible theory due to the recent battle between him and Goku. A fan had pointed out that Jiren's source of power was his eyes, and the episode of the battle confirmed this. Jiren uses intense concentration via meditation techniques and uses them to create projections of energy that he weaponizes in the form of shields, blasts, and melee strikes without using motor skills. Thus, Goku was only able to beat him by entering a meditative state himself and unlocking the true ultra instinct which gave him a state of enlightenment on an equal or greater footing than Jiren, which allowed him to win.
2 Saiyans And Humans Are Distant Relatives
Looking at the anatomy and bone structure of the Saiyans, it’s safe to assume that both humans and Saiyans are related. Supportive evidence for this theory is that both races have a similar physical appearance and that Gohan and Goten were both conceived without any issues. Thus hinting that the Saiyans and humans must share similar DNA, otherwise the races would be incompatible, and the offspring would have either some form of mutation or infertility—neither of which are seen because Gohan is able to have a daughter, Pan. The tails of the Saiyans also hint as to how they might be evolved from the primates, similar to our current theories of evolution.
1 The First Super Saiyan God Died… Or Did He?!
After learning from Shenron about the origin of the Super Saiyan God, fans theorized that maybe he was a god that had been only forgotten and not truly dead. A fan theory posits that the Super Saiyan God could not have lost because he would have been exceptionally stronger than any other Saiyan—even those who achieved Super Saiyan form—but due to the time limit of the form, he might not have remained a god. Though, he still might have become the Guardian of planet Vegeta, like Kami, and watched over the planet silently and died only when Frieza blew it up.