Dragon Ball Z and its sequel, Dragon Ball Super, are two of the most well known and well-watched anime series of all time. They follow the story of young Goku, a Saiyan alien that came from the planet Vegeta, who became Earth's strongest fighter. The first episode of Dragon Ball Z aired on the 26th of April, 1989.

Whereas Dragon Ball Super is still ongoing, in English. That is a time span of 30 odd years, and in that time, a lot of things that happened in the original show were changed in the sequel. They can be minor things, like the color of a character's hair, or major, such as an entire character.

10 Super Saiyan Transformation Isn't Pure Hearted

In Dragon Ball Z, it was stated that there was a legendary, almost mythical transformation, that a Saiyan could attain. This form, known as the Super Saiyan, could only be attained by those who were pure of heart. Goku attained this transformation because he was a pure being, for who under great emotional duress, called forth on his hidden Saiyan power.

In Dragon Ball Super, however, this transformation was explained to be the cause of numerous S-Cells found inside a Saiyan's body. They could also undergo the transformation by concentrating their ki on the tingling sensation below their neck.

9 Krillin Loses All Of His Hair

By the time Dragon Ball Z was over, Krillin had grown his hair long. Initially, a bald monk who trained with Goku during his youth, he had six marks on his forehead, a battle scar from when he got bit during a match.

He ended up marrying Android 18 and fathered a daughter, Marron. In Dragon Ball Super, during the first episodes, Krillin shaves his head again as he goes back into fighting. He does this at the request of his wife, who preferred him to be bald as opposed to having hair. A slight change, but a change nonetheless.

8 The Z Fighter Universe Isn't The Only Universe

The lore of Dragon Ball started well before Dragon Ball Z aired its first episode. The prequel to the Dragon Ball Z series was Dragon Ball, which was first published in 1984.

As the years passed, the stakes were slowly raised, from the lives of each other to the lives of the village, the city, the planet, the galaxy, the very universe, and the essence of everything. In Dragon Ball Z, there was only one universe, but in Dragon Ball Super, it was revealed that there were, in fact, twelve universes at one time. The universe of the Z Fighters was Universe Seven.

7 Uub Gets Retconned

Uub is a major character in Dragon Ball Z, considered the reincarnation of the mystical villain, Kid Buu. He fights Goku in the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament and becomes his student. Introduced as potentially the most powerful fighter in the show at the time, he is mentioned once in the entire Dragon Ball Super arc by young Dende.

It would seem that the character does not have any relevance anymore, despite being built up as potentially something great at the end of Dragon Ball Z. Who knows, though? Perhaps one day, once Dragon Ball Super is picked back up again, Uub will make a return.

6 Potara Fusion Has A Timer

The Potara earrings are the earrings of the Kais, which once worn between two people, cause their bodies to fuse forever. At least, that's what was said in Dragon Ball Z. Goku and Vegeta used the Potara to fuse their minds, bodies, and spirits together to create the unstoppable warrior, Vegito.

After transforming, Super Vegito allowed himself to be absorbed by Super Buu and within the muck of the evil energy, the Potara deteriorated. In Dragon Ball Super, it's said that the Potara fusion is only permanent if one of the individuals is the Supreme Kai, which is different than the "all Potara fusions are permanent" idea of Dragon Ball Z.

5 Frieza Is Brought Back From The Dead

Frieza was one of the most iconic villains of the entire series. The build-up to the fight between Goku and the Tyrant was immense and spanned several arcs and seasons. Eventually, it leads up to Goku attaining the legendary state of the great Super Saiyan and defeating the evil tyrant.

However, as many years passed in the Dragon Ball Super story, Frieza was wished back twice, and became more of a recurring anti-hero character as opposed to a true villain. The change in the character wasn't met negatively, as fans loved Frieza for being as truly powerful and evil as he was.

4 Broly Is Made Canon

In Dragon Ball Z, there was a non-canon character, a lost Saiyan known as Broly. He was raised in a faraway planet by his father, Peragus. The timid Broly holds within him the power of the Legendary Super Saiyan, a mutation in the existing transformation that makes him immensely powerful and nearly unstoppable.

He was a beloved character, adored by fans, but sadly non-canon. However, the most recent Dragon Ball Super movie featured the lost character, and he is now even more powerful than his previous incarnation, and just as adored, if not more. There's more to Broly than the hulking mass of unstoppable rage.

3 Future Trunk's Hair Colour Changes

Future Trunks is the son of Bulma and Vegeta, and he comes from a timeline where Goku dies of heart disease and the rest of the Z Fighters are killed by the Androids of Dr. Gero. In Dragon Ball Z, he came back to prevent that future, and save Goku. He had pink hair and took down Mecha Frieza before he could harm the planet.

In Dragon Ball Super, however, he comes back a second time to save his future from an Evil Goku, but here, his hair color is not pink, but rather blue. It's strange because the young version of him in the original timeline still has pink hair.

2 Goku Remains Stronger Than Vegeta

Despite all the changes and fanservice, the Dragon Ball Super arcs have given us, it has yet to provide the fans the one thing they've been clamoring for. A moment where Vegeta clearly becomes the more powerful Saiyan.

Despite initially being a frightening villain, as time passed, he became an anti-hero, a begrudging hero, before finally becoming the valiant and noble Z Fighter he is today. His character had the most intense development, from the spoiled prince to the noble warrior, and fans have been aching for a moment where he finally exceeded Goku as the strongest in the universe.

1 The Dragon Balls Are Still Used To Undo Damage

Despite all the changes in the manga and anime, the lore that shifted here and there, the one thing that has not changed in the series is how all the damage done for the epic fights are undone through the use of the Dragon Balls. They've been scaled up, of course, with now there being Super Dragon Balls, capable of granting anyone any wish they could desire with no limits.

At the end of the Tournament Of Power, when so many universes were erased from existence, the Super Dragon Balls were used to bring them back. Some things may change in Dragon Ball, but this certainly didn't.

NEXT: Dragon Ball: 20 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Vegeta