Before Raditz blasted to Earth to see how his little blood brother was fairing in the kickoff episode ofDragon Ball Z, Goku and the other Z Fighters seem to live in relative peace, though with Goku and Piccolo having a long-continuing rivalry that had reached somewhat of a stalemate for the last five years. The inflow of the Saiyans and the revelation of Goku'south ancestry was the inciting incident for the rest of the series going frontward, with many time to come story elements tied to either Goku or the Saiyans.

The big question that lingers over the serial, even decades after its conclusion, is how the story would accept played out differently had Raditz never arrived on Earth, alerted Vegeta and Frieza of the existence of the Dragon Balls, or been given sufficient warning for the impending inflow of Cell and the Androids.

10 Gohan's Future Would Have Been Radically Different

Gohan Surprised

Of all the characters inDragon Ball, none were more radically inverse by the inflow of the Saiyans than Gohan, who was nothing but a happy-go-lucky four-year-one-time kid with aspirations of existence an orthopedist when he grew upwards. That all went out the window, however, when he was revealed to have extraordinary powers that outstripped fifty-fifty Goku and Piccolo, who were the strongest fighters on World at the fourth dimension. Without Raditz, this power may have remained dormant for the rest of his life and he may never have become a fighter in the first place.

9 Dende Would Never Have Come To World

Anime Dragon Ball Dende

Without Piccolo and Kame's death, the loss of the Dragon Balls, and the impending doom of Vegeta's inevitable return, Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan would have never had to travel to Namek to revive Kame and regain the use of Globe'due south Dragon Balls. By extension, the group would never accept met Dende, who would replace Kame after he and Piccolo fused back into ane being to fight a newly hatched Cell. While the fusion may have nonetheless occurred, this would have resulted in the complete loss of Dragon Assurance with no replacement guardian of Earth to recreate them.

viii Piccolo Would Still Believe He Was A Demon

piccolo

When the Saiyans arrived on World, Goku wasn't the just character to have a revelation about their truthful origin, as Piccolo and Kame were as well revealed to be aliens from even further abroad in the universe than the Saiyans. Before this time, Piccolo and Kame were believed to both be separate incarnations of the same nameless demon who wished to be the guardian of World hundreds of years prior.

This demon heritage is the sole reason why King Piccolo's minions, the Nighttime Vassals, look so unlike from other Namekians, though this was later retconned to them being mutated Namekians instead of demon spawn.

7 Piccolo Wouldn't Accept Become A Hero

Gohan Piccolo Down

This comes back to Gohan's interest in the Z Fighter's battles, just without Raditz releasing Gohan's hidden power and Piccolo kidnapping the young boy to train for a yr, Piccolo would never proceeds the soft spot for humanity that later resulted in him condign a hero, likewise as the most powerful of the Z Fighters after the Saiyans. Gohan's friendship changed Piccolo for the improve in many ways, fifty-fifty if he would still revert to his grumpy, somewhat violent tendencies from fourth dimension to fourth dimension, such as when Cell first emerged and his preparation with the Z Fighters on Male monarch Kai'south planet.

6 Goku Would Likely Never Become A Super Saiyan

goku-super-saiyan-dragon-ball-z

Although it is entirely possible that Goku might have become a Super Saiyan in some other battle, this seems unlikely due to how impactful the battle of Namek was with Frieza. Aside from trying to save Earth from imminent devastation and preventing Frieza from obtaining immortality, he was also battling the man who killed his unabridged race and, eventually, his best friend. Because the sequence of events would still allow for the Androids and Cell to assail Goku in the time to come, he may take simply transformed later in life, though he would be much weaker at that time.

5 Cell Would Exist Much Weaker

Cell Evil Stare

Prison cell's strength, and by extension the Android'southward strength, was direct tied to Goku'due south power levels as an adult, as they were designed nether the supposition that Goku would be consistently growing stronger over the years. Therefore, Dr. Gero made a bespeak of creating them to be significantly more powerful than Goku. Without the arrival of the Saiyans, Frieza, and the lower strength level of the Z Fighters, Prison cell would likely be significantly weaker fifty-fifty in his perfect form and wouldn't have the power to survive in any environment gained from Frieza's cells.

4 The World Would Have Been Destroyed By Cell Anyway

Anime Dragon Ball Super Frieza Destroys Earth

Fifty-fifty though Cell would be much weaker in this alternate universe, he would still be more than capable of destroying the Earth, every bit the simply fighters with any real run a risk of victory would be Goku and Piccolo. As Goku would non simply have not trained nether intense gravity for several years, he would besides have potentially non gained the Super Saiyan transformation or trained with Male monarch Kai.

While Piccolo might stand a chance if he fused with Kame, Gohan was the central piece in his battle and, without Gohan as a fighter on their side, it is more probable that Cell would take won the Cell Games and destroyed the Earth.

iii The Absence Of Trunks & Its Consequences

trunks dbz

While some characters never get fighters or obtain their absurd power levels, some characters would never fifty-fifty be built-in. Had Raditz non arrived on Earth, Vegeta and Nappa would likely take never discovered either the Dragon Balls or Namek, which would also mean that Vegeta and Bulma would never have met. If their son Trunks was never born, Futurity Trunks would not have been around to warn anybody about the androids and Goku's heart virus. As a result, Goku may have died of a heart virus and the incoming villains may have been much harder to defeat.

two Goten Might Exist Much Older

goten goku dragon ball

For the most part, Goten was only used as a style to go on children fighters in the series after Gohan grows up, though, with the absence of Raditz, he may take been born much sooner than he otherwise was. Since Goku was grooming or dead for the majority of Dragon Ball Z before his "last" death at the hands of Cell, at that place wasn't much time for him to be a male parent or husband. Without Raditz, he and Chi Chi may have had Goten much sooner in their lives.

ane The Human Z Fighters Wouldn't Be So Useless

Goku Carrying Krillin After Punching Him

While the human being Z Fighters were able to go along pace with the aliens for a long time, every bit they weren't that far behind Goku and Piccolo, this changed shortly later on Raditz's arrival. Once the Kaioken and Super Saiyan techniques came into being, many of the Z Fighters but stopped trying to keep up. It tin't be understated just how overpowered these forms are since they can multiply the character's power by hundreds of times, which makes it very hard for anyone who can't use those techniques to keep upwards with someone who can. Without the Super Saiyan form, many Z Fighters who opted not to railroad train for the Jail cell Games, namely Krillin and Yamcha, may have really become much more than powerful in this alternate timeline.

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