One of the most fun aspects of Dragon Ball is the way so many specific events occurring differently can single-handedly alter the timeline on a massive scale. Virtually any major difference in the lives of Goku and his friends could inevitably lead to a dark timeline where Frieza, Cell, or a host of other villains achieve their violent goals. In this regard, no change would have a greater impact on the Dragon Ball franchise than Goku failing to become the defender of Earth that fans know and love.
Goku wasn’t born to be a hero, but a Saiyan conqueror, and everything about DBZ would be different if he hadn’t hit his head as a child. Instead of growing up as Grandpa Gohan’s surrogate son and becoming a kind symbol of purity, he would remain a bloodthirsty killer. While Goku himself may not be strong enough to conquer Earth, the results of the shift in his personality would still be world-ending.
5 Goku Wouldn't Have Lived Long Enough to Be in Dragon Ball Z
Master Roshi Would Have Eventually Been Forced to Kill Goku
Prior to any later retcons, Goku was sent to Earth from Planet Vegeta because he was a weak Saiyan baby and was thus charged with killing off Earth’s even weaker population. When he was first found by Grandpa Gohan, he was a violent and trouble-making child, only held back from fulfilling his intended purpose by what was an exceptionally low power level, even by the standards of a low-class warrior. In canon, Goku hitting his head set him down a different path, and gave him a much-needed attitude adjustment long before he grew strong enough to become any type of threat. Had he not hit his head, though, he would have become a great enough threat that only the world’s strongest fighters could stop him.
Even if Grandpa Gohan was able to endear himself to Goku, he’d still wind up being killed accidentally by his surrogate son, following his initial transformation into a Great Ape. With no ties left to humanity, and his violent, Saiyan urges driving him, Goku would likely go on a rampage. Goku would be far from the most powerful being on Earth at this stage, but he’d still be more than strong enough to kill any normal person he encountered. Of the various people who could stop him, such as Ox-King and Mercenary Tao, the task would most likely fall to the heroic Master Roshi. Roshi would almost certainly try to help Goku and show him a different path, but his words would probably fall on deaf ears. In the end, Roshi would be forced to kill the boy who, in another timeline, is like a son to him.
4 The Earth Would Be Initially Ruled by Emperor Pilaf
No One Would Have Stopped Pilaf From Taking Over the World
Even if Goku wasn’t alive by the start original Dragon Ball, Emperor Pilaf and his henchmen, Shu and Mai, would still be looking to take over the world. To do this, they would be working towards collecting the Dragon Balls, coincidentally, at the same time as Bulma. Without Goku’s help, however, Bulma would be helpless. Bulma may have been the brains of the original Dragon Team, but Goku was the muscle and the heart. Even if she was able to use her wits to get past Oolong and Yamcha, her journey would end with her getting turned into a carrot by Monster Carrot. Without Goku’s help to rescue her, Yamcha would likewise be vegetablized. With no Dragon Team to stand in his way, the Pilaf Gang would be able to collect all seven Dragon Balls, enabling Emperor Pilaf to wish for his dream of world domination.
At this point, the Earth’s strongest, noble warriors, Master Roshi, Ox-King, Nam, and Bora, would be forced into action, but their fight would not be a successful one. Regardless of whether Shenron gave Pilaf a power-up, there would be no shortage of powerful, evil people ready to serve him in exchange for special privileges. Without even mentioning the horror of Pilaf potentially employing Dr. Gero, most of Earth’s heroes would be helpless against these enemies, and even Master Roshi would eventually be taken out. With Pilaf’s reign absolute, none of the remaining events of the original Dragon Ball would play out. There would be no World Martial Arts Tournaments, the Red Ribbon Army wouldn’t be an independent force, and King Piccolo would never be freed from his rice cooker, meaning Piccolo Jr would never become a threat either. For 12 long years, the world of Dragon Ball would simply be a nightmarish place to live.
3 Raditz Would Kill Everyone on Earth
Raditz Would Have No Reason Not to Massacre Every Single Earthling
In a timeline where Goku never hit his head, the strongest fighters on Earth by the time of Dragon Ball Z would be Tien Shinhan and Mercenary Tao, with Kami also still around as the planet’s last line of defense. This places the planet in a dire position come Raditz’s eventual arrival. Raditz’s scouter would guide him to the highest power level on Earth, Tien’s, and once he’d easily killed him and the rest of the strongest fighters serving Pilaf, it would become apparent to him that his pathetic little brother was dead.
With a power level between 1200 and 1500, Raditz would be an unstoppable monster in this scenario. Looking to clean up Kakarot’s mess, he’d kill everyone on Earth, and he’d likely be able to do so in less than a day. Even if Kami did step in to fight, he’d be useless. Once his job was done, Raditz would return to Vegeta and Nappa and, with the Earth now a desolate wasteland, neither the Androids nor Majin Buu would ever become problems.
2 Several Main Z-Fighters Would Never Be Born
Goku in Canon is Responsible For the Lives of Many Important Characters
Goku being dead before even the start of the original Dragon Ball would mean that many fan-favorite characters would never even exist. Most obviously, this includes his sons, Gohan and Goten. While Chi-Chi could potentially still have kids with someone other than Goku, they’d be fully human, and nothing like their Saiyan-hybrid counterparts. Naturally, this also means that Pan would never come into existence either.
Apart from Goku’s children, Piccolo would never have been born. Without the need to get revenge on Goku, the Pilaf Gang would never have freed King Piccolo from the rice cooker he was trapped by Master Mutaito. The demon king would remain trapped forever, and he’d never be given the chance to spawn Piccolo or any other sons. With Earth’s population wiped out by Raditz, including Bulma, Trunks and Bulla would never be born, and the same would be true of Krillin and Android 18’s daughter, Trunks’s alternate timeline counterpart, Future Trunks, and the reincarnation of Kid Buu wished into existence by Goku, Uub.
1 Frieza Would Continue to Dominate the Entire Universe
No One Would Ever Come Close to Surpassing Frieza in Strength
Frieza’s dominion over Universe 7 was absolute long before the start of the original Dragon Ball. The only reason his reign was ever brought to an end was because he happened to make an enemy out of Goku, at a point where the Saiyan warrior was actually capable of standing up to him, and had the potential to become a Super Saiyan. With Goku dead, the only Saiyans left, purely going by the context of Dragon Ball Z, would be Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, none of whom would be capable of ever challenging Frieza or becoming Super Saiyans. Even factoring in Broly and Paragus from Dragon Ball Super, they never had any interest in toppling the tyrant.
If Goku hadn’t hit his head, Frieza would have continued ruling Universe 7 with an iron fist, killing and torturing to his heart’s content. While Nappa and Raditz benefit from this scenario, as they’d actually get to survive, and most of the Frieza Force would also enjoy keeping their jobs and surviving, things would be far worse for just about everyone else. This even includes Vegeta, who would continue to be tormented and abused by Frieza for years to come.
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.
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Dragon Ball Z
TV-PG Action Adventure Sci-Fi Comedy Super Power Fantasy Martial Arts Shounen 8 10 92
Cast
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Masako Nozawa
Ryou Horikawa
With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.
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