History UnbuiltTrope / DragonBall

* "Ultimate Techniques", an ace-in-the-hole attack, are also most notable in ''Dragon Ball'', especially the most famous of all, the Spirit Bomb. Shockingly however, Goku's first two attempts to use them - against Vegeta and Frieza - actually '''failed''' to defeat them. If anything, they only brought time and evened the playing field, if at all, and charging it up left Goku very vulnerable. The one time it does canonically work against Kid Buu, just beforehand, Goku would have been killed by his own attack had Dende not wished for him to regain his lost energy. Other more "low-key" examples, such as Vegeta's Final Burst Cannon and Piccolo's Light Grenade, did nothing to Frieza or Imperfect Cell respectively, even though it was their most powerful attacks at the time. Overall, ultimate attacks are ''very'' high-risk, low-reward manoeuvres in the setting.

* Vegeta is the codifier for the StockShonenRival... except that he's almost always placed ''below'' Goku. Vegeta is unable to accept that Goku is above him and he's unable to catch up, and this combined with Goku's habit of constantly surpassing him even when he squeaks ahead is what ultimately drive him to pull a second (and brief) FaceHeelTurn. All those years of [[TheResenter resentment]] and anger at being [[AlwaysSecondBest second best]] to TheHero pushed him to his breaking point, causing him to make a DealWithTheDevil, play right into the villains' hands and essentially doom the world, solely in exchange for enough power to finally beat Goku. It's also worth pointing out that unlike the rivalries seen in later shonen series, Vegeta's rivalry with Goku is almost entirely one-sided, with Goku regarding Vegeta as a friend and sparring partner, but never having to worry about catching up to him [[BadassDecay after]] his introductory arc. This along with Goku's general friendliness just makes Vegeta even angrier. It takes until the Buu Arc for Vegeta to admit that Goku is #1, and thus he has a far healthier outlook on his drive to defeat him again.
* While [[TimeSkip time skips]] are commonly used in shonen these days, at the time it was very unusual and even controversial when Toriyama decided to do one and age all the characters up. In particular, Goku, who went from a somewhat stubby little boy, aged up to a muscular, full-grown man, a decision Toriyama's editor was against at the time because it changed the appeal of the character. Toriyama chose to do it because Goku's small, short frame made it difficult to draw fight scenes in a series that was becoming increasingly [[GenreShift more action-oriented]]; the skip to the 22nd Tournament was explicitly done just to lengthen his limbs to how they appeared in action panels, but even that wasn't enough. Even before this, time actually did pass, and the characters did age, but it was subtle enough to not be too noticeable. The series then went on to have several more time skips, often occurring after each major arc, until the characters were all middle-aged, with children ranging from toddlers to adults. By comparison, most shonen only have one major TimeSkip (usually at the halfway point of a series), and characters don't start getting married and having children until [[BabiesEverAfter the epilogue]]. Most of them are stuck in their teenage years throughout, usually to emphasize AdultsAreUseless despite the fact that the codifier's adult self ''is the most iconic one''.

* The manga also pulled one of these on itself: when Goku first confronts the shapeshifting Oolong, the latter constantly stalls time by taking on bigger and more powerful-looking forms to try and intimidate an increasingly impatient Goku (who just wants to fight the guy), only to run off because Oolong in actuality is very weak and can only hold a form for five minutes at a time. This is from the same series that would later become infamous for having copious amounts of {{padding}} and {{inaction sequence}}s as a result of its anime adaptation, to say nothing of the number of later ''Dragon Ball'' villains with increasingly powerful transformations.

** Lastly, most shonen heroes are kids or teenagers and only appear as married adults with children in a DistantFinale. While Goku is introduced as a kid, he's spent most of the series as a married adult with a son.

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but lack many of the attributes that are considered iconic of such archetype:
** These characters usually have some grand abition or goal (like being the next [[Manga/OnePiece Pirate King]], the next [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Hokage]], the next [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia #1 Hero]], a [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokemon Master]], etc), while Goku's only cares about getting stronger and fighting strong opponents [[BloodKnight purely because he enjoys a good fight]].
** While shonen heroes are usually noble and selfless, Goku isn't excatly heroic, and has many times put his own selfish desires over the common good, such as sparing dangerous antagonists so he can fight against them again in the future. He's closer to a {{Wuxia}} hero in that while he'll always help out someone he sees is in trouble, he doesn't spend all day looking for that sort of thing like {{Franchise/Superman}} does. The nobility he has a reputation for was [[AdaptationalHeroism far more emphasized in the anime]] than in the manga (and the Funimation dub [[DubPersonalityChange exaggerated it even further]]), which original creator Creator/AkiraToriyama has criticized since he always meant for Goku to have a more selfish side to him that occasionally sneaks through.
** Lastly, most shonen heroes are kids or teenagers and only appear as married adults with children in a DistantFinale. While Goku ''did'' start out as a kid, he spent most of the series as a married adult with a son.

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but lack many of the atributes that are considered iconic of such archetype:

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but at the same time he's not exactly the noble and selfless hero one would expect from a typical shonen manga; his motivations are largely self-centered, with nearly everything he does being a means of [[BloodKnight getting stronger]] or at the very least seeing how he measures up to somebody. He's closer to a {{Wuxia}} hero in that while he'll always help out someone he sees is in trouble, he doesn't spend all day looking for that sort of thing like {{Franchise/Superman}} does. The nobility he has a reputation for was [[AdaptationalHeroism far more emphasized in the anime]] than in the manga (and the Funimation dub [[DubPersonalityChange exaggerated it even further]]), which original creator Creator/AkiraToriyama has criticized since he always meant for Goku to have a more selfish side to him that occasionally sneaks through.

For all the flak it gets as the father of modern shonen, many don't realize how rarely ''Manga/DragonBall'' uses the tropes it helped [[TropeCodifier codified]] without said tropes being parodied or subverted somehow. Overall, a lot of what the series is best known for is so rarely played straight that it actually borders on being DeconstructiveParody of its imitators when looked at from a perspective of a modern audience.

For all the flak it takes as the father of modern shonen, many don't realize how rarely ''Manga/DragonBall'' uses the tropes it helped [[TropeCodifier codified]] without said tropes being parodied or subverted somehow. Overall, a lot of what the series is best known for is so rarely played straight that it actually borders on being DeconstructiveParody of its imitators when looked at from a perspective of a modern audience.

For all the flak it takes as the father of modern shonen, many don't realize how rarely ''Manga/DragonBall'' uses the tropes it helped [[TropeCodifier codified]] without said tropes being parodied or subverted somehow. Overall, a lot of what the series is best known for is so rarely played straight that the franchise as a whole can actually be considered a DeconstructiveParody of its imitators when looked at from a perspective of a modern audience.

For all the flak it takes as the father of modern shonen, many don't realize how rarely ''Manga/DragonBall'' plays the tropes it helped [[TropeCodifier codified]] without said trope being parodied or subverted somehow. Overall, a lot of what the series is best known for is so rarely played straight that the franchise as a whole can actually be considered a DeconstructiveParody of its imitators when looked at from a perspective of a modern audience.

For all the flak it takes as the pioneer of modern shonen franchises, many don't realize how big of a DeconstructiveParody ''Manga/DragonBall'' always was. Overall, a lot of what the series is best known for can actually be considered an unintended parody of its imitators when looked into nowadays.

* While [[TimeSkip time skips]] are commonly used in shonen these days, at the time it was very unusual and even controversial when Toriyama decided to do one and age all the characters up. In particular, Goku, who went from a somewhat stubby little boy, aged up to a muscular, full-grown man, a decision Toriyama's editor was against at the time because it changed the appeal of the character. Toriyama chose to do it because Goku's small, short frame made it difficult to draw fight scenes in a series that was becoming increasingly [[GenreShift more action-oriented]]; the skip to the 22nd Tournament was explicitly done just to lengthen his limbs to how they appeared in action panels, but even that wasn't enough. Even before this, time actually did pass, and the characters did age, but it was subtle enough to not be too noticeable. The series then went on to have several more time skips, often occurring after each major arc, until the characters were all middle-aged, with children ranging from toddlers to adults. By comparison, most shonen only have one major TimeSkip (usually at the halfway point of a series), and characters don't start getting married and having children until [[BabiesEverAfter the epilogue]]. Most of them are stuck in their teenage years throughout, usually to emphasize AdultsAreUseless despite the fact that the codifier's adult self ''is the most iconic one''.
* Arguably, the series subverts the idea of the protagonist being guilty of SpotlightStealingSquad because, from the beginning, it featured an ensemble cast. While he has a large focus in the early arcs, particularly Red Ribbon, Goku actually does ''not'' appear that often in ''Z'', all things considered, frequently being gravely injured, training or dead. Later series inspired by ''Dragon Ball'' would have the protagonists squarely in the limelight, with long absences being something they almost always avert.

** The clearest example of this is Gurdo in the Namek Arc. His battle power is pitiful to the point that even Krillin could take him on in a straight fight, but his time freeze ability completely side-steps the need to be powerful and lets him dodge attacks with ease or freeze his opponents in place, such that he could impale them with sharp objects and win that way. The only reason Gohan and Krillin survived is because Vegeta stepped in.

* Highly powerful techniques/forms like the Kamehameha and the Super Saiyan transformation [[UniquenessDecay are widespread among the general cast]], rather than being exclusive to a single character or a select few for the sake of emphasizing their importance. Anyone is able to learn any move, but some seem to only be used by certain characters based on their personal outlook (such as the Dodon-pa) or are taken on out of respect (like the Masenko). The Kamehameha in particular started out as ''Roshi's'' signature move, but 2/3rds into the story and Goku, Krillin and Tien are all able to use it.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is also often considered the TropeCodifier for SuperMode transformations in ''any'' future [=Shonen=] series with the Super Saiyan transformation. However, what many people forget is how much of an enigma it was originally. When Goku first achieved it, he specifically told Gohan to get as far away as possible because he was afraid he would lose control of his senses and end up harming him in the process, and Goku was ''far'' more ruthless when he first achieved it because of its power. Even after the transformation undergoes UniquenessDecay, it still proves to be a challenge for the characters to effectively master, taking them a great deal of time and effort to use the transformation without letting the rage needed to activate it take control. This isn't even getting into the more 'advanced' forms of Super Saiyan. Although they tend to get mocked because of the [[PowerMakesYourHairGrow sheer ridiculous hair growth]] they cause, many forget that even the more famous Super Saiyan 2 and 3 were shown to be [[AwesomeButImpractical incredibly inefficient]] in battle later on in the series, often burning through the fighters' ki too quickly to justify the power boost it grants (considering one could more easily just raise their base ki, which Super Saiyan multiplies). If the villain could survive the onslaught from these forms, the fighters were essentially screwed. Even in ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' the Super Saiyan God form is shown to be flawed, with Goku barely being able to maintain it for a few minutes before it fades away. The only real benefit it did was give Goku his own natural godly ki, and even ''that'' is shown to be not enough to stop an actual God. Even when [[NextTierPowerUp you achieve a new tier of power]], it doesn't mean you'll always win. Even Super Saiyan Blue is stated by WordOfGod to not be its own separate transformation, rather being Goku (and later Vegeta) channeling his god ki in a stabler form through the base Super Saiyan transformation.\\\
In fact, its unbuilding of the SuperMode transformation started all the way back near the start of ''Dragon Ball Z'' with the Kaioken. It has the same behaviour as a super mode, but unlike later ones, it has something that is almost never touched upon: the side effects of pushing one's body past their limits. The Kaioken may offer the user a significant power boost, but the body reacts in the way you'd expect from suddenly gaining a large amount of muscle tone and power — with ''incredible pain''. Simply activating the higher tiers of Kaioken almost leaves Goku paralyzed and he was specifically warned to ''never'' go past times two because of this; he pushes it up to ''times ten'' and the side effects of it are readily apparent. Even a simple pat on the back from ''[[FatComicRelief Yajirobe]]'' leaves him screaming in pain and, as mentioned above, Goku had to spend months in a hospital recovering from pushing himself too much. He later stops using the technique after becoming a Super Saiyan, since the latter transformation offers more power with less harmful side-effects, and combining the two would have [[DeadlyUpgrade even more dire consequences]]; even in ''Super'', where Goku manages to combine Kaioken with the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, it's shown to have terrible side effects. [[spoiler:Goku offhandedly mentions it has a ninety percent chance of ''killing'' him if he can't pull it off, and extended use of the two together ends up throwing Goku's ability to control his ki completely out of whack, forcing him to spend time recovering from it as a result. Not even a Senzu Bean can help speed up the recovery process here.]]
* The series also subverts the PlotArmor seen in a lot of the shows inspired by it. Despite the [[MacGuffin Dragon Balls]] constantly making death [[DeathIsCheap a quick fix]], it doesn't change the fact that characters ''actually die'', and [[AnyoneCanDie often]]. When all is said and done, most of the opponents they face are extremely dangerous {{Hero Killer}}s, and just because it's the main protagonists facing them doesn't mean they're any more likely to survive than other characters in the series. If not for the Dragon Balls, a good portion of the cast would be long dead by now, ''including'' [[TheHero Goku]]. The results of this are emphasized in [[BadFuture Future Trunks' timeline]].

* The franchise also deconstructs the way training would be handled in later Shonen series. Roshi's training can be difficult and/or tedious, but he knows not to overdo it and makes sure to pass that knowledge to his students. Despite how demanding he can be, he knows that training ''too'' hard and not having enough fun or getting enough rest is counterproductive, a lesson Goku learns and applies to later training. Meanwhile, it's heavily implied (and eventually confirmed by Whis) that part of the reason Vegeta CantCatchUp is because he never learned this, so he pushes himself too hard when he trains and gets diminishing returns as a result of overexerting himself and not getting enough rest, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome just like what would happen to a real person who tries overly punishing exercise]]. In other words, it's not a typical case of HardWorkHardlyWorks; a big part of Goku's success is that he trains ''smart'', knowing how hard to push himself and when to take a rest so that he can achieve better results.

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but at the same time he's not exactly the noble and selfless hero one would expect from a typical shonen manga; his motivations are largely self-centered, with nearly everything he does being a means of [[BloodKnight getting stronger]] or at the very least seeing how he measures up to somebody. He's closer to a {{Wuxia}} hero in that while he'll always help out someone he sees is in trouble, he doesn't spend all day looking for that sort of thing like ''Franchise/Superman'' does. The nobility he has a reputation for was [[AdaptationalHeroism far more emphasized in the anime]] than in the manga (and the Funimation dub [[DubPersonalityChange exaggerated it even further]]), which original creator Creator/AkiraToriyama has criticized since he always meant for Goku to have a more selfish side to him that occasionally sneaks through.
* While Goku is famous for codifying the IdiotHero in shonen manga, he isn't actually an idiot so much as being very naive. A lot of his strangeness coming from ignorance of the world around him due to his upbringing; he was raised in a forest far away from modern civilization, and spent most of his early childhood [[WildChild living by himself among wild animals]] thanks to the death of his adopted grandfather. Because of this, he isn't aware of the kind of knowledge or social norms that most of the other characters (and the viewers) see as a rule-of-thumb, and it's [[MentorArchetype Master Roshi]] who teaches him basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The series also makes a point of showing that, when it comes to battle, Goku is a genius-level prodigy, able to come up with new training techniques himself and think up clever strategies while fighting, making it an unintentional subversion of the AttackAttackAttack method of fighting a lot of characters he's influenced rely on (though Goku himself is definitely no stranger to this method, as the series is also famous for its RapidFireFisticuffs). And, while shonen heroes are known for their large appetites, Goku's BigEater tendencies are a trait that ''all'' Saiyans share, with it being demonstrated that ''no'' human could possibly eat such huge portions (while it ''is'' worth noting that [[Creator/AkiraToriyama Toriyama]] didn't come up with the whole Saiyan thing until later, Goku was AmbiguouslyHuman from the start).

* It codified the Shonen TournamentArc but subverted it long before other shows did. While most tournament arcs end with the main protagonist coming out on top in the end, Goku actually loses the first two and forfeits the last two (three if the Cell Games are counted). Master Roshi even tells him and Krillin that participating in the tournament is just another part of their training, and that winning isn't the point at all (and, in fact, he also entered the tournament under an alias to ''keep'' them from winning, so they wouldn't come to believe themselves above everybody else in fighting skill): instead the point is to see what they're made of, an outlook Goku carries with him for every future opponent. This last point especially sticks out considering how the protagonist of [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries another shonen anime]] that started right around when ''DBZ'' originally ended is often reduced to a laughing stock among viewers for his frequent losses. Lampshaded by [[https://www.deviantart.com/blueike/art/Commish-Mob-Mentality-810321342 this comic]], ironically released not long before said protagonist won the Alola League.

* Goku is almost always the one to defeat the main villain in every arc, and winds up being one of the most powerful characters in the series (if not ''the'' most). Naturally, the rest of the cast come to rely on him [[CrutchCharacter a little too much]]. It gets so bad that the other characters are [[CantCatchUp unable to catch up]], getting slaughtered by the Androids in Future Trunks' timeline specifically because he's not there to save them (he succumbs to a heart disease well before the Androids even show up). Not only is he aware of this problem, but he also takes steps to avoid it; starting with the Cell Saga he willingly takes a back seat, while still helping his friends, just so they'll learn to handle their problems without him, and starts looking for a successor, initially choosing his firstborn son Gohan, then Goten and Trunks, and later [[Anime/DragonBallGT Uub]]. This is the reason he trains Gohan to fight Perfect Cell, instead of doing it himself, and naturally everyone is shocked. Given that the series (chronologically) ends with Uub becoming his apprentice, it's unclear whether this attempt at a successor works out.

* Vegeta is the codifier for the StockShonenRival... except that he's almost always placed ''below'' Goku. Vegeta is unable to accept that Goku is above him and he's unable to catch up, and Goku's habit of constantly surpassing him even when he squeaks ahead, are what ultimately drive him to pull a second (and brief) FaceHeelTurn. All those years of [[TheResenter resentment]] and anger at being [[AlwaysSecondBest second best]] to TheHero pushed him to his breaking point, causing him to make a DealWithTheDevil, play right into the villains' hands and essentially doom the world, solely in exchange for enough power to finally beat Goku. It's also worth pointing out that unlike the rivalries seen in later shonen series, Vegeta's rivalry with Goku is almost entirely one-sided, with Goku regarding Vegeta as a friend and sparring partner, but never having to worry about catching up to him [[BadassDecay after]] his introductory arc. This along with Goku's general friendliness just makes Vegeta even angrier. It takes until the Boo Arc for Vegeta to admit that Goku is #1, and thus he has a far healthier outlook on his drive to defeat him again.

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but at the same time he's not exactly the noble and selfless hero one would expect from a typical shonen manga; his motivations are largely self-centered, with nearly everything he does being a means of [[BloodKnight getting stronger]], and while he is willing to lend a helping hand to people in need, his final goal is always something for his own benefit. The nobility he has a reputation for was [[AdaptationalHeroism far more emphasized in the anime]] than in the manga (and the English dub [[DubPersonalityChange exaggerated it even further]]), which original creator Creator/AkiraToriyama has criticized since he always meant for Goku to have a more selfish side to him that occasionally sneaks through. Goku also ''actually ages to adulthood'' in the middle of his own story while most later examples that come after him are stuck in their teenage years throughout their own stories, usually to emphasize AdultsAreUseless despite the fact that the codifier's ''adult self is the most iconic one''.
* While Goku is famous for codifying the IdiotHero in shonen manga, he isn't actually an idiot so much as being very naive, a lot of his strangeness coming from ignorance of the world around him due to his upbringing; he was raised in a forest far away from modern civilization, and spent most of his early childhood [[WildChild living by himself among wild animals]] thanks to the death of his adopted grandfather. Because of this, he isn't aware of the kind of knowledge or social norms that most of the other characters (and the viewers) see as a rule-of-thumb, and it's [[MentorArchetype Master Roshi]] who teaches him basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The series also makes a point of showing that, when it comes to battle, Goku is a genius-level prodigy, able to come up with new training techniques himself and think up clever strategies while fighting, making it an unintentional subversion of the AttackAttackAttack method of fighting a lot of characters he's influenced rely on (though Goku himself is definitely no stranger to this method, as the series is also famous for its RapidFireFisticuffs). And lastly, while shonen heroes are known for their large appetites, Goku's BigEater tendencies are a trait that ''all'' Saiyans share, with it being demonstrated that ''no'' human could possibly eat such huge portions (while it ''is'' worth noting that [[Creator/AkiraToriyama Toriyama]] didn't come up with the whole Saiyan thing until later, Goku was AmbiguouslyHuman from the start).
* Highly powerful techniques/forms like the Kamehameha and the Super Saiyan transformation [[UniquenessDecay are widespread among the general cast]], rather than being exclusive to a single character or a select few for the sake of emphasizing their importance.
* [[invoked]]Despite being the {{Trope Namer|s}} and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] for PowerLevels, the whole idea was a concept meant to illustrate how inaccurate and frivolous it would be to try and numerically quantify someone's fighting ability (or, much more specifically, their [[KiManipulation chi]]), according to WordOfGod. Numerous times, the villains end up losing because they miscalculate the ability of their opponents by their power levels alone, not accounting for skill or tactics, or the fact that the characters learn to recognize this and trick their opponents by hiding their power. This becomes an ExaggeratedTrope in the Android Saga, which explicitly states that the ArtificialHumans do '''''not''''' have detectable power levels due to not having chi at all (and thus their chi would be read by a scouter as "0"). Attempting to sense an android's power level is the equivalent of trying to detect the power level of an atomic bomb — which won't possess chi, unlike a human, and will thus seem undetectable, despite the atomic bomb obviously being nigh-infinitely more powerful than any human alive. Despite this, it's still very common to see fans attempt to put a number to their power level, which almost hilariously misses the entire point.
* It codified the Shonen TournamentArc but subverted it long before other shows did. While most tournament arcs end with the main protagonist coming out on top in the end, Goku actually loses the first two and forfeits the last two (three if the Cell Games are counted). Master Roshi even tells him and Krillin that participating in the tournament is just another part of their training, and that winning isn't the point at all (and, in fact, he also entered the tournament under an alias to ''keep'' them from winning, so they wouldn't come to believe themselves above everybody else in fighting skill). This last point especially sticks out considering how the protagonist of [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries another shonen anime]] that started right around when ''DBZ'' originally ended is often reduced to a laughing stock among viewers for his frequent losses. Lampshaded by [[https://www.deviantart.com/blueike/art/Commish-Mob-Mentality-810321342 this comic]], ironically released not long before said protagonist won the Alola League.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is also often considered the TropeCodifier for SuperMode transformations in ''any'' future [=Shonen=] series with the Super Saiyan transformation. However, what many people forget is how much of an enigma it was originally. When Goku first achieved it, he specifically told Gohan to get as far away as possible because he was afraid he would lose control and end up harming him in the process, and Goku was ''far'' more ruthless when he first achieved it because of its power. Even after the transformation undergoes UniquenessDecay, it still proves to be a challenge for the characters to effectively master, taking them a great deal of time and effort to use the transformation without letting the rage needed to activate it take control. This isn't even getting into the more 'advanced' forms of Super Saiyan. Although they tend to get mocked because of the [[PowerMakesYourHairGrow sheer ridiculous hair growth]] they cause, many forget that even the more famous Super Saiyan 2 and 3 were shown to be [[AwesomeButImpractical incredibly inefficient]] in battle later on in the series, often burning through the fighters' ki too quickly to justify the power boost it grants. If the villain could survive the onslaught from these forms, the fighters were essentially screwed. Even in ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' the Super Saiyan God form is shown to be flawed, with Goku barely being able to maintain it for a few minutes before it fades away. The only real benefit it did was give Goku his own natural godly ki, and even ''that'' is shown to be not enough to stop an actual God. Even when [[NextTierPowerUp you achieve a new tier of power]], it doesn't mean you'll always win. Even Super Saiyan Blue is stated by WordOfGod to not be its own separate transformation, rather being Goku (and later Vegeta) channeling his god ki in a stabler form through the base Super Saiyan transformation.\\\

* Vegeta is the codifier for the StockShonenRival... and it's also shown that his inability to catch up, and Goku's habit of constantly surpassing him even when he does in particular, are what ultimately drive him to pull a second (and brief) FaceHeelTurn. All those years of [[TheResenter resentment]] and anger at being [[AlwaysSecondBest second best]] to TheHero pushed him to his breaking point, causing him to make a DealWithTheDevil, play right into the villains' hands and essentially doom the world, solely in exchange for enough power to finally beat Goku. It's also worth pointing out that unlike the rivalries seen in later shonen series, Vegeta's rivalry with Goku is almost entirely one-sided, with Goku regarding Vegeta as a friend and sparring partner, but never having to worry about catching up to him [[BadassDecay after]] his introductory arc. This along with Goku's general friendliness just makes Vegeta even angrier.

* And while [[TimeSkip time skips]] are commonly used in shonen these days, at the time it was very unusual and even controversial when Toriyama decide to do one and age all the characters up; particularly Goku, who went from a somewhat stubby little boy, to a muscular, full-grown man, a decision Toriyama's editor was against at the time. Toriyama chose to do it because Goku's small, short frame made it difficult to draw fight scenes in a series that was becoming increasingly [[GenreShift more action-oriented]]. Even before this, time actually did pass, and the characters did age, but it was subtle enough to not be too noticeable. The series then went on to have several more time skips, often occurring after each major arc, until the characters were all middle-aged, with children ranging from toddlers to adults. By comparison, most shonen only have one major TimeSkip (usually at the halfway point of a series), and characters don't start getting married and having children until [[BabiesEverAfter the epilogue]].
* Arguably, the series subverts the idea of the protagonist being guilty of SpotlightStealingSquad. Goku actually does ''not'' appear that often in ''Z'', all things considered, often being gravely injured, training or dead. Later series inspired by ''Dragon Ball'' would have the protagonists squarely in the limelight, with long absences being something they almost always avert.

* [[invoked]]Despite being the {{Trope Namer|s}} and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] for PowerLevels, the whole idea was a concept meant to illustrate how inaccurate and frivolous it would be to try and numerically quantify someone's fighting ability (or, much more specifically, their [[KiManipulation chi]]), according to WordOfGod. Numerous times, the villains end up losing because they miscalculate the ability of their opponents by their power levels alone, not accounting for skill or tactics, or the fact that the characters learn to recognize this and trick their opponents by hiding their power. This goes UpToEleven in the Android Saga, which explicitly states that the ArtificialHumans do '''''not''''' have detectable power levels due to not having chi at all (and thus their chi would be read by a scouter as "0"). Attempting to sense an android's power level is the equivalent of trying to detect the power level of an atomic bomb — which won't possess chi, unlike a human, and will thus seem undetectable, despite the atomic bomb obviously being nigh-infinitely more powerful than any human alive. Despite this, it's still very common to see fans attempt to put a number to their power level, which almost hilariously misses the entire point.

* While Goku is famous for codifying the IdiotHero in shonen manga, he isn't actually an idiot so much as being very naive, a lot of his strangeness coming from ignorance of the world around him due to his upbringing; he was raised in a forest far away from modern civilization, and spent most of his early childhood [[WildChild living by himself among wild animals]] thanks to the death of his adopted grandfather. Because of this, he isn't aware of the kind of knowledge or social norms that most of the other characters (and the viewers) see as a rule-of-thumb, and it's [[TheMentor Master Roshi]] who teaches him basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The series also makes a point of showing that, when it comes to battle, Goku is a genius-level prodigy, able to come up with new training techniques himself and think up clever strategies while fighting, making it an unintentional subversion of the AttackAttackAttack method of fighting a lot of characters he's influenced rely on (though Goku himself is definitely no stranger to this method, as the series is also famous for its RapidFireFisticuffs). And lastly, while shonen heroes are known for their large appetites, Goku's BigEater tendencies are a trait that ''all'' Saiyans share, with it being demonstrated that ''no'' human could possibly eat such huge portions (while it ''is'' worth noting that [[Creator/AkiraToriyama Toriyama]] didn't come up with the whole Saiyan thing until later, Goku was AmbiguouslyHuman from the start).

* And while [[TimeSkip time skips]] are commonly used in shonen these days, at the time it was very unusual and even controversial when Toriyama decide to do one and age all the characters up; particularly Goku, who went from a somewhat stubby little boy, to a muscular, full-grown man, a decision Toriyama's editor was against at the time. Toriyama chose to do it because Goku's small, short frame made it difficult to draw fight scenes in a series that was becoming increasingly [[GenreShift more action-oriented]]. Even before this, time actually did pass, and the characters did age, but it was subtle enough to not be too noticeable. The series then went on to have several more time skips, often occurring after each major arc, until the characters were all middle-aged, with children ranging from toddlers to adults. By comparison, most shonen only have one major TimeSkip (usually at the halfway point of a series), and characters don't start getting married and having children until [[BabiesEverAfter the epilogue]].

* Vegeta is the codifier for the StockShonenRival... and it's also shown that his inability to catch up, and Goku's habit of constantly surpassing him even when he does in particular, are what ultimately drive him to pull a second (and brief) FaceHeelTurn. All those years of [[TheResenter resentment]] and anger at being [[AlwaysSecondBest second best]] to TheHero pushed him to his breaking point, causing him to make a DealWithTheDevil, play right into their hands and essentially doom the world, solely in exchange for enough power to finally beat Goku. It's also worth pointing out that unlike the rivalries seen in later shonen series, Vegeta's rivalry with Goku is almost entirely one-sided, with Goku regarding Vegeta as a friend and sparring partner, but never having to worry about catching up to him [[BadassDecay after]] his introductory arc. This along with Goku's general friendliness just makes Vegeta even angrier.

* While Goku is famous for codifying the IdiotHero in shonen manga, he isn't actually an idiot so much as being very naive, a lot of his strangeness coming from ignorance of the world around him due to his upbringing; he was raised in a forest, far away from modern civilization and spent most of his early childhood [[WildChild living by himself among wild animals]] thanks to the death of his adopted grandfather. Because of this, he isn't aware of the kind of knowledge or social norms that most of the other characters (and the viewers) see as a rule-of-thumb, and it's [[TheMentor Master Roshi]] who teaches him basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The series also makes a point of showing that, when it comes to battle, Goku is a genius level prodigy, able to come up with new training techniques himself and think up clever strategies while fighting, making it an unintentional subversion of the AttackAttackAttack method of fighting a lot of characters he's influenced rely on (though Goku himself is definitely no stranger to this method, as the series is also famous for its RapidFireFisticuffs). And lastly, while shonen heroes are known for their large appetites, Goku's BigEater tendencies are a trait that ''all'' Saiyans share, with it being demonstrated that ''no'' human could possibly eat such huge portions (though it ''is'' worth noting that [[Creator/AkiraToriyama Toriyama]] didn't come up with the whole Saiyan thing until later).

* [[invoked]]Despite being the {{Trope Namer|s}} and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] for PowerLevels, the whole idea was a concept meant to illustrate how inaccurate and frivolous it would be to try and numerically quantify someone's fighting ability (or, much more specifically, their [[KiManipulation chi]]), according to WordOfGod. Numerous times, the villains end up losing because they miscalculate the ability of their opponents by their power levels alone, not accounting for skill or tactics, or the fact that the characters learn to recognize this and trick their opponents by hiding their power. This goes UpToEleven in the Android Saga, which explicitly states that the ArtificialHumans do '''''not''''' have detectable power levels due to not having chi at all (and thus their chi would be read by a scouter as '0'). Attempting to sense an android's power level is the equivalent of trying to detect the power level of an atomic bomb— which won't possess chi unlike a human and will thus seem undetectable, despite the atomic bomb obviously being nigh-infinitely stronger than any human alive. Despite this, it's still very common to see fans attempt to put a number to their power level, which almost hilariously misses the entire point.

In fact, its unbuilding of the SuperMode transformation started all the way back near the start of ''Dragon Ball Z'' with the Kaioken. It has the same behaviour as a super mode, but unlike later ones, it has something that is almost never touched upon: the side effects of pushing one's body past their limits. The Kaioken may offer the user a significant power boost, but the body reacts in the way you'd expect from suddenly gaining a large amount of muscle tone and power -- with ''incredible pain''. Simply activating the higher tiers of Kaioken almost leaves Goku paralyzed and he was specifically warned to ''never'' go past times two because of this; he pushes it up to ''times ten'' and the side effects of it are readily apparent. Even a simple pat on the back from ''[[FatComicRelief Yajirobe]]'' leaves him screaming in pain and, as mentioned above, Goku had to spend months in a hospital recovering from pushing himself too much. He later stops using the technique after becoming a Super Saiyan, since the latter transformation offers more power with less harmful side-effects, and combining the two would have [[DeadlyUpgrade even more dire consequences]]; even in ''Super'', where Goku manages to combine Kaioken with the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, it's shown to have terrible side effects. [[spoiler:Goku offhandedly mentions it has a ninety percent chance of ''killing'' him if he can't pull it off, and extended use of the two together ends up throwing Goku's ability to control his ki completely out of whack, forcing him to spend time recovering from it as a result. Not even a Senzu Bean can help speed up the recovery process here.]]

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but at the same time he's not the noble hero one would expect from a typical shonen manga; his motivations are purely selfish, with nearly everything he does being a means of [[BloodKnight getting stronger]], and while he is willing to lend a helping hand to people in need, his final goal is always something for his own benefit. The nobility he has a reputation for was [[AdaptationalHeroism far more emphasized in the anime]] than in the manga (and the English dub [[DubPersonalityChange exaggerated it even further]]), which original creator Creator/AkiraToriyama has criticized since he always meant for Goku to have a more selfish side to him that occasionally sneaks through. Goku also ''actually ages to adulthood'' in the middle of his own story while most later examples that come after him are stuck in their teenage years throughout their own stories, usually to emphasize AdultsAreUseless despite the fact that the codifier's ''adult self is the most iconic one''.

* The protagonist Son Goku is often considered to be the TropeCodifier of the StockShonenHero, but at the same time he's not the noble hero one would expect from a typical shonen manga; his motivations are purely selfish, with nearly everything he does being a means of [[BloodKnight getting stronger]], and while he is willing to lend a helping hand to people in need, his final goal is always something for his own benefit. The nobility he has a reputation for was [[AdaptationalHeroism far more emphasized in the anime]] than in the manga (and the English dub [[DubPersonalityChange exaggerated it even further]]), which original creator Creator/AkiraToriyama has criticized since he always meant for Goku to have a more selfish side to him that occasionally sneaks through. Goku also ''actually ages to adulthood'' in the middle of his own story while most later examples that come after him are stuck in their teenage years throughout their own stories, usually to emphasise AdultsAreUseless despite the fact that the codifier's ''adult self is the most iconic one''.

* It codified the Shonen TournamentArc but subverted it long before other shows did. While most tournament arcs end with the main protagonist coming out on top in the end, Goku actually loses the first two and forfeits the last two (three if the Cell Games are counted). Master Roshi even tells him and Krillin that participating in the tournament is just another part of their training, and that winning isn't the point at all (and, in fact, he also entered the tournament under an alias to ''keep'' them from winning, so they wouldn't come to believe themselves above everybody else in fighting skill). This last point especially sticks out considering how the protagonist of [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} another shonen anime]] that started right around when ''DBZ'' originally ended is often reduced to a laughing stock among viewers for his frequent losses. Lampshaded by [[https://www.deviantart.com/blueike/art/Commish-Mob-Mentality-810321342 this comic]], ironically released not long before said protagonist won the Alola League.

For all the flak it takes as the pioneer of modern shonen franchises, many don't realize how big of a DeconstructiveParody ''Manga/DragonBall'' always was.

* [[invoked]]Despite being the {{Trope Namer|s}} and [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] for PowerLevels, the whole idea was a concept meant to illustrate how inaccurate and frivolous it would be to try and numerically quantify someone's fighting ability (or, much more specifically, their [[KiManipulation chi]]), according to WordOfGod. Numerous times, the villains end up losing because they miscalculate the ability of their opponents by their power levels alone, not accounting for skill or tactics, or the fact that the characters learn to recognize this and trick their opponents by hiding their power. This goes UpToEleven in the Android Saga, which explicitly states that the ArtificialHumans do '''''not''''' have detectable power levels due to not having chi at all (and thus their chi would be read by a scouter as '0'). Attempting to sense an android's power level is the equivalent of trying to detect the power level of an atomic bomb— which won't possess chi unlike a human and will thus seem undetectable, despite the atomic bomb obviously being nigh-infinitely stronger than any human alive. Despite this, it's still very common to see fans attempt to put a number to their power level, which almost hilariously misses the entire point. Overall, a lot of what ''Dragon Ball'' is best known for can actually be considered an unintended parody of its imitators when looked into nowadays.

* The franchise also deconstructs the way training would be handled in later Shonen series. Roshi's training can be difficult and/or tedious, but he knows not to overdo it and makes sure to pass that knowledge to his students. Despite how demanding he can be, he knows that training ''too'' hard and not having enough fun or getting enough rest is counterproductive, a lesson Goku learns and applies to later training. Meanwhile, it's heavily implied (and eventually confirmed by Whis) that part of the reason Vegeta CantCatchUp is because he never learned this, so he pushes himself too hard when he trains and gets diminishing returns as a result of overexerting himself and not getting enough rest, [[RealityEnsues just like what would happen to a real person who tries overly punishing exercise]]. In other words, it's not a typical case of HardWorkHardlyWorks; a big part of Goku's success is that he trains ''smart'', knowing how hard to push himself and when to take a rest so that he can achieve better results.