Line #14 AdaptationalBadass/DragonBall


1	!!''Franchise/DragonBall''
2	AdaptationalBadass in this series.
3	----
4	* Piccolo developed CantCatchUp and was regulated to TheSmartGuy in the manga and later parts of the anime, but in [[NonSerialMovie the DBZ movies]] Piccolo has the some of the most [[https://youtu.be/KHboNKkugBI?t=14 epic]] [[https://youtu.be/MTB2_lyuaHE?t=116 entrances]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVDjI0QXIiM fights]] and [[PreAssKickingOneLiner lines]] of any character. Thankfully ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' [[https://youtu.be/E4VAgKkQ8cA?t=60 remembered]] this trend with Piccolo (especially compared to the anime version [[DeathByAdaptation where he gets killed]]). The ''Anime/DragonBallSuperSuperHero'' movie only continues this, with Piccolo getting his own new [[SuperMode Super Modes]] Potential Unleashed and by the end of the film his Orange Piccolo form which allows him to fight on the level of even the Super Saiyan Gods Goku and Vegeta.
5	* While [[ShowyInvincibleHero Vegito]] was already a StoryBreakerPower in the ''Manga/DragonBall'' manga, the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' anime made him even more so. In the manga, he immediately turns [[SuperMode Super Saiyan]] when fighting [[BigBad Majin Buu]], and flattens him. In the anime, he spends an episode fighting Buu without turning Super Saiyan, which as one-sided as the fight after he transforms, he still dominates the fight to the point it's clear he didn't actually ''need'' to transform to overpower Buu, he just did to humiliate him.
6	* The Gogeta from ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'' movie gets this. In the original manga when Goku suggested he fuse with Vegeta to beat Buu, Old Kai shoots it down citing the aforementioned Potara Fusion as much more efficient. But in the aforementioned movie Gogeta is formed when Goku and Vegeta is now individually much stronger than Vegito was in the original manga/anime and thus Gogeta is now more powerful in canon than his Potara Fusion counterpart as well.
7	** ''Anime/SuperDragonBallHeroes'' goes the extra step further of having Gogeta defeat GreaterScopeVillain Hearts in his [[OneWingedAngel Ultimate Godslayer form]], at which Hearts declares the Fused Warrior has enough power to defeat ''[[{{God}} Zeno]] himself''.
8	* Speaking of Broly while he has always been TheBerserker since his [[Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan original movie]] where he was undeniably super powerful, he did suffer a lot of VillainDecay in other Dragon Ball media afterwards and was killed in his second appearance by a CombinedEnergyAttack from Gohan, Goten and ghost Goku. ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'' amps him up to the point where he can overpower either Vegeta or Goku in their [[PhysicalGod Super Saiyan God]] transformations ''without even turning into just the basic Super Saiyan transformation'' and though he ended up losing to Goku in his Super Saiyan Blue form, when Broly transforms into his [[SuperMode Super Saiyan]] not even a CombinedEnergyAttack from Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan Blue form can stop him this time. This forces Goku and Vegeta to fuse into the aforementioned Gogeta to turn the tide of the battle.
9	* A downplayed example, but Frieza put up a much better fight with Super Saiyan Goku in the anime compared to the manga. In the manga, although Frieza did decently, it was clear from the outset that he never had a chance of winning and that was before his power started to fail him. In the anime, Frieza got several good hits in and gave Goku the fight of his life (although he still had no real chance of winning) before his stamina gave and was reduced to a non-threat by the end of the battle.
10	* Frieza's return as Mecha Frieza. In the manga Trunks takes Frieza out while he was distracted, not giving him the chance to power-up. It was hinted that Trunks was only as strong as Super Saiyan Goku on Namek. In the anime, Trunks took Frieza apart even when he dropped a Death Ball on Trunks' head, trying to destroy the planet.
11	* Gohan's BadFuture counterpart gets this treatment as well. In the manga story of Trunks' timeline, Gohan is killed by Android 17, who claimed to have not even used half of his full power to do so. In the anime adaptation of ''Anime/DragonBallZTheHistoryOfTrunks'', Gohan is actually stronger than both 17 and 18 individually, only losing because the two ganged up on him.
12	* Adult Gohan from the present timeline is robbed of his hero status in the manga thanks to [[BadassDecay lack of training]] and Creator/AkiraToriyama changing TheHero role back to Goku before the end. But ''Anime/DragonBallZFusionReborn'' on the other hand gives Gohan back some cred as he goes OneManArmy on the entire resurrected RoguesGallery then explodes Frieza (Final Form) '''[[OneHitKill with one punch]]'''. To make it better the whole time Gohan actually makes the Great Saiyaman [[AssKickingPose poses]] and goofy attitude actually cool (even [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure JoJo]]-esque) for once in the movie. Like Piccolo, he gets focus over Goku and Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperSuperHero'' and is shown to be no pushover. Then he [[spoiler:attains his Gohan Beast form (which he uses to humiliate the BigBad of the film Cell Max), which surpasses Goku and Vegeta's highest forms by the point he obtains it, alongside Orange Piccolo.]]
13	* Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu got the chance to defeat the Ginyu Force in two filler episodes, Yamcha defeating Recoome, the one who just beat the crap out of Vegeta, Gohan and Krillin not long before. In another filler scene, [[TheChewToy Yamcha]] defeated Ulibu, a character who is probably stronger than Freeza. That's right, the MemeticLoser defeated a guy who is stronger than Freeza.
14	* Can't forget the bit in the anime where Krillin [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5OwwpIIInwU holds his own]] and successfully [[UseYourHead damages]] goddamn imperfect Cell who at this point is strong as base Goku at least, none of which was remotely capable for manga Krillin to do. The scene still stands as one of Krillin's biggest BigDamnHeroes-moments and actually enjoyable {{Filler}}.
15	* In a similar vein to Krillin, Tien gets a good showing in ''Anime/DragonBallZBojackUnbound'' being able to knock around Future Trunks to extent that Trunks ''has to go Super Saiyan to actually win the fight'' which in of itself is a complement to Tien's fighting ability. In the manga Tien gets one cool moment holding back Semi Perfect Cell then is PutOnABus for years.
16	* In the anime during Gohan and Cell’s Kamehameha BeamOWar, [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eROZ3p8OTWI Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha all help Gohan out]] by shooting Cell [[InTheBack in the back with Ki blasts]]. While it doesn’t break Cell’s hold, it does bother him enough that he has to divert his attention away from Gohan to knock the Z-Fighters down with his aura, but [[{{Determinator}} they all get back up]] and keep at it. In manga only Vegeta aided Gohan, while the rest of Z-Fighters just spectated.
17	* Chi-Chi. In the manga she only fought once as a teenager during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament and before then only defended herself accidentally (as a girl she’d cry while her helmet shot a energy beam) and for the rest of the manga she gets {{Chickification}} being little more than a EducationMama and WetBlanketWife. In the anime and movies while Chi-Chi still has these traits, her superhuman martial arts prowess is made much more apparent as seen in ''Anime/DragonBallZLordSlug'' where she aids Gohan in battle against Lord’s Slugs [[{{Mooks}} soldiers]], running through a explosion and taking down two foes with one flying kick and in the [[{{Filler}} Garlic Junior Saga]] while [[BrainwashedAndCrazy possessed]] Chi-Chi proves to be extremely strong and dangerous. In the Buu Saga we see Chi-Chi train Goten and [[MadeOfIron take a kick from him]] while he’s a [[SuperMode Super Saiyan]] and there’s a FlashBack to original ''Manga/DragonBall'' where she has a romantic fight with Goku when they were children and [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S23xS0ImFYk&t=64s is actually shown equaling him]].
18	* Mr. Satan, the iconic FakeUltimateHero, is generally portrayed as a near-complete MilesGloriosus in the manga--pretty much the only fight he gets involved in where he isn't a joke is his brief bout with the gunman Van Zant, where he punches the guy for a few panels but doesn't knock him out. In the anime, there are a number of scenes added that suggests he's more of an OvershadowedByAwesome BadassNormal, including a flashback CurbStompBattle against Spopovitch where he displays the ability to FlashStep and doesn't take a single hit.
19	** In ''VideoGame/DragonBallHeroes'' Mr. Satan’s AlternateSelf instead of being a faker who is a complete weakling compared to the main cast, is the strongest warrior in the universe more powerful than Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta (both of whom can go Super Saiyan 4). He’s also [[AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome next in line to be God of Destruction]].
20	* In the manga, Dabura's skills and abilities are extremely lacking in comparison to his anime counterpart. He mostly uses sneak attacks and in fact he never once throws a single physical punch in the entire manga. He's unable to overpower a rusty SSJ Gohan and is quickly dealt with by Buu before he can even throw a single attack. The anime, however, amps him up, allowing him to hold his own against Gohan and even standing up to Buu for quite some time.
21	* While Goku is typically ''never'' a weakling in any media, ''Anime/ThePathToPower'' amps him up even more especially for how it deals with Kid Goku. Case in point: in the original manga and anime, his first attempt at the Kamehameha Wave only results in a small energy beam that's only strong enough to destroy Bulma's car, while in ''The Path to Power'', said first attempt results in a WaveMotionGun that completely obliterates a good chunk of the Red Ribbon Army's armada.
22	** Android 8 is quite powerful in the series proper (stronger than Goku at the point they met), but his strength is greater in the movie ''The Path to Power''. He is able to fly, dash, and nearly kills Goku, who is also made stronger. He also fights a mecha that knocked Goku unconscious for several minutes and pushes it back.
23	** Also from that movie there's Yamcha, who at the point in the early manga only got one over Goku thanks to [[WorfHadTheFlu Goku being starved at the time]]. '' The Path to Power'' on the other hand not only makes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE1I1PgFdgk Yamcha ridiculously badass]] but turns his fight with Kid Goku into a outright CurbStompBattle thanks to Wolf Fang Fist, which blows Goku a mile away. Something that did not happen in the original version.
24	* Goku in general tends to be even more badass in the movies than he was in the original manga and anime, some of his feats include: [[ThePowerOfTheSun Absorbing energy from the sun]] Superman-style in ''[[Anime/DragonBallZLordSlug Lord Slug]]'', [[CatchAndReturn pushing back]] [[Anime/DragonBallZCoolersRevenge Cooler]]'s [[SphereOfDestruction Supernova]] (the same attack which [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroyed Planet Vegeta]]) with a Kamehameha that blows Cooler into the sun, [[EnergyAbsorption absorbing the Spirit Bomb]] and [[OneHitKill one shotting]] Anime/SuperAndroid13 and then in the next movie taking out [[Anime/BrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan Broly]] with the [[CombinedEnergyAttack combined energy of The Z-Fighters]]. Goku’s IdiotHero qualities are also downplayed quite a bit in the films and he’s more of a serious fighter who will '''not''' go easy on the villains.
25	** The movies also give a lot of love to Super Saiyan 3 Goku with him soundly overpowering big Janemba in ''Anime/DragonBallZFusionReborn'' and [[https://youtu.be/zcD0Q0CWapY?t=106 saving the day with Dragon Fist]] in ''Anime/DragonBallZWrathOfTheDragon''. Sadly Dragon Fist despite being [[RuleOfCool awesome]] has yet to be made canon. In the manga [=SS3=] Goku never beats a single villain and is utterly humiliated with TheWorfEffect by the time of ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' rolled around.
26	** The [[PhysicalGod Super Saiyan God]] form gets this treatment in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. In ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'', Super Saiyan God was the definition of AwesomeButImpractical: it gave Goku the power to battle Beerus on more or less equal grounds, but it only lasted for a few minutes — short enough that Goku lost the transformation in the middle of the fight, and actually performed better fighting as a normal Super Saiyan, since he absorbed the power of godhood. Here, while the end result is pretty much the same, Super Saiyan God lasts much longer and overall has a better showing, including slowly destroying the universe just by fighting Beerus. Much later on, it's also revealed Goku can transform into the form at will, making for a weaker and slower but less stamina-consuming alternative for Super Saiyan Blue. However, the form never really pushes Beerus anywhere close to his full power, wheras in the movie, by comparison, [[spoiler: Beerus used almost 70% of his power]].
27	* Beerus: Generally speaking, the gap between Beerus, Whis, and the rest of the cast is made to be much wider than it was in the original movie.
28	* Tagoma, one of Frieza's soldiers. In ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection 'F']]'', he's unceremoniously killed off by Frieza within the first few minutes of the film. In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', he's only knee-capped by Frieza and then becomes Frieza's training dummy for four months. As a result, he becomes the strongest member of Frieza's army, becoming just as strong as, if not stronger than Piccolo, though [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil his beatings at Frieza's hands cause him to become just as ruthless and brutal as Frieza himself]].
29	* Frieza himself also gets this treatment in ''Dragon Ball Super''. In the original ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection 'F']]'', Final Form Frieza is completely dominated by Base Goku and, as Golden Frieza, he runs out of energy too fast to really give the impression he could have beaten Goku. In ''Super'', Final Form Frieza matches Base Goku in terms of speed and power, and Golden Frieza beats SSGSS Goku around like a ragdoll, with Goku nearly losing consciousness as a result.
30	* Botamo in both the manga and anime versions of ''Super'' is such a StoneWall that not even Goku can harm him. However, in the manga, Goku's attacks could send him flying, while in the anime, Goku's attacks couldn't even budge him.
31	* This trope is invoked for Yamcha in the Dragon Ball side manga, ''Manga/DragonBallThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsYamcha''. As the title suggests, the main character is an ordinary teenager who dies and gets [[ReincarnateInAnotherWorld reincarnated as Yamcha]]. Being well aware of [[MemeticLoser what happens to Yamcha]], he decides to train hard and change that. And he ''succeeds''. By the time the Saiyans arrive, his power level is over ''10,000'', letting him easily wipe out ''all'' the Saibamen singlehanded and defeat Nappa on his own. Even though he's not quite as strong as Vegeta, he's still powerful enough to team up with Goku to defeat him.
32	* While the ''[[Manga/DragonBallSuper Dragon Ball Super Manga]]'' does give AdaptationalWimp to several characters (e.g Hit and Goku Black), it does give AdaptationalBadass to other characters, especially during the Tournament of Power and later arcs after the anime ended.
33	** Firstly there's Master Roshi, whom in the anime did well for his age and took out many opponents but still tired himself out fighting and was told to retire by Vegeta, which Roshi agreed to and eliminated himself before he died of exhaustion. In the manga telling, Roshi lasts for much longer, being one of the final fighters participating and ''even fights freaking Jiren'' using his own incomplete form of Ultra Instinct to dodge Jiren's strikes before being eliminated. The second is Gohan, who did well in the anime but didn't make it to the finals, instead performing a HeroicSacrifice trapping Dyspo so that Freiza could eliminate both of them. In the manga, Gohan makes it to the finals and soundly equals the fused Kefla (whom Goku needed Ultra Instinct to beat), resulting in both him and Kefla getting a [[DoubleKnockout double elimination]].
34	** The Galactic Patrol arc does this to the characters whom didn't get to shine at the end of the anime. First, there's Majin Buu who in the anime didn't get to fight in either the Universe 6 Saga or Tournament of Power, has a BigDamnHeroes moment saving the powerless Goku and Vegeta from new villain Moro by kicking the latter's ass and forcing him to retreat. And there's Yamcha who in the anime wasn't even invited to partake in the Tournament of Power [[CantCatchUp due to being too weak]], fights and defeats three escaped alien prisoners whom Moro had powered up with Goku and Vegeta's Ki.

Context AdaptationalBadass / DragonBall