Nightmare Fuel / Dragonball Multiverse

"Kill all humans!"

Dragonball Multiverse has its fair share of fear-inducing moments.

• U13 Kakarotto...just see this page and Chapter 27... Made even more horrifying by the single fact that, had the Goku we know and love not hit his head as a child when his ship landed on earth, that's what Goku would be today... Oh, it gets worse. Turns out Kakarotto and Krillin were good friends, and for one panel, we see Kakarotto being as innocent as his U18 counterpart.
  • Kakarotto tends to get most bloodthirsty when he's wounded. His face as he gets back up after getting apparently killed during the Majin Rebellion is the current trope image.
  • But the truly scary thing about him? He's immortal. That's right, Kakarotto is effectively unable to be killed. It doesn't matter how hard you hit him, he won't die, and since he's a Saiyan, that means he just comes back stronger and won't stop coming after you until you're finally dead.
• Zen Buu in general manages to be legitimately unsettling at times, but most of the time he's friendly and quite helpful, making conversation and cracking jokes. Then without changing his tone of voice or manner he starts talking about all the millions of people he's absorbed. And when something happens that he doesn't like (for example Vegito being taken out of tournament) he goes nuts lashing out at anyone and everyone in range in a psychotic rage. He overwhelms 8/10ths of the Multiverse Tournament's fighters in seconds, and everyone in and out of universe is very quickly reminded that this is the same being that once slaughtered its way across the Universe and now he's a thousand times stronger and smarter.
• All the Bad End Special Chapters showing just how the Heroes lost across the various Universes are fairly nightmarish.
  • Cell's brutal victory over the Z warriors and then going on to hunt down and kill every last human as shown in Pages 335 through 353.
  • U4 Buu's absorption of Goku. The Saiyan has just expended his entire reserves of energy to try and break out of Buu's body and is now completely exhausted. He's totally helpless as Buu envelops him and the last we see of him before being cocooned is him trying to fight through his fatigue. If that wasn't bad enough, Buu cheerfully says "Welcome home, Son Goku!" It serves to really hammer in that Goku's luck has finally ran out and is doomed to be trapped inside Buu forever.
  • The Bojack Gang systematically killing the main cast then proceeding to take over Earth forcing the humans (with several familiar faces such as the Pilaf Gang and Hercule shown) to either be worked to death as laborers constructing monuments to their conquerors or act as the aliens' personal servants, seen here.
  • But the worst of the lot seen so far is Universe 8, the two chapter piece showing what happened when Krillin went through with his plan to kill a weakened Vegeta at the end of the Saiyan Saga. Without the distraction and inadvertent aid of Vegeta taking out Freeza's elite, Gohan and Krillin are utterly out of their league and even with the help of Nail, take mounting losses. Krillin is mortally wounded by Zarbon. Nail gets heavily wounded distracting Freeza, so Gohan can steal the Dragon Balls. And when the tyrant realizes that the Dragon has been summoned by someone other than himself he proceeds to Rage Quit and nuke Namek killing Gohan, Dende, and Bulma before they can wish back Piccolo. The end of the Chapter shows Freeza hovering over a burning Namek Laughing Mad.
  • The worst part of these Bad End universes? Each of them was created due to one small alteration in the timeline that resulted in the Z Fighters losing. It's pretty sobering to realize how close the main universe came to suffering these fates.
• Bojack killing Pan of U16. And he does it in an absolutely brutal way: he seizes her by the throat and hoists her up into the air, letting her choke for a few moments and laughing all the while. Seriously, just look at it. Then, once he got bored with that, he broke her neck in a Gory Discretion Shot. This is followed by her mother collapsing in tears, Gohan shocked beyond belief and Pan's U18 counterpart crying in horror. Finally, Bojack tosses Pan's corpse away like a bit of trash with a satisfied grin on his face. Worst of all was the announcer declaring that Pan had died and Bojack was the winner, as if it was nothing more than a KO.
  • It's even worse in the novelization, where we get treated to a look at what Pan's thoughts are during this moment. She's trying desperately to say she gives up, but Bojack's grip keeps her from doing anything but gag. The sheer terror she displays makes the already brutal scene even more horrifying.
• U13 Vegeta vs the Saiyan Ghost Warriors Raichi calls up. At first it looks like facing the spirits of his dead race including those he was close to like his father, the cousin who played with him as a kid, and his first teacher/role model will rattle Vegeta, then he blows his cousins head off in a gory spectacle and proceeds to rip through the Saiyan Ghosts like they are wet tissue paper while howling with laughter. Even Raichi is left shaken by this.
  • U13 Vegeta's reaction to Raichi calling up his Universe versions of Vegeta's companions (Nappa, Raditz, and Kakarot) further shows how completely unhinged the man is. He headshots Ghost Nappa and Raditz and then spends an inordinate amount of time punching Ghost Kakarot into a bloody smear all the while sporting a Slasher Smile and ranting about how much he hates his own version of Kakarot and how much fun he's having. Several viewers commented that they may have been wrong about who is truly the crazy one is in U13.
• The reveal that XXI is not all that he seems. Behold pure eldritch horror. Even Zen Buu is put off by this.
• In the U16 novelization, Vegetto shows that he's gradually become more and more mentally unbalanced. You know how Vegetto nearly flipped out when XXI beat him on a technicality? Well, he had another incident like it when he wanted to fight Gohan. By this point, Vegetto hasn't had a decent fight in years, and since he's the combination of Goku and Vegeta, it's basically torture for him. So he asks Gohan to spar with him, only to be turned down. This infuriates him to the point that he actually considered holding Pan, his own granddaughter, hostage in order to make Gohan fight him. Sure it was only a brief instance and he quickly pushed it out of his mind out of disgust, but it really shows just how close he is to snapping. And considering Bardock's vision about him...
• Ginyu using Body Change on Bra, and this is just as Nightmare Fuel inducing as it was in the original series when Goku went through it. And the implications of what an outright evil mind could do with Bra's huge power are very worrying.
  • Extra points for Ginyu actually trying this time around to conceal his identity, and even when called upon it (since everyone in U16 and U18 KNOW about the technique), he tries to invoke Refuge in Audacity, saying he would be a far better ally than the original Bra ever was.
  • Then Ginyu in short order: tries to talk Vegetto into accepting it anyway, refuses to swap back and openly taunts Vegito, daring him to kill his own daughter. In response to this we see an entirely new and alarming side to U16 World's Strongest Man Vegetto turns deadly serious and threatens to eradicate Ginyu's immortal soul, claiming he would be able to ask Porunga to restore Bra properly. When Ginyu refuses to swap bodies even in the face of this threat Vegito proceeds to deliver a savage beat-down to his daughter's body, even going Super Saiyan 3 to utterly crush GinyuBra.
  • Simply Ginyu being around and still able to change bodies. He was supposed to have died long ago, and yet... Let's just say there's a good reason Frieza went nearly insane with paranoia upon being informed he was still around.
• The U8 second special...just...Jesus Christ...
  • During Goku's fight with Frieza in this universe, he manages to enrage the Frost Demon so utterly that he forgoes indulging in toying with Goku as he would normally have done and opts to simply obliterate Goku where he stands. This version of Goku was also a good deal stronger than canon Goku was (thanks to further training with Nail when they went after Frieza) at that point; it really hammers home that, if canon Frieza hadn't played around with Goku on Namek, he'd have won without any effort.
• U3 Broly, completely berserk and escaping Raichi's control, goes on a rampage against anything he sees, banging furiously at the force field between the ring and the booths. U8 spectators must be crapping their pants at seeing this hulking monster banging so hard at the shield he can break the stone wall, and actually power through the damn thing.
• Babidi going and turning everyone he can into Majins. It's bad enough when we see the likes of Cell, Kakarot, and Nappa get turned, then most of U8, but it gets downright scary when people in the audience, or even ambiguous characters like Bardock get turned, or even U19 warriors! This drives the point home how dangerous Babidi can get once he decides to use his powers without restraint, when given the opportunity.
• Perfect Cell using his stinger tail again, pointed right on Videl. This has to be this for U16 Gohan since he is personally held at arms' length by his most terrible past enemy, who has gone through a brainwashing power-up, yet retains his sadism and cool. If he makes a wrong move, his wife and his father figure both DIE. And Cell has the gall to just watch U18 Gohan make short work of the Cell Juniors, yet tut-tutting HIM about moving. Cell is obviously enjoying this and milking the moment for all its worth.
• The poor warrior girl from U19 trying to do a "I Know You Are in There Somewhere" Fight speech on a brainwashed Naurb. The viewers do know thanks to Vegeta, that Babidi's Majin brainwashing is nowhere near this simple, and that it requires insane mental fortitude to merely resist (let alone overcome) but she DOESN'T. Also doubles with Tear Jerker.
• Piccolo's upgraded dual Special Beam Cannons. GOD, a cage of these closing in to maim you and turn you into fleshy little bits... This was U8!Frieza's fate. No matter the universe, no matter the powerups, it seems it is his fate to end up blown to chunky bits. This is also played for full horror potential since we have a visibly maimed and agonizing Cooler screaming upon seeing his now gone forearm.
• Nappa going after U18!Bra and U18!Videl. Bra could manage to get in a lucky blow that stunned Nappa briefly, but she gets thoroughly manhandled once he is on guard, and Videl tries to get in a blow only to get the mother of all Curb-Stomp Battles. Nappa might be a mere bug power-wise compared to some characters, but he is still a monstrous powerhouse compared to full humans like Videl, and being beaten into a bloody pulp by a bald possessed brute has to stir up some VERY nasty memories for Videl.
  • And then U16!Gohan feels her ki dwindle. This troubles him so BAD that he bails out on Cell.
• The fate of planet Helior: the Heliorites had a weaponized substance, carbonite, that turns everything it touches into more of it and can only be destroyed by being completely vaporized... And they spilled some on the surface of their homeworld and couldn't vaporize it in time to prevent it from spreading and consuming their whole planet. Now they live on a nearby planet, with a solar array to make it inhabitable, and guard their homeworld to prevent asteroid strikes that could spread the thing through the universe while they try and figure out how to deal with it, with their participation in the tournament for a wish being one such attempts.
  • Want to make it worse? It happened in most universes-in fact, the only ones where it could not have happened are U1 and U10 (where the Kaioshin likely dealt with it themselves) and U2 (due to the nature of said universe). And Frieza wants to invade-hence the U19!Heliorites having such powerful power armors: after barely repelling a Saiyan attack they realized they needed better weapons for the day Frieza would come in person.
  • Some other interactions of the Heliorians with the wider universe: in Universe 3, Vegeta, on Bardock's suggestion, tricked Broly into touching its ground and being consumed, and in Universe 13 Kakarotto destroyed the Heliorites' new homeworld by accident... Leaving nobody to guard Helior.
  • Cell also hints at having defeated them in U17.
• U8 Ginyu was already a heap of Paranoia Fuel, but the Majin Rebellion shows just how terrifying he could be if his ability wasn't Played for Laughs. The Supreme Kais have him pinned down with telekinesis, so what does he do? Bodyswap into one of them, cut his own throat with his hand, then change with the next one in line until all are dead. Made even worse for the Supreme Kais later in line, who realize what Ginyu's doing but have no way of stopping it. The faces Ginyu makes while killing each one are pretty terrifying on their own.
• The Gohans of Universes 16 and 18 getting mad. Sure, they single-handedly turned the tide against Babidi by taking out his best combatants... But seeing U16!Gohan beating Kakarotto and Nappa into pieces with his bare fists was still unsettling. That was followed by him annihilating Ginyu and Cell with terrifying ease, and U18!Gohan beating Majin Buu so hard he fainted before throwing a Maxi Kienzan at him and Bardock.
• Babidi's trump card and his real Plan B: Majin Bra. YIKES! U16 Gohan's sadness-filled face upon seeing this is terrifying.
  • Worse is that, unlike Cell and Vegeta, who essentially retained their own wills, Bra is completely under Babidi's control. Moreover, she positively revels in the fact that she no longer has to feel guilt over her actions or fear being judged and freely admits that she hated protecting people she deemed worthless (ie, most everyone in her universe). And, to celebrate her newfound liberation of conscience, she intends to test out her new power on both Gohans.
  • Possibly doubles as a Tear Jerker for U16 Gohan. He spent over a decade helping take care of Bra, often because Vegito didn't have the patience to deal with her. He's known her since she was old enough to sit on his lap while he read books to her. Now a wizard has taken control of that same family member so she's ruthlessly beating him up with a smile on her face.
• Cell regenerates from near obliteration in front of a terrified U18!Bra. Then, there is his speech upon regenerating and giving her reassurance he's on their side... Unless the Gohans lack the will to fight, in which case he will throw her in the fray to motivate them. She is understandably reduced to a quivering mess.
• Majin Bra confirming she is not faking it, by ruthlessly breaking the neck of one of the U19 combatants. And just in case that wasn't enough evidence, she also kills her universe's Gohan by bisecting him with an energy blade without a moment's hesitation. When U16 Gohan remarks with his dying breath that it's true that Babidi's will was the stronger, she displays no remorse or internal conflict. Instead, she just fires up her blade and notes that she now has three kills under her belt and is ready to go for the rest.
  • The SHEER *power* and unstoppability of Main Bra are horrifying within the narrative because of how outclassed the heroes are. Normally Dragon Ball fights are between relative equals or are curbstomps in the favor of the stronger side, Majin Bra shows just what happens when someone massively more powerful takes on people not on their level. The strongest fighters on the heroes side (the Gohans and Cell) cannot stand up to her one on one and whenever they clash with her are brutally beaten down. This is particularly alarming because the last few chapters have shown just how strong the Gohans and Cell are, yet here we see them being crushed with terrifying ease, only managing to do damage with surprise attacks and clever strategies. The second Babidi is out of the line of fire and the stronger fighters are dealt with Majin Bra starts slaughtering her way through the comparatively weaker combattants (Piccolo's, and the U19 soldiers). These are dangerous, veteran fighters and Majin Bra's swats them like insects.
• The latest U13 flashback chapter now reveals the reason for Kakarot's resilience until now. Not dumb luck or being Made of Iron as previously assumed. He managed to wish upon the Dragonballs for immortality before Raditz came to pick him up. The implications are staggering: this is why Vegeta keeps on putting up with him even though he HATES him and would like nothing more than to cave his face in, he actually TRIED and realized it was pointless.
• After getting a Kirk Summation from U18 Bra and piercing through the haze, we finally have an insight into why U16 Bra was messed up in the head enough that she could fall and become a Majin. Vegito once beat her into submission, with the threat that he would kill her before she would be capable of overcoming his power. Vegito could have all the good reasons in the world, and Bra could have totally deserved it, but even then, it is quite OBVIOUS that saying such a thing will mess up a child.
  • And now we get to see what prompted Vegeto to make this threat in a special chapter. After getting her Berserk Button pushed HARD by the enhanced warriors, being beaten up and treated like a distraction before fighting Vegito, she went SS2 and proceeded to Curb-Stomp Battle them... Wiping most of them in an explosion that also killed the poor, unconscious Goten. But even after killing most of her foes and sending the strongest back on the nearby planet from the sheer shockwave, and thoroughly stripping her of any will to fight, Bra still proceeded to gleefully go There Is No Kill Like Overkill and mercilessly blasted the planet, going as far to damage the nearby sun. Yeah, she caused what will turn out to be a solar system level destruction event. Good thing there is a Reset Button, eh?
  • Of note, this is 100% Bra herself. No Majinization, no brainwashing, no mind control, just her own bloodlust unleashed. NOW we understand why she was forbidden from EVER entering this state, and why Vegito resolved to kill her. It truly says something that she ends up having MORE control as a Majin!
    • And actually, the fact there is a Reset Button is probably something that screwed U16!Bra so badly. She doesn't understand why she got scolded so badly for destroying a solar system, it's not her fault... And after making the above threat, Vegito tasks her with fixing the mess with the Dragon Balls. Of course it'd just make her sad and not impress upon her the gravity of her acts, she can just wish them away! So now we know why she thinks it's okay to cut loose as a SS2... Any mess she makes, can be fixed by other people or by way of Reset Button.
• We knew Vegeto was a man of his word, meaning every threat he utters, but it is still extremely sobering and frightening to see him unleash his rage on his daughter after seeing what she did while Drunk on the Dark Side, not hesitating to go for the kill. When Bra reflexively activates her SS2 purely in defense and rightfully FREAKED OUT, he just snaps and goes SS3 to finish things as fast as he can.
• After revealing the U20 is pretty much a twin to the victorious U18 barring a divergence where Broly took 12 years to come back for a Happy Ending Override, it starts by having a Mass "Oh, Crap!" event:
  • It was obvious from the start, but the title of the special pretty much confirms Broly waged a Class X-4 apocalypse on his universe.
  • Resident Blood Knight Goku does not feel pumped up at the idea of a fight, he outright freaks out at feeling Broly acting up. This makes sense given everyone's reaction at the summoned ghost of U3!Broly going in his legendary form.
  • Gohan senses it in his sleep and has a borderline Catapult Nightmare reaction, taking his wife and daughter with no concern for the walls or doors, at near-breakneck speeds without even uttering a single word of explanation to a very confused Pan and Videl.
    • At this point Gohan is pretty much the strongest warrior on the planet, yet it is shown he was Properly Paranoid about hightailing it off as FAST as humanely possible. And it wasn't quite enough, as we see him failing to Outrun the Fireball, highlighting that the protagonists will be on the receiving end of a massacre on the level of a Mook Horror Show.
  • Then we get a view from space of the Earth being hit by a giant shockwave. Krilin spells it out, but everyone just realizes they're screwed and there is pretty much nothing normal humans can do but wait for death.
    • It is a small miracle it did not go into an outright Class X, but it is confirmed that pretty much any normal human was killed in the aftermath, and that the planet's environment is messed beyond restoration through normal means, for now.
• Vegeta slices Cell in four parts, which revive themselves promptly into four clones of Cell, with a demonic glare in their eyes.
• Page 1983: At long last, XXI's true form is revealed... and while it is scary-looking, the real nightmare fuel is when, without warning, its darkness starts filling up your screen!
• Buu finally gets to show just how powerful he's become by taking on almost the entire remaining tournament roster. At the same time. Nobody is able to mount a suitable counter, not even the likes of U16 Bra and Vegetto at their strongest. The scariest part? By the look of things, he's not even trying.
• Page 2055: While at this point Buu is on a rampage For the Lulz and attacking everyone, U19 participants do their best to hold up a barrier but U4!Buu is basically trying to sludge them in and his pink goo makes creepy faces grinning at them as they realize they are at his mercy and their shield is not going to hold up any longer anyway.
• Vegetto's mindset and mannerism's post Majin Revolt are subtly unnerving. Before this point Vegetto had flashes of darker impulses but could come down from that and return to a comedic or friendly mode, but now he's perpetually scowling, shooting Death Glare 's at people and is seemingly one push away from exploding.
  • The combination of his anger over Majin Bra's action, his outrage at the rest of the contestants including those from his own universe not agreeing with his lethal judgement of Bra, the humiliation of being shut down by Gast, growing hunger-stress because all the Senzu beans have been used up which are the only means of him not starving to death and frustration as it sinks in Magicians can pull feats that challenge his perception of himself as untouchable all combine to leave Vegetto in a **ugly** mental place and given Bardock's vision of him on an rampage and the reality of just how insanely overpowered he is this is worrying state of affairs.