| |
 Fusions
were an extremely interesting concept for Akira Toriyama
to bring into the Dragon World. While the concept was originally
used for Piccolo's merger with Nail
(and later Kami-sama), the term "Fusion" (in English,
no less!) would eventually end up coming to mean the (temporary) fusion of two characters to create an entirely
new character, with its own personality,
attacks, and increased power, of course! The Potara "fusion" is actually called something else, but we'll get to that later. For other fusions
that take place only in video games, check out the special
"Budokai"
section of this transformations guide!
Three
types of fusion will be discussed and explained:
- Namekian
Fusion (Assimilation) :
Beings from the Planet Namek are able to absorb each
other completely into their being (the term in Japanese
is "dôka suru," meaning "assimilate
/ absorb"). One character serves as the base body,
while the other donates his life energy, strength, memories,
and intelligence to the base.
- Dance
Fusion (Fusion-ha) :
Two characters must equal their fighting powers and
energy, and perform a three-stage dance (stepping away
from each other, stepping back towards each other,
extending their index fingers, and touching their index fingers
together; they must also say "Fu / sion / HA!"
during each step, respectively). The resulting character
has its own persona and attitude, as well as fancy new
clothes (such as the ubiquitous vest). Under normal circumstances,
the fusion lasts for 30 full minutes. Stages like SSJ3
and SSJ4 reduce this, however, due to the strain on
the body. Also, each character must wait a full 60
minutes after de-fusing before being able to do so, again.
- Potara
Earrings (Integration) :
When one earring (of a pair) is placed on the opposite
ear of another character, the two will be drawn together
and fused into one being (the Japanese term here is
"gattai," meaning "combination,"
"integration," or yes, even "fusion").
There are no requirements such as having an equal power;
the two must simply exchange and wear the earrings.
The resulting being wears a combination of the two characters'
clothing, and has its own personal and attitude (similar
to the dance-fusion characters). This fusion is supposed
to be permanent.
|
| PICCOLO
(+NAIL; Namekian Fusion) |
 When
Piccolo is wished back to life, he is also
brought to Planet Namek, his true "home"
world. On his way over to fight Freeza and
save Gohan, he comes across a nearly dead
Namekian warrior, gasping his last breaths.
This character is Nail, the Eldest Namekian's
personal guardian, who has fallen after
a terrible battle with Freeza. Nail opens
his eyes to see Piccolo standing over him,
and smiles knowing that "... the Earthlings
have gotten their wish." Having faced
Freeza directly, Nail knows the incredible
power that he possesses, and attempts to
convince Piccolo that he is not yet strong
enough. Nail mentions if Piccolo had only
"become one" before arriving,
Freeza would stand no chance. Seeing that
it is hopeless to pursue this option, Nail
offers his own self to Piccolo, saying that
he is the only warrior-type Namekian left.
After being assured that he will not lose
his own personality, Piccolo reluctantly
agrees to absorb Nail. As Piccolo places
his hand on Nail's chest, Nail tells Piccolo
that he should definitely be able to defeat
Freeza, now.
When
the dust settles, Piccolo has taken yet
another step on the way to his massive character
transformation. Already finding a place
in his heart for love and compassion (as
seen with the training of Gohan), Piccolo
now has memories of the entire Namekian
race (thanks to Nail), as well as an incredible
power-up! He rushes off to fight Freeza...
but he's in for a surprise!
|
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 77; Manga Chapter 295
When Nail tells Piccolo that he is
no match for Freeza as he currently stands,
he offers up his own self for fusion. When
the dust settles, Piccolo is left with Nail's
memories of the Namekian people and planet,
as well as an incredible power-up. |
|
| |
| PICCOLO
(+NAIL +KAMI-SAMA; "KAMICCOLO;"
Namekian Fusion) |
 The
time comes yet again when Piccolo has become frustrated
with himself for being totally outclassed, this time by Vegeta
and Goku. Knowing that he is unable to defeat the
Jinzôningen by himself, Piccolo returns
to Kami-sama's palace to do the one thing he refused
to believe he would ever do... become one with his counterpart, once
again.
Proclaiming
to the others that he is still a demon, Piccolo
returns to Kami-sama's palace. Kami-sama
is already well-aware of Piccolo's intents, noting
that since they were originally of one mind and
body, it is easy to guess his plan. Piccolo reminds
them that what the Earth needs right now is not
a God, but a warrior that can triumph; the Dragon
Balls will do no good if everyone is killed. Kami-sama,
however, chooses to wait a little more, and watches
over the three Jinzôningen, noting
that they are different than the ones from Trunks'
future.
 It
is not until Kami-sama finally sees the
true monster that he makes his decision. Realizing
that his uneasy feeling from the last four years
was not due to the Jinzôningen, but
rather, to some monster that has come from the future,
Kami-sama finally agrees to fuse with Piccolo
and become one, once more. They agree to let Piccolo
remain the dominant one, as his body is much more
geared for fighting than Kami-sama's aging
one. Just as with Nail, Piccolo places his hand
on Kami-sama's chest, and Mr. Popo says
goodbye to his friend and companion of so many years...
When
all is said and done, what remains is no longer
Piccolo or Kami-sama,
but rather, "... a Namekian who has forgotten
even his true name." One with a slightly new
personality, and more than enough power to take
on Cell, who has finally shown his true face and
colors.
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 141; Manga Chapter 360
When Piccolo and Kami-sama
finally realize the threat that Earth is facing,
they decide to become the one being
they originally were. While Piccolo remains
the dominant character, between Nail and Kami-sama,
he has definitely taken on a new personality,
in addition to receiving an absolutely incredible
power-up. |
|
| |
| GOTENKS
(Goten + Trunks; Fusion Dance) |
While
Goku believes that he could take care of Majin
Buu if he absolutely had to, he decides that rather
than having the new generation always relying
on him, they must take Earth's matters and fate
into their own hands. Goku teaches Piccolo a new
technique that he learned (while dead) from an inhabitant of Planet Metamor, interestingly
called "Fusion" (yes, spoken
in English, even in the Japanese version). Two
individuals of an equal power must perform a bizarre
three-stage dance that results in them extending
their index fingers to touch. The goal is to create
a new, temporary character whose power far exceeds
that of the two individuals, even combined. Goku
must depart for the afterlife, as his time on
Earth has run out (due in part to his usage of
SSJ3), but Piccolo remains behind to help Goten
and Trunks perfect the technique.
Fat
Gotenks, Skinny Gotenks
 While
Majin Buu is out wreaking havoc in the world,
the two children remain behind, trying to fuse
successfully. Unfortunately for them, their first
two attempts result in forms they aren't exactly
looking for! During their first try, Trunks extends
his index fingers too soon (during the second
part of the dance), instead of only extending
them to touch at the very end. The result is an
extremely obese character  who
can barely run around without falling out of breath!
The botched fusion wants to de-fuse and try it
again, but he learns (to his dismay) that he has
to wait for it to wear off after 30 minutes. While
Yamcha tries to coach the character with good
words and praise, it is clear that this fusion
was a mistake. Still intrigued, Yamcha asks him
what his name is, to which he replies "Gotenks."
It is clear that the resulting fusion is not Goten
or Trunks, but rather, a completely
new character. During their second attempt, the
boys don't quite hit each others' index fingers
in the last stage of the dance, resulting in an
incredibly skinny Gotenks who can barely stand
under his own strength without coughing! Everyone
waits thirty minutes for this fusion to wear off,
as well, before trying yet again...
(Regular)
Gotenks / Super Saiyan Gotenks
 Luckily,
third time's the charm. The two boys perform the
dance perfectly, and it is obvious by the result.
The character stands with black hair with purple
streaks, a muscular body, and a sharp new
special outfit (including the now-classic fusion
vest). Piccolo wants to wait and try it again,
this time with them both as Super Saiyans, but
Gotenks refuses; his ego is apparently bigger
than even Goten's and Trunks's combined, and he flies
off to fight Majin Buu (getting his ass promptly
handed to him).
Gotenks
returns to Piccolo beaten up, and agrees to try
it again while the two are Super Saiyans. Upon
successfully fusing, Gotenks's ego once again
takes over, and he flies off around the world
a few (dozen) times while waiting for Piccolo
to show up. Of course, before he can even battle
Majin Buu, the fusion time is up, and the two
boys scamper away before Buu can figure out what
all the commotion is about...
Super
Saiyan 3 Gotenks
 Gotenks
is still unable to defeat Majin Buu in this form,
mostly due to all
the splits and absorptions taking place.
Eventually, with most of the world's people killed
by Majin Buu, Goten and Trunks are sent away to
the Room of Spirit and Time to train, while Piccolo
stalls Majin Buu outside Kami-sama's
palace. When Majin Buu ultimately arrives (and
then breaks out), the two boys show off their
greatest feat while training as Gotenks... their
ability to reach Super Saiyan 3! Similar to Goku
in SSJ3, Gotenks loses his eyebrows and has hair
that extends down his back. His power and speed
are nearly unmatched, but unfortunately, his intelligence
and maturity still haven't caught up with him...
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 251; Manga Chapter 480
Gotenks is the fusion of Goten and
Trunks, through the fusion dance. Upon
fusing, an entirely new personality takes
over (Gotenks), and some spiffy new
clothes appear (including new pants and a vest). |
|
| |
| OLD
KAIÔSHIN (Old Kaiôshin + Witch; Potara
Earrings) |
 After
Old Kaiôshin is released from the Z-Sword
and has trained Gohan, he reveals that he
is actually already fused with an old witch.
This explains why he has such strange powers,
such as dancing around a character in circles
and pointing his hands at them (while not
even paying attention to them!) in order to
release their full potential.
While
reading a comic one day, and old witch approached
him and mentioned his earrings (which were
Potara Earrings). She took one and placed
it on one of her ears, and before the Old
Kaiôshin was able to do anything, they
were fused forever! Old Kaioshin only speaks
with one voice, similar to Kibito-shin.
|
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 250; Manga Chapter 479
Old Kaiôshin is already fused
with the old witch when he is introduced. While
his physical appearance hasn't changed all that
much, he does have strange magical powers, now. |
|
| |
KAIÔSHIN
(Kaiôshin + Kibito; Potara Earrings)
(Fan Given Names: "Kibitoshin"
/ "Kaiôbit") |
 Old
Kaiôshin orders Kaioshin and Kibito to use
the Potara Earrings in order to show Goku what kind
of fusion can be obtained with them. The two each
place an earring on a different ear, and are immediately
drawn into and fused with each other. Goku marvels
at the technique, while Old Kaiôshin mentions
that... oh, by the way... fusion with the Potara
Earrings is permanent. Whoops!
Kaiôshin
and Kibito will forever be fused with the earrings.
Their clothing is a combination of what the two
previously wore (which wasn't all that different, anyway).
Interestingly, this new character is one of only
two "normal" fusions (with the
dance or earrings) that does not speak with a dual
voice; only Kaiôshin's voice is heard when
this character talks.
Note
that this fusion was never given an "official"
new name in the original Japanese manga or anime;
he is simply referred to as "Kaiôshin"
when necessary. "Kibitoshin" is the name
FUNimation has given him for reference's sake on
their
own official website for DBZ and in Budokai
2 (and thus the Japanese version follows suit
in the Budokai games), despite using "Kibito-Kai"
in the anime and on their
official DBGT website. "Kaiou-bit"
/ "Kaiôbito" was the name given
to him by Curtis Hoffmann for his manga summaries,
pre-FUNimation, way back when in "ye olden
days" of the internet.
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 267; Manga Chapter 501
Old Kaiôshin tells Kaiôshin
and Kibito to fuse with the Potara Earrings
to show Goku what it is like. Unfortunately,
he forgot to mention that the fusion will be
permanent... ! |
|
| |
| VEGETTO
(Goku + Vegeta; Potara Earrings) |
When
Majin Buu's terror threatens that of the
very universe, Old Kaiôshin gives
up his life so that Goku can return to life,
go back to Earth, and attempt to defeat
the demon once and for all. Upon returning
to Earth, Goku plans on fusing with Gohan
with the Potara Earrings, creating an ultimate
fighter, the fusion of father and son. Unfortunately,
things don't quite work out. Gohan drops
the earring and loses it, and once he finds
it again, it's too late: he drops it once
more as he is absorbed by Buu. Goku looks
around and weighs his options... Dende and
Mr. Satan are all that are left. Would fusing
with either of them prove useful even in
the least? Even if he were
to fuse with them, it would probably result
in a drop of power, rather
than an increase. Dende simply had no fighting
experience, and Mr. Satan was just too much
of a dopey, regular ol' human for it to
help.
 Luckily,
Enma Daiô, too, was worried
about his realm, and sent Vegeta back (still
dead) to help in the battle. Goku senses
Vegeta's Ki, and rushes off. Vegeta
initially refuses to cooperate, still hiding
behind his Saiyan pride. As Goku explains
that Majin Buu has killed nearly everyone
(including Bulma), and has even absorbed
both of their sons, Vegeta soon realizes
there is no other option. The two eternal
rivals place an earring on opposite ears,
and are immediately drawn together...
Similar
to Gotenks, Vegetto has his own personality
and attitude. He's got the confidence and
fighting smarts of Goku, along with the
cocky grin and brute strength of Vegeta;
in other words, the perfect fusion. Vegetto
doesn't have much of a problem with Majin
Buu at all, even after being turned into
"the world's strongest coffee candy."
Vegetto ultimately lets himself be absorbed
by Majin Buu, however, in an attempt to
recover the lost fighters from before. Right
after landing in Majin  Buu's
body and letting down the barrier, Vegetto
(who is supposed to be a permanent fusion)
is immediately split back
into both Goku and Vegeta! (ed. note:
While no reason was ever specifically cited,
other than Goku noting it may be the air
/ atmosphere of Buu's insides, most assume
that the "magical" qualities of
Majin Buu allowed for the split... not to
mention it being a crucial plot device for
Toriyama!) Vegeta crushes his Potara,
never wanting to have to fuse with "Kakarrot"
again, no matter what the reason...
|
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 268; Manga Chapter 503
Almost necessary to even take on
Majin Buu at this point, Vegeta finally lowers
his pride after discovering the death of Bulma
and absorption of Trunks by Majin Buu; he
and Goku place a Potara earring on opposite
ears... |
|
| |
| VEKU
/ GOGETA (Goku + Vegeta; Fusion Dance) |
NOTE:
Gogeta appears only in DBZ Movie 12 and
DBGT Episode 60
 When
Enma Daiô's realm is taken
over by Janenba (who transformed into a
much more powerful form after battling SSJ3
Goku), the universe has no option but to
rely on Goku and Vegeta, once again. Goku
is off (along with Paikuhan) to check out
Hell, while Vegeta is temporarily brought
back to his body due to all the strangeness
going on with the afterlife. Goku realizes
that the only option is fusion, the same
technique he taught the two young boys to
use against Majin Buu. Will it be effective,
and go off without a hitch... ?
 Nope.
Unfortunately, Vegeta forgets to extend
his index fingers in the last step, and
a "fat" Gogeta is formed (whom
the Southern Kaiô nicknames "Veku")!
While he does have one somewhat effective
attack (that being to fart on Janenba's
head), the fighter is simply no real match
for Janenba. When the fusion runs out, Janenba
is not about to let the two fuse again and
reach a correct form. Luckily, Paikuhan
finally breaks through and interrupts Janenba,
giving the two Saiyans just enough time
to fuse correctly.
Gogeta
appears directly in Super Saiyan, and takes
out Janenba with minimal effort. He speaks
only two lines: to thank Paikuhan for his
help, and to announce, "I am neither
Goku nor Vegeta... I am the one to defeat
you!"
 Later,
in DragonBall GT, after Vegeta
has arrived and shown off his SSJ4 stage,
the two once again decide they must fuse
in order to defeat Yi Xing Long.
The fusion goes off without a hitch, and
SSJ4 Gogeta is formed!
SSJ4
Gogeta's power is absolutely unmatched,
and also now showcases a personality similar
to Gotenks (lots of laughing and practical
jokes). Unfortunately, just as SSJ3 reduced
the fusion length of Gotenks, SSJ4 also
reduces the length of Gogeta's fusion down
to about twenty minutes, and the Earth is
in trouble once again...
|
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Movie 12; DBGT Episode 60
Both in DBZ Movie 12 and DBGT Episode
60, the last chance the Earth has to save
itself from total destruction comes in the
form of Gogeta, the fusion between Goku and
Vegeta using the fusion dance. While Gogeta doesn't
do much in DBZ Movie 12, DBGT Episode 60 shows
off his fun side... |
|
| |
| GOTAN
(Goku + Mr. Satan; Potara Earrings; Theoretical Fusion) |
 Interestingly,
the Gotan that
appears in DragonBall Z 2 / Budokai 2
is not entirely original to the game! (OK, so the
alternate costume is.) After Gohan is absorbed by
Majin Buu, Goku is left with but two options for
fusion... Dende or Mr. Satan.
Goku
imagines to himself (both in the manga and anime)
what a fusion between him and Mr. Satan would look
like, speculating that a power of 1000 would probably
only rise to 1001... or even worse, decrease!
With no other options, Goku calls out to Mr. Satan
and is just about to throw the other Potara Earring...
when... he senses Vegeta's ki back on Earth!
 Mr.
Satan is left quite confused as to what just happened!
Oh, if things had only turned out slightly differently...
Gotan may have been a reality! To quote the tenth
daizenshuu, "If Vegeta hadn't made
it back from the Afterlife... we think it'd be really
scary!"
As
hinted at, Gotan (or "Gokule" in the English
version; the combination of "Goku" and
"Hercule') is a hidden fusion with Goku's "Breakthrough
Capsule" in DBZ2 / Budokai 2; read
more about this fusion (and view pictures of both
costumes) over on the
special Budokai transformations page.
This game is also where the official name for the
theoretical fusion comes from, originally.
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 268; Manga Chapter 503
While Gotan is never actually formed
in the series, we do get a brief glimpse of
what we might look like thanks to Goku's imagination.
Gotan is actually a special fusion in DBZ2
/ Budokai 2, so check out the
appropriate page for more information &
images. |
|
| |
| DENDEROT
(Goku + Dende; Potara Earrings; Theoretical Fusion) |
 After
Gohan is absorbed by Majin Buu, Goku is left
with but two options for fusion... Dende or
Mr. Satan.
Goku
imagines to himself (in the anime only) what
a fusion between him and Dende would look
like. The tenth daizenshuu notes
that with Dende's healing ability and Goku's
power, they possibly could have formed quite
a strong warrior (so it's interesting that
Goku ended up choosing Mr. Satan in the end;
Goku decided against Dende due to his not
being a fighting-type).
Of
course, as noted with Gotan, Goku sensed Vegeta's
ki return to Earth, and ended up
teleporting off to fuse with Vegeta...
What
would we have called this fusion, though?
Kakadende? Denderot?!
(Note
that these two names are listed in the tenth
daizenshuu and can thus be taken as "official")
|
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
DBZ
Episode 268
While Denderot is never actually formed
in the series, we do get a brief glimpse of
what we might look like thanks to Goku's imagination. |
|
| |
| PIRIRIN
(Piccolo + Kuririn; Fusion Dance; Theoretical Fusion) |
 Just
who the heck is Piririn? Well, from the name alone,
you can tell that it would be a theoretical fusion
of Piccolo and Kuririn. You've never seen this character
before, you say? Of course not! He never actually
appeared in either the manga or the anime.
We
translated what little we could from this
image (which we obtained from dbzn.net),
and we found a small caption in Daizenshuu
# 7, which gave us info on the date. Apparently, Weekly Shônen Jump (the original
Japanese magazine) held some sort of contest
where fans came up with their own "dream fusions."
To get them started, Toriyama drew an example image of a
potential Piccolo & Kuririn fusion (naming him
"Piririn"). This page appeared in Jump's 1995 issue
# 13. We're not sure what the prizes
were (or what any other fans' creations might have
been)... all we have is the one image to go by! We would
have liked to be able to translate Toriyama's own comments
from the ad, but they are unfortunately mostly
illegible due to compression and re-compression over the intervening
years. So, if anyone out there has a copy of this issue... we'd be more than
grateful if we could have a "fresh" image to work from.
We
can assume Piririn would have been formed through
the dance fusion (as indicated by the special vest
and general outfit, also worn by Gotenks and Gogeta);
Kuririn and Piccolo do indeed demonstrate the dance
for Goten and Trunks in DBZ episode 249, so we know
that the two of them could probably perform the
technique successfully. The only problem is that
they are both of such different physical sizes,
and the fusion would either not work at all, or
result in something different entirely...
In
conclusion? Piccolo + Kuririn?! Could his name be "PIRIRIN"?!
NOTES:
FIRST APPEARS... |
Never!
Piririn was merely a theoretical fusion
Toriyama drew to get fans started for a contest
where they would create their own "dream
fusion" character. |
|
<<
return to "Transformations"
index |
|
