Dragon Ball Z is a legendary show that has captivated viewers around the world. But whenever a show is localized for a new region, some details may be changed or removed due to cultural, linguistic, and legal differences. This is especially true with Dragon Ball Z, as the various English dubs of the show have altered many parts of the series.

While most of these edits didn't have a significant impact, others changed crucial moments, introducing massive plot holes. Because of this, fans who only watch the English dub without checking out the manga or the original Japanese version may find several things that don't make sense.

10 Who leads the Red Ribbon Army? And who's the short guy?

The Red Ribbon Army is one of the most memorable enemies from the originalDragon Ball. However, fans who watchedDragon Ball ZThe English dub would be forgiven for finding the group very confusing.InDragon Ball ZIn the English dub, Dr. Gero is considered the leader of the Red Ribbon Army. His hatred for Goku is attributed to their battle in the original.Dragon Ball.

However, while Gero worked with the Red Ribbon Army (and later reference books suggested he was pulling its strings from the shadows), he wasn't their leader, and Goku never met him while fighting the group. Even stranger, the Red Ribbon Army's leader, Commander Red, is seen but not recognized in the flashback sequences. Because of this, American fans would be very confused about who the Red Ribbon Army is and who is in charge of the faction.

9 Why does Vegeta know so much about Earth?

Ocean Group Dragon Ball Z The dub features some strange edits and censorship, especially in violent scenes. One of the most surprising edits occurs in the 15th episode, "A Black Day for Planet Earth." In this episode, Vegeta and Nappa arrive on Earth and crash their pod into East City. Upon seeing the damage they've caused to some nearby skyscrapers, Vegeta declares:

“Too bad it’s Sunday. These buildings would be packed tomorrow.”

This is a confusing line, as Vegeta and Nappa have just landed on Earth and have no way of knowing it's Sunday because other planets likely use different date and time systems. Vegeta's statement also suggests he knows how Earth organizes its workweek and which buildings are commonly used as places of business, suggesting he has a deep understanding of Earth's people and their way of life—something that doesn't fit with his later characterization or what viewers are told about Vegeta and Nappa's backstory.

8 Instantaneous light-speed transmission breaks physics

One of the most fascinating things about the various Dragon Ball Z The problem with dubs is that they often try to detail or explain certain things, only to create a bunch of new plot holes in the process. A great example of this is Instant Transmission. In Japan, the move is portrayed as a teleportation ability that instantly moves the user from one place to another. But in the FUNimation dub, Goku says that Instant Transmission allows him to travel at the speed of light.

This change makes no sense and introduces some huge plot holes. While light speed is fast, it's not instantaneous. So, if Goku traveled at light speed, his long-distance travel between universes would take several minutes or more. This would mean Goku is slower than many of the vehicles seen in the show, as these typically cover vast distances in a few minutes, meaning they must exceed the speed of light. This becomes even more confusing when the changes in physics required to make this work are taken into account; to make Goku's statement correct, the laws of physics in Dragon World would have to work completely differently, something that isn't confirmed by the rest of the franchise.

7 Despite being a scientist, Bardock doesn't act like one.

In the ocean dubbing ofDragon Ball Z, Vegeta tells Goku that his father invented the Power Ball, calling him an "ordinary fighter, but a brilliant scientist." But when fans finally meet Bardock, they realize Vegeta's statement was nonsense.Bardock not only proves to be a capable fighter, on par with other similar Saiyans, but he's also clearly not a great scientist. In fact, he shows no interest in academic studies, something that only becomes clearer when seen inDragon Ball Super.

Because of this, fans looking at this line now would be forgiven for thinking Vegeta mistook Bardock for someone else or that he never paid attention to him. Furthermore, the idea of scientists creating attacks, especially ki-based ones, is strange; the rest of the franchise shows that these moves are developed by martial artists after hours of dedicated training, adding further evidence that Vegeta has no idea what he's talking about.

6 Why does Goku think Vegeta killed Grandpa Gohan?

Dragon Ball Z getting a widespread English dub before the original Dragon Ball led to several problems, with the beginning Dragon Ball Z dubs accidentally retconning plot points explained in the previous show. A prime example is seen in "Vegeta… Saiyan Style!", the 24th episode of Ocean Dragon Ball Z dub. In this episode, Goku sees Vegeta transform into a Great Ape and suddenly decides that this transformation means Vegeta is the beast that crushed and killed Grandpa Gohan.

This is a mistranslation, as in the Japanese version, Goku realizes that he was the one who killed Grandpa Gohan – a fact that was explained to viewers in the original. Dragon Ball. However, even in the context of this episode, Goku's revelation makes no sense. Vegeta made it clear that he hadn't been to Earth before that day and was barely aware of Goku, making the idea that he landed, randomly killed Grandpa Gohan, and then returned to space completely absurd.

5 Why is it so hard to get out of the other dimension?

When returning to old English anime dubs, the most noticeable and frequent censorship is the removal of violent words like "kill" and "die." While many shows replaced these words with logical but less emotional ones like "destroy," some went in less obvious directions. Dragon Ball Z is a memorable example of this, as the initial version said that people who died were “sent to another dimension.”

While it's easy to understand why this is done, it creates many plot holes, as Dragon Ball Z Characters often jump between other dimensions and worlds with minimal effort. Thus, characters who don't return from the "other dimension" seem lazy, as viewers have seen other characters return from seemingly the same situation without breaking a sweat. This is especially strange when Piccolo and Kami are transported to the other dimension, as the plot implies that the Dragon Balls were sent with them, forcing the remaining Z Fighters to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to bring them back. However, if Piccolo and Kami have the Dragon Balls in this other dimension, then why wouldn't they want to return and save the others the effort?

4 What's happening to the timeline?

One of the strangest English dubbing changes occurs right at the beginning of Dragon Ball ZWhen Raditz tells Goku his story, he informs him that Planet Vegeta was destroyed three years ago, something not written in Japanese. This small change causes a lot of confusion in the timeline. If this were true, it would mean that Goku's parents evacuated him from Planet Vegeta many years before Frieza enacted his plan.

If Bardock and Gine sent Goku away long before Frieza began his takeover plan, it suggests the tyrant did a poor job of hiding his intentions. This change also implies that Raditz's first action after the planet's destruction was to pursue Goku because it would take at least a year to travel between Earth and deep space. Even more confusing, this change makes it nearly impossible to understand each character's age, meaning this small line introduces a number of plot holes.

3 Why does Freeza's native tongue hurt (also why is it like this?)

InDragon Ball ZEpisode 88: "Clash of the Super Powers," Goku faces Frieza. During this confrontation, Frieza says to Goku:

“I have a small proposal I would like to make in my native language.”

When Goku says he's listening, Frieza says a nonsensical sentence before informing Goku that it translates to, "Let's get down to business."

Oddly, when Frieza speaks his native tongue, his entire body twitches rapidly and strangely, suggesting that speaking Frieza's language is a painful experience. Even stranger, the sounds coming from Frieza's mouth are clearly random, lacking enough structure to be a full language, making it seem as if Frieza randomly decides to make noises with his mouth for fun. In the Japanese version, Frieza laughs at Goku, meaning the twitching is supposed to reflect his joy. But in the dub, it becomes one of the most confusing visuals inDragon Ballhistory.

2 Freeza knows what a cowboy is (somehow)

One of the most distressing Dragon Ball Z moments comes in the 79th episode, "Gohan Attacks." During a fight between Frieza and Krillin, Frieza uses his horns to violently impale his enemy. As the others look on in shock, Frieza toys with Krillin by bouncing him up and down on the horn, causing it to pierce deeper and deeper into Krillin's defenseless body. As he does so, Frieza shouts:

“Yeehaw! That’s it, buckaroo, ride them, cowboy!”

This strange statement raises many questions, most notably how Frieza, the tyrannical galactic emperor, knows what cowboys are—especially since the buckaroo and the "ride 'em cowboy" are intrinsically linked to American cowboy movies and the culture surrounding them, something that clearly doesn't exist in Dragon World due to its very different history. Furthermore, the fact that Frieza reveals this in front of Krillin, Gohan, and Vegeta suggests that Frieza believes they will understand the reference, making it even more confusing.

1 Why does Goku keep changing his personality?

Goku is one of the most instantly recognizable characters in anime history. However, when Dragon Ball Z was first brought to America, the voice actors felt they needed to make Goku more traditionally heroic to appeal to American audiences. The problem is that a lot can be changed through animation edits and dialogue changes. Because of this, Goku's personality changes dramatically in the English dub, shifting from his selfish, naive, and battle-loving Japanese self to his Superman-inspired American persona almost randomly, often within the same scene.

This is best seen in his Super Saiyan speech in the 96th episode of Dragon Ball Z, "Outburst of rage." In Japan, when Goku becomes a Super Saiyan, he tells Frieza that he is the "Saiyan who came from Earth to defeat you." But in the American dub, Goku declares:

“I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am the truth. Allied with good!
Nightmare
for you!"

While it sounds great on its own, this pious speech goes against his usual personality, even conflicting with how he acted minutes earlier. Because moments like this happen so often in the dub, Goku feels like he has two personalities he switches between rapidly, making him seem very strange.

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  Dragon Ball

  Dragon Ball tells the story of a young warrior named Son Goku, a peculiar young boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learn about the Dragon Balls, when, once gathered all 7, grant any wish of choice.

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  Dragon Ball Z (1989)

  With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the Saiyan warrior Goku defends planet Earth from alien enemies.