‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’s Ending Reveals a Major Goku Milestone

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now out in both US and International theaters, and it is changing the game for the franchise in a big way. Not only is Broly raking in cash at the box office, but its major retcon of Dragon Ball backstory and simultaneous stage setting for the future has the fandom buzzing with renewed excitement.

In the midst of all the franchise realigning work that Dragon Ball Super: Broly is doing, the film also manages to slow down just long enough to give longtime fans a few meaningful milestones along the way. In fact, the final scene of Dragon Ball Super: Broly features one major Goku milestone, which the filmmakers have been teasing for months now.

WARNING: Dragon Ball Super: Broly Spoilers Follow!

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The final scene of Broly sees Broly transported back to the remote planet Vampa where he was raised, thanks to a last-minute Dragon Ball wish by Cheelai, the Freeza Force recruit who first found, and then befriended, Broly. Cheelai and her partner Lemo wish Broly away from Earth to save him from being destroyed by Gogeta, and by betraying Freeza in that way, they are forced to go on the run. Cheelai and Lemo decide that Broly is their best bet at protection, so they decided to live on Vampa with the wild Saiyan.

Unfortunately, being on the run means the new roommates don’t have much in the way of provisions for their survival on Vampa – that is, not until Goku arrives via Instant Transmission with a helpful gift: an entire stock of Capsule Corp supplies and shelters. Goku sets up Broly, Cheelai and Lemo in a comfortable living situation, with the explanation that he wants Broly healthy and happy, to serve as the ultimate training partner.

As Goku is leaving, Broly and Co. inquire for the first time who, exactly, this powerful warrior is. Goku’s response is that, “I’m Goku. But Broly, you can call me Kakarot.”

This final moment of Dragon Ball Super: Broly serves as a milestone: It’s the first time that Goku has actually referred to himself by his Saiyan name, “Kakarot,” in official canon. That observation is certainly going to be heavily scrutinized by the die-hard fans – but as far as we can tell, Goku has never properly introduced himself or referred to himself by his Saiyan name in any of the canonized anime. At most, he’s commented on other people (Vegeta, Raditz) calling him by that name, and that’s it. One of the series longest running gags is that Vegeta is the only one who routinely uses “Kakarot”, only using the name “Goku” at key points.

As stated, this moment is a nice little piece of fan-service for longtime Dragon Ball die-hards, but it also serves as a subtle conclusion to Dragon Ball Super: Broly‘s thematic subtext, which helps bring Goku closer to his Saiyan roots through the discovery of Broly. That renewed focus on Saiyan Pride could be important to future Dragon Ball Super storylines.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is out now. Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release is available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.