Dragon Ball Once Teased Goku's Race with a Hidden Alien Nod

Dragon Ball has been around for more than twenty years, and fans of the franchise are still learning its secrets. From its first episode to its most recent movie, there are tons of details to unpack if you are paying attention. And now, fans are buzzing after netizens pointed out an Easter egg about Goku's race back when he was a kid.

The whole thing took place in the original Dragon Ball anime. During this time, fans followed Goku as a kid during his adventures, and others like Krillin and Bulma joined in for the adventures. It was there Goku faced the villain Metalitron, and the high-tech foe sized up the boy as an alien with help from Ridley Scott.

If you did not know, the scene in question shows Goku from Metalitron's point of view, and the foe locks target on the boy. The machine's readout says Goku "looks alien" but that is not all. The rest of the sight's text seems like technical nonsense, but it comes courtesy of the horror-thriller Alien.

For those who have seen Scott's movie, it begins with Ripley on dusty, and the scientist asks Mother for a readout on the ship she's in. When Ripley gets the info in hand, well - it reads the same as the one you will find in Dragon Ball. So you can read the passage below:

"Interface 2037 ready for inquiry. Requestion clarification on science inability to neutralize alien. Unable to clarify. Request enhancement. No further enhancement. Special order 937. Science office eyes only."

Clearly, creator Akira Toriyama was influenced by Alien in some way, and this is no surprise given the timeline here. Scott's film was released in 1979 while Dragon Ball was published in 1986. As the manga drew closer to Goku's backstory, his place amongst the Saiyan race shifted a lot about the hero, so Toriyama's team sprinkled this nod in the anime to gives readers a heads up. So if you noticed this at the time, well - you've got the kind of smarts Gohan wishes he had!

What do you think of this clever nod? Did you ever piece this Alien easter egg together before now? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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