The art of the Dragon Ball franchise has changed astronomically from the days of Dragon Ball Z to the current series and movies of Dragon Ball Super, and one fan has decided to take a trip back to the past by taking the current aesthetic of Goku’s father, Bardock, and re-imagining his latest appearance. While the latest feature-length film might not have revealed any new secrets about Bardock, fans had the opportunity to see Goku’s mother, Gine, for the first time before Planet Vegeta was destroyed as a result of Freeza’s power and fear of the Super Saiyan.
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Bardock was originally thought to have died as a result of the giant energy blast that was shot toward Planet Vegeta by Freeza, but it turned out that the final fate of Goku’s father was far more complicated than we had originally thought. Released in 2011, the special animated episode, “Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock,” saw Bardock jettisoned into the past, battling against one of Freeza’s ancestors named Chilled. Finding himself forming a bond with an alien race that had existed on the Planet Vegeta long before the Saiyans took control, Bardock was able to attain the transformation of Super Saiyan and defeat Chilled. While we don’t know what became of Bardock in the past, it’s clear that he was able to power up plenty following his initial confrontation with Freeza.
Twitter Artist Lautaro Cartagena took the opportunity to imagine what Bardock would have looked like in Dragon Ball Super: Broly with a modern makeover that looked far more like his original design from Dragon Ball Z, blending the two art styles from past and present:
Edit of Bardock in the style of DBZ #DragonBall pic.twitter.com/SqwzjM5tVO
— Lautaro Cartagena (Open Commissions) (@LautyCartagena) July 24, 2021
Bardock has had a big role in the spin-off series of Dragon Ball Heroes in the past, but we might just get an appearance from the father of Goku during the Granolah The Survivor Arc taking place in the pages of Dragon Ball Super’s manga. With the intergalactic bounty hunter losing his race to the Saiyans under Freeza’s command, Goku’s father might make an appearance and have had a role himself thanks in part to his previous destructive ways.
Which style do you prefer between Dragon Ball Z and Super? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Dragon Ball.
