‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ Confirms Vegeta’s Brother is Canon

Dragon Ball Super: Broly introduces Broly and Gogeta into the series canon proper, but it also retools and retcons much of what fans know about the origins of the Saiyans, and the characters involved.

One such change is for Vegeta’s brother Tarble, who’s been confirmed as part of the franchise’s official canon in the new film.

Warning! Major spoilers for Dragon Ball Super: Broly below!

Planet Vegeta’s destruction happens in pretty much the same way it always has. Though there’s been a few tweaks to how involved Bardock was in the final struggle, Freeza destroys the planet with a Supernova blast. Though the results of the attack are explored in a different way than before.

Young Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa being shown surviving the attack remains from the original telling of the origin, with one key difference. When Nappa finds out Planet Vegeta has been destroyed by a “meteor,” he delivers the news to the young Vegeta. Vegeta is upset that he no longer has the chance to be king, and when Nappa asks if Vegeta’s brother Tarble survived, Vegeta responds that he doesn’t really care (which coincides with how little Raditz cared about the survival of his brother or parents).

So while Tarble’s fate is not confirmed, his mere existence being solidified is a big deal. Vegeta’s brother Tarble was originally introduced during the Dragon Ball Z special Yo! Son Goku and his Friends Return!! as a low-level Saiyan who was sent away buy King Vegeta for being too weak to be a warrior. He seeks some help from Vegeta against a deadly duo, and hasn’t been really mentioned or seen since.

Though there was a passing mention of him as a possible sixth Saiyan for the Super Saiyan God ritual in Battle of Gods, his mention here confirms both his existence in the official series canon (even after its retcons) along with how little Vegeta cares that he even has a brother. It doesn’t confirm that a Tarble appearance is due later down the line, but it doesn’t rule it out either.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now open in theaters worldwide, and has already gone on to have a bigger lifetime gross than Dragonball: Evolution. Funimation brought the film to the United States on January 16, and tickets for the film are now on sale. You can read ComicBook.com’s spoiler-free review of the film here, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly is described as such:

“A planet destroyed, a powerful race reduced to nothing. After the devastation of Planet Vegeta, three Saiyans were scattered among the stars, destined for different fates. While two found a home on Earth, the third was raised with a burning desire for vengeance and developed an unbelievable power. And the time for revenge has come. Destinies collide in a battle that will shake the universe to its very core! Goku is back to training hard so he can face the most powerful foes the universes have to offer, and Vegeta is keeping up right beside him. But when they suddenly find themselves against an unknown Saiyan, they discover a terrible, destructive force. Locked into battle with the formidable Broly, Goku and Vegeta face their most dangerous opponent yet!”