How Dragon Ball Z's First Villain Changed the Series Forever – And For the Better (2024)

During its multi-decade run, the Dragon Ball franchise has introduced a massive number of villains. While the likes of Frieza, Cell, and Buu are easily the most iconic, others have faded into obscurity, only remaining in fans' memories as trivia questions or video game roster fodder. Raditz is one of these latter villains, as he rarely gets mentioned when fans discuss their favorite Dragon Ball antagonists. Which is a shame, as the Raditz Saga completely transformed Dragon Ball Z.

Without Raditz's masterful introduction, Dragon Ball Z would not have become the beloved series it is today. Raditz debuted in the manga's 195th chapter, "The Mysterious Warrior From Space", and the first Dragon Ball Z anime episode, "The New Threat". The anime episode starts with Goku, Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi meeting up at Kame House after not seeing each other for five years. While everyone is happy to meet up again, they get even more excited when Goku reveals Gohan, his young son.

The Story Of Raditz – And His Dark Connection to Goku

Unfortunately, this happy moment is quickly shattered when Raditz arrives, confusing the gathered friends. This confusion becomes more intense when Raditz claims he recognizes Goku and says his name is Kakarot. When Goku tells Raditz he doesn't understand what he is talking about, Raditz grows angry, demanding to know why Goku didn't complete his mission to terminate all life on this planet, leaving Goku and Krillin even more bemused. Finally having enough of Raditz's rambling, Krillin attempts to get Raditz to leave. But when Krillin gets close, Raditz unveils his monkey-like tail and swats Krillin away, sending him crashing through a nearby wall.

Growing even more frustrated, Raditz asks Goku if he banged his head as a child, only for Roshi to step forward and tell Goku a secret that would transform Dragon Ball completely. Roshi says that, before the start of the original Dragon Ball, Grandpa Gohan stumbled on a crashed spaceship in the woods. When he investigated this ship, he found baby Goku and took him in, planning to raise him as his own. Alas, Gohan soon realized something was off about Goku, as he was inhumanly strong and constantly violent. This changed when Goku fell into a ravine and bashed his head, turning Goku into the happy little child viewers saw in Dragon Ball.

Raditz Debuts

Raditz then expands on this story, informing Goku that not only is he a Saiyan from Planet Vegeta, but Raditz is his older brother. According to Raditz, Goku was sent to Earth to wipe out all life so the Saiyans could sell the planet on the galactic market. Raditz notes that the life extermination process should have only taken a few years as the Earth has a moon, a statement that terrifies Bulma, Krillin, and Roshi, all of whom remember Goku's Great Ape form and the destruction it causes. Now desperate, the group tries to convince Raditz to leave. Alas, Raditz informs Goku that he won't go quietly, noting that Planet Vegeta was destroyed by a comet, meaning that only four Saiyans, including Goku, are left. Keen to force Goku's compliance, Raditz kidnaps Gohan, telling Goku that he'll kill the boy if Goku doesn't start killing humans.

Soon after this, Goku's old nemesis Piccolo arrives. He tells Goku that he believes they have a common enemy in Raditz and proposes they work together to take him down. Once Goku and Piccolo locate Raditz, they start to fight the Saiyan, only to find themselves horrifically outmatched. Eventually, Goku grabs Raditz in a Full Nelson, allowing Piccolo to fire a Special Beam Cannon that blasts through both fighters. In his final moments, Raditz tells Piccolo that two more Saiyans will land on Earth in a year to avenge his death. Just as Goku dies, his body vanishes, leading to Piccolo presume that Kami has plans for Goku. Knowing there is no time to waste, Piccolo takes charge, telling the others they need to prepare for the arrival of the other two Saiyans.

How Raditz Transformed Dragon Ball

Despite rarely being talked about today, Raditz is one of the most crucial characters in Dragon Ball history because his saga utterly transforms the series and lays the foundation for all future Dragon Ball Z storylines. Most notably, Raditz's arc marks the point where Dragon Ball switches genres, going from a comedic fantasy-influenced martial arts story to an intense action-oriented sci-fi series. The most obvious signal of this genre change is Raditz's speech to Goku, which quickly introduces distant planets, alien races, and space travel to the world of Dragon Ball. Another, often overlooked, signal of this genre switch is Raditz's armor and scouter.

While advanced technology was seen in earlier Dragon Ball sagas, it tended to be big, clunky, and very 1980s-looking. The Scouter has a more streamlined and overtly science-fiction design, an aesthetic that is enhanced by the futuristic bleeps and bloops it makes when Raditz analyzes a foe. The fact Raditz has this item and treats it like a mundane thing signals to the audience that the technology level and general aesthetic of Dragon Ball are changing to a more sci-fi-influenced one. When viewed together, these elements make it clear to viewers that this is the start of a new status quo for Dragon Ball.

Raditz's Personality Cements The New Tone

What deserves special attention is how the show uses Raditz's personality and aura to further convey this tone change. Unlike previous Dragon Ball foes, Raditz doesn't have a comedic side to his character, remaining deadly serious the entire time he's talking with Goku. This is best seen when Krillin calls Raditz mad and suggests (in the dub) that he's been "dipping in the eggnog". Previous Dragon Ball villains would have been frustrated by this comment or quipped back. But Raditz does neither of these things. Instead, he swats Krillin away with his tail without saying a word, making it clear to the audience that he is a deadly serious threat, one who won't be lured into games like previous foes.

This change is further shown by Raditz's decision to kidnap Gohan and how he goes about it. The kidnapping scene has a surprisingly solemn atmosphere and is once again devoid of comedy, making it clear that this isn't a zany caper but an actual moment of danger. This sense of danger is further intensified by the deal Raditz tries to offer Goku. Previously, fans would have expected him to suggest that Goku would get Gohan back if he surrendered or joined Raditz's side. Instead, Raditz says he'll kill Gohan if Goku doesn't start killing humans, giving Raditz a threatening aura unlike anything fans had seen before, befitting the show's new intense tone.

Another crucial thing the Raditz saga does is transform Goku's character. Most obviously, the reveal of Goku's extraterrestrial origin upends what viewers thought they knew about him, recontextualizing all of his previous actions while adding another element of tragedy to his backstory – one that would pay off massively in the Vegeta Saga when Goku learns the real story behind Grandpa Gohan's death. In other shows, a sudden backstory change like this would feel cheap. But Dragon Ball makes it feel earned by linking it to previous unresolved plot threads like Goku's tail. This, plus Goku's generally erratic behavior, makes it easy to accept that he isn't a regular human, making this plot point feel foreshadowed despite its sudden nature. The success of this twist is made more impressive by the fact that Toriyama admitted he hadn't planned it. In Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 4: World Guide, he notes that:

"Of course, I didn’t think that at all (laughs). The Saiyans were like that as well. When I thought up Goku’s tail and the Ōzaru, I didn’t think Goku was an alien or anything."

Goku's alien origin isn't the only change Goku displays during the Raditz arc. Between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Goku has become a husband and father, two things that have massively changed his outlook on life, something that the Raditz saga expertly showcases. The first episode of the saga features many scenes of Goku and Gohan interacting, showing that Goku has dramatically matured since viewers last saw him and that he is now calmer and more measured, unlike the hyperactive Goku of old. This change carries through to his first interactions with Raditz, as Goku remains calm despite his confusion, not attacking Raditz until it is clear that the Saiyan warrior won't respond to requests.

Plus, the anime expertly uses Goku's early interactions with Raditz to convey how fatherhood has shifted Goku's priorities. When Raditz becomes aggressive, Goku's primary focus is keeping Gohan safe, with Goku telling his friends to prioritize protecting the child over fighting the Saiyan. By aligning with Piccolo, Goku shows that he is willing to do whatever it takes to get Gohan back, showing a level of pragmatism that the younger Goku didn't have. Without this evolution for Goku's character, Dragon Ball's later arcs wouldn't work since it would be near impossible to create tension if Goku didn't take things seriously and had nothing meaningful to defend.

It's not just Goku's character who changes during the Raditz saga. This saga also marks Piccolo's transition from a villain to a hero. While someone going from the side of evil to the side of good isn't unusual in Dragon Ball, Piccolo's change is one of the most dramatic, considering he was the main saga's previous foe and was hellbent on destroying Goku the last time they met. However, the Raditz arc sets this change up beautifully. By giving Piccolo and Goku a mutual enemy, it allows the anime to build on the begrudging respect Piccolo was starting to show for Goku by the end of their final fight in Dragon Ball, setting the stage for several emotional and character-defining moments during the later Vegeta Saga.

Raditz Showcases A New Form Of Combat

The Raditz saga also upends how combat works in Dragon Ball, setting the stage for the action sequences that would later become the franchise's hallmark. While the original Dragon Ball had established that supernatural techniques existed, they were rare, with most fights revolving around classic hand-to-hand martial arts. The battle with Raditz quickly breaks away from this by having Raditz effortlessly fire volleys of Ki blasts at Goku and Piccolo, forcing the pair to respond with energy attacks of their own. In the end, the pair are only able to take Raditz down through a combination of Gohan's sudden power boost and Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon, clearly signaling to the audience that the nature of combat has shifted and that Goku must reach this level if he wants to stand a chance against future foes.

While often overlooked by fans, this fight with Raditz lays the foundation for many of Dragon Ball's most famous moments, including the Spirit Bomb and the birth of Ultra Instinct. Another fascinating thing about the Raditz saga is how it sets up what's to come. Most obviously, Raditz's dying announcement that two other Saiyans are coming to avenge his death sets up the events of the next arc. On a deeper level, many of Raditz's statements sow the seeds for later plot points. The most fascinating example is Raditz mentioning that the Saiyans sold planets on the galactic market. The fact that the Saiyans are selling planets makes it clear that there are many alien species, an idea that would come up several times during Dragon Ball Z.

On top of this, the existence of a formalized market for planet trading suggests that ruthless people can make a lot of money through intergalactic war, something that would be paid off with the introduction of Frieza. While Raditz isn't in Dragon Ball Z for long, the character has a massive impact. Raditz laid the foundation that allowed the franchise to smoothly move from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Z, and without this arc, many of Dragon Ball's iconic moments wouldn't have worked. It's a shame that Raditz gets overlooked when fans discuss Dragon Ball villains. While he may not be as iconic as Vegeta or Cell, Raditz is still a crucial part of the story and one who helped the series navigate through a tricky transitional period.

• 

  Dragon Ball

  Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

• 

  Dragon Ball Z

  An anime that spans across many generations, this is the sequel to Dragon Ball from 1986. Dragon Ball Z is an anime that everyone must know of, whether it's the name itself, Goku, or the Saiyans - Dragon Ball Z is one of the greatest anime to have ever been produced. Produced by Toei Animation and written by Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball Z continues the adventures of Goku, who, along with his companions made in the prequel series, defend the Earth against villains ranging from aliens like Frieza, androids like Cell, and magical creatures like Majin Buu. While the original anime followed Goku from childhood to early adulthood and had its fun moments, Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of his adult life in this hard-action anime, but at the same time parallels the life of his son, Gohan, as well as the development of his rival Vegeta. While there have been sequel series produced afterwards like Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super, Z is the core of the entire Dragon Ball universe that has a recognition like no other anime on this list. With over 150 episodes, the series has some of the most unique scenes in anime ever made, such as Goku’s transformation to becoming a Super Saiyan and the Cell Games. If you’re into anime and haven’t watched Dragon Ball Z, we won’t judge. However, if you’re just starting, this is an anime that must be seen if you enjoy some fast-paced action, even if some fight scenes last about three to four episodes at a time. It’s gripping, entertaining, and heartbreaking all at the same time, and you wish you could be a Saiyan like Goku and his friends too.