Dragon Ball is one of the most successful anime franchises in history with many seasons and a large, dedicated fanbase. But, with its success also come questions, like that the hell the "Z" in Dragon Ball Z even means.
Dragon Ball is undeniably one of the most iconic and globally recognized shows. The franchise boasts an extensive array of merchandise, movies, and multiple series. However, when people think of Dragon Ball, the first thing that comes to mind is typically Dragon Ball Z.
But where does the "Z" in Dragon Ball Z originate? Today, we're here to unravel that mystery, and the answer might just surprise you.
Dragon Ball transitioned to Dragon Ball Z to mark a significant shift in the series' tone and focus. Originally centered around whimsical adventures and martial arts, the series evolved into more intense, dramatic battles with higher stakes, focusing on the now-adult Goku and his encounters with powerful extraterrestrial enemies.
Dragon Ball Z: Two Possible Reasons For The "Z"
There are a few reasons why Dragon Ball had the letter Z added at the end of the title. One of them was explained by manga artist Akira Toriyama, who revealed the answer in an interview.
When he created this part of the story, he believed it would be the final installment of the Dragon Ball series. At that time, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super were not even considered. To mark the end of the series, he chose the last letter of the alphabet and added it to the title.
However, there is another theory regarding why the series continued as Dragon Ball Z. Several names were considered for the second part of the manga, such as Dragon Ball 2 and Dragon Ball 90.
Someone working on the Dragon Ball anime explained that it was initially supposed to be called Dragon Ball 2, but Toriyama couldn't read the 2 and accidentally mixed it up with the letter Z.
This would be pretty embarrassing for Toriyama though and would mean that to hide this fact he made up a new story for the internet behind the origin of the Z in the name.
Either way, the name is iconic now and will forever be DBZ. Imagine a DB2... would just look weird, eh?