In one of the earliest examples of the multiverse in manga, Dragon Ball’s Goku and One Piece’s Luffy explored the dynamics of crossover adventures in the one-shot story Cross Epoch: Dragon Ball X One Piece. With Goku and Luffy both being veteran explorers of the different dimensions within their own universes, it’s easy to envision a situation where the two would meet. Indeed, in the manga, it is suggested that the two have already met at some point earlier.
In a story that combines elements of both manga, the two heroes are brought together after Mr. Satan asks the dragon Shenron to make him the king of his own island country. For some reason, Shenron grants him his wish. Shenron then decides to hold a party to celebrate and invites all his friends to the reception. Goku and Luffy are naturally included on the list.
Goku runs into Luffy on his way to the party. After Luffy tries to bounce over a mountain and fails, Goku decides to give him a lift on his magical flying cloud, the Flying Nimbus. Other characters from both stories, including Vegeta, Bulma, Master Roshi, and Sanji are also included in the manga either as invited guests, secondary characters, or just faces in the crowd. There is even one interesting scene where Zoro and his traveling companion Piccolo, get lost and must be rescued by Krillin and Chopper.
By the standards of today’s over-the-top multiverse crossover stories, Cross Epoch was a simple survey of what it would be like if the two characters from the different manga were to ever meet. As such, it should be taken more as fan service than a deep and serious addition to the chronicles of Dragon Ball and One Piece. Nevertheless, since the manga was penned by the creators of Dragon Ball and One Piece, Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda respectively, the combination of their styles makes it an artistically awesome experience. The most important takeaway from the story though is the revelation of the devastating “Bazoo-ha” combo attack performed by Goku and Luffy.
The attack was a response to the attempt by a band of flying pirates, headed by Pilaf and Buggy, to take out Goku and Luffy. The attack is a combination of the two heroes’ signature moves, namely Goku’s Kamehameha energy attack, and Luffy’s Gomu Gomu No Bazooka punch. When they launch the attacks simultaneously, the effect is devastating. In an instance, the pirate ship’s outer covering is obliterated, leaving the inner ship weak and exposed. While the “Bazoo-ha” has never been used after, the manga is labeled as “chapter 1,” which suggests the possibility of another crossover eventually, and another chance to see the combo attack in action.
While the multiverse is now one of the biggest drivers of the comic book industry in the United States; at present, it remains a rarely plumbed element of the manga industry in Japan. Accordingly, Dragon Ball and One Piece’s Cross Epoch Goku–Luffy crossover tale serves as a model of what could be if, or when, the multiverse era takes hold in Japan.
