Warning: Spoilers for Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Mission Chapter 18 & 19
One Dragon Ball manga provided fans with something they’ve always wanted to see–a team-up between Goku, his father Bardock, and his son Gohan. The epic team-up was possible thanks to the time-bending battle known as the Super Spacetime Tournament, which pitted alternate versions of characters against one another to determine the “true” history, with all others set to be erased.
In chapter 18 of Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Mission, the tournament itself had gone completely off the rails, with the proceedings attacked by a villain known as the Dark King Demigra. Despite Demigra attacking the former Supreme Kai of Time, the organizer of this deadly tournament, Goku came to her aid, but quickly found himself struggling, even at Ultra Instinct. As Goku was beginning to falter, he still refused to give up, and launched a desperate attack.
![Most Dragon Ball Fans Missed Goku’s Ultimate Family Team-Up](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/dragon-ball-bardock-goku-gohan.jpg)
But soon, he found he wasn’t alone in that attack: instead, he was joined by two of the now unmasked “Warriors in Black,” mysterious warriors in service to the former Supreme Kai of Time with familiar faces.
Goku’s Family Kamehameha is Every Fan’s Dream
![Dragon Ball: All transformed, Goku and his family attack in unison.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/dragon-ball-goku-family-attack.jpg)
The Warrior in Black is actually an alternate version of Bardock, Goku’s father, who ascends to Super Saiyan 4, while his compatriot is actually a version of Gohan from Trunks’ future, missing an arm just as Trunks remembers him. Goku unfortunately doesn’t recognize his father, but he should at least able to identify Gohan. Given that Goku was fighting to save their master, it only made sense for them to come to his aid, but the result is an epic family team-up shot. The attack is ultimately successful in chapter 19, destroying Demigra and saving the day. Their victory is even enough to get the former Supreme Kai of Time to call an end to the tournament for good.
Bardock is a fan favorite character, and many fans have longed to see him and Goku interact. While neither of them acknowledges their family connection here, it’s still a rather satisfying moment to see three generations of Goku’s family deliver a devastating blow to a villain together. The future version of Gohan is also rather popular for its very different take on the character, and one can imagine that for him, fighting alongside his long-dead father was also quite a big deal. The scene also offers one of the few times when Ultra Instinct and Super Saiyan 4 are both present, showcasing the power of the two different paths of Saiyan evolution.
With the Super Spacetime Tournament ended, and the villain defeated, Goku is eventually dismissed to his home timeline, while the alternate versions of Bardock and Gohan accompany the former Supreme Kai as she leaves. She asks Bardock about Goku, revealing that he, at least, understood the magnitude of their joint attack, even if Goku may never know. Bardock is, of course, stoic about the whole situation, but seems to be contemplating it himself. While only for a brief moment, Goku got to team up with both his father and his son, leading to one of the most satisfying victories in Dragon Ball history.
Dragon Ball
- Summary:
- From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
- Created by:
- Akira Toriyama
- First Film:
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film:
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show:
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show:
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- First Episode Air Date:
- 1989-04-26
- Latest Episode:
- 2019-10-05
- Cast:
- Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil
- Current Series:
- Dragon Ball Super
- Video Game(s):
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dragon Ball: The Breakers, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot