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The year is 2008. TheDragon Ballfranchise you grew up watching was already a dying ember when you first hopped on, or, you were lucky enough to catch its run in the 1990s. However, for the first time since the ending ofDragon Ball GT, you catch wind of an officialDragon BallOVAcoming out – the franchise’s first in over a decade.Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!was an aptly named and relatively obscureDragon BallOVA released long after the franchise’s heyday, seven years before it would be revivified through the anime adaptation of Toriyama and Toyotaro’sDragon Ball Supermanga in 2015.
The 35-minute animation, released in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, featured beloved characters and introduced new characters, including an individual no one ever thought existed: Vegeta’s brother, Tarble. Given the wayDragon Ball Super, and even more so,DAIMA, have figured out ways to make use of characters who were on the fringes of the franchise, could Vegeta’s younger brother Tarble eventually make an appearance in aDragon Ballmain series?
Who is Vegeta’s Brother?
Introducing Tarble
TheDragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!OVA is set two yearsafter the defeat of Majin Buu. Hercule (Mr Satan) feels guilty over being recognized for saving the world from the demonic threat, with a brand-new hotel built in his honour. He invites Goku, Vegeta and their families to a banquet, which is gatecrashed when two Saiyan pods arrive, and a mysterious Saiyan and an unknown alien lifeform emerge.
The Saiyan introduces himself as Tarble, Vegeta’s younger brother who was deemed far too weak by their father, King Vegeta, and was sent to a distant planet prior tothe destruction of Planet Vegeta at the hands of Frieza. He comes to Earth with his wife, Gure, to plead for assistance with the threat posed by Abo and Kado, remnants of the Frieza Force who have been terrorizing their home planet. Despite the fact thatDragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!is not part of the anime canon; Tarble is mentioned in the first twoDragon Ball Supermovies,Battle of GodsandDragon Ball Super: Broly, which brings up the obvious question: since Tarble clearly exists in the Super canon/timeline, is there a chance for his appearance in the series?
Vegetable Dilemma
How Tarble Exists in the Canon
Looking at Tarble’s character design, there is no mistaking that he and Vegeta are related, not to mention the very Toriyama-esque play on words in the character’s nomenclature, which is based on the second half of the word “vegetable” (Vegeta is the first half), emphasizing the centrality of the Vegeta bloodline in the overall lore ofthe vegetable-based Saiyan race. Tarble sports a similar set of Saiyan armour as Vegeta upon introduction, with the shoulder pads and scouter, but it is his facial features that make it clear that he and Vegeta are related.
Some would also say he looks like a skinny Gohan, which is valid. He is also extremely short, shorter than Vegeta, in fact, a trait that, coupled with his softer, rounder facial features, makes for a very unimposing design that reflects the weakness for which he was exiled by his father. When it comes to temperament, Tarble is polite andlacks the battle-readiness of his people, but the two villains introduced in the OVA state that he gave them some trouble – despite the fact that they both boast power levels comparable to first-form Frieza.
Tarble’s only appearance in theDragon Ballanime and manga “canon” (using the word very loosely given the complications brought on byDragon Ball: DAIMA) is in the 2008 OVA. The mentions of Tarble in theDragon Ball Z: Battle of Godsand the Broly movies firmly situate him in some kind of series canon, but it isDragon Ball Superitself that also complicates Tarble’s existence on some level, as the Universe 6 arc introduces a character eerily similar in form and temperament to Vegeta’s little brother:the Universe 6 Saiyan known as Cabba.
It is unknown if Tarble will ever make an actual appearance in anyDragon Ballanime or manga after the 2008 OVA, but much like Bulma’s sister, he is for sure an individual who exists in the canon. The wayDragon Ball Super, and to some extent,DAIMA, havereimagined concepts from previous iterations of the franchiseindicates a possibility that even Tarble could make a significant appearance in the series in the future, but the question is, when and why?
Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! is available to watch onBilibili. It is only available subbed.
