How do you feel about the Animal people retcon in Dragon Ball?

In Dragon Ball, animal people were all over the place, owing to the manga's gag roots (and Toriyama himself stating that he was still working off of the Dr. Slump energy at the time). However, as the Z portion of the series went on, they started being phased out, to the point where they were practically nonexistent in Super, with the exception of those a part of the main group's circle (Oolong and Puar, particularly).

However, years later, DBZ Kakarot would explain that the animal people were the result of a drug called "animorphaline" that turned humans into animal people, and that the popularity of the drug, which had its peak during Bulma's childhood, fell out of favor as the years passed.

I watched DBZ first as a kid then Dragon Ball later and was really confused to see animal people roaming around all over the place. I thought Oolong and the few others were just unique to the series

Haha, really? I think that explanation is funny and it's entirely inconsequential so I have no issue with it.

Wasnt the president of Earth (or whatever country the majority of the show is supposed to take place in) a dog or something too

So what happened to the already existing animal people? And what about the creatures like Pilaf (his kind)?

HudGard posted...

Wasnt the president of Earth (or whatever country the majority of the show is supposed to take place in) a dog or something too

Yep. King Furry:
https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/King_Furry

He doesn't appear at all in Super.

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

I think that explanation is funny and it's entirely inconsequential so I have no issue with it.

The animal people were later destroyed.

nocturnal_traveler posted...

So what happened to the already existing animal people? And what about the creatures like Pilaf (his kind)?

I would make a joke about Toriyama shrugging, but...

I think it's a shame cuz all it does is make the world of Dragon Ball a little more boring. Plus they put animal people back in with the universal tournament and those wolf people so at the end of the day it didn't even fix whatever problem toriyama or his editors thought needed fixing.

s0nicfan posted...

I think it's a shame cuz all it does is make the world of Dragon Ball a little more boring. Plus they put animal people back in with the universal tournament and those wolf people so at the end of the day it didn't even fix whatever problem toriyama or his editors thought needed fixing.

Those are beings from other worlds and universes. I think he just wanted to keep universe 7 Earth normal.

I think it's a stupid retcon, but I don't really care that much. I like Dragon Ball with or without animal people.

Solar_Crimson posted...

However, years later, DBZ Kakarot would explain that the animal people were the result of a drug called "animorphaline" that turned humans into animal people, and that the popularity of the drug, which had its peak during Bulma's childhood, fell out of favor as the years passed.

WTF I never knew this.

Not as stupid as S-Cells.

Booooo Boooo Booo. If anything it needed more animal people.

Kakarot also explains that there was another member of the Ginyu Force prior to Guido, who we know was the newest recruit joining, a female named Bonyu, apparently of Jiece's race but no relation to him, she quit the force because she found their poses "disgusting", we've no idea what happened to her after the Freiza empire fell with the defeat of Freiza and King Cold at the hands of Future Trunks but we do get to fight her battle data.

Kakarot also shows us how Future Trunks handled the attempted revival of Majin Buu, What Child Vegeta was doing during Planet Vegeta's destruction and gives 2 end of Z fights, Pan vs Wild Tiger, in the manga and anime Pan flattened him in one move, here it's a full on fight, End of Z Goku vs End of Z Vegeta, the two fight to a draw even through Goku had Super Saiyan 3