Broly

In the original film trilogy, Broly was born on the same day as Goku with an abnormally high power level of 10,000. The infant Goku's constant crying in the adjacent nursery pod traumatized the newborn Broly, creating a deep psychological fixation on Kakarot that would define his character. King Vegeta, threatened by the baby's monstrous potential, ordered both Broly and his father Paragus to be executed. They survived, and Paragus spent the following decades plotting revenge against the Saiyan royal line.

When Broly's power became uncontrollable, Paragus fitted him with a mind-control device to keep him docile. This arrangement worked until Broly encountered Goku on New Planet Vegeta, which triggered his suppressed rage. Breaking free of his father's control, Broly transformed into the Legendary Super Saiyan, a unique form characterized by a massive increase in muscle mass, blank white eyes, and a sickly green-tinted aura. In this state, he was virtually unstoppable, shrugging off the combined attacks of Goku, Gohan, Trunks, Vegeta, and Piccolo.

Broly was defeated only when the other fighters transferred their remaining energy to Goku, allowing him to land a single concentrated punch that exploited a weak point in Broly's abdomen. He returned in a second film as a diminished but still dangerous threat, and a clone known as Bio-Broly appeared in a third installment. The original Broly became one of the most popular movie villains in Dragon Ball history despite his relatively simple characterization.

The 2018 film Dragon Ball Super: Broly, written by Akira Toriyama himself, reimagined the character with considerably more depth. In this version, Broly was exiled to the harsh planet Vampa by King Vegeta, who was envious and fearful of the child's latent abilities. Paragus followed his son into exile, and the two survived on Vampa for over forty years, with Paragus training Broly relentlessly and directing the boy's development toward becoming a weapon of revenge.

Unlike his predecessor, this Broly is not inherently malicious. He is gentle and naive, having known nothing outside of his father's harsh discipline and the hostile wildlife of Vampa. His only companion during those years was a large creature named Ba, whose ear Broly wore as a memento after Paragus shot the animal to eliminate what he saw as a distraction from training. This detail speaks volumes about the emotional abuse Broly endured.

When Frieza's soldiers discovered Broly and Paragus, they were brought to Earth as pawns in Frieza's scheme to eliminate Goku and Vegeta. Broly fought Vegeta first, rapidly adapting to his opponent's techniques and growing stronger with each exchange. When Goku stepped in, the same pattern continued. Broly eventually tapped into his Wrathful form, channeling the power of a Great Ape without transforming, and then achieved a berserk Super Saiyan state that overwhelmed both Saiyans individually.

Goku and Vegeta were forced to fuse into Gogeta to match Broly's escalating power. Even then, Broly put up a fierce fight before being overwhelmed by Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta. He was saved from destruction when Cheelai and Lemo used the Dragon Balls to wish him back to Vampa. Goku later visited him there, offering supplies and the promise of friendship.

What makes Broly exceptional among Saiyan warriors is his rate of growth during combat. While all Saiyans become stronger through battle, Broly's adaptation occurs in real time, allowing him to close enormous power gaps within a single fight. He went from struggling against base-form Vegeta to overwhelming Super Saiyan Blue Goku in the span of one continuous battle, a feat that no other character in the franchise has replicated at that scale.

His Wrathful form is unique to his character. By tapping into the power of the Great Ape transformation while maintaining his humanoid body, Broly accesses a massive reservoir of strength without the loss of speed that the Oozaru form typically imposes. When pushed beyond this state, he enters a berserk Super Saiyan transformation marked by green-tinted hair and an uncontrollable fighting rage. In this state, his power exceeds that of individual Super Saiyan Blue fighters, though he loses much of his tactical awareness.

The canon Broly's emotional core is what separates him from his predecessor. He fights not out of sadistic pleasure but because his father conditioned him to channel all of his emotions into combat. When Paragus dies during the battle on Earth, Broly's grief triggers his Super Saiyan awakening, a moment that reframes the transformation as an expression of loss rather than simple rage. His gentle nature shines through in quieter moments, particularly in his interactions with Cheelai and Lemo, the two Frieza Force deserters who become his first real friends.

Broly represents one of the most significant additions to the Dragon Ball canon in the modern era. His combination of immeasurable potential, tragic backstory, and genuinely kind nature makes him a character with tremendous narrative possibilities, and his continued presence on Vampa, training with Goku's occasional guidance, suggests his story is far from over.