Dragon Ball 10 Things Fans Never Knew About Snake Way

Dragon Ball Z's Saiyan arc infamously open with Goku's death, but this just gives him an opportunity to cross the mythical Snake Way.

It’s incredible how much Dragon Ball’s success has exploded over the years. Dragon Ball has been able to tell an engrossing story that builds on itself over time. It’s a series that’s not afraid to feature death and put characters through serious ordeals.

Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan arc forces Goku to face some of the biggest threats he’s ever encountered and it results in his passing. One of Goku’s first tasks after his death takes place is the crossing of Snake Way, but there’s plenty that both Goku and the audience don’t know about this location.

10 It's A Million Kilometers Long

Snake Way is viewed as an impossibly long distance to conquer. Being able to reach the end of Snake Way yields great rewards, but it’s because of this that it’s turned into such an insurmountable task. Dragon Ball's manga actually provides some context here when it states that Snake Way is around one million kilometers (or 625,000 miles) long. Some debate on Snake Way's length has been generated due to how the anime's dub states that it's 10,000 miles long, which drastically undersells it.

9 It Took Goku 177 Days To Cross

One of the biggest hurdles that Goku initially faces upon his death is the sheer force of will that's required to cross the million kilometer-long Snake Way. Goku's on a tight timeline to beat the Saiyans’ arrival to Earth and although he's a little late, he seems to make his voyage in 177 days. This means that Goku roughly moved at 145 miles per hour, which is kind of ridiculous. After Goku's training with Kaio, it only takes him around two days to cross Snake Way, which shows just how much his strength has increased.

8 A Vital Component Of The Afterlife

One of the most fascinating aspects of Dragon Ball is that it's a series that starts on Earth, but eventually covers different universes and even dips into the afterlife. The afterlife is shown to be large and mysterious and Snake Way plays an important role for the place.

Snake Way acts as the connective zone between King Enma's check-in station and Kaio's planet. Many people may not gain the right to cross Snake Way, but it's crucial for these destinations that mark the afterlife.

7 Goku & King Enma Were The First To Cross It

Goku is a character who always welcomes a good challenge and that’s exactly what he faces upon passing over into the afterlife. Snake Way is the kind of test that Goku eagerly welcomes. Not only is the task itself something that only King Enma has previously completed, but the end of the passage allows him to train with a legendary prodigy. Goku puts in the work because he’s dedicated to saving Earth, but it’s pretty special that according to the manga Goku and Enma were the first to have accomplished this task.

6 Snake Way Sits Above Hell

It's not ridiculous to think that a traveler could become reckless and fall off of what's a reasonably narrow walkway. Falling off of Snake Way introduces a whole other set of problems since Hell is beneath it. A quick individual may be able to recover and get back on, but for most people this leads to an eternity of damnation. It's a cruel punishment, but also a helpful reminder that Snake Way is in the afterlife.

5 Raditz & Snake Way

Dragon Ball Z doesn't do nearly enough with Raditz as a villain, especially since so many characters get opportunities to return as new threats. As a result, video games have really embraced Raditz as a character and tried to do new things with the Saiyan.

Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu is a card-based battle game for the Nintendo DS that mentions that Raditz had a relationship with Princess Snake. This implies that Raditz didn't just cross Snake Way, but that he might have spent a fair bit of time there. Attack of the Saiyans on the NDS likewise features new content for Raditz in the afterlife.

4 Edible Clouds

This is an odd fact about Snake Way that probably shouldn't be held up to too much scrutiny, but it's something that's still worth addressing here. During some of Goku's earlier moments of bewilderment with Snake Way, he actually attempts to eat some of the clouds. It turns out that this isn't that crazy and Goku claims that the clouds are actually rather tasty. This doesn't make any sense and it just feels like the anime's attempt to conjure some of the original Dragon Ball's humor, but it still happens.

3 Crossing Snake Way Is A Privilege

Snake Way is a sight that many souls may encounter upon death, but that doesn’t mean that everyone gets the honor to actually access it. Not only is Snake Way a true challenge that very few have actually been able to conquer, it’s also a privilege that’s only allowed to a select few. Snake Way is essentially the only way to gain access to Kaio’s Planet and learn from the master. Some people would abuse this power or just not be appropriate for the master’s teachings. As a result of this, King Enma is selective over the process.

2 The Anime's Many Travelers

Dragon Ball’s manga limits those that accomplish the task of besting Snake Way to a very select few. However, Dragon Ball’s anime can’t resist the temptation to return to the area and get some more mileage out of both it and Kaio’s Planet. The anime spends some time with Piccolo, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu's efforts with Kaio, which leads to some entertaining material. However, what’s even more surprising is that the members of the fallen Ginyu Force also cross Snake Way and turn to Kaio’s tutelage, which fuels an interesting conflict of interest for the master.

1 Life On Snake Way

Snake Way is primarily treated as a transitory place for those on their way to greater or worse things. Despite how Snake Way isn't meant to be a permanent resting ground for any of its travelers, there are a select few who live there. Snake Way is ruled over by Princess Snake, a character introduced in the anime who's given her own castle. Not only does Princess Snake live there, her attendants and the designated sweepers for Snake Way presumably ride there, too. It's an odd group of residents.