Dragon Ball 10 Ways Fusion Changed Between DBZ & Super

The long-running Dragon Ball series is ever-evolving. Always looking to up the ante, the concept of fusion has changed significantly over the years.

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series has reached a level of acclaim that most anime can only dream about. Toriyama’s ongoing Dragon Ball saga is more than three decades in the making, but it still generates such appeal because of how it’s steadily allowed itself to evolve and change over the years. The core principles of Dragon Ball remain the same, but there are a wealth of new techniques and transformations that allow access to greater strength.

The process of fusion is one of the bigger game-changers to get introduced in Dragon Ball Z, and the allure of a new fighter with the combined strength of two others is hard to deny. However, the concept of fusion has gone through some major developments, and there’s a lot more to it than when it first showed up in Dragon Ball Z.

10 Fusion Between More Than Two Individuals Is Possible

When fusion first shows up in Dragon Ball Z, it’s already enough of an advantage for two individuals to pool their powers together in an extra-strong individual. Combining more than two individuals certainly seems unfair when they have the strength of Goku and Vegeta, but, nevertheless, there have been larger forms of fusion that have become possible. There’s a five-way fusion that’s attributed to the Ginyu Force, but fusions between multiple individuals become quite prevalent for some universes in the Tournament of Power. Universe 3’s entire strategy revolves around such a concept.

9 The Metamo-Ring & EX-Fusion Enter The Picture

Dragon Ball Z introduces a temporary fusion with the fusion dance and a form that’s meant to be more permanent with the Potara Earrings. This should be enough to cover the different bases of fusion, but once Dragon Ball video games like Dragon Ball Fusions experiment with the idea, there are suddenly a lot more alternatives to consider. Dragon Ball Fusions brings forward EX-Fusions, a more powerful variant of the union that can be accomplished through the use of Metamo-Rings. It’s another option that characters can consider.

8 Fusions Can Be Achieved Through A Wish To Shenron

Dragon Ball has demonstrated that a wish on the Dragon Balls to Shenron does have its share of limitations, but it’s still a viable way to accomplish certain goals. Mastering the fusion dance might seem easier than collecting the Dragon Balls, but it’s also shown that Shenron is powerful enough to enact fusions with a wish.

This process, known as God Fusion, can link several individuals together, and they don’t need to be equal in power, like with most forms of fusion. It’s barely explored in Dragon Ball, but it’s shown to be possible.

7 Different Color Potara Earrings Are Introduced

Certain aesthetic choices may not seem that important in Dragon Ball, and it’s for this reason that Future Trunks’ hair has experienced a major change. Originally, when Dragon Ball Z introduces fusion through the Potara Earrings, they’re shown to be yellow. However, Potara fusion is much more plentiful in Dragon Ball Super and several characters, like Goku Black, actually have green Potara Earrings. Dragon Ball Super clears this up with the explanation that green Potara Earrings are a special variety that is only meant for Supreme Kai.

6 It Can Result In Greatly Increased Intelligence & Evolutionary Gains

Fusion is primarily turned to in Dragon Ball as a quick way to grow exponentially stronger. That being said, it stands to reason that any union between individuals would also mean that their other qualities besides strength, like intelligence, would also become compounded. Dragon Ball Fusions makes reference to Saibaking, which is the result of a number of Saibamen continually fusing together and improving upon themselves. This process leads to Saibaking being able to speak English, which Saibamen cannot do, and it presents an evolutionary step forward for the species.

5 A Mortal Can Fuse With An Immortal Being

Zamasu’s multi-faceted strategy as he becomes Goku Black is by far the most impressive villain plan in Dragon Ball. Zamasu succeeds in not just taking over Goku’s body but also achieving immortality. This results in a fusion between these two versions of Zamasu, one of which is immortal, while the other isn’t.

This seems like a major issue that would prevent fusion, but it’s still possible and results in a “half-immortal” individual. The result is unstable and Infinite Zamasu is the apocalyptic fallout of these individuals being unable to de-fuse and the schism that it causes.

4 A Special Process Of Fusion For Androids Is Developed

Androids become a persistent frustration throughout the various Dragon Ball series. Cell engages in his own form of fusion in Dragon Ball Z as he absorbs various Androids, which is a process that’s not dissimilar to what Android 13 does with Androids 14 and 15 in the Dragon Ball Z movie, Super Android 13. However, a separate and more powerful unique fusion is explored in Dragon Ball GT with the two separate versions of Android 17. This Machine-Mutant fusion is developed by Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu and results in Super Android 17.

3 Namekian Fusion Can Stack Individuals

Dragon Ball Z explains that the Namekian species have their own form of fusion that functions more like a merging of sorts. It’s easy to trigger, but it’s shown to be permanent, and one of the individuals in the process basically loses their personality in favor of the strength boost that’s received. Piccolo does this in the series, but Dragon Ball Super deals with a group of Namekians in the Tournament of Power who have repeatedly applied this strategy to each other to become the strongest Namekian possible. This shows that “stacking” fusions is possible and there’s no limit.

2 A Looser Freeform Fusion Is Possible

There are already many methods to accomplish fusion that have firm guidelines on what’s necessary for the process. It makes sense that fusion would be such a stringent process, but Dragon Ball Fusions brings forward a looser form of union that sounds like the go-to method for the lazy and uninformed. Freeform Fusion combines the use of the Metamo-Rings and the fusion dance, which results in a fused combination that’s more powerful than the standard EX-Fusions. Due to the versatility of what’s allowed here, there are technically over 50,000 combinations of Freeform Fusion that are possible.

1 Fusion With Non-Humanoid Individuals Is Possible

It stands to reason that most fusions that are entertained in Dragon Ball are between two humanoid individuals and that the aim is to grow into a more efficient fighter. It’s perhaps possible that a human could fuse with an animal and become some unique hybrid, but it’s unclear why they’d desire such a thing. Alternatively, the climax of Moro’s battle against Goku involves the magic-user desperately resorting to a form of fusion where he merges with the Earth itself. This huge influx of power leaves Moro highly unstable, and it’s a temperamental process that threatens the whole planet.