If you could go back and tweak the manga, what plot points would you foreshadow?

[AvatarReiko]

You have full creative control. You can go back to any point earlier in the manga and add foreshadowing to future plot points/events/character and etc. What foreshadowing would you add and why?

[zarmack]

1. I would include hints about Goku's Saiyan origins in the King Piccolo arc like Toriyama originally planned.

2. Nearly every plot twist in the Android/Cell arc, especially the existence of Cell himself.

3. I would have Vegeta and Bulma meet and slowing become attracted to each other during the Namek arc, so that the pairing would seem less random.

4. Goku attaining SSJ3 and how so it wouldn't seem like a random asspull.

5. Reveal Piccolo's Namekian origins in the King Piccolo arc.

6. Freeza's existence and empire during the Saiyan arc.

[Lionel]

1. Some off-hand remark or mental musing about the Crane School during Roshi's training of Goku and Krillin. Maybe Roshi foreshadows an eventual collision between the two schools.

2. Karin acknowledging more of the strong companions in Goku's life. There could potentially be some contemplation about whether they could climb Karin's tower or not -- foreshadowing the humans' eventual ascent for training between the Piccolo Daimou and 23 tournament arcs.

3. A 1-2 decade younger Gero fleeing from the Red Ribbon Army base as Goku is decimating its ranks -- he swears revenge against this short-sighted bratty saboteur. Perhaps his identity as the scientist responsible for the RRA's robotics could be briefly acknowledged.

[theherodjl]

I'd have Grandpa Gohan learn about Goku's Saiyan nature & heritage from a message left behind by Bardock & Gine in Goku's spaceship as well as the threat of Freeza & his minions. A short time later, Grandpa Gohan would only tell Roshi about this revelation leading to Roshi having more incentive to want to train Goku besides just being the grandson of Roshi's best student.

[Polyphase Avatron]

When pushed, Freeza would grudgingly admit that there were people in the universe stronger than him (he might refer to himself as the strongest mortal in the universe rather than the strongest in the universe period). Also the ki of Kami, Kaioh, and Kaioshin would be explicitly unsenseable.

[Xeogran]

Literally anything that would point to Beerus' existence. Have Elder Kai make an off-hand remark about there being someone above him in status.

[Doctor.]

I'd include Dr. Gero in the Red Ribbon Army arc. I think that's the only thing in the original series that comes out of left field.

[PFM18]

When pushed, Freeza would grudgingly admit that there were people in the universe stronger than him (he might refer to himself as the strongest mortal in the universe rather than the strongest in the universe period). Also the ki of Kami, Kaioh, and Kaioshin would be explicitly unsenseable.

Well he wouldn't even be the strongest mortal because he knows about Majin Buu. But since Majin Buu was sealed up and Beerus was sleeping, he kind of functionally WAS the strongest in the Universe. I wouldn't be foreshadowing like that in there.

Give us an indication Goku is an alien, show Goku crashing in a space pod in the first chapter for Gohan to find him.
Like mentioned at least have somebody in the Red Ribbon Arc at least acknowledge Dr. Gero as being a thing.
foreshadow Bulma and Vegeta becoming an item. That shit came out of nowhere.
Have Goku foreshadow he has a higher form when he is fighting Majin Vegeta.

[Apslup]

1. I would include hints about Goku's Saiyan origins in the King Piccolo arc like Toriyama originally planned.

In the anime during the Red Ribbon Army Saga when Goku was fighting the Full Metal Jacket in Muscle Tower, FMJ's sensors tell him that Goku is an Alien. It's not in the manga but it would have been cool to have subtle hints like this in the manga.

Also the ki of Kami, Kaioh, and Kaioshin would be explicitly unsenseable.

That would mean that the Goku couldn't use Instantaneous Movement to bring the Self-Destructing Semi-Perfect Cell to Kaio during the Cell Games, which would mean that DB would be over then and there since Cell would blow everything up. Also Kami is only a Namekian and Kaio is only a low-level deity, born from a different tree to the Kaioshin, so I wouldn't think that they would have God Ki. I thought that would be reserved for people like the Kaioshin, GoD's, Zen-Oh and his Guards, the Grand Priest and the Angels.

Have Elder Kai make an off-hand remark about there being someone above him in status.

I thought that Kaioshin and GoD's were on the same level? Am I wrong?

[Xeogran]

I thought that Kaioshin and GoD's were on the same level? Am I wrong?

Oh, perhaps it's true. But yeah, they used to shake in fear at Beerus' presence anyway.

[PFM18]

I thought that Kaioshin and GoD's were on the same level? Am I wrong?

Oh, perhaps it's true. But yeah, they used to shake in fear at Beerus' presence anyway.

They are on the same level. They are equivalents to each other.

That would mean that the Goku couldn't use Instantaneous Movement to bring the Self-Destructing Semi-Perfect Cell to Kaio during the Cell Games, which would mean that DB would be over then and there since Cell would blow everything up. Also Kami is only a Namekian and Kaio is only a low-level deity, born from a different tree to the Kaioshin, so I wouldn't think that they would have God Ki. I thought that would be reserved for people like the Kaioshin, GoD's, Zen-Oh and his Guards, the Grand Priest and the Angels.

This is fair, Kaio and Kami may not meet the requisite deity level to have God Ki, being the former is just a Namekian that guards Earth and the latter is a low-level God like you said. But at the same time, isn't Bubbles in the manga? Couldn't Goku have locked onto him?

Also, We kind of already got hints about a God Ki type "pressure" even if unintentionally, because Piccolo seemed to have been feeling the God Ki of Kaioshin.

[zarmack]

1. The existence of Beerus, the Divine Hierarchy and multiple universes in the Buu arc.

2. Dr. Gero in the Red Ribbon Army arc.

3. God ki in the Buu arc.

[Kataphrut]

I'm not sure about the idea of foreshadowing Beerus since I assume we'd want to be tweaking the manga in a vacuum without reference to later additions. Plus it would kind of undercut the tension of the Buu arc for characters to go "oh by the way, there is one guy who could totally solve the problem but he won't because reasons."

I'd reference Freeza immediately in the Saiyan arc. There's no point keeping mum about the fact that the Saiyans work for someone else. Goku being an alien I'd keep under wraps to preserve the twist. His "maybe I'm not human" line to king Piccolo works well enough. I would add a reference to Dr Gero in Red Ribbon.

I'd want to foreshadow Super Saiyan 3, but I'm not sure how you'd do it without completely changing the tone of the Majin Vegeta fight. It would certainly add a layer of dramatic irony to the whole thing if Goku's acting like he's fighting serious when we know he's not.

[theherodjl]

Its anime only, but I'd have enraged Kid Gohan briefly have spiky hair & blue eyes when he returns to battle Freeza in filler as though he semi-activates SSJ just for a moment. It would have the scene make sense since Gohan was already low on Ki & shouldn't have had the strength even enraged to suprise Freeza in a head to head fight.

[TheZFighter]

I'd include Dr. Gero in the Red Ribbon Army arc. I think that's the only thing in the original series that comes out of left field.

This x100. Definitely need more Dr. Gero earlier on.

[Polyphase Avatron]

I'd include Dr. Gero in the Red Ribbon Army arc. I think that's the only thing in the original series that comes out of left field.

This x100. Definitely need more Dr. Gero earlier on.

Maybe also a scene where Goku kills a soldier that looks just like Android 16 (i.e. Dr. Gero's son).

[MKCSTEALTH]

I think for me the only tweaks I would add would be:

1) A scene after Goku is killed during the fight against Raditz where he meets Grandpa Gohan again, maybe on King Kai's planet, and confirms the whole hitting his head backstory

2) Having Frieza foreshadow Buu and potentially Beerus by saying "Father warned me of beings out there to never fight. A Saiyan shall never be one of them" and have Goku temporarily shocked at the notion of beings stronger than Frieza

[TheZFighter]

I'd include Dr. Gero in the Red Ribbon Army arc. I think that's the only thing in the original series that comes out of left field.

This x100. Definitely need more Dr. Gero earlier on.

Maybe also a scene where Goku kills a soldier that looks just like Android 16 (i.e. Dr. Gero's son).

Great point I'd forgotten about that. Would've been great to see a flashback to Goku against that soldier.