Anime Filler Plot-holes/Inconcestencies

[Turtle Marked Stone]

I know this is a somewhat tired topic and I’m not trying to lambast the anime or anything but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a complete list of these. I tried to remember all of the anime created plot-holes in DB/DBZ and have come up with the list below. I know a lot of these are easily explained away but just for records sake I decided to add them to the list. Am I missing anything? I could especially use help with GT related plot holes.

If you post like a jerk I'm probably going to ignore you, despite what you have to say. Let's try not to get angry or smug.

Dragon Ball Section
-The creation of the Dragon Balls as told by Muten Roshi has a different legend attached to it then the official explanation by Kami.

-Eight-Man was said to have been built by Dr.Frappe


Dragon Ball Z Section

-Kaio told of an angry God destroying Planet Vegeta as opposed to Freeza.

-Kami and Popo sent the Earthling trainees to Planet Vegeta using the pendulum room which seemed like a giant wasteland as opposed to how it appeared in the Bardock special.

-Goku’s space pod was way out on an island instead of by Mt.Pouzu.

-Piccolo destroyed Goku’s space pod yet Dr.Brief said it was in perfect working order and constructed Goku’s space ship out of it for his trip to Namek

-The Ginyu Special Corps. Battle Powers were all out of wack on Kaio’s Planet. They seemed far weaker then they should have been.

-Vegeta’s emotions shifted wildly from ecstatic to angry after being revived and brought to Earth with all the Namekians.

When everyone gets revived using Namek's Dragon Ball's, there is a filler scene where Vegeta roams around, looking for Freeza. Then, he sees Goku in his Super Saiya-jin glory, and Vegeta's just like "Oh, hey, that's cool, Kakarotto, you're a Super Saiya-jin", but when Trunks reaches the past and kills Freeza, Vegeta is shocked to "see a Super Saiya-jin for the first time".

General Section
-Evil people and others seem to keep their body in Hell.


Special/OVA Section
-Bardock is seemingly able to breathe in space when confronting Freeza in the Lonely Warrior special.

-The People in Yo Son Goku know Boo as "Majin Boo" instead of Mr.Boo. Goku had wished nobody to remember Fat Boo terrorizing Earth back when he was under the label of "Majin".


GT Section

The Japanese states five years, but that can't be possible since everyone looks much more older than a mere five years would do, especially Bra, since she wasn't even in existence at the end of Z. FUNimation states that it takes place ten years after Z, which makes a lot more sense.

-Goku wished all the evil people on Earth away yet Pilaf remained in GT.

-The Dragon Radar never picked up the signals of the Black Star Balls.

-The Black Star balls still exist despite the son of Katas being dead.

-Pilaf reached the temple yet one needs the permission of Kami to do so. We also see this problem with Boo in the manga.

[GotenDaisuki]

I believe the podcast explained this Z filler scene as being an inconsistency.

When everyone gets revived using Namek's Dragon Ball's, there is a filler scene where Vegeta roams around, looking for Freeza. Then, he sees Goku in his Super Saiya-jin glory, and Vegeta's just like "Oh, hey, that's cool, Kakarotto, you're a Super Saiya-jin", but when Trunks reaches the past and kills Freeza, Vegeta is shocked to "see a Super Saiya-jin for the first time".

[Turtle Marked Stone]

Ah I had totally forgotten about this! Added to the list, thank you.

[Dorexx]

-Goku wished nobody on Earth would remember Majin Boo yet in Yo Son Goku they do.

I think this only applies to fat Buu, so that he can show up in public without people freaking out.

[GotenDaisuki]

-Goku wished nobody on Earth would remember Majin Boo yet in Yo Son Goku they do.

I think this only applies to fat Buu, so that he can show up in public without people freaking out.

But they know him as Mr. Boo. If the people in Ossu! know him by "Majin" Boo, then that's a filler inconsistency right there.

[Turtle Marked Stone]

Thanks for the correction, edited final point to be more in line with what Daisuki said.

Edit: I vaguely remember either on the podcast or on the forum somebody said when Kuririn and gang were sent to "Planet Vegeta" that it was during a Saiyan civil war. Was that an official remark from a guide or fan speculation?

[Fox666]

-Goku wished all the evil people on Earth away yet Pilaf remained in GT.

That's not essentially a plot-hole. Pilaf, Mai and Shuu are nowhere to be truly evil. This is evident in the scene which Pilaf sent a kiss to Bulma.

Besides it sounds more like the wish was to not bring the villains like Dabura back to life, instead of keeping every single small bandit in the planet dead.

Either way, there are many more plot-holes involving GT episode 1 than that: How the dragon radar couldn't pick these other dragon balls? How they were never mentioned? Why didn't they used them to revive Piccolo & co. instead of going to Namek? How they can still exist, if the son of Kakatz no longer does (much like the normal dragon balls cease to exist once Kami merged with Piccolo)? How Pilaf reached Kami temple, if nobody is supposed to do so without "permission"?

[Turtle Marked Stone]

-Goku wished all the evil people on Earth away yet Pilaf remained in GT.

That's not essentially a plot-hole. Pilaf, Mai and Shuu are nowhere to be truly evil. This is evident in the scene which Pilaf sent a kiss to Bulma.

Yeah I've considered that but as I said I was going to avoid fan explanations. Pilaf was a major villain yet he appeared in GT. Don't get me wrong it's very a good and very reasonable explanation but there was no official statement on the matter on the show or in guide books. Does that make any sense?

[Eire]

King Kai's story about destruction of Planet Vegeta- he lied becouse he feared Frieza or did he consider him as a god?

[GotenDaisuki]

-Goku wished all the evil people on Earth away yet Pilaf remained in GT.

That's not essentially a plot-hole. Pilaf, Mai and Shuu are nowhere to be truly evil. This is evident in the scene which Pilaf sent a kiss to Bulma.

Yeah I've considered that but as I said I was going to avoid fan explanations. Pilaf was a major villain yet he appeared in GT. Don't get me wrong it's very a good and very reasonable explanation but there was no official statement on the matter on the show or in guide books. Does that make any sense?

Well, Pilaf was only a major villian in the first few chapters of the manga, and since then he has been a somewhat recurring villain in Dragon Ball later on, and in GT. He's not really all that important, he isn't really evil. He cannot ever successfully carry out a plan for world domination. For example, in the early part of Dragon Ball, he was stopped by Oolong. After the Uranai Baba stuff, Goku stops Pilaf and his gang once again, and in GT, Pilaf himself makes a fatal mistake and accidentally wishes Goku to become a child once again. Therefore, I believe, because of all his struggles and mess-ups, and since he nothing comes out the way he wanted, I guess Pilaf and his gang were just left in because of not being truly evil, as Fox stated. Or, I could be just spitting out worthless information. It very well could just be another inconsistency.

King Kai's story about destruction of Planet Vegeta- he lied becouse he feared Freeza or did he consider him as a god?

At the time, Toriyama at not yet created a theory to how Planet Vegeta was destroyed. So, Toei made up their own story, which, indeed, was totally incorrect, to fill the 20-minute time slot. Nothing more, just another one of those filler inconsistencies.

[Turtle Marked Stone]

Right, I agree. My point is there isn't anything in the actual story that says these things. Much like The Phantom Menace you can come up with explanations for a lot of the silly stuff and they could be good but if the material doesn't explain itself it's a plot hole or an inconsistency.

At the time, Toriyama at not yet created a theory to how Planet Vegeta was destroyed. So, Toei made up their own story, which, indeed, was totally incorrect, to fill the 20-minute time slot. Nothing more, just another one of those filler inconsistencies.

R-right I know. That's the whole point of this thread. Listing said inconsistencies.

[GotenDaisuki]

I know this isn't about a certain scene in the anime, but I think GT is an inconsistency in itself. How long after Z was it? The Japanese states five years, but that can't be possible since everyone looks much more older than a mere five years would do, especially Bra, since she wasn't even in existence at the end of Z. FUNimation states that it takes place ten years after Z, which makes a lot more sense.

[Turtle Marked Stone]

There we go, added to the list.

I can imagine the mods are going to get mad if I keep saying "added" every post I make so from here on fourth I won't announce it each and every time.

[GotenDaisuki]

Oh, here's a good one that has to do with Freeza and Goku.

When Freeza destroyed the core of Namek, he said "5 Minutes until this ball of dust explodes, and you along with it" or something of the like. And, yet, the fight lasted for 7 episodes after that, and the episode after that depicts Namek finally exploding. I can't believe we haven't mentioned this one yet.

Also, I have another Z/GT inconsistency that has to do with Hell. In Z, it looks colorful and has all the locations from Japanese legends (though, that would be a bad way of putting it), such as the River of Blood. In GT, it is much darker, and is bland and boring. Two different Hell's in the Dragon Ball universe, perhaps? No, it's another inconsistency. Both Hell's are filler, creating even MORE of an inconsistency.

[Kingdom Heartless]

-Goku wished nobody on Earth would remember Majin Boo yet in Yo Son Goku they do.

I think this only applies to fat Buu, so that he can show up in public without people freaking out.

No, I'm pretty sure all they remember is that Mr Satan saved them from something.

Besides, it wouldn't take long for Buu to gain attention, considering he's hanging out with the most famous man in the world.

[GotenDaisuki]

Besides, it wouldn't take long for Buu to gain attention, considering he's hanging out with the most famous man in the world.

Good analysis. Therefore, for Boo to be "hanging out" with Mr. Satan, he gains popularity quickly, and he gets a good reputation, totally making everyone comfortable with the pink guy and not see him as strange or weird, since he's buddies with the one and only Mr. Satan.

[Necrosaber]

Oh, here's a good one that has to do with Freeza and Goku.

When Freeza destroyed the core of Namek, he said "5 Minutes until this ball of dust explodes, and you along with it" or something of the like. And, yet, the fight lasted for 7 episodes after that, and the episode after that depicts Namek finally exploding. I can't believe we haven't mentioned this one yet.

Also, I have another Z/GT inconsistency that has to do with Hell. In Z, it looks colorful and has all the locations from Japanese legends (though, that would be a bad way of putting it), such as the River of Blood. In GT, it is much darker, and is bland and boring. Two different Hell's in the Dragon Ball universe, perhaps? No, it's another inconsistency. Both Hell's are filler, creating even MORE of an inconsistency.

I always assumed there were different levels of hell.

[GotenDaisuki]

I always assumed there were different levels of hell.

Are you referring to the Divine Comedy? If so, that might be a reason why the Hell in Dragon Ball Z is different than the Hell in GT. In the Divine Comedy, Dante has to work his way up from Hell to Heaven, and there are many levels of Hell. But I doubt this was the influence to the different Hell's. I still believe it is merely an inconsistency.

[KiddoCabbusses]

On the note of Namek's explosion, Vegeta's reaction to that lacked consistency as well.

In one ep, he's maniacally laughing about how Kakarot's dead, getting into a long (for a filler scene) fight with Gohan about it, and in the next, he... suggests the very revival method, seemingly eager to see him alive again? Talk about being bipolar! The inconsistent characterization is even more obvious since these two eps are back-to-back! What was Toei smoking?

[Cipher]

-Piccolo destroyed Goku’s space pod yet Dr.Brief said it was in perfect working order and constructed Goku’s space ship out of it for his trip to Namek

Actually, I'm pretty sure this never happens. As far as I recall, in both the manga and the anime, Dr. Brief says that Goku's spaceship was pretty banged up, but he could still salvage it. Obviously in the manga he's just referring to general deterioration, while in the anime this could perfectly apply to Piccolo attacking it.

-Vegeta’s emotions shifted wildly from ecstatic to angry after being revived and brought to Earth with all the Namekians.

I could write a full page on why Vegeta's character shift after the Freeza arc makes sense. Even if I couldn't, that's not really a plothole.

In one ep, he's maniacally laughing about how Kakarot's dead, getting into a long (for a filler scene) fight with Gohan about it, and in the next, he... suggests the very revival method, seemingly eager to see him alive again? Talk about being bipolar! The inconsistent characterization is even more obvious since these two eps are back-to-back! What was Toei smoking?

This, however, makes no sense. It's really baffling.

Special/OVA Section
-Bardock is seemingly able to breathe in space when confronting Freeza in the Lonely Warrior special.

As are Vegeta and Nappa as they destroy the bug planet in episode 11. Go figure.

-The Dragon Radar never picked up the signals of the Black Star Balls.

-The Black Star balls still exist despite the son of Katas being dead.

I don't see this as even remotely being a plothole.

1) We know the Dragon Radar can be blocked by something as simple as a specialized box designed by Pilaf. Surely the depths of God's temple, which violates dozens of other laws of time and space, could do the same.

2) I always thought the implication was that the Ultimate Dragon Balls didn't exist at all between the time Piccolo was born and the time he merged with God. I.e., they were connected to the Son of Katatz. When he became to people, the balls died. When he became whole gain, the Dragon Balls created by God alone turned to stone, and the Ultimate Dragon Balls reactivated.