So what was Emperor Pilaf doing during the events of DBZ?

[precita]

After the end of Dragonball, we never see Pilaf again until Super (or GT). As we can see by both appearances, Pilaf was still obsessed with becoming the ruler of the world and collecting Dragonballs.

Yet the entire span of DBZ, including the 4 years between the end of Dragonball and the arrival of Radditz...adds up to nearly 20 years in-universe. So what exactly was Pilaf doing for nearly 20 years?

[Draconic]

Plotting and scheming to get the Balls, but since the Z Fighters would cause them to be stone most of the time, Pilaf's searches proved fruitless. However, after Buu there came peace times so the Dragon Balls where finally active for them to grasp and become young.

[precita]

Plotting and scheming to get the Balls, but since the Z Fighters would cause them to be stone most of the time, Pilaf's searches proved fruitless. However, after Buu there came peace times so the Dragon Balls where finally active for them to grasp and become young.

What about all the years they didn't use them at all, like the 3 years during the training for the Androids, or the 7 years between the end of Cell and the Buu saga?

[Lunatic Fringe]

It seems weird that out of all the times that the Z-Fighters gathered the Dragon Balls between DB and Super/GT, not once were one of them taken for grabs on account of the Pilaf Gang possessing at least one of them. Like, I dunno, maybe before they decide to use them, Pilaf got the jump on them already and was almost ready to get the last Dragon Ball needed as at that hypothetical point, he got his hands on six of them. Suddenly, in pops Goku via IT, takes the last one and then absconds with the rest of them when he realizes who controls the other six.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Shouldn't this belong in the in-universe sub section? Anyway I like to imagine they heard off the Namek Balls and decided to go to Namek and built a ship but then they got lost and took 'em quite a while to find their way but somehow they stumbled upon New Namek and Porunga was already summoned by one of the Nameks so Pilaf sort to inturrupt whatever they were going to wish for, but course they needed the native language so one of the Nameks wished for them to be young again for jokes and then that happened and then quickly ran to their ship and headed back to Earth and arrived inbetween Post-Buu and Pre-BoG.

[FortuneSSJ]

They were behind the scenes with Lunch.

[Hellspawn28]

In Daizenshuu 7, it is explained that Pilaf and his gang still plotted world domination in secret, but Cell and Majin Buu got in their ways and postponed their plans.

[TheGreatness25]

Pilaf was obviously volunteering at local shelters and making very charitable donations so that he could be wished back at the end of the series. I know it was a "huge plothole" in GT, but now it's pretty much official that he was brought back. So yeah, there's that.

[B]

The only "open" spots for them would have been the three-year Android training gap or the seven-year Cell Games gap(The five-year "Z" gap is not great because Goku already has three Balls at his house by the time Raditz shows up; there's no way they're taking anything away from the guy who took down Piccolo). By that point, they're probably older and have less zeal.

[SaiyamanMS]

I recall the video games Attack of the Saiyans and Buu's Fury brought the Pilaf Gang in as bosses during their Dragon Ball hunts... Of course, the events of those games aren't even vaguely "canon", but worth noting I feel.

[JulieYBM]

The Wedding Dress arc has an appearance from Pilaf and friends. I was surprised when I first learned of this because the idea of seeing an adult Gokuu with Pilaf had seemed impossible.

Now that I think about it...Gokuu and Pilaf never interacted in the 1984 comic by Toriyama.

[emperior]

I think they got their youth wish in the 7 years of peace between Cell Games and Buu Arc.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

They were behind the scenes with Lunch.

Ditto Toriyama probably just forgot about them.