Scouter Color=Rank?

[Panda]

In slight relation to this thread: http://db.schuby.org/daizex/viewtopic.php?t=2644

Do the colors of the Saiya-jin Scouters in DBZ have anything to do with the rank of the soldier?

Upon research I've made a list of a few known characters and their scouter colors:

Vegeta-Red
Frieza-Red

Bardock-Green
Raditz-Green
The Ginyu Force-All Green

Nappa-Blue

Also, in relation to the thread linked: This may have something to do with the scouter limitations that were mentioned but at the same time start a convertation about the ranking system. Explanations please.

[Chuquita]

I do think the scouter color could have had something to do with rank.

The only part about it that confuses me is why would Bardock and Raditz be in the same level as the Ginyu force? I thought their strength went like this:
-Ginyu Force
-Nappa
-Raditz and Bardock

[t-bone135]

I do think the scouter color could have had something to do with rank.

The only part about it that confuses me is why would Bardock and Raditz be in the same level as the Ginyu force? I thought their strength went like this:
-Ginyu Force
-Nappa
-Raditz and Bardock

That was my thought too!

Although, weren't the Ginyu Force just hired by Freeza? If that is the case then that suggests that the Ginyu Force had very little authority, hence the Green color. Dodoria also has a green scouter and he was one of Freeza's lackies that wasn't in command a whole lot. So based on this information, green seems to be the lowest branch or low class in the case of Radditz and Bardock. Nappa and Zarbon were a step up from them because they were directly under Prince Vegeta and Freeza respectively hence the blue. And finally the higher up's which would be the red variety.

However, even with that said, we are getting a pretty narrow picture of it if we just look at the bigger characters. There were other seemingly insignificant characters that had a red scouter on, while others still that sported the blue and the green. If these characters could consistantly be told to share the traits that would represent their status in terms of color, I think we could find a better answer to that question.

[Duo]

I just think the Scouter colors were picked to match or compliment their outfits, and nothing more.

Then with the Ginyu's...they all had to match, of course...


All in all, I don't think Toriyama-Sensei put too much thought into it, nor Toei Animation.

[Leotaku]

That's an interesting idea, but I would've thought the colours were rather randomly picked with no significance. Or, picked just as a design thing like Duo mentioned.

For henchmen, Appule was red, and Cui was green.

If you wanna count movie and specials characters' scouters, Bardock's whole team was green, except Toma, who was red.

Those are the only ones I remember that haven't been mentioned.

[Xyex]

I've always figured that color only had a minor corolation to rank. It's main corolation was to design. Red scouters were the 'top of the line', blue in the middle and green at the bottom. Green scouters were the easiest to overload, then the blue's, and the red's worked best. Thus the corolation to rank would come about based on who that person would most likely be fighting.

In the case of the Ginyu Force, Green may have been all they had access too, there may not have been enough red ones around for them to use them place take some to Freeza. On top of that, I doubt they ever really needed more than green. The galactic average for power seems to be around fifteen hundred or so.

[Chaos Saiyajin]

That was my thought too!

Although, weren't the Ginyu Force just hired by Freeza? If that is the case then that suggests that the Ginyu Force had very little authority, hence the Green color. Dodoria also has a green scouter and he was one of Freeza's lackies that wasn't in command a whole lot. So based on this information, green seems to be the lowest branch or low class in the case of Radditz and Bardock. Nappa and Zarbon were a step up from them because they were directly under Prince Vegeta and Freeza respectively hence the blue. And finally the higher up's which would be the red variety.

However, even with that said, we are getting a pretty narrow picture of it if we just look at the bigger characters. There were other seemingly insignificant characters that had a red scouter on, while others still that sported the blue and the green. If these characters could consistantly be told to share the traits that would represent their status in terms of color, I think we could find a better answer to that question.

Ginyu's hired by Freeza? I've always heard they always worked under Freeza... Then again, don't ask me.

I just think the Scouter colors were picked to match or compliment their outfits, and nothing more.

Ditto, Duo.

[Dayspring]

That was my thought too!

Although, weren't the Ginyu Force just hired by Freeza? If that is the case then that suggests that the Ginyu Force had very little authority, hence the Green color. Dodoria also has a green scouter and he was one of Freeza's lackies that wasn't in command a whole lot. So based on this information, green seems to be the lowest branch or low class in the case of Radditz and Bardock. Nappa and Zarbon were a step up from them because they were directly under Prince Vegeta and Freeza respectively hence the blue. And finally the higher up's which would be the red variety.

However, even with that said, we are getting a pretty narrow picture of it if we just look at the bigger characters. There were other seemingly insignificant characters that had a red scouter on, while others still that sported the blue and the green. If these characters could consistantly be told to share the traits that would represent their status in terms of color, I think we could find a better answer to that question.

Ginyu's hired by Freeza? I've always heard they always worked under Freeza... Then again, don't ask me.

I just think the Scouter colors were picked to match or compliment their outfits, and nothing more.

Ditto, Duo.

For the most poart I agree with Duo, since it's said that the Ginyu Force use the most advanced scouters there are.

I just double checked the Great Illustrations Daizenshuu (1 or 3) and the only coloured scouters I found were:

Radditz: Dark Blue
Dodoria: Dark Blue
Ginyu Force: Green
Freeza (first form with Goku in front of him): Green

I can't check anybody else's scouters from the manga/Toriyama since my edition of the French tankoubon is ALL black and white (let me tell you how nice it is to have 12 shades of grey when there's finally supposed to be colour. ).

The daizenshuu also states that there are two types of scouters:
1) The model that breaks once it surpasses 22,000 in one shot (Radditz and Zarbon's fit here)
2) The model that breaks once it surpasses 180,000 in one shot (Freeza's blew up when checking Vegeta's PL)

My guess is the colours, if the manga doesn't have more than two, represent the model, and not the rank of the soldier. My guess is why pay for the more expensive model when the vast majority of people have power levels far beneath 10,000? It makes sense for the Ginyu Force to have the, since they take out the super-elite warriors of the galaxy, but not for low level warriors.

[SuperFusion]

Since Ginyu is in the green rank with Bardock and Raditz, why the hell is Nappa a blue rank? Nappa was stronger than Raditz and possibly Bardock, so I doubt he'd be a lower rank.


I'd say it's just a color they randomly picked out of a basket.


EDIT: you're missing a color, aren't you? didn't Vegeta kill a guy on Namek with a purple scouter?

[Hao_Kaiser]

Perhaps one of the Ginyu members had their Blue scouter damaged, had to take a green, and so the others did the same?

I know, grasping at straws.

Maybe it had something to do with the rank of people in certain groups. That checks out with Vegeta's group, and I guess my afforementioned Ginyu idea could work with this.

[Duo]

I don't think you guys will come close to being able to confirm any consistency or conclusion.

Heck, the colors don't even line up from Manga to Anime, so even if you figure one out...the other totally doesn't make sense.

And we know the Anime's doesn't make sense because of Raditz and the Ginyu's.

So...it's either that the order makes sense in the Manga (Whatever it may be, because the Viz tankobon lacks color as well) or it's just based on matching or complementing the outfit.

[Panda]

Since Nappa's blue scouter is the the only one (I've seen) could it possibly have anything to do with him being Vegeta's... um... henchmen (for lack of a better word). Nappa has always been Vegeta's lacky so maybe once he was assigned that position (possibly by the King or Freeza) he was given a blue scouter as a visual representitive.

Because his scouter is pretty much one of the only blues I'd say it's safe to assume that when he was given the blue scouter they were a fairly new brand of scouters that few had. If that theory is correct then it's safe to say the other Saiya-jin's with blue scouters were killed in the explosion.

Another theory is it could be a Saiya-jin only scouter since none of the other fighters in Freeza's crowd seem to have one.


As for the Ginyu's and Radditz. Perhaps Frieza and Vegeta's red scouters are a symbol of royality while the green represents a common fighter that whom may be more powerful then another green rank but is still a green because they were not born into royal blood nor assigned to protect someone that was.

[Socar15]

If we go solely off of what Toriyama has provided us, than I would have to agree with Dayspring that blue represents the older scouters and green represent the newer models. Otherwise, it's almost impossible to determine what TOEI's reasons were for the colors they chose, but oh well.

[DBZ MAN]

the scouters that the ginyu force had were upgrades, so maybe they updated the color scheme. just speculation tho.

[Legend]

Quite interesting post.

I have a doubt why Zarbon has blue scouter? He is very powerful and puted Vegeta to the limit in Namek saga.

[Panda]

the scouters that the ginyu force had were upgrades, so maybe they updated the color scheme. just speculation tho.

Problem, Bardock and his crew had the green and that would have been at least twenty years before the Ginyu are first shown (anime-time).

Stupid speculation, maybe when they were making Nappa's scouter the color-maker for the scouters got messed up and came out blue... Maybe...

[B-kun]

Sorry, but.. this is a definite necorpost. Nearly 2 months since the last post before Legend's. =/