Episode of Bardock. Is it Canon?

[xmysticgohanx]

To the manga? I hear some people say it contradicts DB Minus and/or that one manga panel I don't know how though. On other hand, that interview about Bardock's power was about EoB.

[VegettoEX]

Define "canon".

It was explicitly promoted as a "sequel" to the Bardock TV special, so it's canonical to that. Is the Bardock TV special canonical to the manga? Maybe. Two panels represent it, but there's no indication that every single event that happened in the Bardock TV special happened exactly that way in the manga, or rather if it's just that those raw facts that we see (Bardock is a dude; challenged Freeza; lost; forgotten about) are all that "happen" in the manga.

So then is Episode of Bardock, by extension, canonical to the manga? No-one's said one way or the other. They don't bother making statements like that.

It's included and focused on a bit in the Chouzenshuu, but what do you want to take away from that? Again, it's up to you.

May I suggest you very specifically check out this week's podcast episode...? ^_~

[Hellspawn28]

Plantians are shown to be the race on Planet Planet. In the anime, Tsufurusian are the shown to be the main race on the Planet. It's possible it's canon to the manga only going from what we seen. Tsufurusian are filler characters, the manga never shown or mention them.

[PhoenixEX]

Sure, if you want it to be canon then make it canon. There's no official word as to what's canon in the DB universe and what isn't so who cares if others disagree to your canon right? Even with plotholes, their arguments really hold no water without official confirmation from Toriyama. It's up to you what you want to be canon or not.

[The Tori-bot]

It's canon to itself. It definitely takes place after the TV special. Is it what "really" happened after said special? I choose to say "no". You may think differently. And that's the beauty of it. It's simply a matter of personal preference. Do you like it (a long shot, I know)? Great, it's canon. Think it sucks? Bardock died. You might as well decide for yourself, because no one is going to come out and say one way or the other. Gene Roddenberry Toriyama is not.

DB Minus? Well, Toriyama wrote it, yet it seemingly contradicts the special which he himself incorporated into the manga - the one thing we can all agree is definitely "canon". Again, it depends on how much you treat the work of the original author as gospel. I like the Trunks TV special better than the special manga chapter, so to me, Trunks became a Super Saiyan when Gohan died. Blasphemy? Perhaps, but unlike some religious folks you don't have to worry about going to Hell for it.

In the end, they're just stories. They're only as important and true as you want them to be.

[sintzu]

Any one can have thire personal canon so if you think it is then it is if not then not

The only anime parts of the franchise that i considor canon to the manga are : Bardock the father of goku and the history of Trunks

[UpFromTheSkies]

IMO, Episode of Bardock and the TV special became cannon when Toriyama wrote Bardock into the manga with DBM. I'm not much of a fan of Bardock though, and if it were up to me, I'd toss him out. I think Toriyama did it for Naho Ooishi.

[VegettoEX]

They are not a cannon.

The question is: with Dragon Ball minus pretty much contradicting everything we see in the Bardock TV special, it's impossible to reconcile the two as both "happening" in the manga. It just doesn't work.

Either the TV special "happened" (and if you want to include Episode of Bardock along with it, you can if you want), or Dragon Ball Minus happened. Both seem to work with the two panels back in the manga, but they can't both have happened together.

[Luso Saiyan]

IMO, Episode of Bardock and the TV special became cannon when Toriyama wrote Bardock into the manga with DBM.

Bardock was already in the manga before Minus. And it's canon, not cannon.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

EoB is described as a sequel of the TV Special, but barely has any references to it (only 2 panels of his team), and also contradicts it with Bardock's confrontation with Freeza being almost entirely different. It contradicts the manga by having Bardock's armor intact against Freeza instead of broken, but it can be taken as a retcon since it's not important. Even though DB- contradicts the TV Special, the scene from the manga implies that at least a few events from the TV Special could have happened, even a little differently.

And, since the EoB manga was covered in Chozenshuu #1, a manga guidebook, and since the latest release of it is modeled as an extra volume of the manga, I personally believe have it as canon to the manga, even without the TV Special.

[B]

According to DB logic, time travel creates a copycat dimension, so technically nothing that happens in Episode of Bardock has any effect on Timeline 3/History 3/Manga's Storyline.

[UpFromTheSkies]

IMO, Episode of Bardock and the TV special became cannon when Toriyama wrote Bardock into the manga with DBM.

Bardock was already in the manga before Minus.

Was he? It seems I've forgotten about it.

And it's canon, not cannon.

Oh, Bardock didn't become artillery?

[Luso Saiyan]

Was he? It seems I've forgotten about it.

Freeza has a flashback of his last stand when he sees Goku for the first time.

[VegettoEX]

For what it's worth, and it needs severe updating in light of Dragon Ball Minus, we have an incredibly-detailed history of Bardock's production right here on the website.

[Hellspawn28]

I always believe in the idea that EOB takes in place in a alternate timeline. He killed Chilled, so he likely give created a new timeline by changing the past.

[Luso Saiyan]

For what it's worth, and it needs severe updating in light of Dragon Ball Minus, we have an incredibly-detailed history of Bardock's production right here on the website.

I've been meaning to ask if there was any plan on updating the article, but I understand that you guys may be busy.

[Zephyr]

I'm starting to think that Episode of Bardock could work as stemming from the TV Special (and the anime continuity), and when he travels to the past, he creates a new timeline, and the continuity in which Dragon Ball Minus (the manga continuity) takes place:

[DBZGTKOSDH]

According to DB logic, time travel creates a copycat dimension, so technically nothing that happens in Episode of Bardock has any effect on Timeline 3/History 3/Manga's Storyline.

Except if Bardock from History 0 went to History 1/2/3/4's past. Then Bardock from History 1/2/3/4 either died, or went back to a History 5. But I'd say he died, to avoid the infinite loop, which would overload the capacity of different timelines according to DBO. Bardock was more injured in the manga than he was in EoB after all, so he could have a different fate.