Goku's Virus [Revival of F theory speculation]

[Turtle bits]

WHEW, well I havent been here for a while. I recently saw the second teaser for RF, and I'm feeling some serious hype now.

So my mind was racing the other day, and I ended up bringing up a theory with a friend...

Yup, what if one of Freeza's men created gokus virus? An attempt to assassinate him? It was always assumed he simply got it from yardrat of course, and could be somewhat considered the canon on the subject.

But a lingering henchmen who survives namek, or hears records kept of conversations via scouter, creates the virus, if anyone knows the METAL GEAR series or is a fan, a virus like foxdie, (both equally have bullshit stories with bullshit factors I cant help but love for some reason <3) that affects only goku.

But why not kill chichi or something? It would only enrage goku, and she could be brought back in that time, the underling in question (id assume itd be one of the ones featured in the movie, of course) would be too weak to fight, but how would he inject goku without him knowing? He learns how to control ki after hearing the recordings. So he does it solid snake like (okillstopnow) and does it at an unspecified time before the gap until the androids appear, in his sleep (maybe there could be a flashback where gohan remembers a nightmare about a weird figure?)

This would explain why the virus didnt spread, and why it could so harshly affect a man who cant be harmed by normal means, perhaps.


Cool way to connect the movie to the past and possibly add to gokus reasoning for his absence during the cell and buu arc? (It being that, gero wasnt the only one explicitly after revenge )Also, it was good for the story, giving gohan a chance to shine, but I always found the "virus" to be....annoying, as a kid. Maybe if there was more sciencefiction exposition BS behind it. (Not that this series is well known for that...)

Or stupid OP retcon with no general purpose?

I at least had to share that, bonus points for me if I'm somehow right when the movie releases.
Is there anything crucial I missed? Thawts?

[Darkprince410]

Trunks mentioned that the virus does become rather well known in his time, to where an antidote was created to counter it. If it were a virus tailor-made for just Goku, then it wouldn't spread at all, but Trunks pretty much indicates that's not the case. While it seems possible that Goku was patient zero and that it came from his time in space, it's also just as likely that it's Earth-born, and just happened to hit Goku fairly early.

[RancorSnp]

The virus doesn't have to be tailor-made for goku. Remember that Freezas empire rules countless planets, finding a deadly virus is not a problem for any of the scientists working for the Freezas family.
And even if it was made especially for goku, I see no reason for it not to spread, it's a virus, it can only live by spreading. Not to mention they change and evolve constantly.

On the other side, I do not really think this is a very likely theory, even with your explanation I still do not see a way of infecting Goku with it. It most likely was something on Yardrat.
Keep in mind that humans get seriously ill with, not dangerous for habitats, viruses just by vising other climate on Earth. Here we are talking about a Planet of unknown distance from Earth, with completly different fauna, Species inhabiting it, and maybe even life forms based on something different than protein. For all we know it, the virus goku has, didn't even have to be considered a virus at all on Yardrat.

It's not impossible for your theory to be right, but tbh I do not see it happening.
Still they hype for Fukkatsu no F is definitely here for me, and will be willing to discuss any theories you may have ^^

[Turtle bits]

Blargh, those are really good points, now that you mention it, trunks DID say it was common in their time, though perhaps because it spread, so I guess the medicine he gives him keeps it from spreading as well?
Anywho, I honestly dont see it as a likely thing either, but I thought it made a interesting concept, thanks for the replies.
I of course, have high hopes for the plot of RF, I hope it suits the universe well and everything.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

I really love the the fact that Goku got felled by a heart virus in Trunks' timeline. It just clashes in true Toriyama fashion with the notion that the Galactic Patrol in Jaco have an extinction bomb that releases a super deadly virus that wipes out the inhabitants of a planet...but it doesn't effect Saiyans because "Saiyans".

I know that there are different types of viruses can effect one species but not another, as well as the fact that this was introduced later and thus wasn't in his mind at the time, but I just find it funny.

[Super Saiyan Turlast x4]

I remember when I thought he had gotten the virus from Yardrat way back. That was a popular theory a good while back.

But yeah, if he hadn't gotten it in the present timeline, I could see this theory being possible. We know Goku teleported to earth to fight Freeza and Cold, but that's it. I could actually see one of his henchmen throwing a strange item at Goku containing virus right after finishing the two. Goku would destroy the bottle containing the virus, but he'd have no idea what it was and inhale it. I always wondered how Goku's fight with Freeza's henchmen went down in the future. They're so weak and it's hard to imagine Goku taking them out like Trunks did. Then again, his hatred for Freeza at that point was real, so he probably just blew them up with a Chi-blast.

[Turtle bits]

^ The yardrat thing seems to be generally accepted as what happened from what I've seen, it certainly makes sense for intents and purposes story wise heh.

Yeah, so presumably frieza and his henchmen were there at some point, so theoretically it could have been then or some time after ward, when he had killed cold and frieza, in that time gap. As for my explanation on the virus, it could have spread after goku died in the time span during and before the future timeline, but at that time it was able to spread, they had the technology to cure it easily regardless, hence it being a "common" thing in trunk's timeline.

Such a plot twist would be pretty unpredictable.

[GokuRules987]

Look the whole virus thing was just added for the plot too allow future trunks too travel to the past and warn goku about the androids. It was never said how he got, it was never stated where he got it and btw goku is an alien race saiyan warrior. what makes you think that something like a virus could kill him when he can tank planet busting explosions.
And why couldnt senzu bean or shenron wish save him? Thats right BS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saiyans genes are very adaptable too constantly traveling and conquering new planets.

[Kamiccolo9]

I don't understand why people feel it necessary to ascribe special origins to the heart virus. Why can't Goku just get sick?

[Hitiro]

The whole space thing is a problem for me because from what we see in the manga and anime the virus has a very low infection rate. So if Goku was patient zero for this virus on Earth then it would be hard for it to be common in Trunks time. Not impossible but very unlikely. I feel it would make more sense that some guy in a city had the virus for a couple of years(because viruses can remain dormant, we see that Goku's was dormant and he only later had it after the 3 years passed) and his interaction with his fellow employee's infected them leading to a lot of people he works with having the virus and then Goku walks in, for whatever reason, and catches the virus because he is surrounded by people who have it increasing his chances of catching the virus. I mean for the virus to even spread and become common in Trunks time Goku had to go to a populated place to infect someone if he were patient zero anyway.

[The Monkey King]

I've always liked the theory that overuse of the kaioken caused permnent damage and scaring to Goku's heart due to the stress the technique puts on his body (senzus can't heal permanent scars and injuries). Thus made his heart weak enough to be suseptable to the virus.

[SpiritBombTriumphant]

^ The yardrat thing seems to be generally accepted as what happened from what I've seen, it certainly makes sense for intents and purposes story wise heh.

Interesting. I always thought it was officially stated somewhere that Goku contracted it from Yardrat. Looking at the Dragon Ball Wiki it doesn't mention it at all. I guess from this thread and the Wiki all we can be sure of is that plenty of people ended up getting the virus and eventually there was a cure. And technically we don't even know if Goku was patient zero since they never explain enough in either timeline for viewers to know who else got it and such. Depending on where Goku got it from (it is obviously contagious) I wonder why none of the other "Z fighters" got it.

Maybe I'm applying too much logic to this, but a virus couldn't affect someone simply who had more strain on their heart from training, fighting, stress, etc. as far as I know. If the body couldn't fight back in any way then they would simply die eventually no matter how healthy they are/were. Another thing is that I think Vegeta stated Goku felt the effects of the virus while flying to South City where 19 & 20 showed up. The Wiki states that Goku possibly contracted it while in the city and if that's the case then it wasn't bad enough for him to show signs of it yet.

The only thing we can be certain of is that when he started to fight and turn Super Saiyan it drastically sped up the infection. I'm just glad he was all right (didn't die). As to why he got it later in the main timeline than in Future Trunks' timeline I would guess it's the whole "even if you look but don't touch things will still change" with his time traveling.

As for what OP said, while in the manga/show it was never implied at all that it was deliberate it certainly is possible. They could easily retcon it and say it was an attempt to kill Goku although since it's a show about fighting I figure at least King Cold would want to get his revenge on Goku for killing/nearly killing his son.

[Dorexx]

Personally I've believed for a while now that the virus was someone's attempt to kill Goku, and the virus and/or the mystery person is of a magical/supernatural nature, because the Senzu beans' magic was blocked and couldn't heal it, meaning it had to be a more powerful magic. To be completely honest, I believe the culprit is the Western Kaioshin, because I consider Toyble/Toyotaro's story an actual part of the universe. In it, it's revealed that she survived Majin Buu's slaughter and remained injured in space for millions of years, causing her to become evil and create Freeza. After Freeza dies, she appears to Goku in space to steal his DNA. I suspect this is when she infects him, and she is also the reason Goku seemed to have ceased to exist after he died; a Kaioshin would have the power to eradicate one's soul from existence entirely. This is why Goku was not heard of for over 20 years after he died in Trunks' timeline.

But in a less detailed version, my theory is essentially the same plus the supernatural aspect, and I think it stands regardless of what other stories you add in the mix.

Another interesting aspect is the cure. Kaio may have had a hand in helping with the cure, in some way.

[freezamite]

Senzu beans were never stated to cure an illness, weren't it? I have always taken the virus as a side effect of abusing the kaioh ken. The kaioh ken was a technique that destroyed one's own body in order to achieve much greater levels of strength, that damage (at least the physically visible damage) seemed to be erased with a senzu bean, but in the same way a senzu bean can't make an old body become young again (the difference between old and young is basically the amount of living cells you still have in your body) I supposed that only the superficial damage could be healed.

In the case of Goku's virus, we know some things that point towards that direction:
1. It was an unknown virus to humanity that only got a cure in the future. Furthermore, not a single of Goku's friends ever gets ill because of the virus, not even Gohan who's also a saiyan. This means that the virus wasn't much of a thread by itself, more like it was the virus combined with Goku's worn down body what resulted in a lethal combination. The fact that the virus wasn't still known in the present also means that it was pretty inoffensive by itself so that's why it wasn't investigated before.

2. In the future timeline Goku dies 6 month after his fight against Cold and Mecha Freezer. Of course since Mecha Freezer only had a fraction of his original strength, Goku (or even Piccolo or Vegeta) could've killed him easily but Cold is a different matter. He wasn't as strong as Freezer but he could perfectly be like 50% Freezer in terms of strength, which would force Goku to use a KK higher than 10 in order to win.
Becoming SSJ also puts a toll on his body and accelerates the illness, but Goku turning SSJ against Mecha and Cold wouldn't justify the 6 month "premature" death since Goku trained with Piccolo and Gohan to prepare himself for the fight against the Androids, and Piccolo knows exactly how strong Goku becomes once he turns into a SSJ which means that he did that during those 3 years.

This would also explain why the KK is abandoned after the virus disease although that could also be explained because of the superiority of the mastered SSJ form compared to the traditional kaioh ken.

[hyperbeing1]

Senzu beans were never stated to cure an illness, weren't it? I have always taken the virus as a side effect of abusing the kaioh ken. The kaioh ken was a technique that destroyed one's own body in order to achieve much greater levels of strength, that damage (at least the physically visible damage) seemed to be erased with a senzu bean, but in the same way a senzu bean can't make an old body become young again (the difference between old and young is basically the amount of living cells you still have in your body) I supposed that only the superficial damage could be healed.

In the case of Goku's virus, we know some things that point towards that direction:
1. It was an unknown virus to humanity that only got a cure in the future. Furthermore, not a single of Goku's friends ever gets ill because of the virus, not even Gohan who's also a saiyan. This means that the virus wasn't much of a thread by itself, more like it was the virus combined with Goku's worn down body what resulted in a lethal combination. The fact that the virus wasn't still known in the present also means that it was pretty inoffensive by itself so that's why it wasn't investigated before.

2. In the future timeline Goku dies 6 month after his fight against Cold and Mecha Freezer. Of course since Mecha Freezer only had a fraction of his original strength, Goku (or even Piccolo or Vegeta) could've killed him easily but Cold is a different matter. He wasn't as strong as Freezer but he could perfectly be like 50% Freezer in terms of strength, which would force Goku to use a KK higher than 10 in order to win.
Becoming SSJ also puts a toll on his body and accelerates the illness, but Goku turning SSJ against Mecha and Cold wouldn't justify the 6 month "premature" death since Goku trained with Piccolo and Gohan to prepare himself for the fight against the Androids, and Piccolo knows exactly how strong Goku becomes once he turns into a SSJ which means that he did that during those 3 years.

This would also explain why the KK is abandoned after the virus disease although that could also be explained because of the superiority of the mastered SSJ form compared to the traditional kaioh ken.

i can see where you are going with this it kinda reminds me of food poisoning. Food poisoning in itself is not usually so lethal but if mixed with a pre-existing condition the results can be deadly.

[Kamiccolo9]

Why can't Goku just get sick?

[Darkprince410]

I don't understand why people feel it necessary to ascribe special origins to the heart virus. Why can't Goku just get sick?

I think it's just to try and give a logical reason for why a seemingly unknown virus in the modern day would seemingly infect Goku first.

[Kamiccolo9]

I don't understand why people feel it necessary to ascribe special origins to the heart virus. Why can't Goku just get sick?

I think it's just to try and give a logical reason for why a seemingly unknown virus in the modern day would seemingly infect Goku first.

What says it's an unknown virus?

[Darkprince410]

I don't understand why people feel it necessary to ascribe special origins to the heart virus. Why can't Goku just get sick?

I think it's just to try and give a logical reason for why a seemingly unknown virus in the modern day would seemingly infect Goku first.

What says it's an unknown virus?

When Trunks was telling Goku about the virus, pretty sure he commented that they (the people in the present) wouldn't have even heard of it by then, but that it'd become known later on.

[Kamiccolo9]

When Trunks was telling Goku about the virus, pretty sure he commented that they (the people in the present) wouldn't have even heard of it by then, but that it'd become known later on.

There are thousands, if not millions, of diseases that the average person is unaware of. A year ago, Ebola wasn't something that a significant portion of the world outside of Africa was informed about. That doesn't make them unknown to everyone.
And what says that Goku was the first one to get sick? Out of all his friends, sure, but out of everyone? When is that said? And why is that unusual anyway?

Trying to make some kind of complicated story behind Goku's illness requires so many unwarranted assumptions and unsupported theories that it's just pointless.

The simplest, most logical rationale behind all of this, and with absolutely no evidence to the contrary, is that Goku simply got sick. It happens. The only actual odd part about any of it is that there is a cure for the virus, seeing that viral diseases are, to my knowledge, virtually impossible to cure.