“What if they were the same person?”

[L3anD3RStar]

I apologize if this doesn’t warrent a new thread, but it’s a rough idea I’ve been unable to get out of my head. Someone tell me how stupid these “What ifs” are?

Because I had a stupid thought about what if, what if, what if these characters were actually the same person? What if you did that thing adapters do sometimes and took two characters who get limited screen time, and combined them into one character who gets more screen time?

And then I thought, what characters would I combine? And I found…. What if these heroes and villains were the same? And roles changed as the storylines progressed?

Like, what if Sister Baba and Bibidi were the same person? How would that work? Well, Sister Baba would’ve brought Goku back on purpose so he could get his energy stolen and speed up the resurrection of Buu. But how would that change how they dealt with her? How would Roshi react?

What if Zamasu and Kaioshin were the same person? And Kaioshin has helped our heroes, rather ineptly, but he’s been trying. But the more he fails, the more frustrated he gets at his own limitations, and the more he sees of mortal brutality up close and personal, the less he thinks they deserve to exist at all. His unrequited and deeply confusing horniness for Goku’s literal body makes this much worse. He can’t stop thinking about how if he had that much power, how different things would be. And after he hits his breaking point, Beerus would have a reason why he couldn’t actually do anything that’s a bit more substantial then “its none of my fukkin business.” He literally can’t raise a finger against the guy he’s life linked to, and neither can anyone else unless they want to kill him too. How would they handle the situation?

And that got me “betrayal” as a big theme in these combinations. So here’s a more personal one - Mai and Violet are the same person. Mai dyed her hair and wore a wig when she was in the Red Ribbon Army, both of her parents were soldiers, when she was 18 Red told her the army needed an heir and lucky girl, she’s been selected for this important task. Never occurs to her to question the propriety of this. It’s just another job. She does it, never sees the child after the birth, and eventually runs away from the army, joining Pilaf and getting a second chance at life thanks to becoming a kid again. But then Magenta pops up and she knows who he is. Even though she’s physically much younger than him now. What, if anything, does she tell anyone? Or does she resolve to take the secret to her grave? Think that’s even possible? She’d kill to keep Trunks from finding out, but what if he finds out anyway? What would he do?

And that led to my darkest what if, where the heart virus that killed Goku wasn’t natural, it was a bio weapon developed by Dr. Briefs as a fail safe for when the Saiyans arrived. It accidentally leaks and kills Bulma’s best friend, and that’s why Dr Briefs isn’t in Future Trunks’s timeline. Bulma couldn’t forgive him.


…. I’m just making all of this bullshee up. I’ll probably delete this later, I was just wondering what you thought. Besides that it’s cringy and sucks, because I know that, I just I mean, I should just delete this where’s the button

[vilker]

I apologize if this doesn’t warrent a new thread, but it’s a rough idea I’ve been unable to get out of my head. Someone tell me how stupid these “What ifs” are?

Because I had a stupid thought about what if, what if, what if these characters were actually the same person? What if you did that thing adapters do sometimes and took two characters who get limited screen time, and combined them into one character who gets more screen time?

And then I thought, what characters would I combine? And I found…. What if these heroes and villains were the same? And roles changed as the storylines progressed?

Like, what if Sister Baba and Bibidi were the same person? How would that work? Well, Sister Baba would’ve brought Goku back on purpose so he could get his energy stolen and speed up the resurrection of Buu. But how would that change how they dealt with her? How would Roshi react?

What if Zamasu and Kaioshin were the same person? And Kaioshin has helped our heroes, rather ineptly, but he’s been trying. But the more he fails, the more frustrated he gets at his own limitations, and the more he sees of mortal brutality up close and personal, the less he thinks they deserve to exist at all. His unrequited and deeply confusing horniness for Goku’s literal body makes this much worse. He can’t stop thinking about how if he had that much power, how different things would be. And after he hits his breaking point, Beerus would have a reason why he couldn’t actually do anything that’s a bit more substantial then “its none of my fukkin business.” He literally can’t raise a finger against the guy he’s life linked to, and neither can anyone else unless they want to kill him too. How would they handle the situation?

And that got me “betrayal” as a big theme in these combinations. So here’s a more personal one - Mai and Violet are the same person. Mai dyed her hair and wore a wig when she was in the Red Ribbon Army, both of her parents were soldiers, when she was 18 Red told her the army needed an heir and lucky girl, she’s been selected for this important task. Never occurs to her to question the propriety of this. It’s just another job. She does it, never sees the child after the birth, and eventually runs away from the army, joining Pilaf and getting a second chance at life thanks to becoming a kid again. But then Magenta pops up and she knows who he is. Even though she’s physically much younger than him now. What, if anything, does she tell anyone? Or does she resolve to take the secret to her grave? Think that’s even possible? She’d kill to keep Trunks from finding out, but what if he finds out anyway? What would he do?

And that led to my darkest what if, where the heart virus that killed Goku wasn’t natural, it was a bio weapon developed by Dr. Briefs as a fail safe for when the Saiyans arrived. It accidentally leaks and kills Bulma’s best friend, and that’s why Dr Briefs isn’t in Future Trunks’s timeline. Bulma couldn’t forgive him.


…. I’m just making all of this bullshee up. I’ll probably delete this later, I was just wondering what you thought. Besides that it’s cringy and sucks, because I know that, I just I mean, I should just delete this where’s the button

Don't delete this. Creativity comes from connecting dots that no one else sees, even if some of those dots don't perfectly align at first. Here is my honest, critical breakdown of your ideas (rated 0-100) and a "What If" of my own that I think fits your style of rewriting character motivations without changing the scenes.

Your Ideas: A Critical Review
1. Baba and Bibidi are the same person (Score: 15/100)
I have to be honest—this one is the weakest. It feels forced. Chronologically, it’s a mess (Bibidi is ancient), and it breaks the necessary comedic/mystical dynamic Baba brings to the original series. It adds confusion rather than depth.

2. Zamasu and Shin (Supreme Kai) are the same person (Score: 90/100)
This is brilliant. It fixes one of Dragon Ball Super’s biggest flaws: Shin being useless and Zamasu appearing out of nowhere. If Shin were the one slowly descending into madness because he realizes his peaceful methods and reliance on mortals (Goku) are failing, the emotional payoff would be incredible. The final battle wouldn't be against a generic villain, but against a fallen friend. Plus, the life-link with Beerus perfectly explains why Beerus couldn't just "Hakai" him immediately. A massive missed opportunity by Toriyama.

3. Mai and Violet are the same person (Score: 50/100)
It’s an interesting backstory that adds flavor to Mai, but it feels a bit like a soap opera twist. It complicates the timeline without raising the stakes enough to matter to the main plot.

4. Dr. Briefs and the Heart Virus (Score: 85/100)
This is incredibly dark, perhaps too dark for standard DB, but narrative-wise? It makes sense. It turns a random natural death (the virus) into a direct consequence of "preventative xenophobia." It adds a layer of macabre tragedy to Bulma’s life that is fascinating.



My "What If": Android 16 IS Dr. Gero’s Son (Gevo)
You asked for an example where characters are combined, roles change, but the scenes remain the same. Here is one that changes nothing visually but alters the entire subtext of the Android Saga from an action movie to a Greek Tragedy.

The Canon Fact:
We know Android 16 was modeled visually after Gero’s dead son, Gevo, who died in the Red Ribbon Army. Gero made him "gentle" because he didn't want his creation to be destroyed in battle.

The "What If":
Dr. Gero didn’t just copy his son’s face. Dr. Gero successfully digitized his dying son’s brain patterns and memories, uploading them into the mechanical brain of 16.

He isn't a human with a soul (he can't be resurrected), but he is a perfect "Digital Ghost" trapped in a machine, burdened with the memories of a dead man.

Why this changes everything (viability 98/100):

The Origin of the Grudge:
In this version, Gevo was a gentle soul drafted into the Red Ribbon Army against his will. When Kid Goku attacked, Gevo didn't die fighting bravely. He died because he refused to fight. He hesitated to pull the trigger on a child, and that hesitation got him killed in the chaos.

Dr. Gero’s "Glitch":
When 17 and 18 try to wake 16 up, Gero screams in genuine panic, "Do not do it!"

Standard View: He’s afraid 16 is buggy.

The "What If" View: He is a traumatized father. He knows that if they wake 16 up, his son will be forced back into the violence that already killed him once. Gero isn't protecting his "invention"; he is desperately trying to stop his son from dying a second time.

The Message to Gohan (The Parallel):
This fixes the criticism of "Why does Gohan snap over a robot he barely knows?"
If 16 has Gevo's memories, he sees himself in Gohan. He sees another gentle boy paralyzed by the fear of violence.
When 16 tells Gohan to fight, he isn't saying "violence is good." He is saying: "I died because I did nothing. My absolute pacifism didn't save me, it just made me a victim. Don't make my mistake."

When Cell crushes 16's head, Gohan realizes that refusing to act isn't noble—it's suicide. He isn't crying for circuits; he is crying because he understands the lesson of the boy who died twice.

It makes the story infinitely more tragic without changing a single frame of the animation.

[dbgtFO]

I apologize if this doesn’t warrent a new thread, but it’s a rough idea I’ve been unable to get out of my head. Someone tell me how stupid these “What ifs” are?

The Message to Gohan (The Parallel):
This fixes the criticism of "Why does Gohan snap over a robot he barely knows?"
If 16 has Gevo's memories, he sees himself in Gohan. He sees another gentle boy paralyzed by the fear of violence.
When 16 tells Gohan to fight, he isn't saying "violence is good." He is saying: "I died because I did nothing. My absolute pacifism didn't save me, it just made me a victim. Don't make my mistake."

When Cell crushes 16's head, Gohan realizes that refusing to act isn't noble—it's suicide. He isn't crying for circuits; he is crying because he understands the lesson of the boy who died twice.

It makes the story infinitely more tragic without changing a single frame of the animation.

Oh shit! Now THAT is an excellent way of justifying this scene!!