In the world of Dragon Ball, there are few warriors cooler than the Saiyan Prince Vegeta. Even though Vegeta doesn’t always win, his determination and attitude have made him a fan favorite character ever since his debut. However, the same can’t be said for his younger brother who is often forgotten by Dragon Ball fans for good reason. Weirdly enough, part of the reason actually has to do with his name, which accidentally highlights how goofy so many of Dragon Ball’s character names really are.

Debuting in the OVA Dragon Ball: The Return of Son Goku and Friends as well as its manga adaptation by Ooishi Naho and series creator Akira Toriyama, Tarble is Vegeta’s long-lost younger brother. Before the destruction of Planet Vegeta, he was exiled for his complete and total lack of ability to fight. In his exile, he eventually found a wife in a kind little alien named Gure (whose name is a pun on the Japanese word for grapes). He also ran afoul of the two remaining soldiers in Frieza’s army, Abo and Kado. Though their fusion proves tough to beat for Goten and Trunks, the fused soldier proves no problem for Goku. The larger problem the story creates though is that, if fans hadn’t noticed the series’ strange naming conventions before, they certainly would after watching or reading this.

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In Dragon Ball, most character names generally follow a specific theme. All Saiyans, for instance, are named after vegetables or plants. Kakarot is carrot, Raditz is radish, Nappa is named after a type of cabbage, Broly is broccoli, and the first female Super Saiyan Caulifla is cauliflower. Given this, it only makes sense that their two princes would be named Vegeta and Tarble (one has to wonder whether their fusion would just be named Vegetarble). However, once this pattern becomes apparent, it’s difficult not to find similar patterns literally all over Dragon Ball.

Bulma’s family, for instance, are all named after underwear. Bulma’s Japanese name is essentially bloomers, while her son Trunks, her dad Dr. Briefs, and her mom Bikini probably don’t need much explanation. Even most of the villains have some sort of logic to their names. Frieza, his brother Cooler, and their father King Cold all follow a refrigeration theme. Majin Buu might not seem connected to anything but makes a lot more sense when viewed next to the magicians Bibidi and Babidi. This trend has continued on into Dragon Ball Super’s latest arc. With Granolah and all other Cerealians named after grains while the Heeter Gang are Frieza’s opposites and are named after various fuels.

Still though, amidst all of those name themes, Vegeta and Tarble have to be the most ridiculous combination. Far from bad though, these names are a perfect example of what makes Dragon Ball so special. It’s important to remember that series creator Akira Toriyama is a deeply silly person who made a point to make his most iconic series as funny as it was exhilarating. Yes, many of these names are goofy, but more importantly, they’re fun. As much as Vegeta might hate it, his forgotten brother is a reminder that Dragon Ball is as much a comedy as it is an action series.

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Evan Mullicane
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Evan D. Mullicane is an editor, critic, and author based out of California’s Bay Area. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University in 2016. In his free time, he enjoys reading graphic novels and writing fantasy.

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