The main character of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, Goku, has gone through multiple power-ups over the years, but the most interesting one among them was the fusion technique. It allowed Goku to fuse with his supporting character, Vegeta, who is also a powerful Saiyan, giving them a combination of their overall abilities and strengths.
Goku and Vegeta can perform two types of fusion, which result in two different beings with extraordinary strength. The first one is Vegito, and the second one is Gogeta. While Vegito made an appearance during the fight against Super Buu, Gogeta was a non-canonical character for a long time, but ultimately he was introduced in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
One of Toriyama’s interviews was published in Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 6: Movies & TV Specials, where he talked about the introduction of fusion in the series and how it started as a joke but went on to become one of the strongest power-ups for Goku and Vegeta both.
The Concept of Fusion Started As a Joke
Toriyama’s interview was translated and shared by Kazenshuu, where he stated that Toriyama and Masakazu Katsura were once discussing what could be the next step after Super Saiyan for Goku. That is when Katsura jokingly said that he should fuse Goku and Vegeta. Although it was a joke, it worked in the favor of the series.
Toriyama stated:
“If I remember correctly, I was talking about how, as a concept, “there’s nothing stronger than a Super Saiyan”, and Katsura-kun (Masakazu Katsura-sensei), who I usually just joke around and say idiotic things with, said, “There’s no choice but for them to fuse, then.” So I said, “Whoa, sometimes even you say something good. It’s the first time you’ve ever made yourself useful.” (laughs) That’s how that plot point was born.”
Katsura and Akira Toriyama share a special bond where they joke around with each other, which is why when he talked about the concept of fusion, Toriyama was shocked and pointed out that even he can sometimes say some good and useful things.
Fusion’s Canonical Introduction in Dragon Ball Z
While the concept of fusion was not new to the Dragon Ball world, it was not canonically introduced in the story. This is why Toriyama had to come up with an idea to make fusion look different and new in Dragon Ball Z. As the fusion dance had already been taken over, Toriyama used the earrings to introduce fusion in the canonical Dragon Ball world.
Toriyama stated:
“That was simply, since Fusion was a plot point that was already taken by one of the movies, I was wondering what I should do; I had always been drawing earrings [on Kaiōshin], so I thought, “perhaps I can use these”…”
Toriyama hence introduced Potara earrings, which were a significant tool used by Supreme Kais. Fusion now hails as one of the strongest level-ups in the Dragon Ball universe and has been used by multiple other characters like Goten, Trunks, Piccolo, and more. However, fans are always debating which fusion technique is better and stronger.
