When you think of classic anime, Dragon Ball is one of the first that comes to mind, right? It's a series that has been running for over a decade, providing incredible content and nostalgia for anime fans all over the world. Just like any other anime, especially one that holds such a weight and meaning to so many fans, a bunch of theories are bound to arise in the community.

Many theories may have been wrong or downright nonsensical, but there have been others across the years that have, somehow, called out major developments in the show that would later be revealed to be true.

Today, we're going through 16 Dragon Ball fan theories that actually got confirmed in the end, despite the major developments it assumes. Buckle up!

16 Fans Came Up With The Name Super Saiyan Blue

Dragon Ball sometimes surprises fans with new powers and forms without actually offering a name. Until they do, fans like to get creative and make up their own names. The original name for the form that came after Super Saiyan God was Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, which was not very creative, and super repetitive & long. Instead, fans came up with the name "Super Saiyan Blue," due to the blue hair and aura it provides. Toyotaro would eventually use this name in the manga, as would Toei in the anime.

15 Goku Black’s True Identity

Fans immediately began to assume that someone had stolen an alternate timeline’s version of Goku to use to their advantage when an evil doppléganger of Goku arose as the new villain. It wasn't apparent who would have done such a thing, but some perceptive fans had their suspicions set on Universe 10’s Zamasu. Later, it was proved that this theory was correct.

14 Dr. Gero’s Son Inspired Android 16

Toriyama has confirmed that Gero had a son in the Red Ribbon Army who met an unfortunate end. This son served as Android 16's inspiration, although Dr. Gero barely activates him as he doesn’t want to see him face combat— which is why Future Trunks doesn’t recognize him. Cell also doesn't have any information on him, which is probably Dr. Gero's final attempt to protect his son.

13 Super Saiyan Is Not About Rage

The first time that Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks become Super Saiyans, it has a lot to do with rage. However, the rage factor became less and less important as time went on, focusing more on transformations instead. The Universe 6 Saiyans all become Super Saiyans incredibly quickly simply by Goku talking them through it. This helps prove that Super Saiyan is really all about managing and focusing the Ki, instead of being filled with rage.

12 Belmod And Marcarita Were Supposed To Be Together

One of the best things about Tournament of Power was the amount of new characters that were introduced to us, including a whole new slew of Gods of Destruction and their accompanying Angels. Some of the most iconic were the God of Destruction, Belmod, and his Angel, Marcarita, due to their appearances, looking like they came straight from a circus performance. Toyotaro later admitted the similarity to the Joker and Harley Quinn, and how Belmod and Marcarita were supposed to be romantically involved before Toriyama vetoed the idea.

11 Jiren Is Inspired By Buddha

Jiren is one of those threats that doesn't feel like a threat, not when he doesn't really take an offensive approach to fighting. He looks intimidating but most of his time is spent alone in meditation, focusing on his breathing. This lead to fans comparing him to Buddha, due to his stoic style and focus on meditation. As the Tournament of Power continues, fans got more confirmation of this with how much of Jiren’s approach comes down to his eyes and breathing.

10 Gohan Was Supposed To Become The Main Character

The original Dragon Ball steadily depicts Goku’s growth and evolution from a young boy to a grown man. During Dragon Ball Z, it continues to go down that path but it adds Goku's son, Gohan, into the mix. Apparently, Toriyama's plan was to slowly shift the focus from Goku onto his son, turning him into the new main character. The original opening credits for the Buu Saga offers plenty of proof, as the entire sequence revolves around Gohan. Toriyama, however, couldn't keep Goku out of the picture and eventually didn't follow through with it.

9 Vegito’s Return To Fight Against Zamasu

When the heroes face off against Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super, none of their efforts seem to make real damage on the villain. Many fans start to speculate that Vegito would return and that he would be able to take down Zamasu. Turns out, fans were right... well, half right. In Dragon Ball Super, they finally bring back Vegito, but he doesn't take down Zamasu alone, he's merely a diversion.

8 Frieza’s Family Can Transform Like He Can

The introduction of Frieza’s anime only brother, Cooler, and their canonical father, King Cold, brings some interesting world building to the anime. Cooler shows off his second form, implying that he and Cold can also turn into the third and fourth forms that Frieza uses. This theory gains power when, in the last Dragon Ball Heroes, Cooler turns into Golden Cooler. This promotional anime isn't exactly canon, but it does support the fans assumptions.

7 Goku: The First Target In The Tournament Of Power

Goku's irresponsible nature has often come under attack, but it's only in Dragon Ball Super that he causes the entire Tournament of Power to happen, putting the universes' at risk when it's avoidable. Fans speculated that Goku and the entire Universe 7 were going to be early targets during the tournament, and this was exactly what happened. The series shows the other universes vilify Goku and treat him like the main target.

6 Krillin Is The Strongest Human On Earth

There have been many discussions about which character in the show is the strongest human in the universe, from Krillin to Tien, or even Master Roshi. The Majin Buu arc actually addresses this outright with Yamcha telling Krillin's daughter, Maron, that Krillin is the strongest human on Earth (specifically out of the Earthlings.)

5 Movies Aren’t Meant To Be Canonical

Dragon Ball Z movies mess with the show’s timeline and cause inconsistencies, so fans have wondered if they are meant to be canonical or not. Supposedly, the rule is to disregard them completely when it comes to the actual plot of the show. The big reason why Dragon Ball Super’s first two arcs recapped the previous two movies is because it wanted to make those events canon because the films didn’t count. Toei always said that the movies were supposed to only be creative one-shots, nothing more.

4 Future Trunk’s Timeline Is The Main Dragon Ball’s Timeline

When fans considered that Future Trunks’ fractured timeline is actually Dragon Ball’s main timeline, we all wondered exactly what to believe in. Everything in Future Trunks’ world up until the invasion of the androids is identical to what’s gone on in the other timeline, and that's what sparked the theory in the first place. This means that Future Trunks leaving his broken world to save another holds a lot more weight.

3 Frieza’s Natural Powers

Resurrection F surprised the audience with the return of Frieza and the fact that he possessed a new powerful form. Frieza explained how he was able to achieve Golden Frieza status by actually maKing an effort and training to grow his powers. Most fans had assumed he possessed natural powers and undeniable strength without even trying due to his sedentary nature in his first form, and they were absolutely right!

2 Ki Works As A Shield

Although Dragon Ball offers us a whole universe of extraordinary power, Ki is never really explained in detail, and it's up to fans to figure it out. Dragon Ball Super's “Resurrection F” and the return of Frieza arc sparked many arguments due to Goku getting taken down by a laser gun. The series brings up how Goku should never let his guard down and that explains a lot about Ki. This implies that Ki can be used as a barrier to prevent such attacks, but only when the user is prepared and paying attention.

1 Frieza’s Betrayal In The Tournament Of Power

The moment that Goku decides to enlist Frieza’s help as an ally in the Tournament of Power, fans knew that he would, eventually, betray him. Of course, this ends up being true, but he’s still beholden to Universe 7 and fights as a team. The character has far more layers than fans thought, so the betrayal came slowly, but surely only for Frieza to help save the day in the end.

Sources: ScreenRant, Geeks Media, Den Of Geek