Tarble

"A Namekian told me you returned to Earth after defeating Frieza. A terrible brother duo named Abo and Kado are terrorizing my planet. I proved no match for them."
— Tarble in Dragon Ball: Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokū to Nakama-tachi!!

Tarble (ターブル, Tāburu) is the estranged brother of Vegeta and husband to a peculiar alien named Gure.

Tarble's Japanese name is a pun on the word Bejitaburu, or Vegetable in English.

Biography

Tarble's desperate plea to his estranged brother, Vegeta.

Tarble was born on Planet Vegeta. At an early age, Tarble was ordered by his father, King Vegeta, to be sent to a remote planet on the grounds that he lacked the aggression and fighting skills required to be a Saiyan warrior, classifying Tarble a low-class Saiyan. His appearance in Dragon Ball: Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokū to Nakama-tachi!! shows that his personality is somewhat gentle and he is very polite in his speech, compared to the ruthlessness and brashness of the average Saiyan. At some point, he met and married Gure (she may have been a resident of the planet he was sent to, similar to how Son Goku married Chichi, a resident of Earth).

Two years after the defeat of Kid Boo, Tarble, accompanied by Gure, flee to Earth to seek Vegeta's assistance in defeating the brother duo Abo and Kado, former henchmen of Frieza whom Tarble confesses have since become as powerful as their master and have been terrorizing his home. Abo and Kado pursue Tarble and Gure to Earth using Saiyan Pods. Upon landing on Earth, Tarble and Gure encounter Goku and his friends who can see he's a Saiyan. Vegeta reveals that he knows Tarble by calling him by his name while Tarble identifies Vegeta as his brother, surprising everyone (Vegeta being more or less apathetic to seeing Tarble). Upon asking Vegeta for his help against Abo and Kado, Goku and the rest also want to assist and they decide who fights the incoming duo by pulling radishes to get the longest, ending with Trunks being the victor. Gure wishes him luck which leads to Vegeta asking who is she. Tarble then introduces her as his wife (to Vegeta's surprise). Once Abo and Kado arrive and start fighting Trunks and Goten (who joined at Goku's playful urging), Tarble doesn't do much for the remainder of the special and doesn't have any more dialogue. During Aka's Super Wahaha no Ha attack, he is seen with his arms around Gure to protect her from harm and is last seen laughing at Mr. Satan with everyone else after Videl reminds him of his promise to have more humility after he considers wishing his hotel back using the Dragon Balls.

Video games

Tarble in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.

Tarble makes his first appearance in a video game as a playable character in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2. This is the also the first time the character is given an English voice actor.

Techniques

• Bukujutsu
• Explosive Wave
• Full Power Energy Wave
• Ki Blast
• Round UFO Attack – Tarble's ultimate attack in Raging Blast 2. Tarble summons his Space Pod to attack his opponent at high speed. In Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokū to Nakama-tachi!!, Tarble and Gure destroy some buildings in Metro West when they are inside their Space Pods in a similar manner during their arrival on Earth.
• Super Energy Wave Volley
• Wild Sense

Voice actors

• Japanese dub: Masakazu Morita
• English dub: Todd Haberkorn (Raging Blast 2)

Trivia

• Further diluting his background, Tarble has a physique which makes him appear teen-aged. As it is certain that his father died when his Vegeta was five years old, however, Tarble can be no more than five years younger than Vegeta. This puts Tarble's age somewhere in the late 30s at the time of his appearance. As there is a five-year age gap between himself and Vegeta, as well as two extra years Vegeta gains from his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber putting Vegeta's age at 46, it is suggested that Tarble is 39 years old in Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokū to Nakama-tachi!!. It should be noted, however, that Saiyans remain in their youth and prime longer than Humans. This may explain his teen-aged appearance. This might also be genetic as Vegeta is shorter than most characters. Also, his scrawny size might have contributed to the Saiyans' decision to excommunicate him since he demonstrated little fighting potential.
• Tarble coined a synonym for battle power. Along with "fighting power", Tarble used the synonym "combat strength".
• Tarble's hair very closely resembles that of Adult Gohan's hair.
• By the time he appears, Tarble is the only surviving full-blooded Saiyan to never transform into a Super Saiyan. He is also the only full-blooded Saiyan to never die throughout the series.
• Tarble strangely seems to believe that Vegeta defeated Freeza, unaware of Goku's role or who he is. He also seems to be unaware of Freeza's brief return and his final defeat on Planet Earth.