Burdock

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"Freeza's taken our loyalty and paid us back in our own blood."
— Burdock in Dragon Ball Z: Bardock: The Father of Goku

Burdock (バーダック, Bādakku; FUNimation "Bardock", Viz "Burdock") is a Saiyan.

Name

Like most Saiyans, his name is based off a vegetable. It is a pun on the greater burdock herb (this pun is more apparent in the Dragon Ball manga where the character's name is literally spelled Burdock). Bardock's name, like all other Saiyan characters, is a pun on an edible plant material, in this case a burdock vegetable. The word "burdock" transliterated into katakana is badokku (バードック, bādokku), but the character's name is written as Badakku (バーダック, Bādakku), changing the "do" character to "da". This character change actually makes the kana sound more like "Bardock" to English speakers, making it difficult to accurately romanize the word to convey the pun. The word could be romanized as "Burdock", "Barduck", "Badack", or any combination of these syllables. While Viz's English publications of the manga use the spelling "Burdock", Funimation's dub of The Father of Goku spelled his name "Bardock", and as well this is how Freeza pronounces his name while speaking aloud during the Frieza Saga of Funimation Entertainment's Dragon Ball Z dub.

Appearance

Bardock's appearance is very similar to Goku's. Bardock has unkempt hair which partially stands on end and a scar on his left cheek. He wears black and green Saiyan armor and a green scouter on his left eye. Later on, he wears Tora's blood soaked armband as a headband when he fights Frieza's Elites on Planet Meat.

Personality

Bardock displays personality traits fairly typical of Saiyans. He is somewhat cocky, loves fighting, and will kill in cold blood. He has a laid-back and fearless personality, as evidenced by him and his crew accepting missions that baffle even Frieza's elite soldiers, and his taking responsibility in confronting Frieza alone. He is a highly capable tactician in battle, able to perceive the situation at hand and act accordingly with it, as shown from his ability to out-maneuver Frieza's men. However, unlike a typical Saiyan, most have little care for comrades, Bardock deeply cares for the members of his team, and is enraged after finding them ransacked on Planet Meat, particularly Tora during their last conversation.

Until the Kanassan's gift of foresight begins changing his life, Bardock thinks fairly little of himself being a father, and so he generally does not acknowledge the newborn Kakarrot except when the child is a topic of conversation among his platoon and when he begins experiencing visions of an up-and-coming Kakarrot. Bardock shows his bravery when he sees his impending doom. Instead of fleeing for his own life, he choses to stay behind and fight to the death. By the time of his final confrontation with Freeza, Bardock has had a significant change of heart. Having faced the horrifying visions that caused panic and distress of his heart as well as the imminent extinction of his race, he loses all concern for exterminating civilizations for selfish gain and instead tries to avenge those he has killed.

Biography

Manga

Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock

In Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock, Bardock survived after his battle against Freeza and woke up in a bed on a planet that looks a lot like Planet Vegeta. He is being treated by two aliens: the village doctor Ipana and his son Berry. Bardock remarks that the medicine used to heal him is similar to the fluid in Rejuvenation Tanks and Ipana says that the name of the planet is Planet Plant, so Bardock starts to wonder if he is in the past. When two soldiers named Toobi and Kyabira arrive and declare that they are going to conquer the planet, Bardock confronts and kills them. The villagers come to thank him, but Bardock flies away to a cave. When Berry arrives at the cave with a basket of food, Bardock tells him to leave, but eventually eats the young alien's food and grows tolerant of him over time.

When the space tyrant Chilled comes to investigate Planet Plant, due to the death of Toobi and Kyabira, Berry tells Bardock that he has a bad feeling about him. When Chilled and his soldiers start terrorizing the planet, Berry begs Bardock to help the Plants. Remembering his friends' decimation on Planet Meat, Bardock accepts and saves Ipana from Chilled's men. When he sees Chilled, Bardock confuses him for Frieza and angrily attacks him with a punch to the face. Chilled kicks him and begins to crush him

Chilled is about to deliver the finishing energy blast to Bardock when Berry rushes forward in an attempt to save him. However, Chilled throws the blast instead to him, wounding Berry. Bardock, upon seeing this, thought of Frieza and the death of his crew, became furious. He became a Super Saiyan. They began fighting once more, and Chilled tries to ki blast him to death, only to have it pushed back at him; the force of the blast sent the tyrant flying into space. The villagers cheer on Bardock and he smiles. It is revealed that Chilled survived after loosing the Energy Struggle, but he later died from his wounds in his spaceship. Chilled's knowledge about Super Saiyans was passed to his descendants (King Cold, Frieza and Cooler).

Bardock's sons and team

Bardock was a low-class Saiyan warrior and the father of Raditz and Son Goku (Kakarrot). His life before his appearance in the TV Special is unknown, but he was shown to lead his own squad into battle, and they are very successful in accomplishing assignments. He is an adept fighter and a devoted Saiyan Army soldier under Freeza's Force until he realizes that Freeza planned to annihilate the Saiyan race. Given to him by the last Kanassan warrior is the ability to see into the future, and it is through these visions that he sees the eventual Genocide of the Saiyans.

Bardock was the biological father of Kakarrot (later known as Goku) and Raditz. He is a low-class Saiyan mercenary who led his own squad comprised of four other Saiyan soldiers, Tora, Selypa, Shugesh, and Borgos. Together, the five made a living by traveling to various planets and decimating the defenses of these civilizations in preparation for Freeza's planetary market.

Kanassan war

Main article: Kanassan war

Bardock after the battle on Planet Kanassa.

Bardock recuperating after the invasion of Planet Kannasa.

After clearing a society on Planet Kanassa, a weakened survivor emerged and caught Bardock off-guard. He instilled into the Saiyan the ability of precognitive foresight. This ability, the Kanassan believed, would over time serve Bardock with vengeance for the crimes the Saiyans had committed in the name of Frieza. While in recovery after his platoon's return to Planet Vegeta, Bardock was met with what he passed off as a delusion. In his vision, he witnessed the destruction of his homeworld by the hands of Freeza. During this time, presiding doctors attested that Bardock's battle power was approaching 10,000, and that at this rate he may surpass the strength of the Saiyan ruler, King Vegeta. Bardock was still out of commission when Freeza executed his selfish plan to resolve the paranoia he was experiencing. Following Freeza's orders, the capable soldiers Tora, Fasha, Shugesh, and Borgos were instructed to clear the civilization of Planet Meat. During their visit to the planet, the group encounterd one of Freeza's most dangerous minions, Dodoria, and his elite who, by Feeza's orders, betrayed and made short work of the Saiyans.

Invasion of Planet Meat

Main article: Invasion of Planet Meat

Bardock endures one last conversation with his most esteemed friend, Tora.

Bardock confronting Dodoria's Elite

When Bardock was informed that his team had accepted an offer on Planet Meat, a still injured Bardock hurriedly made preparations to pursue his friends, unaware of the dangers that awaited at his destination. Once on Planet Meat, Bardock discovered his ravaged comrades, and to some fortune found that Tora was still alive but in critical condition. Vowing to avenge the four, Bardock removed Tora's armband, now soaked in blood, and donned it over his head (providing an emotional backstory for one of Bardock's most recognizable physical features). Bardock was suddenly assaulted by Dodoria's Elite, although for a low-class Saiyan he was still able to dominate over the elite-class fighters until Dodoria launched a Super Mouth Blast, overpowering Bardock and leaving him for dead. Bardock barely survived this attack, and coming to terms with the fact that his visions were actual premonitions and not a case of delirium, he desperately struggled against time to return to Planet Vegeta and change the grim fate of his people. Upon his return to the planet, he immediately began spreading the word of danger, but his panic (as well as the state of his condition) only led bystanders to believe Bardock was overreacting after having finally met his match during a typical mission.

Genocide of the Saiyans

Main article: Genocide of the Saiyans

Bardock charging the Final Spirit Cannon in the final confrontation with Freeza.

Bardock's last moments

Terrified at the reaction he has received and the helplessness of his situation, Bardock in a frenzy takes to the skies where Frieza's spaceship is orbiting, in a last resort effort to throttle Frieza's plan to eradicate the Saiyans. As Bardock displays an abnormal ability to fend off hundreds of Frieza's soldiers, Frieza decides that the situation is growing out of hand. Frieza's decision is solidified by his perceived insolence of another Saiyan, King Vegeta, who has invaded Frieza's spaceship with his servants' in an attempt to rescue their prince, Vegeta (who at this time is nowhere near the ship, as he is carrying out orders on another planet). After killing King Vegeta and his royal guard, Frieza steps out into the orbit of Planet Vegeta where he encounters Bardock, who insists that the Saiyans refuse to continue being oppressed and commanded by the tyrant. Intending to wipe out the Saiyans anyway, Frieza doesn't see a problem with Bardock's allegation, and somewhat patiently listens to Bardock's speech, staking out the perfect opportunity to commence his genocide. This opening comes when Bardock attempts to kill Frieza using a Final Spirit Cannon, which Frieza retaliates against with an expanding Supernova laughing manically the whole time. Within moments, the Supernova is set free from Frieza's fingertip and careens through countless bystanding soldiers en route toward the Planet Vegeta; Bardock is among the first to be consumed by the ball of energy.

As he is incinerated within the Supernova, Bardock has one final vision, that of his son Goku (born Kakarot) challenging and defeating Frieza, which brings a smile to his face. His dying regret, however, is that he never had a chance to hold his infant son in his arms before he was commissioned to Earth only days after being born.

Films

Bardock, Selypa, and Tora in a cameo appearance in Dragon Ball Z.

Because Bardock was primarily the creation of Toei Animation, it was only after the airing of The Father of Goku that Bardock would make an appearance in the manga, albeit a two-panel cameo appearance. This was followed by Bardock making cameo appearances in the mainstream Dragon Ball Z series in "Fighting Power: One Million?", "The End of Vegeta", and "The Ultimate Battle", mostly during Freeza's flashbacks to the "final confrontation" scene featured at the climax of The Father of Goku. He also appears in Cooler's flashback to the destruction of Planet Vegeta in "Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge" during the planet's last seconds. The flashback was shown once again on Dragon Ball Kai's first episode. Bardock has most recently appeared in Ooishi Naho's manga spin-off The Episode of Bardock, which also has him transforming into a Super Saiyan for the first time.

Video games

Bardock in Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

Bardock has been featured as a playable character in several Dragon Ball video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2, ,Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast, and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.

In Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai: Another Road, Bardock makes an appearance in Chapter 6 where he meets Pikkon, Son Gohan, and Grand Kaio.

Dragon Ball Online

Evil Bardock in Dragon Ball Online.

In Dragon Ball Online, Miira went back in time and saved Bardock (in an alternate timeline). He then forced Bardock to be his servant. In one of the time travel quests, the player has to battle this Evil Bardock. Bardock eventually returns to normal and betrays Miira and uses a kamikaze attack to seemingly kill Miira (although it is unknown whether he survived or not). Bardock later appears to have somehow survived the explosion as he is seen in a later time travel quest taking place on Planet Namek.

Techniques

• Bukujutsu
• Divination - Divination (占い, Uranai) is a psychic ability granted to Bardock by a Kanassan as a form of retribution for the misdeeds of he and the Saiyan race in general. This ability gives Bardock the gift of foresight, but he has limited control over what visions he receives and when they occur.
• Final Revenger - One of Bardock's Blast 2 attacks in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. Bardock knocks the opponent up into the air with powerful attacks and finally knocks them down to the ground.
• Final Spirit Cannon - A whitish-blue sphere of Ki that Bardock uses in an attempt to assassinate Frieza.
• Flash Spirit - This attack is used when Bardock fights the horde of soldiers on his way to attack Frieza. It is a punch, followed by a kick then an energy wave. It is named in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast where it is one of his Super Attacks.
• Full Power Energy Wave - Basically a fully-powered Energy Wave shot from the palm. Is similar to the Kamehameha and Galick Gun in basic function. This was one of Bardock's basic Energy Wave Blast 2 attacks in the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series.
• Great Ape - as with all Saiyans with a tail, Bardock has the ability to transform into a Great Ape at the sight of a full moon (or another source of Blutz Waves). Bardock transformed into it while on Planet Kanassa, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3.
• Heat Phalanx - a heated Ki punch technique which appears in the Budokai video game series and Burst Limit.
• Kamehameha - Bardock never uses this attack in any other game but in Shin Budokai: Another Road, Bardock participates in the True Family Kamehameha along with Goku, Gohan, Future Gohan and Goten, defeating Kid Buu and saving the Future.
• Ki Blast - The most basic form of energy wave.
• Power Ball - A ball of Blutz ray, which simulates the effects of a full moon to allow a Saiyan with a tail to become a Great Ape. (Vegeta claims that Bardock was the inventor of this technique, however as this line was Ocean Group dub only, the canonicity of it is disputable at best).
• Riberion Torigā – Riberion Torigā (リオン トリガー, Riberion Torigā; Literally meaning "Rebellion Trigger")
• Saiyan Spirit - A combination technique of ki-powered punches used by Bardock in the video games Shin Budokai: Another Road and Burst Limit. It also appears in Budokai 3, under the title Spirit of Saiyans. Saiyan Spirit is likely Bardock's most powerful technique in the Budokai series.

Transformations

• Great Ape - Bardock can transform into a Great Ape. In this Transformation state his Power increases ten-folds. Bardock like Elite Saiyan warriors can remember everything in the transformation state and Control it (stated by himself after the battle on Kanassa).
• Super Saiyan - Bardock gains this ability in Dragon Ball Heroes and Ooishi Naho's Episode of Bardock manga spin-off.

Voice actors

• Japanese dub: Masako Nozawa
• FUNimation dub: Sonny Strait
• Latin American dub: Mario Castañeda
• German dub: Tommy Morgenstern
• Portuguese dub: Henrique Feist
• Italian dub: Marco Balzarotti (Bardock: The Father of Goku), Simone D'Andrea (Frieza Saga)

Trivia

• In a chapter of the Dragon Ball manga, Raditz alludes to Bardock when commenting that Goku "[looks] just like [their] father".
• Bardock claims that he can remember his actions in his Great Ape form.
• In the Ocean Group dub of Dragon Ball Z, Bardock is described by Vegeta as having been "an average fighter, but a brilliant scientist," despite Bardock's ventures into sciences being absent from the manga and all subsequent dubs of the anime.
• It is interesting to note that Bardock has never mentioned his first son Raditz, although one of his earliest lines in response to what day his son was born ("I don't quite remember, it was long ago") may refer to Raditz, as he is significantly older than the then-day old Kakarrot.
• In a flashback during the Frieza Saga, it is shown that during Bardock's confrontation with Frieza, all of the men behind him were part of his army to defeat Frieza. However, in Bardock: The Father of Goku, it is shown that those are all actually Frieza's men, and Bardock fought his way through them to get to Frieza.
• Bardock was the first originally-filler character to later be included in the manga.
• In Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru's original character design of Bardock, he had a longer scar. His hair was more spiked, similar to Goku and Vegeta's hair. His Saiyan armor was a brighter shade of green, and it had three or four flaps at the waist. He did not wear the long-legged jumpsuit he has in Akira Toriyama's final design.
• Bardock is one of three members of the team who's name was not completely changed from Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru's design. The other being Panbukin (Shugesh in the American dub,) and Toma (Tora in American dub).
• Bardock was mentioned by Paragas in Dragon Ball Z: Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan.
• The first episode of Dragon Ball Z Kai shows a scene from the TV Special Bardock: The Father of Goku in which Bardock is fighting thousands of Frieza's men and then confronts Freeza. For some reason, the scene is mirrored.
• A commercial advertising Dragon Ball Z Kai on Nicktoons shows Bardock when he forms the blast about to attack Frieza. No blood is present, and most of Bardock's scar is missing from his face.
• Bardock is one of the few saiyans to have gone to outer space and breathe normally, while fighting Frieza and his men.
• Interestingly, in the Budokai Tenkachi series, Bardock is briefly reunited with his son, Goku, noting how strong he has become before they battle and even assuring him that he will know who he is after they fight. In Burst Limit, Bardock meets Goku and fights him, and is shocked to see that Goku has become a Super Saiyan.
• In Budokai 3, his alternate costume looks similar to Turles's outfit.
• In the Budokai Tenkaichi games, if Bardock fights Dodoria, Zarbon or Cooler, he states "I'll take you down and then Frieza!".
• In Budokai Tenkaichi 3 if he fights Kid Goku, Bardock will say, "K-Kakarot! Is that you?" to which Goku replies, "I'm not any Kaka- or whatever thing guy."
• In the 'what if' story Fateful Brothers it is revealed that Raditz has great respect for his father.
• In Dragon Ball: Raging Blast, Bardock has a "what if" story where he fights his grandsons (Gohan and Goten) in a vision before his death, apparently a dream.
• It is likely that Bardock was the most powerful lower-class Saiyan soldier of his time. Near the time of his death, Bardock was rumored to have a power level of nearly 10,000, which is said to rival that of King Vegeta.
  • This is backed by his ability to defeat Dodoria's Elite, despite being outnumbered 4-1, as well as surviving Dodoria's Mouth Energy Wave. Later on, the heavily-wounded Bardock fights through hundreds of Frieza's troops, on his own, in an effort to reach Frieza's ship. The power levels of the soldiers were not revealed.