Bardock

Bardock (バーダック, Bādakku), Burdock in Viz Media's English manga translation, is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball series. Created by Toei Animation based on series protagonist Goku's visual design by franchise creator Akira Toriyama, he appears in the television special Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku (1990), but the first time he appears in the canon Dragon Ball universe is in the 78th episode of Dragon Ball Z in a flashback of Frieza destroying planet Vegeta. Bardock has few overall manga and anime appearances within the series, though he plays a pivotal part as Goku's biological father in setting up the backstory of his son, originally known by the name Kakarot, as one of the last survivors of the Saiyan genocide by Frieza. Bardock has been well received by commentators and viewers as a tragic figure. Toriyama himself was moved by the character's story, which led to his decision to incorporate the character into the series' canon continuity through the Jaco the Galactic Patrolman manga bonus chapter "Dragon Ball −(Minus): The Departure of the Fated Child" (2014). Bardock's popularity has led to the character appearing in a variety of franchise media, including several video games as well as a starring role in the 2011 spin-off manga Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock and its subsequent animated adaptation. Bardock is a mercenary first introduced in the television special Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku (1990) as the leader of a platoon of Saiyan warriors. Within the series, the Saiyans are depicted as a warlike species who display a wide array of special abilities, possessing immense natural strength, ki energy manipulation, as well as superhuman agility, reflexes and senses. With the exception of their monkey-like tails, which enables the transformation of an individual in view of a full moon into a Great Ape, Saiyans have the same outward appearance as humans but with larger, more muscular builds. Franchise creator Akira Toriyama explained in an interview published in the March 2014 issue of Saikyō Jump that Bardock and his wife Gine (ギネ) are among the rare Saiyans who are joined by an emotional bond as opposed to a practical reproductive purpose.