Thread by @Herms98

Age 737: While the lovey pineapple-haired Nappa looks on, young Vegeta plays with his favorite toys, the latest new and improved cultivated men. But where does he get such wonderful toys? #HistoryofEver

Toriyama’s original explanation is that the Saibaimen were created by Saiyan scientists via biotechnology. This comes from one of the memos he provided the anime staff to help with filler, the same source as his Tsufruian designs and other tidbits. kanzenshuu.com/animation-prod…

The Saibaimen’s Daizenshuu 7 bio references Toriyama’s memo on their biotech origins, and also notes that the ones currently in use are enhanced versions from Age 737 (this factoid is mentioned in the timeline too, and comes from the mook’s description in the Bardock special)

Interestingly, the strategy guide for the SNES game Legend of the Super Saiyan describes the Saibaimen class of enemies as a type of “alien lifeform that evolved from plants” which were then “enhanced via biotechnology”.

Then in the 2018 Saiyan Special Q&A (the same source as all that Yamoshi stuff), Toriyama says that the Saibaimen are “a lifeform discovered on a certain planet”, whose rare and valuable bulbs were harvested by the Saiyans. kanzenshuu.com/translations/s…

So Toriyama gave two explanations decades apart that ended up contradicting each other. Shocking, I know. The oddd part is how the strategy guide description which came out in the years between sounds like an attempt to reconcile Toriyama’s “biotech” and “alien lifeform” versions

Speaking of “Saiyan scientists”, Toriyama explains elsewhere in the Saiyan Special Q&A how Saiyan technology was ahead of Earth in terms of spaceships and combat equipment (did they have nukes?), plus all the stuff they got from Cold and co

DBS: Broly shows us a group of Saiyans who certainly seem to be scientists, the hardworking staff of the baby capsule chamber. Naturally, they seem to spend most of their time measuring power levels.

But elsewhere in 737, something else is growing. A child destined to alter the fate of the entire multiverse and at least three timelines. A friend to both the highest of gods and lowliest of turtles. A fierce competitor and an eternal student. His name: Zero the Wonder Boy.

(Also, apparently he’s called “Goku” or some shit in the Japanese version, but whatever)

On Tuesday: the nativity!