Babidi

Babidi
Vital statistics
Names	Babidi, Bobidi, Bobbidi
Gender	Male
Race	Bibidi's race (Alien-type)
Occupation	Warlock/Wizard
Origin	Dragon Ball Chapter 446: "Bobbidi the Warlock" (魔ま導どう師しバビディ Madōshi Babidi, lit. "The Dark Mage Bobbidi" November 9, 1993 (Weekly Shōnen Jump 1993 #49)
Alignment	Evil
Age	Over 5 Million Years
Created By	Akira Toriyama
Height	{{{height}}}
Weight	{{{weight}}}

Babidi (バビディ Babidi, lit. "Bobbidi") is an evil alien wizard and the clone son of Bibidi.

Babidi is the main antagonist of the Babidi Saga and the secondary antagonist of the Majin Buu Saga.

Personality

Babidi is a merciless and sadistic figure, exuding dark amusement as he eliminates anyone, including his most loyal followers, without a hint of remorse. He views these followers merely as tools for his greater schemes, disposing of them once they lose their utility purely to indulge his own cruelty. His only moment of regret in killing his minions was a fleeting realization that he might have been too hasty in believing he had gathered enough energy to awaken Buu from his egg.

Babidi takes great pleasure in using his powers to inflict suffering, often erupting into malevolent laughter at the sight of innocent people in pain. When confronting weaker opponents or with the backing of his more formidable allies, he relentlessly mocks and taunts, delighting in the fear and despair he causes. For instance, he savored the thought of Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks agonizing over the destruction of innocent cities for their refusal to surrender. His bravado fades when faced with real danger, revealing a cowardly and defenseless nature beneath his arrogant exterior as he flees or panics.

Obsessed with revenge, Babidi's fury is ignited when Goku escapes during his battle with Majin Buu. Enraged, he orders Buu to hunt down and kill Goku, refusing to let go of the grudge. He commands Buu to obliterate city after city, driven by a vendetta against Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks for their minor disruptions to his plans. In the afterlife, Babidi is among the villains observing Buu's battle with the Saiyans, pretending to take pride in Buu's prowess as his "teacher." However, his true feelings surface as he silently wishes for Goku to defeat Buu, seething over Buu’s betrayal.

In the uncut version of the anime, Babidi's crude side comes to the fore, particularly just before his demise at the hands of Majin Buu. He infamously flips off Goku in a fit of rage after being called a "cowardly worm."

Babidi’s arrogance and hypocrisy are profound. He fails to anticipate Buu's eventual rebellion, underestimating the seemingly simple-minded creature. He even orders Buu to kill the devoted Dabura, who had tried to stop Buu upon realizing the danger Buu posed, not just to others but to Babidi himself. This act leaves Babidi defenseless when Buu finally turns against him. Despite noticing Buu's growing independence and reluctance to obey, Babidi continues to belittle and insult him, showcasing the extent of his hubris.

Biography

Background

Babidi is essentially a clone of the dark wizard Bibidi, making him Bibidi’s "son" in a unique magical sense. Whenever Bibidi needed to amplify his efforts, he would split himself into multiple entities, sharing his magical power among them. Babidi was one such extension, and after Bibidi's demise, Babidi survived, inheriting the full extent of Bibidi's original powers.

Over time, Babidi formed his own organization dedicated to reviving the malevolent Majin Buu and exacting vengeance on the Supreme Kai, Shin, for killing Bibidi. Using his arcane abilities, Babidi scoured the universe for individuals with evil hearts, summoning them and using his Manipulation Sorcery to turn them into loyal subordinates. He also magically crafted his spaceship and various other devices to aid in his sinister endeavors.

Centuries before the main events of the series, Babidi encountered Dabura, the King of Demons, and brought him under his control. By the time they investigated Earth in Age 474, Dabura had already been Babidi’s servant for over 300 years, although they found no one with significant power levels then.

Dragon Ball Z

World Tournament Saga

Babidi makes his first appearance in "Dragon Ball Z" when he arrives on Earth with his minions, seeking to gather enough energy to resurrect Majin Buu. He soon realizes that Shin and Kibito, the Supreme Kai and his attendant, have tracked him to Earth to thwart his plans. To evade detection, Babidi buries his spaceship underground and mercilessly kills a nearby innocent family to keep his location secret. Inside his hidden lair, Babidi locates Majin Buu’s sealed ball but needs vast amounts of pure energy to free Buu from his ancient prison.

To amass this energy quickly, Babidi sends two of his thralls, Yamu and Spopovich, to the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament to extract energy from the contestants. After they collect sufficient energy from Gohan, who was fighting in his Super Saiyan 2 form, Babidi sees no further use for them. He orders Pui Pui, another of his minions, to execute Yamu while he himself tortures Spopovich to death by grotesquely inflating him until he explodes. This sadistic behavior is emblematic of Babidi's character, driven by a need to dominate and torment others to compensate for his insecurities.

Majin Buu Saga

Babidi's cruelty proves short-sighted when he realizes that the energy gathered from Gohan is only half of what is needed to fully revive Majin Buu. At this point, the Z Fighters, including Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Kibito, and Shin, discover Babidi’s location. Determined to avenge his "father," Babidi has his right-hand man, Dabura, turn Piccolo and Krillin into stone statues and kill Kibito to bait Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Shin into his ship, where he plans to drain their energy for Buu's revival.

Inside the ship, Babidi pits his warriors against the Z Fighters, starting with Pui Pui against Vegeta. To Babidi’s shock, Vegeta effortlessly annihilates Pui Pui. Next, Babidi unleashes Yakon, a formidable creature who feeds on light, to battle Goku. However, Goku tricks Yakon into consuming too much light from his Super Saiyan form, causing Yakon to explode. In a last attempt, Babidi sends Dabura to fight Gohan. As they battle, Dabura senses the dark potential within Vegeta and informs Babidi, who then casts a spell on Vegeta, transforming him into Majin Vegeta. Unexpectedly, Majin Vegeta defies Babidi's control, focusing solely on fighting Goku. Despite this, Babidi realizes that their intense battle is generating enough energy to potentially awaken Majin Buu.

The Release of Majin Buu With the accumulated energy, Babidi succeeds in breaking the seal on Majin Buu’s ball. To his and Dabura's surprise, Buu emerges not as a terrifying demon but as a rotund, childlike figure. Initially dismissive of Babidi, Buu submits only when Babidi threatens to reseal him. After witnessing Buu’s overwhelming power as he easily defeats Dabura, Babidi quickly shifts his allegiance to Buu, discarding Dabura as a now-useless pawn. Buu then eliminates Dabura by turning him into a cookie and eating him.

While Majin Vegeta battles Majin Buu, the restored Piccolo confronts Babidi. Despite Babidi's desperate attempts to fend off Piccolo using his magic, including encasing him in electrified slime and creating protective barriers, Piccolo breaks through Babidi's defenses. Babidi pleads for his life, arguing that without him, Buu would become uncontrollable and destroy everything. Piccolo, unfazed, asserts that Babidi’s survival is irrelevant and slices him in half, leaving Babidi to lament his unfulfilled plans as he falls to the ground.

Babidi's Last Stand Clinging to life, Babidi watches the clash between Majin Vegeta and Majin Buu. When Majin Vegeta sacrifices himself in a final explosion, Babidi commands Buu to heal him under threat of re-imprisonment. Mounting Buu’s back, Babidi embarks on a vengeful rampage across Earth, unable to leave the planet after Vegeta destroyed his spaceship. Despite Babidi's attempts to control Buu through threats, it becomes clear that Buu is only marginally compliant.

Babidi telepathically addresses Earth's inhabitants, demanding that Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo reveal themselves, while Buu continues to devastate cities. When Babidi learns from an eavesdropper about Trunks' location, he sets his sights on West City, only to be intercepted by Goku, who transforms into Super Saiyan 3 to stall for time. During their encounter, Babidi insults Buu repeatedly for his mistakes and berates Goku, who criticizes Buu for allowing Babidi to command him. Infuriated by Goku’s taunts and Babidi’s constant abuse, Buu finally snaps. He grabs Babidi by the throat, preventing him from uttering the incantation to reseal him, and then kills Babidi by smashing his head and disintegrating his body with a Ki Blast.

“	Darn it, darn it, darn it! Grr..You made a total fool out of me, you ungrateful little mutt! I hope you lose with the whole universe watching, I hope he humiliates you in front of everybody! So good luck, Goku! KNOCK HIM SILLY!"	„
	― Babidi switches sides in "Hang In There, Kakarot! You Are No. 1!"

After his death, Babidi appears in Hell, watching the battles between Goku and Kid Buu alongside other villains like Frieza, Cell, and King Cold. Initially bragging about his connection to Buu, Babidi secretly hopes for Goku's victory due to his lingering resentment towards Buu for the betrayal.

Dragon Ball GT

Super 17 Saga

Ultimately, Babidi is seen among those escaping from Hell before being subdued once more.

Shadow Dragon Saga

Naturon Shenron briefly mentioned Babidi when explaining his origins to Goku and Pan.

Trivia

Name Origin:

Babidi’s name, along with Bibidi and Buu, is likely a playful reference to the magic words “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” used by the Fairy Godmother in the Disney classic "Cinderella." This whimsical nod aligns with the quirky naming conventions often found in "Dragon Ball." Censorship:

In the original Funimation dub of "Dragon Ball Z," a scene where Babidi shows the middle finger was edited to replace the gesture with a clenched fist. This change was made to suit the broadcast standards for the intended audience at the time.

Super Saiyan Observations:

Babidi is one of the few villains in the "Dragon Ball" series to comment on the visual transformation of Super Saiyan forms. In the English dub, when Goku ascends to Super Saiyan 2, Babidi dismissively notes its similarity to the base Super Saiyan form. Later, when Goku reaches Super Saiyan 3, Babidi humorously quips that Majin Buu should give Goku a haircut, highlighting the drastic hair length change.

Creation Backstory:

According to Akira Toriyama’s addendums in the "Full Color Comics" series, Babidi is not Bibidi's "son" in the conventional sense. Instead, he is a doppelganger created by Bibidi to assist in tasks too large for one individual to manage. This is akin to the splitting technique used by Tien in "Dragon Ball," where each duplicate is weaker. However, after Bibidi's death, Babidi inherited all the power of the original wizard.

Cultural Influence:

In the Disney animated series "Star vs. the Forces of Evil," the first antagonist, Ludo, has a voice that closely resembles Babidi's, indicating the cultural impact of Babidi's character in animation. Mirage Comparison:

In "Dragon Ball," Demigra's Mirage shares similarities with Babidi. Both are doppelgängers of their creators, used to extend their original selves’ influence and power. This concept of using doppelgängers is a recurring theme in the series.

Poetic Justice:

In "Dragon Ball Legends," Babidi experiences a form of poetic justice when he is brainwashed by Zahha. This twist is ironic given Babidi’s own history of manipulating and controlling others, turning the tables on his own sinister tactics.