Bardock (Dragon Ball Super)

Bardock (バーダック Bādakku) is a low-class Saiyan warrior, the husband of Gine, and the father of Raditz and Goku. Bardock's childhood until his early years in adulthood is unknown, but he is shown to lead his own squad into battle, and they are very successful in accomplishing their assignments. He is an adept fighter and a devoted Saiyan Army soldier under the Frieza Force until he realizes his tyrannical boss plans to annihilate the Saiyan race.

Appearance

In Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child and Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Bardock wears beige Battle Armor with rectangular shoulder pads and his boots are white with beige tips instead of black with green tips and does not have the red shinguards. His arm bands are blue instead of red. Bardock has no headband of any kind. The scar on his check is smoother and x-shaped. He also has an additional thin scar running horizontally across his right bicep. His tail is also draped more loosely around his hips.

Personality

In the manga, Bardock's personality has some distinct differences. While still a Saiyan soldier at heart with a stern and straightforward approach to things, he was more social as he would warmly greet other Saiyans after arriving in his home world. He showed great care and compassion for his own children, an action he says that is due to Gine's softness rubbing off on him. Initially, Bardock was rather careless and somewhat inconsiderate towards Gine and his children, being gone for several months and missing the birth of Kakarot, something Gine chastises him for, but after seeing his child in-person and naming him, he begins to feel more compassion for his family. Later, during the invasion of Planet Cereal, Bardock's growing compassion was shown by his willingness to spare a mother and her child, even working to protect them. In Broly, he stated that it might be that after all the death and destruction he had caused, he felt the fickle urge to actually save something, particularly if that something was judged to be a low level like his son, Kakarot. Upon learning of Frieza's growing fear of the Super Saiyan legend, Bardock quickly comes up with a plan to get Kakarot off the world so he could live. Bardock also displays some heroic qualities as well, as when Frieza launches his Supernova to destroy Planet Vegeta, Bardock flies up to try and stop it, resorting to fighting several of Frieza's minions and then throwing himself in front of it as a last ditch effort to save his race from extinction.

Biography

Background

Bardock is a low-class Saiyan mercenary who leads a small platoon. His wife Gine was also part of Bardock's Team at one point. Together, the team makes a living by traveling to various planets where they decimate the defenses of these civilizations and prepare them for Frieza's Planetary Market. After being saved on the battlefield by him several times, Gine developed some feelings for Bardock. Due to her gentle nature, Gine was not cut out for fighting and retired. Her gentle nature has also changed Bardock's behavior, as Saiyans usually do not demonstrate care for their children but Bardock does. Bardock and Gine already had two sons by the time of the destruction of Planet Vegeta. According to Akira Toriyama, the pair of Bardock and Gine were those rare Saiyans who were joined by a bond other than for reproductive purposes, and in an interview, he says that Bardock himself might have had siblings, but perhaps even Bardock himself does not really know and, at any rate, he probably has no interest in it either.

Not long after Frieza took command of the Frieza Force, Bardock was dispatched along with other Saiyans to Planet Cereal in order to lay waste to it as Great Apes, decimating the population and leaving Granolah as the sole, unknown survivor. This came from Bardock witnessing Granolah as a child with his mother. Seeing Kakarot and Gine in this situation, Bardock opted to spare them and lied to Leek that he was looking for survivors. He detected life in the mountains and hid them with Monaito. Despite these efforts, they were found by the Heeters, who mercilessly killed Granolah's mother. Bardock managed to help Granolah and Monaito briefly escape, but he was soon stopped by Gas, leading the two to fight. Gas mocks Bardock about the Saiyans about their imminent destruction, confusing Bardock.

After Gas unleashes a portion of his instincts, Bardock finds himself completely on the back foot. During their battle Monaito summons Toronbo and tries to send Bardock back to Planet Vegeta, but Bardock refuses, not wanting to run from the fight. When Monaito asks what wish Bardock would like, Bardock states that he just wants his sons to thrive. Gas then proceeds to beat Bardock further, tearing his tail off. Gas throws a spear at Bardock to finish him, but it is intercepted by Monaito. This enrages Gas into using his full power before knocking Monaito away and grabbing Bardock by the neck. Bardock manages to escape the hold knocks Gas away. When Gas asks him why he is fighting, Bardock responds by saying that in a life or death battle, victory is all that matters and he simply fights when there is an enemy to beat.

Bardock's Saiyan Power activates, allowing him to push past his limits and defeat Gas. Drained of energy, Bardock falls to the ground. Bardock proceeds to tell Elec, who came to retrieve Gas, that he thought they were loyal to Frieza. Elec explains that in business, you don't show all your hands and then proceeds to mock Bardock and the rest of the Saiyans for not realizing what Frieza was planning. Instead of elaborating, he shoots Bardock in the shoulder, causing him to fall off a cliff into a forest below. Elec shoots the area where he landed several more time before leaving. Bardock, having survived, is found by Monaito, but his scouter is broken. He soon left the planet and returned home, where Gine tended to him. Not long later, he joined Leek on a mission.

Broly film and Dragon Ball Minus

"You have to stay alive!" — Bardock's last words to Goku in Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child

Bardock and Leek are in a battle against aliens on another planet when they receive a message on their Scouters ordering all Saiyans back to Planet Vegeta.

The two head back to the planet, noticing Frieza's Spaceship hovering in orbit above Planet Vegeta. Bardock believes that Frieza must have a hidden agenda. Upon his return to Planet Vegeta, Bardock learns from Taro that Frieza's men had been asking about the Super Saiyan legend.

Bardock heads home to reunite with Gine and asks if their son, Kakarot, is still in his incubator. Gine says that he is, but it has been three years, so he will be released soon. Bardock also learns that Raditz is off world with Vegeta and Nappa. Bardock fills Gine in on what is going on and reassures her everything is going to be alright as he has a plan. His plan is to send Kakarot off world to a planet called Earth, which he already scouted prior and the population is mostly peaceful and anyone may not pose a threat to Kakarot. From there, they would wait it out and if Bardock is wrong they will simply go to Earth and get Kakarot. Bardock deduced Kakarot would be safer if they did not escape with him since their power levels were large enough for Frieza's scouters to detect them and they lacked the ability to lower their power levels.

Later at night, Bardock steals an Attack Ball, and he and Gine send Kakarot away to Earth, also deciding to inform Raditz about this. Bardock places his hand on the cockpit window as to does Kakarot. Bardock tells his son to be strong and brave for him and smiles at him as Kakarot is flown to safety. A month after this Frieza flies up above Planet Vegeta and throws his Supernova at it. Bardock tries blasting it but his attack is overwhelmed and he is disintegrated.

Granolah the Survivor Saga

As Granolah's single-minded hunt for revenge against the Saiyans continued, nearly killing Goku and Vegeta, Monaito revealed to the Cerealian the truth about Bardock's kindness, making him settle down. It is also revealed that Vegeta knew or was at least aware of Bardock, as he told Goku that Bardock was his father. Goku was shocked to learn his father's name. Vegeta also remarked that kindness was genetic in the family.

An evolved Gas later recognized Goku as Bardock's son and learns Bardock is long dead.

Goku and Vegeta are later shown his Bardock's scouter and the audio causes Goku to remember his time with his Saiyan family.

After the defeat of the Heeters, Goku is given his father's scouter as a souvenir and smiled at the brief memory of Bardock.