Launch (Dragon Ball)

Launch (ランチ, Ranchi, lit. "Lunch") is a woman with a unique condition that causes her to switch between two distinct personalities whenever she sneezes. Her blue-haired personality is sweet, cheerful, and pure-hearted, always willing to help others. In contrast, her blonde-haired personality is aggressive, quick-tempered, and armed with a penchant for crime, often resorting to gunfire when provoked. Notably, the two personalities are unaware of each other's actions or words, although this begins to change during the King Piccolo arc, as evidenced by her memory of Krillin after his death.

Names	Launch (ランチ, Ranchi, lit. "Lunch"), Marilynn (Harmony Gold dub)
Gender	Female
Race	Human
Occupation	Robber (bad form only) Housekeeper (Formerly) Truck Driver (good form only) Hovercar Racer (bad form only)
Origin	Dragon Ball Chapter 26: "Who's That Girl?"|？ふしぎな女おんなの子こ|Fushigi na Onna no Ko|lit. "The Peculiar Girl" May 28, 1985 (Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1985 #26)
Alignment	Anti-Hero
Age	40s
Created By	Akira Toriyama

Appearance

Launch’s outfits vary frequently, but she almost always sports a red ribbon in her hair. Her debut look features a light-green, belly-baring crop top, yellow shorts with a red belt, brown fingerless gloves, and red shoes with the Nike logo, paired with green socks. During the General Blue Saga, her outfit shifts to a pink tank top and black pants with white knee pads. At the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, she dons a black shirt and green pants, while in the King Piccolo Saga, she wears a purple sleeveless top with gray pants, a brown belt, and a sash. By the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, she appears in a red dress with pink boots. Her measurements are 82 cm bust, 57 cm waist, and 83 cm hips.

Personality

Good Launch

The blue-haired Launch is gentle and pure of heart, a fact underscored by her ability to ride the Flying Nimbus. Her personality is reminiscent of Bulma's early demeanor. She happily performs household tasks for Master Roshi, oblivious to his constant attempts to peek at or grope her. However, her innocent demeanor vanishes with a sneeze, triggered by common irritants like dust, pepper, or pollen, which transforms her into her more violent counterpart.

Bad Launch

The blonde-haired Launch is bold, confrontational, and often armed with a machine gun as part of her transformation. Her tough persona intimidates even strong characters like Goku, Krillin, and Master Roshi, as she doesn’t hesitate to open fire on them. Despite her rough attitude, she never explicitly harms her friends, though she often antagonizes them and keeps them on edge. Her bad side is more practical and fearless, clearing crowds during tournaments to help her friends get better spots.

Over time, the two personalities begin to blend, with the blonde side showing moments of care and emotional depth, such as mourning Krillin’s death or developing feelings for Tien Shinhan. This evolution also allows both personalities to coexist with a sense of mutual acceptance, reflecting Launch's gradual control over her dual nature.

Biography

Dragon Ball

Tournament Saga

Launch's blonde persona was infamous as the most-wanted criminal in Brown County. One day, after sneezing and transforming into her blonde self in a bar, she robs a train, sparking a police chase. During the pursuit, she sneezes again, reverting to her innocent, blue-haired form. Goku and Krillin, on a mission from Master Roshi to find him a woman, stumble upon the scene and mistakenly assume the police officers are impersonators. Goku knocks out the officers while Krillin hides, and they take Launch to Kame House.

At Kame House, Launch meets Master Roshi and agrees to stay to train and evade the authorities. However, Roshi gives her lingerie disguised as a "fighting uniform." Just as they are about to begin training, a bee tickles her nose, triggering a sneeze and her violent transformation. Displeased with her outfit, she angrily shoots at Roshi, Goku, and Krillin. A subsequent sneeze reverts her back, and she apologizes for her actions, explaining her dual personalities.

Later, on Training Island, Launch decides to focus on cooking and cleaning rather than fighting. In one notable incident, she sneezes in her sleep, transforming into her aggressive self. The next morning, upon discovering Goku sharing her bed, she shoots at him, prompting Goku to fight back and knock her out with a kick. Another time, during dinner, pepper causes her to sneeze, leading to another outburst of gunfire. Despite these chaotic moments, Launch cooks for the group as they prepare for the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, although she remains at the house when they leave for the competition.

Red Ribbon Army Saga

After the tournament, Launch returns to Kame House with Roshi and Krillin, continuing her domestic duties. When Goku and Bulma visit to borrow a submarine, Roshi trades it for Bulma's Micro Band. While they are gone, Roshi persistently pesters Launch to bathe so he can spy on her, which eventually triggers her blonde side. In her aggressive form, she asserts dominance over Kame House, striking a deal not to shoot Roshi as long as he complies with her orders.

In one instance, Turtle inadvertently reverts her back to her blue-haired self by rubbing her nose with a weed, just as she is about to retaliate against Roshi for serving terrible food. Later, Red Ribbon Army troops led by Captain Dark arrive at Kame House, demanding the Dragon Balls. Roshi fends off most of the attackers, but one soldier threatens Launch. Turtle once again triggers her transformation, allowing her to defeat the soldier.

Launch joins Yamcha, Roshi, Bulma, Turtle, and Krillin to assist Goku at the Red Ribbon Army’s main base. However, by the time they arrive, Goku has already defeated all the troops single-handedly.

Tien Shinhan Saga

Three years later, as the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament approaches, the good Launch plans to stay behind at Kame House. However, a sneeze transforms her into her bad self, and she decides to join the group instead. Before the preliminaries, Bulma offers Launch her room to change, and they head next door. Master Roshi, true to his perverted nature, sneaks in under the guise of delivering blankets. As Launch removes her tank top and prepares to change into one of Bulma’s nightgowns, she and Bulma catch Roshi in the act. Rather than drawing her gun, Launch punches Roshi alongside Bulma, breaking his glasses and leaving him humiliated with a nosebleed.

At the tournament, Roshi meets his old rival, Master Shen, the Crane Hermit. Launch, irritated by Shen, attempts to shoot him, but he effortlessly catches her bullets with his bare hand. Later, she uses her gun to scare off the front-row crowd, clearing space for her friends. Throughout the event, Launch alternates between cheering in her good form and heckling in her bad form, depending on her sneezes.

When Goku nearly misses his match against Pamput due to a ploy by Pamput’s manager, Launch, while getting ice cream, spots the car carrying Goku away. She chases it on a motorcycle, confronts the culprits in an alley, and single-handedly defeats Pamput’s bodyguards and manager, ensuring Goku’s timely return. During Goku and Krillin’s match, Launch encourages the group to pick a side but roots for Krillin herself. Afterward, she praises both fighters and suggests celebrating with a meal.

In the final match, when Chiaotzu uses his powers to paralyze Goku, Launch tries to smash him with a mallet but is easily thwarted by Master Shen. Despite this, she remains enthusiastic and begins to develop an attraction to Tien Shinhan after the tournament.

King Piccolo Saga

When the group discovers Krillin's body, even Launch's bad side shares in the grief. As Master Roshi explains the symbol found near Krillin, Launch dismisses King Piccolo’s name as ridiculous. She holds Krillin’s body while comforting Oolong, albeit bluntly. Later, when Tambourine arrives to attack Yamcha, Launch fires an uzi at him, but the bullets are ineffective, forcing her to retreat.

Launch remains at Kame House with Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong, defending it from three burglars who try to rob them. When the group prepares to confront King Piccolo, Launch joins them, declaring that she will make him pay if he harms Tien. However, a sneeze transforms her back into her good side before she can follow through. After Goku defeats King Piccolo, Launch nurses Tien back to health at Kame House.

Piccolo Jr. Saga

Three years later, Launch attends the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament with Master Roshi. To get a better view of the matches, Bulma triggers Launch’s bad side by tickling her nose with a plant. In her aggressive form, Launch clears the crowd by firing a gun into the air. She spectates the tournament alongside her friends, cheering for fighters such as Tien during his match against Mercenary Tao and Goku during his battle with Piccolo Jr. Launch remains in her blonde form throughout the event and stays supportive of her friends until the tournament concludes.

Dragon Ball Z

Saiyan Saga

Launch makes her debut in Dragon Ball Z during the Vegeta Saga, appearing as her blonde self. Having stayed with Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu since the end of Dragon Ball, she is first seen in the Mushroom Forest, fleeing from the police on her S-Cargo after robbing a bank to buy food for Tien. She manages to blow up one of the pursuing police cars with a rocket launcher and successfully escapes.

Later, she joins Tien and Chiaotzu, interrupting their waterfall training by yelling Tien’s name and breaking his concentration. An earthquake suddenly occurs, causing the waterfall to burst toward Launch. Tien quickly saves her, which makes her blush in her bad form. After being rescued, she sneezes into her good form and leaves. While wandering, she spots a patch of flowers and plays among them, but sneezes again into her bad form and returns to find Tien and Chiaotzu.

When Tien and Chiaotzu head to the Lookout for further training, Launch is seen at the Sacred Land of Korin. She rummages through Bora’s tepee, hoping to find something to help her climb Korin Tower to reunite with Tien. However, Bora and Upa catch her. When she refuses to leave, she fires a gun at Upa, but Bora knocks it away. As she tries to retrieve the gun, she sneezes into her good form, startling Bora and Upa.

After Tien's death in the battle against the Saiyans, Launch is later seen in a bar, drowning her sorrows. She also senses the earthquake caused by Goku and Vegeta's fierce battle.

Frieza Saga

Launch makes a brief and final appearance in the manga during a gag insert in the Frieza Saga. These holiday-themed gag scenes were featured in Weekly Shōnen Jump issues from 1991 but were excluded from the tankōbon (compilation volumes).

Majin Buu Saga

In the anime, Launch appears during the Majin Buu Saga, emerging from a food truck labeled "Lunch Express" to contribute her energy to Goku’s Super Spirit Bomb. This scene, absent in the manga, was created as part of the filler content developed by Toriyama and his team.

Interlude

After the events of the main series, Launch continues to pursue Tien Shinhan, having fallen in love with him at first sight. She temporarily lives with him, though their cohabitation is short-lived due to her unsuitability for farming and Tien’s disinterest in romance. Despite this, Launch occasionally visits Tien from time to time.

The Return of Son Goku and Friends!

Two years after Majin Buu's defeat, Launch, in her good form, is at Kame House and later attends Mr. Satan's banquet celebrating the victory over Buu. During the event, the alien brothers Abo and Kado disrupt the festivities while targeting Tarble, Vegeta's brother. After Goten and Trunks fail to defeat the merged Aka, Goku defeats him with a Kamehameha, and the group resumes their feast.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

In the Supreme Kai of Time Saga, Launch tends to Tien’s wounds after his battle with Krillin.

Film Appearances

Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle

Launch ventures to the Devil's Castle to steal the Sleeping Princess, a massive jewel, but sneezes and reverts to her good side. She, along with Goku and his friends, is captured and encased in a rock wall. During the full moon, the moonlight powering the jewel causes Goku to transform into a Great Ape. He grabs Launch, but Yamcha and Puar manage to return him to normal. After Goku defeats Lucifer, the group escapes the Devil's Castle.

Returning to Kame House, Goku and Krillin bring Launch along, mistaking her for the Sleeping Princess. Master Roshi, hoping to take advantage of her, ends up facing her bad side when she sneezes, causing her to attack him, Goku, and Krillin. After another sneeze, she shifts back to her good side, leaving everyone fearful of her next change.

Mystical Adventure

In Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure, Launch first appears dining with Master Roshi and his students when sirens approach. Mistaking the sound for police, she panics, but Krillin reassures her. Launch becomes irritated when a man mistakes Goku for her child, calling him an idiot. When a large man attacks the restaurant, Launch fires her machine gun at him, though it proves ineffective.

Throughout the movie, Launch displays a more restrained and compassionate nature in her violent form, a notable difference from her usual behavior. Later, she joins Bulma, Oolong, and Puar in searching for the Dragon Balls. Oolong and Puar disguise themselves as Shen and Chiaotzu, while Launch and Bulma claim to be nuns accompanying them. Launch angrily dismisses questions about their origins, grabbing a necklace she likes from a frightened woman, alarming her companions.

Other Dragon Ball stories

Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! Love Comes From Penguin Village

Launch's good form appears in the audience at Yapaiya Castle during a performance meant to make Princess Puruah laugh. She is partially obscured behind Oolong and appears alongside other characters like the Pilaf Gang and King Nikochan.

Dragon Ball Online

In Age 779, Launch makes the news for successfully escaping prison for the 100th time, highlighting her adventurous and mischievous nature.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Launch's bad side is first encountered near the East Ravine, where she is recovering loot from a heist after her getaway car crashed. During the intermission following the Saiyan Saga, Master Roshi sends Gohan to find Launch. Gohan encounters Bad Launch near West City, where she is threatening a couple over a stolen map. After Gohan intervenes and defeats her robots, Launch explains she is searching for someone (Tien).

Back at Kame House, Good Launch reappears and clarifies her dual personality to a confused Gohan. She stays at Kame House, cooks for Gohan, and gives him her Soul Emblem as thanks. Later, Bad Launch mourns Tien's death after learning of his fate during the Saiyan battle and expresses hope for his resurrection.

During the Cell Saga, Launch participates in Hovercar Races, often claiming the top spot on the leaderboard. Both her personalities have separate entries in the game's Z-Encyclopedia: Good Launch is identified as "Launch (Blue Hair)" and Bad Launch as "Launch (Blonde Hair)," with additional lore about her adventurous side.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: 10-B | 9-B

Key: Good Launch | Bad Launch

Powers and Abilities: Involuntary Transformation, Multiple Selves (Type 1) | All previous abilities, Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Marksmanship, Weapon Mastery, Explosion Manipulation with firearms

Attack Potency: Human level | Wall level (Beat up several men at the same time, and kicked one so hard that he broke a hole through a wall)

Speed: Human level | Superhuman

Lifting Strength: Average Human | Likely Class 5

Striking Strength: Human level | Wall level

Durability: Human level | Wall level (Survived a casual Kid Goku's kick)

Stamina: Average | Superhuman

Range: Standard Melee Range; Tens of Meters with guns

Standard Equipment:

• Rocket Launcher: First used to stop a train she intends to rob and later almost used against King Piccolo before switching to her "Good Launch" form. She accidentally fires it later, nearly harming herself and others.
• Grenades: Employed as explosive weapons, though specific instances of use are less documented.
• Submachine Gun: A signature weapon for Bad Launch, based on the IMI Uzi, firing 100 rounds in 10 seconds. It's used in numerous scenarios, including a saloon shootout and attempts to protect Yamcha from Tambourine. It also appears in Dokkan Battle as part of her "Achoo!" super attack.
• Handgun: Used to intimidate a crowd during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament for better seating.
• Shotguns: Includes a sawn-off pump-action model and a double-barrel shotgun used for threatening adversaries, though often interrupted by sneezing.
• Hammer: A mallet wielded against Chiaotzu during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, though she was stopped by Master Shen.
• S-Cargo: A snail-like, one-wheeled motorcycle, used for getaways and noted for its pun-based name.
• Jetpack: Utilized in Dokkan Battle and Dragon Ball Legends, allowing her to fly without ki-based techniques.
• Hovercar: A red vehicle used for escapes and hovercar races, featured prominently in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
• Airplane: Another mode of transport in Kakarot, supplementing her ground vehicles.
• Portable Attack Robots: Capsule-based robots employed in Kakarot to retrieve a stolen map but destroyed by Gohan in a misunderstanding.

Intelligence: Average | Average

Weaknesses: Normal human weaknesses | Short temperament. Turns back to good if she sneezes.

Trivia

• Blood Type AB: Associated with split personalities in Japanese culture, paralleling her dual nature.
• Bounty: At $2,000,000, Bad Launch is one of the few Dragon Team members classified as a criminal, though Good Launch is likely mistaken for a disguise.
• Disorder: Her condition resembles dissociative identity disorder but includes unique triggers and transformations within the Dragon Ball universe.
• Parallels to Super Saiyan Forms: Her hair and personality shifts mirror Saiyan transformations, notably the blue-to-blonde transition and behavioral changes.
• Design Inspirations: Likely influenced by a character in Jackie Chan's Wheels on Meals. Her "Bad Launch" persona recalls Polly Buckets from Dr. Slump.
• Toriyama’s Commentary: Akira Toriyama admitted forgetting Launch's existence during Dragon Ball Z.
• Dub Accents: Bad Launch speaks with a Jersey accent (Funimation), while Good Launch has a Southern accent (Blue Water).
• Aging Inconsistencies: Shown older in Kid Buu's Spirit Bomb scene but younger in The Return of Son Goku and Friends!
• Reused Designs: Launch's traits reappear in characters like Pasta (orange-haired), Traffic Agent Lady, and Hasky.
• Pop Culture References: Her line referencing The Godfather and her bike inspiring a real-world vehicle add layers to her impact.
• Cut Scenes: Launch was omitted from some dubs and adaptations, reducing her visibility in parts of the franchise.
• Crossovers and Cameos: Appears in Dr. Slump films and Dragon Ball flashbacks.