Nuova Shenron

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Nuova Shenron
四星龍
Sì Xīng Lóng (Sū Shinron)
Anime name	Nuova Shenron
Alias	Four-Star Dragon Sì Xīng Lóng Shu Shenron Suu Szinron (Polish Dub)
Debuts
Debut	"The Four-Star Dragon"
Appears in
Characteristics
Race	Shadow Dragon
Birth Date	May 8, Age 753 (wish is made)
Death Date(s)	Age 790
Professional Status
Personal Status
Relatives	Eis Shenron (brother) Black Smoke Shenron (boss) Syn Shenron (comrade/fusee) Haze Shenron (comrade) Rage Shenron (comrade) Oceanus Shenron (comrade) Naturon Shenron (comrade) King Piccolo (wish responsible for existence)

"Did I forget to mention that I have the ability to raise my body temperature to even higher levels than the sun?" — "The Four-Star Dragon"

Nuova Shenron (四星龍, Sì Xīng Lóng; lit. "Four-Star Dragon") is one of the seven Shadow Dragons, the fifth to be fought by Goku and Pan. Nuova is the dragon of the Four-Star Dragon Ball, and is the twin brother of Eis Shenron. He represents the element of fire. He was born from King Piccolo wishing for the restoration of his youth during the events of the original Dragon Ball series. His name refers to a Nova, which is an exploding Sun, thus referencing his incredible fire powers.

Personality

Nuova Shenron is very faithful to his fellow Shadow Dragons, but also is fair to his enemies in battle, never resorting to desperate tactics, no matter what situation he is in. He will even assist his enemies if he considers his brothers' tactics on them unfair and desperate. He is easily the most kind-hearted of all the Shadow Dragons. He is also one of the most serious dragons, rarely smiling and limiting his taunts to the heat of battle.

Nuova's innate nobility and morals, unique among the seven Shadow Dragons, could stem from a number of places. The most obvious is that he is the dragon of the Four-Star ball, a Dragon Ball which has always been associated with Goku and his adopted grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. Another is that the wish made by King Piccolo, unlike all the other wishes that spawned the Shadow Dragons, was a selfish one, and as such would produce less negative energy after being granted. Nuova Shenron also has the distinction of being the last character Goku is able to win over to his side.

Biography

Fight for the Four-Star Ball

Nuova Shenron in his first stage

He first encountered Goku and Pan when they wandered into the charred remnants of a city and attempted to strike them down whilst encased in an orb of flame. After introducing himself as "the invincible four-star dragon," Nuova was attacked by a rash Pan and deftly knocked her unconscious with a single blow.

Goku demanded the Shadow Dragon unhand his granddaughter and, to the Saiyan's surprise, Nuova quietly set Pan out of harm’s way. After formally starting their battle, Nuova swiftly overpowered Goku with his sheer speed and ability to increase his body temperature. Goku was forced onto the defensive as Nuova relentlessly pursued him across the city. Goku could only use ki attacks to avoid being burned by Nuova, but was hampered by a sudden bout of hunger.

Nuova Shenron charges an energy attack

After nearly meeting his end from Nuova's lethal Nova Death Ray technique, Goku decided to even the odds and transformed straight to his Super Saiyan 4 form. Nuova responded in kind and shed his outer shell, becoming much faster and allowing him to maintain his advantage. Goku was able to outmaneuver Nuova by leading him underground and using deception, catching Nuova off-guard. However, Goku refused to finish off Nuova right away. When the Shadow Dragon demanded an explanation, Goku expressed his gratitude for not harming Pan when he had the chance. Nuova simply mentioned that he wanted a fair fight and was against killing innocents, a policy that earns Goku's approval, before both of them calmly returned to the surface to commence their battle anew.

Conflict and Death

Nuova Shenron in his second stage

The two were then interrupted by the arrival of Nuova’s evil twin brother, Eis Shenron. Eis ridiculed and pummeled Nuova, who refused to retaliate due to Eis being his brother, for his apparent weakness and faced down Goku himself. Nuova sat on the sidelines and refused to gang up on an opponent. When it appeared as though Goku was gaining the upper hand, Eis promptly resorted to freezing the Saiyan in a block of ice before instructing Nuova to incinerate him. However, Nuova instead used the intense heat of his attack to melt the ice that surrounded Goku, allowing him to take on Eis a second time. Nuova later stated his disgust for Eis' tactics, but still refused to strike him.

When Goku had Eis at his mercy, Nuova was the one to request that Goku release him if Eis were to forfeit his Dragon Ball (despite stating that Eis "brought this on himself"). After Eis took advantage of Goku's kindness by blinding him, Nuova expressed considerable outrage and did not intervene after Eis was struck down.

After Eis Shenron's demise, Nuova Shenron thanks Goku for a good fight and offers a medicine that can restore his sight. He then states that he wants to fight Goku after the Saiyan fully recover. Soon, Syn Shenron arrives and strucks Nuova with his Finger Beams, disgusted by Nuova showing mercy towards his opponent. Syn Shenron's finger beams also destroy the medicine bottle Nuova gave Goku. When Syn shot a Finger Beam towards Goku, Nuova Shenron launches himself at it and protects Goku. As he dies, Nuova apologizes to Goku, saying he only ever wanted a fair fight.

Battling Omega Shenron

Nuova Shenron teams up with Super Saiyan 4 Goku

Nuova returned once more before the conclusion of the saga, this time to help Goku and Vegeta in defeating the seemingly unstoppable Omega Shenron. After almost defeating Omega once during the fight, Goku managed to intercept (and swallow) the Four-Star Dragon Ball. This allowed Nuova to be reborn and empowered with Goku’s positive energy, but he emerged from Goku's body seemingly loyal to Omega once again. Nuova requested to face the two Saiyans alone, and Omega agreed. Nuova then proceeded to outmatch Vegeta with little effort before blasting him out of the way. After a brief scuffle with Goku, the pair hit Omega with a surprise attack, allowing Nuova to initiate the next part of their plan. Surrounding himself in a Nova Sphere, Nuova restrained Omega Shenron and stated his contempt for him before attempting to incinerate Omega once and for all. Nuova even mocked Omega for the way he attacked his opponents by turning his back against him, remembering that Syn had shot him in the back.

Unfortunately, Nuova revealing his immunity to heat proved to be a fatal mistake. Omega forcefully possessed Nuova by embedding his six corrupted Dragon Balls in the latter's body. Despite his best efforts, Nuova's body is used as a shell for Omega, allowing the villain to survive the blast. After the attack dissipates, Nuova has just enough time to apologize to Goku before Omega burst out of his body and reabsorbed his Dragon Ball to restore his full power.

When Omega Shenron was vaporized by Goku's Universal Spirit Bomb, Nuova is destroyed along with the rest of the Shadow Dragons, as the Dragon Balls are purged of their accumulated negative energy. While a wish was made to bring back anyone who died at the hands of Super 17 and the Shadow Dragons, it is unlikely that Nuova Shenron was brought back, though not impossible; Eis Shenron is shown to be able to maintain his body even after removing his corrupted Dragon Ball, as such Nuova may have been able to return with his normal body and without the corrupted Dragon Ball.

Power

Nuova is one of the strongest Shadow Dragons of all, second only to Syn Shenron. Unlike most of his fellow dragons, he is proficient in martial arts, allowing him to pose a great threat with or without his devastating elemental powers. His unrivaled speed allows him to keep ahead of Super Saiyan 4s like Goku and Vegeta, even catching Omega Shenron off-guard in one occasion. With all of these abilities at his disposal, Nuova is undoubtably one of the strongest characters in the series, as well as the only Shadow Dragon able to match Super Saiyan 4 Goku in a fair fight (all the others relied on clever tactics, dirty tricks, or lucky circumstances to get the advantage).

It is unclear why Nuova is so powerful, but one possibility is his affinity for fire, which is one of the most powerful and destructive elements if left unchecked. Another explanation is that Nuova, the Shadow Dragon of the Four-Star Ball, is meant to be a parallel to Goku: a symbol of strength, nobility and courage.

Techniques and special abilities

Nuova Shenron's abilities are all heat based. He can raise his temperature to more than 6000 degrees Celsius, effectively making him hotter than the surface of the Sun.

Fire Ki Blast

Fire Ki Blast

• Flight – The ability to fly with his wings.
• Ki Blast – The most basic form of energy wave. Nuova Shenron is capable of firing flame blasts from his palms, just as casually as many other fighters can shoot regular ki blasts.
• Cannon Breaker – A heavy punch used against base Goku. Named in the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game.
• Nova Death Ray – The "Lens" version of "Nova Star". Nuova forms a lens that can absorb heat from the sun in front of his hands, and then shoots a lethal ray of fire at the opponent.
• Nova Star – A huge ball of fire shot at the opponent. This move is used on Goku to melt the ice from Eis Shenron's Ice Ray. Named Burst Attack in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3.
• Burning Tornado – One of Nuova Shenron's Blast 2 in Budokai Tenkaichi 3.
• Sun Gun Attack – Nuova Shenron hides in a fireball and shoots fire ki blasts from within it. This attack is not named in the Japanese anime.
• Blaster Meteor – Nuova Shenron's Ultimate Blast in Budokai Tenkaichi 3.
• Nova Sphere – Nuova Shenron's ultimate attack. He grabs his opponent, then encases both himself and the opponent in a fireball. The fireball will explode if any volatile attacks are made, with a powerful explosion that can even kill Omega Shenron. Nuova Shenron himself will not be harmed by the explosion. Named Flaming Cage of Agony in the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game.
• Explosive Wave – Nuova Shenron can raise the temperature to more than 6000 degrees Celsius, thus creating a Heat Armor around him. He envelops himself in this high temperature to block attacks and burn his opponents at the same time.
• Nouva Break – Nuova Shenron throws a powerful punch while using his Heat Armor to increase temperature. Named in the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game.
• Instantaneous Transmission – Nuova Shenron uses this technique in Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

Transformation

Nuova Shenron in his second stage

This is Nuova Shenron's form without his Heat Armor. He changes into this form to combat Super Saiyan 4 Goku with no restrains; Nuova Shenron can fight with his full power while in this state.

Video game appearances

Nuova Shenron in Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Nuova Shenron made his debut video game appearance in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. He is playable in his second form as well as his alternate outfit being similar to his brother Eis Shenron and has the Nova Star as one of his attacks. Although Nuova eventually becomes a hero in GT, the game lists him as a villain due to his origins as one of the marauding Shadow Dragons.

Nuova Shenron is also a playable character in the Carddass series: Dragon Ball Z: W Bakuretsu Impact and Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers. He also appears in Dragon Ball Z: Bakuretsu Impact, but not playable.

Voice actors

• Japanese Dub: Ken Yamaguchi
• FUNimation Dub: John Burgmeier
• Brazilian Dub: Nelson Machado
• Polish Dub: Janusz Wituch
• Italian Dub: Alberto Sette

Trivia

• Nuova Shenron's personality resembles Piccolo's in the Piccolo Jr. Saga and at the start of Dragon Ball Z; both are nominally enemies of Goku who nonetheless have a strong sense of honor and who aid their foe against a greater threat. His creation through the wish of King Piccolo, a villain who eventually turned to the side of good when reincarnated, serves as foreshadowing to Nuova's own defection.
• Both Goku and Nuova Shenron have teamed up with an enemy to defeat their dishonorable sibling. Each of them also perished upon doing so, only to be revived and perish again.
• Nuova was born of King Piccolo's wish to restore his youth. Ironically, he bares a resemblance to King Piccolo's son Tambourine.

Gallery

NuovaS.png Nuova shrouded in flames as he causes a volcano to explode Nuova Shenron in his first stage Nuova Shenron faces Goku Nuova Shenron Raging Nuova Shenron Nuova Shenron undergoing his transformation Nuova Shenron undergoing his transformation Nuova Shenron undergoing his transformation Nuova Shenron, transformation complete Nuova Shenron charges a fire ball Nuova Shenron with his attack Nuova Shenron fires his attack Nuova Shenron battles Syn Shenron Nuova Shenron is attacked by Syn Shenron Omega Shenron prepares a blast to fire at Nuova Shenron Nuova Shenron as he appears in Budokai Tenkaichi 3

See also

• Nuova Shenron (Collectibles)