Senzu Beans (仙豆 Senzu, lit. "Hermit Bean") are mystical beans with immense rejuvenation properties in the Dragon Ball franchise.
Overview
Yajirobe after eating too many Senzu Beans
Senzu Beans are grown by Korin in Korin Tower. When eaten, the consumer's energy and physical health are restored to their fullest; the effects are typically almost instantaneous for the recipient, making these beans a great asset both in and out of battle. Their texture is said to be a cross between an uncooked (or under ripe) bean and a celery stalk, and Yajirobe states that Senzu Beans taste like fish.[3] One bean can keep a person full for ten days,[4] though some who have eaten the beans have become hungry sooner, due to their naturally larger appetite (namely Saiyans as they generally eat much larger amounts of food). It has been seen that eating too many Senzu Beans at a time is dangerous, as when they are first introduced, Yajirobe is flabbergasted that the only thing Korin has to eat are "beans", and so he eats a few handfuls of Senzu Beans, which resulted in him comically gaining about a pound for every bean he ate.[5] Since Korin allied himself with Goku and his friends, Korin usually assists them by providing the Dragon Team with a sack of beans whenever possible as it takes time to grow even a single bean.
The Senzu's healing capabilities have been able to perform such feats as healing Yamcha's impaled torso after an encounter with Dr. Gero and Android 19, and restoring fatally injured characters to perfect health on various occasions. One significant example of the power of Senzu Beans is demonstrated when, after his face-off with Vegeta, Goku spent weeks at Wukong Hospital, but when Goku eats a Senzu Bean given by Yajirobe, he is instantly revitalized in spite of the natural medical assistance only stabilizing his health. Also, Senzu bean apparently can regenerate lost limbs as Future Trunks noted that if they still had Senzu Beans in their timeline, then Future Gohan could have regained his left arm. The Senzu beans were shown to be even capable of instantly regrow missing teeth, as shown with Videl after Spopovich brutally knocked some of her front teeth out, which all grew back instantly after being fed a Senzu by Gohan. However, it appears that the beans can not heal injuries that have already healed over, like scars or the stub of Saiyan tails. It also appears to only heal physical ailment and not diseases as it could not cure Goku's heart virus.
A Senzu Bean in Cell's hand
Goku's good nature has led him to give Senzu Beans to battered enemies after fights. Examples of this include Piccolo, Vegeta, and Cell (though the latter was more to make the fight fair than an actual act of good-will, as Cell was about to face Gohan while he had not quite recovered to full strength).
During the Cell Games Saga, Vegeta states that he hates it when he's forced to eat a Senzu Bean, which is most likely due to his Saiyan pride.
Senzu Beans are again seen in the Majin Buu Saga, when Majin Vegeta knocks Goku out and eats the last one he has left, right before flying off to face Majin Buu.
In the God of Destruction Beerus Saga, after his short fight against the God of Destruction Beerus on King Kai's Planet, Goku is shown to be rejuvenated with a Senzu Bean that Bubbles found on him.
In the Golden Frieza Saga, the Z Fighters use the Senzu Beans to recover from their battles against the Frieza Force, which Master Roshi acquired. Krillin also gave one to Goku after he was critically injured by Sorbet's Bad Ring Laser.
In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Goku uses a Senzu Bean to save the life of Gowasu after he had been near fatally injured by Goku Black, along with the injured Shin and Future Trunks. Despite being a Supreme Kai, Gowasu is shocked to learn that such an item exists on Earth of Universe 7.
Film Appearances
In Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug, Yajirobe give Senzu Beans to Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin during and after with their battle with Lord Slug and his clan.
The Senzu Bean Yajirobe gave to Gohan in Cooler's Revenge
In Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge, Gohan has a spare Senzu Bean Yajirobe gave him in his belt, which ultimately served as the sole reason why Gohan was able to save Goku (who had been critically injured from an earlier attack from Cooler) after Salza destroyed the satchel containing the beans.
In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Goku is given a Senzu Bean that Bubbles found on him after losing to Beerus.
In Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, the Z Fighters use the Senzu Beans to recover from their battles against Frieza and his army of 1,000 soldiers, which Master Roshi and Krillin had received from Korin. Krillin also offers a Senzu Bean to Jaco, but he passes, which later turns out to be fortunate after Goku is critically injured by Sorbet's Bad Ring Laser.
In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Vegeta asks Goku if he has senzu beans, and he says he doesn't. Then, when Goku and Vegeta teleport to Piccolo, Goku asks him if he has any senzu beans, yet has none. Later, after the battle between Gogeta and Boly finished and Broly was sent back to Vampa, Goku teleports to the planet and he gives Broly two Senzu Beans, along with other assortment of items that could help him survive Planet Vampa's harsh conditions.
Video Game Appearances
The Senzu Beans are items restoring health in the Gokuden series, with the Senzu plant appearing in Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzōningen. They are also items restoring health in Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu, Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, Jump Super Stars, Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu, and Dragon Ball: Origins 2.
The Senzu Beans make some appearances in the cutscenes played when a continue is used in Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Shin Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku - Uchū-Hen. When Goku or Gohan are defeated in Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension, they can eat a Senzu Bean.
In the Legacy of Goku series, Senzu Beans replenish all of the Health and Ki of the person who eats it. In Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II, Senzu Beans are acquired from Yajirobe; he will only randomly come in one of your adventures to give you 1 Senzu Bean. In Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, one can quite easily obtain Senzu Beans by just talking to Yajirobe at Korin Tower multiple times; this opportunity ends when Super Buu escapes from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It is possible to get 255 Senzu Beans when Gohan asks Goku to get one for Videl: after getting a Senzu Bean from Yajirobe at the Korin Tower, instead of giving it to Gohan, Goku has to eat it, and when at Papaya island, Goku will still give a Senzu Bean to Gohan and now 255 Senzu Beans are in the inventory. In Dragon Ball GT: Transformation, Senzu Beans randomly appear after defeating regular enemies or while fighting bosses.
A Senzu Bean in Burst Limit
In the Budokai series and Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Senzu Beans can be used to heal a character. In the Budokai series, they restore a character's health and ki fully. In Burst Limit, they are a drama piece that usually heal about one bar of health. In the Budokai Tenkaichi series, Yajirobe can eat a Senzu as one of his Blast 1 techniques in order to gain full health. Senzu can also be used in Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle.
Mini-game in Battle Taikan Kamehameha
In a mini-game in Dragon Ball Z: Battle Taikan Kamehameha - Omee to Fusion, the player has to catch Senzu Beans that Korin throws at them and avoid the bombs he throws sometimes. The Senzu Beans can be found as a treasure in the fourth stage of Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo.
In Super Dragon Ball Z, Senzu Beans restore health of a character that has been knocked out. Only one bean can be used per battle.
In Dragon Ball Online, in Age 826 Yajirobe descended Korin's Tower and began cultivating Senzu Beans as a Senzu Beam farmer. Additionally Korin's evil counterpart Chocolay grows Dark Senzu Beans for the Time Breakers in Age 1000 in exchange for the Time Breakers assisting him in creating Chocolay Tower.
In Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, Senzu Beans are used to revive a downed character or heal a wounded one fully, also curing status ailments and refilling their ki. Small Beans, Medium Beans, and Large Beans can be acquired, but they do not replenish health completely. A Small Bean restores the health a little bit, a Medium does a little more, and a Large Bean does the most. Also, during one of Krillin's Ultimate techniques, Yajirobe jumps onto the screen, throws a bag of Senzu Beans at the team, healing them, cuts through the enemies (this does not damage them. It does, however, have a chance of instant kill), and runs away with a silly animation.
In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, Senzu Bean 1/2 revives from a knock down with half HP recovered, normal Senzu Bean revives from a knock down with all HP recovered, and new Senzu Bean revives from a knock down with all HP and EN recovered.
Although Senzu Beans themselves are not featured in the Xenoverse series, Senzu Beansprouts can be collected as material mix items and sealed into capsules. These capsules are known as a Senzu Essence Capsules and can be used to revive a knocked out character when used during battle when equipped as a battle item.
Trivia
- Senzu Beans are based on lima beans. In the Harmony Gold dub, they are even called "Lima beans".
- In Akira Toriyama's later manga Kajika, the pill Kajika kept from his Kawa village has the same rejuvenation properties as Senzu Beans.
- In Japan, there is a food source made from Euglena cells, plant and animal hybrid cells. These creatures contain both of the essential nutrients gained from eating plant and animal matter. Mitsuru Izumo, the creator, came up with the idea of real "senzu beans" from reading Dragon Ball.
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Senzu Beans brand Fruit Flavored Jelly Beans
- There is an officially licensed Senzu Bean candy brand (which are green Fruit Flavored Jelly Beans modelled after Senzu Beans) made by Boston American Corp.
- In the current English dub, their naming would technically have the word "bean" repeated twice, as Senzu by itself literally means "Hermit Bean", making it "Hermit Bean Bean" if it were to be literally translated.
See also
References
- ↑ Dragon Ball Super chapter 22, Zamas's Final Trump Card
- ↑ Dragon Ball Super: Broly, 2018
- ↑ Dragon Ball episode 148, "The Victor"
- ↑ Dragon Ball episode 62, "Sacred Water"
Korin: "It's a Senzu Bean, magical. Just one will keep you full for at least ten days, but, uh, you have to eat it first." - ↑ Dragon Ball episode 114, "Conquest and Power"