Directory: Characters → Deities → Dragons
Shenron (神龍 Shenron, Japanese pronunciation of "Shénlóng", lit. "Divine Dragon" or "Dragon God") is a magical dragon from the Dragon Ball franchise. In the English dub of Dragon Ball Z, he is mostly called the "Eternal Dragon" and, in the early Harmony Gold Dragon Ball English dub from the 1980s, he is known as the "Dragon God".
Appearance
Shenron as he appears in the intro of Dragon Ball Z (Funimation/Ocean dub)
Shenron is shown with brown antlers, sharp teeth, green scaly skin, red eyes, four toes on each foot, a long serpentine body (his tail takes up three-fourths of his length), long flowing whiskers, a long snout, crescent-shaped nostrils, and flowing green hair on his cheeks. He is an Eastern dragon, whose kind are benevolent and sacred in Oriental mythologies. Unlike the Western dragons, which have large dorsal foldable wings on their backs, he has none. When Shenron is summoned, the sky becomes pitch dark, even during daytime. Once he disappears, the sky returns to normal. This also holds true for other Eternal Dragons like Porunga.
Personality
His kind are good at heart, but as a strong dragon, Shenron has an aggressive temper, and is impatient sometimes (for some reason more so than Porunga, the Namekian dragon). Shenron is shown to have a temper, and he once threatened to kill a summoner if they do not make their wish soon (although he has only actually attempted to attack someone in Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might, where Gohan's friendly dragon Icarus tries to attack Shenron out of fear due to being unaware Shenron meant them no harm). Like most mortals and deities, Shenron is terrified and fearfully respectful towards Beerus, the God of Destruction of Universe 7 to the point he scattered the Dragon Balls immediately after informing Goku how to perform the ritual to create a Super Saiyan God and also showed fear when he was summoned to learn more about the Super Dragon Balls, even technically "granting" Beerus' wish for him to leave after he was unable to tell them anything more than what he knew.
Shenron is normally very courteous, speaking politely and doing his best to grant a wish in a way that will bring the most joy to the summoner. He will also advise against what he considers impractical wishes and propose an alternative. However, he has been known to occasionally follow wishes to the letter and not the spirit. For example, Shenron responded to the Pilaf Gang's wish for youth by transforming them into young children (presumably the result of Pilaf's bumbling). Shenron is also obligated to fulfill an ill-advised wish if the summoner insists, such as reviving Frieza in an incomplete form though this was because Sorbet and Tagoma had decided to restore the pieces using their medical machine technology which had improved to the point it was able to restore Frieza's entire organic body free of his cybernetic components thus the wish itself, thus in that case he fulfilled Sorbet's desire as repairing Frieza's broken body could be accomplished through other means once he was restored to life. While Shenron is respectful to those who summon him, he is easily offended. Aside from his impatience with indecisive summoners, Shenron is displeased by frivolous wishes, which he considers wasteful. Shenron was clearly displeased when Yamcha proposed wishing for a necklace.
He will also inform his summoner if a wish is impossible or cannot be fulfilled even explaining why as when he explained that he could not stop the Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta, as their power levels exceeded his creator Kami's thus Shenron himself was just as powerless to stop them (even if Kami had been strong enough, then the wish itself would not have been necessary as Kami or any of the Z Fighters could have defeated the Saiyans without Shenron's power). He also admitted to Mr. Popo that he was unsure if he could grant the wish to revive those killed by Frieza and his men due to sheer enormity task itself (essentially resurrecting everyone that had died due to the actions of Frieza and his men within the past year) a wish so powerful and selfless that it generated the largest amount of negative energy.
As with most wish granting Eternal Dragons, Shenron, though good-natured, is essentially a neutral figure who grants any wish within his power regardless of the intent of the wish itself or the nature of his summoner. This is shown by his granting wishes for pure evil beings such as King Piccolo (who ended up killing him afterwards), Garlic Jr., Dr. Kochin, Lord Slug, and Sorbet.
Biography
Background
Shenron is said to live in the fiery center of the Earth, whenever he is called he will arrive to grant one wish before returning to his fiery home to sleep until he is called again.[1] Before the events of Dragon Ball, the last time Shenron was summoned was to grant someone's wish to become king, as Bulma explains to Goku in their first meeting.[2][3]
Dragon Ball
Emperor Pilaf Saga
Main article: Emperor Pilaf Saga
Shenron summoned by Pilaf in the manga
Shenron is first summoned on-screen by Emperor Pilaf and his assistants outside of Pilaf's Castle. Pilaf collects the remaining Dragon Balls from Goku and his friends to ask Shenron for the wish to gain complete control over the entire planet, and become its ruler with an iron fist. However, before Pilaf can make the wish, Oolong interrupts the wish and wishes for panties, which Shenron grants. Shenron then departs, and the Dragon Balls scatter across the planet.
Fortuneteller Baba Saga
Main article: Fortuneteller Baba Saga Shenron is summoned to resurrect Upa's father Bora, who was killed by Mercenary Tao during the Red Ribbon Army Saga.
King Piccolo Saga
Main article: King Piccolo Saga After King Piccolo uses the Dragon Balls to regain his youth, he murders Shenron before he can disperse to prevent anyone else from using the Dragon Balls against him. However, after his defeat, Kami revives Shenron to reward Goku for his valiant efforts against King Piccolo. He had originally decided not to recreate them, as he originally designed the balls to encourage acts of bravery and give people a sense of hope, but the selfishness and greed of mankind caused the Dragon Balls to be used in the exact opposite manner than that intended. It was only upon Goku displaying his undying love for his friends that he decided that there were, indeed, good people left in this world.
Dragon Ball Z
Saiyan Saga
Main article: Vegeta Saga Shenron is summoned to revive Goku in order to defend the planet from the Saiyans. Shortly thereafter, Shenron is indirectly deactivated when Nappa kills Piccolo taking an attack meant for Gohan; due to Kami's connection to Piccolo, Kami dies as well, and the Dragon Balls are turned into stone as a result.
Frieza Saga
Main article: Frieza Saga The Eternal Shenron is indirectly revived by the Namekian Dragon Balls when Gohan and Krillin wish for Piccolo to be revived and transported to Namek. Shenron is later used to wish everyone who was killed by Frieza and his men on Namek back to life.
Cell Saga
Main articles: Imperfect Cell Saga and Cell Games Saga A few years later, Shenron is temporarily deactivated when Kami decides to rejoin with Piccolo, due to extreme circumstances.
After Dende's remodeling, Shenron is able to grant three wishes. However, since Dende is not powerful enough, Shenron can only fulfill two of the three wishes if a large number of people are revived using one of the wishes.
Majin Buu Saga
Main articles: Majin Buu Saga and Kid Buu Saga
Shenron is summoned after Kid Buu's defeat.
Wishes can also be saved until the next summoning; in this case, the Dragon Balls would scatter around the world in the same way as if someone had spoken all the wishes but will remain as stones for only four months, after which Shenron can be summoned again to grant the remaining wishes. Afterward, the balls scatter and turn into stones for a whole year. This is shown when Shenron is summoned to revive everyone who were killed on the day of the World Martial Arts Tournament. Bulma summoned him prematurely, not realizing the grave danger the rest of the population was still in, and on Dende's advice, Goku invokes this option.
The wish saved is used four months after Kid Buu's defeat, in order to erase the memories that the people of Earth had of Majin Buu except for Goku's friends and family.
Gods of the Universe Saga
Main article: Gods of the Universe Saga Shenron was summoned and Sorbet shouts for Frieza to be revived, but Shenron doesn't respond. Sorbet asks if he could make the wish, but Shenron says that his body was cut into pieces and it would be no point without his soul. Tagoma suggests they used the recovery chambers on the ship so Sorbet tells Shenron to revive him anyway.
Dragon Ball Super
God of Destruction Beerus Saga
Main article: God of Destruction Beerus Saga Shenron is summoned by Goku to learn more about the Super Saiyan God. Shenron seems to be afraid of Beerus the Destroyer, referring to him with the respectful honorific and acting like a humbled servant rather than a powerful deity.
Golden Frieza Saga
Main article: Golden Frieza Saga Shenron is later summoned after the Pilaf Gang collects the Dragon Balls. However, Sorbet and Tagoma threaten them into letting them wish Frieza back to life. Using the other two wishes, Shu wishes for a million Zeni and Mai wishes for ice cream.
Universe 6 Saga
Main article: Universe 6 Saga Shenron is summoned by Bulma, along with Goku, Vegeta, Beerus, and Whis, to help find the last Super Dragon Ball and once again is frightened by Beerus' appearance. He tries to find what they are looking for, but he can't because the universe is so vast even for him and searching for it in another universe is beyond his power, leaving Bulma to make the Super Dragon Radar. Beerus then shoos off Shenron when he asks for the other wishes and the Dragon Balls are scattered once more.
"Future" Trunks Saga
Main article: "Future" Trunks Saga In the anime, following the defeat of Zamasu, Goku collects the Dragon Balls so he can wish King Kai back to life. Due to one wish having been granted before, only two can be granted. Several of the Z Fighters and their allies arrive to try and get a wish. The first wish Shenron grants it to cure the sick Pan, who was suffering from a fever. Eventually, Goku tries to wish King Kai back to life, but due to taking too long Shenron leaves before he can do so.
Galactic Patrol Prisoner
Main articles: Broly Saga and Extra Edition 4 (Dragon Ball Super manga)
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Shenron in the "Extra Edition 4" chapter of Dragon Ball Super
During the "Extra Edition 4" chapter of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, Shenron makes a brief appearance as Goku tells Merus how events on Planet Vegeta lead to King Vegeta exiling Broly to Vampa resulting in the events of the Broly Saga. He is seen when Cheelai and Lemo summon him to make a wish for Broly to be sent back to Vampa just when Broly was about to be killed by Gogeta's Full-Force Kamehameha.
Dragon Ball GT
Shadow Dragon Saga
Main article: Shadow Dragon Saga
Shenron in Dragon Ball GT
After the Z Fighters defeat the Shadow Dragons, Shenron appears without being summoned. He heals Goku's wounds and grants one last wish before he leaves the Earth with Goku and the Dragon Balls in order to recuperate and teach the Earth's inhabitants to stop relying on the Dragon Balls to solve their own problems. Shenron then takes Goku and flies away, saying goodbye to all of his friends. While flying through beautiful golden clouds, Shenron seals the Dragon Balls inside Goku's body, causing him to disappear. He then roars and flies into a bright light.
Film appearances
Curse of the Blood Rubies
Main article: Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies Shenron is summoned and grants Penny's wish to remove all the Blood Rubies and restore the land.
Mystical Adventure
Main article: Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure Shenron is summoned and grants Goku's wish to revive Bora.
The Path to Power
Main article: Dragon Ball: The Path to Power Shenron is summoned and grants Goku's wish to revive Android 8 and remove the bomb inside of him.
Dead Zone
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone Garlic Jr. summons Shenron and wishes to become immortal.
World's Strongest
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: World's Strongest Shenron is summoned by Dr. Kochin to free Dr. Wheelo's laboratory from a frozen mountain.
The Tree of Might
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might After a forest burned down, Gohan and Krillin use the Dragon Balls to restore the forest so that the animals could go back to their homes. On an interesting note, Gohan's dragon friend Icarus mistakenly tries to attack Shenron out of fear, only for Shenron to defend himself by attacking the young dragon with one of his whiskers in a whip-like manner. Fortunately Gohan, manages to stop Icarus from being hit and explains that Shenron is there to restore the forest. Oolong states he is not surprised Icarus was scared as Shenron does have a scary face, causing Shenron to let out a roar. Shenron calms down, he asks for them to make their wish and Gohan wish that the burned up forest to be restored. Shenron calls the wish a simple matter and immediately grants the wish, restoring the forest to its original state within seconds.
Lord Slug
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug Lord Slug uses the dragon balls to wish for his youth back in a manor similar to King Piccolo
Fusion Reborn
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn Gohan summons Shenron to send all the dead people who showed up on Earth back to Other World. However, Shenron is unable to do so, as there is nothing to keep those people there. Humorously Shenron is seen at the end of the film, apparently still waiting for someone to make a wish, and losing patience.
Wrath of the Dragon
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon Goku and the Z Fighters summon Shenron to ask him to open Hoi's music box. After Hirudegarn is defeated, they mention reviving the people killed using the Dragon Balls.
Battle of Gods
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
"He's here? The Lord Beerus... Pleased to meet you - I've heard things." |
Shenron seen in a flashback of the extended version
Shenron is summoned by Goku for the knowledge of a Super Saiyan God. Shenron seems to know the legend of the Super Saiyan God and tells them the process to make it. Shenron also seems to fear the God of Destruction, Beerus. The Pilaf Gang is also revealed to have successfully summoned Shenron at some point before the events of the film and Pilaf wished for himself, Shu, & Mai to be young again. Unfortunately, the wish was misheard and the members of the trio turned into children.
Resurrection ‘F’
Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
"It's unwise to be rude to a dragon." |
Shenron granting Sorbet's wish
Tagoma and Sorbet used the Dragon Balls to revive the Emperor Frieza. At first Shenron didn't make the request because Frieza's body was cut into pieces by Trunks over 14 years ago, but they told him to just revive him anyway. For the second wish, Shu told Shenron to give him 1,000,000 zeni making the Pilaf Gang rich. Four months later, after Frieza has been defeated, Bulma says she'll gather the Dragon Balls to revive North City, the city Frieza destroyed upon arriving on Earth.
Broly
Main article: Dragon Ball Super: Broly Shenron is summoned by Cheelai to send Broly back to Planet Vampa before he is about to be disintegrated by Gogeta's Transcendent God Kamehameha.
A Hero's Legacy
Main article: Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy One hundred years later, Shenron presumably returns, as the Four-Star Dragon Ball is seen again.
Other Dragon Ball stories
Online
Main article: Dragon Ball Online
Shenron as he appears in Dragon Ball Online
At some point after Kid Buu's defeat, Dende deactivates the Dragon Balls. However, around Age 1000, due to the threat of the Time Breakers, Dende reactivates them in hope of encouraging Earthlings to become stronger, bringing Shenron back but limiting the wishes. Dende also creates many more sets of Dragon Balls (and thus many more Shenrons) and spreads them across the planet, dividing the original Dragon Balls power between them. He grants the wish for earthlings to transform into Super Saiyans, Majins to transform into their Pure Majin form, and Namekians to become Great Namekians.
Xenoverse
Main article: Dragon Ball Xenoverse
Future Trunks summons Shenron at the Dragon Ball Altar in Toki Toki City in Xenoverse
Shenron is summoned by Future Trunks in Toki Toki City in Age 850. Future Trunks makes a wish to summon a warrior strong enough to defend history, resulting in Shenron summoning of the Future Warrior to fulfill Trunks' wish. Later during the Demon God Demigra Saga, the Supreme Kai of Time summons Shenron to inform Goku in Age 778 of the situation allow him to come to the Future Warrior's and the Time Patrols aid during the struggle against the Demon God.
Fusions
Main article: Dragon Ball Fusions Tekka and Pinich gather the Dragon Balls and summon Shenron to wish for a tournament to determine the strongest in time and space. At first it seems that Shenron is unable to grant the wish but he reveals their wish has been granted and leaves. Suddenly Tekka and Pinich are sucked into time rift that transports them to the Timespace Rift, a warped dimension were multiple timelines intersect and connect allowing fighters from various places and timelines interact. They later learn of the Timespace Tournament where teams of five compete to determine the strongest in time and space as a result of Tekka and Pinich's wish which also created the Timespace Rift as a side effect. Tekka forms a team with Kid Trunks, Goten, Kid Goku, and Pan. The Dragon Balls also appear in the Timespace Rift, thus allow Shenron to be summoned by the inhabitants of the Timespace Rift. After the timespace radar Ziku detects one Tekka's Team is alerted to the Dragon Balls presence in the rift and find the Pilaf Gang searching for them who they allow to take the Dragon Ball out of respect for Trunks' girlfriend Mai. However the Pilaf Gang is accosted by various fighters while searching for the Dragon Balls. This leads Pilaf to accidentally wishing for someone stronger to appear and take out the fighters though leads to Broly being summoned who rampages out of control in search for Kakarot. Tekka's Team observe Shenron being summoned and Broly appearing as a result of Pilaf's wish and are attacked by Broly who targets Kid Goku. They end up summoning Towa and Mira through a rift opened by Tekka which leads to the Time Breakers turning Broly into a Great Ape who is defeated by the team and knocked away by a ki blast from Beerus. After Pinich and his team fuse into Ultra Pinich which falls under the control of his evil fusee Frieza and Cell fleeing from Beerus after his attempt to kill everyone with a Death Ball fails thank to Whis rewinding time, Tekka's Team need the Dragon Balls to open a barrier preventing them from reaching Ultra Pinich. After defeating several villains to acquire all seven Dragon Balls and summon Shenron, but he reveals that it is beyond his power to open the barrier, but Tekka's Team decide to use their Ultra Fusion and break open the barrier with help from SSGSS Goku and Beerus.
After defeating Great Ape Ultra Pinich in Sub-Event: "A Divine Trio", Kami asks Tekka's Team to gather the Dragon Balls and summon Shenron. This sub-event introduces Dragon Ball collecting outside the main story and allows Tekka to make a wish. Tekka can wish for Special Moves, Quizzes, Clothing, and non-canon characters that they have yet to encounter. Additionally Tekka can wish to change their selected name, appearance, gender, and race.
Xenoverse 2
Main article: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- The Emperor's Return Saga
In Age 779, Towa and Mira prevent the Pilaf Gang from using up the second wish after Frieza is revived by Sorbet and it is used to revive Frieza's brother Cooler who is upgraded to Metal Cooler and it is implied he assists in his brother's training causing Frieza's Golden form to be stronger than it was originally, which is further augmented by Towa's Dark Magic. This allows Metal Cooler to join his brother in his revenge on Goku and the Z Fighters, though they are ultimately defeated by Goku, Vegeta, and the new Future Warrior.
- Warrior of the Demon Realm Saga
_Towa_kills_Shenron-_Xeno_in_Age_850_(By_Shenron%27s_Might!_Restoring_History_Cutscene_1).png){kind=link}
Shenron killed by Towa before the wish to summon the Future Warrior can be made in Age 850 in Xenoverse 2
After Future Trunks and the Future Warrior free legendary Toki Toki City Hero (the protagonist of Xenoverse) from Towa's control, Towa decides to travel to Age 850 and kill Shenron before he can grant the wish that summons the Toki Toki City Hero, the warrior strong enough to defend history, causing massive history changes that even begin to effect Conton City and Time Nest causing Future Trunks, Chronoa, Elder Kai, and the population of Conton City to forget Ace ever existed, though leaving them with a lingering feeling something is wrong. Eventually Future Trunks manages to remember Ace due to the mask Towa had used to brainwash them and sends the current Future Warrior to stop Towa from killing Shenron once they pinpoint the time distortion originates from the Time Scroll of Age 850. The Future Warrior and Future Trunks of Age 850 manage to defeat her forcing Towa to retreat and allowing Future Trunks to make the wish that summons Ace restoring the timeline and causing the memory of Ace's existence to return along with Ace, who aids the Future Warrior when Towa infiltrates the Time Nest and steals Tokitoki's egg, allowing them to chase after Towa. After Towa and Mira's defeat by Goku and the Future Warrior in Age ???, Chronoa summons Shenron, though is uncomfortable using the Dragon Balls to wish for enough food for the feast to celebrate the return of Tokitoki's egg and the Time Patrol's recent victory over the Time Breakers. Tokitoki encourages her to make the wish as there are a lot of mouths to feed. Elder Kai objects to using the Dragon Balls to order take out as he put it, though Beerus counters by stating it is a festive occasion, so Chronoa wishes for enough food to leave everybody stuffed and satisfied, which he grants.
- Shenron: Xeno
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Future Warrior summoning Shenron: Xeno in Xenoverse 2
At some point, the 2nd Future Warrior learns how to increase Shenron's power after being told how to by Grand Elder Guru which increases the number and types of wishes he can grant though he can still only grant one wish per summon as it only increases the number of options available. The method Grand Elder Guru teaches them to increase Shenron's power can be utilized by anyone regardless of race and can be performed by Warrior-type Namekians (as the Namekian Future Warrior is stated several times to be a Warrior-type). It is also revealed by Chronoa after the feast that the set of Dragon Balls used by the Time Patrol are one of the many sets made by Dende which were originally meant to serve as a training reward but have since become a way to get unlimited wishes which implies that their is no danger of overusing them as they apparently do not have a period of dormancy though it is unclear if Chronoa uses her power over time to accelerate the process or an innate aspect of the Time Patrol's particular Dragon Ball set.
Power
- Anime and Manga
Shenron can only grant one wish per summoning, until Dende upgrades him to grant three wishes (two if multiple people are revived with one of the wishes). Shenron's power is directly linked to capacities of whoever created it (i.e. Kami or Dende). As such, Shenron cannot defeat or kill someone whose own power exceeds the creator and cannot exist without said creator still being alive. He is unable to restore life to those that have died because of old age (but he can restore a person's youth), sickness or any other natural deaths. When reviving multiple people at a time, he can only bring back those who have not been dead for more than a year. In Dragon Ball Z, it is revealed that Shenron cannot grant the same wish more than once (e.g. bringing back those from the dead that he revived once already).
It is revealed that while Shenron has vast awareness and knowledge of all existence and its history, such as the existence and ritual to produce the ancient Super Saiyan God, his insight is not omniscience as he could not tell where the final Super Dragon Ball was as its resided within a different universe from Shenron, making it too far away and too difficult for Shenron's power to locate. Also, Shenron can only maintain his summoning for a set period of time, regardless of how many wishes it has granted. Gradually, Shenron's form will weaken before finally dispersing until the next summoning. He often shows an air of impatience to those who are slow to wish due to this.
- Films
In Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming, it is suggested that Shenron is capable of granting wishes without actually being summoned, demonstrated by him letting Goku join the battle against Broly. Reviving a group of lives count as two wishes oppose to one.
In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, it is shown that Shenron is able to leave without being requested to.
Abilities
- Flight - Shenron is capable of sustained flight.
- Wish Granting - As an Eternal Dragon, Shenron can grant wishes that do not exceed his creator's power.
- Magic Materialization
- Resurrection
- Immortality Granting
- Healing
- Divination
- Teleportation
- Sealing Spell Removal
- Timespace Rift Creation
- Wish
List of wishes granted by Shenron
  Oolong's wish is granted by Shenron
  Upa's father is revived by Shenron
  King Piccolo's wish for youth is granted
  Goku is brought back to life to fight the Saiyans
  Shenron granting the wish that will revive victims of Frieza and his soldiers
  Shenron wipes the Earthlings' memories of Maijin Buu
Shenron's final wish in Dragon Ball GT
  Shenron listening to Garlic Jr.'s wish
  Shenron grants Dr. Kochin's wish
Shenron listening to Gohan's wish
  Shenron listening to Lord Slug's wish
  Shenron listens to Goku's wish in Battle of Gods
  Shenron's brief appearance in a Japanese teaser for Dragonball Evolution
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Appearances in other media
Live-action movies
Shenron's brief appearance in Dragonball Evolution
In 1990, Shenron is summoned by Goku on the TV show "Yamada Katsute Nai Wink" (やまだかつてないWink, "Yamada Katsute Nai Wink"). The Shenron grants the J-Pop star and hostess Kuniko Yamada's wish to gain the ability to execute the Kamehameha, which she playfully uses on Shenron. Shenron also appears in Dr. Slump, Cross Epoch, and Dragonball Evolution (called Shen Long). Shenron appears briefly at the end of Dragonball Evolution, where he is voiced by Christopher Sabat, who also voiced him in the Funimation dub of the anime. After Master Roshi was killed by Oozaru, Goku, Yamcha and Bulma use all seven of the Dragon Balls to summon Shenron and ask him to resurrect Roshi, which Shenron does. After granting Goku's wish, Shenron vanishes, and so do the Dragon Balls.
Video Game Appearances
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Shenron in Dragon Ball: Origins 2
Shenron appears in nearly all the Dragon Ball video games. Notably, he is a support-type character who automatically revives fallen characters in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2.
Shenron in Dragon Ball Heroes
In Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, after Goku's resurrection and Kami's death, Mr. Popo creates his own set of Dragon Balls. Shenron, who has now more limited powers, can basically grant six different wishes. The first three, which can be asked for as many times as wanted, are a ton of EXP, a lot of AP and lots of Zeni. The other three give access to a new area (East City Ruins), to a unique item (Heavy Karate Outfit, which increases EXP by walking), and the access to the secret strongest boss in the game (Broly, found at Dragon Rock).
In many fighting games, such as the Budokai series, Budokai Tenkaichi series, Raging Blast series, Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle, Xenoverse series, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, when all the Dragon Balls are gathered, Shenron can be summoned to ask for various items, techniques, pictures, etc.
In Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, it is shown that Shenron cannot grant wishes to someone he cannot understand, and that he may leave after a certain amount of time if the person in question does not give the wish under a time limit. It is also shown that when someone is wished to a certain place for a certain purpose, they cannot leave until it is finished, and forms of translocation like Instant Transmission do not work.
Voice Actors
- Japanese: Kenji Utsumi † (DB, DBZ #21-100, Kai #8-51, Movies 1, 4-7 and 17-18), Masaharu Satō (DBZ #192-#193), Shin Aomori (DBZ #240, Movie 16), Tesshō Genda (Movie 15), Daisuke Gōri † (DBGT), Kōji Yada † (Dr. Slump '97), Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (Kai #97-123, DBS, Xenoverse, Movie 19)
- English:
- Harmony Gold dub: Steve Kramer
- Ocean Group dubs: Doug Parker (DB), Don Brown (DBZ)
- Funimation dub: Christopher Sabat
- Blue Water dub: Dave Pettitt
- AB Groupe dub: Ed Marcus
- Latin American Spanish dub: Abel Rocha, Mario Sauret (DB ep. 12), Eduardo Borja (DBZ), Diego Guerrero (DBS Broly) (Argentine redub)
- Portuguese:
- Portugal: Ricardo Spínola
- Brazilian Portuguese dub: João Batista (DB), Jonas Mello (DBZ), Renato Master (DBGT), Vanderlan Mendes (DBS), Mauro Castro (DBS Broly)
- Catalan dub: Manel Català (DB, DBZ, DBGT), Francesc Belda (DBZ Kai)
- Croatian dub: Costa Ipsa
- Italian dub: Giovanni Battezzato, Neri Marcorè (movies)
- Polish dub: Marek Obertyn (†) (Dragon Ball Z Movies 12-13), Dariusz Odija (DBS)
- Valencian dub: Vincent Quintana
Trivia
- In the original Dragon Ball logo, it is shown that a green "Chinese" dragon very similar to Shenron is tied around the letters eating the "o".
- Although he is known as the "Eternal" Dragon, King Piccolo kills him after he wishes for eternal youth, although "Eternal" could simply mean he does not die from old age, but can still be killed.
- Counting his death in the altered timeline of Age 850, Shenron has been killed by a villain twice, first by King Piccolo and second by Towa from Age 852.
- During the Namek Saga, when Frieza tells the Namekians about the story of the Dragon Balls which he had heard, the dragon shown is Shenron, although Frieza had never seen him before.
- In one of Akira Toriyama's artworks, the Dr. Slump character Arale is seen holding Shenron and tying him up.
- Shenron's original design changed over the course of the Dragon Ball timeline, as his underside changed from green to a more yellow or manila color.
- After the Cell Games Saga, Shenron is able to grant three wishes (two if one is resurrecting a massive amount of people). Yet, he can grant three wishes in Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn and he can grant only one in Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon. It should be noted that the Japanese dub of Fusion Reborn mentioned two wishes (which may be due to the Shenron granting the one wish in the Majin Buu Saga to revive Vegeta's victims, but the other wish not being used so they could make another wish in 4 months), so the three wishes line was a dub error. Also, the second wish was omitted from the English version (they intended to use the second wish to revive all those who were killed by Hirudegarn).
- Dragon Ball Super later unveiled the three wishes aspect to the Dragon Balls during the Golden Frieza Saga, where Sorbet managed to wish for Frieza's revival, and Shu and Mai wasting the remaining two wishes before Sorbet could wish for King Cold's revival.
- By the events of the Majin Buu Saga, Porunga's capacities became all-around superior to Shenron's. He became not only able to now resurrect any number of people at the same time, including people who Porunga resurrected before, but also without the trade-off using the energy of two wishes for a single wish multiple person revival, allowing Porunga to continue grant up to three wishes per summoning regardless.
- He makes a cameo appearance in many Dragon Quest Monsters games.
- In Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, it is shown that his power cannot cross dimensions or timelines (which contradicts what is said in regards to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during the Fusion Saga). Fusion Reborn also hints at this when he states that he cannot grant the Dragon Team's wish to prevent the dead from escaping Hell as it was a problem that originated within Other World, and although he is capable of moving the dead souls back to their dimension, they would simply just return. One possible explanation to his inability to grant it is because Janemba is the cause of the problems in Other World and Shenron is unable to grant the wish simply because Janemba's power exceeds his creator Dende.
- In Xenoverse, Chronoa uses the Dragon Balls in Age 850 to inform Goku in Age 778 of the threat posed by Demigra (though it is possible that Shenron is simply more powerful in Age 850 than he was previously). It should be noted that Shenron in the Xenoverse series is one of the many Shenrons created by Dende when he split the Dragon Balls into multiple sets and was presumably granted that power either by Dende or he is allowed to do so by Chronoa's authority as Supreme Kai of Time. Alternatively the incarnation of Dende that created him is more powerful thus Shenron's power increases.
- In Dragon Ball Fusions, Tekka and Pinich summon Shenron and wish to create the strongest tournament, causing Shenron to transport them to a warped dimension called the Timespace Rift were various timelines intersect.
- In Dragon Ball Fusions, Shenron can grant a wish to change not only Tekka's appearance and voice (like Time Patrollers in the Xenoverse series), but also their selected race or gender (which Time Patrollers are unable to do as they can only change their appearance and voice).
- There is a popular misconception that Shenron is unable to grant wishes to kill, though according to Shenron's explanation during the Vegeta Saga he cannot defeat or kill anyone who's power exceeds his creator's such as Nappa and Vegeta who were stronger than Kami, thus he can kill or defeat basically anyone that his creator can, though the only time anyone put forth the idea of making such a wish was when Oolong asked if he could "beat up" the Saiyans, who exceeded his creator's power. This also means that if his creator becomes weaker or he is recreated by another Dragon Clansmen who is weaker than his previous creator (as Dende is never depicted fighting in any capacity unlike Kami) then Shenron's power will also be effected, thus Shenron's ability to potentially kill villains was lessened even further which wouldn't have mattered anyways as most of the villains by that point were far stronger than Kami. However the opposite is also true as if the creator becomes stronger, so will Shenron's power increase.
- From a story perspective this explains why the Z Fighters can't just use the Dragon Balls to wish to defeat and/or kill villains even in cases were it would be advisable, sensible, or even justifiable, in addition to such a wish being out-of-character for the likes of battle loving Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta, though more likely to be resorted to by people like Oolong and even Bulma (who suggested using a wish to find Dr. Gero and stop him from creating the Androids, which was rejected by Goku, Vegeta, and even Krillin).
- Additionally such a wish would be pointless in and of itself as Shenron's creator (Kami or Dende) could essentially defeat and/or kill the villains themselves (or conversely if any of Z Fighters were stronger than said creator then they could also take care of said villains without their or Shenron's assistance) which would make sense as both of Shenron's creators held the position of Guardian of Earth thus dealing with such threats would be their divine duties anyway (unless the Earth's warriors could handle the problem on their own as the Guardian tends to only intervene in the most dire of circumstances).
- Shenron is both modeled and named after the spiritual dragon of the same name in Chinese mythology. However, it should be noted that the naming is mainly a liberty taken in the English localizations, as the dragon originally did not have a name in the prior Japanese editions of the manga.
- Also of note is its name; it is meant to be pronounced as "Sheh-n-roh-n" via a Japanese transliteration of its pinyin reading (which would be pronounced as "Sheh-n-loh-ng"), while its Japanese on'yomi rendering would be "Shinryuu". The Funimation dub to this day, commonly mispronounces it as "Sheh-n-rah-n".
- Another note is that unlike the original Shenlong from mythology despite sharing its green color, the dragon from the Dragon Balls does only has four fingers total on each hand; Shenlong in Chinese mythology are said to be higher ranking dragons with five-fingered-hands as one trait to set them apart from the others.
Gallery
 Shenron in the manga  Shenron in the manga  Shenron in the first Dragon Ball episode  Shenron flies down to Pilaf's Castle  Shenron before wishing Bora back to life  Shenron is summoned by King Piccolo  Shenron summoned by King Piccolo  Shenron is killed by King Piccolo  Shenron doll in pieces  Mr. Popo gluing Shenron doll back together  Shenron doll complete  Shenron in The Path to Power .png "Shenron(PtP).png (6.25 MB)") Shenron in The Path to Power  Shenron in Dead Zone   Shenron summoned by Mr. Popo  Shenron in The World's Strongest Shenron in The Tree of Might  Shenron is summoned in Lord Slug  Shenron in the 2nd anime opening .png "ShenronAppearition(BoG).png (817 KB)") Shenron in Battle of Gods .jpg "ShenronAppearitionArt(BoG).jpg (217 KB)") Shenron in front of the Z Fighters  Shenron faces the Z Fighters  Shenron in Dragonball Evolution  Bulma and Goku on Shenron  Goku on Shenron  Goku and Shenron  Shenron in the opening of Dragon Ball Z: Sagas  Shenron in the opening of Budokai Tenkaichi .png "ShenronAppears(SDBZ).png (346 KB)") Shenron in Super Dragon Ball Z  Shenron in Zenkai Battle Royale .png "ShenronGrantsWish(DBH).png (148 KB)") Shenron grants a wish in Dragon Ball Heroes  Shenron as he appears in Dragon Ball Online Shenron appears in God Mission trailer of "Dragon Ball Heroes"  Shenron in the Yo!! Son Goku and His Friends Returned! ending Shenron in Dragon Ball Xenoverse  Shenron's artwork for Dragon Ball Online  Shenron in Dragon Ball Fusions  Shenron in Kakarot |
See also
References
- ↑ The World of Dragon Ball Z, 2000
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dragon Ball chapter 1, "Bloomers and the Monkey King"
- ↑ Dragon Ball episode 1, "The Secret of the Dragon Balls"
- ↑ Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files, 1997
- ↑ Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D, 2016
- ↑ Dragonball Evolution, 2009
- ↑ Cross Epoch, 2006
- ↑ Dr. Slump
- ↑ Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku, 1993
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, 2006
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road, 2007
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Dragon Ball Xenoverse, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Dragon Ball Fusions, 2016
| Dragons | |
|---|---|
| Eternal Dragons | Black Smoke Shenron • Conton City Dragon • Dark Shenron • Mr. Poko Poko • Porunga • Shenron • Super Shenron • Toronbo • Ultimate Shenron |
| Shadow Dragons | Syn Shenron (Xeno) • Haze Shenron (Xeno) • Eis Shenron (Xeno) • Nuova Shenron (Xeno • Nuova Goku) • Rage Shenron (Xeno) • Oceanus Shenron (Xeno) • Naturon Shenron (Xeno) |
| Dragon Ball sets | |
| Other Dragons | |
| Related articles | Dark Dragon Ball Enhancement • Dragomin • Dragon Ball Pedestal • Dragon Clan • Dragon Egg • Dragon Radar (Giru • Global Dragon Radar • Super Dragon Radar) • Four-Star Dragon Ball Hat • Gibachi • Minus Energy • Offworlder • Shadow Goku • Shenron Mode • Super Shadow Dragon (Power Abduction) • Supervillain (Ultra) • Transcended • Villainous Mode • Zalama • Ziku |