Initially, Bardock is not a "good guy." He destroys civilizations for profit. He laughs at his son, Kakarot (Goku), being sent to a weak planet like Earth. He even dismisses his infant son’s low power level, calling him a "low-class runt."

However, the brilliance of the 1990 special lies in its character arc. After the last Kanassan warrior casts a psychic curse on Bardock—giving him the ability to see the future—everything changes. Bardock begins to see visions of his own death, the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and most hauntingly, a blonde-haired warrior fighting Frieza. He doesn't understand it initially, but these visions turn him from a passive soldier into an active rebel. The most famous element of Dragon Ball Z Bardock - The Father of Goku - 1990 is the prophecy. While Frieza plans to exterminate the Saiyans out of fear of the "Super Saiyan" legend, Bardock sees the future through his curse.

He is the tragic hero who lost everything so his son could have everything. If you search for Dragon Ball Z Bardock - The Father of Goku - 1990 today, you will find fan art, tribute videos, and heated debates about whether he beats King Vegeta in a fight. But more than power levels, you find respect.

As Goku stands today as a god among gods, we remember the low-class warrior with the scarred face who laughed at death. Kakarot may be the hope of the universe, but Bardock is the father of that hope.

This scene, animated in 1990 by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, is arguably more impactful than 90% of the franchise’s theatrical films. It defined the word "tragedy" for Dragon Ball Z . For a long time, Bardock - The Father of Goku was considered "canon-adjacent." Akira Toriyama, the original manga creator, liked the special so much that he referenced Bardock in the manga (drawing him in a single panel during the Frieza flashback).

The explosion consumes Planet Vegeta. But in that final moment, Bardock’s spirit is transported to Earth, where he places a hand on baby Goku’s head, saying goodbye.

The question on everyone’s mind was: What happened to Planet Vegeta? We knew Frieza destroyed it, but we never saw the Saiyans’ last stand. The 1990 TV special was a bold move—it told a prequel story with a tragic ending. Viewers knew going in that Bardock and his team would die. The drama wasn’t if they would fall, but how they would fight back. When we first meet Bardock in the 1990 special, he is every inch the classic Saiyan warrior. He has spiky black hair, a red bandana, a scar on his left cheek, and a blood-stained armor. He leads a small squad (Tora, Borgos, Fasha, and Shugesh) on a mission to wipe out the natives of Planet Kanassa.