Summary
Dragon Ballis known as a shonen franchise that puts a special emphasis on combat. Most characters in this series live for battle and their thirst to get stronger in order to improve themselves as much as possible is the central point of their development. They express this passion through fighting, which, more often than naught, they do with their fists to hone their bodies to the greatest degree that they can.
However, there are quite a few characters in this series that have used weapons asan indelible part of their arsenals. While these weapons are few and far between, they’re still worth remembering due to their impact on the series and how they have influenced the story in one way or another. So, let’s take a look at the most important of the forgotten weapons ofDragon Ball!
Debut Date
June 12, 2025
Though its original purpose makes it more of a special tool than a weapon, the Bansho Fan has been used as an instrument of combat a few times in the originalDragon Ballseries, though it has since then not been seen all that much. Possibly owing its origins to being made from the feather of the Hikui Bird, the main power of this fan is to control the weather, as it is said to create a strong wind in just a single wave, a cloud with 2, or even a downpour with 3.
Old Master Roshi has in his possession a very powerful fan made out of a palm-leaf called the Bansho Fan. It’s the only thing that will extinguish Fire Mountain.
Why it was important
The Bansho Fan served as an important plot device early on inDragon Ball, as it was designed to control, or put out, the flames of the magical furnace. Since a strong wind could be created with just a single wave of this fan, it was used multiple times to put out the flames on Fire Mountain, and it was last seen inthe final episodes ofDragon Ball, where it was needed to put out these same flames once more.
July 03, 2025
The legendary Power Pole is Goku’s signature weapon that is almost as iconic as he is. Originally gifted to him by Grandpa Gohan before he died, this is a magical staff that can change its length almost endlessly, and while Goku is shown to be very proficient at fighting with it, its true purpose allows the user to get to The Lookout from Korin’s Tower by riding it up while it extends.
Oh, that’s no toothpick; that’s my Power Pole! Cool, huh? My grandpa gave it to me before he died.
Though Goku has been using the pole for decades at this point, its true value is a sentimental one, as it was one of the last gifts given to him by Grandpa Gohan. Due to this, the Power Pole is almost synonymous with Goku.Though he never really uses it in battle anymore, he is often pictured with it in promotional material for the series, which goes to show just how important this weapon is for the franchise as a whole. The Power Pole was last seen inDragon Ball Super: Super Herowhen Piccolo went to The Lookout to meet Dende.
June 04, 2025
Compared to the originalDragon Ball, weapons were far rarer to spot inZ. However, the Z Sword of the Elder Kai was one of the few that stuck out, but not because of how strong it was. The sword was incredibly heavy and was embedded into a plateau, due to which no one could have taken it out for ages, leading to a legend that stated the one to take it out would be gifted extraordinary powers. Though this sword was heavy and fairly strong, it was destroyed when used against the hardest material in the universe.
Kibito, we’ve all had our chance, now give Gohan his!
During a meeting between the Kais and Beerus millions of years ago, a heated debate was had, after which Beerus imprisoned Elder Kai within the sword. Though Gohan’s power increased marginally after training with the heavy blade, its being destroyed was the important bit to remember, as it freed Elder Kai, who was then able to draw out Gohan’s potential. The sword was last seen in the Future Trunks timelineduring the Goku Black arc, where he used it to train, and in his fight against Dabura, where the sword unfortunately ended up breaking.
July 09, 2025
Though the canon origin of this blade remains a mystery, the timeline of theDragon Ball Zmovies reveals Tapion being the one to gift Trunks the sword inDragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon. This is also one of the most iconic weapons of the series, as it made its debut along with Trunks at the very beginning of the Android Saga, where he was shown as a mysterious Super Saiyan who easily defeated Frieza and King Cold in one of the coolest moments inDragon Ballhistory.
Just as I thought. This sword has been forged by a master. I’m thinking perhaps the only reason you defeated Frieza is because you had this sword in hand.
Why it was so important
Trunks makes his debut in the main timeline at the same timeFrieza returned in his robotic Mecha Frieza form. As the characters and viewers were all shocked to see the powerful tyrant come back, a mysterious Super Saiyan came in and effortlessly diced Frieza up and killed King Cold, showing the world that despite Goku not being there, all hope was not lost. Trunks' Sword was last seen against Goku Black, where the Saiyan gathered a lot of energy and transformed it into the Sword of Hope, which was powerful enough to destroy Zamasu’s body.
