WatchMojo's Dragon Ball Theories Countdown Branded 'Straight Garbage' for Passing Off Facts as Fan Theories

My overall verdict on WatchMojo's countdown of mindblowing Dragon Ball theories is simple: most of it is not theories at all, just people who never did their research. I called it "straight garbage" partway through, and by the end I still felt the same way, though I did admit the countdown gets noticeably better once it reaches the final five entries.

Several entries on the list were not fan theories at all but plain facts being misrepresented as speculation. When the countdown claimed the Universe 6 Saiyans evolved past needing tails for the Great Ape, I said, "That's not a fan theory. That's a straight-up fact." I had the same reaction to the entry claiming the Super Saiyan God ritual produces stronger results than achieving the form normally, which I said has never been stated once in the anime or manga.

A lot of my strongest pushback was on entries that got basic details wrong. The theory that Dr. Brief's wife is a robot ignored that she flirts with both Goku and Vegeta in the actual series, and I pointed out that "Brief" is Dr. Brief's first name, not the family's last name, something I have covered in my own past coverage. On the idea that Goku and Vegeta might become an angel and a god of destruction, I noted they have already declined that role in the story and that Ultra Instinct is confirmed in the manga to be an actual angelic technique, not just "reminiscent" of one as the countdown suggested. I also flagged that the claim about King Cold having leftover power ups miscounted Frieza's transformations, since Frieza actually had five power ups, not three.

The theory that Goten reached Super Saiyan because Goku was transformed during his conception drew a swift rejection from me, partly because the same countdown had just argued elsewhere that Goten has less potential than Gohan. I also pushed back hard on the claim that Pan never went Super Saiyan because the studio did not know how to draw Super Saiyan hair on a girl, saying, "That's completely made up," since nobody has ever said that. I also rejected the idea that Bulma once wished for a boyfriend and only got Vegeta later, calling it a horrible theory I had never heard from an actual Dragon Ball fan, since Shenron's wishes happen instantly rather than on a delay.

Not everything got torn apart. I said the theory that the Great Saiyaman costume was inspired by Android 16's final words to Gohan is plausible, and that Saiyans having evolved from Great Apes is a genuinely good theory. I also agreed that the Oracle Fish's prophecy pointing to Frieza's new transformation is legitimate, since it lines up with what Whis says in the manga.