Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's upcoming Dragon Ball Super DLC is set to add a few recognizable characters to the already expansive roster, Beerus and Whis. Alongside this, Super Saiyan God forms for Goku and Vegeta will be unlockable, as well as a new endgame boss fight with Beerus. Yet the most surprising of the new details about Kakarot's DLC isn't any of that, but the inclusion of a relatively forgotten character in Dragon Ball Super, the Oracle Fish. Even hardcore fans of Dragon Ball Super would be forgiven for not remembering who the heck this weird talking fish is, as it was largely left behind as the story of Super progressed.
For those unaware, a new batch of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot screenshots dropped recently, and although they mostly confirmed what was already known about the DLC (training with Whis, fighting with Beerus, etc.), they did surprisingly reveal that the Oracle Fish would be included in the upcoming DLC. This character is interesting because he plays such an important role in kicking off the story of Dragon Ball Super, yet is basically forgotten about once the story gets into full swing. So who is the oracle fish, and what role might he play in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot?
Oracle Fish in Dragon Ball Super
The Oracle Fish is a strange, eel-like creature that lives in a tiny bubble atop a staff. Most notable about the fish is her tendency for prophecies and foresight which help to drive the story of Dragon Ball Super into motion. The Oracle Fish is first introduced at the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, where it is revealed that she told a prophecy to Beerus long ago that a Super Saiyan God capable of rivaling Beerus' strength would appear in 39 years. This prompted Beerus to enter his 39 year slumber.
When the God of Destruction awoke, he went to the Oracle Fish for answers about this Super Saiyan God, needing to be reminded of its name and how to find it. If not for the Oracle Fish's prophecy, Beerus would never have sought out Goku, and neither him nor Vegeta would have unlocked Super Saiyan God. This means that when Frieza returned to Earth with his Golden Form, no one would have been able to stand in his way. In a way, the Earth and the entire plot of Dragon Ball Super owe their existence to this weird fish.
Unfortunately, there's not much else to say about the fish's role in the anime. Although he briefly appears in the Golden Frieza Saga and eventually again in the Universal Survival saga, his role is so minor that it is hardly worth mentioning, usually amounting to only a line or two which adds nothing to the story. That said, given the changes being made to the story in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, it is uncertain what role the Oracle Fish will play in the upcoming DLC.
Oracle Fish in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
The recent screenshots confirming the Oracle Fish for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot bring up some interesting questions given the strange way CyberConnect2 is adapting the first part of Dragon Ball Super. Rather than a play by play recreation of the story like it did for the main story of Dragon Ball Z, the beginning of Super is being introduced as a sort of side content. This content can be accessed even before the player finishes the main story, and Goku's Super Saiyan God ritual is bypassed in favor of training with Whis as the method to unlock the form.
The God of Destruction is clearly in the upcoming DLC, as there are numerous screenshots of a boss battle between Beerus and Goku, but it doesn't seem to be a high stakes, fate of the Earth duel like it was in the anime and manga, but rather an extra challenge the player can unlock by training enough with Whis. But if that is the case, then what purpose does the Oracle Fish serve? It can be presumed that the Oracle Fish still told Beerus about the Super Saiyan God, prompting him and Whis to search for one, but it is unclear why Beerus seems so relaxed about the situation from there.
Additionally, the Oracle Fish originally told Beerus that the Super Saiyan God would appear in exactly 39 years, and the ability to access the DLC content before finishing the story makes that point invalid. It does depend, to a degree, on just how early the player can access the content, and by extension the Super Saiyan God form, but there are screenshots of Super Saiyan God Goku and Vegeta battling it out with the likes of Raditz and Dodoria from the first two sagas of the game. It is possible that these fights are the result of time travel, as it is unclear how the time machine interacts with Kakarot's DLC.
What makes the most sense is to assume that the Oracle Fish's prophecy in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was a little less specific but still prompted the awakening of Beerus and the Gods' search for Goku. Upon finding the Saiyan, however, it appears Beerus was a bit more lax, opting to let Whis train Goku before attempting to destroy the Earth to maximize his chances of finding this mystical rival the Oracle Fish spoke of. All things considered, it does make more sense, but Beerus has never been a very rational character, often allowing his hot headedness to cause problems for himself, Whis, and the Z Warriors.
The Oracle Fish's inclusion is Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is strange to be sure, but it is nice to see even minor characters being remembered. This idea seems to be a trademark of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, which managed to include and give roles to Launch, Eighter, Nam, and other Dragon Ball characters, while not forgetting about iconic scenes such as Raditz vs. Farmer with a Shotgun. Either way, it will be interesting to see what role exactly the Oracle Fish plays in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
