Shenron is one busy character inDragon Ball.He’s the wish-granting dragon behind the titular Dragon Balls, helping the Z Fighters defy all the rules throughout the franchise. AsDragon Ballhas expanded past Earth and into different worlds, galaxies, realms, and even universes, the franchise has introduced a few more wish-granting dragons with different rules and traits, but it all started with Shenron.
The wishes made by Shenron vary in their significance. Some wishes are incredibly important and pivotal to the series, while others are used as a joke. It makes Shenron’s appearance completely unpredictable, as nobody knows what wish he’ll end up granting. In the mainDragon Balltimeline (not counting the events that happened in Future Trunks' timeline, the video games, or movies), there have been a total of 19 wishes that the dragon has granted.
19Oolong Wishes for a Pair of Panties
The First Wish in Dragon Ball Set The (Awkwardly Funny) Tone
The first-ever wish made in theDragon Ballcanon is perfect for the original series. Before the high-flying action ofDragon Ball ZandDragon Ball Super,the originalDragon Ballfocused on comedy above all else, and that’s seen perfectly with Oolong’s wish.
Emperor Pilaf, the first villain Goku ever truly faced inDragon Ball,was about to make an evil wish when Oolang interrupted him, stealing his wish in the process. In the Japanese version,Oolang wished for panties from a hot girl, while the English dub sees him wish for a pair of comfortable underwear.
18Upa Wishes for His Father to Be Revived
A Much More Serious Wish than the First
The second wish made in the franchise was much more endearing than the first. Bora, Upa’s father, was killed. Goku couldn’t stand seeing his friends sad, so he destroyed the Red Ribbon Army to gather the Dragon Balls and resurrect him.
Though Upa is largely absent fromDragon Ball Z, he does make an appearance in the Buu Saga to lend Goku strength for the Spirit Bomb. Upa would later make a brief appearance inDragon Ball GT.
The second wish granted by Shenron was to revive Bora, reuniting the pair once again. It’s a surprisingly sweet and wholesome moment for a show that’s often obsessed with gags or action. Bora’s revival is solid proof that, despite its reputation, the originalDragon Ballwasn’t completely dedicated to comedy.
17King Piccolo Wished for His Youth to Be Restored
The First Wish Made by a Villain in Dragon Ball
The third wish made in theDragon Ballfranchise is the first wish made by a villain, making it a significant and horrifying step forward for the series and Shenron. King Piccolo was easilythe originalDragon Ball’sstrongest villain, and his wish only enhanced his power to a nearly incomprehensible level.
Most villains in the series are unsuccessful when they attempt to wish for something evil, butKing Piccolo was actually able to achieve his goal of restoring his youth with the Dragon Balls.He then kills Shenron in a shocking moment in an attempt to stop anyone else from accessing the wish-granting power. Kami would eventually bring the eternal dragon back, but the idea that he could be killed at all was quite a shock.
16Yamcha Wishes for Everyone Killed by King Piccolo and His Sons to Be Revived
One of the Dragon Ball’s most powerful abilities is to resurrect the dead as if they never died. Shenron has the ability to resurrect numerous dead people at once, too, and Yamcha was the first person to do so.
Even though he started the originalDragon Ballseries as a villain, Yamcha ends it by proving he’s not a bad guy after all.He asked Shenron to bring back everyone killed by King Piccoloand his sons, restoring order to the Earth once again. Yamcha is aDragon Ballcharacter who’s easy to make fun of, but despite his numerous losses, he proves to be a selfless friend multiple times throughout the series.
15Master Roshi Wishes for Goku to Be Revived
The First Wish of Dragon Ball Z
The start ofDragon Ball Zwas a lot to handle for Goku. He introduced his son to his friends, met his brother Raditz for the first time, fought against his brother to save his son, allied with his long-time enemy Piccolo, and then promptly died.
The first time that the Dragon Balls were used inDragon Ball Zwas to bring Goku back to life.The Saiyans were on their way to Earth to finish what Raditz started, and the Z Fighters knew that they’d need their stronger warrior if they wanted to win.
14Mr. Popo Wishes for Everyone Killed by Frieza and His Henchmen on Namek to Be Brought Back to Life
A Major Wish in Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ballis an anime series that doesn’t respect death in the slightest. Most of the main characters have died several times, and entire planets are wiped out just to be brought back a few episodes later.
The second time that Shenron’s Dragon Balls are used inDragon Ball Zis a great example of this, asMr. Popo wishes to revive everyone killed by Frieza and his men on Namek.
13Yamcha Wishes for Everyone Killed by Cell to Be Revived
Yamcha’s Second (Selfless) Wish in the Franchise
Like Frieza and King Piccolo before him, Cell kills a lot of innocent people during his time as the series' biggest and baddest villain. After he’s defeated by Gohan, there’s a lot of cleaning up to do.
Yamcha wishes for everyone that Cell killed to be revived.It’s another selfless act from Yamcha that proves he’s a true Z Fighter and another instance where Shenron has to resurrect a ton of people at once.
12Krillin Wishes for the Bombs inside Android 17 and 18 to Be Removed
Krillin Was in Love with Android 18 the Moment He Saw Her
Krillin is one of the most adorable characters inDragon Ball.Even though Android 18 is an enemy, he can’t help but fall in love with her. He tries to turn her back into a human through Shenron, but even the magic dragon can’t pull that off.
Instead,he wishes for the bombs inside both Android 17 and 18 to be removed.Shenron grants this wish, making the two Androids a lot less dangerous to themselves and the people around them.
11Bulma Wishes for Everyone Killed the Day of the World Martial Arts Tournament to Be Revived
The First Wish of the Buu Saga
The Buu Saga was one of the most destructive in the franchise. Buu was able to kill most ofthe strongest Z Fighters inDragon Ball.He was also able to destory the Earth, a feat most of the other villains in the series failed at accomplishing.
After Kid Buu was finally defeated by Goku,Bulma used the Dragon Balls to revive everyone killed during the World Martial Arts Tournament, including those killed by Majin Vegeta.
10The Dragon Team Wishes to Erase Everyone Else’s Memories
Nobody Else Remembers Buu’s Massacre
The Dragon Team/Z Fighters have always protected the Earth from behind the scenes. They never wanted credit, and Gohan even went out of his way to conceal his identity when he fought crime as the Great Saiyaman.
After the people of the Earth were revived by Shenron,the Dragon Team wished for everyone’s memories to be erased, except for themselves.
