35 Years Later, Dragon Ball Concept Art Fuels Hype For a Bardock Spinoff

Bardock, the father of Goku, made his debut in a 1990 special, Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku. This was the very first special episode of the Dragon Ball Z anime. Around 35 years later, Bardock is still an iconic character and has become fuel for fan-made concept arts regarding a Bardock Spinoff.

Since his debut, Bardock has been featured in a variety of Dragon Ball movies, episodes, and specials, but fans still crave a proper spinoff on the character. His intriguing past and sacrifices are legendary to this day.

Bardock’s Fan-Made Concept Art Has Reignited a Flame

A fan-made poster of Bardock shared on the social media platform X shows Bardock in a dramatic movie-style composition. He is striding towards a scouter lens. The background shows an ominous red light, which might hint at the obvious tragedy that awaits him.

The amount of likes and views that the post has generated is an obvious hint at the fact that a spinoff on Bardock might actually perform well.

pic.twitter.com/3zyYcTfNvb

— NICO (@nicocolors) September 8, 2025

Bardock’s debut in Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku, which first aired in October 1990 and was later dubbed by Funimation for release in January 2001, shows the story of the character. He used to be a low-class Saiyan warrior from Planet Vegeta who was sent on an assignment to exterminate the life forms on Planet Kanassa.

However, one remaining survivor gave him the gift of seeing visions of the future. Thus, Bardock saw how Frieza would destroy the entirety of the Saiyan race along with their planet.

When the prediction began to become reality, he battled the responsible exterminators. He successfully kills many of Frieza’s minions and even faces Frieza himself. However, he was able to send off Goku in a space pod, who he knew would defeat Frieza. Goku’s father died a heroic death, but knew that he, his comrades, and his planet would be avenged in the future.

How a Bardock Spinoff Could Tie Into Dragon Ball Super

After the passing away of Akira Toriyama, the Dragon Ball franchise has found itself in a state of void. Toriyama’s last production, Dragon Ball DAIMA, has ended, and Dragon Ball Super manga is on an indefinite hiatus. Dragon Ball Super has already woven Bardock into its story. In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, a revamped Bardock can be seen. His epic tale of tragedy was focused on.

Next, in the Granolah arc, Bardock’s past caught up to the present. Flashbacks showed how Bardock was sent to conquer Planet Cereal under the orders of Frieza. His spark of heroism was focused on as he saved young Granolah and Monaito. Bardock even fought Gas and the Heeters. This act of heroism and defiance has created some rightful ripples in the storyline.

These callbacks to Bardock prove that he isn’t just a bygone character. His actions have a long-lasting impact on the story. If a new spinoff is created, it could fill in the gaps of Bardock’s story and continue with his tale in a new arc of Dragon Ball SUPER. The spinoff can delve into Saiyan history, foreshadow other villains, or even show the transformations of Bardock; the potential is endless.

Here is a table with Bardock and his appearances in the Dragon Ball franchise:

At this time, when Dragon Ball fans are dying for some new content, Bardock could be the savior. Do you think a Bardock spinoff would be a good idea for the stagnant Dragon Ball franchise? Let us know in the comments below.

Dragon Ball anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.