The story of Dragon Ball‘s first Super Saiyan isn’t particularly well known, but it’s an exciting one that would make excellent fodder for a Dragon Ball spinoff/prequel series. While explained somewhat in the series proper, Akira Toriyama once revealed the short version of the tale in an interview, showing that he’d given some thought to how Super Saiyan first manifested.

The original man who started the myth of the Legendary Super Saiyan was a kind-hearted Saiyan known as Yamoshi. Disgusted with the brutal acts of his Saiyan brethren, Yamoshi launched a rebellion alongside five of his closest allies, hoping to put a stop to the evil that their kind was doing. Yamoshi was incredibly skilled and incredibly powerful, despite his gentle heart, and while he and his allies were ultimately defeated, Yamoshi went down in history as the violent Legendary Super Saiyan.

The short version of the story is pretty compelling as is, but the idea is fertile ground for a spinoff, if Dragon Ball wanted to do such a thing.

A Yamoshi Spinoff Could Flesh Out Saiyan History

Yamoshi’s Rebellion Makes for Excellent Prequel Bait

While rare, Dragon Ball has done spinoffs without Goku in the past, notably those which star his father, Bardock. Bardock is something of a doomed character, much like Yamoshi; no matter what he accomplishes on screen, he still must die to stay true to canon. As such, a Yamoshi spinoff could have a lot of the same appeal that Bardock’s stories have: some awesome action starring a Saiyan character other than Goku. Yamoshi is said to have lived 1,000 years ago, thus revealing a new era of Dragon Ball history for the first time and showing what early Saiyans were like.

Yamoshi’s story doesn’t end when he dies, however. In the interview from Saikyo Jump, translated by Kanzenshuu, Toriyama states that Yamoshi’s spirit began to wander the universe after his defeat, beginning the legend of the Super Saiyan God. He searched for six righteous Saiyans, like he and his comrades, who could channel their power together and create the Super Saiyan God, which eventually turned out to be Goku and friends. In this way, such a prequel could still tie into the main series, setting up the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods film and corresponding anime/manga arcs.

We could even potentially see how Yamoshi learned of the Super Saiyan God, something he may have learned after death, the way Goku learned Super Saiyan 3. An adventure through Dragon Ball‘s wild afterlife is always an interesting one, and that could be especially true for a new character like Yamoshi. It would offer the opportunity for plenty of familiar faces from Other World to make cameos as well.

A Dragon Ball spinoff starring the original Super Saiyan Yamoshi certainly has the opportunity to be pretty interesting, revealing some details which were glossed over in the brief telling of his story that various characters and Toriyama himself have relayed. It would offer the opportunity to deepen Dragon Ball‘s lore, and could be just as beloved as specials focusing on Goku’s father Bardock, if given the chance. While such a spinoff seems unlikely, fans can always dream about Yamoshi’s exploits.