What if DBZ happens a year later?

[SIAD]

It would mean that Raditz would arrive 1 year later. Considering the tremendous gains that Goku and Piccolo made in those 5 years, with a sixth year they might have reached the level of Raditz.

How would the story have developed?

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Without the plot demanding it and without knowledge of what they'd face to boost their training gains in the same manner as their Saiyan Arc selves, not much would change most likely as I doubt Goku and Piccolo would get much stronger. The only arguable factor would be the possibility of Goku getting the heart virus a year later and dying not long after the battle on Namek which changes a lot assuming he didn't catch it on Yardrat. Assuming he didn't, Freeza and Cold slaughter the Dragon Team and destroy Earth. If not, then nothing would change overall since the Saiyan Arc being pushed to a year later would do the same for Cell and the other Artificial Humans' growth in the other timelines.

 

[DBZAOTA482]

I don't think Goku and Piccolo's gains were that great in those 5 years. With one extra year, they might have a chance but Raditz would still school them.

 

[GSM123]

Piccolo probably wouldn't have created the Makkankosappo yet, so they would be destroyed by Raditz. Gohan would be 3 months old at best and probably wouldn't be any help either.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

I don't think Goku and Piccolo's gains were that great in those 5 years. With one extra year, they might have a chance but Raditz would still school them.

Going from Small Country to Moon level is a huge increase, so they undoubtedly got vastly stronger. I do agree that with their current training regimes, they wouldn't make as major increases though.

Piccolo probably wouldn't have created the Makkankosappo yet, so they would be destroyed by Raditz. Gohan would be 3 months old at best and probably wouldn't be any help either.

It's one year later than it'd normally happen (ie. Age 762), not one year after the 23rd TB as I assume you read it as.

 

[GSM123]

Going from Small Country to Moon level is a huge increase, so they undoubtedly got vastly stronger. I do agree that with their current training regimes, they wouldn't make as major increases though.

It's one year later than it'd normally happen (ie. Age 762), not one year after the 23rd TB as I assume you read it as.

In this case, almost everything goes the same. I don't see Goku and Piccolo powering up that much from a year since they seemed to have hit their earthly limits after the 23rd Budokai. Vegeta and Nappa arrive one year later and Freeza knows about the Dragon Balls through them.

Now, there are two options:

A) Goku dies of the heart virus in Yardrat

In this situation, the Earth gets destroyed by Freeza and King Cold. Boo's ball is found roaming in space by Babidi and Boo eventually gets revived and consumes the universe unless Beerus or Zeno do their jobs.

B) Goku gets cured of the heart virus

Here things basically become a "what if Goku never got the heart virus?". Once the twins appear Goku suggests the Rosat and the twins get effortlessly destroyed. Babidi gets thwarted since Vegeta got to settle things with Goku and they both probably achieved SSJ2. Beerus doesn't threaten to destroy the Earth but it doesn't even matter because he's not canon SSJG will be unlocked anyway. Boo's absence won't even be a bother since Kaioshin will probably take Boo's indestructible egg to protect it himself and it will only take a small fraction of Goku or Vegeta's power to hatch it.

 

[SIAD]

I think Goku and Piccolo would have a power of around 650. Maybe Tenshinhan would have surpassed Mr. Popo, but surely the story would have developed in a similar way to the Original story, except that maybe the Z Warriors would be a bit stronger than they were in each Arc.

 

[GSM123]

I don't think they would have progressed very far. Some of them might have hit some walls in their earthly training.