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Who is Tambourine in Dragon Ball? Discover the story, powers, abilities, and importance of one of the series’ most ruthless villains.
In the often chaotic and action-packed world of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, villains sure do come in all shapes and sizes. While some are menacing warlords, others are androids hellbent on complete annihilation. Among this wide range of villains, there are also those like Tambourine – a humanoid, gargoyle-like mutated demon who exists solely to murder innocents.
Retro fans of the series may remember him as one of King Piccolo’s children. Others may remember him as a ruthless and merciless assassin who made a very strong impression on viewers by defeating Goku in his initial appearance in the series, which is pretty rare for early Dragon Ball.
Despite not being a main villain, Tambourine actually played a significant role in the early stages of the Dragon Ball series. That being said, let us fully explore the fascinating character of Tambourine – who, to this day, remains one of the first truly sadistic characters in the series.
Who Is Tambourine in Dragon Ball?
To answer the question in brief – Tambourine is a mutated Namekian and one of King Piccolo’s children. He has a humanoid gargoyle-like appearance, and to top it all off, he has wings and fangs as well, truly giving him the look of a demon from Hell. His favorite hobby is slaughtering innocent humans, since he views them as inferior to his kind.
Killing people is basically a source of entertainment for Tambourine. He certainly feels no remorse for his heinous actions, which can be attributed to his cold-hearted nature. Matching his favorite pastime, Tambourine is an expert assassin. By following orders from King Piccolo, he was able to dispose of most of his targets.
Unlike many of the series’ later henchmen who were depicted as strong yet disposable, Tambourine was portrayed as a cold-hearted executioner. His basic job was to hunt down and slaughter any martial artist who participated in the last three World Martial Arts Tournaments, to ensure that they did not pose a threat to Piccolo’s return to power.
What sets him apart from other henchmen is the fact that he doesn’t just mindlessly follow orders – he actively enjoys killing. In fact, he takes his time mocking and humiliating his victims. However, when faced with a stronger opponent, Tambourine immediately tucks tail and tries to flee.
Tambourine’s Role in Dragon Ball
Tambourine might not be as prominent a villain as compared to Frieza or Cell. He certainly didn’t have a major role in the overarching narrative. That being said, he will definitely go down as one of the most memorable villains of the early Dragon Ball series. Arguably his biggest and most memorable act was murdering Krillin in an extremely brutal manner, leading to one of the series’ most unexpected developments.
Tambourine murdering Krillin also set off one of Goku’s most emotionally charged story arcs. It’s also worth mentioning that Tambourine actually managed to defeat Goku in their first encounter, albeit the latter was already in a weakened state from his fight against Tien Shinhan. This was actually pretty rare in Dragon Ball, since Goku usually wiped the floor with his opponents early on. However, in this encounter, Goku was utterly humiliated, adding more weight to his eventual revenge.
Of course, Tambourine did end up losing his rematch against Goku in a pretty embarrassing manner. However, it remains an undeniable fact that Tambourine’s early actions had a huge impact on both the fanbase and the narrative.
Tambourine’s Powers and Abilities
In the early days of Dragon Ball, Tambourine was a pretty formidable fighter. In fact, he defeated several powerful martial artists effortlessly, including the likes of Nam, Giran, Bacterian, King Chappa, Krillin, and even a tired and hungry Goku. According to King Piccolo, Tambourine was significantly stronger than Cymbal, his younger brother. In fact, at the time of his death, Tambourine was the most powerful son of Piccolo.
Apart from having superhuman strength, Tambourine had an arsenal of dangerous abilities, which made him a force to be reckoned with. Some of those abilities are listed below:
- Flight
- Ki Blasts
- Evil Cannon
- One Hundred Arms
- Mystic Breath
- Electric Shock
One thing that everyone should keep in mind about Tambourine is that he’s not just strong – he’s truly sadistic. He enjoys beating opponents within an inch of their lives before killing them. Moreover, he’s highly durable – he was able to survive direct attacks from Goku and take on a great deal of damage before eventually going down.
Tambourine’s Importance in Dragon Ball
In terms of importance in the overall continuity of the Dragon Ball series, Tambourine might not be as prominent or important as other villains. Regardless, his overall impact on the narrative of the early series is invaluable. Most notably, his initial appearances set the tone for darker storylines for the series.
Tambourine killing Krillin and defeating Goku in their first bout also raised the stakes to an all-time high. Additionally, he was a crucial part of Goku’s first true revenge arc, as he was the first enemy who truly enraged Goku. Lastly, his being pure evil instead of being comedic or arrogant like past Dragon Ball villains made him one of the series’ most hateable characters.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, Tambourine is one of Dragon Ball‘s most underrated and overlooked villains. Although he isn’t as strong or as recurring as other villains, his impact on the early stages of the series is undeniable. At that point in time, he was a symbol of fear and true evil, who gave Goku one of his first major losses. He didn’t need to stand out in a flashy manner or have a high power level. He was simply a villain who played his part perfectly.
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