WhenDragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’came out in 2015, many fans ofDragon Ballwere exposed to a character they hadn’t seen before. The character in question was a diminutive but surprisingly strong alien named Jaco, who was introduced to theZ Fightersby Bulma and helped them battle Frieza’s forces on Earth. The same scenario plays out with slight differences inDragon Ball Super.But who is Jaco, and where has he been all this time? And why does Bulma know another alien?
Much as in the case ofDr. Slump’s characters appearing inDragon BallandDragon Ball Super, Jaco’s appearance in theDragon Ballstoryline stems from another of Akira Toriyama’s works. In 2013, Toriyama started writing and eventually released a single-volume manga,Jaco the Galactic Patrolman,with the titular alien as its main character. What isn’t revealed until the bonus chapter is that the series is a direct prequel toDragon Ball.
RELATED:Dragon Ball: The One Thing Vegeta Might Be Better at Than Goku
What is Galactic Patrolman Jaco About?
Jaco is a stereotypical-looking alien who stands at 4'10 and claims to be a “Super Elite” of the Galactic Patrol, which serves the Galactic King and polices the galaxy. This puts them in conflict with the strongerSaiyansandFrieza Force, and it is the impending arrival of a Saiyan (later revealed to be the infant Goku) that brings Jaco to Earth in the first place. While no match for a grown Saiyan (his own words), Jaco is incredibly strong by Earth standards, able to easily beat up regular humans, lift his own spaceship with ease, and even kick a giant rocket a great distance. He also possesses an extremely powerful blaster and an “extinction bomb” which can erase all life on a planet. Finally, Jaco is able to fly briefly by igniting his rocket boots.
While on his way to Earth, Jaco crashes into the moon, damaging his spaceship before his arrival on Earth. Luckily, an old scientist named Omori shelters him and agrees to help fix his ship. The following 10chaptersofJaco the Galactic Patrolmancover Jaco and Omori’s various misadventures attempting to fix the ship, which is difficult because they need an exorbitant amount of money that neither of them has. Omori is also under threat of eviction from government officials who seek to repossess his island, a former research lab and the site of his wife’s grave. Jaco also saves the free-spirited Tights, a 17-year-old girl, from a group of thugs but attracts unwanted attention from the police and government in the process. It’s later revealed that Tights is Bulma’s older sister.
RELATED:The Art of Balancing Death in Shonen Anime
It’s better not to spoil how most of these plot points end, but it should be mentioned that a 5-year-old Bulma, already aprodigy, is the one who ends up fixing Jaco’s ship. Since then, he has continued his work as a Galactic Patrolman, but occasionally visits Bulma and Tights on Earth. Overall, the premise and storyline ofJaco the Galactic Patrolmanare interesting, but the execution does leave something to be desired.
Jaco the Galactic Patrolmanis undoubtedly an important piece ofDragon Ballhistory, but in terms of Akira Toriyama’s various projects, it’s among the weakest. It’s held back by heavy dumps of exposition and a proclivity for telling rather than showing, as well as a main character who’s appropriately quirky but not always likable. Omori and Tights are also largely forgettable characters, if not bad ones. The series clearly emphasizes comedy over action, with Jaco never being challenged in any of his fights. The problem is, the comedy here doesn’t hit nearly as well as it does with some ofToriyama’s other comedy projects, likeDr. SlumpandCowa!.Overall,Jaco the Galactic Patrolmanisn’t horrible, it’s just bland. That word stings, however, when it’s applied to a work by one of the most creative and successfulmangakaof all time.
Evenunder the assumption that fans ofDragon Ballshould readJacosince it’s technically a prequel to the franchise, there isn’t much to cover. No overt references are made toDragon Balluntil the bonus chapter. Furthermore, those who want to readJacoviaShonen Jumpwill notice that the bonus chapter is omitted from those included in the subscription service. Instead, readers who want to read the bonus chapter (along withDragon Ball Minus, which shows Goku’s Saiyan parents sending him to Earth) are forced to pay for the physical or digital volume in full.
