Is Kid Buu the original Buu in Dragon Ball? Explained

Modified Jun 13, 2024 08:00 GMT

Dragon Ball and the history of Kid Buu (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball fans often ask, "Is Kid Buu the original Buu?" because of how convoluted the character's evolution has been throughout the series. Viewers and readers have seen multiple versions of this character throughout the years. The series even had a human reincarnation of Kid Buu named Uub, thus adding more complexity to its origin.

In that regard, Kid Buu is the original Buu. He has one of the most interesting beginnings of the Dragon Ball franchise while being one of the most peculiar entities. This has added to the character's allure, especially considering that it has so many versions, thus becoming a lot more peculiar and unique when compared to the rest of the cast.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series.

Buu's origins in Dragon Ball explained

Kid Buu in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The series originally stated that Kid Buu was created by the evil wizard Bibidi, Babidi's father, although Akira Toriyama mentioned that he was alive since time immemorial. Kid Buu often went on rampages and hibernation, thus leading to this creature absorbing the evil elements of mankind and, eventually, turning into the being Goku and Vegeta face at the end of the original manga.

However, millennia before the events of the series, different Kais faced Majin Buu, and two of them died in the process. The South Supreme Kai was absorbed by Buu, who thus gained a bulkier, more muscular body. The Grand Supreme Kai faced him in battle and was also absorbed, leading to the fat, childlike version that most fans are familiar with.

This version of Buu was a lot easier to control and deal with since he didn't have the original's inherent evil and nature to destroy because he gained the Grand Supreme Kai's innocence. Bibidi, realizing he couldn't handle Buu, used this state of Buu to seal him away. Shin also took care of the evil wizard, although his son Babidi would eventually unseal the creature many years later.

Each Buu form seen in the series

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The first version readers and viewers see in the series is the Fat Buu, which is the one unsealed by Babidi. As he becomes friends with Mr. Satan and struggles with his destructive nature, he unleashes his evil thoughts. He then becomes a whole new being, often called Skinny Buu by fans, which defeats the fat one and eats him, leading to the birth of Super Buu.

This version of the character is a lot more powerful and even somewhat smarter as he tricks Gohan into absorbing Gotenks and Piccolo, thus gaining their power and the latter's intellect. There is a small moment in the series where the Gotenks fusion runs out, and Buu is seen wearing Piccolo's clothes, highlighting how he changes outfits after each absorption.

Later, he absorbs Gohan, which leads to the version most fans know as Buuhan. This is not only the strongest version of Buu but also the strongest villain of the original Dragon Ball manga. Later, Vegeta and Goku saved all the people he had absorbed until then, and fans finally saw the original Kid Buu in action.

Final thoughts

Kid Buu is the final boss of the original Dragon Ball manga. He is one of the most destructive beings since he managed to destroy Earth, which no other villain in the series did until that point. However, his origin is a bit convoluted when taking everything into account.

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Edited by Shreya Das