Tarble

"A Namekian told me you returned to Earth after defeating Frieza. A terrible brother duo named Abo and Kado are terrorizing my planet. I proved no match for them."
— Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!

Tarble (ターブル) is a Saiyan chatacter that makes his debut in the 2008 animated feature Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! He is the the youngest child of King Vegeta, the estranged, younger brother of Vegeta, and husband to a peculiar alien named Gure. Tarble and his brother Vegeta's names are puns on the word "vegetable."

Biography

Background

150px-Tarblemain — Tarble using his scouter on Goku

Tarble, like Vegeta, was born on Planet Vegeta. Tarble was ordered by his father, King Vegeta, to be sent to a remote planet on the grounds that he lacked the aggression and fighting skills required to be a Saiyan warrior, classifying Tarble as a low-class Saiyan. His appearance in Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! shows that his personality is somewhat gentle and he is very polite in his speech, greeting new people with good manners, compared to the ruthlessness and brashness of the average Saiyan. At some point, he meets and marries Gure (a resident from the remote planet Tarble was sent to as a child, similar to Goku marrying Chi-Chi, a resident of Earth, and Vegeta marrying Bulma, another resident of Earth).

Coming on Earth

170px-Tarble Looking. — Tarble while Goten and Trunks fight Abo and Kado

Two years after the defeat of Kid Buu, Tarble, accompanied by Gure, fled to Earth to seek Vegeta's assistance in defeating the brother duo Abo and Kado, former henchmen of Frieza, whom Tarble confesses have since become as powerful as their master and have been terrorizing his home. Abo and Kado pursue Tarble and Gure to Earth using Saiyan Pods.

Upon landing on Earth, Tarble and Gure encounter Goku and his friends who can see that he is a Saiyan. Vegeta reveals that he knows Tarble by calling him by his name while Tarble identifies Vegeta as his brother, surprising everyone (Vegeta being more or less apathetic to seeing Tarble). When Goku wants to fight, Tarble checks his scouter, and tells Goku that his power level is not high enough to beat Abo and Kado. Goku soon after though, powers up into a Super Saiyan, making Tarble realize not to always depend on his scouter. Upon asking Vegeta for his help against Abo and Kado, Goku and the rest also want to assist and they decide who fights the incoming duo by pulling radishes to get the longest, ending with Trunks being the victor. Gure wishes him luck which leads to Vegeta asking who she is. Tarble then introduces her as his wife (to Vegeta's surprise).

180px-BulmTarblGureLaunch — Tarble with Gure, Bulma and Launch

Once Abo and Kado arrive and start fighting Trunks and Goten (who joined at Goku's playful urging), Tarble does not do much for the remainder of the special and does not have any more dialogue. During Aka's Super Wahaha no Ha attack, he is seen with his arms around Gure in an attempt to protect her from harm. Tarble is last seen laughing at Mr. Satan with everyone else when Videl reminds her father of his promise to have more humility after he considers wishing his hotel back using the Dragon Balls.

Afterward

Tarble and Gure left Earth for space again afterward. Vegeta's younger brother is mentioned in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, when Goku and his friends learn that they need a sixth Saiyan for the Super Saiyan God transformation, but they do not know how to contact him.

Techniques and special abilities

Flight – The ability to fly with the use of ki.
Ki Blast – The most basic form of energy wave.
Full Power Energy Wave – Used in Raging Blast 2.
Super Energy Wave Volley – Used in Raging Blast 2.
Round UFO Attack – Tarble's ultimate attack in Raging Blast 2. Tarble summons his Space Pod to attack his opponent at high speed. In Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!, Tarble accompanied by Gure destroyed some building in West City on board of their Space Pods in a similar manner during their arrival on Earth.
Galick Burst – Tarble's signature attack in Raging Blast 2. It is Tarble's only Galick-named technique.
Energy Booster – A Melee Attack Power Up used in Raging Blast 2.
Explosive Wave – Used in Raging Blast 2.
Wild Sense – Used in Raging Blast 2.

Video game appearances

Tarble makes his first appearance ever in a video game as a playable character in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2. This is also the first time (along with Hatchiyack) the character is given an English voice actor, Todd Haberkorn.^[1] If Tarble goes up against Raditz in this video game, Raditz will express shock that Vegeta has a younger brother, like all the main characters did in Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!. If Tarble fights Nappa, Nappa is revealed to be aware of Tarble's existence (likely due to Nappa's rank within the Saiyan Army and his relationship with the royal family), but is surprised that a weakling like Tarble is still alive. If Nappa defeats Tarble, he will criticize his inability to live up to the Saiyan name. In the special dialogues between Tarble and each member of the Ginyu Force, Tarble is terrified of the Ginyu Force (due to their reputation). Also, Recoome knows Tarble's name.

Voice actors

Japanese Dub: Masakazu Morita
FUNimation Dub: Todd Haberkorn^[1]

Trivia

While "Table" can be also a translation of his name, it is not used in the official translation, most likely because the spelling "Table" reminds of the furniture.
Tarble is estimated to be in his late 30s in Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!. However, it should be noted that Saiyans remain in their youth and prime longer than Humans (Goku for example has changed very little from when he was 17). This may explain his teen-aged appearance. This might also be genetic, as Vegeta is shorter than most characters. Also, his scrawny size might have contributed to the Saiyans' decision to excommunicate him, as he demonstrated little fighting potential.

File:Tarble(manga).png

Gure and Tarble in the manga adaptation of Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!

Tarble's hair in the movie resembles very closely that of Adult Gohan's. However in the manga adaptation, his hair resembles that of his older brother.
Tarble seems to believe Vegeta defeated Frieza, unaware of Goku's role or who he is. He also seems to be unaware of Frieza's brief return and his final defeat on Earth.
By the time he appears, Tarble is the only surviving full-blooded Saiyan to have never transformed into a Super Saiyan. He is also the only full-blooded Saiyan to never die throughout the series and the last Saiyan to be seen still having a tail (and thus the only Saiyan alive capable of transforming into a Great Ape).
Unlike the other combat armor-wearing Saiyans such as Raditz, Nappa, Turles and even Vegeta, Tarble does not wrap his tail around his waist, instead letting it hang out loose like Goku and Gohan.
Despite being much weaker than the average Saiyan (and thus a disgrace to the royal bloodline of the Saiyans), Vegeta gets along with his younger brother and resembles the typical relationship shared between brothers (Tarble looks up to Vegeta, despite Vegeta's low opinion of his younger brother's fighting abilities). Vegeta cutting some slack on his brother may be due to Tarble's admiration of his older brother, and possibly his mistaken belief that Vegeta defeated Frieza (it may also be due to Vegeta's changed attitude towards his view on family).