He’s a pig. He wears a Mao-style military outfit. He’s obsessed with underwear. Most people watching Dragon Ball Z today probably think of Oolong as that weird background character who hangs out at Kame House just to provide a punchline or get yelled at by Bulma.
But honestly? Without Oolong, the entire universe would be ruled by a vertically challenged dictator with a blue face.
When we talk about Oolong in Dragon Ball Z, we're looking at a character who underwent one of the most drastic shifts in relevance in anime history. He started as a terrifying (well, supposedly) shapeshifting antagonist in the original Dragon Ball and slowly withered into a bystander by the time Raditz landed on Earth. Yet, his presence represents the DNA of what Akira Toriyama originally intended for the series before it became all about power levels and golden hair.
The Shape-Shifter Who Saved the World
It’s easy to forget that Oolong is technically the first person to ever make a wish on the Dragon Balls.
Let’s set the scene. Emperor Pilaf has all seven balls. He’s about to wish for world domination. The stakes are literally as high as they can get. Goku is trapped. Bulma is helpless. And then, out of nowhere, this cowardly, lecherous pig jumps into the frame and screams for a pair of comfortable underwear.
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It's ridiculous. It's classic Toriyama. But specifically, it’s the moment that defined the series' logic: wit and absurdity often trump raw power.
By the time we get to the Oolong Dragon Ball Z era, that chaotic energy is mostly gone. He becomes a benchmark for how much the world has changed. In the early days, being a shapeshifter was a top-tier ability. Oolong could turn into a giant robot, a bat, or a terrifying demon. Sure, he had a five-minute time limit and a massive cooldown period where he had to rest, but in a world where people were still fighting with sticks and stones, that was a huge advantage.
Once the Saiyans arrived, Oolong’s "power" became a joke. You can’t exactly shapeshift your way out of a Planet Geyser or a Final Flash.
Why Did Toriyama Keep Him Around?
You’ve probably noticed that Dragon Ball Z has a lot of "hangers-on." Puar, Oolong, Master Roshi, and even Yamcha eventually fall into this category. They are the human (or animal) element in a story that quickly moves into the realm of gods and aliens.
Oolong serves as the audience's surrogate for fear.
When the Ginyu Force lands or when Cell starts absorbing entire cities, Goku and Vegeta react with excitement or stoic resolve. They want to fight. Oolong, on the other hand, wants to hide under a table at Capsule Corp. That’s a rational human reaction. He reminds us that the villains in this show are genuinely terrifying to normal people.
Interestingly, Oolong’s character design is a direct nod to Journey to the West, the classic Chinese novel that inspired Dragon Ball. He is the stand-in for Zhu Bajie, the pig demon. While Goku (Sun Wukong) grew into a cosmic warrior, Oolong stayed true to his roots: he’s lazy, he’s greedy, and he’s remarkably consistent.
The Dynamics of Kame House
During the Android and Cell sagas, Oolong is basically part of the furniture at Master Roshi’s place.
Have you ever noticed how he and Puar are rarely seen apart in the early episodes but drift into different roles later? Puar stays loyal to Yamcha, but Oolong basically becomes Roshi’s gambling buddy and foil. They represent the "old guard." There’s a specific scene during the wait for the Cell Games where the group is just sitting around, and Oolong is playing cards. It’s a quiet moment that highlights the tension; even the comic relief characters can’t find a way to make the situation feel light.
He also plays a subtle role in the movie Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan. While he doesn't fight—obviously—he’s there for the "vacation" aspect. He provides the contrast. You have these muscular titans destroying a planet, and then you have a pig in a Hawaiian shirt just trying to have a good time. It’s that tonal whiplash that made the Z-era so iconic.
Is Shapeshifting Still a Thing?
One of the biggest missed opportunities in Oolong Dragon Ball Z lore is the abandonment of the Shapeshifting Academy.
Yes, that was a real place.
Oolong and Puar both attended the Southern Transformative School. Oolong was actually expelled for stealing the teacher’s underwear, which tracks. Puar graduated. This implies that anyone in the Dragon Ball universe could potentially learn to shapeshift if they put in the effort. Imagine if the Z-fighters had used that. Imagine a shapeshifting Krillin or Tien.
Instead, it became a forgotten mechanic. By the time Majin Buu shows up, the only "transformation" anyone cares about involves growing hair or fusing two people together. Oolong’s brand of magic was replaced by biological mutations and divine power-ups.
The Moral Complexity of a Coward
Oolong isn't a hero. He’s explicitly told us he isn't.
But he stays.
Think about the Majin Buu saga. When Super Buu arrives at Lookout Point and starts turning people into chocolate, Oolong is there. He knows he has zero chance. He knows he can’t contribute to the fight. Yet, he doesn’t run away to some remote island. He stays with his friends. There’s a weird, quiet bravery in a character who is fundamentally terrified but chooses to stand (and eventually die, temporarily) alongside the people he’s known since he was a kid.
When he was wished back to life at the end of the series, he didn't change. He didn't start training in 100x gravity. He went right back to being a cynical, joke-cracking pig.
That’s actually great writing. In a show where everyone is constantly evolving into more powerful versions of themselves, Oolong is an anchor. He represents the status quo.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re revisiting the series or looking at how character arcs work in long-running shonen, Oolong offers some pretty specific lessons.
- The Utility of the Foil: Use characters like Oolong to ground your high-stakes action. Without someone to be afraid, the danger doesn't feel real to the audience.
- Legacy Matters: Even if a character isn't "meta-relevant" in terms of power, their history with the leads (like Goku and Bulma) creates a sense of lived-in world-building.
- The Power of the Joke: Never underestimate the narrative impact of a well-placed gag. The "Panty Wish" is still the most famous moment in the franchise for a reason—it subverted every expectation of the genre.
If you want to see Oolong at his "peak" in the Z-era, go back and watch the early episodes of the Garlic Jr. saga. While many skip this filler arc, it actually gives the non-combatant characters a bit more screen time and reminds us why this weird little group worked in the first place.
The next time you see that little pig in the background of a Group Shot at the end of a movie, remember that he’s the reason the Earth wasn't renamed "Pilaf World" thirty years ago. He’s the original MVP of accidental heroism.
Next Steps for the Dragon Ball Historian:
Verify the timeline of the "World's Strongest" movie to see how Oolong’s shapeshifting was used for one of the last times as a plot device. Then, compare his role in Dragon Ball Super to see how he has transitioned from a supporting character to a background cameo, noting how his cynicism has actually sharpened with age.