In recent weeks, memes about Tenshinhan – one of the oldest characters in the Dragon Ball franchise, have begun to gain a foothold on social networks. These memes show him to be a character harboring deep resentment.
Interestingly, these memes have been widely spread by netizens, focusing on the idea that Tenshinhan is constantly suspicious of any character with a past as a villain.
This is especially the case with Vegeta, whom he sees as a potential threat to the Z warrior group in Dragon Ball.
One of the phrases that appears most often in these memes is: “Be careful, Vegeta will betray us!”encapsulates Tenshinhan's obvious fear. This sentence means that although Vegeta has redeemed himself and fought alongside the Z warrior group, he will at some point return to his roots as a villain.
This exaggeration became a trend, making Tenshinhan the most suspicious character of the group, someone who could never forget the past sins of others.
While memes take this idea to extremely humorous levels, the origin of Tenshinhan's resentment towards Vegeta is deeply rooted in the origin story of the Dragon Ball anime.
During the Saiyan saga, Vegeta and Nappa attempted to take the lives of several Z Fighters, including Tenshinhan. This event left a deep obsession that made the 3-eyed guy until the end of “Dragon Ball Z” still only reluctantly trust Vegeta.
A clear example of this resentment is seen in the final battle against Majin Buu, when Vegeta asks the earthling to raise his hand to help Goku collect the energy that creates Genkidama. At that moment, all the characters raised their hands without hesitation, except for Tenshinhan who seemed a bit resistant. Only when he heard Goku's voice supporting the request did he agree to help. This detail reflects that Tenshinhan's distrust of Vegeta never completely disappeared.
This detail, although small in the series, has been expanded upon and exaggerated by memes, creating a version of Tenshinhan who, faced with any action from Vegeta, is ready to scream: “He will betray us!”. Interestingly, this interpretation was very enthusiastically received by fans, who turned Tenshinhan into a symbol of humorous paranoia and resentment in the Dragon Ball universe.