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"Th… thank you for saving me. My name's Bulma."Her soft, almost whisper-like voice tugged Broly out of the moment. If he weren't so strong, he probably wouldn't have heard something as light as a bee's wings.
Seeing the girl staring at him as if she'd fallen in love at first sight, Broly chuckled."It's okay. Protecting girls is what guys are supposed to do. I'm Broly, and that kid over there is Son Goku."
His voice was so gentle, and lying in his arms felt unbelievably safe. Bulma almost wished time would just freeze here forever. She couldn't help daydreaming—Why is this handsome guy being so sweet to me? Does he… like me? If he asked me to marry him, what would I do? Should I say yes? Ugh! What am I even thinking? This is so embarrassing!
She didn't realize Broly really did like her—this bright, dreamy girl.In the original story, Broly always thought Bulma secretly loved Goku. Even after she married Vegeta, he believed there was always one person lodged in her heart: Son Goku.
Broly once even assumed that when Goku grew up, he and Bulma would definitely end up together. And when they didn't? Broly got so mad he went out and bought a new TV… because he'd smashed the old one with the remote in frustration.
Of course, that doesn't mean Bulma was unfaithful, nor that she didn't truly love Vegeta. It's just that her bond with Goku ran incredibly deep. The fact they never got together is something many Dragon Ball fans still sigh about.
Chi-Chi, in classic lightning-speed fashion, swooped in and married Goku. Before that, Bulma either didn't realize—or refused to acknowledge—her feelings toward him. Only when Chi-Chi suddenly showed up to fulfill her childhood promise did Bulma understand just how much space Goku had quietly taken up in her heart.
But by then it was already too late.Bulma stepped back, offered her blessings, and walked away… yet her feelings for Goku never really changed.
When Goku returned from training with Kami, hearing that he'd grown into a handsome young man made Bulma ridiculously happy.On Namek, when she heard he was coming, she was thrilled again—going on about how unexpectedly good-looking he was, and hinting she might have chosen the wrong guy.
But the most telling moment came near the end of DBZ, when Chi-Chi said to her:"You've always loved my Goku, haven't you?"
Bulma must've been stunned. Woman to woman, and best friends at that—Chi-Chi knew her well. A woman's intuition is wild enough normally… and even scarier when she's smart.
If even Chi-Chi said it, could it really be wrong?
So yes, Chi-Chi could instinctively feel it: Bulma had always loved Goku.In early DBZ she was already twenty-eight, and almost thirty when she married Vegeta. That youthful, blooming crush she carried? It sprouted quietly, grew silently… and fell with a soft, heartbreaking thud.
Thinking about all this made Broly feel even more tender toward the girl in his arms.Meeting you in this lifetime used up all the luck I had.
Later on, when the GT theme song turned out to be "Danfuku no Tobira" ("Hikari no Willpower"), Broly used to think it sounded touching, but not really fitting. Only after understanding Bulma's feelings did he realize—it worked perfectly.After all, the song is a love song.
Broly once thought it was simply describing how people around Goku, even enemies like Piccolo or Vegeta, slowly got swept up by his charm.But once he understood Bulma's hidden feelings… every lyric felt like something she wanted to say to Goku but never dared to.
It's hard to call that a coincidence. Dragon Ball, a hot-blooded battle anime, ended up choosing an emotional song instead of an intense one. A song that matches the emotional arc between two characters fans always wondered about. Maybe there really was a reason behind it.
As for whether Goku, after marriage and finally understanding romantic feelings, ever realized Bulma liked him?Or whether he himself had feelings he buried for the sake of his family? Or whether he was actually the irresponsible husband the original story made him out to be…?
...
"You two… what are you even talking about? Girls? Boys? Isn't she a monster who crawled out of that big scary thing?"Goku barged in at the worst possible moment, shattering the romantic atmosphere like a walking spotlight. His face was serious, earnest, and completely clueless—making it impossible to even get mad at him.
Bulma and Broly snapped out of their fantasies. Realizing someone else was right there, Bulma squeaked and scrambled out of Broly's arms.
Broly sighed helplessly and started explaining, again, the difference between boys and girls to Goku.
"Huh? So you're a girl? Well… you do look kinda different from me. And you don't have a Dragon Ball—uh, I mean tail."Goku stared, confused.
"What? You country bumpkin! You've never even seen a girl before?" Bulma glared at him.
"Nope! You're the first human I've ever seen besides Grandpa and Broly!" Goku said proudly.
Bulma inhaled deeply. She had no words. This little kid was going to be the end of her.
"But Grandpa always told me, if I ever met a girl, I should treat her gently!"
"Exactly! Your grandpa must've been a real gentleman. Does he live with you?" Bulma asked.
"He died when I was little. I lived by myself… until Broly started living with me."
As he spoke, Goku circled behind Bulma, reaching out to lift her skirt to check if she also had a tail—only for Broly to block him in time.
"Goku, you can't just lift a girl's skirt. That's disrespectful. And Bulma isn't like us—normal humans don't have tails," Broly explained.
"Oh right, Bulma—why are you here anyway?" Broly asked, pretending to be curious.
"Oh! I almost forgot!"Bulma quickly pulled out her Dragon Radar. A Dragon Ball signal was blinking nearby, so she showed them the two she already had: the Two-Star Ball and Three-Star Ball.
"These are called Dragon Balls! I found them in my house's storage room. There are seven in total. If you gather all of them, something unbelievable will happen!"
Meanwhile, far away in a mysterious palace-like structure, a single Dragon Ball rested on a shrine at the very center.
Suddenly, the great doors creaked open, and the silhouettes of three figures—one big, two small—appeared at the entrance.
"....."