Dragon Ball Superis popular for a number of reasons, but one thing that is especially well-loved is the fact that the series introduced the franchise’s first female Super Saiyans, Kale and Caulifla. However, these two owe their existence to another fan-favorite character entirely: Broly.
Kale and Caulifla are two Saiyans from Universe 6 who were recruited by Cabba to take part in the Tournament of Power. As “Sworn Sisters,” Kale and Caulifla made quite a duo on the battlefield, protecting one another using their power. Kale was even revealed to have a special power: the ability to access the Legendary Super Saiyan state.
The Legendary Super Saiyan state is, of course, most famously associated with Broly, a villain introduced in some ofDragon Ball Z’s non-canonical movies. Broly, as an enemy Saiyan, was extremely popular with fans, particularly those in the West, asDragon Ball’s creators had noted. That observation led to an idea for the Tournament of Power.
Dragon Ball Super’s Female Saiyans Owe it to Broly
Both Kale and Caulifla Were Created to Cash In on Broly’s Popularity
While Kale and Broly obviously have a lot in common, what with both being depicted as Legendary Super Saiyans, it was actually Kale that was created before Caulifla. In an interview with producer Satoru Takami and series director Ryota Nakamura,as translated by fan-site Kanzenshuu, the process of their creation was described thusly:
Nakamura:The Universe 6 Saiyan Caulifla was another one of Toriyama-sensei’s character designs.
Takami:She wasn’t part of the initial rough draft. During a story conference, it was mentioned that Broly was very popular.
Nakamura:From there, we came up with the character of Kale.
Takami:We wanted a Broly-like character, but it would be boring to have it be exactly the same. So we made the character a girl, and designed her at Toei Animation. When we showed her to Toriyama-sensei, he went along with it and drew Caulifla.
Filling out the roster for the Tournament of Power, which involved 80 characters, was obviously a major task, so in some sense it’s no surprise that they turned to existing characters as inspiration. It’s interesting that Kale was created so much earlier than Caulifla, as the two are so connected in fans' minds that it’s hard to imagine one without the other.
Kale and Caulifla Quickly Became Fan Favorites Themselves
Kale’s creation obviously predatesthe writing of theDragon Ball Super: Brolymovie, but may have had a hand in Broly’s selection as the next movie’s antagonist, especially once fan reactions to Kale and Caulifla began to pour in. Kale’s timid personality, which radically changes when she goes Super Saiyan, is quite a bit like the new version of Broly as well.
Kale and Caulifla arguably get the most focus of any non-universe 7 characters, even including Jiren, so their presence was a major boon to the Tournament of Power, and made the loss of Universe 6 hurt all the more. Thankfully, with the destroyed universes restored, Kale and Caulifla could show up again some day in future chapters ofDragon Ball Super.
