Rock-Paper-Scissors

This article is about the decision-making process. For the technique used by Goku, see Rock, Scissors 'N' Paper.

Goz and Mez deciding who faces Goku first

Rock-Paper-Scissors (ジャン拳, Janken) is a game used from time to time in the Dragon Ball series, often as a means of deciding who gets to fight whom. Anyone playing rock-paper-scissors will say "rock, paper, scissors," and put their hand in a position so it resembles either a rock, a piece of paper, or a pair of scissors. Scissors beats paper, rock beats scissors, and paper beats rock. Four-way rock-paper-scissors can take quite a while.

Rock-Paper-Scissors is used at least once in Dragon Ball, and six times in Dragon Ball Z.

Appearances

Dragon Ball

King Piccolo Saga

Goku and Yajirobe playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who will fight Cymbal

Goku and Yajirobe play rock-paper-scissors to decide who will fight Cymbal. Yajirobe wins and fights Cymbal cutting him in half with his katana and eating him.

Dragon Ball Z

Vegeta Saga

Main article: Vegeta Saga

Gohan playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with a crab

When Goku is telling everyone at Kame House about Gohan, Gohan meets a crab (which is much smaller than the giant one on Namek) and they do rock-paper-scissors. Both of them keep picking scissors, as the crab can obviously only choose scissors, until Gohan picks rock. The crab, being a sore loser, sprays Gohan's face with bubbles.

When Goku falls off Snake Way and into Hell (Home for Infinite Losers in censored dubs), and he asks two ogres named Goz and Mez how to get out, they decide that if he can defeat them, they'll show him the way out. It is implied that they are going to fight each other to determine who fights Goku first, but instead they do rock-paper-scissors. Goz wins with scissors, and challenges Goku to a wrestling match.

Namek Saga

Main article: Namek Saga

The Ginyu Force deciding who will fight Vegeta

Rock-paper-scissors is used twice in the Namek Saga, though only once it yields results. When the Ginyu Force capture all seven Dragon Balls for Frieza, Ginyu decides to fight Vegeta, but receives complaints from Recoome, Burter, Jeice, and Guldo, all of whom want to fight Vegeta, he instead decides to take the Dragon Balls to Frieza. Recoome, Burter, Jeice, and Guldo all do rock-paper-scissors to determine who fights Vegeta. Recoome wins (he picked paper and the others all picked rock). According to Guldo, Recoome always wins. However, he may have just been sore that he lost. When witnessing them do this, Gohan thought that they were acting like goofballs. However, in the Westwood dub a short conversation takes place between Krillin and Gohan while Burter, Jeice are "Roshambo-ing", the conversation is this, Gohan asks Krillin; "Krillin this may seem like as stupid question but what are they doing?" Krillin replies with "Acting like a bunch of goofballs I'd say."

Before Vegeta fights Recoome, Burter and Jeice do rock-paper-scissors to determine who fights Krillin and Gohan. They never finish, however, as they are interrupted when Vegeta unleashes a devastating attack on Recoome, and so they observe the fight from there, until Goku knocks out Recoome and they are forced to step in.

Babidi Saga

Main article: Babidi Saga

Vegeta, Goku and Gohan deciding who will fight Pui Pui

When Babidi sends Pui Pui to fight Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan, all three of them do rock-paper-scissors to determine who fights him. Vegeta wins with scissors and easily defeats Pui Pui.

Kid Buu Saga

Main article: Kid Buu Saga

Goku and Vegeta deciding who will fight Kid Buu

Goku and Vegeta draw Kid Buu to Sacred World of the Kai for the final battle. Kibito Kai and Old Kai are hopeful that they will do the Fusion Dance. Instead, Goku and Vegeta do rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to fight Buu. Goku wins with rock and fights Buu, with Vegeta getting quite irritated (this is the second time a rock-paper-scissors has concluded with Vegeta picking scissors).

Dragon Ball Super

God of Destruction Beerus Saga

Main article: God of Destruction Beerus Saga

Oolong in shock after realizing he lost

After fighting and defeating the Z-Fighters, Beerus challenges Oolong to a rock-paper-scissors match which will determine the fate of the Earth. Should Beerus win, he'll destroy Earth, and if Oolong wins, Beerus won't destroy Earth and he'll leave. Oolong throws up scissors twice in a row, both times which Beerus and him tie, and a third time, which Beerus counters with rock and wins. Oolong becomes terrified and struck with fear after he realizes he loses, and Puar gets fuming angry with him for showing the same sign three times in a row. Beerus then attempts to destroy Earth but before he can, Goku returns to Earth.

Universe 6 Saga

Main article: Universe 6 Saga Goku, Piccolo, and Vegeta play rock-paper-scissors to determine the placing for the Tournament of Destroyers. It turns out to be Goku placing first, Piccolo second, Vegeta third.

"Future" Trunks Saga

Main article: "Future" Trunks Saga Goku and Vegeta play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to fight Goku Black. Vegeta wins with rock.

Film Appearances

Battle of Gods

Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods When Beerus is preparing to destroy the Earth, he gives the Earthlings one last chance to avoid their planet's destruction by challenging Oolong to a game of rock-paper-scissors. Yamcha believes that Beerus' motive for choosing Oolong is that he assumes that Oolong has hooves instead of hands, meaning he can only play scissors. Thinking that this means that Beerus will play rock, they tell Oolong to play paper. In the end, however, their strategy fails as Beerus is able to hear the entire plan with is big ears.

Video Game Appearances

• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
• Dragon Ball: The Breakers

In the opening of Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Gotenks and Majin Buu are playing rock-paper-scissors. Gotenks ended up losing, and they both punch each other in the face.

In Xenoverse, during an alternate history of the battle on Planet Namek in Age 762, Dark Ginyu takes on Dark Vegeta and the Future Warrior. After ordering Guldo to take the Dragon Balls back to Frieza's ship, Dark Ginyu suggests Recoome, Burter, and Jeice play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to fight Krillin and Gohan. The results of their game are told via the games' dialog, with the first two games end in a tie, with Recoome winning the third resulting in him winning the right to fight the pair as well as the Future Warrior when they interfered. As part of the Resurrection ‘F’ Pack DLC, Old Kai complains to the Future Warrior about Vegeta and Goku playing Rock-Paper-Scissor to decide who would fight Kid Buu.

In Xenoverse 2, during another altered history of the battle on Planet Namek in Age 762, Dark Ginyu tells Dark Guldo and Dark Recoome to take on Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan, and the Future Warrior instead of having them play Rock-Paper-Scissors, causing Jeice to complain that it would be fairer to him and Burter to decide things via playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, though Ginyu who is under Towa's influence tells Jeice to be quiet and leaves to take the Dragon Balls back to the ship like in the original history, though this is part of a trap Towa set for Xeno Trunks who is following Ginyu in the hopes it will lead him to Towa and Mira. Rock-Paper-Scissors also appear as emotes with each emote representing Rock, Paper, or Scissor. These emotes effectively allows two-or-more players in multi lobby to play Rock-Paper-Scissors with one another while in Conton City.

In The Breakers, after the Survivor runs away while the Ginyu Force are performing their team pose, Ginyu tells his men to play Rock-Paper-Scissors to determine the order in which they will hunt down Survivors. However, the results aren't shown. Additionally, Rock-Paper-Scissors also appear as emotes with each Emote representing Rock, Paper, or Scissors. These emotes allows two-or-more Survivors to play Rock-Paper-Scissors with one another in battle or training mode.

Trivia

• It is interesting to note that each side of the rock-paper-scissors triangle won at least once (scissors won twice).
• During the Ginyu Force's game, it has been called Roshambo, the phonetic French for "rock-paper-scissors".
• Recoome seems to be quite good at playing this game, as he manages to win a game in two different timelines, the original history and the alternate one depicted in Xenoverse.
• Vegeta on the other hand has lost several times and only won two times during the Babidi Saga and the "Future" Trunks Saga. Vegeta also seems to favor Scissors as he chooses it when he won against Goku and Gohan, as well when he lost to Goku (who chose Rock) during Kid Buu Saga (implying that Goku apparently learned from their previous game in Babidi Saga). Ironically, the game Rock-Paper-Scissors during the Babidi Saga and the "Future" Trunks Saga is one of the few instances where Vegeta has actually managed to beat his rival Goku at something.
• Rock, Paper, Scissors is a common game used in real life, usually to make a decision about something.
• Unused voice lines in Xenoverse 2 indicate that Beerus can use Rock-Scissors-Paper.