Turles

Directory: Characters → Villains → Movie villains

"You poor fool. With the power I possess, you don't stand a chance against me! You're going to die just like this planet! It'll be your grave! But I'll give you a decent burial at least. After all, you're a Saiyan."
— Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might

Turles (ターレス, Tāresu; "Tullece") is a space-pirate Saiyan who was once a member of the Saiyan Army under the Planet Trade Organization, but he went defunct and off into the cosmos to conquer planets for himself with his group of henchmen known as the Turles Crusher Corps. He is the main antagonist of the movie Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might.

Overview

Creation and concept

Toei Animation stated that Turles' physical similarities to Goku are not coincidental, and that Turles was intended as an alternate version of him. Turles was developed as a version of Goku if Goku had not bumped his head and forgotten his purpose, however, his in-universe story has varied from dub to dub from Goku's long lost twin to simply a Saiyan that shares his appearance.

Appearance

TurlesConceptArt — Turles concept art for *Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans*

Aside from a different skin tone and spikiness of his hair, Turles looks exactly the same as Goku. Their slight difference in hairstyle is that Turles is given at least two "devil horns" (this spikiness of his hair is excluded for Ghost Turles' appearance in Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, but Turles still has this in every other appearances). In the Dragon Ball Z: Anime Film Comics, it is stated that the reason why Turles and Goku look alike is because the facial patterns of each warrior are similar within the low-rank Saiyans. Turles wears gray and black Battle Armor. Out of all the low-class soldiers wearing Scouters in the series, Turles is the only one whose Scouter lens is red. In the film itself, Turles says that he looks like Goku because they are low-class and because the low-class don't have many distinct physical looks.

Turles outfit 2 — Turles on the Toei Anime Fair poster

In the poster for the showing of The Tree of Might, Pink, and Kennosuke-sama at the 1990 Toei Anime Fair, Turles is featured with Battle Armor that is white with a dark blue chest plate and gauntlets, and yellow shoulder pads.

Name

Turles' name is a pun on the vegetable "lettuce". The name is written out as ターレス, Tāresu. If the first two syllables are rearranged, it becomes レタース, retāsu. Ignoring the elongated "a" sound, it becomes the accurate Japanese spelling of "lettuce", レタス retasu.

Personality

Turles was developed to be 'Kakarot', the personality of Goku that was erased when the latter fell from a cliff. Therefore, Turles is shown to be merciless, prideful and confident. His cruel treatment of Gohan proves that he cares little to nothing for others, shown again when he reveals no sadness what-so-ever when Goku defeats his loyal subordinates. As with many other villains before and after him, his main objective is to conquer the universe, though he plans on doing so by using his Tree of Might, even if it means killing so many innocent people in the process. He also seems to enjoy sake [Japanese dub] and finds pleasure in seeing others suffer, as how he laughed when Goku was being attacked by his own son.

Biography

Early life

Turles is a lower class Saiyan warrior. Though he appears to be around same age as Goku, Turles is older. The Supplemental Daizenshuu adds that when Goku was born, Turles should have already been a first-rate warrior, and perhaps they met at that time.^[2] Turles escaped Planet Vegeta's destruction by luck, and learned of the fruit of the Tree of Might. He used extract from the Tree of Might to revive two members of the extremely intelligent Beenz people from fossils, the brothers Raisin and Lakasei. The two brothers then built Turles' spaceship and the rest of their ordinance.^[3] Wanting to do as he pleased in the universe, Turles traveled around destroying planets, eating the fruits of the Tree of Might and gaining more allies. The medley of ragtag thugs he gathered are called the Turles Crusher Corps. He and his men all got stronger by repeatedly planting the Tree on planets and eating its fruit.^[3] Nearly thirty years after Planet Vegeta's destruction, Turles and his squad of henchmen make their way toward Earth to check up on the Saiyan called Kakarot (Goku). Supplemental Daizenshuu says that since Turles knew in advance that Goku was on Earth, he might have had an interest in the famously brave Bardock and his son.^[2] In the video game Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road, Bardock initially believes Gohan to be Turles' son, implying that Bardock and Turles know each other. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and Raging Blast 2, when Bardock and Turles face each other, they have a special in-battle conversation in which Turles' starts with "So, you're Bardock? What do you want with me?", showing that they probably have heard of each other but never met in person before.

The Tree of Might

Main article: Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might

File:TurlesNamekCollar2.png

Turles in his spaceship

Turles seeks out a planet that he would be able to plant the seed of the Tree of Might on, so he can eat the fruit and become exponentially stronger than before.

File:Turles4.png

Turles

After his arrival to Earth, Turles mainly watches the battle between his men and the Z Fighters from his spaceship. He does not appear until he sees Gohan defeating one of his men, single-handedly. He muses at the kid's strength and soon realizes that he is the son of Kakarot (Goku). Gohan is shocked to find that he has almost an identical appearance to his father, and is also in fact a Saiyan. Turles asks him to join his team, but Gohan refuses his offer. Piccolo soon comes to Gohan's rescue, but is defeated easily.

Turles soon sees that Gohan has grown back his tail. He quickly creates a Power Ball and forces Gohan to look at it. Helpless, Gohan transforms into a Great Ape and goes on a rampage, harming Goku. He abruptly stops when he sees his friend Icarus in the area. He stops and, thanks to his innocence, plays around with Icarus. However, Turles attacks Icarus, provoking Gohan. To Turles' surprise, Gohan is able to control himself and specifically attack Turles. Goku cuts his tail off before Gohan can be hit with Turles' deadly attack. Goku promises Gohan to defeat Turles.

File:RollingTurles.png

Turles dodges Goku's attack

With the Z Warriors defeated with much ease, Turles' men all attack Goku. Watching at the sidelines, Turles is ambushed by Piccolo. Turles is able to survive Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon at point blank range, and with one blast, Turles defeats Piccolo. With a single Kaio-ken, Goku defeats all of Turles' men with a single hit each, all falling at the same time. To the anger of Turles, Goku's power continues to increase. Turles battles Goku one-on-one, realizing that he has underestimated Goku.

File:Turles over Goku.png

Turles stomps on Goku's head

Eventually, Turles successfully grabs and eats one of the fruits, which causes his strength to increase dramatically. Even with a ten-times Kaio-ken (twenty-times in the English FUNimation dub), Goku is unable to topple Turles, with Turles greatly injuring Goku, scorching his back with a couple of energy blasts. With Goku apparently finished, Turles makes quick work of the remaining Z Fighters, and walks underneath the Tree of Might to gloat on his victory (not before countering a Spirit Bomb made by Goku). However, he is confronted once again by Goku. In a stand-off, Goku's Spirit Bomb overpowers Turles's ki blast, carrying him up the Tree of Might's trunk and causing a massive explosion which destroys both Turles and the Tree.

Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans

Main article: Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans

830px-Turles — Turles in *Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans*

Phantom versions of Turles, Cooler, Lord Slug and Frieza appear when the Z Fighters reach the last of the Destron Gas generators. In the battle, Turles decides to fight against Gohan, and he is being beaten by the young half-Saiyan until the pollution caused by the gas weakens Gohan and the other Z Fighters. Turles prepares a combined energy wave attack with the other Ghost Warriors, and they are about to finish the Z Fighters when Bulma appears and shuts down the Destron Gas generator. This gives Goku the opportunity to take down Turles, as well as the other Z Fighters to take down their respective Ghost Warrior opponents.

Power

Despite being considered a low-class Saiyan warrior, Turles' base power level is higher than that of other Saiyans of that tier. He is able to beat Piccolo (before eating any fruit) whose power level is at 18,000 (the same as Cui's and Vegeta's during the Saiyan Saga). This could be due to his travels across the galaxies making him stronger as he ravaged countless planets.

File:Turles8.jpg

Turles eating a fruit from the Tree of Might

Turles calculates Goku's power level as roughly 30,000. When a battle ensues, Goku initially has the edge; the movie pamphlet states that Turles has a power level of 19,000 during this point. After eating a piece of fruit from the Tree of Might, Turles' power level increased dramatically; over 300,000 according to the movie pamphlet. Turles defeats Goku's Kaio-ken x10 (x20 in the English dub) with ease after this.

Turles also eats another fruit after beating Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Chiaotzu, which could have boost his power to even greater heights, although by how much is unknown. However, he is ultimately bested by Goku's second Spirit Bomb (King Kai describes this as a Super Spirit Bomb of sorts since it was formed from the fruit of the tree).

In the Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans game Ghost Turles and Ghost Slug together are able to hold their own against the Z Fighters, but are ultimately defeated. In the OVA Ghost Turles is able to put up somewhat of a fight against Super Saiyan Teen Gohan.

Techniques and special abilities

File:TurlesBackBlast.png

Turles about to blast Piccolo on the back

Flight – Like most characters in the series, Turles can manipulate his ki to push him off the ground and take flight.
Finger Beam – An energy blast he fires it from his index and middle fingertips. Turles uses this to attack Icarus in order to make Gohan angry and draw out his Great Ape form.
Kill Driver – Turles creates a fiery ring of ki and launches it at his opponents, releasing a massive explosion that is strong enough to kill a Great Ape.
Full Power Energy Barrage Wave – Turles releases a rapid barrage of purple energy spheres at his opponents, causing a massive accumulation of damage.
I'll Dig Your Grave! – Turles punches the opponent, followed by a knee strike to the air. Then, he knocks the opponent to the ground, followed by a Full Power Energy Barrage Wave. Turles used this attack against Goku towards the end of the film.
Meteor Break – Turles charges at the foe and knees them into the air, then flies up to them in midair, knees them in the stomach and smashes them down to the ground, then right before the foe hits the ground, Turles charges down at them, knees them in the stomach again. Then to finish them off, he blasts the helpless enemy with the same column of energy that he used against Piccolo in the film. It is Ultimate Blast in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
Rock Crusher – A knee strike technique used as part of the Meteor Break. Turles signature attack in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.

File:TurlesPowerBallDestruction.png

Turles destroys his Power Ball

Calamity Blaster – A large and powerful beam of energy. Turles used this twice to counter Goku's Spirit Bombs. Named in Raging Blast 2.
Power Ball – By combining his ki with the planet's atmosphere, Turles can create a ball of condensed Blutz rays, which simulates the effects of a full moon, allowing him to transform into a Great Ape. In the FUNimation dub, he calls this technique a Moon Blast.
Regeneration – Ghost Turles can regenerate using Destron Gas, and also in his playable appearance in Dragon Ball Heroes.
Chou Makouhou – One of Great Ape Turles' Blast 2 in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
Chou Makouhou Barrage – One of Great Ape Turles' Blast 2 in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
Chou Makousen – Great Ape Turles' Ultimate Blast in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
Howl – One of Great Ape Turles' Blast 1 in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
Explosive Wave – One of Turles' Blast 1 in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
Dragonthrow – Turles uses this throw in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.

Forms and transformations

Great Ape

Main article: Great Ape

Like all Saiyans with a tail, Turles can transform into a Great Ape at the sight of a full moon (or similar sources). Though he has never transformed in the movie or OVA, and he states that he would lose his wits if he does. He is shown transformed in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

King of Destruction Turles

Main article: Babidi's Mind Control

King of Destruction Turles is a playable character in Dragon Ball Heroes, making his debut in Jaaku Mission 5. In this form, his pupils and irises vanish.

Video game appearances

Turles appears as a Ghost Warrior in the Famicom game Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku and its Playdia adaption Shin Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku - Chikyū-Hen, but is eventually killed again, this time by Gohan. In an alternate ending in the Playdia version, Turles ends up killing Gohan instead. In addition to the Ghost Warrior version of Turles who appears as a boss, Mirage Turles (ターレスミラージュ; a green-skinned Turles with pink armor) and Phantom Turles (ターレスファントム; purple-skinned Turles with blue armor) appear as regular enemies in Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku.

File:Turles.jpg

Turles as he appears in Raging Blast 2

He made his first appearance as a playable character in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, featuring a never before seen Great Ape transformation.^[4] His Great Ape form in the game is typical of untrained lower-class soldiers, and cannot control his mind (as he had implied in the film itself). Turles is also a playable character in his base and Great Ape forms in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and he is playable only in his base form in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 . In the arcade game Dragon Ball Heroes he is playable in base and King of Destruction states, additionally Ghost Warrior Turles is playable.

Turles(GM6) — Turles in *Dragon Ball Heroes*

In Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and Budokai Tenkaichi 3, there is special dialogue between Turles and Goku while he is a Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, or a Super Saiyan 3 where, upon seeing Goku's transformed state, he says "What? No, This is impossible!" If Turles wins, he will say to Goku "You surprised me a little, but not much." In Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and Raging Blast 2, if he gets mistaken for Goku, he will say: "Sorry, but you've mistaken me for someone else." Gohan mistakes Turles for his father in these games, due to Turles sharing physical similarities with Goku. Turles also has special dialogue with Goten, where he correctly assumes that he is Goku's other son. In Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and the next installment, Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Turles and Vegeta have a special pre-battle conversation (he and King Vegeta have the same dialogue). Vegeta starts it by saying "Your face is utterly disgusting!", to which Turles replies by saying "Well, this brings back memories." In Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, Turles has a special in-battle conversation with Vegeta and his two Saiyan partners, Nappa and Raditz: he says "Together we would be the strongest force in the universe!" as an offer for them to join him, but all Saiyans respectively refuse, saying "I don't like the way you look" (Vegeta), "What does garbage like you want with me?" (Nappa), and "I don't like your attitude" (Raditz). If Turles wins the battle, each of the defeated Saiyans will say: "Aww...The Princess of all Saiyans" (Vegeta), "Hehehe...I was expecting more from an elite warrior" (Nappa), and "Beg for your life on your knees and I will forgive you" (Raditz).

Voice actors

Japanese version: Masako Nozawa
Ocean dub: Ted Cole (TV version), Ward Perry (VHS version)
FUNimation dub: Chris Patton
Latin American dub: Mario Castañeda
Italian dub: Christian Iansante, Luca Sandri
Brazilian dub: Cassius Romero
Portuguese dub: Henrique Feist

Trivia

In the French AB Group and Danish dub, Turles is stated to be Goku's brother. This was likely a way of explaining their physical similarities for that version.
Turles is the only character who actually manages to destroy a Spirit Bomb. Even Frieza and Kid Buu, both of whom are significantly stronger than Turles, only managed to slow it down or repel it outright, respectively.
In Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, Turles claims that his hatred for the Saiyans is greater than Frieza's, Cooler's and Lord Slug's, an arguably hypocritical sentiment. However, this Turles is merely a phantom, which could explain the irony in his statement when the real Turles actually displayed noticeable pride in his Saiyan heritage in The Tree of Might.
In some games, Turles' alternate costumes have his Battle Armor colored similar to Tora's and a Scouter with a lens colored similar to Tarble's.