Before we begin. This is not a Vegito vs. Gogeta article. I like both characters, and I leave those arguments to other fans.
This is about Fusion: the rules/requirements and some of the people who’s done it. Some of these are well-known, but did you know Fusion existed in Dragon Ball?
What is Fusion?
Most people will think about the Potara Earrings or the Fusion Dance. But there are several kinds, and each comes with its own rules.
For simplicity’s sake, I’m focusing on three, with some honorable mentions. We’ll start with the Namekian Fusion/Assimilation and Possession.
Possession is our first look at Fusion and Kami used it on a human named Shen or Hero. Kami was in control of the body and was able to fight well.
Until he tried to seal Piccolo away using the Evil Containment Wave, but Piccolo was able to turn the tables, and Kami separated himself from Shen so he wouldn’t share his fate. Assimilation is a Namekian-only move, where both parties must be willing to fuse, and usually, the stronger body acts as the host.
Piccolo uses this move with Nail and Kami. Saonel and Pilina fused with many nameless Namekians.
The Namekian Savior Gamelon fused with three nameless Namekiens in the Super manga.
Dancing vs. Jewelry
Here we have the two most well-known forms of Fusion: the Fusion Dance and the Potara Earrings. Also known as the Gogeta vs. Vegito argument, but Gotenks was there too!
And his attacks were all over the place. In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, we meet Gogeta for his new official debut.
But they mention Vegito, which I thought was a nice touch. But they also retconned several rules to the Fusion Dance!
So, here’s what’s still canon: two people of similar build and power level for the dance. Powering up in a Fusion and using large amounts of Ki will shorten the duration of the Fusion, and all of the successfully fused characters are cocky.
There are other factors, but who knows when we’ll see another Fusion in the manga. And, of course, there’s Fused Zamazu.
Honorable mentions
Absorption is similar to Possession: Cell and Majin Buu use it all the time. But GT showcased Possession in two ways.
The first half belonged to Baby and his parasitic ways of spreading and fighting. In comparison, the second half shows some of the Shadow Dragons either merging with other beings or placing their corrupted Dragon Balls onto a victim’s forehead.
And I’m not touching the video games or Heros! But I love and hate the Android 17 fusion with Hell Android 17.