Galactic Patrol

Lore & Background

The Galactic Patrol operates under strict intergalactic laws, one of which forbids actual time travel, a rule Jaco notes when explaining Omori's invention. The organization relies on lone officers like Jaco Teirimentenpibosshi, who is sent to Earth with a specific mission: intercept an evil alien threat. However, the Patrol's resources are often limited; Jaco's ship requires expensive metal for fuel, which turns out to be merely an energy storage device rather than a power source. The organization's reach extends to monitoring potential threats across galaxies, yet their effectiveness can hinge on local circumstances. In this pre-Dragon Ball timeline, the Patrol's presence is minimal on Earth, relying on a single agent who must improvise with the help of retired scientist Tokunoshin Omori and government policeman Tamagoro Katayude.

In Their Own Story

Jaco crash-lands on an isolated island where he meets Omori, a people-hating physicist trying to build a time machine to save his deceased wife. When government officer Katayude orders Omori to vacate the island, Jaco intervenes. After saving Tights from thugs in the capital and inadvertently becoming a wanted man, she joins the duo on the island. The trio faces a crisis when a rocket carrying body double An Azuki malfunctions and plummets toward Earth. Using Omori's incomplete time machine to create an illusion of stopped time, Jaco and Omori save Tights. On the day the alien invasion was scheduled, Jaco misses the ship landing but learns from Son Gohan that the infant Saiyan taken in is the threat—now named Son Goku. To fund his return home, the group enlists Dr. Briefs, whose daughter Bulma fixes the ship's antenna and reveals copper works just as well as the expensive metal for energy storage. Years later, Katayude lives on the island, Tights becomes a writer, and Bulma sets off to gather seven wish-granting balls.

Reader's Guide

To understand Jaco within the Dragon Ball universe, note that it serves as a prequel where the Galactic Patrol's first Earth agent attempts to stop the Saiyan arrival. Key figures include Jaco, the protagonist; Omori, the time-travel researcher; and Tights, Bulma's older sister who aspires to be a science fiction writer. The story clarifies that Goku was not the intended invasion force but a refugee taken in by Grandpa Gohan. Practical details from the manga reveal that while the Patrol forbids time travel, they allow energy manipulation illusions. Fans should look for cameos of Tights and Jaco in Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission, Xenoverse, Fusions, and Resurrection 'F'. The series was released simultaneously in Japan and English via Viz Media, with a Vomic adaptation covering the first two chapters.

Did You Know?

• The series was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 29 to October 14, 2013, celebrating the magazine's 45th anniversary.
• Akira Toriyama created this manga after falling four months behind on his schedule due to working only two hours of sleep a night while producing Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods.
• The eleventh chapter reveals that the evil alien Jaco was sent to stop is actually Son Goku, who was taken in by Son Gohan upon landing.
• Tights graduated from university at age sixteen and is Bulma's older sister.
• Viz Media serialized the series digitally just two days after its Japanese debut, releasing the collected volume in North America on January 6, 2015.