'Dragon Ball Super: Broly' Release Date, Spoilers: Goku's Dad May Be a Bigger Reveal Than Broly in Upcoming Movie

Bardock -- loyal soldier of Frieza, eventual traitor to the Frieza empire, and father of Goku and Raditz -- may be making a big appearance in “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” when it hits Japanese theaters on Dec. 14.

Due to the fact that Bardock is not as strong as his son Goku, who has essentially made it his life's direction to become the strongest, we probably won't be expecting him to be facing off against Broly. While a Saiyan soldier himself, Bardock may not have the strength to go up against the “Strongest Saiyan,” when multiple times he has even failed to go up against Frieza in “Dragon Ball Z Kai,” resulting in the genocide of the Saiyans.

While Akira Toriyama's statements regarding the Broly reboot that will be done by the movie may point to the non-valid nature of previous “Dragon Ball” material that featured the titular character, Broly does have close ties to Goku's youth. This connection to Goku's background could definitely be helped by shedding light on other characters who were involved in Goku's upbringing, such as Bardock himself.

For those interested in where the Bardock connection comes into the picture, the “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” trailer from Toei gives us clues as to the possible appearance of Goku's dad.

The intro in the trailer shows what seems to be an adult Saiyan's hand touching a child's hand through glass, which could be related to Bardock sending his son, Goku, off to safer places. The same scene could be found in “Dragon Ball Minus” with Bardock and his wife, Gine.

The video below has been set close to the specific scene being described.

While December will see the Japanese release of “Dragon Ball Super: Broly,” the North American release will be handled by Funimation and is looking at a January 2019 launch.