What Happened to Icarus in DBZ? Explained

The anime adaptation of Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) was known for taking liberties when animating the original manga. Sometimes it added characters such as Icarus to some of its various fillers. Find out what happened to this charming little dragon fellow.

Who Is Icarus in DBZ?

Icarus (also known as Hire Dragon) was the small purple dragon that followed Gohan around in some episodes of DBZ. He made his debut in the Tree of Might movie, and does not exist in the original manga, just like other characters such as Gregory and Maron. Gohan rescued him from the burning forest he previously lived in. Later, he used the Dragon Balls to restore the forest to normal.

Icarus started following Gohan around, asking him to play together and demonstrating his gratefulness. He followed the boy back to his house, much to Chi-Chi’s dismay. While he couldn’t live alongside Gohan, Goku made a house for him in a cave nearby. This way, he could still play with his son from time to time.

From here on out, Icarus was a staple in pretty much every anime original content released in the pre-Android Saga. He reprised his role as a companion to Gohan in the movies Lord Slug and Cooler’s Revenge, while also appearing during other filler arcs such as the Garlic Jr. Saga or small cameos, such as the episode where Goku and Piccolo are taking their driving exams. However, after a certain point in the story, Icarus suddenly stopped appearing from good.

What Happened to Icarus in DBZ?

While it was never stated what exactly happened to Icarus, it can be assumed that while he and Gohan don’t play together as much as before (due to the latter’s ever-growing responsibilities ), he’s still doing well and was still alive as of the Majin Buu saga.

Related: How Old Goku Is in Every Dragon Ball Series, Answered

During the early portions of the Great Saiyaman arc, Goten mentions Icarus while he’s playing with a dinosaur, meaning that he met the flying dragon at some point. This implies that Gohan brought his younger brother to meet his old friend at some point, who’s probably also leading his own life. This is also quite sweet, as it shows that they haven’t forgotten each other.

However, this is the last time we see anything related to Icarus in the anime. It can be assumed that he was killed when Kid Buu destroyed the planet. However, he was wished back to life during the final battle’s climax. A similar fate might have occurred during the Golden Freeza arc in Dragon Ball Super. But again, he’s probably fine.

The last time we saw Icarus (and coincidently the first time we see him in the manga) was during an illustration by Toyotaro for the Dragon Ball Super manga. It depicts Gohan petting a largely grown-up Icarus just like they did back then. Toyotarou notes that “he hopes that Icarus is alive and well at Mount Paozu”.

With original author Akira Toriyama’s passing, the future of the series became uncertain. We don’t know if Icarus still has a chance of showing up in any of the upcoming materials related to the series. We still have Dragon Ball Daima coming up, but there’s no way of knowing what we’ll be seeing in it with so little information revealed about it. But Icarus could be a perfect pair for the infant versions of the characters, so there’s always a chance for another appearance.