OVA
Description
Dr. Raichi is the primary antagonist of the original video animation Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans and its later remake, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans. He is depicted as the greatest scientist of the Tuffle civilization, a highly intelligent and technologically advanced race that once inhabited the planet named Plant. In the year Age 730, the Saiyans launched a brutal assault on the Tuffles, massacring the entire population and seizing their world, which they renamed Planet Vegeta in honor of their king. As his people faced extinction, Dr. Raichi made a desperate attempt to flee, carrying his most esteemed invention, a powerful weapon system named Hatchiyack, in an escape capsule. Though he was killed as the capsule launched, the vessel eventually found refuge on the Dark Planet, a world located at the farthest reaches of the universe.
Dr. Raichi's personality is defined entirely by an immense, centuries-old hatred for the Saiyan race. He is consumed by a desire for vengeance, viewing the Saiyans as ungrateful warmongers who repaid the Tuffles' attempts at co-existence with death and destruction. This singular motivation drives every aspect of his plan; he seeks not merely to defeat his enemies but to systematically eradicate every last Saiyan from the universe. His genius-level intellect is overshadowed by this obsession, making him a tragic figure of lost potential, a scientist whose brilliance was warped by the trauma of genocide.
In the story, Dr. Raichi serves as the puppet master orchestrating a complex scheme of revenge. His ultimate goal is to lure the remaining pure-blooded Saiyans—Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks—as well as the half-Saiyan Gohan, into a trap. To accomplish this, he deploys devices on Earth that release a lethal Destron Gas, which weakens the planet's defenders by disrupting their ability to generate ki energy for attacks. He also creates Ghost Warriors, spectral reincarnations of past villains such as Frieza, Cooler, Lord Slug, and Turles, to engage the Z-Fighters and draw the Saiyans to the Dark Planet for the final confrontation.
Raichi's key relationship is not with another character but with his own creation, Hatchiyack. This device is a supercomputer powered by the collective hatred of the extinct Tuffle race, and it is responsible for generating the Ghost Warriors. In a notable twist, it is revealed that the Dr. Raichi the heroes face is himself a Ghost Warrior, a phantom manifestation of the original scientist generated by Hatchiyack's power. His ultimate purpose is to fuel Hatchiyack; when Vegeta completely obliterates his spectral form, the hatred Raichi held for the Saiyans is absorbed by the device, causing it to exceed its limits and transform into a colossal, powerful android body that serves as the final boss.
Regarding development, Dr. Raichi originated from the 1993 Famicom game Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku, with the OVA serving as an animated guide to the game's story. The character was later redesigned for the 2010 remake Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, which was included as a bonus feature with the Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 video game. In this updated version, his appearance was altered to feature a more bluish skin tone and a beard instead of a long mustache from the original design. The concept of a vengeful Tuffle scientist would later be revisited in Dragon Ball GT with the character of Dr. Myuu, who shares visual and thematic similarities.
Dr. Raichi possesses several notable abilities befitting a scientific genius and a spectral entity. As a Ghost Warrior, he is capable of levitation and can re-materialize himself if his physical form is destroyed, though this regeneration can be prevented if his body is completely vaporized. His signature defensive technique is an Energy Shield, a powerful barrier that he uses to protect himself from attacks. In the original video game and OVA, he also demonstrates a range of energy attacks borrowed from other villains, including the Frieza Cutter, the Kill Driver used by Turles, the Big Masher used by Lord Slug, and an ultimate technique called the Eraser Shock. However, in the direct confrontation with the Saiyans on the Dark Planet, his primary method of combat is through his impenetrable barrier and by commanding the Ghost Warriors and Hatchiyack.
Dr. Raichi's personality is defined entirely by an immense, centuries-old hatred for the Saiyan race. He is consumed by a desire for vengeance, viewing the Saiyans as ungrateful warmongers who repaid the Tuffles' attempts at co-existence with death and destruction. This singular motivation drives every aspect of his plan; he seeks not merely to defeat his enemies but to systematically eradicate every last Saiyan from the universe. His genius-level intellect is overshadowed by this obsession, making him a tragic figure of lost potential, a scientist whose brilliance was warped by the trauma of genocide.
In the story, Dr. Raichi serves as the puppet master orchestrating a complex scheme of revenge. His ultimate goal is to lure the remaining pure-blooded Saiyans—Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks—as well as the half-Saiyan Gohan, into a trap. To accomplish this, he deploys devices on Earth that release a lethal Destron Gas, which weakens the planet's defenders by disrupting their ability to generate ki energy for attacks. He also creates Ghost Warriors, spectral reincarnations of past villains such as Frieza, Cooler, Lord Slug, and Turles, to engage the Z-Fighters and draw the Saiyans to the Dark Planet for the final confrontation.
Raichi's key relationship is not with another character but with his own creation, Hatchiyack. This device is a supercomputer powered by the collective hatred of the extinct Tuffle race, and it is responsible for generating the Ghost Warriors. In a notable twist, it is revealed that the Dr. Raichi the heroes face is himself a Ghost Warrior, a phantom manifestation of the original scientist generated by Hatchiyack's power. His ultimate purpose is to fuel Hatchiyack; when Vegeta completely obliterates his spectral form, the hatred Raichi held for the Saiyans is absorbed by the device, causing it to exceed its limits and transform into a colossal, powerful android body that serves as the final boss.
Regarding development, Dr. Raichi originated from the 1993 Famicom game Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku, with the OVA serving as an animated guide to the game's story. The character was later redesigned for the 2010 remake Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, which was included as a bonus feature with the Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 video game. In this updated version, his appearance was altered to feature a more bluish skin tone and a beard instead of a long mustache from the original design. The concept of a vengeful Tuffle scientist would later be revisited in Dragon Ball GT with the character of Dr. Myuu, who shares visual and thematic similarities.
Dr. Raichi possesses several notable abilities befitting a scientific genius and a spectral entity. As a Ghost Warrior, he is capable of levitation and can re-materialize himself if his physical form is destroyed, though this regeneration can be prevented if his body is completely vaporized. His signature defensive technique is an Energy Shield, a powerful barrier that he uses to protect himself from attacks. In the original video game and OVA, he also demonstrates a range of energy attacks borrowed from other villains, including the Frieza Cutter, the Kill Driver used by Turles, the Big Masher used by Lord Slug, and an ultimate technique called the Eraser Shock. However, in the direct confrontation with the Saiyans on the Dark Planet, his primary method of combat is through his impenetrable barrier and by commanding the Ghost Warriors and Hatchiyack.