Goku's long lost brother Raditz arrived on Master Roshi's island and crashed the quiet visit Goku was trying to have with his friends that he had not seen in five years. Angered that his brother had not destroyed the planet, Raditz decided to teach Goku a lesson by roughing him and Krillin up. The ensuing battle caused massive damage to Master Roshi's home, and allowed Raditz to discover his nephew, Gohan. After beating up Goku, Raditz decided to kidnap Gohan and gave Goku a choice; kill one hundred humans or Gohan's death. Knowing he could not fight his brother alone, Goku allied himself with Tien and Goku's archenemy, Piccolo. The trio of fighters went to confront Raditz, but they arrived too late. He had sent Gohan into outer space, planning to join him shortly after he killed his new enemies.
"I have to think of something quickly or we'll all die." Goku thought to himself. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration crossed his mind. "When I was a kid, I hated having my tail pulled. Maybe he has the same weakness." Goku continued thinking. The strongest Earth warrrior rose to his feet and came face to face with his brother.
"Still have some fight in you I see. You should've stayed down Kakarot. I would have killed you quickly out of respect for our race." Raditz arrogantly boasted.
"That's funny Raditz. I don't plan on dying, I plan on winning." Goku snapped back as he threw a right hook at his brother's jaw. Goku's right fist landed square on the long haired alien's face and sent him crashing into the ground.
"He only has a power level of nine hundred. How the hell did he knock me down when mine is fifteen hundred?" Raditz questioned himself. Before Goku had landed his strike, Raditz's scouter had read Goku's fighting power at an even thousand. "That explains things. He got angry and his strength increased for a moment. Kakarot has great potential, as does his son. It is crucial that I defeat them and catch up with the brat so we can begin training." Raditz monologued to himself as he realized the adopted earthling had disappeared.
"It's never good to drop your guard big brother!" Goku screamed as he latched onto Raditz's tail. He felt the energy leaving his body every second Goku kept his firm grip on the brown furry appendage. Seeing Goku immobilize the Saiyan, Tien and Piccolo rose up with renewed hope of winning.
"Good job Goku! Me and Tien will hit him with energy waves to weaken him. " Piccolo said from afar as he began to charge his ki in his two outstretched palms. The scouter began to read Piccolo's power as he charged up his attack. The reading was twelve hundred and Tien had powered himself up to eleven hundred with his blast. The two warriors launched their trademark attack towards Raditz. Tien's Dodon Ray and Piccolo's Masenko energy waves traveled at incredible speeds.
"Any second now and I'll let go so I don't get caught in the blasts." Goku said as he waited until the last second to leap out of harm's way.
"Damn you Kakarot!" Raditz screamed as he became engulfed by the assault. The two beams hit Raditz with such a force a massive explosion covered the area in thick brown dust and debris. Snow capped trees were hurled in the air as gale force winds ripped the land apart.
Goku was relatively unharmed but was slow to get up as Tien and Piccolo moved closer to him.
"Wait a second. Where is Raditz?" Tien questioned. "I can still sense his energy. He's not dead." declared the three eyed warrior. Raditz emerged from the thick dust battered and bloodied. His pristine armor now had massive cracks and his shoulder pads were ripped apart. The warrior also had deep cuts on his face that flowed plentiful amounts of blood.
"I won't go down that easily, Earth scum!" Raditz roared as he launched a volley of energy waves at the three warriors. The scarlet blasts tore the battered landscape as the Z warriors struggled to dodge all of the onslaught. As the three warriors were occupied with the energy blasts, Raditz phased behind Piccolo and delivered a crushing kick to the back that sent the green fighter hard to the gravel. Tien attempted to counterattack, but Raditz hurled a piercing pink beam through Tien's chest.
"No! Tien!" Goku screamed as he watched his friend fall to the ground with an enormous hole in his abdomen. Tien was in rough shape as Goku ran over to attend to his once rival. Upon further inspection, Tien's abdomen was shot clean through and staining the dirt with his blood. Tien then began violently coughing up the red liquid as Goku stood powerless to watch his friend from dying.
"Goku." Tien stammered trying to speak. "You have to beat this guy and get your son back. I am honored to have met you and called you my friend. I guess I'll see you on the other side and we can have another match buddy." Tien said before closing his eyes. Now free from his wounds, Tien passed away in Goku's arms.
Goku stood up after placing his friend's body gently on the ground and turned toward his brother. Seething with anger Goku roared, "You bastard Raditz! I'm going to finish you off right now!" Goku then cupped his hands together and charged his most powerful Kamehameha Wave he could. "KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!" Goku screamed as he fired the blue energy wave.
"Yes Kakarot! Your power is at fourteen hundred now!" Raditz screamed as he fired two large ki waves from his hands towards Goku's Kamehameha Wave. The two beams collided with such force that the epicenter created even more fissures in the ground. "If you're angry about your friend dying I can reunite the two of you if you would like!" Raditz sadistically taunted his angered brother.
"Damn it! He's too strong for me. He's going to overpower me soon." Goku grunted as Raditz's beam began to engulf Goku's. "No! I'm sorry Tien I failed. Gohan I can't believe I let this happen to you. I'm sorry son." Goku cried as he was engulfed by his brother's evil energy wave. Piccolo stood in complete shock as Goku lost the beam struggle.
"How is this possible?" Piccolo screamed as Raditz phased behind him and severed his left arm with a swift karate chop. The green fighter's shoulder exploded a torrent of purple blood that pooled around the removed limb. "Ahhhh! It can't end like this!" Piccolo screamed as Raditz hurled dozens of weaker ki waves at his final enemy. The attacks burned Piccolo's purple gi and agonized the fighter. After a few minutes, Raditz stopped and let him hit the ground with a hard thud. He scanned the battlefield and gazed at Tien's lifeless body, his brother bloodied and near death, and the one armed green man. Raditz had emerged from the struggle victorious.
"These fighters were more trouble than I anticipated." Raditz snarled angrily. The Saiyan had won the battle, but at a high cost. "Now I have to head back to headquarters for treatment instead of being able to head directly for Arlia. Knowing my luck, the kid will die in the wilderness before I am fully restored." Raditz thought to himself. "Well nobody said the price of war was a simple cost to pay." The battered Saiyan said as he turned towards his ship. Raditz had killed one of the last remaining Saiyans left in the universe, but took his child to turn into a weapon of total annihilation. "If any of you are still alive, I'll be back really soon to finish enslaving this worthless dirtball for my superiors." Raditz declared as he began changing the coordinates in his ship from Planet Arlia to Planet Freeza #79 and crawled into his ship and passed out from his injuries.
As Raditz's ship escaped Earth's atmosphere, Goku barely clung to life. Piccolo was also heavily injured but not nearly as badly as his arch enemy. However, Tien was already gone from this world before Master Roshi, Krillin, and Bulma arrived on the scene in Bulma's Capsule Corporation aircraft. Goku's friends rushed over to him to examine his injuries as Piccolo struggled to his feet.
"Oh no Goku!" Bulma screamed as she saw her longtime friends severe injuries.
"Goku please don't die on us!" Krillin screamed as Goku's eyes began to gloss over.
"P-Piccolo. Did you hear what he said before he left?" The mortally wounded fighter asked?
"Yeah, Goku. He's going to come back. When he does, this planet is doomed." A sullen Piccolo stated to Goku and his friends.
"I'm not going to survive much longer Piccolo. I need you to finish me off. I have no hope to recover from these injuries, especially this giant hole in my chest." Goku stated as blood began to pour out of his open cavity.
"Goku you can't be serious?" Master Roshi exclaimed.
"Master Roshi, please let him do this." Goku begged of his former teacher. Even though Master Roshi was against the idea, he honored Goku's request and told Krillin and Bulma to back away from Goku's body.
"Are you sure about this Goku?" Piccolo asked as he stood over the wounded Saiyan.
"This is ironic Piccolo. Five years ago if I asked you to do this for me you wouldn't hesitate." Goku stated as he began to cough up blood.
"Alright. I'll put an end to your suffering. Do you have any last words Goku?" Piccolo asked as he began to charge a ki attack in his pointer and middle finger on his remaining arm.
"Krillin. Please tell Chi-Chi that I love her and that Raditz kidnapped our only son. I can't believe I failed to protect Gohan." Goku said as he smashed his fist on the ground. "Alright, I'm ready Piccolo." Goku stated as he closed his eyes to accept his fate.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way Goku. However, I had been planning to use this attack in our eventual rematch. I guess I'll have to wait until I pass on to fight you again." Piccolo explained as he fired his spiraling pink blast through Goku's wounded chest. Within an instant, Goku was also dead and free from his pain.
Goku's friends gasped as he passed away. Bulma weeped and fell to her knees as she looked at Goku's lifeless body. Master Roshi observed as his finest student was dead, his son kidnapped, and his murderer escaped vowing to return.
"Raditz, when you come back I'll kill you myself!" Krillin yelled as he faced the sky and raised his fist defiantly.
Suddenly, Goku and Tien's bodies began to become transparent.
"What's going on?" Krillin asked the group as the bodies of his two friends vanished.
"Kami must have something to do with this. Only under special circumstances do bodies vanish upon death." Piccolo explained.
"I'm not sure if I'm correct, but I do believe when a dead person's body vanishes, they are transported to Otherworld and allowed to keep them." Piccolo explained further.
Piccolo's statement shocked the group. Krillin began to think of a plan that could save the Earth. "Piccolo, if Kami allowed them to keep their bodies that means he knew what happened here today. Maybe he has connections in the afterlife that can help Tien and Goku become stronger." Krillin theorized. "Goku once told me he used the Dragon Balls to wish me and Master Roshi back to life after we were killed in the battle against your father King Piccolo. Raditz said he was going to be back right? If we wish Goku and Tien back to life in a year I'm sure they would have time to train for Raditz's return." Krillin went on to say.
"That's a good plan Krillin. I'm going to go speak with the old man to confirm my suspicions. In the meantime find Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe." Piccolo said declaratively. "If we have any hope of survival we all have to train together at the Lookout." Piccolo depressingly stated.
"Alright Piccolo sounds like a plan. But how are you going to fight with one arm?" The bald fighter asked.
"I can regenerate lost limbs. Like this!" Piccolo screamed as he regrew his previously severed arm. "Now go Krillin! I'll send Mr. Popo for you when training is to begin." Piccolo demanded as he flew off towards Kami's Lookout. With that, the remaining fighters had to be gathered for special training under Kami's guidance in preparation for the return of the despicable Raditz.