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what happened to icarus dbz

Icarus basically just faded out of Dragon Ball Z rather than getting an on- screen death or clear explanation in canon.

Who Icarus Is in DBZ

  • Icarus (also called Hire Dragon) is a small purple dragon who becomes Gohan’s friend and pet in the anime-only material.
  • He first appears in the movie “Tree of Might,” where Gohan saves him from a burning forest.
  • He then shows up in several movies and filler episodes, especially around the pre-Android/early Z eras.

What Actually Happens to Him On-Screen

  • In “Cooler’s Revenge,” Icarus is shot down by Salza but survives and appears again afterward.
  • He appears in filler like the Garlic Jr. saga and small comedy scenes (like Goku and Piccolo’s driving test episode).
  • After the pre-Android stuff, he just stops appearing; the anime never gives a scene where Gohan says goodbye or where Icarus is said to have died.

In‑Universe Explanations (What Fans and Articles Infer)

Because the show never explains it, most of what you see is interpretation :

  1. He’s still alive, just off-screen
    • Some fans and writers assume Gohan simply grew up, got busier (school, training, Cell, etc.), and stopped spending time with him.
 * One article notes that Icarus is probably fine up through at least the Majin Buu saga, and that any planet‑wide deaths (like Kid Buu blowing up Earth) would have been reversed by the Dragon Balls.
  1. He died in one of the big destructions
    • It’s possible he was killed when Kid Buu destroyed Earth, then revived with everyone else when they wished the victims back.
 * A similar “off-screen death then revival” could apply during events like the Golden Freeza arc in Super where Earth is destroyed and restored.
  1. He was never that “canon” to begin with
    • Icarus is anime‑original and doesn’t exist in Toriyama’s manga, same as characters like Gregory and Maron.
 * Because he’s tied to movies and filler arcs, newer material that sticks closer to the manga simply doesn’t use him.

Why He Disappeared Behind the Scenes

From a meta/production standpoint:

  • He’s a filler/movie character , so when the story moves into arcs that hug the manga more tightly, there’s less room (and need) for him.
  • Later projects tend to focus on big threats and core cast, so side mascots like Icarus naturally get phased out.
  • Official commentary and fan discussions generally frame it as the staff just… stopping using him, not as a deliberate tragic end.

Any “Latest” Mentions or Callbacks

  • A Dragon Ball artist (Toyotarou) drew Icarus older, imagining him grown up alongside Gohan, which shows the character is still fondly remembered even if he isn’t active in current canon stories.
  • Articles and forum threads about “what happened to Icarus DBZ” keep resurfacing, especially when new Dragon Ball projects are announced, because fans still like the idea of him returning.

Quick HTML Table Summary

[3][1] [3][1] [3][1] [5][1] [7][1]
Aspect What Happened
Origin
Key appearances Movies like Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Cooler’s Revenge, plus Garlic Jr. and other filler episodes.
On-screen fate No explicit death; survives being shot in Cooler’s Revenge and later just stops appearing.
In- universe guesses Probably alive off-screen; may have died and been revived in planet-wide destructions.
Real-world reason Filler/movie-only character dropped when story focused on manga canon and main cast.
**TL;DR:** There’s no official scene where Icarus dies or is written out; he’s an anime- only side character who quietly disappears as DBZ shifts into more manga‑faithful, high-stakes arcs, so fans and writers just assume he’s alive somewhere off-screen or was revived with everyone else after Earth’s destructions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.