Most Dragon Ball fans know her as Fasha. But if you're a purist, or just someone who digs into the Japanese roots of the franchise, you know her as Seripa. She isn’t exactly a household name like Bulma or Android 18. Honestly, she was on screen for maybe fifteen minutes total in the 1990 TV special Bardock – The Father of Goku. Yet, thirty-five years later, we’re still talking about her.
Why?
Because she was the first. Before Caulifla or Kale ever went Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Super, Seripa was the lone woman standing in a squad of genocidal space mercenaries. She didn't have a "motherly" bone in her body. She was a warrior, plain and simple.
The Name Game: Seripa vs. Fasha
If you grew up watching the Funimation dub on Toonami, you probably remember her name as Fasha. It’s a fine name. It sounds tough. But like almost every Saiyan name in Akira Toriyama’s universe, the original is a vegetable pun.
Seripa is an anagram of the Japanese word for parsley (paseri). When Funimation localized the special, they threw the vegetable puns out the window for Bardock's crew. Toma became Tora. Panbukin became Shugesh. And Seripa became Fasha. Some fans speculate "Fasha" was a play on "fashion," but let’s be real—it was likely just a name the writers thought sounded "cool" for a female fighter.
A Different Kind of Saiyan Woman
Before the 2014 manga Dragon Ball Minus introduced Gine (Goku’s actual mom), Seripa was our only real blueprint for what a female Saiyan looked like. She wasn't a housewife. She didn't stay back on Planet Vegeta to cook dinner.
She was a low-class warrior.
You see her for the first time on Planet Kanassa. She’s in her Great Ape form, a massive, fur-covered kaiju-sized monster crushing buildings under her feet. It was a statement. In a series that, at the time, kept its female characters mostly in support roles, Seripa was right there in the trenches with Bardock. She was ruthless. After the Kanassan genocide, she’s seen casually wiping blood off her face, unfazed by the carnage.
That’s the Saiyan way.
Her Fighting Style and Power
Seripa wasn't a powerhouse by Saiyan standards, but she was efficient. Her power level was likely in the low thousands—enough to stomp most civilizations but a joke compared to someone like Dodoria.
In the Budokai Tenkaichi games, they fleshed her out a bit more. She’s fast. Acrobatic. Her moveset usually includes things like the Energy Ballet or the Full Power Spirit Cannon. Unlike the bulky, brawling style of her teammates Borgos and Shugesh, she relied on agility and ki blasts.
The Tragedy on Planet Meat
The end for Seripa came fast. It was brutal.
After Bardock gets sidelined by a psychic curse from a dying Kanassan, the rest of the crew—Seripa included—heads to Planet Meat. They thought it was a routine job. It wasn't. It was a setup by Frieza to wipe out the Saiyans before they could get too strong.
Dodoria’s Elite showed up and ambushed them. Seripa didn't go down without a fight, but she was hopelessly outmatched. When Bardock finally arrives, he finds her body among the ruins. It’s a grim moment. It’s the catalyst that finally makes Bardock realize Frieza isn't just a boss—he’s an executioner.
Why She Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why a minor character from a 90s TV special still has a following. It comes down to representation and "what ifs." For decades, Seripa was the only proof that Saiyan women were just as capable of being "battle-crazed idiots" as the men.
She paved the way for the modern era of Dragon Ball. Without the fan reception to Seripa, would Toei and Toriyama have felt the need to introduce characters like Caulifla? Maybe. But Seripa proved there was an appetite for female Saiyans who could actually throw hands.
She also represents a darker, grittier era of the franchise. Today’s Dragon Ball is bright, colorful, and often a bit goofy. Seripa belongs to the era of blood-stained bandanas and tragic last stands.
Common Misconceptions
- Is she Goku's mom? No. Fans thought this for years because of her proximity to Bardock, but Dragon Ball Minus and Dragon Ball Super: Broly confirmed that Gine is the mother.
- Is she alive in any timeline? Not in the main canon. Some fan fictions and "What If" scenarios in games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse or Heroes play with the idea of her surviving, but in the official story, she died on Planet Meat.
- Can she go Super Saiyan? Not in the anime. However, some card games like Dragon Ball Heroes have given her various power-ups for the sake of gameplay.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of Seripa or just want to see her in action, here is the best way to do it:
- Watch the Original Special: Seek out the 1990 TV special Bardock – The Father of Goku. Don’t just watch the clips in Dragon Ball Super: Broly—they retcon her out of the main events.
- Play Budokai Tenkaichi 3: If you can get your hands on a copy (or the recent Sparking! Zero updates), she is a surprisingly fun character to play. Her Great Ape transformation is one of the more unique ones in the game.
- Check the Manga: Read Dragon Ball Minus to see the contrast between the warrior-centric Seripa and the more domestic Gine. It provides a great look at the different social classes of Saiyans.
- Hunt for Collectibles: Because she’s a cult favorite, her figures (like the Dragon Stars or HG series) are often produced in smaller batches and can become quite valuable to collectors.
Seripa might have been a "low-class" warrior in the eyes of Frieza, but to the fans, she’s a legend of the old guard. She didn't need a transformation to be memorable. She just needed a mission and the guts to see it through to the end.