.

I remember someone in the chat room mentioning a link between DBZ and Final Fantasy IX. (They are welcome to step forward and take credit, I know for sure it wasn't me.) The link they put forward was that when the character entered Trance, it was like they were becoming Super Saiyan (or however the heck you spell it, I don't know) with new powers, new strengths, and just generally a lot stronger than they were before.

It's a curious thought. Maybe Squaresoft did it deliberately, or maybe it just happened?

Doesn't suprise me in the slightest, seeing as how FFVII was full of references to Akira, Evangelion and Kimba the White Lion (or the Lion King, depending on your opinion!), so having a reference to Dragonball in FFIX doesn't seem at all out of place.

Remember also, DB's creator Akira Toriyama created the character designs for several Square games including Tobal No 1 and Chrono Trigger, so perhaps this is yet another 'tip of the hat' to Square's past in FFIX.

Adam, twas I who mentioned it in chat. Simply put, FF IX resembles DBZ uncannily. For instance: The main character is a strange, monkey tailed person, with no idea where they came from, and continually stronger than most other people. As Adam mentioned, Trance is reminiscent of 'Super Saiyan', with the characters changing in appearance and drastically increasing in power. And of course, like in Dragonball Z, the true enemy is not who you think, but rather another of the mysterious, monkey tailed race. Despite these similarities, FF IX is a lot different and original.

And remember Dragonball was itself 'based' on the famous ancient Chinese story Journey to the West, so therefore it wasn't totally an original story itself. But I digress.