When people hear of characters fusing together into a single being, they always think of Dragon Ball. Even those not versed in Akira Toriyama's martial arts fantasy series are at least passingly familiar with the concept, as it's become such an iconic part of the franchise.
However, it's not the first time such a skill has popped up, and it certainly won't be the last. Other film, TV, and video game properties have also used fusion, merging multiple characters for narrative or comedic effect. Believe it or not, some of these are even crazier than Dragon Ball. Considering some of the wacky combos fans have seen over the years, that's saying a lot.
10 Station And Station
The sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey was somehow weirder than the first flick. After the two wannabe rock stars are killed by evil robot duplicates, they sneak into Heaven and recruit two gnome-like creatures. These things are the smartest beings in the universe, capable of building better robots to save the day. To do this, though, they apparently have to jump toward each other and fuse into a giant Station.
Like so many things in this sequel, the combo comes out of nowhere. That's where much of the charm lies. It's just another part of this wacky world that Bill and Ted take in stride. It's hard not to wonder where the creators' heads were at while marveling at this "most excellent" twist.
9 Billy And The Delightful Children
Both Codename: Kids Next Door and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy were pretty out there, so it's not surprising that a crossover would be off the walls. Billy, wearing his dad's pants (with the Grim Reaper's scythe wedged in them), stupidly searches for a bathroom in the Delightful Children's sinister machine. They frantically chase him inside, creating a gigantic version of Grim that wants to assimilate everyone.
This goes beyond the absurdist and immature silliness of either show. What makes it funnier are the characters clashing inside the monster. A hive mind doesn't work when one person didn't have a brain to begin with. Of course, the icing on the cake when other Cartoon Network characters start popping out at the end. How far did this fusion go? The world may never know.
8 Firestorm
Comics use science to get away with practically everything. Case in point, a nuclear accident fuses high school student Ronnie Raymond with physicist Martin Stein. This gives Raymond a set of nuclear superpowers, with Stein being a voice of reason in his head. Although the participants and backstories have changed over the years, the main idea of Firestorm is still the same. Two people merge into one nuclear crime-fighter.
It's a stretch even by comic standards. It seems like a physicist superhero would account for the conservation of mass, but no. Then again, at least it's more convincing than Nuclear Man from Superman IV.
7 Darkseid And Shao Kahn
After a portal mishap causes the worlds of Mortal Kombat and the DC Universe to collide, the characters from both realms come to blows thanks to a rage energy infecting them. They eventually learn that this mystical rage emanates from their greatest enemies, who were thrust into a single being called "Dark Kahn."
Sporting the magma texture of Darkseid, the skull motif of Shao Kahn, and the godlike powers of both, this guy definitely looks like a hellish threat capable of destroying both universes. The split environments surrounding him is also a nice nod to his dual roots. Then again, anyone who resembles Ghost Rider on steroids would be intimidating.
6 The Kanker Sisters
Ed, Edd n Eddy already stands out among animated shows thanks to its uniquely kinetic style, extreme slapstick, and quirky creative decisions. When comics fan Ed recounts their past escapades, though, things get truly insane. In his version of events, the flirtatious Kanker sisters consume irradiated mashed potatoes, making them roughly the size of Godzilla.
It doesn't stop there. The giggling giants eventually smash their heads together, combining their evil kissing powers against the Eds. It's a quick moment, but even the characters have to stop and gawk at this freaky mutation. Three heads really are better than one.
5 Terra And Xehanort
The Kingdom Hearts games already have a wild story, but the prequel Birth by Sleep upended much of what fans thought they knew. When Master Xehanort manipulates Keyblade wielder Terra into embracing the darkness within himself, the Machiavellian maniac sends his heart into the young and gullible hero. Possessing his pupil allows Xehanort to continue his plans of igniting the Keyblade War and unlocking Kingdom Hearts.
This was mind-blowing not only in the moment but also because of the ramifications it had for the rest of the series. It was a shock to learn that the younger Xehanort, whose actions spawned both main villains up to that point, was actually part of a grander scheme. Behold, creator Tetsuya Nomura in all his brilliantly convoluted (yet somehow engaging) majesty.
4 Jorgen Von Strangle And Professor Calamitous
Though they crossed over three times, Jimmy Neutron and The Fairly OddParents were never meant to mix in some areas. That particularly shows here. When one of Jimmy's inventions fuses his nemesis Professor Calamitous with super-fairy Jorgen Von Strangle, it simply puts the professor's head on the fairy's body. That may sound mundane, but just put it in 3D animated form.
This simple, blocky design makes Jorgen look like a plastic doll, and the lack of his own show's snappy movement lends an uncanny ugliness to the lumbering lug. What's more is that he contrasts wildly with the Calamitous head on his shoulders, akin to two action figures mixed and matched.
3 Carnage And Doctor Octopus
The 2000 Spider-Man game revolves around the alien symbiotes, so players would assume they can rest easy after defeating Doc Ock and Carnage, stopping their plan to mass-produce these slime monsters. Imagine their shock when the Carnage symbiote leaves its former host and latches itself onto Ock, forming an insane new foe.
Shrilly calling for death and leave a trail of destruction in its wake, this thing is scarier than either supervillain. Spidey knows that, too, as his first and only reaction is to hightail it out of there. Everyone had better hope the creature doesn't catch them since it causes instant death.
2 Trigon And Trigon
What's to be done with a boring bad guy like Trigon? Well, for all its faults, Teen Titans Go! may have had the right idea in playing this demon for laughs. The new show's doting dad version is tired of being pushed around by his despotic overlord from the old show. In a rage, the loser Trigon eats his intimidating counterpart, transforming into a Goro-like centaur named Hexagon.
Yes, it's just as stupid as it sounds. From the simple wordplay of his name to the Titans constantly making fun of him, this interdimensional antagonist falls flat on his face. He goes so far to be taken seriously, but his inherent silliness constantly undermines him. He's Trigon's highest high followed by the lowest low.
1 Jack And Aku
The Samurai Jack series could be heavily dramatic at one point and ridiculously funny at another. Both those tones emerge as demonic dictator Aku comes down with a head cold. He accidentally spreads his sickness to Jack, causing the noble samurai to slowly morph into his nemesis.
Seeing the slick, composed warrior look like a disheveled hybrid is jarring enough. Once he starts blurting out plans of conquest and slaughter in Aku's voice, it makes for a schizophrenic threat unlike any the hero has faced before. The whole episode is a rare instance of screwball comedy eventually giving way to body horror.