Shen Long

Shen Long is solemn, impatient, and authoritative. He expects summoners to state their wishes promptly and shows irritation when they waste time after calling him forth.

He nevertheless fulfills valid wishes according to the Dragon Balls' rules rather than judging whether the request is wise, selfish, or trivial. This neutrality allows the Dragon Balls to become tools for heroes, villains, and ordinary people alike.

Shen Long possesses extraordinary reality-altering magic. Depending on the rules in effect at the time, he can resurrect the dead, restore destroyed bodies and environments, transport individuals, provide information, alter physical conditions, and grant a wide variety of material requests.

His power is not unlimited. Wishes cannot ordinarily exceed the power of the Namekian who created the Dragon Balls in ways that the system cannot accommodate. The original Earth Dragon Balls created by Kami grant one wish per summoning, and a person cannot originally be resurrected by Shen Long more than once.

After Dende becomes Earth's God, he recreates and upgrades the Dragon Balls. Shen Long can subsequently grant multiple wishes per summoning, although especially demanding wishes can reduce the number available.

Shen Long is first summoned after Goku, Bulma, and their companions lose the collected Dragon Balls to Emperor Pilaf. Pilaf prepares to wish for world domination, but Oolong interrupts and makes the wish first, requesting a pair of panties.

The dragon subsequently becomes central to repeated attempts to reverse catastrophic events. His ability to resurrect victims makes the Dragon Balls strategically important during conflicts involving Piccolo Daimaou, the Saiyans, Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu.

Piccolo Daimaou kills Shen Long after obtaining his wish for restored youth, preventing anyone from immediately undoing his actions. Kami later restores him. Much later, when Kami merges with Piccolo and Earth's original Dragon Balls cease functioning, Dende becomes Earth's God and creates a renewed set.

Kami is Shen Long's original creator and the Namekian whose life and power are initially tied to Earth's Dragon Balls.

Dende later becomes Earth's God and restores Shen Long with an upgraded set of Dragon Balls after Kami permanently merges with Piccolo.

Piccolo Daimaou summons Shen Long to restore his youth and then kills the dragon to prevent anyone else from making a wish. Oolong makes the first wish shown in the series, thwarting Emperor Pilaf's attempt to become ruler of the world.