Following his heroic sacrifice in the battle against Raditz, Goku arrives in the surreal realm of the Afterlife. Guided by spirits, he begins an arduous journey across the legendary, million-kilometer Snake Way to train under the mysterious and powerful martial arts master, King Kai. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Piccolo takes the young Gohan under his wing, subjecting the boy to harsh and brutal survival training in the wilderness to unlock his latent, explosive inner power. The rest of Earth's greatest defenders—Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu—gather to undergo rigorous preparation of their own. They must push their physical and mental limits to the absolute maximum because two even more ruthless and immensely powerful Saiyan elites, Vegeta and Nappa, are rapidly hurtling through space toward Earth.