Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

King Gurumes is under a curse that has transformed him into a growing, purple monster with an insatiable hunger. He believes that gathering all seven Dragon Balls and making a wish will break the curse and restore him to his original form. The curse intensifies over time, making his hunger and size increase, which drives his desperate quest to collect the remaining Dragon Balls.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, the narrative establishes that Gurumes' curse is getting worse as he searches for the Blood Rubies to break it.

• king gurumes
• dragon balls
• curse
• hunger
• transformation

The Blood Rubies are mystical red stones that King Gurumes has been obsessively collecting from his kingdom. They are tied to his curse - the more he collects, the more his curse intensifies. In the film, Gurumes mistakes the Dragon Balls for Blood Rubies, believing they will help break his curse. When Shenron is summoned, he removes all the Blood Rubies from the land, which restores fertility to the countryside.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Gurumes' men collecting Blood Rubies while he suffers from his curse.

• blood rubies
• curse
• kingdom
• fertility

During the battle at Gurumes' palace, Bulma realizes that the six Dragon Balls the heroes had collected were already taken by Gurumes' forces and are now inside his stomach. This is why the final confrontation happens inside his body - Bulma throws her Dragon Ball into his mouth to reach the others and summon Shenron from within.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Gurumes already possessed five Dragon Balls before the heroes reached his palace.

• dragon balls
• gurumes stomach
• bulma
• shenron

Pansy's village has been suffering under King Gurumes' cruel rule as he hunts for Blood Rubies to break his curse. She explains to Bulma that Master Roshi, also known as the Turtle Hermit, is the only one powerful enough to counter Gurumes. Roshi is a legendary martial arts master with techniques like the Kamehameha that could potentially defeat the monster king.

Foreshadowing: Pansy reveals her people's suffering early in the film and identifies Roshi as their best hope.

• pansy
• master roshi
• turtle hermit
• village
• help

The Kamehameha fails because Gurumes has grown too powerful from his curse. At this point in the story, Gurumes has transformed into a massive purple monster whose hunger and strength have reached their peak. The standard Kamehameha that defeated Pasta and Bongo's submarine is insufficient against his enlarged form. The heroes need a different approach - using the Dragon Balls inside him.

Foreshadowing: Roshi's earlier Kamehameha destroyed a submarine, showing its power level before Gurumes' full transformation.

• kamehameha
• gurumes
• fails
• rosli
• battle

When Shenron is summoned from Gurumes' stomach, Pansy wishes for her land to become peaceful and beautiful again. Shenron grants this by removing all the Blood Rubies from the kingdom, which restores fertility to the countryside. Additionally, Gurumes is transformed from the giant purple monster back into a small, bald, naked man - his curse lifted and hunger finally quelled.

Foreshadowing: The wish directly addresses the central conflict established at the beginning: Gurumes' curse and the Blood Ruby oppression.

• shenron
• wish
• blood rubies
• peace
• fertility
• gurumes

When Pasuta and Bongo first stole Goku's Dragon Ball from his home, they left behind a gold coin as payment or a decoy. This coin was originally from Gurumes' treasury. After the adventure concludes and Gurumes is restored to human form, Goku returns the gold coin to Pasuta, completing the circle of events and showing Goku's sense of honor even toward enemies.

Foreshadowing: The gold coin is left as payment during the initial theft at Goku's house.

• goku
• gold coin
• pasuta
• return
• theft

Yamcha and Bulma's relationship develops during the journey to Gurumes' palace. Initially enemies, Yamcha helps the group infiltrate the palace and fight alongside them against Gurumes' forces. Their interactions throughout the adventure break the ice, and by the end of the film, they begin dating as a result of these shared experiences and his change of heart.

Foreshadowing: Yamcha's fear of beautiful women becomes a running gag that complicates his interactions with Bulma.

• yamcha
• bulma
• dating
• romance
• relationship

After the adventure concludes and peace is restored, Goku decides to go to Master Roshi's island to continue his martial arts training. This sets up the ongoing character arc of Goku seeking to become stronger. Roshi had previously tested Goku with the Flying Nimbus and recognized his potential as a honest and capable fighter worthy of teaching.

Foreshadowing: Roshi tests Goku with the Flying Nimbus early on, recognizing his pure heart.

• goku
• master roshi
• training
• island
• martial arts

Gurumes transforms back to a small, bald, naked man because the wish made to Shenron lifts his curse entirely. When Pansy wishes for peace and beauty to return to the land, Shenron removes all the Blood Rubies, which were the source of Gurumes' curse. With the curse broken, his monstrous form reverts to his original human appearance, and his insatiable hunger is finally quelled.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes that the Blood Rubies are directly tied to Gurumes' cursed transformation.

• gurumes
• transformation
• human
• curse
• blood rubies
• shenron

Master Roshi offers Bulma a Dragon Ball voluntarily after she and the group arrive at his island. However, this seemingly generous act is complicated when Oolong disguises himself as Bulma to pass Roshi's test and steal the Dragon Ball. Roshi then allows them to keep it, seeing their honest intentions. This creates a plot point where the Dragon Ball is later stolen by Pasta and Bongo.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Bulma gets a Dragon Ball from Roshi before the submarine attack.

• master roshi
• dragon ball
• bulma
• gift
• oolong

Master Roshi declines to directly confront Gurumes, telling Pansy that Goku and Bulma already have everything they need to help her. This is consistent with his character in the early Dragon Ball series - Roshi prefers to test and train young warriors rather than solve problems himself. He provides support through his Kamehameha defense and supplies a Dragon Ball, but leaves the main battle to the next generation of heroes.

Foreshadowing: Roshi tests Goku with the Flying Nimbus, showing he wants to evaluate rather than intervene directly.

• master roshi
• gurumes
• fight
• refuses
• training
• goku