A giant planetoid looks like it's going to hit the earth, yet explodes just before it makes impact. The inhabitants of the planet, a group of space-pirates, land on the Earth in their little ship to terraform it and use it as a new home base. They are a bunch of horned, sun-sensitive oddities led by Lord Slug--a strangely familiar green alien. Slug learns of the Dragonballs by reading Bulma's mind; he immediately collects them and makes his wish: restore his youth. After becoming young again, the fight begins.