706z87″ title=”akira”>Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has entertained audiences for over three decades with its superpowered battles between unbelievable characters. Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and the rest of the series’ characters continue to face greater evils while they surpass previous milestones.
Dragon Ball has a large cast of dozens of characters, but the franchise has become preoccupied with Saiyan strength and the impressive transformations that come with it. There are more characters in Dragon Ball who can’t become Super Saiyan than those who can, and it’s important to shine a light on the rest of these heroes occasionally. An absence of Saiyan roots doesn’t mean someone can’t save the universe.
10 Tien
Dragon Ball’s growing obsession with Saiyans has made it increasingly difficult for other characters to prove themselves, especially humans. Goku has no shortage of human friends, and individuals like Krillin, Master Roshi, and Tien all get recruited to defend the universe from erasure in the Tournament of Power.
In reality, all three of these formidable fighters deserve attention and could likely hold their own against certain Super Saiyans. That being said, Tien has put in the most work and continues to train while he refuses to let his skills lapse.
9 Majin Buu
It’s not uncommon for Goku to find ways to rehabilitate the vilest of villains that threaten the planet’s safety. Buu receives a proper human reincarnation with Uub, who is likely stronger than a handful of Saiyans even though he’s still just a child who’s coming to terms with his latent powers. In the meantime, there is still “Good Buu,” Majin Buu’s rotund introductory form, who gets befriended by Mr. Satan.
Buu’s other villainous forms, like Evil Buu and Kid Buu, are eviscerated, but Good Buu sticks around. Goku specifically recruits Buu’s help in some of Dragon Ball Super’s biggest tournaments because he knows he’s still one of Earth’s best.
8 Hit
Dragon Ball Super opens Toriyama’s series to a whole multiverse of possibilities. The heroes spend a lot of time with their sister realm, Universe 6, which brings a trio of new Saiyans into the fray. Cabba, Kale, and Caulifla are all formidable fighters, but Universe 6’s most notorious warrior is Hit, a feared assassin.
Hit has a reputation across the multiverse as a legendary hitman, a task he can excel at thanks to his ticky Time-Skip Technique. Hit is so good at what he does that Goku even hires him to put a hit on himself because he knows it’ll push him to grow stronger.
7 Android 17
Androids have been a constant nuisance as early as the original Dragon Ball, but they really come into their own during the Cell Saga, where they’re vital fuel for Cell’s perfection. Androids 17s and 18 survive the experience; the former disappears for a lengthy period until Goku needs ringers for the upcoming Tournament of Power.
Android 18 is still one of the strongest fighters in the universe, and both of these Androids are at their best when working as a team. However, Android 17 proves himself when he becomes the grand winner in the Tournament of Power, an accomplishment that’s put him above Goku, Vegeta, and even Jiren.
6 Top
One of the biggest changes that Dragon Ball Super brings into the mix is the God of Destruction and a multiverse of celestial deities who trump past Kai. Top is one of Universe 11’s strongest fighters, and over the course of the Tournament of Power, it’s revealed that he was at one point a contender to be a God of Destruction.
While not currently carrying this honor, Top can still unlock brutal levels of strength that temporarily overwhelm some of Universe 7’s best, like Frieza and Gohan. Top has even become a popular video game character because he contains such intense power.
5 Jiren
Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power pits Goku against the strongest fighters from across the multiverse in a battle royale free-for-all where the cost of failure is erasure. Thanks to their heavy Saiyan representation, Universe 7 holds its own, but they quickly reach an impasse against Universe 11’s Jiren.
Jiren is the leader of Universe 11’s Pride Troopers, a galactic police force. Jiren is able to collectively take on most of Universe 7 and 6 at the same time. Jiren’s unprecedented power is enough to trigger Goku’s first foray into Ultra Instinct strength, but even that isn’t enough to clearly surpass Jiren.
4 Gamma 1
It doesn’t seem like Dragon Ball will ever stop resorting to Androids as either allies or enemies, and the events of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero don’t only resurrect Red Ribbon, but also their malevolent mechanical creations. Created by Dr. Hedo, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 make Dr. Gero’s past creations look like calculators.
Both of these Androids are driven by a misguided sense of justice where they believe they’re the heroes. Both Gamma models are on par with Gohan and Piccolo, which is saying something. Of the two, only Gamma 1 survives Super Hero,and the Android seems likely to become a Capsule Corp cohort in any future adventure.
3 Piccolo
Piccolo has gradually grown from a determined villain into one of Goku’s most trusted allies and a crucial mentor for his son, Gohan. Piccolo has had to quietly wait in the wings since Majin Buu’s reign of terror when he begins to be on babysitting duty more than he’s on the battlefield.
The anime’s most recent feature film, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, rewards Piccolo with a long overdue power boost where he gets his potential awakened by Shenron and achieves a new transformation, Orange Piccolo. Audiences are eager for Orange Piccolo’s return, and this new form has immediately made him one of the series’ stronger fighters, Saiyan or otherwise.
2 Granolah
Granolah is a character who currently remains exclusive to Dragon Ball Super’s post-Tournament of Power material, and he’s a notable individual due to his unique use of the Dragon Balls. Granolah makes a risky wish to become the most powerful individual in the universe, albeit at the cost of a significantly shortened lifespan.
Granolah is now on borrowed time, but he’s already done a lot that would make his fallen Cerealian people proud. Granolah is initially manipulated to take on Goku and Vegeta, but he soon learns the error of his ways and redirects his rage at the Heeter Force’s Gas.
1 Frieza
No Dragon Ball villain has been as persistent as Frieza. Frieza has broken out of the afterlife and successfully destroyed Planet Vegeta, Namek, and Earth. Frieza’s cooperation during the Tournament of Power legitimately earns him back his mortality, which proves to be a decision that Goku later regrets.
Frieza has recently made a surprise return as the one who destroys Gas–a task that was too tall for the combined efforts of Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta–with the help of a brand new transformation. Very little has been seen of Black Frieza, but he’s currently the strongest character in Universe 7, excluding Gods of Destruction and other deities.
Leave a Reply