Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball has endured for nearly four decades, and it's made as much of an impact as an anime as it has as a manga. There's no right or wrong way to experience Dragon Ball's story, but there are distinct differences between these contrasting mediums that may be better suited for some individuals over others.
Dragon Ball's anime features original filler material that creates completely new stories and characters. However, there are also instances when particular characters don't make the cut and become exclusive fixtures of the manga. These cases are few and far between, but it's resulted in some especially obscure manga-only Dragon Ball characters.
10 Granolah
Granolah is one of the most fascinating Dragon Ball characters to come out of the manga, and it'd be a genuine tragedy if he doesn't eventually work his way into the anime. Granolah is the last surviving member of the Cerealians, a race that was wiped out by the Saiyans at Frieza's behest. Granolah goes to extreme measures to enact his revenge, including a volatile Dragon Ball wish that briefly makes him the strongest individual in Universe 7.
The lengths that Granolah is willing to go for his cause are unprecedented. He also has a uniquely creative attack arsenal and precision sniper skills. He's one of Toriyama's strongest creations in years.
9 Saganbo
Saganbo is Moro's right-hand man when he sets free a litany of the Galactic Patrol's worst criminals. Saganbo is a powerful brawler who can take on most of the Z-Fighters by himself. This sort of strength is rare in Dragon Ball, and for a while, he seems to be as great of a threat as Moro.
Saganbo goes out under tragic circumstances when Moro repeatedly gives him power boosts to the point that he loses his mind and his body breaks down. By the end, Goku doesn't even want to fight Saganbo any longer, and he pities this puppet for being ruined by Moro's manipulative magic.
8 Tori-Bot
The Tori-Bot is a gag character who's meant to be mangaka Akira Toriyama's self-insert character. The Tori-Bot makes his debut in Toriyama's Doctor Slump, but he becomes a fun recurring character across Dragon Ball's various manga. The Tori-Bot typically breaks the fourth wall and makes some self-aware commentary that ultimately shows humility on Toriyama's part.
This character is a cute way for Toriyama to personally communicate with his audience, which becomes less essential in the anime. Admittedly, the Tori-Bot can be seen in the background of a crowd scene or two, but he doesn't interact with the viewer like in the manga.
7 Dr. Omori Tokunoshin
Dr. Omori Tokunoshin is a brilliant mind who's been dealt a tough lot in life and has taken up a reclusive lifestyle after his wife's passing and the de-funding of his time machine research project. Professor Omori becomes an unlikely ally to Jaco after the alien lands on his island.
Omori and Jaco make a good team, and it's unfortunate that he hasn't made his way into any animated Dragon Ball content even though he originates from the Jaco the Galactic Patrolman spinoff manga. Other characters from this series, like Tights, have made appearances, and Professor Omori would fit right in.
6 Moro
Planet-Eater Moro is Dragon Ball Super's first original manga villain to follow the multiversal Tournament of Power showdown. Moro is an ancient magic user with a vendetta against the Galactic Patrol that's festered for millennia.
Moro prospers through a whole cabal of jailbroken baddies, but he can fully handle himself once he wishes for his youth to be restored by the Dragon Balls. Moro is one of the series' most fascinating foes; he's the Dragon Ball manga-only character that audiences want to see the most in not just the anime series but in video games as well.
5 Future Kibito
Dragon Ball Super engages in a compelling alternate timeline "What If?" scenario when it fills in some details in Future Trunks' timeline following his return home. Dragon Ball Super indicates that Future Shin and Future Kibito choose Future Trunks over Gohan to be the one who trains on the Sacred World of the Kai with the Z Sword to prevent Buu's awakening.
Future Trunks rises to the occasion here and prevents Buu's rebirth, but Future Kibito perishes from a point-blank attack from Future Dabura. Super's anime briefly shows these events, but not all of the players are involved, such as Future Kibito's inclusion.
4 Azuki An
Pop idols are popular figures in anime, yet territory that Dragon Ball has largely avoided. Azuki An is a renowned pop idol celebrity who oddly winds up on Jaco's radar. Azuki's whole gimmick is that she's obsessed with space and that she hopes to leave the Earth's atmosphere one day.
It's revealed that much of Azuki An's passions and personality traits are actually a carefully curated public persona. She represents an artificiality to outer space and its many wonders, while Jaco symbolizes the opposite. It's easy to see why a more ancillary figure like this doesn't wind up in Dragon Ball's anime.
3 Heeter Force
Any Dragon Ball anime fan is well aware of the damage that Frieza has done as a galactic tyrant, but they'll be completely oblivious toward his rivals, the Heeter Force. Dragon Ball's manga explains that the Heeter Force worked under the Frieza Force but secretly resented Frieza and dreamed of taking him out of the picture.
The Heeter Force plans a pretty impressive coup that involves pitting Goku, Vegeta, Granolah, and Frieza all against each other. Unfortunately, the Heeter Force's vile plans result in Gas' annihilation and a stronger-than-ever version of Frieza comes forward.
2 Katayude Tamagoro
Katayude Tamagoro is a perpetually wet blanket and not a particularly fun Dragon Ball character, but one who still serves an important role in the world. Katayude is the Government Sea Police's chief and the leading voice in Professor Omori's dismissal from his island so that the government can turn it into a resort.
Bureaucracy isn't usually a major obstacle in Dragon Ball, but Katayude Tamagro is a reminder of the real-world stresses that can attack. He gets his just deserts, even if he is just doing his job.
1 Monster Shark
Dragon Ball is set in a fantastical world where anthropomorphic animals and dinosaurs are par for the course. Giant animals are certainly nothing new for the franchise, and even Dragon Ball's first episode details Goku catching an absolutely massive fish. This concept gets taken further when it comes to the Monster Shark of Tokunoshin's Island. This is a nocturnal gargantuan beast with four rows of razor-sharp teeth that attacks anyone who invades his watery home.
This Monster Shark is a genuine problem for the island's residents until Jaco shows up and kills the shark with zero difficulty. Dragon Ball's Jaco is such a clumsy and cowardly character that it's refreshing whenever he actually asserts control and defends himself.
