Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z is a legendary shonen series that’s arguably more popular than ever, even 35 years after its debut. Dragon Ball Z is a more mature and action-packed sequel to the original Dragon Ball that elevates Goku’s heroic exploits to even greater heights. Dragon Ball Z excels when it comes to raising the stakes of the original Dragon Ball’s story. That being said, there are certain areas in which it falls short, particularly when it comes to the original Dragon Ball’s lovable cast of characters.
Dragon Ball Z celebrates a wide array of new heroes and villains, such as Vegeta, Gohan, and Frieza. Unfortunately, this leads to many entertaining individuals from its predecessor fading into obscurity and not getting the attention that they deserve. Dragon Ball Z can’t cater to every single character that it introduces, but these are some of its more egregious oversights.
10 Fortuneteller Baba Is A Conduit For Incredible Knowledge
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 61, "Korin Tower"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 98, "The All-Seeing Crone"
Fortuneteller Baba, Master Roshi’s older sister, is a valuable resource in the original Dragon Ball who’s able to facilitate communication with the afterlife. Fortuneteller Baba’s Tournament is also a great way to showcase the character and it’s unfortunate that these didn’t become a recurring tradition in the series. Fortuneteller Baba has a decent presence during Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan Saga, where she’s able to use her crystal ball to watch battle. However, her role is largely replaced by King Kai, who serves much of the same purpose, even if he doesn’t share the same emotional connection to Master Roshi.
There’s a lot more that Fortuneteller Baba could do in Dragon Ball Z and putting her magical resources up against Babidi would have been an entertaining development. There’s also plenty of value in putting her in a tribunal alongside characters like Shin, Kibito, and Old Kai. Baba doesn’t completely disappear, but her role in Dragon Ball made it seem like she was destined for greater things.
9 Android 8 Is A Gentle Giant Who Rises Above His Antagonistic Programming
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 38, "Five Murasakis"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 62, "The Ninja Split!"
Evil Androids are a Dragon Ball staple as early as the original series when Goku befriends one of the Red Ribbon Army’s strongest weapons—A Frankenstein’s Monster-esque creation known as Android 8. Android 8 is much more rudimentary than Dr. Gero’s Androids that get revealed in Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga, but he’s a powerful individual who’s rarely seen after Goku’s take-down of Red Ribbon. Android contributes energy to Goku’s Super Spirit Bomb during his battle against Kid Buu.
This amounts to a cameo, rather than a proper return. Android 8 would be a fascinating rogue element for Goku to bring back into action during the Cell Saga. Android 8 would no doubt get along with Android 16 and there are many directions that the character could do once Android 18 sticks around. Bulma would also be more than capable of performing some upgrades on Android 8 so he can keep up with Dr. Gero’s later creations.
8 Yajirobe Is A Special Samurai Who Is Friends With People In High Places
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 104, "Mark Of The Demon"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 138, "The Weirdo With The Ball"
Yajirobe doesn’t enter until the tail end of the original Dragon Ball, but he makes a big impression as Korin’s companion and a skilled samurai. He also executes Cymbal, one of Demon King Piccolo’s Dark Vassals, which makes Yajirobe come across as someone who will be important to the series’ future. Yajirobe’s greatest moment is likely when he slices off Great Ape Vegeta’s tail, disrupts the Saiyan’s transformation, and then runs away in terror.
Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Z doesn’t explore further acts of cowardly heroism with Yajirobe. He’s often around Korin, including in the upcoming Dragon Ball DAIMA, but his combat days seem to be long gone. Dragon Ball Super at least treats Yajirobe with dignity and shows that his future counterpart from Future Trunks’ timeline is one of the few remaining humans to fight in the Goku Black Resistance.
7 Upa Is A Friendly Guardian & Friend To Goku During His Early Adventures
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 58, "The Land Of Korin"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 84, "The Karin Sanctuary"
Upa and his father, Bora, are members of the Karinga Tribe who function as guardians of Koron Tower. Upa quickly bonds with Goku during their initial meeting and he's a child who experiences his share of trauma, like when Mercenary Tao assassinates his father. Upa would be a rewarding character to return to in Dragon Ball Z because he'd also be an adult, like Goku, and could be used in a different context.
Upa could have experienced tremendous growth since his last appearance in Dragon Ball. Upa appears to briefly donate energy to Goku's final Spirit Bomb, but it's not an amount of screen time that's deserving of Upa's connection with Goku in Dragon Ball Z's predecessor. Upa even gets a larger role in Dragon Ball GT than he does in Z.
6 Yamcha Gradually Transforms Into Dragon Ball’s Biggest Punching Bag
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 5, "Yamcha The Desert Bandit"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 7, "Yamcha And Pu'ar"
Yamcha is one of Goku’s most important allies in the original Dragon Ball. He’s one of the first friends that Goku makes, going all the way back to the anime’s fifth episode. Yamcha does valiantly during all of Dragon Ball’s martial arts tournaments and his clumsy romance with Bulma means that Yamcha gets a lot of attention in the original Dragon Ball. Yamcha, like many humans in Dragon Ball, never properly bounces back from his Saiyan Saga defeat. Yamcha is the only character to get taken out by a Saibaman, at that.
Yamcha also disappears from Bulma’s life after Vegeta becomes her surprising new suitor and, evidently, the perfect match. He understands that it’s probably a good idea to cut his losses and transition from martial arts to baseball. Dragon Ball Super also goes out of its way to avoid Yamcha whenever martial arts are concerned. Goku and Gohan actively keep away from Yamcha when it’s time to recruit fighters for the Tournament of Power. There’s no redemption in Yamcha’s future and he’s accepted his fate as a lovable loser comic relief.
5 Dragon Ball Lets Chiaotzu Slip Through Its Cracks
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 82, "The Rampage Of InoShikaCho"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 113, "Return To The Tournament"
Dragon Ball simultaneously introduces Tien and Chiaotzu as Master Shen’s darker counterparts to Goku and Krillin. Chiaotzu is supposed to resemble a more sinister take on Krillin, but he quickly grows out of this role and becomes more of Tien’s steady sidekick. Chiaotzu perishes in the original Dragon Ball by Demon King Piccolo and does so again against Nappa.
He’s not Dragon Ball Z’s strongest hero, but Chiaotzu possesses particularly unique powers that could do a lot of damage if he were given more opportunities to develop in Dragon Ball Z. His battle against the Ginyu Force on King Kai’s Planet is an entertaining filler episode, albeit one that makes it harder to accept that he’s absent through the bulk of the series.
4 Chi-Chi Regresses From Mature Martial Artist Into Problematic Parent
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 7, "The Ox King On Fire Mountain"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 11, "...And Into The Fire!"
Chi-Chi meets Goku very early on in the original Dragon Ball, only for her character to return during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament and unexpectedly become Goku’s wife. Chi-Chi does well in the tournament and has genuine skills as a fighter. However, Chi-Chi’s priorities shift once she becomes a parent and she’s suddenly more interested in Gohan’s IQ level than his power level.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Chi-Chi focusing on her domestic life over combat, but Dragon Ball Z typically presents her as an angry obstacle who Goku is worried that he’ll set off. Chi-Chi’s complex nature gets seriously reduced in Dragon Ball Z and the limited screen time that she receives isn’t very flattering. Dragon Ball Z could figure out a scenario where Chi-Chi still gets to be a hero in her own way, whether it’s through fighting or providing other types of help.
3 Mercenary Tao Is An Arrogant Who’s Undergone An Unusual Upgrade
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 58, "The Land Of Korin"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 85, "Taopaipai The Assassin"
The Red Ribbon Army don’t understand what they’re getting themselves into when they engage in a Dragon Ball hunt against Goku and friends. Goku has to work his way through multiple color-coded Red Ribbon grunts before he takes this evil organization out of commission. Red Ribbon hires Mercenary Tao, a top assassin, to accelerate Goku’s execution. Tao is one of Dragon Ball’s most heightened characters. He flies around on tree trunks that he hurls in the air and he successfully kills General Blue with just his tongue.
The character grows even more dangerous when his alleged death results in him returning for revenge as a cyborg. Cyborg Tao is an intimidating antagonist who has a genuine reason to hate Goku. Tao appears in a single filler episode during Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Games when he encounters Gohan, but he’s otherwise missing. This just scratches the surface of Cyborg Tao’s potential and what he'd bring to Dragon Ball Z as a recurring threat.
2 Launch Is One Of The Original Dragon Ball’s Best Female Characters & She Gets Completely Forgotten
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 15, "Look Out For Launch"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 26, "Who's That Girl?"
The original Dragon Ball embraces more fantastical and magical ideas. Launch, a character who experiences a radical personality shift whenever she sneezes, is a perfect example of this. Launch is a reliable companion through most of the original Dragon Ball and she becomes a fun foil to Tien. Launch, unfortunately, disappears from the ether in Dragon Ball Z and Toriyama has admitted to forgetting about her existence.
Launch would likely have struggled to stay important, like the rest of Dragon Ball Z’s humans, but her unique ability and attitude make her an exciting player. There’s also truly a deficit of powerful female characters in Dragon Ball Z and Launch’s expanded presence could have amended this issue. Launch’s whole energy immediately brings a different quality to battle that’s not present in any other Z-Fighter.
1 The Original Dragon Ball Ends With Tien As One Of Goku’s Greatest Rivals
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 82, "The Rampage Of InoShikaCho"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 113, "Return To The Tournament"
Tien’s growing absence in the Dragon Ball franchise stings especially hard since he’s Goku’s first true rival and someone whose strength was on par with his own for most of the original series. Tien should have been one of Dragon Ball Z’s most compelling characters, but he never truly recovers during his death against Nappa back in the Saiyan Saga. Tien struggles to stay relevant and his last hurrah is arguably when he deals some significant damage to Semi-Perfect Cell.
It’s understandable that Tien—like all of Dragon Ball’s humans—fails to keep up with superior Saiyan strength. This frustration could have been written into Tien’s character and fuel a story about his resentments over not being a Saiyan. Master Roshi and Krillin aren’t necessarily any stronger than Tien, yet Dragon Ball Z still gives both these characters a lot of attention, even if they're not on the battlefield.
