Dragon Ball is one of the greatest anime and manga franchises of all time. Akira Toriyama frankly doesn't get enough credit for how he redefined the landscape for both mediums, introducing and perfecting tropes that are still used to this day. Toriyama's fight choreography, artwork, and memorable character development have made Dragon Ball a perennial classic, but there's something to be said for how awkward Dragon Ball Z's original ending feels.
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Flying off with Uub to train him, Goku gets a solid enough ending that feels true to his character, but the same can't be said for the rest of Dragon Ball's main cast. The likes of Vegeta, Krillin, and Bulma end the series with arcs that feel complete and dignified, but Goku's son and some of his closest friends have downright frustrating endings that make you question why Toriyama didn't try to do more with some of the most important characters in Dragon Ball.
6 Yamcha is the Most Depressing Character in Dragon Ball History
Yamcha has devolved into one of Dragon Ball's biggest punching bags as of Dragon Ball Super, but this wasn't always the case. Yamcha was the first character to actually beat Goku in a fight all the way back in the original Dragon Ball, and had plenty of great fights up to (and including) his death against the Saibaman during Dragon Ball Z's Saiyan Saga. Following his death, however, Yamcha's dignity and importance never recovered.
By the end of Dragon Ball Z, Yamcha is firmly in the background. He lost the love of his life to Vegeta, gave up on his dream of being a martial artist, and by all accounts ends the Peaceful World Saga a washed up, single man with no prospects. Dragon Ball Super continues this trend by excluding him from both Resurrection F and the Tournament of Power. The best Yamcha gets is a small showing in the Moro Saga, but even that doesn't change the fact Goku's first rival is destined to end up background fodder on par with Oolong.
5 Goten Has All His Potential Wasted By the End of Dragon Ball Z
When all is said and done, Goten feels like a relic from a version of the Majin Buu Saga Akira Toriyama ultimately changed his mind about. Introduced as the world's youngest Super Saiyan with even more potential than Gohan, it doesn't take long for Goten to effectively amount to nothing. Goten exists so that he and Trunks can fuse into Gotenks, another character who functionally accomplishes nothing by the end of Dragon Ball Z.
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The most overpowered transformations in Dragon Ball Super raise their user's Power Levels to heights they frankly shouldn't be capable of.
Unlike Trunks who acts as the introductory character in DBZ's Peaceful World Saga and gets some decent focus (in large part because he looks like Future Trunks), Goten is really just used for a couple of end-of-series jokes. By the End of Z, Goten has wasted all his potential, grown his hair out so he doesn't look like Goku, and spends all his time going on dates & thinking about girls. The last thing he does in Dragon Ball Z is get beaten by Pan in the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero isn't much kinder to Goten, either, giving Trunks the bulk of the duo's screentime and character development.
4 Videl Goes From One of the Strongest Martial Artists on Earth to Just a Housewife
Videl is simultaneously one of Akira Toriyama's best and worst written female characters. Aside from Bulma, Dragon Ball does not have a good track record when it comes to women. Virtually every single female character is introduced as a real person, only to become a wife, mother, and housewife who does basically nothing for the rest of the story. Videl is no different, sadly.
Introduced as Gohan's spunky love interest in the Majin Buu Saga, Gohan and Videl's relationship is Akira Toriyama's best written romance in Dragon Ball. They have real chemistry, get to know each other, and have an incredibly charming back & forth. Unfortunately, after Videl's absolutely brutal defeat against Spopovich, she retires as a martial artist and does nothing for the rest of Dragon Ball Z other than marry Gohan (off-screen), and give birth to Pan.
3 Piccolo Devolves into a Glorified Babysitter By the End of Z
Piccolo was famously Akira Toriyama's favorite character in Dragon Ball, while also being proof that the man really did not play favorites. In the Saiyan, Frieza, and Cell Sagas, Frieza is consistently one of the strongest Z-Fighters and gets some of the absolute best fights in the series. That all changes in the Majin Buu Saga once Dragon Ball Z becomes a Super Saiyan bargain sale. By the end of the series, Piccolo's main role is babysitting Gotenks and acting as comic relief during the fight against Super Buu.
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Akira Toriyama does still write Piccolo with some dignity in the last few chapters, but his role is a massive downgrade from where he began the series. Piccolo was once strong enough to train Gohan, and ends DBZ utterly outclassed by Goten and Trunks. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero does a better job with Piccolo in the babysitter role, giving him a stronger relationship with Pan, a power boost, and making him the main character. That said, Dragon Ball Super isn't too kind to Piccolo in the grand scheme of things and it's only a matter of time before Orange Piccolo lags behind the Saiyans.
2 No One in Dragon Ball Z Has a More Disappointing Ending Than Gohan
Dragon Ball Z introduces Gohan as Goku's eventual successor, tying into one of the series' recurring themes that the next generation will always be better than the last. Every single arc in DBZ gives Gohan multiple moments where he shows off his potential, gradually building up to the Cell Games where he finally becomes the story's main, and strongest, character. Unfortunately, Akira Toriyama did not enjoy writing Gohan in the lead role, in large part because Gohan doesn't love fighting as much as Goku.
It doesn't take long for the Majin Buu Saga to bring Goku back into the picture and make him the main point of view character. Even with Gohan still in the picture, he spends most of the arc on the Planet of the Kais before getting his potential unlocked. Ultimate Gohan barely gets to fight Super Buu before Buu absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo, and starts utterly wrecking Gohan. From there, Gohan does nothing of value for the rest of Dragon Ball Z. He ends the series a scholar, like he always dreamed of, but with little focus in the series' last few chapters. Making matters worse, Dragon Ball Super suggests Gohan lost his Ultimate form after once again refusing to train.
1 Future Trunks' Ending in Dragon Ball Super is Just Cruel
What Dragon Ball Super does to Future Trunks is nothing short of evil, and downright disrespectful. Future Trunks' ending in Dragon Ball Z was beautiful – after training with Vegeta in the present timeline and growing strong enough to defeat his version of the Androids, Trunks returns to his future to kill 17, 18, and eventually Imperfect Cell. After so much suffering, Future Trunks liberates his timeline, and he & Bulma are left to rebuild.
Fast forward to Dragon Ball Super, and Trunks' future is in shambles. Goku Black has effectively wiped out all of humanity, kills Future Bulma, and forces Trunks to travel back in time to once again get Goku and Vegeta's help. Making matters worse, Trunks does not save his future this time around. Instead, Zamasu does so much damage to the universe, Future Zeno is forced to literally erase Future Trunks' timeline. The last fans see of Trunks, he's traveling to an alternate timeline that already has its own Trunks. In the end, Dragon Ball Super trades Future Trunks' happy ending in DBZ for abject misery.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Upcoming TV Shows
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First Episode Air Date
- February 26, 1986
- TV Show(s)
- Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA