Dragon Ballis a series full to the brim with unique and memorable characters that have become enduring facets of pop culture in their own right. The sheer scale of the fights in this series coupled with a slew of impressive abilities and transformations have helped elevate the status ofDragon Ballto a whole new level, with the series still going strong many decades after its inception.
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That being said, there are times when certain characters don’t get the time in the spotlight they deserve, for plot-related reasons or otherwise. Keeping this in mind, here aresome of the best characters inDragon Ballwhodidn’t really stick around after their arcs were over. While this might sound like a shame, the fact that people still talk about these characters to this day proves just how long-lasting their impact really was.
10Future Gohan
The History of Trunks is one of the saddest OVAs inDragon Ballhistory, taking a deeper look at the events that plagued Future Trunks' timeline before he tried to save everyone in an alternate universe. It’s a noble effort, and Trunks was able to survive in his timeline for so long as a result of Future Gohan’s efforts.
Gohan essentially served as a mentor and saved Trunks from an early demise by taking him out of commission before going to deal with the Androids. He was disposed of brutally, with the death of Gohan triggering the rage that caused Future Trunks to finally achieve his Super Saiyan form.
9Raditz
For someone who is revealed to be Goku’s brother, it’s funnyhow Raditz barely lasted past the first arc. The fact that Goku had to sacrifice his own life to dispose of this threat showed just how imposing the threat of the Saiyans really was.
After his demise, Raditz is barely mentioned barring a few insults from Vegeta and Nappa when they arrive on Earth. It’s a shame, since most people would agree that being Goku’s brother could’ve led to his character having a ton of potential if he was expanded upon in the anime.
8Nappa
Nappa is Vegeta’s comrade and one of the few surviving Saiyans around. After being absolutely schooled by an ultra-powerful Goku, Vegeta saw no news for his teammate and promptly disposed of him in one fell swoop.
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Given how important the Saiyans have become over time, it’s easy to see that Nappa could’ve achieved this same level of greatness as well. Unfortunately, his untimely death dashed all hopes of that ever happening.
7Cell
Cell is easily one of the best villains inDragon Ballby a country mile, with his Perfect form being both beautiful and intimidating to witness. He wasa major driver of Gohan’s growth, with his immense ruthlessness causing Goku’s son to tap into a new level of power.
While Cell Max fromDragon Ball Super: Super Herowas a decent callback to this character, this monster lacked any of Cell’s personality or attacks. As a result, many fans were disappointed by Cell Max, with the character of Cell still remaining untouched to this day.
6Super Buu/Kid Buu
Majin Buu was a heinous and all-powerful threat until Hercule managed to calm the entity around. However, expelling all evil from Majin Buu turned out to be a pretty literal move that led to the creation of Evil Buu, who absorbed his good counterpart to become Super Buu.
After Vegeta and Goku wreaked havoc within Super Buu, he transformed once again and became Kid Buu. This malevolent entity was hell-bent on destruction but was finally taken out by one of Goku’s most powerful Spirit Bombs.
5Jiren
Jiren is easily the strongest antagonistDragon Ballhas devised till now. Both Goku and Vegeta could barely land a blow on him despite using their ultimate Super Saiyan Blue forms.
Goku had to tap into his Ultra Instinct form to even stand a chance against this powerful foe. This led to a climactic battle where Jiren was finally made to suffer all the punishment he’d dished out over the course of the Tournament of Power, ending with both Goku and Frieza pushing him out of the tournament for good.
4Goku Black/Zamasu
Zamasu is a great villain and appears in an arc that actually has life-or-death stakes outside of a tournament format. The manner in whichhe absolutely wrecks Future Trunks' timelineis genuinely tough to watch, with Future Bulma’s death being especially harrowing.
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The pairing of him and Goku Black ends up being quite tough to deal with, and it’s only when they fuse that a chink in the armor is revealed. Even then, it took the almighty power of Future Zeno to finally take care of this threat once and for all.
3Kefla
Caulifla and Kale are two interesting characters from Universe 6 who take part in the Tournament of Power. While battling Goku, they realize that both of them are hopelessly outmatched anddecide to fuse in a last-ditch attempt to defeat the Saiyan.
This leads to the arrival of Kefla, who manages to give Goku a tough time in his Super Saiyan Blue form as well. It’s only after Goku uses the power of his incomplete Ultra Instinct that he manages to finally eliminate the fused fighter from the tournament once and for all.
2Grand Elder Guru
The adventures of the Z Warriors on Namek marked a turning point for the series, with many characters achieving powerups of their own. While the most obvious mention here is that ofGoku’s Super Saiyan form, both Krillin and Goku also unlocked their untapped potential during this arc.
This was made possible through the efforts of Grand Elder Guru, who gave both fighters the means to battle the various threats that plagued them in their journey. It’s a shame that this calm and kind elder met his end right after being revived, but this was understandable because of his old age.
1Future Mai
Watching Future Trunks develop a romantic relationship is pretty heartwarming, especially given how much tragedy this youth has already witnessed in his life. His dynamic with Future Mai is fun to watch and lends itself to some funny moments as well.
After emerging victorious against Zamasu, Mai and Trunks return back to their timeline after some things are straightened out by Whis.She hasn’t been seen since, but it’s clear that her and Trunks are enjoying the happiness they deserve after years of strife.
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