Whether you’re a casual fan who actually has a day job or a bizarre “fan” who seems to think it’s their job to block people from enjoying a diverse artistic medium, you know what Dragon Ball is. The show that spawned an unlikely international media empire off the backs of retelling Journey to the West and making bawdy jokes about its own magical MacGuffins has spanned multiple decades, been translated into dozens of languages, and contains some of the most recognizable characters across the globe. And in all that time, there has been an inordinate amount of filler, add-ons, movies, spin-offs, and other media that have invented, recontextualized, and even fully ripped off the original characters in ways that its creator never intended or probably ever wanted.
However, simply because a character wasn’t part of the creator’s original vision doesn’t mark them as an artistically bereft, soulless cash-in. The anime filler, movies, and subsequent series and spin-offs have had some of the best and brightest in the anime industry design characters who could fit the series’ look and tone while standing out enough to become characters with their own massive followings, in-jokes, and memes. Some are even good enough that it’s been a long-standing request they be brought into the sacred fold of… canon. But who is worthy to become bathed in the Creator’s Light, and who should just take a nice trip down to HFIL to become better? That’s why I’m ranking every non-canon character from Dragon Ball for their worthiness of being canonized.
Some ground rules first: feral animals and unthinking robots aren’t included; the character must have spoken dialogue and have a listed name or identifying title to be considered. Named groups will be a single entry with named members broken out separately. If a canon character appears in a non-canon form, then it must be fundamentally different from the canon form to be considered. And characters who appear exclusively in video games or their promotional manga spin-offs aren’t. And remember: this is a scientific list with decades of research behind it; there’s no space for personal grudges or taste!
Note: I started writing this, and largely wrapped it up, before Akira Toriyama’s death on March 1st of 2024. I’m not planning on changing anything as a result, but suffice it to say: writing over 14,000 words about his work, and the works adjacent to it, still doesn’t quite seem sufficient to express my admiration.
243. Turles
Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might (1990)
This guy. This guy. Ooohhhh, this underdesigned, incoherent, dull-as-dishwater villain with a half-interesting backstory and henchmen actually more interesting than he is. I get that he’s supposed to be a dark reflection of Goku, but his character design is just so lazy that he could be named Goku Black, and that’s already a character! He goes on the very bottom of the list for being the worst thing a Dragon Ball character can be: boring and underdesigned.
242. Slim Jim
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 204
For the crime of sullying the name of the greatest processed beef snack stick known to all humanity and all Macho Mankind, he is as close to the bottom as possible. His pompadour and slick purple shirt are all that saved him from going under even the hated Turles.
241. Agundes
Dragon Ball: Evolution (2009)
The bigfoot of Dragon Ball, finding decent images of this guy online is nigh-on impossible, but I can’t exactly be surprised people don’t want to remember anything about him. Did you ever, whilst watching Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball think: this is a great martial arts adventure, balancing wacky comedy and enormous stakes, but what I could really go for is some generic high school drama involving 30-somethings playing teenagers!
240. Imeckian Police Force
Dragon Ball GT Episode 4
This counts all of Don Kee’s forces as, let’s face it: they’re all agents of the wealthy. The last thing any world needs is more cops.
239. Grandpa Gohan
Dragonball: Evolution (2009)
The script isn’t the fault of the actor, but the simple fact of the matter is: there’s nothing that puts this guy above the Grandpa Gohan we already have, know, and love.
238. Carey Fuller
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
The actor’s name is Texas Battle. That’s not a pseudonym, that is that man’s given name, and I think he deserves better than to be an ineffectual bully to Goku.
237. Mai
Dragon Ball: Evolution (2009)
Not much of a character in the original Dragonball, became weirder in Super if you think about the fact that her mind is a woman in her 30s while her body is a prepubescent girl and still has a crush on Kid Trunks-where was I going with this? Oh yeah, this is just a boring henchwoman in this movie. She looks cool, at least!
236. Poperu
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 1
He’s the most popular boy in school, and clearly his t-shirt game is on-point, but I think Pan’s too young to be seeing an older boy. Especially one she’d probably accidentally snap in half going for a hand-hold.
235. Goku
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Hah! You thought he was going to be at the bottom, didn’t you? You know what, for as awful and misguided and inaccurate and lazy and…where was I going with this? The fact is: at least they tried to do something with the character instead of slapping a scouter on his face and calling him “new.”
234. Stylish Bank Robbers
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995)
Their crime is never actually said out loud, but these guys seem like the type to fail to rob a bank thanks to a pair of new-school superheroes.
233. Clever Bank Robbers
Dragon Ball GT Episode 2
Nothing in-particular makes this criminal group stand out, in the world of Dragon Ball Z, all criminals are from the Mad Gear/ ‘80s Urban Paranoia school of “being comically overarmed,” but these ones distinguish themselves by being smart enough to see through the obvious ruse of the cops. Still, there’s little to distinguish them from any other criminal group.
232. Chi-Chi McRoberts
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Admit it, you didn’t even know the character had a last name in the movie. Well, she technically doesn’t as her surname only appears in the equally abysmal tie-in game for the PSP. Yes, the PSP. Nor that it was as weirdly, bizarrely misguided as “McRoberts.” Sadly a bit of a lateral move for her character with how she’s written in the canon, instead of being a woman obsessed with living a normal life with a normal husband, she’s delegated to “love interest and mentor.”
231. Muten Roshi
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
For the crime of wasting Chow-Yun Fat, this should probably be even lower, but ironically: his few bright spot moments are actually some of the best in the movie. He plays the character as unhinged and wacky, and that’s about what he was in the source material, and the actor really seemed like he was going to go all-in, even if the script wasn’t going to. They toned down the perversion, much to the chagrin of people who will complain about anything except important things, but even still: just the worst version of Roshi.
230. Igor
Dragon Ball: The Princess in the Sleeping Castle (1989)
He’s cute and weird and has a dry sense of humor that I like, but this list isn’t about what I like or don’t, and the sad truth is: there’s just not much to distinguish this fellow from any other
229. Lord Piccolo
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Stays this low on the list for wasting the talent of genuine Dragon Ball superfan James “Spike” Marsters. At least he later got to be a part of…one of the worst endings of Dragon Ball franchise history as Zamasu. But he did a great job with the great character! The point is: this adaptation actually mostly gets the character of Piccolo Daimo right, it’s just in one of the worst movies ever.
228. Berry
Dragon Ball Z: Episode of Bardock (2011)
More a part of a twist than a real character, this little fella is stuck in one of the silliest retcons in all of Dragon Ball and doesn’t do much to distinguish himself within the short time he has onscreen.
227. Ipana
Dragon Ball Z: Episode of Bardock (2011)
Episode of Bardock really feels like it wants to be a riff on old cowboy or samurai movies: The hardened warrior falls in love with a village’s kindness and it melts his cold exterior etc. etc., the problem is: the TV special isn’t even an hour long, and none of the characters develop enough or distinguish themselves enough to make it any higher, save one. And it ain’t “the kindly town doctor.”
226. Trunks’ Co-Workers
Dragon Ball GT Episode 1
Mostly existing to show the little Nepo-Baby is popular with everyone (even camp men can’t get enough!), I’m not opposed to the main characters having “normal” lives, but there’s a difference between being socialized through schooling as a child and holding a desk job when you have the powers of a demigod. And this isn’t a Clark Kent situation, Trunks has little interest in ‘blending in’ and seems far more like he’s doing it because it’s expected of him. In a more character-driven show, this would cause conflict. In GT: it’s a way to show and tell that Trunks is physically attractive.
225. Bongo
Dragonball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986)
The only notable thing about this guy is: he takes weapons in lieu of payment. Otherwise they don’t come more generic than henchmen like this.
224. Bulma Enchanto
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Despite not even being able to settle on a real surname (Briefs is a mistranslation of the original text, Enchanto only in the videogame version and…is somehow both overthought and had no thought put into it), this character actually escaped the movie largely unscathed, but all that does is make her redundant to the canon. It’s nice that she’s given better motivation than a wealthy genius looking to wish for a boyfriend or unlimited supply of fruit she could easily afford, but all it does is ultimately make her too generic to bother with.
223. Cardinal Mochi Moch
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 9
Serves his purpose perfectly as a headfake to who’s REALLY in-charge of the cult, and aside from a character design that hearkens back to Toriyama’s fantasy work, there’s little to this guy that couldn’t be done better by a new character.
222. Mutchy
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 11
A half-decent character hidden in a half-decent twist should make a whole interesting reveal, but unfortunately: despite an excellent look, Mutchy feels like padding within an already wandering plotline.
221. Luud Cult
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 7
When you lack the basic dignity of the Red Ribbon army, I don’t think you’re long for the world of actually being canonized. More a plot-point than an ongoing threat, the cult at least has a fun design and a few twists up their sleeves, but it all amounts to leaving a breadcrumb trail to Dr. Myuu.
220. Yamcha
Dragonball: Evolution (2009)
If anything illustrates just how much this movie missed the point, this handsome lad is the MVP of the movie! Not only is he played by genuine hunk Joon Park, he’s shown to be hyper-competent and even shoots Mai in the back with his Wolf Fang Gun (thanks for that one, Lani), not only killing her but saving Bulma! Yamcha’s a handsome man, make no mistake, the casting is excellent. But allowing him dignity and competence? That’s not MY Yamcha.
219. Hoi
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995)
The inclusion of a great many “demonic spellcasters” in the videogames that came out after this movie have made this schemer all but redundant. Good design, neat storyline, but can’t quite claw his way higher than this.
218. Dark Shenron
Dragon Ball Heroes (2010)
I genuinely don’t know why they invented a whole new ‘dark dragon’ when there was literally already one in existence. And that one smokes a cigar and is vulgar!
217. Chico
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 16
Because of its presence as an all-ages powerhouse, this franchise is often saddled with insufferable children as tag-alongs to increase stakes or make a broad point about the innocence of youth. Chico is…one such example. As the youngest and smallest, she is, of course, required to be the most irritating.
216. Rom
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 16
Befriending Gohan as a way for the plot to teach him about responsibility, Rom would have an entire movie made about him if Hollywood tried to make another “standard ‘90s’” adaptation of Dragon Ball. As it is: he’s another useless tag-along. But his uselessness is cute, you see.
215. Charlie
Dragon Ball GT Episode 41
Just fodder for Goku’s srise through the children’s division of the GT tournament. Nothing about him stands out, but his outfit has some nice flourishes that keep him from vanishing entirely into the background.
214. Danny
Dragon Ball GT Episode 40
Loses his dog for a moment of suspense as the Earth itself crumbles. When “owns a dog” is the most notable thing you can say about someone, it…well, it places them here because at the very least: his storyline is brief.
213. Lime
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 170
No. Seriously. Why is this series about martial arts gods obsessed with shoe-horning useless, “adorable” moppets into it to teach basic life lessons!?
212. Pansy
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986)
I genuinely feel like I’m starting to lose my mind…
211. Hacchi
Dragon Ball Z Episode 16
Kid looks like a troublemaker. Don’t know how else to say it, there’s something about a child in a uniform that just makes me think “trouble.”
210. Coco
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming (1994)
Outside of Dragon Ball Z, this franchise is really in love with irritating children as tagalongs. This can be effective when they serve a purpose beyond moving the plot forward, or being a distraction to KEEP it from moving forward, but this one hardly accomplishes either.
209. Ena
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 16
Scores higher than Chico by being a fundamentally less annoying character. Let that be a lesson to you, kids: at least try to be less irritating.
208. Monty Cash
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
Why are there so many, when will this endless tide of babbling, screaming, crying children end?
207. Jinku
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 16
You wanna climb the list of being an annoying, useless tag-along? Be an adorable dog boy!
206. Yordon
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 16
And in order to climb higher still: a flight cap and goggles certainly couldn’t hurt!
205. Puck’s Gang
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy
The presence of honest-to-Kami school bullies means: maybe Dragon Ball: Evolution wasn’t so far off in its depiction of Dragon Ball as high school drama…
No, that was much, much worse than this.
204. Puck
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy
More useful than most, Puck’s arc as bully-to-friend, helping Goku Jr. in his quest to free the mountain from Lord Yao. But you know what that still makes him? A tag-along.
203. Colm
Dragon Ball GT Episode 40
Rounding out the cast of adorable, inter-changeable moppets: this fellow at least has something resembling an arc. And a seagull pet. And a voice that didn’t sound like fingernails down my brainpan.
202. Baby’s Host
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 24
And this kid sneaks in at the last second owing to the fact that he actually drives the plot and doesn’t have a horrid, shrill, irritating voice.
201. Zalador
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming (1994)
In a series rife with ineffectual village elders ignorantly following an obviously evil plan, he is one of them. At the very least, he received the dignity of a neat costume.
