150. Rock
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 204
Oh no, Nappa’s back! And he’s stolen Chiao-Tzu’s hat! And he’s become a much flashier dresser! And he’s got a gang of low-level human thugs…I’m starting to think this isn’t really Nappa.
He does a half-decent job of taking the fall to Videl, making her fight with Spopovich that happens later even more shocking and harrowing.
149. Paragus
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993)
Paragus actually barely changed from one movie to the next, making this guy entirely redundant. But I can’t take away the fact that he’s got a cool-ass look.
148. Broly
Dragon Ball Z: Broly-The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993)
Boy-Kale is entirely redundant after the vastly superior Super movie brought him into continuity with better backstory, motivation, and at least as good of a design. Plus the aforementioned Kale bringing the legendary super saiyan triggered to transform by specifically Goku into continuity as well, meaning even the “savage berserker” is needless in the extreme, even if he appears in what’s one of the better original movies.
147. Doradabo
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
While I appreciate the characters looking like throwbacks to Piccolo’s demonic servants, this guy does little to justify himself as a new addition. There are a hundred better candidates for villainous heavies, and oh look at that: here they come.
146. Angila
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
Looks like a genuine villain, acts like a genuine villain, top of the list of the movie he appears in, but hardly brings much new to the table as an ersatz Zarbon.
145. Earth’s Previous Guardians
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 114
These guys seem like massive tools and the small bit of worldbuilding they offer doesn’t have anything added to it by having them be actual characters present in the world.
144. Dolltaki
Dragon Ball GT Episode 11
I’m not about to crap where I eat and judge a character simply because he collects dolls, but on top of being an example of the ‘camp predator’ trope, I’m not sure we need a guy who makes little girls into dolls so he can play with them. Though there’s some possible social commentary to the idea of being obsessed with fans trying to “own and control characters,” I’m not about to trust Dragon Ball with trenchant social commentary.
143. World Tournament Announcer of the Future
Dragon Ball GT Episode 64
You can’t improve on perfection, but you can slap a pair of badass shades on it.
142. Cacao
Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might (1990)
Cards on the table: this guy gets this high up only by virtue of having the coolest design by far in the movie he shows up in, but he also has the least amount of personality or moveset. What this means is: he could slot seamlessly into just about any villain’s army and be someone notable for a heroic takedown.
141. Zoonama
Dragon Ball GT Episode 7
A perfect encapsulation of a lot of GT’s problems: this hideous catfish blobman’s plot and storyline make no sense if you pause and consider them for a few seconds. I have a soft spot in my heart for Dragon Ball villains that need to be overcome by something more than “beam struggles and transformations,” but the thing is: the plot needs to make sense around it. It’s cute that, at least, he turned over a new leaf by the series’ end. Don’t know if that redeems wanting an unwilling bride, but it apparently did in the ‘90s.
140. Zaarco
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 41
I think everyone who grew up watching DBZ on local TV are familiar with the “fake Namek” episodes. What I think a lot of people forget is: THE CREW SPEND FOUR ENTIRE ACTUAL EPISODES getting led around by the nose (or lack thereof in Krillin’s case) and it gets them nothing and leads NOWHERE! In a series known for filler, they are the FILLEREST.
A fun design and somewhat unique, if hilariously contrived, powerset does mean I wish they’d brought them back. For more filler, yes, but whatever: they could be recurring villains throughout all of noncanon. Which doesn’t exactly speak well for them being brought properly into the fold, does it?
139. Raiti
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 41
And beyond their weird, ill-defined abilities, there’s just not enough for these guys to claw higher on this illustrious list.
138. Luud
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 13
It’s weird that this sexless robot monster looks so…naked, isn’t it? It’s the nipples…they’re an eye-catching and bizarre detail. While it’s definitely got the weird novelty factor down, there’s just not much more to this guy. And now seems like a good time to remember: these are being ranked VS each other, and also against a fully novel, new character.
137. Bido
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
A well-designed, but ultimately boring character that I really want to like more than I do. Dynamite fashion-sense aside, there’s just not much to him.
136. Bujin
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
A fun powerset and slightly off-kilter design is all that separates this guy from tumbling lower.
135. Ebifurya
Dragon Ball Z: World’s Strongest (1990)
Perfect for the movie he shows up in, but nothing really makes this guy stand out enough to make it higher on a list populated by amazing candidates for miniondom.
134. Kishime
Dragon Ball Z: World’s Strongest (1990)
Moderately more interesting than his compatriot, the shockmaster here was a perfect one-off, but little more.
133. Valese
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 25
To be blunt: she’s fun, she’s rich, she’s a little air-headed but in a charming way, she’s genuinely into Goten, and isn’t a total killjoy or complainer. I wish there were more female characters in Dragon Ball who were written with that last point in-mind! Not even ALL of them, just MORE of them.
132. Misokatsun
Dragon Bal Z: World’s Strongest (1990)
This big boy lands at the top of the heap of Wheelo’s biomonster creations by having more personality and a far more interesting powerset than the others.
131. Dr. Kochin
Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest (1990)
As far as right-hand-minion’s go, you can’t beat a mad scientist with an energy-blasting cane and a mini-gun arm. Beyond the incredibly cool design, though, he’s a little short-sighted, using the power of the Dragon Balls to defrost his own front door rather than wishing for the power do that himself. Or to move the fortress somewhere less remote. Or- you know what, maybe if we’ve learnt anything from observing how “brilliant tech people” work in reallife, it’s actually pretty believable they’d just go out of their way to have someone else do it.
130. The Giant From Monmaasu
Dragon Ball GT Episode 6
Look at this big doofus. He’s not worried about anything except stomach troubles and hunting with his hawk. Love the design, it’s from Papa Toriyama himself, but apart from being an oddly familiar obstacle to a dragon ball, there’s not much this guy brings to the table.
129. Gale
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 4
Defined more by his relationship to Don Kee than any actual characterization, I like his “fantasy space dwarf” look a great deal, but if looks are all you bring to this discussion, you have the stiffest possible competition.
128. Sheela
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 4
I like her headband, I like her ‘80s aerobics outfit, but like Gale, there’s very little to separate her from the pack of “coolly designed characters” in Dragon Ball GT.
127. Don Kee
Dragon Ball GT Episode 4
Like so much of Dragon Ball GT, Don is a fun idea unique for the franchise done dirty by a lackluster script and pacing. Also another in an oddly long list of “fop” villains in GT.
126. Giru
Dragon Ball GT Episode 4
A bit polarizing for me personally, when this little guy works, he works REALLY well. There are times when he’s more K-9 from Dr. Who, and that’s when he’s at his best: driving the plot forward and being low-key cute. On the other hand, he genuinely irritates as much as he comes in handy and is another route for the writers to introduce new, hitherto unheard of abilities to write themselves out of corners they wrote themselves into. To say nothing of being the target of Pan’s constant scolding and complaining.
125. Slug’s Army
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
While Freiza’s army is the platonic ideal of an alien army (the lack of helmets allows the viewer to see how many races have been conscripted into the Freiza Force and allows Toriyama to show off his character design skills), I think if you want faceless minions, you really can’t beat these designs. They embody everything cool about Storm Troopers while having a more ‘martial arts’ form-factor with the skintight fabric below the chest. If Lord Slug rolled with this crew, I think at the very least Tien, Krillin, and the younger Saiyans would have their hands full while Piccolo, Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta do all the heavy lifting. Chiato-Tzu and Yamcha would…also be there.
124. Lord Slug
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
Once I watched original Dragon Ball and realized his plot was functionally identical to King Piccolo’s, only with science-fiction trappings replacing fantasy ones, I lost a lot of love for his potential as a recurring villain. But over the years, the design of his armor really grew on me. Nobody else in the series looks like this guy does, and I like that he’s not just an evil Namekian, but a specifically evil, stronger one. Though the suggestion that he’s the Piccolo to Guru’s Kami is a fan theory I’d certainly get behind as well, if he were brought into the canon.
123. Daiz
Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might (1990)
He’s got a more interesting backstory than Amond by far (starting life battling against Turles’ invading forces, only to join him) and just look at that saucy posture! Here’s a minion who knows how to party and has more going on than upstairs than his generic-ass boss.
122. Zangya
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
Simply stated: this series antagonists have been, canonically, a bit of a sausage festival not seen outside of Germany in October. I feel like, more than any of the rest of the crew, Zangya just screams “pirate” to me.
121. Bojack
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
I wanted to rank this guy higher. I really did. Not only does his movie actually fit into the timeline seamlessly (which doesn’t make it canon, just makes it MORE possible) and with a story that hearkens back to previous Dragon Ball events. What ruins his inclusion is that he’s just not THAT interesting as a character, another pumped up, sadistic bully who wants little more than destruction. He’s supposed to be a pirate king, but outside of his wardrobe, there’s nothing about him that says that makes him any different from the litany of intergalactic warlords, emperors, and near-feral monsters featured elsewhere.
120. Kogu
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)
I actually think this guy is more interesting than his boss. A more dynamic design, a backstory that’s only hinted at, and a bit more of a ‘warrior’s resolve.’ It’s slightly odd that his name is almost an anagram for the protagonist, and not much is done with that, but I think you could easily put him into the canon as a stand-alone villain.
119. Saike
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)
Just an ogre in the afterlife trying to make his job more bearable. He’s loveable, but not exactly “necessary.”
118. Cabira
Dragon Ball Z: Episode of Bardock (2011)
I like retro sci-fi, and I actually think these two henchman of Chilled’s army pull off “ancient” tech from the world of Dragon Ball.
117. Tobi
Dragon Ball Z: Episode of Bardock (2011)
And I like that this guy’s got horns, so he gets to go one rank higher. I mean he deserves to be canonized more. This is scientific and based on no personal preferences.
116. Susha
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy (1997)
Imposing enough to frighten the children he’s menacing, Susha falls into the surprisingly populated category of “amphibious tough,” and while his liquefaction ability is neat, it’s not even all that novel or used particularly well.
115. Pan
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 1
The recent Dragon Ball Super movie ensured this gal would be plummeting to the bottom parts of this list. Don’t get me wrong: I love her design, I love her outfit, I love her devil-may-care attitude, but in the context of Dragon Ball GT: she is like Bulma on Namek combined with Chi-Chi at all times beyond Dragonball: there to complain, whine, scold, and be an absolute killjoy to the boys wanting to fight. New Pan is everything this character isn’t and it’s sad that she was short-changed by the tropes of the day. That said: she slaps a wicked Cross-Face Chickenwing on Dr. Gero, and that counts for a lot.
114. Salsa
Dragon Ball Heroes (2010)
Great design aside, this guy debuts with a pair of demon sorcerers I feel bring more to the table.
113. Sansho
Dragon Ball Z: The Dead Zone (1989)
In another series, this guy’s design would rank him a lot higher. But to be frank, despite its reputation as a sci-fi series, Dragon Ball has some of the best straightforward demon designs in all of battle anime. So without a personality or ability to set him apart, this guy’s just another…guy.
112. Ginger
Dragon Ball Z: The Dead Zone (1989)
I like this design more, I like that this little weirdo takes point on the mission to find the dragon balls, and I like that he feels the need to hide his identity and wear a cloak despite being a shrieking madman of a minion.
111. Garlic
Dragon Ball Z: The Dead Zone (1989)
The idea of a competition to decide the next Guardian of Earth is a fine bit of worldbuilding, as is having a demonic loser try to launch a comeback before…hang on: before birthing a child who looks functionally identical to him to take his revenge late-they just ripped off Piccolo’s backstory for ANOTHER movie, damnit!
110. Vegeta’s Mustache
Dragon Ball GT Episode 2
The older I get, the less I hate this design. Genuinely, I think Vegeta should grow a mustache. I think he gets less interesting when he shaves it off. It’s too beautiful and lustrous to be stuck in non-canon.
109. Grandpa Lao
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 170
There’s something delightful about being reminded that Goku and co. don’t have a monopoly on being cool martial artists. And the moment he shares with Goku where he compliments Gohan’s fine upbringing is a genuinely nice moment for Goku’s often neglected role as a parent. Just dads supporting dads.
108. Alien Announcer
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 196
This guy’s enthusiasm is infectious and his declaration of, “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in-between!” shouted back in the go-go ‘90s places him firmly on the right side of history.
107. Rasin
Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might (1990)
“Revived from the fossils of a dead race of genius inventors” is a tremendous origin, but it’s also the most eye-catching thing about this guy and his twin. Once again, his biggest flaw is the movie he appears in shackled to the worst villain in the franchise: as the brains behind another threat, these two would actually fit perfectly into a future arc.
106. Lakasei
Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might (1990)
Was it worth breaking these two into separate entries, despite being functionally identical? Yes, this one has the better name, and it’s slightly funnier.
105. Majuub
Dragon Ball GT: Episode 32
I wanted to like this transformation. I really did. Once again, a Dragon Ball series teases a new protagonist only to pass the ball back to Goku in under 3 episodes. Though writing Majin Buu, a walking solution to 99% of problems, out of the plot isn’t the worst idea in the world, it should just have an actual payoff.104. Goz
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 15
Genuinely, the bar by which all filler/noncanon characters should be judged. The underworld ogre isn’t all brawn and no brains, he’s actually quite good at his job. And his job is rehabilitating the most evil souls in existence. Or any idiot who falls off Snake Way in his quest to reach King Kai and save literally his entire planet. This also represents one of the only times censorship actually created humor rather than deleting it, as the Home For Infinite Losers is ACTUALLY a hilarious change.
103. Mez
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 13
If you give me two functionally identical character designs to rank and one has glasses, that one’s getting the higher rank. Simple as that. Mez also seems like the brains of the outfit, but his position here is largely arbitrary as I think the two of them don’t work without one another.
102. Salt
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 108
Not only the smallest and least seen, owing to him being the first to fall, but there’s little more to this guy apart from being involved in a better overall story than his predecessors.
101. Mustard
Dragon Ball Z: Episode 108
And on the other side of the coin: a larger, more bull-headed minion that has sadly little else going for him apart from a halfway decent design and spicier personality.
