Over the years, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise has introduced some of the most popular characters in anime history. While many of these characters, such as Goku and Vegeta, are still active fighters, other Dragon Ball characters have seen more conclusive endings to their respective journeys.
Dragon Ball stars plenty of memorable characters with satisfying endings to their personal arcs; however, for every character like Grandpa Gohan with a tear-jerking conclusion, there is another individual who deserved a better finale to their respective story.
5
Chiaotzu Becomes an Afterthought Following the Original Dragon Ball
As one of the longest-running anime franchises of all time, it comes as no surprise that some of Dragon Ball‘s characters are less important now than they were when they were first introduced. Still, when it comes to beloved characters from the OG series, few have gotten the short end of the stick more than Chiaotzu.
Originally introduced as a student of Master Shen’s Crane School, Chiaotzu is a vital part of the original Dragon Ball‘s cast. By the time the Saiyan Saga rolls around, it seems as though Akira Toriyama no longer viewed the pint-sized character as anything more than Tien’s sidekick, greatly reducing his role in the series.
Chiaotzu was never as important as main supporting characters like Krillin or even Yamcha, but he deserved better than being relegated to the sidelines like Yajirobe and Oolong. He has literal decades of martial arts experience under his belt and even grew strong enough to defeat members of the Ginyu Force, so it feels a bit ridiculous that the end of Chiaotzu’s story simply sees him floating happily next to his three-eyed friend.
4
Captain Ginyu’s Potential Is Wasted on Repetitive Gags
When the Z Fighters arrive on Planet Namek, it marks the beginning of a brand-new phase of Dragon Ball Z. Frieza’s army pushes the franchise’s power-scaling to massive new heights, due in no small part to the Ginyu Force’s overwhelming strength. Each of their members is stronger than anyone the series’ protagonists have fought before, with the Ginyu Force’s titular captain being the strongest of the five-person crew.
Ginyu’s Body Transfer technique makes him a dangerous threat to almost any opponent, and he has significantly more charisma than the rest of the Ginyu Force. Sadly, his potential is quickly thrown out the window following his clash with Goku, turning him into comic relief until returning out of the blue in Dragon Ball Super‘s Resurrection ‘F’ Arc.
The fact that Ginyu becomes entrenched in body-swapping shenanigans with a frog and Bulma for much of the Namek Saga was already a disappointing pivot for the character, so when his return in Dragon Ball Super also fell well short of expectations, it cemented his arc as one of the most disappointing in the franchise.
3
Future Trunks’ Fall From Grace Is One of Dragon Ball Super’s Biggest Faults
Of all the characters introduced in Dragon Ball Z‘s Android Saga, none is more beloved by fans than Future Trunks. The son of Vegeta and Bulma’s design, backstory, and relationship with Vegeta are highlights of DBZ, and even though he ultimately falls short of defeating Perfect Cell, he becomes strong enough to bring order to his own timeline.
In many ways, Future Trunks’ departure at the end of the Android Saga felt like the perfect end to his character arc. He plays a vital role in pushing Gohan to even greater heights than Future Gohan, legitimately grows closer to Vegeta, and gains enough power to return to his own timeline and defeat the Androids that annihilated his friends and family, making it all the more perplexing that Dragon Ball Super would bring him back in the fold.
In addition to a much worse character design than the one seen in DBZ, the Dragon Ball Super version of Trunks also stars in a far less interesting story than the Android Saga. Zamasu’s rampage feels like it has little to actually do with Trunks and more to do with DBS‘ divine cast, which is only made worse by the unwarranted (and confusing) power-up that Trunks achieves in this arc.
2
Nail Was the Only Namekian Warrior Worth Keeping Around
The journey to Namek is arguably the highlight of Dragon Ball Z, but one thing that often goes underappreciated about the saga is the way it expands Namekian culture. Kami, Piccolo, and Dende are all essential to the Z Fighters, which is why it was a great decision on the part of Akira Toriyama to visit their homeworld and showcase fighters like Nail.
As the resident warrior of Namek, Nail is a powerful fighter capable of going toe-to-toe with some of Frieza’s strongest underlings. Sadly, his time is cut short before he can showcase his true strength, so after being defeated by Frieza, he lends his power to Piccolo by fusing with him. This decision results in a massive power-up for Piccolo, yet it also prevents Nail from getting the conclusive ending that he deserved.
Piccolo’s fusion with Kami is treated like a massive deal when it happens in the Android Saga; conversely, his fusion with Nail is explored much more shallowly. Nail is a glorified power-up for Piccolo, and outside of a few moments with Dende, there’s virtually no sign of the Namekian warrior’s personality at any point in future DBZ storylines. As nice as the power-up was, Nail deserved a better ending than this, making him one of the most underutilized characters in the entire franchise.
1
Gohan Never Assumed the Role He Was Meant to Fill
For most fans, Dragon Ball is and always will be Goku’s story. However, as any rewatch of Dragon Ball Z will demonstrate, there’s a strong argument that the majority of the series is dedicated to building Gohan up as the next protector of Earth. He begins DBZ by showcasing his raw potential in the fight against Raditz before experiencing massive breakthroughs in the Namek, Android, and Buu Sagas, only to end up playing second (or even third) fiddle to his father by the end of the series.
After defeating Perfect Cell, Gohan doesn’t inherit Goku’s role as Earth’s protector — he slips into the life of a normal Earthling and graduates high school, falls in love, and starts a family. To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with this lifestyle, but from a narrative perspective, it feels like a far cry from the ending that Gohan was headed for during the Cell Games. His back-and-forth relationship with fighting feels more like plot contrivance than it does internal tension, especially considering he has fought extinction-level threats throughout his entire childhood.
Thankfully, Dragon Ball Super has rectified the situation somewhat by giving Gohan his Beast transformation, which puts him in the same realm as Ultra Instinct Goku while also staying connected to the things that drive Gohan. However, it will take much more than this to undo the harm that has been done to Gohan’s character and finally give him the ending that he has always deserved.
