Dragon Ballis one of the most popular anime and manga franchises on the planet. Through multiple stories centered around the iconic, kindhearted, and goofy Son Goku, generations of fans have been introduced to the vast and ever-growing world of anime. The series' decades of success cannot be denied,and its influence on the shōnen battle scene is still felt today. Anime wouldn’t be what it is in the West had Goku and company not broken down barriers in the early 2000s.
However, though it’s undeniably great,Dragon Ballisn’t perfect. Series creator Akira Toriyama was a master of his craft, and few have been able to replicate his trademark smooth-flowing action to this day. But his style of writing, while impressive, led to some issues. The artist famously wroteDragon Ballweek-to-week with minimal planning for nearly 11 years, and was able to craft a story that was not only incredibly endearing, but largely free of any major, narrative-breaking plot holes. That doesn’t mean that certain parts weren’t disappointing, though, and these 10 examples help to hold the series back from perfection.
10Goten and Trunks Are Practically Uninvolved Following the Buu Saga
After Playing Meaningful Roles In the Battle Against Buu, Goten and Trunks Become Irrelevant
Dragon Ball’s Majin Buu Saga is the most divisive canon section of the series, but as a whole,it introduced several key elements to the franchise, including fusion. It also introduced the two child half-Saiyans Goten and Trunks, who played a major role in the build-up to the final climactic showdown between Goku and Kid Buu. Together, they merged into Gotenks, and starred inone ofDragon Ball’s most underrated fights, battling Super Buu inside the Time Chamber.
Unfortunately, when the series continued intoDragon Ball Super,Goten and Trunks faded into relative obscurity, not improving their fighting abilities in the slightest while their fathers achieved divine transformations. By the anime’s climax, neither were relevant enough to event take part in the Tournament of Power, robbing fans of some more goofy fused fighting. The manga’s version of events turned the focus towards them in theSuper Heroarc, but both were already high school teenagers.
9Earth’s Heroes Have Been Left Behind
Non-Saiyan Characters Have Become Irrelevant
Dragon Ballis Goku’s story, and operates best as such.However, he wasn’t always head and shoulders above his companions. As late as the arrival of the Saiyans, Earth’s other heroes had major roles to play in the series' main confrontations, but the moment Goku’s hair turned golden, characters like Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and others were all left in the dust.
Now, any character void of Saiyan blood, with the recent exception of Piccolo,is little more than a punching bag whenever a new threat arrives. It isn’t necessarily bad writing to have the Saiyans own the majority of screen time, but it does come with the unfortunate side effect of others lacking any sort of importance to the plot. Where teamwork was once a major focus of the franchise, it seems a battle will now only be swayed by the presence of a Saiyan.
8Dragon Ball’s Women Have Lost Their Fighting Spirit
Toriyama Once Admitted He Wasn’t the Best At Writing Female Characters
ThoughDragon Ballfeatures quite a few iconic women in its cast,Akira Toriyama once admitted that he wasn’t the most adept at writing female characters. Figures like Chi-Chi and Videl begin as strong-willed warriors in their own right, before becoming relegated to housewife roles. The former hasn’t fought since the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, while the latter stopped fighting crime when Gohan entered the picture.
These days, Bulma is the only semi-relevant female character remaining in the series,and that’s only when the gang needs a new gadget or help locating the Dragon Balls. The series' women are instantly recognizable, but in the landscape of modernDragon Ball, they’re treated as little more than accessories to the main heroes.
7The Goku/Ginyu Body Swap Halts Momentum During the Series' Best Arc
The Body Swap On Namek Brought the Series' Best Saga to a Crawl
Dragon Ball’s Planet Namek Saga is one of thegreatest arcs in anime and manga history. Everything from its main villain to the realization of the Super Saiyan legend has become iconic in the decades since its introduction,but one section is an unfortunate blemish on what otherwise has remained a masterpiece. The Goku and Ginyu body swap, which takes place around the halfway mark, brings the arc to an agonizing crawl.
Considering Akira Toriyama’s writing style, he was likely using the brief lull to map out where exactly he would take the series next, but it’s undeniable that the arc’s body-swap shenanigans halted what was an unbelievably impressive amount of momentum built through suspenseful cat-and-mouse chases. Fortunately, Goku and Ginyu don’t remain in each other’s bodies for long,but the protagonist’s wounds leave him out of commission for an agonizing period of time.
6Cell Max Is a Mindless Kaiju Creature
One of the Series' Most Popular Villains Returns Without a Personality
Dragon Ball Superhas shown no reservations about returning to, and even reworking, some of the franchise’s most beloved past villains. However, of Frieza, Cell, and Broly,it’s the iconic attitude-driven Android that falls the flattest. Upon returning in 2022’sDragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Cell appears as a giant, mindless Kaiju creature with no personality whatsoever.
What has helped both Frieza and Broly to become so successful in recent years is the character growth they’ve experienced. In contrast, despite having arguably the most personality of anyDragon Ballvillain in his original arc,Cell Max is little more than an antagonistic force who happens to resemble his past self. His appearance leads toGohan and Piccolo reclaiming their relevancein the series, but the villain himself is less than interesting in his latest form.
5The Dragon Balls Remove the Stakes From Serious Battles
The Titular Artifacts Cause the Series' Deaths to Become Meaningless
Killing characters is one of the easiest ways an author can keep their audience on their toes.However, the titular Dragon Balls have made the series' deaths practically meaningless. When first introduced, wishes on the Dragon Balls came with limitations. Only one wish could be made, a person could be brought back to life one time, and only one person could be revived per wish.
In modernDragon Ball, there really aren’t any limits to what they’re capable of. Earth and its entire population have been wished back to life, and if there’s any wish Shenron cannot grant,there are other dragons out there who probably can. The series has done well to add stakes despite death not meaning much, but the presence of the Dragon Balls will always give Earth’s heroes a way out of trouble.
4Frieza’s Effortless Power-Ups Cause Some Issues
Frieza’s Return Has Been Successful, But Not Without Hiccups
As arguablythe most popular villain inDragon Ball, Frieza’s return to the series has been incredibly well-received by viewers, but it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. In order to make him any sort of challenge to Goku and Vegeta,he gained the ability to improve drastically over short periods of training. On the surface, it’s an easy enough shortcut to allow a past villain re-entry into the series, but it also causes some problems, on top of coming off a bit silly.
By the logic that Freiza can improve from Namek Saga levels of strength to Super Saiyan Blue in only a matter of months, he probably should have far surpassed Goku’s Super Saiyan with the fighting he did during the few days he spent on Namek. Nevertheless, Frieza now has access to a shortcutwhich will forever allow him to reach Goku and Vegeta with minimal effort.
3The Ending of the Goku Back Arc Was Underwhelming
Dragon Ball Super’s Most Interesting Arc Landed With a Thud
ThoughDragon Ball Superhas become wildly successful in the decade since its debut,the anime’s early days were a bit rough. Opening with lower-quality re-workings ofBattle of GodsandResurrection ‘F’, fans were waiting for the series to find its footing, and it seemed it finally had with the Goku Black arc. With an all-new villain offering a peek at an evil Goku, the arc was a breath of fresh air for the decades-old franchise.
However, when it came time to bring the saga to its conclusion,the anime couldn’t help but trip over its own feet. Trunks took the lead after Goku and Vegeta were effectively defeated, and with one slash containing the hopes of an entire timeline, he sliced the semi-immortal Zamasu down the middle. Unfortunately, however, the arc wouldn’t end there. Zamasu somehow wound up becoming the sky itself, and Zeno needed to be called to erase the entire future Trunks spent his entire life protecting.It’s a dark ending, and one that is shockingly unsatisfying.
2Goku’s Characterization In Dragon Ball Super Is Strange
Goku Isn’t Quite Himself In His Anime Return
Goku may be anime’s most recognizable hero, but he isn’t perfect. He can be selfish, rude, and a bit dull, but he always comes around to save the day. This imperfect portrayal has allowed generations of fans to identify with the Saiyan,untilDragon Ball Superseemingly stripped him of any maturity. Goku has always been on the childish side, but the 2015 anime series practically reverted him back to a child in every sense but physically.
Gone was the simple fighting genius who analyzed his opponents before going all-out,and a mindless combat-crazed fighter who was often shockingly careless in battle is what remained. Goku is still largely Goku throughout the majority ofDragon Ball Super, but there are far too many moments in which his characterization is just strange.
1Gohan’s Lack of Commitment to Being a Hero Is Frustrating
Dragon Ball’s Short-Lived Protagonist Continues to Fail as a Fighter
Gohan is one ofDragon Ball’s most popular characters,and is arguably its most frustrating. He’s gentle by nature, and doesn’t enjoy fighting much. However, the Cell Saga teaches him that to protect the people he cares about, he has to fight. Unfortunately, it seems the half-Saiyan has a difficult time remembering this lesson, and continuously allows himself to be overtaken by other fighters.
Fortunately, 2022’sDragon Ball Super: Super Herohas returned Gohan to his past glory, but history suggests it’s only a matter of time before he once again forgets about his responsibility to protect his loved ones. It’s a cruel fate for the fighter who saved the world as a small child, but it seems Gohan will forever need to be reminded of the lesson he should have learned years ago.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
