Who are the best written couple in DB?

[zarmack]

Official couples only, no fan-ships.

[Doctor.]

Toriyama isn't that good at writing romance, so none of the couples are that particularly compelling. I'd have to say Kuririn/18 and Gohan/Videl are probably the best ones; I'd give an edge to Kuririn/18.

Both Vegeta/Bulma and Yamcha/Bulma are awful though. Not because of Bulma herself, but because she was just a storytelling tool in both of those relationships. Trunks/Mai is awful because of the way it was melodramatically shoved in your face at every possible opportunity. Goku/Chi-Chi gets a pass from me because I find the circumstances surrounding their marriage charming (until Super at least), and the affection between the two is subtle and never in your face.

[dragon boss z]

Goku and Vegeta, even though Goku has been cheating with Frieza recently.
Beerus and Whis is another good one.

Spoiler:

But really it would have to be Gohan and Videl as it was the only relation ship that we actually saw build.
Goku and Chi-chi was just Chi-chi asking Goku to marry her and Goku saying yes.
Bulma is just Vegeta's sugar mama.
Trunks and Mai kind of came out of nowhere and the age gap still hasn't been addressed.
Krillin and 18 is one of the better ones, but it seems a bit convenient, as it was pretty much "you helped me so I love you now".

[zarmack]

Toriyama isn't that good at writing romance, so none of the couples are that particularly compelling. I'd have to say Kuririn/18 and Gohan/Videl are probably the best ones; I'd give an edge to Kuririn/18.

Both Vegeta/Bulma and Yamcha/Bulma are awful though. Not because of Bulma herself, but because she was just a storytelling tool in both of those relationships. Trunks/Mai is awful because of the way it was melodramatically shoved in your face at every possible opportunity. Goku/Chi-Chi gets a pass from me because I find the circumstances surrounding their marriage charming (until Super at least), and the affection between the two is subtle and never in your face.

So you don't like when it happy, caring couples actually act like happy, caring couples? That says a lot about the quality of your own love life (not trying to be mean).

Future Trunks x Future Mai was hardly shoved in people's faces. They act pretty natural in their circumstances. In fact, that couple and along with VegeBul and Gohan x Videl are the only ones with any basis in reality.

GoChi is arguably the worst of all DB couples. Goku seems to have little-to-no romantic feelings towards Chichi (consistent with Toriyama's comments about him in interviews throughout the years). I'm surprised Chichi never considers divorcing him do to all the stress he puts her through and their conflicting outlooks and attitudes towards life lol.

[Doctor.]

So you don't like when it happy, caring couples actually act like happy, caring couples? That says a lot about the quality of your own love life (not trying to be mean).

I don't like it when couples feel artificial. Vegeta/Bulma exists to advance the plot, because of future Trunks. Yamcha/Bulma was a thing because setting the two up was a quick and easy way to end Bulma and Yamcha's character arcs in spite of their lack of chemistry with each other. Trunks/Mai is the definition of artificial considering Mai's age and the circumstances surrounding it.

Future Trunks x Future Mai was hardly shoved in people's faces. They act pretty natural in their circumstances. In fact, that couple and along with VegeBul and Gohan x Videl are the only ones with any basis in reality.

Future Trunks and Mai proclaimed their love for each-other at every possible opportunity. Mai, a non-fighter with barely any utility in the arc, has a major role purely because of her relationship with Trunks. One of the major scenes between the two's relationship came at the detriment of Goku's.

GoChi is arguably the worst of all DB couples. Goku seems to have little-to-no romantic feelings towards Chichi (consistent with Toriyama's comments about him in interviews throughout the years). I'm surprised Chichi never considers divorcing him do to all the stress he puts her through and their conflicting outlooks and attitudes towards life lol.

It's because Goku has little romantic feelings for her that it's an interesting couple. But, yes, it's an awful couple, objectively. I said I give it a pass because it complements Goku's (and Chi-Chi's) character, prior to Super.

[Chuquita]

Seconding Gokû and Vegeta which left off on a pretty good note in the last scene in Super. (Though what happens in this upcoming movie is anyone's guess.)


Gohan/Videl and Krillin/18 are also very good. And even though it isn't said out loud, I'm convinced Gokû Black and Zamasu had that fancy log cabin for relationship reasons.


I used to like Gokû/Chi-Chi, but the official powers that be seem bent on wrecking what little the two of them had together, which is disappointing imo.

Future Trunks and Future Mai were ok. Nothing special, but ok.

I used to be indifferent to Vegeta/Bulma, but with how much they shove it in our faces in modern DB I'm actively frustrated by it now.

[zarmack]

So you don't like when it happy, caring couples actually act like happy, caring couples? That says a lot about the quality of your own love life (not trying to be mean).

I don't like it when couples feel artificial. Vegeta/Bulma exists to advance the plot, because of future Trunks. Yamcha/Bulma was a thing because setting the two up was a quick and easy way to end Bulma and Yamcha's character arcs in spite of their lack of chemistry with each other.

Future Trunks x Future Mai was hardly shoved in people's faces. They act pretty natural in their circumstances. In fact, that couple and along with VegeBul and Gohan x Videl are the only ones with any basis in reality.

Future Trunks and Mai proclaimed their love for each-other at every possible opportunity. Mai, a non-fighter with barely any utility in the arc, has a major role purely because of her relationship with Trunks. One of the major scenes between the two's relationship came at the detriment of Goku's.

GoChi is arguably the worst of all DB couples. Goku seems to have little-to-no romantic feelings towards Chichi (consistent with Toriyama's comments about him in interviews throughout the years). I'm surprised Chichi never considers divorcing him do to all the stress he puts her through and their conflicting outlooks and attitudes towards life lol.

It's because Goku has little romantic feelings for her that it's an interesting couple. But, yes, it's an awful couple, objectively. I said I give it a pass because it complements Goku's (and Chi-Chi's) character, prior to Super.

1. The reasons why said couple came to be his little to do with to quality and/or plausibility of the paring itself. Goku & Chichi have little in common (beside a mutual lack of common sense) while Vegeta & Bulma actually do have a lot in common.

2. At no point do Future Trunks and Mai actually say their feelings to each other. And how is Mai being Future Trunks' emotional support a bad thing? Wouldn't you want your spouse to support you?

[Ssjcell]

I have to say videl and Gohan they had the crush will they won't they that was effective in terms of story telling . Then when videl found out that Gohan saved the world that pretty much sealed the deal.

[Doctor.]

1. The reasons why said couple came to be his little to do with to quality and/or plausibility of the paring itself. Goku & Chichi have little in common (beside a mutual lack of common sense) while Vegeta & Bulma actually do have a lot in common.

Vegeta and Bulma barely had anything in common at the time Toriyama set them up. Vegeta was a mass murderer. The most they had in common was that they were loudmouth extroverts. They may be a good pairing now, but that's only because Vegeta has changed so much he no longer resembles the same character Bulma fucked in the first place. Again: the pairing exists because Trunks needs to exist somehow.

2. At no point do Future Trunks and Mai actually say their feelings to each other. And how is Mai being Future Trunks' emotional support a bad thing? Wouldn't you want your spouse to support you?

They don't say it outright, but they make it more than evident multiple times throughout the story. This is a poor argument and really bad bait. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I can, and have, and will again for the sake of the argument, criticize One Piece's obnoxious insistence on presenting the importance of friendship during key moments, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't want my friends supporting me in real life. Super's emphasis on Trunks and Mai's relationship during important moments is nothing more than a crutch to instill an artificial sense of investment on the viewer, because the series is too lazy to actually make you care for the situation at hand otherwise. This doesn't mean that love is a bad thing or that a supportive wife is a negative thing to have, it means the series is poor at presenting this well in the narrative it's trying to tell and opts to shove it in your face at every possible opportunity.

[Kataphrut]

Gohan and Videl had the best romantic development (which they take by default since nobody else did), while Goku and Chi Chi make the most sense as a couple. A dysfunctional rural couple that got married young and stay together out of mutual convenience makes more sense than all the perfect 50s suburban families that make up the default relationship in DB.

Bulma and Vegeta make sense now that Vegeta's no longer an unrepentant murderer, but the way they came together never did. Krillin and 18 is a weird one that only works if you assume there's something else going on beneath the surface. What that is is best left to the imagination.

Honourable mention to the not one, but two potara-fusin' gay couples introduced in Super: Black/Zamasu and Caulifla/Kale. They're alright.

[zarmack]

Vegeta and Bulma barely had anything in common at the time Toriyama set them up. Vegeta was a mass murderer. The most they had in common was that they were loudmouth extroverts. They may be a good pairing now, but that's only because Vegeta has changed so much he no longer resembles the same character Bulma fucked in the first place. Again: the pairing exists because Trunks needs to exist somehow.

"Mass murderer" is not a personality trait. Both Beerus and Kid Buu are mass murderers yet have little in common.

Vegeta and Bulma are both self centered, entitled narcissist with Upper Class backgrounds that love to gloat about themselves at every opportunity. Those are some personality traits these 2 had in common from day one.

[Kamiccolo9]

I never thought I'd see the phrase "mass murder is not a personality trait," used to defend a romantic relationship.

[ABED]

Bulma's vain, but she's productive and loyal and friendly. She has her moments of crabbiness, but she gets along well with people. Vegeta might be arrogant, but he and Bulma are COMPLETELY different. Where do you get the idea that Bulma feels entitled? While they might share some surface level traits, their actions are VASTLY different. Bulma would only take a life out of self defense. Vegeta killed innocents gleefully. Even after his "redemption", I don't recall Vegeta showing remorse for committing multiple counts of mass murder.

They make for a somewhat interesting couple, but not a well written one especially since we see so little of them interacting. Jim and Pam, they are not. They aren't even Sam and Diane.

Gohan and Videl are the best couple by default. We saw the beginnings of the attraction between Kuririn and 18, but we never saw them get together. They skipped a vital part in any romance, nor do we see many actually couple-y moments. Gohan and Videl is the only genially interesting couple as we see the meet cute, the sexual tension, etc.

[Spider-Man]

Gohan/Videl and Krillin/18 are the best couple especially Gohan/Videl.

Future Trunks/Future Mai were alright along with Goku/Chi Chi and Vegeta /Bulma though I never understood why Bulma feel in love with Vegeta, is because he is attractive? really wish their relationship had build up.

[ABED]

Goku and Chichi are god awful on just about every level.

[ekrolo2]

The Bulma/Vegeta relationship is one of those things people just accept but its really fucked up when you stop to smell the rotten roses at the heart of it. Specifically because of who Vegeta was when this hookup happened and Bulma going for him anyway.

[MasenkoHA]

Gohan and Videl as that was about the only time it actually felt like Toriyama was trying.

18/Kuririn falls under so close yet so far.

[zarmack]

To all the people complaining about the Vegeta x Bulma ship, take note that in real life, violent & brutish men (including "mass murderers" like emperors and dictators) frequently attract and sleep with much more women on average than passive & less macho guys (the "girls love bad boys" stereotype is largely somewhat true. Nicer, less assertive men are the ones more likely to end up as incels). Hell, Bulma in the series itself has a history of falling for bad boys (Yamcha when he was a villain, Colonel Silver, General Blue despite being gay, and Zarbon), so her hooking with Vegeta was sort-of predictable.

Morality has little-to-nothing to do with attractiveness, for both men and women (as a group of course).

[JohnnyCashKami]

Wouldn't call 'best couples' but relationships that work.

Dragon Ball - Goku and Bulma, Tenshinhan and Chaozu
Dragon Ball Z - Goku and Vegeta, Trunks and Goten, Videl and Gohan, Mr. Satan and Majin Boo, Piccolo and Gohan, Kuririn and No. 18, No. 17 and No. 18
Dragon Ball GT - Goku and Pan
Dragon Ball Super - Goku and Vegeta, Goku and Freeza

Toriyama should have paired up Goku with Bulma because Chichi was more of a Female Vegeta overall.

[zarmack]

Wouldn't call 'best couples' but relationships that work.

Dragon Ball - Goku and Bulma, Tenshinhan and Chaozu
Dragon Ball Z - Goku and Vegeta, Trunks and Goten, Videl and Gohan, Mr. Satan and Majin Boo, Piccolo and Gohan, Kuririn and No. 18, No. 17 and No. 18
Dragon Ball GT - Goku and Pan
Dragon Ball Super - Goku and Vegeta, Goku and Freeza

Toriyama should have paired up Goku with Bulma because Chichi was more of a Female Vegeta overall.

Most Japanese fans in the 80s actually wanted Bulma to hook up with Goku instead of Yamcha, and Toriyama in an interview kinda admitted that he paired up Goku & Chi Chi sort-of as a way to troll the fandom lol.

And as for Vegeta, well Vegeta x Lunch could probably have ended up better than Vegeta x Bulma, since Lunch has somewhat more in common with him than Bulma does (and Tien is pretty much asexual).