Lack of females characters in Dragon Ball

[ABED]

Instead of creating more female characters they should treat the ones they have (namely Bulma, Chi Chi, and 18) better. Their names might as well be Vegeta’s wife, Goku’s nag of a wife, and Krillin’s inexplicably hot wife at this point.

Agreed to an extent. I'd like to see more female characters for their own sake, while seeing existing characters not be boiled down to the spouse. I wish Pan hadn't been largely relegated to damsel.

[saiyanhajime]

The disappointment is that the series almost goes there several times with having prominent, important females and then reigns itself back in. Bulma's relevance fades off in Z. But in fairness, she's back in Super. I think ChiChi is actually pretty great, honestly. Her absurdly realistic motherly nature is at odds with the absurdly unrealistic world in which she lives and I think it's great. I just wish we saw more of her still. 18 is cool and stayed cool when she had a kid. Videl is where I take issues. Her personality completely change, she's not even the same character and shes now boring and irrelevant and I hate it? I think it would be way more interesting if she still had some bite to her as a contrast to Gohan and pushed him a little? I don't know. The saiyan women added in Super could be awesome but they feel a little too token for me and I think it could have been handled in a much more interesting way, but hey.

I would be inclined to say that DB overall really isn't that bad within the context of it's culture, age and target demographic when it comes to female representation. But that doesn't mean it's anything close to good about it, either.

My problem with Chichi is on the Z part during early Dragon Ball she was seen fighting and even doing a Budokai Tenkaichi once she get married to Goku and got Gohan she become a dumb overly protective mom with most of the time stupid reaction like she'd rather have gohan study than protecting earth to its irremediable doom smh. In Z she is just a running gag at this point. That's one of my deception for her I would have loved to see her train along with Goku and reached high power and battle alongside Goku and Gohan as a family protecting earth against vilain. At least have her being still prominent until the Cyborg arc where she can be more on the advisory side and being the second brain after Bulma of the group.

Yeah, see, this is what I meant when I said Chichi is an "absurdly realistic" mother in an "absurdly unrealistic" world. Chichi behaves like any mother would and any mother should, putting their child before everything. It's the other characters who are behaving like weird lunatics. But the world in which they inhabit paints Chichi as the weirdo. That's what makes her fun - she's the only one with any grounding and the absurdity of it is fun. The fact that so many people like yourself think Chichi's opinion that protecting her child is paramount is ultimately stupid demonstrates how truly great she is in the context of the world she lives, haha.

[ABED]

You seem to forget that Chichi's pretty much always been played for laughs. In her first meeting with Goku he pats her crotch and from that moment she knew she wanted to marry him. She's ditzy and a caricature of a character. Honestly, she doesn't feel like a real character until after Goku dies and she develops. She does NOT act like any mother would nor how any mother should. She's a tiger mom. Every aspect of her is exaggerated.

[JulieYBM]

Dragon Ball Super and its much more Otaku-filled staff have definitely increased the presence and charm of the women in Dragon Ball. The varied number of interests from the new crop of those creating Dragon Ball have definitely enriched the franchise and I am always happy to see these new characters with whom they have more freedom to do with as they please expanded upon.

[Bruma rabu]

It's show for boys so it's obvious, but i wouldn't mind more females tho.
I think the main problem isn't lack of females in general but lack of relevant female fighters or female villains.

The only relevant female fighters are #18 and Pan, but even they doesn't do that much with #18's biggest feat being beating Ribrianne and Pan being mostly a support fighter with only one villain killed on her own (Natto).
We also have no main female villain except for Towa in games and only few side villains like #18, Oceanus Shenron and Zangya.

I'd really like to see female being a main villain for once.

Android 21. Main villain in Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Anyway, its not so much a lack of female characters, its that a lot of them get shoved into the background as housewives after a time. Bulma being about the only exception.

Chichi, Videl, 18, and others have all gone through this. Making it possibly the weakest point of Toriyama's storytelling.

Honestly, in the world of Dragon Ball what else can they do? They're all regular humans and can't really participate in any of the main fights.

[Lord Beerus]

Quality > Quantity.

I'd take 5 uniquely personalised and well rounded female characters over 50 disposable and interchangeable ones.

That's not to say that you can't have a wide and varied cast of female characters, it's just that given how Dragon Ball sprints from one arc to the next, and often only utilizes newly introduced characters in one or two story arcs on average, I wouldn't put much stock in Dragon Ball having a continuously well maintained cast in terms of characterization and development.

[ruler9871]

I mean, in the past few years they've added Future Mai, Caulifla, Kale, Kefla, Ribrianne, Android 21, Berryblu and Cheelai, plus several minor female fighters, Angels and a GoD in Super. They know there's a demand for more female representation (even if it mostly comes form the waifu crowd but you know, ends justify the means), it's getting better. The big problem is that Toriyama likes to rotate out the supporting cast and one of the go-to excuses for shelving a character is having them settle down to raise a family. For female characters, that carries a load of unfortunate implications, especially since most of them end up having babies. For the record, I think this is why the les-pandering they've got going on with Caulifla and Kale is going to be good for them in the long run. Even if nothing comes of it (and let's be honest, nothing will) having that angle makes it less likely they'll suffer the baby-factory fate.

Give credit where due for keeping Bulma important for so long I guess.

How is having children a bad thing? Idk why so many western nerds act like a female character being a mother is somehow wrong. Its like they don't want the human race to continue.....

[ABED]

I mean, in the past few years they've added Future Mai, Caulifla, Kale, Kefla, Ribrianne, Android 21, Berryblu and Cheelai, plus several minor female fighters, Angels and a GoD in Super. They know there's a demand for more female representation (even if it mostly comes form the waifu crowd but you know, ends justify the means), it's getting better. The big problem is that Toriyama likes to rotate out the supporting cast and one of the go-to excuses for shelving a character is having them settle down to raise a family. For female characters, that carries a load of unfortunate implications, especially since most of them end up having babies. For the record, I think this is why the les-pandering they've got going on with Caulifla and Kale is going to be good for them in the long run. Even if nothing comes of it (and let's be honest, nothing will) having that angle makes it less likely they'll suffer the baby-factory fate.

Give credit where due for keeping Bulma important for so long I guess.

How is having children a bad thing? Idk why so many western nerds act like a female character being a mother is somehow wrong. Its like they don't want the human race to continue.....

The issue isn't becoming a parent, it's when that's all the character is.

[MasenkoHA]

How is having children a bad thing? Idk why so many western nerds act like a female character being a mother is somehow wrong. Its like they don't want the human race to continue.....

Quick name something significant about Chi Chi other than being Goku’s baby factory

Name something significant about 18 post-Cell aside from being Kurilin’s wife and mother of his child.

Bulma, I’ll grant you at least stays somewhat relevant being the team’s techie but even then let’s be real there was no genuine reason to get Bulma with Vegeta other than Toriyama needed a baby factory for Vegeta so he could do John Conner but as a Super Saiyajin.

Don’t conflate thinking female characters should be treated as something other than baby factories with being against mothers in general.

[ABED]

How is having children a bad thing? Idk why so many western nerds act like a female character being a mother is somehow wrong. Its like they don't want the human race to continue.....

Quick name something significant about Chi Chi other than being Goku’s baby factory

Name something significant about 18 post-Cell aside from being Kurilin’s wife and mother of his child.

Bulma, I’ll grant you at least stays somewhat relevant being the team’s techie but even then let’s be real there was no genuine reason to get Bulma with Vegeta other than Toriyama needed a baby factory for Vegeta so he could do John Conner but as a Super Saiyajin.

Don’t conflate thinking female characters should be treated as something other than baby factories with being against mothers in general.

This.

Regarding the Vegeta/Bulma dynamic, while there was no reason initially to put them together other than to birth another Saiyan, their dynamic oddly works.

[ruler9871]

How is having children a bad thing? Idk why so many western nerds act like a female character being a mother is somehow wrong. Its like they don't want the human race to continue.....

Quick name something significant about Chi Chi other than being Goku’s baby factory

Name something significant about 18 post-Cell aside from being Kurilin’s wife and mother of his child.

Bulma, I’ll grant you at least stays somewhat relevant being the team’s techie but even then let’s be real there was no genuine reason to get Bulma with Vegeta other than Toriyama needed a baby factory for Vegeta so he could do John Conner but as a Super Saiyajin.

Don’t conflate thinking female characters should be treated as something other than baby factories with being against mothers in general.

1. Chi-chi was always a flat, unimportant character even before marrying Goku. And A18 at least got more screentime than A17 before the ToP saga.
2. Name something significant about Tien post 22nd TB arc, or most of the male supporting cast after the sagas they debuted.

[MasenkoHA]

How is having children a bad thing? Idk why so many western nerds act like a female character being a mother is somehow wrong. Its like they don't want the human race to continue.....

Quick name something significant about Chi Chi other than being Goku’s baby factory

Name something significant about 18 post-Cell aside from being Kurilin’s wife and mother of his child.

Bulma, I’ll grant you at least stays somewhat relevant being the team’s techie but even then let’s be real there was no genuine reason to get Bulma with Vegeta other than Toriyama needed a baby factory for Vegeta so he could do John Conner but as a Super Saiyajin.

Don’t conflate thinking female characters should be treated as something other than baby factories with being against mothers in general.

This.

Regarding the Vegeta/Bulma dynamic, while there was no reason initially to put them together other than to birth another Saiyan, their dynamic oddly works.

I agree that Bulma and Vegeta as couple works and is kind of adorable. Especially since Vegeta seems to actually love Bulma unlike Goku with Chi Chi.

Doesn’t change their courtship makes no sense and comes rather the hell out of nowhere.

[ruler9871]

Quick name something significant about Chi Chi other than being Goku’s baby factory

Name something significant about 18 post-Cell aside from being Kurilin’s wife and mother of his child.

Bulma, I’ll grant you at least stays somewhat relevant being the team’s techie but even then let’s be real there was no genuine reason to get Bulma with Vegeta other than Toriyama needed a baby factory for Vegeta so he could do John Conner but as a Super Saiyajin.

Don’t conflate thinking female characters should be treated as something other than baby factories with being against mothers in general.

This.

Regarding the Vegeta/Bulma dynamic, while there was no reason initially to put them together other than to birth another Saiyan, their dynamic oddly works.

I agree that Bulma and Vegeta as couple works and is kind of adorable. Especially since Vegeta seems to actually love Bulma unlike Goku with Chi Chi.

Doesn’t change their courtship makes no sense and comes rather the hell out of nowhere.

Bulma has shown attraction to villains/bad boys (Bandit Yamcha, Colonel Silver, General Blue & Zarbon) before meeting Vegeta. So its not out-of-character for Bulma to fall for Vegeta.

[MasenkoHA]

[

1. Chi-chi was always a flat, unimportant character even before marrying Goku.

Congrats. It’s like you get it and yet you don’t.

And A18 at least got more screentime than A17 before the ToP saga.

And? Does that in anyone disprove that 18 was reduced to being Kurilin’s wife and not her own character

2. Name something significant about Tien post 22nd TB arc, or most of the male supporting cast after the sagas they debuted.

Tien’s redemption arc continued into the Piccolo Daimou arc. And then there was his rematch with Goku in the Piccolo Jr arc. We also saw the extent of his Chaozu’s friendship in the Saiyajin arc when they die for each other.

You’re really not getting it. Dragon Ball has tons and tons of male characters. The few female characters Dragon Ball has exist pretty much to be baby factories or they’re reduced to that role in the case of 18 or to a lesser extent Bulma.

[MasenkoHA]

This.

Regarding the Vegeta/Bulma dynamic, while there was no reason initially to put them together other than to birth another Saiyan, their dynamic oddly works.

I agree that Bulma and Vegeta as couple works and is kind of adorable. Especially since Vegeta seems to actually love Bulma unlike Goku with Chi Chi.

Doesn’t change their courtship makes no sense and comes rather the hell out of nowhere.

Bulma has shown attraction to villains/bad boys (Bandit Yamcha, Colonel Silver, General Blue & Zarbon) before meeting Vegeta. So its not out-of-character for Bulma to fall for Vegeta.

It is out of character for Vegeta to get in bed with her. Especially when he scoffed at Nappa’s suggestion at breeding Saiyajin/Earthlings hybrids

And all the guys Bulma seemed attracted to have been pretty boys who just happened to be bad. Vegeta aint exactly pretty. And even granting it is believable she could find him attractive nothing would suggest Vegeta had any physical attraction to her.

Hell even TFS (which yes is a parody and doesn’t count) ran with the idea he found her bitchiness hot.

Also all of these bad boys you mentioned Bulma didn’t see those men be an accessory in the murder of her friends. All those other guys she just temporarily let her shallowness get the best of her.

I doubt she would have dated Yamucha if he killed Goku for example even at her most shallow.

[ABED]

DB could use more important female characters or at least do a better job of using the ones it does have, execution is always what's most important, not the social agenda. I know the last thing might sound like a YouTube comment, it feels like far too much emphasis is put on diversity for its own sake and not how well it's done.

[ruler9871]

[

1. Chi-chi was always a flat, unimportant character even before marrying Goku.

Congrats. It’s like you get it and yet you don’t.

And A18 at least got more screentime than A17 before the ToP saga.

And? Does that in anyone disprove that 18 was reduced to being Kurilin’s wife and not her own character

2. Name something significant about Tien post 22nd TB arc, or most of the male supporting cast after the sagas they debuted.

Tien’s redemption arc continued into the Piccolo Daimou arc. And then there was his rematch with Goku in the Piccolo Jr arc. We also saw the extent of his Chaozu’s friendship in the Saiyajin arc when they die for each other.

You’re really not getting it. Dragon Ball has tons and tons of male characters. The few female characters Dragon Ball has exist pretty much to be baby factories or they’re reduced to that role in the case of 18 or to a lesser extent Bulma.

How was Bulma "reduced" to being a "baby factoring" after having Trunks? She remains one the few relevant recurring characters since then and her character isn't centered around Vegeta nor either Trunks.

This is the attitude I'm talking about. People in the West acting like motherhood is an inherently bad thing, dismissing it as being a "baby factory".

[ABED]

We aren't acting like motherhood is a bad thing. It's one thing if you were mostly arguing that we missed something and Bulma wasn't relegated solely to the role of mother, which is fair. It's another to paint us as arguing against female characters being mothers. What I don't like is when that's the extent of their character.

[ruler9871]

I agree that Bulma and Vegeta as couple works and is kind of adorable. Especially since Vegeta seems to actually love Bulma unlike Goku with Chi Chi.

Doesn’t change their courtship makes no sense and comes rather the hell out of nowhere.

Bulma has shown attraction to villains/bad boys (Bandit Yamcha, Colonel Silver, General Blue & Zarbon) before meeting Vegeta. So its not out-of-character for Bulma to fall for Vegeta.

It is out of character for Vegeta to get in bed with her. Especially when he scoffed at Nappa’s suggestion at breeding Saiyajin/Earthlings hybrids

Also all of these bad boys you mentioned Bulma didn’t see those men be an accessory in the murder of her friends. All those other guys she just temporarily let her shallowness get the best of her.

I doubt she would have dated Yamucha if he killed Goku for example even at her most shallow.

1. Having sex =/= wanting to have children. You're making a false dichotomy.
2. She knew all those men were murderous villains either way, regardless if they had killed her friends or not (and Bulma is no saint herself). Yet, she still wanted to sleep with them.
3. She would have definitely still dated Yamcha even if he'd killed Goku when they 1st met lmao. She and Goku weren't even that close at that point.

[ABED]

Bulma's no saint? She's not perfect, but what has she done that was that terrible?