Who's the best character in every arc?

[Yuji]

If you go through all the arcs, which character is the best-written and most interesting and captivating in every arc? For me:

Pilaf: Bulma
21st TB: Roshi
Red Ribbon: Goku
22nd TB: Roshi
Piccolo Daimao: I don't think anyone is particularly interesting here, so Yajirobe or Roshi again
23rd TB: Goku or Kuririn
Saiyan arc: Piccolo
Namek arc: Goku, but shout-out to Vegeta this arc
Cell arc: Goku
Boo arc: Goku but there's a lot of great contenders this arc
Battle of Gods: Beerus
F arc: Vegeta, I guess?
U6 arc: Hit
Goku Black arc: Goku Black
Tournament of Power: Freeza
Broly: Broly
Moro: Goku
Granolah: Vegeta
Superhero: Piccolo
Black Star DBs: Trunks
Baby arc: Baby, but shout-out to Piccolo and Boo
Super 17: Don't care
Shadow Dragons: Goku...? For the ending mostly.

[Almighty Majin]

Hunt for DBs: Yamcha
21st Tournament: Master Roshi
RR Army: Grandpa Gohan
22nd Tournament: Tien
King Piccolo: Master Roshi
23rd Tournament: Goku
Saiyans: Piccolo
Namek: Vegeta
Androids: Future Trunks
Majin Buu: Mr. Satan
BoG: Beerus
RoF: Vegeta
U6 Tournament: Vegeta
Goku Black: Zamasu
ToP: Freeza
Broly: Broly
Moro: Vegeta
Granolah: Vegeta
Super Hero: Dr. Hedo
Black Star DBs: Giru
Bebi: Bebi
Super 17: Piccolo
Shadow Dragons: Nova Shenron

[MasenkoHA]

Shen Long: Son Goku

21st Tenkaichi Budokai: Kame Sennin

The Search for the 4 star Dragon Ball: Son Goku

22nd Tenkaichi Budokai: Tenshinhan

Daimao- Kame Sennin

23rd Tenkaichi Budokai: Piccolo

Saiyan: Piccolo

Namek: Vegeta

Artificial Humans: Future Trunks

Majin Boo: Fat Boo

[Magnificent Ponta]

Interesting topic, and in places very tricky to answer. There is, of course, more than one way of being "well written" depending on what the story is going for (in early Dragon Ball we often get The Gag Reel and so the better-sketched comic presences do well out of such arcs, but obviously this isn't a particularly relevant criterion for assessing character effectiveness in, say, the Namek arc) - and sometimes it matters more if a character has the most compelling general "presence" (even if they're a bit flat when taken in isolation), whereas other times a character might have the most compelling arc. Sometimes these will compete in the same arc, while in another only one might be on display, and sometimes consistency is less of an issue than impact.

Dragon Balls: Earliest Dragon Ball is kind of a toughie, because the gags are king. But Bulma probably has the strongest comic presence in the arc, for me; she's probably the best-sketched character there - clever and wilful, vain and bratty, posing as a worldly know-all (which, compared to Goku, she is) but increasingly in over her head in this weird world. Arguably her character depiction in this arc is so complete that, despite being a series mainstay, she basically never outgrows it - she merely repeats it with different emphases.

21st Budokai: Again, a strong comic presence for an arc stands out immediately, so probably Kame Sen'nin. But despite being a good focus for some rapid-fire gags (particularly the montage with Goku and Kuririn in the training phase of the arc - fortunately he's not just a lightning-rod for pervy gags), he also has surprising range. He gets some reinforcement as a presence to be reckoned with at the top of the training phase, and there's some (semi-)serious wisdom mixed in with the silly training gags, and a heartfelt motivation is revealed in the Tournament phase of the arc that makes good sense and grounds what would otherwise be a bit of a gag reel. But he can bring both the gags and the intensity in the (by turns silly and serious) escalating ultra-martial-arts stuff in his matches with Yamcha, Kuririn, and Goku, and it speaks to his range as a character for the arc that he fits equally well in the super-serious Namu stuff as he does in the rest of it.

Red Ribbon: Honestly, Son Goku wins this one by default. Nobody else in the arc is anything but a bit-part player, as they must be in a globetrotting adventure arc where Goku is the one constant. Fortunately, however, he also takes it on merit due to his happy-go-lucky charm often being on display, and also thanks to the whole thing being given a bit more of a focus in the back half, where Goku gains a proper "mission" in beating Tao Pai Pai and taking on Red Ribbon directly in order to get the Dragon Balls so he can revive Bora. And his presence is magnified by his huge escalation in power, and the throughline of going out to find his Grandpa's Dragon Ball is capped off nicely in the Uranai Baba section of the arc too, when he gets to fight/meet his Grandpa again and say a proper goodbye, before finishing his mission. What starts as a bit of a comedy mishmash somewhat in the vein of the first arc gets some proper heft by the end, and Goku ends up looking compelling and impressive.

22nd Budokai: I never really liked this Budokai all that much, and I think part of it is the lack of anyone being truly compelling in a sustained way, for me. Tenshinhan is a bit of a "one-note gifted jerk" for much of the arc, and his development into a warrior with some kind of (albeit idiosyncratic) ethical depth unfortunately crosses over with him getting relentlessly one-upped (almost humiliated) by Goku in the Final, which makes him harder to take seriously at a pretty critical point where his character needs some genuine weight. Goku himself doesn't bring much new to the table from a character perspective, and frankly I find him constantly one-upping everyone tiresomely one-note in its own way; it makes him feel more like a protagonist cipher than usual. So we're thrown back on secondary characters like Kuririn, who gets an honourable mention for being consistently entertaining and surprising in his matches - his friendship with Goku gets some (unstated but plainly visible) extra depth of sentiment; and as ever, he's a quick-thinking schemer who improvises to get the upper hand, which works for both the maths gags with Chaozu and the curious blend of gag fare and more straightforward stuff against Goku. But I think the condescension with which he's treated in the arc hurts him, and stops him from being quite as compelling as he could be. Probably Kame Sen'nin comes out on top again, by once again demonstrating his range. His petty bickering with Tsuru-Sen'nin is very relatable, and I love his gag-reel match against Man-Wolf; it's just so silly - but then he immediately shifts gear into a more serious and "heroic" mode that he carries off surprisingly convincingly (and furthers in the next arc) when trying to shift Tenshinhan's character trajectory. It also dovetails well with his established motivations and deepens the sense of him as a truly wise (if somewhat quirky) master.

Piccolo Daimao: Really it's between Goku and Piccolo for this one - for sheer sustained presence, I guess I'll give it to Piccolo Daimao. He's a pretty by-the-numbers "pure evil bad guy", but he sells it well: he exudes menace and self-assurance throughout and underscores it with spectacle that peppers the arc so he's easy to take seriously, and while his character really doesn't "go" anywhere (he is evil and does a lengthening list of evil things), he's generally a great "presence" for Goku to clash with head-to-head. For his part, Goku gets some genuinely interesting opportunities to channel his rage and show a different facet of his character through his resultant focus and determination, but he's artificially beefed up with prophecy guff and insta-power-ups which, while it fits well with his enhanced "presence", also kind of detracts from the pure character work a bit for me. The only other real contenders are Tenshinhan (who really gets hugely reduced as a presence, the more the arc goes on, which takes him out of contention for me), Tambourine (who, while a well-sketched example of a villain who you "love to hate", doesn't do anything Piccolo doesn't do better), and Kame Sen'nin, who demonstrates his character's range once again by being the serious, authoritative, and heroic presence of the group, so he gets an honourable mention here (but really, he dies too early to be the most consistently compelling character of the arc, for me).

23rd Budokai: Son Goku is the runaway winner here. Not only is his presence hugely augmented by showing off how far he's come, but he unites his classic carefree, naïve characteristics with a combination of wisdom and insight on the one hand (regularly surprising everyone by showing himself to be more clued-up than they suspect), and an almost toxic level of blinkered self-assurance on the other (insisting on continuing his match with Piccolo according to "the rules" even when things look impossibly dire; making a decision about what to do with Piccolo on behalf of the whole world, just so he can have a worthwhile rival). Bulma comments that Goku has become as great as a mountain here, and that's really true - he utterly dominates this arc, and (for better and for worse) I don't think his character meaningfully advances very far beyond what he demonstrates throughout the Budokai (e.g., in Super, for instance, his boredom may come to the fore and his strategies for staving it off may become more extreme, but the intrinsic character facet of obsessively seeking worthy challenges even if this has potentially terrible consequences is already fully present here). Despite Goku's dominance, I'd also toss an honourable mention to Kami-Sama, who really works as a regretful but utterly determined God who's tethered to the main arc threat and trying his best (albeit too late - once again, Dragon Ball's power creep serves to detract a little from how seriously we can take a character as a character - Kami-Sama ultimately gets reduced to a bit-player and a hostage, little different from the other characters in the arc) to undo a critical mistake that haunts him, even at the cost of his own life.

Saiyan: This one is surprisingly tricky. The Saiyan arc is, for me, the apex of Dragon Ball's scenario craft, but I don't think this necessarily translates directly into there being a stand-out character. Goku and Vegeta benefit as presences from the scenario because they each get built up very well for their clash in the back half of the arc, and they do also get some stand-out character moments: Vegeta's cold-hearted viciousness and arrogance is on display here, as is Goku's recklessness. Otherwise, we have two intimately connected character arcs to hang the arc's character work on: Piccolo's redemption arc, and Son Gohan's coming-of-age arc. Gohan's arc is hampered somewhat by its faltering progress; his wild swinging between total (occasionally enraged) determination and utter loss of nerve (or other ineffectualness), while relatable, also makes for quite a frustrating read at times, whereas Piccolo's arc is much cleaner, more contained, and jives interestingly with his rough "I'm-still-your-enemy" manner, as he progresses from being Goku's straightforward enemy to being the substitute Captain of the Home Team (as it were) in Goku's place, and finally laying his life on the line for Goku's son. Moreover, this all takes place in a scenario where he's consistently the underdog, and varies up his response accordingly - he has something up his sleeve the first time around, which allows him to keep clinging to his dreams of killing Goku and conquering the world, for a moment, but from there he only gets the increasing certitude of death when faced with the greater threat, and so he has to let all his goals go, and ultimately only counts on what he leaves behind in Gohan. It's maybe all a little basic and straightforward as a progression, but I think it works. Piccolo for me.

Namek: This one varies for me, depending on which phase of the arc you're looking at. The adventure-focused chase for the Dragon Balls, leading up to the point where all seven are united, reveals Vegeta as the stand-out character. He's opportunistic, cunning, (mostly) clear-sighted - a tactically-minded, evil underdog is an interesting novelty that he's well-placed to carry off convincingly, and it's done in a way that takes what we already know about the character (his cold-hearted viciousness, and his entitled arrogance) and augments it to round him out more. It really works for him. But then once the question of who gets the Dragon Balls is closed, he just becomes Mister "Blah Blah Super Saiyan" and experiences a massive fall-off in credibility (and consequently, in how compelling his character is). In his place, Freeza becomes the stand-out character of the back half of the arc. His thinly-veiled scumbag menace becomes much more prominent, and the unnerving sense he projects throughout really gains focus in the back half as he becomes genuinely terrifying at times. His phoney politeness slips and his twisted 'playfulness' comes out as he gets his jollies torturing his foes, but he also evidences increasing investment and excitement, pride and surprise, desperation and denial as the fight with Goku moves through its escalating stages. Freeza may be an irredeemable scumbag, but he's one who reveals a surprisingly compelling character for what he is.

Androids: This one is a real problem for me, and I think the issue is that nobody in this arc is a consistent presence at all, let alone a consistently compelling one. Characters kaleidoscopically tumble into and out of the arc; no sooner are they relevant than they get firmly shoved onto the sidelines or taken out of the arc completely (see, e.g., All Androids except Cell). While authentic character features drive the plot forward at crucial points (particularly Vegeta's and Kuririn's highly characteristic screw-ups in the middle), it's hard to make a case for anyone being consistently stand-out. Cell is the character most consistently present and acting, but he is extremely uncompelling (his motivations are either flat "monster is a monster" or, perversely, refer to Freeza - a totally different character - to explain why he acts the way he does); characters who start off the most compelling (Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo) become basically anonymous later on - Trunks suffers particularly here, starting as a strong and impressive presence with a clear motivation, but later becoming little more than a determined jobber, sideline commentator, and whipping boy for characters who know better. Goku is only compelling by reputation here and is absent for huge swathes of the arc, and the effectiveness of Gohan's presence in the Cell Game phase depends on his nonentity status to work. I'm almost tempted to give the nomination to Doctor Gero in absentia, as the depth and desperateness of his grudge really comes through, as does, e.g., his (misplaced) self-confidence. But I'll give it to Vegeta. He starts the arc as a highly compelling "evil bastard in a marriage of convenience" with the other Earthling warriors, with a clear hatred of Goku and surging self-confidence that precedes his comeuppance more than once. Even his absence in the Room of Spirit and Time is compelling when juxtaposed with Cell's advancement (and characteristic, since his obsessive focus on his own power is the cause of the length of his absence), and while his decision to let Cell complete himself for the sake of the challenge is mind-bogglingly dumb, it is nevertheless wholly in-character. Vegeta gets sidelined after his comeuppance, but he also does get the completion of a character arc, of sorts, by firstly conceding his inferiority to both Goku and Gohan (even apologising to the latter for an error and trying to make up for it, and swearing off fighting at the end), and secondly demonstrating genuine fatherly sentiment for Trunks, who previously he wouldn't have given the time of day. And this arc also introduces the welcome trait of Vegeta absolutely working his nads off to get where he is. So Vegeta combines enough authentic, compelling bastardy with enough of a development arc to work the best as a character in this arc, for me.

Buu: I think Mr. Satan is the clear winner here. He sticks out like a sore thumb in the Android arc, as the only (mostly quite irritating) joke in an otherwise totally humourless story, but in this arc he works a lot better - he starts off as a complacent fraud and has to extemporise a ton of antics to maintain his reputation when the genuinely strong people enter the frame, which gives us some amusing gags. But while he bumbles around and never really comes to grips with his situation until the very end of the arc (imagining he can kill Buu with poison or dynamite, thinking Buu's genocidal attack is just "fireworks", thinking the destruction of Earth is just a dream so he can do things like fly, etc.), which is all good for differing levels of gag which is all part and parcel of the Buu arc's unique "tone", there's also a genuine character arc for Satan, as he identifies more closely with Buu and influences him to change for Earth's sake, and as he tries to get involved in the fight to help the heroes despite not being on their level, and grows angry and moved to act on their behalf when he sees Human ingratitude and unwillingness to help - he moves from being just a fraud to becoming someone who (albeit gradually, inconsistently, and obliquely) comes to legitimately justify the reputation he has on Earth. This way, he's also played off really well against the main group, who also have heroic reputations for us as readers who know their backstory, but through their complacency and selfishness help create the main problem of the arc and have to muddle through when it turns out their power isn't enough to get the job done.

Battle of Gods: Beerus and Whis are the stand-out characters here. In the Film, I slightly prefer Whis, with his slightly drier, sterner, take-it-all-in-stride character (like responding to Beerus preparing to destroy Earth, by coolly changing his sushi order "to go") over Beerus's slightly more childish antics. But overall that does Beerus a slight disservice, as he demonstrates a character range that allows him to be amusingly playful, wise and capable, and legitimately impressive and threatening all at once. The Anime in particular leaves space for a more sinister edge to Beerus as a God of Destruction than the Film or the (much more abbreviated) Manga, but overall Beerus demonstrates a pleasingly capricious and consistently entertaining character in all media. Vegeta gets an honourable mention for the Film version, given his amusing willingness to abase himself at length in order to keep the God of Destruction entertained and his comrades safe, and (to a lesser extent) his further increased attachment to his family and its impact on him.

Revival of F: Erm. Let's be charitable and say that F is more a piece of spectacle craft than real character work. Freeza is obviously himself, with a new vengeful edge, but there isn't much else to him that makes him stand out here. That said, he has a bit more going for him than the other main characters, including Goku and Vegeta. However, for this (frankly throwaway) piece, I'll give a (correspondingly throwaway) nod to Jaco, who leavens the plot enjoyably with his comic stylings, bantering with Bulma, getting (grudgingly) involved in the action, and making various amusing asides, such as looking to get a selfie with Beerus while the fate of the world is on the line. He's a fun diversion for a film that doesn't aspire to be anything more than that.

Universe 6 Tournament: In the manga, I think Vegeta gets the best of it, with three full battles in which to demonstrate surprising range in an arc with a much lighter tone than main Dragon Ball ever had. By demonstrating common-sense nous that doesn't really apply well to his world (in requiring an entrance exam), he gets a cute comedy beat when Majin Buu gets excluded for being too stupid. Against Frost, he returns much in his more comfortable badass vein by viciously dismantling him, but that immediately gets undercut by a surprising and highly entertaining comic turn against Otta Magetta. Beyond that (and most importantly) we get Vegeta posing as his old self against Cabbe in order to draw Super Saiyan power from him, but then he effectively surrenders his chance at winning against Hit by demonstrating Blue to inspire Cabbe to keep up his training, to "set him on a better path", which is a surprising piece of character work in itself. It's a good, diverse range for Vegeta, which does a lot for the middle section of the arc.

Future Trunks: For the Manga, I'm giving this one firmly to Shin. When he was first introduced in the Buu arc, he came across as a bit of a well-meaning nullity who becomes a bit of a gag whipping boy. But in this arc, which focuses on the proper activity of Gods in a World ruined by one of his own, he really shines. His Future self trains Trunks and helps him get the win to save the world from Buu, and his present self is useful in the investigative phase of the arc, verifying Zamas's crimes (there's also a really fun stint when he takes Goku to meet Zeno-Sama, where his reactions to Goku's lack of manners are both characterful and hilarious). When it comes to the confrontation phase, he's as outclassed as ever, but he loses patience when stronger characters are unable or unwilling to act, and bravely inserts himself into events to protect Trunks in an apparently hopeless situation and buy time for his comrades; even at the end when Goku and Vegeta are dumbfounded and paralysed with fear at Zamas coming right back from everything they throw at him, Shin is first to act to help the group escape. He does nothing but put himself on the line in this arc, and his depiction in this arc basically completely changed my view of him.

Tournament of Power: For the Manga, there are a number of surprisingly interesting relationships in what is fundamentally a character-driven arc. That said, from all these Freeza emerges as easily the most compelling figure. He's just in his element in the Tournament of Power - using the weaker members of his team as bait, gleefully dooming other Universes, picking on the Universe 6 Saiyans so he can displace his natural tendencies and enjoy acting out on his grudge against "his" Saiyans without (foreseen) consequence, baiting the Universe 11 powerhouses when they're helpless and tastelessly toying with them - even the ways in which he acts unexpectedly, putting himself on the line against Jiren to buy time firstly, and giving up on his wish for revival by letting #17 be the one to take the win secondly, are still characteristically calculating moves that fit well with him even while they demonstrate evidence of some small personal development. He's just such a satisfying and entertaining character to read in this arc.

Broly: This one has to go to Broly himself. The film does a really good job of taking important elements of his classic depiction (a similar backstory, a life under his father's control, unfathomable power) but allies it to gentle, childlike characteristics to make a character that is highly sympathetic and likeable - even though most of the film is just an escalating fight, the work done with Broly beforehand does an excellent job of making the viewer feel for him, even while his threat to those around him is undeniable.

Galactic Patrol Prisoner: Merus is the best character here, for me. Dragon Ball trades on screw-ups who make good in the end, so it's refreshing to see someone join their number who is highly capable from the outset, and very likeable, to boot. Moreover, the revelation of his Angel heritage does two positive things for his character - firstly, it makes his heroic inclinations taboo, which means the stake he has in supporting the heroes means he eventually has to choose to give himself up for what he believes, and this pushes him further into the reader's sympathies so that we're genuinely sorry to see him go and even happier to see him get the ending he'd want at the "cost" of his Angelic nature; secondly, it quietly and perversely makes him "one of the gang" by revealing him to be a bit of a screw-up himself, by the standards of his own kind - it allows us to take a second look at his slightly overdone heroic sensibilities and his ultra-competency and see him as a bit of an awkward deviant when placed next to someone as skilled at the whole Angel biz as Whis is: he basically uses Merus as a tool to actualise Goku's progress and punish Beerus for not doing his job, with a few well-placed words and an ostentatious use of "neutrality". But this is just a bonus for looking at a character who's likeable, decent, and who gels well with the main character. He's a key asset of the arc. Honourable mention for Jaco, who begins the arc as an established screw-up who reliably brings levity to the scenes he's in, but eventually makes good in the classic style.

Granolah the Survivor: This arc's strong characterisation doesn't get enough praise in my opinion. But one character stands above the rest here: it's Vegeta again. The Moro arc does a good job of showing him grappling and trying to make amends with one particular atrocity from his past, but this arc does a better and more nuanced job of having Vegeta confront his True Self and grapple with how to use it in what he does best (fighting) by having his guilt and doubt around his past in general become more at issue for his latterly heroic-ish sensibilities. The arc does a great job with this by having him take on a pose in order to try to become a more effective fighter when confronting these issues with an antagonist who embodies his problems; Vegeta manages to answer to the Saiyan in him who lives for the fight and whose innate drive keys into dormant destructive power that makes him an effective, savage fighter. But he doesn't answer to everything in himself by trying this, and so his self-belief drains away when his Destroyer pose doesn't get the job done. He circles the drain with his antagonist and they end up resolving to die together in the emotional apex of the arc. Vegeta recedes a little afterwards, but attacks the rest of the arc with self-belief and raw determination, and that's compelling in its own way also.

Super Hero: I'm sorely tempted to say Pan, who is a huge amount of fun whenever she's around. She's bold and bright and energetic and very likeable, but her part in the arc just isn't big enough (particularly the Film, where after facilitating Piccolo's plan to get his hooks back into Gohan, she fades into the background to learn how to fly and that's it. The Manga does better by having her learn to fly to help her dad in a pinch, and she has a great little connection with Goku at the end, but it's still not enough to get her the nod here). For the Film, it's hard to look past Piccolo, since he's so central to the direction the story takes and his bouncing between comic beats (his exchanges with Videl, Gohan, and Bulma) and intense action beats (particularly his fight with Cell Max, which is of course strong action, but also strong characterisation by having Piccolo desperately tough it out for the sake of motivating Gohan). For the Manga, I'd need to give the whole arc a re-read before proffering a nomination, but Trunks definitely gets an honourable mention - the enthusiasm conveyed in his semi-comic hijinks as a gawkish character who hasn't quite grown into his potential as a "cool guy" and has more than a few rough edges is infectious and charming.