Rank the Performance of the Universe 7 Members

[climatestrange]

Now that we've had time to digest the Universe Survival Arc, let's reflect on how each member performed and rank them accordingly. For the record, I'm not just talking about how long they lasted or how many contestants they eliminated. Rather, I'm talking about your overall satisfaction with how that character was handled in terms of development, screen time, and any other factors you consider important. Make sure to at least give a brief explanation for your picks. Only providing a list of names is boring and doesn't contribute anything to discussion.

My list:

10. Piccolo - He easily had the most disappointing elimination. He had a few cool moments but they were usually just playing sidekick to Gohan. Unfortunately, he never got a chance to shine individually.

9. Tenshinhan - I think most people would agree that he was probably the most underwhelming member overall. I put him above Piccolo because my expectations were lower and his elimination was at least slightly more respectable, even if it was still bad.

8. Gohan - I feel like he would have been less disappointing if he wasn't built up so much before the tournament. Everyone had been waiting for him to make his return, so when we found out that he would be the team leader and when he said he would find a new transformation, it made it sound like he was going to be one of the most important characters in this arc. Ultimately, his big accomplishment was... eliminating Dyspo along with himself? Taking out the third strongest Pride Trooper who had barely managed to survive until the final phase doesn't seem that impressive. He also never got that new transformation. I don't care that much about transformations anymore, but it's just funny since they set it up and every other Saiyan in the tournament got a new transformation.

7. Kuririn - Sure, he got eliminated first, but I think it was smart to establish how easily a contestant could get ringed out at the beginning of the tournament. Even then, his episode to shine was fun. Seeing him team up with No. 18 and use old-school Dragon Ball tactics like beating an enemy with his stinking shoes was great. He also contributed more from the sidelines than most of the rest of the cast, so it could have been worse.

6. Vegeta - Yeah, he eliminated a lot of contestants and took out the secondary antagonist of the tournament, but I felt like his overall characterization and his big moments were mostly bland retreads of earlier stuff. Having a newborn daughter and wanting to help Cabba were both good motivations, but they kept getting hammered in with generic internal monologues. By the end, it felt like he had given the same speech too many times. Vegeta's big moments in the arc were a inferior version of his Final Flash against Cell, a inferior version of his sacrifice against Boo, and one of the most forgettable transformations in the series. It's disappointing that Super keeps coming up with interesting and new situations for Vegeta's character, yet he's simultaneously stuck in the past with inconsistent characterization and forced callbacks.

5. Goku - Goku wasn't quite as much of a caricature as in previous arcs, so that's good. I found him more interesting during the beginning of the arc when it seemed like one of the major themes would be that there are consequences to his reckless actions. It mostly fizzled out, though. Ultra Instinct was cool and Goku got a lot of memorable fights, but his characterization was forgettable. They tried to play up the parallels and contrast between him and Jiren at the end, but it felt like too little too late.

4. Muten Roshi - Definitely one of the pleasant surprises of the tournament. I appreciate that they showed how one of the weakest team members could still be successful in combat due to his intelligence and experience. Frankly, it's sad that it took so long for the series to head in this direction. The power scaling probably got thrown off by everything he did, but I really don't care since his fights were more memorable than most of the others. Unfortunately, the pervert jokes went too far in this arc.

3. No. 18 - I don't have much to say aside from that she was great. Her relationship with Kuririn was at its best in this arc. Unfortunately, her elimination was a bit disappointing and generic.

2. Freeza - Bringing him back and writing Boo out of the story for the same contrived reason they used in two previous arcs was infuriating and should have ruined the arc. I don't care though because they seemed to learn from their mistakes in Resurrection F and finally figured out how to write for Freeza. He was definitely underused during large portions of the tournament, but he pretty much stole the show whenever he showed up. HIs delight for picking off and torturing random no-names were sometimes the only thing giving me life during the most boring parts of the tournament. Still not sure how I feel about him coming back to life, it's too early to say how that will play out.

1. No. 17 - No explanation necessary. I hope they don't shoehorn him into future stories. Let the man go out as the winner of the biggest tournament ever and travel the world with his family. Buuuut I kind of want a filler episode about him accepting Kuririn's offer for a family dinner. Oh yeah and his fake death was super contrived and confusing but I don't really care.

[Lord Beerus]

A thread kinda like this was made a few month ago.

But for the purposes of this thread, I'll just be lazy:

1. Android 17: I didn't think you could anything out of a character that didn't have much to work with in the original story like #17, but holy fucking hell, they spectacularly over-delivered.

His return episode was fucking amazing, like, one of the best written and animated episodes in Dragon Ball ever. The follow-up episode... not so much. However, his performance in the Tournament Of Power was exceptional. He displayed great tactical and physical prowess in offensive and defensive battle and played a critical role in ensuring the safety of his universe and all the other universes.

Super gave his character arc progression and a definitive end. His story got closure. He has a happy life, with a well paying job that he enjoys a lot and has wife and children and is living in peace. He basically got the happy ending that #18 got but with more depth and personal meaning.

In the end, #17 in Super came back strong enough to face SSJB Goku, we see fully just how much his character has evolved, how much his life has positively changed from his perspective, how well he integrates with the cast (I absolutely loved the moment where he and Piccolo basically buried the hatchet and became allies), and how immensely useful and practical, whether its in strength, teamwork or strategy, he is in combat.

What a sensational comeback for this guy. More than deserved to win the Tournament Of Power. And I hope to see more from him

2. Freeza: Had the best recruitment/buildup episodes, was wonderfully characterized and devolved, had fantastic chemistry with the cast (especially Goku), and just felt such an overall menace in the plot and in the tournament itself, until he bit off more than he could chew with Hakaishin Toppo and Jiren. And he had the perfect payoff.

I had zero expectations for Freeza returning being anywhere near as enjoyable as it turned out to be. Especially considering he was replacing Majin Boo. There were a million and one ways they could have fucked this up. But they took a story trope (a villain/antagonist being brought back to life) that was really old hat, especially in the context of Dragon Ball, and even more so in Freeza's case, and managed to turn it into something exciting, fresh and with a very satisfying conclusion. That deserves a hell of a lot of praise. Especially for a show like Super.

3. Goku: De Facto going to get the best fights by being the main character and all, and he had some of the best fights, not only in this tournament, but in all of Dragon Ball, in the Universal Survival arc. The fashion he attained Ultra Instinct was breathtaking, the usage of Ultra Instinct in battle was always grand and epic, he had great chemistry with Caulifla and Freeza, and his characterization was on point. Goku brought out the best in everyone, whether it was in battles or personalities, as he always does. No major complaints.

4. Muten Roshi: It's unbelievable how much he over-delivered. And it's made even more jarring by how fucking atrocious his recruitment episode was. He meshed with the main cast incredibly well, the story played to his strengths as a fighter and character, and his elimination was wonderfully handled. This is best handled Roshi has been since the 22nd Budokai Tenkaichi.

5. Vegeta: He had barely any build up to the tournament beyond the brief training in the ROSAT. He then bolted out the gates in the TOP with an awesome tag team episode with Goku against Universe 9, and then faded from the picture, only to unnaturally insert himself into the plot (Episode 106). But his presence became much more suited in the plot with Episode 107. I don't know what was up with him not giving Goku energy for Goku's Genki Dama against Jiren in Episode 109, and that really rubbed me up the wrong way.

His dynamic with Cabba was nice, and served as great way to develop his character later on. But then after that moment, he disappears for several episodes before re-emerging with his hilarious fight with Katopesla, where he decided to forge his own path of strength instead of following in Goku's footsteps. That moment I really liked a lot. His new transformation worked well enough for the themes of his character and motivation, even if it was aesthetically lackluster and lead to a questionable moment in the narrative in Episode 126.

But considering how much Vegeta has busted his ass and went out of his way to get stronger throughout the show, coupled with his immeasurable determination to not fall behind, something he reinforced in literally the second episode of the show, I feel Vegeta brute forcing his way to a unique SSJB form and defeating essentially a Hakaishin feels very much thematically appropriate for his character. Especially in an event like the Tournament Of Power. His send-off episode was also fantastic.

If there is one major negative I have with Vegeta's, it's his characterization. It felt a little uneven at times. With him going from being absurdly arrogant to the down-to-earth characterisation Super built for him prior to the arc kicking off.

6. Android 18: She had decent opening when teaming up Krillin, before disappearing for what seemed like an eternity. But when she came back into prominence in Episode 117, she then had a stellar episode (Episode 118), and then was eliminated in a fashion that benefited the plot and felt wholesome to her relationship with #17, which I got a major kick out of throughout the tournament as well. I just wish she didn't bitch out at Krillin for getting eliminated, and her questioning #17 about wishing to bring back all the erased universes instead of wishing for his boat was outrageous.

7. Gohan had the third best recruitment episodes. The episodes focusing on him regaining his Ultimate form and then fighting Goku were great. I thought he did good enough in the tournament itself. He didn't really over perform, but at the same time he didn't really under-perform, and in the end, went out on his own terms following his own well thought out plan. He really is the kind of character who thrives more when he has someone to work with, as seen in Episode 118 and with how he worked together with Freeza to take down Dyspo, as supposed to working on his own. I never really asked for much from Gohan from this arc as a whole, but I am a quite sad that this never really went anywhere. B-

8. Piccolo: He initially didn't do much, but played a great role in the tag team match with Gohan against the Universe 6 Namekians. But then in Episode 119, while he was cleaning house against Universe 4, his elimination was poorly handled. I wish I could have seen a decent 1v1 fight with him.

9. Krillin: I really enjoyed his build up episode. When it came to the actual tournament, I thought he had a decent showing. Worked well in an individual fight, worked even better when teaming up, especially with #18, and even made a huge save prevent #18 from being eliminated. But his elimination was very anticlimactic. I mean, it did fit for the purposes of the Tournament Of Power, but, man I wanted more from him than just one episode. Oh well.

10. Tenshinhan: He got fucked over hard. Had a horrible recruitment episode, and then gets his ass kicked in Episode 90. When it came to the TOP, he eliminates just one person, barely fights after that and then takes another character out of bounds while getting eliminated himself as well. He had a terrible showing in the TOP, without a doubt the worst handled character in the main cast in this whole arc.

[Spider-Man]

1-Android 17: The MVP in this arc and I hope he returns.

2-Frieza: He has one of the best recruitment episodes and his teamup with Goku against Jiren was awesome.

3-Master Roshi: While his recruitment episodes was terrible but episodes 105 was the best and he has a great send off.

4-Goku: He was unneeded in certain episodes but his fight were the best and UI was really cool.

5-Gohan: He had a fantastic comeback, his fight with Obuni and U3 Robot was good however he was pretty stupid in 108.

6-Android 18- Her with #17 and Krillin was entertaining but her criticizing Krillin and her questioning #17 about the erased was downright stupid.

7-Vegeta: He was great until then writer turn him into a caricature that keep talking about his pride, wish and family also SSBE was unnecessary.

8-Piccolo: He was ok but he really didn't do much and his elimination was poorly handled.

9-Krillin: His elimination was stupid and he really didn't do much despite being hype up in the recruitment but he had a good teamup with #18.

10-Tien: The most disappointed character, his episodes are terrible and he is really boring.

[Kataphrut]

1. 17, needs no explanation

2. Freeza. Diito, best written he's ever been, a treat whenever he showed up. He'd be number one if it wasn't for that weird thing toward the end of the tournament where he kept showing up out of nowhere to get beat up by Toppo or Jiren.

3. Goku. He had protagonist privilege, but even then the writing for him was pretty good compared to the last two arcs. Ultra Instinct is the best transformation in the series.

4. 18. A pleasant surprise, not as hyped as her brother, but she held her own pretty well and had a lot of cool wins under her belt. Her vs Ribrianne was the best kind of batshit nonsense.

5. Roshi. A welcome comeback for an old master showing how he can be effective while setting a believable upper limit on what he could do. How hard is that to pull off, Toyotaro?

6. Gohan. He was built up too much for the role he ended up with, but it was still a fine role. He had some good fights, good characterisation and an appropriate exit, even if the episode itself was shite.

7. Krillin. Again, he went out too early for the buildup he got, but he did alright while he was in. Even in the stands, it was hard not to appreciate the faith he showed in his team.

8. Piccolo. The U6 Namekian fight was cool, but apart from that one bit with Kami and Nail, he never stepped outside of Gohan's shadow.

9. Tien. Yeah yeah, we know. The only reason he's not in number 10 is because my expectations weren't high to begin with. Unlike...

10. Vegeta. Remember when you were the best written character in the franchise? Fell pretty hard there, matey.

[Logania]

I was gonna put 17 at #1...but after that new chapter leak in the manga, Roshi is about to take that spot lmao

1. 17
2. Goku
3. Roshi
4. Freeza
5. Vegeta
6. 18
7. Gohan
8. Piccolo
9. Krillin
10. Tien

[Nickolaidas]

1. Frieza: Not much I can say that hasn't been already said. His recruitment episode was the reason I started watching Super (I skipped it when I heard the first reviews and criticism and the fact that it basically re-told the movies) and his characterization was fantastic - with the writers transforming him from a bloodthirsty psycho to a Magnificent Bastard. His role in the ToP was crucial for the team's survival (he saved allies from elimination multiple times) and his team-up battle with Goku against Jiren is now my favorite moment in all of Dragon Ball. The show made Frieza so amazing I simply cannot watch him in the Namek Saga anymore - he seems so stale, flat and uninteresting when compared with his latest self in Super. This is how you remake a character. Even his thrashing by Topponslaught was badass.

2. Roshi: He gave me the most feels in the ToP. Sure, Frieza was the reason I was jumping up and down in my forties whenever he would do badass things in the ToP, but Roshi made me cry at least two times with his words and his actions. He fought a Frieza-race character (which was only possible in fan-fiction for the last 20 years), he kept Vegeta in the Tournament, won the respect of the God of Destruction and had awesome badass moments when he was all but forgotten in DBZ. An amazing comeback, and quite sentimental.

3. #17: Another powerful comeback - the only reason #17 is third on my list and not Number One is the simple fact that he was an irrelevant character for me prior to the ToP - never really cared for him in Z and I always thought that GT ruined him. And sure, he's the one who won the title - but he won by process of elimination, rather than his own strength. Nevertheless, Super made him relevant, powerful, a team player, a strategist and one of the best assets in the team. I doubt that he will top his moment with Anilaza, but here's hoping he'll be even better in the future. If handled correctly, #17 could be even more popular with the fandom.

4. Goku: He's the main man, and while I never really cared for him, the ToP managed to make me look at him at a much more positive light. His UI moments were spectacular and his characterization stumbled along the way but in the end he pulled through with a great team-up speech and all-around badassness in the last episodes. And yeah, his flickering in-and-out of SSJ state in the last episode was fucking awesome.

The rest of the characters were more of a disappointment but I'll rate them nonetheless.

5. Vegeta: His characterization was all over the place and the writers converting him to Cell-arc Vegeta all but ruined him for me. His episode against Topponslaught made no sense to me and his chemistry with Roshi and Cabba was the only redeeming thing about him. I thought he was awesome in BoG and grew as a character a lot, only to waste it here. A major disappointment. Was decent in the episode with Anilaza though.

6. Gohan: He was a team leader in all but name, his recruitment episode made people yearn for a transformation he never achieved, his battle prowess was more of a by-the-book approach rather than moments of genuine awesome and not having watched the ToP for a second time, I struggle to remember what he did other than getting fake-beat-up by Frieza in order to trick Frost and having a nice battle with Obuni. He didn't do anything memorable for me, although I admit I wouldn't be so disappointed if his name wasn't Son Gohan.

7. #18: She went through the motions but failed to do anything memorable for me. And no, punching out the gag character of the Tournament isn't my idea of badass. Saving her brother and teamin-up with her husband was a nice touch, though.

8. Piccolo: *sigh* Was this guy even there? Seriously, the only thing I remember about Piccolo was a badass moment with Kami and Nail but it's like a blur. Oh, and getting his arms ripped off ten times.

9. Krillin: Had an awesome recruitment episode and his fights were well-done. It's just a pity they wasted him so casually just for the shocks. Considering how Tien fared, they should've taken Tien out (and spare him from the embarrassment) and have Krillin stick around for 5 more eps.

10. Tien: Do you see a Saiyan perform a badass technique? Chances are he stole it from this guy. The maker of the most interesting techniques in the show and they handled him like a weakling idiot. He had the worse recruitment episode and I don't care that he 'saved' Gohan and Piccolo, he was handled terribly. Like Gohan, he's a character who deserved a LOT better than this and he should have taken out at least five guys before getting eliminated. Just thinking about him in the ToP makes me angry.

[majinwarman]

My Ranking:
1. Freeza- He is my favorite character and I love seeing him around.
2. Andriod 17- He went from forgotten character from the Cell saga to the MVP of the TOP.
3. Goku- Main character and had the coolest fights in the show.
4. Vegeta- I liked his fight with Toppo but had weird writing issues.
5. Gohan- I didn't have big expectations from him and he did pretty good.
6. Roshi- I love seeing him fight and did well in the TOP.
7. Andriod 18- Fine but could have been better.
8. Krillin- He had cool moves but should have lasted longer in the tournament.
9. Piccolo- Fine until the elimination. I'm still mad about it.
10. Tienshinhan- He can't seem to do anything in Super.