Why Majin Buu is the worst villain in DBZ

[Kaboom]

In some respects, Majin Boo is a gag villain.
Which totally fits the series, mind you.

This is the answer.

Despite all the death and destruction within the story, the Boo arc is just dripping with an atmosphere of 'Toriyama's having fun.' The properties and character of Majin Boo are perfectly appropriate.

[Kendamu]

I thought Buu was a good villain for the end of the series, I mean he was more original then the #17 and #18 where.

How was he more original than the androids?

Evil machines made for taking over or destroying humanity isn't exactly as original as a pink gumball blob thing that personifies evil but has the mindset of a small child.

[Onikage725]

Regeneration was used so many times by that time that I'm wondering why Kid Boo didn't just up and regenerate from Goku's Genki-Dama.

I've wondered this myself.

This had some logic to it. Buu's regeneration seemed to, essentially, be similar to Piccolo's and Cell's. It required ki to utilize. Buu himself happened to never seem to run out of ki. When Gotenks seemingly obliterated his body, and then he and Piccolo burned the remains, Buu's overwhelming ki still had a spark to it. So, he used it to regenerate. Later, Buu seems a wreck, and scared that Gotenks can finish him off with a full power blast. But when Gotenks de-fuses, Super Buu uses the momentary rest to heal up.

So, back to the point above, the Genki Dama was simply strong enough to override Buu's ki. Busting up his body was easy. He was basically silly putty given humanoid form and will. They allude to this when Pure Buu fights Mr. Buu. Panel for panel, blow for blow, they seem to inflict similar wounds on each other. Mr. Buu, however, comes close to dying. Yet he can regenerate in the same manner as his opponent. The reason being the difference in their ki levels was such that Pure Buu's attacks cost Mr. Buu more to heal from than vice versa.

It's very similar to Cell, though different in explanation. Cell's regeneration hit cheap levels due to the perfect concoction of DNA. Piccolo provided the ability itself. Freeza provided the ability to function regardless of bodily injury (basically, allowing him to regenerate even if damage was done to the heart or brain). And then throw in Saiyan DNA to allow benefits from near-death recovery and you wound up with villain who never lacked for ki when regenerating. He needed to be overwhelmed with one shot.

Buu is to Cell what Brolli is to Super 13, if you ask me. Different motivations, backstory, and settings for their time in the spotlight... but still leaves one with that naggingly familiar feeling.

[Gaffer Tape]

I agree with both sides. It's true that the whole regeneration thing got quite old. It was old enough with Cell and even worse here. To me, it contributed to the fights no longer feeling grueling. For comparison's sake, I think the Saiya-jin fight did the best in this regard. It escalates almost the entire time. Characters from one side are killed, characters from another side are killed. New characters start fighting, the stakes are raised, and, at the very end, they're all extremely bloody and injured and barely able to move. The injuries are at least quasi-realistic, and it shows just how grueling the fight is. But at the end of the series, with Buu regenerating, and everyone else having Dende around to instantly heal everyone, the fights just go on... and on and on and on with no indication that anyone is really suffering at all. That, and the powers of everyone have just moved so far out of the realm of realism it's nearly impossible to take seriously, just huge beam war followed by another huge beam war.

But on the other side of the coin, I love the humor in the Buu saga, the feel of the "return to roots" that had long since been lost. And if there hadn't been a return to that "gag manga" mentality (utilized to some extent by regeneration) then it couldn't have gotten away with some of the things it managed to do. Buu is a funny character. I love his interactions with Mr. Satan. I love his fights with Gotenks.

I think the only problem is when Toriyama tries to do too much. It's nearly impossible to go in such disparate directions at the same time, so when he tries to make this gag character be a genuine threat and a serious fight with the other characters, it only occasionally works. The Buu story is at its best when it's silly. For example, the fight with Murasaki is silly. There are stakes to be sure, but it never tries to be anything but a gag fight. Buu tries to do too much.

[caejones]

I'll agree that the Saiyan Arc's fighting trumps a lot of what comes after, partly due to the above-mentioned reasons. But I'm gonna disagree that Buu's all-over-the-place-ness was a bad thing; simultaneously being the beast of the apocalypse and "Hee Buu play with doggy!"... I dunno, was awesome. That the villain that ultimately destroys the Earth and several other planets and kills literally everyone but his best friend and two other guys happens to fit as a cornerstone to the "Toriyama funtime" arc... I dunno, kinda feels like the finer points of both DB and DBZ all roled into one epic explosion. (Dragon-fist explosion, if you will; if Goku can't do it, FAN-RAGE! ).


I think we also need to question if Buu should even be referred to as a villain at all, at least before his first transformation (and that's quite a while into things...).

And I half wonder if Buu shouldn't have just been declared immortal in the absence of magical interference. . At least then his regeneration would have been part of a greater plot-goal-thing than "Must be stronger!", but then we wouldn't have had reason for SSJ3 and Fusion and all that. Hmm.

[IncompetentOverlord]

The way I look at it, Majin Boo was a terrible way to end Dragonball Z, but an excellent way to end Dragonball as a whole. In Boo's arc, Toriyama basically took the series back to it's roots as a gag manga while simultaneously retaining much of the fighting that defined the Piccolo Daimao arc-the Artificial Humans, thus(mostly) pleasing the fanbase while keeping Toriyama amused. The mistake most people make when thinking about Dragonball is to think of it as being purely serious and dramatic. Had the series ended after the defeat of Cell, yes, it would have provided closure and a nice, dramatic end to Z. But would it have been true to the Toriyama style? Hell no! AT is a gag manga writer at heart. During Cell, he clearly wasn't enjoying any of it, and I think the melancholy feeling after Cell's death is a testament to how Toriyama felt about Dragonball at that point. Compare that to how the Boo arc ends, with Goku and Oob merrily setting off on a brand new adventure, it all feels so much more fun, so much more happy, and, most importantly, so much more Dragonball.

[penguintruth]

Hm, I guess Buu isn't as cool as Vegeta or Freeza as a villain, but he was certainly a fun one, even if he was a retarded pink manchild. Or rather, because he was a retarded pink manchild, he was a fun villain. Even his various other forms were pretty fun, because he still kept an air of casualness to him. He had a complete lack of ambition, which is very much the opposite of any other villain in the series. He just liked eating and killing.

But his powers I found fun, because rather than just being a robot that regnerates via having Piccolo's cells, he's like this big gooey blob, that can absorb you and your power into him, giving all the characters the same fear the Androids experienced when Cell was after them. This meant that even if you were stronger than him, he could absorb and take that power.

I would say that he's at least as interesting as Cell, who I always found to be more of an obstacle than a character, a barrier that had to be broken.

[Onikage725]

I think we also need to question if Buu should even be referred to as a villain at all, at least before his first transformation (and that's quite a while into things...).

Um... yea. Mass murder, even if due to being misguided, is still villainous activity.

[Hellspawn28]

I thought Buu was a good villain for the end of the series, I mean he was more original then the #17 and #18 where.

How was he more original than the androids?

Evil machines made for taking over or destroying humanity isn't exactly as original as a pink gumball blob thing that personifies evil but has the mindset of a small child.

And that I always thought most of the Cell arc was too simliar to the Terminator movies in my opinon.

[Gotham22]

I love the Buu character but he's too long of a villain. Four sagas if you count the Babidi saga.

Buu is very original. The past villains, The Saiyans, Frieza, The Androids, and Cell all have some kind of link to Goku.

The Saiyan (Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta) finding Goku.
Frieza Destroying the Goku's saiyan race.
The Androids (Dr. Gero) seeking vengeance on Goku.
Cell following Gero's dream.

[Piccolo Daimao]

And that I always thought most of the Cell arc was too simliar to the Terminator movies in my opinon.

Well, Major Metallitron did seem to be based on the Terminator...the Red Ribbon Army was linked to the Cell Arc. I'm sure Toriyama must've seen the Terminator movies. The similarity is too close to think otherwise.

Kid Boo was as bad as Fat Boo. He had no originality to him, no personality, no aim, unintelligent and a more annoying Broly.]

That's the whole character's point.

He's supposed to be the literal personification of chaotic evil.

I know, but it doesn't make him a good villain.

[Godo]

I think we also need to question if Buu should even be referred to as a villain at all, at least before his first transformation (and that's quite a while into things...).

Um... yea. Mass murder, even if due to being misguided, is still villainous activity.

Goku mass murdered the Red Ribbon army, yet he went to heaven as an adult. He killed them when he could spare them.
In Dragonball, the line between good and evil is fuzzy.

[Piccolo Daimao]

I think we also need to question if Buu should even be referred to as a villain at all, at least before his first transformation (and that's quite a while into things...).

Um... yea. Mass murder, even if due to being misguided, is still villainous activity.

Goku mass murdered the Red Ribbon army, yet he went to heaven as an adult. He killed them when he could spare them.
In Dragonball, the line between good and evil is fuzzy.

I guess Goku was let off because the Red Ribbon Army were bad. Just like he was let off for killing all the other bad guys in the series, like Tambourine & the bear who was trying to eat the Turtle.

[Amigo Ten]

One or two good things didn't redeem Vegeta. One or two bad things don't damn Goku.

[LeprikanGT]

Technically he was the 'best' villian because Kid Buu was the other one to get the job done [of destroying the planet] ...... although Cell was the one to kill Goku.........but not sure if Frieza has the highest body count.

[Godo]

One or two good things didn't redeem Vegeta. One or two bad things don't damn Goku.

Vegeta sacrificed himself once to kill one being.
Goku ruthlessly slaugtered the Red Ribbon army. Goku's thing is kinda huge and smells terribly.
Oh, and all those enemies Goku killed instead of sparing, although when Kami came, Toriyama swiftly changed Goku into a "you cannot go around killing people!" kind of dude.

[SparkyPantsMcGee]

This is the best joke thread ever!

[Kendamu]

One or two good things didn't redeem Vegeta. One or two bad things don't damn Goku.

I think this needs to be remembered in all Heaven/Hell conversations on this forums from now until forever.

[rereboy]

One or two good things didn't redeem Vegeta. One or two bad things don't damn Goku.

Vegeta sacrificed himself once to kill one being.
Goku ruthlessly slaugtered the Red Ribbon army. Goku's thing is kinda huge and smells terribly.
Oh, and all those enemies Goku killed instead of sparing, although when Kami came, Toriyama swiftly changed Goku into a "you cannot go around killing people!" kind of dude.

Goku was still this naive kid when he destroyed the red ribbon. In his mind, if they are bad and are trying to kill you, then its ok to kill them.
If none of the red ribbon men fought him and tried to kill him when he showed up do you think he would kill them? Of course not, he would just get the Dragon Ball he wanted and leave. He would never kill someone who begged for mercy or didn`t try to kill him or had killed someone. And he wouldn`t kill a killer if he begged for mercy and said he was sorry either (Examples: Tao pai pai and Raditz).

Only during his training under Kami was he taught that killing is a last resort measure. Hence his mentality change.

I find it much more believebable that Goku would go to Heaven instead of Vegeta.

[Godo]

One or two good things didn't redeem Vegeta. One or two bad things don't damn Goku.

Vegeta sacrificed himself once to kill one being.
Goku ruthlessly slaugtered the Red Ribbon army. Goku's thing is kinda huge and smells terribly.
Oh, and all those enemies Goku killed instead of sparing, although when Kami came, Toriyama swiftly changed Goku into a "you cannot go around killing people!" kind of dude.

Goku was still this naive kid when he destroyed the red ribbon. In his mind, if they are bad and are trying to kill you, then its ok to kill them.
If none of the red ribbon men fought him and tried to kill him when he showed up do you think he would kill them? Of course not, he would just get the Dragon Ball he wanted and leave. He would never kill someone who begged for mercy or didn`t try to kill him or had killed someone. And he wouldn`t kill a killer if he begged for mercy and said he was sorry either (Examples: Tao pai pai and Raditz).

Only during his training under Kami was he taught that killing is a last resort measure. Hence his mentality change.

I find it much more believebable that Goku would go to Heaven instead of Vegeta.

Mr. Satan: It's bad to kill people!
Buu: It is?