Most Overrated Character (Besides Goku and Vegeta)?

[Lord Beerus]

#16.

Honest to God, don't understand where all the love for this character comes from. He has no character arc, has no dynamic chemistry with anyone and his fights are boring. Yet some fans view him as this complex and nuanced character and I just don't see it at all.

[90sDBZ]

Zamasu is a little overrated in that he's just not this deep sympathetic character the story tries to present him as. At least in the anime he's shown to be a bad egg from the moment we meet him, immediately seeing himself as superior to everyone else just because. It's the same way some people act in real life when they've been born into wealth ie. a Lucius Malfoy type character. I think his real appeal is the intimidation you feel when you realise just how deranged he really is. Crazy villains who firmly believe they're in the right are legitimately scary.

Cabba is a bit overrated too. I'm just not a huge fan of his weak looking design, and his personality is bland. Dragon Ball has a history of weak looking characters being strong, but he just fails to contribute anything. He's like a less interesting Gohan.

I'm not sure how popular Kale is exactly, but I get the impression people like her because she's a female Broly. I find Caulifla to be the much more interesting of the pair.

I'm tempted to say Beerus and Whis too. I like them, but their routine does get a bit old after while. Like it's almost annoying how they're forever beyond Goku and Vegeta, who now act like cowards whenever they're in their presence.

[Desassina]

I nominate Gohan, particularly Cell Games Gohan. Gohan has this weird group of superfans that constantly want him to be front and center, and they often want him to act just like how he did when he was SS2 against Cell. Whenever there's even a remote possibility for it during a story arc, or even when there isn't one, you can find some of these fans whining about how Gohan should be a part of it and how he should get a new power-up and so on and so on. In my opinion, Cell Games Gohan wasn't a very good iteration of Gohan, so to me this definitely comes off as him being overrated.

I agree with this.

I think that Gohan's best moments were those when he tried to balance his life and work with training and got his father to notice him for his strength even as a secondary character. In some ways, he reminds me of Raiden from Metal Gear Solid, because he used to be a child soldier, but grew up not entirely sure of whom he was, until he got a few badass moments before he settled, and resumed his role in someone else's battle. Gohan's portrayal in DBS was like an abridgement of the Cell Games to Babidi chapters that began when he got Ultimate in the Majin Boo arc. However, he is consistent now, and I hope that they don't repeat his history.

[Hellspawn28]

Gotenks - I hate kid Trunks for being a spoil brat and Gotenks is 100% worse. The dub voice for him makes the character more annoying to listen too.

DBZ Broly - Beating a dead horse here, but I never love him like most people do. He would have been better if he was a one time villain like the other movie characters were.

Kid Buu - Not even the strongest buu and was created by a total plot hole. They should have keep it simple with only Fat Buu, Grey Buu, and Super Buu.

Super 17 - I love his design and that's about it. Probably the dumbest idea for a character because it felt like Toei was running out of ideas for a villain. #17 himself was nothing special until Super came out in my opinion and having him be a main villain made no sense to me.

[PurestEvil]

#16.

Honest to God, don't understand where all the love for this character comes from. He has no character arc, has no dynamic chemistry with anyone and his fights are boring. Yet some fans view him as this complex and nuanced character and I just don't see it at all.

Not gonna lie, I almost completely forgot about him. I for one, agree with your sentiment. Even with the whole "Gero's son" shtick, he does not have anything substantial about him. Android 8 had a better character arc for crying out loud!

[Thanos]

Goku Black - or Zamasu in general, but it's mostly Goku Black. Not only the worst version of Zamasu but also way more popular than his other incarnations for some reasons i can't understand

I would argue Goku Black's appeal stems from his potential prior to the reveal of his origin, which ended up being disappointing. He could have been his own thing entirely while still having Zamasu play out his arc. Why is Goku in Future Trunks' timeline being pure evil? Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he wearing one Kaioshin earring? The possibilities seemed endless. My favorite theory was that it was Goten--the idea of a member of Goku's lineage being a complete sociopathic murderer is probably a bit edgy for Dragon Ball, but the thought was compelling to some degree, especially with the idea of Future Trunks having a Goten counterpart who happens to be a nemesis terrorizing him. Maybe that would've been really stupid? I dunno, at the time it seemed like an interesting possibility along with countless other theories. It was fun to experience genuine mystery in Dragon Ball for once, especially after spending decades jaded to knowing every single aspect of the series inside and out.

Speaking for myself, the impression of the character shifted for the worse when his origin was revealed, but the initial, mysterious version of Goku Black is pretty awesome. Masako Nozawa definitely deserves credit for that as well, holy hell did she nail that performance. They took a dumb, eyeroll-inducing fanfic concept and made it one of the best arcs, at least until the dogshit tail-end.

[MasenkoHA]

Goku Black - or Zamasu in general, but it's mostly Goku Black. Not only the worst version of Zamasu but also way more popular than his other incarnations for some reasons i can't understand

I would argue Goku Black's appeal stems from his potential prior to the reveal of his origin, which ended up being disappointing. He could have been his own thing entirely while still having Zamasu play out his arc. Why is Goku in Future Trunks' timeline being pure evil? Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he wearing one Kaioshin earring? The possibilities seemed endless. My favorite theory was that it was Goten--the idea of a member of Goku's lineage being a complete sociopathic murderer is probably a bit edgy for Dragon Ball, but the thought was compelling to some degree, especially with the idea of Future Trunks having a Goten counterpart who happens to be a nemesis terrorizing him. Maybe that would've been really stupid?

But where would Goten even come from? He can’t exist in Future Trunks timeline because Goku died before he could be conceived.

It would also raise questions about Goten in the main timeline. Like sure altered timelines can change some aspects of personality but to have a completely sociopathic counterpart? Future Trunks and Future Gohan are different from their prime counterparts because of the environment they had to grow up in. Why would Goten turn out as a sociopath?

[Thanos]

Goku Black - or Zamasu in general, but it's mostly Goku Black. Not only the worst version of Zamasu but also way more popular than his other incarnations for some reasons i can't understand

I would argue Goku Black's appeal stems from his potential prior to the reveal of his origin, which ended up being disappointing. He could have been his own thing entirely while still having Zamasu play out his arc. Why is Goku in Future Trunks' timeline being pure evil? Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he wearing one Kaioshin earring? The possibilities seemed endless. My favorite theory was that it was Goten--the idea of a member of Goku's lineage being a complete sociopathic murderer is probably a bit edgy for Dragon Ball, but the thought was compelling to some degree, especially with the idea of Future Trunks having a Goten counterpart who happens to be a nemesis terrorizing him. Maybe that would've been really stupid?

But where would Goten even come from? He can’t exist in Future Trunks timeline because Goku died before he could be conceived.

It would also raise questions about Goten in the main timeline. Like sure altered timelines can change some aspects of personality but to have a completely sociopathic counterpart? Future Trunks and Future Gohan are different from their prime counterparts because of the environment they had to grow up in. Why would Goten turn out as a sociopath?

How could Goku be there if he died decades ago? Maybe Zamasu took him as a baby and twisted his mind into thinking his parents hated and abandoned him or something as some kind of revenge against Goku. I don't know, logic has never been a priority in this series. Keep in mind, I've already conceded that this idea is potentially dumb and unworkable. Fanfic/speculation in Dragon Ball has a low threshold of cringe so I'd prefer not to go any further on it than that. I just think Black's actual connection to Goku being entirely aesthetic is a major letdown in terms of potential, thus my conclusion that his popularity stems from that unrealized potential.

[SupremeKai25]

Black's popularity stems from the fact that he's badass, like him or hate him it cannot be denied that this antagonist was a true unstoppable force for the protagonists. Each and every time it seemed like he was cornered he always found a way to turn the tables on the protagonists, he was also the only DB villain who never lost his composure when faced with overwhelming odds (even though my fave is Fused Zamasu I will have to admit that he indeed lost his composure once, unlike Black).

And while as I said I prefer Immortal Zamasu and Fused Zamasu to Goku Black (I simply prefer the Kai aesthetic), I cannot deny that Black is indeed badass and menacing, and these are the most important traits in a villain.

It doesn't hurt that Black (and Zamasu) are revolutionary villains in Dragon Ball for their motivations and ideals, as elaborated earlier in this thread.

[PurestEvil]

On the topic of Goku Black: I, for one, consider him and Kai Zamasu as the same. Not just because Black is literally a body swapped Zamasu, but because he is merely an inseparable and integral piece of Zamasu's character. Because of that, I feel like Black is a tad overrated, but he did provide an interesting variation of Zamasu.

[UltraInstinctRorikon]

Caulifla and Kale (Anime).

But I get why they are popular.

[coola]

Broly (Z) - Shoehorned into so many games while being OP.
#17 and Tenshinhan - They both are boring characters, and they shouldn't return in Super.

[UltraInstinctRorikon]

Ah yeah 17 for sure. Never understood his appeal, especially in Super (Anime).

[MyVisionity]

Why would Goten turn out as a sociopath?

Exactly. Those questions would become part of the story moving forward, and would make the audience look at Goten in a different light. Unknown possibilities for the character's future. I like the idea of one of Goku's family potentially going dark. Especially a character like Goten.

[Kinokima]

Ah yeah 17 for sure. Never understood his appeal, especially in Super (Anime).

I do understand his appeal but in the Anime TOP I felt the director or whoever was just a bit too in love him. He was honestly portrayed too perfectly. I wanted him to have some flaws & growth on screen.

I didn’t really have an issue with how he was portrayed in the Manga TOP. He didn’t really have any particular flaws there either but he wasn’t as front and center there either despite still being the winner.

[Jiren The Alpha]

Other characters getting a power up
Fans: this is bullshit and makes no sense.

Gohan getting a power up
Fans: this is awesome and makes sense because "potential".

If your going too make excuses for a character atleast choose one that's entertaining.

[MasenkoHA]

Other characters getting a power up
Fans: this is bullshit and makes no sense.

How often does that happen though?

I know Goku being given Super God Water in the Daimao arc got some criticism but that seems more on the line of it being a deus ex machina in the manga . Even the anime saw the issue with that and fixed it by turning it into a quest and test of character.

Gohan just being handed a power up by elder Kaioshin is more forgiving because it doesn’t earn him a victory. He ends up losing and getting absorbed.


And any complaint about Super Saiyan power ups in general are just kind of dumb. Complaints about level 3 and Blue coming the hell out of nowhere are valid though.

[WittyUsername]

I guess I’ll say that I’m also not very keen on Beerus and Whis. I liked them back when they were first introduced, but I grew tired of their shtick pretty quickly. While we’re at it, I’m not very fond of the entire concept behind the angels in general at this point.

[Potara-Warrior96]

Goku Black - one of the many terrible ideas to come out of modern dragonball while also just plain uninteresting. On top of him just being a ripoff of Baby Begets with a bit of Ginyu thrown in their.

New Broly - ultimately a boring cookie cutter character that that's made specifically to emotionally manipulate plus the fact that his backstory does a pretty terrible job of eliciting sympathy with you actually think. Especially since this new Broly never really went through anything major at all before Goku showed up. Old Broly technically had it worse hands down with stabbed as a baby and left on dying planet(something that mess anyone up) but nope being sent to a planet where you're already stronger than anything else is better I guess.

Jiren - if theirs any character that people should complain about reaching the levels of gods (mind you going by Supers anime Goku already surpassed Beerus) this gray wall of bland deserves the title. Considering how much the saiyans are being favored it at least makes sense that they being put on that level (trash recolor forms withstanding). Jiren has no discernable reason for being that strong except because demand it so Goku can have a wall of a character stand in front of him.

17 - basically the same as Jiren but even worse since Jiren whole character was simply "strong guy Goku need to beat" while 17 is essentially "minor villain charater that got overshadowed by the main villain 4 sagas is now on the level of higher by simply training a lot". Doesn't help that his character feels gary-stuish in the ToP arc.

[BWri]

Gohan - I definitely like Gohan just fine, but he's honestly quite dull. He went from being an overly serious nerd to an underpowered dork. His role in the Cell Games and post-ritual against Super Buu were nice moments, but the fact is that over 30 years later, people still willingly set themselves up for inevitable disappointment when it doesn't become "The Gohan Show". It will never happen. Even so, what's the appeal in that happening? I'm open to ernest opinions, but this whole "Goku should have stepped aside so Gohan can take over" is such a strange take that I find it hard to believe that it's little more than edgy contrarianism. I can't think of other series where a certain group of fans clammer for the main character to step aside. Very weird.

I think it would make more sense if Gohan was written better. I've seen the opinion that if Gohan was as passionate about his "studies" as much as Goku was passionate about fighting, that he would be a much more interesting character and better lead for the show. It's damning that even now Gohan's "studies" are rather vague and have no applications to what anyone else is doing in the show. His study into ki and its benefits for society in DBO is very interesting and if he approached that topic with passion and enthusiasm and set a clear goal for himself, I could still see Gohan as a decent lead.

Kuririn - Maybe it's another case of author's overrating than fans, but he always struck me as undeserving of his elevation and somehow he vicariously reached questionable feats and relevance due to being Goku's best friend. Tenshinhan was robbed.

I pretty much agree, though I do like Krillin a lot and don't begrudge his accomplishments. I just think Tien should have been far and away the strongest human and should've always been in the mix, finding a way to be stronger than the base Saiyans (Kaioken variations). Tien probably has the worst writing in the show out of any character.

Cabba is a bit overrated too. I'm just not a huge fan of his weak looking design, and his personality is bland. Dragon Ball has a history of weak looking characters being strong, but he just fails to contribute anything. He's like a less interesting Gohan.

His manga design looks much better (especially SSJ) and I do think there's a ton of potential to the character especially when you consider he's an intergalactic peacekeeper/soldier who's probably had some crazy fights/adventures to get as strong as he did. He's basically a combination of a Saiyan merc and Ginga Patrol and I can just see the potential in a character like this. Plus his connection as Vegeta's new student. Groundwork was laid for something good but his spotlight was completely stolen by Kale and Caulifla. Against them, he has no choice but to be the boring one.

But overall, I also agree with you. His design is way too similar to both Gohan and Tarble. And his personality is quite banal, but these are factors that would have been mitigated if he showed any of the confidence that a character of his rank and strength level likely should have. I'd have liked more of a competitive spirit as well. He is a full blooded Saiyan after all.