Who are the top 5 most important characters in DB-DBZ-DBS?

[TheZFighter]

Goku, Bulma, Roshi, Piccolo, Vegeta.

[Grimlock]

Bardock - Sends Goku to Earth.

Finally someone else who can see the importance of his act. If it wasn't for Bardock's decision, there would not be literally a Goku's story to be told.

[BWri]

Well this is tough. If we go directly by overall impact on the story I'd have to say

1. Goku - Series protagonist. Defeated or slayed most of the villains. Obliterated RR army. Converted other bad guys to heroes. His own will and actions have far reaching effects including other universes and even the God of Everything. The main contributor to saving universe 7. He's just THAT GUY wherever he goes.

Oh and he's the reason for the creation of the androids including the kidnapping of Lapis and Lazuli. This means he's the #1 reason the future is in shambles but also indirectly the reason Krillin has a wife and family. He's also the reason the Saiyans even knew about Earth and because of him Zamasu's madness hit a fever pitch and began to terrorize Trunks future in Goku's body. And because of Goku, mortals were allowed to meet and fight with other mortals in different universes. Also indirectly Goku improved Beerus and Champa's relationship and helped the Omni-king get over his crippling social isolation (thereby dooming us all!)

2. Bulma - Started the adventure with Goku. Their adventures changed the world and allowed Goku to meet Roshi. Her family's technology seems to have changed the world greatly. Thanks to her Yamcha got over his phobia. Helped turn Vegeta, a former genocider into a good guy. Mother of the future aka mother of Hope due to birthing the future savior known as Trunks. And just let it be said, capsules are the s***!

Her gravity chambers help keep Vegeta in peak fighting shape. Her costume watch is the reason Saiyaman exists.

3. Roshi - The master of Goku and Grandpa Gohan who taught Goku as well as Ox-King father of Chichi, Goku's wife. Roshi's teachings have been passed down to most of Earth's protecters either firsthand or secondhand. Without Roshi's fundamentals its doubtful Goku would be half the fighter he is today. Likely, its due to Roshi's teachings that Goku remains a step ahead of Vegeta. Even villains like Cell and Buu end up learning Roshi's Kamehameha technique, which is one of the most effective techniques in the series and a powerful tool in Goku's arsenal. Through Krillin and even Gohan in DBO, Roshi's teachings are passed along far into the future.

4. Nameless Namekian (this'll be kinda long cuz its technically 4 characters in one)- So much can be said about Piccolo's impact starting from his original form as the Nameless Namekian, survivor of the Namekian catastrophe. This Namekian can be thought of as legendary, with power to be feared throughout the universe. On earth, he sought to become a god, THE god of Earth. He did just that after casting away his evil side, who then went to terrorize the earth for quite some time, striking fear into even the strongest martial artists of the age. Through dormant memories, Kami created the Dragon Balls the main focus of the series and for quite some time, Piccolo's life was tied to the Dragon Balls. Kami is known throughout the local godly hierarchy. Both King Piccolo and Kami had huge impacts on Goku, one forcing him to get much stronger and focused while the other training him in the most esoteric martial arts of the planet. Kami's training made Goku truly adept in the spiritual side of martial arts, same with the other Earthlings that trained with him. Kami's magical creations are still used to this day, like the RoSat and its his legacy and teachings that Dende has inherited including Popo.

Now young Piccolo has the combined memories and legacies of those two while making his own impact initially as Goku's rival, a challenge forcing him to reach new heights of strength. His next major impact and legacy was the training of Gohan. Gohan goes on to create a legacy for himself in Trunks' future and in DBO and so Piccolo is easily tied to that legacy, with one of his techniques even passed down to the son of Vegeta. Piccolo's cells are incorporated into Cell and are what gives him regeneration. Piccolo is one of the fallen heroes of the future. Piccolo's fusion with Kami forever changed the planet which is now under Dende's watchful eye. Piccolo more or less kept Buu from destroying the Earth for a period and was one of the contributors to the saving of Universe 7..

5. Vegeta - Vegeta's initial impact is on Frieza's very army. All of Freeza's top soldiers know who he is and respect his power to a degree. Frieza himself has a keen interest in Vegeta as a prodigy and survivor of his race. He led Raditz and Nappa to conquering some worlds and likely had a great influence on Raditz. His battle on Earth changed the landscape of things and forced the Earthlings and Piccolo to afterlife training, which greatly improved Piccolo. His tactics on Namek helped keep him and Gohan and Krillin alive long enough to prevent Frieza's wish for immortality. His destruction of the Ginyu Force helped create a power vaccuum after Frieza's death and likely prevented many deaths throughout the universe. He slaughtered a village of Namekians who were never wished back (not shown or mentioned). His implied respect of Gohan may have given the boy some confidence. His death sparked a change in Goku who slowly began to accept his Saiyan roots. His relationship with Bulma seems to have had a positive affect on her, but a negative one on Yamcha (lol). He is the father of the future, father of hope thanks to being the father of the future savior, Trunks. Thanks to his actions Cell was able to attain his Perfect Form, but also thanks to his actions Cell was defeated. Thanks to his actions Buu was resurrected, but also thanks to his actions Buu was defeated. Is one half of the strongest mortal warrior in the universe thanks to different methods of fusion. God of Destruction Candidate and one of the main contributors to the saving of Universe 7.

Honorables - Chichi, Grandpa Gohan, Beerus, Gohan, Future Trunks, Frieza

[jcogginsa]

Going to go by series like others have done then attempt an overall top 5

Dragonball
1. Son Goku
2. Bulma
3. Master Roshi
4. Krillin
5. Piccolo (Both incarnations)

Dragonball Z
1. Goku
2. Vegeta
3. Gohan
4. Krillin
5. Piccolo

Dragonball GT
1. Goku
2. Pan
3. Trunks
4. Vegeta
5. Baby

Dragonball Super
1. Goku
2. Vegeta
3. Beerus
4. Whis
5. Frieza

Overall
1. Goku
2. Vegeta
3. Frieza
4. Gohan
5. Whis

[apex_pretador]

I once did a thread back then where I listed top ten most important characters in each arc and ranked them in total. It was a while ago, but Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Freeza, Bulma, Krillin were the top ranked characters. If I had to choose 5 only for the entire series, then it would go:

1. Goku - Obvious
2. Vegeta - Despite being non-existent for DB, he was the most important character in second half of saiyan arc, first half of namek arc, and the second or third most important character in subsequent arcs, only surpassed by the major villains and Goku.
3. Bulma - She takes third place and is the most important human in the series as she has major presence in the original DB, in DBZ and in DBS. No other character has such a prominent presence throughout the series.
Yamcha and TIen faded after DB, Roshi and Krillin faded in DBZ despite having some rare showings in later parts. Beerus and whis were non-existent before DBS.
4. Freeza - He is very influential character as being the indirect driving force behind Goku's entire existence, and being the major character in his own arc, and having a prominent presence despite not being there in androids/cell arc. He was consistently name-dropped in later arcs as well, and that happens even in movies.
5. Piccolo - I put him barely above Gohan. He is a major character in DB, and extremely important in the first half of DBZ, easily in the top three. Even in the later parts of DBZ, he doesn't fade away like krillin etc despite becoming less important and all that. He is still treated as an important character till the end. However, DBS is what gets him a place in the top five above Gohan due to him still being involved in every arc and Gohan being sidelined in general.

[Hugo Boss]

1- Goku
2- Bulma
3- Gohan
4- Vegeta
5- Trunks

Goku doesn’t need to be explained.

Bulma obviously, because she is responsible for the Dragon Radar and Time Machine. She went through everything the story told.

Gohan was co-protagonist in the Dragon Ball Z portion of the story, before becoming a side-character in Super.

Vegeta played a big role in Dragon Ball Z and became co-protagonist in Dragon Ball Super.

Trunks also played a big role in Cell Arc and Zamas Arc, dividing the protagonism with Gohan and Goku, respectively.

[RandomGuy96]

Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Krillin would be the easiest answers just going by the original manga, TV series, and movies. But including Super you could make a strong case for replacing Gohan, Piccolo, or Krillin with Bulma, Freeza, and/or Future Trunks, considering the heavy focus they get in the new series while the former three almost disappear.

[jcogginsa]

Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Krillin would be the easiest answers just going by the original manga, TV series, and movies. But including Super you could make a strong case for replacing Gohan, Piccolo, or Krillin with Bulma, Freeza, and/or Future Trunks, considering the heavy focus they get in the new series while the former three almost disappear.

I think you could make a good argument for replacing one of them with Bulma even just counting the original stuff

[Lord Beerus]

Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Freeza and Piccolo.

The entire series cannot work without these five characters.

[jcogginsa]

Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Freeza and Piccolo.

The entire series cannot work without these five characters.

I'd argue Gohan would trump Piccolo

[Lord Beerus]

Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Freeza and Piccolo.

The entire series cannot work without these five characters.

I'd argue Gohan would trump Piccolo

Without Piccolo, Gohan would have died in the battle against Nappa. And with Gohan dead, there's no way, Krillin would have survived on Namek before Goku arrived, specially with Vegeta in the mix. And if Krillin dies before Goku arrives Goku doesn't become a Super Saiyan and Freeza kills everyone on Namek.

[jcogginsa]

Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Freeza and Piccolo.

The entire series cannot work without these five characters.

I'd argue Gohan would trump Piccolo

Without Piccolo, Gohan would have died in the battle against Nappa. And with Gohan dead, there's no way, Krillin would have survived on Namek before Goku arrived, specially with Vegeta in the mix. And if Krillin dies before Goku arrives Goku doesn't become a Super Saiyan and Freeza kills everyone on Namek.

This is about narrative important, not who saved who's butt in battle. While it's true that Piccolo did Save Gohan's life, Gohan's story and exploits are more prominent that Piccolo's. Let's look at their histories

23rd Budokai: Piccolo is the main antagonist, Gohan isn't born

Saiyan Saga: Piccolo and Gohan are both protagonists of the arc alongside Goku

Namek Saga: Gohan is a protagonist of the arc alongside Vegeta and Krillin, whereas Piccolo appears but does nothing of relevence

Cell Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist among several (Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku would arguably all qualify), whereas Piccolo is just a supporting character

Buu Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist, while Piccolo's supporting role has dwindled even more

Super: Gohan is now a supporting character, but Piccolo's even further down the list of prominence

The only time that Piccolo was more prominent than Gohan was the single arc where he existed and Gohan didn't.

[Lord Beerus]

I'd argue Gohan would trump Piccolo

Without Piccolo, Gohan would have died in the battle against Nappa. And with Gohan dead, there's no way, Krillin would have survived on Namek before Goku arrived, specially with Vegeta in the mix. And if Krillin dies before Goku arrives Goku doesn't become a Super Saiyan and Freeza kills everyone on Namek.

This is about narrative important, not who saved who's butt in battle. While it's true that Piccolo did Save Gohan's life, Gohan's story and exploits are more prominent that Piccolo's. Let's look at their histories

23rd Budokai: Piccolo is the main antagonist, Gohan isn't born

Saiyan Saga: Piccolo and Gohan are both protagonists of the arc alongside Goku

Namek Saga: Gohan is a protagonist of the arc alongside Vegeta and Krillin, whereas Piccolo appears but does nothing of relevence

Cell Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist among several (Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku would arguably all qualify), whereas Piccolo is just a supporting character

Buu Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist, while Piccolo's supporting role has dwindled even more

Super: Gohan is now a supporting character, but Piccolo's even further down the list of prominence

The only time that Piccolo was more prominent than Gohan was the single arc where he existed and Gohan didn't.

And, coincidentally, if Piccolo doesn't save Gohan's life when he does, then the story beats on Namek are majorly different, which that itself, have an overarching effect on how the story plays out as I pointed out.

[jcogginsa]

Without Piccolo, Gohan would have died in the battle against Nappa. And with Gohan dead, there's no way, Krillin would have survived on Namek before Goku arrived, specially with Vegeta in the mix. And if Krillin dies before Goku arrives Goku doesn't become a Super Saiyan and Freeza kills everyone on Namek.

This is about narrative important, not who saved who's butt in battle. While it's true that Piccolo did Save Gohan's life, Gohan's story and exploits are more prominent that Piccolo's. Let's look at their histories

23rd Budokai: Piccolo is the main antagonist, Gohan isn't born

Saiyan Saga: Piccolo and Gohan are both protagonists of the arc alongside Goku

Namek Saga: Gohan is a protagonist of the arc alongside Vegeta and Krillin, whereas Piccolo appears but does nothing of relevence

Cell Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist among several (Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku would arguably all qualify), whereas Piccolo is just a supporting character

Buu Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist, while Piccolo's supporting role has dwindled even more

Super: Gohan is now a supporting character, but Piccolo's even further down the list of prominence

The only time that Piccolo was more prominent than Gohan was the single arc where he existed and Gohan didn't.

And, coincidentally, if Piccolo doesn't save Gohan's life when he does, then the story beats on Namek are majorly different, which that itself, have an overarching effect on how the story plays out as I pointed out.

And if Oolong didn't steal Pilaf's Wish, even more of the story would be majorly different. So by your logic, Oolong should be a more major character

[Jack Bz]

1. Goku, obviously.

2. Bulma. Pretty sure she has a legit major role in almost every arc from dragon ball until super. Consistent important character from the first episode.

3. Vegeta. Goku's eternal rival. Responsible for how the plot progresses in Z probably more than anyone else (getting Freeza involved in the story, letting cell become perfect, becoming majin and ultimately allowing boo to be awakened). 2nd main character in Super, but absent from DB.


After that? It's not as clear. Until Super, I'd have said Gohan and Piccolo, but they have been almost firmly cast aside for Freeza, Whis and Beerus in super. I'd say Roshi is more relevant to OG dragon ball than Freeza is to super, but he has next to no relevance in Z. I can't decide.

[Lord Beerus]

This is about narrative important, not who saved who's butt in battle. While it's true that Piccolo did Save Gohan's life, Gohan's story and exploits are more prominent that Piccolo's. Let's look at their histories

23rd Budokai: Piccolo is the main antagonist, Gohan isn't born

Saiyan Saga: Piccolo and Gohan are both protagonists of the arc alongside Goku

Namek Saga: Gohan is a protagonist of the arc alongside Vegeta and Krillin, whereas Piccolo appears but does nothing of relevence

Cell Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist among several (Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku would arguably all qualify), whereas Piccolo is just a supporting character

Buu Saga: Gohan is again a main protagonist, while Piccolo's supporting role has dwindled even more

Super: Gohan is now a supporting character, but Piccolo's even further down the list of prominence

The only time that Piccolo was more prominent than Gohan was the single arc where he existed and Gohan didn't.

And, coincidentally, if Piccolo doesn't save Gohan's life when he does, then the story beats on Namek are majorly different, which that itself, have an overarching effect on how the story plays out as I pointed out.

And if Oolong didn't steal Pilaf's Wish, even more of the story would be majorly different. So by your logic, Oolong should be a more major character

Expect my logic wasn't based on singular moment. I'm just merely point out one of the several important narrative moments that concern Piccolo's character.

[The Great Saiyaman]

Well, from the whole franchise:

1. Bulma
2. Goku
3. Grampa Gohan
4. Kid Gohan
5. Piccoro

Without Bulma there would be no Dragon Ball story, and the Dragon Balls were made by Kami, Piccoros God half, and Grampa Gohan shaped Gokus essential motivation and drive to this day.

[Lionel]

Others have already delineated who have been the most integral to the series. I feel it necessary to point out, though, that Karin has made significant but unsung contributions. When you think about it, he's the one responsible for cultivating the sensu beans which have proved to be indispensable in almost every arc of Dragon Ball. You've then got his training of Roshi who extensionally passed down said strength to his pupils when he took them under his wing. Let's not forget he also acted as a teacher to Goku and the other Z-fighters throughout classic Dragon Ball. Moreover, he's keeper of the Chonshinsui and is the keeper of the bell with a sanctuary that connects to Kami's palace.

It's true Karin's fighting career wasn't nearly as prolific as most familiar faces of the franchise, but he's always acted as a tangible productive supporter of the group when they needed him.

[TenshinFan]

Mutaito
Muten Roshi
Freeza
Bulma
That mouse that scared General Blue