Who is Your Favorite Character Per Main Arc in Dragon Ball?

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

This is not me asking who your favorite character overall is, but rather who your favorite within each individual arc is. My favorites overall ( if I narrow down to 3) are Piccolo (the reincarnation), Gohan, and Krillin, but that got me thinking whether or not they were always my favorites within the arcs they appeared in themselves. Of course, if it's the same across the board, that's fine. This one may take some thought, but it's something I've thought about for awhile, so I figured I'd make a post. I avoided breaking the larger sagas up into mini-arcs (ie. Namek, Ginyu, Great Saiyaman, World Tournament, Recruitment, etc.) for length purposes. Also, I cheated with ties for a few

Hunt for Dragon Balls: Bulma
Training/21st Budokai: Krillin
Red Ribbon Army: Goku
Fortunteller Baba: Grandpa Gohan
22nd Budokai: Tenshinhan
Piccolo Daimao: Piccolo Daimao
Piccolo Jr.: Tie between Goku and Piccolo Jr.
Saiyan: Tie between Piccolo and Gohan (significant character growth for both)
Frieza: Three-way tie between Krillin, Gohan, and Goku (Krillin for his desperation moves/survival skills against much stronger opponents up until Frieza kills him, Gohan for being active and devoted to his mission, Goku for his Super Saiyan arc)
Garlic Jr: Gohan
Cell: Tie between Trunks and Goku (both have an active role as opposed to just reactive)
Otherworld Tournament: Mushroom Announcer Guy
Boo: Four-way tie between Gohan, Goku, Videl and Vegeta (hard to choose one because I loved Gohan's different phases, loved Goku's overall personality here, Videl was a spark of a new character in the early Saiyaman stuff, and Vegeta underwent significant character development)
BOG: tie between Beerus and Goku
RoF: Frieza
Universe 6: Hit
Zamasu: Zamasu/Goku Black
TOP: Frieza
Black Star Dragon Ball: Pan (she was new blood and symbolized the next generation, and I liked that)
Baby: Baby and his subsequent forms, tied with evil Bulma
Super 17: Goku
Shadow Dragon: Goku

For Super, I referenced the anime. I've yet to finish the Moro arc and then Granolah, so I don't have those here. Interested to see the choices!

[BWri]

Hunt for Dragon Balls: Yamcha/Oolong
Training/21st Budokai: Krillin/Roshi
Red Ribbon Army: Tao/Blue
Fortunteller Baba: Yamcha
22nd Budokai: Tenshinhan/Krillin
Piccolo Daimao: Tenshinhan/Piccolo Daimao
Piccolo Jr.: "Tie between Goku and Piccolo Jr." completely agree
Saiyan: "Tie between Piccolo and Gohan" completely agree
Frieza: I'd like to break this down more. Early on I liked Vegeta/Krillin due to their crafty survival tactics, but later it was Goku/Piccolo
Garlic Jr: Piccolo/Garlic, they brought back the supernatural dynamic and had interesting backstory/lore between them
Cell: Piccolo/Cell (Trunks and #17 are just behind them)
Otherworld Tournament: Pikkon/Red Cell ripoff guy (Torbie)
Boo: Early on it was Gohan and maybe Dabura, later on it was Super Buu/Piccolo
BOG: Beerus/Whis
RoF: Tien/Jaco (movie)
Universe 6: Hit/Frost
Zamasu: Goku Black/Trunks
TOP: Piccolo-Gohan (I count them as one since they were chained at the hip), Roshi
Black Star Dragon Ball: No one
Baby: SSJ4 Goku
Super 17: Super 17/SSJ4 Goku
Shadow Dragon: SSJ4 Gogeta/Nova Shenron

It's tough to choose 1, but the 1st character in each pairing can be considered the hands-on favorite.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

TOP: Piccolo-Gohan (I count them as one since they were chained at the hip), Roshi
Black Star Dragon Ball: No one
Baby: SSJ4 Goku
Super 17: Super 17/SSJ4 Goku
Shadow Dragon: SSJ4 Gogeta/Nova Shenron

It's tough to choose 1, but the 1st character in each pairing can be considered the hands-on favorite.

You know, I considered putting this and kind of expected someone to. I just legitimately do like Pan, even with her more annoying traits.

[pepd]

Sounds like a fun topic. Here's mine, going by DB and DBS mangas, and new movies:

DBs: Gokuu
21 BT: Kame Sennin
RR: Gokuu, Taopaipai
Uranai Baba:
22 BT: Tenshinhan
Piccolo Daimao:
23 BT: Gokuu
Saiyajins: Piccolo, Vegeta
Freeza: Freeza
Cell: Vegeta, N16
Great Saiyaman: Gohan, Videl
Buu: Buu, Mr.Satan
BoG: Whis, Beerus
RoF: Jaco
U6: Monaka, Gokuu
Zamasu: Gowasu
ToP:
Broly: Broli
Moro: Merus
Granola (so far): Vegeta

[Koitsukai]

Hunt for Dragon Balls: Goku (he just cracks me up)

Training/21st Budokai: Krillin (he also cracks me up)

Red Ribbon Army: Goku/Murasaki (yeah...)

Fortunteller Baba: Goku/Krilin (yeah, same reason)

22nd Budokai: Tenshinhan (He's a bad person)

Piccolo Daimao: Tambourine (this one is kind of a relic from my youth, I just remember fondly his role). But Piccolo is fucking evil, so yeah.

Piccolo Jr.: Goku/ Jr.

Saiyan: Vegeta/Piccolo who is carrying the whole team on his back wearing the N° 10 like a champ.

Frieza: Goku. Kudos to Krilin for being so sneaky and smart to survive for so long.

Cell: 17 is so cool.

Otherworld Tournament: Grand Kaio (of course)

Boo: Fat Buu/Vegito/Gotenks/ they have that funny fighting style going on. Special mention: Old Kaioshin.

BOG: Beerus

RoF: Jaco (he cracks me up)

Universe 6: Champa, Monaka (they crack me up)/ Hit (the guy is cool as fuck, like a 1940s movie star, I can't believe he doesn't smoke)

Zamasu: Goku Black (anime only)

TOP: Beerus-Champa(I love these two)/Jiren/Goku (one is so strong he overcomes having a boring personality, the other one beat Jiren)

Black Star Dragon Ball: Goku

Baby: Goku

Super 17: Goku

Shadow Dragon: Goku

[BWri]

TOP: Piccolo-Gohan (I count them as one since they were chained at the hip), Roshi
Black Star Dragon Ball: No one
Baby: SSJ4 Goku
Super 17: Super 17/SSJ4 Goku
Shadow Dragon: SSJ4 Gogeta/Nova Shenron

It's tough to choose 1, but the 1st character in each pairing can be considered the hands-on favorite.

You know, I considered putting this and kind of expected someone to. I just legitimately do like Pan, even with her more annoying traits.

To be honest, my placements for GT are unfair. I need to do a rewatch. I watched the dub as a teen and hated it and Pan annoyed me to no end.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

To be honest, my placements for GT are unfair. I need to do a rewatch. I watched the dub as a teen and hated it and Pan annoyed me to no end.

Well, the first arc is very weak, even though it kind of has a charm to me. I've mainly watched it in the OG Japanese. Tbh, even if he pales in comparison to his Future self, I also like seeing that Trunks grew into a somewhat responsible adult (despite quitting his job lol), and that he has his own distinct personality. I wish GT had done more with its secondary cast, but overall I like seeing who everyone became.

[jjgp1112]

Hunt for DB's: Either Bulma or Oolong. Bulma's such a cunt here it's hilarious, but Oolong's sleaziness is also welcome
Training/21st TB: Master Roshi...er, Jacki Chun. Krillin's not too far behind
Red Ribbon: Goku
Baba: Krillin
21st TB: Tien. Dude was such a shit talker in his antagonist days
King Piccolo: The man himself
Piccolo Jr: Grown-up Goku. This is a version of the character we really hadn't seen either before or even after.
Saiyan: Piccolo and Gohan
Namek: Vegeta
Android: My boy Gohan
Buu: Vegeta
BoG: Beerus
RoF: Frieza
Universe 6: Frost
Goku Black: ZAMASU
ToP: Android 17

Everything in GT blends into such a blah mixture I honestly couldn't tell you.

[MyVisionity]

DB Hunt: Yamcha
21st TB: Roshi
Red Ribbon: Goku
Uranai Baba: Goku/Gohan
22nd TB: Tenshinhan
Piccolo Daimao: Piccolo Daimao
23rd TB: Goku
Saiyans: Piccolo, Vegeta, Kuririn
Freeza: Vegeta
Cell: Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan
Majin Boo: Vegeta

[TrunksTrevelyan0064]

Ahh, this is always tough because every time I revisit an arc, my ranking of favorites changes. So I'm gonna be listing multiple characters.

DB hunt: Right now I would say Yamcha, but I have to mention Umigame. The few lines he gets are all wise and/or funny.

21st TB: It would be Muten Roshi if it wasn't for his perverted side, so Goku takes it. Namu gets close.

Red Ribbon: Aaaargh so many! Pretty much a tie between General Blue and Tao Pai-Pai. But there's also Goku and #8 and Upa... and holy cow do I love Arale now that I've finally read Dr Slump.

Baba: You know what, I'll say Upa here since it's the only time he ever gets a bit of development. Yamcha and Roshi are also fun.

22nd TB: Tenshinhan, my overall favorite. But it is thanks to Muten Roshi that his arc is so good here.

Piccolo Daimao: His theme instantly plays in my head, that elevates the character by at least one tier. The wise old master shines here too.

23rd TB: Tenshinhan is cool... but I think Goku is the best character in this arc. I feel like this is where he hits his prime.

Saiyans: That chilling final Kikoho keeps Tenshinhan very near the top, but I think I have to give it to Piccolo. Gohan is fun too, especially in the anime with extra filler development and Kikuchi's adorable theme for him. Oh and there's Kaio! He's got the same combination of wise and funny as Umigame, but in a more prominent character.

Namek/Freeza: During the first half it's the crafty, cunning Vegeta, but he drops off once becomes obsessed with the Super Saiyan. I like Butta's design a lot but there's not much to his character. Kaio is still fantastic, and I really enjoy Goku during the Freeza fight. The constant throughout the arc is Kuririn, who never quite takes the top spot for me but does remain consistently endearing.

Dr. Gero's creations: Trunks. Pragmatism combined with a bit of greenhorn naivety make him an interesting character.

Majin Boo: Just like with Butta, I like Dabra's design. But in this case there's a little bit more to his character, going against Bobbidi's orders even while under his spell, but still loyal to him, just not to Boo. Really love Piccolo here when he makes just the right moves to buy as much time as possible for Gotenks to get ready. Videl is also great, as well as the "good" Boo.

GT: There aren't enough stand-out characters for me to break up all the arcs. Pretty sure my overall favorite is Pan. Minaguchi's performance when she has to fight her possessed parents is really convincing and reminds you that this sometimes-annoying-brat is still just a little girl.

Super: I've only watched it once so a lot of it blends together in my head. I do remember enjoying Beerus, Trunks, and Freeza. I also like Zen'o but I wouldn't quite call him a favorite. Jaco is hilarious but he works better in his original manga than in his DB cameos.

[MasenkoHA]

Son Goku arc- Goku
21st Tenkaichi Budokai arc- Kame Sennin
Red Ribbon arc- Goku
Baba arc- Goku
22nd Tenkaichi Budokai arc- Kame Sennin
Piccolo Daimao arc- Piccolo Daimao
23rd Tenkaichi Budokai arc- Piccolo Jr
Saiyan arc- Tie: Piccolo and Gohan
Namek arc- Goku
Garlic Jr arc- Kuririn
Jinzo Ningen arc- 18
Boo arc- Fat Boo

[sunsetshimmer]

Son Goku - Goku
Red Ribbon - Upa / Tao Pai Pai
22nd TB - Tenshinhan
Piccolo Daimao - Piccolo
23rd TB - Chichi
Saiyan - Raditz / Piccolo
Frieza - Nail / Vegeta
Cell - #18
Buu - Videl / Mr Satan
Black Star DBs - Pan
Baby - Baby
Super 17 - #18 / Vegeta
Shadow Dragons - Pan

DBS is too washed out for me to be able to pick characters from certain arcs, so i will say Kefla overall cause i actually liked her. Hit and Ribrianne were okay too.

[TheGreatness25]

I think it would be Goku across the board for me. When I was younger, I liked Vegeta much more from the Saiyan arc through the Cell arc. But, I've gotten bored of Vegeta's constant negative attitude and as an adult, much prefer a more optimistic one. So, Goku it is.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

I think it would be Goku across the board for me. When I was younger, I liked Vegeta much more from the Saiyan arc through the Cell arc. But, I've gotten bored of Vegeta's constant negative attitude and as an adult, much prefer a more optimistic one. So, Goku it is.

I can relate to this somewhat. As a kid, my favorite alternated between Goku and Vegeta, often with Gohan as a runner-up. As an adult, I appreciate Vegeta most when he was an outright villain like in the Saiyan, early Namek, and Babidi arcs. And I do enjoy his whole Boo saga arc. I find him insufferably annoying in the Cell saga, even though there's a clear arc there that I like. I definitely like Vegeta more than Goku in Super, but on the whole I prefer Goku's personality.

[Cipher]

First arc: Bulma
21st: Goku
Red Ribbon: Goku
22nd: ...Tenshinhan? Kuririn? I don't know; one of my issues with this arc is that it's kind of weak as a character piece, despite being fun to follow.
Demon King Piccolo: Turtle Hermit or Tenshinhan
23rd: Goku
Saiyan: Piccolo
Namek: Vegeta ... is what I would say if I weren't thinking about what a show-stopper all the Goku-Freeza interaction is, so Goku. Love the story forcing Kuririn into a leadership role in the first act though. It just doesn't really give him an arc to go with it.
Cell: Kuririn or the short-lived #17/#18/#16 trio.
Boo: Gotenks/Goku. Everyone's great here though.
U6: Goku or Hit
Future Trunks: Trunks
ToP: Goku or Jiren or Freeza
Moro: Uh ... Goku, I guess? Merus?
Granolah: Actually Vegeta finally.

For GT, there's only one character consistently at the fore (this isn't as much of a negative for me as it seems to be for others), so I'm not sure who I would pick but Goku. Even removed from the lack of choice though, I genuinely enjoy Goku in GT.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

For GT, there's only one character consistently at the fore (this isn't as much of a negative for me as it seems to be for others), so I'm not sure who I would pick but Goku. Even removed from the lack of choice though, I genuinely enjoy Goku in GT.

I look at GT now as "Goku's final hurrah," so I also don't really mind that he's at the forefront (that and because he's, well, the main character). But I legitimately love how Goku is written in GT, even while being in a kid's body. To me he feels wiser, more seasoned, and idk, there's just a quiet calm about him amidst the same desire to get stronger. The blue gi serves as a visual reminder that he's at a different place in his journey. He's a grandfather as well, and his love for Pan is very apparent throughout the entire series. His transformation into SSJ4 actually made me tear up watching it for the first time in Japanese.

Side note, any non-vote for GT I'm going to take as an automatic vote for Evil Bulma across the board.

[Koitsukai]

DBS manga:

Moro arc: Merus and Pybara.

Granola: Vegeta so far... I'm liking Granny, too.


DBZ Movies:

Dead Zone: Piccolo is great here.

Dr Wheelo: pass, should re-watch that.

Turles: Goku.

Slug: Haya Doragon.

Cooler: that Jack Dawson looking dude. Cooler 5th form is also cool.

Cooler 2: me, for watching that.

Android 13: I liked that drunken android.

Broly: Broly, I guess...

Bojack: Mr. Satan.

Broly's return: Trunks and Goten.

Bio Broly: should re-watch that, but I remember enjoying the kids, and also 18. Isn't Mr. Satan there as well? (I should also add Mr. Satan as a favourite of mine at the Cell Games)

Fusion reborn: Gogeta and Janemba.

Hirudegan: I really liked Trunks' neediness for a big brother, Videl and Gohan were great, Vegeta defending the pencil-pushers, and even shitty little Hoi. I guess I really liked that movie.

Hey, it's Goku and friends: Goku.

DB Evolution: Toriyama, for watching that and going for a franchise revival.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

DBS manga:

Moro arc: Merus and Pybara.

Granola: Vegeta so far... I'm liking Granny, too.


DBZ Movies:

Dead Zone: Piccolo is great here.

Dr Wheelo: pass, should re-watch that.

Turles: Goku.

Slug: Haya Doragon.

Cooler: that Jack Dawson looking dude. Cooler 5th form is also cool.

Cooler 2: me, for watching that.

Android 13: I liked that drunken android.

Broly: Broly, I guess...

Bojack: Mr. Satan.

Broly's return: Trunks and Goten.

Bio Broly: should re-watch that, but I remember enjoying the kids, and also 18. Isn't Mr. Satan there as well? (I should also add Mr. Satan as a favourite of mine at the Cell Games)

Fusion reborn: Gogeta and Janemba.

Hirudegan: I really liked Trunks' neediness for a big brother, Videl and Gohan were great, Vegeta defending the pencil-pushers, and even shitty little Hoi. I guess I really liked that movie.

Hey, it's Goku and friends: Goku.

DB Evolution: Toriyama, for watching that and going for a franchise revival.

Battle of Gods was already in development prior to Toriyama's involvement. I'm in my process of re-watching all of the anime in rough release order, so it'll be interesting once I get to the DBZ movies. I think World's Strongest might actually be my favorite from memory; I love the weird sci-fi angle. I'd probably go with Goku or Piccolo in that one, same as with Dead Zone.

[sunsetshimmer]

The blue gi serves as a visual reminder that he's at a different place in his journey.

That's probably one of my biggest issues with DBS. I don't feel that much has changed since Z regardless of how many years have passed. They got new colorful transformations, but other than that almost everyone looks the same (especially Goten and Trunks) and most of cast is the same. It just feels like next DBZ episodes rather than something new. GT felt like next step in story kinda like Z was (which is funny considering manga has always been just "Dragon Ball"). In GT characters have changed and we got different main cast focused on Pan, Giru and Trunks. That's cool. I feel like Goku and Vegeta should've kept their RoF outfits for the rest of Super. That would already be some improvement.

DB Evolution: Toriyama, for watching that and going for a franchise revival.

Jokes aside, i liked Chichi in Evolution. Not as portrayal of original Chichi because she obviously was completely different character, but as a character on its own. I think she was cool. So yeah, my favourite character from that movie has to be Chichi.

[Yuji]

Interesting thread.

Pilaf arc: Oolong
21st TB: Muten Roshi
RRA: Grandpa Gohan
22nd TB: Muten Roshi
Piccolo Daimao: Muten Roshi
23rd TB: Goku
Saiyan: Goku
Namek: Goku
Cell: Trunks
Boo: Goku

Battle of Gods: Beerus
Resurrection F: Nobody
Universe 6: Hit
Zamasu: Goku Black
Tournament of Power: Freeza
Broly: Freeza
Moro: Goku
Granolla: Bardock

Black Star DB: Nobody
Bebi: Oob
Super 17: #18
Shadow Dragons: Goku

I've always preffered Goku's adult self to his kid self because I think conceptually there are a lot more interesting arcs he goes through as a character, so I think it's normal he overshadows all the rest in most arcs.

In modern Dragon Ball, it seems I'm more drawn to the villains, perhaps not only because the villains are more fleshed out and multi-faceted but also because nothing really interesting is being done with the main character of the series outside of the the Tournament of Power and Moro arcs.