Dragonball Characters

nebuchadnezzar · Post by **nebuchadnezzar** » Thu Aug 05, 2004 3:40 pm

I like dragonball, its a great show, I think there are too many characters though.

oponok · Post by **oponok** » Thu Aug 05, 2004 3:53 pm

Uh... that was brief and concise. I don't really think it's true that there are too many characters (barring crappy movie and filler exclusive freaks and retards), it's just that many of them aren't used that well, later on. I do understand the reasoning behind this though, since Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin just can't catch up with the others not long after Dragonball Z even starts.

The other thing is you can't have villians come back in Dragonball, since, whereas in American comics the heroes and villians remain the same in strength and don't change over time, Goku and company become unfathomably, infinitely stronger every couple of episodes. So what's a Toriyama to do besides make up new bad guys?

That about sums it up.

Deus ex Machina · Post by **Deus ex Machina** » Thu Aug 05, 2004 6:37 pm

DB certainly did have a lot of characters, but I never found it really difficult to keep track of them. Except a lot of characters (especially from Dragonball) just sorta fade into obscurity.

laserkid · Post by **laserkid** » Thu Aug 05, 2004 7:18 pm

The cast length only gets obscenely long when you include filler characters that last only one or two episodes, otherwise the central cast isnt too big.

SpiritBomb · Post by **SpiritBomb** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 12:04 am

Theres many, but I wouldint say too many.

PsyLiam · Post by **PsyLiam** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 12:13 am

How do you divide them up between "main" and "supporting" though? Kuririn could be argued as a "main" character, but there's a fair few episodes of Dragon Ball that don't include him, and he is missing for a few Buu-saga episodes as well. Does Tenshinhan count as a main character during the Cell saga, or is that reserved for the Saiyans and Piccolo?

Even Vegeta disappears for a good while during the Buu saga while he's busy being dead. Hell, Goku could be argued to be a supporting character for much of the early Freeza-saga, since he's either in hospital or travelling to Namek, not garning much screen time.

Ben Plante · Post by **Ben Plante** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 12:24 am

Differentiating between Main and Supporting depends on what part of the series it is. Tenshinhan is very 'Main' in the 22nd Budokai, the Daimao arc, and the 23rd Budokai, and kind of during the Nappa and Vegeta fight, but after that, he's definitely a side character.

I think Goku's the only one who is ALWAYS main. Gohan and Vegeta could be, but they weren't in Dragonball at all, so it's tough to classify.

PsyLiam · Post by **PsyLiam** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 11:29 am

From the point he gets absorbed by Buu until the end of the series, Gohan really doesn't do anything at all. He's about as prominant as Kuririn and Yamcha.

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 4:20 pm

I think ''Main'' indicates characters that actually have a large effect on the story. ''Supportive'' are characters that are there, and help out a bit here and there, but nothing much besides that. They're not often key parts of the story, unlike the main characters, who almost all have a role. Though, this does vary during the course of the series.... Especially for the characters that turn weak. Though, I still consider them main characters, because they once played a significant roile.

B-kun · Post by **B-kun** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 5:20 pm

Dragon Ball's a horrible series to find "main characters". @_@ That fluctuates by the saga.

Xyex · Post by **Xyex** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 6:48 pm

Yeah. DB doesn't have a single 'main character' for the entire series. Not even Goku would fit that role since he's not there for the first part of Namek, nor is he around for much of the Android Saga.

Ben Plante · Post by **Ben Plante** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 8:18 pm

GT is the exception. GT is all about Goku Goku Goku and... um... what's his name, of yeah, Goku.

oponok · Post by **oponok** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:36 pm

If you want to find who the main character is, perhaps we should compare Dragonball Z to another work. For instance, "Requiem for a Dream." That film focused on four different characters, each of them divided from eachother and their lives destroyed by addiction. Whenever something good should happen to one of these folks, something ultimately unspeakable occurs. Thus, addiction is the hero of the story, for it inevitably crushes the human spirit and lives inside each of their heads, serving as their sole motivation and drives the story forward. Not merely drug addiction, but to television, the American Dream, and other such things.
What it may come down to in Dragonball Z is what drives the story. Perhaps the bond between friends and family? Not just blood-relatives, but including relationships as close as Piccolo and Gohan, Vegeta and Goku, etc. I find that this is often what advances DBZ's plot, and one of the things GT is sorely missing (besides anything that doesn't suck ass).

B-kun · Post by **B-kun** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 2:25 pm

Oponok... I don't wanna sound rude, but is it actually possible for you to mention GT WITHOUT saying how much you hate it? We've kinda got the point by now.

Ben Plante · Post by **Ben Plante** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 2:34 pm

Oponok... I don't wanna sound rude, but is it actually possible for you to mention GT WITHOUT saying how much you hate it? We've kinda got the point by now.

I'm not Oponok, but I bet I can mention GT without saying how much I--- oops, wait... no caught myself. I almost said how much I hated it, that would've been--- OH NOES! XD

~Rick James. Rest In Peace, Bitch!

PsyLiam · Post by **PsyLiam** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 10:52 pm

Ben Plante wrote:GT is the exception. GT is all about Goku Goku Goku and... um... what's his name, of yeah, Goku.

That's really not that different from original DB though. We had, what, 13 episodes of the show being about Goku and Bulma, but from thereon in it was Goku, Goku and Goku.

oponok · Post by **oponok** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 10:56 pm

Well... it's a Dragon Ball message board. What else should I complain about? Rising gas prices? You must admit that plot holes, the Buu saga, and power levels are just as annoying to hear about, aren't they? Alright then, no more. From now on, I'll only complain about Tarantino... No, wait.

Okay, then. From now on, I'll complain about aspartime, the artificial sweetener. It's cancerous, yet FDA approved! What's up with that?! So be careful what sodas you drink kids. Especially Coke C2. It also contains an ingredient that may lead to blindness. Nevermind no one should be on that dumb Atkins, unless you want to stroke out. And strokes suck... almost as much as... uh... Yeah! That blasted GT.

Ah, damn it.

SpiritBomb · Post by **SpiritBomb** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 7:19 pm

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in this world about hating GT. Anyhow, while you sould dare yourselves to go a post without mentioning how much you hate GT, I think I should make myself start posting my OWN opinions instead of agreeing to someoneles's. And that was my opinion!