Favorite/Least Favorite Couple?

[Saiga]

Gohan/Videl are easily my favourite, since they received development and I find them cute together.

I don't dislike any of the actual couples in the series, the only thing I really dislike is how Kuririn fell head-over-heels for 18 over one kiss where she was mocking him and let that cloud his judgement.

[B]

Trunks and Mai are my favorite, quite easily. That might be Dragon Ball's dirtiest joke.

[ABED]

Gohan/Videl are easily my favourite, since they received development and I find them cute together.

I don't dislike any of the actual couples in the series, the only thing I really dislike is how Kuririn fell head-over-heels for 18 over one kiss where she was mocking him and let that cloud his judgement.

I'm glad that Kuririn got what he always wanted - a wife.

[Saiga]

I'm glad that Kuririn got what he always wanted - a wife.

Oh don't get me wrong, so am I. I just don't think he had good enough reason to get as enamoured with her when he did.

[VyeRo]

Android 18 just had really soft lips.

[Scarz]

My favorite couple, Goku and Chichi. I really do love the dynamic between those two, an over protective housewife who nags her husband so much he's afraid of her. Sure it may not be the most "D'awww" romance in DB but I just find the two amusing. I know she mellowed out when the Buu saga rolled in, I guess you can't be a crazed housewife forever.

Least favorite couple, Goten and Palace. There's something about her dimwitted personality I really don't like. She reminds a lot of Maron, Krillin's ex, but the difference between her and Maron is that she was temporary (and at least welcomed eye candy).

[fogdark]

Romance eh? That's one topic I really don't see worth discussing in Dragon Ball. At least not a whole lot. Not because I don't like romance, I mean, one of my favorite manga is Maison Ikkoku (look it up if you haven't heard of it, it's awesome!), but I didn't watch Dragon Ball for the kisses, but rather for the punches and the poop jokes.
Anyways, Toriyama himself has confessed repeatedly how he always gets embarrassed when he simply tries to write romance. He sucks at it, and it shows. So he only uses romance when he has no other choice, as a method to bring new characters, and as plot devices. (And in the case of Kuririn, throwing the poor guy a bone )
There's not one pairing in Dragon Ball that I can consider my favorite. If anything I can list the one I think is the worse, and go up from there.

So, which do I think is the worst pairing? Bulma and Vegeta. If you think about it, the mere fact that Bulma had a kid with the murderer of his friends and ex-boyfriend, which then was the reason why she had to go to Namek (where she had a blast, of course) shows how bad this pairing is. They only got together because Toriyama needed a son of Vegeta. "Which girl is available? Bulma? well, let's go with her, then.." In the real world, this kind of couple would have some heavy issues to work on, and no amount of fanfics would give me a legitimate reason why they'd get together, not in an honest way, at least. And the best part is that Toriyama then says many people told him that Bulma should have ended up with Goku, which in my opinion would have made a better couple, but not by much...

Then there's Goku and Chi-chi which is only slightly better. Only just. The only problem here, besides the crappy way how they got together, is that Toriyama decided to use Chi-Chi to depict and make fun of the stereotypical Japanese wife. Which brought hilarious moments to the series, but didn't help to bring in good light her relationship with Goku. And then we have Goku, who in normal circumstances would have never gotten married. Goku is a free spirit and an eternal kid. Toriyama never bothered to think the effect of him going to train would have in the minds of his fans. Goku would go off to train and to fight people because it's what shonen heroes do, nevermind if it makes him look like an awful husband and parent.

So, which is the pairing I dislike the least? Kuririn and Android 18, although Gohan and Videl are not far behind. I just find this couple not all that bad. Sure, the only foreshadowing we had of this was 18's kiss to Kuririn, but this couple was the first, and perhaps the only, couple created for romantic reasons. They getting together didn't advance the story in any way, nor was there any need for Kuririn to have kids. Toriyama actually gave Kuririn what he wanted, a girl to love and a family to care about without any other reason in mind. But that's about it, because looking at it logically, one moment she kisses his cheek, and the other they have a kid together. That sure escalated quickly.

I find hilarious how all of us, in an attempt to find out more about the characters and story that we love, look into something that isn't really there. There's no romance in Dragon Ball. There's only action, gags, and kids when the adults start becoming too old

[ABED]

fogdark, what about Gohan and Videl? Not really a plot device.

[Nikkolas]

Maison Ikkoku - brought to you by the same wonderful woman who gave us the hilarious Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha.
...
Shut up, Inuyasha isn't that bad. >> It's my favorite anime/manga romance, albeit some of that is nostalgia...

[fogdark]

fogdark, what about Gohan and Videl? Not really a plot device.

Well, I believe, that when Toriyama had that 10 year time skip, he had another story/saga in mind, but soon afterwards he saw an escape from his grueling weekly work, and he took it, finally ending Dragon Ball.
Of course, I'm merely guessing, but I truly believe this. So for me, Pan was another Gohan, or another Goten. There were no kids in Dragon Ball at that point in the story, so he created her, and perhaps to a lesser extent, Bra. I mean, they were the first girls who had Saiyan blood in them, so I'm pretty sure he was starting something there, but we'll never know, since Toriyama himself most likely won't ever know again either
Then we have Marron, who as far as we know did not follow in his father's footsteps as a martial artist. So yeah, Toriyama never had any plans for Kuririn and 18, he was only giving the poor guy some happiness

Maison Ikkoku - brought to you by the same wonderful woman who gave us the hilarious Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha.
...
Shut up, Inuyasha isn't that bad. >> It's my favorite anime/manga romance, albeit some of that is nostalgia...

Oddly enough I only read Maison Ikkoku. I don't find it as appealing when Rumiko Takahashi writes supernatural things, no idea why. But Maison Ikkoku was a "slice of life" type of story, and it fit quite well with her way of writing manga..

[ABED]

Somone correct me if I'm wrong, but Toriyama had intended to end the Manga well before introducing Pan. Regardless of whether Pan would've been another Trunks or Goten. There were hints of Gohan and Videl as a couple as soon she was introduced, and that's well before Pan was even a thought in Toriyama's head. Even assuming that Pan would've been like Trunks, Gohan and Videl would still be a couple as an end unto themselves and not just as a means of conceiving Pan.

[fogdark]

Somone correct me if I'm wrong, but Toriyama had intended to end the Manga well before introducing Pan. Regardless of whether Pan would've been another Trunks or Goten. There were hints of Gohan and Videl as a couple as soon she was introduced, and that's well before Pan was even a thought in Toriyama's head. Even assuming that Pan would've been like Trunks, Gohan and Videl would still be a couple as an end unto themselves and not just as a means of conceiving Pan.

I never heard of Toriyama knowing he'd end the manga after he finished the Buu Saga. The ending was quite abrupt in my opinion, and it felt like someone finally told him, "well, if you want to finish it, go ahead", so he hurried up an end to the story. Of course, I may be wrong.
Anyways, I think the Gohan and Videl couple closely follow the Kuririn and 18 pairing in my opinion. They are the only couples who kinda work in Dragon Ball. And if the story had ended on the marriage of Gohan and Videl or without that 10 year time skip, then I may even consider them the better pairing, but it didn't end like that and Pan happened.
Toriyama, even thought he didn't exactly plan too far ahead when writing Dragon Ball, always left doors and even windows open just in case
So in the end, Gohan getting married could have been used as a way to continue Dragon Ball with a new kid at it's center, even if that wasn't his original purpose. This was just another door he left open just in case, but that he never got to use.
On the other hand, the Kuririn/18 pairing didn't have any of that. They got married, and their child was a normal kid. Kuririn had his happy ending, and that was more or less the end of his story, even if Dragon Ball had continued..

[VyeRo]

And the best part is that Toriyama then says many people told him that Bulma should have ended up with Goku, which in my opinion would have made a better couple, but not by much...

That's one pairing that I just didn't see happening at all, even before Bulma/Vegeta came into play. To me, they're like brother and sister. Hell, she bathed him for god's sake.
And I don't think Bulma would have put up with Goku constantly disappearing to train.

[ABED]

It's implied. We don't need to see them get married. We see the initial attraction which is more than enough. The time skip just fast forwards through the exposition, and Pan is and expression of their love. I know that's sappy but it's true.

I don't think the ending is abrupt. They beat the bad guy and all the stories were pretty much wrapped up.

[soulnova]

Least Favorite: Goten/Paresu. Is it me or the Son males are destined to pair up with rich girls? Chi-Chi was a Princess, Videl had her father's millions... then Paresu seemed for a very rich family too.

Favorite: Bulma/Vegeta. They both are so flawed they deserve each other. And sadly for Yamcha, Bulma had a fire no human could quench... if you know what I mean.

Wishful thinking: Goku/Suno. I would have loved to see that played out. Red-headed half-saiyans playing and training on the snow? Goku with cold weather outfit? = LOVE

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate Chi-Chi. She was a new wife with a son on mortal danger. Of course she was going ballistic. She did love Goku. Loving someone doesn't mean you won't get angry and neurotic at them. Anyway... she did totally mellow after Cell and I'll go as far as to say that Goku DOES love her back but not on our *romantic* idea of love. He loves his family, that's about it.

[DBZAOTA482]

^^Bulma will probably complain that Goku doesn't "challenge" her enough

Anyways, I'm not a fan of any of the canon pairings (sans for certain Gochi fanworks) because, aforementioned, writing romance nor female characters isn't Toriyama-sensei's forte (still better at it than Kishimoto though)

Best - Kuririn/Maron

Despite my general disliking of Maron, I like their relationship because it was shallow but a rare intentional one at that.

Gohan/Videl is a runner-up for being the only healthy relationship and the only one that isn't developed via anime filler.

Worst - Bulma/Vegeta (execution)

It would be interesting to see how they got hitched. Namely because Bulma was such a shrew and had managed to not only tame but mate with Vegeta-sama...but it ended up just an excuse to establish Trunks' birthright.

[Nikkolas]

That's one pairing that I just didn't see happening at all, even before Bulma/Vegeta came into play. To me, they're like brother and sister. Hell, she bathed him for god's sake.
And I don't think Bulma would have put up with Goku constantly disappearing to train.

Well she does think he's pretty sexy and even contemplates a what if scenario about her and Goku instead of her and Yamcha.

It probably did end up a sibling sort of love but there were seeds for romance there. Seeds I approve of and love to see bloom in fanart and fanfiction.

[VyeRo]

Seeing how Bulma and Vegeta interact with and challenge each other, I think Goku would have been the wrong choice for Bulma. But there's nothing wrong with liking them as a couple.

[soulnova]

In a way, the prospect of Goku x Bulma is tempting. I can certainly see the appeal ... until I realize Bulma would end up "using him". Let's not kid our selves... Bulma was not a saint. While Chi-Chi wanted to form a family and be a loving wife (and overall was as naive as Goku is such a matter), during all the series Bulma only wanted a hot hunk to... well, you know. Bulma has always looked after hot guys for a reason.

And there's just something very wrong when I imagine Goku in such a relationship. He... doesn't need that.

Vegeta, in the other hand.... with all the frustration and repressed issues he has...

[Gyt Kaliba]

My favorite without a doubt has to be Gohan and Videl. It's the only couple that we get some kind of real build up for them coming together (more so in the anime than the manga, but still), and they're just so ridiculously cute together that I can't help but love them.

For least favorite...it's kind of a toss up between Goku and Chi Chi, or Bulma and Vegeta. Bulma and Vegeta I only dislike because of how it came to be - plot contrivance. They literally only become a couple so that Toriyama has another half-Saiyan to work with. That's it. And that irks me to no end. Beyond that though, they actually fit together really well, so when I can actually ignore that little bit, I enjoy them. So least favorite is probably actually Goku and Chi Chi, and most of that comes down honestly to how much I dislike Chi Chi, but also because of how poor of a husband Goku really is.