Most popular character?

[Piccolo Daimao]

Who's the most popular character in Dragon Ball? I assume it's likely between Son Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo. I think I heard somewhere that Vegeta is particularly popular in Japan.

[Herms]

I think I heard somewhere that Vegeta is particularly popular in Japan.

Here's the character popularity poll from DB Forever, which should give an idea of each characters' popularity among Japanese fans around 2004-2005. I think "points" refers to how many people identified each character as their particular favorite, but I'm not sure.

1. Goku: 6,235 points
2. Vegeta: 2,527 points
3. Gohan: 2,131 points
4. Trunks: 1,487 points
5. Piccolo: 1,176 points
6. Goten: 798 points
7. Kuririn: 736 points
8. Boo: 421 points
9. Freeza: 324 points
10. No.18: 204 points
11. Mister Satan: 201 points
12. Karin: 185 points
13. Kame-sennin: 172 points
14. Cell: 170 points
15. Yamcha: 163 points
16. Tenshinhan: 125 points
17. Bulma: 112 points
18.No.17: 98 points
19. Yajirobe: 93 points
20. Videl: 86 points

There were also at least two popularity polls that ran during DB's serialization in Jump. One was in Weekly Jump issue #12 for 1993, the same issue of Jump with chapter 411 (the one where Cell self-destructs). The results were:
1. Gohan
2. Goku
3. Trunks
4. Vegeta
5. Piccolo

Another ran in Weekly Jump #05/06 for 1995, the issue with chapter 501 (Gotenks-absorbed Boo beating up on Gohan), and the results were:

1. Goku
2. Vegeta
3. Trunks
4. Gotenks
5. Piccolo

Toriyama drew pictures of the top 5 characters to go along with these poll results (which is how we know about them; they're mentioned in Daizenshuu 1's index), and for the 1995 poll he drew future Trunks rather than kid Trunks, so it seems that even well into the Boo era future Trunks' popularity remained constant. Meanwhile, Gohan fell right off the charts...

[Piccolo Daimao]

I think I heard somewhere that Vegeta is particularly popular in Japan.

*snip*

Hmm...that's interesting. But which one would we go with, for an overall? The first one? I'm surprised that a fusion character was in the top 5 for that last character popularity poll though.

[Duo]

Goku is just miles ahead of everyone. This explains an awful lot of things in the movies and Gt...

[Herms]

Hmm...that's interesting. But which one would we go with, for an overall?

None of them? All of them? I don't really understand what you mean. Each poll is a measure of which characters were most popular among Japanese fans at different points in time.

[Makaioshin]

Anyone else surprised to see Karin on that list? Especially since he was apparently more popular than Cell, Kame-sennin, Bulma, Yamucha, and Tenshinhan at that point.

[Kiyza]

Anyone else surprised to see Karin on that list? Especially since he was apparently more popular than Cell, Kame-sennin, Bulma, Yamucha, and Tenshinhan at that point.

Part of me wants to chalk it up to the female readership perhaps being fond of cats... but I don't think that's a good explanation. It is really weird...

[Adamant]

All of these popularity poll things have a lot of really obscure, one-point characters around the bottom. I guess people are just going "well, he's not my favorite, but I like him, and he deserves all the votes he can get, so I'll toss him one".

[Piccolo Daimao]

Hmm...that's interesting. But which one would we go with, for an overall?

None of them? All of them? I don't really understand what you mean. Each poll is a measure of which characters were most popular among Japanese fans at different points in time.

I meant one definitive popularity poll, to tell us who's the most popular character of all time. Probably the DB Forever one, it seems to have the most characters and it's after the end of Dragon Ball, when all the characters have been introduced.

[B]

It's Goku.

[Hellspawn28]

Other then Broly and Cooler, who is the most popular movie character? I hear Super #13 is more popular with Japanese fans then with American fans?

[Piccolo Daimao]

Other then Broly and Cooler, who is the most popular movie character? I hear Super #13 is more popular with Japanese fans then with American fans?

Janemba is the only one that springs to mind.

[caejones]

Risky question, but...
... It seems to me that in North America, Vegeta is extremely popular compared to Japan.
Has this to do more with the dub's handling of Vegeta, or more with American culture over all? Or am I just seeing something that isn't there?

[Herms]

... It seems to me that in North America, Vegeta is extremely popular compared to Japan.
Has this to do more with the dub's handling of Vegeta, or more with American culture over all? Or am I just seeing something that isn't there?

I don't know, Vegeta seems to be very popular in Japan. He's second only to Goku in two out of the three polls I posted, for instance. What evidence is there that he's substantially more popular in the US?

[Hellspawn28]

Other then Broly and Cooler, who is the most popular movie character? I hear Super #13 is more popular with Japanese fans then with American fans?

Janemba is the only one that springs to mind.

Janemba seems to be popular with american fans, but I'm not sure how popular he is in Japan? Movie 7 is one of the most successful DBZ movies at the box office in Japan, I think Super #13 might be rather popular in Japan but not here in the US with american fans since I notice his fan base here in the US is rather small.

[caejones]

... It seems to me that in North America, Vegeta is extremely popular compared to Japan.
Has this to do more with the dub's handling of Vegeta, or more with American culture over all? Or am I just seeing something that isn't there?

I don't know, Vegeta seems to be very popular in Japan. He's second only to Goku in two out of the three polls I posted, for instance. What evidence is there that he's substantially more popular in the US?

Hm, maybe I'm mistaken, then. XD
I did notice that the gap between Goku and Vegeta's popularity in those poles was pretty substantial.
I don't know what it is specifically... but I have this really strong impression that Vegeta is a decent symbol for the US fanbase.
I want to remember popularity figures from the US were brought up somewhere at some point, but I don't remember exactly...

[Eire]

Vegeta is the guy who in fact made girl DBZ fanbase Why Vegeta?

Detailed reason?
To whom can young girls should sigh? To Goku (seen as a kid that need help to be washed?) To dwarf-like Krillin? To Yamcha (he had a chance, until Vegeta appeared). Tien and his pokemon? So only Piccolo, Trunks and Vegeta are left, but that last one have very important psychological advantage.

General reason
He is a prince. Why is it important?
Why Sesshoumaru, why Malfoy, why Aikka, why Legolas, why Zuko? Damned aristocracy.
I'm not kidding. Title or appearance of the prince is for young girls like sweet for ants. No matter that this prince is in fact, poor, homeless, and behave worse than your older brother when you accidentally murder his PC. In early teens every girl still dream about prince on white horse and see him nearly everywhere. I've read ten thousands of romance fics form many fandoms and majority of them seems to be written by using Orwell's kaleidoscopes. Romance between Mary Sue and prince who have just name and some background in common with original. It's nothing bad at all. How do I know that? Figure out.
That early teens usually grow up, but sentiment stands still.

[T Pac]

... It seems to me that in North America, Vegeta is extremely popular compared to Japan.
Has this to do more with the dub's handling of Vegeta, or more with American culture over all? Or am I just seeing something that isn't there?

I don't know, Vegeta seems to be very popular in Japan. He's second only to Goku in two out of the three polls I posted, for instance. What evidence is there that he's substantially more popular in the US?

Hm, maybe I'm mistaken, then. XD
I did notice that the gap between Goku and Vegeta's popularity in those poles was pretty substantial.
I don't know what it is specifically... but I have this really strong impression that Vegeta is a decent symbol for the US fanbase.
I want to remember popularity figures from the US were brought up somewhere at some point, but I don't remember exactly...

I would tend to agree, speaking anecdotally. I think the reasons you mentioned might have a small impact, but I think a bigger reason is because the majority of US Dragonball fans only know the "Z" portion of the series, and over that part of the series, Vegeta is nearly as prominent as Goku.

[caejones]

I would go so far as to say that Vegeta was more promenant in a huge chunk of Namek and the ordeal with Gero's creations. Not only was Goku out of commission, but Vegeta was getting most of the attention, other than occasional Piccolo moments.

[Godo]

Risky question, but...
... It seems to me that in North America, Vegeta is extremely popular compared to Japan.
Has this to do more with the dub's handling of Vegeta, or more with American culture over all? Or am I just seeing something that isn't there?

Reason one: Vegeta is HARDCORE.
Reason two: Vegeta's feats and troubles fit very well with almost every HARDCORE Linkin Park song.
Reason three: Vegeta becomes BUFF and MUSCULAR. It makes him cool. The only one cooler than him is BROLY.
Reason four: Vegeta is such a troubled soul and so deep, which makes him AWESOME.
Reason five: He is a goddamn PRINCE. Royalties are awesome.
Reason six: Vegeta is such a bad-ass. Who doesn't want to become as cool as him when they grow up?

Those are the reasons why I think he is popular. We are speaking about fans that are kids here after all, since they make the majority.