Main characters:

 

Son Goku

Main article: Goku

Son Goku is the protagonist of the Dragon Ball series. He is immensely strong, pure of heart, and extremely competitive, but dedicated to defending the Earth from evil. First introduced as a young boy, Goku was originally conceived by creator Akira Toriyama as a variation of Sun Wukong, protagonist of the Chinese novel Journey to the West; wherefore Goku also sported a prehensile tail until later. Upon meeting Bulma at the beginning of the series, the two then embark on an adventure to gather the seven Dragon Balls. After, Goku receives martial arts training from Kame-Sennin, meeting his lifelong friend Kuririn and learning the famous Kamehameha technique, and enters the Tenka'ichi Budokai to fight the strongest warriors on the planet. When the evil Piccolo Daimao, and later his offspring Piccolo, tries to rule the world, Goku receives training from "gods" to defeat them.

 

Though he appears human, it is later revealed that Goku is descended from an alien warrior race known as the Saiyans, who sent him, originally named Kakarrot, to Earth to prepare it for conquest. Goku sacrifices his life to save the planet from his brother Raditz, but must quickly get stronger in the afterlife under the tutelage of Kaio-sama, to save it from the other incoming Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta. He later becomes a Super Saiyan and defeats a powerful tyrant Freeza. This sets the tone of the rest of the series, with each enemy the characters face becoming stronger than the last, requiring them to attain further training. The last battle of the original manga, against Majin Boo, has the entire universe at stake, and as such, has Goku and friends being asked for help from the gods of the universe, Kaio-shin.

 

Bulma

Main article: Bulma

Bulma first appears as a teenager, using the Dragon Radar, a fictional device she created to detect the energy signal emitted by a Dragon Ball, she is led to Goku and ends up recruiting him as a body guard while hoping to get his four-star ball to grant her wish for a boyfriend. She gives up on the wish after meeting Yamcha, and much later in the series, she ends up forming a relationship with Vegeta, having a son and a daughter with him. Inventor also becomes Bulma's main role, as in the creations of a microband that could make her shrink and the time machine that brought her son Trunks to the past.

 

Kame-Sennin

Kame-Sennin also known as Muten-Roshi, or Master Roshi in the English anime dub, is a perverted martial arts instructor that lives on a small island and is the inventor of the Kamehameha technique. Though he seems frail, he is a mighty warrior, having trained Grandpa Gohan and Gyu-Mao, Goku and Kuririn, and a few others. Despite his lechery and occasional whimsy or foolishness he is often depicted as wise, cantankerous, and perceptive. He is often accompanied by his talking sea turtle companion, referred to as Umigame ("Sea Turtle"), who often tries to point out his faulty ways. He is bald, sports a thick van dyke beard, and wears sunglasses, beach clothes, or martial arts suits. He usually wields a walking stick and, in early appearances, wears a turtle's shell on his back. When wishing to appear anonymously in the Tenka'ichi Budokai, Kame-Sennin uses the name "Jackie Chun", wears a wig and discards his sunglasses. He was trained by Mutaito, who sealed away Piccolo Daimao, alongside Tsuru-Sennin, and also by Karin.

 

Kame-Sennin's design was inspired by the character of Kami-sama from Toriyama's previous manga Dr. Slump, and accordingly was originally voiced by Kohei Miyauchi, who also voiced Kami-sama in the original Dr. Slump anime. Miyauchi's final acting session before he died was for episode 260 of Dragon Ball Z, which he recorded only 3 months before his death. Kame-Sennin is voiced by Hiroshi Masuoka from episode 288 of Dragon Ball Z onward, in Dragon Ball GT and recent video games. He is voiced by Kinya Aikawa in the 10th anniversary movie and by Masaharu Sato in the thirteenth and fourteenth Dragon Ball Z movies and Dragon Ball Kai. In the Ocean dub, he is voiced by Ian James Corlett, Peter Kelamis, Dave Ward, Don Brown, and Terry Klassen at various points. Dean Galloway voices him in the Blue Water dub, while Mike McFarland voices him in the Funimation dub.

 

Yamcha

Yamcha, known as Zedaki in the Harmony Gold dub, is introduced as a bandit or outlaw, alongside his constant companion Pu'ar, trying to steal Goku and Bulma's Dragon Balls and wish not to feel nervous when near women. He eventually becomes Goku's ally and begins a relationship with Bulma, and later becomes a pupil of Kame-Sennin. As a result of said training, Yamcha is able to perform the Kamehameha and develops the Sokidan ("Spinning Chi Bullet"), an energy sphere directed by psychokinesis. He also later trains under Kami for the battle against the Saiyans, but dies against one of their Saibamen. Before being wished back to life by the Namekian Dragon Balls, he trained under Kaio-sama in the afterlife. He then helps out during the battles with the Androids and Cell, but for the most part doesn't participate in fighting. He is voiced by Toru Furuya in Japanese, by Ted Cole in the Ocean dub, by Victor Atelevich in the Blue Water Dub, and by Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub.

 

Kuririn

Main article: Kuririn

Kuririn, Krillin in the English anime dub, is a bald martial artist and one of Goku's best friends. He is the classmate of Goku under Kame-Sennin's tutelage; initially his rival but later a friend, and a loyal companion in adventures thereafter. He is killed by Piccolo Daimao's mercenary Tambourine, but later revived by Shenlong. After the fight with the Saiyans, he travels to the planet Namek, where, after several battles, he is killed by Freeza. After once again being brought back to life, this time by the Namekian Dragon Balls, he helps out during the Android and Cell arcs. He then forms a relationship with Android 18 and has a daughter, Marron.

 

Tenshinhan

Main article: Tenshinhan

Tenshinhan, named Tien Shinhan in the Funimation anime dub and also known as Shinto in the Harmony Gold dub, is first introduced, having been trained by Kame-Sennin's rival Tsuru-Sennin, trying to kill Goku and his fellow-students. Later, he and his friend and fellow student Chaozu become their allies; holding out against Piccolo Daimao's minion until Goku arrives. In the fight with the Saiyans, Tenshinhan dies of exhaustion against Nappa. He trains in the afterlife under Kaio-sama before being revived by the Namekian Dragon Balls. Tenshinhan continues to train and helps out during the battles with the Androids and Cell, but for the most part doesn't participate in fighting.

 

Piccolo

Main article: Piccolo

Piccolo, otherwise known as "Piccolo Junior", is the spawn of Piccolo Daimao, created to get revenge on Goku in the wake of his death, subsequently assuming the role as the "evil half" of Kami. However, after just narrowly being defeated by Goku, he has to team up with him and his friends when opposing the invading Saiyans, including training Goku's son Gohan. He is later revealed to be a Namekian;––– a green-skinned, four-fingered, hairless species who create the series' titular Dragon Balls. He dies sacrificing himself to protect Gohan during the fight against the Saiyan Nappa, and trains in the afterlife under Kaio-sama before being wished back to life by the Namekian Dragon Balls. While during the fights with Freeza and the Androids he maintains the partnership is temporary, by the time of the Cell and Majin Boo arcs he accepts the fact they are allies.

 

Son Gohan

Main article: Gohan

Son Gohan is Goku's first son with Chi-Chi, who first appears at four-years-old. He is then kidnapped by Goku's brother, Raditz, and locked up in a space pod. However, his temper flares and he bursts out of the space pod, dealing a blow to Raditz, but also knocking himself out. After the battle, Piccolo takes and trains him for a year as he realizes Gohan's potential. Gohan slowly becomes one of the strongest characters in the series, at one point holding his own against Freeza and by the time he is a teenager, is able to defeat Cell. During the Majin Boo arc he forms a relationship with Videl, with whom at the end of the series he has a daughter named Pan, who is a main character of Dragon Ball GT.

 

Vegeta

Main article: Vegeta

Vegeta is a Saiyan, and the prince of the entire race, first shown conquering a planet with his partner Nappa listening to Raditz's fight on earth using their scouters. The two of them travel to Earth in search of the Dragon Balls. He ends up fighting a newly revived Goku, but retreats after Yajirobe cuts off his tail and he is struck by Goku's Genki-Dama. He flees to recuperate before heading off to planet Namek to get those Dragon Balls before Freeza.

 

On Namek, Vegeta ends up having to team up with Kuririn and Gohan, and after Freeza is defeated, lives on Earth and forms a relationship with Bulma. When the Androids arrive, it is revealed he has fathered a son with Bulma, Trunks. Throughout the rest of the series, Vegeta fights alongside Goku and friends to defeat their enemies, but still maintains to be his rival. At the end of the series, he and Bulma have a daughter named Bra, who, unlike Trunks and despite being part Saiyan, is not a fighter.

 

Trunks

Main article: Trunks

Trunks first appears as an unknown young man who easily defeats Freeza and his father, before Goku arrives back on Earth after fighting on Namek. It is then revealed that he is Vegeta and Bulma's future child, who has traveled back in time to inform Goku of the coming of the Androids, whom in his time have killed everyone including Goku. He helps fight against the Androids and later Cell, before returning to his own time.

 

Just as the Androids arrived, the Trunks from the series' main timeline was born. Seven years later as a young kid, Trunks, already able to turn Super Saiyan despite his age, fights against Majin Boo as Gotenks, having used the fusion technique with Goten. In Dragon Ball GT he is a major character as a young man, traveling through space with Goku and Pan.

 

Freeza

Main article: Freeza

Freeza, Frieza in the English anime dub, is a galactic tyrant that wants the Dragon Balls so he can wish for immortality. It is revealed that Freeza had feared the power of the Saiyans, so he destroyed the Saiyan planet Vegeta, killing all but four Saiyans. He recruits three of them, Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz, as some of his workers. On planet Namek, Freeza kills off the entire Namekian race in his quest to obtain the Dragon Balls. He engages in a fight with Goku and the others, with Goku becoming a Super Saiyan after Freeza murders Kuririn. Out of anger at his helplessness to Goku's new power, Freeza blasted a hole into Namek's core in order to destroy the planet. Freeza is then sliced in half by his own attack and begs for mercy, with Goku giving him some of his surplus energy. After he uses that energy to attack, Goku then seemingly kills Freeza. However, he was rebuilt into a cyborg and comes to Earth with his father King Cold, but they are both easily killed by Trunks.

 

Cell

Main article: Cell

Cell is the ultimate creation of Doctor Gero, former chief scientist of the Red Ribbon Army, to get revenge on Goku. He is an artificial life form created using the cells of several characters from the series, including Goku, Piccolo and Freeza. As a result, Cell is able to perform techniques such as the Kamehameha, which he gains from the cells of Goku. Cell evolves several times throughout his appearances; he originally evolves from a cicada-like form into his Imperfect form, which is still insect-like in appearance. Both his first form and his second Semi-Perfect form have a long tail that ends in a stinger-like appendage and allows it to absorb other organisms. The tail recedes under his wings in his final Perfect form, and he can use it to spawn Cell Juniors, minuscule childlike versions of himself. Requiring the androids #17 and #18 to evolve, he finds out that they are already dead in his timeline, so he kills the Trunks of his timeline and uses Trunks' time machine to travel back in time. He eventually absorbs both after many battles and ascends to his perfect form. He decides to hold the Cell Games, a tournament in which he fights against Earth's strongest fighters. Cell manages to defeat Goku, but he is eventually killed by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan.

 

Majin Boo

Main article: Majin Boo

Majin Boo, written as "Majin Buu" in the English anime dub and translated as "Djinn-Boo" in the English manga, is a magical life form created by the warlock Bibbidi, eons before the events of Dragon Ball took place. He was temporarily sealed by Bibbidi and brought to Earth, their next target, but Bibbidi was killed by the last surviving Kaio-shin. However, Bibbidi's son, Bobbidi makes it his goal to revive Boo. After being released, Boo appears as an innocent looking pudgy pink genie-like creature. After Boo kills Bobbidi, he becomes close friends with Mr. Satan, which eventually causes him to expel his evil side. This evil manifests into a taller and much skinnier, almost frail, form that absorbs the fat Boo, becoming yet another new form that is muscular and much stronger. This Majin Boo is interested in a challenge, and later goes on to absorb Goten and Trunks (as Gotenks), Piccolo, and Gohan. It is revealed by the last surviving Kaio-shin that the fat form of Boo is actually the result of the original absorbing the Dai Kaio-shin into his body. The original Majin Boo is a sleek, child-sized being who is obsessed with chaos and destruction, and is restored after Goku and Vegeta remove the good side (fat Boo) from his body. The good side is later spit out by the original, and he goes on to live with Mr. Satan on Earth under the name Mr. Boo, while the original is killed by Goku, who wishes for him to be reincarnated as a good person. He is reincarnated into a child named Oob, whom, ten years later, Goku begins to train as his successor.

 

Secondary Characters          Other Characters