Dragon Ballis a multimedia powerhouse. The series, which started life as Akira Toriyama’s second major manga, now spans anime series,video games, theatrical films and more. Part of what made Dragon Ball so popular was its huge and varied cast of characters, which made it easy for fans to pick favourites.
Yet as the series grew more and more focused on martial arts, and then on superpowers, it was guaranteed that some characters would be left by the wayside. Whether it was because they didn’t have a place in Dragon Ball’s ever-increasing stakes, or because they no longer fit in with the story’s tone, here are eight characters that Dragon Ball forgot.
8Yajirobe
Sparse Appearances After The Saiyan Saga
Though he’s an invaluable ally in the original Dragon Ball anime, and even in the opening episodes of Dragon Ball Z, Yajirobe quickly stopped being a regular character after he had his finest moment: cutting off Vegeta’s tail.
A samurai whose size belies his speed, Yajirobe managed to help out Goku and his friends in their first battle against Vegeta despite being afraid. After that, however, he was relegated to the background. Giventhe conflicts that followed, we can’t fault him for wanting a peaceful life.
7Oolong
The First Character To Have His Wish Granted
Oolong was once part of the series' main trio, with Bulma and Goku as his constant companions. The first hundred episodes or so feature the misadventures of these characters, often in a style more focused on comedy than martial arts. Oolong is a perfect fit in this humorous setting: he’s perverted and gullible, but still charming.
After theWorld Martial Arts Tournamentbecame the series' focus, however, Oolong quickly became a background character. This is surprising, considering he was the first character to have his wish granted by the Dragon Balls, a pair of undies.
6Bora
Bring Him To Life
Bora and his son Upa were at the heart of one of the most important arcs in the original Dragon Ball anime, for they were proof that the Dragon Balls could indeed grantalmost any wish. After being murdered by Tao Pai Pai, Bora came back to life through Goku’s wish.
Bringing dead characters to life is often frowned upon in fiction, as it can lower the stakes, but the way Dragon Ball did it was acceptable. This opened the door for the series' constant cycles of resurrection in Dragon Ball Z.
5Korin
The Cat In The Tower
Korin has the potential to be a mentor on par with Master Roshi, but he never got quite as much screen time. Though he often features towards the end of Dragon Ball and the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, this cat’s presence has rarely been in the foreground.
His biggest contribution to the series is training Goku against challenging foes like Tao Pai Pai and King Piccolo, and also to establish a connection between Goku and the divine Kami. If not for his Senzu beans, Goku would still be recovering from his fractures against Vegeta.
4Fortuneteller Baba
Master Roshi’s Big Sister
If you think Master Roshi is ancient, wait till you meet his big sister as she’s got two centuries on him. She’s also just as grumpy as her little brother, and rather than helping Goku outright, she forces him to go through a gauntlet of five difficult battles before meeting him for the first time.
Meeting Goku once does not make Baba a social butterfly. Though she has repeatedly shown up throughout the series, mostly as Akira Toriyama’s way of proving he hadn’t forgotten her, it’s quite possible most fans who started with Dragon Ball Z didn’t know who she was and assumed her to be a background character.
3Master Shen
Master Shen, unfortunately, went through the most unceremonious fate a forgotten character can have: he died off screen. Once Master Roshi’s rival who put forth his pupils Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu in the World Martial Arts Tournament, Master Shen refused to join the good guys and fled halfway through the original Dragon Ball anime.
The character has never appeared in the story since, and Akira Toriyama later stated that he died in some sort of deal gone wrong. Though death doesn’t hold the same weight in Dragon Ball as it does in other stories, it seems unlikely Master Shen will ever be brought back.
2Emperor Pilaf
The First Dragon Ball Villain
Though it later transformed into a testosterone-fueled martial arts story, Dragon Ball started out as a gag manga. This is best exemplified by its first villain, Pilaf, and his two long-suffering henchmen. A rival to Goku and Bulma in their hunt for the Dragon Balls, Pilaf came close to being the first character to have his wish granted by the Dragon Balls, but was interrupted by Oolong.
Despite his villainous role, the character is shown to actually be quite innocuous, and when he captures Bulma the most nefarious thing he can think of is to blow a kiss at her. He faded in importance after the first wish was granted, though he maintained a presence all the way through toDragon Ball Daima.
1Launch
Sneezing Makes Her As Strong As A Saiyan
Launch was on brand with Dragon Ball’s early comedy: she entered the story by way of Master Roshi requesting an attractive girl as his homemaker. The perverted mentor pays the price, however, as he finds that sneezing can transform the normally sweet Launch into a gun-toting terror.
Though she stuck around for the duration of the original Dragon Ball anime, staying at Master Roshi’s house and often punishing him and Krillin just for being there when she sneezed, Launch disappeared from the story from Dragon Ball Z onwards. Her last appearances were in some filler DBZ episodes' post-credit scenes, drinking in bars and still having a fiery temper.
