Five Funniest Dragon Ball Characters

Sure, Dragon Ball is known for its intense battles and overpowered Super Saiyans, but there’s another element of the franchise which is all too often overlooked. The long-running shonen series was created by Akira Toriyama to follow Goku as he went on fantastical and inevitably hilarious adventures. While the anime‘s stories became more gritty come Dragon Ball Z, the franchise still made sure to give its audiences something to laugh about.

So, naturally, a slew of slapstick characters and innuendo-ladened jokes were added to the series. Here at ComicBook.com, we are looking back at some of the funniest characters from the Dragon Ball franchise and saluting their quippy (and perverted) humor.

Master Roshi

Poor Master Roshi! The oddball mentor has had enough nose bleeds throughout Dragon Ball to give him some health scares. Of course, fans of the franchise will know Roshi as one of Goku’s many mentors, but the character has continued to be part of Dragon Ball thanks to his comedic personality. The perverted, eccentric man is undoubtedly strong, but Roshi is often featured for his sexual commentary and oblivious social cues.

Hercules

If you find overconfidence hilarious, then you will be a fan of Hercules. The towering human is said to be one of Earth’s greatest fighters, but Hercules is squarely put in his place by the likes of Goku and the Z-Fighters. However, Hercules won’t be outdone by the warriors and continued to boast about his unbeatable strength. Known for his showboating ways, Hercules has become a fan-favorite scapegoat for laughter because the former martial artist just doesn’t know when to quit.

Krillin

Yes, Krillin is a strong member of the Z-Fighter crew, but that doesn’t mean Akira Toriyama can’t make him into comedy fodder. If you are a fan of Dragon Ball, then you will be familiar with this bald martial artist. Knowing as Earth’s strongest fighter, Krillin was introduced to audience along with Goku when the two were just boys. From the get-go, Krillin was used as a sort of comic relief in Dragon Ball as he riled up or fell behind Goku. The hero continued the trend into Dragon Ball Z – well, when he was alive, that is. Sadly, Krillin is as funny as he is unlucky, and the guy has died more times than anyone else in the franchise.

Gotenks

When you fuse together Goten and Trunks, you would expect the paired Saiyans to become an unstoppable duo. While it is true that the boys become insanely powerful, it is equally right to say that their combine immaturity ruins all intimidation factors Gotenks had going for them. When fans first met the fused Gotenks, audiences through that Majin Buu was done for. However, the pair were ultimately unable to stop the pink alien because they thought cracking jokes on the battlefield while boasting was far more important than laying out some seriously smackdown.

Old Kai

The cosmology of Dragon Ball seems to be a never-ending one as new gods and kai continue to be revealed. Fans tend to latch onto those characters that have been around for some time, so it’s no surprise to learn that Old Kai is a rather popular fellow. And, as always, the deity’s sense of NSFW humor keeps nostalgic fans coming back for more. As the overseer of Universe 7, Old Kai has been around for some time, and he has become known for his lecherous jokes and selfish personality. Though he may be wise when called for, Old Kai is most often roped into stories when he’s caught peeking into bath houses or needs to sulk for an hour or six.