Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise is a vast universe filled with hundreds of characters that bring its action-fantasy world to life, with a touch of humor throughout. However, no matter how many installments the franchise has produced, its core focus has always been on elevating its main hero, Goku, as the defender of Earth and the leader of the Z Warriors. Each installment ultimately revolves around Goku emerging as the hero who defeats yet another villain.
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While other characters do receive moments of focus within new storylines, their development is almost always tied to Goku’s journey or structured in a way that serves to elevate him further. This is unfortunate, as many characters have shown that they possess the depth and potential to carry their own narratives. To highlight this, we’ve selected five characters from across the Dragon Ball anime who truly deserve arcs of their own to be explored.
5) Dabura
Dabura was originally introduced as the first villain in Dragon Ball Z’s final saga, but it is the history revealed in the Dragon Ball Daima installment that truly shows why he deserves his own spin-off. The original series portrayed Dabura as nothing more than an evil villain, but the retcon in Daima, confirming his role in overthrowing his father’s reign, reveals that he was actually a good Demon King.
It was also revealed that Dabura possessed the power to become the ultimate being by using the Third-Eye artifact, but chose not to use it, proving that, at his core, Dabura is a hero of the Demon Realm. A spin-off series exploring his actions in depth would be the best way to highlight his role as a hero in the Dragon Ball universe.
4) Uub
Dragon Ball Z’s final installment, the Majin Buu saga, concluded with the introduction of Uub, the reincarnation of the series’ final villain. His arrival immediately resonated with fans, especially as Goku promised to train him and make him Earth’s new defender. This aligned perfectly with the narrative, suggesting that Saiyans would not always be around to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats, and a new human successor was needed.
However, this setup was ultimately undermined by the events of Dragon Ball Super. With the Super narrative still ongoing, the franchise could still reintroduce Uub after its conclusion, showing Goku passing on the mantle of Earth’s defender to him. A story, perhaps a movie, depicting Uub’s upbringing, his training under Goku, and his journey to becoming the new hero would allow Uub to finally receive the narrative he deserves..
3) Future Trunks
Future Trunks, Vegeta’s son who appeared from a dystopian future to warn the Z Warriors about impending attacks, not once but twice, has proven to be a special character in the franchise who made a significant impact on the series. However, these installments limit him to a mere supporting role, helping the main heroes while never truly taking the center stage.
This is unfortunate, as there are many ways Future Trunks could have his own arc. From his time in the apocalyptic world as the final defender after Gohan’s sacrifice to his return to his own timeline after warning the Z Warriors of the threat, there is much to explore. For such a fan-favorite character, it’s disappointing that the series has never revealed his fate in his own world, which is why he deserves an arc highlighting his days as the sole hero of the future timeline.
2) Jiren
Jiren was presented as the main antagonist during the final arc of Dragon Ball Super; however, in reality, he is a hero of his universe and even stronger than its God of Destruction. His past was explored during the Tournament of Power, but it was portrayed in a rather generic way despite being poignant.
A spin-off arc centered on Jiren could help fans learn more about how an orphaned child became the strongest warrior of his universe. This story could also explore Jiren’s life after the Tournament of Power and potentially reintroduce him, especially since Vegeta continues to reflect on Jiren’s strength and significance to his own growth. Vegeta training with Jiren could even serve as the key to the Saiyan Prince finally surpassing Goku.
1) Vegeta
Even though Vegeta is the second protagonist of the series, there is no doubt that he still lives in Goku’s shadow, and it often feels like whatever achievements he makes are ultimately credited to Goku. Even though fans saw Vegeta attain the Super Saiyan 3 form in Daima, many still argue that Goku achieved it first. It’s high time the Dragon Ball franchise corrected this imbalance.
This could be accomplished by putting Vegeta in the spotlight before Goku in a new arc and perhaps granting him a new transformation to solidify his growth, one that Goku could later follow to truly emphasize Vegeta surpassing him for once. After everything Vegeta has endured, living in Goku’s shadow for decades, the Dragon Ball franchise owes him an arc that allows him to finally stand above Goku, at least once.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
