After 41 Years, Dragon Ball Will Finally Decide Its Most Popular Character (And You Can Help)

On November 20th, 2025, the Dragon Ball franchise marked 41 years since the manga first debuted, and to celebrate, the series is planning major events, including finally settling the long-standing debate over who is the most popular character. The franchise features a diverse cast, each beloved for their own charm. With decades of legacy behind these characters, it’s natural for the fandom to be divided. While some consider Gohan the franchise’s most popular character, many Vegeta fans argue that the Saiyan Prince deserves the title.

To address this debate, the franchise has launched the perfect project: “DRAGON BALL THE ONE,” a popularity contest beginning on November 20th at 12 PM JST. However, this isn’t a standard poll with a single decisive vote. The project is divided into four stages. With a total of 212 characters in the first stage, fans can vote for their favorites from November 20th to 24th, after which the roster will be narrowed down to 80. But in true Dragon Ball fashion, there’s a twist, one that gives fans a chance to offer a second life to a character on the verge of elimination.

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After the results for each stage are announced, fans will have the chance to bring back one character from the recently eliminated list through a “Revival Battle.” This event will be open for only 24 hours on Dragon Ball’s official X account, giving fans a brief window to revive a character. This pattern will continue throughout the contest until the fourth and final stage, which will run from December 17th, 12 PM to December 24th, 12 PM JST, featuring only 21 characters. Once the final stage ends, the results determining the franchise’s most popular character will be announced a month later, on January 24th, 2026, at 12 PM JST, and will be broadcast on Dragon Ball’s official YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, there are additional events taking place alongside the contest. The 80 characters who advance from the first stage, along with the revived character, will be made into SNS icons. Whereas the 40 characters, and one revived character, from the second stage will be turned into original wallpapers. While the franchise has not yet revealed what it plans to do with the final 21 characters, there is another event for fans to look forward to.

Dragon Ball‘s official X account is hosting a giveaway campaign that requires participants to repost the main post for the popularity contest and follow the franchise’s official account. Twenty random participants will be selected to receive a large tapestry featuring all 212 characters in the contest. The giveaway results have not yet been announced, but they may arrive as early as early December, likely after the first stage concludes. While fans may not have expected such an event to celebrate the franchise’s 41st anniversary, it is exciting to see Dragon Ball finally addressing this long-standing debate through a contest that will determine the ultimate most popular character.

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