The Dragon Ball franchise is known around the world as one of the most iconic action anime with unbelievably powerful heroes, and villains. This brilliant and highly entertaining anime had many fascinating characters with imaginative and twisty backstories as well as unforgettable character arcs.

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While the world of Dragon Ball is filled with memorable characters and has some of the smartest anime characters there are still a few vital characters whose stories truly made a difference not only in the Dragon Ball universe but in the world of anime as well. These inspiring and deadly Dragon Ball characters had the most well-crafted and imaginative character arcs of all time that had been motivating and inspiring anime fans and artists for decades now.

7 Frieza

Frieza in Dragon-Ball

Frieza is one of Dragon Ball's scariest and most well-crafted villains. He's obsessed with power and loved not only defeating his enemies but torturing them mentally and physically before killing them. Thanks to his exceptional strength and abilities, he became the Emperor of the universe and had his own army.

For a long time he seemed unstoppable but, thanks to Goku and Future Trunks, he was eventually defeated. No matter how cruel, he was still one of the most memorable and greatest villains in Dragon Ball who had some of the most thrilling and unforgettable character arcs in the anime.

6 Master Roshi

Master Roshi in Dragon Ball

Master Roshi is one of Dragon Ball's wisest and most fun character who certainly lived an interesting life and trained many of the anime's greatest warriors. By training all his life, he became one of the greatest martial arts teachers of all time.

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Many of the characters Master Roshi mentored became iconic warriors and his most known mentee, Goku, eventually became one of the most powerful warrior in the Dragon Ball universe. Master Roshi has one of the most fun and complex personalities in Dragon Ball and while he has powerful abilities he never takes himself too seriously.

5 Bulma

Bulma in Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball had many great characters including iconic anime dragons, space creatures, and some of the most intelligent anime characters of all time. Bulma became one of the most successful and vital scientists in Dragon Ball who also went on plenty of amazing adventures while searching for the iconic dragon balls.

Bulma is one of the most dramatic and hilarious characters in the series and while she doesn't have any supernatural fighting abilities like most characters, she's still capable and can protect herself. She's also one of the few characters who not had an adventurous career but also had a fairly eventful personal life, and she ended up marrying Vegeta.

4 Piccolo

Piccolo in Dragon Ball

Piccolo is one of the most popular characters in Dragon Ball who started out as a villain but later became one of the strongest allies of Goku. This powerful warrior also had some of the strongest transformations in Dragon Ball and defeated many great warriors thanks to his skills and Namekian physiology.

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He's one of the grumpiest most arrogant characters in Dragon Ball who prefers to spend his time alone. However, he gets quite chatty when fighting and loves to humiliate his enemies. However, during his journey, Piccolo became a much more honorable and relaxed character who even cracked a light-hearted joke or two.

3 Krillin

Krillin in Dragon Ball

Despite his small size, Krillin is one of the strongest warriors in Dragon Ball who became one of Goku's most loyal friends. Even though he was only a human, he managed to get quite powerful and some of Krillin's best battles are Dragon Ball's most memorable and entertaining ones.

Krillin is also one of the kindest and bravest characters in Dragon Ball. While he was one of the shyest characters who got nervous around women, he eventually did manage to get married to Android 18. He's one of the most relatable and sweetest characters in Dragon Ball with one of the most well-crafted character arcs.

2 Vegeta

Vegeta in Dragon Ball

Vegeta is easily one of the most arrogant characters in Dragon Ball. However, after Goku, he's also the most popular one. Prince Vegeta started out as a cold-blooded killer who used his immense powers and superhuman abilities to humiliate and murder his opponents.

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While Vegeta was prideful, he was also one of the most hardworking characters in Dragon Ball who always improved his abilities and skills. Vegeta is probably the character who changed the most in Dragon Ball, and he eventually became an honorable warrior and a husband and had two kids with Bulma.

1 Goku

Goku's Super Saiyan 3 form in Dragon Ball Z

Goku is one of the silliest but most good-hearted warriors in anime who dedicated his life to becoming the most powerful warrior of all time. Goku constantly increased his abilities and became not only a master martial artist but managed to reach immensely powerful forms. His positive attitude and unmatched willpower helped him defeat many enemies and reach his goals.

Goku is also one of the most known and inspiring anime characters of all time, a loyal friend, a loving husband to Chi-Chi,and a caring father to his kids. However, his character is never boring and thanks to his adventurous and competitive nature, he experienced many life-changing adventures and even deadly battles that constantly molded his personality and helped him become a better warrior and person.

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