I’m a huge fan of Dragon Ball, and I honestly think it’s one of the most important anime and manga series ever created. Akira Toriyama is a genius – he really changed the game for both mediums, and a lot of the things we see in anime and manga today, he either started or perfected! His action scenes are incredible, the art is fantastic, and the characters are just so well-developed. It’s a timeless classic, for sure. But, if I’m being honest, the original ending to Dragon Ball Z always felt a little…off to me.
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Goku gets a fitting conclusion to his story by training Uub, staying true to his personality. However, not all the main characters in Dragon Ball fare as well. While characters like Vegeta, Krillin, and Bulma have satisfying and respectful endings, the fates of Gohan and some of Goku’s other friends are disappointing and feel unfinished, leaving you wondering if the author could have done more to develop them.
6. Yamcha is the Most Depressing Character in Dragon Ball History
Yamcha is now known as a frequent target for jokes in Dragon Ball Super, but he wasn’t always so weak. In the original Dragon Ball series, he was actually the first character to ever defeat Goku in a battle. He continued to have strong showings, even up to his fight with the Saibaman during the Saiyan Saga in Dragon Ball Z. Unfortunately, after that fight, Yamcha never regained his former strength or importance in the series.
By the end of Dragon Ball Z, Yamcha fades into the background. He loses his love interest to Vegeta, abandons his martial arts aspirations, and ultimately concludes the Peaceful World Saga as a lonely, unsuccessful man with no clear future. Dragon Ball Super continues this pattern, leaving him out of major arcs like the Resurrection of F and the Tournament of Power. While he has a minor role in the Moro Saga, it doesn’t change the fact that Goku’s original rival seems destined to become a minor character, comparable to Oolong.
5. Goten Has All His Potential Wasted By the End of Dragon Ball Z
Ultimately, Goten feels like a leftover from an earlier idea for the Majin Buu storyline that Akira Toriyama decided to move away from. He was initially presented as an incredibly gifted Super Saiyan, even more promising than Gohan, but he quickly becomes unimportant. Goten’s main purpose seems to be to allow him to fuse with Trunks and become Gotenks, a character who doesn’t really contribute anything significant by the end of Dragon Ball Z.
While Trunks is introduced with a significant role in the peaceful timeline of DBZ and receives considerable attention (especially because of his resemblance to Future Trunks), Goten is largely relegated to comedic relief towards the end of the series. By the time Dragon Ball Z concludes, Goten hasn’t lived up to his potential, has changed his hairstyle to distance himself from Goku, and is preoccupied with dating. His final moment is losing to Pan in the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero doesn’t offer Goten much more, focusing primarily on Trunks for their shared scenes and character growth.
4. Videl Goes From One of the Strongest Martial Artists on Earth to Just a Housewife
Videl is a bit of a mixed bag as a character – one of Akira Toriyama’s strongest and weakest female creations. Generally, Dragon Ball doesn’t treat its female characters very well. Most are introduced as individuals with potential, but quickly fall into traditional roles as wives and mothers, with little impact on the plot afterward. Unfortunately, Videl follows this pattern.
I always thought Gohan and Videl had something special when she first appeared during the Buu Saga – they just clicked! It felt like Akira Toriyama really put effort into making their romance believable, with a natural back-and-forth and genuine connection. It’s a shame, though, that after Videl’s tough fight with Spopovich, she pretty much stepped away from fighting altogether. For the rest of Dragon Ball Z, she mostly just existed as Gohan’s wife and Pan’s mother, and a lot of that happened off-screen. It felt like a missed opportunity for such a promising character.
3. Piccolo Devolves into a Glorified Babysitter By the End of Z
As a huge Dragon Ball fan, I always found it fascinating that Piccolo was Akira Toriyama’s favorite character – and it really showed how much Toriyama didn’t play favorites! Throughout the Saiyan, Frieza, and Cell sagas, Piccolo was consistently a powerhouse and had some of the most incredible fights. But things shifted in the Majin Buu Saga – honestly, that arc felt like a bit of a power creep. By the end of DBZ, poor Piccolo ended up mostly watching over Gotenks and providing some much-needed comic relief during the battle with Super Buu. It was a little sad to see him sidelined after being such a key fighter for so long!
While Akira Toriyama still portrays Piccolo with some respect towards the end of DBZ, his importance has significantly decreased since the beginning of the series. He went from being powerful enough to train Gohan to being easily surpassed by Goten and Trunks. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero treats Piccolo better, giving him a close bond with Pan, increased strength, and a central role in the story. However, even in Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo eventually falls behind the Saiyans in terms of power.
2. No One in Dragon Ball Z Has a More Disappointing Ending Than Gohan
Dragon Ball Z presents Gohan as the character destined to surpass Goku, a common idea in the series about each new generation being stronger than the one before. Throughout DBZ, Gohan consistently demonstrates his incredible potential, culminating in the Cell Games where he becomes the central and most powerful character. However, the creator, Akira Toriyama, didn’t enjoy writing Gohan as the main hero, largely because Gohan lacks his father’s passion for fighting.
The Majin Buu Saga quickly refocuses the story on Goku. While Gohan is initially present, he spends much of the arc training with the Kais. Even after reaching his full potential as Ultimate Gohan, he doesn’t get much time to fight Super Buu before Buu becomes even stronger by absorbing Gotenks and Piccolo. After that, Gohan doesn’t really contribute much to the rest of Dragon Ball Z, ultimately fulfilling his dream of becoming a scholar, though he’s sidelined in the final parts of the series. Things get even worse in Dragon Ball Super, where it’s implied that Gohan lost his Ultimate form because he stopped training.
1. Future Trunks’ Ending in Dragon Ball Super is Just Cruel
Watching what happened to Future Trunks in Dragon Ball Super felt genuinely wrong, even cruel. His story had a perfect ending in Dragon Ball Z. After intense training with Vegeta, he became strong enough to defeat the Androids in his timeline and finally free his future, ultimately killing 17, 18, and Imperfect Cell. It was a hopeful conclusion, showing him and Bulma beginning to rebuild their world after so much hardship. It felt like a disservice to see that undone.
In Dragon Ball Super, Future Trunks faces a devastating future. Goku Black has destroyed all of humanity, including Future Bulma, forcing Trunks to seek help from Goku and Vegeta in the past. Unfortunately, this time Trunks isn’t able to save his future; Zamasu causes so much destruction that Future Zeno is forced to erase Trunks’ entire timeline. The last we see of him, Trunks is traveling to another timeline that already has its own version of himself. Ultimately, Dragon Ball Super replaces the hopeful ending Future Trunks received in DBZ with complete despair.
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2026-02-11 22:12