If you look deep enough into any popular piece of media, you’re likely to find some small holes that were overlooked when they blew up to become as renowned as they are today. Some issues may be larger than others, but we often look at a beloved franchise for what it manages to do right than what it clearly does wrong.
With an older series such as Dragon Ball, these problems are even more common, especially given the series’ original start as a gag comedy manga. Dragon Ball has cemented itself in history as one of the most beloved anime of all time. The series original ten-year run on television featured some of the most iconic moments in anime history and many of the show’s character archetypes and plots are still being used in media to this day. Having said that, as anime continues to grow and evolve, the ideas taken from Dragon Ball have been reworked and improved along with them.
As with many things that we hold dear to our hearts, however, we tend to overlook the obvious problems that Dragon Ball has carried, and some that series still has to this day. It might be hard to admit it, but Dragon Ball has got some MAJOR flaws that could possibly turn it into an even bigger masterpiece than it already is if they were ever dealt with. Here are twenty-five of the most glaring issues with Dragon Ball that many of us diehard fans would rather pretend don’t exist.
25 The Ki Problem
A basic definition of Ki is that it’s someone’s life force energy, the strength of a person. While that definition's fine, it leaves out one vital thing; how does Ki work?
Ki became one of the main elements to Dragon Ball as it transitioned into Dragon Ball Z but it also became one of it’s most annoying issues. Nobody ever explained what exactly Ki does and because of this, it does whatever they want it to do! Piccolo took a whole episode to charge his special beam cannon which pierced a hole through both Raditz and Goku. Frieza did this to Krillin in five seconds. Why doesn’t Goku’s Kamehameha pierce through skin? What’s the difference between the Kamehameha and Recoome’s mouth blast thing? There’s no real reason why Goku isn't shooting laser beams out of his fingers.
24 Wish For A Better Tomorrow
There was once a time when Dragon Ball was a series about collecting seven mystical orbs in order to summon a dragon and have a wish get granted. Everything changed when the Saiyans attacked.
With the ability to fly around the planet in minutes and a radar designed to seek out dragon balls, how is that not one character ever thinks about summoning Shenron and asking for a lifetime supply of senzu beans or something? It’s pretty lame that the all-powerful dragon has been reduced to nothing more than a “get out of jail free” card. They could at least wish for him to warn them about threats. If Chi-Chi hates being poor so much, why doesn’t she have Goku wish for some money instead of having him waste his days farming for pennies?
What a waste.
23 A Handful Of Beans
To be honest, that lifetime supply of Senzu beans probably wouldn’t help much considering that tiny bag they bring into battle each time.
Possibly as amazing the dragon balls themselves, these magic beans are not only able to heal any and all wounds but by eating one, you’ll become full and have a boatload of energy to spare. Sounds like a useful thing to have in a fight to protect the world, right? Well, Goku and his friends don't think so. They bring around six senzu beans in this little satchel. Eight people are going to fight against a super-powered monster and you’re only going to bring six life-saving beans? That’s crazy!
Sometimes the show tries to make the excuse that Yajirobe ate most of the beans. Maybe it would be smarter to not let the hungry homeless guy hang around the food.
22 Saiyans Reign Supreme
There is a wide variety of likable Dragon Ball characters with unique designs, personalities, and special attacks. Unfortunately, you’re out of luck if any of the characters who catch your eye were born without a tail.
When it was revealed that Goku was a Saiyan at the start of Dragon Ball Z, it nearly undid all of his previous achievements. While it appeared that Goku became better than everyone through hard work and dedication, it was really because he’s part of an elite warrior race that is born to become stronger. What’s worse is that a series continued, no character could ever stand a chance unless they were part Saiyan as well. The earlier a character in Dragon Ball has been introduced, the more pathetic they look beside an almighty Saiyan. Krillin never stood a chance.
21 Not Even The End Hurts
One of the first major tone shifts in Dragon Ball happened when Krillin was taken out by one of King Piccolo’s minions. It was a dramatic scene and helped to turn Dragon Ball into a more serious story. When Krillin perished again, it was again pretty serious. Goku went Super Saiyan for the first time and it led to an epic battle. When he passed away the third time…It was sad, I guess.
While it started off as a serious topic, passing away becomes a bit of a joke by the later parts of Dragon Ball. There was always some way to wish every character back to life. Even if they didn’t get wished back, they could still hang around with a halo over their head. It eventually gets so bad that even the villains start hanging around.
20 Two Is Always Better Than One
One of the cooler ideas introduced near the end of Dragon Ball Z was fusion. Two of the weakest Saiyans at the time were able to become a Super Saiyan 3 after fusing, a form that even Goku had barely reached at the time. The biggest problem with this technique? Nobody ever wants to use it.
To fuse, two people need to do a somewhat silly dance before becoming an ultimate warrior for thirty minutes. It has no downsides and could probably be used to defeat any enemy. Almost any time it’s brought up, however, the idea is quickly shut down despite being a simple solution. It’s frustrating. If all that isn’t bad enough, there’s an even more powerful form of fusion that doesn’t involve any dance and has also been retconned to have no downsides. Why doesn’t anyone want to fuse?!
19 This Isn’t Even My Final Form
This is a common theme that Dragon Ball is one of the first and biggest offenders of.
It was awesome when Frieza announced that he had multiple forms, becoming stronger each time he changed despite the fact that he was already outmatching the Z warriors. It really added to just how big a threat Frieza was. Cell wasn’t as impressive in his weaker forms, but by the time he reached his perfect form it felt like it was worth the wait. By that point, though, the formula had already started to grow stale.
It’s gotten so bad now that even the good guys do it. Rather than fight at his strongest form from the start, we need to watch Goku struggle as a base Super Saiyan and work his way up to Blue. We get it, they’re strong. Get on with the fight.
18 Fighting At A Snail’s Pace
Dragon Ball is all about intense fighting at speeds so fast that a normal human wouldn’t even be able to see what’s going on. Of course, that’s only when they aren’t standing around while they charge up their Ki for a whole ten minutes.
It’s one of the most common complaints about Dragon Ball that’s been parodied a thousand times. But it’s been done so for a reason! Whenever Dragon Ball isn’t giving us ultimate clashes between planet crushing warriors, we’re watching them stand around screaming or staring at each other menacingly while the other characters all offer similar reactions to the same thing. All that stalling just so that the narrator could hit us with a, “Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!”
17 Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting
The original Dragon Ball began with a story based loosely on Journey to the West, an old Chinese novel. Because of this, it made perfect sense that martial arts would be the fighting style of choice. The further the series goes, however, the more Journey to the West isn’t a relevant reference to what the series has become. Why is it then, that everyone studies martial arts?
Dragon Ball characters have left Earth to go to space, visited the heavens and now, even another universe. How is that every single lifeform on every planet in every universe studies the same style of martial arts and knows about Ki? Did nobody think to get into boxing? Did nobody think of picking up a weapon and using that? Even man-made androids fight using martial arts and energy similar to Ki. At least it keeps things mostly fair.
16 Consistently Inconsistent
Drawing is hard. I get that, and I totally sympathize with anyone working as an animator or manga artist. Having said that, is it too much to ask that we stick to one design for a character without switching it up every arc in ways that don’t make sense?
There are times where Vegeta’s hairline is quite clearly receding and other times where it’s perfectly natural. Dende joins the group as a child, becomes a teen, and then some becomes even smaller than when he first appeared. Goten and Trunks appear to be frozen in time despite everyone around them changing.
For a series with such an acclaimed status, you’d think they would at least check to make sure their characters are recognizable in each episode.
15 Animation Atrocities
I need to take back my last statement. When you think about the last two problems I pointed out with Dragon Ball, it’s hard to claim that the show’s popularity saves it from any shortcuts during production.
I could complain about Dragon Ball Z’s constant reuse of frames but it’s an older show, so let’s give it the benefit of the doubt. Instead, let’s look at the mess that is Dragon Ball Super. This new series is such a grab-bag of different levels of quality. You can either get some of the most beautiful, high-quality shots that would make your inner child scream out in joy, or you can get this blurred mess that looks like it was done with crayons. We still get the same amount of reused shots that we did with the older series.
14 They Call Him Mr. Piccolo
King Piccolo was one of the first real villains that Dragon Ball ever had. He was evil to the core and the power to match his ambition of world destruction. But after losing to Goku, he used the last of his energy to create his son/clone, Piccolo Jr.
Before Piccolo became the green hero we know and love today, he was a ruthless demon, existing only to get stronger and eventually defeat Goku before fulfilling his father’s ambitions. He might’ve actually managed to do it one day too if Raditz hadn’t shown up and forced the two to work together. Weirdly enough, Goku decides to leave his son to this demon, eventually leading him to become the family’s babysitter. Piccolo should be thankful every time a villain more evil than him appears to keep everyone distracted.
13 The Unmentioned God
Dragon Ball Z ended itself with one final time skip. Goten and Trunks became teenagers, Pan was old enough to enter her first tournament, and Vegeta and Bulma had a second child. It was an ending where the earth was finally at peace. Something seems to be missing, however. A certain Egyptian cat.
The introduction of the god of destruction Beerus added a lot to the universe of Dragon Ball, but it also came out of nowhere. He’s been woven into the storyline as a character Frieza fears, along with Vegeta and many others. But his name or title has never been referred to until the Battle of Gods movie. It seems even more out of place when you consider the ending of Dragon Ball Z where nobody mentions hanging out with a god or his angel companion.
Strange, isn’t it?
12 The Sudden Multiverse
Speaking of things that Dragon Ball Z never mentioned, how about the fact that there are multiple universes out there? That seems like a bombshell that might affect the series’ original ending.
After Beerus made his debut, he revealed that Goku’s universe isn’t the only one out there, but instead that it’s one of twelve. Goku and his friends even got the chance to travel to another universe and meet Saiyans. Not a single soul mentions the time they fought for the existence of their universe or the time they met the god of everything.
The adventures that have happened since Dragon Ball Super have been larger than we’ve seen before. I don’t have anything against Uub or anything, but finding a reincarnation of Majin Buu feels pretty small-time in comparison.
11 The Friendly Evil Saiyan
Piccolo almost seems like a cuddly teddy bear when you stand him next to Vegeta and compare transgressions.
Before becoming one of the strongest defenders of earth, Vegeta was a crazy Saiyan who served under Frieza. He may have been planning to rebel against Frieza when the opportunity presented itself, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take pleasure in all the destruction he caused. He ordered the end of Goku's friends and family and even attempted to blow up the earth when things weren't going his way. But there was no punishment. Not only is he forgiven just as easily as Piccolo, but he also gets to start a family with the woman whose life he threatened!
I demand justice for Yamcha after Vegeta's heinous crimes.
10 It’s Over 9000?
Power levels make as little sense as Ki and are just as frustrating to think about. If you don’t believe me, just ask any of the dedicated fans that bother to actually calculate the power level of each character.
My biggest problem with power levels is that they don’t mean anything. How does someone calculate what a person’s power level is? It might have something to do with Ki, but we’ll never know since Ki doesn’t get explained either. The numbers are only impressive because someone says they’re impressive. Even Dragon Ball knows that Power levels are meaningless, because after Frieza we never hear anyone talk about them ever again.
The only good thing that ever came out of power levels existing was that we got see characters wearing scouters. Scouters look pretty sweet.
9 What’s A Goten?
Goku went through multiple trials and tribulations to become the man that he does. While his son Gohan was nothing like him, he had the strength and potential to one day surpass his father and protect the world in his stead. Goten… exists.
It’s easy to forget that Goku even has a second child. Although he had a role in the Majin Buu arc, he really hasn’t done anything since fusing into Gotenks and losing to Buu. Most of the time, he isn’t even around when the characters are doing something. Despite being one of the youngest Super Saiyans, Goten is a total throwaway character with absolutely no character growth. Not even his design is original in comparison to Vegeta’s kid.
8 Characters Lost In Time
Dragon Ball has a sizeable cast of characters. As with a long-running franchise, it’s unfortunate but understandable when some characters get less development than others. It’s less understandable when characters are completely forgotten about altogether.
There are some characters in Dragon Ball who almost never show up, not because their character has been fully fleshed out but instead because new characters take precedence. The character who got the worst of this deal would be Launch, a girl who stopped appearing in the series simply because Akira Toriyama forgot that he drew her. Other characters exist only to be shown for a few seconds, just to pop in and say hello.
Nobody misses Launch much, so I guess it’s not too bad. Let’s just hope Toriyama doesn’t forget anyone else.
7 Gohan’s Fall From Grace
I mentioned earlier that Gohan had the potential to surpass his father. For a while, it actually happened, albeit for a very short period. The problem is everything that happens to Gohan after.
Dragon Ball Super gave us a Gohan that’s very different from the one most of us grew up with. Rather than being the pure-hearted boy reluctant to use his obviously great power, we’re given a science geek who has completely forgotten how to fight in the span of a few years. I can understand him wanting to lead a peaceful life with his wife, but his change is too drastic to seem real. Later Dragon Ball Super episodes do try to redeem Gohan, but never to the level that he was once at. It’s a shame, but we’ll never see Gohan once again become the hero he was meant to be.
6 The Vast, Empty Universe
Dragon Ball Z took us beyond the earth’s limits, introducing foreign alien enemies for our heroes to take on. That can open up a lot of options from a storytelling perspective. It never does, though.
Of the entire universe created in Dragon Ball, we only really see two planets and hear about one for five minutes. It’s a complete waste to not have any relevant lifeforms on any of the planets in the original Dragon Ball universe. Making matters worse, the additional eleven universes haven’t brought much more to the table. Universe six has one relevant planet, and none of the others have any. Things may change, but I wouldn’t count on it…