The heroes of Dragon Ball Z have saved the planet Earth from countless crises, most of the time in secret from the rest of the world. While someone like Mr. Satan would receive global fame for his mediocre martial arts prowess, the Z warriors have relatively humble lives. They are probably some of most thankless superheroes in all of fiction. Even heroes like Superman or Spider-Man have at least some public appreciation. Every time the Z warriors save the day, they almost instantly return to their non-exciting lives.
With that said, not all of Dragon Ball Z’s casts are as useful as others. It is a common joke among fans that Goku and Vegeta do much of the heavy lifting, which is almost true. Goku and Vegeta may do most of the important work, yet Gohan, Piccolo, and even Krillin, have had some active role in the fight against evil for a long time in Z. They deserve as much credit for protecting the world as the others. But then there are characters like Yamcha and Chiaotzu, who were pretty much next to useless in all of Dragon Ball Z.
In this list, we are going to rank the Dragon Ball Z Fighters From Worst To Best. Even though I am a big fan of most of these fighters, even I have to admit, not all of the Z fighters are particularly great.
17 Doll Face
Who knew the character with psychic powers would be the least powerful. As I mentioned before, I am a big fan of all the main characters in Dragon Ball Z… Excite maybe Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu, a doll face boy who has telekinetic powers, was really useless in all of Z. Matter of fact, he was also useless in the original Dragon Ball as well. All he did in the original show was lose to Krillin in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, and get eliminated by King Piccolo. All he does in Z is that he tries to blow up Nappa, and fails.
Chiaotzu could never keep up with the rest of the cast
He would spend the rest of the series just hanging out with Tien, a more useful and valuable member of the Z warriors. Despite supposedly always training with Tien, Chiaotzu could never keep up with the rest of the cast. Whereas Tien is still part of the team, the poor little guy pretty much became forgotten.
16 Terrible But Not The Worst
Yes, I am ranking Yajirobe higher than Chiaotzu. It is true that Chiaotzu has at least continued his training, and is able to use Ki attacks and fly. However, Yajirobe was able to cut off Vegeta’s tail when he was in Great Ape form, which was vital in order to defeat Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga. That already makes him almost ten-times more useful than Chiaotzu, who earlier tries to eliminate Nappa with a pitiful self-destruct explosion.
Yajirobe maybe lazy and the most self-centered of Earth’s heroes, and would pretty much do next to nothing in the arcs following the Saiyan Saga; he was at least more useful than Chiaotzu. Gosh darn it Chiaotzu, why are you so useless?
15 Everyone's Favorite Joke
Poor Yamcha. The behind of everyone’s jokes, Yamcha has often been labeled as the most worthless Z warrior. While he is definitely more powerful than Chiaotzu and Yajirobe, and has been more prevalent in the series than either one, Yamcha has suffered from some humiliating loses. From losing the first round in all three of the major tournaments in Dragon Ball, and perishing to a Saibamen, Yamcha could never catch a break.
He was completely overshadowed by everyone else
He remains a Z warrior up till the Androids Saga, retaining some relevance. Yamcha almost passes from Dr. Gero, and takes part in shooting energy blasts at Cell during the climax of the Cell Games. He wasn’t needed in these events, however, he at least gets points for participation. When the Earth was under threat from Frieza in Resurrection f he took no part in Earth’s defense. He was completely overshadowed by everyone else at that point, even from the other humans.
14 The Master Himself
While I think Yamcha may be more powerful than Master Roshi, the later has recently seen an uprising in relevancy again in the Resurrection f movie and Dragon Ball Super. Once considered to be the strongest man on Earth, fans often forget that Master Roshi was actually incredibly powerful at one point. He even defeated Goku in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. Unfortunately, Goku has easily surpassed his master, and when greater threats started appearing, Master Roshi would take a backseat.
Shockingly, despite years of not fighting, he would return to the front lines against Frieza and his forces in Resurrection f. He was able to take out several of Frieza’s men, showcasing that he still has it. He would later be part of the ten man team for Universe Seven in the Universal Survival Arc in Dragon Ball Super.
13 Trunks' Best Friend
Goten’s greatest source of fame is Gotenks, and Gotenks didn’t really do anything if you think about it. All Gotenks did was almost beat Super Buu, but he didn’t. That would make Goten virtually useless. He hasn’t even done anything important in Super yet. He is just Trunks’ best friend, and that’s it.
Goten ranks this high purely because he is much stronger than the previous entries. While it is hard to gauge how powerful Goten really is, since there is no one to compare him to other than Kid Trunks, we do know that he can turn into Super Saiyan. Super Saiyans, no matter what form they take, are supposed to be extremely powerful. It is safe to assume that Goten has great strength, and is probably stronger than Roshi, Yamcha, and definitely Chiaotzu.
12 He's Just A Kid!
Everything I said about Goten can be applied to Kid Trunks, except for the fact that we know Kid Trunks has an older, alternate future version of himself that is one of the coolest characters in the franchise. For that, Kid Trunks earns extra brownie points.
He has some of his father’s arrogance and pride
Not only that, Kid Trunks has a lot more agency and personality than Goten. Whereas Goten is just Kid Goku 2.0, Kid Trunks is his own character. He has some of his father’s arrogance and pride, yet, at the same time, retains some of his mother’s intelligence and level headiness. In Super, he finally comes across his future counterpart, setting up some interesting character development that is sorely needed for Goten. In Dragon Ball Z movie, Wrath of the Dragon, Kid Trunks is also given an interesting dynamic with the swordsman Tapion. Overall, Kid Trunks is just more entertaining
11 Second Strongest Human Ever?
Tien’s ranking among the strongest pure-blooded humans is short of dubious. He is definitely stronger than Chiaotzu and Master Roshi, however, I grew up with the impression that he and Yamcha were pretty much equals. I don’t know why, I just did. The fact that Tien has some relevance in the franchise still kind of proves he is stronger than Yamcha. That leaves Krillin as his only real opponent as the strongest human on Earth. I generally side with Krillin being stronger, because he had his potential unlocked by Guru.
Tien started off really strong, having bested Goku in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament in original Dragon Ball. He would then suffer a very bad beating from Nappa in the Saiyan Saga of Z, while his biggest moment of fame in the show stems from his fight with Imperfect Cell in the Android Saga.
10 He's Krillin It
As mention, I believe Krillin is stronger than Tien because the former had their potential unlocked by Guru during the Namekian Saga. Even if Tien was stronger though, I would probably rank Krillin higher still since Krillin is one of the few characters to remain prevalent since the beginning. Original Goku’s training partner under Master Roshi, Krillin was a constant presence in the series since he was first introduced.
He would take part in all three World Martial Arts Tournament in Dragon Ball, fights against both Nappa and Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga, travels to Namek, holds his own against Frieza, is able to somehow hold off Imperfect Cell for a while, and is able to find love with an android that is way out of his league. He remains an important character in Dragon Ball Super, facing against Frieza’s men and being part of the ten-man team for the Universal Survival Arc.
9 A Beautiful Android
Speaking of Krillin, his wife, Android 18, is mostly known for her cold personality and almost bringing about the extinction of the human race in Future Trunks’ timeline. Somehow in the main timeline, she decides to not eliminate all humans, and chooses to settle down with Krillin out of all people. After the Androids Saga, 18 didn’t really do much in the Buu Saga. She was just Krillin’s wife, which is annoying because she was introduced as the ultimate fighting machine.
She has some importance in Dragon Ball GT, where she teams up with Goku to stop Super 17. It wasn’t until Dragon Ball Super where she is finally able let loose and finally show what she is capable of. She and Android 17 have proven to be the highlights of the Tournament of Survival Arc, having some of the best fights in the arc.
8 Mean And Green
Piccolo was at one point considered to be the strongest warrior on Earth. It was during the Androids Saga when he finally fuses with Kami, and is able to match Android 17 in one of the best fights in Dragon Ball Z. However, from that point, he would be completely out staged by the Saiyan characters. Goku and Vegeta continue to get stronger, while poor Piccolo is now considered to be one of the weaker Z warriors. He is now in the same league with Krillin and Tien, whereas in the Androids Saga, he was clearly stronger than either one.
It isn’t all bad for Piccolo though. He remains one of the franchises’ biggest icons. Piccolo has one of the most recognizable designs in all of the mega-franchise. He also remains pretty relevant throughout Z and Super, taking part in many impressive fights scenes.
7 One Big Battling Blob
Majin Buu was at one point considered to be the biggest threat to the entire universe. His power was unmatched and he devoured nearly all the Supreme Kais. None of Earth’s protectors were able to keep with the giant pink blob. He was thought as being indestructible…
Then he befriended Mr. Satan and decided he didn’t want to be evil anymore. He then expelled his evil side, which would become Super Buu, and later Kid Buu, his original form. Buu would then be overshadowed by his succeeding and more powerful forms. He would never come across as powerful as he did when he was first introduced, but he is still often seen as one of the strongest beings in the universe. He didn't really do much after he turned good other than kept Kid Buu distracted for a little while.
6 A Fan-Favorite Android
Android 17 was, for the longest time, mostly remembered for his villainous roles in the Androids Saga and Dragon Ball GT. It wasn’t until the Universal Survival arc that 17 finally joined Earth’s protectors in a tournament that would determine the fate of their whole universe. It is there that 17 were able to showcase his upgraded strength, having surpassed Majin Buu.
He has had some of the most impressive moments in the arc
At the time of this writing, he is one of the last eight fighters left in the tournament. He has had some of the most impressive moments in the arc, having some of the coolest finishers and attacks in the show thus far. Android 17 was always a well-known character among fans of the franchise; however, the Universal Survival arc has truly transformed him into a fan-favorite.
5 Like Father Like Son
The prodigal son, Gohan was set up throughout Dragon Ball Z as being the most powerful warrior on Earth, even surpassing his father Goku. In many ways, all of Z was Gohan’s coming of age story. As he starts off as a scared child, he would grow up to be Earth’s strongest protector. His character arc essentially ends when he defeats Cell at the Cell Games and saves the Earth. Buu Saga was meant to continue his journey as the series protagonist. Sadly, Goku would take back his reign as the strongest warrior, and Gohan becomes a scholar.
Gohan has been slowly trying to regain his lost strength
Dragon Ball Super has been slowly rebuilding Gohan’s reputation as one of the strongest heroes in the show. After a humiliating defeat by Frieza in Resurrection f, Gohan has been slowly trying to regain his lost strength he had during the Buu Saga.
4 No Longer A Child
Everyone remembers the moment when Future Trunks came in out of nowhere, and easily defeats Mecha-Frieza. His fight with Frieza would prove to be one of the most surprising moments in all of the franchise, and it helped endured Trunks to the fandom. Vegeta and Bulma’s son from the future, Trunks goes to the past to warn the Z warriors about the Red Ribbon Androids.
He would have major fights throughout the Android Saga, culminating in him returning to his future timeline and handily defeating his timeline’s androids. He would then be MIA for years, until Dragon Ball Super brought him back for the Future Trunks Arc. At that point Trunks was able to achieve Super Saiyan 2, and later Super Saiyan Rage. He fought alongside Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta, and was able to keep up with the villainous Goku Black.
3 A Monstrous Foe
Frieza is one of the most irredeemably evil characters in all of Dragon Ball. He has conquered planets and even eliminated most of the Saiyan race. His epic duel with Goku is what leads to the franchise's most iconic moment: the first appearance of a Super Saiyan. He would suffer a humiliating defeat from Goku when he accidentally cut off his own legs. He was able to survive that and became Mecha-Frieza. Unfortunately for him, Future Trunks made short work out of him.
Frieza would return for Resurrection f, where he is revived by the dragon balls. He returns to Earth to get his revenge on Goku. Frieza is able to train for several months, having become even more powerful and even unlocks his Golden Frieza form. He was able to keep up with Super Saiyan Blue Goku for a time. He eventually perishes again by Goku’s hand.
2 The Prince Of All Saiyans
The Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta, has come a long way from his villainous routes. Originally one of the four surviving Saiyans in the universe, he goes to Earth with his partner Nappa to get the dragon balls. He would have one of the most iconic fights in all of anime history with Goku, where Goku was able to barely defeat him. He would later return as an unlikely ally in the Namekian Saga, where he is forced to team up with Earth’s heroes to find the Namekian dragon balls and stop Frieza.
Afterwards, he becomes an anti-hero, facing against the Android menace in order to challenge himself. By the time the Buu Saga hits, Vegeta has mostly settled down with Bulma and his son. That is, until he is tempted by the dark side again by the wizard Bobbidi, and becomes Majin Vegeta. He would later redeem himself during his fights with Majin Buu, and later Kid Buu.
1 Unbridled Potential
There was never a question of who was the best Dragon Ball Z fighter. It was always going to be the main man himself, Son Goku. The entire mega saga of the Dragon Ball franchise hinges on Goku’s never-ending quest to be stronger and to continue facing against opponents more powerful than him. Every time he comes across a wall in his progression, he always breaks through.
He is Earth’s strongest protector
He is able to overcome every obstacle thrown at him, including Pilaf, the Red Ribbon Army, King Piccolo, Vegeta, Frieza, and Majin Buu. Even in Super, he continues to face enemies stronger than him. As long as there is a limit to break through, Goku will always find it. He is the pillar that the whole franchise supported by, without him there wouldn’t be a Dragon Ball series. He is Earth’s strongest protector and is easily the best Dragon Ball Z fighter ever.