For a long time there was nothing about DB, and there was none, it is a series that I have great sentiment. Initially, I wanted to make a top 10 favorite movies, but at the planning stage I changed my mind, it would be difficult to include some more interesting opinions. In addition, the text would be too repetitive and therefore boring. The top-list of characters is not especially better in terms of originality, but it gives more scope to show off.
- Tenshinhan - From the first look at DB and DBZ, I considered him the strongest landowner. I know that according to Toriyama, this name is called Krillan, but I find it unfair. Tien trained more, he managed better in a difficult situation with Cell than Krillan (who met him when he was in his 1st combat form, not 2 as in the fight with Ten). And in the first series, he was Goku's main rival before Piccolo and then Vegeta took this noble place. It was also Tien who for a short time was the main hero of the series (looking at the story from the perspective of the heroes' knowledge at that time), from which he fulfilled himself in a dignified way. It is a pity that he was treated this way in DBS, but well, it happens. I will leave the veil of silence over it and focus on the positive.
So I'll write what I like Tien the most, and for that, you have to go back to the middle of the first series. His best period continues until his death, during the Saiyan attack on Earth. On later enemies it is already too thin and was able to hold down Cella for a moment. Maybe it would be something more from him, but unfortunately he stubbornly trained with his micro-mime, thanks to which he developed very slowly.
We met him a little before 22 Tenka-ichi Budokai, where he broke Yamcha's leg and beat Goku by a hair. Or rather, there was a tie between them, and the rules decided about the victory. At the same tournament there was also a change initiated by the Brilliant Turtle. Muten Roshi cleverly and wisely persuaded Tien to change his ideology. The Tri-Eyes were initially reluctant to do so, but Roshi's insidious method quickly began to bear fruit. Tenshin himself began to fight his old worldview, and the transformation process cemented Krillan's death and the need to fight Piccolo Daimao and his demons. In fact, he had no choice - if he hadn't united with the Goku team, the Piccolo demons would have killed him, and if they had failed, the Great Satan himself would have done it. In addition, the scene brilliantly came out, as he flew a Bulma plane for the final fight against Daimao, you could feel the enormous pressure that was on the shoulders of the young warrior at the time. The guy just deserved the title of the strongest Earthling.
Favorite scene: He plowed it nicely :)
- Cell - As much as I like his overall life, I love the stage from hatching from an egg to achieve 2 battle forms. And I also like the character idea itself. Although the idea for a warrior of this type (the owner of all the features and techniques of the strongest known warriors in a given universe) is well-worn, Akira has presented him in a really interesting (at least for me) way. He used a well-known scientist who once worked for the Red Ribbon Army, which I consider a big plus. I prefer using already known characters or organizations to come up with new ones. You don't always have to do it, often what we've come up with comes true. Especially as there is no idea for their development in further arcades. Some people were indignant that like this - bream, which Songo still had in DB, can make such powerful androids and cyborgs? Well normally. RRA has a lot of raw materials, human, military, financial resources, Dr. Gero is appreciated by Bulma, her father, for me these explanations are enough. The example of Dr. Briefs and his daughter shows what can be developed in the world of DB, so such powerful machines do not surprise me. Especially since Akira introduced them so organically into his world. He did it surprisingly well and smoothly, the plot seamlessly and flawlessly passed from Namek to the disclosure of information by Trunks from the future. I often criticize Akira and DB, but a few ideas and fragments in this comic keep the level high, OP, or HxH.
Cell's debut was just as mysterious and strong as in the case of Future Trunks. In addition to the super-strong cyborgs, who have just spat thick drool on Z warriors, another creation of man and computers appears. What's more, it's growing rapidly. So fast, he kicks everyone's ass from the beginning. It is even more powerful than Piccolo, whose power lvl caused Vegeta complexes to temporarily deepen. Unfortunately, after his 1st transformation his thread sits down a bit. The second one improves a bit, but it's nothing to the beginning. Well, maybe apart from fights and epic moments, because things happen at "Cell Games". Unfortunately, Villian himself became boring and unbearable towards the end. Although the stage with Trunks was great, it could have been placed much earlier (e.g. before the C-16 speech to Gohan as one of the motivators), and forgave the return. Lack of epic Kamehameha I would survive because solving the arc and moving Goku permanently to the afterlife (fact, he planned to do it anyway, but such an ending would have a stronger overtone) and the unusual ending of the arc would be more interesting. First of all, it was not necessary, because Gohan Ssj2 so dominated over Cell Phone that he could kill him with only blows from an open hand, without having to clench them. In addition, as part of looking for additional positives, if not for Cell, we probably would not get Meruem in HxH and great scenes with Netero and Colt, it was also worth it.
Favorite scene: B. good introduction and a very good fight
- Android 16 - Although we didn't have much to do with it, I liked it most of all Dr. Gero's "toys". Damn strong and smart machine. When everyone was wondering how to motivate Gohan to change, he simply referred to a different type of emotion. The human factor was insufficient for the young half-saiyan, so the android hit other emotional notes. Statistically, women and children are more prone to such plays. Women, because when they see a small, innocent creature, it's because of genetic memory and pregnancy, they are accompanied by the "help", "weapons" and stuff. And children are children, it is easier for men to turn their heads and pretend that they are not interested or turn off. Android also gave him his will, asking him to take care of the animals instead of him. Such a move, if we apply it correctly in the right place, time, and situation, it can greatly affect a person or greatly increase his morale for some time. Like e.g. athletes or soldiers with the right mindset.
When I refreshed DBZ a few years ago, my attention was drawn to his texts that it was designed to destroy Goku. This is clearly seen after his fight with Cell. Although their strength was on the same level, the android threw it like a sack of potatoes, making little of its impact. It is a pity that we did not have too many opportunities to watch his fights, which are much more interesting than the fighting between the living. I like to watch such machines in action - they do not sting and use the best possible blows at the most convenient moments, which is why they are more dangerous than predictable people. And although it's been some years since DBZ was flying RTL7, I haven't seen a better silent giant with great strength to this day. Not that C16 was some kind of outstanding creation, because it wasn't (although it fared better than its copy from "Naruto"), but it had its specific role to perform and went away in a great style (yes, I remember that Bulma rebuilt it later, but he didn't have an impact on history).
Favorite scene: - Dedication of C16 for Gohan, and the second-best transformation in DB history when it comes to overall.
- Broly - Although we only saw him in one cinema, he quickly stole my heart. Akira has not created a really good character for a long time, except for Beerus / Whisa. Visually, he was inspired by those of old movies, but his character, personality similar to Conan's barbarian and all the rest is the work of Toriyama and the rest of the writers. The one in the cinema was practically non-character and Toriyama had to create it from scratch. And finally it is not broken in terms of its constant growth in strength - it hits a wall that it cannot break through. In addition, his power was wisely justified - his father cut off his tail, as he was in an intermediate state between Saiyan and Ozaru, so he developed differently from Goku and Vegeta. I can't wait for the people responsible for this brand to use it for the next arc. Homie brings a breath of freshness to DB and his presence can affect the status quo of the heroes in all DB universes. Maybe Freezer will somehow use it? :>
Favorite scene:The heart says - Gogeta vs Broly, reason Vegeta vs Broly.
- Whis - My favorite character from the ones we were shown after defeating Buu. Beerus is cool and I like him, but he is too repetitive type of character. Whis, however, is no ordinary laugh. He rarely shows this, but despite the loose approach to life, he is essential and does not stick with his students. Anyway, just watch the latest movie - Broly massacred Freezer, and Angel flew around whispering and giggling "oh my, that was close", poking fun at the muscular man and his menacing face. In addition, in several dialogues he showed that he was joking, but he is the strongest here and it is better not to piss him off. He did it so harshly and bluntly that it can not be mistaken for a joke, but on the other hand does not kill as someone will not be too pushy in your curiosity. I hope they have a plan for it and it will not become another cliché in the continuation of DBS. This guy has potential, and he has a great voice actor - Ichigo from "Bleach" aka Xin Li from "Kingdom". It would be a shame if someone with such an interesting character and seiyu would become another schematic creation.
Favorite scene:
- Future Trunks - One of the few characters that I fully appreciated only when I watched Z as an adult. Especially his entrance! One of the best scenes in the history of the brand, as well as one of the best when it comes to battlefields in general. I don't even know if Togashi or Eiichiro Oda have ever introduced a new character better. I may have forgotten someone, but even if I suffer from temporary memory problems, they couldn't be much better than Trunks' entry from the future. Imagine if we were watching these episodes in the '90s. In total, not much time has passed since Freezer was beaten. Our heroes are still a pile of shit at the power of space Adolf and are shaking with fear at the reunion, not to mention the fight. They know that they don't have the slightest chance and can only try to slow him down. Frieza comes out of the ship, straightens his limbs and suddenly someone unknown appears. Colleagues with whom I watched these episodes for the first time (during the virgin issue) drew attention to the characteristic logo on the Trunks jacket. We disregard who it is, what power it has etc. Suddenly, the homie starts Ssj mode, our backside is at the level of the butts, and in turn Freezer's brain sent a signal to the colon that it was coming through. The problem was solved, and all the attention of the characters and spectators was focused on the mysterious boy. Especially Vegeta, whose ass cracked from excess frustration.
It turned out that he was the son of Bulma and Vegeta, who would just be born. As I wrote several times, if the genesis of Future Trunks may have some holes or inaccuracies, it is consistent with the world and does not collapse in the eyes. Anyway, even if they are, they are probably not much bigger than the babols that James Cameron committed, or the writers of "Avengers: Endgame". Similarly, I criticize Akira, but then there was a time when Toriyama wanted to think about the story and, in total, the DB from that period is not so bad compared to the outgoing battlefield players. Trunks may as a character is not a revealing creation, but on the other hand I have no reason to stick. He is internally coherent, has his own character, is stubborn after daddy, and at the same time empathic after his mother. He fulfilled his role in this arc and gave the viewers fun and won the sympathy of some fans. It is a pity that there are no sword techniques and this is probably the only thing I could stick to. He only used it to cut Freeza, but later it wasn't very effective. He probably had to be such a cool element that would make him stand out from the rest of the characters, but Toriyama had no idea how to develop it further.
Favorite scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9DeQHSFS It's no different :). Brilliant editing, great song, atmosphere, work of voice actors, the face of a tyrant. One of the best scenes in the whole DB.
- Piccolo - For a kid and teenager he was my favorite character, even though during the arc of Buu he was brought to the 2nd or maybe 3rd rank. I thought the situation would improve DBS, but unfortunately the Super series spoiled it even more. I know that Piccolo achieved even more than Goku and Vegeta (given the weaker combat potential and development possibilities of the Nameczan breed) and he had to sweat more, but it could be done more than a teacher and a nanny for kids. Or at least push him into the background, but in a legitimate way, as was the case in the film. His presence and willingness to help were clearly marked, and at the same time it was written so well that no one should blame. In the TV series, however, he does for a waiter who does little to do but support Gotenks.
Why did I like him so much? For a few things, mainly because I love watching bad characters (Piccolo Daimao), Junior (his son), or sociopaths (Carnage from Spiderman comics) since I was a child. In addition, as one of the few does not focus solely on strength or quantity of Ki, but more sharp senses, devilish cunning, better observation, some magic, etc. It is a pity that Toei and Akira so often ignore it and do not use these patents in fights. Why do I say "puff" and not "forget"? Because these Marauders remember this well, see Buu, who after eating Piccolo became uber-wise, as well as his self-awareness, has entered a completely different, higher level. Well, but nothing to complain about later sagas, nothing will take away my joy from his old fights. I am happy to watch episodes from the destruction of Namek, how he and Vegeta appear - so beautifully display their e-cocks to measure, checking who has the larger. Both are so stubborn that the fight would last until one of them fell from exhaustion on the soil because they did not remember the option of failure at all.
When it comes to duels, Piccolo had no reason to complain about DB / DBZ. If I ever write top-10 of my favorite fights with DB, there will definitely be at least one there. In each of them behaves exactly as he should - he fights aggressively, does not give up, and is more clearly guided by the brain during fights, unlike most characters in DB. It is a pity that in DBS we did not get a single good, even short skirmish. Sure, he had his duels, but in my opinion they were weak, even the one from the Power Tournament. I would even kiss something on Freezer vs Goku just before the final ark in DBS. They gave us some scraps of training with Gohan, a 2vs2 fight that I might like if they led to a nice episode during the Tournament. This did not happen - the episode with Gohan and Piccolo was so-so, green fell off like a bream, and from these trainings nothing came out, it might as well be gone and no one would feel the difference. We didn't get any nice combo, fanservice in the form of using the old technique - which is a pity because the tournament was the perfect opportunity. On the other hand, you have to be happy because it could get worse. E.g. humiliation, as in the case of Tenshinhan.
Favorite scene: This fight, of course, and my favorite piece is C-17 locked inside Ki balls. : 3
- Muten Roshi - I love the days when the strength of Muten Roshi was still useful. Unfortunately, because of Goku's extraterrestrial origin, the level of opponents quickly became higher and higher, until his grandfather came to the background. He is a smart warrior who has really big balls and if he was stronger enough, he could kick ass like Vegeta. The guy balances on the border between good and evil very efficiently, he is not afraid to hurt his opponent in a situation when he has to.
When they announced that he was the 10th elect of Earth, I was delighted. Many complained, but I defended it. Logic has been violated enough in Super anyway, so what else would hurt nonsense. The more so that this character was asking for revitalization. The guy has gigantic knowledge, despite the generally applicable impression, in several respects the equals knowledge with Kami, Piccolo, Karin, etc. E.g. Observation, cool and objective assessment of the opponent's and their own strengths, choosing the right tactics, knows how to get the opponent under control and when to get to the details, laying him on the ground, he knows many techniques that can be useful to various opponents. Such features were just asking for use and I think it was done properly. The episode in which he played the first violin was probably the best when it comes to performance, choreography and overall. Krillan, Piccolo, Gohan, C17, C18 got weaker in my opinion, it is a shame to shred the snout at Tenshinhan. In turn, Grandpa gave everything and even more, because he died (in different conditions, if no one could heal/resurrect him, he would die). We got a lot of fights, very good directing, and the character of the Tortoise Master was treated with proper esteem. And Beerus himself appreciated the master, which is one of the best recommendations in all universes. At best, a better choice would be Yamcha, who would run Jirena with one hand, like Freezer Nail. Gray fires a lot of energy, Yamcha dies from fear, Jiren falls away. Then, however, we would not get an extra special episode and it would be weak.
Favorite scene: I couldn't find a conversation between them, so I throw it. The reason is simple, it was a great conversation.
- Vegeta - I didn't like him for a long time. Sure, he had good, sometimes very good scenes and moments, but somehow I couldn't convince him. Even his sacrifice in the fight against Buu did not appeal to me, even though it was already a damn impressive scene. Like Roshi and Broli, though less so, he developed as a character. Only the Super series made it to the closest group of my favorites from the Dragon Ball universe. We saw him more as a loving father and husband, as well as a brave and strong warrior. Although we saw the embryo in the previous series, it did not sound strong enough for me. The fact that sacrifice for the rest was much better than during the Power Tournament, although it is even more evident in the case of sacrifice for the family. The prince behaves charmingly when he feels that his family may be threatened, not to mention that he immediately fell into the syndrome of daddy and his daughter. I wonder what it will look like in 15 years, how it will drag him around xD stores. Bulma is slowly preparing it for this, which we also saw in DBS. She has a wise wife who knows a woman who likes to fly around stores with a wallet stuffed with cash, she is a worse monster than the immortal Freezer.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the fighting. Although at the Power Tournament he had a nice, intense battle with Jiren, his promising clash with Toppo (who is a much more interesting opponent) was interrupted. We were also promised that he would have a more significant role in Freezer's resurrection. And yes, it was a bit more important, but it was missed with what was announced to us, like when advertising a game with overblown marketing. It is different when it comes to the cinema screening with Brolym and the Z series, in which he had very good fights, and according to some fans - the best. It's hard to disagree with them - Vegeta bases his style on technical blows, attacking in such a way as to hurt his enemy as much as possible. In addition, they usually have some interesting element (e.g. fight with cyborgs, android 19, M. Vegeta vs Fat Buu) or are very good (both fights Goku vs Vegeta). It would be cool if Akira or Toei Animation studio finally gave him some arc where he would play a leading role and Kakarotto would go straighten bananas.
Favorite scene: Or rather I should write "favorite fight" because the first solo between the prince and Song is IMO one of the best fights in the history of this brand. Beautiful choreography, the difference between saiyans is clearly visible - Goku fights instinctively and does not think too much, and Vegeta focuses on technical attacks that are intended to particularly hurt or eliminate the opponent faster.
- Freezer - If I wrote this one before watching DBS, the Emperor may not have been in this place. His participation in the Power Tournament contributed to this state of affairs. As my friend wisely noticed once (best regards Buki), Toei probably wanted to apologize to us for his previous excesses. The world master of DB is experiencing a second youth here. A tournament with so many opponents is a kindergarten for a pedophile for him. So many opportunities for competitions, watching other techniques, hurting blows below the waist. And above all, his return, although a few things did not work out, is well thought out. The power-up is justified and in no way conflicts with what we saw in the manga (at most you can have the right problems in view of the speed and ease of its strength increase), it behaves exactly as it should behave after collected several times from cosmic monkeys. He found, like Vejita, that sometimes you have to put your pride in your pocket and humbly bow your neck. His cruelty, sadism, and cunning did not suffer. Even the censorship imposed on DBS did not prevent it (no blood, often where saliva appeared, it would normally be blood if it was the Z series), although no one tortured anyone as much as he did Prince Saiyan, but he had some nice moments. Besides, he was skated at the tournament - see the scene as Toppo hit him. A great development of this character, it was worth experiencing some DBSuper ills so that the status quo prevailing in "our" universe would change. Freezer can still stir a lot, bring Broly somehow to his side, at least temporarily. Perhaps Toriyama will also use his anime idea (I don't know if it was also in the manga) to somehow manipulate the Gods. After all, as the ruler of a large piece of the universe, he has even more possibilities than Dr. Gero on Earth. The outlook is promising, we'll see what they do with it.
As for Z, he impressed me Namek. If then, to end the anime and recognize that the flashbacks from the last cinema were a valid canon at the time, this story would be a great meshing. From A to Z, Toriyama would have closed the title with a beautiful buckle, a great villain and a bomb-style. Only then would the interesting status quo be - a very strong Vegeta, weaker Piccolo than him, Gohan with still awake potential, the rest of the cramps from Earth, such an ending would be bomb-like. However, before this happened, Freezer bought my heart with his character. The guy is pure evil, like Dio from "JoJo's Bizzare Adventure". It does not work due to some higher motives, there is no logic behind it (more or less justified), as in Thanos from "The Avengers". He will do evil for the fun of spoiling someone's life. It is fun for him to bully the weak. He is like a spoiled child who got too much to start and grew up as a heartless cruel. He is emotional, frustrated with Saiyan, not stupid, but hopelessly slow to learn from mistakes.
Favorite scene: is + his return. For me, a much better scene than gathering energy from the entire universe to kill a pink blob
And what are your top-10 characters from DB?