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Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, Dr. Slump. While many of the characters are humans with superhuman strengths or supernatural abilities, the cast also includes anthropomorphic animals, extraterrestrial lifeforms, and deities who govern the world and the universe. During the course of the story, protagonist Son Goku is adopted by Grandpa Son Gohan and encounters allies like Bulma, Master Roshi, and Trunks; rivals such as Tien Shinhan, Piccolo, and Vegeta; and villains such as Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. Goku's group of associates, known as the "Dragon Team", bolsters its ranks throughout the series with the addition of former enemies and new heroes. The group is also known in Japanese as the "Z Fighters" or Team "Z" in other media, and the Earth's Special Forces in the English dub of Dragon Ball Z.

The Dragon Ball franchise begins in Goku's boyhood years as he trains in martial arts and explores a fantastical version of The plot revolves around his search for the seven Dragon Balls used to summon a wish granting dragon. The tone of the series becomes more action oriented and less comedic as Goku reaches adulthood. He and his allies defend Earth against various threats, overcoming seemingly insurmountable opponents, and eventually emerging victorious against progressively more powerful foes. The series also includes depictions of the afterlife and time travel as a means of creating historical divergences. Dragon Ball Super in particular expands the setting of the series to include parallel universes; the vast majority of the Dragon Ball series takes place in Universe 7, or the Seventh Universe in the English dub.

Akira Toriyama initially based most of the characters on those from Journey to the West: Goku from the Monkey King, Bulma from Tang Sanzang, Oolong from Zhu Bajie, and Yamcha from Sha Wujing. He also incorporated ideas from one of his earlier one shot manga series, Dragon Boy. Toriyama explained that the reason there are many anthropomorphic characters is that he found it easier to visually differentiate them compared to human characters. For the female characters, Toriyama created women he deemed "beautiful and sexy", but also "strong". He claimed that he has trouble drawing females, which is why there are relatively few female characters in the Dragon Ball series. To advance the story quickly, he introduced Goku's signature flying nimbus cloud, later gave most fighting characters the ability to fly, and eventually granted Goku teleportation. Many Dragon Ball characters have names that are puns, which are associated with related characters. For example, Bulma and her family are named after undergarments, members of the human like alien race known as the Saiyans are named after vegetables, and because Frieza is a pun on freezer, the Ginyu Force are named after products that are kept in a refrigerator. A study on sound symbolism and its effect on character names conducted by researchers at Tsuda University, Tokyo discover that out of a sample size of 118 villainous characters from Dragon Ball, the consonants /g/ and /b/ were frequently used in their names and that there was a strong tendency to link "bad & male" characters with /ɡ/, which supports the notion that "a sound meaning association can be attested in at least some phonemes" in the Japanese language. Toriyama explained that he does not like giving names to techniques and special abilities, but did so at his editor's suggestion. Toriyama personally designed certain characters which made their debut appearances in animated films, as well as licensed video games such as Android 21.

The Dragon Ball series features an ensemble cast of main characters. The most prominent protagonist of the Dragon Ball series is Goku, who along with Bulma forms the Dragon Team to search for the Dragon Balls at the beginning of the series. After the truth of Goku's heritage is revealed, Saiyan characters play a central narrative role from Dragon Ball Z onwards: Bardock and Trunks from an alternate future timeline serve as the protagonists of their respective side stories, while Goku's son Gohan briefly assumes the role of series protagonist following the conclusion of the Cell Games Saga. Vegeta is featured as the co protagonist for Dragon Ball Super.

First introduced as a young boy, Son Goku (孫悟空) is depicted as immensely strong, pure of heart, and extremely competitive, but dedicated to defending his adopted home Earth from internal or external threats. Although he appears human, it is later revealed that Goku is a Saiyan, and that his original name is Kakarrot.

Bulma first appears as a teenager using the Dragon Radar, a fictional device she created to detect the energy signal emitted by Dragon Balls. She is led to Goku's location by the signal emitted by the four star ball in his possession and recruits him as a bodyguard while hoping to get his four star ball to grant her wish for a boyfriend. She gives up on the wish after meeting Yamcha, and much later in the series, she marries Vegeta. Bulma has also assumed the role of inventor and has consistently provided critical tech support to Goku and his friends with their battles against various enemies and threats throughout the series. Some of her notable innovations include a microband that could make her shrink, and a time machine that brought her son from an alternate future timeline, Trunks, to the past on multiple occasions.

Krillin (クリリン) is a bald martial artist and one of Goku's best friends and classmates. He and Goku are under the tutelage of Master Roshi; initially his rival but later a friend, and a loyal companion in adventures thereafter. He is killed by King Piccolo's spawn Tambourine, but is later revived by Shenron. After the fight with the Saiyans, he travels to Planet Namek, where he is killed by Frieza. After being brought back to life again by the Namekian Dragon Balls, he helps out during the Android and Cell arcs. He is married to Android 18 and has a daughter, Marron.

Piccolo is the spawn of King Piccolo, created to get revenge on Goku in the wake of his death, and subsequently assumes the role as the "evil half" of Kami. However, after being narrowly defeated by Goku, he must team up with him and his friends when opposing the invading Saiyans, including training Goku's son Gohan. He is later revealed to be a Namekian—a green skinned, four fingered, hairless humanoid species who created the series' titular Dragon Balls. He dies sacrificing himself to protect Gohan during the fight against the Saiyan Nappa, and trains in the afterlife under King Kai before being wished back to life by the Namekian Dragon Balls. While he temporarily maintains the partnership during the fights with Frieza and the Androids, by the time of the Cell and Majin Buu arcs he accepts the fact they are allies.

Son Gohan is Goku's eldest son with Chi Chi, who first appears at the age of four. He is kidnapped by Goku's brother, Raditz, and locked up in a space pod. However, his temper flares and he bursts out of the space pod, dealing a blow to Raditz and knocking himself out. After the battle, Piccolo takes and trains him for a year as he realizes Gohan's potential. Gohan slowly becomes one of the strongest characters in the series, at one point holding his own against Frieza and eventually defeats Cell. After the Majin Buu arc, he marries Videl, with whom he later has a daughter named Pan.

Vegeta is the last prince of the Saiyan warrior people, and the fourth generation of the Saiyan royal bloodline to bear his namesake. He is first shown conquering a planet with his partner Nappa by listening to Raditz's fight on Earth using their scouters. The two of them travel to Earth in search of the Dragon Balls, and he ends up fighting a newly revived Goku, but retreats after persistent attacks by Yajirobe, Krillin, and Gohan. He flees to recuperate before heading off to Planet Namek to collect its Dragon Balls before Frieza can. While on Namek, Vegeta proceeds to battle and kill many of Frieza's underlings. He is later forced to team up with Gohan, Goku, Piccolo, and Krillin so they can fight off Frieza. After Frieza's defeat, Vegeta lives on Earth and forms a relationship with Bulma. When the Androids arrive, it is revealed he has fathered a son with Bulma, Trunks. Later in the series, he and Bulma have a younger child daughter named Bra, known as Bulla in the English dub; unlike her father and brother, and despite being half Saiyan, she does not show any interest in fighting.

Trunks first appears as a mysterious young man who easily defeats Frieza and his father King Cold prior to Goku's return to Earth from Planet Namek. It is revealed that he is Vegeta and Bulma's future child who has traveled back in time to inform Goku of the arrival of the Red Ribbon Androids that, in his time, have killed everyone else in the Dragon Team besides Goku, who died of heart disease. Trunks' backstory is detailed in The History of Trunks television special. He helps fight against the Androids and Cell before returning to his timeline. The character reappears in Dragon Ball Super to request assistance from the main timeline's heroes, and also appears in Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Just as the Androids arrived, the Trunks from the series' main timeline was born. Seven years later as a child, Trunks, already able to turn Super Saiyan at his age, fights against Majin Buu by using the fusion technique with his best friend Goten to form the composite being Gotenks.

Kame Sen'nin, also known as Muten Rōshi, which is rendered as "Master Roshi" in the English versions, is a lecherous elderly martial arts master instructor that lives on a small island and is the inventor of the Kamehameha technique. He trained Grandpa Gohan and Ox King, Goku and Krillin, and a few others. He is often accompanied by his talking sea turtle companion, Umigame, who often tries to point out his flaws. Master Roshi was trained by Master Mutaito (武泰斗), who also trained his cohortian turned rival Tsuru Sen'nin; he has also received additional training from Korin. When he appears anonymously in the World Martial Arts Tournament, Master Roshi uses the name "Jackie Chun", wears a wig and discards his sunglasses.

Yamcha, known as Zedaki in the Harmony Gold dub, is introduced as a desert bandit alongside his companion Puar, trying to steal Goku and Bulma's Dragon Balls. He becomes nervous when near women. He eventually becomes Goku's ally, starts a relationship with Bulma, and later becomes a pupil of Master Roshi. His signature attack is the Rōgafūfūken, a physical barrage of punches and palm strikes, ending with a double palm strike. As a result of training under Master Roshi, Yamcha is able to perform the Kamehameha and develops the Sōkidan, an energy sphere directed by psychokinesis. He also later trains under Kami to prepare for the impending Saiyan invasion, but is killed by one of their Saibamen. Before being wished back to life by the Namekian Dragon Balls, he trained under King Kai in the afterlife. He remains as a regular member of the Dragon Team, but gradually becomes less active later in the series.

, named Tien Shinhan in the Funimation anime dub and also known as Shinto in the Harmony Gold dub, is first introduced, having been trained by Master Roshi's rival Master Shen, trying to kill Goku and his fellow students. Later, he and Chiaotzu become their allies, fighting against King Piccolo's minion until Goku arrives. In the fight with the Saiyans, Tien Shinhan dies of exhaustion against Nappa. He trains in the afterlife under King Kai before being revived by the Namekian Dragon Balls. Tien Shinhan helps out during the battles against the Androids and Cell, but for the most part does not participate in fighting until Frieza's return and later the Tournament of Power.

, Chiaotzu in the English anime dub, is a small human that resembles a jiangshi with pale skin, red cheeks, and has one hair under his hat. Although he is not physically strong, Chiaotzu is skilled with psychokinesis and telepathy. Chiaotzu is first introduced at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, having been trained by Master Roshi's rival Master Shen, trying to kill Goku and his fellow students. After Tien Shinhan decides that Master Shen's teachings are wrong, the two leave him and join Goku and his companions to defeat King Piccolo. After assisting Tien Shinhan and Master Roshi in finding the Dragon Balls, Chiaotzu is killed by King Piccolo while trying to thwart his wish for eternal youth, but is later revived using the Dragon Balls. In the battle against the Saiyans, he ineffectively self destructs on Nappa in order to save Tien Shinhan. He trains in the afterlife under King Kai before being revived by the Namekian Dragon Balls. Chiaotzu joins the other characters when they gather for Frieza's return, but Trunks kills Frieza before a fight ensues. Chiaotzu is generally no longer involved in battle from that point onwards, although he continues to train with Tien Shinhan. He is voiced by Hiroko Emori in Japanese, Rebecca Forstadt in the Harmony Gold dub, Cathy Weseluck in the Ocean dub, and Monika Antonelli in Funimation's dubs, except in Kai onwards where Brina Palencia voices him.

Bardock—or Burdock in Viz's English manga translation—is the husband of Gine, and the father of Raditz and Kakarrot (Goku). Bardock's story is first shown in the 1990 Dragon Ball Z TV special by Toei Animation, and is later retold in Toriyama's 2014 Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child special and Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He also stars in the 2011 spin off manga Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock and its subsequent animated short film adaptation.

Android 18 is a Red Ribbon Android created by Doctor Gero, and the sister of Android 17. After being released, she travels with Androids 16 and 17 to find and kill Goku, though they are interrupted by Cell and the Dragon Team several times. She and 17 are eventually absorbed by Cell, but later during the Cell Games, a hard blow from Gohan causes Cell to regurgitate her. Although Krillin is unable to wish for her to be turned into a human, he is able to have her self destruct device removed. She settles down with Krillin, and at some point, they have a daughter named Marron. 18 continues to make recurring appearances as a secondary character, and later fights for Team Universe 7 in the Tournament Of Power arc.

Son Goten is the youngest son of Goku and Chi Chi. When first introduced, Goten strongly resembles his father in appearance with the same hairstyle and similar clothing; as a teenager at the end of the series, his appearance has changed to include a shirt bearing his name and a longer, shaggier hairstyle. Goten was trained by his older brother Gohan in preparation for the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, which their father attended. During the training, Gohan discovers Goten is already quite strong, as he has been training with their mother (compared to Gohan's childhood), and can become a Super Saiyan despite still being a child. Like several characters in the series, he can also perform the Kamehameha technique. In order to save the world from Majin Buu, Goku and Piccolo teach Goten and Trunks the fusion technique, which allows them to form a single being, Gotenks. Gotenks battles Buu multiple times but he is unable to defeat Buu even as a Super Saiyan 3. Buu temporarily absorbs Gotenks to increase his own power, but Vegeta and Goku are able to retrieve him from Buu. When Buu destroys the Earth, Goten and Trunks are killed. The Dragon Balls later bring Goten back to life along with the rest of the Earth in order to give energy to Goku's Genki Dama attack, which defeats Buu. Goten and Trunks appear as the protagonists of the eleventh Dragon Ball Z feature movie, Bio Broly. Goten is one of the most popular characters in the series. Japanese fans voted Goten the sixth most popular character of the Dragon Ball series in a 2004 poll. Goten is ranked number 13 on IGN's Top 13 Dragon Ball Z Characters List, and came in 6th place on Complex. coms list "A Ranking of All the Characters on 'Dragon Ball Z; Sheldon Pearce notes that the character exists mostly as part of a pair with Trunks, who is the more assertive member of the duo, and their bond makes them extremely compatible to undergo the fusion technique. Masako Nozawa voices Goten in Japanese, while he is voiced by Kara Edwards (as a child) and Robert McCollum (as a teen) in the Funimation dub, by Jillian Michaels (as a child) and Gabe Khouth (as a teen) in the Ocean dub, and by Scott Hendrickson in the Blue Water dub. He is also voiced by Dana Hayes in the Bang Zoom! Entertainment dub of Super.

Beerus is a deity who appears in the fourteenth and fifteenth Dragon Ball Z films, as well as in Dragon Ball Super. A purple catlike being, he is a God of Destruction whose purpose is to maintain balance by destroying planets, civilizations, or external threats that put the development of the universe at risk. Son Goku transforms into the Super Saiyan God for his fight against Beerus and loses, though Beerus spares him and the Earth. Beerus later forms a team consisting of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Buu, and a small, red humanoid alien named Monaka (モナカ) to participate in the Tournament of Destroyers after answering a challenge by his brother and fellow God of Destruction Champa. Beerus later forms another team consisting of notable fighters from Universe 7 to participate in the Tournament of Power, organized by the supreme deity Zeno. Since then he oversees Goku and Vegeta's training on his home planet.

Whis is an angelic being who appears in the fourteenth and fifteenth Dragon Ball Z films, as well as in Dragon Ball Super. A tall teal humanoid with pronounced effeminate features, he is an Angel (天使), a being of extremely high status within the multiverse hierarchy. Each Angel is bound to the service of a God of Destruction of their respective universes as personal attendants and guides, rarely leaving them unaccompanied: they are tasked with supervising their deity, and may intervene to keep them in check. Whis is consistently depicted as unmatched in power and possesses tremendous speed, effortlessly defending himself against assailants. It is also revealed that he and his fellow angels possess the autonomous martial arts ability of reacting to attacks without the interference of the mind, Ultra Instinct (身勝手みがっての極意ごくい), a technique notorious for its difficulty to master even among deities, which is foreshadowed during his training of Goku and Vegeta, then later unexpectedly, but briefly achieved by Goku in the Tournament of Power. The character's name stems from a misunderstanding; Toriyama incorrectly believed that Beerus's name was a pun on the word "beer" and so decided to follow the same rule to name the character's assistant, naming the character Whis as a pun on "whisky". Whis is voiced by Masakazu Morita in Japanese media and Ian Sinclair in the Funimation dub.

Pilaf, Emperor Pilaf in the English anime dub, is a small impish blue creature who is the leader of the Pilaf Gang (ピラフ一味) and dreams of ruling the world. He seeks the Dragon Balls to wish for world domination together with his two minions: Shu, a humanoid dog in a ninja outfit; and Mai (マイ), a woman who resorts to weaponry and technology, and serves as a foil to the bumbling personalities of her colleagues. Shu was originally named "Soba" when he first appeared, but when the series was being adapted into an anime, the staff asked Toriyama what his name was and he replied with Shu instead, forgetting that he had already named him. By the time he realized the mistake, the anime had already aired, so he decided to use Shu in the manga when the character reappeared. After initially succeeding in obtaining the Dragon Balls, the Pilaf Gang is foiled by Goku and his companions after Oolong's wish is granted by Shenron just before Pilaf can say his. The Pilaf Gang returns to antagonize Goku a few more times throughout the series when they attempt to obtain the Dragon Balls again, and when they release King Piccolo from his confinement. Prior to the events of the fourteenth Dragon Ball Z film and Dragon Ball Super, the Pilaf Gang use the Dragon Balls to wish for the restoration of their youth, only for the wish to backfire and them being transformed into young children by Shenron. They attempt to infiltrate Bulma's birthday party to claim the Dragon Balls, but are foiled in the attempt. During the course of the Dragon Ball Super series the Pilaf Gang reform, much like several of Goku's past adversaries, and they even become Trunks' classmates at school. Pilaf is voiced by Shigeru Chiba in Japanese, Dave Mallow in the Harmony Gold dub, Don Brown in the BLT dub, Chuck Huber in the Funimation dub, and Dean Galloway in the Blue Water dub; for Mystical Adventure, he is voiced by Mike McFarland in the Funimation dub, Sharon Mann in the AB Groupe dub, and Apollo Abraham in the Creative dub. Shu is voiced by Tesshō Genda in Japanese, Dave Mallow in the Harmony Gold dub, Doug Parker in the BLT dub, and Chris Cason in the Funimation dub, Jonathan Love in the Blue Water dub; for Mystical Adventure, he is voiced by Brian Thomas in the Funimation dub, Jodi Forrest in the AB Groupe dub, and Nesty Ramirez in the Creative dub. Mai is voiced by Eiko Yamada in Japanese, He came into being when the Namekian who became Earth's guardian deity purged himself spiritually, and the negative energy took on a physical form after being cast off. He and the good half, Kami, are linked; if one dies, the other does as well. After being formed, he designates himself as the Great Demon King and terrorizes the world. He is imprisoned by Mutaito, the master of Master Roshi and Master Shen, in a rice cooker by the deadly Mafū ba technique. After being released by Pilaf, he attempts to kill anyone that could possibly seal him again (including Master Roshi and Chiaotzu) and uses the Dragon Balls to restore his youth before destroying Shenron, rendering them useless. He then takes over the King of the World's palace and has the King announce him as his successor before being confronted by Goku, who, in their second battle, punches a large hole through his abdomen. Before dying, he regurgitates the egg containing his reincarnation, Piccolo Jr., to enact his revenge. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono in Japanese, Scott McNeil in the Ocean dub, and Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub. King Piccolo also appears in the American live action film Dragonball Evolution, where he is portrayed by James Marsters; his voice was dubbed over by Hōchū Ōtsuka in the Japanese version of the film. Before Piccolo Jr., King Piccolo created several offspring to help him with his plans. His first shown offspring, Piano, helps him formulate his plan until he is killed when Goku knocks King Piccolo into him. He also creates Tambourine to hunt down the contenders of the World Martial Arts Tournament to keep the sealing technique from resurfacing. Tambourine kills Krillin and beats a weakened Goku, but, due to Goku's Saiyain physiology, the near fatal beating raises his strength dramatically, and Goku vaporizes him with a Kamehameha in a rematch. The third, Cymbal, is created to find Dragon Balls, but he is killed and eaten by Yajirobe. The fourth, Drum, is created to battle Tien Shinhan, who he easily defeats until Goku appears and crushes his head in one blow. Piano is voiced by Masato Hirano in Japan and Sonny Strait in the Funimation dub; Tambourine is voiced by Ryūsei Nakao in Japan and Dameon Clarke in the Funimation dub; Cymbal is voiced by Daisuke Gōri in Japan and Mark Orvik in the Funimation dub; and Drum is voiced by Daisuke Gōri in Japan and Bob Carter in the Funimation dub.

Garlic Jr. is a character that first appears in Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone. His father was imprisoned by Kami in the realm of darkness, leaving Garlic Jr. with resentment and desire for revenge. He obtains the seven Dragon Balls, wishes for immortality, and begin his quest for revenge. He is defeated when Gohan pushes Garlic Jr. into the Dead Zone, an alternate dimension he can freely open. Garlic Jr. is one of the few original characters from the films to appear in the TV series. In the TV series, he breaks free using the Makyo Star as a power source, leading to the events of the Garlic Jr. arc. During a subsequent invasion on Earth, Sorbet was killed by his own master's ki blast, which was intended for Krillin but was deflected by Vegeta. Even though Frieza utilizes a powerful new form developed as a result of intensive training, Goku defeats him again and sends him back to Hell. A deceased Frieza is later recruited by Goku to participate in the Tournament of Power (力の大会) as a member of Team Universe 7. For his contributions in the tournament. Frieza is fully revived and rejoins his subordinates.

Zarbon and Dodoria (ドドリア) are two of Frieza's top ranking henchmen, first seen alongside their master on Planet Namek collecting the planet's Dragon Balls. Dodoria's looks brutish and vulgar, while Zarbon appears to be a handsome, long haired humanoid alien with a refined temperament. Bulma is blinded by her attraction to Zarbon's uncommon physical beauty during their initial encounter and initially mistakes him for an ally. While their former cohort Vegeta have little difficulty dispatching Dodoria, who reveals to him that Frieza was responsible for the destruction of the Saiyan homeworld, Zarbon manages to defeat and capture him after transforming into a powerful reptilian beast after their initial encounter. After Zarbon retrieves Vegeta's battered body and brings him to Frieza's ship in order to heal him for interrogation, Vegeta manages to escape and steal Frieza's Dragon Balls. Zarbon fights Vegeta again, but Vegeta kills him in the rematch. The duo has been referenced in Dragon Ball Super and makes cameo appearances in flashbacks. They also appear in Bardock – The Father of Goku, where Zarbon advises Frieza to destroy the Saiyan homeworld, and Dodoria massacred Bardock's teammates. In an issue of Beckett Anime, a Beckett magazine publication, Zarbon was voted as one of the top five greatest henchmen of all anime and was the only character from Dragon Ball on the list. Zarbon is voiced by Shō Hayami in the original Japanese series and Hiroaki Miura in Dragon Ball Kai and Episode of Bardock. In the English versions of the series, he is voiced by Paul Dobson in the Ocean dub, by Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub, and by J. Michael Tatum in Dragon Ball Z Kai. Dodoria is voiced by Yukitoshi Hori in the original Japanese series and by Takashi Nagasako in Dragon Ball Kai and Episode of Bardock. In the English versions of the series, he is voiced by Paul Dobson in the Ocean dub, by Chris Forbis in the Funimation dub and by John Swasey in Dragon Ball Z Kai.

The Ginyu Force is a team of five mercenaries who are hired by Frieza. The Ginyu Force and their poses were influenced from the sentai and tokusatsu television shows Toriyama watched with his children. Though physically some of the strongest individuals in the universe, the Ginyu Force's members delight in coming up with strange poses, betting candy on fights, and playing rock paper scissors. Frieza orders them to defeat Vegeta and help obtain the Dragon Balls on Planet Namek. In the anime, the four deceased members of the Ginyu Force (sans their leader, Captain Ginyu, who was still alive) appear on King Kai's planet in the afterlife and battle Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu. Gurd, named Guldo in the English anime dub, is a fat, short, four eyed, green skinned humanoid who, although physically weak, has psychic powers, including the ability to freeze time for as long as he can hold his breath. He can also immobilize opponents and control objects with telekinesis. He is the first one killed when Vegeta interrupts his fight with Krillin and Gohan and decapitates him. Guldo is voiced by Kōzō Shioya in the original series and Yasuhiro Takato in Kai. In English, he is voiced by Terry Klassen in the Ocean dub, Dylan Thompson in Funimation's original dub, Bill Townsley in their redub, and by Greg Ayres in Kai. Reacoom, or Recoome in the English anime dub is a sadistic, orange haired humanoid who names his attacks after himself. He uses Vegeta like a plaything in their fight, defeats Krillin in one blow, and nearly kills Gohan. When Goku arrives, Recoome is defeated with a single blow before being finished off by Vegeta. Recoome is voiced by Kenji Utsumi in the original series and Seiji Sasaki in Kai. In English, he is voiced by David Kaye in the Ocean dub and Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub. Butta, named Burter in the English anime dub, is a blue skinned reptile like humanoid who claims to be the fastest being in the universe. He and Jeice attack Goku together, but Burter is incapacitated before Vegeta kills him. Burter is voiced by Yukimasa Kishino in the original series and Masaya Onosaka in Kai. In English, he is voiced by Alec Willows in the Ocean dub, Mark Britten in Funimation's original dub, Christopher Sabat in their redub, and by Vic Mignogna in Kai. Jheese, named Jeice in the English anime dub, is a white haired, red skinned humanoid. He and Burter attack Goku together, but flees to fetch Captain Ginyu when Burter is incapacitated. After Ginyu switches bodies with Goku, they chase after Krillin, Gohan, and Vegeta; Jeice begins a fight with Vegeta and is killed. Jeice is voiced by Kazumi Tanaka in the original series and Daisuke Kishio in Kai. In English, he is voiced by Scott McNeil in the Ocean dub, Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub, and by Jason Liebrecht in Kai. Captain Ginyu is a horned purple skinned humanoid who is the leader of the Ginyu Force. He is shown to be the most tactically skilled, as he deduced that Goku was masking his true power level by simply watching him fight. After seeing Goku's increased power level when using the Kaio ken, Ginyu inflicts a near fatal injury on himself, before using his technique that allows him to switch bodies with anyone, leaving Goku with Ginyu's nearly dead body. As Goku, Ginyu momentarily deceives Krillin but has trouble fighting Krillin and Gohan when he realizes that he can not fully control Goku's power. Ginyu then tries to switch into Vegeta's body, but Goku intervenes getting his body back, and when Ginyu tries again, he switches bodies with a Namekian frog Goku throws in the way. In Dragon Ball Super, Ginyu is revealed to have survived Namek's destruction and escaped to Earth, though he is still trapped in the frog's body. He takes the opportunity to swap bodies with one of Frieza's soldiers named Tagoma, but is killed by Vegeta shortly afterward. Ginyu is voiced by Hideyuki Hori in the original series and Katsuyuki Konishi in Kai. In English, he is voiced by Richard Newman in the Ocean dub, Dale Kelly in Funimation's original dub, Brice Armstrong in their redub, and by Robert Bruce Elliott in Kai.

Nappa is one of the few remaining Saiyans that were known to survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta. An elite Saiyan warrior, Nappa uses Saibamen (栽培マン) as grunts to root out weaker opponents or to assess an opponent's power and skill level. Nappa encounters the Dragon Team after he traveled to Earth with the Saiyan prince Vegeta in search of the Dragon Balls. He survives Chiaotzu's self destructing attack, causes Tien Shinhan to die of exhaustion, and kills Piccolo. He is defeated by Goku, who had returned to Earth after receiving intensive training from King Kai. Seeing that Nappa has been defeated, Vegeta kills him for his incompetence. In Japanese he is voiced by Shōzō Iizuka in Dragon Ball Z, and Tetsu Inada in Dragon Ball Kai. In English, he is voiced by Michael Dobson in the Ocean dub, and by Christopher Sabat and Phil Parsons in the Funimation dub.

Raditz, also known as Raditz the Runt, is a Saiyan warrior and Goku's older brother. Raditz is one of the few remaining Saiyans following the destruction of their homeworld, Planet Vegeta. He arrives on Earth, searching for his long lost brother in order to recruit him in conquering other planets. When Goku refuses, Raditz kidnaps Gohan, and orders Goku to kill 100 Earthlings within a day if he wants his son back. Instead, Goku and Piccolo team up to defeat Raditz, though their combined powers are not enough. Goku grapples Raditz and allows Piccolo to kill them both with his Makankosappo technique. Before Raditz dies, Piccolo taunts him by explaining that Goku will be revived by the Dragon Balls, though Raditz manages to send one final transmission to inform Vegeta and Nappa of this, believing that his Saiyan comrades will come to Earth and use the Dragon Balls to revive him, but Vegeta and Nappa travel to Earth to use the Dragon Balls for their own purposes instead. He also makes a single panel appearance in Toriyama's 2014 Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child special, and a minor appearance in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He is voiced by Shigeru Chiba in Japanese, Terry Klassen in the Ocean dub, and Duncan Brannan in the Funimation dub.

Dabra, King of the Demon World (暗黒魔界の王ダーブラ), named "Dabura" in the English anime dub, is Babidi's mind controlled goon. Dabura appears when Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Krillin enter Babidi's ship to aid the Supreme Kai and his attendant Kibito in preventing Majin Buu's awakening. He obliterates Kibito single handedly, turns Piccolo and Krillin to stone by spitting at them, and helps Babidi corrupt Vegeta with a spell. When Buu awakens, he transmutes Dabura into a large cookie and consumes him, restoring his petrified victims to normal. In a filler episode of the Dragon Ball Z anime, Dabura is shown accompanying Bulma, Chi Chi, and Videl in their search for Gohan in the afterlife. Dabura is voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo in the Japanese version of the anime series. In the Ocean Group English dub, his voice is supplied by Scott McNeil, and by Rick Robertson in the Funimation English Dub.

Goku Black, or simply Black, is an entity who is identical to Son Goku in appearance. He arrives on an alternate future Earth, encounters that timeline's version of Trunks, and wreaks havoc on the remaining human population for the sake of "justice" while calling himself Son Goku. Goku and his associates discover that Goku Black is actually Zamasu, an apprentice Supreme Kai from Universe 10 of a pre altered main timeline who despises all mortal life and hijacked Goku's body using the Super Dragon Balls. Goku Black and Zamasu from the Universe 10 of Trunks' timeline fuse into a single being using the Potara (ポタラ) earrings, and is eventually defeated by the combined effort of Goku, Trunks, and their allies. Zamasu is ultimately erased by Zeno of the alternate future time line along with the entirety of that time line's multiverse, which he had ravaged and ruined as part of Project Zero Mortals (人間ゼロ計画).

Oolong, named Mao Mao in the Harmony Gold dub, is a shapeshifting, anthropomorphic pig that uses his abilities for his greedy desires. He and Puar went to the same shapeshifting school together before he was expelled for stealing the teacher's panties; as such, he can only change his form for five minutes at a time, requiring a one minute break afterwards. Oolong joins Goku and Bulma to search for the Dragon Balls and eventually steal them but abandons this plan. He makes the first shown wish with the Dragon Balls: a pair of panties. Oolong plays a minor role as the series progresses, where he is often in the company of Master Roshi. He is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta in Japanese, and by Alec Willows and Richard Newman in the Ocean dub. In Funimation's dubs he is voiced by Bradford Jackson, except in Dragon Ball Z Kai, where Bryan Massey voices him.

Pu'ar, Puar in the Funimation anime dub, Pu erh in their subtitles, and named Squeakers in the Harmony Gold dub, is a soft spoken blue creature and Yamcha's companion. Puar's abilities consist of levitation and shapeshifting. He and Oolong went to the same shapeshifting school together, where he was constantly mocked by Oolong. When first introduced, he and Yamcha operate as bandits in a desert, where they encounter Goku, Bulma, and Oolong. At first they tail and assist the group in order to steal the Dragon Balls they are collecting, though they later reform and befriend the trio. When Goku transforms into a giant ape for the first time in the series, Puar transforms into a pair of scissors and cuts off his tail to turn him back to his regular state. Together with Upa, Puar defeats Dracula Man while competing in Uranai Baba's tournament. The character's name is a pun on pu'er tea and was designed to slightly resemble a cat. When questioned about gender, Toriyama disclosed that he looked at the character as male during illustrations, though the dubbed version has him as female. Puar is voiced by Naoko Watanabe in Japanese, Cheryl Chase in the Harmony Gold dub, and Kathy Morse and Cathy Weseluck in the Ocean dub. In Funimation's dubs, he is voiced by Monika Antonelli, up until Dragon Ball Z Kai onwards, where Brina Palencia voices him.

Chi Chi is Goku's wife, Gohan and Goten's mother, and Pan's grandmother. She and Goku first meet as children when her father, the Ox King, asks Goku to take her to Master Roshi's house. In a misunderstanding, Goku promises to marry her. Years later, she confronts him about his promise at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, and they get married. As the matriarch of the family, she is depicted as being overprotective of Gohan's well being and wishes to interrupt Goku's lifestyle of fighting and constant conflict. She relaxes her stance with her younger son Goten, even training him herself.

Gyū Maō (牛魔王), known as Ox King in the English anime dub, is the wealthy owner of a castle on Frypan Mountain (フライパン山) and Chi Chi's father. He is loosely based on the Bull Demon King from Journey to the West. He was trained in martial arts by Master Roshi alongside Goku's adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. Despite his imposing name and stature, he possesses a gentle and laid back personality in contrast to Chi Chi. He becomes Goku's father in law, Gohan and Goten's grandfather, and Pan's great grandfather. In most Japanese media Ox King was voiced by Daisuke Gōri, while Ryūzaburō Ōtomo voiced the character for Dragon Ball Kai and Dragon Ball Super. The character was voiced by Mark Britten and later by Kyle Hebert in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z, Dave Ward in the Ocean Group dub of Dragon Ball Z, and Dave Pettitt in the Blue Water dub of Dragon Ball Z.

Lunch, named Launch in the Funimation dub and Marilynn in the Harmony Gold dub, is a woman who Goku and Krillin rescue and bring to Master Roshi in exchange for him to train them. She has a split personality where she changes between a nice, polite, blue haired woman and a trigger happy blonde bad girl every time she sneezes. As her bad form is a known criminal, she decides to stay with Master Roshi, and becomes his maid. Launch's blonde persona develops an attraction towards Tien Shinhan's fierce attitude. She is not seen after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament but is said to be chasing after Tien Shinhan. In the anime she is seen in a few Dragon Ball Z filler episodes during the fight with the Saiyans, and is seen again at the series' end helping contribute energy to Goku's Genki Dama to defeat Buu. She is voiced by Mami Koyama in Japanese, Edie Mirman in the Harmony Gold dub, and Meredith McCoy in the Funimation dub.

Dr. Briefs, sometimes written as Dr. Brief, is Bulma's father, and Trunks and Bra's grandfather. He is an elderly scientist who is one of the smartest and richest men in the world. Dr. Briefs is the founder and president of Capsule Corporation, the largest company on Earth, and the man responsible for the invention of the Hoi Poi Capsules, which can shrink inanimate objects down to pocket sized capsule of namesake. He is responsible for modifying the Namekian spaceship that Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan use on their journey to Namek, in the search for its Dragon Balls. He also creates a special spaceship for Goku, allowing him to train in a gravitational field 100 times stronger than Earth's. After the Dragon Team returns to Earth and prepares for the battle against the Androids, Vegeta coerces Dr. Briefs into creating a ship to allow him to train under 300x Earth's gravity. He repairs the damaged Android 16 in preparation for the Cell Games alongside Bulma. Dr. Briefs spends most of his time in his large home in West City, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and pets. He is voiced by Joji Yanami in Japanese. In English, he is voiced by Paul Dobson and Scott McNeil in Ocean dubs, and Chris Forbis in the Funimation dubs of Dragon Ball and Z, and Mark Stoddard in the Funimation dub from Kai onward. Dr. Briefs appears in the final chapter of Toriyama's 2013 manga series Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, which is set before Dragon Ball.

Karin, known as Korin in the Ocean and Funimation dubs and Whiskers the Wonder Cat in the Harmony Gold dub, is a 仙猫; Senbyō who is at least 800 years old when he is introduced in Dragon Ball. He is a minor deity who lives at the top of Karin Tower, which is situated underneath Kami's lookout; a warrior named Bora (ボラ) and his son Upa (ウパ) live at the base of the tower and serve as its guardians. He trained Master Roshi for three years and gave him the Kinto'un and the Nyoi bō ("Nimbus" and "Power Pole" in the English anime dub respectively), both of which are later passed on to Goku. Korin trains Goku after his defeat by Mercenary Tao, and gives him poisoned water from the gods to make him strong enough to beat King Piccolo. He is responsible for deeming people worthy of meeting Kami; Goku is the first human he has ever deemed worthy. He helps Goku and his friends by growing Senzu beans, which can fully heal any injuries and fatigue instantly. Korin was modeled after the pet cat that Toriyama had at the time. He is voiced by Ichirō Nagai and Naoki Tatsuta in Japanese, Paul Dobson and Ted Cole in the Ocean dub, and Mark Britten and Chris Sabat in the Funimation dub.

Yajirobe is an overweight samurai that is often considered to be rude, unmannered, timid, lazy, and cowardly. During their first meeting, Yajirobe gets mad at Goku for stealing his fish, but has a change of heart and helps Goku after he is defeated by King Piccolo, taking him to Korin's to be healed. Yajirobe continues to support Goku and his companions mostly from the sidelines. He was originally a wanderer that lived off the land, but lives with Korin after meeting him. He grows Senzu Beans and delivers them to Goku and his companions. When Goku fights Vegeta for the first time, Yajirobe cuts off Vegeta's tail to turn him back to normal. After this story arc, Yajirobe only makes brief appearances. When Krillin died, Toriyama requested that Yajirobe be voiced by his voice actress Mayumi Tanaka. When Yajirobe and Krillin later appeared in the same scene together, Tanaka gave the former a Nagoya dialect in order to distinguish them. He is voiced by Brian Drummond in the Ocean dub, Lucas Gilbertson in the Blue Water dub, and Mike McFarland in the Funimation dub.

Mr. Popo is a genie like entity who serves as the attendant of Earth's guardian deity. When he first appears, he easily gets the best of Goku in a skirmish. He then assists Kami in training Goku for three years in preparation for his battle against Piccolo at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament as well as later training Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu and Yajirobe during their preparation against the Saiyans. Mr. Popo serves Dende as his attendant upon the latter's ascension as Earth's new guardian.

The Namekians (ナメック星人), also known as Nameks, are indigenous to Planet Namek. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese word namekuji, which means "slug" in Japanese, the Namekians are a humanoid species with plant and slug like characteristics. They possess green skin and antennae on their bald heads and are able to make their own set of Dragon Balls. During the events of the series, very few Namekians remain on their home planet, as most of them died a generation prior from a great calamity. While extraterrestrial in origin, the first Namekian characters encountered by Goku, King Piccolo and his mutated offspring, were known as the Demon Clan and thought to originate from Earth. Namekians possess physiques similar to those of human males and are seen reproducing asexually by spitting an egg out from their mouths. Despite their unique reproductive abilities, there is still diversity in the species as each offspring is usually not an exact copy of their parent, like with King Piccolo, or the Great Elder who is the progenitor of every remaining Namekian on the planet prior to the events of Dragon Ball. The Great Elder, known as Guru in the English anime, abdicates his position as leader of the Namekian people in favor of Muri before he dies later in the series. In the sixth volume of the Dragon Ball Z manga or Namek Saga arc of the anime, Namek is terrorized by Frieza and his army. It is ultimately destroyed by Frieza as a last ditch effort to kill Goku. All surviving Namekians are temporarily transported to Earth, where they reside for nearly a year before resettling on another planet called New Namek. The Namekians exist in both Universe 6 and Universe 7. Champa claims the Namekians of Universe 6 originally found the Super Dragon Balls and broke off pieces to create their own set.

Kami is the creator of Earth's Dragon Balls and serves as its guardian deity until the second half of the Dragon Ball Z series. The word kami is a generic term used by various characters throughout the series when referring to gods and deities in the original Japanese dialogue; this character is referred to as Kami (神様), and his actual name is never revealed. He and King Piccolo were once one being, later revealed to be a Namekian, who expelled the evil inside him in order to assume the mantle of Earth's guardian deity. The evil incarnation, King Piccolo, terrorized Earth until he was sealed away by Master Roshi's master, Mutaito. If either Kami or King Piccolo dies, the other will as well, and the Dragon Balls cease to exist. Before King Piccolo dies at the hands of Goku, he spawns a much stronger incarnation, Piccolo, who takes over these same traits and retains his memories. Kami later attempts to seal away the new Piccolo himself using the same technique as Mutaito and enters the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, possessing a human named Shen as a guise. However, Piccolo learned to reverse the technique and traps Kami in a water jug instead and swallows it, before being released by Goku. During the fight against the Saiyans, Kami dies when Piccolo is killed by Nappa, but through the power of the Namekian Dragon Balls, they are both wished back to life. During the Android Saga, Kami agrees to fuse with Piccolo, with Piccolo absorbing his energy, strength, memories, intelligence, and thought pattern. A young Namekian named Dende later succeeds him as the new Kami. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono in Japanese, by Hiro Yuuki in episodes 290–291 of Z, and by Aya Hirano in Dragon Ball Kai and all media since. In the Funimation dubs of the series, he is voiced by Ceyli Delgadillo as a child, Justin Cook as an adult, Laura Bailey in the redub, and by Maxey Whitehead in Kai.

Mr. Satan, known as Hercule in some of Funimation's dub and in Viz's English manga, is a flamboyant martial artist who becomes a world renowned hero during the Cell Games. He attempts to fight Cell, but is swatted away; he is given credit for Cell's death by the media and celebrated as a hero. He later befriends Majin Buu and convinces the creature to reform, leading him to expel his evil tendencies which becomes a separate lifeform. He later helps defeat the evil version of Buu by using his celebrity influence to rally the people of Earth to contribute their energy to Goku. The benevolent incarnation of Buu later moves in with Mr. Satan and his pet labrador retriever Bee (ベエ), and calls himself Mr. Buu. Both continue to appear as recurring supporting characters in subsequent Dragon Ball media.

Paikuhan, known as Pikkon in the English anime dub, is a character who is a resident of the Other World (the afterlife in the Dragon Ball series), and first appears in the 195th episode of Dragon Ball Z and the first episode of the Other World arc, where he first encounters Son Goku and his mentor the North Kaiō. While his mentor the West Kaiō is a bitter rival to the North Kaiō, he develops a friendly rivalry with Goku after competing against each other in the Other World Tournament held in honor of the recently deceased North Kaiō. He appears again in Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn as a major supporting character, and in various Dragon Ball video games. Toriyama had purposely designed the character to be similar to Piccolo in terms of appearance, role, and personality; there were memos left for the anime's production staff which specifically instructed using Piccolo as a reference for facial expressions. His popularity with the Dragon Ball fandom is noted by Screenrant's Craig Elvy; in a V Jump survey conducted in 2017 prior to the airing of the anime adaptation of the Tournament of Power storyline, he was voted by Japanese fans as the favorite choice to replace Mr. Buu as a competitor from Universe 7. The character is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa in Japanese media, Brian Drummond in the Ocean Dub, and Kyle Hebert in the Funimation anime dub.

Videl is the daughter of Mr. Satan. She is a martial artist but surpasses her father in strength. She uses her abilities to fight crime in the city, and after Gohan appears as the Great Saiyaman, she quickly figures out his identity, and uses that knowledge to blackmail him into teaching her new techniques, including the ability to fly using her ki. After Buu is defeated, the pair get married and have a daughter named Pan. In the fourteenth Dragon Ball Z film and Dragon Ball Super, Videl participates in a ritual while pregnant with her unborn daughter to enable Goku to transform into a Super Saiyan God.

Marron (マーロン) is the daughter of Krillin and Android 18, and appears as a recurring supporting character in the Dragon Ball media series where she is usually in her mother's care. As a toddler and later young child, she resembles her father in her eye shape and apparent lack of a nose. Unlike her parents, Marron is not a martial artist and does not appear to possess any fighting ability or special powers. In Japanese media she was initially voiced by Tomiko Suzuki, by Naoko Watanabe in the TV special Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! and the Battle of Gods film, and by Hiroko Ushida in Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Super. She is voiced by Melodee Lentz in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z, by Lori Barnes Smith in the Blue Water dub, and by Tia Ballard in the Funimation dub of Resurrection ‘F’, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Dragon Ball Super.

Pan is Goku's granddaughter and Gohan and Videl's daughter. She appears as a young child in the final installments of the original manga and the Dragon Ball Z anime series. In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods film and Dragon Ball Super, Videl, pregnant with Pan, volunteers for a ritual on behalf of her unborn daughter as a sixth Saiyan participant is required. In Japanese media she is voiced by Yūko Minaguchi. In the English versions of Dragon Ball Z, she is voiced by Brenna O'Brien in the Ocean dub and Kate Bristol in the Funimation dub. In the English language adaptations of Dragon Ball GT, she is voiced by Caitlynne Medrek in the Blue Water dub, with Mariette Sluyter voicing her as an elder, and Elise Baughman voices her in the Funimation dub. Baby/Little Pan is voiced by Jeannie Tirado in Super.

Jaco Teirimentenpibosshi (ジャコ・ティリメンテンピボッシ) is an alien galactic patrolman who is the main character of Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, a manga by Toriyama set before the events of Dragon Ball. Jaco arrives on Earth as a member of the Galactic Patrol, a cosmic police force that is led by the Galactic King and tasked with keeping order throughout the Milky Way Galaxy, to prevent it from being threatened by an evil alien. He fails to track down the alien, who turns out to be Goku, but befriends Bulma's older sister Tights and returns to space. He appears in the fifteenth Dragon Ball Z film, and becomes a recurring character in Dragon Ball Super. Jaco is voiced by Natsuki Hanae in Japanese and by Todd Haberkorn in English.

During the Goku Black arc of Dragon Ball Super, an alternate future version of Mai (未来のマイ) who had grown older after being de aged by Shenron is depicted as a leader of the resistance forces on Earth against Goku Black. As a close friend and potential love interest of her timeline's Trunks, they work closely with their allies from the main timeline to defeat Goku Black and foil his Zero Mortal Plan. This version of Mai appears as a supporting character in Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Future Mai is voiced by Eiko Yamada in Japanese and Colleen Clinkenbeard in English.

Arale Norimaki (則巻アラレ) is a little girl android built by the scientist Senbei Norimaki in Penguin Village (ペンギン村) from Toriyama's previous manga Dr. Slump. Arale is often accompanied by two cherubs known as the Gatchans that can eat almost anything and shoot lasers from their antennas. Goku meets her during his final encounter against General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army, and she easily defeats him. Arale also appears in the third Dragon Ball film where she defeats Mercenary Tao. In Dragon Ball Super, she defeats Vegeta when being controlled by her creator's archenemy Dr. Mashirito, and appears to be evenly match against Goku.

Uranai Baba, Fortuneteller Baba in the English anime dub, is an old witch and Master Roshi's older sister. She possesses a magic floating crystal ball that she rides on top of, which she can use to see the location of any lost item and to see into the future. She is also able to travel to the afterlife, where she recruits deceased individuals and brings them back to the living world to fight for her, though only for one day. She lives in a big palace located over an oasis in the desert. She normally charges a very high price for her services unless her team of fighters is defeated. Her regular fighters are Dracula Man, boxing vampire; Suke san, an invisible man who is weak with his only advantage being that he can not be seen; Mummy kun, a mummy with brute strength; and Devilman, a humanoid devil who can destroy people using the evil in their hearts. When Goku and his friends visit her to find the last Dragon Ball after the Red Ribbon Army's defeat, his adoptive grandfather Son Gohan is the last of her fighters, temporarily brought back to the real world to see his grandson. She makes recurring appearances, including bringing Goku back to life for one day for the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. In Japanese she is voiced by Junpei Takiguchi in Dragon Ball and early Dragon Ball Z, and by Mayumi Tanaka during the latter half of Dragon Ball Z and during Dragon Ball Kai. In English, she is voiced by Ellen Kennedy in the Ocean dub, and by Linda Chambers Young in the Funimation dub.

A recurring theme in the Dragon Ball series is characters created through the process of merging two or more separate beings into one. The idea to have two characters fuse together was suggested by Toriyama's long time friend and fellow manga artist Masakazu Katsura, leading to the introduction of amalgamations of characters formed through various techniques. In the anime, the resulting fused characters tend to be depicted as speaking with a dual voice consisting of both participants' voices. The Fusion (フュージョン) technique, first introduced during the Majin Buu arc, is a ritual dance developed by an alien species called the Metamorans which Goku learned in the Other World. The purpose of this technique is to temporarily merge two or more bodies into a single, superior entity with characteristics from both participants. The newly fused body is dressed in Metamoran attire: a dark colored vest lined with light colored linen, white pants with a cloth belt, and boots. When the ritual dance is performed properly, the single being created possesses an astounding level of power, far beyond what either participant would have had individually by combining each other's attributes from strength and speed to reflexes, intelligence, and wisdom. The fusion only lasts for 30 minutes, after which the participants revert to their normal selves. Notable examples of composite characters created with this technique include Gotenks, the fusion of Goten and Trunks; and Gogeta, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta. Two individuals wearing a single matching Potara (ポタラ) earring but on opposite ears can trigger a Potara Fusion. These earrings, usually worn by the Supreme Kai and their aides, combine both users into a new body, as well as an increase in power and personality that is greater than the sum of the two individuals. However, there are alternate methods of dissolving the fusion regardless of whoever the participants are, usually by forcing them apart (such as being magically split through a wish granted by Shenron). Notable examples of composite characters created by wearing a matching pair of Potara earrings include Kibito Kai, a fusion of Kibito and the East Supreme Kai of Universe 7; Vegito (ベジット Bejitto), a fusion of Goku and Vegeta, also known as Vegerot in the Viz English manga; and Kefla (ケフラ Kefura), a fusion of Caulifla and Kale. Mortals have a one hour time limit before they separate, but if a deity is one of the participants, the fusion is permanent; the deity known as the Old Kaiōshin is a fusion of the original East Supreme Kai from 15 generations prior (１５代前の東の界王神) and an old witch who stole one of his Potara earrings and put it on without being aware of the consequences. The Namekians demonstrate a related technique early in the Dragon Ball Z series, where one Namekian absorbs the energy, strength, memories, and intelligence or thought patterns of another through a process akin to assimilation. Each participant must willingly consent to fuse in this manner and usually, the pair agrees to the stronger of the two serving as the host's body. The agreed host places his hand over the chest of the other one and through unknown means, merge with a blinding flash. Only the body of the host remains in the aftermath, and the non host is assimilated and ceases to exist as a body. The current incarnation of Piccolo is a notable example, having assimilated two other Namekian individuals into his being. Villainous characters like Cell and Majin Buu are also capable of forcibly absorbing other characters in order to acquire greater power by taking advantage of their unique physiology.

Grandpa Son Gohan (孫 悟飯 じいちゃん, Son Gohan Jīsan; FUNimation "Grandpa Gohan", Viz "Son Gohan"), is the adoptive grandfather of Son Goku, whom he found in a crashed spaceship. Having originally studied under Master Roshi and learned the Kamehameha technique from him, he adopts Goku and teaches him martial arts. He warns Goku not to look at the full moon, but Goku disobeys him and accidentally kills him while on a rampage in his giant ape form. Goku does not learn this until Vegeta turns into an ape and tells Goku about the transformations. He is brought back to life for one day by Baba Uranai to fight Goku and see his growth as a martial artist. Goku later names his first son Gohan in his grandfather's honor. In the anime, he later appears as an assistant to Annin, the ruler of the "magical furnace". He is voiced by Osamu Saka in the Japanese version of the original series, Kinpei Azusa in Bardock: The Father of Goku, and Shigeru Chiba in Dragon Ball Kai. In the Funimation dub of the series, he is voiced by Christopher Sabat. He is portrayed by Randall Duk Kim in the American live action film Dragonball Evolution; his voice was dubbed by Hiroya Ishimaru in the Japanese version. Grandpa Gohan briefly appears in the final chapter of Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, which is set before Dragon Ball. Don Brown and Dave Ward in the Ocean dub, Sean Schemmel in the Funimation dub, and Michael McConnohie in the Bang Zoom! Entertainment dub. He is the father of the Saiyan princes Vegeta and Tarble. He led the Saiyans, who have historically lived a violent lifestyle where they raid other planets, to victory in the ten year war against the Tuffles, after which the Tuffles' home planet was renamed Planet Vegeta in his honor. After the Saiyans were annexed by Frieza as a vassal state, he had no choice but to pledge allegiance to him, though he retains power over his people as a vassal. King Vegeta is eventually killed by Frieza, who later destroys his home planet and commits genocide against the entire Saiyan race. In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and in both the anime and manga versions of Dragon Ball Super, King Vegeta is seen in flashbacks depicting his encounter with Beerus during the latter's visit to Planet Vegeta. In Japanese, he is voiced by Banjō Ginga in episode 78 of Dragon Ball Z, Yukimasa Kishino in episode 124, and Masaharu Satō in the eighth Dragon Ball Z film. Terry Klassen voices him in the Ocean dub, while Christopher Sabat voices him in the Funimation dub.

Shénlóng, Shenron in Funimation's anime dub, also known as the Eternal Dragon in the Ocean and Funimation dubs and as the Dragon God in the Harmony Gold dub, is the wish granting dragon summoned when all seven of Earth's Dragon Balls are gathered together. Throughout the series, several rules on the Dragon Balls' use and limitations on Shenron's power are explained. After the wish is granted the balls scatter across the planet, turn to stone, are useless for a year, and cannot be detected by Bulma's Dragon Radar. The Dragon Balls also become useless if Shenron is destroyed; in this case, they must be recreated by their creator. If their creator is killed, the Dragon Balls will also become inert until another creator is able to revive Shenron. Shenron cannot bestow a wish that exceeds the power of his creator, such as Shenron being unable to destroy the Saiyans before they came to earth. Midway through the series, the Dragon Balls are revealed to have been created by the Namekians, Earth's Kami being one of them. A person can only be brought back to life once, and only if that person did not die of natural causes. Earth is without Dragon Balls for a period when Kami re merges with Piccolo until Dende takes over the position of God. When Dende recreates Earth's Dragon Balls, he makes it so that two wishes can be made at once, but each wish is still capable of resurrecting multiple individuals immediately. Shenron is voiced by Kenji Utsumi in the Japanese version of the series until his death in 2013 with the exclusion of episodes 192 and 193 in the series and the films, in which he is voiced by Masaharu Satō; Kōji Yada in the Dr. Slump remake; and Ryūzaburō Ōtomo since episode 97 of Kai. In the English versions of the series, he is voiced by Don Brown in the Ocean dub, and by Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub. Shenron's Namekian counterpart is Porunga. Porunga has a large, muscular humanoid upper body and a dorsal fin down his back; the Dragon Balls are larger than Earth's. Unlike Shenron, he can only bring a single person back to life at a time, but he can bring that person back multiple times whereas Shenron cannot. He can also grant three wishes instead of one, and the user must speak in the Namekian language. Porunga and the Namekian Dragon Balls were created by the planet's Great Elder, who kept one ball and gave each of the other six to a different elder. When the Namekian Dragon Balls are used in the fight with Majin Buu, Porunga is upgraded, and can wish back multiple people at once and still grant three wishes. Porunga is voiced by Junpei Takiguchi in the Japanese version of the series with the exclusion of episode 283, in which he is voiced by Daisuke Gōri; he is voiced by Masaharu Satō in the video games. In Dragon Ball Kai Daisuke Gōri originally performed the role; after his death, Ryūzaburō Ōtomo took over. He is voiced by Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub of the series. Dragon Ball Super introduces Super Shenron (超神龍) and the Super Dragon Balls which are spread throughout Universes 6 and 7. The Super Dragon Balls were created by the Dragon God Zalama (ザラマ), are the size of planets and have no restrictions on their wishes, although they only grant one and it must be spoken in the language of the gods. The Namekians took fragments of the Super Dragon Balls to create their own version on Namek. Super Shenron is voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo in Japanese and Christopher Sabat in English.

The Kaiōshin, referred to as Lords of Lords in Viz's English manga and the Supreme Kai in the English anime dub, are the highest level deities in the Dragon Ball universe. Like the Kai whom they govern, all Supreme Kai hail from a race of naturally divine beings. While the Kai watch over the living world, the Supreme Kai watch over both the Other World (the afterlife in the Dragon Ball series) and the living world. The Supreme Kai are known for recruiting mortal beings to become their disciples; Gohan and Trunks trained under their universe's Supreme Kai to prepare for threats like Majin Buu and Dabura and gained access to healing powers in the process. The Supreme Kai and their followers wear a pair of earrings known as the Potara (ポタラ), which allow two individuals to fuse together and permit the wearer to use a Time Ring. In Dragon Ball Super, it is revealed that Gods of Destruction exist and are equal in status to the Supreme Kai. Supreme Kai act as "creation gods" (創造神) by providing the energy for the creation of new planets and species, while the Gods of Destruction destroy planets or entire civilizations when appropriate to maintain the balance of the universe they oversee.

There were originally five Supreme Kai in the Seventh Universe, and four of them ruled over each of the four quadrants of the universe, and a fifth, the Dai Kaiōshin, ruled over them in turn. Prior to the events depicted in Dragon Ball, all but one met their fate at the hands of Majin Buu. The Dai Supreme Kai was absorbed by Buu, who then takes a chubby form with an uncanny resemblance to the deity. The Dai Supreme Kai's spirit continues to manifest within Buu, his benign influence somewhat dulling the creature's destructive nature. The East Kaiōshin, originally the ruler of the eastern quadrant of Universe 7, became the de facto ruler of the entire universe as a result of the demise of his peers. He has purple skin and a white mohawk and is always accompanied by his attendant Kibito. In the Dragon Ball manga he comes to Earth under the alias "Shin" to meet Goku and his friends, and recruit them to stop Babidi from reviving Buu. After failing to prevent Buu's return, Gohan is taken to the Supreme Kai's faraway planet (界王神界), where he is given the Zeta Sword ("Z Sword" in the English anime dub) and put to training. The sword is accidentally broken during Gohan's training, releasing an ancestor of the East Supreme Kai. He uses his power to increase Gohan's and his own life force to resurrect Goku, who decides to remain in the afterlife after his death by a self destructing Cell. The elder Supreme Kai, referred to as the Old Kaiōshin, remains by his descendant's side as an advisor following Majin Buu's defeat and makes recurring appearances in subsequent Dragon Ball media. Kibito and the East Supreme Kai become permanently fused into one being, known as Kibitoshin in the manga and as Kibito Kai in the anime, via their Potara earrings. Kibito Kai assists in the final battle with Buu by teleporting Goku and the last survivors on Earth onto his planet and helps take Dende to New Namek to use its Dragon Balls to revive Earth and its people. In Dragon Ball Super, Kibito Kai uses a wish granted by the Namekian Dragon Balls to separate himself back into the two original component entities. The East Supreme Kai is voiced by Yūji Mitsuya Characters from the series also appear in licensed video games.

Several celebrities and professional athletes from around the world have made references to characters from the Dragon Ball series. For example, American UFC fighter Marcus Brimage cited the Dragon Ball Z series as one of his inspirations for taking up mixed martial arts. The New Day appeared in full costumes patterned after Saiyan armor at WWE's WrestleMania 32 as a part of their entrance for a match against The League of Nations. Argentine professional footballer Eduardo Salvio often celebrates his goals with gestures and signals referencing the signature attacks of various Dragon Ball characters.

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network (ANN) stated, "Few anime series have mainstreamed it the way Dragon Ball Z has. To a certain generation of television consumers its characters are as well known as any in the animated realm, and for many it was the first step into the wilderness of anime fandom." His colleague Allen Divers praised the story and humor of the manga for being very good at conveying all of the characters' personalities. Carlo Santos, also from ANN, commented that the Dragon Ball cast "may not be as stylish looking as today's shonen adventure protagonists, but every character has a distinctive set of physical features, making them identifiable at any moment". DVD Talk's Todd Douglass praised the "deep, insightful, and well developed" characters, writing "[f]ew shows can claim to have a cast quite like Dragon Ball's, and that's a testament to the creative genius of Toriyama." Tim Jones of T. H. E. M. Anime Reviews commended the series for having good characterization, saying: "You do care about them, and want to get to know more about them." He considered them to be different from stereotypical stock characters, but noted that they have much more development early on than when compared to later in the series. Theron Martin, also from ANN, wrote that while the characters are not complicated, they are "easy to love, hate, and respect", and are a major reason for the series popularity. For example, he described the "immense pride of Vegeta", and how that can be a fatal flaw, especially shines through, as do the freewheeling spirits of Goten and Trunks, the naiveté of Buu and Mr. Satan's attention loving, glory hound nature, while Number 18 shows a cunning side. He also praised the themes from the warriors, saying they speak to "basic yet powerful themes like faith, confidence, heroism, sacrifice, love, and understanding what is truly worth fighting for", and the ways they react while fighting, although the fights can sometimes become very long with little plot development. On the other hand, the handling of the series' major female characters, such as Chi Chi, Bulma and Videl, have been subject to some criticism. Martin felt that the series overused the plot device of having characters "grow seemingly untouchably powerful, only to be put out when eventually upstaged".

Toriyama, Akira. ドラゴンボール [Dragon Ball] (in Japanese). 42 vols. Tokyo: Shueisha, 1985–1995. Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball. 16 vols. San Francisco: Viz Media, 2003–2004. Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Z. 26 vols. San Francisco: Viz Media, 2003–2006.