10 Dragon Ball Z characters who lost their charm in Super
Despite all the improvements Dragon Ball Super gave to many of the Z characters, there are always some that are lost in the shuffle. This can range from being sidelined to flanderized characters, or just not being as entertaining as they once were.
Some examples may spring to mind immediately, like Majin Buu not being as scary or relevant since Beerus showed up or Goku's naivete going way past the point of it being bearable. Others, however, are on this list for far more reasons than just losing their charm.
These are 10 Dragon Ball Z characters that lost their charm in Dragon Ball Super.
Note: With one or two exceptions, this list consists of characters from Dragon Ball Z that migrated to Super.
Note 2: There are going to be spoilers for the fates of characters from Dragon Ball Z and Super, and all of this is just the author's opinion.
10 Dragon Ball Z characters who lost their charm in Super
1) Majin Buu
Majin Buu was a very entertaining villain, full of fun and interesting transformations. Buu was a delight to behold alongside Mr. Satan. Buu got stuck in the background, which is annoying, when the Buu saga had Buu as a huge threat.
In short, Dragon Ball has tunnel vision around the Saiyans. From the start of Dragon Super, Buu didn't do much besides eat, sleep, and be his jovial self. During the Zeno Expo, he made a great showing of himself, but then fell asleep after training for the Tournament of Power. At least he was helpful against Moro.
2) Goku
Goku is the lead character in all of Dragon Ball, so to say that he went downhill or lost some charm might be a tad controversial. It's more like his intelligence and social awareness dropped several points when he got godly power. His general naviete, at the very least, is a core flaw that was only exacerbated in Super.
He didn't realize that Bulma was pregnant again, could hardly hold down a beet farm, and still abandoned his family to train. Fans are still sour over Goku giving villains a chance to come back (Moro and Frieza especially) and have complained about how inconsistent his character seems to be in combat and social cues.
3) Frieza
Frieza should've stayed dead, and this is something that will probably ruffle a few feathers. Freiza has caused mass death as the emperor of the universe, which has echoed even as far forward as the Granolah the Survivor arc.
Frieza has had cosmic justice done upon him three times already, and doesn't seem to be mellowing out.
Frieza, being an iconic villain, may have something to do with his insistent appearances, but he's starting to fall below any kind of charm he may have had. Unless he's either the final villain of Super or otherwise dealt with, he'll keep coming back and causing all kinds of havoc with diminishing returns.
4) Goten
Goten is a great example of a character with wasted potential. You'd think the younger of Goku's children would be a little more involved in the events post-Buu. Apart from the banter alongside Trunks and the involvement in the Copy Vegeta saga, Goten is a non-presence.
It would've been more to put Trunks on the list, but Trunks at least got something to do with the Future Trunks arc. It's almost like they're joined at the hip, with Goten constantly losing out on character arcs and development. The upcoming movie at least ages them up, so hopefully Goten will shine there.
5) Tien
Tien is technically all the way from Dragon Ball, has had more than his fair share of decent moments. His Tri-Beam barrage against Semi-Perfect Cell worked out in the hero's favor by stalling him and saving Goku from Cell Juniors in Z. Come Dragon Ball Super, he's able to wipe out over 50 of Frieza's minions with a single Neo Tri-Beam.
His performance in the Tournament of Power could not be understated as he saved the team from being sniped off the platform.
So, how did his charm fade?
Well, that's the problem. Tien feels like he should be stronger or otherwise more important than he is, and didn't get any focus episodes for the ToP.
6) Piccolo
While a bit more complex than Tien, Piccolo has had a bunch of moments to shine and deliver than just being a supporting character. Piccolo trained Gohan, sacrificed himself for Goku's kid, beat Frieza's second form, drew against Android 17, and at least helped train Goten and Trunks in fusing all in Dragon Ball Z.
In Super, it felt like Piccolo was just there most of the time. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has teased big things for Piccolo’s character, including a new Ultimate form that may bear similarities to Gohan’s upgrade from Old Kai. Fans hope this means Piccolo will be more pivotal as the series continues.
7) Shin/aka the Supreme Kai
So, when the Supreme Kai was introduced in Dragon Ball Z, he was seen as a big deal. He stunned everyone with his appearance and his whole fight against Majin Buu. He was also able to aid Gohan in getting stronger with his Ultimate Form and had relevance even in early Super.
As Super progressed, however, his relevance became miniscule. He did help in the Future Trunks saga in evacuating people and getting Zamasu busted, but that's about all. He tried to suggest the Android 35 fusing idea with 18 and 17 fusing in the Tournament of Power.
8) Gohan
Gohan, admittedly, peaked at the Cell Saga and went into university studies. He became the Great Saiyaman and got some potential with the Ultimate form, finally getting smacked down by Buu.
In Super, the charm of seeing Daddy Gohan wears off quick. He managed to get stronger in time for the Tournament of Power, downed Captain Ginyu, and has matured more as a character.
Being a team captain does that to a guy!
Like Cell and Piccolo, the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes movie should give him more of a main character spot.
9) Captain Ginyu
Captain Ginyu lives to be part of the Frieza Force once again by inhabiting Frieza Force captain Tagoma's body. This proves to be a plus, as the captain is able to handle all Z fighters present except the adult Gohan. Adult Gohan manages to kick him down to the curb, but spares him.
However, it doesn't take long for Vegeta and Goku to show up and completely obliterate him. Ginyu's charm has been well missed, but it wears off after a shorter amount of time than even seeing Gohan be a dad did.
10) Yamcha
Let's face the facts: Yamcha will forever be Dragon Ball's joke character. Despite his training in Dragon Ball Z, he died to a Saibaman. He did, however, get to live against Dr. Gero and help against Buu's minions. He also ran a baseball game against Universe Six and won it.
The problem is, again, he's retired from fighting and any kind of charm he may have had as a Desert Bandit or martial artist wore off fast. It's what happens when characters are either jobbed out to the main character, to quote wrestling jargon, or just never given a shot. Otherwise, it feels almost wasteful to have him around.
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