Black Folks’ 9 Favorite Dragon Ball Z Characters Ranked

9. King Kai

This martial arts mentor/jokester is one of Dragon Ball Z’s coolest characters — from his stunna shades to his pet monkey.

8. Majin Buu

Frank Ocean and André 3000 referenced this big blob of a villain on their classic duet “Pink Matter.”

7. Goku

DBZ’s lovable main protagonist is also an absentee father who chose training with a hated rival (albeit to save the world) over raising his kid. Your fave would never!

6. Frieza

The series’ most habitual line-stepper — through death, resurrection, hell, and back again.

5. Trunks

The heir to the Saiyan throne is not only the most humble savior of the universe; he’s also Dragon Ball Z’s drip gawd.

4. Krillin

In a saga dominated by alien bruisers, the world’s strongest pure human takes his many L’s in stride — he’s got a blinging baldie and bagged the baddest android this side of West City.

3. Gohan

The bruhs love a come-up story, and this human-Saiyan hybrid did so in a way that even surpassed his legendary pops.

2. Vegeta

Vegeta’s traumas are as deep as his widow’s peak, but Dragon Ball Z’s prideful warrior displays the most epic 180 of the entire series. Character development over 9,000!

1. Piccolo

Dragon Ball Z’s green gangsta is arguably the most celebrated Black-adjacent character in anime thanks to his swagged-out headwrap-cape combo and unshakable cool — even when dropping into a fight that he’ll honorably lose.