10 Best Dragon Ball Super Characters We Miss the Most in DAIMA, Ranked

Dragon Ball has never been more popular and Dragon Ball DAIMA’s recent release has helped the franchise achieve even greater levels of success. Dragon Ball DAIMA is a satisfying and nostalgic extension of the Dragon Ball brand for long-time fans, but it’s also an ideal entrypoint for any curious newcomers. The new anime involves a rogue Dragon Ball wish that transforms Goku and most of the anime’s heroes into more vulnerable children. This attack prompts Goku to journey to the mysterious Demon Realm so that he can use the Demon Realm Dragon Balls to reverse this curse and turn everyone back to normal.

Curiously, Dragon Ball DAIMA is set between the events of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. DAIMA has already proven to be a satisfying stepping stone that leads into Dragon Ball Super. Unfortunately, DAIMA’s place in Dragon Ball’s timeline also means that some of Dragon Ball Super’s biggest and most popular players aren’t around for the ride. Some of these characters would be natural fits for Dragon Ball DAIMA and their absences are truly felt.

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Dragon Ball DAIMA is set before Dragon Ball Super, but the new anime has the opportunity to introduce some of Super’s characters ahead of schedule.

10 Dragon Ball Z Set Gohan Up For Success, But He’s Nowhere To Be Seen

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 1, “The New Threat”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 2 (Dragon Ball Chapter 196), “Kakkarot”

Dragon Ball DAIMA begins with many friends and family assembled to celebrate Trunks’ ninth birthday. There are plenty of characters who only have tangential relationships to Trunks, such as Yamcha and Oolong. Gohan, however, is suspiciously absent from these festivities. There’s a throwaway line about how Gohan is off studying and couldn’t make it to Trunks’ party, which is also likely why Videl isn’t present, but this is still a disappointing turn of events. Hercule Satan, Gohan’s father-in-law, is even present for the celebration. Gohan’s absence means that he presumably doesn’t get turned into a child like everyone else.

This could be Dragon Ball DAIMA’s attempt at foreshadowing that Gohan will show up later in the anime to help. However, the fact that Gohan isn’t present in any of the opening and closing theme song’s scenes seems to be a pretty strong indication that DAIMA has decided to omit this character. Gohan is at peak strength when Dragon Ball Z ends, so he’d definitely be a valuable ally in DAIMA. The new anime’s decision to exclude him from this adventure might be an effort to explain why he’s become so much weaker by Dragon Ball Super’s start.

9 God Of Destruction Beerus Would Wreak Havoc Through The Demon Realm

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 1, “A Peacetime Reward Who Gets The 100,000,000 Zeni?!”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball SD, Bonus Chapter 1, “Battle Of Gods SD”

Dragon Ball is an anime that’s constantly expanding its scope and raising its stakes, but Dragon Ball Super goes above and beyond in this regard through its introduction of Gods of Destruction, Angels, and a whole multiverse of powerful divine beings. Lord Beerus’ arrival kicks off Dragon Ball Super and ushers in powerful new godly ki transformations, such as Super Saiyan God. Beerus’ absence in Dragon Ball DAIMA isn’t exactly surprising, since Super’s timeline indicates that he’d still be in deep slumber at this point. That being said, Beerus is such an entertaining loose cannon who isn’t afraid to play by his own rules.

It’d be a lot of fun to see him get turned into a child and head into the Demon Realm as he tries to get revenge on those who have humiliated him. Dragon Ball Super establishes that each universe’s God of Destruction and Supreme Kai share a Life Link. It wouldn’t be difficult to justify Beerus coming along for the ride in order to guarantee that Shin doesn’t die and take him out in the process.

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8 Android 17 Has Become A Breakout MVP In Dragon Ball Super

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, 133, “Nightmare Comes True”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 155 (Dragon Ball Chapter 349), “The Androids Awake!”

One of Dragon Ball Super’s most exciting elements is that the Tournament of Power pushes Universe 7 to recruit their ten strongest fighters to represent their realm in battle royale multiversal combat. This leads to the long-awaited return of Android 17, who doesn’t just make his mark during the high stakes martial arts competition, but he actually wins it. Android 17 has continued to help out the heroes following the Tournament of Power’s conclusion and it’s satisfying to see him working alongside Android 18 as a proper member of the team.

Android 18 doesn’t appear to have a large role in Dragon Ball DAIMA, but she’s at least at Trunks’ party and the audience gets a brief glimpse of her “Mini” form. It wouldn’t make sense to feature Android 17 in the same context, since he’s yet to align himself with Goku and company, but it’s still disappointing to not be able to experience Mini Android 17. Dragon Ball Super proves that a little Android 17 goes a long way and always improves a situation.

7 Tien Is A Heroic Human Who Often Goes Overlooked

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball, Episode 82, “The Rampage Of InoShikaCho”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball, Chapter 113, “Return To The Tournament”

Tien consistently proves himself to be one of Earth’s strongest humans, which makes it all the more unfortunate that he’s gradually pushed out of the spotlight as Dragon Ball Z enters its later story arcs. Similarly, Tien gets a satisfying showcase during the Tournament of Power and the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, but he’s still a character who deserves more attention. After all, there was a point in Dragon Ball when Tien was actually stronger than Goku. Tien is absent during Trunks’ birthday party and there’s no explanation regarding his whereabouts, although it’s probably safe to assume that he’s off training somewhere.

Tien would be a rewarding addition to the team in Dragon Ball DAIMA and it’d be fun to see what he looks like as a child, since this period of his life has never been seen before. Tien’s third eye would also possibly help him blend in during any Demon Realm escapades and come across as more than just a human. Dragon Ball DAIMA can’t feature every single character, but it’s still too bad that it’s another scenario in which Tien goes overlooked. Tien and Chiaotzu are both featured in Dragon Ball DAIMA’s hero group shot during the anime’s opening theme, which is perhaps better than nothing.

6 A Bite-Sized Broly Would Be An Exciting Subversion For The Legendary Super Saiyan

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Broly; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 42, “Battle’s End And Aftermath”

Broly has been a fan-favorite Dragon Ball character ever since his first appearance in Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly experienced a prominent run in Dragon Ball Z movies and video games, but Dragon Ball Super finally made the character canon in the anime’s first feature film. Dragon Ball Super: Broly introduces a more sympathetic version of Broly who is still incredibly powerful, but is more of a tragic figure instead of just a blunt weapon of destruction. Broly is thankfully spared during the film’s finale and he becomes an entertaining training partner for both Goku and Vegeta on Beerus’ Planet.

It looks like Broly will play a major role in the upcoming battle against Black Frieza, but it also would have been rewarding to shine a light on him in Dragon Ball DAIMA. Broly’s youth on Planet Vampa gave audiences a tease of what the Legendary Super Saiyan looked like as a child, so there’s already a model in place that could be used for Mini Broly. It’d also just be satisfying to see a tiny child exhibit the overwhelming power of a Legendary Super Saiyan, even if it happens to be slightly hindered.

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5 Frieza Is An Intimidating Threat Who Looms Large Over Dragon Ball Super

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 44, “Brood Of Evil”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 53 (Dragon Ball Chapter 247), “Planet Namek, Cold And Dark”

Frieza is introduced as a memorable Dragon Ball Z villain, but he manages to make an impressive comeback and unexpectedly dominates Dragon Ball Super’s narrative. Frieza doesn’t just return with a new transformation – Golden Frieza – but he’s later recruited by Goku to represent Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power, where he becomes an unlikely ally to his sworn enemies. This experience doesn’t rehabilitate Frieza and, unfortunately, he uses this newfound freedom to become more powerful than ever and make an intimidating bid for multiversal domination.

Frieza’s most recent appearance featured him overpowering both Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta with his new Black Frieza form. Some audiences have grown tired of Frieza and the many chances that he’s been given, but others have learned to embrace him as the franchise’s central antagonist. Frieza’s involvement in Dragon Ball DAIMA would no doubt be a delight, especially if he were to get caught in Gomah’s crossfire and be turned into Mini Frieza, too.

4 Caulifla Is A Saiyan Savant Who Proudly Represents Universe 6

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 88, “Gohan And Piccolo Master And Pupil Clash In Max Training!”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 32, “The Super Warriors Gather! Part 2”

Dragon Ball Super gets a lot of mileage out of its multiverse concept and one of the most rewarding ideas that it’s able to explore is that Universe 6 still has a thriving Saiyan population. New Saiyans are always a cause for celebration and Universe 6’s Caulfla, Kale, and Cabba are truly fun additions. These three Saiyans are some of Universe 6’s finest fighters, but they’re completely oblivious to Super Saiyan transformations before they witness their glory during their Universe 7 encounters.

These Saiyans prove to be naturals on this front, but Caulifla’s progress is especially impressive. She quickly achieves Super Saiyan 2 status and nearly ascends to Super Saiyan 3 strength with minimal effort. Caulifla also holds her own against Ultra Instinct Goku after she fuses with Kale and becomes Kefla. The concept of a multiverse isn’t on anyone’s minds during Dragon Ball DAIMA. However, Caulifla’s presence is still greatly missed and it’d be interesting to see how she negotiates the Demon Realm’s many dangers.

3 Gotenks Is A Fierce Fused Fighter Who Helps Push Goten & Trunks To New Heights

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 251, “Gotenks Is Born”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 286 (Dragon Ball Chapter 480), “The Fusion Succeeds…?!”

Goten and Trunks are hit extra hard by Gomah’s Dragon Ball wish in Dragon Ball DAIMA. The anime’s adults become children, but Goten and Trunks are transformed into infants because they’re already children. Goten and Trunks have tremendous potential in both Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, but it’s safe to say that their status as babies in DAIMA is going to keep them out of the action. Goten and Trunks are powerful as individuals, but their strength reaches even greater heights when they fuse into Gotenks.

Gotenks is still one of the few characters who has become a Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball Super. It’d be kind of fascinating to see how a baby version of Gotenks works, even if it’s a malformed fusion, but it doesn’t look like DAIMA will indulge in this experiment. DAIMA, curiously, has introduced its own form of fusion with Join Bugs, but this shouldn’t have to come at the expense of one of Dragon Ball’s most entertaining fused fighters.

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2 Omni-King Zeno Is Dragon Ball’s Greatest Divine Being Who Governs The Entire Multiverse

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 40, “A Decision At Last! Is The Winner Beerus? Or Is It Champa?”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 13, “The Winning Universe Is Decided!”

Dragon Ball has gradually introduced more powerful divine beings, whether it’s Kami, King Kai, Shin, or the Grand Supreme Kai. Dragon Ball Super continues to build upon this tradition and incorporates the concept of an Omni-King who holds dominion over all 12 universes. Zeno the Omni-King is a polarizing individual who proves to be an entertaining dichotomy, if nothing else. Zeno has the power to erase an entire universe on a whim, yet he acts like a care-free child who just wants to have fun and be amused.

This causes most of the multiverse to be on pins and needles around Zeno, concerned that they might accidentally rub him the wrong way and trigger their own erasure. Dragon Ball DAIMA has added even more prolific celestial beings into the mix, such as Warp-Sama, King Kadan, and Degesu. It’d be a lot of fun to see how Zeno interacts with any of the Demon Realm deities and if they’re equally intimidated by him at all.

1 Future Trunks Is A Celebrated Freedom Fighter Who Is Torn Between Two Timelines

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 119, “The Mysterious Youth”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 136 (Dragon Ball Chapter 330), “The Coming Of King Cold”

Future Trunks has one of the best introductions in all of Dragon Ball and it’s helped him become one of the anime’s most celebrated characters, even though he’s only in two major story arcs. Future Trunks’ return in Dragon Ball Super during the “Future” Trunks Saga is an incredible surprise and he makes a perfect addition to Goku and Vegeta’s strenuous assault against Goku Black and Future Zamasu. Future Trunks has a lot on the line because Goku Black has ravaged his timeline and done even greater damage than the Future Androids.

Future Trunks ascends to Super Saiyan Rage status and channels Spirit Bomb-like power in his Sword of Hope, but he sadly leaves after the battle’s conclusion. Dragon Ball fans want as much Future Trunks as they can get and his appearance in Dragon Ball DAIMA would be a nice way to appease audiences. If nothing else, it’d be fun to see Mini Future Trunks become the size of regular Trunks, who has regressed even further and become a baby.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball DAIMA

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

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