Dragon Ball: Supporting Cast / Characters

Character Index

In order of appearance.

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Grandpa Son Gohan

**Grandpa Son Gohan (孫悟飯, Son Gohan AKA Sun Wufan)**

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grandpa_gohan_unmasked_by_orco05_d5ed4n8.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Osamu Saka (DB, Z ep. 32, Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragon Ball: Origins), Kinpei Azusa (Bardock - The Father of Goku), Joji Yanami (Z ep. 288), Shigeru Chiba (Kai)
Voiced by (English): Christopher Sabat (Funimation dub); Michael Donovan (DB ep. 1), Terry Klassen (Z ep. 32), Richard Newman (Z ep. 288) (Ocean dub); Jonathan Love (Blue Water dub); Ed Marcus (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Jorge Roig (DB), Armando Réndiz (Kai)

Goku's adoptive grandfather, the one who found him in the woods and initially trained him in martial arts. He died prior to the series, crushed to death by Goku's Great Ape form. Though mostly appearing in flashbacks, he makes an appearance in person during the Fortuneteller Baba Saga, and Goku's first son is named in his honor.

Back for the Finale: He returns in the final two episodes of the Fire Mountain/Wedding Dress filler arc after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament which served as the conclusion to the original Dragon Ball anime. He meets Goku as a young man alongside Chi-Chi who he'd recently been engaged to in their quest to save the Ox-King from an inferno caused by the Furnace of Eight Divisions, where Gohan serves as a bodyguard for the furnace's keeper.
Bodyguarding a Badass: The final arc of the original anime reveals that he's taken up a part-time job as Annin's bodyguard, who herself is a deity more than capable of handling Goku who had just recently defeated Piccolo Jr.
Bodyguard Crush: He guards the goddess Annin as shown in a filler arc and Goku thinks that there's a little more to it than that.
Chivalrous Pervert: During the Baba Saga, he mentions having a lot of friends back in Other World, "and most of them are brunettes". Nonetheless, Goku states that Gohan always taught him to be respectful towards women.
Climax Boss: Serves as this to Goku in the Baba arc, and to his entire second search for the Dragon Balls as a whole. Goku has to pull every trick he's learned against him.
Cloudcuckoolander: Implied. He admits to being "a little odd" in the Bardock special, and Goku himself describes him as a "very odd fellow."
Cool Old Guy: He doesn't appear much, but he served as Goku's first instructor in the martial arts and is widely regarded as a legend in that world in the early parts of the story.
Dirty Old Man: Part of the reason why he doesn't want to be brought back to life? Too many hot chicks in heaven. However, he isn't nearly as bad as Master Roshi, and Goku himself states that Gohan was in fact respectful of women and always told him to be the same.
Famed In-Story: Yamcha had heard about him back in his bandit days and immediately recognized his Power Pole when Goku used it against him during their initial fight.
Family Theme Naming: He started the 'Go' tend in Goku's family; Son Goku and his sons—Gohan and Goten.
Good Is Not Soft: His appearance in the Wedding Dress filler has him trying to violently stop Goku from extinguishing the Furnace of Eight Division for doing so would cause the physical and spiritual planes of existence to be closed off from one another and allow evil souls to take root in the living world, which would cause utter chaos. This despite the fact that leaving the furnace on would inevitably cause the Ox-King, his best friend and fellow disciple under Master Roshi, to burn to death in his own castle on Fire Mountain.^note A flashback to Goku's childhood late into Z also shows that he could be strict while training his grandson, though only to teach him discipline.
Living Legend: Well, he was before his death.
Manly Facial Hair: A big white one, similar to Master Roshi's, and he was Goku's original teacher and was considered one of the greatest martial artists in the world. When he returns for a day, he manages to give Goku a hard match, the same Goku who defeated Mercenary Tao and destroyed the entire Red Ribbon Army by himself just hours ago.
Master-Apprentice Chain: Although his time was short, he trained Goku before he was killed and was a student of Master Roshi:
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Son Gohan, Sr > Son Goku > Son Gohan, Pan, and Uub
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Son Gohan, Sr. > Son Goku > Son Gohan > Son Goten
Muggle Foster Parents: While he was extremely powerful for a human, given that he was considered one of the greatest martial arts experts in the world, he's still a muggle compared to Goku who is a Human Alien from a powerful warrior race.
Nice Guy: A decent and kind-hearted warrior and it was because of being this that Kakarotto was raised into becoming Goku, The Hero we know and love.
Old Master: In his appearance during the Fortuneteller Baba Saga, he holds his own against Goku quite well. Later still in the Fire Mountain filler, he can pin down his now 18-year-old grandson with only a little difficulty. Keep in mind that Goku has managed to defeat two different variations of a demon king by this point and had finally won the World Martial Arts Tournament only two days prior.
Parental Substitute: He finds Goku in the mountains as a child not long after he lands on Earth. He takes him in and raises him as his own grandson. It's rough at first since Goku was an unruly and violent child, but Gohan manages to get him under control after Goku falls and hits his head.
Posthumous Character: By the time the series begins, he's long dead.
Ship Tease: He has some romantic subtext with Annin, a goddess, in a filler arc, much to Goku's amusement.
Small Role, Big Impact: He's dead by the series' beginning and only appears in person during the Fortuneteller Baba Saga, but it was him finding Goku and raising him that turned Goku from the future destroyer of humanity to the altruistic All-Loving Hero we know and love.
Unseen No More: Grandpa Gohan was The Ghost by virtue of being dead. While he was mentioned a lot, he never made an appearance in the first arc and most of the second arc, before making a surprise appearance at the end as a literal ghost.
Upbringing Makes the Hero: It was his kindness towards Goku, along with him hitting his head, that made Goku the kind young child we meet at the beginning of Dragon Ball.

Turtle

**Turtle (海亀, Umigame, "Sea Turtle")**

"Master! What are you doing? Have you forgotten your code master? Please, That's wrong, dead wrong... now I understand why you couldn't ride your cloud."

Voiced by (Japanese): Daisuke Gōri (Most media), Takahiro Fujimoto (Kai, Super)
Voiced by (English): Christopher Sabat (Most media), Chris Cason (Kai) (Funimation dub); Doug Parker (DB 1995), Scott McNeil (Z Season 1, The World's Strongest), Terry Klassen (Z Season 4-6), Dave Pettit (DB 2004) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Dan Woren (Harmony Gold dub); Doug Rand (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Herman López (current voice), Ernesto Lezama (1st episodes Z), Arturo Mercado (rest Z)

A turtle named Turtle, Master Roshi's loyal pet/housemate. Goku and Bulma met Turtle early in their search for the Dragon Balls when he was lost in the wilderness and returned him to Roshi, who gave Goku the Flying Nimbus as a reward. Turtle is good-natured and friendly but often frustrated at Roshi's skirt-chasing antics.

Action Survivor: Still alive in Trunks's Bad Future in Dragon Ball Super.Unfortunately, that version of Turtle seen during that arc is now Deader than Dead.
A Day in the Limelight: The Android Arc filler focuses a lot on him, as most of the action centers on Kame House due to the heroes taking shelter there from the Androids and Goku spending his convalescence from the heart virus there. He's also used as Goku's practice dummy for the Evil Containment Wave in Super, probably to remind the audience (since many getting into the series didn't see Piccolo vs. Kami) for the Tournament of Power later on that despite the name, the wave works just fine on people who aren't demons or evil.
Beleaguered Assistant: To Master Roshi.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: In anime filler only, Turtle defends Maron from some lecherous fratboys who randomly came to Kame House. He even adopts a kung fu stance as he sends them both packing. This is the only time Turtle has engaged in combat in the entire franchise.
Demoted to Extra: Like with most of the DB-era cast, he began falling into obscurity starting in Z. The anime filler of the early Cell arc gave him A Day in the Limelight, at least. By contrast, the Majin Buu arc only featured him canonically in a non-speaking cameo when Gohan informs Krillin about Goku's return for the 25th World Tournament. His only other appearance was in a filler episode during a celebration before the jump ahead to the 28th World Tournament.
A Dog Named "Dog": He's a Turtle named Turtle.
Killed Offscreen: Either it was when Super Buu unleashed his Human Extinction Attack or when Kid Buu blew the Earth to kingdom come. Either way, he didn't accompany the rest to the tournament, let alone the lookout, so...
Long-Lived: Apparently, during the Garlic Jr. filler arc (or about a few months before the androids arc) in Dragon Ball Z, he has turned 1000 years old.
Nice Guy: He's very mild-mannered and kind, which contrasts greatly with the lecherous and selfish (pre-Character Development) Master Roshi.
Odd Friendship: Forms one with Maron during her stay at Kame House in the anime filler.
Old Retainer: He attempts to curb Roshi's lecherous behavior and advises him from making rash decisions to varying degrees of success.
Running Gag: In the Japanese version, Goku is constantly getting his name wrong ("Urigome" instead of "Umigame"), even into adulthood.
Satellite Character: He only exists to be Roshi's pet and to snark at him for his ridiculous ideas and lines.
Servile Snarker: To Roshi.
Simpleton Voice: Most of his English voices tend to have a dopey quality to them. It's ironic given that he's meant to be more grounded than his master.
Small Role, Big Impact: If Goku's hadn't happened to accidentally pick a stranded Turtle out of the ground and return him to the sea (against Bulma's wishes), he would have never met Master Roshi or begun his martial arts journey that drives him for the rest of the franchise.
Species Surname: His species is his only name.
Suddenly Voiced: In a manner of speaking. Due to Kai's editing process, he didn't get to say anything until episode 58.
Talking Animal: Though he talks less and less as the series goes on.

Kinto'un / Flying Nimbus

Kinto'un (筋斗雲, "Somersault Cloud")

Voiced by: N/A

A magical yellow cloud gifted to Goku by Master Roshi. It can only by ridden by those with pure hearts. Primarily used as a transport in the days before ki-based Flight became the norm, Kinto'un is alive and sapient to a degree, enough for Goku to consider it one of his dearest friends. After Goku's second death, Gohan inherits Kinto'un and uses it to transport him to and from school.

Big Damn Heroes: Just as Gohan is about to be curbstomped by Nappa, Kinto'un appears to carry him out of the way.
The Bus Came Back: It makes a return in Super when Goku figures out a way to traverse Fortuneteller Baba's forest without attracting monsters with his ki.
Character Death: Shortly after Krillin's first death at the hands of Tambourine, Kinto'un also gets destroyed by the winged demon, sending Goku into even more of a rage.
Companion Cube: To a degree, though unlike most examples, Kinto'un is actually alive. Goku and Gohan are very attached to it, nevertheless.
Legacy Character: After the first Kinto'un "dies", Karin gifts Goku a second one spawned from the Huge Kinto'un cloud that floats outside of Karin's Tower. This is where all Kinto'uns spawn from, including Goku's original, meaning that they are all functionally identical as smaller fragments of the same whole.
Mundane Utility: By the Buu arc, its adventuring days are behind it, and now it only sees usage as a glorified private jet for Gohan to get to Satan City from his rural home in the Styx.
Secret Test of Character: Being able to sit atop Kinto'un is one of the most practical ways of testing if somebody is pure of heart. Early in the series, the likes of Roshi, Bulma, Krillin and Yajirobe would fall straight through the cloud if they tried. Goku was the only one untainted by impure thoughts like lust, greed and cowardice. However, as the series goes on, more characters become able to ride it, including Chichi, Arale, Upa, Gohan, Goten and Uub.
Shout-Out: Kinto'un, alongside the Nyoibo (Power Pole), is one of the most visible holdovers from Dragon Ball's literary inspiration, Journey to the West.
Super-Speed: Kinto'un has an extraordinary top speed of Mach 1.5, though most of the main characters characters can outpace it with their own Flight. Gohan's friends note that his journey from home to school would take over five hours in the fastest jet plane on Earth, but Kinto'un can accomplish that distance in about half an hour.
The Voiceless: It cannot speak, but it does express itself in other ways.

Oolong

**Oolong (ウーロン, Uuron)**

"Why did you have to go and tell me that, Bulma? You know that I'm highly allergic to danger."

Voiced by (Japanese): Naoki Tatsuta, Tesshō Genda (DB ep. 3, ogre form)
Voiced by (English): Brad Jackson (Most media), Mark Britten (Z Season 3; originally), Bryan Massey (Curse of the Blood Rubies, Kai Season 1-4, Super Universal Survival arc) (Funimation dub); Alec Willows (DB 1995, Z Seasons 1-2, The World's Strongest, Tree of Might Edited), Doug Parker (DB 1995, Most transformations), Ian James Corlett (DB 1995, gentleman), Scott McNeil (Tree of Might Uncut), Richard Newman (Z Seasons 4-6), Corby Proctor (DB 2004) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Dave Mallow (mainly), Barry Stigler (most transformations), Dan Woren (gentleman) (Harmony Gold dub); David Gasman (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub); Apollo Abraham (Creative Products Corp., Philippines); Ray Chase (Bang Zoom!/Toonami Asia dub in Super)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Ernesto Lezama (current voice), Arturo Mercado (begins in ep. 60 Z, GT and Battle of the Gods)

Originally a con artist who terrorized a small village using his shapeshifting powers, Oolong is a greedy, lecherous pig (literally); when Goku defeated him, Oolong joined him and Bulma in their search for the Dragon Balls. At first a useless whiner, Oolong later proved his worth by "stealing" Pilaf's wish from the Dragon Balls (by wishing for a pair of girl's panties). He and Puar were rivals in shapeshifting school, but because Oolong dropped out in kindergarten, his powers only allow him to stay transformed for five minutes.

Accidental Truth: After dealing with Goku's Oozaru form, Oolong quips, "So what is he? Some kind of space alien?" Yup.
Achilles' Heel: He can only stay shapeshifted for five minutes. If he's shapeshifted for five minutes together (no matter how many forms he went through in that time span), he has to rest a minute before he can do it again. (Check his debut chapter in the manga: He can go straight from one form to another, so long as he hasn't used up all five minutes.)
Adaptational Badass: In the unofficial Chinese Movie Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins, Oolong (known as Piggy) has the ability to turn into Rambo (yes that Rambo).
Adaptation Species Change: Oolong is a piggish human in the unofficial movie Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins.
Age Lift: In the Japanese materials, he starts out being only nine years old (three years younger than Goku) and it reflects in his actor's voice. However, most of the English versions have him talking like a fairly older man (calling Goku "kid" throughout the first arc, etc). This is prevalent even with the more accurate translations in Kai and Super.
Ascended Extra: Oolong was reduced to a background character in the Z portion of the manga. Toei, however, took a liking to the guy and gave him more screentime in the filler, movies, and commercials.
Big Damn Hero: Oolong interrupted Pilaf's wish preventing Pilaf from becoming ruler of the world.
"Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: How Bulma gets him to join the adventure. She slips him a drug that acts as a laxative every time he hears whistling.
Bring My Brown Pants: Often pissed himself in fear in the manga.
Chekhov's Gag: His wish for panties ends up coming up again in GT when it turned out the Six-Star Dragon's existence came from it. How embarrassing.
Chivalrous Pervert: At least he thinks of himself as chivalrous. The pervert part is completely accurate however.
Composite Character: If you're familiar with Journey to the West, Oolong actually has elements of both Zhu Bajie ("Piggy/Pigsy") and Sun Wukong ("Monkey"). He most directly references Zhu Bajie, being a lecherous, gluttonous pig monster - his initial encounter is even an adaptation of how Zhu Bajiei is recruited in JttW. However, his adeptness at shapeshifting is a trait taken from Sun Wukong^note, and likewise he has a magical restraining bolt (the "swee-trots" candy he ate, which causes him to suffer explosive diarrhea attacks if he hears whistling), which calls to mind Sun Wukong's famous "headache headband".
Deadpan Snarker: Mostly before he turns nicer.
Demoted to Extra: Even though most characters in the series get demoted to extra sooner or later, Oolong is especially noteworthy because he is essentially the Tritagonist of the original arc of the series, but after that, he completely loses his importance to the plot. Even Puar at least gets a small role later during the fight against Uranai Baba's warriors, but Oolong? Restricted to the background and a few Combat Commentator lines here and there. Once the Saiyans show up, he's more or less out of the picture entirely.
Didn't Think This Through: How else do you explain why he drugged Goku when he knew that Yamcha was out to rob them?
Dirty Coward: Mostly in the earlier chapters of the series, especially before he considered Goku and the others as his true friends.
Dirty Kid: Puar explains that in the past Oolong was kicked out of "transformation kindergarten" for stealing the teacher's panties. Not only that, but he's actually three years younger than Goku, making him only 9 during the first arc of the original series. Bulma even lampshades it in the original Japanese:
Bulma: What kind of kid acts like a middle-aged pervert?
Dub Name Change: Became "Mao Mao" in the Harmony Gold dub, presumably because of the Chinese uniform he originally wears. The BLT test pilot renamed him "Chester".
Exact Words: The reason Oolong got women's panties when he made his wish in the English dub. He wished for "the world's most comfortable pair of underwear". Said underwear just happened to be lady's underwear.
Expy: One of the more obvious ones among the early characters, as he's the clear equivalent to Zhu Bajie (aka "Piggy") from Journey to the West in the group. A significant part of the reason he gets Demoted to Extra so badly is that he made less sense to keep on the further DB strayed from having anything to do with JttW.
Flight: For all his Paper Tiger transformations are worth, Oolong transforming into a bat or a rocket grants him the ability to fly at high speed.
Hypocritical Humor: Frequently gets on others for being pessimistic about Goku and the other fighters' fates when they're missing in action but is relatively quick himself to assume the worst during the series' darker turns, especially in the King Piccolo Saga.
Incompletely Trained: He took classes at the Shapeshifter Academy, but was expelled after stealing their teacher's panties. As a result, Oolong can only hold a shape for five minutes at a time, whereas Puar can morph indefinitely.
Informed Ability: His shapeshifting becomes this after Dragon Ball.
Killed Offscreen: Played straight in the manga where it cuts away to Goku watching in horror as Super Buu changes everyone on the Lookout into chocolate and eats them. Averted somewhat in the anime where they do show the carnage and the shadowy terror of everyone's conversion into candy bars.
Larynx Dissonance: in the Funimation dub, he has a deep voice. This fits in Z where Oolong is an adult but is odd in the first series where Oolong is a child.
Man, I Feel Like a Woman: In the first non-canon movie. When he transforms into Bulma to fool Roshi (like in the original story), his first reaction is to "check" his new body, embarrassing Bulma.
Messy Pig: He may be more mentally than physically messy, but he qualifies nonetheless.
Non-Human Sidekick: The first of the series, before Yamcha pulled a Heel–Face Turn with Puar.
Paper Tiger: In his first appearance. He uses his transformation magic to intimidate people, but as he himself notes, using transformation magic to become a powerful monster doesn't give you the abilities of that monster.
Perverted Pig: Oolong is dirty in mind if not in body.
Pig Man: A walking, talking pig, and one of the first talking animals to play a big role.
Spanner in the Works: He screwed Pilaf's wish for immortality by intervening.
Smarter Than You Look: He's the only one who recognizes Chichi when She's All Grown Up. And he had met her only once. It is true to real life, as pigs are proven to be surprisingly intelligent even when they're piglets.
Theme Naming: With Puar, after tea.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Oolong and Puar were classmates at the Shapeshifter Academy, due to dropping out earlier, Oolong can only hold his form for five minutes.

Puar

**Puar (プーアル, Puuaru)**

"Only a heartless soul would run and leave his friends behind. We're in this together."

Voiced by (Japanese): Naoko Watanabe
Voiced by (English): Monika Antonelli (All media before 2007), Brina Palencia (Budokai Tenkaichi 3 onwards) (Funimation dub); Kathy Morse (DB 1995), Cathy Weseluck (Z), Chris Simms (DB 2004) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Cheryl Chase (Harmony Gold dub); Jodi Forrest (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Cristina Camargo (DB, Z) , Jesús Barrero (DB epi. 5-60), Karen Vallejo (Kai), Desireé González (Kai: The Final Chapters), Isabel Martiñón (Super)

A shape-shifting cat-like creature and Yamcha's closest friend. Puar is fiercely loyal to Yamcha. Puar mostly just provides moral support to Goku and his friends but saved everyone the first time Goku transformed into a Great Ape by cutting off Goku's tail.

Adaptation Species Change: He's a parrot in Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins.
Ambiguous Gender: In the Japanese version, Puar's gender is not directly referred to though it sometimes does use masculine pronouns. In the English version, Puar is referred to as a female on a few occasions when its gender is mentioned. This isn't the case in other translations such as the Portuguese translation which has Puar state himself as male in his introduction. Eventually, Toriyama was asked about Puar's gender and he said he considered Puar male when writing the manga. For some odd reason, however, the official Dragon Ball site lists Puar as female.
Becoming the Mask: Just like Yamcha, he initially assisted Goku and the others in gathering the Dragon Balls with the intention of stealing them once they got all seven. It wasn't until the events at Pilaf's castle that Yamcha and Puar became friends with them for real.
Black Bead Eyes: In the same vein as Upa, who he tag-teams with during the Fortuneteller Baba Saga.
Cute Kitten: Just look at his picture!
Demoted to Extra: Puar went from shapeshifting into items and animals in the original series to only being Yamcha's friend in Z.
Dub Name Change: Became "Squeaker" in the Harmony Gold dub, "Prudence" in the "Zero"/BLT test dub of Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies, and "Plume" in the AB Groupe French dub of Dragon Ball: The Path to Power.
Evil Counterpart: Seemingly to Oolong in the beginning, except Puar was ironically more moral!
Faint in Shock: Plus grief after Yamcha is killed by the Saibamen with Puar and the other non-combatants watching from Kame House. Unlike Chi-Chi, Puar does not regain consciousness to see any more of the battle.
Flight: Puar can inexplicably fly.
Informed Ability: Like Oolong, Puar doesn't use his shapeshifting abilities after the original series until Dragon Ball Super where he uses it to turn into Beerus.
Killed Offscreen: This happened in the manga's Buu arc when Super Buu turned all of the non-fighting crowd on Kami's Lookout into chocolate bars and ate them. Averted in the anime where we see a horrible Shadow Discretion Shot of him and Yamcha being changed (they're the last to be eaten).
Non-Human Sidekick: To Yamcha during their bandit days.
Satellite Character: Puar is mostly important in relation to Yamcha.
Right-Hand Cat: To Yamcha during his bandit days, though more sympathetic than most.
Talking Animal: Puar is less anthropomorphic than Oolong.
Theme Naming: With Oolong, after tea.
Undying Loyalty: To Yamcha.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Oolong and Puar were classmates at the Shapeshifter Academy. Unlike Oolong, however, Puar finished his education there and thus can hold any form as long as he wants.

Gyū Maō/Ox-King

**Ox-King (牛魔王, Gyuu-Maou)**

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oxkingcp_6.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Daisuke Gōri (All media until 2009), Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (All media from 2010 onwards)
Voiced by (English): Mark Britten (Z Season 3-4 and The History of Trunks; originally), Christopher Sabat (Z Season 5-6; originally), Kyle Hebert (Most media) (Funimation dub); Dave "Squatch" Ward (DB 1995, Z), Dave Pettit (DB 2004) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); David Gasman (Dead Zone), Paul Bandey (The History of Trunks) (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Mario Sauret, Enrique Cervantes (Kai: The Final Chapters)
Voiced by (Swedish): Gunnar Ernblad

The legendary Ox-King of Fire Mountain.^note The Ox-King terrorized the countryside to keep would-be thieves away from his castle. When Goku and his friends came looking for the Dragon Ball in his treasury, he relents (he couldn't get into his own castle anyway because of the wall of flames around it) and offers Goku his daughter Chi-Chi's hand in marriage. Ox-King turned out to be one of Master Roshi's pupils and a friend of Goku's Grandpa Gohan. After his daughter settled down with Goku, he became a doting grandfather to Gohan and Goten.

Ascended Extra: He gets more appearances in the original anime with Chi-Chi before becoming a mainstay in the Z era. The first is in the Red Ribbon Army arc when Colonel Silver and Emperor Pilaf end up targeting him for a dragon ball he accidentally obtained when slaughtering a pteranodon for a wedding feast (he thought that Goku and Chi-Chi were going to be wed immediately). His second is in the King Piccolo arc where the titular villain sics King Furry's guard on him in order to continue his slaughter of the world's renowned martial artists so they can't potentially seal him away again. The final part of Dragon Ball also makes him a Distressed Dude in the Wedding Dress filler arc where he has to protect his late wife's gown in order to see Chi-Chi wear it at her own ceremony.
Big Fun: He's a large jovial man especially from Z onward.
Cool Old Guy: Being a grandfather and a retired fighter fits this trope.
Demoted to Extra: In Dragon Ball, he had a role as a supporting character. He doesn't appear as much in Z, but when he does, he usually appears with his daughter.
Dirty Old Man: Only one moment in the Garlic Jr. Saga shows him perving on someone, namely Maron while she's sunbathing. Then again, he's a student of Master Roshi and even his fellow disciple Son Gohan admitted to having a lot of pretty dead ladies back in the afterlife. Chi-Chi really didn't care for that.
Distressed Dude: For the Fire Mountain/Wedding Dress filler arc at the end of the first DB anime, most of his screen time is spent trapped running through the burning remains of his castle as he tries to survive and preserve his late wife's titular dress so that Chi-Chi can wear it at her ceremony.
Doting Parent: He's very fond of his daughter.
Doting Grandparent: The Ox-King is very fond of his grandsons, often buying them toys and spoiling them.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: He was a redhead throughout most of the original DB anime before the Wedding Dress filler arc recolored him black which has mostly stuck with him throughout the franchise's duration. The full-color manga in that earlier period also colors his hair black.
Expy: To, well, the Ox-King/Bull Demon King of Journey to the West, straight down to having the literal same name in kanji/hanzi characters (牛魔王). This Ox-King is a bit more chill and a family man than the one in the novel, though, and naturally like many of the other JttW characters his importance fades as time goes on, especially once the Saiyans start showing up.
Family Theme Naming: He has a daughter named Chi-Chi (milk/breast), carrying the cow theme.
Gentle Giant: He used to be quite violent, but mellowed out after Chi-Chi fell in love with Goku.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Ox-King intentionally hid a nicer side to his first appearance to prevent thieves from coming into his castle and robbing his gold. That, and taking his daughter. So, he terrorized the nearby village, and legends of him spread as a bloodthirsty demonic tyrant. Suffice to say, this wasn't the best course of action he could have taken (though, it was pretty effective). Father and daughter being inhumanly strong, notwithstanding (the latter killed a T. Rex with ease at twelve years of age). He later got reprimanded for this by Master Roshi, who told him to apologize to the villagers for how he treated them, and mellowed out... after his home on Fire Mountain was blown to bits by Roshi.
Hot Skitty-on-Wailord Action: In the entire franchise there has only ever been one image of Chi-Chi's mother, a family portrait of her as a baby, sitting on her mother's lap, who is sitting on her husband's palm.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: One of the more extreme examples with his late, unnamed wife (see above).
Humble Hero: In the anime, when he and Chi-Chi witness new global Evil Overlord King Piccolo's broadcast announcement that he'll annihilate a section of Earth a year and openly welcome any challengers to stop him, Chi-Chi questions her father whether he can beat up King Piccolo, and he replies honestly that he can't and that he doesn't think anyone in the world can, not even Goku.
Immune to Bullets: This is only shown in Filler episodes of the anime.
Killed Offscreen: Happened during the Buu arc in the manga where the titular villain escaped the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and turned all the people outside (except Dende) into chocolate, eating them soon after. Averted in the anime, however, where they at least gave a Shadow Discretion Shot that showed almost all the cast being killed.
Legacy Character: Subverted when he suggests that Chi-Chi's son also be named after himself before she named him Gohan.
Manly Facial Hair: He sported an impressive red beard back during his days of conquest. By the time of the Wedding Dress filler arc (or the Saiyan arc if you go by the manga), it has become black and stays that way for the remainder of the series. It grows out a little in the Buu arc and begins to gray going into the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament.
Master-Apprentice Chain: He was a student of Master Roshi and he trained Chi-Chi: Mutaito > Master Roshi > Ox-King > Chi-Chi > Goten.
Nice Guy: He may seem like a tough giant at first, but he's actually a kind person.
Not So Above It All: While he's normally cavalier, he shows once in the Garlic Jr. Saga that he is very much a student of Roshi when he ogles a sunbathing Maron alongside his old teacher. Chi-Chi was not amused.
One-Man Army: He's capable of taking down an army of tanks on his own.
Only One Name: He doesn't have a last name.
Public Domain Character: Ox-King is the only character other than Son Goku to retain the same name as his Journey to the West counterpart.
Real Men Wear Pink: Wore a pink shirt during the Buu arc.
Retired Badass: In Dragon Ball Z, you don't see him fighting anymore. At his peak of power, he was regarded as a demon who could take out tanks and Goku couldn't even make him flinch when they first met.
Riches to Rags: From the God of Destruction Beerus Saga Story Arc onwards, he's forced to take on a Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job due to his treasures (the source of his wealth) being burnt in the Fire Mountain.
Stout Strength: Later in the series he gets fatter but even in Battle of Gods it is clear he has a lot of muscle underneath.
Tears of Joy: He sheds them during Chi-Chi and Goku's wedding ceremony at the end of the first anime, congratulating the two on their union and welcoming Goku into his family. In a humorous variation, he sheds a few back in the Red Ribbon Army filler when he's preparing a wedding for the two and remarks that his daughter is growing up so fast.
What the Hell, Hero?: While it's technically filler, he calls Chi-Chi out on getting upset with Goku for letting Gohan fight against Cell. Considering how Gohan surpassed Goku and Cell in strength, this was understandable. It still didn't stop her from getting mad herself at her dad since she was only upset that Gohan had become a delinquent.

Lunch/Launch

**Lunch/Launch (ランチ, Ranchi)**

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/launch_8.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Mami Koyama (most media), Tomiko Suzuki (Z ep. 285), Mayumi Tanaka (Kai)
Voiced by (English): Meredith McCoy (DB, both), Christine Marten (Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle, bad), Monika Antonelli (Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle, good), Kara Edwards (Z Episode 285, good), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Kai: TFC, good) (Funimation dub); Onalea Gilbertson (DB, both) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Edie Mirman (Harmony Gold dub); Sharon Mann (Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle), Jodi Forrest (Mystical Adventure) (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Cristina Camargo

Minor joke character during the original series was picked up and brought to Roshi by Goku and Krillin to bribe him into training the two. Her "mood swings"—really a split personality—when she sneezes provided a fair amount of comedy, shifting between a sweet blue-haired ingenue and a violent blond criminal. She's not heard from much in the Z series (because Akira Toriyama decided to write her out).

Both

The Bus Came Back: She reappears in Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
The Cameo: At the end of Z when you can see her lifting her hands up in the air to give energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She vanishes after the Piccolo Jr. Saga in the manga. She did get a bit more screen time in the anime, but only in the Saiyan Saga and a cameo towards the end of the Buu Saga. Reportedly, this is because Toriyama decided to write her out, and later he wrongly thought he forgot about her.
Demoted to Extra: The grand finale of the manga reunited everyone but Lunch. Lunch appeared in the draft, but she was replaced with No. 17 in the published issue. The anime, at least, briefly showed her contributing to Goku's Super Spirit Bomb. She also later appears in the OVA, although she has no lines.
Dub Name Change: From Lunch to Launch in the English dub.
Edible Theme Naming: Named after a meal in a story where many characters are named after food and teas.
Forehead of Doom: You can see how huge her forehead is because her hair doesn't cover it.
Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Good Lunch has Tareme Eyes, Bad Lunch has Tsurime Eyes.
Jekyll & Hyde: Her Jekyll is Good Lunch while her Hyde is Bad Lunch.
Killed Offscreen: It's a given that she died during Buu's rampage on Earth, likely when Fat Buu was going around destroying things or when Super Buu used his Human Extinction Attack and wiped out everyone except for Mr. Satan, Tien, and Chiaotzu. We never see it, though.
Ms. Fanservice: She wears revealing clothes and a lot of other characters find her attractive, particularly Master Roshi.
Only One Name: Like many others in the series, she doesn't have a surname.
Out of Focus: She was hit particularly hard with this — she didn't even get Put on a Bus, she was just gone. Her only appearances in Z were anime-only scenes in Saiyan Saga filler and a small cameo in the Buu Saga where she added her power to Goku's final Spirit Bomb.
Put on a Bus: In the first saga of DBZ. She's last seen getting drunk in a bar but makes a very brief cameo appearance in the Kid Buu saga giving Goku energy with the other earthlings.^note In the manga, she was put on a bus after the DB portion and remains absent for the rest of the series.
Spell My Name With An S: Her name is more accurately rendered as "Lunch", but the English versions call her "Launch".
Single-Target Sexuality: Lunch has only ever had eyes for Tien, it was impossible that she'd move on.
Split Personality: One half's a sweet blunette and the other's a hot-tempered blonde.
Split-Personality Makeover: Good Lunch is blue-haired, while Bad Lunch is blonde.
Split-Personality Switch Trigger: The blue-haired and gentle Lunch turns into her blonde and violent other personality and back whenever she sneezes.
Strong as They Need to Be: Played for Laughs: Blue Launch is as delicate as she appears, unable to move or throw objects very far while Blonde Launch is a powerhouse, able to carry entire armories and heavy weaponry like nothing. This is despite the only difference being in personality and appearance.
Tomboy and Girly Girl:
- Good Lunch is Girly Girl, Bad Lunch is Tomboy.
- Bulma and Lunch vary on which is the tomboy and which is the girly girl depending on which of Lunch's personalities is dominant. If Lunch is in her blond form, she's a gun-crazy kleptomaniac and Bulma is a fashion-conscious non-combatant. If Lunch is in her blue-haired form, she's a naive ingenue and Bulma is the adventurous Wrench Wench.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Famously, despite both being a capable gunslinger and a long-time friend of the Z-Fighters, she's all but missing from the group without any explanation. Her anime appearance mitigates this slightly, occasionally showing her cameos, but her absence is still uncommented.

Good Lunch

The Ditz: She's very kind to everyone she meets, but she can be woefully ignorant of her surroundings.
Fanservice with a Smile: Good Launch does this, even though she's not smiling all the time. You can even unlock her outfit for Android 18 in Ultimate Butouden on the DS.
The Ingenue: Her innocent persona is pure of heart as she is quite capable of riding the Flying Nimbus with Goku in the anime.
Lethal Chef: Not in general, but Good Lunch's ditziness has caused her to try cooking a toxic pufferfish for Master Roshi and Krillin, poisoning both of them for the next day.
Nice Girl: She is sweet and pure-hearted, and one of the people who can ride the nimbus.
Non-Action Guy: Compared to her blonde self, Blue Launch is simply too soft to raise a hand to anyone, which means she's a Damsel in Distress if any enemies come around.
Out of Focus: Due to her passive attitude and lack of action capability, she ends up getting much less of development compared to her blonde counterpart.
Parental Substitute: She was the closest thing to a mother figure that Goku had as a child.
Shy Blue-Haired Girl: She's sweet and kind to others and is very shy.
Team Mom: The closest the original DB cast had to one, as she was very kind and patient to all her friends, willing to do all sorts of things to keep them happy, no matter how weird it may be.
The Team Normal: Plays this as straight as she can. Without a genius brain, fighting capability, or knowledge of any teaching or techniques, Good Launch is as close to a normal human in the main cast- if not for being a bit ditzy.

Bad Lunch

Accent Adaptation: The old Harmony Gold dub and the Blue Water dub give her a rough southern drawl. Funimation by contrast gives her a thick New Jersey accent which most know her for today, though her actress in Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle did not give her any noticeable accent (neither did AB Groupe's dubs).
Action Girl: Dragon Ball's very first one, while not in on the action as much as the guys, she is the only girl in the series capable of performing any kind of straightforward fight.
All Amazons Want Hercules: Bad Lunch has the hots for Tenshinhan after being smitten with his power in battle.
Anti-Hero: Bad Lunch could be an Unscrupulous Hero or even a Nominal Hero at times.
Ax-Crazy: Bad Lunch is a gun-crazy kleptomaniac. However, she does get several levels of kindness added to her character as time goes on.
Badass Normal: She's just a normal human with no training of any kind, but is dangerous in her blond form. She always has a gun ready and shows no fear of attacking or threatening anyone including the Red Ribbon Army, the Crane Hermit, or even King Piccolo.
Berserk Button: She has several, including but not limited to: Roshi's perversion and anyone getting between her and Tien.
Blood Knight: While not as pronounced as the Z-Fighters, she doesn't shy away from violence when it comes her way, in fact, she seems to rather enjoy it. She agrees to raid the Red Ribbon Army for little reason than that she'd enjoy the action.
Character Development: A more subtle example, given how there's never a particular amount of focus on it but Blonde Launch starts out as very violent, to the point she shot at Goku and Krillin for the crimes of just being in her view. As time goes on she does mellow out; she becomes attached to her group of friends (especially Goku and Tien) and goes from actively antagonizing them for her own self-interest, to wanting to spend time with them, regardless of her status as The Dreaded.
Deep South: Her accent is lightly southern in the Blue Water dub. She also has a heavier variation in the Harmony Gold dub.
The Dreaded: Mostly Played for Laughs, though her debut in the anime implies that she's done a lot to earn a bounty of two million bucks.^note Most poor bystanders end up having the crap scared out of them whenever she starts yelling or shooting up her surroundings. Even after she softens, the others tend to treat her with a sliver of fear whenever she starts.
Drowning My Sorrows: Her reaction to Tien's death, she's found drinking in a bar as the news reports the death toll.
Everyone Has Standards: Bad Lunch may be a trigger happy lunatic, but she's still disgusted by the atrocities King Piccolo commits (aside from briefly mentioning that she'd sort of like a lawless world without reproach).
Expy: Launch's bad form was based on Polly Buckets, a character from Doctor Slump (Toriyama's precedent work).
Good is Not Nice: She eventually becomes this instead of evil, still being a gun-toting gal with disregard for the law.
The Gunslinger: When she loses her temper, people will get shot. Good thing most of the cast is bulletproof.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Inverted. Her blue-haired form has a pure heart of gold while her blond form is an Anti-Hero.
Hair-Trigger Temper: She is an angry, trigger-happy woman.
Heel–Face Turn: To put it in perspective, in the beginning, whenever Lunch changed she would instantly attack Roshi, Goku, and Krillin on sight with a machine gun, by the end of Dragon Ball she stops attacking people in general, only attacking those who are out to harm her friends. This also leads to the bad Lunch having much more screen time in the later part of the series, spending hours and even days at a time in her blonde form.
Hopeless Suitor: Bad Lunch has a massive crush on Tien, who does not comment on the matter. Unfortunately for Launch, the two are not shown to be together in any Dragon Ball media.
In Love with Your Carnage: Bad Lunch's crush stemmed from Tien's ruthless fighting style.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Bad Lunch eventually becomes this once she considers Goku and the others as her friends. She grows to be more tolerant and protective of them, and therefore less likely to shoot them.
Joisey: Her accent in the Funimation dubs.
More Dakka: She has her own stacks of guns. Apparently, she left most of them behind when she left after Tien according to a filler scene where Chi-Chi found them and intended to rescue Gohan from the Saiyans.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Her first thought for most things is just to shoot or whack anyone that is going against her goals, even when she actually becomes friends with the main cast, she'll try to shoot anyone who tries to hurt her friends.
One-Man Army: Impressively, Bad Launch is more than enough to wipe the floor with the grunts of the Red Ribbon Army without breaking a sweat.
Pet the Dog: While not actually evil, her bad persona has a few moments. In Dragon Ball during one of the tournaments, she buys Goku ice cream. One of the few times she does something nice in her bad form. Later on, she rescues Goku from two people intent on stopping him from winning the match to settle a Side Bet. In Z, she kidnapped the finest chefs in the world just so she could create a world-class meal for Tien and Chaotzu.
Reformed Criminal: She sometimes says she wants to rob banks and such, but aside from her introduction she's never seen actually doing so.
Sneeze Cut: Bad Lunch was about to attack King Piccolo, but Bulma whispers something about her, and she sneezes and turns back.
Sociopathic Hero: Bad Lunch, though she begins to soften in the back half of the Red Ribbon Army arc.
Tank-Top Tomboy: She wears outfits like this.
Token Evil Teammate: Even after Bad Lunch accepts Goku and company as friends, she's still a violent gun-toting criminal. She outright says she likes King Piccolo's style, but sides against him out of loyalty to her True Companions.
Took a Level in Kindness: She is still quite violent and trigger-happy near the end, but she will fight to defend her friends, especially Tien. She also shows disgust over King Piccolo's actions despite liking some of his policies.

Dr. Brief and Bulma's Mom

Dr. Brief (ブリーフ博士, Burīfu Hakase) and Bulma's Mom (ブルマのママ, Buruma no mama)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/padres_de_bulma.png

Dr. Brief voiced by (Japanese): Joji Yanami (Most media), Ryoichi Tanaka (Resurrection 'F', Super)
Dr. Brief voiced by (English): Chris Forbis (DB and Z), Mark Stoddard (Kai and Super) (Funimation dub); Paul Dobson (Z Season 2), Scott McNeil (Z Season 4-6), Corby Proctor (DB) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Paul Bandey (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Dr. Brief voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Ricardo Hill (Current Voice), José Luis Castañeda (DB), Humberto Vélez (Kai)

Bulma's Mom voiced by (Japanese): Mariko Mukai (DB and Z Seasons 1 and 2), Youko Kawanami (Z Seasons 3+, Kai), Hiroko Emori (Z Season 5 and DBS)
Bulma's Mom voiced by (English): Cynthia Cranz (Funimation dub); Tabitha St. Germain (Z Season 2 and end of Season 4), Saffron Henderson (Most of Z Season 4), Kelly Sheridan (Z ep. 240), Willow Johnson (Z ep. 245-246), Jennifer Bain (DB) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Jodi Forrest (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub)
Bulma's Mom voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Ángela Villanueva (Current Voice) , Magda Giner (DB), Maru Guzmán (DB epi. 44)

Dr. Brief is the founder of Capsule Corp and the father of Bulma. Bulma's Mom, Panchy, is the mother of Bulma and the wife of Dr. Brief.

Absurdly Youthful Mother: Bulma's Mom, she looks the same through her daughter's teenage years and her grandson's childhood. If we assume that she was at least 18 when she had Tights, then that means that she could be no younger than 71 as of the Buu Saga.
Accent Adaptation: Dr. Brief is given a thick British accent in the Ocean and Funimation dubs of the series, though it was done away with from Kai onwards. His wife by contrast was given a Brooklyn accent for Funimation's dub.
All Men Are Perverts/All Women Are Lustful: They are both depicted as swingers and both are equally lustful, with her mother telling her to bring any handsome boys she meets home with her when she comes to visit and appearing to hit on a very young Goku and chiding her daughter not to be a "prude" when she objects.
Ambiguously Human: While most non-Saiyan characters visibly age, Bulma's mom doesn't. This, among other things, has led to theories that she's actually a Ridiculously Human Robot.
Ascended Extra: In an interesting contrast to most who are introduced pre-Z, they actually get more prominence in the Z era, or at least Dr. Brief does. He is the one to rebuild Goku's old saiyan pod so the latter can get to Namek quickly and later repair Android #16 to help fight in the Cell Games. Back in the original anime, Brief and his wife only appeared canonically in the Red Ribbon Army arc as stop-gap comedic relief (they make a return in the King Piccolo filler when the titular villain vows to destroy West City as part of celebrating Piccolo Day).
Big Applesauce: Bulma's mom has a Brooklyn accent in the English dub.
Brainless Beauty: Bulma's mom, which is hilarious when you consider how intelligent her equally beautiful daughter is.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Dr. Brief. Bulma clearly gets her brains from him and his intellect has made him the smartest and richest man on the planet through his being the founder and chairman of Capsule Corp. He is also an unquestionable Ditzy Genius.
Butt-Monkey: Dr. Brief becomes one particularly in the anime version of Freeza Saga, usually on the wrong side of Chi-Chi's yelling for him not getting the ship done fast enough.
Captain Oblivious: Bulma's mom tends to state the obvious.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: They're nowhere to be found in Dragon Ball GT and it is mentioned that in the second episode Trunks has succeeded his grandfather as the president of Capsule Corporation. Whether this means that they retired or passed away is unknown. Even in the Z episode "He's Always Late", which features almost the entire cast at a party within the Capsule Corp., neither Dr. Brief nor his wife is seen attending. Their last appearance in the anime and manga before Majin Buu wiped out all humanity was when Trunks went to West City to obtain the Dragon Radar.
Cloudcuckoolander: Bulma's mother never seems to age and frequently seems completely divorced from reality. Dr. Brief himself tends to blurt out awkward remarks, particularly in his debut, though he is quite a bit saner.
Dirty Old Man: Dr. Brief, revealed that he hides a collection of dirty magazines.
Ditzy Genius: Dr. Brief was able to reverse engineer the engines to advanced spaceships to create an actual spaceship in a month and considered it unready because he hadn't figured out where to put a coffee maker. In Battle of Gods he had no idea he was the richest man on the planet until Chi-Chi pointed it out and was perfectly willing to get Mr. Satan a drink when he was mistaken for a waiter, even after Satan apologized.
Doting Parent: They are very fond of their daughter Bulma and their grandson Trunks and Future Trunks.
Dumb Blonde: Bulma's mom has blonde hair and has been shown to be ditzy. Along with her husband, she is almost entirely oblivious to a serious situation.
Eyes Always Shut: Bulma's mom. She only opens them once in Z, and her eyes turn out to be blue... however, this has been increasingly downplayed in Super, as she's been shown with her eyes open a bunch.
Family Theme Naming: The Briefs family (Bulma/Bloomer, Dr. Briefs, Panchy/Panty/Bikini, Trunks, Bulla/Bra, Tights) are named after undergarments.
Friend to All Living Things: They take in a large number of strays including dinosaurs and freaking kaiju!
Gadgeteer Genius: Dr. Brief built the technological empire known as Capsule Corp. He also helps Bulma repair Android 16 and Cell's Time Machine in Super.
Happily Married: They are in a good marriage.
Honor Before Reason: Whenever the Earth is threatened, they refuse to retreat to Kami's Lookout, saying it wouldn't feel right to leave their home and pets behind.
Housewife: Bulma's mom, who is often seen baking cookies and cakes.
Innocent Blue Eyes: In the rare moments that Bulma's mom opens her eyes, they're revealed to be blue. Her eyes are always opened in Super.
Killed Offscreen: They refused to accompany the rest of the Z-Fighters to Kami's Lookout when Majin Buu was unsealed, wanting to keep their pets company. Later when Buu transforms, he utilizes an attack that wipes out virtually the entire population of Earth, including the Brief Family by that logic.
Kindhearted Cat Lover: Dr. Brief is often seen with a small black cat either on his shoulder or in his hands. The cat is nameless in the manga, but the anime gives it the name Tama (or Scratch in the English dubs).
Kindhearted Simpleton: Despite Bulma's Mom being ditsy, she is very polite.
Like Parent, Like Child: Dr. Brief. His daughter, Bulma, inherited his love for inventing things and being a genius.
Mr. Fixit: Dr. Brief, who helps Bulma repair Android 16 and Cell's Time Machine.
Mrs. Robinson: Bulma's mother has flirted with Yamcha, Goku, and Vegeta, who brush her off. This even provoked Bulma's jealousy at one point!
Nice Guy: Both of them are quite friendly.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Bulma's Mom, from Marilyn Monroe. Also overlaps with Casting Gag, as her Japanese voice actress (Mariko Mukai) was her defacto voice actress for Monroe in almost all the Japanese dubs of her films. Dr. Brief resembles Albert Einstein.
Older Than They Look: Despite the passage of several decades in-universe, Bulma's mom is never shown aging. Even in Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, a prequel set roughly a decade before Dragon Ball begins, she still looks the same.
Only One Name: He's just "Dr. Brief". He does not pass this name on to his descendants, and his wife's name is likewise not "Mrs. Brief".
Opposites Attract: He is old and intelligent while she is a young Dumb Blonde.
Parental Favoritism: Dr. Brief loves Bulma dearly, and his idea of spending quality time together involves working together in his lab, which suits Bulma just fine. His older daughter, Tights, on the other hand...well, he can't be bothered to remember the fact that she had already graduated from college two years after the fact.
Perpetual Smiler: Bulma's mom. Even when she was angry one time, she still had a smile on her face!
Polyamory: Implied in several comedic moments with them, while they seem Happily Married, the manga has them both ask Bulma and Goku to bring them back mates while they're out searching for Dragon Balls, much to their daughter's annoyance. Dr. Brief also keeps a large number of nudie magazines but besides Bulma's anger and her dad's Oh, Crap! realization that she took the collection and not her own capsules, it's seemingly not made a huge deal of (Bulma was even half expecting it to be something crude). Bulma's mom in the Frieza arc paws at Goku when he comes to see Dr. Brief's work on his ship...this despite seemingly knowing that he's already in a committed relationship with Chi-Chi and with a five-year-old son to boot. She even passively flirts with Vegeta during his initial stay at the Capsule Corp. despite him still being mostly an evil wannabe conquerer at the time. That last one gets a bit icky considering he'd formally become her son-in-law after the Cell arc.
Porn Stash: Dr. Brief has them stored in his own personal capsule, as Bulma discovers by accident, much to her disgust and Goku's bewilderment.
Rich Genius: Dr. Brief and his daughter are both genius inventors who created the capsules, those tiny things that are able to store anything of ANY size. They also own a yacht, are able to host big parties, and have their own professional chefs.
Skewed Priorities: At the start of the Namek saga, Dr. Brief tells Goku that he hasn't finished rebuilding his old ship... because he hasn't installed a good speaker system yet. When Goku rushedly tells him he doesn't care, the good doctor still insists if Goku really doesn't care about the sound system... twice.
Silver Vixen: Bulma's mom still looks great even after her grandson Trunks is born.
The Tease: Bulma's mom is rather flirty, even with men half her age.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: In photos of Dr. Brief and Bulma's mom, Bulma's mom is shown to be taller, as shown here.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Dr. Brief is old and wrinkly while Bulma's mom is ridiculously cute.
Unnamed Parent: Bulma's mom is only called Bulma's mom. (Akira Toriyama said it would have been "Panchy" (from "panty") if he had bothered to give her a name, while Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot calls her "Bikini".)

Suno

**Suno (Snow)**

Voiced by (Japanese): Naoko Watanabe (DB); Mayumi Tanaka (Z, GT); Hiroko Emori (Revenge of King Piccolo)
Voiced by (English): Susan Huber (DB, Z), Laura Bailey (Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Revenge of King Piccolo), Felecia Angelle (DBZ Kai) (Funimation dub); France Perras (Z; Kid Buu Saga) (Ocean dub)

A young girl and resident of Jingle Village. She's the one who finds Goku when he crash-landed near the village and nearly freeze to death. She and her mother nurse him back to health and prepare Goku for his assault on Muscle Tower and stop the Red Ribbon Army from seizing Jingle Village.

Adorably Precocious Child: For someone so young and innocent, Suno is quite mature and responsible for her age, personally taking up responsibility for saving someone's life and being open to accepting an android into her village's community.
Adaptational Dye-Job: In the manga, Suno was supposed to have blonde hair, though the anime and all following adaptations nowadays tend to depict her as a redhead.
All-Loving Hero: She does the best she can to help and care for others. In fact, her introductory scene is her bringing Goku back to her home and helping him recover. She even comes to see Android 8 as a brotherly figure, despite him being built for terroristic purposes, and she even tries to care for the injured during the King Piccolo saga. Even as an adult, Suno never loses her tendency to help others, as she tries to save Eighter again in Muscle Tower in Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.
The Bus Came Back: Years after her first notable role and appearing in cameos, Suno makes her first proper reappearance in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, albeit in a side-story that involves her asking Goku for ingredients to collect for her village. Tellingly, the quest's title is "Reunion with Suno".
Heroic Bystander: She was first seen simply taking a stroll on the outskirts of Jingle Village by the time she noticed the wreckage of the plane that Goku was traveling in. She was quick to carry Goku all the way to her home and nurse him back to health.
Kid Hero: Downplayed; she's a supporting character in all of her appearances, but come the King Piccolo Saga, she's seen in a hospital tending to those injured by the demon. While not a fighter by any means, her presence in the hospital, plus her helping Goku and being accepting of Eighter despite being a creation of the Red Ribbon Army shows that she has a heroic heart.
Meaningful Name: Her name is an anagram of "Snow", which is evocative of the fact that she lives in a village that's situated in a snowy climate. That's the case in English localizations; her name in Japanese is literally Snow.
Nice Girl: Suno is a kind, accommodating, and compassionate girl who always reserves a friendly tone to whoever she talks to. Heck, she opts to bring Goku to her village and help him recover, basically saving his life from freezing to death.
Platonic Life-Partners: She develops one with Android 8 when he is free from General White's grasp and is allowed to live in Suno's house with the two of them forming a close friendship. They are still with each other by the time Suno is shown as an adult.
Put on a Bus: Much like nearly every supporting cast in Dragon Ball, Suno is unheard of afterward. She does make a cameo during the Kid Buu Saga in Z and the Baby Saga in GT. It's not until Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot when Suno finally makes a proper reappearance, albeit under a side-quest.
She's All Grown Up: By the time she reappears in works that take place after Dragon Ball, Suno has since grown into a pretty-looking woman. She still looks quite youthful by GT, which is impressive given how most characters who appeared in previous entries tend to have aged considerably since.
Small Role, Big Impact: Dragon Ball ends up being her only notable appearance and even then, she's only a supporting character in the Red Ribbon Army Saga. That said, Goku would have died from the cold if Suno hadn't found him after his plane ride had crashed and was given immediate medical care. She's arguably the only character to have saved Goku's life without the use of ki or any external magical sources.

Mechanical Man No. 8/Android 8

**Android 8 (人造人間8号, Jinzou Ningen Hachi-Gou)**

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hatchan.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Shōzō Iizuka (Most media up to 2023), Katsuhisa Houki (Dragon Ball Legends)
Voiced by (English): Mike McFarland (Funimation dub); Dale Wilson (Z, Kid Buu arc); Jeremiah Yurk (DB) (Ocean/Blue Water dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Ricardo Hill

A Frankenstein-like monster and one of Doctor Gero's earliest Androids, 8 was rejected by the Red Ribbon Army due to his gentle nature. Helps out a young Goku during his raid on the Red Ribbon's Muscle Tower.

Action Survivor: Still alive in Trunks's Bad Future in Dragon Ball Super.
Actual Pacifist: He tries to be this, refusing to kill even if it cost him his life, but lost it when he thought Goku was killed by General White.
Adaptational Badass: He is quite powerful in the series proper (stronger than Goku at the point they met), but his strength is amplified in the movie Path to Power. He is able to fly, dash, and nearly kills Goku, who is also made stronger. He also fights a mecha that knocked Goku unconscious for several minutes and pushes it back.
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Inverted. He was built to be a weapon of death but immediately refused to kill people without reason, and ended up being a pacifist who betrays the Red Ribbon Army.
Badass Pacifist: Refuses to kill Goku even when threatened with self-destruction.
Berserk Button: Harming anyone he cares about, just ask General White as he flies into the sunrise.
Beware the Nice Ones: Don't harm anyone he knows or loves. Ever. Harming Goku was how General White got knocked out of Muscle Tower.
The Cameo: He and Suno make an appearance during the Kid Buu arc recognizing Goku's voice and suppling his Spirit Bomb with their energy.
Cyborg: Both the Daizenshuu and the Chozenshuu state that he is a human-based Android, like #17 and #18, rather than a fully mechanical one like #16.
A Day in the Limelight: In the anime, a filler episode details his creation by Dr. Flappe who he goes to visit in order to remove the bomb from his body which is oddly never addressed again in the manga. This creates a big Continuity Snarl when the Cell arc comes around and reveals that Eighter was created by Dr. Gero and thus was the Androids' sole creator.^note He gets some additional screen time in the King Piccolo arc where he goes to help Suno when she gets caught up in Piccolo's attack on Central City. There he aids his friend in giving relief to injured civilians and even strongarms a gang of smarmy pro-Piccolo bikers into helping out.
Death by Adaptation: In the Non-Serial Movie Path to Power, a retelling of the Red Ribbon Army Saga, 8 dies holding off Staff Officer Black's mecha. Goku uses the Dragon Balls to revive him right at the end.
Expy: Of Frankenstein's Monster.
Gentle Giant: Big, burly, scary-looking, and very nice and sensitive.
Grew a Spine: He stands up to some punks who claim to support King Piccolo when they refuse to help him and Suno move injured people to the hospital. He even swats a knife out of the gang leader's hands to prove his strength.
Happily Adopted: By the mayor's family. They took him in as their son.
Heroic Sacrifice: As seen in the Death by Adaptation entry above, he dies holding off Staff Officer Black's giant mecha in order to protect Goku.
In-Series Nickname: In Japanese, Goku has trouble remembering his full name, so Goku calls him Hacchan (Eight-Man in the US manga, Eighter in the English dub, and Octavio in the Latin American Spanish dub). He likes the nickname so much that he takes it as his official name.
The Load: Sort-of. He spent more time being in distress and had to be saved by Goku a number a time. Then he got mad.
Megaton Punch: What he did to General White. He punched him so hard that he flew through a brick wall and over the horizon.
Platonic Life-Partners: With Suno, the young girl in Jingle Village in Red Ribbon Army Saga, since he is allowed to live in her family's house after rescuing the village elder. They're shown still together after Suno is all grown up at the end of Z◊ and GT◊.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: With Goku... of sorts. Android 8 is the Sensitive Guy who hates fighting or hurting people, while Goku, even when he's just a kid when they met, is a Blood Knight who doesn't mind killing people if it means protecting others.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: When asked to stay in the village after finding out he hid the Dragon Ball from the Red Ribbon Army to keep the people in the village from being executed, he hesitated by saying that he wasn't human.
The Mayor: I met people I wouldn't call human. It's your heart that makes you who you are and you have a big one.

Bora

Bora (ボラ)

Voiced by (Japanese): Banjo Ginga (Most media), Kōzō Shioya (Z ep. 285), Hisao Egawa (Kai: The Final Chapters, Kakarot)
Voiced by (English): Dameon Clarke (Most media), J. Michael Tatum (Kai: The Final Chapters, Kakarot) (Funimation dub); Bob Papenbrook (Harmony Gold dub); Terry Klassen (Z), Lucas Gilbertson (DB) (Ocean/Blue Water dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): José Luis Orozco (DB, epi. 58-59), Mario Sauret (epi. 61-163)

The chief of a native tribe that served as the guardians of Korin Tower. He and his son, Upa meet Goku after he finds a dragon ball and runs afoul of the Red Ribbon Army. Bora proved to be a very powerful warrior earlier in the series with gunfire deflecting off his body.

Accidental Truth: Upon being revived, his calling Goku "a child of the Gods" would become a pivotal plot point in Super when Goku does gain divine power as a Super Saiyan God. The English dub changes this to him saying “a gift from the stars”, which perfectly describes how Goku was sent to Earth for his own protection.
Adaptational Early Appearance: Bora and Upa appear slightly earlier in the anime, which showcases the boy's admiration for his father when the man saves his son from a giant carnivorous fish and shields him from falling molten rocks that emit from a volcano near Korin Tower.
Ascended Extra: Of a sort in Mystical Adventure. His death occurs a little while later than in the series and he manages to aid the heroes in Chiaotzu's Tournament before Tao drops all pretenses and enacts Shen's coup.
Back from the Dead: Has the distinct "honor" of being the first character to be wished back to life by the Dragon Balls.
Badass Native: He's one of the series' earliest examples due to him fighting off several soldiers while getting shot at.
The Big Guy: Bora is a huge muscle-bound warrior who towers over just about everyone he's next to.
Braids, Beads and Buckskins: Feather in his long hair and buckskin pants with a Loincloth.
Chivalrous Pervert: He isn't above staring at Blonde Launch's rear end for a while when he sees her rummaging through his tent.
Covered in Scars: More apparent in his old age, which raises the question of what exactly scarred a bullet-proof man.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Easily beat a unit of the Red Ribbon Army. He is then killed with ease by Mercenary Tao.
Demoted to Extra: Hit with this after the Red Ribbon Army Saga, hard.
Distracted by the Sexy: The aforementioned look at Launch's butt.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Mercenary Tao impales him with his own spear.
I Owe You My Life: Or freshly restored life, technically, but thanks Goku regardless. He even gives one to Shenron just before the dragon departs.
Lightning Bruiser: Dispatches the Red Ribbon Army soldiers with amazing speed despite his size.
Mr. Fanservice: He's a total Native hunk who's never seen with a shirt.
Nigh-Invulnerability: Bullets bounce off him like it's nothing. He even tanks a freshly erupted molten rock and is no worse for wear.
Old Soldier: He continues to guard the tower even as he's hinted to become a grandfather, and his though his hair has greyed his build hasn't diminished.
Sacrificial Lamb: The first good character to die in the series.
Silver Fox: Remains moderately hunky even after he's aged as shown in the Majin Buu arc.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Bora is never seen wearing a shirt.
The Worf Effect: Despite mopping up the Red Ribbon Army's goons, he is severely beaten and killed by Mercenary Tao.

Upa

Upa (ウパ)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/upa_trans_5.png

^{Click here to see him in Z}

Voiced by (Japanese): Mitsuko Horie (DB), Masaaki Ōkura (Z ep. 13), Takeshi Kusao (Z ep. 285 and Kai: The Final Chapters)
Kid Upa voiced by (English): Susan Huber (DB), Kara Edwards (Mystical Adventure, Origins 2), Laura Bailey (Revenge of King Piccolo) (Funimation dub); Jamie Johnston (Harmony Gold dub); Brett Bauer (Blue Water dub)
Adult Upa voiced by (English): Dameon Clarke (Z ep. 12), Eric Vale (Z ep. 285), J. Michael Tatum (Kai: TFC, Kakarot) (Funimation dub); Alistair Abell (Ocean dub); Mitch Frankenberger Pellicer (Creative Products Corp., Philippines)
Kid Upa voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Cristina Hernández
Adult Upa voiced by (Latin American Spanish): José Arenas (Z), Ferso Velázquez (Kai: The Final Chapters)

Bora's son and ally to Goku after he is saved from Captain Yellow of the Red Ribbon Army. Not nearly as brave or as powerful as Goku or his father, Upa helps Goku collect the dragon balls using them to wish his father back to life after being killed by Mercenary Tao.

Adaptational Early Appearance: Upa and Bora appear slightly earlier in the anime which showcases the boy's admiration for his father when the man saves his son from a giant carnivorous fish and shields him from falling molten rocks that emit from a volcano near Korin Tower.
Art Shift: His eyes went from dots when he was a kid to having a more normal shape in his adulthood. Curiously, his teenage cameo in the Saiyan Saga, which was filler, has him still with the beady eyes.
Black Bead Eyes: As a child and teenager, he had cute little dots for eyes. Funny enough, he shares this trait with Puar who he teamed up with for their fight against Fangs the Vampire.
Braids, Beads and Buckskins: Feather in his long hair and buckskin pants with a loincloth and vest.
Break the Cutie: Watching his father get killed by Mercenary Tao.
The Cameo: He's the first to recognize Goku's voice and offers his energy to the Spirit Bomb.
Cry into Chest: When his father was revived.
Demoted to Extra: He wasn't seen a lot after the Red Ribbon Saga, much less in DBZ and DBGT.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: As a child. Krillin tried to hit on him and got embarrassed when he found out Upa was a boy.
Fanservice Pack: Adult Upa sports a Heroic Build, becoming considerably jacked like his father.
Grew a Spine: Notable in the anime during the King Piccolo Saga. He's been training to become a great warrior like Goku and his father and chastises Yajirobe for casually insulting Goku.
Harmful to Minors: Poor kid had to witness his own father being murdered by Tao.
He is All Grown Up: He's developed into quite the looker by the end of the Buu Saga, though the seeds were already sewn from his cameo in the Saiyan Saga.
Older Than They Look: He could still pass for thirty-something by the time of his final cameo in GT where he's in his early forties.
Tears of Joy: When his father was revived.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Upa only wears a vest throughout the series.

Karin/Korin

**Korin (カリン, Karin)**

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/karin_db.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Ichirō Nagai (DB, Z ep 34-193, Kai), Naoki Tatsuta (Z ep. 217-241, True Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans, Budokai), Ken Uo (Super)
Voiced by (English): Mark Britten (Z ep. 110-193, Mystical Adventure, Budokai), Christopher Sabat (Most media), Eric Vale (Cooler's Revenge, remastered for one line only) (Funimation dub); Paul Dobson (Z Season 1-2), Ted Cole (Z, Season 4-6), Roger Rhodes (DB) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Ted Lehmann (Harmony Gold dub); Paul Bandey (AB Groupe/"Big Green" dub); Raymond Buyco (Creative Products Corp., Philippines)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Arturo Mercado (current voice)

Goku's second mentor, Korin^noteKarin in the original Japanese is an 800-year-old talking cat who lives in a tower directly under Kami's lookout. Korin's Senzu Beans, which cause full healing from physical injury after being eaten, play a big part in the series. Korin was also Master Roshi's mentor 300 years earlier.

Adaptation Dye-Job: He is portrayed with blue fur in the color pages of the manga and the video games Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiyan Legend and Dragon Ball Online. The anime and most other media give him white fur.
Badass Adorable: A mere cat, yet as a martial arts master and deity he could easily defeat any human martial artist when he's introduced, including the likes of Roshi and Tao. Goku doesn't surpass him until the three-year time skip after they met.
Brutal Honesty:
- He tells Goku point-blank that if he faced King Piccolo again he will die for sure this time.
- He straight up tells Goku that even after his stint in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber that Cell is still stronger than him.
Cats Are Snarkers: He's got a playful sense of humor and gets a kick out of pranking others regardless of whether the recipient finds it funny themselves.
Cute Kitten: He's smaller than Kid Goku.
Deadpan Snarker: Mostly to Yajirobe who he loves teasing for his laziness and eating habits. He also teases Goku when they first met about how easy his mind was to read since 'there weren't too many chapters'.
Dub Name Change: Funimation renamed him "Korin", probably because "Karin" sounds like a girl's name ("Karen") in English.
Expecting Someone Taller: Goku at first is dumbfounded that the Wiseman spoken of in Bora's story is a diminutive cat even shorter than him. Bulma has the same reaction to him in the Saiyan Saga, much to Master Roshi's dismay.
Eyes Always Shut: Never seen with his eyes open. Goku lifts his lids once to reveal an entire sea complete with swimming fish!
Funny Animal: He’s a talking cat holding a stick, how could he not be one?
God Job: An Earth deity just like Popo and Kami, though his actual position isn't very well defined.
It Amused Me: According to Kami, this is basically why Korin didn't bother to tell Goku that Kami is Piccolo's other half; because he thought it'd be funny.
Kaleidoscope Hair: In the color chapters of the manga, his fur is never the same color twice. This is never commented upon. (For what it's worth, he was based on a black cat).
Killed Offscreen: He and Yajirobe were killed by Super Buu's Human Extinction Attack, but like with so many other characters, it's not depicted even in the anime.
Master-Apprentice Chain: He trained Goku who went on to train his own students. He also trained Master Roshi who has a very long chain:
- Master Korin > Master Roshi > Gohan, Sr and Ox-King > Son Goku, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chi-Chi > Son Gohan, Son Goten, Pan, and Uub
- Master Korin > Son Goku > Son Gohan, Pan, and Uub
- Master Korin > Son Goku > Son Gohan > Son Goten
Obsolete Mentor: His martial arts teachings become outclassed once Kami enters the picture. However, Korin is still an invaluable source of wisdom and experience, not to mention the only source of the priceless healing resource of senzu beans.
Odd Friendship: With Yajirobe. He lives with Korin after the events of the King Piccolo Saga.
Old Master: Trained Master Roshi and most of the original cast. He's 800 years old, making him even older than Kami.
Poor Communication Kills: When sending Goku up to Kami's Lookout for the first time, he doesn't bother informing Goku that Kami is King Piccolo's Literal Split Personality. Thus, when Goku first sees Kami, he immediately assumes he's Piccolo Back from the Dead and attacks him. Kami lampshades it:
Kami: I should have known Korin wouldn't explain it to you. He thinks he's very funny.
Power-Up Food: His senzu beans. They fill a person up for ten days and heal any wound.
Psychic Powers: He can read minds. Goku's was especially easy because there hadn't been many chapters of the manga yet.
Punny Name:
- On Karintou, a Japanese snack food. It's more obvious with the tower itself, which is just Karin-tou ("Karin Tower") in Japanese.
- The English dub changed his name to Korin, which is a pun on corn.
Renowned Selective Mentor: He only teaches those who can climb Korin Tower, which is a very, very long climb. Even then, he is more of a Trickster Mentor since people climb to drink the Sacred Water to become stronger, not to specifically train.
She's a Man in Japan: He's a female cat in the British dub of the 3rd movie and throughout the Hungarian dub of Z.
Telepathy: He has the ability to read minds, as shown when he reads Goku's thoughts when he wanted the Sacred Water.
Trickster Mentor:
- The Sacred Water that would supposedly multiply Goku's power was actually just ordinary water. The training Goku underwent to steal the water from Korin was what really improved his skills.
- Subverted with the Ultra Divine Water, where the water itself brings out the person's power... if they survive drinking it.
Troll: Comes with being a Trickster Mentor. When he first meets Goku he gives him the run around for several minutes about whether he knew about the Sacred Water before allowing him to have it… before hitting him with his staff and taking the Sacred Water. He also throws Goku's Dragon Ball off the tower, forcing him to climb down and climb back up again. There's also that not mentioning that Kami would have the same appearance as the evil King Piccolo that Goku almost attacked him for.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Korin often chastises Yajirobe for being lazy and rude, but he has yet to kick the latter out of his tower. The future version of him even gives Yajirobe the very last Senzu before dying.

Uranai Baba/Fortuneteller Baba

**Fortuneteller Baba (占いババ, Uranai Baba)**

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uranai_baba.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Junpei Takiguchi (DB, Z ep. 7-34), Mayumi Tanaka (Z, ep. 190-272, Kai, Super)
Voiced by (English): Linda Young (DB, Z Season 1, Kai, Super), Laurie Steele (Z Season 4), Duncan Brannan (most of Z Season 5-6), Wendy Powell (Z Season 6; ep. 271), Christopher Sabat (Revenge of King Piccolo) (Funimation dub); Elan Ross Gibson (Z Season 1), Brian Drummond (Z Season 4-6), Corby Proctor (DB) (Ocean/Blue Water dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Ángela Villanueva (current voice), Magda Giner (Kai)

A small, old witch that can divine things with the crystal ball she floats around on. The older sister of Master Roshi, she lives in a pyramid, providing divinations to those who can match one of two requirements—pay an outrageous fee, or defeat her chosen champions in combat. She also cut a deal with King Yemma that lets her provide a dead warrior a 24-hour return to the living, making for some joyous reunions. After the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Goku's friends go to her for help finding the last Dragon Ball, and she periodically pops up to help for free, as the Z-warriors are now more powerful than any warrior she can employ. Also one of the notable few characters to never die in the series.

Baba disappears in the Z portion of the manga (though she still appears occasionally in anime filler), until the Buu Saga, where she first brings Goku back to life for one day to compete in the World Martial Arts Tournament and later does the same for Vegeta after his Heroic Sacrifice.

Action Survivor: One of only a few characters to survive the entire series without having to be revived.
Aloof Big Sister: To Master Roshi.
Boring, but Practical: Baba has no offensive magic, nor is it very flashy like the type Piccolo and Supreme Kai use. Her magic allows her to see into the future, observe events from all over the world (even from Otherworld), and return people from the dead for one whole day. She also has the ability to travel to and from the Otherworld herself, which isn't terribly exciting in a world where people can casually blow up the moon, but is the main reason she's one of the few named characters who has never died.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: At the end of the finale of Dragon Ball (the first anime), she looks into her ball to see what the future of Goku holds, only to block the view and wink at the camera as the narrator assures the audience that the next story will begin in five years.
The Cameo: Her only appearance prior to the Buu arc in Z is a single panel in the Saiyan arc where she is unable to predict a definite outcome of the upcoming battle against Nappa and Vegeta. The anime has her return a good way into the fight so that the non-combatants at Kame House can view the action via her crystal ball...until the energy feedback from the Spirit Bomb causes it to shatter.
Cool Old Lady: Once she gets much nicer and overcomes her desire for money or joy of watching fights.
Crystal Ball: Though she doesn't use it to read the future as much as to actually be on eye level with the other characters.
A Dog Named "Dog": For Japanese and most Slav viewers, the old woman^note is literally named "Baba". So, a baba named "Baba".
Dub Name Change: She has no name in Japanese, just a title that translates as something similar to "Fortunetelling Crone". The Funimation dub translates part of her title but not all of it, making her "Fortuneteller Baba", and has other characters constantly just call her "Baba", giving the impression that "Baba" is her actual name.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible sibling to Roshi's foolish, Baba is a capable and serious fortune teller that is well known for her magical abilities and essentially has her own business. Roshi is a very perverted martial arts hermit that is more invested in ogling ladies than he is actually teaching.
Godzilla Threshold:
- She agrees to take the extremely evil Vegeta to Earth from the Afterlife during the Buu arc, who just got his body back from King Yemma after he blew himself up because they were out of options for anyone else in existence who could even have the slightest chance at stopping Super Buu. Vegeta himself said they were wasting their time.
- In Super's Universe Survival Saga, she goes along with Goku's suggestion to revive Frieza for one day in order to participate in the Tournament of Power. While she's not happy to do so, given what a monster Frieza is, Baba goes along with it since she knows the fate of Universe 7 is at stake.
Immortality: Like her brother, she has drunk the Water of Life and is over 300 years old. She's still around in Dragon Ball Online, over two centuries after the end of the manga.
Miniature Senior Citizens: Unlike her brother. The only reason people don't have to look way down when she's nearby is that she's sitting on her floating Crystal Ball.
Mundane Utility: Most of her magic falls under this or Boring, but Practical. Aside from one instance in the Saiyan Saga, where she can't tell the outcome of Vegeta and Nappa's invasion, there isn't ever a concrete set of rules established as to what prohibits her future gaze or what enables it.
Only Known by Their Nickname: In the Japanese version. Like her brother, Muten Roshi, Uranai Baba is a title ("Fortunetelling Crone"), not a name. The US manga always refers to her as "All-Seeing Crone" to make this more blatant.
Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Baba can come off as rude at times.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Her unbroken survival record across the series is due to her ability to warp to the afterlife at will whenever things get dicey on Earth.
Small Role, Big Impact: She has a minuscule role in Z and Super, but her ability to bring people back from the dead for a day without the use of Dragon Balls has proved instrumental and irreplaceable in times of need.
Token Wizard: The first legitimate magic-user in the series, while firmly a Non-Action Guy, she has some abilities that are very practical, most commonly bringing someone back from the dead for one whole day.

Baba's Champions

See Dragon Ball Original Series Villains

Master Mutaito

Master Mutaito (武泰斗)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mutaito_artwork.png

Voiced by (Japanese): Kenji Utsumi
Voiced by (English): Phil Parsons (Funimation dub); Roger Rhodes (Blue Water dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): Mario Sauret
Voiced by (Brazilian Portuguese): Gilberto Barolli

Master Mutaito was one of the greatest martial arts teachers of all time and the first known person to act as Earth's savior, despite dying hundreds of years before the series started. He was Master Roshi and Master Shen's teacher, both who went on to create their own respective schools and pass on his teachings to several generations of characters.

Cold-Blooded Torture: Was subjected to this by King Piccolo, who slowly crippled him with energy blasts to non-vital areas and then left to die. It was seeing his master defeated in such a cruel, humiliating way that turned the Crane Hermit down the path of darkness.
Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The Evil Containment Wave. It's a sealing technique so powerful that it can entrap foes several times more powerful than the user. It can even work on gods as Future Zamasu learned. However, if the sealing process is stressful enough, it can kill or severely weaken the user. This is how he dies sealing King Piccolo.
Death by Origin Story: He dies in the manga chapter/anime episode that he's introduced in.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Despite being absolutely no match for King Piccolo, he manages to trap the Demon King in a rice cooker for over three hundred years. It cost him his life, but he did save the world.
The Greatest Story Never Told: Despite saving the world from King Piccolo at the cost of his life, no one remembers his name, and the terror of King Piccolo faded into legend. Only his students know what happened.
Heroic Sacrifice: He dies trapping King Piccolo with the Evil Containment Wave, stopping the Demon King's original rampage.
Manly Facial Hair: He has an impressive mustache and is definitely a badass since he took down King Piccolo by himself, despite being much weaker than the demon.
Master-Apprentice Chain: He has the longest chain with many branches since he taught Master Roshi and Master Shen, both of who became respective teachers of their own styles:
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Son Gohan, Sr > Son Goku > Son Gohan, Pan, and Uub
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Son Gohan, Sr > Son Goku > Son Gohan > Son Goten
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Son Goku > Son Gohan, Pan, and Uub
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Son Goku > Son Gohan > Son Goten
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Krillin and Yamcha
- Mutaito > Master Roshi > Ox-King > Chi-Chi > Son Goten
- Mutaito > Master Shen > Mercenary Tao, Tien, and Chiaotzu
Old Master: He is the original old master of the series, being the one who trained Master Roshi and Master Shen, making him the root of the Turtle and Crane Schools.
Posthumous Character: He's long dead by the start of the series and isn't even mentioned until the King Piccolo Saga.
Retired Badass: He's long past his prime when he fights King Piccolo. Although he lost the first fight, he creates a technique that can seal opponents much stronger than him.
Small Role, Big Impact:
- Although he died long before the series started and is only mentioned when Roshi is explaining the terror of the revived King Piccolo, his legacy is spread throughout the series through his students, the Turtle and Crane Hermit, who went on to become masters to several of the main characters, which includes Goku and all his descendants. He is also the one who stopped King Piccolo's first rampage and his first defeat to Piccolo is what sent the Crane Hermit down the path of evil.
- The Evil Containment Wave, the technique that he invented to stop King Piccolo, is also this. In Super, Future Trunks uses the Evil Containment Wave to trap Future Zamasu. He only escaped because Goku and Roshi forgot the seal. However, Zamasu was so shaken by the experience that he decides to fuse with Goku Black since they couldn't afford to mess around with the mortals anymore.
Weak, but Skilled: He is a powerful master, but he's little more than an ant compared to King Piccolo. In the anime, Piccolo easily defeats and tortures him by shooting him with energy blasts. However, he invents the Evil Containment Wave, a technique that can entrap foes, which includes gods, many times stronger than the user for the exchange of their lives if the sealing process is stressful enough. This is how he defeated King Piccolo. In an anime filler, he beats Goku, the same person who killed King Piccolo, because Goku's technique was sloppy and predictable. Not only that, but he does it without moving!

King Furry

**King Furry (国王 Koku-Ō The King)**

Voiced by (Japanese): Joji Yanami
Voiced by (English): Richard Newman (Z Season 4), Dale Wilson (Z ep. 285), Steve Olsen (DB), Dan Gascon (GT) (Ocean/Blue Water dub); Kyle Hebert (Funimation dub)
Voiced by (Latin American Spanish): César Arias; Arturo Mercado

The King of the entire Earth. He's a blue dog.

Adaptational Early Appearance: He appears slightly earlier in the anime sending aid to some poor farmers, which doubles as an Establishing Character Moment.
Depending on the Writer: The Cell arc filler last shows him disbelieving that Mr. Satan beat Cell and knowing that it was likely the Z-Warriors. However, his brief cameo in the Buu arc (also filler) shows him happily offering his energy to the Spirit Bomb only after Satan requested it, not Goku.
Early-Installment Weirdness: He was first conceived during the original Dragon Ball run, which happened to take place in a Disneyland-esque world inhabited mostly by anthropoid animals. The latter feature was effectively dropped later in DBZ, making his reappearance in Cell saga look kinda weird in a more down-to-Earth world populated by humans.
The Emperor: This guy is the official ruler of the entire Earth.
Establishing Character Moment: The anime gives him an Adaptational Early Appearance that shows him unhesitatingly giving some poor farmers a water reservoir, immediately confirming him as The Good King.
The Good King: By all indications, he's a decent ruler and is well-liked by his subjects.
Heroic Dog: Not a fighter by any means, but he is shown to be a benevolent ruler and will do anything within his power to aid his people.
Masquerade: He knows of Goku and his friends' world-saving exploits, but for whatever reason decides that The World Is Not Ready in favor of allowing them to continue believing Mr. Satan's lies. He does express frustration that Mr. Satan steals the Z-Fighters' credit, however. Yet, his cameo in the Buu arc has him gleefully giving energy to the Spirit Bomb only when Mr. Satan demands it, not Goku.
Named by the Adaptation: The English dubs of the anime have given him the name "King Furry", but he was only known by his title in the original manga and Japanese version.
Reasonable Authority Figure:
- He is one of few characters outside Z Fighters who remains level-headed and aware of powers at work throughout most of the entire Dragon Ball series.
- During the King Piccolo Saga, when he gets temporarily overthrown by the titular villain, he remains defiant and completely unintimidated by him despite all abuse he receives. In his worldwide speech, he bravely urges the people of Earth to fight back against the evil regime — knowing well that it will earn him Piccolo's wrath and not caring about the consequences.
- Later in DBZ, he is one of few people aware that Mr. Satan could not possibly defeat Cell, and people who really did it are Z Fighters. He seems to have forgotten about it by the Buu arc, however.
Royal Blood: Judging by his collection of family portraits, his lineage of dogs has been ruling Earth for a long time. Considering that someone in the distant past used the Dragon Balls to wish to become a king, it's likely that this King is descended from that person. It also explains why the entire Earth is ruled by a single person.

Characters / Dragon Ball: Supporting Cast

**Grandpa Son Gohan (孫悟飯, Son Gohan AKA Sun Wufan)**

**Turtle (海亀, Umigame, "Sea Turtle")**

Kinto'un (筋斗雲, "Somersault Cloud")

**Oolong (ウーロン, Uuron)**

**Puar (プーアル, Puuaru)**

**Ox-King (牛魔王, Gyuu-Maou)**

**Lunch/Launch (ランチ, Ranchi)**

Dr. Brief (ブリーフ博士, Burīfu Hakase) and Bulma's Mom (ブルマのママ, Buruma no mama)

**Suno (Snow)**

**Android 8 (人造人間8号, Jinzou Ningen Hachi-Gou)**

Bora (ボラ)

Upa (ウパ)

**Korin (カリン, Karin)**

**Fortuneteller Baba (占いババ, Uranai Baba)**

Master Mutaito (武泰斗)

**King Furry (国王 Koku-Ō The King)**

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Characters / Dragon Ball: Supporting Cast

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Grandpa Son Gohan (孫悟飯, Son Gohan AKA Sun Wufan)

Turtle (海亀, Umigame, "Sea Turtle")

Kinto'un (筋斗雲, "Somersault Cloud")

Oolong (ウーロン, Uuron)

Puar (プーアル, Puuaru)

Ox-King (牛魔王, Gyuu-Maou)

Lunch/Launch (ランチ, Ranchi)

Dr. Brief (ブリーフ博士, Burīfu Hakase) and Bulma's Mom (ブルマのママ, Buruma no mama)

Suno (Snow)

Android 8 (人造人間8号, Jinzou Ningen Hachi-Gou)

Bora (ボラ)

Upa (ウパ)

Korin (カリン, Karin)

Fortuneteller Baba (占いババ, Uranai Baba)

Master Mutaito (武泰斗)

King Furry (国王 Koku-Ō The King)

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**Grandpa Son Gohan (孫悟飯, Son Gohan AKA Sun Wufan)**

**Turtle (海亀, Umigame, "Sea Turtle")**

**Oolong (ウーロン, Uuron)**

**Puar (プーアル, Puuaru)**

**Ox-King (牛魔王, Gyuu-Maou)**

**Lunch/Launch (ランチ, Ranchi)**

**Suno (Snow)**

**Android 8 (人造人間8号, Jinzou Ningen Hachi-Gou)**

**Korin (カリン, Karin)**

**Fortuneteller Baba (占いババ, Uranai Baba)**

**King Furry (国王 Koku-Ō The King)**