If we take a look back on the Dragon Ball anime series then there is one thing which we can be completely sure of. It is a fact that cannot be ignored at any given point in time and is a statement which talks about the semi dark side of Dragon Ball Z as an anime. This statement which brings out the dark side of the anime is, that there are protagonists in the anime who should deserve a higher praise but unfortunately, after their piece is done in the series, they are not given any identification which makes them look more like a side character after all the things that they have been through.
We can understand that this is done for the progression of the anime and to show us just how far our protagonist can travel in terms of power when met with different conditions and power. However, we still cannot ignore the fact that some of these protagonists who later on in the anime get degraded due to ignorance are people who wield some packed power and punch. They are the ones who if given a proper backstory and chance would go on to fight on the same level as majority of the characters and would become heroes who play an integral part in a team, someone without whom the whole team would feel alone and incomplete because they are missing in action.
YAMCHA
As everyone might have already guessed his name from the very start of this article, it is only fair to put up his name on the top and say his side of the story as a protagonist who deserves more praise and recognition. Yamcha is someone who has always been at the top of his game. Even though he loses most of his fights and battles it is still a true dream to watch him fight like his life depended on it.
Yamcha is shown to us as Goku’s first ever Martial Artist rival and is a character with subtle and cool attitude who was liked by all but then again, had his own side of the story where the creator of Dragon Ball decided to torment and torture him. His death during the Saiyan arc is not laughable and is a scene in the anime which is not at all funny as Yamcha was a character close to our hearts and to give him such an unexplainable (and out of the blue) death did not make us feel funny in any way. It was an upsetting moment in the history of Dragon Ball as one of our longest lasting character was killed in action and it made the anime look a little gloomy for quite some time after that.
KRILLIN
As far as the anime goes Krillin is shown to us as a character who is more like a side-chick to Goku during the first half, given all the importance and time in life but later on as it progresses to its second and third arcs, Krillin loses his importance as a main character and takes on the new role of yet another bald character in the background.
As we already know from the start of the anime, Krillin and Goku were once best friends and were trained under the same master, Master Roshi in Martial Arts and teachings in life. Though the both of them had a vast difference in power by the end of their term it is still remarkable that Krillin could keep up with Goku at the beginning of his training. It is a feat which is quite remarkable as Goku was the one born with super-human strength while Krillin was a mere Earthling and he still managed to keep a hold of Goku and match pace with him during his daily schedule and tough life. There is one thing in the anime which actually gives him a high praise, i.e., though the series often jokes at his expense, he’s always treated with respect as far as serious martial arts go. This is a move which helps to give him some importance in the anime, especially after he risked his life two times to save the ones that he loves.
ANDROID 18
Just like Krillin, his spouse too isn’t left far behind when it comes down to characters who were not used enough and in a proper manner. Akira Toriyama unfortunately did not use her enough as she is a distinguished character in the anime with unmatchable strength and power and is someone who if used properly can take up a role in the side of the protagonist as one of the main characters in the team.
Just like her husband Krillin, she too is used as a mean to progress the anime in the Cell arc and during the first half of the Buu arc but as it progresses from there, she goes on to lose her importance as a high-end character and like the character above she too fades into the background and becomes like a non-entity. She is a character with fun-dialogue and lethal/amazing fight scenes but unfortunately none of her characteristics in the anime are given much importance after the Buu arc and therefore, she loses her importance as a protagonist who could have been at the top, had Akira Toriyama used her to her maximum capacity and power, she could have been the reason why the story may have had a change in plot making it even juicer and worthwhile.
UUB
With the introduction of Uub in the Dragon Ball series it is still unclear as to why Goku flies off to train him as he is just a young incarnation of Majin Buu in Goku’s late form of life. As we see in the anime and manga, Goku goes on to train him with the same spirit and enthusiasm that Master Roshi had done for him and this is something which makes the inclusion of Uub in the anime even more nostalgic and amazing.
The mere fact that Uub could inherit enough of Majin Buu’s power after the reincarnation and give base Goku one hell of a fight in itself is pretty amazing and delicate as it shows us that he is a youth with potential making him all the more amazing and closer to Goku as he too was a young Saiyan son with impressive talent in skills and gifted all the way round in terms of power. As Uub is brought out in the later phase of the anime, it just seems that his talent as a fighter and a warrior is put to waster because had he been introduced sooner there were a lot of things that could have changed and given justice to. His late introduction in the anime and almost at a time when it draws closer to the end, shows us that a real gem and potential has been wasted once again in the anime. It depicts to us just how futile his late introduction in the anime really is because now that he is here, there are just no more of the powerful and imminent threats and villains that were once present on it.
CHICHI
As we have talked about her countless times already in previous articles, Chi-Chi is someone who takes on an impressive role as a wife and a mother and even more so when it comes down to a female Martial Artist. She is shown as the ever so active Martial Artist who is overbearing and possessive of her husband, children and family and to show her just like that lame character is something which is seriously messed up in the anime.
Had she been given a proper goal in the anime and was too nurtured by Toriyama at some point in the anime, maybe she could have ended up different than the rest of the background character as she is the only woman who has trained to that extent and gone up to fight some of the most amazing battles in the anime. It just seems as a waste in terms of power and character development as she was not used to her maximum capacity and given a proper backstory like the other characters.
These are the protagonists in the anime who ought to be the ones to get more praise and appreciation in the anime as they are the ones who totally changed the game at one point in time and gave Dragon Ball a boost and turn in terms of plot with each of their introduction making it even more enriching and refined as a series. These are the characters who deserve more praise when it comes down to showcasing strength as they are the ones who are not far behind our typical protagonist, and if given a proper chance and character development, they too can take up a role as the ever so mighty character that we all love and adore.