Akira Toriyama’s work is known for its many heroes, all of whom have contributed to protecting the planet in some way. The stories are epic in scope, allowing characters who seemed lost or forgotten to reappear and help. Plus, because death isn’t always permanent in this universe, almost anyone could potentially return to the action.
Popular characters who were once missing from the story, such as Future Trunks, Android 17, Cabba, and even Yajirobe, have made exciting comebacks. Goku’s father, Bardock, even got a significant backstory in the recent Granolah the Survivor Saga of Dragon Ball Super. While Dragon Ball isn’t afraid to revisit old favorites, there are still some allies who seem permanently lost to the past.
Grandpa Gohan’s Legacy Hangs Over The Entire Dragon Ball Franchise
Goku’s love of fighting and his adventurous spirit came from his Grandpa Gohan. His father’s lessons also helped guide him early on in the original Dragon Ball series, and Gohan’s relationship with Master Roshi is why Goku wanted to train with him. Though Gohan sadly passed away before the main story began, he appears twice in the original series. We see Goku fight as his younger self in Fortuneteller Baba’s Tournament, and Gohan gets to meet Chi-Chi before her marriage to Goku in the final episodes of the anime.
Since Grandpa Gohan hasn’t appeared in any of the newer Dragon Ball series, it seems the creators have moved past his character and he’s fulfilled his role in the story. He’s now more effective as a symbolic figure, and bringing him back would likely overcomplicate things.
Android 8 Represents Goku’s Earliest Case Of Cyborg Kindness
The Dragon Ball series continues to be very interested in powerful android characters, and many of the Z-Fighters are now androids. While Androids 17 and 18 are among Universe 7’s most powerful fighters, they were built upon the foundation laid by the original Android 8.
Android 8, nicknamed ‘Eighter,’ is a character Goku meets in Dragon Ball while sneaking into Red Ribbon Army’s Muscle Tower. He’s considered flawed by the Army because he doesn’t want to mindlessly destroy things and actually has a sense of right and wrong. This kind Android helps Goku inside the tower, and Goku later repays the favor by removing a bomb that was planted inside Android 8.
Android 8 plays a helpful role in both the final battles of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, lending his energy to Goku’s powerful attacks. It seems unlikely we’ll see him again, and the same could be said for Android 16, another selfless android. However, unlike Android 16, Android 8 is still functioning and exists in the world, meaning a future appearance wouldn’t require him to be completely reconstructed.
Pikkon’s Other World Exploits Are Stuck In Extraneous Filler
Dragon Ball features many memorable characters created specifically for the anime, and aren’t part of the original manga storyline. One of the most popular is Pikkon, who fought Goku in the Other World Tournament. Hailing from the West Galaxy, Pikkon is known as its strongest fighter, with a unique fighting style that uses various elemental attacks and a distinctive look. While he’s a key figure in the Other World Saga, Pikkon also appears in other filler episodes, as well as in Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters and the movie Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn.
Pikkon is a surprisingly popular character, and many fans thought he might finally appear officially in Dragon Ball Super during the Tournament of Power. However, it now seems the creators intend for him to remain a non-canon, filler character. The good news is that the manga artist, Toyotarou, clearly likes Pikkon and other similar characters, so there’s still a chance he could be included in the manga now that everything in that medium is considered part of the official story.
Launch’s Unique Ailment Makes More Sense in Dragon Ball’s Past
Launch was a really unusual character when she first appeared in Dragon Ball. She’s normally shy and quiet, but whenever she sneezes, her personality completely changes – she becomes wild and energetic! This creates some funny moments, but her condition isn’t really explored beyond that. It’s interesting that Dragon Ball never tries to explain why Launch has this problem, fix it, or even use it to her advantage in a fight.
As the series went on, Launch’s part became smaller and smaller until she was eventually written out completely. Now, Dragon Ball fans rarely see her – maybe as a background character at a party, or briefly in the opening or ending animations.
It’s doubtful Launch will be featured prominently again, as Dragon Ball has generally moved away from characters with magical or fantastical abilities, like Puar and Oolong. Launch’s unique and unpredictable nature doesn’t really fit with the direction the series is taking now.
Nail Is One Of Namek’s Mightiest Warriors Who Gets Reduced To A Power Boost
As the Dragon Ball series has progressed, it’s found clever ways for characters who aren’t Saiyans to become more powerful, even without achieving the Super Saiyan form. For example, the story delves into Namekian Fusion as a path to greater strength, as seen with Piccolo.
In Dragon Ball, it was revealed that Kami and the Demon King Piccolo were originally a single being who split apart. Piccolo repeats this process with Nail, absorbing his power to become stronger. Later, during the battle with Cell, Piccolo merges with Kami in the same way to gain even more strength.
Nail’s contribution of power was essential for Piccolo, and they might not have been able to defeat Frieza without it. However, it’s sad that Piccolo absorbed Nail, as Namekian Fusion is permanent – Nail is truly gone. While Vegeta has hinted at a way to separate fusions, Nail has been fused with Piccolo for so long that attempting to split them would likely cause significant harm to both of them.
Suno’s Adoration & Commitment To Goku Has Been Left In His Youth
Suno from Jingle Village is a kind and brave character who plays an important role early in Goku’s adventures against the Red Ribbon Army. Though their time together is short, she selflessly offers Goku shelter and becomes deeply concerned for his safety when he attacks Muscle Tower. Suno consistently demonstrates her dedication to Goku and a willingness to risk her own well-being to do what’s right. Many fans believe an older version of Suno would make a more compelling resistance fighter than Future Mai.
Suno consistently challenged authority, and it’s a shame she vanished from the Dragon Ball story. While she briefly reappears as an adult alongside Android 8 in the Baby Saga of Dragon Ball GT and makes a surprising appearance in the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot video game where players can interact with her, devoted fans might have to accept this game appearance as the only resolution they’ll get for her character.
Granolah’s Open Ending Feels Increasingly Like It’s Meant To Be Closure
Granolah, the central figure in a recent Dragon Ball Super arc, is a particularly compelling character introduced after the Tournament of Power. He makes history by using the Dragon Balls of Planet Cereal to become the strongest being in Universe 7, though this comes at the cost of a much shorter life. While he initially uses his newfound power to fight Goku and Vegeta, he later helps them battle the Heeter Force and their warrior, Gas.
Granolah barely made it through the recent events, but he’s badly hurt and his eyesight is permanently damaged. He vowed to fix the damage to Planet Cereal and bring back some peace, but that was back in 2022. It looked like he might return for one last story arc, possibly even helping against Black Frieza, but it’s been so long now that it seems more likely his story will be forgotten, similar to Vegeta’s planned journey to Universe 6 that never happened.
Found an error? Send it so it can be corrected.
Read More
- United Airlines can now kick passengers off flights and ban them for not using headphones
- Solo Leveling’s New Manhwa Chapter Revives a Forgotten LGBTQ Story After 2 Years
- The Boys Season 5 Spoilers: Every Major Character Death If the Show Follows the Comics
- Grok’s ‘Ask’ feature no longer free as X moves it behind paywall
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows will get upgraded PSSR support on PS5 Pro with Title Update 1.1.9 launching April 7
- Gold Rate Forecast
- How to Get to the Undercoast in Esoteric Ebb
- Mewgenics vinyl limited editions now available to pre-order
- Nintendo Officially Rewrites Princess Peach After 41 Years
- Invincible Season 4 Episode 6 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
2026-04-12 16:46