

Dragon Ball Z's brief attempt to make Gohan its main character isn't even immune to Goku stealing the show.įrieza's many transformations help break up the heroes' fight against him.

Frieza's fight against Goku has created a certain ambivalence where Goku-led victories dominate the storytelling. Dragon Ball used to figure out how to expertly incorporate its wide cast of characters. A one-on-one showdown has the luxury of a personal touch, but this stops having any impact when it's always Goku who saves the day. However, it's not long until Goku is the only one who can hurt Frieza. There's a team-effort energy against the Ginyu Force and Frieza's introductory forms. One of the most underrated aspects of the fight against Vegeta is that every character plays an unexpected role, right down to Yajirobe.

It's frustrating to see valuable, unique characters like Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, and Goten get pushed to the wayside while Dragon Ball Z's central Saiyans perpetually steal the spotlight. Dragon Ball Z has such a sprawling cast of superpowered characters that it becomes increasingly difficult to properly showcase.
