Dragon Ball Z stands as one of the most iconic anime series ever, and that’s in large part thanks to its Z-Fighters. Akira Toriyama brought to life a universe that has captured the admiration of fans across the globe by creating unique, root-worthy and ever-evolving antagonists, while also shaping villains that serve(d) as fantastic foils for the heroes.
The Z-Fighters were the ones tasked with protecting Earth and the highly sought-after Dragon Balls at all costs during Dragon Ball Z. Most of the them were introduced during Dragon Ball – Dragon Ball Z’s predecessor – and worked together to defeat threats during that series, while a few others joined later.
So, let’s explore the main nine legendary Z-Fighters — Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu — in Dragon Ball’s most famous iteration.
Goku, the storied hero
Goku is the franchise’s primary protagonist and the leader of the Z-Fighters. A Saiyan who mysteriously showed up on Earth from Planet Vegeta, Goku was trained by Master Roshi and later King Kai, and was the most important Z-Fighter in Dragon Ball Z. Although the others who did their parts and had world-saving moments, Goku consistently broke through the barriers of what was possible in terms of strength, setting the bar which other Z-Fighters would pursue.
Goku, also known by his Saiyan name Kakarrot, was the first to reach the Super Saiyan level, and was ultimately the hero to defeat several of the big bads in Dragon Ball Z, including Vegeta, Frieza and Kid Buu. He remains the face of the franchise, and his optimistic, child-like personality has made him one of the most universally-beloved anime characters ever.
Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans
Although Vegeta was just mentioned as a villain who Goku defeated, the “Prince of All Saiyans” had one of the most depth-driven arcs in Dragon Ball Z. He first joined the cast as a mysterious and intimidating force who, along with his henchman Nappa, stormed Earth in search of the Dragon Balls.
Vegeta fled the planet after he was turned back by the Z-Fighters in a battle that left most of them dead. However, circumstances on Planet Namek forced him to team up with Gohan and Krillin, leading to Vegeta eventually calling Earth home. He became a supremely important part of the Z-Fighters, as well as a member fixated on matching and surpassing Goku’s power.
Vegeta had numerous highlights in Dragon Ball Z, including demolishing Android 19 and exacting revenge on The Ginyu Force. Even his death at the hands of Frieza was an iconic moment in the show as fans finally saw true emotion from the teary-eyed and bloody Vegeta.
Gohan, Goku’s son who unlocked his hidden powers
If it was up to his mother Chi-Chi, Gohan (and Goku) would never have been a Z-Fighter. However, after he was able to severely hurt his uncle, Raditz, as a young child, Piccolo took Gohan under his wing in preparation for Vegeta and Nappa’s arrival. He helped shape the son of Goku’s fighting abilities while trying to unlock his hidden powers.
Although he was young, the Saiyan was involved in all of the main Z-Fighter battles. His top moment of Dragon Ball Z was when he finally unlocked the power within him and took Perfect Cell to task. Gohan grew along with the show, and by the end, he was an adult.
Trunks, the time-traveling son of Vegeta
The latest addition to the Z-Fighter squad, Trunks appeared on the show via time travel and showed up just in time to thwart Frieza’s revenge. Later revealed to be Vegeta’s son, Trunks journeyed 20 years into the past to warn Earth’s heroes about an impending android attack. He also delivered heart medication to Goku — saving him from a disease that took his life during Trunk’s original timeline.
Trunks ended up sticking around to help the Z-Fighters combat Doctor Gero’s creations, and he even died fighting Cell. The heroes restored his life by using the Dragon Balls after Cell was silenced. A leveled-up Trunks eventually went back to the future, and he quickly dispatched Android 17, 18 and Cell, thus saving his timeline. Nonetheless, the purpled-haired Saiyan was born to Vegeta and Bulma while they awaited the Androids’ arrival.
Piccolo, the always-reliable Namekian
Like Vegeta, Piccolo wasn’t always fighting for the good guys. A major antagonist to Goku during Dragon Ball, Piccolo finally came around to the Z-Fighter’s side when he was forced to team up with his rival to stop Raditz in Dragon Ball Z’s first act. Goku died in the battle, and the Namekian took it upon himself to train Gohan.
Piccolo gave his life to protect Gohan from Nappa’s energy blast and hasn’t stopped being a remarkably reliable ally since. Although he doesn’t have the inherent ability to become a Super Saiyan, Piccolo maintained his training and — with help from fusing with Kami and Nail — would consistently find himself as one of the most powerful Z-Fighters in Dragon Ball Z.
Always prepared to fight on the front-lines, some of Piccolo’s series highlights included killing Raditz and outmatching Cell’s first form. Pound for pound, Piccolo also had the best entrances in Dragon Ball history.
Krillin, the bald-headed hero
A student of Master Roshi’s and sporting an orange gi like Goku and Yamcha, Krillin is one of the longest-serving protagonists in the Dragon Ball franchise. The (typically) bald best friend of Goku may never have been the strongest hero in the mix, but he’d display his resilience and courage every chance he had.
Krillin stood against all of Dragon Ball Z’s villains outgunned, but he’d give his all — leading to his death on multiple occasions, but that’s not to say Krillin didn’t contribute in meaningful ways. For example, he threw Goku’s Spirit Bomb at Vegeta (although, he missed the target) and showed Android 18 mercy (and she later became his wife).
Nonetheless, Krillin is a legendary character from the franchise and continues to be a mainstay on Dragon Ball Super.
Yamcha, the ladies’ man
The original smooth operator of the crew, Yamcha trained alongside Goku and Krillin as part of Master Roshi’s Turtle School during Dragon Ball. He fought alongside the Z-Fighters on several occasions.
He joined Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, Tien and Chiaotzu when Vegeta and Nappa arrived. But, he was killed by the Saiyans’ Saibamen early on. One of the weaker members, Yamcha found himself on the sidelines in multiple arcs, specifically during the latter part of Dragon Ball Z. Still, he fought when he had to, like when Cell spawned Cell Juniors.
Yamcha dated Bulma off and on, but they finally broke things off during the three-year gap in between Frieza’s vengeance mission and the Androids’ reckoning. Once they ended things, Bulma and Vegeta got together and had Trunks.
Tien, the three-eyed
Once Goku’s fierce rival, Tien was an integral part of the Z-Fighters early in Dragon Ball Z. Along with his best friend, Chiaotzu, Tien gave his life protecting Earth against the Saiyan invasion. Unfortunately for Tien, his relevance shrank as Dragon Ball Z continued even though he was a devoted martial artist — the downside of being a full human.
The muscled-up, three-eyed warrior had important moments in the franchise; however, like when he single-handedly defeated The Ginyu Force’s Jeice and Burter in the afterlife and saved Dende and Mr. Satan from Super Buu’s energy blast. Tien and Chiaotzu weren’t ingrained in the group as much as the others as they chose to live and train in seclusion.
Chiaotzu
If it isn’t Yamcha, the small and loveable Chiaotzu is the weakest combatant among the Z-Fighters. As mentioned, he’s Tien’s best friend and was typically by his side during Dragon Ball Z. Chiaotzu had one of the most selfless moments of the series when he sacrificed himself to try and blow up Nappa during the Saiyan invasion arc.
As Dragon Ball Z progressed, Chiaotzu became the least impactful Z-Fighter due to his power level. He ended up staying with Master Roshi during the Androids saga at Tien’s request as he didn’t believe Chiaotzu could keep up with the others. The red-cheeked hero also didn’t help out during the Cell Games for the same reason.
There are nearly 300 episodes and over a dozen Dragon Ball Z movies
The Dragon Ball franchise has been adapted from Toriyama’s manga into four revered animes: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT (well, this one’s debatable) and Dragon Ball Super. There’s also Super Dragon Ball Heroes, a single-season series that was set outside of the true storyline and didn’t involve Toriyama.
Still, Dragon Ball Z stands among the rest as the most iconic.
All in all, fans can sink their teeth into 291 episodes of Dragon Ball Z which spans nine seasons. There are also over a dozen movies based on the series that aren’t canon, including Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might when Goku battles Turles, a low-ranked Saiyan set on using Earth as a garden to plant the Tree of Might, which in turn would produce a fruit that would give him unparalleled strength.
Although the series wrapped nearly 30 years ago, the Z-Fighters will forever be celebrated.