Android 17
Created for one sole purpose, #17's mission is to destroy Goku. Constructed from a human base, #17 is not completely mechanical. Initially under the control of Dr. Gero, he breaks free and kills him. Even with his creator destroyed, #17's internal programming still gives him the urge to search for Goku and destroy him. This objective is soon put behind him when he is forced to run for his life from Cell. An adept fighter, #17 makes a reappearance in GT as a villain.

Android 18
#17's twin sister, #18 has identical fighting strength. Like her brother, she is also created from a human base. During her escape from Cell, Kuririn falls in love with her. To #18's surprise, Kuririn wishes for the bomb inside her to be removed with the Dragon Balls. They eventually marry and have a daughter named Marron.

Bardock
The father of Goku, Bardock is hit with a strange attack that gives him the power to see into the future. He learns of Furiza's plot to destroy Planet Vegeta, and attempts to stop him before it is too late. Unfortunately, Bardock proves no match for the small purple villain, and is vaporized while attempting to stop Furiza's planet destroying energy ball. In his last moments of life he tells his son that it must be him who defeats Furiza, so that a he would die at a Saiyajin's hand.

Bra
The second child of Buruma and Vegita, Bra plays little role in the series. She looks very much like her mother, and shares many aspects of her personality. Bra serves mostly as comic relief.

Brolli
The original Super Saiya-jin, Brolli exhibits tremendous power, even as an infant. When Planet Vegeta is destroyed by Furiza, it is this power that keep him and his father alive. Before his home planet's destruction, he is traumatized by the constant crying of his crib mate, Goku, and develops an instinctual hatred of him. Years later, Brolli begins his rampage on the universe under his father's command. In order to divert suspicion, Brolli's father actually employs the help of Vegita and the rest of the Z warriors to find the cause of all this chaos. Brolli's grudge against Goku reveals the plot however, and after the battle Brolli is thought to be destroyed. However, his hatred is strong enough to allow Brolli to come to Planet Earth in movie #10, where he is finally killed. He makes a THIRD appearance when he is cloned in movie #11, and is transformed into a large gelataenous green blob.

Bubbles
Bubbles is the North Kaio's pet monkey. His job is to act as the preliminary test in Kaio's martial arts training by running away from trainees and forcing them to chase him. He's a very fast, playful monkey, and he does not speak much.

Bulma
Buruma is the second character (after Goku) to be introduced into the Dragon Ball series. She hits Goku (and the fish he was carrying) while driving through the woods, searching for the mystical "Dragonballs." She eventually persuades Goku to come along with her, and thought that he would make a good bodyguard. Buruma has blue hair, and is the mother of Trunks. Although Buruma has no skills as a fighter, she is a genius with all sorts of electronics, alien and domestic.

Cell
A creation of Dr. Gero's, he was assembled using the DNA from the best fighters in the universe. The project was taking too long, and he abandoned the project. However, Dr. Gero's computer remained working, even after his death. Cell was completed a few years after Mirai Trunks had destroyed #17 and #18 in his time, which Cell needed to absorb to become "perfect." Seeing there was no solution to this problem in his time, Cell murdered Trunks and traveled back to when the androids still existed. Cell eventually finds what he's looking for, and goes perfect. He holds a game where he challenges anyone in the world to fight him, or else the Earth would be destroyed. Cell is killed by Gohan with a one-handed Kame Hame Ha.

Chi-Chi
Chi-Chi is mother to Gohan and Goten and the spouse of Goku. She feels very strongly about Gohan's studies and will stop at nothing to get him to continue his work; she mainly spends her time worrying about Gohan's academics. No matter how powerful Goku becomes, he still is very subserviant to his worrisome wife. ^_^

Dabura
Lord of the underworld, Dabura was possessed by the dark mage Babidi to do his bidding. At roughly as strong as Cell in his perfect form, he is quite a fearsome opponent. Dabura can change his enemies into stone, and will not hesitate to obey his master's commands.

Dende
The lone survivor of his village, Dende was rescued by Kuririn and Gohan from death in the Freeza saga (although he later does get killed by Freeza). After Kami merges with Piccolo, Dende assumes the role of Kami on earth, and creates his own set of Dragon Balls. Unlike Piccolo and the other warrior Nameks, Dende is a healer. He has no fighting abilities, but posesses the power to heal others from the brink of death.

East Kaioshin
The highest deity remaining after Buu's slaughter of the other gods, Kaioshin comes to Earth during the Budoukai to warn Goku about Babidi's plan to revive Buu. His power is comparable to the Z warriors, as he is by far the most powerful being in heaven. Kaioshin is shocked that Goku and Vegeta surpass him, as to him they are merely mortals.

Freeza
One of the most powerful warriors in the universe, he runs a group of criminals who clear life from habitable planets and then sell the worlds to the highest bidder. Already untouchable in the universe, he wants to make his power everlasting. His quest for immortality brings him to Planet Namek, where he has heard of seven magic Dragon Balls that will grant any wish. As a Changeling, Freeza has numerous stages of power, each with its own distinct appearance. He has four forms total: His first is weak, but wastes little energy; the second is enormous and twice as powerful; the third looks very much like the queen from "Aliens;" and Freeza's fourth, "true" form is small again, but much sleeker (and of course, more powerful). After he is defeated by Son Goku, his remains are encased in a android body. Freeza operates off of Planet Furiza, where his men are stationed (including the powerful Ginyu Force).

Captain Ginyu
Leader of the Ginyu Special Force, he is by far the strongest of them all. It is not known whether the body he first appears with is his original form, as he has the power to swap bodies with other people (as he demonstrates with both Goku and a Namekian frog).

Gogeta
A favorite character among fans, Gogeta is the fusion of Goku and Vegeta without the Potarra earrings (by doing the Fusion Dance). He makes a short appearance in DBZ Movie #12, and several more instances in DBGT. Gogeta doesn't waste a moment in battle, quite different from Gotenks and Vegetto who enjoy taking their sweet time.

Son Gohan
Son of Goku, he is initially trained by Piccolo after the battle with Raditz. He looks up to Piccolo for being such a great fighter, and tries to imitate him by wearing similar clothes. He has the potential to become the most powerful being in the universe, yet since he cannot always fully utilize his strength, he can be defeated. Gohan is the first Saiya-jin to go SSJ2, but after the Cell saga he spends little time training and focuses on his studies.

Son Goku
The main character of Dragon Ball, and a substantial character in DBZ, Goku is sent to Earth as an infant so he can prepare it to be sold. He could easily eliminate all life on the planet, but he falls into a ravine and hits his head a a baby. Now with his orders lost, Goku becomes a friendly boy who fights on the side of good. He's not too intelligent, but a natural when it comes to the martial arts and manipulating his Ki. By far, Goku has the most abilities of any of the Z warriors (Cell is the only character with more). He marries Chi-Chi, daughter of Gyuu-Mao; and together they have two sons, Gohan and Goten.

Son Goten
Goten is the second son of Goku and Chi-Chi. He and Trunks spend most of their time together, and are very good friends. Goten exhibited high power when he went Super Saiya-jin at the age of seven. He bears a very strong resemblance to Goku, and wears a miniature version of Goku's karate Gi. Goten is usually happy, but has a habit for throwing tantrums to get something he wants.

Gotenks
Gotenks is the creature that results after Trunks and Goten perform the fusion dance. He has a tendency to over-dramatize the situation a bit (alright, a lot), and makes up names for all of his attacks. Since Gotenks is young and naive, he believes that he can defeat anyone. Most of his assaults are incredibily stupid and ineffective, but he'll squeeze in a few that do some damage.

Guldo
The weakest member of the Ginyu force, he makes up for his lack of strength with his ability to manipulate time and space. Able to read minds and control objects with his mind, he can easily topple a much stronger foe. He is decapitated by Vegeta after nearly shish-kebobing Gohan and Kuririn.

Koola
Keeping a close watch on his brother Furiza, Koola was sure that Goku would be defeated. After Furiza was killed, Koola heads to Earth to finish off the last of the "Saiya-jin trash" in movie #5. Similiar to Furiza in abilities, Koola can change into a 5th form, one more than his brother.

Kuririn
Kuririn is the most powerful human on Earth, although his abilities are still dwarfed by Goku and Gohan. He was once Goku's rival when they were young, but they later became best friends. A Buddhist monk, he shaves his head by choice (#18 convinces him to grow some hair later in the series). Kuririn is willing to sacrifice his life for Earth (and he has many times), and whenever possible he is at Goku's side.

Jisu
One of the odder members of the Ginyu force, Jisu has fairly well-rounded abilities. Not extremely fast or powerful, he makes up for it with the careful balance he has between the two. He and Baata normally team up to form their attacks.

Son Pan
Pan, also known as Pan-Chan, is Goku's granddaughter. She is the most powerful female in all of Dragonball. Pan is 1/4 Saiyajin, and she is Gohan and Videl's daughter. Pan is very adventurous, and can get into trouble, usually with Trunks and Chibi Goku. Trunks, Goku, and Pan go everywhere together, she is the little sister they never had.

Piccolo
The Piccolo in the DBZ series is the sole offspring of Piccolo-Daimao from the original. Like his father, his intentions are evil. However, when Raditsu threatens the Earth, he turns to the side of good and helps Goku. He later trains Gohan, and the kid helps Piccolo become a good, well-meaning person. Capable of regenerating body parts and manipulating his size and shape, Piccolo is a formidable fighter.

Mr. Popo
Mr. Popo is Kami's best friend and assistant. Although he does not look like much, he is a powerful fighter. He wears a white turban with an oval shaped gem in the center, and travels sometimes by means of flying carpet or teleportation.

Rikum
Large and well-built, Rikum has great physical strength. Fairly slow moving, he can be taken on by a faster, smaller opponent quite easily. Intelligent, witty, and head-strong, Rikum is always willing to fight.

Mr. Satan
Sporting a large fro, Mr. Satan is the strongest man on Earth who cannot manipulate ki. After taking credit for defeating Cell, he becomes an international sensation (Although we all know that Goku and Gohan are the true heroes). A coward by nature, Mr. Satan relies on his luck and loads of money to defeat his opponents. He has a single daughter named Videl, who becomes much stronger than her father.

Tien
Tenshinhan is Chaozu's chief bodyguard. His powers revolve around deception and multiplying various body parts. Tenshinhan is the developer of numerous techniques such as the Taiyoken and Kikoho. The "three-eyed man", even though he makes few appearances later on, still plays a decent roll in Dragonball.

Trunks
Trunks is the first child of Vegita and Bulma. There are two Trunks' in the DB universe: Future Trunks and Chibi Trunks. "Future Trunks" comes from a parallel universe 14 years in the future where evil androids rule the Earth. He goes back in time after the death of Furiza to prepare the Z warriors for the androids' arrival. So as not to prevent his own birth, he tells no one of his heritage, except Goku. "Chibi Trunks" is born a little before Future Trunks returns to his own time. He likes to hang out with Goten and they are very good friends. When he and Goten are together, he has a tendency to get them in trouble. Trunks is also sad that he does not have a brother like Goten does (Gohan). Trunks has purple hair and displays extreme levels of power, he reaches Super Saiya-jin when he is eight. Despite Trunks' ability to get Goten and himself in trouble, he means well.

Vegeta
Born on the planet bearing his own name, Vegita has the bloodline to become a super-elite Saiya-jin. A henchman of Furiza, he is regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the universe. Along with Goku, Radditz, and Nappa, Vegita is one of the only Saiya-jins to survive the destruction of his homeworld. He is extremely jealous of Goku's superior fighting ability, and actually helps him from time to time so that he still has someone to compete with. Vegita craves nothing more than ultimate power until the very end of DBZ.

Vegitto
With the use of the Potara earrings, Vegita and Goku become Vegitto. Although he is not as arrogant as Gotenks, he does waste a lot of time, and his opponents often take advantage of this. The fusion is supposed to be permanent, but the laws of physics change once they enter Kid Buu. Vegitto differs from Gogeta, as Vegita is the dominant form in the fusion.

Videl
Videl is Gohan's girlfriend and attends the same high school as he does. Gohan teaches Videl how to fly and fight, and she often helps the Great Saiyaman in his rounds. Chi-Chi wants Videl to marry her son, and does not hide her intentions. Videl and Gohan everntually marry, and have a baby girl named Pan.

Yamcha
Yamcha is first introduced as a desert bandit that robs people as they pass through his wasteland abode. When he comes upon Goku and friends, he finds out about the Dragonballs and tags along so he can make a wish. (He gets very nervous around girls) However, he gets used to Bulma on their journeys, and loses his fear of women. He and Bulma are together for most of Dragonball and half of DBZ. Yamcha does not train much after the encounter with the Saiyajins, yet remains capable fighter.