Dragon Ballis a staple of modern anime. It’s an exciting shōnen series filled with heart-breaking sacrifices, insane universe-spanning fights, and some of the tightest friends around. The story takes place throughout Goku’s life, so fans have had more than enough time with the main character as he looks to understand his past and adventures with his newfound friends. One of Goku’s biggest strengths isto turn former enemies into allies, and eventually, into friends.
While Goku has a handful of people he’s always been friends with, like Bulma and Krillin, friendships with other characters like Vegeta and Piccolo took much more time. Goku isn’t the only character to have great friendships, as his son Goten and Vegeta’s son Trunks continue their parents' friendship in style. InDragon Ball Super,Gods and their attendants are finally revealed, showing a new, divine kind of friendship.
10Goku and Bulma
Childhood Friends
Goku and Bulmago way back to the beginnings of the originalDragon Ball.They’ve been friends for longer than Goku’s known most of the other characters in the series. Bulma is a kind-of teacher to Goku in the early parts ofDragon Ball,as the young Saiyan was just as clueless then as he is now. She was the first person to teach him about the Dragon Balls, she’s the first woman he ever met, and she even taught him how to bathe.
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Without Bulma, Goku wouldn’t have a lot of the knowledge and experience he currently has. But their friendship isn’t one-sided, as Goku is there for his friend too. He’s kind enough to remember her birthday,always willing to defend her, and is a big fan of her relationship with Vegeta. While she had a small crush on him a long time ago, their relationship has almost always been platonic, allowing them to stay good friends without anything being weird.
9Tien and Chiaotzu
Master Shen’s Former Students
Tien and Chiaotzu were first introduced to the series ofDragon Ballas Goku’s enemies, but the two were always friends with each other.Tien and Chaiotzu are inseparable.If one is seen somewhere, the other can’t be far behind. Tien and Chiaotzu’s friendship is best seen during the Saiyan Saga during their fight with Nappa. Nappa is much stronger than all the Z Fighters combined, prompting Chiaotzu to use a self-destruction technique to take him out.
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Like most sacrifices inDragon Ball,it’s entirely meaningless and Nappa doesn’t take the slightest bit of damage. Tien’s reaction is brutal as his best friend just died in front of him,showing how deep their relationship goes.Chiaotzu is eventually brought back to life and the pair go about living their fun-filled lives with each other once again.
8Future Trunks and Future Gohan
The Only Survivors in the Future
Future Gohan was more of a mentor to Future Trunks, but because all the other Z Fighters were already dead in this timeline,they were also close friends.They really only had each other and Trunks’s mom, Bulma. Their timeline was incredibly bleak, but Gohan did what he could to train Trunks and to protect him from the Androids. Gohan even sacrificed himself to give Trunks a fighting chance against 17 and 18 in one of the onlyDragon Ballsacrifices that meant something.
Because of Gohan’s sacrifice, Trunks is able to inform Goku of the past about his upcoming heart virus, saving his life in the process. Goku is able to survive the heart virus and fight for the Z Fighters once again. Future Gohan and Future Trunks’s friendship isa high point in a dark timeline.When Future Trunks meets Gohan of the normal timeline, he’s overjoyed to see his Master and friend live such a peaceful life.
7Beerus and Whis
A God of Destruction and His Attendant
Beerus and Whis have a very fun friendship inDragon Ball Super.Beerus is the God of Destruction of Universe 7 and Whis is his attendant. Whis is usually trying to parent Beerus, as the God of Destruction usually does whatever he wants whenever he wants to. While this can annoy Whis sometimes, Beerus does have some good ideas, like when he getsthe pair ice cream sundaes on his home planet.
Astwo of the strongest characters inDragon Ball,it’s equally fun and dangerous to see the two of them bicker, as their fights can have devastating effects. Whis is actually stronger than Beerus as an Angel, but that doesn’t mean the God of Desturction is capable of wreaking havoc whenever he feels like it. Still, whenever the two are on the same side,it always makes for an entertaining watch.
6Broly, Cheelai, and Lemo
Broly’s First Humanoid Friends
Dragon Ball Superbrought Broly back in an amazing way. Broly was always an amazing character. As the Legendary Super Saiyan inDragon Ball Z,Broly was one of thestrongest villains inDragon Ballhistory. He was massive, with muscles bigger than mountains and eyes scarier than a horror movie. While the original Broly was an incredible monster, the new Broly is a soft-spoken, kind-hearted young Saiyanlucky enough to find some great friends in Cheelai and Lemo.
Broly hasn’t been treated well most of his life, making his friendship with the ex-Frieza Force members even more fulfilling. They don’t care that Broly is ridiculously strong,they just want him to be alright.They move with him back to Vampa where Broly was raised, and thanks to Goku and Bulma, the trio gets a nice house to live in as well.
5Goku and Piccolo
Driving Buddies
Goku and Piccolo didn’t start as friends inDragon Ball. Piccolo, or one of the many versions of the Namekian, was one of the biggest antagonists in the originalDragon Ballseries. He finally becomes somewhat friendly with the Saiyan during the Saiyan Saga ofDragon Ball Zwhen the pair meet a common foe in Raditz. Goku sacrifices himself to take out Raditz, leaving Piccolo with Gohan.Goku’s first death directly leads to his friendship with Piccolo, as Piccolo begins to train and become friends with Gohan.
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Gohan is able to see the best in Piccolo, allowing others to do the same. While Gohan is more of a pupil to Piccolo than a friend,Goku considers the Namekian an equal.Even Chi-Chi sees them as friends, as she forces them to get their driver’s license together if they ever want her to cook for them again.
4Goten and Trunks
Gotenks Unfused
Goten and Trunks are much friendlier than their fathers are with each other.They’re two fun-loving boys who don’t take anything seriously,even when their lives are on the line. They’re such good friends that they can even fuse together, creating the powerful Gotenks in the process. Goten and Trunks have gotten to grow up in relatively peaceful times since the Buu Saga, adding to their laid back attitudes.
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Goten and Trunks are fun every time they’re together.They’re two people who are pretty nonchalant and, together, they become even less serious. Even though they aren’t too concerned with what happens around them, they’re fairly strong in their own right, as they are both technically the youngest ever people to go Super Saiyan. Even their fused form, Gotenks, can go Super Saiyan 3 in an early and equally impressive transformation.
3Goku and Vegeta
Goku’s Biggest Rival
Goku and Vegeta were mortal enemies during the Saiyan Saga buthave only become closer as friends since time has passed.Goku even made Krillin spare Vegeta’s life when he came to Earth when most other characters wouldn’t have. It was a wise decision looking back, as Vegeta is easily the second-strongest person in all of Universe 7, bar the divine Beerus and Whis. Goku has a few closer friends than Vegeta, but nobody else can stand next to him as his equal.
When Goku went Super Saiyan, Vegeta found a way to go Super Saiyan too. When Goku became a Super Saiyan God, Vegeta was right behind him. Neither Goku nor Vegeta would be nearly as strong as they are now without the other, and together,they can create some ofthe strongest fusions in allDragon Ball.
2Good Buu and Mr. Satan
An Unlikely Friendship
Mr. Satan and Buu’s friendship is the unlikeliest andmost fun in all ofDragon Ball.Somehow,they’re two peas in a pod when they’re together.Their personalities match so well it’s like they were made for each other. Buu’s childlike innocence and Mr. Satan’s general delusion and naïveté match perfectly with each other. They’re the type of friends to go buy ice cream, or throw ice cream at each other, but either way, ice cream is probably involved.
Buu was one of the biggest villains in the series at one point, and his redemption arc into a force of good is a fulfilling plot point inDragon Ball.While Mr. Satan was never a villain, he was a liar who took credit for other people’s accomplishments, making his friendship with Buuanother high point in the series and his own character arc.
1Goku and Krillin
Goku’s Longest and Best Friends
On the surface, it’s easy to think that Vegeta is Goku’s best friend. They’re equal in power, are the last remaining full-blooded Saiyan apart from Broly, and are huge motivators for each other. But that’s what makes a good rival, not a best friend.Krillin has been Goku’s best friend from the beginning.The two Turtle School members have been friends since Goku knew what a friend was. Krillin is the perfect Yin to Goku’s Yang as well.
Goku is hot-headed, emotional, and passionate. Krillin, on the other hand, is much more reserved and calm. He’s able to help Goku make rational decisions in the heat of battle. He’s also an incredible motivator for his Saiyan friend, as his second death in the series was the catalystGoku needed to finally go Super Saiyan and defeat Frieza in battle.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
