Summary
Dragon Ballis a household name at this point, with many fans of shonen anime loving Goku’s adventures as he encounters larger-than-life foes who must be defeated by reaching new levels of power. This can be achieved by intense training, awe-inspiring transformations, effective teamwork, and everything else along the same lines.
It’s great to see the heroes attain victory against foes that have been giving them a tough time, but the most cathartic victories in the series must be preceded by some losses to hammer in the high-stakes nature of each battle. The toughest foes inDragon Ballcan wipe the floor with their competition effortlessly, which is why finally seeing these antagonists be taken out for good is so satisfying.
8Son Goten
Lost 8 Of His 12 Fights
Goten is introduced during the Peaceful World Saga, born when Goku had taken a self-imposed exile in Heaven. For someone so young, it’s impressive to see him unlock the Super Saiyan transformation as a mere kid.
However, this form is certainly little more than a child’s plaything by the time the Buu Saga rolls out, with Vegeta voicing the same opinion. As a result, Goten is barely able to win any of his fights after his debut inDragon Ball. Even after fusing with Trunks, his form is only relevant for a short while before tougher opponents join the fray.
7Tien Shinhan
Lost 9 Of His 20 Fights
Despite turning into somewhat of an afterthought inDragon Ball Zas characters attained ridiculous levels of strength, Tien manages to remain relevant at moments. His Tri-Beam barrage against Semi-Perfect Cell is an iconic moment, even if he fails to secure the W.
Tien loses a lot of his fights with the introduction ofDragon Ball Z. It’s a shame, but it’s clear that the Earthlings received the short end of the stick as Saiyans became the dominating heroic force in the series.
6Future Trunks
Lost 12 Of His 21 Fights
Future Trunks is one of the coolest characters in the series. Watching him humiliate the duo of Frieza and King Cold right before Goku lands on Earth is something that fans can’t get enough of.
So, it’s rather shocking to see that his win-loss record isn’t all that great. This can be attributed to the fact that he lost several battles in his timelineagainst the Androidsand Goku Black, but he more than makes up for it by getting his moments to shine after training and unlocking new reserves of power against the foes who gave him an exceedingly hard time early on.
5Son Gohan
Lost 15 Of His 41 Fights
Gohan is constantly hailed as a fighter with limitless potential who unlocks these reserves of power multiple times throughout the series. Watching him evolve to become an Ascended Super Saiyan after finallyletting himself go against Cellis a moment that fans can never get enough of.
However, Gohan also tends to ignore his training and focus on his academic pursuits instead, which can lead to frustrating moments where he powers down and is subsequently humiliated by opponents who punish him for not building up his strength when the world is at peace.
4Krillin
Lost 15 Of His 38 Fights
Krillin is the punching bag of the series everyone loves to make fun of, and it’s easy to see why this is the case. As an Earthling who failed to power up as much as his Saiyan companions, Krillin is mostly on the losing side of fights and fails to make an impression for the majority of the series.
He’s mainly used to show off the power of the enemies standing in his way, but not all his losses spell doom for the Z Warriors. As traumatic ashis death at Frieza’s handsmay have been for Goku, it allowed him to finally channel his boundless rage and unlock a transformation that handily defeated the tyrant in humiliating fashion once and for all.
3Piccolo
Lost 15 Of His 34 Fights
Piccolo was a villain inDragon Ballfor a while before Gohan’s tendernesshelped him understand the value of friendship. He has become a stalwart ally to the Z Warriors ever since and pulls his weight in most battles.
However, even if Piccolo powers up quite a bit over the course of the series, his losses slowly rack up as more powerful villains join the fray and display their boundless strength by defeating him in battle numerous times. The fact that people still consider him to be one of the strongest characters in the series shows just how justified Piccolo’s losses are, cementing him as one ofDragon Ball’s best characters.
2Vegeta
Lost 21 Of His 61 Fights
The Prince of all Saiyans debuted as a dastardly villain before slowly settling into life on Earth. He’s quite comfortablythe second strongest member of Universe 7, a fact that aggrieves him to no end.
No matter how hard he tries, he always fails to cross the finish line and is defeated by the ultimate villain, with Goku taking on the role of being Earth’s savior instead. Vegeta may have racked up a sizeable number of losses, but that’s mostly because he participates in a ton of battles throughout the series' run.
1Son Goku
Lost 28 Of His 133 Fights
Despite having one of the most impressive win-loss records in the series,Goku has participated in so many battlesacrossDragon Ballthat he’s racked up the highest number of losses in the series. This Saiyan pushes himself to improve time and time again, with each defeat motivating him to get stronger.
This is precisely why fans are always entertained when Goku fights against all odds to emerge victorious after being pushed against the ropes time and time again. He’s a lovable hero who never gives up, making him an easy hero to love inDragon Ball.
