Dragon Ball The One is a worldwide popularity poll hosted by the official Dragon Ball website in order to determine the most popular character in the series. The poll officially opened on November 20 with over 200 characters to choose from, including some very obscure deep cuts like the Mermaid Goku brings Master Roshi in the World Tournament Saga, a literal Dolphin, and the blind boy Majin Buu healed. The poll has moved through three different stages so far, with each round eliminating a massive chunk of characters.

Super Saiyan 1 Gohan crying and about to turn Super Saiyan 2 in Dragon Ball FighterZ

Dragon Ball Releases 36-Year Old Art of DBZ’s Strongest Super Saiyan Transformation

In a new edition of the Toriyama Archives, the Dragon Ball site has dug up and shared Akira Toriyama's original artwork of Super Saiyan Gohan.

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By Renan Fontes

As Dragon Ball The One moves into its final round, only 21 out of 212 characters remain. Most of the top picks make perfect sense, but there are some notable snubs. Gotenks, Hercule, and every form of Majin Buu have all been eliminated in favor of some very surprising characters making it into the Top 20. The polls officially closed on December 24 and the final results are now being calculated. The Top 10, and #1 most popular Dragon Ball character of all time will be announced on the official Dragon Ball YouTube channel on January 24, 2026.

Frieza Gets Snubbed While Raditz, Launch, & Dr. Briefs' Cat Officially Make It To The Final Round

There are quite a few surprise characters who managed to crack their way into the Top 21. Slots 21 through 11 are as follows,

21. Android 17
20. Launch
19. Raditz
18. Videl
17. Goten
16. Bulma's Family Cat
15. Tien Shinhan
14. Krillin
13. Chichi
12. Bulma
11. Frieza

Dragon Ball Reveals Rare 36-Year Old Goku Artwork From Frieza Saga’s Final Battle

The Official Dragon Ball Site has revealed rare Frieza Saga Goku artwork from when Akira Toriyama was drawing the manga for Shonen Jump in 1990.

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By Renan Fontes

The fact that neither Frieza nor Krillin made it into the Top 10 is downright shocking. Frieza is regularly considered to be the most popular villain in the franchise – so much so that Dragon Ball Super brought him back three times in Resurrection F, the Tournament of Power, and Granolah arc respectively – but he was just barely beaten out by Yamcha and a different DBZ antagonist entirely. Raditz and Launch making it into the Top 20 is surprising, but undeserved given their roles at the start of Dragon Ball Z and the original Dragon Ball.

Bulma's Family Cat is the sole surviving meme pick in the poll, now that all the rest have been eliminated. After being eliminated in the previous stage, Android 17 was brought back as a "revival pick", securing his spot at # 21 and final voting stage. Time will tell if he'll sneak in a Tournament of Power-style win out of nowhere, but things aren't looking good considering how stacked the Top 10 is.

Future Trunks, Bardock, & Cell Just Barely Fail To Crack The Top 5

In a stunning upset, Future Trunks was pushed out of the Top 5 entirely. Slots 10 through 5 ended up being,

10. Yamcha
9. Android 18
8. Cell
7. Bardock
6. Future Trunks

Cell beating out Frieza is surprising, but does make a degree of sense. Cell MAX is not only the most recent villain in the animated side of Dragon Ball Super, the Cell Saga is a fan-favorite story arc, especially in English-speaking countries. Most 90s kids who grew up watching Dragon Ball Z on Toonami likely have more nostalgia for Cell than they do Frieza. Unfortunately, that nostalgia was not enough to help Future Trunks, who was pushed out of the Top 5 by a wildly popular fusion. Another Cell Saga mainstay, Android 18 is notably the only woman in the Top 10, but does make sense given she's the strongest female character in Dragon Ball Z.

Bardock's placement isn't surprising, either. Despite his minimal role in the original series, Bardock is the main character of one of the best DBZ movies (really, a TV Special) and received a lot of focus in both Dragon Ball Super: Broly and the Dragon Ball Super manga's Granolah arc. The biggest shock in the Top 10 is Yamcha placing at all, but it's important to remember that Yamcha was not only Goku's first rival, but the first character to actually defeat Goku. He may be meme fodder, but it's nice to see Dragon Ball fans putting some respect on Yamcha's name.

Goku & Vegeta Battle It Out For The Number 1 Most Popular Dragon Ball Character

The actual Top 5 is not at all surprising,

5. Vegito
4. Piccolo
3. Gohan
2. Vegeta
1. Goku

It's Time To Finally Welcome The New Dragon Ball Z Replacement

Dragon Ball Z is a fan favorite anime. This new anime could be a great replacement for it.

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By Rei Penber

Vegito is the single strongest character in Dragon Ball Z and the fusion of the series' two most popular Saiyans, so it makes sense he'd eke his way into the Top 5. Similarly, Piccolo is a wildly beloved character who was recently the main character of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero alongside Gohan, and holds the notable distinction of being Akira Toriyama's favorite character. When it comes down to it, the final battle for #1 will be between Goku and Vegeta. Goku has been topping the charts since the poll started, but with less options to choose from, Vegeta could very easily sneak in an upset and be crowned the most popular Dragon Ball character of all time.

Gohan was giving Vegeta some grief in the previous round, but he's since dropped down to the Bottom 3. It's really Goku's battle to lose at this point, but the last time Goku and Vegeta fought in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Vegeta actually won. Who knows, Vegeta could win again in the hearts of fans, too. Goku tends to be more popular internationally, whereas English-speaking fans tend to prefer Vegeta. One way or another, only one Super Saiyan is getting that crown on January 24. Sorry, Piccolo.

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Release Date: 1989 - 1996
Network: Fuji TV
Directors: Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Osamu Kasai
Writers: Akira Toriyama, Neil Bligh, Hiroshi Toda, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Aya Matsui, Keiji Terui, Reiko Yoshida, Toshiki Inoue
Franchise(s): Dragon Ball