Akira Toriyama has often resorted to a trope: that of making bad guys nice. The most telling example is that of Vegeta and it was one of the best decisions made by the mangaka. On the other hand, for certain characters it was more restrictive than beneficial.
#1 Ten Shin Han et Chaozu
If during the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai Goku and Krillin had no rivals, that changes during the 22nd tournament. Marking the rivalry between the Turtle School and the Crane School, this arc presented 2 extremely dangerous characters: Ten Shin Han and Chaozu. Perverted by their master Tsuru Senni, the duo did not hesitate to cheat or show cruelty. This changed at the end of the tournament, the two characters having understood their mistake, for the better, but especially for the worse.
Following the tournament, Ten Shin Han and Chaozu were gradually pushed aside. If at the end of Dragon Ball they had an important role, this changes in Dragon Ball Z. The arrival of the Saiyans put an end to their development, they becoming secondary or even tertiary characters for Chaozu. Certainly, Ten Shin Han shone during the Cell arc and was present during the Tournament of Power, however he would have deserved at least to have the same treatment as Krillin.
#2 C-17 and C-18
In Trunks’ future, C-17 and C-18 are androids as powerful as they are cruel. They notably exterminated part of the world’s population and killed Gohan from the future. These events depicted in the OAV Trunks’ Story marked a whole generation of fans who saw these androids as frightening beings. In the present, the 2 characters are very different, they being less powerful and more childish. On the other hand, they remained as unpredictable as ever even if they only served to make Cell the main antagonist of the arc. Naturally, at the end of the latter the two characters changed sides, in particular thanks to Krillin.
C-17 and C-18 became fairly generic heroes. During the end of Dragon Ball Zthere was only the woman present and she didn’t do much apart from offering us a few comedy scenes with Mr. Satan. The same goes for Dragon Ball Super even if the anime marked the return of C-17. The latter was the star of the Tournament of Power, however anyone could have accomplished what he did. The two androids were better as antagonists and are, even today, the most striking artificial humans in the work.
#3 Buu
Buu is undoubtedly the most dangerous villain in the original manga. Frightening both the gods and our heroes, the pink man was a real threat, no matter what form he took. His worst version was destroyed at the end of the manga, leaving his purest version alive. The latter could have been useful on many occasions, but it never happened.
Dragon Ball Super the Buu cake. While he was very powerful, he became a comical character doing nothing but sleeping or eating. He could have shined during the Champa the God of Destruction arc or during the Tournament of Power, but he was absent from both events. However, the character has potential, especially as an antagonist. Indeed, Buu can become evil again after an emotional shock, which would be interesting to exploit in the future. For the moment, we can console ourselves by seeing that ALWAYS uses the Majins wonderfully.
#4 Beerus
What was often lacking Dragon Ball was the danger. With Beerus, we had it on our side. When he arrived at the start of Dragon Ball Superour heroes had never encountered such a powerful being. Even today, he outclasses everyone, but he no longer brings the same danger as before.
The God of Destruction was supposed to be a time bomb that could destroy Earth at the slightest opportunity. In the end, he became like Buu, a character who either eats or sleeps. He has intervened before, like in the Black Goku arc, except that it only happens very rarely. He has become a mentor, a role that already suits Whis perfectly, even though he should have been a permanent danger to our heroes. Perhaps that will change with Black Frieza, with the villain more powerful than ever.
#5 Broly
The Broly of the film Dragon Ball Z was terrifyingly powerful and far from being the idiotic character you might think. That of Dragon Ball Superon the other hand, is more bestial and uncontrollable. In the movie Dragon Ball Super : Broly he literally walked Goku and Vegeta. The 2 heroes were only able to defeat him by merging, which shows the danger that the antagonist was. However, once again, Broly went over to the side of the good guys, which is a shame.
Given its power, Broly could have been an exceptional rival like Vegeta at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z. There, he is added to an already extensive list of Saiyan heroes. Remaining an antagonist would have been more interesting for him because he would have been able to stand out. He could have joined Universe 6 and trained with Kale and Caulifla, thus creating a group of Saiyans different from the one we already know. By training on Beerus’ planet he will certainly have the opportunity to shine, although not as much as if he had continued to be a villain.
Source: hitek.fr
