The Dragon Ball franchise has been one of the longest-running animes in history and typically focuses on universe-shattering battles between the main heroes, Goku and Vegeta, and the latest big bad of the franchise. Having some of the strongest fighters on Earth certainly helps when villains such as Frieza or Majin Buu arrive on Earth, but fighting isn't everything.
There are dozens of characters from the Dragon Ball franchise that are wildly important to the team despite them never actually fighting anyone. The overarching team of Z-Fighters doesn't only include some incredibly strong fighters, but also some incredibly intelligent and resourceful individuals that have been key in their success over the years. The Dragon Ball world does an excellent job of showing its audience that strength is only a piece of the puzzle.
10 Goku's Loving Wife Chi-Chi
Every once in a while, Chi-Chi attempts to fight a foe she is wildly outclassed against, but for the most part, she serves as the driving force behind Goku's family. Without Chi-Chi there would be no structure in the lives of Goku, Gohan, or Goten. She oftentimes seems like an angry woman hell-bent on getting her way, but she has the best intentions at heart.
Goku can certainly be frustrating given his blasé attitude toward life, so it's no wonder Chi-Chi still reacts the way she does after 20 years of the same nonsense. If Chi-Chi hadn't settled Goku down he never would have sired Gohan, or Goten, which may have resulted in Cell destroying the Earth since Gohan wouldn't have been there to stop him.
9 Intergalactic Delivery Driver Monaca
Despite being an utter weakling, Monaca was instrumental in Goku and Vegeta gaining enough strength to win the Tournament of Destroyers. Lord Beerus told Goku and Vegeta that Monaca was the strongest fighter in the universe and was to only be used in the tournament if absolutely necessary.
This inspired Goku and Vegeta to train like they never had before to surpass this unassuming universal hero. However, unbeknownst to the Saiyan duo, Monaca was merely a galactic delivery driver that was terrified at the prospect of a fight. While the Tournament of Destroyers was one of the lesser battles for Earth, who's to say what Champa would have done with it when Earth entered his universe.
8 The Calm & Collected Dr. Brief
While Bulma is more recently to thank for the technological prowess of the Z-Fighters, Dr. Brief was helpful long before Bulma followed in her father's footsteps. He was the brain behind the Gravity Chamber which allowed both Vegeta and Goku to train in up to 300 times gravity.
He was also responsible for designing and building the spacecraft that traveled all the way to Namek and back, despite an impromptu pit stop at a wrong planet and Goku shooting off energy blasts inside while hurtling through space. Without Dr. Brief, there is a good chance that the Dragon Ball heroes would have been thwarted by Frieza and his minions on Namek.
7 Earth's Savior, Mr. Satan
Oftentimes, Hercule is seen as a comic relief type of character. He takes credit for all of the work that the Z-Fighters do and is usually never even involved in the battle. Mr. Satan knows he is outclassed by the Z-Fighters by a significant margin, but still acts like the tough guy to cater to his fanbase.
However, there have been moments where Mr. Satan's global influence has come into play with respect to the success of the actual heroes. Most notably he influenced the people of Earth to provide their energy to Goku so that he could complete his spirit bomb which was a last-ditch effort that finally defeated Kid Buu once and for all.
6 Goku's Childhood Friend Turned Vegeta's Baby Momma, Bulma
Despite starting out a promiscuous bratty teenager, Bulma has proven the worth of her big brain on many occasions. Her earliest feat of brilliance was her development and creation of the Dragon Radar. The handy little device was capable of detecting the faint energy signature of each Dragon Ball and point the user in the direction of each one.
Bulma also invented a functional time machine that allowed future Trunks to travel back in time and warn the past of future threats. Without this time machine, the Z-Fighters would never have learned about the Androids before it was too late. It also would not have allowed Goku and Vegeta to travel back to the future with Trunks to defeat Zamasu and Goku Black.
5 Good Ol' Mr. Popo
The reason Mr. Popo is so important is that he lives at The Lookout which happens to be the location of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. This chamber has come in handy on many occasions and has been instrumental in the success of the Z-Fighters over the years.
Mr. Popo has allowed a select few to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber on several occasions when the safety of Earth and its inhabitants hung in the balance. While Vegeta is one explosion away from being banned, the other Z-Fighters have used this room to achieve the likes of Super Saiyan and beyond.
4 Green Thumb Korin
Korin may very well be one of the most important characters in all of Dragon Ball as he is the sole proprietor of the coveted Senzu Bean. The Senzu Bean has been one of the most important objects in the history of Dragon Ball. A Senzu Bean is capable of healing anyone that eats one to perfect health, even if they were just on death's door.
The power of Senzu Beans is unmatched and without them, there would have been many instances where the Z-Fighters could have been overpowered by their opponent. Combine a Senzu Bean with a Zen Kai Boost and a Saiyan can instantaneously increase their own power level just after a brutal beating.
3 The Guardian of Earth, Kami/Dende
While these are two separate Namekians, they both served the same purpose for Earth at different times. Both Kami and Dende served as the Guardian of Earth. Their job is/was primarily the creation and protection of the Dragon Balls of Earth.
When Kami eventually re-fused with Piccolo in an effort to create a stronger fighter to combat the latest threat, Dende picked up the mantle of Guardian. Dende was powerful enough to expand upon the power of the Dragon Balls allowing the Z-Fighters to ask for more wishes at a time and allowing people to be resurrected repeatedly.
2 The All-Mighty Whis
Being an angel, Whis is incapable of actually participating in any fight in any capacity that would turn the tides of the battle. As an angel, his job is to train his universe's God of Destruction while maintaining neutrality in the affairs of mortals.
However, Whis is allowed to train any fighter he sees fit. This has allowed him to train Goku and Vegeta for many months in the far-away world of Lord Beerus. Without Whis' training, Goku and Vegeta would never have been able to achieve the Super Saiyan God form without the Saiyan energy transfer ritual, let alone reach the power level of Super Saiyan Blue and beyond.
1 The Eternal Dragon Shenron
Given that this massive beast is responsible for granting all of the wishes the Z-Fighters have made to date, Shenron is of the utmost importance to the Z-Fighters despite never having engaged in battle. While a couple of wishes have been silly over the years, Shenron has been instrumental in the success of the Z-Fighters.
Most importantly, Shenron has resurrected almost every single Z-Fighter one or more times. Bringing someone back from the dead is no easy task, and before Dende became the Guardian, Shenron was limited to one resurrection per person. Not only has Shenron brought back the Z-Fighters to protect the Earth by fighting another day, but he has also brought back the millions of innocent bystanders murdered in the wake of villains like Freiza, Cell, and Kid Buu.
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