Every Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Main Character Ranked
A ranking of the best main characters in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" will, of course, overlap significantly with a ranking of the best (and most powerful) characters in the "Dragon Ball" saga at large. But there are also several new characters in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" who are very much main characters in the film's story, and some of the most recognizable faces in "Dragon Ball" are somewhat relegated to the background.
Let's take a look at the cast of "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" and rank them based on a variety of factors (as opposed to strength alone). Some of these are characters that fans of "Dragon Ball" have loved since the story began, others are brand new in this movie. While the characters who have been around for decades certainly bring their history with them into this ranking, we're going to do our best to focus only on what happens in "Super Hero" in our considerations in this ranking. That means it doesn't matter what Goku and Vegeta have done throughout their careers as super powerful world-savers — all that matters is what happens in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero."
And to be fair, a lot happens, and there are a lot of characters. So let's dive into our ranking of every "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" main character.
A warning that this ranking discusses some plot points and includes spoilers for "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero."
Dr. Hedo
Dr. Hedo is the grandson of Dr. Gero, who sought revenge on Goku for the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army and created the androids to enact that revenge. But unlike his grandfather, Dr. Hedo has no interest in revenge, or in being a bad guy at all. In fact, Dr. Hedo is obsessed with superheroes and wants to be one himself. But when Magenta, the leader of the newly rebuilt Red Ribbon Army, offers Dr. Hedo huge sums of money and unending cookies to make androids for him to fight Goku and his friends, Dr. Hedo can't resist the opportunity.
Dr. Hedo lands last on this list because he doesn't seem to have any convictions. Sure, he says he wants to be one of the good guys and Magenta feeds him the story that Goku and his friends are invading aliens who want to take over the world, but at the end of the movie, he says that he realized Magenta was a bad guy pretty early on and stayed with him because he was funding Hedo's research.
Even bad guys are usually committed to something. Hedo is only interested in doing what can further his research, no matter the costs or the company he keeps to do so. It also doesn't help that he's simply an arrogant and frankly annoying young man who thinks he's smarter than everyone around him (to be fair, though, he may actually be smarter than everyone else).
Magenta
Magenta, the son of original Red Ribbon Army leader Commander Red, has reestablished the Red Ribbon Army and seeks to recruit Dr. Hedo to build androids like his grandfather Dr. Gero. Magenta wants Dr. Hedo to create an army that can defeat Goku and the other Saiyans living on Earth so that Magenta and his army can take over the world. It's pretty classic villain stuff, and it's not that Magenta is a bad villain. He just doesn't do much besides want to take over the world and have money, because he runs a huge pharmaceutical company that's a front for the Red Ribbon Army.
He doesn't fight his own battles. He doesn't even really seem that good at strategy, leaving most of that to his right hand man Carmine. Really, the main thing that Magenta brings to the table is ambition, which is certainly important for a villain who wants to take over the world. Unfortunately, it doesn't make for the most interesting or likable character.
The worst thing about Magenta, though, is that he messes with things he doesn't understand. He hires Dr. Hedo to build androids and rebuild Cell from his grandfather's blueprints. But when Hedo tells him that the newly created Cell Max requires a lot of time to come into its full power and capabilities, Magenta doesn't listen — he wants to unleash the new bio-android as soon as he's able to, leading to chaos.
Goku
While Goku and Vegeta aren't in that much of "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero," because the movie focuses mostly on Piccolo, they do pop up for a few scenes and during a post-credits moment on Beerus' planet. And while they're certainly not the two lead characters of the movie, they are the lead characters of the "Dragon Ball" franchise as a whole, which is why the movie makes some time for them at all.
Screen time aside, it may be strange that Goku, the beloved main character of "Dragon Ball" since the release of the first manga chapter back in the 1980s, lands so low on this ranking of the best characters in a "Dragon Ball" movie. But the truth is that Goku doesn't do much in the movie besides eat and spar with Broley and Vegeta, neither of which are at all bad or make him any less lovable — they just don't do much to push him above any of the other characters in the movie.
Vegeta
Like Goku, Vegeta spends the entirety of "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" away from the action, having retreated to Beerus' planet. But what lands Vegeta just above Goku is that Vegeta is doing something new in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero."
While Goku spars and works with Broly on keeping control of his rage while he's fighting, Vegeta meditates. Vegeta says that he's realized that Jiren, one of the strongest opponents our heroes faced during the events of the "Dragon Ball Super" TV series, was in part such a great fighter because he conserved his energy for when he needed it. Vegeta wants to be able to achieve that same level of calm so that he can attack unexpectedly, without allowing his opponents to read his energy and predict his next move.
But it's not just that Vegeta is working on expanding his abilities so that he can become a better fighter that lands him higher. It's also that Whis, one of the most powerful beings in all of "Dragon Ball," confirms that this is one of the best ways that a warrior can better their abilities and become an even greater fighter. The only reason Vegeta doesn't land higher on this list is because we don't get to see him put that new talent to the test.
Cell Max
Vegeta's ability to remain calm in battle would likely have been useful in the movie's final fight against Cell Max, who is released by Magenta before he's fully formed. The new and improved version of the powerful bio-android Cell, who was defeated by a teenage Gohan, doesn't have any of the same intellectual (or even verbal) skills that made his original so frightening. Instead, Cell Max is a huge berserker capable of nothing but fighting and destroying everything in sight, which, to be fair, he does very well.
Some fans have taken issue with Cell Max for the very reason he's not higher on this list: he's just not all that interesting. There's nothing about Cell Max that makes him a compelling character. He's just an extremely strong (and very big) fighter with extreme strength and one difficult to attack weakness.
And yet, he lands higher on the list than some other characters because the fight with Cell Max that makes up the climax of the movie is a joyous thrill ride. While Cell Max certainly could have been more interesting if he had the same cleverness as the original Cell, his current form makes for a brutal combatant and offers fans one of the best and biggest fights in all of "Dragon Ball."
Carmine
Carmine is Magenta's right hand man and driver. He does research, creates informational videos, and follows people who Magenta wants surveilled. He lands above his boss on this character ranking for a few reasons, but first among them is simply that he has more personality.
He's a classic mafia man, with great suits and great hair, ready to pull a gun and threaten or kill anyone who needs threatening or killing. But he's also interested in entertainment. The multiple videos and slideshows that he presents to Magenta are hosted among others on "The Carmine Channel," and his videos include credits for all of the different aspects of filmmaking, with every credit showing his name.
Carmine is also steadfastly loyal to Magenta, which is somewhat admirable, especially when things start to look bad for Magenta and the Red Ribbon Army. Less admirable, however, is his absolute ruthlessness and willingness to kill a child, as seen when he shoots at the three-year-old Pan. But Magenta's just as ruthless, and when it comes to villains a willingness to be really evil can't be held against them in a character ranking.
Bulma
Bulma is one of Goku's oldest friends and has been married to Vegeta for years, so when Piccolo learns of the Red Ribbon Army's plot, she's the first person he goes to in the hope that she can call on those heroes. But it's not Bulma's relationship with the two "Dragon Ball" leads that lands her higher up on this list than either of them — it's her importance (and her humor) in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero."
When she's unable to reach Vegeta and Goku to call them back to Earth from Beerus' planet to take on the newly created androids and Cell Max, Piccolo asks for her help locating the Dragon Balls. At the start of the franchise, Bulma was introduced as having invented a radar that can detect the Dragon Balls. So Piccolo goes to Bulma hoping that she will offer to help him with the use of her radar, but she informs him that she actually has all of the Dragon Balls collected and ready to go.
This saves Piccolo time and allows him to request that Shenron release his latent powers without taking a lengthy search for the Dragon Balls. In short, Bulma having all of the Dragon Balls ready is hugely important to the plot of "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero." But what places her even higher on this list is that we learn she regularly calls on Shenron for cosmetic surgeries that would otherwise be extremely expensive and dangerous.
Gamma 1
Both Gammas are great new additions to the long list of "Dragon Ball" antagonists. They're stronger than previous iterations of androids, as we see when they face off with Piccolo and Gohan, and they're both guided by a strict moral code because Dr. Hedo programmed them to be good guys (due to his obsession with superheroes). But what makes them even better characters is that despite their near identical appearance, they're actually very distinct characters.
Gamma 1 is much more reserved than Gamma 2. Gamma 1 doesn't have the same flair for the theatrical that Gamma 2 does, and seems more interested in simply completing his tasks than looking cool while he does them. But that doesn't make him a boring character. In fact, his more laconic personality makes him seem somewhat mysterious and just makes him more interesting.
He also clearly cares for his android sibling Gamma 2 and creator Dr. Hedo as we see towards the end of the movie, highlighting that even though he's not the most emotive guy, he still has strong feelings for those closest to him.
Gamma 2
Gamma 2 takes the top spot over his "brother" for a few reasons. While his interest in striking cool poses and somehow having sound effects appear in the air while he's fighting honestly make him a bit annoying compared to Gamma 1, he also offers "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" its first thrilling fight. He attacks and defeats Piccolo early in the movie, kicking off the rest of the plot for our green hero.
But what really makes Gamma 2 rank higher than Gamma 1 is the role that he plays in the final battle against Cell Max. During his second fight with Piccolo, Gamma 2 realizes that the Red Ribbon Army are in fact the villains, and that Piccolo and Gohan need his help to take down Cell Max. It's not just that he and Gamma 1 decide to help in the fight against Cell Max — it's that he's willing to put his life on the line by attempting to deliver the killing blow to the monstrous bio-android while the other fighters keep Cell Max distracted.
Gohan
It's been referenced before in "Dragon Ball" and it's mentioned again in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" that Gohan could be the most powerful fighter on Earth if he were to spend time developing his skills. But Gohan has prioritized his family and his work as a scholar for some time, so when Piccolo appears and asks for his help with the Red Ribbon Army, Gohan isn't interested. In fact, he even struggles to hold up the weights that Piccolo places on his shoulders.
But after a while he forgets the weights are even there, and when the Red Ribbon Army threatens his daughter Pan, Gohan springs into action. We've seen before in "Dragon Ball" that Gohan's greatest commitment is to his family, so it makes perfect sense that placing Pan in danger brings him out of the house and into the fight.
But it's not just being a loving father willing to do whatever he can to keep his daughter safe that lands Gohan so high up on this list. It's his key role in the final fight against the Gammas and then Cell Max, during which he evolves into an extremely powerful new form that may prove once and for all that Gohan really is the most powerful fighter on Earth.
Pan
While her dad and Piccolo are the major stars of the final battle, Pan is incredibly important to the story of "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero," and is easily one of the best characters in the movie even aside from her role in the plot. Early in the movie we see her training with Piccolo, who seems to go much easier on her than he did on her father when he trained Gohan all those years ago.
But it's not just that their pairing recreates some of the magic of Gohan's training with Piccolo, as Pan is a distinct character, and even younger than Gohan was when he trained with Piccolo. We see Pan attempt to fly and struggle with it while Piccolo coaches her on, and it's one of the movie's few (but very impactful) sweet moments.
What makes Pan land so high on this ranking of the best characters in "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" is how we see her and Piccolo's relationship play out when he pretends to be a member of the Red Ribbon Army and kidnaps her. He ensures that everything is ok, but asks that she play along as if she's scared so that she can make Gohan emotional and willing to fight. It's not the nicest trick to play on a parent, but Pan is so cute and committed to helping however she can that it makes the entire scheme (and her performance in it) one of the best parts of the movie.
Piccolo
While "Dragon Ball" has been an ensemble series for decades now, if anyone were to ask who the main character is, the answer would easily be Goku. But what makes "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" so special is that Piccolo is very much the main character of the movie. While it's not always true that the main character and the best character are the same, it's (pardon the overuse of the word) super true here.
Piccolo's relationship with Pan just reiterates how wonderful and caring a character he is, especially as the movie goes on and the two have to scheme together to bring out Gohan's latent power. And we get to see how great his relationships are (and how funny his dynamics are) with other "Dragon Ball" characters like Bulma, Videl, and Dende over the course of the movie as he attempts to address the threat of the Red Ribbon Army while also taking care of Pan.
And while both Piccolo and Gohan have transformed into new forms by the end of the movie, Piccolo's new form, combined with his classic abilities (including growing huge and stretching his limbs), makes him the MVP of the final battle with Cell Max. In fact, the battle between the giant Cell Max and giant Piccolo in his new form is the best part of the entire movie.