Dragon Ball: 23 Most Iconic Female Characters (2024)

Dragon Ball is an anime that needs no introduction. The exploits of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and the other Z Warriors as they fought against universe-ending threats time and time again made for a great watch. The combination of great fights and awe-inspiring transformations turned Dragon Ball into one of the biggest pop culture sensations that fans still quote and remember to this day, with Dragon Ball Super further strengthening the legacy of this amazing series.

There are many memorable characters in Dragon Ball that fans love, with the series' female characters also getting their fair share of representation in the series. Some of the most iconic female Dragon Ball characters are ones that every fan adores for a bevy of reasons. While it's true that female representation in Dragon Ball has been pretty lacking (a problem that plagues most mainstream anime), there's no denying that Super has been a step in the right direction.

Updated May 25, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Akira Toriyama is one of the greatest mangakas, and it's a shame that this genius was taken before his time. His work on Dragon Ball shaped an entire generation of fans who loved the story of Goku as he became the protector of Earth and one of the strongest Saiyans to ever exist. Along the way, he met several people who either helped him grow by aiding him or fighting against him.

There are many characters in Dragon Ball aside from Goku who serve as the beating heart of the series, with many female characters becoming pretty iconic in their own right. While it's true that Dragon Ball is a pretty male-dominated show, there are many well-written women in the series who have elevated the quality of the series in their own way, especially when it comes to the recent additions to this series.

1 Android 18

A Villain Who Eventually Joins The Z Warriors As Krillin's Wife

• First Appearance: Episode 133: Nightmare Comes True (Dragon Ball Z)
• Affiliation: Red Ribbon Army (formerly), Z Warriors

Android 18 initially appeared as a dastardly antagonist that was set on destroying the entire world. However, Krillin's affection for her led to the android turning a new leaf and settling down with this Z Fighter instead.

She's been in the background for most of the series but can still hold her own in battle when the situation calls for it. That being said, her responsibilities as a mother have reduced her fighting role in the series even more.

2 Bulma

A Major Character Who's Been With Goku Since The Very Start Of Dragon Ball

• First Appearance: Episode 1: The Secret of the Dragon Balls (Dragon Ball)
• Affiliation: Capsule Corp, Z Warriors

Bulma is one of the most iconic characters in Dragon Ball. It's her fateful meeting with Goku that kickstarts the events of the series and places Goku in the middle of so many predicaments and fights.

Bulma is a genius who has built many helpful contraptions for the Z Warriors throughout the series. While she might be a bit too self-absorbed for her own good, fans of the series still love her to death for injecting some much-needed energy into the events of Dragon Ball.

3 Gine

Goku's Mother

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Super: Broly
• Affiliation: The Saiyans On Planet Vegeta

While it was confirmed a long time ago that Bardock was Goku's father, the information surrounding his mother was pretty barebones. It wasn't until the release of Dragon Ball Minus that fans finally got their first look at Gine, a Saiyan who is Goku's mother and a pretty compassionate one to boot. Perhaps this is where Goku got his kindness from.

The way these two characters bid farewell to their son at the start of Dragon Ball Super: Broly moments before Frieza wipes out their entire planet is an emotional moment that adds more weight to the events of the story. While Broly's character is undoubtedly the highlight of this movie, this shouldn't take away from the impact that Gine had in her brief yet eye-opening screen time.

4 Hop

A Member Of Universe 9's Team In The Tournament Of Power

• First Appearance: Episode 96: The Time Has Come! To the Null Realm with the Universes on the Line! (Dragon Ball Super)
• Affiliation: None

There are many powerful warriors introduced during the Tournament of Power, hailing from different universes who try their hardest to save their worlds from being erased. One of the characters from Universe 9 who gets into a protracted confrontation with Vegeta is Hop, a humanoid character with cat-like features who uses her claws to damage enemies.

Despite making rather brief appearances, Hop is still a decent character who keeps things interesting for the most part during the Tournament of Power. She may not be the focal point of this tournament but still gets a few good hits in before her Universe is eventually erased from existence by Zeno.

5 Fasha

One Of The Members Of Bardock's Crew

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Episode of Bardock
• Affiliation: The Saiyans On Planet Vegeta

Fasha is one of the few female Saiyans that fans get to see during Dragon Ball Z's run in Episode of Bardock. She's one of Bardock's soldiers who aids in furthering Frieza's plans of conquest, showing immense power as she makes quick work of any warrior who makes the mistake of crossing her. However, despite being a loyal soldier, Frieza's fear of the Saiyans leads to him giving an order to Dodoria and his goons to take out the members of Team Bardock before they pose too much of a problem.

This leads to her meeting a premature end at the hands of these villains, with Bardock being shaken up by her demise. He goes back to Planet Vegeta in a bid to make the Saiyans rebel against Frieza but is unable to convince his friends of this impending betrayal and decides to take matters into his own hands.

6 Arale Norimaki

The Protagonist Of Toriyama's Dr. Slump, The Series That Preceded Dragon Ball

• First Appearance: Episode 1: Arale-chan's Birth (Dr. Slump Arale-chan)
• Affiliation: None

Dr. Slump is a manga series that Toriyama penned before Dragon Ball became a thing. This series became a modest success, and shades of his shonen masterpiece could be seen here, with the protagonist of this title being an Android.

Eventually, Arale was added to the Dragon Ball universe as a side character. Her prevalence in the show's main arcs is non-existent, but long-time fans of Toriyama's works appreciated this nod to a simpler and more modest time in the mangaka's life.

7 Maron

A Non-Canon Character Who Became Quite Iconic In Her Own Right

• First Appearance: Episode 108: The Heavens Tremble (Dragon Ball Z)
• Affiliation: None

Dragon Ball is one of the few shows where the filler is just as iconic as the main narrative, proving just how strong the cultural influence of this series has been. One of the more memorable characters is Maron, despite being non-canon in every way.

She appears as Krillin's girlfriend in a few filler episodes where he moves heaven and earth to please her. Unfortunately, things don't work out in the long run, but Krillin won't miss her anymore now that he has the wife of his dreams in his life.

8 Android 21

Based On Vomi, Dr. Gero's Wife

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball FighterZ
• Affiliation: Red Ribbon Army

Many unique characters in Dragon Ball have been introduced in other media than just the anime itself, with Android 21 being a great example of the same. This character is based on Vomi, the wife of Dr. Hedo. While her face is shown in the Super Hero movie, the Android variant makes her first appearance in Dragon Ball FighterZ, making an instant impression with her striking character design and impressive power.

Her impact in the game was so immense that many fans of her character wanted to see her become canon in the anime, but it seems that fans have to remain content with the cameo she had in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Hopefully, Android 21 will become an important character later on in the series... although this is nothing more than a pipe dream at this point.

9 Bonyu

A New Member Of The Ginyu Force Made By Toriyama Himself

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
• Affiliation: Ginyu Force

Toriyama has designed many great characters for the Dragon Ball franchise, and not all of them necessarily need to appear in the anime itself. A great example of this is Bonyu, a hidden sixth member of the Ginyu Force that players can battle against in the Bulma's combat training simulations. Since stronger variants of this character exist as players increase their levels, it's pretty hilarious that Bonyu has the potential to be the strongest foe that players can fight in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

Bonyu's character design is nothing to write home about, but a lot of people talked about this character when Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was launched. Adding her to the canon can be a pretty challenging move, but fans don't mind her appearance being restricted to just the games themselves. Before the advent of the DLC, battling this member of the Ginyu Force time and time again was the best way to grind levels and farm items in the game.

10 Kefla

The Fusion Of Caulifla And Kale

• First Appearance: Episode 114: Bloodcurdling! The Explosive Birth of a New Super Warrior! (Dragon Ball Super)
• Affiliation: Universe 6

The fusion of Caulifla and Kale made for one of the most powerful Saiyan fighters in Dragon Ball history. It was clear that both these Saiyans were supremely talented, and their fused form ended up unlocking a vast reserve of power that overpowered Goku. Granted, the protagonist was exhausted after the battles he'd gone through early on, but this was still a major achievement for Kefla.

However, things completely changed when Goku managed to tap into the power of an imperfect Ultra Instinct form, something he'd unleashed against Jiren before. Knowing that he couldn't maintain this form for long, Goku decided to close the distance between him and Kefla dramatically before unleashing a Kamehameha at point-blank range to take out the fused fighter once and for all.

11 Bulla

The Child Of Bulma And Vegeta

• First Appearance: Episode 289: Granddaughter Pan (Dragon Ball Z)
• Affiliation: Z Warriors

Bulla is the second child of Bulma and Vegeta, although she's nothing more than an infant in Dragon Ball Super. She's way more grown up in Dragon Ball GT, and it's clear that she's taken after her mother in many ways.

Whether Bulla will have this same personality in Dragon Ball Super is anybody's guess. As things stand, she's a pretty loud yet lovable child who has yet to grow into a character that plays a major role in the story.

12 Fortuneteller Baba

A Side Character Whose Relevance Waned With The Advent Of Dragon Ball Z

• First Appearance: Episode 61: Korin Tower (Dragon Ball)
• Affiliation: Z Warriors (indirectly)

Fortuneteller Baba is a character that many people tend to forget, and understandably so. She was introduced all the way back in Dragon Ball, and Toriyama pretty much shelved her as a minor side character ever since.

That being said, Baba has still made sporadic appearances across the entirety of Dragon Ball ever since. Her character design is pretty notable, leading to many people remembering this character's look despite her only appearing a few times.

13 Heles

Universe 2's God Of Destruction

• First Appearance: Episode 78: Even the Universes' Gods are Appalled?! The Lose-and-Perish Tournament of Power (Dragon Ball Super)
• Affiliation: Universe 2, Gods of Destruction

The Gods of Destruction revealed their imposing presence during the Tournament of Power, cementing themselves as some of the strongest characters in the show. One such character whose design is inspired by Egyptian mythology is Heles.

Not a lot of her power was seen during the show... but fans don't really need a display of the same. Given that she's on par with characters like Beerus, it's easy to see that very few characters will be able to deal with the might of Universe 2's God of Destruction.

14 Cheelai

A Member Of The Frieza Force Who Develops A Connection With Broly

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Super: Broly
• Affiliation: Frieza Force (formerly)

Dragon Ball Super: Broly introduced several new characters aside from the titular Legendary Saiyan. One such character is Cheelai, who was initially part of the Frieza Force before developing a solid friendship with Broly that helped this Saiyan remain grounded despite being assaulted by his berserk nature.

Cheelai also had a pretty funny role in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, where it's revealed that Beerus developed a thing for this character. Fans can't wait to see if this relationship gains more ground when more Dragon Ball Super media is developed and released.

15 Bikini

Bulma's Mother And Mr. Brief's Husband

• First Appearance: Episode 44: Master Thief, Hasky (Dragon Ball)
• Affiliation: Capsule Corp

Many people know Bulma, but a lot of people don't know her mother's name. In line with the pattern surrounding the names of the Brief family, this character is hilariously named Bikini Brief.

Perhaps it's the sheer ludicrousness of this name that leads to the showrunners only referring to her as Bulma's mother or Mr. Brief's husband. Regardless, this character's face is instantly recognizable for fans of Dragon Ball, which is another example of Toriyama's strong character design.

16 Launch

A Unique Side Character With Split Personalities Who Disappeared By The Time Dragon Ball Z Rolled Out

• First Appearance: Episode 15: Look Out for Launch (Dragon Ball)
• Affiliation: Turtle School

Launch was a pretty interesting character whose presence faded out with the appearance of Dragon Ball Z. She is a character with two personalities — a calm side with blue hair and a violent side that sports blonde hair.

It's a shame that not many people know about this interesting character, who only appears in brief moments during Dragon Ball Z. Games like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot do a better job of showing this character and her two unique personalities.

17 Pan

Gohan's Daughter & Goku's Granddaughter Who Plays A Major Role In Dragon Ball GT

• First Appearance: Episode 289: Granddaughter Pan (Dragon Ball Z)
• Affiliation: Z Warriors

Goku's granddaughter plays a central role in Dragon Ball GT when she helps the shrunken kid version of her grandfather try and recover the Dragon Balls throughout the series. She's a great character that fans grew to love throughout the series.

Of course, Dragon Ball Z features Pan in a more muted presence. She still has a decent role to play in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, indicating that more things are to come for this budding Saiyan.

18 Chi-Chi

Goku's Wife Who Used To Be A Martial Arts Whiz, With A Sizeable Inheritance To Her Name

• First Appearance: Episode 7: The Ox King on Fire Mountain (Dragon Ball)
• Affiliation: Z Warriors

Goku's wife is one of the most interesting characters in the entire series. The daughter of the Ox-King has a boisterous personality and doesn't take any insult lying down.

There's a reason why the Earth's mightiest warriors are scared of her imposing presence. Chi-Chi is a strict mother who has her heart in the right place, with her outbursts being fairly entertaining in their own right.

19 Caulifla

A Universe 6 Saiyan With Limitless Potential

• First Appearance: Episode 88: Gohan and Piccolo Master and Pupil Clash in Max Training! (Dragon Ball Super)
• Affiliation: Universe 6

The introduction of sister Universes in Dragon Ball Super opened the way for new Saiyans to take over the scene, with Caulifla and Kale appearing as two of the few female Saiyan warriors that have been featured in the series. The former is boisterous and outspoken, while the latter is fairly reserved in comparison.

Caulifla's Super Saiyan form is pretty powerful and lets her stand toe-to-toe with the godlike forms boasted by Goku and Vegeta. This forces her to fuse with Kale in a bid to stand a fighting chance against these fighters.

20 Kale

A Meek, Shy Saiyan Who Can Access The Legendary Super Saiyan Form

• First Appearance: Episode 89: A Mysterious Beauty Appears! The Enigma of the Tien Shin-Style Dojo? (Dragon Ball Super)
• Affiliation: Universe 6

Kale might seem rather shy and reserved at first glance, but that does a great job of hiding her true powers. Just like Broly, she has the power to turn into a legendary Super Saiyan who goes berserk at times.

Her power is truly frightening, and her introduction served as a great way to reintroduce Broly into the fold once again. She's a pretty interesting character, with her power increasing exponentially after fusing with Caulifla to form Kefla.