Throughout the Dragon Ball series, there have been a good number of non-canon movies, TV specials, and filler episodes to fill the void between canon material.
Though many of these have been considered “what if” scenarios, fans have still debated how viable the various fighters from these non-canon events would stack up against the established heroes from the main storyline.
Whether they’re heroes or villains, there are plenty of strong, viable fighters who could hopefully find a place in a new series.
Of course, since the rest of the cast is always evolving and getting stronger, many the potential transplants would need a serious upgrade in power, but the writers have gotten through more difficult problems than this.
Non-canon is anything that is not in the manga and non-filler anime – so that includes all of the movies and OVAs, as well as Dragon Ball GT and a few filler arcs. However, we’ve chosen not to include Bardock, who is unique in that he is the only character to ever go from non-canon to canon officially.
With that said, here are the 8 Non-Canon Dragon Ball Characters Who Need To Become Official (And 8 Who Should Stay Away).
16. Become Official: Pikkon
One of the most popular non-canon heroes is the warrior of the West Quadrant, Pikkon. As a fighter from Other World Saga, Pikkon first gained popularity when he made it to the finals of the King Kai Memorial Tournament with Goku.
In the final round, he and Goku fight to a draw but only on a technicality, as Pikkon was knocked out of the ring.
The two fighters gained a healthy respect for each other’s fighting ability and personalities as well.
He also appears in the Fusion Reborn movie, where he is able to buy Goku and Vegeta enough time to fuse and defeat the powerful Janemba.
Pikkon’s heroic personality, high fighting ability, and very sharp perception and planning make him an ideal choice to join the official Z team in the next series.
15. Stay Away: Broly
On one hand, there are a good number of fans who wouldn’t mind seeing Broly in canon, but on the other, he’s a character who has gone sharply downhill since his first appearance.
Debuting in arguably the most popular Z movie, Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly is nothing short of an icon in Dragon Ball despite being non-canon.
However, the two movies that he appeared in after are remembered less fondly, and Bio-Broly wasn’t a very compelling character.
The addition of Kale in Dragon Ball Super seems to fill the void of a Broly-esque character nicely and puts a fresh spin on an old favorite.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Broly and maybe it’s best for the character that we let the good memories linger rather than risk further sullying him.
14. Become Official: Bojack
The primary Aantagonist of Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound is one bad dude. Leading a team of like-minded fighters under Frieza, Bojack is very strong even in base form, taking down Vegeta Future Trunks, and Piccolo.
When transformed, he’s stronger than Cell was at his peak. He shows little personality other than an extreme bloodlust and a singular drive to conquer the universe.
He takes the bad guy role up a notch further when he destroys his own teammate at the first sign of weakness.
Bojack would make an excellent addition to the villain roster in the next canonical series – he’s strong, driven, and evil to the bone.
He is consistently ranked near the top of fan-favorite movie villains, and even if he breaks away from Frieza, he would make a very formidable opponent on his own.
13. Stay Away: Janemba
Fusion Reborn is without a doubt the wackiest Dragon Ball movie. Featuring the destructive villain Janemba, whose reality-warping powers are like nothing seen before or since, Fusion Reborn is a peek into a world very different than what fans are used to.
Janemba is no doubt strong enough to make the cut of canon villains, as he able to over power SS3 Goku, forcing him and Vegeta to fuse into Gogeta to defeat the monster.
Appropriately, the strangest villain has the strangest weakness – he is hurt by insults, and not emotionally, but physically.
Insults will crack different parts of him but he does have incredible regeneration powers to help offset this.
Janemba and his powers are just a little too weird to be featured regularly in Dragon Ball. One dose of mind bending hallucinations is quite enough for the series going forward.
12. Become Official: Android 13
Android 13 can be a viable villain in a new canon series for the simple fact that he is exactly like a Terminator. Created for the single purpose of destroying Goku, 13 is nothing to scoff at.
In base for, he can shatter the Earth in half.
When powered up after absorption, he is strong enough to fend of attacks from SS Goku, Trunks, and Vegeta with no difficulty – even Trunks’ sword shatters to piece upon hitting him.
It takes a modified version of Goku’s Spirit Bomb to finally take him out, but he put up a memorable fight against incredible odds.
An arc of a resurrected 13 tracking down Goku when he is alone could prove to be a nice addition to the canon. Plus, Androids are no longer saturating the story, so he would be a fresh addition.
11. Stay Away: Turles
As the main antagonist of the lackluster Tree of Might movie, Turles is the very definition of a derivative character. He looks almost exactly like Goku, displays a bare bones evil personality without any kind of panache, and otherwise doesn’t add anything new to the series as a villain.
He’s a deserter of the Saiyan Army, forming his own band of fighters who one day plans to overthrow Frieza and take over himself. Fans know this is a laughable concept because Frieza can squash the likes of Turles like a bug, so even his ambitions are useless.
During Dragon Ball Super, we got a solid arc featuring Goku Black, who is a much more of interesting and intense character than Turles could ever be.
With the Goku look-alike quota filled, there’s no good reason to ever see Turles again.
10. Become Official: Garlic Jr.
As the villain of the first Dragon Ball Z movie, The Dead Zone, Garlic is one of the few old baddies who could possibly have some room in a new series.
As a member of the evil race of Makyans, he carries a lifelong grudge and the mean streak that gives him the motivation to be as evil as possible. He also possesses one of the more unique powers seen in Dragon Ball– he’s able to open a portal to the pocket dimension called the Dead Zone.
He can also trap whoever gets stuck inside it forever. Oh, and he’s also immortal. As one of the few characters who has been granted immortality, Garlic can bring an interesting dynamic to the canon.
Even though he isn’t much of a physical threat, the combination of Dead Zone power and immortality can make for an interesting arc if he teams with a stronger villain.
9. Stay Away: Cooler
This is not an indictment against Cooler as a character. The majority of fans like him a lot, and rightfully so, but his presence in the canon today is more of a bad timing issue than anything else.
Frieza’s big brother is a lot like him but without any of the negative traits, like being an egomaniac and underestimating opponents, which makes him potentially more dangerous.
However, Frieza is currently in an interesting place in the canon, having just proven to be a loyal member of the Z team in the Tournament of Power.
When the next series starts, he will have the potential for real change more than any other character.
We already have two great movies with Cooler, so he doesn’t need to be redeemed in any way.
Frieza would be better suited taking on a new challenge if he is to become a hero.
8. Become Official: Tapion
Another popular non-canon hero, Tapion, is a very likable character and one of the most noble good guys in the series. He and his brother were once faced with an extremely powerful villain named Hirudegarn who could destroy their planet.
The brothers offer to become vessels for Hirudegarn’s spirit, separating the monster in half with each brother housing one.
Tapion is sent to Earth, but must combat Hirudegarn once again in Wrath of the Dragon. He again is able to contain the monster and asks to be sacrificed when doing so.
In addition to his selfless character, Tapion is a very solid fighter.
He is a knight from his planet who uses a sword and is strong enough to contain Hirudegarn multiple times. If the Z team is looking for an ally with all the traits of a hero, then they can’t do much better than Tapion.
7. Stay Away: Tarble
Tarble is the estranged youngest son of King Vegeta and younger brother of Vegeta himself, and is probably the most unimpressive Saiyan we’ve seen.
Tarble lacks the fighting prowess and personality typical of his people. While it’s probably a good thing to not be a toxic Saiyan like Vegeta used to be, there’s a lot of space between that and being a milquetoast.
He was banished by his father for being too weak to fight, and can’t hold his own against Abo and Cado, two villains who are weak by the standard of their time.
Android 18, for some reason, says that he has powerful ki, but he never does much to show it.
The new Super series had a new young Saiyan from universe 6 named Cabba, who can fill the role of a young Saiyan much better.
6. Become Official: Omega Shenron
As the final villain of the maligned Dragon Ball GT, Omega Shenron is the final form of Syn Shenron after swallowing 7 dragon balls. Like all of the other shadow dragons, Omega is born out of pure negative energy that had built up inside the dragon balls after so many wishes throughout the series.
Omega is the worst of the lot, and is extremely powerful, which is befitting a final villain – only SS4 Gogeta has a chance to stop him.
The idea of what Omega is can be reworked and improved. Even though GT wasn’t the best series overall, the concept of the overuse of the dragon balls manifesting a serious threat to the heroes is a good one.
If Toriyama wants some sort of meta ending to the series, Omega is a perfect fit.
5. Stay Away: Baby
Baby is the first big villain of GT and the last of a race called Tuffles, who the Saiyans wiped out years back. Baby is unlikable as a villain, and not in the way that villains are supposed to be.
Besides having an annoying, immature personality, Baby and Dr. Myuu feel like a rehash of the Dr. Gero and Cell relationship. Myuu is practically a copy and paste of Gero with different colors.
The fights in the arc are not memorable and drag along past their welcome. Baby is a character who had potential on paper but suffered from bad execution.
The idea of the last Truffle coming back for revenge is a good one, but having him be a whiny… baby, and more or less copying Cell, was a poor choices that ruined what could have been a great character.
4. Become Official: Hirudegarn
As stated earlier, Hirudegarn is a supervillain of Wrath of the Gods and is one of the more unique movie villains. He is originally a statue of a demon god, and ancient being who was sealed away by Tapion’s family’s ancestors and turned to stone.
He is freed by the Kashvar, a race of powerful sorcerers, who used the demon god to rampage across planet Kontas. Hirudegarn is very powerful at his peak.
It takes Goku everything he has to defeat him with the Dragon Fist.
If Hirudegarn were to return, it wouldn’t be hard to fit him into the canon storyline if he were to be used by another powerful character.
He’s essentially a huge kaiju with little personality, but the fact that he’s an ancient demon god takes the edge off of him being too generic.
He could use some improvement, but can work in a new series if done right.
3. Stay Away: Dr. Wheelo
Wheelo is the main antagonist of the second Z movie, The World’s Strongest. He’s an evil genius scientist who wanted to take over the world with an army of androids.
Fortunately, both he nd his lab were encased in ice. However, his loyal assistant Dr. Konchin managed to save his brain.
With the brain as his only remaining part, Wheelo is encased in a scorpion-like suit with a glass front, a pretty glaring design flaw.
Wheelo is just a forgettable villain in a forgettable movie. There are other, more interesting scientists in the series and Wheelo would bring nothing new or exciting if he were to be canon.
The heroes have long ago surpassed his power and there really wouldn’t be a viable way to bring him back besides a dragon ball wish, and the only person who might do that– Konchin– is deceased.
2. Become Official: Gogeta
Gogeta is the fusion dance equivalent of the canon character Vegito – a super strong merging of Dragon Ball’s two main heroes.
The two fusions are around the same power level, but the topic of who is stronger is still debated today. Regardless, it’s the type of fusion that would make the difference in canon.
Yes, the potara fusion is supposed to be the most seamless and is certainly easier to do, but the fusion dance to become Gogeta doesn’t require the earrings.
If they ever needed to again, Goku and Vegeta could fuse just about anytime they wanted as long as they do the motions correctly.
The fusion of the two of them in their new forms from Super would be devastating and maybe the strongest character we’ve seen yet.
Of course, it would only be used in the most dire of circumstances.
1. Stay Away: Lord Slug
Is there a lamer villain in the non-canon than Lord Slug? As an evil Namekian, he wants to be young and immortal through a Dragon Ball wish, and wants to take over and rule the world.
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s basically a rehash of the King Piccolo storyline way back in the original Dragon Ball series.
Slug is a Super Namekian, which means he’s strong but that’s only relative to the rest of his race. Namekians are not top tier fighters and will never be able to outclass a Saiyan.
Lord Slug is a boring villain who, like a few others in the movies, feels derivative of older, better stories from the series. There’s no place for him in the canon at this point – he’s forgettable and too weak to have even a remote chance of being a threat.
What do you think? Are there any other non-canon Dragon Ball characters who should be added or ignored? Sound off in the comments!
