Having been around for over 30 years now, the Dragon Ball series has become a global phenomenon with fans all around the globe. The series has introduced us to a number of powerful fighters. With the stakes being raised higher and higher with each passing arc, the only real guarantees are that you’re bound to see some sort of new transformation at one point and that Goku will find a way to save the day. As Akira Toriyama constantly raises the bar, many characters are pretty much left in the dust. One of the most well known examples of this is Krillin.
Krillin has steadily gone from a character that can hold his own to something of a bit player in the series. While he is thought of as one of the weaker heroes, that doesn’t necessarily reflect on his abilities as a fighter. Krillin has managed to get stronger as the series has progressed and while that progress is overshadowed by some of the stronger characters in the series, he can still hold his own against a good number of characters on the roster.
So without further ado, here are 15 Dragon Ball Z characters who are even weaker than Krillin.
15 Chiaotzu
It’s funny to think just how much Chiaotzu has regressed throughout the entirety of the Dragon Ball series when you consider what his role was upon first being introduced to fans back in 1987. Initially a strong adversary alongside Tien, Chiaotszu quickly got overshadowed as more and more fighters were added to the franchises ever-growing roster. If you think back to his and Krillin’s first fight, you can see just how far the latter has come over the years, while Chioatszu has settled into more of a laidback role, not really being able to contribute to the fighting anymore. The only reason we do see him every so often is due to his close friendship with Tien.
14 Saibamen
At one point in time the Saibamen actually proved to be problems for some of earth’s strongest fighters. Of course, most of those same fighters have powered up significantly since that battle, but it kind of seems a little crazy to think that a handful earth’s mightiest warriors were no match for a species the Saiyans pretty much used as training dummies. Looking back on it, the Saiyan Saga is where Dragon Ball began to expand, and the bar started to perpetually move itself higher and higher. These little green freaks rendered characters that for years had been important to the main plot – mainly due to their martial arts abilities – irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.
13 Yajirobe
A character that often goes unlooked, and is there almost entirely for comedic value is Yajirobe. Another character introduced in the original Dragon Ball series, Yajirobe has played a small role throughout his existence in the franchise. Though he is initially seen to be something of a capable warrior, his abilities aren’t exactly up to part with many of the other characters in the series. Though he isn’t really much to look at in battle, Yajirobe still manages to help his comrades in other ways, sometimes providing transportation and often delivering Senzu Beans from Korin’s Tower. He may not be much of a fighter compared to everyone else, but he still does find ways to be pretty helpful from time to time.
12 Dr. Gero
Initially penned to be the main antagonist of the Android Saga, Dr. Gero was quickly replaced by Androids No. 17 and 18. Gero wasn’t all that frightening of a foe, though he did (like many others) manage to take out Yamcha pretty swiftly. While he was stronger than Krillin at the time of his introduction, we can safely assume that Krillin is – at this point – more than a match for this crazed scientist. But we already know that Gero is more of a thinker than an actual fighter. After Android No. 19 gets destroyed, he has little choice but to flee given how outmatched he is. His temporary status as the Android Saga’s main villain might’ve made him seem strong, but he really isn’t much of a fighter.
11 Abo & Kado
Two characters in one entry? Sure, why not. These two are technically equal in terms of strength, and come as a package deal regardless, so why not save space and have them appear together. Remnants of Freiza’s Galactic Army, Abo & Kado aren’t really all that strong compared to most of the Z Fighters. Though they are said to have become as strong as Freiza at this point, they aren’t really all that much of a threat until they fuse into Aka – something of an ultimate form of theirs. While this fusion is significantly more powerful, the brothers on their own don’t really boast any special power. At least not compared to anything we’ve seen before.
10 Raditz
Some fans have been wondering why this character was discarded like he was. Though it was brief, Raditz played a pretty crucial role in Dragon Ball’s transitional phase and the introduction of several key new plot devices; namely Goku’s Saiyan heritage, the introduction of Vegeta and the presence of an even greater power in the universe. While he’s considerably weaker than most of the Saiyan’s we’ve seen, his being Goku’s own brother would make you think that his character would be revisited at one point, but sadly this hasn’t happened and probably never will. Seeing as he’s more or less on par with the Saibamen in terms of strength there really isn’t much of a case to be made for including him in the story now anyway.
9 Spopovich
Had it not been for Babidi’s mind control, this character wouldn’t have even been worth mentioning on this list, as he pretty much fell in with many other normal martial artists seen throughout the series. Heck, this is a guy that Mr. Satan himself handled with ease, so yeah; he wasn’t a very strong customer. He got a bit of a power boost during the Buu Saga, but was still nothing more than a crony. He was, however, strong enough to easily take out Videl – but that’s not saying all that much either. Point is, had they chosen to, any of the Z Fighters could’ve taken this guy out in a matter of seconds.
8 Master Roshi
The father of the Kamehameha wave, as well as both Goku and Krillin’s martial arts mentor, Master Roshi was one of the greatest martial artists of his time, but age and the rapid development of his students eventually made him something of a background character for years. Roshi was often used as a comic relief character but there are more than enough examples of his skill and strength as a fighter in the series. Though still outshined by his students in his late age, Roshi has played an important role in the Universe Survival Saga. He’s not as strong as a lot of the fighter’s we’ve seen, but you have to appreciate how he’s still in there contributing after so many years.
7 Videl
When we were first introduced to Videl she was something of a headstrong, mischievous character. But she really grew on a lot of us and is a perfect complement to Gohan. While she’s one of the better supporting characters, Videl isn’t much of a fighter. Now, due to her training with Gohan and her dedication to martial arts early on in her life, she’s still pretty tough going by average earthling standards – but when you glance over the roster of fighters Dragon Ball has to offer there are plenty who can handle her just fine. We all love the character, but she just isn’t a relevant fighter in the series.
6 Guldo
You can think of Guldo as the alien version of Ciaotzu. He’s short, weak compared to his peers and at one point was on par with Krillin’s strength. Plus, they both use psychic powers in battle. The weakest member of the Ginyu Force, Guldo gave both Krillin and Gohan a hard time not because of his strength, but because of his strange psychic abilities. Though he was easily defeated by Vegeta – showing just how weak he really was. Guldo might’ve seemed strong but he relied more on tricks than actual ability, making him one of the weaker aliens introduced in the series.
5 Yamcha
Yamcha gets a lot of flak from the fan base and is often the butt of many jokes. The truth is, like many others introduced early on in the series, Yamcha’s role has decreased significantly and with every new character introduced, his relevancy has dropped more and more. Aside from suffering some of the most embarrassing deaths in the series, Yamcha is still used for comic relief at times, making it hard to take him all that seriously. He’s still one of the strongest earthlings alive, but at this point in the series that isn’t saying all that much. But hey, at least he still gets some screen time every so often.
4 Captain Ginyu
Captain Ginyu was one of the strongest fighters in Freiza’s army and upon arriving on Namek, proved to be more than a match for the likes of Krillin, Gohan and even Vegeta. Ginyu wasn’t just notable for his raw strength though, as his unique body swapping ability also proved to be a tough obstacle for his enemies to overcome. Beating someone is one thing, but beating someone who can swap bodies really makes things difficult – especially if you’re on the receiving end. We all know what ultimately happened to Ginyu in the series, and his brief return in Return of F wasn’t anything more than a brief callback that really served no purpose. It’s safe to say that he remains one of the weaker villain’s of the past.
3 Veku
You’d think that Goku and Vegeta fusing together would be a force to be reckoned with, and in most cases you’d be absolutely right about that. However, when it comes to the Fusion Dance, there’s always room for error. Veku is the product of a failed fusion that is embarrassingly weak. We’re talking comedic levels of terrible with this one. His strength, ki and speed are all terrible and you’d have to imagine that a good deal of lesser characters on the roster could take him out if the opportunity ever arose. While Goku and Vegeta’s fusions have given us some of the strongest fighter’s in the series, this one is definitely one that doesn’t fit the bill – at all.
2 Tien
There’s a bit of debate to be had with this one, and it’s one that will likely continue for years to come. With Yamcha being Yamcha, it’s tough to assess who the strongest pure earthling is between Krillin and Tien. At the time of his introduction Tien was pretty much on par with Goku. But as the latter grew stronger Tien, like most of the original cast, took a bit of a backseat. But Tien still manages to find some relevance. We’re going to give the edge to Krillin though. While it is debateable, Krillin seems to be growing more and more in Super and seems as though he’s – at least for the moment – made a strong enough case to be considered the strongest human fighter of the bunch.
1 Bardock
Father of Goku, we don’t see much of Bardock in the series but what we have seen of him has left a pretty decent impression on fans all over. Bardock is a low class warrior, though he is considered to be one of the strongest among them. Being a Saiyan he thirsts for battle and like many of his people is eventually eradicated by Freiza. It might seem strange to say about Goku’s own dad, but Krillin is at a point where he can more than handle this Saiyan warrior. Now, many of you might be thinking of his Super Saiyan transformation in Episode of Bardock as one indicator of his strength. But don’t forget, that the spin-off manga isn’t necessarily canon and likely doesn’t count as such when compared to Toriyama’s works.
