Why Does Dragon Ball Rarely Feature Powerful Female Villains?

The series is teeming with indelible characters, yet its villains often stand out as exceptional. Each principal villain in “Dragon Ball” faces a significant burden, as they must display formidable power that even makes Goku hesitate, while also possessing compelling reasons for their actions that match the heroes’. Over the years, “Dragon Ball” has given us unforgettable antagonists such as Frieza, Majin Buu, and Jiren, who have transcended their shonen status due to their widespread popularity. Remarkably, “Dragon Ball” consistently rises to the occasion when it comes to creating fresh adversaries that surpass their predecessors and remain unique.

In its quest for fresh antagonists, Dragon Ball has resorted to some extreme methods, ranging from time travel, body swapping, to feuds across different universes. Interestingly, a significant female villain seems to be a boundary that Dragon Ball hasn’t been willing or able to cross. While there are female villains in Dragon Ball, their impact on the series is almost negligible. This has placed Dragon Ball in a predicament, as its audience now expects a lack of strong female characters, whether they are villains or heroes, and this trend is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Dragon Ball Embraces A Certain Energy That Men Are The Strongest

Dragon Ball Also Lacks Sufficient Female Heroes

In the world of Dragon Ball, villains typically make brief appearances, while heroes stay for longer periods and become more significant. The show often uses villains to mirror Goku’s darker instincts. Unfortunately, a prominent line of female villains is hard to establish in Dragon Ball because there are fewer powerful female characters in the series. It’s common for battle shonen series to focus on male characters, but Dragon Ball stands out in this aspect. Bulma, who is second-in-command when the series starts, loses prominence as the series prioritizes combat and action. Characters like Chi-Chi, Videl, Pan, and Android 18 are present, but they may not be the strongest characters (although Android 18 contributes significantly).

To elaborate, certain female martial artists are often trivialized and their abilities reduced to their femininity, much like the character Ranfan, whose battle strategy involves disrobing to confuse her opponents. This is particularly unfortunate when you consider that the Dragon Ball universe is filled with lewd characters such as Master Roshi and Old Kai, who frequently objectify female characters. Regrettably, this trend is also seen in numerous Dragon Ball video games, which have historically struggled to highlight powerful female fighters. Even a promising new character like Pansy from Dragon Ball DAIMA, who shows potential, eventually loses her purpose throughout the series, reinforcing the show’s pattern of giving female characters significant roles, but not ones that emphasize physical strength.

The Majority Of Dragon Ball’s Female Villains Are Non-Canon

Dragon Ball Hides Its Female Foes In Expanded Universe & Filler Material

It’s clear that Dragon Ball has significantly more male antagonists compared to females when you just consider the manga. However, if you delve into the anime, movies, and video games, there’s a noticeable increase in female villains. Interestingly, Dragon Ball often uses these female foes as test cases for characters who can create an impact in the anime, but without significant consequences in the manga. This trend starts from the original Dragon Ball with intriguing female enemies like Hasky the Thief and Annin of the Furnace of Eight Divisions.

In the ongoing storyline of Dragon Ball Z, we see the introduction of characters like Princess Snake and Zangya from Bojack Unbound, as well as the female Shadow Dragon, Oceanus Shenron, if one considers Dragon Ball GT as non-canonical. Interestingly, Oceanus Shenron disguises herself under her beauty and vanity, feeling resentful that her true form, a monstrous creature devoid of femininity, is hideous. However, even in her more attractive female form, she continues to endure disrespectful male behavior.

It’s intriguing to ponder over the fact that a few formidable female antagonists, like Bonyu from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Android 21 in Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Towa from Dragon Ball Online, Xenoverse and Heroes, first appeared in the video games. These villains are captivating, and it appears that Akira Toriyama, their creator, has saved his exceptional female villain designs for content outside of the main manga and anime series. This could suggest either a lack of confidence or apprehension about how these characters would be received by fans.

This situation is disappointing because it seems that these new female characters, like Towa, Android 21, and Bonyu, have gained enough popularity to be included in the Dragon Ball canon. However, there were no significant female villains added to the Dragon Ball Super manga beyond Miza, Iwaza, and Kikaza from Moro’s Galactic Bandit Brigade, and the Heeter Force’s Macki. These characters didn’t receive much focus either. If Toriyama was influenced by his recent female character designs and intended to make changes, it doesn’t appear that this impacted the final arcs of Dragon Ball Super’s manga.

Dragon Ball’s Remaining Canon Villains Are Ultimately More Ancillary

These Villains Help Set Up Superior Threats

In the world of Dragon Ball, the non-canonical female villains tend to leave a stronger impact compared to the few canonical ones, mainly because the canonical female antagonists often play secondary roles. For instance, Colonel Violet from the Red Ribbon Army and Fasha, a female Saiyan on Team Bardock, are both competent characters who appear briefly but then disappear, giving an impression that they’re not central to the story. Characters like Gine receive more attention in later works, such as Dragon Ball Super: Broly. This suggests that these secondary or ancillary female villains could benefit from more screen time and development to make them feel more substantial and well-rounded.

Among these intriguing characters from the Dragon Ball universe – Mai, Kale, Caulifla, Ribrianne, and Dr. Arinsu – I find myself particularly drawn to four of them who form an alliance, while Dr. Arinsu skillfully manipulates others into fighting for her cause. Though she remains cunning and influential, her villainous nature softens as she orchestrates the liberation of the Demon Realm. Each of these captivating female antagonists has a unique charm that shines brightly upon their debut, but Ribrianne truly steals the spotlight when she competes in a martial arts tournament with 80 contestants. Interestingly, many of these female villains choose to defect or at least establish amicable relationships with the heroes, showcasing how Dragon Ball’s core values have always leaned towards complex and nuanced female characters rather than strictly evil ones.

It’s thrilling to imagine how the manga of Dragon Ball Super might start fresh with its upcoming sagas. However, it seems unlikely that this established pattern will shift when Toyotarou takes over Toriyama’s vision. To be clear, Toyotarou doesn’t typically focus on female villains (though he did make the female West Supreme Kai a threat in his fan creation Dragon Ball AF), and it’s not expected that he would alter Toriyama’s established dynamics. While the final arc of Dragon Ball Super might not center around a female villain, there is hope for more significant roles for female heroes like Pan.

2025-05-17 05:40