Popular anime series like Dragon Ball rarely focus on diversity and a wide variety of characters. Although they carry a lot of species and distinctive casts, they are not culturally diverse and different. One of the races that has not been focused much on in the Dragon Ball franchise is Black characters.
Although other anime series like Bleach and Naruto have a plethora of black characters, Dragon Ball rarely includes Black characters which is why the series and the creator Akira Toriyama have been the subject of various controversies and backlashes in the past. However, this has not affected the success of the franchise.
Still, Toriyama over the years has managed to include some black characters who have had some significance to the story of Dragon Ball and managed to become an essential component of the series. These black characters have distinct powers and abilities that make them special and make them wholesome.
1. Uub
Majin Buu’s human incarnation is named Uub. He began training under Son Goku after competing in the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament. Throughout the entire series, he is the strongest earthling. He was raised in a little village on the tropical island where he was born. Being the eldest among five siblings, he puts in a lot of effort to provide for his family, who are impoverished and in danger of starvation.
Uub is incredibly talented, but he can only use his rage to realize it. Dende claims that although Uub possesses extraordinary talents, he is still too young to recognize them due to his age.
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2. Heles
In Universe 2, Heles is the God of Destruction. She is accompanied by her attendant and martial arts teacher Sour. Heles is immensely strong, just like all other Gods of Destruction, and the only person in her universe who can match her power is her attendant angel, Sour.
As Heles and Pell are symbols of the opposing natural forces of creation and destruction, their lives are intertwined; if one passes away, the other will follow suit to maintain the balance between the two. She loves beauty and cannot stand anything ugly.
3. Mr. Popo
As Earth’s Guardian’s attendant, Mr. Popo is an assistant deity. Even though he serves as the gardener and caretaker there forever, he can instantly travel anywhere in the world with a magic carpet when the situation demands it. Mr. Popo is a superb master of martial arts, even though he doesn’t always display it.
When he first encounters Goku at the Watchtower, his fighting skills are superior to Goku’s in practically every way. He is the eternal caretaker of The Lookout and the Earth’s Guardians’ assistant/teacher. Because of his ageless immortality, he can outlive all previous guardians and ensure that the incoming guardian is properly trained.
4. Killa
Killa competed in the 24th edition of the World Martial Arts Tournament, where he lost to Spopovich. Killa as a character does not hold much importance in the story. He has only been seen in the tournaments over the years. He was killed in the Buu saga and was never seen again in the story.
Like any other decent fighter, he only possessed normal fighting and defending skills. He did not have any special powers or abilities that would make him important to the storyline but he held some importance to the story when he was introduced.
5. Staff Officer Black
Until he kills Red and usurps his position later in the narrative, Staff Officer Black serves as Commander Red’s assistant, carrying out his orders and keeping Red informed about the state of affairs with the other Red Ribbon Army officers. In the Commander Red Saga, he serves as the secondary and ultimately the final enemy.
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Staff Officer Black’s use of a gun demonstrates his proficiency with a firearm. Possibly the strongest member of the Red Ribbon Army, Black is also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter. Battle Jackets are Black’s primary weaponry in combat.
