While the Dragon Ball franchise is as popular as any in the history of anime, most of its acclaim stems from its seminal role in developing the shonen genre. An often underappreciated element of the series — centered around the adventures of Goku and the Z Fighters — is its stellar sense of fashion.
Akira Toriyama paved the way for countless authors who followed in his footsteps, but of all his talents, his ability to craft fantastic character designs is arguably his greatest. As a result, many of his characters possess a similar sense of style, including a few who are particularly worthy of praise.
10/10 Piccolo’s Clothes Create Their Own Legacy In Dragon Ball
Piccolo might not seem like an obvious choice as one of Dragon Ball’s most stylish characters, but in reality, he fields one of the most iconic appearances in the entire series. While his Namekian garbs are traditional aspects of the species’ culture, they perfectly complement the demonic atmosphere that the Z Fighter embodies.
Piccolo’s purple gi and weighted clothing allow him to alternate between two different looks, which feel perfectly curtailed to match his character. Throw in some of his fun outfits from Dragon Ball Z’s filler episodes, and his wardrobe can go tit-for-tat with almost anyone in the franchise.
9/10 King Vegeta Dons Attire Worthy Of A King
The King of the Saiyans doesn’t play a major role in the events of the Dragon Ball franchise. However, in King Vegeta’s brief time on-screen, his sense of style is clearly on display. Whereas most of his people, including his son, Prince Vegeta, wear understated uniforms, the King uses his appearance to demonstrate his regal position.
Although King Vegeta’s design slightly changes throughout the franchise, the royal nature of his outfits is unwavering. He consistently rocks a cape in addition to his Saiyan outfits, yet his kingly goatee has to be his best out of every fashion choice he makes.
8/10 Bojack & His Followers Sport Some Of The Galaxy’s Best Fashion
Although Bojack isn’t part of the Dragon Ball canon, the space-faring warrior is still one of the more memorable antagonists in the franchise’s history — largely due to the stylish costumes of his and his crew. The Galaxy Soldiers, composed of Bojack and his followers, are among the most heinous villains in the universe, and in terms of style, they are almost completely unmatched.
Bojack’s striking orange hair and bright blue skin are likely the first things fans will notice about his design. However, after that novelty wears off, his Romani-esque style will almost certainly start to shine through.
7/10 Goku’s Wardrobe Benefits From His Role As Dragon Ball’s Protagonist
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As the main protagonist of the entire Dragon Ball franchise, Son Goku has more opportunities to show off his style than any other character in the series. While he generally prefers to focus on his training and quest to become the universe’s strongest warrior, the Super Saiyan is more than capable of cobbling together a few stylish outfits.
Most commonly, Goku wears one of the orange gis awarded to him by his various mentors. These are some of the most iconic clothes in anime. Still, as proven by other outfits — especially his Dragon Ball GT costumes, stylish streetwear, and Yardrat-acquired robes — Goku learned from the example of his most stylish peers.
6/10 Vegeta Demonstrates A Surprising Interest In Stylish Clothes
For a cold-blooded Saiyan warrior, Prince Vegeta wears some surprisingly stylish outfits. The antihero’s brooding nature is a huge part of his character and is well-represented by the outfits he wears throughout the series. Although he is best known for his blue-and-white armor, Vegeta cycles through more outfits than most Saiyans in the series.
Vegeta’s iconic pink “BADMAN” shirt — provided to him by Bulma — must have sparked at least some interest in fashion within him, as he starts to wear different costumes regularly after the fact. In particular, the clothes he wears during Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super are particularly well-suited for his personality.
5/10 Gohan Tries Out A Variety Of Looks As He Ages
Although Gohan never quite takes the reign as the main protagonist of Dragon Ball, he is the second-most significant character in the series behind his father, Goku. Therefore, it is only fitting that he also benefits from the ample costume changes he receives on-screen.
Regarding male characters, arguably, no character in the entire Dragon Ball franchise has a more diverse wardrobe than Gohan. He wears multiple outfits that allude to his time with Piccolo, Goku, and Vegeta, respectively. During his time as the Great Saiyaman, his costume uniquely blends Japanese modern-age influences. Combine this with the sporty jumpsuits and streetwear that he wears later in the series, and Gohan’s taste in fashion surpasses that of his father.
4/10 Android 17 Makes The Red Ribbon Army Look Fashionable
When the Androids are first introduced, they are characterized by the freakish designs of Androids 19 and 20. This sets up the surprise reveal of Android 16, 17, and 18 — three characters whose designs are much more reminiscent of real-life fashion trends. In particular, Android 18 introduced a uniquely modern flair to the Dragon Ball franchise.
18’s rebellious appearance and temperament are well-represented through his choices in clothing. More interested in experiencing the world than serving his creator, Android 17 maintains a uniquely urban aesthetic during every appearance in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. Were it not for his twin sister, 18 would easily be the most stylish villain introduced in the Android saga.
3/10 Android 18 First Finds Humanity Through Her Love Of Clothes
As the older twin sister of Android 17, it should be no surprise that Android 18’s sense of style is among the best in the entire Dragon Ball franchise. After freeing herself from Dr. Gero’s control, 18 quickly decides to raid multiple clothing stores, speaking to how keen her interest in high fashion really is.
While 18 doesn’t appear in many of the clothes she steals during her unchecked rampage, the outfits she wears are some of Dragon Ball Z’s best. Of all her looks, her black vest and blue jean combo stands out as one of the biggest fan favorites in the series.
2/10 Bulma Is As Fashionable As She Is Intelligent
Bulma’s looks and the comments they inspire are a bit of a tired gag by the time Dragon Ball Super rolls around, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she is easily the most stylish character in the first half of the franchise. Dragon Ball Z made a more conscious effort to expand the variety of clothing worn by its characters than Dragon Ball; however, were it not for the inclusion of Bulma, the gap between the two series would be even larger.
From her first encounter with Goku to her time as the mother of Trunks, Bulma repeatedly proves that she has her finger on the pulse of modern culture. As the series progresses, her appearance transforms from an adorable child accompanying Son Goku to an impressive mother capable of handling the Prince of Saiyans. Throughout it all, her stylish nature and its ability to dazzle are on display.
1/10 Trunks (Future) Brings A New Sense Of Fashion To The Z Fighters’ Timeline
Out of every character in the Dragon Ball franchise, almost none even come close to rivaling the style of the time-traveling Saiyan, Future Trunks. His identity is a mystery when he first appears on Earth, but one thing is for certain after his spectacular demolition of Frieza and King Cold — he’s cooler than the other side of the pillow.
Trunks inherited the superior sense of style possessed by his mother, Bulma. His signature crop-top jacket, center-parted hair, and accompanying broadsword are all bold fashion choices, yet he pulls them off effortlessly. At multiple points in the franchise, Trunks tries out different styles. Whether he grows his hair out, sports his father’s training clothes, or wears the Galactic Patrol uniform, his position as the most stylish character in Dragon Ball history never wavers.