Since Dragon Ball Z, the classic Shōnen franchise has been primarily focused on its Saiyan cast, with few other characters able to keep up with them. While human supporting characters like Master Roshi and Yajirobe were once comparable to, or even stronger than, Goku, they’ve long been left behind in the dust.
Despite how largely irrelevant they’ve become in Dragon Ball Super, the strongest humans, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha, aren’t lacking in ways to become as powerful as their Super Saiyan friends. Goku and Vegeta have achieved the power of gods, and Gohan and Broly are just as strong, but with 40 years of stories, numerous ways of gaining incredible power in a short period of time have been introduced.
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1The Hyperbolic Time Chamber Could Give Tien and Yamcha All the Time They Need to Get Stronger
The Most Simple Solution
Introduced during the Cell Saga, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber has frequently served as a convenient way for characters to grow in strength rapidly. Located on The Lookout, one day outside the magical Hyperbolic Time Chamber is equal to one year inside it. Using the chamber for just a day, Vegeta and Future Trunks went from being weaker than Androids 17 and 18, to being stronger than Semi-Perfect Cell.
While Piccolo was too weak to handle the strain of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during the Cell Saga, the current versions of Tien, Yamcha, and Master Roshi should all be perfectly capable of surviving inside it. Dragon Ball is no stranger to time skips and, if the humans took full advantage of the chamber during the next one, they would be in prime condition to fight alongside the Saiyans. Krillin might be left behind, as he’d be unwilling to not see his wife and child for an extended period of time, but the others would thrive in this mystical environment.
2Bulma Could Create Superior Androids to 17 and 18
Bulma is Far Smarter than Dr. Gero
While not as powerful as the Saiyans, Android 17 and Android 18 remain two of the most powerful members of the Dragon Team. Created by Dr. Gero, the twin siblings possess infinite energy, debuted with far greater power levels than Goku and Vegeta and, in Dragon Ball Super, and have proven to be invaluable allies, with Android 18 defeating Universe 2’s strongest warrior, Ribrianne, in the Tournament of Power, and only losing in the tournament because she sacrificed herself, and Android 17 going toe-to-toe with Super Saiyan Blue Goku, before winning the tournament. With Bulma’s superior intellect and resources, and her access to planet-busting fighters, as opposed to homeless teenagers, Bulma could create far more dangerous Androids than Dr. Gero did.
Dr. Gero was able to make his androids as powerful as they were using data collected from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Frieza, and the current versions of these characters all dwarf their past selves in strength. Tien, as a prideful and stubborn warrior, would be against gaining strength by becoming an android, but the other humans would be more open to the idea, especially in the face of a crisis. Even if Bulma’s technology can’t mimic the power of Divine Ki, the human Z-Warriors would still be raised leagues beyond 17 and 18, and would possess infinite energy.
3Divine Ki Isn’t Exclusive to Saiyans
The Humans Could Train Under Whis
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Since Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Divine Ki has become a core aspect of the franchise. This power is primarily utilized by Gods of Destruction and their Angel attendants, and it’s also the source of Goku and Vegeta’s Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue transformations. Saiyans aren’t the only mortals capable of harnessing it, however, as seen with Toppo during the Universal Survival Arc.
While Krillin has familial responsibilities, and Master Roshi would likely lack interest, Tien and Yamcha would jump at the chance to train under Whis. It’s easy to assume they wouldn’t be able to handle the angel’s training, especially with how much Goku and Vegeta initially struggled, but they’ve thrived under masters Goku had difficulty with before, such as Kami and King Kai. The human fighters have all the skills they need to be competitive, and Divine Ki would give them the power they need to back it up.
4Tien’s Ancestry Has Remained Unexplored
Little is Known About Tien’s Third Eye
Tien Shinhan has always been notable for possessing three eyes, but this fact has never been addressed within the series itself. According to Akira Toriyama, Tien is a descendant of three-eyed aliens, with this ancestry being the source of several of his unique powers, including the Four Witches Technique, and the Multi-Form Technique. Importantly, Toriyama also notes that people with three-eyes in Dragon Ball are thought to be godlike, but Tien lost out on much of his potential, because of his corruption at a young age by Master Shen.
Exploring the history of the three-eyed people would pay off one of Dragon Ball‘s oldest mysteries, and also provide an excuse for Tien to achieve godlike power. Tien was Goku’s first true rival, before either Piccolo or Vegeta, and it would be fitting for him to finally stand alongside his successors. This story would also serve as a quality apology to fans who were disappointed by Tien’s notoriously poor performance in the Tournament of Power.
5The Humans’ Fighting Styles Could Be Utilized in New and Creative Ways
The Tournament of Power Showcased the Humans’ Potential
Several of Dragon Ball‘s humans possess unique abilities and fighting styles that the Saiyans do not. Tien has become well-known for using attacks fueled by his own life-energy, while Krillin’s become famous for his trickery in combat. Despite not being as strong as his friends, Chiaotzu, as a psychic, has the most distinct powers of any Z-Warrior.
It may be a hard pill to swallow that the humans could ever truly catch up to the Saiyans in power, but, as demonstrated during the Tournament of Power, skill and techniques can do a lot of work toward closing the gap. Master Roshi, especially, surprised everyone with his performance in the tournament, overcoming foes he wouldn’t have stood a chance against in hand-to-hand combat, with his wide arsenal of moves. Pushing this angle further would help make the human fighters relevant again, and lead to more creative and dynamic fights.
6Powerful Human Fighters Could Arrive From the Future
The Humans Could Already Be as Strong as Saiyans in Other Timelines
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Future Trunks changed everything when he arrived from the future as a mysterious stranger at the start of the Cell Saga, went Super Saiyan, and effortlessly killed Frieza and King Cold. Not only was he the second ever Super Saiyan fans saw, revealing that Goku wasn’t the only one who could achieve the form, but he introduced the concepts of time travel and the multiverse to Dragon Ball. Even if it seems impossible for the main timeline’s humans to catch up to Goku and Vegeta in power, alternate versions of them who already have could arrive from the future at a moment’s notice.
All being friends with Bulma, and thus having access to any time machines Future versions of her build, Future versions of Tien, Krillin, or Chiaotzu could arrive in the present for any number of reasons, each possessing far greater strength than their present-day counterparts. This may not be what fans of the humans would hope to see but, along with the chance to see the heights these characters could one day reach, it would also offer fresh takes on these long-underdeveloped characters, as they’d undoubtedly be different from their counterparts, just as Trunks has little in common with Future Trunks. The most interesting character to play with here would be Yamcha, potentially even a version of him who Bulma never broke up with.
7Black Frieza Killing the Main Cast Would Leave Room for Substitutes
A Technical Workaround
It’s easy to become stronger than someone who’s dead. While death means little in Dragon Ball, and many fighters continue training in the afterlife, for practical purposes, a living fighter is more useful towards solving any ongoing crisis than a dead one. With Black Frieza being infinitely stronger than Goku, Vegeta, and presumably Gohan and Broly, him killing the Saiyan warriors would be a shocking moment, and one that would leave the door open for Krillin, Tien, and others to step up.
Naturally, Black Frieza will eventually be defeated by Goku and Vegeta. The formula of them being removed from the action, and the other Z-Warriors needing to buy time for them, has been used many times throughout the franchise. Even still, nothing would force the humans to push themselves like never before than the greatest evil they’ve ever faced, with no Saiyans to protect them.
8Uub Can Represent Humanity on the Battlefield Once He’s Old Enough
One of the Strangest Dragon Ball Characters Deserves Some Love
Uub was never intended to be more than a bit player at the end of Dragon Ball Z. With the creation of Dragon Ball GT, he, as Goku’s apprentice, had to be awkwardly inserted into the story, and thus never significantly contributed to the Goku, Pan, and Trunks centric narrative. Dragon Ball Super has almost caught up to the end of Z in the timeline, however, which means Uub’s chance for redemption is fast approaching.
In theory, as the reincarnation of Kid Buu, and the apprentice of Goku, Uub is the strongest human to ever live. After Black Frieza is defeated, and the timeline catches back up to Z, Uub deserves to finally step into the spotlight, and fight alongside his mentor, and the rest of the main cast. Ideally, him reaching this level won’t require him fusing with Majin Buu again, as he did in Dragon Ball GT, as no fan wants to lose the goofy, pink gumball.
9Precedent Has Been Set for Non-Saiyans Receiving Transformations
Orange Piccolo Changes Everything
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Not a human or a Saiyan, Piccolo has always succeeded at staying just relevant enough power-wise to be present for major battles, despite rarely making significant contributions since the Saiyan Saga. In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Piccolo achieves his greatest feat in decades, transforming into Orange Piccolo, and becoming a near-equal to Gohan in power. This not only sets the precedent that non-Saiyans can undergo significant, never-before-mentioned transformations, but that they can give non-Saiyan warriors the power to match them.
If Piccolo can become Orange Piccolo, there is nothing stopping the Dragon Team’s humans from undergoing similar transformations. Tien’s could be tied to his three-eyed ancestry, Yamcha could receive a wolf-themed transformation, and even Videl could receive a devil-themed transformation, as a play on her family’s names. There are no hard and fast rules to these things, and it seems that now, more than ever, anything is fair game.
10Toyotarou Can Declare That They’re as Strong as Goku and Vegeta in the Next Chapter
Power Levels Have Never Made Sense
While a logical explanation for the humans increasing in strength by many magnitudes would be nice, one isn’t actually necessary. Since the concept of power levels was introduced at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, the entire point of them was that they weren’t reliable. In a narrative sense, they have also been shown to be effectively meaningless, as fighters are capable of making whatever massive leaps in power the story requires of them, regardless of how ludicrous they may seem.
In the Frieza Saga, Piccolo’s fusion with Nail caused him to go from being weaker than Nappa to equal to Second-Form Frieza. In Dragon Ball Super, Master Roshi and Android 17 are revealed to have been training off-screen, enabling them to be a strong competitor in the Tournament of Power, and to be one of the strongest mortals in the multiverse, respectively, despite neither being anywhere near their current levels during their last fighting appearances. Unlikely as it seems to ever happen, if it was decided that Tien, Krillin, or anyone else needed to be as strong as Goku and Vegeta in the next arc, they simply would be, with little to no explanation.
