There are plenty of reasons why Dragon Ball Z is one of the most popular anime of all time. The show has a great cast of characters, a fantastically fun world to explore, and the coolest fight scenes to ever feature buff martial artists screaming for the full length of an episode. But there's one reason for the show's popularity that hasn't gotten nearly enough credit: the hairstyles.
While epic hair is seen all over anime, there's no denying that Dragon Ball Z's cast has some particularly amazing style going on. The fact that characters change their hair's appearance when they get more powerful also is evidence of the importance of hair to this anime's success. Without further a-'do, here are the ten best hairdos in Dragon Ball Z.
10 Vegeta
With his pointy haircut and equally pointed attitude, Vegeta is instantly recognizable. The Saiyan prince made his debut as an enemy of the Z Fighters, attacking the Earth alongside his companion Nappa. Eventually he would become an ally of the others, but he'd keep both his prickly arrogance and distinctive look.
Spiky hair is a birthright of Saiyans and as a member of Saiyan royalty, Vegeta's haircut basically serves as his princely crown. It is a lot more attractive than his bad attitude. Considering his hair is never ruffled while fighting, one has to wonder what he spends on mousse.
9 Mr. Satan
To call Mr. Satan a walking punchline would be to give him too much credit for being such a walking loud-mouthed joke. The guy might be tough compared to the average human, but not with the likes of Goku or Vegeta. However, he got a reputation as one of the strongest people on Earth despite being a weakling when compared to pretty much any of the Saiyans or their friends.
One thing that isn't a joke about him though is that fantastic over-the-top haircut. The mustache might be a bit ostentatious for some, but Mr. Satan looks like the enemy boss in a 70s martial arts film.
8 Dr. Gero
At the start of the Androids Saga, the Z Fighters got to work training to face the toughest challenge of their lives to that point--a pair of androids built by Dr. Gero after he survived Goku's earlier confrontation with the Red Ribbon Army. Future Trunks traveled back in time to warn of this threat as the androids had devastated his future timeline.
Dr. Gero turned out to be one of the first androids the team faced, having turned himself into something much more than human. With his mustache, long hair, and hat, he looks like a Soviet mad scientist. When his hat's off, it's not hard to see why he was the brain behind the Red Ribbon Army's operations.
7 Android 16
Android 16 was an earlier creation of Dr. Gero's who was sealed away for being a failure. The Doctor had built himself into Android 20, viewing himself as the pinnacle of his own genius. When Future Trunks returned from his time to the present, he revealed the two androids that the Z Fighters had been facing off against--Android 19 and Dr. Gero/Android 20--were not the ones from his own dark future.
Dr. Gero released these other robotic threats--Androids 17 & 18--who killed Gero and in turn woke Android 16 from stasis. Android 16's singular objective was to kill Goku. Surprisingly, he actually turned out to be a pretty good guy, who loved nature and was relatively reserved. But his greatest trait was his mohawk. Just look at it!
6 Yamcha
As a regular human, Yamcha is just not as strong as other characters in Dragon Ball Z. How can any human hope to compete with the likes of Goku and Vegeta, after all? But what Yamcha lacks in physical abilities he more than makes up for with a charming personality, a ruggedly handsome complexion, and a haircut worthy of any Saiyan.
Fans are divided on this character, either loving or despising him. Whatever their feelings, he has repeatedly proven his commitment to the other Z Fighters, even making the ultimate sacrifice. Unfortunately, shortly after his return to life, he cut his hair short.
5 Trunks
When Trunks made his debut, he came out of nowhere as an awesome-looking mystery man with knowledge of Goku's return and a giant sword on his back. Part of what made him so cool was his mystique, made all the more impressive when he transformed into a Super Saiyan and cut Frieza in half with his greatsword.
Part of Trunks's cool look was how his hair fell about either side of his face, its purplish blue tint relatively unique among the cast. Later, it would turn out he was Bulma's son, demonstrating that his stylish colorful bangs were genetic.
4 Bulma
No singular haircut of Bulma's is sufficient to make this list, but between all of her many hairstyles over the years, there is something for everyone to love. In fact, while this list explicitly deals in hairdos among the characters in Dragon Ball Z, to include all the blue-haired awesomeness possible, her haircuts from the other Dragon Ball series also should be taken into account.
Bulma was one of the original two characters introduced way back in the first episode of Dragon Ball. Fans got to watch her grow up, then grow old. People change as they grow older, but at every stage of life, Bulma's hair was full of personality.
3 Goku's Original Super Saiyan Look
Goku's transformation into a Super Saiyan while fighting Frieza is one of the most important--and dramatic--moments in all of anime. This hero who fans had watched push himself to be stronger throughout his whole life and who had kept the same spiky haircut from early childhood suddenly transformed into a being of almost unrecognizable power and abilities.
He achieved the legendary status of Super Saiyan while facing off with his greatest enemy, Frieza, who had just killed his best friend Krillin. In that moment, Goku's muscles bulged, a fiery corona surrounded him, and his hair--that iconic black Goku hair--surged into a new golden-blonde crown of spikes.
2 Super Saiyan 2 Gohan
After Goku became a Super Saiyan, everything changed. Suddenly, the other heroes had to get tougher to keep up and the series needed stronger villains to pose any real threat. The Androids Saga produced such villains--artificially-created robotic killers who could take on Super Saiyans. Then Dr. Gero's most deadly creation, Cell, came onto the scene, killing Androids 16 and 17.
Cell took on all the Z Fighters, only to be defeated by Gohan when the young half-Saiyan transformed into the powerful state of Super Saiyan 2. Lightning crackled though his fiery Super Saiyan corona and his hair stretched to match his new strength. Cell didn't stand a chance.
1 Goku's Classic Look
This probably seems like an obvious choice. Then again, there are definitely some haircuts fans like better, but Goku's classic black pointy hair is the look that defined him as possibly the most recognizable protagonist in all of anime. The guy is a legend! He's strong, good-natured, friendly, and sportsmanlike. But with hair like that, anime fans in every country on Earth can recognize Goku by his silhouette.
There's an old saying that if something isn't broken, don't fix it. That's why--as cool as Goku is when he goes Super Saiyan or when later on he turns into some other form like Super Saiyan Blue or the Super Saiyan God state, he will always return to his classic look. His haircut is just one of his defining features. Honestly, the only thing that could truly defeat Goku would be a trip to the barbershop.