Dragon Ball’s very first tournament arc, the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai (otherwise known as the World Martial Arts Tournament) is what really solidified the franchise as an important, and arguably even essential, piece of martial arts based fiction. Akira Toriyama managed to craft a tournament arc so eventful and memorable, he’d dip into the concept two more times before Dragon Ball’s end.
The first tournament doesn’t hit the same heights at the later ones, but it’s by no means bad. In many respects, it has qualities that make it the best tournament. It has the best build up, amazing theming, and a layered antagonist through Jackie Chun (though even calling him an antagonist feels wrong.) The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai is only Dragon Ball’s second story arc, but it’s one of its very best— and it wouldn’t be so without its cast of eight characters driving the plot along.
8 Bacterian
Bacterian certainly looks imposing, but there’s nothing in the series proper that seems to indicate he’s anything but a stinky wrestler. In the manga, his technique is incredibly sloppy and it’s his stench that ultimately subdues Kuririn. In the anime, he’s even less impressive as Kuririn manages to get real hits in on him.
Considering how effortlessly Kuririn defeats Bacterian, it perhaps goes without saying that he doesn’t quite compare to the other martial artists in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. He also doesn’t offer the most exciting tournament match, but it doesn’t take long at all for the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai to pick up pace.
7 Ranfan
Namu’s first opponent, Ranfan is a rather interesting character who might not fly so well in the context of modern Dragon Ball. She’s basically one big sex joke (since Dragon Ball was that kind of series early on) at the expense of Namu. It’s not all that funny, but it’s certainly titillating. Especially for Muten Roshi.
If nothing else, Ranfan puts up a much better fight against Namu than Bacterian did against Kuririn. She even almost manages to win. Of course, it’s thanks to her tactics and not real martial arts, but she at least pulls off some interesting choreography in the process. Unfortunately for her, it doesn’t take Namu much strength at all to knock her out and advance into the semi-finals.
6 Giran
Goku’s first opponent in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, the anime has a bit of fun with Giren, gradually building up the match between him and Goku so it ends up carrying more weight in the grand scheme of things. Either way, Giran is the first opponent in the tournament where it takes longer than a single chapter for him to be defeated. Goku has to really earn his victory here.
Which was a smart move on Akira Toriyama’s part. Not every match in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai can be a gag match. More importantly, Goku and Kuririn need to actually struggle so they can have some real development and so that the arc’s themes shine more clearly by the end. A character like Giran can have quite the impact in such a role.
5 Yamcha
Despite being strong enough to rival Goku at the start of the Hunt for the Dragon Balls arc, Yamcha unfortunately doesn’t have the luxury to train with Kame Sen’nin inbetween story arcs like Goku. This results in a Yamcha who’s strong enough to compete in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, but nowhere near strong enough to hit Jackie Chun.
On a surface level, this seems like just another way to belittle Yamcha, but it’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t the case. Rather, it’s important to show just how much Muten Roshi outclasses those around him. Yamcha didn’t train with him so why would he ever stand a chance?
4 Namu
Namu is a huge deal for Dragon Ball. It’s through him that the franchise actually experiences its first dose of drama. It’s through Namu where Dragon Ball begins to shed away its gag manga aesthetic in order to embrace something more earnest. Of course, the series is still pretty silly at this point so it’s only drama to a certain extent, but it serves an important purpose.
Namu also notably gives Goku one hell of a fight, using several techniques to push Goku back. Where Yamcha proved that those around Kame Sen’nin don’t stand a chance, Namu proves that the world is larger than it seems, and Goku isn’t going to get by with no effort just because he trained with a grand master.
3 Kuririn
Muten Roshi’s second best student, it’s only fitting that Kuririn fight Jackie Chun in the second round. After besting Yamcha, it was time for Jackie Chun to show readers that his students weren’t going to get a leg up on him either. This fight notably also introduces the concept of super speed to Dragon Ball. Kuririn and Chun are so fast that they need to replicate their fight for the audience.
Unlike Yamcha, Kuririn manages to get some hits in on Jackie Chun and even almost scores himself a ring out. It’s a nice display of power from Kuririn’s part and it’s through this fight where he starts to really flesh out his fighting style. He’s far more clever than most characters when it comes to combat, something his choreography begins to reflect well.
2 Son Goku
Goku may not have been a Saiyan by this point in the story, but it was clear that his power was on another level. Even when training under Muten Roshi, Goku was clearly operating with greater potential than anyone around him. It’s only natural that he end up going head to head with Jackie Chun and nearly winning.
For as strong as Goku is, however, he lacks in experience. His fatal flaw ends up being his lack of martial arts know-how. Recognizing how Goku keeps copying his every move, Jackie Chun tricks Goku into a jump kick that he was never going to get out of unscathed. That Goku puts up such a fight is impressive at all.
1 Jackie Chun
Muten Roshi was the strongest character in Dragon Ball for quite some time, and Jackie Chun was an alter-ego he developed in order to test both Goku and Kuririn during the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. Recognizing just how strong they’d become, Muten Roshi was adamant that they not win the tournament so they don’t stop training.
Both Goku and Kuririn end up giving Chun some trouble, the former more so, but he was never in any true danger. Jackie Chun is able to outsmart Goku when all is said and done, earning himself quite the victory. It’s debatable whether or not Roshi is still stronger than Goku during the Red Ribbon Army arc.