Goku:
Goku is the hero of Dragon Ball Z, the most powerful warrior on earth and the first to become Super Saiyan in over 1000 years. When the Saiyans arrive, Goku learns the mysterious secret of his own past: He is a Saiyan formerly named Kakarot. Goku was sent to Earth as a baby to grow up and destroy the planet, but a head injury as a child scrambled Goku's programming. Instead of growing up to become a destructive super-warrior, he became innocent and pure of heart, fighting for good. Goku is peaceful, good natured, honest, loving to his family and friends, loyal, trustworthy, brave. If he has a weakness, it is his trusting nature. He always finds the "good" in people when others don't see it, though Goku's enemies sometimes take advantage of his naive trust. He originally trained under Master Roshi and wears his symbol until he trains under King Kai. Then he wears King Kai's symbol. Goku grows up and marries Chi-Chi. Together they have two sons: Gohan and Goten.

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Gohan:
Named after his adoptive grandfather, Gohan is Goku and Chi-Chi's eldest son. He is idealistic, good and pure like his father. Gohan reveals his tremendous fighting potential when the earth is threatened. His heritage as part Saiyan and part human, make him stronger than if he were of one race alone. With Goku's departure to the next dimension and the eminent arrival of Saiyans stronger than Raditz, Gohan is key to the survival of Earth. Thus Piccolo, a former enemy of his father, joins forces with the good guys and trains Gohan for the upcoming battle. Over time, Gohan becomes friends with Piccolo, looks up to Piccolo and even wears similar clothing. Although initially a wimp, Gohan's training in the wilderness and subsequent fighting make him both brave and loyal. Following the fight on Earth, Gohan is determined to go with Bulma and Krillin to Namek to collect the seven Namekian Dragon Balls and help out his friends on Earth - especially since he feels he let them down during the fight on Earth. Gohan is key to the good guys success on Namek, risking his own life to save Dende, collecting Dragon Balls, traveling to see Guru who awakens a power sleeping within him, battling the Ginyu Force, etc. He will be the first to reach Super Saiyan 2 stage. . In the early Buu Saga (Saiyaman Saga), Gohan becomes the main character and the story revolves around him as he goes through high school, and later fights crime and becomes a sort of superhero complete with costume and mask, known as The Great Saiyaman. Gohan is the only Saiyajin to become Mystic, which is a special ability granted by Revered Kaioshin that allows Gohan access to his highest power level without having to go Super Saiyajin at all. Gohan meets Videl in high school, who suspects that something is fishy about the Great Saiyaman. They become good friends after she catches him in costume without the mask, and he teaches her how to fly. They fall in love, and at the end of DBZ, they have a daughter named Pan.

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Piccolo:
Goku's onetime archenemy, Piccolo is the second strongest being on the Earth, born as a concentration of Kami's negative spirits. He has powerful energy blasts, can split into two or four separate entities, and has the ability to regenerate limbs. He is often seen in a white cape. Originally from the far away planet Namek (although Piccolo doesn't know this for a long time), Piccolo starts off fighting Goku to rule the world. When the Saiyans arrive he joins forces with Goku. At first it is an uneasy alliance, but as the story unfolds, their bond becomes stronger. While training Goku's son Gohan for the upcoming battle against the Saiyans, Piccolo develops a special bond with Gohan. Through Gohan, the only person who has ever been a friend to him, Piccolo starts changing character for the better. He ends up sacrificing his own life to save Gohan. While battling with Frieza, Piccolo merges with Nail, the last of the Namekain warriors and former guardian of Guru. From this merging, Piccolo gains Nail's ancient Namek fighting style, greatly enhancing Piccolo's powers and abilities.

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Krillin:
As a young boy, Krillin studied martial arts with Goku under Master Roshi. Originally he and Goku were fierce rivals, but now they are best friends. A short, bald warrior, Krillin provides comic relief in tense situations as he tries to keep up with Goku and some of the other more powerful warriors. A good fighter on his own accord, he's always there to help Goku. He can and has saved his friend's life more than once. In fact, Krillin unleashes an incredibly powerful energy blast shaped like a flying disk that can slice through mountaintops. Goku constantly encourages Krillin to have confidence in his own abilities as Krillin learns to be a remarkable fighter--that is, for an earthling. Loyal, courageous and dedicated to his friends, Krillin is willing to fight against the Saiyans even though he doesn't want to die and knows that he can't be brought back to life again by the Dragon Balls. Krillin and Gohan become very close friends through their adventures on Earth and Namek, and Krillin would do anything for Gohan. He laters marry android 18 and have a daughter Marron.

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Vegeta:
Vegeta is a powerful Saiyan. He is a 'Super Elitist' and a prince, the son of King Vegeta, past ruler of the Saiyans. Vegeta and his comrade Nappa are two of the last surviving Saiyans. They come to Earth to destroy all life and sell the planet. Though physically smaller than Goku, Vegeta can power up to unbelievable levels destroying entire planets. He is a fierce rival of Goku's, striving always to seek power levels as high or higher than Goku and to reach Super Saiyan level. Ambitious and determined, Vegeta wants the Dragon Balls to gain immortality. He is determined to destroy Frieza. After the Namek Saga he fights on the side of the good guys and becomes the father of Trunks and bra.

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Trunks:
Trunks is the son of Bulma, a headstrong technical genius, and Vegeta, one of the most powerful fighters in the Dragon Ball Z universe. His exact age is not certain, but he first appears in Dragon Ball Z in his mid to late teens. He is from the future and has witnessed a threat to Earth which cannot be stopped in that time. He has come back in time to try to save the Earth of his time, only to find our heroes in Earth facing their own peril. Much to the amazement of our friends, Trunks immediately turns Super Saiyan and defeats Frieza and King Cold. He gives Goku medicine to prevent his death from heart disease and tells them of Earth's coming predicament. The Z fighters immediately go into training, and Trunks returns to his own time. Trunks returns to our timeline again in the Android Saga to ensure that the androids do arrive on Earth. He is also born during this saga, so we have the opportunity to see him both as a teenager and a baby at the same time. He continues to exist as a boy and a teen until the end of the Cell Saga, when the older Trunks returns to his original timeline. During buu saga trunks is best of friends with Goten and fights him in the junior division ot The World Tournament , he wins over Goten because he is a year older and thus , stronger then Goten. He later fuses with Goten to be Gotensk.

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Yamcha:
Yamcha is a longtime friend and ally of Goku's, though he was once a notorious bandit. He is sometimes accompanied by Puar, his devoted cat companion. He is anxious and willing to be trained by Kami and to join the upcoming battle against the Saiyans even though he understands that the odds will be against them. In the heat of battle Yamcha volunteers to fight the Saibamen instead of Krillin because Krillin has already been brought back to life by the Dragon Balls. He and Bulma were formerly an item, and often illicit sparks fly for each other. Eventually Bulma moves on to Vegeta. Yamcha is defeated during battle with the Saibamen, and trains in the 'Next Dimension' under King Kai.

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Bulma:
In Dragon Ball, Bulma was a mixed up teenager with blue hair and a personality quirk that wouldn't allow her to shut up for a second. Now, she's blossomed into a mixed up woman with that same personality quirk. But, Bulma is very important to the team. She is a mechanical genius who can operate and fix anything. She is the one that discovers the capabilities of the Saiyan Scouter and enhances it for their own use. She also takes the lead in finding a spaceship capable of flying to Namek. Bulma designed the Dragon Radar, which tracks the locations of the Dragon Balls. Bulma is also fashion conscious and changes clothing and hairstyles during the series. She often wears clothing with either her name or "Capsule Corporation" on the item. Bulma has known Goku since he was a young boy. In the original Dragon Ball, Bulma had a crush on Yamcha. Although their romance blossoms, it was not permanent. In Dragon Ball Z she outgrows these impulses and settles her affections on Vegeta . They have a son, appropriately named Trunks. The original name for Bulma stands for bloomers (or girl's underwear). Her father is Dr. Brief, of the famous Capsule Corporation.

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Goten:
Goten is the second son of Goku and Chi-Chi, and is Gohan's little brother. Goten loves to train in martial arts. He quickly develops incredibly strong powers (he just naturally goes Super Saiyan) that enable him to fight alongside the adults in their mission to defend earth. Goten's best friend is Trunks who is approximately one year older. They are often seen together. Goten goofs around when he fights, especially when fused with Trunks as Gotenks, where he 
makes up countless silly-named attacks. Pure of heart, he'll quickly jump into danger to help his friends and family.

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Tien:
Tien is a three-eyed man intent on training to be strong. Originally trained by one of Master Roshi's rivals, Tien switched sides and became a Z fighter. He beat Goku at a worldwide martial arts tournament, is able to stop a waterfall with a blast and can crush rocks on his head. His fighting techniques include the ability to hover in the air, throw concentration bombs, blind with flashes of light, and split into two or four separate entities. Tien is excited about being trained by Kami and willing to fight against the Saiyans despite the odds. He volunteers to be the first to fight against the Saibamen, wins the battle and goes on to fight against the Saiyans. Tien can communicate telepathically with Chiaotzu, his best friend.

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Chiaotzu:
A master of telepathy, Chiaotzu has the power to stop people in their tracks and to communicate telepathically. This white-skinned, red-checked little being is the devoted companion of Tien. A strong fighter in the early days, Chiaotzu does not hesitate to throw himself onto Nappa's back and self-destruct in an attempt to save his friends. However, his power level does not increase as dramatically as the other Z fighters. Thus, Chiaotzu is not a major warrior in the later episodes of Dragon Ball Z.

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Gotenks:
Goten and Trunks form this new entity by the Metamoru art of Fusion, which was taught to Goku and is passed on to Goten and Trunks while Goku is back from the Other World. The fusion must occur between two beings of equal power (Trunks has to lower his power level to fuse with Goten), and is accomplished by a goofy looking, mirror-image dance. This type of fusion only lasts 30 minutes, and they must recuperate for one hour before fusing again. Goten and Trunks are first trained in the art of Fusion by Goku and then by Piccolo. They try several times before getting it right, creating two awkwardly formed Gotenks in the beginning. Once perfected, the fused Gotenks is an incredibly powerful fighter. Like Goten and Trunks, Gotenks has an amazing ability to learn moves quickly, and quickly manages to go to Super Saiyan and even Super Saiyan 3 or third stage Super Saiyan after watching Goku do it once.

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Gogeta:
Gogeta is the fusion of Goku and Vegeta without the Portara earrings. He makes a short appearance in DBZ movie #12 against Janemba in the other world. Gogeta doesn't waste a moment in battle, quite different from Gotenks and Vegetto who enjoy taking their sweet time.

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Vegetto:
With the use of the Portara earrings, Vegeta and Goku become Vegetto. Although he is not as arrogant as Gotenks, he does waste a lot of time, and his opponents often take advantage of this. The fusion is supposed to be permanent, but the laws of physics change once they enter Super Buu. Vegetto differs from Gogeta, as Vegeta is the dominant form in the fusion.

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