Dragon Ballstarted as a mystical adventure. The martial arts were the focus, but plenty of magic beings antagonize the cast. ITs characters were also quite beloved on their adventures. In Dragon Ball Z, these adventures would become interstellar.
As stars illuminate the planets, they also illuminate the characters. The characters are all rather archetypal, as evidenced by the title of the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. All of these characters fall into Zodiac signs and viewers may have more in common with them than they think. Superand GT are not featured here, but Dragon Ball characters will be if they remain important to Z.
Aries - Goku
Aries is honest to a fault, and so is Dragon Ball protagonist Son Goku. There isn’t a lot of complexity behind his immense power. He’s an optimistic and cheerful character who loves to fight. This hotheadedness is also fairly emblematic of Aries.
Goku is thought of as a hero, but he’s quite petulant. He’s often impatient and impulsive, which are negative traits of Ares. That being said, he’s a confident fighter. It’s no surprise that the sign named for the god of war matches up with Dragon Ball’s biggest fighter.
Taurus - Bulma
Taurus can be stubborn at times. Despite their love of working with their hands, they can be difficult to be around. In general, though, they’re responsible and loyal to their friends. It adds up to a person that’s talented but a little rough around the edges.
Goku’s oldest friend Bulma fits this description. She’s a scientist by trade who builds some important machines, like the capsules. That being said, she can be a little bratty at times. Still, the patience of a Taurus comes through when dealing with her rowdy husband, Vegeta.
Gemini - Majin Buu
Buu is a character with a lot in him. He’s an ancient primordial force that represents destruction. His magic body allows him to absorb creatures and assimilate their skills and personality. This means that despite being an ancient monster, Buu could be quite nice.
The main Majin Buu has a lot in common with Gemini. Like Gemini, Buu contains multitudes. Despite being initially introduced as an antagonist, the nice Buu is quite indecisive about destruction and gentle. He may be a curious blob, but his adaptability in combat (another Gemini staple) makes him one of Dragon Ball’s most interesting villains.
Cancer - Vegeta
Cancers are very much like crabs. They constantly are on guard with their shell. At the same time, they’re also quick to lash out with their claws. This combination of defensiveness and hostility matches both Cancer and the prince of all Saiyans.
Vegeta is as tenacious as tenacious gets. Despite getting plenty of great Dragon Ball Z episodes, Vegeta is constantly placing second behind his rival and getting demolished in fights. This tenacity is essential to the Cancer sign. Vegeta’s pride is his defensive shell, and his ego is his claws that lash out at all enemies.
Leo - Cell
Cell is a hunters and a predator. He was created using the DNA of the world’s strongest fighters but was still incomplete. After he hunted down and absorbed his android siblings, he became perfect. This form was arrogant but still creative and passionate about fighting.
Leos, much like their Lion namesake, are also predators. They’re relentless and arrogant apex beings. This makes them a pretty good comparison for Cell in all forms. They can also be lazy and self-centered, much like Cell can be with the single-minded pursuit of his goals.
Virgo - Piccolo
Virgos are a little awkward and shy. Despite their excellent analytical skills, they lack social skills. Piccolo is the same way. Despite being an ally throughout Z, Piccolo’s father being a villain in the past put up a social wall.
As such, he became a hero slowly. It’s true he’s a loyal Virgo through and through, though. His analysis was helpful in battle, but it translated to practicality when helping to raise Goku’s children. Piccolo is a stoic guy, but he’s a hard worker and a loyal friend by the end of it.
Libra - Gohan
Libras are cooperative and diplomatic. In a show like Dragon Ball Z, where fight scenes are so common, it’s hard to find characters like that. Ironically, Goku's son is the DBZ character this most applies to. Gohan doesn’t like fighting like the rest of his friends and is mostly a chill guy.
That’s not that Gohan can’t fight, he’d just prefer not to. He’ll avoid confrontation, even when Cell is attacking his friends. He’s a good kid at heart though and grows up to become a superhero. He’s a gentle and kind hero that embodies the spirit of a Libra.
Scorpio - Krillin
Scorpios are true friends that stick it out to the very end. Through thick and thin they’ll stand by even when they’re out of their league. This shows almost unmatched bravery. They can sometimes be a little violent or distrustful, but who hasn’t looked over stuff like that for a friend?
The character who most embodies this resourcefulness is Krillin. While not Goku’s oldest friend, he is his most loyal companion. He goes into battle with Goku despite being outmatched, and his death has triggered Goku’s biggest emotional reactions. Scorpio Krillin always got the party’s back.
Sagittarius - Android 18
Android 18 was first introduced as a villain. Even as a hero she can be petulant and fickle. Despite being a killing machine with a single purpose, she decided to blow it off and do whatever she wanted. This desire for freedom and hatred of constraints is so Sagittarius of her.
Real name Lazuli, it’s easy to see how she could become a villain. Her selfish traits are pretty apparent during her introduction. Sagittarius' traits like generosity, idealism and good humor lead her away from the villainous path though. She ended up becoming a hero and even married one of the Z fighters.
Capricorn - Freeza
If you’re gonna control an organization, you better be a good manager. It’s good to have discipline and responsibility and make delegations. Even if the leader is corrupt, they need to have good skills despite being condescending. This is as true for local businesses as it is for evil empires that pretend to be businesses.
Freeza/Frieza might be brutal, but his predilection for civility paints him as a Capricorn. He’s a hateful person, but Capricorns will hate everything at some point. Freeza’s cocky and condescending disposition comes dripping off of him with every line of dialogue. He’s an unrelenting force with Capricorn’s best and worst qualities.
Aquarius - Beerus
Beerus is mainly a Dragon Ball Super character, but he debuted in a great Dragon Ball Z movie. As his debut film has the Z, he qualifies as coming from that era. And what a great character he is for being one of the last introduced in Z. Beerus is a lazy, conceited, but ultimately powerful and funny god of destruction.
He’s also rather independent of the other godly beings. He’s a cat, after all, so he’s quite independent and subject to his whims despite being well-spoken. These are all pretty emblematic of the water sign Aquarius. Beerus flows like water, sometimes unpredictably, but never without reason and power.
Pisces - Future Trunks
Pisces is a water sign that represents the future. What comes next is often exciting and tantalizing. Even so, Pisces may seek to escape its current situation at all costs. There are few descriptors better for Future Trunks.
Future Trunks is Bulma and Vegeta’s kid from the future. Despite growing up in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, he’s a fairly optimistic guy. He still seeks to escape his horrifying future by changing the past though instead of confronting his problems head-on. Still, he represents a larger and bigger hope for the future, just like Pisces does as the symbol of a new year.
NEXT: The 10 Best Future Trunks Episodes In Dragon Ball Z, Ranked (According To IMDb)