In Dragon Ball, defeats sometimes lead to a profound transformation, such as what these characters experienced after a significant loss.
Despite having some of the most evil villains in the history of anime,Dragon Ball is still predominantly a lighthearted shonen series that focuses on themes of friendship and redemption. That’s why there are quite a few characters in this series who turn over a new leaf after living as bad guys for a long time. This transition usually happens after they experience a major defeat.
This list will cover characters from the original Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super as well. Every single one of these characters is affected by their defeats, although to different degrees. Some merely return to their good old self, while others turn into completely different people. With that in mind, here are some of the characters in Dragon Ball who were never the same after a defeat. 10 Frieza
Frieza is one of the most iconic villains in the entire Dragon Ball franchise, if not all of anime. He was not only known for his many physical transformations, but also for his profession as a conqueror of planets who has massacred countless races and species throughout the universe, including the infamous Saiyan Race.
Frieza’s story mostly ended after Goku defeated him back in Dragon Ball Z. However, Dragon Ball Super brought him back for the Tournament of Power, and it’s clear that Frieza has changed after his defeat. To eb fair, Frieza is still as cunning and as ruthless as ever, but he seems to be more agreeable and reasonable nowadays. 9 Oolong
Oolong may not have much screen time these days, but he is one of the first characters introduced in the original Dragon Ball. The first time Goku and Bulma encountered Oolong, he was pretending to be an evil demon with his shapeshifting ability in order to kidnap a bunch of beautiful girls from a nearby village.
Unfortunately for him, the girls ended up enslaving him instead by demanding all kinds of expensive foods and clothing from him. Goku, meanwhile, was never scared of Oolong’s demonic appearance. All he saw was a bad guy, and he was more than eager to beat him up. Needless to say, the cowardly Oolong surrendered and turned over a new leaf. He has been living and hanging out with Goku and friends ever since. 8 Yamcha
Not long after Goku and Bulma met Oolong, they also met Yamcha and his best friend, Puar. Yamcha was a desert bandit at the time, and he originally wanted to steal the Dragon Ball from Goku’s group. But just like Oolong, he was beaten by little Goku.
To be fair though, being defeated by Goku was not the only reason why Yamcha decided to retire from the bandit business. He also fell in love with Bulma. So the combination of being beaten by a little boy and finding a pretty girlfriend was the reason why Yamcha decided to focus solely on being a martial artist under the tutelage of Master Roshi. 7 Tien Shinhan
The first time Tien Shinhan appeared in Dragon Ball, he was the star pupil of the Crane School, a rival martial arts school of Master Roshi’s Turtle School. At the time, he was rude and arrogant towards the Turtle School’s students, namely Goku, Krilin, and Yamcha.
