Dragon Ball Super is the current form of Dragon Ball that’s capturing the minds of audiences, but Dragon Ball Z is where the franchise made its mark on pop culture. Since the 90s, kids across the globe have fallen in love with Goku and his lovable cast of characters.
Many 90s kids were obsessed with it and Pokemon. What would have happened if the two had a crossover event? Let’s have a look at a few key Dragon Ball Z characters and their perfect Pokemon partner, including Pokemon through Pokemon Sword & Shield.
10 Krillin (Squirtle)
Are both Squirtle and Krillin smaller living creatures with bald heads? Yes, the answer to that is clear as day. That’s not the only reason Squirtle would make the ideal Pokemon partner for Krillin. On top of thematically pairing well with Android 18 and her Pokemon, Krillin and Squirtle are underestimated fighters. Even though they both know they don’t stand a chance, that doesn’t stop them from doing anything and everything in their power to fight for and protect the people they love and hold close.
9 Majin Buu (Gengar)
Gengar’s evolutionary line is very similar to Majin Buu in that each of its forms is so different from the last. Each shares a resemblance, but their personalities, effectiveness, and moral alignments couldn’t be farther apart. Just the simple fact that Gengar can put people to sleep would make Majin Buu even that more dangerous. He may be pink, but it’s the purple Poison and Ghost-type that would fit best with the iconic villain. As long as Innocent Buu doesn’t try to eat Gengar at some point, of course.
8 Android 18 (Blastoise)
Android 18 is a fan favorite character whose popularity has only grown exponentially since her introduction. Pairing her with a Pokemon like the Water-type starter from Kanto works on several levels, and here’s why.
Not only does Blastoise match her design in terms of color coordination, it being the final most powerful form of Krillin’s Pokemon partner expertly reflects their relationship as a couple. It also helps that both Android 18 and Blastoise are both very intimidating to look at.
7 Piccolo (Lucario)
Piccolo is a character that experiences a tremendous character arc as he morphs from antagonist to hero, and finally to a father figure. He’s a stoic and powerful fighter who’d rather show you how good he is than brag about it. Piccolo also happens to be much more empathetic and caring than he’d have people believing. Lucario is an empathetic Pokemon that can feel other’s emotions, and the Steel and Fighting-type feels like the type of creature Piccolo would build a lifelong bond with until the very end.
6 Frieza (Genesect)
There are two things true of Frieza as a character, his ego is unmeasurable and he demands perfection. Ditto is a Pokemon that’s the antithesis of what Frieza stands for as it exists because of an imperfect experiment. On the opposite end of that, there is the Pokemon named Genesect, a Bug and Steel-type creature that seems to be a robotically engineered form of Kabutops. It matches Frieza’s aesthetic and has the power and mysterious untapped potential that he’d likely try and discover.
5 Bulma (Sylveon)
Bulma is a temperamental woman with a lot of feminine energy and a range of fashion choices. She’s the type of character who could have a party of Pokemon consisting of all different looks, types, and attitudes. Bulma is both beautiful and strong which means that a Fairy-type like Sylveon makes sense for her, being an elegant creature that can hold its own in battle. At the same time, it wouldn’t be surprising if she surrounded herself with sturdy Steel-types given her father’s legacy with both technology and robotics.
4 Future Trunks (Absol)
It’s hard to deny the fact that Future Trunks is one of the coolest anime characters of all time. His inclusion in Dragon Ball Z can be a bit confusing, but every fan who sees him for the first time falls in love with his design.
Both Scizor and Absol felt like futuristic-looking creatures that would work well with Trunks, and the Dark-type Absol ending up edging out the armored Bug-type, Scizor. Is Absol powerful, or is it just a cool looking Pokemon? At the end of the day, the same question can be asked about Future Trunks.
3 Cell (Dragapult)
Cell is a tough character to nail down in terms of what he’d want from a Pokemon partner. Throughout his several forms his personality changes so drastically it’s hard to nail what he’d prefer. Dragapult seems like the safest best on several levels since the Ghost and Dragon-type offers strategic creativity and it looks cool enough to ward off enemies simply by existing. At the end of the day, Cell will likely opt to battle by himself since his arrogance feels Pokemon battling alongside individuals is a mark of weakness.
2 Vegeta (Incineroar)
Vegeta is always looking to compete with Goku, and though their personalities are quite polar, they have similar interests. This means that Vegeta will likely want a Pokemon similar to Goku’s but different, and since Goku is paired with Infernape, that means Vegeta will likely land on Incineroar. The Fighting and Fire-type starter from the Alolan Islands has a lot of that internal chaos brewing like Vegeta does, and won’t back down from a fight no matter who its opponent is and/or how powerful they are.
1 Goku (Infernape)
At this point, most people who are fans of Dragon Ball Z know that Goku is loosely based on the Monkey King from Journey to the West, named Sun Wukong. It makes sense then that Goku would likely prefer the Pokemon who was designed with the same inspiration in mind. That Pokemon happens to be the final form of the Fire-type starter Pokemon from the 4th generation of games, Infernape. It’s a Fire and Fighting-type that packs quite the punch and is one of the faster Pokemon in existence.
NEXT: 10 Batman Villains & Their Perfect Pokemon Partners
