Hiko Seijūrō XIII (比古 清十郎 十三代 Hiko Seijūrō Jūsandai) is Himura Kenshin's master. Hiko is shown to be very sarcastic, egotistical and a punishing taskmaster, often referring to Kenshin as "My stupid/idiot apprentice," and bringing up Kenshin's past to provoke him into training harder. Kenshin describes his personality as "crude, cruel, and hateful." Despite this rough exterior, he has a deep sense of responsibility to Kenshin and those he protects, in the rare cases when he does get involved in a situation (usually at his own will). He has also been shown to be highly respectful and polite towards those he considers to be a true warrior, while at the same time condescending on those he considers to be weak. He loves sake, himself, and teasing Kenshin, although this is a testament to his excellent skill and powerful body. Master and student frequently have bouts of slapstick conflict between them. He dislikes socialization, and in order to avoid having to work with people, he makes his living as a pottery artist.

Hiko is the strongest swordsman in the series, vastly superior even to Kenshin, Saito, Shishio, and Enishi. In fact, during Kenshin's second training, Kenshin strikes at Hiko with his "entire body and soul" at one point (devoting so much attention that he fails to land properly and passes out), and only manages to graze one of Hiko's bracers. Although the two are comparable in speed when Hiko suppresses his true strength beneath his 30-kilogram cloak, Hiko possesses a superior sense of judgement in combat and the superhuman strength (hidden, and even suppressed, underneath his heavy cloak) to wield Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū to its maximum. After fifteen years, master and student meet once more. It is then that Kenshin will complete his training, should Kenshin survive Hiko's ego and superior swordsmanship. Even though Hiko is 43 years old, he looks as if he were in his late twenties, and has remained such since the flashback shown where he took young Shinta in and renamed him to Kenshin, teaching him the arts of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu for the next four years. When Hiko told Yahiko and Misao his real age, the two were shocked and pondered if Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is some sort of fountain of youth (Kenshin, despite being about thirty years old depending on source, looks as if he were in his late teens).

Hiko's skills can be seen in the actions portrayed in the manga and the anime. He does not hold back when he fights, is supremely analytical in combat, understands the nature of his opponents, and is at peak physical condition. Kamiya Kaoru stated that a master swordsman of Hiko's caliber makes his sword a barrier of sorts, overstating that fact that if one were to enter this barrier, Hiko would defeat his opponent instantly. Nobuhiro Watsuki has mentioned in character notes that he is comparable to the Joker in a deck of cards because he is so over-powered, he really does not have a place in the manga unless to fight another Joker Card, represented by the giant that is Fuji. As such he does not appear in any future chapters except in flashbacks once the Kyoto arc finishes, though he is featured in the OVA series.

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Myōjin Yahiko (明神 弥彦 Myōjin Yahiko?), known as Yahiko Myojin in the English-language dub. Yahiko is an orphan from a samurai family and was forced to work as a thief to repay the debt that he had supposedly owed due to his parents death before they could pay it back. When he is rescued by the main character of the story Himura Kenshin and decides that he would grow up to be just like Kenshin but due to his strong beliefs in not teaching anyone else the sword style he had obtained, he enlisted Yahiko to be trained by Kamiya Kaoru, the teacher of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū. As the series progressess, Yahiko becomes skilled at the swordmanship and comes to face many opponents.

A hotheaded child, Yahiko is arrogant, cheeky, a user of profanity, and bad-mannered; and he already bestowed upon himself the title 'Tokyo Samurai' since his father was a samurai and died during the Battle of Ueno during the Boshin War, slain at the Keneiji Temple. As the years go by, Yahiko learns the principles of Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū, which coincides with Kenshin's ideals. Even though he overrates himself, Yahiko defeats several enemies - even one of the Ten Swords.

In time Yahiko becomes a master swordsman, whose skills are nearly equal to Kenshin's. He also becomes an assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū dojo, which prospers again. On the day of his fifteenth birthday, after battling Kenshin in a one-strike match, Kenshin gives him the Sakabatō. By this time, he has grown into a level-headed, contemplative, and caring young man.

Yahiko has a friend/rival, Tsukayama Yutarō, who is a rich boy tricked into believing his sensei, Isurugi Raijūta, cared about him. Yutarō was a brief student of the Kamiya dojo after he revealed that he was never trained by Raijuta (in the anime, he was quickly defeated by Yahiko, while in the manga, the battle was halted as Yutaro could not hold his shinai properly).

Yutaro, however, was hit by Raijūta's Tobi Izuna (a huge gust of wind from an overhead swing that can kill someone) in his right arm and his nerves were damaged so he could never use a sword again. Yutarō moved with his uncle to Germany so that his uncle could seek treatment for his arm, thus allowing Yutarō to one day use that arm again. Before he left, Yahiko swung his bamboo sword at him and he blocked with his walking cane and said "Even without my other arm, I can still use a sword" and promised that he will return to Tokyo to challenge Yahiko. At the end of the series, Yutaro and Yahiko are the Acting Instructors of Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu.

He has a sweetheart, Sanjō Tsubame, who works at Akabeko (a restaurant where Yahiko also works) as a waitress.

Techniques

Yahiko is trained in the series in the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū swordsmanship style. During his six months of training his teacher, Kamiya Kaoru, recognizes him as the strongest child in Japan, though Yahiko commonly says that is not enough since he wants to be as strong as Himura Kenshin. After seeing several of his fights, Yahiko becomes adept in imitating some of Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū (飛天御剣流? lit. "Flying Heaven Honorable Sword Style") techniques and combining them to perform many other powerful sword techniques.

During the Jinchu Arc, since Yahiko wants to become strong enough to protect his friends that he is taught the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū's two succession techniques. In the first one, Hadome, Yahiko crosses his arms over his head and catches the blade of the opponent with the back of their hands. This allows him to maintain their grip on their sword while catching the opponents blade at the same time. However, if properly used, it can be chained into Hawatari Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū's offensive succession technique. It is a counter-attack and can only be performed after a successful use of the Hadome technique. From the Hadome position, Yahiko twists his wrists, thusly stripping the weapon of their attacker away from their wrists. He successfully learns both of this techniques and becomes so adept at using the Hadome, that Yahiko starts performing variations of the technique, even becoming famous when he is a teenager due to his title of " the man who has caught 1000 blades".

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Son Goku (孫 悟空 Son Gokū?, addressed only as Goku in most English adaptations) through constant training, Goku has achieved many abilities; aside from his great strength, he also possesses super speed, reflexes, and the power to fly by using chi (舞空術). Goku's also learned Master Roshi's signature technique Kamehameha (かめはめ波 Turtle Striking Wave?). Another signature technique of his is an attack that multiplies the user's chi for an instant, called the Kaiô-ken (界王拳 World Fist?), taught to him by King Kai. Goku's most powerful attack is the Genki Dama (元気玉 Good Spirit Ball, renamed the Spirit Bomb in the English dub?), a powerful sphere created by gathering chi energy from surrounding life forms, which he also learned from King Kai. Goku also learns a teleportation skill called Shunkan Idô (瞬間移動 Instant Movement, renamed Instant Transmission in the English dub?), which he learned from the inhabitants of a fictional planet called Yardrat.

Goku is also the only Saiyan in the series to achieve all the Saiyan transformations seen in the manga. In Dragon Ball, he is able to transform into a gigantic ape called an Oozaru, albeit after his Saiyan tail is removed by Kami, he loses the capacity to achieve this form. However, in Dragon Ball GT, Goku is able to use this transformation again after regrowing his tail using the Elder Kai's help.

During the events of Dragon Ball Z, Goku becomes the first Saiyan in a millenium to transform into a Super Saiyan after being overcome with rage by the murder of Krillin by the hand of Frieza and as the series progresses he achieves every single advanced level of Super Saiyan. Each transformation changes Goku's appearance and enhances his abilities. Goku can also fuse with Vegeta and create a warrior who has the combined power and skills of both. One method is by using the Potara Earrings presented to Goku by the Elder Kai, which results in a 'perfect fusion' creating Vegetto. The other method is by performing the Metamorese Fusion Dance, which creates Gogeta.

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Vegeta (ベジータ Bejīta?, or Prince Vegeta) following a common name trend that Toriyama developed in Dragon Ball, Vegeta's name is derived from the word for vegetable, being that he is the prince of the Saiyans, who are all named after vegetables. When he first appears in the series, Vegeta is arrogant and selfish, having a fierce desire for immortality and galactic rule. He is also vicious and cares for nobody but himself, which is shown when he dispatched of his comrade Nappa when he failed to defeat Goku. Vegeta's plans are thwarted by Goku. Because of Vegeta's overwhelming pride and ego, being defeated by someone who he considered inferior transforms his character into a jealous and vengeful anti-hero. By the end of the series, Vegeta's bitter rivalry with Goku softens when he comes to respect Goku as an ally and even a friend.

One of Vegeta's distinguishable characteristics was the fact that he was the only living Saiyan who still wore the traditional Saiyan battle fatigues on a regular basis. Over the course of the Dragon Ball Z series, he's worn different incarnations of the suit, though later on in the series (and subsequently the Dragon Ball GT series) he abandons the Saiyan armor completely for "Earth-like" clothing. He once memorably wore a pink shirt provided by Bulma, very much to his dismay.

Vegeta's priorities can be seen to gradually change as the series progresses, and his rivalry with Goku is fueled by Goku's ability to stay ahead of Vegeta in power. Because of this, Vegeta is seen to pursue an insane desire to surpass Goku in strength, but whenever he seems to train harder than Goku ever does, he can never close the difference between him and Goku permanently, becaue whenever he does become stronger than Goku, Goku always returns and becomes stronger than him. As the series continues, Vegeta develops into an anti-hero instead of a villain.

When Vegeta finds a home on Earth, he is pursued romantically by Bulma, where they are married later at some time. They have two children together, a son Trunks and a daughter Bra. Vegeta prioritizes his rivalry with Goku over any relationships with his family, at least until the end of the series.

Vegeta has the ability to create and enhance attacks with the use of chi. Like most other primary characters in Dragon Ball, Vegeta has the ability to use buku-jutsu (舞空術 lighter than air?) which enables him to fly. Constant training and his Saiyan heritage have given him superhuman strength and possesses superhuman speed and reflexes.

Like most of the characters in the series, Vegeta is known to give names for his various energy attacks. In his early appearance, Vegeta is seen to use attacks similar to several of the protagonists of the series, such as a "ki disk" (気円斬 kien ki?), a two fingered laser-like blast, and a chi wave similar to Goku's Kamehameha blast. This beam known as the Garlic Gun (ギャリック砲 Gyarikku Hō?, or Galick Gun in the English dub) is used by Vegeta during his battle against Goku in an attempt to destroy the Earth. The Garlic Gun is the main attack used by Vegeta in most Dragon Ball Z video games though it is used only once by him in the series. Vegeta later develops the Big Bang Attack (ビッグ・バン・アタック Biggu Ban Atakku?) and the Final Flash (ファイナルフラッシュ Fainaru Furasshu?) attacks, which are much more powerful than his older energy attacks. Vegeta's most commonly used attack in the series is when he bombards an opponent with an array of small chi blasts. Vegeta is not known to have a name for this attack, but it is officially called Renzoku Energy Dan (連続エネルギー弾?). Also in Dragon Ball GT he displays a powerful new attack entitling it the Final Shine Attack, where as Vegeta uses his right hand to fire off a massive beam of green chi that widens with distance.

Vegeta also possesses several transformations that greatly enhance his abilities to varying degrees. Early in the series, he has the ability to become an Oozaru, which increases his power tenfold, so long as he still has his tail. He eventually gains the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan and, through training, can further transform into advanced states of Super Saiyan as the series continues, including Super Saiyan 2nd Grade and Super Saiyan 2. For an unknown reason the only Saiyan transformation Vegeta has never been able to achieve is Super Saiyan 3. In Dragon Ball GT, he reaches the Super Saiyan 4 level when Bulma powers him up using Blutz Rays.

Vegeta can also fuse with Goku and create a warrior who has the combined power and skills of both. One method is by using the Potara Earrings presented to Goku by the Elder Kai. This results in a 'perfect fusion' creating Vegetto. The other method is by performing the Metamorese Fusion Dance, which creates Gogeta.

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Son Gohan (孫 悟飯? addressed only as Gohan in most English adaptations), Gohan is introduced as the first son of the primary protagonist, Son Goku, and his wife, Chi Chi

As a child, Gohan is depicted with a seemingly limitless dormant power, which at first only revealed itself when he experienced fierce rage or distress. According to Raditz's scouter, a device able to produce a statistical measurement of strength, Gohan has an initial battle power of 710, and, following Gohan's eruption from the space pod, increases to 1,307. (Goku, meanwhile, who has demonstrated superhero-level feats up until Gohan's introduction, has his stated to be 416, and rises only as high as over 924 when using the Kamehameha.)

Due to his mixed heritage, Gohan's character also exhibits unusual abilities, possessing power that surpasses that of regular Saiyan's. Vegeta suggests that mixing human and Saiyan blood begets powerful hybrids, which Nappa refers to as a Super Saiyan. On Namek, Saichoro helped unlock a portion of his untapped potential, unable to bring out the fullest of his tremendous latent abilities.

Gohan can also freely manipulate his chi for the use of abilities such as the Bukû-jutsu (舞空術? lit. "lighter than air skill" or "sky dancing skill"), enabling him to fly, or concentrate it into beams of chi energy blasts, such as the Kamehameha or Masenko (魔閃光 Masenkō?, lit. "Demon Flash"). Gohan also possesses enhanced strength, as well as superhuman speed and reflexes. He is able to ascend to Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 levels.

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Piccolo (ピッコロ Pikkoro?, or Piccolo Jr.) Piccolo is often referred to as male, but since he is Namekian that means he is not male or female. After Goku barely beat Piccolo, Piccolo is forced to team up with Goku and his friends in order to beat newer, more dangerous threats. He also trains Goku's first child Son Gohan, and they form a bond so strong that Piccolo sacrifices himself to save Gohan's life. But Piccolo is later resurrected and joins Goku and the others in their battles against more powerful villains, although he sometimes makes up the excuse of doing it only because he wants to take over the world someday.

When King Piccolo was introduced, he was designed to appear as a strange-looking divine creature, who had pointy ears and fangs. The audience is later introduced to Kami, of whom is Piccolo Daimao's good counterpart, and the two share an almost identical resemblance. Like Kami, King Piccolo wore a kanji on the front of his gi, symbolizing the kanji that represented himself. When Piccolo Jr. is introduced, Toriyama designed him to appear roughly the same as King Piccolo, but with a more solid facial structure. He also made the character discard the kanji. Even though Piccolo Jr. discards the kanji, he uses it once in the series when he made his pupil, Gohan, a uniform.

Piccolo is one of the few major characters in the series whose appearance does not drastically change as the series continues. Being from another planet called Namek, Piccolo appears as a typical Namekian: green-skinned, tall, and hairless.

Piccolo has shown many abilities throughout Dragon Ball. Being a Namekian, Piccolo can regenerate lost limbs of his body, as long as his head is still intact. Piccolo also has the ability to conjure various objects, such as clothing.

Like many other characters in Dragon Ball, Piccolo has the ability of flight. He also possesses an attack called the Bakurikimaha ("Destructive Wave" in the English dub), which is fired with one hand being supported by the other. One of Piccolo's most powerful attacks is the Makankosappo, ("Special Beam Cannon" in the English dub) an attack that is expelled from Piccolo's index and middle fingers. Unlike most energy-based attacks in Dragon Ball, the potent Makankosappo pierces its targets like a drill rather than enveloping them or exploding on contact. Piccolo's ultimate attack in the video games he has appeared in is called "Hellzone Grenade", which involves firing off many orbs of energy that float around the opponent. Piccolo then squeezes his hand to make all the orbs converge onto the opponent, exploding on contact. Piccolo also possesses the ability of "Scatter Shot" in which he fires many different chi blasts shot from one hand at the same time. Piccolo is also seen possessing an attack called the Masenko or Demon Wave, which Piccolo teaches to his pupil Gohan. Another move Piccolo is seen to have is the Gekiretsu Kodan, ("Light Grenade" in the English dub) which is conjured by putting his hands on his chest, gathering energy and then releasing it outwards. One of Piccolo's less frequently used techniques is the ability to fire energy rays from his eyes, which he uses against Goku in the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament and again when he trains Gohan in the Saiyan Saga.

Piccolo can also perform the "Namekian Fusion" which he first does with Nail on the distant Planet Namek to confront Frieza, and then with Kami at the Lookout to stop Cell.

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Krillin (クリリン Kuririn) Krillin first appears in the original Dragon Ball series when he arrives at Master Roshi's island to become his apprentice. Krillin did this because he wanted to become a powerful fighter that could impress the ladies. Originally, Goku and Krillin were rivals, with Krillin using dirty tricks to outdo Goku during training, but eventually they become close friends. At finishing their training, Roshi has the two compete in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. Krillin makes it to the semi-finals (after defeating Bacterian in the quarter finals), but is defeated by Jackie Chun, who is really Roshi in disguise, preventing his students from becoming arrogant with too many victories.

Krillin continues to train with Roshi while Goku is collecting the Dragon Balls and helps him retrieve one of them, at which point he fights General Blue. He also participates in Baba's tournament with Goku, Yamcha, Puar and Upa, but loses in the first fight to Fangs the Vampire. 3 years later, Krillin enters the 22nd World Tournament. Again he makes it to the semi-finals (defeating Chaozu) but loses to Goku. Soon after however, Krillin is killed by a henchman of King Piccolo, known as Tambourine. After Goku defeats Piccolo, Krillin is revived by the Dragon Balls. Another 3 years later, Krillin enters the 23rd World Tournament. This time however, he only makes it to the quarter-finals, losing to Piccolo Jr.
Krillin has many abilities including, super-strength, super-speed, and the ability to fly using his chi energy, also known as Bukujutsu. His main techniques include the Kamehameha, an attack he learned from Roshi, which enables him to emit a powerful chi energy blast from his hands. Kakusandan, another chi attack, involves firing two blasts, one from each hand, and merging them before directing the blast above an opponent where it will break up and rain down on them, he was only seen using this twice -- the first time was very successful as he managed to wipe out three Saibamen with it. He has also been known to use the Tsuihikidan double-chi-blast attack. From Ten, he obtained the Taikyoken (or Solar Flare), an attack Krillin is capable of using to blind his opponents, sometimes used to make a quick escape. A technique unique to him is the Kienzan (which is also known as the "Destructo Disc") , which he does by putting his hand in the air and creating an electric floating disc, using it to slice through his enemies, he only managed to successfully do this to an enemy three times, first when he cuts off Frieza's tail, when he cuts off Bio-Broly's head and also when he cuts Kid Buu in half, but the monster quickly regenerates. Krillin can easily manipulate his energy which allows him to maneuver at high-speeds as shown in his fight with Piccolo, the Saibamen and against Garlic Jr. Krillin has also used the Zanzoken after-image evasion technique, but on only two occasions in the anime version. In the anime filler, Krillin is also shown using the Multi-Form technique during the fight with Nappa.

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Tenshinhan (天津飯? nicknamed Ten) Ten is bald and has three eyes, the third placed on his forehead. The third eye is from becoming enlightened. In the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, Ten is slashed on his chest by his former master's brother Mercenary Tao, leaving a permanent scar for the rest of the series. His outfits change consistently as the series goes on, and he usually doesn't wear a shirt when fighting. In Dragon Ball, he wears blue pants, a red belt, a black hat, and a green and yellow surcoat bearing Tsuru-Sen'nin's kanji. After leaving his master, he abandons the surcoat and hat and wears a white sleeveless shirt. In the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, his outfit is the same, except that his pants are now green. During the fight against Androids, Ten replaces his shirt with a green sash that covers only his left side, exposing his scar on the right. During the Cell Games he wears a short-sleeved white shirt. During the Majin Buu Saga, Ten's outfit changes completely, consisting of a blue sleeveless-shirt over a white undershirt, blue-white pants, and a white cape.

Some of Ten's capabilities include the Kamehameha, as well as the ability to fire other chi energy blasts, telepathy, flight, and duplication. His main ki energy techniques are the Dodonpa (Dodon Ray in English), a beam of energy fired from his finger tip, the Taiyoken (Solar Flare in English), a flash of intense light that can temporarily blind an opponent and the Kikohou (Tri-Beam in English), a powerful square or rectangular shaped blast fired while his hands form the shape of a triangle. This attack's impact is so great that it can leave a huge crater in the ground, but its so strong that it can drain his energy if used continuously. He also has a good amount of strength which helps him against bigger enemies (though not as strong as Goku).

From Roshi, Ten acquired the Mafuba technique, which he attempts to use against King Piccolo.

Ten also knows the Shi Shin no Ken (the Twelve Eyes technique in English). When performing this technique, Ten copies himself and the clones are used as eyes to see where an opponent will strike next. The only flaw is that the user's power level is divided equally among the user and all of his clones.

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Master Roshi (武天老師亀仙人 Muten Rōshi Kame Sennin?) His appearance is that of an old human's, though he is stronger than most beings on Earth. The "Turtle Immortal" (or "Turtle Hermit") is an ancient and wise martial arts master and the first Earthling to wield the Kamehameha.

Roshi is notorious for his perverted actions throughout the series and is constantly watching young women on television exercise shows in his spare time or looking at pornographic magazines. He even bribes the young teen Bulma, to show him her panties (although that particular day she wasn't wearing them because a young Goku pulled them off while she was sleeping) in exchange for a Dragon Ball earlier in the series. Roshi frequently flirts with or harasses women; often Bulma and Launch. He is usually comically beaten for these acts. And since Krillin married Android #18 and moving into the Kame House, Roshi has made hobbies of flirting with #18, but suffering the consequences.

Still, he is depicted to be a very wise and gentle person, who loves life and its simple pleasures, but is willing to die if necessary, such as when performing the Mafuba technique (Evil Containment Wave in the English dub) against Piccolo Daimao.

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