Dragon Ball is an incredibly diverse series. There are all types of people from fighters to scientists, humans to aliens, mortals to immortals, and more. However, there is something all of these characters have in common: intelligence.
Some characters tend to think things through more than others and vice versa. Since the series is mainly about fighting, here is a list of 5 Dragon Ball characters who rely solely on their strength (& 5 who do not).
Note: This article is based on the author's opinion.
5 Dragon Ball characters who rely solely on their strength
1) Majin Buu
Majin Buu has multiple transformations in the Dragon Ball series. Despite this, he is not capable of thinking logically in any of them. He only uses his innate fighting ability. He does not strategize or devise plans to help him win fights, instead, he will fly into a fight head first and go from there.
2) Cell
Cell was a very over-confident villain. Instead of taking time to create elaborate plans to win his fights, he usually just went in blindly because he believed nobody could match his power. This is the main reason he lost his battle with the Z-Fighters in Dragon Ball Z.
3) Broly
When Broly rages, he loses his capacity to think and goes on a wild rampage. He is completely reliant on his strength during this.
In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, when Broly is enraged, he goes on a path of destruction. The only one who can stop him is Gogeta, Goku and Vegeta's fusion, and even he struggles immensely. Broly even attacked Whis while in his blind rage.
4) Gotenks
Gotenks, despite being a fusion of both Goten and Trunks, does not think logically before entering a battle. He decides to charge into a fight, like Majin Buu, and flex his immense strength instead of making a plan.
Most of the time he ends up winning because he is just that much more powerful than his opponents, but other times, he would have benefited from a little pre-planning.
5) Mr. Satan
Even though he knows he does not hold a candle to any villains in the series, Mr. Satan never fails to try and fight them. During the fight with Cell, he engaged the android in combat. Mr. Satan hit Cell with a barrage of punches and kicks.
They all landed, but none of them affected the villain. So, once Cell got bored, he battered Mr. Satan into a nearby rock mound.
5 Dragon Ball characters who do not rely solely on their strength
1) Vegeta
Even though he is a Saiyan, a warrior race known for being rash and aggressive, he always thinks his fights through. Vegeta combines his intense training and incredible strength with his intellect to make sure his battles produce the best results possible.
2) Gohan
Gohan has always been a smart individual. Even when he was a small child in Dragon Ball Z, Gohan was studying advanced concepts and knew what he wanted to do in life.
So it is no surprise that he constantly creates strategies and plans before engaging other characters in battle. He wants to achieve the best outcome possible, so he thinks ahead.
3) Piccolo
During the early years of the series, Piccolo made many of the plans the Z-Fighters used. He was known to be the most intelligent in the group and made sure everyone was ready for fights. In fact, he was the one who trained Gohan when he was much younger, making him who he is today.
4) Master Roshi
In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Master Roshi went up against Jiren for a brief period of time during the Tournament of Power. Although he was no match for Jiren, he was capable of dodging many of his attacks through planning ahead and using his skills effectively.
The way Master Roshi was moving even made Lord Beerus think he had unlocked Ultra Instinct, until Whis disproved this notion.
5) Frieza
Throughout the series' entirety, Freiza is known for being crafty and cunning. He always has a trick up his sleeve or a trump card ready to be played at any moment.
He is a perfect example of a character who is incredibly strong but does not rely solely on his strength. He knows he will lose fights if he puts all his faith in his power, especially against much stronger opponents.