Majin Buu has something which all other Dragon Ball villains lack, and it's why he's the most well-written

Modified Aug 14, 2024 06:30 GMT

Dragon Ball has a lot of iconic villains, but very few can compare with Majin Buu, who has something that most villains lack: empathy. Author Akira Toriyama crafted a villain who was a force of nature but was also entirely misguided, which is displayed by the way he cured a young boy's blindness during the events of Buu arc.

This might be a small detail to a lot of people but it highlights how Majin Buu was different from most villains in the story and he also got his redemption later on.

It showed that this character wasn't a heartless monster and could be reasoned with, which is something that was emphasized by his friendship with Mr. Satan, thus starting his journey to become one of Goku's allies.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

How Majin Buu's ability to care for others makes him different from other Dragon Ball villains

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There is a moment during the events of the Buu arc where the titular character finds a young boy who is blind and is not afraid of him. This initially surprises Majin Buu but eventually he chooses to cure the boy's blindness, thus giving him the chance to enjoy life.

That event further cements Majin Buu as one of the best-written villains in the franchise, at least when it comes to this version, because it shows him as a person who can be reasoned with and has a degree of humanity.

He certainly did awful things for many centuries but that was done without a clear notion of what is right and wrong, especially during this arc where he is pushed around by Babidi.

This is particularly telling once he meets Mr. Satan since the latter manages to befriend him through sheer kindness and ends up convincing Buu to stop killing people.

It is something that was done through understanding and communication, which wasn't feasible with other villains such as Frieza, Cell, or even the earlier versions of Vegeta.

The legacy of Majin Buu in the story

Two more versions of Majin Buu in the story (Image via Toei Animation).

The Majin Buu arc was the final one in the original Dragon Ball manga and has been divisive throughout the years, to say the least. A lot of fans claim that it was uneven from a storytelling perspective. It showed author Akira Toriyama's desire to end the series once and for all, which is highlighted by some convoluted creative decisions.

In that regard, the many different versions of Majin Buu do show a lack of clarity when it comes to ending the story since the villain mutated greatly.

However, the character's versatility and ability to be a constant threat, including killing most humans and destroying the planet, something no other villain accomplished until that point, is a huge testament to his strength and legacy.

Final thoughts

Majin Buu's moment of humanity when he healed a young boy's blindness made him stand out from the more heartless crowd of Dragon Ball villains. While some people have divisive opinions regarding his arc as a whole, most people agree that his nature as a misguided child was very compelling.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande