Who goes where? It’s a simple question, with a not-so-simple answer. Throughout DragonBall and DragonBall Z, the line between "main character," "important character" and "background character" becomes blurred.

During DB, it becomes obvious that Goku is the main character. Other important characters such as Bulma are introduced, and background characters like Oolong or Puar also come into play. Consider the beginning of DBZ, where within the first few episodes, our main character is dead. What does that do to the story line? This is when Gohan is introduced, and the aforementioned line between "main character" and "important character" becomes debatable. During the time between Goku’s death, and the arrival of the Saiyans, the plot seems to focus more on Gohan, and his training with Piccollo. Also, this is the first time that Gohan’s hidden power comes into the play, and when people start to think maybe, just maybe, that he is the main character.

This leads to introduction of Vegeta. During the battle between the Saiyans and the ESF, it looked as if Vegeta was just another villain that would be disposed of, never to be seen again. Eventually, Goku returns, and he and Vegeta battle. When Goku begins to beat Vegeta, the line clears slightly, and it appears that Goku is once again the main character. Again, the line goes out of focus, as Gohan is the one you finally defeats Vegeta, and it becomes obvious that Vegeta is not as disposable as we thought, when he gets to his space ship screaming about "Coming back and killing everyone." Then flies away, laughing like a drunken idiot.

Fast forward. Planet Namek. Vegeta has died, making us think that his time as an important character has passed, and Goku has just become the legendary Super Saiyan, making us assume that he is once again, the main character. Goku finally defeats Frieza, and Vegeta returns, once again taking his place as an important character. Goku is off training in space, Vegeta is off chasing him, and the plot focuses on Gohan.

Fast forward again. A mysterious saiyan arrives. He becomes a Super Saiyan, and appears to be more powerful than Goku. He easily destroys the Cyborg Frieza, and we start to think, "Is this guy really stronger than Goku?" And we start to wonder if maybe this guy could be a main character. Suddenly, we have the reappearance of Goku, and then, when newly-named Trunks "attacks" Goku, and Goku easily counters, it starts to look as if Goku is again the main character.

Lets take another trip forward, the Cell Saga. Vegeta has emerged from the Time Chamber, and is effectively kicking the crap out of the imperfect Cell. Could he be stronger then the rest of the fighters? Maybe. But, no.

After Vegeta falls to the now perfect Cell, Trunks once again steps up. Trunks ascends, and begins to beat on Cell, and Krillin remarks, "Trunks must be the strongest fighter in the universe right about now." This blurs the line again. Now, Goku is fighting Cell, Goku seems to be beating Cell, but wait, Goku loses. It now seems clear that Goku is no longer the main character. Now, Gohan, and his hidden power, come into play. Gohan ascends to the Super Saiyan 2, Goku dies, and Gohan finally beats Cell. It now seems incredibly obvious to even the most dim-witted viewer, that Gohan is the main character.

But, alas, this is not true. Goku is, always has been, and always will be, the main character. How on earth did I come to this conclusion you ask? Well, in fact, if you look closely at the entire series, it all leads up to one event. This one event, is Goku’s final victory over Kid Buu.

You see, Goku is either off somewhere else, or dead, during most of the major battles, and it seems that every time Goku reaches a new level of power, someone else always surpasses him, be it Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, it’s always someone. The entire series, all of Goku’s battles, his failures, everything, it all leads up to Goku’s final battle, how his strength becomes greater than all the other’s, and how he, is the only one, that could beat Buu. He surpasses Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, and even the fused Gotenks. All of them beat him at one time, but in the end, it was the under-dog, "the low-class Saiyan", and what Frieza simply called a "monkey," that was the one to win the final battle. That, I believe, was the point of the series. The under-dog rising up, surpassing all others.