As time passes, it has become apparent that theDragon Ballfranchise is a timeless classic that will almost certainly continue influencing culture. Its amazing characters, memorable battles, and unique transformations were revolutionary for the industry. There is no doubt in any fan’s mind thatAkira Toriyama was a genius who gifted the world a true masterpiece.
Nonetheless, even this incredible series has details that have caused fans to wonder about the decision behind them at least once. A perfect example of this would bethe lack of female Saiyan warriorsin the original manga. Unbeknownst to most fans, the author did address this issue in the past, explaining why he did not include powerful females during the series’ original run.
Toriyama’s Original Idea Did Not Consider Female Saiyan
The Author Would Have Included Them if He Created the Series Later
On July 31, 2025, Shueisha released a guide by the name ofTV Anime Guide: Dragon Ball Tenkaichi Densetsu, which aimed to give new fans information about the animated adaptation of Toriyama’s manga. Among the several articles included in the magazine, one stood out for its importance to the franchise: an interview with the creator about his beloved story. One of the many questions that were asked by the interviewer revolved around the lack of powerful female Saiyans in the manga. By that point in the series, there were no canonical women among Goku’s species.
Toriyama simply replied that he knew the Saiyan had females among them, confirmed by the fact that they would be needed for the species to reproduce. The interviewer noted that this was true, as Vegeta was able to have a son with Bulma, proving they need femalesto expand their family trees. The author continued by stating that,due to the Saiyan’s nature as a warrior race, he simply did not think about including women in his story at the time. The author would go on to reveal that, had he created the series later in his life, he would likely have included them.
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The interviewer once again intervened to agree that it was rare to findstrong female charactersin a shonen anime at the time. Toriyama closed the topic by joking that it is hard to beat a woman anyway. The topic was not touched upon again as the interview continued. Nonetheless, these declarations did clarify one of the biggest mysteries inDragon Ball, years before fans began wondering about the issue.
Dragon Ball’s Lack of Females Was a Product of the Times
Toriyama’s Words Do More Than Adress the Series’ Lack of Women
One of the most interesting details about Toriyama’s statements is the acknowledgment of shonen’s biggest issue. AsDragon Ball’s author and the interviewer confirmed, the industry had an issue when it came to including powerful women in their stories. Many fans have pointed toone of shonen’s biggest problems is sidelining their female characters. These manga tended to relegate them to supporting roles, use them only as love interests, or simply ignore them in favor of the men. Toriyama did not try to justify his decision and accepted that his manga followed the conventions of the past.
Toriyama Did Include Female Saiyans Years Later
Dragon Ball GT & Super Confirmed How Powerful Women Could Be
Despite not having significant appearances during the early years of the franchise,female Saiyan warriors did become more prevalent as the story progressed. The first-ever female member of this race was Pan, Goku’s granddaughter, and a natural-born fighter. She was a major player during theGTera, acting as one of the main characters and proving how powerful Saiyan women truly are. Pan was the first female member of Goku’s race to be included in the official canon. Recently, she has become a major part of theSupercontinuity.
Nevertheless, she is not the only Saiyan woman seen in the series, as the Tournament of Power arc introduced two more members to the group,Caulifla and Kale. Introduced in episode #88 of theDragon Ball Superanime, these Universe 6 native warriors are amongthe strongest female characters in the series. They come from a universe in which the Saiyan race was not destroyed by Frieza, allowing them to prosper and explore the cosmos.
They are extremely talented fighters, capable of accessing the Super Saiyan transformation almost immediately after being introduced to the concept. They served as major antagonists for the Z Warriors during the Tournament of Power arc, growing more powerful as Goku and Vegeta taught them about their natural fighting instincts. As Toriyama implied in his interview, they were indeed tough opponents to beat, with their fusion being one of the strongest opponents Goku has ever fought against.
Although not as relevant as other characters, there is no doubt that theDragon Ballfranchise followed Toriyama’s wish by including powerful female Saiyans. With the story still developing, more women warriors might be included, expanding the cast of this beloved series.
