Dragon Ballas a story, is mostly populated with severely appreciated, but underrepresented characters. Tienshinhan, to Yamcha, and even Krillin to a lesser extent were characters that had a bright introduction and relevant development over the course of their stories. However, one character that certainly needed more development and had an underwhelming character change after one arc was Videl, son of Hercule the current World Champion.
Many liked her attitude at first, considering her moxie and dynamic with Gohan during the Buu saga as a captivating and intriguing story that would have developed into one of the few tomboyish characters in Dragon Ball apart from Android 18. However, as seen at the beginning ofDragon Ball Superand even back during Dragon Ball GT; Videl’s character, for lack of a better term, mellowed down into a surprisingly watered down version of her moxie and overall tomboyish attitude. This has recently made many fans of Videl and her early personality ask whether she has been downgraded, or simply misused as a character inDragon Ball?.
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Videl’s Early Start And Intrigue
The Buu Saga introduced Videl as a student that would be alongside Son Gohan during the time when things seemed simpler. Videl had a personality that was abrasive at first, but slowly became more confident and filled with a certain sense of pep that she showed an acute understanding and skill in martial arts. Livingunderneath a World Martial ArtsChampion will do that to you, and Videl certainly impressed a lot of characters once she participated in the World Tournament during the Buu Saga. However, her crushing defeat at the hands of Spopovich left her beaten and mostly out of commission for the duration of the saga, and following intoDragon Ball Super, her personality shifted to what many considered to be a watered-down version of Videl. Now, whether this is true is a cause for debate and examination, so it bears understanding where this all started.
While most of Videl’s personality early on were atypical of Chi-Chi or even Bulma’s personality, it was the major appeal of seeing Videl on screen back then and why many fans were so intrigued. The idea of afemale fighter in Dragon BallSuper isn’t unheard of or uncommon, as we have seen with Android 18; but Videl’s journey from not knowing about Ki, to being proficient in using it in small bursts is what made many fans consider her a character with great potential. It certainly helped that Videl’s moxie was infectious and even encouraging of Son Gohan’s own growth. After all, these two eventually formed a great bond that develops earnestly over the course of the journey and story, even being a subplot in a few filler episodes between the two.
Videl’s strength wasn’t comparable to the Z-Fighters, but she didn’t have a quitter personality. If anything, she only pushed herself harder to combat Spopovich, getting good blows in and even impressing the audience with what seemed like a viable knockout blowduring the World Martial Arts Tournament. It would have worked if Spopovich wasn’t enhanced by Babidi’s magic, and used that to severely defeat her in the most brutal fashion. While Videl’s early start and personality had a huge amount of promise and intrigue, eventually her next few arcs would see her take a different direction in life as a persona and eventually as a mother. None of the fans of Videl would have a problem with her starting a family with Gohan, let alone having a good relationship with him; but everybody seemed to be expecting more out of her.
Decline & Downgrade
The most notable saga where her character shifted, and many people saw adowngradeis in the Battle of Gods movie, where due to her bearing Pan as a child she was allowed to play a part inGoku’s ascension to Super Saiyan God. However, you’d be forgiven for forgetting her entire personality considering how long it has been and how her personality has shifted to a stay-at-home mother who while not passive, certainly doesn’t have the same moxie as before or even the ability to keep up in fights due to not practicing. A lot of people would be inclined to say that this downgrade of her character is a result ofDragon Ball’ssudden return and Akira Toriyama’s tendency to forget vital details, but there are also a lot of viable reasons in-universe.
Whether by choice or not, Hercule has provided for his family and others a lot due to their involvement in saving the world as well as payment for him taking the credit in the Buu Saga. Still, this comfortable lifestyle and perhaps the defeat at Spopovich is what spurred on Videl’s choice to be a motherrather than another martial artist. Many are still disappointed no doubt, but her character downgrade is well-explained and at least not a full character assassination. In that sense, Videl’s personality shifted for better or worse, and theDragon Ballseries doesn’t seem too keen on changing that any time soon.
