9. Tien
In the overall scheme of the Dragon Ball franchise, Tien is an awesome character who shows off a slew of cool techniques. Unfortunately, he was seriously demoted in Dragon Ball Z, wallowing amongst the dregs of Yamcha and Chiaotzu. Considering this besmirching, we’ve had to rank Tien based solely on his Z exploits, and they are far and few between.
A psychic Earthling with a perpetually scowling third eye, Tien is cut from a different cloth from his cohorts. He has a cold temperament, and isn’t down for any shenanigans. Some may say that Piccolo or Vegeta are the serious members of the party, but even they dabble in driving lessons and pink shirts on occasion. None of that fancy stuff for old Tien here, however, who dedicates his life to training and growing stronger. His commitment is impressive, but sadly it bears little fruit, his limits very apparent at an early stage of the series. His shining moment, and we mean that literally, is when he holds off Cell with his Neo Tri-Beam, buying enough time for the androids to escape. Once he’s depleted all of his energy, Cell refers to him as a ‘pitiful man’, and gives him a kick right in the ribs. Worry not, Tien, your sacrifice has secured you a place in these illustrious standings, and that makes it all worth it.
