Earthling

The term "Earthling" covers far more ground than most people realize. According to official sources, 75% of Earth's population consists of standard human-type beings (Homo sapiens). Another 17% are animal-type Earthlings, also called Beastmen, who are fully sapient anthropomorphic creatures that hold jobs, own property, and participate in society alongside their human neighbors. The remaining 7% are monster-type Earthlings, strange beings like Emperor Pilaf whose origins are unclear but who are undeniably native to the planet. A final 1% consists of hybrids with other races, most notably the Saiyan-human children born from the Son and Brief families.

This diversity is one of Dragon Ball's most distinctive worldbuilding elements. Earth is governed by a single global monarchy led by King Furry, an anthropomorphic dog, and his administration treats humans, animal-folk, and monster-folk as equal citizens. West City's streets feature humans walking dinosaurs on leashes alongside talking cats running businesses. The Dragon World version of Earth is a place where the extraordinary is mundane.

A Body Built for the Middle of the Pack

Physically, human-type Earthlings closely resemble their real-world counterparts, though the Dragon Ball version occasionally sports unusual hair colors like blue, pink, or green. Their average height sits around five to six feet, they are omnivorous, and their natural lifespan is comparable to real humans, though dedicated martial artists who train consistently appear to age at a slower rate. Some Earthlings display unique physiological quirks: Launch's personality and physical appearance change every time she sneezes, and Man-Wolf transforms between animal and human forms based on whether he sees the full moon.

The most significant biological limitation of Earthlings is their low baseline power. The farmer who confronted Raditz at the very beginning of Dragon Ball Z registered a power level of just 5 on the Saiyan's scouter. Bulma clocked in at 16, and even armed soldiers rarely exceed the low double digits. A single Saiyan infant was considered capable of wiping out Earth's entire ordinary population, which is precisely why baby Goku was sent to the planet in the first place. Earthlings compensate for this weakness through technology, with Capsule Corporation producing everything from hovercars to interplanetary spacecraft, and through organized military forces that include tanks, fighter jets, and naval fleets. Unfortunately, these conventional weapons prove completely useless against the caliber of threats that regularly target Earth.

Despite the species' low average power, a small group of Earthling martial artists achieved feats that would be remarkable by any galactic standard. Master Roshi spent fifty years developing the Kamehameha and used his Max Power form to destroy Fire Mountain with a single blast. His students, Goku's generation of fighters, surpassed him within years. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien Shinhan each mastered ki manipulation and energy projection at speeds that left their predecessors stunned. Krillin and Yamcha both learned the Kamehameha in under four years, a technique Roshi himself said required half a century of training.

These superhumans trained under increasingly powerful masters. After studying with Roshi, several of them died during the Saiyan Saga and trained under King Kai in the afterlife, where they learned advanced ki control under ten times Earth's gravity. This training bore fruit when Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu defeated the members of the Ginyu Force in the anime's filler episodes, warriors who had been among the most feared in Frieza's empire. Krillin had his latent potential unlocked by Grand Elder Guru on Namek, dramatically boosting his power beyond what normal training could achieve.

Power Level 5 to Tournament of Power

The trajectory of Earthling fighters across the series is staggering. Warriors who started with power levels barely above the average farmer eventually fought alongside Saiyans and Namekians against threats to the entire multiverse. During the Tournament of Power, Goku recruited Krillin, Tien, and Master Roshi to represent Universe 7, and all three more than justified their selection. Roshi's performance was particularly remarkable: the old master used his centuries of combat experience and tactical brilliance to eliminate multiple opponents, proving that raw power is not the only path to victory.

The strongest pure Earthling in the series is arguably Uub, the human reincarnation of Kid Buu. Goku personally sought him out at the end of Dragon Ball Z, recognizing the boy's extraordinary potential hidden within an unassuming village child. Uub's power comes from his unique origin as a reincarnated Majin, an advantage no other Earthling will ever share. Among Earthlings who achieved their power through training alone, Krillin and Tien Shinhan stand at the top, with Tien being a partial descendant of the Three-Eyed Clan (Triclops), which grants him exceptional physical resilience and the ability to replicate techniques after seeing them performed once.

Androids 17 and 18, originally the human twins Lapis and Lazuli, represent a different path to power entirely. Dr. Gero reconstructed their organic matter into bio-organic cybernetic enhancements, granting them infinite energy supplies and power levels that rivaled the Super Saiyans. Their transformation from ordinary humans into two of the strongest fighters in the universe demonstrates that Earthling biology, when augmented by sufficient technology, has no inherent ceiling.

One of the great ironies of Dragon Ball is that the general Earthling population believes Mr. Satan to be the strongest fighter on the planet. He won the World Martial Arts Tournament legitimately after Goku's generation stopped competing, and he took credit for defeating Cell after the Z Fighters did the actual work. To the public, Mr. Satan is the hero who saved the world. To those who know the truth, he is a gifted but relatively ordinary martial artist whose power level sits far below even the weakest of the Z Fighters.

Yet Mr. Satan plays a genuinely important role. During the battle against Kid Buu, it was Mr. Satan who convinced the people of Earth to raise their hands and contribute energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb. The planet's population, which had ignored requests from Goku and Vegeta, listened to their beloved champion without hesitation. Mr. Satan's cultural influence accomplished what raw power could not, turning the entire population of Earth into participants in the final blow against the most dangerous version of Majin Buu.

Notable Earthlings and Their Legacy

The roster of significant Earthlings spans the entire series. Krillin, Goku's best friend and the strongest fully human fighter for much of the story, contributed to nearly every major battle from the original Dragon Ball through the Tournament of Power. Tien Shinhan, the disciplined three-eyed warrior, held Semi-Perfect Cell at bay with repeated Tri-Beam attacks despite the massive power gap, buying time for the Androids to escape. Yamcha, often underestimated, was strong enough to be recruited by the Galactic Patrol during the Moro arc. Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, remained relevant across every era of the franchise through sheer tactical genius and a lifetime of experience.

Bulma deserves special mention as an Earthling whose contribution comes entirely from intellect rather than combat ability. She invented the Dragon Radar, built a time machine in Future Trunks' timeline, and runs Capsule Corporation, the most advanced technology company on the planet. Without Bulma, the Z Fighters would never have found the Dragon Balls efficiently, Future Trunks could never have traveled to the past, and Earth's technological infrastructure would be dramatically diminished. Videl, Mr. Satan's daughter, proved that even late-starting Earthlings can learn ki-based flight with proper instruction, and her daughter Pan inherited both Saiyan and Earthling traits to become a fighter in her own right. The Earthling contribution to Dragon Ball's story is not defined by power levels alone but by resourcefulness, heart, and the stubborn refusal to stay on the sidelines when the universe needs defending.