Dabura is a weird case. When he first showed up in Dragon Ball Z, he was terrifying. He basically spat on Krillin and Piccolo, turned them into literal garden ornaments, and stood there looking like the devil himself. Fans genuinely thought he was going to be the "final boss" level threat of the Buu Saga. Then, things got messy.
Honestly, the way Akira Toriyama handled the King of the Demon Realm is one of the most polarizing parts of the late-series writing. He’s a character defined by wasted potential, yet he remains one of the coolest designs in the entire franchise. You’ve got this towering figure with a goatee, pointed ears, and a sophisticated vibe that felt more like a classic Dracula than a typical screaming DBZ villain. He wasn't just a meathead. He was refined.
But then Majin Buu woke up.
The Power Level Problem with Dragon Ball Z Dabura
Everyone wants to know exactly how strong he was. Goku says it best in the manga: "He’s probably about the same as Cell." That’s a heavy statement. If you remember the absolute dread Cell caused, Dabura should have been a nightmare. But there was a catch. Gohan had gotten soft.
Because Gohan hadn't trained in seven years, he couldn't just steamroll Dabura like he would have back at the Cell Games. This created a bit of a power-scaling headache for fans. If Dabura is as strong as Perfect Cell, and Gohan is struggling, does that mean Dabura is actually weaker than we think? Or is Gohan just that much worse? It’s likely a mix of both.
Dabura uses magic. That’s what makes him stand out from guys like Nappa or Frieza. He isn't just throwing blue lasers at people. He can manifest a literal sword out of thin air. He breathes fire. And, of course, there is the Stone Spit.
The spit is essentially a "one-shot" mechanic. In gaming terms, it's a broken debuff. If a single drop of his saliva touches you, you're done. You turn into stone until he dies. This forced the heroes to fight differently. It wasn't about who had the higher power level; it was about who could avoid getting hit by a biological projectile.
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Why the Babidi Connection Was a Mistake
The Majin mark—the big "M" on the forehead—usually makes characters cooler. Look at Majin Vegeta. It worked for him. For Dabura, it felt like a leash.
He is the King of the Demon Realm. A king! Yet, here he is, taking orders from a shriveled-up wizard who looks like a sentient bean. It’s a bit insulting. According to the Daizenshuu 7 (the official encyclopedia for the series), Dabura was the undisputed ruler of the underworld before Babidi found him. Imagine being the literal Satan of your universe and getting mind-controlled by a guy who dies if you sneeze on him.
It served a narrative purpose, sure. It showed how powerful Babidi’s magic was. But it also stripped Dabura of his agency. He became a henchman. A high-tier henchman, but a henchman nonetheless.
The Fight with Gohan: A Study in Frustration
This fight is painful to watch if you’re a Gohan fan. It’s equally painful if you’re a Dabura fan.
Dabura is toyed with. Not physically, but narratively. He lands some hits, uses his Cape Swing to vanish, and throws some impressive pyrotechnics. But the fight never reaches a climax. It’s interrupted because Dabura realizes that Vegeta has a dark heart.
That’s his biggest contribution to the plot. He’s the one who notices Vegeta’s mid-life crisis. He tells Babidi, "Hey, that guy over there is actually a jerk, let's use him." Without Dabura’s observation, we never get Majin Vegeta. We never get the iconic final atonement.
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In that sense, Dabura is the ultimate plot device. He exists to bridge the gap between the "tournament" phase of the arc and the "Buu" phase. Once he fulfills that role, the story doesn't know what to do with him.
The Buu Massacre
When Fat Buu finally emerges from the ball, Dabura is the only one who sees the truth. He calls Buu an "idiot." He tells Babidi that this creature is uncontrollable and dangerous. He’s 100% right.
Watching Buu poke Dabura in the eyes and then kick him into a rock was a jarring shift in tone. DBZ went from a dark supernatural thriller to a slapstick comedy in five minutes. Dabura tries to fight back—he even spears Buu through the chest—but Buu just heals and turns him into a giant cookie.
And that’s it. The King of the Demon Realm, eaten. It was a brutal way to go out for a character with such a massive backstory that we never got to see.
Heaven, Flowers, and the Afterlife
One of the funniest, and weirdest, things the anime did was show Dabura in Heaven.
Since he was the King of the Demon Realm, King Yemma figured sending him to Hell would be like sending a kid to a candy store. He’d love it. So, Yemma sends him to Heaven instead.
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We see him with a halo, wearing a white suit, picking flowers with Chi-Chi and Videl. He’s suddenly a sweetheart. He’s reformed. He’s basically a different person. While this was "filler" (content not in the original manga), it became a fan-favorite moment. It added a layer of absurdity to his character that made him more memorable than if he had just stayed a generic demon.
Looking Back at the Legacy
Dabura represents the transition of Dragon Ball Z. The series moved away from sci-fi aliens and back toward the magical roots of the original Dragon Ball. He opened the door for things like God Ki, different realms, and complex magic systems that we see now in Dragon Ball Super.
If you look at the video games, like Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 or Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, they give him way more respect. In the Dragon Ball Heroes promotional anime, his sister Towa is a major villain. We find out the Demon Realm is a massive, sprawling place with its own politics and wars.
Dabura was just our first window into that world.
He wasn't the strongest. He wasn't the main villain. But he had a presence that most secondary antagonists lack. He was sophisticated, magical, and genuinely menacing until the plot required him to be a snack.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of the Demon Realm or want to add some Dabura flair to your shelf, keep these things in mind:
- Check out the Manga: The pacing of the Gohan vs. Dabura fight is much tighter in the manga. It feels less like Gohan is "failing" and more like Dabura is genuinely crafty.
- Video Game Lore: If you want the "true" King of the Demon Realm experience, play the Xenoverse expansions. They flesh out his family tree and the actual nature of his kingdom.
- Merchandise: Dabura figures are surprisingly rare compared to Goku or Vegeta. The S.H. Figuarts line and some older Irwin toys are the gold standard if you can find them at a decent price on the secondary market.
- The "Cell" Comparison: When debating power scales, remember that Goku's comparison to Cell was based on Dabura's "suppressed" state before the fight really got going. He’s likely closer to Super Perfect Cell than the version that fought SSJ1 Gohan.
Dabura might have been turned into a cookie, but his impact on the aesthetic and "vibe" of the Buu Saga can't be ignored. He was the last time Dragon Ball Z felt truly gothic and eerie.