Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Akira Toriyama's legendary manga, Dragon Ball, just dropped a bombshell: the franchise is launching its first-ever global character popularity poll, "DRAGON BALL THE ONE"! This epic event, part of the 40th-anniversary celebration, will crown the ultimate fan-favorite from a roster of 212 characters. The poll officially kicks off on November 20, 2025, marking the very day the series first debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump back in 1984.
This isn't just any poll; it's a brutal survival elimination contest, broken down into four intense stages:
Only the characters with the most votes advance in each stage. But don't count out the losers too soon! Characters eliminated in the first three stages get a second shot at glory through a "Loser's Revival" battle on X (formerly Twitter). Ultimately, 21 characters will battle it out in the Final Stage to determine the ultimate champion.
Fans worldwide can cast one vote per day on the special event website for any of the 212 characters who have appeared in the manga. The grand finale? The results will be unveiled during a special program on the official Dragon Ball YouTube channel at noon on January 24, 2026.
1st STAGE: November 20, 2025 (Noon) – November 24, 11:59 AM
→ 212 characters battle it out → Top 80 advance!
Loser's Revival: November 25 (Noon) – November 26, 11:59 AM
→ One character from the 132 eliminated gets a second chance to enter Stage 2!
2nd STAGE: November 27 (Noon) – December 1, 11:59 AM
→ 81 characters clash → Top 40 move on!
Loser's Revival: December 2 (Noon) – December 3, 11:59 AM
→ One character from the 41 eliminated gets a comeback!
3rd STAGE: December 4 (Noon) – December 8, 11:59 AM
→ 41 characters duke it out → Top 20 make it through!
Loser's Revival: December 9 (Noon) – December 10, 11:59 AM
→ One more character from the 21 eliminated snags a spot!
Final STAGE: December 17 (Noon) – December 24, 11:59 AM
→ The ultimate showdown for the 21 finalists to crown the global #1 fan-favorite!
So, if you've got a favorite Dragon Ball character, get ready to cast your vote when the poll opens! Will your pick conquer this intense popularity battle?