Takao Koyama Says Majin Buu With Gohan Absorbed Is Perhaps the Strongest Buu

Dragon Ball Z anime showrunner and producer Takao Koyama said on Twitter that Majin Buu with Gohan absorbed is perhaps the strongest Majin Buu. That form is Ultimate Buu, or Buuhan as some would call him, and to me Koyama's word is even more evidence that if you're going by the anime canon or continuity, Buuhan is probably still the strongest.

Takao Koyama worked alongside Toriyama to bring Dragon Ball Z to the screen

Koyama is one of the people behind the Dragon Ball Z anime. Back in the late '80s and the '90s, he worked alongside Toriyama and the rest of the writing team to produce the anime adaptation of the manga. He also helped with the movies, and he's probably most famous for creating characters like Broly and Janemba, along with filler characters such as Garlic Jr.

Because he worked with Toriyama and everybody else to produce the original Dragon Ball anime and Z, he knows Dragon Ball relatively well. While Toriyama was doing the manga, Koyama was doing the anime, which is why I think his opinion carries weight here.

The anime narrator called Kid Buu the strongest, but the manga never did

About four years earlier, I took part in a discussion about which Majin Buu is the strongest, and we both determined that Majin Buu with Gohan absorbed is the strongest. There has been a debate, though. In the original manga, it was never actually stated which Buu was the strongest, but it was always implied that it was Buuhan.

In the anime, it was also implied, but during the fight with Kid Buu, the narrator states that he is the strongest Majin Buu.

This debate has been going on since the '90s. I remember getting on message boards around 1999 and 2000, before the Buu Saga was even dubbed, when the Frieza and Cell sagas were still being produced for the English audience. I had already seen the entire Buu Saga because the fan subs were out there, and I had a whole collection of tapes. Even then, people argued over which Buu was strongest, because the anime says Kid Buu is the strongest and the manga never does.

Koyama's tweet named Buuhan, with a "perhaps" attached

Koyama's tweet named Majin Buu with Gohan absorbed as the strongest. The translation is a little bit wonky. It reads that Majin Buu who absorbed ultimate Gohan will be the strongest. What he actually says is "perhaps Majin Buu who absorbed ultimate Gohan is the strongest."

So the guy who ran the show is now saying that Buuhan is the strongest Majin Buu. It's interesting, but that is exactly what he said: perhaps the strongest.

Granted, he also said that Broly was the strongest movie character, and that's up for debate, with names like Janemba in the mix. Still, it's worth talking about that Koyama himself says Ultimate Buu is the strongest Majin Buu. Take it however you want, but it was stated by him, and "to me that holds some stock," or at least some respect.

My guesses for why the anime included the Kid Buu line

Some people have asked why that line was even put in the anime. My guess comes down to two reasons. Number one, it was a mistake. Number two, they wanted to say that Kid Buu was the strongest Majin Buu with nobody absorbed. Setting aside Fat Buu and Evil Buu, the skinny gray Buu, he would be the strongest, even stronger than Super Buu. That's what I'm guessing.

It could also possibly be that they called him the strongest to build up dramatic tension, so that the final battle would feel more significant. Either way, it's not anywhere in the manga.

Goku and Vegeta chose not to fuse against Kid Buu

Remember why Goku and Vegeta did not fuse into Vegito against Kid Buu. They wanted to fight him fair and square, one on one, with no fusions and no absorptions. That may have been a dumb move, because they were putting the entire universe at risk, but that's what they did. It's something Goku and Vegeta tend to always do, so I can't really get mad at them for it, even though it is foolish. That's how the Saiyans are.

It also makes sense in context. Kid Buu's Japanese name means pure evil, so he's the purest Majin Buu of them all, and Goku and Vegeta wanted to fight him pure. That doesn't mean he's the strongest, but he's definitely the most dangerous, and that's what they said.

Why I think Buuhan is probably still the strongest in anime continuity

Koyama has experience literally creating Dragon Ball Z the anime: the filler, adapting the manga, and working with the writers to fill everything out and make it episodic rather than a set of manga chapters. Now he says he believes it's Buuhan.

Take it how you will, but to me that's even more evidence that if you go by anime canon or continuity, Buuhan is probably still the strongest, despite the narrator saying Kid Buu is. Maybe the narrator meant the strongest unfused or unabsorbed Buu. That's up to you to decide.

Ultimately, I love both Majin Buus for different reasons. And let's not forget how hard Kid Buu is to beat in Budokai 3. I did beat him, though.

Which Majin Buu do you consider the strongest: Buuhan or Kid Buu?