Kami

Kami (also called Kami-sama, meaning "God" or "Divine Being") is a key character in the Dragon Ball anime, serving as the Guardian of Earth. He resides on the floating Lookout (Kami's Lookout) alongside his attendant, Mr. Popo, where he watches over the planet from afar.

In the anime's storyline, Kami is revealed to be a Namekian (an alien species from planet Namek) who, long ago, purged all the evil from his body to qualify as Earth's guardian. This separation created his evil counterpart, King Piccolo (the Demon King), whose existence is linked to Kami's—if one dies, the other does too. Kami is also the creator of Earth's Dragon Balls and Shenron, the eternal dragon summoned by them.

He first appears prominently toward the end of the original Dragon Ball series, after King Piccolo's defeat, and plays a significant role during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament (where he enters disguised as a human fighter named Shen to confront the newly reborn Piccolo Jr.). Kami is wise, calm, and benevolent, though he often feels regret over past events like creating the Dragon Balls (which caused conflicts) and his inability to directly stop his evil half.

Later in Dragon Ball Z, he provides guidance and support to Goku and the Z Fighters (including training and healing), but his power level becomes relatively modest compared to escalating threats. Eventually, to help combat the Androids, he merges with Piccolo Jr., restoring them to a single being and passing the guardian role to Dende.

Overall, in the anime, Kami represents a grounded, mortal "god" figure—wise and protective, but not omnipotent or infallible.