Highlights
- Majin Buu’s anger is a major weakness that leads to his downfall in battles, as it causes him to lose control and abandon any strategic approach.
- Buu’s inability to sense energy makes him inefficient in tracking down his opponents, giving them time to prepare and become stronger.
- Buu’s lack of focus and inability to multitask leaves him vulnerable to sneak attacks, which his enemies repeatedly use against him.
For the longest time, Majin Buu seemed like the most insurmountable foe in Dragon Ball. Not only does he have immense power, but he sports an unparalleled regenerative ability. These strengths make him extremely tough to kill or even damage. Despite the daunting odds, though, his armor has a few weak links.
Buu suffers from some notable weaknesses. These flaws mainly stem from his personality and habits. Sure enough, the Z-fighters take ample advantage of these oversights. Who can blame them? Otherwise, the battle with Buu is virtually unwinnable.
6 Anger
Buu throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.
Buu is a child in many ways, and children throw temper tantrums. Thus, he’s prone to fits of uncontrollable rage. When insulted and/or humiliated, he blows his stack and loses all sense of reason. Granted, this tendency isn’t dead on arrival, as some Dragon Ball characters use this to their advantage. An enraged Broly, for instance, hits like a truck, but he’s also sturdy enough to negate any rebuttal. Buu doesn’t have the same sturdiness.
Because of that, his anger is a hindrance. When lashing out, any strategy or finesse goes out the window. Instead, he just swings wildly and hopes to hit something, allowing smarter fighters to get a leg up. Faced with these counterattacks, Buu bends like bubble gum. He then gets even madder, further amplifying this weakness. It’s a vicious cycle.
5 Can’t Sense Energy
Buu is seeking the most powerful people in the world, but he can’t sense them.
Buu carries over a weakness from Frieza in that he can’t sense energy (ki). Instead, he operates on eyesight. That becomes a problem when searching for Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks. He flies blindly around the globe, destroying cities and hoping his targets show up. If he could sense energy, he would realize that all the Z-fighters are congregating at Kami’s lookout. They’re the most powerful warriors on Earth, so detecting them should be child’s play.
That’s what happens when the pink dope transforms into Super Buu. This new form spontaneously learns how to sense energy and makes a beeline straight for the lookout. He can now solve all his problems in one fell swoop. Sadly, it doesn’t change how much time he wasted prior to this. The delays give his enemies ample time to prepare, making them tougher to take down.
4 Tunnel Vision
Multitasking is not in Buu’s repertoire.
Like other Dragon Ball villains, Buu can’t seem to focus on more than one thing at a time. When fighting, he focuses solely on his opponent. That’s especially the case when he’s winning. He’s particularly pleased with himself, so he doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings.
Such a flaw makes him susceptible to sneak attacks This happens no less than three times when he first wakes up – courtesy of Gohan, Dabura, and Trunks. Then, Goku exploits this weakness after returning to life, slicing Buu in half right before the monster blows up the Earth. The final sneaky strike happens at the hands of Buu himself, namely his good half (more on him later). The point is that he never once learns from this mistake, so the heroes can keep using it against him.
3 Appetite
This many sweets can’t be good for anyone, even a pink gumball monster.
Another symptom of Buu’s childlike demeanor is his diet, or lack thereof. He eats nothing but sweets: cake, candy, chocolate, etc. When available, these delicacies immediately catch his attention. If they’re unavailable, he just turns his enemies into junk food with a magical beam. His is an exclusive palette.
Unfortunately, said palette isn’t sustainable. He’ll eventually run out of both candy and people, and he doesn’t have the brains or attention span to bake any for himself. Not to mention, all that slop can’t be good for his system. Granted, fans never see any negative effects. He may not even operate on basic biological rules since he’s a magical monster. That said, mixing in more nutrition could only help in the long run.
2 Magic Seals
Buu’s creator installed a failsafe.
The wizard Bibidi may conjure an insane creature to wreak havoc on the universe, but at least he includes a failsafe. Once Buu starts going beyond his control, the miniature mage seals him in a mystical ball. One wouldn’t think this works, but it actually does. In fact, it keeps the beast contained for thousands of years. Short of destroying him, this is the most effective means of defeating Buu. What’s more, the villain knows that all too well.
Despite his apparent stupidity, Buu is aware of the spell’s ever-present threat. It’s why he initially obeys Bibidi’s son, Babidi. Obviously, he’d rather not spend another eternity inside a magic ball. Eventually, however, he overcomes that fear and snuffs out his master, unwilling to be a slave any longer. With the wizard gone, this weakness is nullified.
1 Inner Turmoil
Buu takes on the personalities of the people he absorbs.
A downside to Buu’s absorption technique is psychological conflict. When he sucks people up, he adopts aspects of their personality. The worst example is when he absorbs the benevolent leader of the Supreme Kais. The elder’s pesky morality eventually stands in the way of mindless murder. This new, rotund form later befriends Mr. Satan and vows not to kill anyone else. This doesn’t sit well with Buu’s inherent evil half, which promptly splits and absorbs the good half.
Thankfully, that innocent persona continues to get in the way. It causes Buu to hesitate when threatening Mr. Satan and his dog. It then outright fights him once they separate again. Thus, his internal conflict becomes external.
