Become an immovable object
As with many team-based games, having a strong defense is just as important as using hard-hitters--though ideally you’d have both things in the same character. It is very common for players to include a tank or two in their Dokkan Battle team to help them take most of the hits while their other characters dish out the pain. Today, we take a look at the best tanks you can add to your team to help you beat those difficult stages.
Just a few things before we begin. The main focus is on withstanding damage consistently, as in taking as little as possible per hit, but skills such as sealing and dodging that improve survivability are also taken into account. However, damage output is not nearly as important in this list, so don’t expect to see many hard-hitters. The units here are also considered on their own, not on how they would perform in an ideal team. Lastly, stackers will not be very prevalent here since that skill is most useful only during lengthy events, which is the minority of the game--most tend to be fast-paced such as Super Battle Road, story events, and a good chunk of Dokkan challenge stages, just to name a few. Now, let’s get started with the Top 10 defensive units available as of the Worldwide Celebration in the global version of DBZ Dokkan Battle.
10. [Extreme Z-Awakened] Unparalleled Golden Ki Super Vegito
This is one of those units with a balanced damage and defensive potential thanks to his counterattacks and additional stat boosts. His biggest downside is that he cannot reduce damage taken from enemy SAs, but he is otherwise a mighty wall against any opponent. He will be at his best in a Potara or Final Trump Card team when paired with other Vegitos.
- His damage reduction is one of his best features, if not the best, since it reduces damage taken by a mighty 80%, very few units have a reduction that high.
- Although he needs to be hit first, his stat boosts of 40% further strengthen him and will help him withstand unwanted enemy super attacks.
- His ability to foresee enemy SAs, though a bit restricted, can be of great help, particularly if you’re out of items and need to manage your rotations even more carefully.
- As I said earlier, his counterattack really drives up his ability to deal damage, helping you make short work of your opponent.
Details
- Leader Skill: AGL Type Ki +4 and HP, ATK & DEF +100%
- Super attack “Spirit Sword (Extreme)” causes immense damage to enemy and raises allies' ATK by 35% for 1 turn
- Passive skill “Flawless Combat” gives him ATK & DEF +40% within the same turn after receiving attack; foresees enemy's Super Attack when HP is 40% or less; damage received from normal attacks -80% and counters with tremendous power
9. [EZA] Warrior’s True Value Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta
Personally, I was extremely happy when his EZA arrived because of how much use I have got out of this unit since I first got it not long after I began playing. Though offensively he is rather limited, his defensive abilities are simply great. The only thing keeping him from moving up is the hard limit on his damage reduction. Super STR and Super Saiyan 3 teams are where Vegeta shines at his brightest.
- His high chance to stun is his 2nd most important tool because it can help prevent a lot of damage as it lasts 2 turns.
- His number 1 tool is his defense, of course. With an 80% damage reduction against all hits, SSJ3 Vegeta can tank hits left and right without breaking a sweat. Even if his defense is lowered by the enemy, that makes little difference to him.
- Although his attack boost is locked behind a bad restriction, you can work around it to turn him into a rather powerful weapon through his 120% attack boost.
Details
- Leader skill STR type Ki +3 and HP, ATK & DEF +90%
- SA “Galick Blazer (Extreme)” causes immense damage with a high chance of stunning the enemy
- Passive skill “Aura of the Supreme” reduces damage received by 80% for 10 turns from start of turn; ATK +120% when the target enemy is stunned
- 50% chance to stun the enemy for 2 turns with SA
8. [EZA] Rose Stained Super Saiyan Goku Black (SS Rosé)
While he may be outclassed by his LR counterpart offensively, this Goku Rosé can tank far better. His tanking may take a bit to build up, but boy does it get ridiculously good. Rosé’s best teams are Potara, Future Saga, and Time Travelers where he should be paired with base form Goku Black or a Zamasu unit.
- Let’s jump right into his defense. First off, his defense can build up to 180% after several attacks which may take several or only a turn or 2 depending on your opponent and difficulty. But he is not defenseless as he boosts his defense with his SA, which can either protect him while he builds up or increase his defense even more.
- He also acts as a strong Extreme class support thanks to his ki +3 and 30% attack boost to his allies.
- This support also boosts himself, meaning that he is self-sufficient and will hardly struggle to use his SA.
- Rosé also has an amazing and well-balanced linkset, which makes him a great teammate.
Details
- Leader skill: Extreme Class Ki +4 and HP, ATK & DEF +80%
- SA “Violent Fierce God Slicer (Extreme)” greatly raises DEF for 1 turn, causes immense damage to enemy and greatly lowers DEF
- Passive skill “Mastery of Strength” gives him ATK +100% plus Extreme Class Ki +3 and ATK +30% at start of turn; DEF +30% with each attack received (up to 180%)
- Raises DEF by 50% for 1 turn with SA
7. [EZA] Brazen Courage Gohan (Kid)
The boy that received the EZA treatment that many hoped for, but few expected given that he is an LR and such a thing was unheard of until recently. Although difficult to obtain, his revamped toolkit makes him worth the grind. To get the most out of him, put him in the same rotation as a Goku character under a Goku’s family or mixed saiyans team.
- Thanks to his passive skill, this Gohan is perfectly self-reliant as he gives himself 2 ki and boosts his defense and attack by 77% in addition to his LR stats.
- The most impressive part about him is his 58% damage reduction restrained only by the condition that he be on the same rotation as a character named Goku, which is easy to do given the abundance of Goku units in the game--I can think of 6 free-to-play Goku units just off the top of my head.
- The unit is also free-to-play, which means you are not binded by luck to obtain him, but you will have to use kais for his SA.
- Gohan also possesses a rather rare and extremely useful leader skill. He is a 120% and ki +3 leader for ALL allies! This means ample flexibility in team-building.
- Lastly, his 12-17 ki SA gives him a medium chance to stun that can come in handy during a difficult fight.
Details
- SA “Power Pole (Extreme)” Causes colossal damage with a medium chance of stunning the enemy.
- Chance to stun is 30% for 2 turns.
- Ultra SA “Incident Under the Full Moon (Extreme)” Greatly raises ATK & DEF for 1 turn and causes mega-colossal damage to enemy
- Passive skill “Key to Fate” gives him ki +2 and ATK & DEF +77% at start of turn; Ki +7 plus an additional ATK +58% and disables enemy's guard when HP is 58% or less; reduces damage received by 58% when there is an ally whose name includes "Goku" (Youth, Captain Ginyu, Jr., etc. excluded) attacking in the same turn
6. Kami and Demon King United Piccolo
Honestly, this unit would be much higher on this list if it wasn’t for his transformation restrictions. Fortunately, there are at least a couple of F2P options to help you fulfill his Namekians restrictions, so it’s not all that bad. This unit performs best in a Namekians team, but Worthy Rivals is a good alternative.
- Piccolo has a great toolkit that improves his survivability. Between his consistent healing, ability to foresee enemy SAs, and chance to stun after fusing, he can definitely keep you alive against the strongest of opponents.
- When transformed, his already strong attack and defense boost gets even better by going up to 120%, giving him a lot of defensive and offensive power.
- As an infinite defensive stacker, Piccolo can stick it out and get better as difficult fights drag on.
- The cherry on top is his damage reduction of 40% when he fuses with Kami. This makes him an ideal tank as he can do everything to cover your bases and keep you afloat.
Details
- Leader skill: "Namekians" Category Ki +4 and HP, ATK & DEF +170%; or "Worthy Rivals" Category Ki +3 and HP, ATK & DEF +150%
- SA “Super Magekisen” Raises DEF and causes immense damage to enemy
- Passive skill “Agonizing decision” gives him ATK & DEF +100%; recovers 7% HP whenever HP is 77% or less; foresees enemy's Super Attack
- Active skill: fuses with Kami; can be activated when HP is 70% or more with another "Namekians" Category ally on the team, starting from the 4th turn from the start of battle (once only)
- Fused SA “Light Grenade” greatly raises ATK for 1 turn and causes immense damage with a high chance of stunning the enemy
- 50% chance to stun the enemy for 2 turns
- Fused passive skill “Super Strength” gives him ATK & DEF +120%; reduces damage received by 40%; chance of performing a critical hit +10% to 40% (the more HP remaining, the greater the boost); recovers 10% HP whenever HP is 77% or less; foresees enemy's Super Attack
5. Universe’s Bravest Hercule
Defense is the name of this unit’s game as evidenced by his toolkit. If you’re in need of a powerful defender and don’t mind sacrificing offensive power, then I suggest you add Hercule to your team. Getting the most of this unit is tricky, which is why I wouldn’t worry much about his links since his defense is the reason for using him, which he does particularly well on his own. However, if you’re looking for his best teams: World Tournament, Majin Buu Saga, and Earthlings are where you’ll find his best linking partners. I would suggest you pair him with another Hercule unit.
- His key defensive feature is his damage reduction which gets better as your HP goes down, maxing out at a whopping 90%. This makes him ideal for events where you might run out of items or can’t carry any whatsoever.
- Next up is his dodging. With a high chance to dodge, he can also avoid those nasty enemy SAs that deal tons of damage and save you some HP.
- His last defensive tool (and a little less reliable) is his chance to stun. It can prevent damage taken by your entire team, which can come in clutch if the rest of your team lacks a little in defense.
Details
- Leader skill: INT Type Ki +2 and HP, ATK & DEF +90%
- SA “Champion’s Final Trump Card” Causes supreme damage with a medium chance to stun the enemy
- SA with Tien “Champion’s Final Trump Card” Causes supreme damage with supremely boosted power and a medium chance to stun the enemy
- 30% chance to stun for 2 turns with SA
- Passive skill “Champion’s Luck” gives him a high chance to evade enemy's attack (including Super Attack); reduces damage received by 50% to 90% (the less HP remaining, the less damage received)
- 50% chance to evade
- Damage reductions scales as follows: 100% HP: damage reduced by 50%; 80% HP: damage reduced by 60%; 60% HP: damage reduced by 70%; 40% HP: damage reduced by 80%; 20% HP: damage reduced by 90%.
4. [EZA] Fire of Vengeance Golden Frieza
I bet you were wondering when he was gonna come up. Here we have another card that can defend extremely well and that packs a decent punch. He can do great in practically all of his category teams, but do be sure to couple him with other Wicked Bloodline units for the best results.
- His main feature is his damage reduction of 80% against all attacks, but unlike SSJ3 Vegeta, this Frieza’s restriction can be worked around to keep it active.
- However, if your health goes below 50%, this Frieza will not be helpless as he still maintains a damage reduction of 50%.
- Frieza can also hit hard thanks to his unconditional 80% attack boost and an additional 50% when you’re down to half of your HP.
- His varied categories and solid linkset also grant him flexibility when you’re trying to figure out what team to put him into.
Details
- Leader skill: TEQ Type Ki +3 and HP, ATK & DEF +120%
- SA “Earth Breaker (Extreme)” Causes immense damage to enemy and massively lowers DEF
- Lowers enemy's DEF by 80% for 3 turns
- Passive skill “Moment of Counterattack” gives him ATK +80%; reduces damage received by 80% when HP is 50% or more; reduces damage received by 50% plus an additional ATK +50% when HP is 49% or less
3. Sign of a Turnaround Goku (Ultra Instinct -Sign-)
While his toolkit may not be as big as some of the other units in this list, UI Goku has rightfully earned this spot on the list (just barely). The developers definitely redeemed ultra instinct Goku with this LR compared to his INT counterpart that came out 2 years ago. Goku will do well in many teams but Realm of Gods and Kamehameha are the best options for him. Pairing him up with a Gogeta Blue or a Vegito Blue will get a lot out of him.
- This Goku is all about dodging to avoid damage completely. However, his chance does get lower after several turns have passed in a battle, but it’s still as good as the Hercule’s from earlier.
- Even if his chance to dodge lowers, you need not worry about taking hits because by then it is very likely that his defensive boost will have been fully built up to an unrivaled 213%!!! This means he will hardly be affected by his opponents, even the strongest ones.
- He is also perfectly self-sufficient thanks to his ki self-boost of up to 7, which means a guaranteed SA under good leaders.
Details
- Leader Skill: "Realm of Gods" Category Ki +4 and HP, ATK & DEF +130%; Super STR Type Ki +4 and HP, ATK & DEF +100%
- SA” Instinctive Punch” Disables enemy's guard and causes colossal damage to enemy
- Ultra SA “Kamehameha” Disables enemy's guard and causes mega-colossal damage to enemy
- Passive skill “Turn in Tides of Battle” gives him ATK & DEF +77%; great chance of evading enemy's attack (including Super Attack) for 7 turns from start of turn, and high chance of evading enemy's attack (including Super Attack) starting from the 8th turn; plus an additional Ki +1 (up to +7) and ATK & DEF +11% (up to 77%) with each attack evaded (including Super Attack)
- 70% chance to evade enemy's attack that lowers to 50% from the 8th turn of battle
2. Best Measure Whis
Let’s take a break from EZAs for a moment and check out this amazing unit. While you’ll often find him paired with Beerus, as that is how you’ll get the most out of him, he can defend extremely well with or without Beerus. Whis will perform best in a Realm of Gods or Bond of Master and Disciple team alongside his own disciple.
- The key aspect of Whis is his great chance to dodge, which allows you to avoid damage altogether, but you don’t have to worry if he doesn’t dodge because…
- Aside from an unconditional 100% boost to his defense, Whis boosts his defense by a mighty 50% with each attack dodged for that same turn. In Super and above difficulty events this is very important because opponents attack many times in one turn per slot, which lets Whis build up an insane defense.
- His SAs abilities also help him out a great deal in reducing damage since (1) he can seal enemy super attacks and (2) he debuffs the opponent’s attack. This all increases your team’s survivability a great deal.
- While he needs to be in the same rotation as Beerus to use it, Whis can also heal you by a good 10% of your HP. It makes it worthwhile to bring Beerus in events where items are limited.
Details
- Leader skill: "Bond of Master and Disciple" Category Ki +3 and HP, ATK & DEF +120%
- SA “Angelic Induction” causes supreme damage to enemy, lowers ATK & DEF[1] and seals Super Attack
- Lowers enemy's ATK & DEF by 20% for 3 turns with SA
- Passive skill “Peripheral Awareness” gives him ATK & DEF +100%; great chance of evading enemy's attack (including Super Attack), plus an additional DEF +50% within the same turn with each attack evaded (including Super Attack); all allies' ATK +50% and recovers 10% HP at the end of turn when there is an ally whose name includes "Beerus" (Whirus excluded) attacking in the same turn
- 70% chance to evade enemy's attack
1. [EZA] Proof of Resurrection Golden Frieza
And here you thought I was done with EZAs, oh you silly, silly child. . Although he cannot attain the damage potential of his TEQ counterpart, this Frieza’s defense is just too good. Like the one from earlier, he should always be paired up with other Wicked Bloodline units in order to be at his best. If you want a specific team, I would suggest Movie Bosses, Terrifying Conquerors, or Wicked bloodline.
- The main reason for his being here is his UNRIVALED 90% damage reduction. You read that right, this unit will hardly take any damage, even from super attacks from the strongest of enemies. It does have a restriction, but 40% HP can be worked around and with that tankiness, you will hardly ever find yourself with that little health.
- Offensively, he is not helpless either. Tucked behind a simple restriction, this Frieza receives +2 ki and a solid 90% attack boost that help him dish out decent damage by guaranteeing an SA with his passive active.
- I know I said offense wasn’t a particularly important, but his infinite attack stacking makes him a dangerous weapon when coupled with his nearly impenetrable defense (talk about balanced)
- Even though it’s a bit niche, his rather rare leader skill can be of great use in the punching bag events of the game as it gives slightly more than the typical 33% boost per ki sphere obtained.
Details
- Leader skill: AGL Type ATK +35% per AGL Ki Sphere obtained
- SA “Golden Death Ball (Extreme)” Raises ATK and causes supreme damage to enemy
- Raises ATK by 30% for 99 turns with SA
- Passive skill “Rampant Malice” gives him Ki +2 and ATK +90% with 4 or more Ki Spheres obtained; reduces damage received by 90% when HP is 40% or more
As you can see, no one tank is perfect so plan to work around their flaws before jumping into a challenging event. Until next time!
