Summoning the Eternal Dragons has always been one of the most spectacular things in Dragon Ball outside the fights. The Dragons are often shown to be dignified, mystical beings that should be held in reverence. Seeing them never gets old. However, when one thinks about it, they're not necessarily all that strong. In fact, the Z Fighters surpassed Shenron in power all the way back in the original Dragon Ball series. Despite this gap, they still look at Shenron with awe and wonder, and for good reason. In some ways, the Dragon Balls have more power than the Z Fighters could ever hope to have.
Despite their unmatched utility, the Dragon Balls don't get the respect they deserve. Most of the credit for maintaining peace goes to fighters like Goku, Gohan, Mr. Satan, Future Trunks and Android 17. These warriors certainly deserve respect for stopping the bad guys, but when it comes to saving the day, the Dragon Balls are the real heroes.
Part of what makes the Eternal Dragons so great is their unmatched utility. There are so many things these magical, wish-granting beings can do that the fighters of the show can't, no matter how strong they become. This difference in capabilities rather than strength is what’s kept the Dragons relevant so long after they've been physically surpassed.
One of the Dragons' most requested wishes is to resurrect the victims of the latest villain. This has included victims of the Red Ribbon Army, King Piccolo, Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu. They've even brought back Majin Vegeta's victims from when he went on an evil rampage. They don't just restore civilians either; if one of the Z fighters has fallen in battle, they can rely on their friends to wish them back after dealing with the bad guy. No other being is shown to be capable of fully reviving the dead until Whis at the very end of Dragon Ball Super's initial run. The fact that the Dragons have this rare ability makes them invaluable.
The Dragons can also undo just about any damage that's been done during a major story arc. In Dragon Ball Z, Porunga was able to restore the planet Earth in addition to everyone on it after Majin Buu had his way with them. In DBS, Super Shenron is used to restore Universe 6's Earth and later, all the Universes that were erased from existence by Grand Zeno.
Besides restoration, the Dragons have been wished upon for all sorts of things. Porunga was used to transport Piccolo to Planet Namek, and later, to teleport everyone but Frieza and Goku off the imploding world. He also helped reinvigorate Goku so he could secure the win against Kid Buu. Shenron was used to remove the bombs from the androids and bestow the knowledge necessary to acquire a Super Saiyan God. These Dragons have so many uses that make them integral to the Z Fighters' success.
To be fair, however, the Dragon Balls aren't necessarily an intrinsic force for good. The Eternal Dragons will grant the wish of anyone who asks when their respective sets of Dragon Balls are gathered, regardless of their backgrounds, allegiances or motives. As a result, they have also been wished upon by plenty of unsavory individuals for evil purposes.
Pilaf would have been made ruler of the world if Oolong hadn't asked Shenron for panties first, King Piccolo and Moro both wished to be returned to their prime, the Frieza Force used the Balls to bring back their fallen emperor, Zamasu used Super Shenron to switch bodies with Goku and become Goku Black and Moro used Porunga to free the convicts incarcerated in the Galactic Prison. In reality, the Eternal Dragons act more as a true neutral force throughout the series.
Generally speaking, the Eternal Dragons can be seen as some of the most valuable players in the Dragon Ball franchise. They are capable of all sorts of feats that no one can accomplish through strength alone. However, if one wants to call the Eternal Dragons heroes of Dragon Ball, they must be willing to acknowledge their potential for both great good and great evil. In any case, the Dragon Balls' wish-granting potential has always been important and will continue to be relevant. After all, there wouldn’t be much of a point in calling the show Dragon Ball if there weren’t any Dragon Balls.
