Her character probably has the longest presence
in the entire series besides Son Goku. She met Goku in the opening
of the series and had adventures together ever since. Her character
played a more significant role during the Dragon Ball series which
slowly faded to the background in the Dragon Ball Z series.
During the Dragon Ball and Early Dragon Ball Z series, she had always
been expected to settle down with Yamucha. To everyone's surprise,
she married Vegeta and even had a son (and subsequently a daughter
at the end of the series) called Trunks.