You're Not a True Dragon Ball Fan Until You've Seen These 10/10 Episodes

Dragon Ball is arguably the most famous anime of all time worldwide. The original Dragon Ball series, sequels, and spin-offs have expanded the universe in many ways, with power scaling and transformations becoming the flagship of the franchise alongside its unique humor.

With so many anime series and movies of distinct DB properties, it is hard to select the most iconic of them, especially because everyone will have their own favorite moments. Still, here are some of the most amazing Dragon Ball episodes that most fans probably remember.

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DB Episode 120: "Goku Strikes Back"

The Battle Against King Piccolo

Goku is so strong that he forces Piccolo to go full power, which shortens his lifespan. The scene with Piccolo powering up and making everything around him fall apart feels like a glimpse of what the franchise would eventually become. Then Goku prepares to launch a huge Kamehameha, making everyone else shocked. The battle continues for the next two episodes, which are also top quality.

DBZ Episode 93: "Keep the Chance Alive"

Goku Preparing the Spirit Bomb

No true Dragon Ball fan would ever forget the Genkidama/Spirit Bomb episodes. Goku starts charging the Spirit Bomb in episode 92, and he only throws it at Frieza in episode 94. Which means that during the whole episode 93, Frieza is trying to kill him while he is in an exposed position, unable to retaliate, and Piccolo eventually jumps in to take damage in his place. Furthermore, most fans probably raised their hands to help Goku build the Spirit Bomb. Thus, while these may not be outstanding episodes in terms of animation quality, they are peak when it comes to tension.

DBZ Episode 95: "Transformed at Last"

Goku Unleashes SSJ1 for the First Time

This is arguably the favorite episode of most Dragon Ball fans. The battle against Frieza seemed to have come to an end. However, as they are starting to prepare to get back to Earth, everything changes: Frieza is still alive. And he is as angry as ever.

Sparing no one and no time, the classic villain attacks Goku first, but Piccolo takes the hit in his place. Then the battle resumes. Everyone, even King Kai, is shocked to learn that Frieza somehow survived, and he is much stronger than before. Not even the Spirit Bomb (Gekidama) worked. Krillin takes a hit and suffers a grave injury. Goku and Piccolo will stay and fight, and Gohan is supposed to take Krillin home so he can get some treatment.

However, Frieza won't allow it. He launches Krillin into the air and detonates him (yeah, we're kind of used to Krillin dying, aren't we?). Seeing his friend dying in such a horrible way makes Goku completely outraged. He screams and unleashes his powers, going through a weird, never-before-seen transformation. That's the first time we have seen a Super Saiyan in an anime, and a must-watch for any true fan.

DBZ Episode 191: "Save the World"

Gohan Defeats Perfect Cell

Who doesn't remember the iconic Kamehameha that Gohan unleashed in the final episodes of the Cell Saga? At first, Cell seems to have the upper hand when their powers collide, but Goku, albeit dead, cheers Gohan up. This scene is absolutely emotional, but the coolest part is that it doesn't solve the problem. Gohan still can't stand it. This makes Piccolo interfere in the battle, and soon everyone else—except Vegeta (of course)—is there.

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Goku keeps cheering Gohan up, telling him to unleash all his power. And then, Gohan does it, for a moment, but things start going badly once again. Then, as Cell is seemingly victorious, Vegeta decides to join the battle, giving Gohan just enough time to prepare his most powerful Kamehameha, with the help of his father. The Father-And-Son Kamehameha finally kills Cell, and the whole sequence is breathtaking. At this point of the series, Gohan was definitely one of the most popular characters, and many fans expected him to surpass Goku. But Toriyama had other plans for the Buu saga.

DBZ Episode 237: "Final Atonement"

Vegeta Makes A Huge Sacrifice

This episode is a key point in Vegeta's development. He, who had previously agreed to receive Babidi's power boost claiming his heart was "pure evil," is now being tortured by Majin Buu. Unable to see his father in such a situation, Trunks tries to intervene, aided by Goten. With Majin Buu and Babidi dominating the fight, Majin Vegeta makes the ultimate decision: he decides to sacrifice himself with the Final Explosion to kill Majin Buu and protect his family and friends.

He asks Piccolo to take the two boys away, and he seems to regret the part of his life when he killed many innocent people. As Vegeta bids farewell to Bulma, Trunks, and Goku, he unleashes his full power and dies in the explosion. This episode is incredibly touching and one of the best, especially for Vegeta fans.

DB Super Episode 130: "The Ultimate Survival Battle"

Ultra Instinct Goku Fights Jiren

The final four episodes of Dragon Ball Super are especially amazing. The final battle against Jiren actually starts a few episodes before that, but these final moments include lots of tension and emotion with Goku and Vegeta struggling to defeat him. At the end of episode 129, Goku unlocks the Perfected Ultra Instinct, and his transformation is amazing (as most episodes introducing a new form), but the next episode, in which he uses his new power, is much more intense.

While Dragon Ball Super takes power scaling to a whole new level from the beginning, this is the moment when we actually get what's to come in the next developments. The manga has already introduced many other powerful foes and forms, such as Black Frieza, but Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku's battle against Jiren remains one of the most stunning moments of the anime series.

DB Daima Episode 18: "Awakening"

Kid Goku Transforms into SSJ4

Dragon Ball Daima has generally great animation quality and many interesting developments, especially for those who missed the original Dragon Ball anime. While the adventurous tone of the classic anime is back, the series doesn't forget that fans like new transformations, though they include some that many fans dislike. Dragon Ball Daima basically made Super Saiyan 4 (SSJ4) canon (since many fans dismissed it as "filler" because it was only featured in Dragon Ball GT).

The episode in which Kid Goku unleashes SSJ4 is not only wonderful in terms of quality, but the whole transformation sequence is quite charming. While it may be a letdown for some fans who don't like SSJ4 much, it's still an episode worth watching and important to the series lore.

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Dragon Ball Z

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

Release Date

1989 - 1996

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Osamu Kasai

Writers

Akira Toriyama, Neil Bligh, Hiroshi Toda, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Aya Matsui, Keiji Terui, Reiko Yoshida, Toshiki Inoue

Cast

See All

• 
  Masako Nozawa

  Son Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voice)
• 
  Ryo Horikawa

  Vegeta (voice)

Dragon Ball Z is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation and a sequel to the 1986 Dragon Ball series. It continues the adventures of Son Goku as an adult while also paralleling the life of his son Gohan. Son Goku typically defends the Earth from villains like Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. The series is followed by Dragon Ball GT and then Dragon Ball Super. 

Franchise(s)

Dragon Ball

Seasons

9

Studio

Toei Animation

Producers

Kōzō Morishita, Kenji Shimizu, Koji Kaneda

Based On

Manga

Number of Episodes

291

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

Creator(s)

Akira Toriyama

MyAnimeList Score

8.19

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