Dragon Ball may have been more centered on storytelling and adventure than action when compared to Dragon Ball Z, and the scale of the action it did contain may not have been as grand as all the shows that followed, but that doesn’t mean it lacked some incredible fight scenes in the original series.
In fact, there was a sense of temperament and subtlety, and of that aforementioned storytelling, in Dragon Ball’s battles that made them stand out from the show’s successors in a way that some even prefer. This unique aspect of the original series lent something special to all of the best fights.
9 Goku vs. Yamcha
The very first meeting of Goku and Yamcha was a brief and somewhat violent one that certainly wouldn’t rank all that high if choreography, action, and intensity were the only factors in determining a great fight, but it’s still a significant moment in the series due to the unfolding of the grand story it represents.
At this point in the story, fans are just getting to know who the curious character of Goku is, and they’ve yet to see him square off with a truly formidable opponent. With this fight, major characters meet, personalities are revealed, special powers are displayed, and Goku’s flaw of becoming exceedingly weak when he’s hungry is set up for many inconvenient future moments.
8 Goku vs. Jackie Chun
There are two sides to Master Roshi: an uncomfortably perverted old man and a wise, caring, incredibly powerful martial arts master. This duality is interesting when considering the fact that he quite literally has two personalities in the show: Master Roshi and Jackie Chun. With Chun, Roshi’s higher self seems to take the wheel, and from it comes some of the best fights in the entire franchise.
Chun’s battle with Goku in the final match of the World Martial Arts Tournament is fantastic not only because it’s the only time that the wise old master and his supernaturally gifted apprentice square off in the history of the franchise, but because it results in him actually destroying the moon in order to save lives and secure the victory.
7 Mercenary Tao vs. General Blue
Most of the great fights in the original Dragon Ball series involve Goku in some form or another, but there are a few shining moments in which other characters rise to the occasion. In the case of Mercenary Tao vs. General Blue, the fight may be a one-sided affair, but that’s actually one of the coolest parts of the whole thing.
Terrifyingly fearsome villains would go on to be inextricable from any Dragon Ball saga, but before Mercenary Tao there weren’t too many of them that seemed like they could take Goku and company on in a fair fight. When he downs General Blue with a single strike of his tongue, the entire franchise changes.
6 Goku vs. Mercenary Tao
Mercenary Tao is an awesome Dragon Ball villain, not only because he proves to be too powerful for Goku in their first meeting, but because he’s so casually cold-hearted and shows no empathy for his many victims. It’s that kind of pure evil that strikes fear into the heart of the viewer.
Though Tao may have come out on top in his first bout with Goku, the little guy manages to survive his foe’s Dodon Ray and then scales Korin Tower in the hopes of gaining the power needed to beat him. Their second meeting is easily the best fight in the show to that point, and the sense of satisfaction the viewer feels when Goku sends him packing is immense.
5 Goku vs. The Red Ribbon Army
Goku’s encounters with the Red Ribbon Army take up a large portion of the original Dragon Ball series. Although they are broken into fairly short individual sagas they all add up to one singular arc that is not complete until the evil army has fallen at the hands of one precocious monkey-tailed boy.
Because it’s such a large chunk of the total series, there really isn’t a more satisfying or epic climax in the entirety of Dragon Ball than watching Goku run roughshod through an entire compound of full-grown men with powerful weapons and military training. It’s truly one of the franchise’s shining moments.
4 Jackie Chun vs. Tien
All great fights are built on a foundation of storytelling. When the audience cares about the characters involved, knows them intimately, and understands the stakes at hand, every last blow has something more powerful behind it than the blow itself. The bout between Jackie Chun and Tien at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament is a perfect example of this fact.
A great master faces off against the apprentice of his former friend. The apprentice is in the midst of a moral struggle between following his own master’s teachings and heeding the words of the man across from him. In spite of his great wisdom and power, the old master sees the world has moved beyond him and he has done all he could for the next generation of martial artists and makes a shocking decision. The power in this fight has little to do with power.
3 Goku vs. Tien
One of the many things that Dragon Ball does incredibly well, and arguably better than any of the subsequent series, is the way it so patiently builds upon the powers and abilities of its characters. In the early going, the lightspeed combat and city-destroying ki blasts of Dragon Ball Z are nowhere to be found. By the time Goku and Tien square off in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, however, the roots of those goosebump-inducing battles begin to show.
A three-year time skip occurs a little before the middle of the series’ 153-episode run, and in that unseen time period, the heroes become far more powerful than ever before. In the tournament final, Goku and Tien trade lightning-fast blows, engage in aerial combat, trade blinding energy blasts, and leave each other on death’s doorstep by the battle’s end. It’s the birth of the Dragon Ball franchise as fans know it.
2 Goku vs. King Piccolo
Another thing that's conspicuously absent from Dragon Ball up until the series’ halfway point is the seemingly unbeatable central villain bent on death and destruction. Emperor Pilaf and the Red Ribbon Army are no role models, but they pale in comparison to the evil of King Piccolo.
After the Demon King and his cohorts have killed everyone from Goku’s best friend to the Eternal Dragon, the stage is set for the greatest showdown in the series to date. When the dust clears, fans can hardly be disappointed.
1 Goku vs. Piccolo Jr.
Though there are many amazing tales woven throughout the tapestry of the original Dragon Ball, the real story of the series is Goku’s journey to becoming the champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament. That story is a great lesson for all viewers to take away from a show that can oftentimes come off as just for fun.
In spite of his seemingly boundless gifts, Goku falls short many times throughout the series. Every time, his reaction is to keep working to become better, faster, and stronger. When he meets Piccolo Jr. In the tournament final, all of that dedication is packed into every punch, and that makes the fight a transcendent one.