While the animated series has ended since 1996, Dragon Ball continues to be as popular as ever. Beyond the original manga, its anime adaptation played a big role in its success, especially thanks to its part entitled Dragon Ball Z. More than twenty-five years after the end of broadcast, we offer you the ultimate ranking of the episodes from DBZ.
Details
This top is based on the IMDB ratings of Dragon Ball Z episodes. However, faced with the repetition of certain passages, we decided to add certain sequences considered to be cult which were missing. In addition, certain iconic moments from the manga may not appear in this list because of their treatment in the often extended anime, which makes them less effective than in the original work.
#1 - A Father's Sacrifice (1994)
- Original Title: Ai suru mono no tame ni... Bejîta chiru!!
- Duration: 24 minutes
- Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi
- Animation Director: Yukio Ebisawa
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Ryô Horikawa, Takeshi Kusao, Kôzô Shioya, Mayumi Tanaka...
“A Father's Sacrifice” is episode 237 of Dragon Ball Z and takes place during Boo's saga, and if it is considered the best episode of DBZ, it is not for nothing. After their confrontation, Vegeta with the Majin seal managed to knock out Goku from behind. He then decides to face Boo alone, in order to put an end to it for good. After taking Trunks in his arms, he knocks him out in turn so he doesn't get in the way. Faced with the incarnation of evil, Vegeta chooses to sacrifice himself by blowing himself up, taking his opponent with him as an act of redemption. If this episode is number one, it is because Vegeta is one of the most popular characters in DBZ and with this episode he reaches the peak of his development. While he has always lived selfishly by massacring anyone without asking questions, the Prince of the Saiyans finally decides to sacrifice himself to protect the Earth, the planet that welcomed him and which gave him a wife and a son, making him a little more human.
#2 - The Appearance of a Legendary Warrior - (1991)
- Original Title: Tsui ni henshin!! Densetsu no Sûpâ Saiya-jin: Son Goku
- Duration: 24 minutes
- Director: Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Minoru Maeda
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Ryûsei Nakao, Toshio Furukawa, Hiromi Tsuru..
"The Appearance of a Legendary Warrior" is episode 95 of Dragon Ball Z and takes place during the Namek arc. While Son Goku thinks he has defeated Frieza thanks to a Genkidama, the Saiyan celebrates his victory with his friends. But to their surprise, the galactic tyrant is not dead and instantly takes revenge by blowing up Krillin before Son Goku's eyes. Knowing that he can no longer be resurrected by the Dragon Balls, Son Goku enters an uncontrolled rage which transforms him into a Super Saiyan. To fully understand why this episode is so significant, we must return to the context of the original broadcast: in addition to seeing Frieza survive, the fact of seeing Krillin die immediately afterwards creates a significant shock. And obviously, this is the first time that we see the Super Saiyan on screen, but also that Son Goku becomes so angry that we almost no longer recognize him. A great Dragon Ball moment.
#3 Miniature Monsters - (1993)
- Original Title: Jūroku-Gō Muzan!! Ugokidasu Ikari no Sūpā Gohan
- Duration: 24 minutes
- Director: Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Tadayoshi Yamamuro
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Norio Wakamoto, Hikaru Midorikawa, Yûsuke Numata...
"Miniature Monsters" is the 184th episode of Dragon Ball Z and takes place during the Cyborgs and Cell arc. For Gohan to reveal his potential, Cell decides to provoke him by making Cell Juniors appear, small beings who have part of his strength. While the Z-Fighters are being mauled by these cyborgs, C-16 approaches Gohan after asking Mister Satan to throw his head. Facing the teenager, he explains to him that he can get angry and fight for causes that are just. That's when Cell crushes C-16's face with his foot and that's the last straw for Gohan. Filled with anger, he transforms into Super Saiyan 2 and surprises everyone with his disproportionate strength. If this episode is a notable moment in Dragon Ball, it is both for what it represents, Gohan who reaches his full potential, but also its staging which makes it an iconic passage. Between the bird, the red ray and the music, everything is done to feel the cult aspect of the scene.
#4 – A Double Loss (1989)
- Original Title: Saiya-jin no môi! Kami-sama mo Pikkoro mo shinda
- Duration: 25 minutes
- Directors: Minoru Okazaki, Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Minoru Maeda
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Toshio Furukawa, Masako Nozawa, Shôzô Îzuka, Mayumi Tanaka, Ryô Horikawa...
"A Double Loss" is the twenty-eighth of Dragon Ball Z and takes place during the Saiyans arc. While Vegeta and Nappa land on Earth, the Z-Fighters try to buy time while waiting for Son Goku to arrive. Unfortunately, they are no match for the Saibaimen who ended up killing Yamcha. After Chaozu blows himself up in an attempt to kill Nappa, the Saiyan attacks the last survivors. As he launches a huge energy attack on Son Gohan, Piccolo intervenes to protect the child. The descendant of the demon who brought terror to Earth finally sacrificed himself to defend the only person he was attached to. This is a real accomplishment for Piccolo, Akira Toriyama's favorite character, which demonstrates his evolution since his introduction. Enough to make this sacrifice even more beautiful.
#5 – The Metamorphosis of the Last Warrior (1989)
- Original Title: Ima da Goku! Subete o kaketa saigo no ôwaza
- Duration: 25 mins
- Director: Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Tomekichi Takeuchi
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru...
"Transformation of the Last Warrior" is the thirty-first episode of Dragon Ball Z and takes place during the Saiyan arc. After defeating Nappa, Goku faces Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans. During this fight against this powerful opponent, our hero uses Kaioken, the technique learned from the Kaio of the North. As the confrontation drags on, Vegeta wants to end it by using a Galick Cannon directly on Earth. To counter this attack, Son Goku pushes the limits of the Kaioken by multiplying his strength by three, which allows him to make a Kamehameha as powerful as his opponent. The rivalry between Goku and Vegeta has always been one of the driving forces of Dragon Ball and this first confrontation remains one of the defining moments of the anime due to its intensity and impressive assaults. And that’s exactly what we find in this episode.
#6 - Bad surprise for Frieza (1991)
- Original Title: Furîza o ittô ryôdan!! Mô hitori no Sûpâ Saiya-jin
- Duration: 24 mins
- Director: Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Takeshi Kusao, Ryûsei Nakao, Daisuke Gôri...
"Bad Surprise for Frieza" is the one hundred and twentieth episode of Dragon Ball Z and takes place at the beginning of the Cyborg/Cell arc. After his defeat by Son Goku on Namek, Frieza is determined to take revenge on the Saiyan. He then decides to head to Earth accompanied by his father, King Cold, to beat our hero and his friends. Arriving there with his robotic body, the galactic tyrant faces a young man armed with a sword. While the fight has barely begun, this mysterious fighter transforms into a Super Saiyan and slices Frieza into small pieces before blowing him up. His father will not be entitled to better treatment. If this episode is so important, it is because we must put ourselves back in the context of the time. While Goku gave everything to defeat Frieza, the latter was beaten in a single blow by a mysterious character also capable of transforming into a Super Saiyan. The passage is as impressive as it is mysterious and implies that the next threat will be even more dangerous than ever.
#7 - The Day of Deliverance (1993)
- Original Title: Tataki wa owatta... Arigatô Son Goku
- Duration: 24 mins
- Director: Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Keisuke Masunaga
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Norio Wakamoto, Ryô Horikawa, Toshio Furukawa...
"The Day of Deliverance" is the one hundred and ninety-first episode of Dragon Ball Z and constitutes the denouement of the Cell arc. Despite Son Goku's sacrifice to prevent Cell from exploding with the Earth, the cyborg is back in a more powerful form than ever. While all the Z-Fighters are down and Gohan is at the end of his strength, he manages to find the energy to throw a Kamehameha with one arm with the support of his father. In addition to being the conclusion of one of the best arcs of Dragon Ball, this episode is a cult moment thanks to the father-son Kamehameha which sums up the entire message of the work around the transmission between parents and children. So, even if Son Goku is no longer alive and can no longer be resurrected, this passage shows that his son is taking over and will be there to defend the Earth against future threats.
#8 - The Unsurpassable Technique of Kaioh (1989)
- Original Title: Tôsan sugê ya! Kyûkyoku no hissatsuwaza · Kaiô-ken
- Duration: 25 mins
- Directors: Yoshihiro Ueda, Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Masayuki Uchiyama
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Shôzô Îzuka, Ryô Horikawa...
"Kaioh's Unsurpassable Technique" is the twenty-ninth of Dragon Ball Z and takes place during the Saiyans arc. As Radditz announced, the Saiyans have arrived on Earth and are already causing chaos. While waiting for Son Goku to arrive, the Z-Fighters tried to gain time, but without success. Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu and even Piccolo died at the hands of these powerful aliens. It's then that Son Goku finally arrives on the scene and gives Nappa a quick beating using his new technique: the Kaioken. What makes this passage still strong today is seeing how easily Son Goku manages to overcome an opponent who until then seemed invincible. If this spring will be used later, during the Namek arc for example, its first use here remains as effective as ever, notably thanks to the iconic pose with which Goku lifts Nappa.
#9 – The Secret Tactic (1993)
- Original Title: Haiboku ka shi ka!? Goku, gyakuten no hisaku
- Duration: 25 mins
- Director: Daisuke Nishio
- Animation Director: Keisuke Masunaga
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Norio Wakamoto, Ryô Horikawa, Takeshi Kusao...
"The Secret Tactic" is episode one hundred and seventy-nine of Dragon Ball Z and takes place right during the Cell arc. After intensive training, the Cell Game finally begins. Following Mister Satan's ridiculous defeat, things get serious when Son Goku enters the ring. And clearly, the fight between Goku and Cell is surely one of the best episodes of the anime for the quality of its animations. On screen, the animators made sure to make the speed of the two fighters perceptible, resulting in a spectacular duel. If episode 179 is particularly representative of this fight, it is also because it includes Son Goku's instant Kamehameha which is surely one of his most iconic techniques.
#10 - The threat to the other world (1995)
- Original Title: Mirai o tsukame!! Uchû o kaketa daikessen
- Duration: 25 mins
- Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi
- Animation Director: Keisuke Masunaga
- Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Actors / Actresses (VO): Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa, Kôzô Shioya, Yûji Mitsuya...
"The Threat to the Other World" is the two hundred and seventy-ninth episode of Dragon Ball Z and takes place at the end of the Boo arc. After Kid Boo destroys Earth, Goku and Vegeta find themselves in the World of Kaiōshins. There, the demon succeeds in following them, which gives rise to a new confrontation more epic than ever. If this episode 279 is in this top, it is not so much because it takes place at the end of DBZ as for the quality of its animations. While Son Goku is in SSJ 2, the choreography of the duel is impressive, with a finesse of animation that makes it spectacular. So, it is more for what the anime brings than what the manga tells that this episode appears here.
Obviously, this is only the beginning of this Top which only includes ten episodes at the moment, but which will be updated over time. So, don't worry, cult moments like the transformation into SSJ3, the birth of Vegetto or the second fight between Goku and Vegeta may appear in the weeks to come.
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