Summary

• Dragon Ball has no shortage of increasingly hype moments that fans will never forget, including epic fights and astounding transformations.
• From Goku flying through King Piccolo's chest to Trunks cutting Frieza in half, certain scenes in Dragon Ball certainly stood out from the rest.
• Some of the more exciting transformation moments include Super Saiyan Blue, Ultra Ego/Ultra Instinct, and Black Frieza, but the ultimate standout is Gohan Beast, as that one pays off decades worth of Dragon Ball storytelling.

Dragon Ball is a series that is filled to the brim with the most hype moments in all of anime history, as it contains no shortage of increasingly hardcore fight scenes and epic transformations that push the limits of the characters’ power. While brutal battles and epic forms aren’t the only reason why Dragon Ball is so iconic - as the storytelling is thoughtful, the characters are intriguing, and the comedy bits are truly hilarious - those more action-heavy moments are undeniably prominent aspects of the series, and have been since the start.

Throughout every era - from classic Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, to the sequels, GT and Super - Dragon Ball continuously up the ante in of absolutely breathtaking moments that linger in fans’ memories long after they’ve witnessed them. Truthfully, in such an extensive catalog of lore with a great number of intriguing characters, there’s almost too many to count.

15 Goku Killing King Piccolo was His First Major Victory

Dragon Ball chapter #161

When Goku challenged King Piccolo during the fight that would end in the villain’s gruesome death, the stage was set for the most climactic battle in Dragon Ball history at that point. King Piccolo effectively conquered the world, and he did so after killing Goku’s best friend, Krillin. Not only that, but King Piccolo succeeded in getting his wish for revitalized youth and power granted by Shenron - before killing Shenron himself. Plus, Goku was still gravely injured from his last encounter with Piccolo.

Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, Goku still found the power inside himself to charge King Piccolo head-first, and blow a hole right through the villain’s torso, using his entire body as a deadly projectile. Goku’s victory was brutal in this high-stakes battle, but more than that, it was undeniably epic, and the very definition of hype.

14 Goku Going Super Saiyan for the First Time is Perhaps the Most Iconic Moment in Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball chapter #318

Goku going Super Saiyan and utterly destroying Frieza in combat was the ultimate final battle.

Goku going Super Saiyan for the first time while fighting Frieza on Namek is perhaps the most iconic moment in the entire series, and some could argue in anime history. The rage Goku exhibited can literally be felt through the page/screen, and the build-up for this transformation was expertly crafted by Akira Toriyama throughout the story arc. And when it finally happened, the Super Saiyan transformation didn’t just shake the entire planet on which it occurred, but the very fabric of the Dragon Ball series itself.

Goku going Super Saiyan and utterly destroying Frieza in combat was the ultimate final battle, both in of Goku’s own personal gripes with the villain (avenging Krillin’s death and saving the life of his son, Gohan), and on behalf of the entire Saiyan race, as Frieza was the one responsible for driving them to near extinction. It also shot the series into worldwide recognition and popularity, to the point that the modern success of anime could be traced down to that single moment.

13 Future Trunks Killing Frieza Easily is Perhaps DBZ’s Most Badass Moment

Dragon Ball chapter #331

It had been well-established in the previous arc that Frieza is a villain who practically no one can beat. Goku had to unlock a transformation most Saiyans didn’t even believe was possible in order to do it, and even then he only barely made it off Namek alive. So, when Goku was missing and Frieza - upgraded into his new cyborg form - arrived on Earth with his father, King Cold, it seemed as though the Z-Fighters were all going to get slaughtered, and their planet utterly decimated.

But then, Trunks, a mysterious new Super Saiyan, showed up and totally flipped fans’ expectations in the coolest way possible. When Trunks first appeared, he was the epitome of the "badass" character. From his appearance, style, and the fact that he wielded a sword, Trunks immediately gripped fans’ collective attention, even before he exhibited his raw power. Then, Trunks went Super Saiyan and proceeded to slice Frieza up into little pieces before vaporizing those pieces into dust. There’s hardly been a scene before or since in Dragon Ball canon that is this purely awesome.

12 Vegeta’s Training Session to Become a Super Saiyan is Truly Brutal (& ittedly Inspirational)

Dragon Ball Z episode #129

Vegeta training and fighting asteroids on another planet was specific to the original Dragon Ball Z anime, and did not appear in the manga.

After seeing Goku reach Super Saiyan, and then meeting the mysterious Trunks, Vegeta decided it was time that he unlocked this transformation as well. So, Vegeta got to training like he never had before. The training started in a Capsule Corp gravity chamber, where Vegeta trained at 450x Earth’s gravity. However, even that wasn’t intense enough, so Vegeta traveled to a far-off world, where he found himself caught in the middle of an asteroid storm.

Exhausted from training, and fighting for his life while protecting his ship (the only way off that planet), Vegeta nearly succumbed to death. That’s when he totally let go, as he suddenly didn’t care about being better than Goku or being a Super Saiyan. Vegeta finally learned to fight for himself, no one else - and that’s when he achieved Super Saiyan. The scene itself is pure action-packed awesomeness, while also being truly inspirational.

11 Gohan Unlocking Super Saiyan 2 Against Cell Introduced a New Level of Power

Dragon Ball chapter #408 by Akira Toriyama

Gohan was teased as being a warrior with the potential to sur both Goku and Vegeta

From the moment he was introduced in Dragon Ball Z, Gohan was teased as being a warrior with the potential to sur both Goku and Vegeta. Not only did Vegeta and Nappa confirm that the mixture of Saiyan and human genes would produce a ‘Super Saiyan’, but Gohan himself proved it when he managed to land the first really debilitating blow against Raditz when the villainous Saiyan was fighting both Goku and Piccolo. However, it wouldn’t be until Cell waged war on the entire Planet Earth that Gohan’s true potential would begin to be unleashed.

In preparation for the Cell Games, Goku and Gohan went into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train. During that time, Gohan unlocked Super Saiyan just as Goku knew he could, though Goku also knew that his son was far more powerful than that. So, when it came time to fight Cell, Goku ensured Gohan was pushed to the limit, which led to Gohan being the first Saiyan in history to unlock Super Saiyan 2 - thereby introducing a new level of power in DBZ.

10 Goku vs Majin Vegeta is the Ultimate Battle Between These Rivals

Dragon Ball chapter #458

Goku and Vegeta started their relationship as bitter enemies, as Vegeta came to Earth to raze the planet, and Goku was hellbent on defending it. However, when the two became reluctant allies on Namek to fight Frieza, their relationship evolved from enemies to rivals. Vegeta was no longer interested in destroying the world, or killing Kakarot, all he wanted was to reach a level of power that would sur all others - including and especially Goku - which meant he needed Goku alive to constantly compare himself to.

However, when Vegeta’s mind was corrupted by Babidi, and he was granted immense power the likes of which he’d never felt before, Vegeta decided that it was time to settle who was stronger between himself and Kakarot once and for all - as Majin Vegeta. The battle that ensued between Majin Vegeta and Goku was the one fans had been waiting to see since the two first fought in the early days of DBZ, and it didn’t disappoint.

9 Majin Vegeta Making the Ultimate Sacrifice to Stop Buu is Gut-Wrenchingly Epic

Dragon Ball chapter #467

After Vegeta truly realizes that he’s just been a pawn in Babidi’s plans for universal domination, he decides to use the immense power the magic-wielder gifted him to stop Majin Buu. Majin Vegeta fights Buu with everything he has, but in the end, it doesn't even matter. No punch or kick is strong enough and no ki blast is powerful enough to put even a dent in Majin Buu. Sure, Majin Vegeta is strong enough to hold his own against Buu, but it quickly becomes clear to the Saiyan Prince that he won’t be able to kill him unless he does something drastic.

After saying goodbye to his son - with a few profound final words shared between himself and Piccolo as well - Vegeta unleashes every bit of energy inside himself in an explosion akin to a nuclear detonation. The explosion is so intense that even Vegeta doesn’t survive it, as he used everything he had in a moment of self-sacrifice no Dragon Ball fan will ever forget.

8 Gogeta vs Janemba Marked the Debut of the Series’ Coolest Fusion

Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn

Gogeta was introduced, he lived up to the hype in a way Vegito failed to.

Before Vegito debuted as the first official fusion of Goku and Vegeta, Goku first introduced the idea of fusions with the Fusion Dance, which eventually resulted in the iconic Gogeta. Why the introduction of Gogeta stands above that of Vegito isn’t just because Goku brought it up first in Dragon Ball Z (and then didn’t pay it off), but because, when Gogeta was introduced, he lived up to the hype in a way Vegito failed to. Unlike Vegito - who was created to destroy Majin Buu and failed - Gogeta utterly obliterated Janemba after kicking his butt across the landscape of hell.

When Gogeta appeared and started launching his first few attacks on Janemba, fans knew they were witnessing a warrior who far sured anyone they'd seen before. Every landed knee to the face and punch to the chest only confirmed Gogeta’s unparalleled strength, which was cemented when he reduced Janemba to dust with an ultimate finisher attack.

7 Goku Unlocking Super Saiyan 4 Made Dragon Balla GT Worth Watching

Dragon Ball GT season 1, episode #34

Obviously, nothing can top the moment Goku unlocked Super Saiyan in DBZ. However, when considering fascinating, visually stunning, and significant transformations in Dragon Ball lore, the moment Goku unlocked Super Saiyan 4 might be at the very top of that list. Super Saiyan 4 wasn’t just a power-amplifier with minor cosmetic changes like the other Super Saiyan forms, it was more intune with the primal nature of the Saiyan race, and actually gave Goku a dramatic new appearance.

To go Super Saiyan 4, Goku first had to become a Golden Great Ape, and then have the mental strength to control his actions while in that form. Then, and only then, was it possible to reach Super Saiyan 4, which - itself - was more ape-like in appearance, and even brought back Goku’s tail that he lost at the end of classic Dragon Ball. Super Saiyan 4 isn’t just the next level of Super Saiyan, it’s a transformation in a class of its own, one that honors the more animalistic side of the Saiyan race rather than pretending it doesn’t exist.

6 Goku & Vegeta Debuting Super Saiyan Blue Ushered In a New Dragon Ball Era

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’

the two showed off this form during perhaps the most epic rematches in the entire franchise

While Super Saiyan Blue is just the ‘Super Saiyan’ version of Super Saiyan God, this transformation sured the earlier debut of Super Saiyan God in of wider significance for a few reasons. Firstly, Super Saiyan Blue was achieved by both Goku and Vegeta, putting the Saiyans at the same level at the same time for practically the first time in Dragon Ball history. Secondly, the two showed off this form during perhaps the most epic rematches in the entire franchise, as they had been called to action by none other than Frieza.

Frieza - who debuted as Golden Frieza in this very same film - comes back to life to attack the Earth and kill the Saiyans responsible for defeating him. Given his new level of power, and his proven level of villainy, Goku and Vegeta held nothing back while taking him on, which gave fans two separate, awesome battles featuring even more awesome transformations. Plus, with the introduction of Super Saiyan Blue, Goku and Vegeta officially usher in a new Dragon Ball era.