Top 30 Most Legendary Dragon Ball Moments Ever

#30: Yamcha Goes Boom

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Poor Yamcha. He didn’t get the girl, didn’t win the tournament, and his most memorable moment in the franchise is when he dies. While no one got through the Attack of the Saiyans unscathed, Yamcha didn’t even make it to the main course. He died to a freaking Saibamen, a feat so embarrassing, it created one of the biggest anime memes of all time. Even if it’s for the wrong reasons, every fan recognizes this scene. The pose, the crater – it’s been recreated so many times, it’ll probably outlive “Dragon Ball” as a whole. At least Yamcha’s got that to be proud of. At this point, he needs the win.

#29: Kid Goku Roars Up to Super Saiyan 4

“Dragon Ball Daima” (2024-25)

It’s not easy for a decade-spanning franchise to keep delivering hype moments. But, when the stars align and Super Saiyan 4 comes out, it’s easy to say the outcome is an instant classic. We’dsbeen Goku go beyond before, but never in his kid form, and never with such immaculate production values. King Gomah had no idea what he was in for, and he wasn’t alone! It felt like the entire internet was tuning in to see Goku establish, yet again, why he’s the best anime has to offer. That’s all before he even threw a punch. The precedent alone was enough to put “Daima’s” final battle on the “all-time” list.

#28: Bulma Meets Goku

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

Years before they’d fight aliens, androids, and gods, Goku and Bulma were just kids trying to share the road. Only Bulma had a bike and used its speed to handily win their first interaction. It’s a good thing Goku’s got a thick skull! Outside of Akira Toriyama’s incomparable comedic instincts, this scene also deserves praise for effortlessly defining who Goku and Bulma are. They’re two of the most consistent characters in the whole series, and their entire personalities can be summed up in this one moment. Actually, you can say that about the tone of “Dragon Ball” as a whole. To think it all started because Goku didn’t look both ways before crossing the street!

#27: Zamasu Gets Hakai’d

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

He may take too many naps and struggle with serious anger issues, but when Beerus gets serious, it’s something to behold. Thanks to Whis’ nifty time-traveling abilities, the God of Destruction is able to catch the evil Zamasu in the act of killing his master. Once the evidence is presented, Beerus steps up to serve as judge, jury, and executioner. Killing an immortal deity is supposed to be a tough task. Unless you’re a destroyer god like Beerus. Then, all it takes is a hand to the face, and a “Hakai.” Beerus’ delivery is absolute perfection. Although, seeing the smug Kai finally get a taste of his own medicine is pretty nice, too.

#26: Piccolo Fuses With Nail

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

With his body spent and his ki drained, Nail knew he couldn’t protect Namek anymore. Luckily, that’s where Piccolo came in. Nail offered himself up to the “Z” hero, and the resulting boost in strength is impossible to ignore. Piccolo had already earned himself a reputation as one of the strongest around, but with Nail’s power coursing through him, he gets completely swept up in the moment. It’s a bit cheesy, and totally over-the-top, but dammit, we can’t help but love this monologue. Piccolo finally gets his moment to shine, not just as a Z-warrior, but as a real and true Namekian. There’s just no beating that.

#25: Tien Holds off Cell

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Saiyans, androids, and Namekians can go ahead and step aside. All you need to make yourself a “Dragon Ball” legend is a Tri-Beam, and a hell of a lot of conviction. Tien had been left in the power-scaling dust for a while. But, with Cell moments away from perfection, the earthling gave power levels a middle finger and got to work! He unleashed one Tri-Beam, and then another, and then another, holding down Semi-Perfect Cell through sheer force of will. While it didn’t do much lasting damage, it bought enough time for Krillin and 18 to run off. However, the real victory was Tien proving he’s still one of “Dragon Ball’s” coolest characters.

#24: Ultra Instinct Kamehameha

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

As the fusion of Kale and Caulifla from the sixth universe, Kefla has power for days. Ultra Instinct, on the other hand, is pure style. If Goku’d been hit by just one of Kefla’s blasts, it would’ve been game over. But he dodged every single strike with finesse, and even managed to charge up a Kamehameha in the meantime! When Kefla fired off her ultimate attack, Goku didn’t just ignore it. He used it as a runway to slide all the way to an up-close-and-personal finisher. Let’s not mince words, this is one of the coolest Kamehameha’s there’s ever been and ever will be. Sorry, Kefla, Goku takes this one handily!

#23: Future Gohan’s Death

“Dragon Ball Z: History of Trunks” (1993)

Goku doesn’t save the day this time. In fact, he’s gone, just like most of the other heroes. In this alternate timeline, the Androids have turned Earth into their personal playground. Future Trunks and his mentor, Gohan, are the only ones left to save humanity. And by the end, well, it’s down to just Trunks. With no Dragon Balls and no Master, the Saiyan is left truly alone. Gohan’s death is heartbreaking and bleak, but that same grim tone leads to one of the most empowering Super Saiyan transformations in all of “Dragon Ball.” Because of that, the ending to “History of Trunks” feels like the series at its best.

#22: Tournament of Power Team-Up

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

You could say Goku and Frieza have a bit of a rocky relationship. But, with the fate of the whole universe at stake, they put aside their differences to face Jiren with everything they’ve got. There’s no better way to describe it than pure, pulse-pounding adrenaline. It’s got killer music, outstanding animation, and some back-up from Android 17! It all culminates with Goku and Frieza unleashing a power-up roar that’s guaranteed to leave chills up and down your body! Jiren the Gray may be an unbeatable titan on his own, but even he can’t resist the utter hype of seeing Goku and Frieza finally on the same team.

#21: Kid Buu vs. the Spirit Bomb

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Well, you can’t say “Z” doesn’t end with a bang! Or should we say “bomb”…? Either way, the fact of the matter is Kid Buu wasn’t going down to any basic attack. Goku needed to win it in a single, decisive strike. And, what’s more decisive than a global Spirit Bomb? With a clutch assist from Hercule of all people, Goku collects energy from every corner of the globe. Long-time friends, everyday civilians, and even a few forgotten comrades join in. Together, it forms the biggest Spirit Bomb in the series at that point. Kid Buu may disagree, but we can’t imagine a higher note for “Z” to end on.

#20: Goku’s First Great Ape Transformation“Dragon Ball” (1989-96)

Goku seems like an open book with no secrets. That is, until he and his friends are captured by Emperor Pilaf for a second time. Trapped in a prison with thick walls, yet with a view of the sky, Goku worries about a monster coming out during the full moon. He relates that his grandpa was killed by such a creature, though he’s never seen it himself, as he wasn’t allowed to look at the full moon. Everyone else is able to put 2 and 2 together, but Goku looks at the moon anyway. And the little monkey boy turns into the huge Great Ape, or Oozaru. It’s technically Goku’s first transformation and foreshadows his Saiyan heritage.

#19: Bardock Charges Frieza“Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku” (1990)

Like Cassandra of Greek mythology, Bardock’s warnings of future doom fail to reach his people. So, Goku’s dad decides to take the fight to Frieza by himself. The Saiyan warrior charges Frieza’s ship, assaulted by dozens of the tyrant’s men. Despite getting tackled mid-air and attacked from all angles, Bardock refuses to go down. He ultimately confronts Frieza and gives him a piece of his mind and launches an attack at him. Unfortunately, the frosty space emperor puts a halt to Bardock’s dream of freeing his people with a single finger. Yet, even if it’s ultimately futile, Bardock’s proud last stand still gives us chills.

#18: Gohan Beast“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” (2022)

Son Gohan doesn’t get many chances to shine in the “Dragon Ball Super” era, but this movie changed that in a big way. During he and Mr. Piccolo’s battle against the enormous Cell Max, Cell 2.0 uses an attack that seemingly kills Gohan’s mentor. This prompts a powerful and mysterious new transformation from Gohan, that unleashes his inner Beast - which constitutes red eyes and spikier white hair. The form doesn’t last long, but seeing Gohan stop Cell Max in his tracks and fire off Piccolo’s signature Special Beam Cannon to finish off the villain is immensely satisfying. Plus, the sheer aura of the transformation is downright…beastly.

#17: “It's Over 9000!”“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Some people may not be onboard with anime dubs, but they’ve given us some of the anime fandom’s greatest memes. Case in point, this line from the Ocean dub of “Dragon Ball Z.” When Goku returns to life and arrives to fight Nappa and Vegeta, he powers up to reveal his true strength. Nappa, incredulous at the drastic increase, asks Vegeta what Goku’s power level reads as on the scouter. Although the original script calls for the line to be that it’s “over 8000,” the Ocean Dub famously changed the line to, say it with us: “It’s over 9000!” The angry line reading, and Nappa’s disbelieving response, have become one of the internet’s most celebrated memes.

#16: Instant Transmission Kamehameha“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Goku’s match against Cell has a ton of cool moves and memorable set pieces, but this one takes the cake! He begins charging up a Kamehameha while in midair, which has everyone, from his friends to Cell, thinking that he’ll blow the planet up if he lets it fly. However, at the last moment, Goku performs an instant transmission to teleport directly in front of Cell. The ensuing blast is fired upwards and vaporizes the upper half of Cell’s body. Cell might regenerate soon afterwards, but the clever and badass application of some of Goku’s moves help make this a very memorable sequence.

#15: Piccolo’s Sacrifice“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Although well established as a hero now, Piccolo begins the series as a villain. After kidnapping Gohan to train for a year, the demon king’s son teams up with the Z Fighters to battle the Saiyans when they arrive on Earth. However, Piccolo has more heart than his dad and bonds with Gohan during that year spent together. So, when Gohan’s life is in danger from one of Nappa’s attacks, he rushes to stand in the way, taking the attack for his young protege. Dying to save his surrogate son is the ultimate culmination of Piccolo’s character development, and it has left a lasting impression on both him and the fans.

#14: Goku Goes Super Saiyan 4“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

Most of the Super Saiyan transformations look alike. Spiky hair of various colors and lengths - wash, rinse, repeat. However, “GT” took a different route. After transforming into a golden Great Ape while battling Baby, Goku loses control of himself. It’s only through his granddaughter Pan’s efforts, and a photo of his friends and family, that helps him regain his sense of self. This also sparks a new transformation, which sees Goku obtain a black spiky haired, red-furred form dubbed Super Saiyan 4. The form’s embrace of the monkey design of the Saiyans and unique color scheme truly helps it stand out and it left a big impact. While “GT” has a lot of issues, this transformation isn’t one of them.

#13: Vegito is Born“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Getting Vegeta to help Goku usually proves a Herculean task, no matter the situation. However, with their friends and family dead at Buu’s hands, Goku is able to unbend his rival’s pride to get him to fuse together using the Potara earrings, if only for the sake of avenging them. The resulting fusion, who dubs himself Vegito, then goes on to battle Super Buu. Goku and Vegeta are perhaps the two most popular “DBZ” characters, so seeing them combine into one person is truly a “you’ve got chocolate in my peanut butter” moment.

#12: Goku’s First Death“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Dying is practically a rite of passage for “Dragon Ball” characters, but it never gets easier seeing our favorites get killed. Goku may be the franchise’s protagonist, but it isn’t until “Z” that he “joins the club,” so to speak. Raditz proves the most powerful opponent he has faced until that point, with not even he and Piccolo working together able to easily defeat his Saiyan brother. However, Goku is willing to take Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon too, if it means stopping Raditz and saving the world. Longtime viewers lamented Goku’s death, while everyone who started with “DBZ” were shocked that the apparent hero dies in the first few episodes. And neither group is likely to forget it.

#11: Goku Goes Super Saiyan 3

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Usually, when there’s a new Super Saiyan form, Goku’s the one who debuts it first. Although he isn’t the first to go Super Saiyan 2 - more on that later - he is the first to reach the next stage. Goku explains the stages of Super Saiyan to Buu and Babidi while facing them, demonstrating each in turn. And then, he starts powering up, at the cost of his remaining time on Earth. As Goku screams louder and louder, the whole world shakes from the power coming off of him. Finally, he’s revealed to have even longer Super Saiyan hair and starts trouncing Buu with his incredible power. There are a lot of great transformation scenes, but this one managed to “GO EVEN FURTHER BEYOND”…our expectations.

#10: Goku Defeats King Piccolo“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

Arguably the strongest foe that Goku faces as a child is King Piccolo. The vile Namekian battles the young fighter, as his previous opponent, Tenshinhan, watches. However, after Goku proves surprisingly strong, Piccolo resorts to taking Tien hostage. This allows him to break or injure nearly all of Goku’s limbs. We say nearly, because Goku’s right arm remains unharmed. King Piccolo is confident in his victory, but Goku manages to propel himself using a Kamehameha to punch straight through his opponent! Not only is this a brutal and creative finishing move, but this moment also marks the birth of Goku’s rival, and later ally, Piccolo Jr.

#9: Father/Son Kamehameha“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Speaking of finishing moves, “DBZ” has its fair share of memorable ones too. In the finale of the Cell Saga, Gohan is engaged in a beam struggle against Cell. The green monstrosity is stronger than ever after his resurrection, and Gohan can only use one arm. However, with some coaching from his late papa Goku, Gohan delivers a Kamehameha that overcomes Cell and vaporizes him for good. Any time multiple characters do a Kamehameha is cool, but the fact that one of them is a ghost and it’s done to defeat a Big Bad as bad as Cell ensured that fans would never forget it. It left us hungry for more. Enough to eat a horse, in fact.

#8: Goku’s Goodbye“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

Look - “GT” gets a lot of flack. But we’ll give it this - it knew how to do an ending! In the future, after all the other Dragon Warriors or Z Fighters have passed on, we see Goku’s granddaughter Pan at a tournament. She spots her grandfather in a crowd, and while she loses him, we follow Goku as flashbacks from throughout the “Dragon Ball” franchise play. After seeing how far we’ve come, the narrator assures us that should the world need him again, Goku will return. The dub even has Goku signing off himself. As he flies away on Nimbus, power pole in hand, the franchise has come full circle. While we did meet again, we couldn’t hope for a more fitting ending than this one.

#7: The First Kamehameha“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

In the annals of anime attacks, the Kamehameha is among the most iconic. Which is why its debut all the way back in “Dragon Ball” remains close to fans’ hearts. Goku and company call on Master Roshi to put out the fire on Fire Mountain. While the old man appears doddering and incapable at first, Roshi soon bulks up and lets loose his famous beam attack, putting out the fire - and destroying the mountain. Goku is quite impressed, and decides to try it out for himself, managing it easily. And the rest is history!

#6: Trunks Slices Freeza“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

The introduction of Trunks into the series is among the most impactful and memorable in the show. Freeza has arrived on Earth, his dad in tow, and seemingly stronger with his cyborg modifications. But then Trunks shows up - a mysterious youth with a sword. Not only that, but he’s a Super Saiyan as well! After tanking a massive attack from Freeza, Trunks tosses an overly dramatic shot at the space emperor, only to surprise him from behind with his sword. Watching Trunks turn the franchise’s biggest villain to this point into mincemeat instantly made an impression. It also made fans everywhere immediately label him one of the coolest characters ever!

#5: Vegeta’s Sacrifice“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Vegeta is a character defined by his pride. After once again turning to evil in his attempt to surpass Goku, Vegeta finally returns to his senses during the battle with Majin Buu. He bids farewell to his son, Trunks, even knocking him out to prevent him from fighting. Even Piccolo telling Vegeta he’ll go to Hell isn’t enough to deter him. With one last blast, the prince of all Saiyans makes one final atonement in death in his attempt to kill Buu. This may not be the end for Vegeta, but it does mark a major turning point for his character, at last becoming a proper hero. Even the narrator came back to pay respects!

#4: Goku & Vegeta’s Beam Clash“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

There are beam struggles, and then there’s this! Vegeta and Goku’s first battle is loaded with iconic moments, but this is easily the one everybody thinks of first! Goku goes all out with Kaio-ken, which puts his body on the line, managing to overwhelm Vegeta. Insulted that a lower-class foe has injured him, Vegeta decides to blow up the planet with his Galick Gun. With no other option, Goku fires a Kamehameha to meet it. Goku pushes his Kaio-ken even further to come out on top - in this exchange, at least. The image of their two attacks meeting is burned into “Dragon Ball” fans’ brains, like Vegeta’s anger at Goku.

#3: Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2 Transformation“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

New transformations always make a big splash. Gohan’s battle against Cell looks dire, as he’s thrown against the cyborg bug man with little preamble. And when Cell unleashes his brood of Cell Jrs. against Gohan’s friends, the young fighter can only watch. An emotional speech from Android 16 hoping to inspire Gohan takes a dark turn as Cell stomps on the cybernetic man’s head, killing 16. Turns out, that was enough to push Gohan over the edge! With a haunting cry and plenty of tears, Gohan reaches Super Saiyan 2! With the crackle of lightning and the drying of tears, we know that the son has surpassed the father…for the moment, at least.

#2: Ultra Instinct“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

The Tournament of Power has plenty of hype moments, but the one that literally broke the internet was this one! Seriously, multiple streaming sites went down. During Goku’s fight with Jiren, our hero is on the cusp of mastering Ultra Instinct, a technique that allows him to dodge attacks effortlessly. It’s the whole “attacking back” part that Goku struggles with. But, as Jiren aims to ring Goku out, the Saiyan fighter’s power continues to rise, and he eventually starts hitting back with his aura and hair taking on a divinely shimmering light! As far as modern “Dragon Ball,” it doesn’t get much more hype than this! That’s why we have to go back…

#1: Goku Goes Super Saiyan“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

When it comes to anime transformations, Super Saiyan is arguably the most iconic of all, and its debut rocked the “Dragon Ball” fandom and is still making waves decades later! Goku and company believe they’ve finally defeated Freeza. Unfortunately, they’re wrong. The evil tyrant reappears and kills Krillin. The death of his best friend sends Goku into a rage so great that his power skyrockets, the weather changes, and his hair turns golden! Freeza isn’t dealing with the average Saiyan warrior anymore, and fans weren’t dealing with the average “Dragon Ball” either - this is peak “Dragon Ball!”

Is there a “Dragon Ball” moment we forgot? Raise your hands and deliver a Spirit Bomb of comments down below.