My 10 most Standout Dragonball Moments

I honestly like this song more than Cha la Head Cha La...Is that bad?

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, the Shaman of Animation with a celebratory discussion topic. Today marks a very special day in the world of manga for today marks the 30th anniversary of when Dragonball was first serialized in Japan. It's really hard to believe this franchise has been going on for Three decades now. Dragonball (More specifically Dragonball Z) is my favorite anime of ALL TIME; I am a huge dork when it comes to this series. I know the dragonball z story like the back of my hand, I've played a lot of the games that were released when I was growing up, and I've seen nearly every DBZ movie.

Ironically, I have yet to see the latest movie Battle of Gods, maybe I'll get a surprise and have a Blu-Ray copy of it in my stocking this Christmas...

A HUGE chunk of my childhood was spent watching, playing, or talking about something related to Dragon Ball. The franchise as a whole has had such great moments that to this day, I still remember; and that people is what I'm here to talk about today. I'm here to give you the top ten moments that stand out the most to me as a Dragonball Fan. Now these scenes admittedly aren't ranked by most standout to least, these are some of the moments that either had the most impact on Dragonball or are ones that automatically come to my mind when I think of it. For this list, I will be taking a look at moments from the anime to the original manga to even the movies. So strap in and enjoy this trip down memory lane.

1. When Goku and Bulma meet for the first time

This was the moment that started it all. In it, we are introduced to Goku and Bulma and we see them hit it off well...as well as a teenage girl from the big city and a small boy raised in the woods would. This moment not only gives us an idea as to who these two characters are, but it also introduces us to the Dragon Balls, the items that would be the center-stage of the entire franchise (Until DBZ gets to the android saga). Bulma wants to collect all seven of these to wish for the perfect boyfriend and she stumbles across Goku, who has a ball that he keeps as a memento to his grandfather. After working up a deal, Bulma convinces Goku to travel around the world with her and search for the dragon balls; and the rest is history. 

2. Goku checks Bulma for her "balls"

This is EXACTLY what it looks like

Back in the OG Dragonball, author and artist Akira Toriyama pulled no punches when it came to humor; this scene is a picture perfect example. Because he was raised in the woods with NO other company besides his grandfather who was already dead when the series started, Goku had no experience with the opposite sex and he wasn't aware of the fact that girls were..."different" from boys. So when one morning he laid down in Bulma's lap (much like he did with his grandfather, its not as bad as it sounds...) and found that there was, in his own words, nothing there...he removed her underwear and got his first look at a woman's privates. When I first read that scene in the original manga, my jaw dropped to the floor and my laughter could not be contained. This moment isn't as big as the other moments in this list, but it definitely is one that stuck with me. If anyone has time, go find this scene on Youtube.

3. The first Kamehameha

History being made

It is an unarguable fact that the Kamehameha is one of the greatest fictional techniques EVER! It's been parodied, imitated, and duplicated around the world. If you have seen or read ANYTHING Dragonball, then you have probably attempted a Kamehameha once as a kid...and was severely disappointed immediately after. It is a move that I'm sure everyone and their parents know. The first time it's performed, it cemented its legacy. Master Roshi arrived on The Ox King's castle on Fire Mountain to put out the flames that surrounded the castle. Our heroes doubted the fact that a short old man would be possible of putting out the flames of a giant castle. That was until that short old man went from this...

wimpy, wimpy, wimpy....

TO THIS!!!

HEFTY, HEFTY, HEFTY!!!!!!

Roshi then proceeded to not only extinguish the flames of Fire Mountain but also destroy Ox King's Castle! Since that moment, the Kamehameha would go on to be the most frequently used technique in the dragonball mythos with multiple users ranging from main character Goku, to his kids, to plenty other characters I'm too lazy list here.

4. The First Time Goku turns into a Great Ape

One of Goku's trademark features when he was a young boy was the fact that there was a monkey tail hanging behind him. No one knew why he had the tail, it was just there and we all pretty much just rolled with it. No one ever considered what would happen during a certin night. After getting locked up in Emperor Pilaf's castle for ruining his wish with the dragonballs, Goku gets a glimpse at the full moon, which then turns him into a giant raging monkey! This scene would be one of the biggest hints that Goku was actually an alien from another planet.

5. Goku and Vegeta's First Battle

The Greatest Rivalry in all of anime

Now we jump into the Dragonball Z era in this list. The Saiyan saga dropped a lot of bombs and had a lot of shocking moments along with great battles, such as the one presented here. With the the majority of the Z-Fighters either dead or unable to keep fighting due to the onslaught from Nappa, the number two to The Saiyan Prince Vegeta, Goku finally arrives and makes quick work of the alien, although he doesn't kill him, Vegeta himself did so. With everyone else out of the way, what follows next is a remarkable back and forth battle between Goku and Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince seemed to have the advantage over Goku as his natural strength overpowered him. But our main man kept bouncing back with every move he had up his arsenal. Of course the greatest moment that fans took away from this fight was the iconic beam struggle between Goku's Kamehameha and Vegeta's Galick Gun

So much happened in this fight that I can't cover it all. You really have to see it to believe it.

6. Goku going Super Saiyan for the First Time

Oh man. This moment...THIS MOMENT!

When I think of the BIGGEST highlights of Dragonball, this is the first one that comes to mind. The build up, the tension, the emotion! It all started on the planet Namek after Goku supposedly defeated the space tyrant known as Frieza with his Spirit Bomb technique. We see him, his son Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin seconds afterwards taking a moment to celebrate Frieza's demise. This celebration was all for naught as Frieza shows up, with plenty of power left and he proceeds to not only deal a near fatal strike to Piccolo, he BLOWS KRILLIN UP. No literally, he blows him up.

 

See? BTW, the old dub for DBZ has HORRIBLY aged...

Seeing his best friend gruesomely murdered (Although it wasn't the first time Goku's seen a dead Krillin), Goku's became enraged like never before, allowing him to turn into the warrior that most Saiyans thought of as myth, a Super Saiyan. It is one of the most mesmerizing and legendary moments in all of dragonball.

7. Future Trunks' first appearance

Take a look at this smirk! It's the smirk of an awesome character!

This moment takes place In story a year and a half after the previous moment on this list. Goku has defeated frieza and hasn't returned home to Earth. Shame he didn't because one day out of the blue Frieza (who wasn't actually dead) returns as a cyborg and this time, he brought his daddy dearest and a whole new army ready to conquer the Earth. With Goku M.I.A., things seemed pretty bleak for the rest of the Z-Fighters...that was until this purple haired kid appeared out of nowhere and cleaned house. Not only did he easily wipe out Frieza's army, he also had another trick up his sleeve

This transformation loses its novelty as the series goes on...

Yep, this new kid on the block was a Super Saiyan, something that was impossible as, at the time, Goku was the only known Super Saiyan. After using these powers to kill Frieza and his dad, Goku finally arrives on the scene and the stranger reveals himself to be the future son of Goku's rival Vegeta, and he gives him warnings of what's to come.

  

8. Goku and Piccolo Learn to drive

Fast and Furious: DBZ Demolition

Now for something a little silly. In the 'Z' era of the original DB manga, we didn't get to see a lot of what our heroes did when they weren't traveling to other planets or training for the next earth threatening disaster. But thanks to a little thing called filler episodes, the Dragonball Z anime provided us with an unforgettable moment (I say that but I can't remember which episode this took place...). Because she was fed up with walking everywhere to get food while he trained all day, Chi-Chi orders Goku, along with Piccolo, to learn to drive. The end result of this? Well...just look for yourself

 

No people were harmed in that crash...I think...

No doubt one of the funnier and more memorable moments of the DBZ anime, you should watch if for nothing else, that race scene...and Piccolo's clothing.

Hoes be all over the green man in Dat yellow shirt...

9. Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan

He's Dragonball's equivalent to The Hulk...except no where near as interesting...

Broly, Broly, Broly...I'm gonna come out and say it: This guy, in my opinion, is the most overrated Dragonball character EVER! He's nothing more than just screaming one word, punching things, and more screaming. He's the textbook definition of a generic movie villain; a one-trick pony, some might say. But, despite what I feel about him now, that doesn't discredit my initial thoughts about him when I first saw him and his first movie. It was something along the lines of: "THIS GUY IS THE SH*T!!!"

I was first introduced to the character in The game Dragonball Z Budokai 3; and he just stood out to me. He was shown in the game's opening sequence where his fist is colliding with Gogeta's and I just thought to myself:

Whoa! Who's this guy?

When I finally played against him in the game, he immediately stood out to me. He was this giant hulking figure who just towered over every other character and his move set was just brutal. When I finally saw his first movie for the first time, it was phenomenal. When you see him transform, you just knew, it was gonna go down, and it did. The first time I saw that movie, my mind was blown with just the amount of damage he caused. This guy casually destroyed a planet with no f**ks given at all. He then went on to thoroughly trounce all of the characters that went up against him and he didn't even look like he was trying! It took the combined efforts of four super saiyans and a super namekian to beat him, and even then, they didn't destroy him for good. Like I said, despite what I feel for the character Broly himself, I LOVED his first movie just for the sheer mayhem he caused; hell, it's one of my favorite Dragonball movies. My problem was that he was great for a one time thing, and then he came back Again.

And again...

And Again...

And again (Each time more ridiculous than the last...)

Before I get to my tenth and final most standout Dragonball Moment, I figured it would be a good time for some honorable mentions...

The Debut of Cooler, Frieza's brother

The death of Future Gohan, leading to Future Trunks going Super Saiyan

Goku going Super Saiyan 3

The debut of Gogeta: The fusion of both Goku and Vegeta 

Goku going Super Saiyan 4

The debut of Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta

10. Gohan going Super Saiyan 2 for the First Time.

The Hypest Sh*t Ever!!

Now for my final most standout Dragonball Moment which is also my favorite Dragonball moment in the entire franchise. Throughout Dragonball Z, it had been hinted that Gohan, Goku's first born son, had limitless potential to overcome the warriors that came before him, and there had been several glimpses of it, but we got to see it in fullest in the Cell Saga. During the Cell Games, Goku, the wise and caring father he his, puts his 9-11 year old son (I'm never quite sure how old he is when this takes place) in a life or death battle against the android known as Cell. For a time, Gohan held his own against Cell until the boy pretty much told the android that he didn't want to fight anymore because he was scared of his full power coming out and him going into a battle frenzy. Cell was all like:

And proceeded to spawn mini-mes that beat the crap out of his friends. Finally, it got to the point where Gohan couldn't take it anymore and he exploded, leading to him becoming the first Super Saiyan 2. This was the moment that made Gohan the favorite character to millions of fans everywhere. The power he displayed was so incredible it ended up scaring Cell so much that he was ready to kill himself...along with the Earth and all of its inhabitants. But Gohan's fight with Cell was no doubt the character's biggest highlight and the moment that closes out this list.

In its thirty years, Dragonball has become the most well known and popular anime in the world. Its influence can still be seen in a lot of today's modern shonen series such as One Piece, the recently ended Naruto, and others. Even after all these years, the franchise is still going strong and continues to grow with the latest movie Battle of Gods and the new movie in 2015: The Return of F (That's really what the movie's called). With this, new games and an ever supportive fanbase, Dragonball, in my opinion, will never die.

Till next time everyone, I'm the Shaman of Animation saying: Happy Anniversary Dragonball.

Take Care