Dragon Ball Z: the 7 best moments of the anime series

Dragon Ball Z means so many things: history of animation, battle shonen, pop culture. It’s our history, when people rushed after school to sling in front of the TV at lunchtime. When everyone, at least once, tried to transform into Super Saiyan or tried to replicate a Kamehameha. Actions, games, memories that we lived alongside the heroes created by Akira Toriyama, whose events exploded in the Z series with the explosive force of a hurricane. Unforgettable moments, which we have decided to immortalize in this special, using some of the most memorable sequences of the entire anime series, taken from the manga by sensei Toriyama.
Today I’m going to talk about the 7 best moments of this anime series.

Goku vs Vegeta

When Kakarotto, returned to life during the Saiyan story arc, faced the evil Prince, our breathing stopped for several episodes. The duel between the two future rivals is one of the most important and memorable confrontations of all Dragon Ball Z: it is a confrontation not only of brute force, but of different ideals between two unshakable and monumental wills.

It’s the moment that gives life to a dualism that has become a legend, still relevant today and - very often - the essential fulcrum of many modern narrative ideas. The epic conflict between the Kamehameha with Goku's quadruple Kaiohken and Vegeta's deadly Garlick Cannon remains the high point of this saga. Murderous fury and wounded pride on the one hand, determination and hope on the other. Two topos destined to become legends.

The Super Saiyan

The one and only, or so we were led to believe during the Freezer Saga on planet Namek. Crillin's death represents a dramatic turning point. It matters little if the Earthman would return to life shortly thereafter, nor if Goku was aware of the possibility of resurrecting his fallen companion thanks to the power of Polunga, much wider than that of Shenlong. All the Saiyan thought about when the tyrant opened his fist causing Crillin to explode, is that a friend of his had died at the whim and cowardice of an evil man.

The moments in which Kakarotto's screams of anger and pain echo louder than the thunder that strikes Namek's horizons are long, interminable, punctuated by the rhythm of his thick hair that straightens more and more, passing from black to golden in nuance. shade. And that's where The Super Saiyan was born. Even before the deities, S Cells or primordial warriors whose echoes have been lost in legend: a legendary warrior, who every thousand years is born from the fury of a pure heart.

The Super Saiyan 2

And it is a philosophy that has continued to animate Toriyama's story and has totally exploded in the character of Gohan. From secondary hero to the pivot of the tale in the Androids Saga, all his power explodes during the Cell Game. The keystone is, again, anger, a fundamental element of the little Saiyan's character: Son-kun's son explodes with the fury and pain of having seen Number 16 sacrifice himself to eliminate Cell, only to be eliminated with cruelty. unheard of by the villain.

The pure heart of Gohan, combined with a component of anger never seen before, gives life to a Super Saiyan far beyond the limit reached (and exceeded) by the various Goku, Vegeta and Trunks. On the notes of the wonderful Unmei no Hi, the moment of Son Gohan's transformation into the second level Super Saiyan is one of the most intense moments of the whole work.

Saraba from Bulma, Trunks ... Soshite, Kakarotto

Vegeta is the most intense and multifaceted character in Dragon Ball. It represents the maximum sum of a certain poetics, very strong in the work, based on redemption. From Yamcha through Tenshinhan to Piccolo, for example, Toriyama's manga has seen a large number of villains who, sooner or later, have redeemed themselves in the face of Goku's good heart and positivity. Vegeta did this and more: his constant will to overcome Kakarotto never caused him to lose his primeval Saiyan pride, and the evil in his heart took some time to fade completely. If the Saiyan prince underwent the evolution we witnessed during Dragon Ball Z, it is above all thanks to the affections he has built up over time: Bulma and Trunks are the alpha and omega of a character with a thousand shades , the only people capable of unleashing a very deep humanity in the hardest of hearts. Surrender to the power of Babidi, transforming him into Majin Vegeta, is but a manifestation of the deep humanity of the one and true anti-hero of Dragon Ball: eager to obtain the strength necessary to overcome his rival, after a life spent in the his shadow and having felt "the shame" of having even been saved, Vegeta embraces Evil one last time only to better understand how powerful the force of love is. His decision, the sacrifice, the hug to Trunks and the last goodbye to the three people who changed his life remain, probably, the most intense and touching moment of all Dragon Ball Z.

Kakarotto, you are number one

And it is once again the prince who steals one of the best moments of the anime series. The dualism between Goku and Vegeta is still in progress today, but we can say that the absolute masterpiece arrived during the Buu Saga. A fully matured Vegeta can only observe how far his rival has come. The prince's inner monologue as he witnesses the furious duel between Kakarotto and Kid Buu is a confession to himself, it is a recognition towards his fighting partner, it is above all a love letter to everything that represents Dragon Ball.

It is the final step of a wonderful journey, made by the character, but also by the whole work, capable of mutating and changing its heroes. "I had always fought, just for the fun of it, because I liked to destroy, conquer, show everyone my strength. I fought for pride and that's it! But you are different Kakarotto, you always have been. You never fought for the pure pleasure of winning, you did it to test yourself and improve, to be able to overcome your limits. I only cared about eliminating my opponent! And instead you, in the end, you chose to save me! I, by being with you and the Earthlings, ended up getting infected, and I became ... more human! But I can't stand the sight of a noble-hearted Saiyan fighting so generously! Anyway, good luck. .. you are number one! ". Vegeta, and Toriyama through him, teach us that victory lies above all in one's soul.

Goten Meets Goku For The First Time

Imagine growing up, only hearing stories about your father. That he was the best fighter to ever have lived, and that he died for the planet he loved. But your best friend also has a father. A father who’s still alive, and takes every opportunity to claim that he, in fact, is the greatest warrior in all the universe. A six-year-old Goten, facing issues no child should have to, doesn’t know who or what to believe. But when he gets a chance to meet his older doppelganger, it doesn’t matter how strong he is, or how many bad guys he beat up – all that matters is that he has a father. It’s about as deep as Dragon Ball Z has ever been, and a moment that often goes overlooked in the midst of the Buu Saga madness, but it’s a rare human moment in a series that left regular human standards behind a long time ago.

The Genkidama sphere against Majin Buu

Goku during Dragon Ball Z learns the technique of the Genkidama Sphere from King Kaioh of the North, at his planet in the afterlife. It is the most devastating technique that you can know and the Saiyan uses it several times: the first is in the duel against Vegeta, so weak that it can be controlled by Krillin, the second arrives in the planet Namek, against Freeza, who however manages to save himself. even managing to reject it at first. The third, as well as the one we are talking about here, is the one launched against Majin Buu. It is the most powerful Sphere of all Dragon Ball Z, created thanks to the energy of all the Terrans, Namekians and even the souls of the Hereafter, summoned by King Enma to destroy the demon Buu, who risks bringing the world to its knees. whole universe. The peculiarity, beyond what is the strength, also comes from the fact that Vegeta himself acts as a spokesperson for the Earthlings, pushing them to raise their hands to the sky and give their energy to the only possible savior of the Earth: Goku.

Congratulations, Dragon Ball Z. Thank you for teaching us all this.