Summary
Dragon Ballis one of the greatest shonen series of all time. The late great Akira Toriyama created an incredible world that enraptured fans from all over the globe and turned them into lifelong anime fans.
While larger-than-life battles and incredible transformations are a huge part ofDragon Ball’s allure, the storytelling shouldn’t be ignored. Some of the best arcs inDragon Ballfeature incredible writing that adds a ton of emotional weight to the conflicts that take place in these storylines.
Spoiler Warning: these entries will discuss major narrative spoilers to multiple sagas within the Dragon Ball franchise.
From the moment fans see Bulma killed by Goku Black, it’s clear that the Future Trunks Saga is going to up the stakes for the Z Fighters. Goku and Vegeta witness the threat of Zamasu firsthand and decide to train and become stronger to tackle this new threat.
While the story falters at times, the darker undertones of the Future Trunks Saga make for a change of pace from the cheerful vibes present in previous story arcs. After some grueling battles,Future Zamasu is taken out for good, and Trunks can head back to his timeline, thanking Goku and his father for their assist.
TheSaiyan Saga is a major turning point in theDragon Ballfranchiseestablishing the growth from the more lightheartedDragon Ballinto the more seriousDragon Ball Z.The inaugural saga ofDBZintroduces a threat that puts the power levels of the Z Fighters to shame. After a brutal fight against Raditz (resulting in Goku’s death), Goku gets stronger on King Kai’s planet in the afterlife and heads back with a higher power level and a bunch of powerful new moves.
The narrative highlights of this arc also include Piccolo’s training of Gohan and his eventual sacrifice as he thanks Gohan for helping him feel loved before passing away. The final few episodes show Goku and Vegeta’s climactic battle as they duke it out in a clash for the ages before Goku whips out a Spirit Bomb to save the Earth from certain destruction.
TheCell Saga is a long and sinister arcthat introduces a bug-like creature who absorbs the strength of others to get stronger. This bio-android is no joke, to the point where Androids 17 and 18 are barely a threat against this immense foe.
Watching him absorb the two androids after exploiting Vegeta’s pride and attaining his Perfect form is a nightmare for the surviving Z Fighters. This Saga ends with the chilling announcement of the Cell Games, forcing the Z Fighters to train as much as they can in anticipation of the hellish conflict.
TheAndroid Saga starts on a high notewith the appearance of a mysterious Super Saiyan who effortlessly kills Mecha Frieza and King Cold with little to no issues. Goku comes back not long after, and the mysterious Saiyan (Future Trunks) informs him of the incoming threat of the Androids, who have all but annihilated his own timeline.
After a time-skip and some training for the eventual confrontation, Goku suffers a heart attack in the very first battle and is taken out of commission. While Vegeta whips out the Super Saiyan form to attain victory against Android 19, it doesn’t take long for the Prince to be humbled by Android 17 and 18. As serious as this threat is, Cell’s arrival marks a turning point as the Z Fighters must gear up for another dangerous foe.
Storytelling wasn’t the strongest point ofDragon Ball Super, with the focus being on transformations and epic battles. However, the journey Goku went on to perfect the Ultra Instinct transformation in the Tournament of Power is a riveting one that fans love.
The highlight comes with Whis' rousing speech as he describes how Goku trusted his instincts in battle instead of overthinking every move, allowing him to break his limits and attain the Autonomous Ultra Instinct transformation. It’s an amazing moment that serves as the biggest highlight ofDragon Ball Superby a country mile.
It takes some real guts to introduce two immensely powerful characters, greatly expanding the stakes of a franchise infamous for its ever-expanding threat-level. Thankfully, not only are Beerus and Whis likable, but their excellent writing turns them into the best part of the opening arc forDragon Ball Super.
After Goku unlocks the Super Saiyan God transformation, he dukes it out with Beerus in an incredible battle. Even after losing his form, Goku had already achieved a new level of power that helped his regular Super Saiyan form fight on equal footing against Beerus.
Gohan’s narrative throughout the entire series has made it clear that he can reach new heights of power if he trusts in his abilities. However, he was too gentle to put up a major fight and is beaten down mercilessly by Cell, who hates how meek his opponent is.
Android 16 realizes this and chastises Gohan for not realizing the stakes at play here. He encourages Gohan to protect the planet he has grown to love with his final words, sparking something in Gohan as he finally reaches a new height of power and unlocks the Super Saiyan 2 transformation. While his thirst for battle gets in the way of him getting the job done, he manages to overpower Cell with a broken arm and unleashes a Kamehameha for the ages that takes out this villain for good.
Throughout the Namek Saga, Frieza was built up as a major threat who could smash anyone to a pulp. This was seen firsthand during the Frieza Saga, where he heartlessly killed Vegeta and couldn’t be taken out with Goku even after a Spirit Bomb.
Rather gleefully, Frieza kills Krillin, which was a fatal mistake. The rage Goku felt upon the death of his best friend pushed him over the edge as he transformed into a Super Saiyan. After an incredible speech that has gone down in anime history, Goku and Frieza engage in a battle for the ages, withthe Legendary Super Saiyan reigning supremeon a devastated Namek.
