Dragon Ball ZThe first 13 films are not canonical, but they do their best to make the most of the anime’s larger narrative. This gives the films a certain level of freedom, whether it’s the films’ villains or the incredible power-ups the heroes use to save the day.
Dragon Ball ZThe fluid continuity of in the films means that characters can trigger transformations that are never seen again and do not appear elsewhere in the anime or manga. Many of these transformations inevitably slip through the cracks and become footnotes in the Dragon Ball franchise, but there are still some that pack an incredibly powerful punch.
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10
Super Garlic Jr. transforms a little demon into a real monster
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
Garlic Jr. is the main antagonist of Dragon Ball Z: Dead zonewhich takes place slightly before the events of Dragon Ball Zthe first episode. Garlic Jr. is a demon who harbors a heavy grudge against Kami due to the Guardian’s role in isolating his father, Garlic. It’s a compelling premise for a feature film, especially since Kami’s role in DBZ is otherwise minimal. Garlic Jr. doesn’t look particularly intimidating and his small design is reminiscent of Emperor Pilaf.
Garlic Jr. becomes a much bigger nuisance once he uses the Dragon Balls to successfully gain immortality. At the height of the conflict, Garlic Jr. triggers a powerful transformation – Super Garlic Jr. – that makes him look more like Broly than Pilaf. Super Garlic Jr. is incredibly muscular and proves to be a big enough threat to challenge Goku and Piccolo, although they eventually gain the upper hand against him. Super Garlic Jr. technically appears in the Garlic Jr. Saga where Garlic Jr. returns, but he debuts in Dead zone.
9
Turles boosted by the fruit of the tree of power elevate the Saiyan to horrible heights
Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might
The tree of power effectively combines suspenseful action with an environmentally conscious message that puts the Earth at risk. Turles is a vengeful Saiyan who bears an uncanny resemblance to Goku and invades Earth with his powerful Turles Crusher Corps. Their goal is to use Earth as a fuel source for the Tree of Might, a parasitic plant that drains the energy of an entire planet and channels it into a singular fruit. Turles succeeds in this plan and manages to eat the fruit of the Tree of Power, giving him a substantial power gain.
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Turles’ transformation isn’t particularly drastic, but his muscles are getting stronger and he benefits from increased strength and speed. Kaio-Ken x10 Goku is useless against Turles boosted by Fruit of the Tree of Might and he is even able to casually deflect Goku’s Spirit Bomb attack with his own Calamity Blaster. The heroes ultimately prevail once Goku prepares a more powerful spirit bomb that draws energy from the Power Tree, eliminating the tree and Turles with it. The fruit of the Tree of Power has appeared in many Dragon Ball video games as a useful way for characters to reach new heights.
8
Nickname Super Saiyan Goku is his first taste of SSJ
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug isn’t a particularly popular film, but it deserves credit for exploring some creative ideas, like the technical introduction to Goku’s first experience with Super Saiyan. A lot Dragon Ball fans criticize Lord SlugThe Pseudo Super Saiyan transformation is a pale imitation of reality. That being said, Pseudo Super Saiyan was created before Dragon Ball ZThe manga or anime correctly introduced the true Super Saiyan transformation.
The reality of this strange transformation is that Toei simply didn’t know what the true Super Saiyan transformation was going to look like, so they developed this original form that looks like a hybrid between the Kaio-Ken and Super Saiyan transformation. Goku unlocks this power as he is about to die against Lord Slug. This increased Saiyan power gives him the strength to defend against Lord Slug’s powerful attacks and land successful blows of his own. The Super Saiyan alias is treated as a temporary lifeline instead of a constant transformation that the user maintains for full battles.
7
Goku pushes his body to the extreme with Kaio-Ken x100
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug
The Kaio-Ken is one of Goku’s most useful techniques before he essentially replaced it with the Super Saiyan. The Kaio-Ken puts incredible pressure on the user’s body and Goku must be careful not to push it too far or he may not survive the experience. Goku’s x4 Kaio-Ken bet against Vegeta is risky and he takes it even further when he multiplies it by 20 during his fight against Frieza. Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug goes beyond expectations when Goku uses Kaio-Ken x100 to finish off Lord Slug, once and for all. Considering how much pressure Kaio-Ken x20 puts on Goku, a x100 attack really shouldn’t work.
Lord Slug he neglects this and simply enjoys the show. Oddly enough, Goku’s Pseudo Super Saiyan transformation is not what he uses to defeat Lord Slug and is instead a stopgap to give Goku a second wind. Piccolo donates energy to Goku, which he then uses to trigger his Kaio-Ken x1000 finisher. Goku rips Lord Slug’s torso apart – in a visual strongly reminiscent of his defeat by Demon King Piccolo – and Lord Slug’s body crashes onto his terraforming spaceship. Lord Slug also shows that Goku is fine after unleashing such an intense maneuver and is not left a weakened mess like he was in previous Kaio-Ken battles.
6
Cooler’s Final Form Makes Frieza’s Final Form Look Like a Joke
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge
Frieza is one of Dragon Ballthe country’s most infamous enemies and found numerous ways to return to power. Dragon Ball ZThe fifth and sixth films revolve around Frieza’s older and stronger brother, Cooler, who is determined to finish what his brother could not finish. Oddly enough, Cooler feels no resentment towards Goku for killing his brother, but rather the fact that he was unable to personally take out Frieza himself. Cooler leaves a lasting impression and it’s easy to see why he’s the first cinema villain to receive a sequel.
2:15 p.m.
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Cooler proves his superiority when he triggers a fourth transformation and enters his fifth and final form – which goes far beyond Frieza’s final form. Cooler’s fifth form has a striking and intimidating design, but it is also truly powerful and holds its own against Super Saiyan Goku. The return of the cooler brings back Cooler as a stronger cyborg – Meta-Cooler – but it’s not technically a new transformation. That being said, not canon Dragon Ball the stories featured golden versions of Cooler’s fifth form and Meta-Cooler.
5
Super Android 13 is an upgrade supercharged with three sinister cyborgs
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!
Great Android 13! cleverly expands on the foundation of the Cell arc and reveals that Dr. Gero actually created three other androids – Androids 13, 14, and 15 – which Dr. Gero posthumously activates with his sleeping supercomputer. The Android trio has a clear directive to eliminate Goku for his sins against the Red Ribbon Army. Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks easily deal with their Android attackers, only for 13 to undergo a powerful metamorphosis when he absorbs the microchips of his fallen Android peers.
Super Android 13 has an outrageous design that transforms the human-looking enemy into an alien monster with blue skin and orange hair. All three Super Saiyans, along with Piccolo, are completely useless against the superior strength of Super Android 13. The heroes finally get a breakthrough when Goku combines Super Saiyan with his Spirit Bomb, triggering a surprisingly powerful reaction.
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Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Goku is a volatile transformation with destructive results
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! sees Goku totally out of his element against the titular villain and even turning Super Saiyan isn’t enough. Goku begins to summon energy for a spirit bomb, but he transforms into a Super Saiyan during this process in order to give himself an energy boost. A Spirit Bomb is believed to have a pure heart, so a Super Saiyan’s influx of rage and animosity causes a drastic chain reaction.
Rather than firing the Spirit Bomb like a projectile, as usual, Super Saiyan Goku absorbs the Spirit Bomb’s energy and achieves a transcendent state, Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan. Goku appears to lose consciousness during this transformation and enters a fugue state while he eviscerates Super Android 13. Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Goku’s aura is so extreme that it causes Super Android 13’s fist to disintegrate when he comes into contact with him. It’s a volatile form that feels eerily like a precursor to Ultra Instinct in many ways.
3
Legendary Super Saiyan Broly puts all other Saiyans to shame
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
Broly is now a full member of Dragon Ball Superthe main cast, but he is presented as a blunt tool of destruction in Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan. Movie 8 does an effective job of showing Broly’s painful life and showing that he is the living embodiment of rage and anger. All of Dragon Ball ZSaiyans have reached Super Saiyan status at this point, but the legendary Super Saiyan Broly is a cut above the rest.
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The collective efforts of Super Saiyan Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Future Trunks, not to mention Piccolo, cannot defeat this powerful threat. This effectively highlights the power a Legendary Super Saiyan possesses. Goku’s success over Broly seems a bit practical, even if it is a touching display of heroism. All the heroes give their energy to Goku, who channels the power into a single punch – his Miracle Blow – that finally ends Broly’s reign of terror.
2
Hirudegarn (perfect form) is a weapon of pure destruction
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon
The dragon’s wrath was Dragon Ball Zthe 13th and final film of Battle of the Gods And Resurrection ‘F’ bring in Dragon Ball Super. Hirudegarn is a Majin Ghost God whose express purpose is to destroy everything that is not a Kashvar in the universe. Hirudegarn storms Satan City and causes widespread destruction, even while in his incomplete form. Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks is strong enough to give Hirudegarn a break, so he retreats into a cocoon and emerges in his perfect state.
Hirudegarn (Perfect Form) is more insectile in nature and benefits from a delicate composition that causes most attacks to pass through him. Gotenks, Vegeta and Gohan are powerless against Hirudegarn and Goku only manages to achieve victory with the help of his surprising Dragon Fist. Super Saiyan 3 Goku literally manifests as a Shenron-like dragon who bursts through Hirudegarn and forces him into oblivion.
1
Super Janemba takes all of Gogeta’s power to finally be defeated
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn
Dragon Ball has introduced its share of intimidating demons, but Janemba is particularly vicious since he is the culmination of countless unpurified souls bonding together into one ultimate mass of evil. Janemba’s first form is a giant, round demon that shares a lot in common with Majin Buu’s first form. Janemba can create tiny clones of himself and move around reality to launch surprise attacks on his opponents.
Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Vegeta, and Pikkon effectively push Janemba out of his comfort zone, causing his frightening transformation into Super Janemba. Super Janemba has one of the most stylish designs for everyone Dragon Ball Z villainous and is significantly scarier than his previous form. Super Janemba, although stronger, possesses the same abilities to enter and exit reality. Super Janemba’s power is so impressive that it sparks Goku and Vegeta’s Metamoran fusion dance union, Gogeta. Super Saiyan Gogeta ultimately defeats Janemba with little effort, but it wouldn’t have been possible without him.
With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by Saiyan warrior Goku defends planet Earth from alien enemies.
- Release date
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April 26, 1989
- Final year
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November 30, 1995
- Creator(s)
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Akira Toriyama
- Cast
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Masako Nozawa, Ryou Horikawa, Hiromi Tsuru, Hiroko Emori, Shigeru Chiba, Naoko Watanabe, Mayumi Tanaka, Naoki Tatsuta, Yukimasa Kishino
- Main genre
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Action
- Seasons
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9
- Studio
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Toei Animation
- Creator
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Akira Toriyama
- Writers
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Akira Toriyama, Takao Koyama
- Number of episodes
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291
- Directors
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Daisuke Nishio
- Based on
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Manga
- MyAnimeList Score
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8.19