Akira Toriyama Dragon Ball Z successfully builds on the original Dragon Balland helps expand the scope of the universe in enriching ways. He features alien enemies, multiple sets of Dragon Balls, and numerous power-ups and transformations that aid the characters in battle.
DBZTransformations have become one of the franchise’s most recognizable story elements, and it’s hard to imagine the anime without them. Many of these power-ups are essential and help to Dragon Ball ZFrieza’s most memorable moments, such as Frieza’s multiple transformations or the original Super Saiyan form. However, there are also many throwaway bonuses that miss their mark, cannot justify their existence, and simply appear as random additions to the action.
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10
The Grand Elder Guru unlocks the potential of Gohan and Krillin
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 54, “The Guru’s Gift”
Opportunities to unlock character potential are very common ways to Dragon Ball to propel its heroes to unprecedented levels of power. This upgrade can be naturally integrated into the narrative – like when Goku undergoes risky trials to drink the Ultra Divine Water – but it can also come across as much more random and an easy way to empower characters. Dragon Ball ZThe heroes experience all kinds of new phenomena during their journey to the planet Namek, including a vital gift from the planet’s prolific Great Elder Guru.
The Great Elder Guru can tap into an individual’s inner potential and move them forward to become stronger. This is a major step forward for a character like Krillin who cannot exploit the many advantages Saiyans have. This inner potential unlocking power-up is guilty of Dragon BallThis is the problem of “power creep,” but it is not the most egregious example of this phenomenon. There is still a certain method to this madness, unlike Piccolo who shamelessly resorts to the same idea, albeit through a wish addressed to Shenron, in Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes.
9
Saiyan Zenkai boosts are a slippery slope with greater power
Anime debut: Dragon Ball Z, episode 57, “Gohan, the Hunted”
DBZ takes a lot of advantage from the unique biology of Saiyans and the various advantages that make them such a fearsome race of warriors. Some of these powers are integrated more naturally than others, with Saiyan zenkai boosts appearing as one of the more complicated and random concepts. Zenkai boosts are massive force multipliers that Saiyans experience whenever they survive near-death experiences. This means that Saiyans don’t even need to train to become stronger and that defeat is a viable way to surpass one’s limits. Zenkai boosts have always been present, but they aren’t properly explained until after Vegeta’s near-death experience with Zarbon.
Vegeta survives this defeat and easily executes Zarbon in their rematch. The establishment of this rule from Dragon Ball ZThe start of this would help make it feel more natural, rather than a random rule created on Namek. Vegeta even exploits this power-up during the heroes’ fight against Frieza. He repeatedly asks Krillin to attack him and push him to a near-death location, knowing that Dende can heal him until he returns to full strength. This is an artificial way for Vegeta to become stronger at the height of battle,
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8
Huge Buu is a bold and brutal power-up that is quickly ignored
Anime debut: Dragon Ball Z, episode 277, “End of the Earth”
Majin Buu, like many of them Dragon Ball ZThe main villains of, go through multiple transformations before reaching their peak power. Evil Buu, Kid Buu, and Super Buu all get worthy showcases, but there’s also a more fringe power-up that’s a flashy, random dud. A flashback that recounts Majin Buu’s initial assault on the Supreme Kai briefly features a power-up known as Huge Buu, or South Supreme Kai Absorbed Buu. Buu tends to take on certain characteristics from the individuals he absorbs. Buu consumes the South Supreme Kai, which triggers Huge Buu – the first instance of Super Buu – to adopt a sturdy and extremely muscular physique.
Huge Buu absorbs Grand Supreme Kai shortly after, which overwrites this transformation and gives Buu his more common round appearance of Innocent Buu. Huge Buu is arguably the scariest power-up of the lot, but it comes and goes too quickly for it to really have an impact on anything. This is a random inbetweener that feels more like a spooky spectacle than a real plot point. It’s very easy to forget that this Buu power-up exists.
7
Majin Possession corrupts souls, creating loyal and mortal servants
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 228, “The Return of the Dark Prince”
Majin Buu’s awakening is one of the most horrific events the planet has seen since Dragon Ball Z. Buu’s evil actions even lead to the destruction of Earth before Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters can reverse this tragedy. Buu is a colossal threat in his own right, but Babidi makes his awakening possible by using his dark manipulation magic to transform powerful fighters into loyal servants of Majin. Babidi possesses these individuals, but they also experience a sinister power-up that marks them with the Majin insignia.
Dabura, Spopovich, Yamu, and Vegeta are just a few warriors who succumb to this problematic power increase. The circumstances behind this are rather abrupt, and it seems like it would have been more natural if Babidi had simply recruited corrupt companions. Vegeta could still have returned to the dark side thanks to Babidi appealing to his fragile ego, rather than an artificial and superficial tension-up.
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 245, “Super Saiyan 3?!”
There is a level of inevitability to Dragon Ball ZThe Super Saiyan 3 transformation of. The anime reaches a point where every major narrative saga features a new Super Saiyan power-up as a vital breakthrough in battle. The public may have assumed that a Super Saiyan 3 transformation was only a matter of time, but that doesn’t change the fact that Dragon Ball Z pulls the trigger on this idea in a scattered and haphazard way. Goku has apparently mastered Super Saiyan 3 during his seven years in the Other World, and he simply uses it casually to fight against Buu, despite its intense side effects. Super Saiyan 3 also looks like a borderline parody of past Super Saiyan transformations with hair that extends down to the user’s back.
Dragon Ball Z could have justified this power-up if he had played a bigger role in the series. Neither Goku nor Gotenks actually use the transformation to win any of their fights, and it ultimately feels like a desperate attempt to flesh out the narrative. The situation is even worse in Dragon Ball Super when the power-up gets lost in the mix in favor of Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue. This is the most niche official Super Saiyan transformation, and it’s a power-up that comes with some heavy limitations.
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5
The nickname Super Saiyan is not comparable to reality
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z Movie 4, “Lord Slug”
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug receives a lot of criticism for being the least successful film in the franchise, even though the premise of a Namekian antagonist has a lot of value. There are rewarding parallels between Goku’s battle against Lord Slug and his fight against Demon King Piccolo from the original film. Dragon Ball. Lord Slug features a randomly fringed Super Saiyan transformation – Pseudo Super Saiyan – which is basically the standard transformation, albeit with aesthetic differences, such as a red aura, whitened pupils, and black hair. The pseudo Super Saiyan is attacked for being a scaled-down version of the real thing, but many fans overlook the fact that this is actually the first appearance of a Super Saiyan power-up.
Pseudo Super Saiyan not only precedes Super Saiyan’s debut in the anime, but also his first appearance in the Dragon Ball manga. It had not yet been decided what the Super Saiyan transformation should look like, making the Pseudo Super Saiyan’s inconsistencies with reality understandable. That being said, the circumstances behind the activation of this power-up are far less interesting than Goku’s Super Saiyan catalyst. Goku becomes a pseudo Super Saiyan when he is about to die against Lord Slug, reducing this power-up to a random means for him to survive and gain the upper hand.
4
A power-weighted cell turns into a tumultuous transformation creating a moment of despair
Anime debut: Dragon Ball Z, episode 187, “Cell’s Break Down”
Dragon Ball Z‘s Cell doesn’t always receive the same level of adoration as Frieza or Buu. However, it remains a crucial stepping stone for the anime. Cell undergoes multiple transformations, much like Frieza and Majin Buu, but Cell’s perfection depends on absorbing Android fuel sources. There is a frightening progression with the evolution of Imperfect Cell into Semi-Perfect Cell and Perfect Cell. Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2 pushes Perfect Cell on the defensive, and he panics when he is completely overwhelmed by the younger Saiyan. Super Saiyan 2 Gohan destroys almost half of Cell’s body with his Ultimate Kamehameha.
Cell regenerates from this damage and, in a moment of panic, switches to Power-Weighted Cell. Power-Weighted Cell is only there for a few minutes before Gohan kicks him with such devastating impact that he regurgitates Android 18 and regresses back to his semi-perfect cell. Power-Weighted Cell is essentially the villainous version of Super Saiyan Third Grade, which sacrifices speed for strength. This is an ugly, random power-up that amounts to nothing other than a garish transformation. This is also against Cell’s philosophy, and he has already insulted Future Trunks for resorting to the same tactics.
3
Second and third year Super Saiyans exploit the system and decrease true ascensions
Anime debut: Dragon Ball Z, episode 155, “Super Vegeta” (Super Saiyan Second Grade); Dragon Ball Z, Episode 162, “The Trunk Rises”
Super Saiyan transformations are far away Dragon BallThe most numerous bonuses and the franchise has done so much with them that they had to move from a numerical system to a color-coded ranking. Dragon Ball ZThe Cell Saga is a fascinating transitional period for anime. Dragon Ball Z isn’t yet ready to properly introduce an official Super Saiyan 2 form, but it explores the ability of the many Super Saiyans to perfect and build upon the standard form. Goku brings up the idea of perpetual Super Saiyan training in order to exceed the limits of the power-up. This philosophy results in two awkward middle stages of Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan second and third grade.
These transformations are significantly stronger than the standard Super Saiyan form, but they ultimately trade speed for power. This is evident with the Super Saiyan Third Grade, who exhibits such bulky muscle mass that the individual is too slow to avoid ground attacks or blows. These bonuses are an important reminder that strength is not everything and that a transformation of this nature is essentially useless if the Saiyan cannot reach his target and actually use this power. These power-ups happen somewhat randomly during the heroes’ training against Cell. These are rushed developments that provide contrived drama before Gohan reveals the true evolution of the Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2.
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2
Gohan’s ultimate upgrade is a convenient power-up that can’t even save the day
Anime debut: Dragon Ball Z, episode 262, “Unlucky Break”
Dragon Ball ZThe Buu Saga was designed to be Gohan’s time to shine. He is meant to be the strongest character in the anime after the seven year time skip following the Cell Saga, especially with Goku still dead in the Other World. Gohan spends a long period off Earth on the sacred world of the Kai where he trains with divine beings. Gohan’s work with the Z Sword results in the Holy Blade being broken and Old Kai freed. Old Kai performs a powerful ritual that brings out Gohan’s full potential and transforms him into Ultimate Gohan.
This whole process is random and such a totemic power-up is given to Gohan in a rather casual manner. It makes sense for Gohan to reach even greater heights, but dedicated training and a transformation he achieves on his own would feel more natural than the Ultimate upgrade. Ultimate Gohan also seems rather useless at the end of Dragon Ball Z, and it comes across more as a convenient plot device than a deserved breakthrough. That being said, Dragon Ball Super built on the foundations of the Ultimate upgrade with Gohan’s recent rise to Beast Mode. More than 25 years later, the Ultimate power-up is finally justified and redeemed.
1
Goku’s Super Saiyan Spirit Bomb randomly combines two of his most powerful abilities
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z Movie 7, “Super Android 13!”
Goku’s Spirit Bomb is one of his most reliable techniques and a popular way to take out major antagonists. Goku’s use of Spirit Bomb, especially in the Dragon Ball Z films – decreases after achieving Super Saiyan status. However, a curious experience occurs in Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! when Goku continually fails against the superior power of Super Android 13. Super Android 13 is the sinister synthesis of Androids 13, 14, and 15. Goku turns to his Spirit Bomb to get the job done, but he triggers his Super Saiyan transformation while it evokes energy in order to give yourself an extra boost. A powerful side effect occurs when the angry and impure nature of the Super Saiyan transformation clashes with the righteousness of the Spirit Bomb.
Instead of releasing the Spirit Bomb’s energy in projectile form as usual, Super Saiyan Goku absorbs this power and enters a sort of unstable fugue state known as the Super Saiyan Spirit Bomb. Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Goku becomes a berserk powerhouse whose aura alone is enough to disintegrate Super Android 13’s fist. It’s a very random transformation that Goku never turns to again in his many adventures. There is also a popular theory that Future Trunks’ Sword of Hope technique in Dragon Ball Super is a variation of the Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan power-up, which is an equally random sight that comes out of nowhere.
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