Akira Toriyama Dragon Ball Z takes the popular shonen anime to new heights with over-the-top action sequences, an expanded scope, and extremely powerful heroes and villains who can undergo various transformations in order to become stronger. Dragon Ball Z is packed with unforgettable battles and suspenseful action. It also retains much of the great comedy and character-driven storytelling that was present in the original. Dragon Ball.
In addition, Dragon Ball Z isn’t afraid to embrace horror and science fiction when it comes to many of its villains and obstacles. Dragon Ball will never be a horror anime. However, there are still some major moments left in Dragon Ball Z which are deeply disturbing and as frightening as anything audiences would find in a horror film.
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10
An imperfect cell dries up civilians
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 142, “Borrowed Powers”
There is much death and devastation in Dragon Ball Z before the anime’s Cell Saga, but this story arc really ramps up the terror with its central villain. Imperfect Cell is the weakest form of the villain, but she also manages to be the most terrifying of the lot. Imperfect Cell is one of Akira Toriyama’s scariest characters and is someone who seems to belong in a dark horror or sci-fi anime, not a shonen franchise. Imperfect Cell’s prehensile tail is one of his most essential tools and is what he uses to ultimately absorb androids and achieve perfection.
However, Imperfect Cell also demonstrates that it can use its tail to drain energy from unsuspecting targets and reduce them to deflated husks of skin. It’s truly terrifying when Piccolo appears in Gingertown and sees that the town is full of desiccated bodies. Imperfect Cell’s means of gaining greater power are horrifying, but the anime also emphasizes that these lost souls are held within him. Cell’s aura then consists of screaming souls, which is another creepy way in which Dragon Ball Z embrace the horror of this situation.
9
Super Buu liquefies and blows up Smitty
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 255, “Buu vs. Buu”
Dragon Ball ZMajin Buu is such a reckless joker who constantly creates a tense atmosphere of terror. It feels like Majin Buu could at any moment use his magic to impulsively destroy someone or turn them into food that he greedily consumes. Some of the most alarming moments in the Buu Saga involve Buu killing and eating people during this intimidating attack. That being said, one of Buu’s scariest acts occurs shortly after Evil Buu consumes Good Buu and transforms into Super Buu. Evil Buu is first triggered when two reckless outlaws, Smitty and Van Zant, accidentally kill Hercule Satan and Buu’s dog, Bee.
Super Buu gets his revenge on Smitty in an incredibly painful way. It’s no secret that Buu’s body is malleable and versatile. He takes his body’s properties to new heights when he uses his Dangerous Liquid Bomb attack to liquefy and gradually seep down Smitty’s throat. Smitty’s body gradually becomes inflated until he can’t take it anymore and explodes. It’s a scene straight out of a horror movie and a testament to Buu’s villainous nature.
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8
Princess Serpent transforms into a murderous monster that eats Goku
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 14, “Snake Princess”
Dragon Ball ZAnime’s original filler episodes are a mix that receives heavy criticism, but there’s still a lot to appreciate in their creative efforts. The best filler episodes are those that help develop Dragon BallThe World of and an early entry set during Goku’s trip to King Kai’s planet in the other world does just that. Goku makes a stop at Princess Snake’s relay where he is greeted by the beautiful Princess Snake. It is soon revealed that this elegant princess is just a clever disguise and that Princess Serpent’s true form is much more monstrous.
Princess Snake’s initial transformation looks like a scene from a horror movie or the type of visual that Go Nagai would conjure up in a horror movie. Devilman series. Princess Snake’s transformation is scary, but Goku also learns that he had a hallucination and is actually in Princess Snake’s stomach as she tries to digest him. Goku sees through this deception, escapes, and ties Princess Serpent’s gargantuan snake body into a knot.
7
Buu destroys the world with his human extinction and planet shatter attack technique
Dragon Ball Z, episodes 256 and 277, “Empty Planet” and “End of the Earth”
Dragon Ball Z always seeks to raise the stakes and introduce increasing levels of force and destruction. Cell nearly blows up the Earth with his desperate gamble on self-destruction before Goku uses Instant Transmission to take him off the planet. Dragon Ball ZThe next villain, Majin Buu, manages to complete this ambitious task. Initially, Super Buu uses his Human Extinction attack to systematically kill most of the planet’s population.
It’s heartbreaking to watch innocent civilians get blasted by malicious energy blasts when they don’t even understand what’s happening. Then, to take it even further, Kid Buu uses his Planet Burst attack to blow up the Earth. Oddly enough, this won’t be the only time Earth is destroyed Dragon Ball Zbut it’s definitely the scariest. There are no angels with time reversal abilities yet to solve this problem. It’s a shocking setting that feels absolute.
6
Babidi psychically blasts Spopovich and Yamu as they achieve their goal
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 220, “The Sorcerer’s Curse”
Majin Buu becomes the main event of the Buu Saga, but he’s not the only dangerous enemy here. Babidi, a dark wizard, is instrumental in Buu’s awakening and he uses his magical manipulation sorcery to coerce powerful individuals into becoming his willing servants. Demon King Dabura and even Vegeta fall prey to Babidi’s Majin sorcery. However, Babidi also enchants two humans, Spopovich and Yamu, to gather energy for Buu. This results in one of Dragon Ball ZThe most vicious battles of, where Majin Spopovich mercilessly beats Videl in order to take out Gohan.
As uncomfortable and scary as this World Tournament battle is, it’s nothing compared to the way Babidi disposes of his two human followers. Spopovich and Yamu, having both outlived their usefulness, are brutally and painfully destroyed by psychic magic. Babidi uses her sorcery to inflate and confuse Spopovich and Yamu’s bodies until they burst. It’s a horrifying spectacle reminiscent of Cronenbergian body horror.
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5
Raiti and Zaacro read the minds of Gohan, Krillin and Bulma to trap them and steal their spaceship
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 44, “Brood of Evil”
Gohan, Krillin and Bulma are the first of a Dragon Ball ZIt’s about landing on the planet Namek and starting the hunt for the Namekian Dragon Balls. Dragon Ball ZThe anime involves a controversial series of filler episodes in which the trio believe they have reached Namek, only for it to be a desolate and inhospitable planet. Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma believe they are being helped by two Namekians, when in reality, they are actually two disturbing shapeshifting aliens, Raiti and Zaacro.
Raiti and Zaacro manipulate the heroes and read their minds into believing they are finding Dragon Balls. It’s all just a ruse so the two aliens can steal their spaceship, escape this horrible planet, and leave them stranded. The reveal of Raiti and Zaacro’s true forms, as well as the shocking way in which they read the heroes’ minds, is a chilling sequence that doesn’t get enough credit. Fake Namek is certainly a waste of time, but it’s at least a particularly frightening experience.
4
Goku and Vegeta are almost digested and attacked by roundworms inside Buu’s body
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 273, “Buu’s Innards”
One of Majin Buu’s scariest details is that he is able to eat individuals and gain their powers in the process. Goku and Vegeta’s Potara earring fusion, Vegito, is turned into candy and swallowed by Super Buu. Vegito later reveals that this was all part of his plan and a plan so he could save his friends from Buu’s body so they wouldn’t have to die when the villain is killed. The sight of beloved characters trapped in biological modules is quite frightening and evokes something like Invasion of the body snatchers.
Dragon Ball Z takes this a step further when it comes to the various threats that attack Goku and Vegeta while in Buu’s body. The green enzymes target Goku and Vegeta. They end up covering Goku and begin burning him painfully in an attempt to digest the Saiyan. It’s an alarming sight that would be enough on its own, but Goku and Vegeta are also troubled by gigantic roundworms that want to consume them as well. Everything about Buu’s Body is very horror-centric and full of scary designs and concepts.
3
The Saibamen grow and strike
Dragon Ball Z, episodes 22 and 23, “The Darkest Day” and “Saibamen Attack!”
Dragon Ball Z features so many powerful villains that it’s easy to miss some of the anime’s previous obstacles, like the Saibamen. These enemies are used as a sort of training exercise to prove that the Z-Fighters are in fact strong enough to take on Nappa and Vegeta. The heroes are able to eviscerate these plant creatures, but Yamcha is killed during the altercation when a Saibaman squeezes him and self-destructs.
It’s an intense moment because Yamcha understands that he is trapped and that he can’t do anything during his last moments. The Saibamen, even if they had no casualties, would still be horror-adjacent creatures. Dragon Ball Z really lingers on the sequence where they come to life and grow from the ground. It is a macabre spectacle which reinforces the idea that Dragon BallThe world of is filled with real monsters that defy belief.
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2
Piccolo and Krillin are turned to stone by Dabura
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 221, “Demon King”
Dabura is the king of the demon kingdom and a Dragon Ball Z bad guy who really looks like Satan. Dabura is one of Babidi’s strongest warriors and it is unknown what level of destruction he could have caused if he had not been eliminated prematurely by Buu himself. Dabura has powerful energy attacks and is skilled with a sword. Additionally, one of his most advantageous techniques is his surreal Stone Spit. Dabura will petrify anyone who comes into contact with his saliva, which can only be reversed upon his death.
Dabura viciously kills Kibito then uses his Stone Spit to petrify Piccolo and Krillin. The petrification process seems slow and painful. Both Piccolo and Krillin are aware of what is happening to them, but unable to stop it. This is a very dark fate for both of them, especially if someone were to knock them over and break them into pieces.
1
Future Androids 17 and 18 kill all the heroes in the Future Trunks timeline
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 164, “Ghosts of Tomorrow”
Future Trunks painstakingly travels through time in order to prevent the heroes’ past timeline from suffering the same dark fate he suffered in the future. Future Trunks witnesses the rise of future Androids 17 and 18 who kill all of Earth’s heroes and push him to his breaking point before he narrowly escapes to the past. The deaths of beloved characters are never easy, but Dragon Ball Z depicts Future Androids 17 and 18 as ruthless killing machines.
The brief glimpses of Future Trunks’ timeline really highlight what a brutal dystopia this is. The androids relish the pain they cause and the world remains sad and fractured. The visuals of these killing machines are difficult to watch and recall the horror of Terminator films and Judgment Day. The positive side here is that Future Trunks watching the death of his mentor, Future Gohan, is what pushes him to become a Super Saiyan for the first time.
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
- 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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- Creator
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- Writers
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Akira Toriyama, Takao Koyama
- Number of episodes
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- Directors
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Daisuke Nishio