Dragon Ball Z has long been a fan favorite in the world of anime, which is why it’s always exciting to read about a tier list regarding the show. Even though Dragon Ball Super or Dragon Ball Daima represent more trendy options among the fans of the franchise right now, DBZ remains the favorite for many of us due to the later show’s iconic battles, episodes, and transformations.
Dragon Ball Z is a lot more than just an anime that’s teeming with fights. It also has moral lessons of hard work, courage, sacrifice, forgiveness, redemption, and more.
We’ve done a little tier list of some of the best episodes of Dragon Ball Z, and even if you don’t fully agree with our list, feel free to comment at the end of the article!
S-Tier:
“Goku’s Spirit Bomb”
“Transformed At Last!! The Legendary Super Saiyan, Son Goku”
“The Power of Nappa”
“Vegeta’s Sacrifice”
“The History of Trunks”
Goku has been training under King Kai in the Other World in order to be strong enough for the arrival of the Saiyans on Earth. Goku learned his most powerful technique from King Kai: the Spirit Bomb. This attack is able to gather energy from all the living creatures nearby, and it can sometimes even harness power from the entire Universe, as it did in Dragon Ball GT when Goku used it against Omega Shenron.
“Transformed At Last!! The Legendary Super Saiyan, Son Goku” is the ninety-fifth episode of Dragon Ball Z, and it shows how Goku managed to become a Super Saiyan for the first time. That was during his long battle against Frieza, a fight that lasted for many episodes. The moment when Goku transformed into the classical Super Saiyan with golden hair remains one of the most iconic moments in anime history.
“The Power of Nappa” episode presents the terrifying strength of Nappa, who was a general in the Saiyan Army and also the main henchman of Prince Vegeta. Nappa was so strong that he easily took out several Z warriors on his own: Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo. However, Nappa’s power wasn’t so impressive anymore when Goku showed up.
“Vegeta’s Sacrifice” is one of the most beautiful moments in Dragon Ball history, as it marked the moment when the proud Saiyan Prince Vegeta decided to sacrifice himself for the sake of the world. That’s the moment when it became clear to anybody that Veggie became one of the good guys, despite the fact that he was extremely evil when he was first introduced. During his fight with Majin Buu, Vegeta realizes that he has no chance to win and that he needs to go for the only solution he can find: self-destructing himself to stop the evil monster. Otherwise, Buu would have destroyed the entire planet.
A-Tier:
“Gohan’s Hidden Power”
“Cell’s Perfect Form”
“Goku’s Furious Battle Cry”
“The Fusion Dance”
“The World’s Strongest Team”
Episode 3 of Dragon Ball Z, which was called “Gohan’s Hidden Power” shows how exceptionally strong Goku’s son can be when he needs to. Seeing his father being beaten up by Raditz, Gohan managed to harness an impressive battle power and was able to inflict damage on Raditz. Even though Gohan wasn’t able to control his powers for long at that point, he has proven to be even stronger than his father, Goku, for a very short time.
“Cell’s Perfect Form” is the episode that focuses on the full power of Cell after he absorbs Android 17 and 18. Cell was one of the major villains of Dragon Ball Z, and he was also a biological android created by Dr. Gero. The evil scientist decided to create the ultimate fighting machine after using the cells of the strongest fighters who ever walked on Earth: Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, Trunks, Tien, and more.
“The Fusion Dance” is the episode that presents how two fighters can join bodies and become one. The resulting character would have the powers of both of those who use the technique while they also multiply several times.
“The World’s Strongest Team” is the second DBZ episode in which Goku and Piccolo decide to team up to fight against Raditz. Even though Goku and Piccolo were sworn enemies at that point, teaming up was the only option to have a chance at defeating Goku’s evil brother, who wanted to destroy the world.
B-Tier:
“Vegeta’s Pride”
“The Arrival of Raditz”
“The End of Snake Way”
“Vegeta’s Pride” is the episode in which the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, decides to challenge Goku for a rematch. The two characters were able to become Super Saiyans, and Vegeta was under the command of the evil wizard Babidi. However, Vegeta was still eager to prove that he was stronger than Goku.
“The Arrival of Raditz” episode takes place at the very beginning of Dragon Ball Z, and it marks a historical moment: for the very first time, Goku finds out about his true origins as a member of the Saiyan race from planet Vegeta. He also finds out that his original Saiyan name was “Kakarot,” not “Goku.” He was told so by Raditz, who was none other than his evil brother. When he was sent to Earth in a spaceship as a baby, Goku had the task to kill all life forms, but it was a bump in the head that he received that made him a good person. Of course, Raditz didn’t have any orthodox intentions for Goku, as he kidnapped his son Gohan and tried to kill both Goku and Piccolo in battle.
“The End of Snake Way” marks the moment when Goku encounters King Kai in the Other World. Goku, who was dead at that point, decided to begin a long training session to become strong enough for the Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta, who were on their way to Earth to destroy it.
C-Tier:
“Frieza’s Final Transformation”
“The Cell Games Begin”
“The Birth of Super Buu”
The “Frieza’s Final Transformation” episode shows the final form that Frieza had in Dragon Ball Z, one that shocked everyone. Instead of being a big and scary monster as he was in his previous two transformations, Frieza achieved a form that made him even shorter than Goku or Vegeta. However, Frieza’s powers at that point were too much for the Z warriors to handle, and only a Super Saiyan could be a match for him.
“The Cell Games Begin” episode presents how the tournament for Cell’s defeat begins, as the android has given a chance for all Earthlings to take him down if they could. Otherwise, Cell would destroy the planet along with everyone on it. Cell fought well, but so did Goku and especially Gohan.
“The Birth of Super Buu” episode presents the moment when Majin Buu confronted his evil self. The evil version of Buu transformed the good one into a cookie and ate him, resulting in what is known as Super Buu. This villain would later become one of the most terrible adversaries the Z warriors ever had to face.
Dragon Ball Daima, a new anime series, will have its debut this fall, bringing even more excitement and adventures to the beloved franchise than before!
