The Dragon Ball franchise has always been an interesting one when it comes to the great beyond. When Dragon Ball Z first started airing in North America for example, the series was censored to the point where death was explained as “being sent to another dimension.” Thanks to the fact that the wishing orbs routinely bring back deceased characters from the grave, it might seem difficult for certain death scenes to still land. Luckily, the emotional beats of some of Dragon Ball Z’s greatest deaths still have a lot of weight and we’re more than happy to share some of our favorites.
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Dishonorable Mention: Yamcha’s Death
Yamcha’s death might just be one of the biggest demises in Dragon Ball Z history for all the wrong reasons. With the former desert bandit introduced as a major part of the original series, Yamcha’s death at the hands of a suicidal Saibaman has become, perhaps, the most recognizable moment of his anime career. Even Dragon Ball Super recreated the moment in a filler episode focusing on baseball, proving that even the creative team is aware of Yamcha’s meme moment. Unfortunately, Yamcha was never able to keep up with the likes of Goku and we have to imagine that his death in Dragon Ball Z was, in some form, holding him back.
8.) Nappa’s Death
In the Saiyan Saga, Nappa’s demise didn’t just satisfy the viewers who had wanted payback for the deaths of many Z-Fighters but it helped establish just how powerful Vegeta was. Nappa had taken so many beats in stride while fighting against Piccolo and the human fighters that shonen fans were hoping for serious payback. While hardly an emotional hard hitter like many of the other entries on this list, it earns its place on this list to see the bald brawler bite the big one.
7.) Frieza’s Death
The alien despot eeks out a victory over Nappa on this list as Frieza’s death was a long time coming, especially since Goku wasn’t able to “finish the job” on the Planet Namek. Not only was Frieza killed in an amazing fashion by being chopped into pieces in mid-air, and subsequently blasted to atoms with an energy attack, but it worked as the perfect introduction to one of Dragon Ball Z’s biggest characters. Trunks hit the ground floor running before any anime fan knew exactly who he was and he stepped on Frieza’s corpse to do so.
6.) Chiaotzu x Tenshinhan Death
This is a bit of a cheat because we’re rolling two deaths into one but they are so interlocked with each other in the Saiyan Saga, it felt fair to have Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu be ranked together. Much like with Yamcha, Chiaotzu’s demise might be what he is best known for but luckily, the albino powerhouse didn’t get made fun of for his passing, or at least not nearly as much as the desert bandit. Tenshinhan’s response of putting everything into one final blow in an attempt to take down Nappa but ultimately failing worked well. Two of the most noble deaths on this list and even while the two Earth-based fighters don’t keep up with the Saiyans, they still proved their worth and then some.
5.) Goku Death
Goku’s reunion with his brother Raditz wasn’t exactly the sort of sibling get-together that many family members hope for. With Goku’s older brother wanting his younger sibling to join his destructive campaign across the galaxy, Son’s death makes for the first big casualty of Dragon Ball Z and it starts the series strong. While Goku, and his friends, knew that he would be revived in a year’s time, the scene still pulled on the heartstrings when it came to witnessing the demise of the beloved anime character. The final shot of Goku dying with a smile still makes for an amazing still from the shonen sequel.
4.) Krillin Death
Krillin’s death will forever be the key beat that introduced anime fans to the Super Saiyan transformation but it worked on several different levels. Frieza blowing up the bald headed Z-Fighter was quite the shock but it did make for a hard-hitting death for Goku and his friends. Since Krillin had been wished back by the Dragon Balls before, Son believed that there would be no bringing back his best friend, making it hit that much harder. While this made for quite the scene, our top three earned their place over this death taking place on the Planet Namek.
3.) Android 16
Android 16 might have wanted Son Goku dead but the creation of Dr. Gero surpassed his programming and gave Gohan the “motivation” he needed to go Super Saiyan 2. Giving Goku’s son a motivational speech to prepare him to take down Cell, 16’s death was both sudden and brutal, easily claiming its place high up on this list. With so many years having passed since 16’s demise, we do have to wonder why they never decided to bring 16 back using the Dragon Balls though.
2.) Piccolo’s Death
After you’ve read this list, we challenge you to go back and rewatch this Dragon Ball Z scene and have your heart torn apart by Piccolo’s death at the hands of Nappa. Throwing himself in front of the Saiyan’s blast to save Gohan, this moment solidified Piccolo from being a demon lord to a hero that would work to protect the Earth. Every single moment of this scene is pitch perfect and is one of the greatest death scenes in anime history. It was a tough call and this could certainly be number one on this list, but for us, there was one DBZ death to rule them all.
1.) Majin Vegeta Death
If there has to be one to rule them all, it’s Vegeta’s death during the Buu Saga. Following some of the best character development in Dragon Ball Z history, the Prince of all Saiyans goes from wanting Goku’s head to making one last effort to take down Majin Buu in a flashy display. While Vegeta would return like many of the other characters on this list, his self-sacrifice is still a pivotal moment for the former villain turned hero and easily earns its place at the top of this list.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
