Top 10 Ranked Dragon Ball Z Fights That Break The Earth

It’s impossible to dispute that the biggest entry of the Dragon Ball franchise is Dragon Ball Z. The sequel series threw many original anime fans for a loop by following an adult Goku as he took his fights from demon lords and “normal” martial artists to alien despots and biological weapons. Narrowing down ten of the best fights of this shonen series is tough enough on its own, but then proceeding to rank them is even more difficult. Luckily, we were able to do just that and wanted to share our picks, some of which might throw you for a loop but rest assured, we have some good reasoning.

To start, keep in mind that these battles are only from the Dragon Ball Z series. This means that we won’t be including fights from the original Dragon Ball story, Dragon Ball Super, and/or Dragon Ball Daima. When it comes to criteria, one thing that we took into account was both the impacts of the fights themselves on the lore but also, whether the fights were aesthetically pleasing and inserted amazing action beats. We also took into account the fights that were a part of the Dragon Ball Z movies, even if nearly all of them aren’t considered canon to the story. If it falls under the Dragon Ball Z “umbrella,” it was fair game. With that being said, let’s start out with a controversial ranking shall we?

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10.) Goku Vs. Frieza – The Frieza Saga

This might be one of our most controversial picks as while it clearly makes the top ten, as many would argue that this is the best fight that Dragon Ball Z had to offer, it might be seen as being too low on the list. However, the fight itself simply lasts too long for its own good and while it does give us Super Saiyan for the first time, the fight itself is one that lacks a lot of the same impact of the other offerings on our list. For example, Frieza is an amazing villain and his role in the Tournament of Power remains legendary, but his fighting prowess actually isn’t all that. Frieza’s whole deal has always been simply overwhelming opponents with his power level rather than being able to handle them on a hand-to-hand level. Could you really see Frieza defeating Goku if their power levels were exactly the same? This fight will always be a notable one in the shonen arena, but Dragon Ball Z had so much more to offer.

9.) Goku & Piccolo Vs. Raditz – The Saiyan Saga

What an absolutely amazing way to start off the series. Goku’s brother Raditz as a villain didn’t just work as a terrifying opponent to both Goku and Piccolo, he helped usher in the era of “Z Fights.” The original Dragon Ball focused quite a bit more on the martial arts side of the equation, while its sequel saw aliens and demigods having the power to blow up planets and their fights could leave cities in ruin in their wakes. On top of the story impact, this made for a very thrilling fight wherein we see former enemies becoming shaky allies as they fight against a villain far above their respective weight classes. This battle was also a brutal one, seeing holes blown in combatants and Piccolo losing an arm in the process.

8.) Gohan Vs. Cell – The Cell Saga

This almost feels like a fight that might be viewed in the same lens as Goku Vs. Frieza in that it could be argued to sit at the top of the charts. What keeps it from that top spot for us is that much like the aforemented battle on Planet Namek, it’s mostly a battle that sees one combatant overpower the other throughout. While the final Kamehameha tug-of-war at the end is one that will remain legendary, the fight itself focused either on Cell or Gohan manhandling the other until they received a new power-up. Still, this fight definitely had its moments and the battle itself was one that gave us the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, arguably the greatest transformation scene in the history of Dragon Ball Z.

7.) Goku Vs. Kid Buu – Majin Buu Saga

Arguably the final major fight of Dragon Ball Z is one that encapsulates just how wild the shonen sequel could really get. Goku in his Super Saiyan 3 form fighting against the chaotic madness that was Kid Buu worked so well to cap off the long running fight against the pink demon. While Buu wasn’t necessarily an amazing martial artist, his sheer insanity on the battlefield made him completely unpredictable. This confrontation had something of a perfect mix of humor and high stakes, with the former being perfectly displayed when Buu and Goku attempted to take bites out of each other. This fight was one that really seemed like a balance of Akira Toriyama’s sensibilities before bringing Dragon Ball Z to a close.

6.) Goku Vs. Turles’ Henchmen – Dragon Ball Z:Tree Of Might

You might be surprised by this one. The third movie of the Dragon Ball Z series featured a villain that was a dark doppelganger to Goku but Turles’ henchmen gave the other Z-Fighters something to do. While the humans of the bunch were ultimately defeated by the aliens, Goku fought against the pack of antagonists all at the same time. This was another fight that was able to highlight Goku’s martial arts’ prowess and it’s one that suffers from its length. We could have seen a whole movie that just saw Son fighting against these lower-tier villains and been satisfied.

5.) Broly Vs. Everyone – Dragon Ball Z: Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan

Somewhat of the exact opposite of the previous Tree of World fight, the fight against Broly was one that saw all of the Z-Fighters being taken down by the Legendary Super Saiyan in a brutal display. While Dragon Ball Super gave Broly a new lease on life with a new origin and personality, the original Z villain was pure evil and was more than willing to tear through any opponent in his way. A rather big nitpick is how Goku is effectively able to “one shot” Broly in the end but this remains one of the most harsh fights of the franchise, canon or otherwise.

4.) Goku Vs. Cell – The Cell Saga

Right off the bat, this fight is superior to “Gohan Vs. Cell” in every way. It doesn’t have the Super Saiyan 2 transformation but the even-keel approach to Goku and Dr. Gero’s ultimate creation’s hand-to-hand brawl works so well. This fight almost feels like a chess match, with Goku pulling out a teleporting Kamehameha to be met by a surprise regeneration from Cell. This fight also had some amazing animation to highlight just how fast and hard-hitting Dragon Ball Z fights could be on the whole.

3.) Goku Vs. Vegeta – The Saiyan Saga

Much like the Raditz fight, the first fight between Goku and Vegeta changed the game. The two Saiyans brawling took things to a brand new level as the tit-for-tat in their confrontation didn’t just rattle the Earth but also incorporated elements of classism and upbringing. Goku as a “lower rank warrior” who worked his way up to his current status while Vegeta effectively “coasted” as the Prince of the Saiyans made for a fantastic dynamic. While the fight would then bleed into elements like Vegeta relying on his Oozaru transformation, the energy fight between the two Saiyans remains a thing of anime beauty.

2.) Goku Vs. Majin Vegeta – Majin Buu Saga

This is a fight that simply on its physical merits worked so well. The choreography between Goku and Vegeta here really showed what Dragon Ball Z could be capable of when it came to its fights. This was also easily one of the most emotional battles of the franchise as whole as you could practically feel Vegeta’s hatred for Goku and the pride in himself radiating off this fictional Saiyan Prince. It took years to see Goku and Vegeta come to blows once again following the Saiyan Saga and Vegeta going Majin and taking the fight to his eternal rival was certainly worth the wait. Ironically, there was only one fight that could take the top spot, but first!

Honorable Mention: Vegeta Vs. Recoome – Frieza Saga

I had to sneak this fight into the list somewhere. Vegeta vs. Recoome got me into Dragon Ball Z originally when I was a kid. Even when the series was censored, censors could not contain the brutality and explosiveness of this fight. This is another confrontation that simply didn’t last as long as it could, and Recoome mostly took blows for a good portion of it but this fight had so many amazing moments. Seeing Vegeta just unload on the Ginyu Force member, only to realize that he wasn’t actually making a dent is somewhat heartbreaking in a strange way and we wish there was just a little more juice in there to make this part of the top ten.

1.) Piccolo Vs. 17 – The Cell Saga

Pound for pound, Piccolo’s fight against Android 17 will always be the best battle of Dragon Ball Z for me. This fight might not have any transformations and it might not result in a major change to the universe, but it is one that still stands the test of time and is the perfect representation of fighting in the shonen medium. On one hand, the Namekian brawler is a tactician of the highest caliber, bringing out numerous tricks and techniques in taking on this far less battle hardened teenager. Of course, in 17’s favor, the android has an energy well that simply never runs dry and can act with much more reckless abandon during the fight as a result.

There’s also a childish glee that an anime fan can get when the two are trading blows, almost identical to one another, with neither giving up any ground. In re-watching this fight, there’s a sense of disappointment you can get when First Form Cell rolls onto the screen to “break things up” as the fight is just that good. Even without any Saiyans involved, this fight reigns supreme in the history of Dragon Ball Z and it was easily the easiest decision of this list to have it be number one.