They're the best bouts from the grandfather of shonen! Join Ashley as we count down the biggest battles from across DBZ
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Dragon Ball
00:21Z fights.
00:46For the most part, the red-headed stepchild of the androids was more interested in bird
00:51watching than power-up screams.
00:53But when Cell came along, 16 decided to finally show off what he's made of.
00:58It's a sight to behold.
00:59He uses a freakin' rocket arm, tears Cell's entire tail off, and then blasts the slimy
01:05villain to oblivion and beyond.
01:25The only thing cooler than this beatdown is the reminder that this is 16's one and
01:30only real fight in all of Z.
01:33Talk about ending on a high note.
01:35While Cell eventually leveled up and doled out some payback, we're still giving 16
01:40the medal here.
01:41He won in every way that counts.
01:52No one knows how to deliver a good thrashing quite like the Saiyan Prince himself.
01:57In fact, he can even make a robot feel fear.
02:01Just look at Android 19.
02:02There was a lot of pressure on Vegeta's first bout as a Super Saiyan, but this seminal
02:07smackdown delivered on every single front.
02:10Hype, action, drama, and of course, smack talk.
02:14Android 19's energy-sucking abilities were simply nothing in the face of Vegeta's cold-hearted
02:19antics, especially when he brought out the Big Bang Attack.
02:23It's a vicious pounding of a fight that you can't take your eyes off of.
02:27But coming from Vegeta's golden hair debut, we couldn't have asked for anything better.
02:49In comparison to nail-biting scream-fests to decide the fate of the planet is something
03:05refreshing about a good old-fashioned tournament.
03:08Throw in two young Super Saiyans and you're in for a good time.
03:12After all, Goten and Trunks just want to have fun, so it only makes sense that the show
03:17follows suit.
03:19In a nutshell, their bout is about the hijinks and the tantrums, party rules, and showing
03:24off that comes with it.
03:26But don't underestimate these runts.
03:28They can pull off a Super Saiyan spectacle like few others.
03:46Even at half the size, Goten and Trunks give their dads a real run for their zenny in the
03:51star-crossed rivalry department.
03:54It doesn't matter how many ugly transformations you have.
04:10When fighting a Saiyan, what goes around, comes around.
04:13And as Zarbon's monstrous power-up netted him a decisive win in round one, Vegeta returned
04:19stronger, angrier, and with a flair for the dramatic.
04:33Even though Zarbon likes to stay stylish, the outcome here didn't look very pretty.
04:38The Saiyan prince relished the payback, and we can't even blame him.
04:42Vegeta blasting a hole straight into Zarbon's cocky smirk is one of the most vindicating
04:48moments of the Namek saga.
04:50It's an astonishing second-round comeback, and considering Zarbon's sorry state, something
04:55tells us there won't be a round three any time soon.
05:03Before anyone even throws a punch, Gohan steals the show by arriving onto the scene with one
05:09of the slickest entrances in all of Dragon Ball.
05:21Even better, he immediately backs it up with a mystical showcase of what a full-powered
05:26Saiyan can do.
05:28Spoiler alert, it's beating Super Buu silly.
05:31It may have taken a while for Gohan to re-enter the fray, but this one fight made it all worth
05:36it.
05:37Unfortunately, his good fortune doesn't last.
05:40Once Super Buu absorbs Piccolo and Gotenks, the fight remains a one-sided beatdown, just
05:46with the roles reversed.
05:47Either way, it's hard to say no to two epic pummelings for the price of one.
06:05On one hand, this bombastic android assault is just as memorable as the previous time
06:10Vegeta blasted a robot.
06:12On the other, it's because he gets royally dusted.
06:22This so-called fight is like a car crash in slow motion, mesmerising and tragic at the
06:28same time.
06:29While it's an unmitigated smackdown right from the start, 18's ruthless attitude makes
06:35each blow sting even worse.
06:37To prove it, she breaks not just one, but both of Vegeta's arms, and does it with a
06:43smile.
06:44That's a wound that won't just hurt his body, it'll hurt his pride.
06:48After that kind of victory, no one's going to forget 18's bone-breaking strength again,
06:53especially not Vegeta.
07:08Nothing turns pulse-pounding thrills to white-knuckle dread faster than a few character deaths.
07:14And unfortunately, that's Nappa's specialty.
07:16The heroes forged crafty strategies, used their superior numbers, and pulled out every
07:22technique in their arsenal.
07:24And still, all it's worth is a few exciting flurries.
07:28Once Nappa gets serious, the deaths come fast, and they come heavy.
07:33Chiaotzu, Tien, and even Piccolo all fall one after another.
07:43As terrifying as it is to see half the main cast die in the span of a single fight, there's
07:49no time to mourn before Nappa returns to his rampage.
07:53The attack of the Saiyans wasn't an invasion at all, it was a massacre.
08:02The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?
08:05Well, that's what Goku and Piccolo thought when the Saiyans' long-lost brother arrived
08:10on Earth and started kicking up dust.
08:18The novelty of seeing these rivals fight side-by-side is quickly overshadowed by a
08:22two-on-one for the ages.
08:25Raditz is just powerful enough to push Goku and Piccolo to their limits, forcing them
08:30to adapt with some dazzling combos and full-throttle attacks.
08:34One of which includes Goku taking Raditz down with him.
08:43Did we mention this is Z's first proper fight?
08:46By killing off its main character right off the bat, Dragon Ball told everyone that Z
08:51meant business.
09:02In spite of his obese appearance, the entity known as Majin Buu was shown to be near-unstoppable,
09:09slaughtering whole cities and turning its residents into candy.
09:13In order to buy some time, Goku steps up, and he reveals that he has gone even further
09:18beyond and attained a new level of Super Saiyan.
09:22One that comes complete with one hell of a golden mullet.
09:32This led the way to a brief but awesome brawl.
09:43Just when it looks like Goku may have the upper hand, he realises his time on Earth
09:47is running out, and decides to leave the rest to the next generation.
09:57No matter the outcome, you can't say these guys didn't go down without a fight.
10:15When the Ginyu Force landed on Namek, Vegeta powered up, charged into battle, and almost
10:21blew Raccoon to smithereens.
10:23Almost.
10:24The light show gave the orange-haired brute a few scratches and a major hankering for
10:29some revenge, which he delivered tenfold.
10:32Later, Gohan and Krillin dive in for a quick assist, but all that does is give Raccoons
10:38who more punching bags.
10:46The whole thing is a barbaric scrapfest, the likes of which Dragon Ball had rarely seen
10:51before.
10:52If anything, it's worth checking out just to see Raccoon make a three-on-one look unfair
10:58for the other team.
11:25Ever since Gotenks made an appearance, we were all wondering if we would ever see any
11:30other fusions, perhaps one starring our two favourite Saiyans.
11:34Well, our prayers were answered, and the sight was downright spectacular.
11:49After absorbing Gohan and the rest, Super Buu had reached the pinnacle of his power,
11:54leaving Goku and Vegeta with no choice but to fuse into one being.
11:59Said being just so happened to be a Saiyan of such power that he managed to knock the
12:03seven bells out of Buu like it was nothing.
12:20Well he was so powerful that even when he got turned into a piece of candy, he was still
12:25a beast.
12:38Just when things were getting quiet around Earth, Freeza and his dad return to cause
12:43some mayhem.
12:44They probably would have succeeded too, were it not for Trunks.
12:55The Super Saiyan appeared out of nowhere and promptly one-shotted both Freeza and King
13:00Cold without breaking a sweat.
13:02No build-up and no explanation.
13:05Yeah, to say Jaws dropped would be an understatement.
13:22The actual combat takes the back seat to the shock of seeing another Super Saiyan in the
13:27flesh, especially one capable of slicing and dicing one of Dragon Ball's most iconic
13:33villains.
13:34Even if Trunks is technically from the future, there's no denying that his two-pronged
13:39attack is one for the history books.
13:52This confrontation had been building up since the moment Buu was resurrected, and it certainly
13:57didn't fail to live up to the hype.
13:59With the hyperbolic time chamber as their battleground, Goten and Trunks reveal their
14:03mastered fusion, taking the form of the smart-ass Saiyan Gotenks.
14:16The fight itself is layered with surprises, with Gotenks unleashing the hilariously effective
14:22Super Ghost Kamikaze attack, along with the reveal that he too can transform into Super
14:27Saiyan 3.
14:34They may not have won in the end, but they get an A for effort.
14:53The androids certainly had their fair share of bloody fun… well, at least until they
14:57encountered this Namekian.
15:00After fusing with Kami, Piccolo gains the strength to go toe-to-toe with Android 17
15:05in a battle that's as brutal as it is cathartic.
15:12We're not sure what's more awesome, seeing Piccolo finally rise above the ranks of the
15:21Saiyans, or seeing 17 get his smug face beaten in… at least until Cell shows up to ruin
15:32it all.
15:33But hey, it was fun while it lasted.
15:54Now that's how you start off your tournament with a bang.
16:03Yep the first real match of the Cell games features our protagonist facing off against
16:09the ultimate creation.
16:11While no one was expecting it to happen this quickly, the fight itself was the furthest
16:16thing from a letdown.
16:24The two beat each other bloody, to the point that it's clear that even with all his overwhelming
16:29strength, Goku is unable to finish Cell off for good.
16:32This would of course pave the way for Gohan's fight, but at least we got to see their instant
16:37transmission Kamehameha combo.
16:50Phew, and you thought Super Buu was bad.
17:05After reverting to his purest form, Buu wastes no time in wiping out the world with a single
17:11attack.
17:12Backed into a corner on the Supreme Kai's world, all our Saiyan duo can do is give everything
17:17they've got against Kid Buu.
17:22There's something here for everybody.
17:26Goku going all out with his Super Saiyan 3 form, Vegeta merely giving his life just to
17:31store time, as well as the battle's culmination where Goku unleashes his final spirit bomb
17:38to finally put down the Pink Menace once and for all.
18:01By this point, we'd gotten so used to Goku and Vegeta being on relatively decent terms,
18:07that we had all but forgotten about them once being mortal enemies.
18:11That is until we got the rematch of the century.
18:14After allowing himself to be controlled by Babidi, Vegeta demands he and Goku settle
18:19the score once and for all.
18:29What follows is the two going all out in a brutal exchange, with Vegeta's dark new
18:34abilities taking on the force of Super Saiyan 2 Goku.
18:38While Vegeta would go on to redeem himself in the end, we're glad he took one last
18:42trip to the dark side.
19:03While these days they're the best of frenemies, back in the old days, these two were fighting
19:07for the fate of the planet, with Vegeta pretty fixated on blowing it to Kingdom Come.
19:13You won't see any Super Saiyans here, but that's not to say the fight is devoid of
19:18excitement.
19:24Goku using Kaioken to gain the upper hand, that iconic beam struggle between the Kamehameha
19:31and the Galick Gun, not to mention Vegeta's transformation into a Great Ape.
19:42Hard to believe that after pummeling each other to near death, these two would one day
19:47be the best of buds.
19:48Okay, maybe that's going a bit far.
19:57Number 2 – Gohan vs Cell
20:06We all knew that Gohan was powerful, but much like the rest of the cast, we had no clue
20:10he was THIS powerful.
20:13While he originally gets his ass handed to him by Cell, things take an unexpected turn.
20:26With the Cell Juniors taking out all his friends, as well as Android 16's final parting
20:31words, Gohan unleashes all his anger, and in doing so, transforms into a Super Saiyan
20:382.
20:45From there on, the battle becomes an even playing field, all of which results in probably
20:50the series' most epic beam struggle.
20:52Way to go, Gohan.
20:54We knew you had it in you.
21:19Number 1 – Goku vs Frieza
21:31Many have tried, but none have truly duplicated the sadistic villainy of this alien tyrant,
21:37nor knocked him off his perch as Goku's greatest enemy.
21:41Despite using everything at his disposal, even launching a Spirit Bomb into his face,
21:47Goku is unable to defeat Frieza in his fourth form, leading to Krillin and Piccolo being
21:52killed in rebuttal.
21:54Fueled by anger, Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan for the first time.
22:07Thus begins the epic clash between the universe's strongest warriors on a dying planet Namek,
22:13and it is damn awesome.
22:21This was truly Dragon Ball at its best.
22:44What's your favorite bout in Z?
22:46Let us know in those comments below.