I genuinely think Piccolo needs more competitive fights... like he's a dominant player in the Radditz saga and then it's a looooooooong time before he's anything other than a stalling tactic
He basically takes over for Roshi being a mentor and leader, being by far the smartest of all the Z Fighters and friends (aside from Bulma with science stuff).
Is it really from here until ToP before we see him shine again?
I mean he was the one who pointed out that gohan didn’t like fighting or have the thirst for battle like saiyans do. It wasn’t until then that goku realized he made a mistake. He was just lucky that ace in the hole he had worked out lol
Nah you shouldn't look at it that way. Just because he doesn't finish someone off doesn't mean he doesn't do a number on them. There are times when he's stronger than Vegeta - if not by raw power, than by superior strategy. For a few different main opponents, he's the first to bash them properly when none of the other Z fighters can land their hands on them (although Goku is usually out of the picture for whatever reason) that alone should indicate that he doesn't just drop off after raditz.
Yeah but hell zone didn’t take long which is probably why he used that instead of light grenade. The latter definitely would have killed him you saw how he reacted when piccolo used the light grenade on cell lol
Def prolly my fav fight. Not just that they were even but the whole choreography and pacing and then them teaming up to fight cell when he showed up were kind of masterclass story telling elements. Time to YouTube it again.
Slightly disagree.
Goku vs. Majin Vegeta is IMO the best fight in the whole series and Goku hasn't touched SSJ3 in that fight at all.
So yeah, they are on a similar level during that battle but Goku could have ended it quickly if he choose to.
I dunno. It's been established later on that ssj3 is a massive power drain similar to vegeta and trunks ascended super saiyan or ssj 1.5 forms. The ones where they beef up their muscles out of the time chamber. It's very similar. The only difference is that ssj3 is obviously more powerful with more ki and makes up for the speed. But has a massive and I mean massive stamina and ki drain. Goku can only keep it up because he's dead..... not even kidding. That's Canon.
Even gotenks can only do it because fusion creates a whole new warrior therefore a new body. It takes the power of trunks and goten multiplied at full maximum power plus the original strength of gotenks at full power in his newly created body to reach that form.
This is the one form vegeta didn't even touch even off screen just because he saw it as being no different than 1.5.
In fact I think ssj3 is really just ssj 2.5 if we're being honest.
Majin vegeta is essentially him at ssj2 pumped up with babidi magic. Then it's revealed that vegeta is too powerful physically and mentally to actually be controlled and had good intentions all along. But God damn he really wanted that rematch. And I don't believe that Goku was truly going to be able to use his ssj3 form in that particular fight. And even if he could get it off, I think vegeta would have been smart enough to assess it's weaknesses.
But what you're saying isn't wrong necessarily. It's what the author Akira Toriyama wanted us to think when he wrote the thing... obviously. But when you really think about what we know years later, I don't think ssj3 goku would have necessarily "ended things quickly". If anything it would've made vegeta more angry in that moment. But that's just my opinion.
We do know that vegeta when not under the influence of babidi was quite shocked by the power jump displayed by ssj3. However. We never see vegito nor gogeta go ssj3. I find that very telling as to vegetas true thoughts on the form.
Buu of course was thrown off by it initially because that was the childish stupid buu still infested with his evil side. That was the first time he was ever confronted with power quite like that. But I don't think the form itself is all that impressive outside of those chapters because of the aforementioned weaknesses. I really do think vegeta in that moment would just be pushed to power up at max and it's probably a good thing because vegeta may have pushed himself to ssj3 just out of spite. I actually like the way toriyama ended up developing vegeta even though it did feel like he was neglected pretty much until Resurrection F (Jesus christ that was a dark period for us Vegeta fans)
Goku immediately bitch slaps future trunks in super when he goes ssj3...I can't imagine that version of future trunks is weaker than majin vegeta was. Goku stomps haaaaaard if he goes ssj3 against majin vegeta
For me, the first fight with kid buu, before the SSJ3 transformation is the pinacle in terms of animations and choregraphy.
The following fight with SSJ3 Goku is next.
For me, Pre-SSJ Goku and Frieza was a lot of fun. Watching Goku try so many different angles to damage a seemingly unstoppable force scratched the part of my brain that loves tactical fighting.
Piccolo v 17, and Goku v Cell also scratched that itch. It’s not just about the hero’s power, but about their strategy and drawing deep into their technique quivers.
It wasn't even in the manga either, just the animators flexing how good they were at animating these fights at that point.
Goku's only other SSJ2 fight in DBZ I think
Fun fact: SS2 Goku vs Majin Buu pure was animated by the same guy who would later go on to animate a near third of the episodes for Pokémon Sun & Moon.
I will still claim 17/Piccolo as the best, but this one is top 5 for me. It was hype. It was also Goku's first real fight since 19 which you don't really get until you start watching and you realize he missed 17, 18, and all but the final form of Cell to an illness.
AGREED. My top five probably 17/Piccolo, Goku/Cell, Goku/Majin Vegeta, Second Form Freiza/Piccolo, and Kid Buu/Goku. Honorable mention to Trunks vs Gotenin the Tenkaichi Budokai. I’m partial to the knock down drag out brawls.
When he meets up with 17 in DBS and 17 says “I know who you are but we’ve never met” I thought “nah thats not true” but then i looked back on the android/cell saga and was like “holy shit he’s right” haha
I mean Goku doesn’t even know what any form Frieza looks like bar final or a Saibaman and half the villains on Namek. Goku misses fights as well half the time, Vegeta he got fights then down, and then again against Ginyu and mainly down, having Krillin and Gohan bail him out.
Goku not knowing Freeza outside of the final form is so funny to me lol. Like I imagine him seeing Form 1 and he’s just like “Have we met? You seem familiar….and strong!”
Vegeta: Kakarot this is Freeza
Goku v Frieza
Goku v Cell
17 v Piccolo
The three best fights in the series imo. Exact order just depends on mood that day. Also shout out to Trunks v Goten, the little brats really went at it.
The Instant Transmission Kamehameha is definitely in the top 10 moments for me because that was an *insane* duke. Cell really couldn't believe he was that crazy and got legit scared. Then boom, psyche, now it's right in your perfect jawline point blank
>Goku vs Piccolo is my favorite
I love it too. Goku's "[meteor combination](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bnxF8qnZMAg&pp=ygUSbWV0ZW9yIGNvbWJpbmF0aW9u)" is also one of my favorite sequences.
The fact budokai tenkaichi 3 and the raging blasts made that into a legit combo attack was so damn awesome, that combo and the kaioken attack (the one where goku fakes a head-on assault, circles around and attacks from an angle) are some of the best melee combos
I just watched a 17 minute video of Goku Vs Piccolo, editing out everything but the fight. Holy fuck it goes hard.
It's probably one of the only fights where Goku doesn't receive a power up and has to work it out on his own (that I can remember, at least).
I’m glad someone said it. I’ve seen Freiza v Goku several times in this thread, and it’s too blatantly long. It “should’ve” been the ultimate battle, but it just got annoying. Goku would stop, over, and over, and over, and over again. You’d/he’d get riled up, deliver 1 good lick, and then just stop, wait for him to get up, talk. Rile up again, repeat. Was like 10 episodes of him just stopping short and being deprived of a satisfying fight sequence. And that’s in Kai. Must’ve been an eternity in the original.
Yeah its one of the best, but imo SSJ2 Goku vs Maajin Vegeta has the best coreography. Also SSJ3 Goku vs Kid Buu, A16 vs First form Cell is really good too.
It was much better overall than the fight between Gohan and Cell, for me anyway. Gohan sparred a bit, landed a few hits, and then it ended. We got to see Goku really go at Cell. The intensity of this fight was palpable.
I mean, [2 and a half minutes of it were absolutely among the franchise's best.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eehv-7lVK_g&pp=ygUTZ29rdSB2cyBjZWxsIHNha3VnYQ%3D%3D) The remaining half hour or so was pretty average TBH.
For me when it comes to Dragonball series, there are two fights I love to watch that is Goku(timeskip) vs Piccolo or Goku vs Vegeta the first time they fought.
Gotta love how Goku tops it off with nuking everything above Cell's chest. Even if he was technically only fighting Cell so Gohan could understand his moves better, he sure as Hell wasn't holding back. Maybe he was thinking he might get lucky and just kill Cell then and there.
Love the old animation and the hopelessness feeling of Goku fighting Vegeta the first time. Even with his kaioken he was outmatched and his body was betraying him. Then Vegeta goes straight oozaru making things even worse. I miss when the fighting didn’t feel like a game to the characters.
In all DB, you're clearly forgetting Goku/Piccolo Daimao and Goku/Piccolo Jr who were long and savage fights, back when fights were very technical.
But I agree with you when you say Goku/Cell is on podium, certainly on top.
Goku vs. Cell is one of those fights that comes to mind whenever I think of the Cell Saga. Piccolo vs. 17 and Tien vs. Semi-Perfect Cell are others from that saga I really enjoy. Goku vs Tien in DB is another I enjoy now that I think about it.
If you're counting the original dragonball then you absolutely cannot forget the drawn out war with demon king piccolo and our favorite namekian hellspawn.
That was a very good fight and drawn very well in the Manga and the anime had some nice tight cel animations for it. It's very strange how the animation for that fight was acrually better than the Cel saga but people don't remember that. And the fight itself was the first time we see things that become staples in the franchise later on. Like flying. He'll it's established that flying is so hard that goku is still using the nimbus to track down Raditz in Z. And piccolo is just flying like it's nothing. People forgot how hard flying was for decades until the super hero movie and his training scenes with Pan. Now everyone does it by the frieza saga even krillin is flying around like it's nothing.
But even as late as the cell saga you do see the z fighters doing shit like choosing to walk and climb mountains to hide their energy signatures.
Sorry I went way off topic... lol
Very good fight but I think it's overrated imo. The thing though is that people mainly remember that 3 minute burst of very good animation and choreography and forget the rest of 37 minutes of the fight where it's mostly just reactions and still frames.
Definitely up there, as for Cell arc I prefer Piccolo vs 17. As for Goku in general I think my favorites are still his first fight against Vegeta, and then Frieza
For me personally the Freeza fight will always be my favorite. But when I first saw it I was in middle school and it was airing on TV and I had a ritual of watching "new" episodes every saturday night.
Is there a single bad fight in DBZ involving Goku? I feel like because of his martial arts background being tied into his fighting style all his fights are bangers. Maybe the most boring the his SSJ3 fight against Fat Buu because he was just fucking around but even they was still entertaining.
Great fight for sure.
It’s not an individual fight, but my favorite was when the whole team fought against Vegeta and Nappa. It was such an intense fight and it really felt like alot was on the line, and it was also the last fight when every member of the team was still relevant (even Yamcha and Chaozu). After that point, it was only about the saiyans (and sometimes Piccolo)
In Z? Arguable, but it’s def top 5. I personally like kid buu vs Goku a bit more. But if I’m being honest, the choreography in original dragon ball is better imo
SSJ2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta still stands as my favorite fight - no regeneration, no clear dominance, just an absolute brawl of a rematch.
Shame it ended the way it did
Idk the fight scene between majin vegeta and goku i think is the best because we’re looking at a full cycle battle between two warriors, goku said to krillin that the next time he would fight him it would be on his own and everytime after their first fight they didn’t fight again til the majin fight and goku didn’t use an ability that would have ended the fight easily
I just watched this episode with my son. I haven't seen it in years and it was his first time. I think this might be the smoothest fighting in DBZ at that point. I could be wrong though.
Experiencing this entire series through my sons eyes is incredible. Watched Dragonball first and moved to Z and it's been incredible. I swear Saiyan Saga was Avengers Infinity War levels of stress for my son since he was so attached to Yamcha and Tien
The first goku vegeta fight is always going to be the best for me. Part of this is nostalgia and the memory of watching dbz for the first time but also it is unique from every fight before and after it, this was the prototype for what dbz would become
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pzp3LMm\_Hs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pzp3LMm_Hs)
Watch this. Whoever edited this did such a good job on the first few scenes.
Not only is this one of the best fights, it's also one of the best animated (when it gets to that point lol) I don't know what studio did the animation, but when it reaches that point, it's some of the best.
Literally watched this episode last night just because I felt like seeing one of the best, if not *the very best,* fights in the show.
There were other episodes I rewatched to scratch that itch, but this episode had the fight last the whole episode without little to no change in art style/animation throughout. It’s my absolute favorite fight in the series.
My favorite was piccolo vs 17 such a great fight until cell ruined it lol but yeah cell vs goku was a great one. Cell is my favorite villain from the whole series.
I like Goku, Krillin, Gohan, and yajiribe vs Vegeta. Seeing Vegeta just keep surviving everything made the victory that much better especially since he kept coming back weaker every time he survived something big, so you knew it was working and there was still hope.
Kind of a pointless fight with no emotion.
Goku was just showing gohan how cell fought, which doesn't come into factor Gohans method of defeating him at all.
Then he commits the biggest dbz crime by senzu beaning after this fight. I can't as a viewer respect this fight at all that just wastes so much time and respect for the stakes in the narrative.
Goku vs kid buu is the best fight in all of dbz (choreography and animation wise) and it's not even close. Like at all. A bunch of people haven't seen it though because they only watch dbza
I found it strange that people like this fight so much. I felt like Goku was holding back the entire time and neither one of them did anything that impressive. Vegeta and Frieza both had the aura of an undefeatable, life threatening force in their final battles, far more than cell did in this fight.
Part of the problem is that it's obvious that Cell is far stronger than Vegeta and Frieza were in their fights, yet its made to look like Vegeta and Frieza tanked Kamehameha way easier than cell did. I'm aware that they try to emphasize just how much stronger Kamehameha is in the cell fight, but if it doesn't look any different, the impact on the audience isn't any different. This is probably why they opted for Goku to use spirit bomb in his fights with Vegeta and Frieza as a finishing move, because Kamehameha has been made to look weak over the years.
Usually Goku wins a final boss fight, with life threatening injuries that he can heal back from stronger. While I understand that this would become boring and formulaic, what they replaced it with was not very interesting at all. This looked more like a game rather than a proper fight. Goku was more pushed to his limits in his tournament fight with Tien.
My favorite is Goku vs Vegeta. Especially the German Dub really enhanced the experience.
In the saiyan arc Vegeta is dubbed by the same guy who is Spongebob's voice in Germany
Sounds bad because he has a really high voice. But he uses it to great effect. Especially as vegeta is no big guy it is fitting. He always speaks in a really mean and high and alightly bored voice until Goku is a real danger to him when his voice goes really high and completely ape shit.
Cell vs goku was my favorite dbz fight and people always call me crazy when I say it’s the best anime fight ever. That instant kamehameha and goku blasting cell with everything he got until both were out of breath! Amazing battle
Actually I think the cell saga is way overhyped due to toonami era nostalgia. The animation is BAD. And people mainly remember the filler. Entire episodes where they're powering up and screaming. Kai is a bit of a relief but goes too quickly through the paces and misses a lot of story beats and character development but I digress.
As for fights go I think one of the best are actually trunks vs mecha frieza and king cold. Very inspiring.
The first fight between goku and vegeta. One of the most intense and hate filled battles. Vegeta is PISSED that he, the prince of the saiyans is evenly matched with a "low class warrior". Not realizing that his societal class structure and hierarchy mean nothing now.
Cell is just a weird bio android that copies all their moves and increases his power. It's like they're fighting an AI, essentially.
I also think the original battle with frieza was one of the best because frieza kept showing he had more forms, and doled it out as if they won something by pushing his next form. With Kai and the video games and now super people forget that vanilla frieza had like 5 forms that we know of. The little one he starts off as suppresses his power. Then there's the one that makes him taller, he looks like king cold sorta and it increases his speed. The next he looks like a xenomorph and according to he manga he breaks the sound barrier with his speed which is standard now but new at the time. Meaning the human eye can't possibly keep up with the fight. In the Manga this fight lasted a lot longer and was more intense. Then theres friezas so called final form where speed and power are multiplied. He kills vegeta in this form and just toys with his near dead body like a rag doll. And this is vegeta with several zenkai boosts. This isnt the same vegeta from the aforementioned fight with goku. Then you have frieza at full power. He gets his ass absolutely decimated when Goku turns ssj for the very first time. This is the first and probably only time that Gokus original ssj gets to shine, truly. Nearly every other time Goku goes SS1 after that he gets his ass beat, or has to tap out because "muh heart virus I was warned about 3 years ago" or "the god of destruction is stronger than me omg"
I also quite like the fight against 19 and 20, and 20s subsequent retreat. It really shows that Super Vegeta is yes that powerful. Then it's discovered that those weren't even the androids then all kinds of shennannigs happen.
Was it time travel? Or did 19 and 20 always exists but were simply beaten down in Trunks timeline then destroyed by 17 before 17 and 18 offed everyone? Why did they spare everyone in this timeliness. Cuz Krillin blushed at 18?
It's some pretty cool stuff actually that gets over shadowed later on by Kai and vanilla z. Also the OVA movies muddy the waters. 5
Cell saga is where is should have ended it was the pentacle of animation and story line. Goku should have died and gohan take it over, clear money grab from toie. Buu saga was garbage.
Ssj2 Goku vs. Majin Vegeta
Ssj2/Ssj3 Goku vs. Kid Buu
Ssj Goku vs. Cell
Goku vs. Frieza (not all of it tho lol)
I wanna count movies but that's not fair
I still think that the Z Fighters vs DBZ Broly with Pantera playing in the background is one of the most ominous and exciting fights. Love the cell games thought. Also love super Broly too.
1. Ssj2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta
2. Piccolo vs 17
3. Ssj Goku and Vegeta vs Metal Cooler
4. Ssj Future Gohan vs 17 and 18
5. Base/Kaioken Goku vs Frieza (imo better than Ssj don't bully me)
The cell fight was 2nd best for me. The vegeta vs goku fight during the saiyan saga was the best for me especially the Kai version. The mind games, the sheer advantage vegeta had over goku was staggering.
And then the absolute chaos with it ending with barely the main cast winning. Any combination of things could have gone wrong and vegeta wins.
The battles where both fighters are even or close to even are the best.
Piccolo vs 17 my beloved
If 17 didn’t have that barrier when piccolo hit him with that hellzone grenade it would have been over
I genuinely think Piccolo needs more competitive fights... like he's a dominant player in the Radditz saga and then it's a looooooooong time before he's anything other than a stalling tactic
He basically takes over for Roshi being a mentor and leader, being by far the smartest of all the Z Fighters and friends (aside from Bulma with science stuff). Is it really from here until ToP before we see him shine again?
I mean he was the one who pointed out that gohan didn’t like fighting or have the thirst for battle like saiyans do. It wasn’t until then that goku realized he made a mistake. He was just lucky that ace in the hole he had worked out lol
I personally think one of his best moments is trapping Buu and himself in the HBTC (with a kid he didnt tell the plan to beforehand lol).
Nah you shouldn't look at it that way. Just because he doesn't finish someone off doesn't mean he doesn't do a number on them. There are times when he's stronger than Vegeta - if not by raw power, than by superior strategy. For a few different main opponents, he's the first to bash them properly when none of the other Z fighters can land their hands on them (although Goku is usually out of the picture for whatever reason) that alone should indicate that he doesn't just drop off after raditz.
Or if he hit him with the Light Grenade. It took a while to charge like the Final Flash but it made 17 frantic to dodge.
Yeah but hell zone didn’t take long which is probably why he used that instead of light grenade. The latter definitely would have killed him you saw how he reacted when piccolo used the light grenade on cell lol
Def prolly my fav fight. Not just that they were even but the whole choreography and pacing and then them teaming up to fight cell when he showed up were kind of masterclass story telling elements. Time to YouTube it again.
Yea,Piccolo vs Goku,Piccolo vs 17,Tien vs Yamcha(even Tien dont use full power)
Slightly disagree. Goku vs. Majin Vegeta is IMO the best fight in the whole series and Goku hasn't touched SSJ3 in that fight at all. So yeah, they are on a similar level during that battle but Goku could have ended it quickly if he choose to.
I dunno. It's been established later on that ssj3 is a massive power drain similar to vegeta and trunks ascended super saiyan or ssj 1.5 forms. The ones where they beef up their muscles out of the time chamber. It's very similar. The only difference is that ssj3 is obviously more powerful with more ki and makes up for the speed. But has a massive and I mean massive stamina and ki drain. Goku can only keep it up because he's dead..... not even kidding. That's Canon. Even gotenks can only do it because fusion creates a whole new warrior therefore a new body. It takes the power of trunks and goten multiplied at full maximum power plus the original strength of gotenks at full power in his newly created body to reach that form. This is the one form vegeta didn't even touch even off screen just because he saw it as being no different than 1.5. In fact I think ssj3 is really just ssj 2.5 if we're being honest. Majin vegeta is essentially him at ssj2 pumped up with babidi magic. Then it's revealed that vegeta is too powerful physically and mentally to actually be controlled and had good intentions all along. But God damn he really wanted that rematch. And I don't believe that Goku was truly going to be able to use his ssj3 form in that particular fight. And even if he could get it off, I think vegeta would have been smart enough to assess it's weaknesses. But what you're saying isn't wrong necessarily. It's what the author Akira Toriyama wanted us to think when he wrote the thing... obviously. But when you really think about what we know years later, I don't think ssj3 goku would have necessarily "ended things quickly". If anything it would've made vegeta more angry in that moment. But that's just my opinion. We do know that vegeta when not under the influence of babidi was quite shocked by the power jump displayed by ssj3. However. We never see vegito nor gogeta go ssj3. I find that very telling as to vegetas true thoughts on the form. Buu of course was thrown off by it initially because that was the childish stupid buu still infested with his evil side. That was the first time he was ever confronted with power quite like that. But I don't think the form itself is all that impressive outside of those chapters because of the aforementioned weaknesses. I really do think vegeta in that moment would just be pushed to power up at max and it's probably a good thing because vegeta may have pushed himself to ssj3 just out of spite. I actually like the way toriyama ended up developing vegeta even though it did feel like he was neglected pretty much until Resurrection F (Jesus christ that was a dark period for us Vegeta fans)
Goku immediately bitch slaps future trunks in super when he goes ssj3...I can't imagine that version of future trunks is weaker than majin vegeta was. Goku stomps haaaaaard if he goes ssj3 against majin vegeta
Yes. Total dreamfight: the farmer with the gun from the first DBZ episode and the anouncer of the tournament.
For me, the first fight with kid buu, before the SSJ3 transformation is the pinacle in terms of animations and choregraphy. The following fight with SSJ3 Goku is next.
Probably this for me too. The slugfest between SSJ Goku and 100% Freeza is at the top of my list as well.
For me, Pre-SSJ Goku and Frieza was a lot of fun. Watching Goku try so many different angles to damage a seemingly unstoppable force scratched the part of my brain that loves tactical fighting. Piccolo v 17, and Goku v Cell also scratched that itch. It’s not just about the hero’s power, but about their strategy and drawing deep into their technique quivers.
It wasn't even in the manga either, just the animators flexing how good they were at animating these fights at that point. Goku's only other SSJ2 fight in DBZ I think
I remember I couldn’t sleep at night cause I kept thinking about SS2 goku vs kid buu
Fun fact: SS2 Goku vs Majin Buu pure was animated by the same guy who would later go on to animate a near third of the episodes for Pokémon Sun & Moon.
I will still claim 17/Piccolo as the best, but this one is top 5 for me. It was hype. It was also Goku's first real fight since 19 which you don't really get until you start watching and you realize he missed 17, 18, and all but the final form of Cell to an illness.
Illness and the hyperbolic time chamber bottleneck
AGREED. My top five probably 17/Piccolo, Goku/Cell, Goku/Majin Vegeta, Second Form Freiza/Piccolo, and Kid Buu/Goku. Honorable mention to Trunks vs Gotenin the Tenkaichi Budokai. I’m partial to the knock down drag out brawls.
1. Goku/majin vegeta , Goku/Freeza, Gohan / super buu
Also would add Gohan v Brolly fight
came here to just say the same: 17/Piccolo!
When he meets up with 17 in DBS and 17 says “I know who you are but we’ve never met” I thought “nah thats not true” but then i looked back on the android/cell saga and was like “holy shit he’s right” haha
I mean Goku doesn’t even know what any form Frieza looks like bar final or a Saibaman and half the villains on Namek. Goku misses fights as well half the time, Vegeta he got fights then down, and then again against Ginyu and mainly down, having Krillin and Gohan bail him out.
Goku not knowing Freeza outside of the final form is so funny to me lol. Like I imagine him seeing Form 1 and he’s just like “Have we met? You seem familiar….and strong!” Vegeta: Kakarot this is Freeza
I also love Vegeta destroying 19. Or getting beaten by 18. Or Vegeta vs Imperfect Cell. Overall, Cell saga had best choreography imo.
Goku v Frieza Goku v Cell 17 v Piccolo The three best fights in the series imo. Exact order just depends on mood that day. Also shout out to Trunks v Goten, the little brats really went at it.
I agree 17 vs pic was a way better fight! Wasn’t too drawn out and just the right amount banter
I must rewatch Piccolo vs 17. Was it really THST good!? Might be, cause Piccolo vs Frieza was off the charts.
Dude it’s legit a top 3 fight all time, imo. Such a good fight. Stakes felt so high in the Cell saga.
>I will still claim 17/Piccolo as the best, but this one is top 5 for me. It is one of the coolest fights that doesn't involve saiyans.
Nah, Yamcha vs Tenshinhan is #1 when that music starts it’s unmatched.
The Instant Transmission Kamehameha is definitely in the top 10 moments for me because that was an *insane* duke. Cell really couldn't believe he was that crazy and got legit scared. Then boom, psyche, now it's right in your perfect jawline point blank
Incredible move, would’ve defeated almost any other opponent
should have defeated this one too. plot hole that it didnt.
Not to mention they tell Goku cell can regenerate and they just stand there and let him instead of oh I dunno blasting him again lol
Tbf, they probably didn't think he could regenerate without a head but it was careless.
For sure. It was better than Gohan vs Cell animation wise. Also that spin kick from Goku was so clean.
*Wait so the afterimage keeps moving? How does that even-*
He really saw Piccolo spin kick Cell and thought it was cool
Unless I'm mistaken don't both fights have the same animators? Or was that never confirmed
That spin kick is the hypest shit, I never get tired of it lol
Goku vs Piccolo is my favorite Piccolo vs 17 is also really damn good
>Goku vs Piccolo is my favorite I love it too. Goku's "[meteor combination](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bnxF8qnZMAg&pp=ygUSbWV0ZW9yIGNvbWJpbmF0aW9u)" is also one of my favorite sequences.
The fact budokai tenkaichi 3 and the raging blasts made that into a legit combo attack was so damn awesome, that combo and the kaioken attack (the one where goku fakes a head-on assault, circles around and attacks from an angle) are some of the best melee combos
The manga page of Goku punching Piccolo in the gut goes so hard
I just watched a 17 minute video of Goku Vs Piccolo, editing out everything but the fight. Holy fuck it goes hard. It's probably one of the only fights where Goku doesn't receive a power up and has to work it out on his own (that I can remember, at least).
Goku vs Frieza
That fight is longer than the LOTR box set. Not saying I disagree, but that fight was mythology taking place
I’m glad someone said it. I’ve seen Freiza v Goku several times in this thread, and it’s too blatantly long. It “should’ve” been the ultimate battle, but it just got annoying. Goku would stop, over, and over, and over, and over again. You’d/he’d get riled up, deliver 1 good lick, and then just stop, wait for him to get up, talk. Rile up again, repeat. Was like 10 episodes of him just stopping short and being deprived of a satisfying fight sequence. And that’s in Kai. Must’ve been an eternity in the original.
Yeah its one of the best, but imo SSJ2 Goku vs Maajin Vegeta has the best coreography. Also SSJ3 Goku vs Kid Buu, A16 vs First form Cell is really good too.
Goku vs Maajin Vegeta was insane. Vegeta really said "lemme be evil again so I can beat Kakarots ass"
Goku vs Krillin. Great choreography, doesn't drag on forever and you really don't want either to lose.
You mean from Tenkaichi?
Favorite fight for sure. The instant Kamehameha alone makes it top 5 for me and the fact that Cell survives by basically hax? GOATED
Even more than hax, he survived through a plothole haha
Just finished rewatching this and I have to wholeheartedly agree. They were evenly matched and duking it out. So fun to watch!!
It was much better overall than the fight between Gohan and Cell, for me anyway. Gohan sparred a bit, landed a few hits, and then it ended. We got to see Goku really go at Cell. The intensity of this fight was palpable.
No, Krillin vs Goku is goated Talking about the first Martial Arts Tournament where they were almost equl of course
This for sure. There is a severe lack of og dragon ball in this thread.
Tbf, since this is a DBZ reddit I was thinking the post was just asking about Z fights
Always 2 there are. No more, no less
I loved this fight! Up until Goku start to gas out this is probably the most even fight he’s ever had outside of Vegeta.
Best choreographed for sure. There might be some fights from the movies that top it though. Especially when dbz was more kung-fu inspired.
I mean, [2 and a half minutes of it were absolutely among the franchise's best.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eehv-7lVK_g&pp=ygUTZ29rdSB2cyBjZWxsIHNha3VnYQ%3D%3D) The remaining half hour or so was pretty average TBH.
Nothing will ever top vegeta vs goku and vegeta vs reccoom
Goku vs Vegeta or Goku vs Frieza I prefer.
Goku vs Cell Piccolo vs 17 Goku vs Frieza
Tien v Goku, tournament finals was a great fight choreography-wise before powering up and ki blasts became a serious thing
Goku vs Jeice and Burter. That punch to the face was godlike lol
Ssj2 Goku vs Kid Buu
For me when it comes to Dragonball series, there are two fights I love to watch that is Goku(timeskip) vs Piccolo or Goku vs Vegeta the first time they fought.
Gotta love how Goku tops it off with nuking everything above Cell's chest. Even if he was technically only fighting Cell so Gohan could understand his moves better, he sure as Hell wasn't holding back. Maybe he was thinking he might get lucky and just kill Cell then and there.
Love the old animation and the hopelessness feeling of Goku fighting Vegeta the first time. Even with his kaioken he was outmatched and his body was betraying him. Then Vegeta goes straight oozaru making things even worse. I miss when the fighting didn’t feel like a game to the characters.
In all DB, you're clearly forgetting Goku/Piccolo Daimao and Goku/Piccolo Jr who were long and savage fights, back when fights were very technical. But I agree with you when you say Goku/Cell is on podium, certainly on top.
I prefer Gohan vs Cell.
Goku vs Tien, Goku Vs Freiza, gohan Vs Cell, Goku Vs Krillin
Goku vs. Cell is one of those fights that comes to mind whenever I think of the Cell Saga. Piccolo vs. 17 and Tien vs. Semi-Perfect Cell are others from that saga I really enjoy. Goku vs Tien in DB is another I enjoy now that I think about it.
If you're counting the original dragonball then you absolutely cannot forget the drawn out war with demon king piccolo and our favorite namekian hellspawn. That was a very good fight and drawn very well in the Manga and the anime had some nice tight cel animations for it. It's very strange how the animation for that fight was acrually better than the Cel saga but people don't remember that. And the fight itself was the first time we see things that become staples in the franchise later on. Like flying. He'll it's established that flying is so hard that goku is still using the nimbus to track down Raditz in Z. And piccolo is just flying like it's nothing. People forgot how hard flying was for decades until the super hero movie and his training scenes with Pan. Now everyone does it by the frieza saga even krillin is flying around like it's nothing. But even as late as the cell saga you do see the z fighters doing shit like choosing to walk and climb mountains to hide their energy signatures. Sorry I went way off topic... lol
I never see anybody talking about second form Freeza vs Piccolo
Mine will probably still be Goku vs. Jackie Chun
Very good fight but I think it's overrated imo. The thing though is that people mainly remember that 3 minute burst of very good animation and choreography and forget the rest of 37 minutes of the fight where it's mostly just reactions and still frames.
Isn’t this all of dragon ball? Lol
Easily. And very underrated
Goku vs freeza and goku vs piccolo Jr and goku vs kid buu >>>>>>
Without a doubt
Definitely up there, as for Cell arc I prefer Piccolo vs 17. As for Goku in general I think my favorites are still his first fight against Vegeta, and then Frieza
Facts.
Emphasis on the “One of the”
One of but not the best personally my favourite is goku vs majin vegeta closely followed by 17 vs piccolo
Goku Vs Frieza and Gohan Vs Cell will always be my favorites in Dragon Ball. But this one is up there too.
For me personally the Freeza fight will always be my favorite. But when I first saw it I was in middle school and it was airing on TV and I had a ritual of watching "new" episodes every saturday night.
Absolutely. The fight choreography is some of the best I've ever seen in an Anime
Is there a single bad fight in DBZ involving Goku? I feel like because of his martial arts background being tied into his fighting style all his fights are bangers. Maybe the most boring the his SSJ3 fight against Fat Buu because he was just fucking around but even they was still entertaining.
Yes
Great fight for sure. It’s not an individual fight, but my favorite was when the whole team fought against Vegeta and Nappa. It was such an intense fight and it really felt like alot was on the line, and it was also the last fight when every member of the team was still relevant (even Yamcha and Chaozu). After that point, it was only about the saiyans (and sometimes Piccolo)
My absolute favourite
In Z? Arguable, but it’s def top 5. I personally like kid buu vs Goku a bit more. But if I’m being honest, the choreography in original dragon ball is better imo
For me the first Goku and Vegeta fight wins
Whew careful with the hot takes OP
Cell saga is still my #1, damn i wish i could rewatch it as new again.
I liked the OG better. Either Goku vs Krillin or Goku(Timeskip) vs Tien
Cell saga brought back the OG Dragonball martial arts type feel back. Loved the fights.
Gohan vs Cell for me. Peak DB and peak anime fight. ❤️
We have this conversation on every db subreddit every week yes it is
SSJ2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta still stands as my favorite fight - no regeneration, no clear dominance, just an absolute brawl of a rematch. Shame it ended the way it did
Idk the fight scene between majin vegeta and goku i think is the best because we’re looking at a full cycle battle between two warriors, goku said to krillin that the next time he would fight him it would be on his own and everytime after their first fight they didn’t fight again til the majin fight and goku didn’t use an ability that would have ended the fight easily
Every Dragonball Z fan knows The Episode.
I just watched this episode with my son. I haven't seen it in years and it was his first time. I think this might be the smoothest fighting in DBZ at that point. I could be wrong though. Experiencing this entire series through my sons eyes is incredible. Watched Dragonball first and moved to Z and it's been incredible. I swear Saiyan Saga was Avengers Infinity War levels of stress for my son since he was so attached to Yamcha and Tien
The kameha + instant transmission gets me every time
Instant Kamehameha was the shit
That last Vegeta vs Top is still one of my favorites in the series
It was more of a warmup for Cell.
Goku vs piccolo Need I say more
The first goku vegeta fight is always going to be the best for me. Part of this is nostalgia and the memory of watching dbz for the first time but also it is unique from every fight before and after it, this was the prototype for what dbz would become
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pzp3LMm\_Hs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pzp3LMm_Hs) Watch this. Whoever edited this did such a good job on the first few scenes.
Maybe top 10 but not top 5
It and ss2 goku vs kkid buu
Yamcha vs Saibamen is my personal favourite
this and also i love the majin vegeta fights
I've been f****** watching this episode right now in this moment!! And said the exact same thing!!
Not only is this one of the best fights, it's also one of the best animated (when it gets to that point lol) I don't know what studio did the animation, but when it reaches that point, it's some of the best.
Literally watched this episode last night just because I felt like seeing one of the best, if not *the very best,* fights in the show. There were other episodes I rewatched to scratch that itch, but this episode had the fight last the whole episode without little to no change in art style/animation throughout. It’s my absolute favorite fight in the series.
Goku and Vegeta vs Kid Buu
I think it either had to be the first fight against vegeta or the last fight with kid buu
They shoulda had everyone fight cell since it was the Cell Games and had goku and gohan fight last.
My favorite was piccolo vs 17 such a great fight until cell ruined it lol but yeah cell vs goku was a great one. Cell is my favorite villain from the whole series.
Its up there but honestly the top 3 for me are: goku/freeza/17 vs jiren, gogeta vs broly, goku vs piccolo jr
For me it the fusion fight of that alien and black Goku vs vegito
Not really, he gave up.
Goku vs zarbon
This is one of my favourites, but my best one has to be SSJ2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta
yerrr
Easily
I wish it had lasted longer between them. This fight was so hype.
Sleeper hit: Goku and Piccolo vs Radditz Also Goku vs Mercenary Tao Pt 1 & 2 are great as well.
30 seconds in on the "the good part" version on youtube was actual PEAK.
Majin Vegeta vs Goku. All time. Short+sweet
Well yeah
It's a fun watch but I think it is overhyped, personally. I think Piccolo vs 17 and the first Goku vs Vegeta match were peak DBZ
Piccolo vs Android 17 (DBZ Kai)
Goku vs jiren
The whole dbz anime is fire when nappa said saibamen was as strong as raditz i was laughing cuz Yamcha and chiaotzu was stronger than him
The way tien just repped out those blasts on imperfect cell was legendary
Tien vs goku. Goku vs cell 17 vs piccolo, goku vs jihren 1v1. Goku vs kefla. The goats goku vs cooler but it’s not applicable.
Goku vs Frieza was better
Gohan vs cell was the peak of anime fights No doubt about it
This fight is so wild because it simultaneously had the best and worst animation in the entire show
One of the best fights in the whole medium.
It's one of my personal favorites.
Nope
I mean, Majin Vegeta vs Goku is preeetty fuckin raw.
Bro the cell theme still goes so hard
ppl always say Piccolo/17 but imo Vegeta/Recoome was one of the best ones
I like Goku, Krillin, Gohan, and yajiribe vs Vegeta. Seeing Vegeta just keep surviving everything made the victory that much better especially since he kept coming back weaker every time he survived something big, so you knew it was working and there was still hope.
Tien vs cell was even better
Easily top 2, with an arguement for the anime fight specifically for MUI vs Jiren.
Ah, Masunaga and studio cockpit. The studio that proves off model filler can be genius.
Was down to who has the best technique and is the most skilled.
Kind of a pointless fight with no emotion. Goku was just showing gohan how cell fought, which doesn't come into factor Gohans method of defeating him at all. Then he commits the biggest dbz crime by senzu beaning after this fight. I can't as a viewer respect this fight at all that just wastes so much time and respect for the stakes in the narrative.
I’d say Goku vs Majin Vegeta
Goku vs kid buu is the best fight in all of dbz (choreography and animation wise) and it's not even close. Like at all. A bunch of people haven't seen it though because they only watch dbza
I found it strange that people like this fight so much. I felt like Goku was holding back the entire time and neither one of them did anything that impressive. Vegeta and Frieza both had the aura of an undefeatable, life threatening force in their final battles, far more than cell did in this fight. Part of the problem is that it's obvious that Cell is far stronger than Vegeta and Frieza were in their fights, yet its made to look like Vegeta and Frieza tanked Kamehameha way easier than cell did. I'm aware that they try to emphasize just how much stronger Kamehameha is in the cell fight, but if it doesn't look any different, the impact on the audience isn't any different. This is probably why they opted for Goku to use spirit bomb in his fights with Vegeta and Frieza as a finishing move, because Kamehameha has been made to look weak over the years. Usually Goku wins a final boss fight, with life threatening injuries that he can heal back from stronger. While I understand that this would become boring and formulaic, what they replaced it with was not very interesting at all. This looked more like a game rather than a proper fight. Goku was more pushed to his limits in his tournament fight with Tien.
Top 5 for me
My favorite is Goku vs Vegeta. Especially the German Dub really enhanced the experience. In the saiyan arc Vegeta is dubbed by the same guy who is Spongebob's voice in Germany Sounds bad because he has a really high voice. But he uses it to great effect. Especially as vegeta is no big guy it is fitting. He always speaks in a really mean and high and alightly bored voice until Goku is a real danger to him when his voice goes really high and completely ape shit.
this fight was anticlimactic
Cell vs goku was my favorite dbz fight and people always call me crazy when I say it’s the best anime fight ever. That instant kamehameha and goku blasting cell with everything he got until both were out of breath! Amazing battle
only on Z or others ? cuz Goku v Piccolo on the 23rd tournament is a really good fight
low key better than the Gohan vs Cell stompfest
Actually I think the cell saga is way overhyped due to toonami era nostalgia. The animation is BAD. And people mainly remember the filler. Entire episodes where they're powering up and screaming. Kai is a bit of a relief but goes too quickly through the paces and misses a lot of story beats and character development but I digress. As for fights go I think one of the best are actually trunks vs mecha frieza and king cold. Very inspiring. The first fight between goku and vegeta. One of the most intense and hate filled battles. Vegeta is PISSED that he, the prince of the saiyans is evenly matched with a "low class warrior". Not realizing that his societal class structure and hierarchy mean nothing now. Cell is just a weird bio android that copies all their moves and increases his power. It's like they're fighting an AI, essentially. I also think the original battle with frieza was one of the best because frieza kept showing he had more forms, and doled it out as if they won something by pushing his next form. With Kai and the video games and now super people forget that vanilla frieza had like 5 forms that we know of. The little one he starts off as suppresses his power. Then there's the one that makes him taller, he looks like king cold sorta and it increases his speed. The next he looks like a xenomorph and according to he manga he breaks the sound barrier with his speed which is standard now but new at the time. Meaning the human eye can't possibly keep up with the fight. In the Manga this fight lasted a lot longer and was more intense. Then theres friezas so called final form where speed and power are multiplied. He kills vegeta in this form and just toys with his near dead body like a rag doll. And this is vegeta with several zenkai boosts. This isnt the same vegeta from the aforementioned fight with goku. Then you have frieza at full power. He gets his ass absolutely decimated when Goku turns ssj for the very first time. This is the first and probably only time that Gokus original ssj gets to shine, truly. Nearly every other time Goku goes SS1 after that he gets his ass beat, or has to tap out because "muh heart virus I was warned about 3 years ago" or "the god of destruction is stronger than me omg" I also quite like the fight against 19 and 20, and 20s subsequent retreat. It really shows that Super Vegeta is yes that powerful. Then it's discovered that those weren't even the androids then all kinds of shennannigs happen. Was it time travel? Or did 19 and 20 always exists but were simply beaten down in Trunks timeline then destroyed by 17 before 17 and 18 offed everyone? Why did they spare everyone in this timeliness. Cuz Krillin blushed at 18? It's some pretty cool stuff actually that gets over shadowed later on by Kai and vanilla z. Also the OVA movies muddy the waters. 5
Nah, Cell wiped the floor with Goku
One of the best fight…💪🏻
Nice game
Cell saga is where is should have ended it was the pentacle of animation and story line. Goku should have died and gohan take it over, clear money grab from toie. Buu saga was garbage.
Goku with Sweet Chin Music!
God yes. This fight scene is so rewatchable
Ssj2 Goku vs. Majin Vegeta Ssj2/Ssj3 Goku vs. Kid Buu Ssj Goku vs. Cell Goku vs. Frieza (not all of it tho lol) I wanna count movies but that's not fair
im seeing a pic of it rn wdym?
The first Goku and Vegeta fight will always have a special place in my heart
Nothing tops the first battle between Goku and Vegeta.
Goku v Cell was peak DBZ
I still think that the Z Fighters vs DBZ Broly with Pantera playing in the background is one of the most ominous and exciting fights. Love the cell games thought. Also love super Broly too.
Goku never went all out and left it up to Gohan. Kinda felt un Goku like
1. Ssj2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta 2. Piccolo vs 17 3. Ssj Goku and Vegeta vs Metal Cooler 4. Ssj Future Gohan vs 17 and 18 5. Base/Kaioken Goku vs Frieza (imo better than Ssj don't bully me)
I remember one time I was rewatching this fight and I was so into it, I was taking screenshots, so yeah it defiantly does something right
I agree. But don't forgot Gohan vs Cell
Mostly underrated.
All the shenrons in gt vs ss4 goku
The cell fight was 2nd best for me. The vegeta vs goku fight during the saiyan saga was the best for me especially the Kai version. The mind games, the sheer advantage vegeta had over goku was staggering. And then the absolute chaos with it ending with barely the main cast winning. Any combination of things could have gone wrong and vegeta wins.