Ranking the Best Fights From Each Anime Series

When it comes to action anime, few anime are more iconic than Dragon Ball. No matter the series, Dragon Ball always finds a way to deliver one thrilling fight after another, and considering how many stories were inspired by it, it’s easy to say that action anime would be completely unrecognizable without Dragon Ball’s influence on the medium.

Naturally, Dragon Ball’s fights aren’t iconic just because of how old they are. Dragon Ball’s story has been told across five different anime over 40 years, each with their own unique style of action and storytelling, and with that sort of legacy behind it, Dragon Ball has consistently delivered some of anime’s greatest fights for longer than most of its fans have been alive. A few of those fights especially stand out, as each one is representative of why Dragon Ball has become so iconic all across the world.

10

Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta Vs. Omega Shenron

Dragon Ball GT Episode 60

Near the end of Dragon Ball GT’s final saga, as Goku struggled to fight Omega Shenron, Vegeta arrived to help and used Baby’s Blutz Wave technology to unlock Super Saiyan 4. Even that wasn’t enough to defeat Omega Shenron, however, so Goku and Vegeta had no choice but to fuse into Gogeta, although their carelessness still left them unable to finish the job.

While it’s one of the shorter fights in Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball, as a whole, Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta vs. Omega Shenron is a great fight for the creativity and energy of Gogeta’s fighting style and for the catharsis of seeing Omega Shenron be so thoroughly beaten down after spending so much time being invincible. Dragon Ball GT has plenty of problems, but Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta’s sole appearance was still a great way of kicking off its climax.

9

Super Saiyan 4 Goku Vs. Baby Vegeta

Dragon Ball GT Episodes 35-39

As Dragon Ball GT’s Baby saga came to a close, Goku, once again defeated by Baby Vegeta, used the Earth to transform into a Golden Great Ape, with his rampage across the new Planet Plant only stopped when Pan reached out to them. That moment of calm allowed Goku to channel his power into a new form, Super Saiyan 4, and with that, he finally had the means to fight on Baby’s level.

Super Saiyan 4’s iconic design and incredible power more than lived up to the hype surrounding its debut, and once it appeared, the fight with Baby Vegeta turned into one of constant escalation from both sides that eventually became the perfect capstone to Dragon Ball GT’s strongest arc. Super Saiyan 4 Goku vs. Baby Vegeta is easily the biggest and best fight in Dragon Ball GT, and after all these years, that hasn’t changed in the slightest.

8

Super Saiyan 4 Goku Vs. Gomah

Dragon Ball Daima Episode 20

In the climax of Dragon Ball Daima, Gomah had become nigh-invincible thanks to the Evil Third Eye, but Arinsu discovered that the Third Eye could be removed if he was hit in the back of the head three times. Goku, now back in his adult body, took it upon himself to distract Gomah so Piccolo could pull that off, and to match Gomah’s power, he once again used his brand-new Super Saiyan 4 transformation.

Super Saiyan 4 Goku becoming canon was already great to see, and not only was it even better when Goku was an adult, but Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Gomah’s final fight ended up having some of the best spectacle of any Dragon Ball fight, thanks to its gorgeous visuals and overall direction. Dragon Ball Daima was a spectacular addition to the franchise, and its final big fight was the perfect way to end it.

7

Gohan Vs. Cell

Dragon Ball Z Episodes 181-191

In the climax of the Android saga, not only did Goku abruptly give up the fight against Cell, but he suddenly declared that Gohan was the only one who could defeat him. Sure enough, Gohan’s lack of power and confidence made him easy picking for Cell, but after Android 16 gave him a final push at the cost of his life, Gohan finally tapped into his hidden potential and unlocked Super Saiyan 2.

Between the intensity of Gohan’s transformation into Super Saiyan 2, the drama of Goku’s sacrifice, and the execution of the iconic Father-Son Kamehameha to finally defeat Cell, Gohan and Cell’s fight was one of the best-written and best-directed fights in all of Dragon Ball. Gohan and Cell’s fight is often regarded as one of Gohan’s best fights in Dragon Ball, and even after so many years, it’s easy to see why.

6

Gohan, Piccolo, And Everyone Else Vs. Cell Max

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, while Gohan and Piccolo quickly resolved things with the Gammas, things quickly took a turn for the worse when Magenta let loose Cell Max, the Red Ribbon Army’s ultimate weapon of destruction. Everyone had to work together to stop Cell Max, and they only succeeded when Gohan tapped into his full potential to unlock his all-powerful Beast form.

Gohan’s fight with Cell Max has many clear parallels to his fight with Cell, but between having even more gorgeous animation and for the added catharsis of it following decades of Gohan being wasted as a character, Gohan’s fight with Cell Max is one of the best to watch for how much it excels visually and narratively. Add in how it’s a rare example of a Dragon Ball fight giving every character something to do, and few fights even come close to being as good.

5

Goku Vs. Master Roshi

Dragon Ball Episodes 26-28

As Dragon Ball’s first World Martial Arts Tournament came to a close, Goku ended up in the finals against Master Roshi, although he was disguised as the mysterious Jackie Chun. Goku put up an incredible fight that pushed everything Master Roshi taught him to its limits, but in the end, Master Roshi narrowly eked out a win.

Goku and Jackie Chun’s fight is one of the best fights in early Dragon Ball thanks to its gorgeous animation and the comedy and emotional weight of its writing, all of which was greatly capped off by Goku losing, but still using his loss as a means of growth. It might not be the flashiest fight, but there’s plenty to love about it, and even after so many decades, it’s still one of Goku’s best fights in Dragon Ball, by far.

4

Goku Vs. Piccolo

Dragon Ball Episodes 143-148

Three years after Goku defeated King Piccolo, Goku fought his way to the finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament to fight against Piccolo Jr., King Piccolo’s simultaneous son and reincarnation looking to continue his quest to take over the world. The fight with Piccolo was the toughest fight of Goku’s life at that point, but eventually, Goku emerged victorious, saved the world, and finally became a champion.

Not only does Goku and Piccolo’s fight have some of the best choreography of any Dragon Ball fight, but between Goku saving the world once again and finally winning the World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku’s fight with Piccolo is great for its incredible emotional catharsis combined with its stellar visuals and choreography. Goku and Piccolo’s fight was the final fight before the transition into the over-the-top spectacle of Dragon Ball Z, and there was no better fight to mark the transition.

3

Gogeta Vs. Broly

Dragon Ball Super: Broly

In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, thanks to Frieza’s machinations, Broly unlocked his Super Saiyan form and quickly evolved to be too big a threat for Goku and Vegeta to handle. With no other way to stop Broly, Goku and Vegeta used the Fusion Dance to fuse into Gogeta, and with the fusion’s awesome power, it wasn’t long before Broly was finally defeated.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly easily has the best fight animation and art direction of any Dragon Ball film, and that best shows itself in its final fight, as Gogeta and Broly’s fight has some of the most intense action and gorgeous fight choreography of any modern Dragon Ball fight. Gogeta and Broly’s fight made for an amazing finale, and in terms of pure spectacle, no other fight even comes close to matching it.

2

Goku Vs. Frieza

Dragon Ball Z Episodes 87-105

After Goku finished recovering from the fight with Captain Ginyu, he returned to his friends just in time to take up the fight against Frieza in his final form. Sure enough, though, Frieza initially proved too powerful for even Goku to handle, and fighting Frieza meant that Goku had to push himself to his limit and achieve his destiny by becoming the legendary Super Saiyan.

Between its stellar visuals and fight choreography, the way the story masterfully built up tension over and over again, and the absolute catharsis of Goku becoming a Super Saiyan and dominating Frieza, Goku and Frieza’s fight in Dragon Ball is the perfect encapsulation of everything that came before it. There had never been a fight quite like this one, and even after so many decades, it’s arguably the peak of Dragon Ball’s action.

1

Goku Vs. Tamagami Number Three

Dragon Ball Daima Episode 8

In Dragon Ball Daima, Goku and his friends needed to gather up the Demon Realm Dragon Balls to return to their original ages, and that meant fighting the powerful Tamagamis, the guardians of the Dragon Balls. The first of them Goku encountered was Tamagami Number Three in the Third Demon World, and after a long fight, Goku emerged victorious and won the first Dragon Ball.

Not only did Goku’s fight with Tamagami Number Three take Daima’s stellar animation and focus on grounded action to its limit, but it also threw in some of Dragon Ball’s more modern spectacle in a surprisingly balanced way, and at the end of it all, Goku’s fight with Tamagami Number Three has the perfect balance of grounded and over-the-top combat. It’s a fairly recent fight, but even so, it’s hard to see it as anything but the best fight in all of Dragon Ball.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil