Few anime series can match Dragon Ball when it comes to action. From the World Tournaments in the original Dragon Ball to the life-or-death battles in DBZ and Dragon Ball Super, Akira Toriyama’s legendary franchise has consistently balanced incredible fight choreography with unforgettable character moments. While plenty of sagas feature spectacular fights, some stand above the rest by maintaining an almost unbelievable level of quality from beginning to end.
Whether it’s a long-awaited rivalry finally reaching its boiling point or a desperate struggle against an enemy who seems impossible to defeat, these Dragon Ball Sagas understand exactly what makes a masterpiece fight. Every battle serves a purpose and pushes the main characters to their limits. From the original Dragon Ball to DBZ and beyond, these sagas prove that the franchise is at its best when every fight feels like an event worth watching.
7
The World Tournament Saga is a Brilliant Balance of Comedy, Martial Arts, & Heart
The original 21st Tenkaichi Budokai is a very special point in Dragon Ball history. The series still hadn’t fully abandoned its comedic and adventure roots yet, but the World Tournament backdrop meant that Dragon Ball was moving in a much more action and character-driven direction. The World Tournament’s framing is genius. By having Roshi go undercover as Jackie Chun, Toriyama creates new stakes. The audience wants Goku to win, but at the same time, there’s real merit in Roshi’s point of humbling him and Krillin.
The gag fights in the tournament are quite underrated. Krillin VS Bacterian has that early Dragon Ball charm while Nam VS Ranfan has a fun raciness the series eventually lost. All of Jackie Chun and Goku’s battles are phenomenal, really elevating the fight choreography from what was seen in the Pilaf Saga. This is really where Toriyama starts to come into his own and understand that he can still tell a compelling story throughout engaging combat.
6
The Tien Shinhan Saga is Painfully Underrated
The Tien Shinhan Saga features the only tournament in Dragon Ball where it feels like genuinely anyone can win and it’s all the better for it. The 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai features Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Jackie Chun, Tien, and Chiaotzu all as valid potential winners with unique skill sets to back them up. Even Panput and Man Wolf, who obviously won’t win, get great fights – with Goku’s beat down of Panput serving as an important character moment, while Jackie Chun VS Man Wolf is arguably the last true gag battle in the series.
What really makes the Tien Shinhan Saga stand out from the World Tournament Saga is how much more brutal, strategic, and intelligently written the action is. Yamcha gets his leg snapped in half by Tien, Krillin nearly defeats Goku by using smart tactics, and Tien’s battles with both Roshi and Goku turn into ideological showdowns to determine his fate and worth as a man. This arc arguably has the best balance of pure martial arts and Ki attacks, as well, with the latter feeling legitimately special and constantly changing the course of battle in a way you don’t get from DBZ or Dragon Ball Super.
5
The Piccolo Jr. Saga is the Greatest Tournament Arc in Anime History
There is no greater tournament in Dragon Ball and anime history than the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. The final saga in the original Dragon Ball series, the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament finally brings the series full circle while quietly wrapping up everybody’s character arcs. Tien Shinhan defeats Tao Pai Pai to symbolically abandon the Crane School, Krillin proves himself by nearly ringing out Piccolo, Yamcha earns God’s praise, Roshi formally retires, and Goku finally becomes World Champion.
The fights in the tournament are some of Toriayma’s absolute best. The series’ power scaling hadn’t gotten out of control by this point yet, so there’s a healthy balance between Ki attacks, straight up martial arts, and genuine strategy. Goku VS Piccolo is one of the greatest battles of all time, ebbing and flowing as the two rivals find genius ways to counterattack one another. Dragon Ball could have ended with Goku defeating Piccolo and it still would have gone down as one of the greatest shonen series of all time.
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4
The Saiyan Saga is Akira Toriyama At His Absolute Best
Akira Toriyama kicked off Dragon Ball Z with an absolute bang. Despite featuring no Super Saiyans, a mostly human cast, and skill-based action, the Saiyan Saga might very well be the piece story Toriyama has ever written. Starting from Raditz’s arrival, this is the best action in all of Dragon Ball. Goku VS Piccolo is a legendarily good fight that got millions of kids immediately hooked on Dragon Ball Z, with Goku and Gohan’s subsequent training arcs showing that the anime had a real story to tell.
The fights against the Saibamen and Nappa are downright amazing. Yamcha’s battle gets memed a lot, but it’s a genuinely well choreographed battle with a painful plot twist when you approach the story with some sincerity. Goku VS Vegeta is the real pièce de résistance: quite possibly the greatest battle in anime and manga history. Goku VS Veget ais a fight about ideology, class, culture, and what it means to prove yourself – all while looking and feeling amazing.
3
The Cell Saga Uses DBZ’s Ensemble Cast Perfectly
The Cell Saga was the last time in Dragon Ball Z where it felt like Akira Toriyama was energized, plugged in, and truly engaged with what he was writing. The Cell Saga was meant to be the final story arc in Dragon Ball and it shows: just about every single character gets an important moment or battle. The fights in the Cell arc are particularly inspired, feeling kinetic, energetic, and always moving. Toriyama feels like he’s mastered the pen at this point – every battle just flows so seamlessly.
The action is quite varied, too, which makes for a nice change of pace after the Saiyan domination in the first two story arcs. Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, and the Androids all get plenty of great action scenes. Piccolo VS 17 remains one of the most underrated fights in all of Dragon Ball, and every single Cell battle is downright genius, with the villain mirroring whoever he’s battling at the time. The Cell Games is arguably where Toriyama peaks. Goku VS Cell is one of the best choreographed battles in manga history, and Gohan VS Cell is quite possibly the most emotional fight in all of Dragon Ball.
2
The Moro Saga is Going to Break the Internet When Dragon Ball Super 2 Airs
It’s a matter of when, not if, Dragon Ball Super 2 breaks the internet. An adaption of Toyotarou’s Moro Saga from the Dragon Ball Super anime, Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol is kicking off with what is quite possibly the single greatest story arc in modern Dragon Ball. The Moro Saga is truly the only arc in the series that feels like it can stand among DBZ‘s best, both narratively and in terms of action. Every single battle in the Moro Saga is unique, exciting, and puts the spotlight on a new character.
This is the Cell Saga given new life, where bit players like Chiaotzu, Tien, and Yamcha all get great action scenes. More importantly, though, the battles for Goku and Vegeta are the best they will ever be. Moro makes for a truly phenomenal opponent who keeps getting stronger. Despite the many rematches throughout the arc, no two Moro battles feel alike thanks to his skill set constantly changing. If you thought Ultra Instinct Sign Goku VS Jiren was something, wait until you watch Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku VS Ultra Instinct Moro.
1
The Granolah the Survivor Saga Has Some of the Greatest Action in the Series
In many ways, the Granolah the Survivor Saga is just one long fight. The arc mainly consists of Goku and Vegeta battling Granolah and Gas, with a flashback arc dedicated to Bardock battling Gas and then Black Frieza’s final battle against everyone. Despite being so action-heavy, the story in the Granolah arc is surprisingly high quality. Granolah himself is an excellent protagonist, and the way the saga examines the Saiyans’ violent past is brutally honest but still tonally appropriate for an optimistic series like Dragon Ball.
More than anything, though, this is the arc where Toyotarou starts fully understanding how to make each character in Dragon Ball Super distinct. Goku, Vegeta, Granolah, Gas, Bardock, and Frieza all fight wildly differently from one another – Granolah and Gas even use weapon-like abilities, giving the saga’s fights a dynamic edge that’s rarely ever seen in Dragon Ball. Goku outsmarting Gas, Vegeta brute-forcing his way to Ultra Ego, and Frieza’s elegant final battle are just a few sublime cherries on top of an amazing martial arts sundae.
- TV Show(s)
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Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First TV Show
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Dragon Ball
- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- Latest TV Show
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First Episode Air Date
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February 26, 1986
